Plan to cut off the nine states

The next night, Xu Chu and Chang Yan led their horses and walked carefully around the Chu army camp. The soldiers inside were suffering from hunger. They were either grinding their teeth in their sleep or opening their eyes to dream about the next full meal. People waste energy out patrolling.

Chang Yan looked back at the few fires in the camp and murmured: "It's even scarier here at night, like a ghost camp - Master, really you don't want to go in?"

"If you don't go, the news I bring will definitely cause chaos in the Chu army." Xu Chu hurried on.

"This is obviously good news?" Chang Yan was puzzled.

"Just because it is good news, the Chu army cannot bear it. They have been starving for a long time. Once they hear that Xiangyang City is willing to accept it, they will definitely flock away and no one can suppress it."

"Master, don't you think Song Qizhu's subordinates are all loyal?" Chang Yan said in a low voice.

"That's just speculation, it can't be done accurately."

The two of them were far away from the Chu camp and remounted their horses. Chang Yan vaguely guessed where Xu Chu was going, and still said: "This road seems to have only one place to go."

"Yes, Yiling City."

"But……"

"If I'm lucky, Yang Qinzai hasn't returned yet, and the soldiers in the city don't understand the secret conspiracy between him and the Xi family, and they will warmly receive me."

"Ah?" Chang Yan would rather go to the Chu camp, "If the Chu army collapses, then it will collapse. Why should you, Sir, think about Song Qizhu?"

Xu Chu smiled and said: "I'm not thinking about him, but thinking about Xiangyang. It's rare that the lord of Xiangyang refused to surrender to the Bingzhou army and came to Song Qizhu for help. But if he sees the current state of the Chu army, no matter whether the Chu army collapses Either way, he will be disappointed and his fighting spirit will plummet."

"So the young master wants to persuade Yang Moyu's navy to go and support him?"

"More than that."

"Adding Xi Jiajun?" Chang Yan was shocked.

"More."

Chang Yan was stunned for a long time, "Young Master wants to conquer the Southern Army..."

"Behind the Bingzhou army are the He Rong people. They must have strong reinforcements to boost their morale and defend the city."

After walking in silence for a while, Chang Yan said: "I have always believed in the young master, but this time... the battle here is not over yet, and the young master actually wants to persuade the three parties. Isn't it right? The four parties should stop and make peace and help Xiangyang together?"

"How about making a bet."

"Huh?" Chang Yan felt incredible at Xu Chu's calmness.

"If I succeed, you won't drink for a year."

"What kind of bet is this? I just drink too much occasionally... Well, if the young master doesn't succeed - forget it, if the young master doesn't succeed, he will definitely put our lives on the line. There is nothing to lose."

"Haha, even so, if you have anything you want, you might as well say it and let it be a game."

Chang Yan thought for a while and said, "Young master probably won't be able to get anything else if you want it. Why don't you accept me as your disciple?"

"Huh?" It was Xu Chu's turn to be surprised, and then he smiled and said, "What virtue and ability do I have to be your master?"

"I didn't laugh at Young Master's bet, and Young Master, don't laugh at mine either."

Xu Chu coughed and said seriously: "Okay, if my trip fails, I will definitely accept you as my disciple, but I may not have the chance to teach you anything."

"It doesn't matter, it's enough to have the title of master and apprentice, so that before I die, I can shout, 'I am the disciple of the famous scholar Fan Guan'."

"Ha ha."

The Chu army camp was not far from Yiling City, but they had to cross the river first. After midnight, the two rushed to the small town of Dukou. Chang Yan felt uneasy. If Yang Moyu had come back, they would be seeking death. The protection of the King of Shu I don't know if it's still useful.

The guard at the top of the city heard the sound of horse hooves and immediately shouted: "Who is coming? If we go forward, we will shoot arrows!"

"I'm Xu Chu, I just came back from Chu Camp."

"Is it Mr. Xu? I heard that you were detained by Song Chujiao." The guard said in surprise.

"The King of Chu likes to joke, but he actually left me to drink. I just got urgent news and I need to go to the city immediately to meet General Shi."

General Shi was Yang Moyu's deputy and was ordered to defend the city. He was also the one who received Xu Chu before.

"I think General Shi must know about it." Chang Yan reminded in a low voice.

"Um."

In any case, the soldiers on the city obviously didn't know the details. They only knew that Xu Chu was the envoy of the King of Shu and an honored guest of Jiang Wang Yang Qinzai, so they immediately sent people down to the city to open the door.

"Master Xu, take a rest here and wait for dawn..."

"I can't rest. The situation is urgent. Please send someone to take me across the river immediately."

"It's not safe to sail in the dark."

"The sooner the better. If you stay a little longer, I'm afraid the opportunity will be wasted." Xu Chu said seriously.

The soldiers guarding the city were frightened and immediately assigned people to prepare ships.

Most of the big cities along the river are located on the second bank, and Yiling City is no exception. The small town on the north bank is actually just a low wall to protect the ferry and the ships on the water.

Yang Qinzai's men were all sailors, so there were naturally many ships. In fact, all the ships within a few hundred miles, regardless of officials or civilians, had been captured by him.

The people who punted the boat were all good people and they made it to the other side smoothly.

The horses ate some fodder on the boat. After landing, Xu Chu asked the soldiers for another horse, shared the horse with Chang Yan, and went straight to the city.

He was a distinguished guest in the city, and his tone was urgent, as if he was giving orders. Yang Jun's soldiers were deeply affected and obeyed his orders without any doubts.

A soldier led the way to General Shi's residence and hurriedly knocked on the door.

It took a long time before someone answered the door and said impatiently: "Who is it? Are you trying to steal the corpse? Breaking down the door in the middle of the night."

"Master Xu came back and said he had something urgent to see Shi..."

"Since it's Mr. Xu, there won't be any 'urgent' matters. General Shi will be asleep at dawn." The person inside didn't open the door and walked away cursing.

The soldier smiled bitterly at Xu Chu and said: "This must be Yang Moxia, King Jiang's younger brother. He is the most difficult to deal with. He may have been confused by his sleep and forgot the identity of Mr. Xu..."

"Prince Jiang hasn't come back yet?" Xu Chu asked.

"I heard that I can come back today." The soldier said.

Xu Chu thought for a while and said, "Please send me out of the city."

"I can knock on the door again. Since Mr. Xu is in an emergency..."

"I think it's urgent to tell King Jiang. I'm going outside the city to check the situation of the Confederate army. When I come back, King Jiang will probably be here too."

"Is the emergency related to the Confederate Army?" The soldier was surprised again.

"Anyway, please send me out of the city. Maybe it's not too late."

"Yes, yes." The soldier did not dare to ask any more questions, mounted his horse and took Xu Chu to the city gate at the other end.

The leader of the gatekeepers had been drinking together, and he recognized Xu Chu and Chang Yan, and advised: "This is not a good time to check the enemy's situation. There are many scouts in the southern army. If they encounter them, it will be difficult to escape."

"It doesn't matter, I just took a look from a distance, because I was really worried." Xu Chu did not dismount, and said seriously: "I hope the news is wrong, but in case... please forgive me for not talking more before confirming the situation."

The leader here was also frightened, "Then... I will try to send as many people as possible to escort you two."

"No, it's easy to be exposed if there are many people. It's just the two of us. After we leave the city, we'll take a look from afar and come back soon. Please leave the door open for us."

"Of course." The leader was a little at a loss, but still ordered the door to open. "Not far from the city, there is a hill on the roadside. We usually go there to watch, and there are sentries on it..."

"Thank you." As soon as the city gate was able to pass, Xu Chu galloped out.

"I'll come back to meet you for a drink." Chang Yan said, and he chased after him. He suddenly remembered that if Xu Chu succeeded, he would not be able to drink for a year, and he couldn't help but sigh.

As the sun was rising, there was indeed a hill on the side of the road, with a small village faintly visible on it. Xu Chu continued to gallop without stopping, and only slowed down after more than ten miles.

Chang Yan caught up with him and was finally able to ask: "Young Master is going to see Chen Bingcai."

"Um."

"But we have never met him, and the young master doesn't know him at all."

"The general trend is set, it depends on the people. The general situation is chaotic, it depends on the situation."

"Haha. What if General Shi opened the door to welcome the young master in the city just now? He would definitely not allow the young master to leave."

"I have my own words." Xu Chu reined in the reins and held a knife in Changyan's hand.

A group of people arrived on the opposite side.

Before the other party could speak, Xu Chu said first: "I am the messenger from Xiangyang City. I came here to see Chen Bingcai, the pastor of Hunan and Guangzhou. Please lead the way."

Chen Bingcai claimed to be the pastor of the two states, but no one else recognized him.

The thirty or so people on the opposite side were all stunned. The officer said: "Xiangyang... is on the north bank, right? How did you get here?"

Xu Chu patted the baggage behind him. Inside was a letter written by the Lord of Xiangyang City to Song Qizhu, "I finally got rid of the Yang family soldiers. Do you want to interrogate me here, or take me to see Chen Mushou immediately?"

Seeing that there were only two people on the other side, the officer said: "Follow us back to the camp first. What will your name be?"

"Xu Chu of the Eastern Capital, this is Jiang Dong Changyan."

"Oh." The officer had never heard of these two names, but seeing Xu Chu's extraordinary appearance, he didn't have much doubt.

At nearly noon, the group rushed to the Confederate camp.

The Confederate army was short of horses. After the defeat, there were even fewer horses. Only scouts could ride horses, and most of the battalions were infantry.

Yang Qinzai was originally a water bandit, and most of his subordinates were from the same background. He fought bravely, but his army was not strict. The barracks were similar to those of the World Army, but the Southern Army was well-organized and more like officers and soldiers.

When they heard that an envoy had arrived from Xiangyang, everyone was surprised. Orders were sent to everyone, and soon came the order to summon him.

The general leading the way reminded at the entrance of the military tent: "Master Mu Shou is also the general manager of Jiangnan West Road and the commander of the army and horses. You have to call him 'general'."

"Okay." Xu Chu himself also served as a "grand governor", but he didn't have anyone call him a general.

More than a dozen generals on both sides were sitting or standing, looking at the envoy with curious eyes.

Behind the desk, Chen Bingcai sat, with no surprise on his face.

Chen Bing was only in his forties. Although he was wearing a military uniform, he still looked like a scholar.

Xu Chu stepped forward and cupped his hands. Just as he was about to speak, a general sitting next to him said sternly: "Envoy from Xiangyang, why don't you kneel down?"

"The world is not at peace, and no one can kneel down." Xu Chu replied, staring at the person opposite him intently.

"What the hell?" The general who spoke was startled, then showed an angry look on his face and stretched out his hand to press the knife.

Chang Yan didn't know if he should admire the young master or worry if he offended people with his first words.

Chen Bingcai smiled softly and said, "The son of the general, who once claimed the title of king, does not have to kneel." It turned out that he had heard of Xu Chu's name, "But if you dare to speak nonsense, you will worry about your own head."

"What if we just say 'cross the river'?" Xu Chu said.