Plan to cut off the nine states

King Shenxing had no interest in Xu Chu's plan and even thought it was a bad idea.

After many hands-offs, the government office is in tatters, but it still has the largest courtyard in the city. The soldiers of Shenxing Tianwang sorted and piled the looted items, including a pile of grain, a pile of soldiers' armor, a pile of money, and a pile of cloth. , a pile of debris.

Except for clutter, there was no pile taller than an adult, and most of the clutter was useless, including a few door panels.

King Shenxing was in his fifties, wearing an armor that could no longer be seen in its original color. He did not wear a helmet, showing his sparse hair. He had a melancholy look on his face. He looked less like a general and more like a patriarch facing a difficult situation.

He was one of the few leaders of the new army who did not give himself a new name. He insisted on using his original name Gong Fan, and especially did not like others calling him Heavenly King - this was a title forced on him by the leaders, not out of his own will.

"What kind of king am I? If you want, just call me 'Brother Gong', that's enough." Gong Fan said to the guests, but did not look over. He was still staring at the items in the courtyard and said to a little boss: " That’s all?”

"There are still some that haven't been delivered. There should be... more." The little boss said uncertainly.

"Gather the food, distribute the armor to those who don't have it, reward valuable items to those who have merit, give cloth to the families of the wounded and wounded soldiers, and take whatever is left... if you can, take it with you, if you can't, burn it. Bar."

The little boss took the order and left. Gong Fan then looked at the guests and said, "Which one of you will be the big boss?"

Du Gousan said: "It's not decided yet, so I came to your place..."

Gong Fan shook his head, "Don't come to my place, I can't make the decision."

Yan Pei Ying stepped forward and said with a smile: "King Gong Tian, ​​don't refuse. We are mainly here to borrow a place to convene the leaders to discuss a major matter."

"How many times have I told you, I am not the King of Heaven."

"It's okay. Brother Gong is loyal and loyal. We can't trust others, so we come to you."

"I can't even support the thousands of soldiers under my command, how can I be loyal and loyal?"

Gong Fan's words were cold, and Yan Pei Ying and Du Gou San were a little embarrassed. Mu Tianzi said: "Everyone is short of food and has a lot of headaches. This Xu Chu said he has a way to find food, so we brought it to share with Brother Gong." ”

"Huh?" Du Gousan didn't remember Xu Chu saying such a thing.

Xu Chu himself smiled and said nothing, secretly thinking that Emperor Mu had mastered the essence of persuading others. Whether it was true or false, the first sentence should interest the other person first, and then the next words would be easy to say.

As expected, Gong Fan's eyes lit up and he looked at Xu Chu again, "Do you have food?"

Before Xu Chu could speak, Emperor Mu said: "Xu Chu has a bigger plan. If it can be realized, food will no longer be a problem, and we will no longer be chased by others, but we will chase others."

"Really?" Gong Fan only stared at Xu Chu.

Xu Chu said: "Brother Gong, have you heard of my name?"

Gong Fan nodded, "I heard a little bit. Please come into the room and talk."

There were not even tables and chairs in the official hall. Gong Fan ordered his men to pick a few stools from the debris outside and sit in a circle with the guests regardless of host or guest.

"Then, let's go check again and see if there are any tea leaves we brought from home. If there is any left, make a pot of tea. If not, just boil some hot water."

"Who then?" He accepted the order and left. Gong Fan said, "Our army is too poor and there is no drink. I hope you all will understand."

"We are not here to drink." Du Gousan and others knew that Shenxing Tianwang was always stingy and did not care about him. Du Gousan quickly explained his plan to seize the title of the King of the World, and finally said: "Old Army We must have accumulated a lot of food and grass, just in time to enjoy it, but it can’t be done by just the three of us, we need everyone..."

Gong Fan raised his hand to stop Du Gousan from continuing, "It turns out it's for this matter. Please go back. I won't participate, and I can't provide a place for you to discuss."

Du Gousan said in surprise: "Brother Gong, you don't want food?"

"I want to, but I don't want the food of the coming king."

"Didn't you understand? The current King of the World is not in the right position. Before King Xue died..."

"I understand." Gong Fan interrupted Du Gousan again, his eyes swept over the faces of the three kings, except Xu Chu, "Since everyone calls me 'brother,' please allow me to put on airs and say A few unpleasant words."

"Brother Gong, just say it." The three kings said one after another.

"Well, it's important for people to know themselves. We know each other's origins well. King Du Tian used to be a mason..."

"It's hooked into the wall." Du Gousan corrected in a low voice.

Gong Fan ignored him and continued: "King Yan Tian was originally an Orion, King Mu has never made a living, and I am just an old farmer."

Mu Tianzi said: "Brother Gong is too humble. How could a prince or a general like Xiang Ning have the guts? Emperor Tiancheng's family has been unknown for several generations."

"Zhang had accumulated at least several generations of virtue before he dared to proclaim himself emperor. Even so, he didn't last long. He was still too impatient and not virtuous enough."

Du Gousan smiled and said: "We are not trying to become emperor, but..."

Gong Fan still shook his head, "We don't want the title of King of the Incarnate World. It is a divine position bestowed by the Buddha and cannot be taken by trickery. Let me ask you: Have any of you ever communicated with gods and Buddhas?"

The three heavenly kings were silent, and Xu Chu said: "I have."

Du Gousan said displeasedly: "We are talking about serious matters, don't talk nonsense."

"If you don't believe me, you can ask the old army officers and soldiers. I was possessed by King Xue who ascended to heaven in the Eastern Capital. I needed his help to defeat the officers and soldiers besieging the city."

The other four people looked at each other, not knowing whether it was true or false.

Two soldiers came in, one holding a pot and the other a bowl. They poured hot tea and distributed it to everyone.

The tea looked pretty good. Gong Fan's face changed slightly. He glared at the soldier, scolding him for mistaking him, and then smiled and said, "I didn't expect I have some intact tea leaves left here. Come on, let's all drink. You're welcome."

The tea was too hot, the bottom of the bowl was hot, and there was nowhere to put it. Everyone took a small sip and placed the bowl on the floor.

Gong Fan blew it a few times and took a sip. He raised his head and said, "Why don't you drink tea? This is good tea, don't waste it."

"I'm not thirsty. I'll drink it later." Du Gousan said with a smile, not interested in the tea.

Gong Fan insisted on drinking half a bowl of tea and said, "Listen to what Xu Chu means. He wants to be the king of the world himself. I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with you, and I can't help."

Du Gousan immediately said: "Let's help him seize the throne, and he will pass the king's title to us... one of us."

Gong Fan sneered and said: "There is a rich man who asked me to borrow food. He said he would borrow one hundred shi this year and pay back 200 shi next year. Do you think he will lend it to me?"

Du Gousan shook his head, "Of course I won't borrow it. I lent him a hundred shi in real terms, but he didn't know the truth about the two hundred shi. It was probably just a casual comment and he wouldn't return it later... Oh, Brother Gong is saying that Xu Chu may not keep his promise. ?”

"He is alone now and falls into your hands. How can I say so? If he takes back the king's title - if he really takes it back, there will be people loyal to him. How dare you compete with him for the throne? If he can't take back the king's title , I am still alone, and the losses are all yours.”

Du Gousan was speechless, and Yan Peiying also showed hesitation. Only Mu Tianzi said: "As long as Xu Chu is in our hands, there will always be a way to make him obey our words."

Gong Fan sighed softly, "But I only see you obeying his words. You should be down-to-earth, store more food and grass, prepare for the winter, and think less about endless things. We are all ordinary people, and we have grown up with Without contact with counselors, it is easy to be deceived by them. I would say, never deal with them, and keep them as far away as possible.”

Du Gousan said anxiously: "No, even if you don't win the title of King of the World, you can still become the big boss by killing Xu Chu!"

Gong Fan sneered again, "Big boss... do you take this seriously?"

Du Gousan became even more anxious, "Why don't you take it seriously? This was what everyone agreed on at the beginning. Brother Gong, you were also present at the time."

"I saw a large group of you here shouting and shouting that you wanted to avenge Duryodhana. Without even knowing what was going on, they just said that the one who killed Xu Chu would succeed him as the big boss."

"No matter what, everyone agrees."

"Hey, so what if you don't agree? Who would really shout it out? Please listen to my good advice: When Duryodhana was alive, we didn't say that we would obey his orders in everything. Another so-called big leader, except for his own Who else can you control? Instead of fighting for these useless reputations, it is better to look for and store food down-to-earth. When the weather gets colder and the brothers don’t have enough to eat and don’t have enough clothes to wear, the ‘King of the World’ and the ‘Big Boss’ 'But they can't help."

The three heavenly kings were speechless. After a long silence, Emperor Mu said: "Xu Chu, please speak."

Du Gousan slapped his thigh, "Yes, Xu Chu, this was your idea. What's going on if you don't speak up? You told us so clearly back then."

Xu Chu smiled and nodded, thought for a while, and said, "I think everything Brother Gong said is reasonable."

Du Gousan raised his eyebrows and said, "Don't think that I will let you go. I killed and injured dozens of brothers to snatch you back. If others don't kill you, I will kill you too, no matter whether I can become the big boss or not."

"Don't worry, King Du Tian." Xu Chu looked at Gong Fan, "It's like a tree. Some people pick its fruits, some love its flowers, some cut its branches, and some cut its juice... In short, everyone gets what they need, and there is no need to worry. Conflict. Brother Gong has no intention of competing for false fame, which is admirable, but Brother Gong’s accumulation of food and the three kings’ fight for the throne are actually the same thing, and there is no conflict.”

Du Gousan immediately praised: "Well said."

Gong Fan smiled and said: "The risk is too high and the rewards are all unknown. I won't do this kind of business."

"Seizing the throne is a long-term plan, gathering is a top priority, and accumulating food is an urgent matter, right?"

Gong Fan nodded.

"So we must first accumulate food. If there is enough food and grass, then all the new armies can be merged into one and have a chance to seize the throne, right?"

Before Gong Fan could express his position, Du Gousan said, "I praise you in vain. The first sentence is just like that, and the rest is all nonsense."

Xu Chu smiled and said: "What I mean is to take it step by step. First look for food from other places. After the new army is stable, we can go north to ask for the king's title."

The other four people were stunned, and Du Gousan said: "Where are you going to find food? It can't be the He Rong people, right? I understand, a few hundred He Rong people are so difficult to deal with, if there are 10,000 He Rong people Man, the four of us working together are no match.”

"Go back to Hanzhou, where there is plenty of food."

"Haha, the more you talk about it, the more you get lost. If we can get food in Hanzhou, why do we come to Qinzhou so hard? Everyone knows that there is even more food shortage here. There is really no other way out."

"This time, that time." Xu Chu glanced at the four heavenly kings, "Chanyu summoned all the heroes in the world to pay homage to him. Hanzhou is so close that the city lords would not dare not to go. If the lord is not around, the city guards will be empty. This is a gift from heaven. It's a good opportunity. If you act quickly, you can collect a large amount of food before He Rong's people enter Hanzhou, and then take the food northward and then enter Qinzhou to avoid the unfavorable cavalry of He Rong's troops in winter. Do you think it's feasible to form a battalion and select a leader first, and then go north to seize the title of King of the World next spring?"

Even Gong Fan seemed a little tempted.

Xu Chu struck while the iron was hot and said to Gong Fan: "I see that there is a black gas surrounding this city, which must be ominous. If Brother Gong does not leave the city quickly, he will suffer the disaster."