Plan to cut off the nine states

The banquet was still going on, Chang Yan got drunk and became brothers with many navy leaders, and had no time to care about him.

Xi Yuanyu asked others to move his seat and let him sit next to Xu Chu. He asked for another bowl of wine and said with a smile, "I'll give Mr. Xu a bowl."

Xu Chu said with a smile: "When we meet old friends, we should drink and chat with each other, but I have been ill recently and I really don't dare to drink wine, so I have to drink tea instead. I hope General Xi will forgive me."

Chang Yan at the other end finally noticed the situation here and said loudly: "Young Master can't drink, let me do it!" After saying that, he picked up the bowl and took a big sip. He didn't recognize the identity of the toaster.

Xi Yuanyi laughed, took a sip himself, put down the wine bowl, and asked with concern: "Is Mr. Xu injured?"

"A little problem, I just can't drink too much."

"That's it." Xi Yuanyu looked at Xu Chu and suddenly smiled, "I think back in Runan City, I fell into Mr. Xu's scheme and was in a very embarrassing situation. Later in Dongdu, it was also because of Mr. Xu that I was even more embarrassed. I was lucky enough to survive. I never imagined that I would meet Mr. Xu again here!"

"I'm surprised too."

"How is it possible? Mr. Xu knows things well. Before coming to Jingzhou, he never thought that he would meet the Xi family here?"

"I thought of it, but I didn't expect it would be General Xi." Xu Chu said with a smile.

"I am also from the Xi family. Mr. Xu thought I died in the army?"

Xu Chu shook his head, "I just think... Duke Heng Guo should send one of his sons here to catch me."

Xi Yuanyi was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "Mr. Xu, do you think I came here to catch you?"

“People who ‘know things like a god’ will inevitably think too much.”

Xi Yuanyi took another sip of wine and said with a smile: "Young Master Xu is indeed overthinking. I have been coming to Yiling City for several months to fight against the southern enemy with King Yang Jiang. I just heard about Young Master Xu two days ago. If you want to come, I said that I must meet him to express my respect. I have no other thoughts. I am a defeated general under Mr. Xu, but I am convinced of the defeat. I only have respect for Mr. Xu and have no hatred. "

"I judge a gentleman with a villain's heart." Xu Chu cupped his hands and said.

"Mr. Xu is worried that the Xi family will avenge the incident in Hanzhou, right?" Xi Yuanyi sighed lightly, "The murder of my eldest brother is indeed a great loss for our Xi family. Duke Jiabo Heng was so heartbroken that he refused to eat or drink for several days. But our Xi family’s grievances are clear, and we have found out clearly that the murderer was Yizhou general Tang Weitian, and the mastermind was Shi Louyin, the governor of Han Dynasty. "

Xi Yuanyi suddenly raised his fist and smashed it on the table, "The shameless villain Lou Yu, when he borrowed troops from the Xi family, he knelt down and begged Duke Heng to send someone to serve as a pastor. The great work has not yet been accomplished. He just walked out of the place of death. His position He was just a bit more cautious, but he turned against him and refused to recognize him. Alas, when he returned the Jingzhou soldiers, our Xi family should have been alert, but Duke Heng felt that Lou Zhen would not take action immediately. In terms of conspiracy and conspiracy, the Xi family is really not as good as the Lou family... ...Haha, Mr. Xu, don’t think too much.”

"No." Xu Chu smiled and shook his head.

"In short, our Xi family can distinguish right from wrong. Everything Mr. Xu did was fair and aboveboard, but Louyi is different. He is the Xi family's biggest enemy. Even if no one is left in the battle, the Xi family will avenge this bloodbath! "Xi Yuanyi raised his fist, but did not smash it down. Instead, he slowly lowered it.

"If we want to take revenge in Hanzhou, we must first calm down the situation in Jingzhou."

"That's right, so Duke Hengguo invited King Yang Jiang to discuss the matter. He hoped that everyone could discuss it together and come up with a strategy. The two armies would work together to repel the southern bandits. Let Chen Bingcai know that although Jingzhou is weak, he cannot bully it. "

"Advancing by land and water, I think the Confederate army has little chance of winning."

Xi Yuansu's eyes lit up, "Master Xu's words have doubled my confidence."

"I can't take it seriously. I have been away from military affairs for a long time..."

"The so-called bystander is clear. People like Mr. Xu can see clearly the further away they are."

Xi Yuanyi chatted non-stop with Xu Chu, hardly drank, and his words were full of admiration for Xu Chu.

The banquet lasted until midnight. When they returned to their residence, Chang Yan fell asleep, but Xu Chu couldn't sleep. After thinking about Xi Yuansu's words over and over again, he still felt that there was some fraud in them.

Early the next morning, Xi Yuanyu sent an invitation to Xu Chu for a banquet at noon. He specifically asked his servant to emphasize: "There are no outsiders. It's just General Xi and Duke Xu, let's reminisce about the past together."

After the servant left, Chang Yan said: "Who is General Xi? Is there any Xi family here?"

"General Xi Yuanxi, who fought against the Wu people in Runan City."

"It's him!" Chang Yan stood up in a hurry. Still hungover, his body swayed and he had to sit down again, "He wants revenge?"

Xu Chu smiled and shook his head, "He sat next to me last night and said a lot of things, which meant that he didn't regard me as an enemy. The person the Xi family hates the most is Lou Yu."

Chang Yan nodded, "This Xi Yuanyu is quite reasonable."

Xu Chu hummed, but did not express his guess.

"Then I will accompany you to the banquet at noon, just in case."

"You'd better have a good rest and don't drink anymore."

"I can still..."

"You must not drink alcohol for three days." Xu Chu ordered.

"Okay... ok." Chang Yan really couldn't hold it anymore, "Young master, be careful when you are alone. I can't drink so much anymore. I was happy at the time but suffered later."

Xu Chu didn't mention the letter written by Mrs. Iron Bird last night, and he didn't think about it today. He hid the letter and went to visit Xi Yuanyi alone, led by Yang Qinzai's soldiers.

Yiling City was in dilapidated condition, more than half of the houses collapsed, and most of the bricks and stones were moved to repair the city walls.

Xi Yuanyi lived in a relatively complete house, which was neatly kept and fully furnished. Xi Yuanyi took off his military uniform, changed into casual clothes, and waited at the door early to welcome him.

Knowing that Xu Chu could not drink alcohol, Xi Yuansu ordered people to work hard on the dishes, and they were all so exquisite that it was hard to believe that they were delicacies that could be made in times of chaos.

This time the two sides were more comfortable. Xu Chu drank a few glasses of wine and drank tea at other times.

Xi Yuan said suspiciously: "I am very lucky to meet Mr. Xu here. I would like to hear Mr. Xu's views on the situation in Jingzhou."

"I'm new here. I'm not familiar with Jingzhou, so I don't dare to speak nonsense."

"Mr. Xu is too modest. You are a person who can see the general situation. There is no need to visit everywhere. And I don't ask about the whole situation. I only have one doubt. I hope Mr. Xu can give me some advice."

"Maybe I can say a few words in response to questions."

"I won't talk about the general trend of the world. It is there for everyone to see. What makes me hesitant is this southern bandit."

"General Xi still feels that the odds of victory are not good?"

"That's not the case. The Southern Bandits have suffered consecutive defeats and their morale has been dampened. They are no longer a match for Jingzhou. I'm just not sure whether I should wipe out the Southern Bandits in one fell swoop or let them live."

Xu Chu already understood the meaning of Xi Yuju, "Destroying the Southern Army in one fell swoop can relieve temporary worries, but it will make Jingzhou and the scattered states in the south become deadly enemies, which may cause future troubles. If you give a way to survive, you may be able to merge the Southern Army into Jingzhou. But Chen Bingcai had no intention of surrendering, and if he continued to wait, the morale of the Confederate army would recover, which would lead to a disaster. "

"Master Xu really did not disappoint me. You will understand as soon as I tell you."

"But I can't help General Xi. I know nothing about Chen Bancai. I can neither figure out his thoughts nor go to persuade him."

"Chen Bingcai was moody and killed several of my Xi family's envoys. How could I let Mr. Xu fall into the tiger's mouth again? But I have an idea, please consider it."

"Please tell me."

"When Chen Bancai first entered Jingzhou, he was very arrogant because of his large number of soldiers and generals, and was unwilling to form an alliance with any party. After the disastrous defeat, he was still unconvinced and wanted to decide the outcome again, and he was even more unwilling to form an alliance. However, he was so arrogant. I am less angry and want to recruit a few helpers. In the current situation in Jingzhou, the strongest one is of course our Xi family, followed by Jiang Wang Yang Qinzai, several generals in Jingdong, and several other forces sent by Chen Bancai in the Xiangyang area of ​​​​Jiangbei. When he sent the message, the generals in Jingdong ignored him, but the heroes in Xiangyang were very excited and thought they could take advantage of the opportunity to expand. "

Xu Chu nodded.

Xi Yuan hesitated for a while and continued: "Among the heroes in Xiangyang, there was Song Qizhu, who was promoted as the leader. He called himself the King of Chu, and also claimed to be a close disciple of Fan Guan, a famous scholar in Yecheng. It is said that Mr. Xu once lived in seclusion in Yecheng. , you have some contact with Fan Men, have you heard of this person?”

"I had a chance encounter with him."

Xi Yuan was overjoyed, "That's great."

"General Xi wants me to persuade Song Qizhu not to form an alliance with Chen Bancai?"

"Also, the Xi family wants to take revenge in Hanzhou, and Xiangyang is on their way. Song Qizhu doesn't have to help the Xi family, but please don't disturb the march."

"Since the heroes of Xiangyang can be persuaded by the Southern Army, why are they unwilling to form an alliance with the Xi family?"

"Chen Bingcai was generous to others and promised all the counties in Xiangyang to Song Qizhu. He claimed that after crossing the river, he would attack Jiangling City and destroy my Xi family. He was also willing to lend troops to Song Qizhu and let him dispatch it."

"Chen Bingcai is trapped in Jiangnan, and none of his promises can be trusted."

"That's right, someone has to make Song Qizhu understand this."

Xu Chu pondered for a moment, "I only have a one-time relationship with Song Qizhu, and we have no deep friendship..."

"With Mr. Xu's intelligence, as long as we can meet him, we will definitely be able to convince Song Qizhu to change his mind."

"General Xi, don't have high hopes."

"Mr. Xu, are you willing to give it a try? As long as Song Qizhu clearly refuses the solicitation of the southern bandits, Chen Bingcai will be desperate and may be willing to surrender."

Xu Chu thought for a while, "Well, since we have arrived in Jingzhou and have to be entertained by General Xi, we have to make a trip for General Xi."

"Thank you." Xi Yuanyi stood up and bowed to the ground.

Xi Yuan was anxious and immediately sent someone to deliver a letter to Song Tizhu in Jiangbei. He received a reply that night. Song Tizhu was very willing to meet this old friend.

Xu Chu left the city early the next morning and said to Chang Yan, "Perhaps I'm just being careless. Xi Yuanyu sent me to see Song Qizhu. I think he really didn't have any ill intentions."

Chang Yan rested for a day, regained his energy a lot, and said with a smile: "Young Master neither claims the title of king nor has any soldiers, so the Xi family naturally does not regard you as an enemy."

The camp of the Xiangyang Army was not far from the river. It was small in scale and could accommodate less than 10,000 people. The tents were shabby and the flags were incomplete. The soldiers walking among them all looked disheveled and looked like they had not had much to eat.

Chang Yan whispered: "This is the first time I have seen an army that is even poorer than the World Army."

Song Qizhu's tent was not better than the others, just a little bigger. He stood at the door, holding his knife in his hand, and said with a smile: "I thought we had to say goodbye in the valley, but I didn't expect to meet again here."

Xu Chu stopped and vaguely felt something was wrong. The soldiers on the left and right seemed to be wary of something.

"How is the King of Song always doing?" Xu Chu cupped his hands and asked.

Song Tizhu sighed, "I'm just surviving. Fortunately, Mr. Xu came and helped me a lot. As a last resort, I have to exchange Mr. Xu for some life-saving food."