Plan to cut off the nine states

Song Tizhu smiled at his wife and said, "I haven't given up yet." Then he said to Xu Chu, "I've swallowed half of the 'bait'. You can pull the string now - say what you really want to say."

"With the Bingzhou army in front and He Rong's cavalry behind, Xiangyang is in danger. If the King of Chu goes to aid Xiangyang, can he have a strategy to retreat from the enemy?"

Song Qizhu said to his wife again: "Look, this has begun."

"But his question is very reasonable. Although you can get some food by going to Xiangyang, you only have 3,000 people. Why should you repel a strong enemy?"

"I am taking one step at a time, but Xu Chu has already thought about ten or a hundred steps, and I don't know where he will lead me."

"Do you have a better choice?" Ma Qigu asked.

"Not yet."

"In that case, if someone gives you direction, why don't you accept it?"

"Uh..." Song Tizhu was a little confused himself. He looked at Xu Chu, then at his wife, and whispered: "I don't believe him, and I've always wanted to find a direction by myself."

"Either you know how to use people, or you are used by others. You have summoned so many soldiers, but you want to do everything by yourself? In this case, you should dismiss your subordinates and find a place to think on your own, without delaying others."

Song Tizhu scratched his head and smiled at Xu Chu: "How is my new wife?"

"The King of Chu has dug up a treasure."

"Haha, if I had known that Madam was smart and knowledgeable, I should have married you two years ago."

"That's because two years ago you only looked at looks and not people. Don't make the same mistake today."

Song Qizhu looked at Xu Chu again, "If I defend Xiangyang, the first thing I have to do is not to divide the troops to guard the key passes, not to build the city and hoard food, not to strengthen the walls and clear the country, not to recruit troops and recruit the people, but to take advantage of the power of the four directions."

"How to take advantage of the situation?"

"Declare the world that those who attack Xiangyang are not the Jin army, but He Rong's army. The safety of Jiuzhou is in danger. It is justifiable to fight here and take advantage of the situation. Then I will contact all the heroes in the world to fight against Xiangyang together." Song Qi Zhu asked his wife, "Can my father-in-law come?"

Ma Qigu hesitated for a while, then answered with absolute certainty: "Yes."

"Young Master Xu came from Yiling City. I think Yang Moyu is also willing to help Xiang. To be honest, I'm a little surprised, but this is a good thing after all. When Ma and Yang armies were defeated, Chen and Xi could persuade them to move, and Chen and Xi were very enthusiastic. , then the three states of Han, Yi, and Luo may be able to raise their flags, and further away, the two states of Huai and Wu will support them. If the three states of Qin, Bing, and Hebei are shaken, the Jin army will be afraid, and Shanyu will be panicked, so Xiangyang can be defended."

"Is the King of Chu going to turn the battle of Xiangyang into a battle of Jiuzhou?"

"The He Rong people are unstoppable, and they have the troops and horses from the three northern states as the vanguard. If they don't greet them with a 'battle of nine states', there will be no chance of victory."

Xu Chu stood up, cupped his hands and said, "Goodbye, King Chu."

Song Qizhu looked proud and said to his wife: "I have some ability." Then he said to Xu Chu: "Do you think I have a chance of winning?"

"Not a cent."

"Huh? Are you mocking me when you say 'high view'?"

"No, what the King of Chu said is indeed a wise idea, but it is difficult to achieve practical results by talking on paper."

Song Qizhu showed no anger and said with a smile: "My wife said that you can either use people or use them. I will do the former and you will do the latter. I will talk on paper. How to implement it is your business. Can Mr. Xu do it? ?”

Xu Chu also hesitated for a while, and then said firmly: "Yes."

"All ears."

Xu Chu still stood there, "First of all, the title of King of Chu must be removed."

"Hey, you just want to abdicate yourself, but you still want me to imitate you? Impossible, I would rather be the dead king of Chu than the living Song Qizhu."

"The King of Chu said two days ago that he was willing to exchange his name for food."

"That's because I know you don't have food. If you really offer it, I won't accept it."

"You have no joke, but the King of Chu is joking about his own name. It is difficult to convince the public."

"Everyone is king, why can't I?"

"Everyone is king, and everyone is self-reliant. Since the King of Chu wants to fight the 'War of Nine Provinces', he needs to start by eliminating 'self-reliance'."

Song Qizhu said to his wife: "I knew Xu Chu's 'bait' was not easy to swallow. Did you see that? I haven't gotten any benefits yet, so he asked me to give up the biggest benefit first."

Ma Qigu did not support her husband, "You, the King of Chu, are only in name only, so there is no harm in abandoning him."

Song Qizhu's eyes widened, "Madam, if I don't become the King of Chu, even your status will be reduced."

"Am I tall now?"

Song Qizhugan laughed twice and said to Xu Chu: "Okay, if I am willing to give up the title of King of Chu, then what?"

"If you don't claim to be a king, you must become a minister to others."

Song Qizhu immediately shook his head, "The Song family has enmity with the Tiancheng court, and I will not surrender to Tiancheng."

"It's not Tiancheng, it's Chen Bancai or Xi Yun."

"Isn't this the same thing? Both of them are using the banner of the imperial court and surrendering to them, but my status is even lower."

"Like the names of the kings of Chu, Chen and Xi are also in name only. To surrender to one of them is not to be considered as surrendering to Tiancheng."

"I am becoming more and more suspicious of Mr. Xu's intentions."

"First the King of Chu wrote a letter to challenge Shan Yu, and later he talked loudly about the war in Kyushu, but he was unwilling to give up anything. This was not just talk on paper, but a way to gain fame and reputation."

Song Tizhu's face showed an angry look for the first time, but it quickly disappeared and he said with a smile: "Okay, if I listen to you again, which family should I submit to?"

"It's up to me. I'm going to see Chen and Xi. Who is willing to send troops to Xiangyang immediately? Who will King Chu surrender to?"

"Heze, after you let me swallow the bait, use me as bait again, and then trick you step by step - in the end, won't I just be a pawn?"

"If I could be a pawn in exchange for sending all the troops from Kyushu to Xiangyang, would the King of Chu be willing?"

"Let me ask first."

"Excuse me."

"Why me? Why don't you find someone else? You came all the way from Jizhou to Jingzhou. You must have met many heroes on the way. There are four families in and outside this small Yiling City. Why did I have to give up my name?"

"Because only the King of Chu ever wrote a letter to challenge Shan Yu."

"I told you, it was a moment of confusion."

"Whether he is confused for a moment or he has thought deeply, in short, the king of Chu has such a grand plan and aspiration, so he can endure the current humiliation."

Song Tizhu smiled bitterly, "To be honest, we are not familiar with each other. We just met once in Sigu. You are a scholar and I am half a scholar. You don't need to think so highly of me. Forget it, I don't either. Let me tell you a 'hypothesis', I will not give up the title of king, but I will lead my troops to Xiangyang and have a few good meals first. I will escape before the Jin army attacks. The world is so big that there is always room for me. place.”

Xu Chu sighed softly.

Song Qizhu added: "Painting can satisfy hunger, but the cake should not be too big. If it is too big, it will be false. This is the mistake Mr. Xu made."

Xu Chu cupped his hands and said, "Please King Chu, please think again."

"There is nothing to think about. I have made up my mind. Mr. Xu happened to be here and stayed for a wedding drink. This time I am not entrusted by anyone. You can rest assured, but you can leave early tomorrow morning. Where should you go? Where to go.”

"I'll be leaving soon, and I have to cross the river to see General Chen."

"I'm sorry I can't send you far away."

Xu Chu knew that further persuasion would be counterproductive, so he turned to leave. Ma Qigu, who was silent for a while, said: "Mr. Xu, wait a moment."

Song Qizhu said: "Madam, I held on. I didn't fall for his trick, nor did I admit defeat. Don't be weak."

"I just want to ask one thing."

Song Tizhu hummed twice but didn't stop him.

Xu Chu handed over to Ma Qigu.

"Mr. Xu said that the King of Chu had great plans and strategies, so he could endure the humiliation for a moment. Since it was just a moment, Mr. Xu, when can I get it back again?"

Song Qizhu nodded repeatedly and looked at Xu Chu.

"It's up to the King of Chu to give up your name and take it back, not me."

"So Mr. Xu just encourages people to take risks, but doesn't care about the consequences?"

Xu Chu smiled and said, "Does Mrs. Ma want a guarantee?"

"Probably a little, right?"

"When Mrs. Ma decided to marry King Chu, did she see any guarantee?"

Ma Qigu was slightly startled.

Xu Chu handed over to the two of them, exited the tent, called Chang Yan and the guards, and prepared to leave.

In the tent, Song Qizhu said: "I reminded my wife, the so-called counselors are all the same. They can stir up trouble, stir up trouble, and make trouble, but they cannot settle things, settle things, or settle things. If you are lucky enough to succeed, they will jump out to grab the credit. You are defeated like a mountain, and they run faster than anyone else, and then try to trick the next one."

"There are no outsiders here, please tell me the truth."

"Three thousand soldiers, maybe one or two hundred less. This is really true. I will ask my wife to count them in person later."

"That's not what I'm asking. I'm asking you: Do you want to fight for the world?"

"I can't even feed my soldiers, how can I have such a big heart?"

"You want to fight for one state? Two states? Three states..."

"To be honest, I had the idea of ​​fighting for a state, so I led my troops to Hanzhou. I felt that it was the smallest among the nine states, and it was surrounded by mountains and was easier to defend. But in the end, I failed to capture it, and instead lost troops and generals. From then on , I became honest and just wanted to preserve my strength and support the thousands of people under my command.”

"So...you want to be a bandit leader, like my father?"

"I am satisfied to be able to reach the level of my father-in-law. If I need a city, I need people, and if I need food, I am satisfied." Song Tizhu said with a smile.

"Then why do you care about the title 'King of Chu'?"

"Having already become king, and then losing it again, it's a bit... embarrassing."

"Xu Chu lost it."

"He was completely humiliated and did not surrender to others, which did not hurt his face. But madam is right. I will inform the whole army tomorrow not to call me King Chu again in the future."

"Well, since you want to be a robber, we don't have to go to Xiangyang to swindle food. Take your people and join my father. Jingzhou is no longer a place where we can stay for a long time. Our two armies will become one and we will find a foothold elsewhere. ”

"That's what the Advent Army did back then."

"Robbers are like this. They live in no fixed place. When the officers and soldiers come, we have to leave. If we are too late, we will be destroyed."

Song Qizhu remained silent.

Ma Qigu waited for a while and then said, "You have to think about it. I guess you won't have a chance to change your mind in the future."

"What do you think, madam?"

"I?"

"Yes, I feel more and more that Madam is extremely smart and much better than me."

"Will you listen to me?"

"Listen, listen to everything."

"If you are willing to listen to me, then write me a letter of divorce. I will go back to my father by myself, and we will be completely separated from you from now on. No one will see you again."

"Hey, this is...where do you start talking about this?"

"I can be the wife of the King of Chu, or the wife of a robber, but the important thing is yours. Xu Chu is right. It's yours to endure humiliation, and it's yours to rise. If it's not you, you are useless."

Song Qizhu was stunned for a while, suddenly laughed, stood up and said: "I first thought I was marrying a food delivery manager, and then I thought I was marrying a military advisor. Now I know that I am marrying a whip-wielding man." The horse trainer.”

Song Qizhu walked out, and Ma Qigu said, "Where are you going?"

"Go and call Xu Chu back. Madam, you must help me keep an eye on this bastard in the future - is this okay?"

"Yes." Ma Qigu said.