Plan to cut off the nine states

For the first time, Yang Qinzhai had the idea of ​​seizing the entire Jingzhou. The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was reasonable. So he called all the leaders who were close to him to drink. When they were half drunk, he asked everyone what they thought.

Everyone expressed their support, one more passionate than the other, and even felt that King Jiang had the qualifications twenty years ago. "If King Jiang had started an army at that time, the world would not belong to the Zhang family."

Yang Qinzhai was very happy. He called for more wine and had a good time with everyone. He got drunk before going to rest.

When Xu Chu returned to Yiling City, Yang Qinzhai was sleeping soundly. The servant pushed him for a long time before he opened his eyes. He hummed fiercely and turned around to sleep again. The servant did not dare to push him again. He went out and said to Xu Chu who was waiting outside: "Mr. Xu, you should wait a while. No one can disturb King Jiang when he is sleeping, especially since he drank a lot of wine last night and his temper is even worse."

"Enemy soldiers are attacking, Yiling City is about to be breached, and he won't wake up?"

"Hehe, isn't it time yet?" The servant laughed.

Xu Chu had no choice but to wait for a while. The servant took him to the living room and served him tea. He came to see him every now and then, and shook his head every time.

Xu Chu had said that he would return to the Southern Army camp around noon, but it was not until noon that Yang Qinzhai woke up.

Yang Qinzhai walked into the living room in a long robe and slippers, and smiled embarrassedly: "Sorry to have kept Mr. Xu waiting for a long time. I drank a few more cups last night. There is no way. They are all brothers. I want to seize Jingzhou, so I must listen to their opinions."

"What do you say?" Xu Chu asked with a smile. He could at least distinguish one thing: he could speak frankly to some people, but not to others. For a counselor, being able to say something is secondary, and knowing what to say is the most important.

"My brothers have followed me through wind and rain, climbed mountains of swords and entered seas of fire. They are all perfect and willing to fight again. As everyone said, the world is in chaos anyway, and it's all about who is strong and who is weak. The small city of Yiling will be conquered sooner or later, so it's better to strike first and attack others."

Xu Chu bowed and said, "Congratulations, King Jiang, you have such a group of subordinates, and you can accomplish your great cause."

"Haha, my brothers can fight and fight, but I am a wise man. If I want to build a great cause, I still need the guidance of people like Mr. Xu. How about this trip? Will Song Chujiao be obedient? If he says no, I will send troops immediately, and his few people will have to surrender before dark."

"Everything goes well." Xu Chu took out a seal from his arms and gently placed it on the table.

Yang Qinzhai took it in his hand, turned it over to check, and didn't recognize the seal characters on it, "Is this the seal of the King of Chu?"

"Yes."

"It is said that when Song Chujiao started his rebellion, his feet suddenly shook, and he had someone dig it up, and found this seal under the nine-foot spring, so he called himself the King of Chu - it looks very ordinary."

"Rumors are not entirely credible."

Yang Qinzhai looked at the seal carefully over and over again, and finally said: "Whatever, since everyone says so, I will believe it and keep the seal. From now on, I will be the King of Jiang and the King of Chu."

"The seal cannot be left in the hands of King Jiang for the time being."

"Hmm?" Yang Qinzhai originally didn't take the seal seriously, but now he held it tightly in his hand. He had always been polite to Xu Chu, and now his face changed, his eyes A fierce look appeared in his eyes, "What do you mean?"

Xu Chu smiled and said, "There are real and fake Kings of Chu. Which one does King Jiang want to be?"

"Of course the real one."

"The seal has been with Song Quzhu. Is he the real King of Chu?"

Yang Qinzhai thought for a while, let go of the seal, and laughed, "I understand, I understand. But if the seal is not left here, who should it be given to?"

"Jingzhou has many heroes, such as Song Quzhu and Ma Laokandao, who are just making up the numbers. There are only three real heroes."

"I am one of them?"

"Of course."

"The other two are Xi Yun and Chen Bingcai? Chen Bingcai's hometown is in Jingzhou, but the soldiers he led are all outsiders... Well, he is one of them."

"Outside Jingzhou, the enemy is stronger, He Rong There are hundreds of thousands of cavalrymen, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the three states. The sharp edge is unstoppable. Whoever shows up first will lose. "

Yang Qinzhai nodded repeatedly, "Otherwise, I need Mr. Xu. Let others take the lead, and we will sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight."

"We follow the tiger, and when the tiger is injured, the wolf will rise."

Yang Qinzhai thought for a while, "You still didn't say who the seal should be given to."

"What does King Jiang think?"

"It's either Xi Yun or Chen Bingcai. The Xi family is more powerful and is the parent official of our Jingzhou. It should be given to his family. But as Mr. Xu said, the Xi family is incompetent and jealous. They always want to get rid of the heroes-give it to Chen Bingcai, who likes to talk big, and his soldiers are all southerners. He got the seal of the King of Chu in vain. If I can't get the real Chu King, I'm not afraid of him, and I can also reduce the power of the Xi family. "

Xu Chu bowed, "King Jiang's plan."

"You agree too?"

"I agree."

"Haha, we are heroes with similar views." Yang Qinzhai thought for a while and felt that it was still not possible, "Song Chu and I will join Chen Bingcai, Xi Yun will definitely be unhappy, and we will fight again? Even if I join forces with the Southern Army, the chances of winning are not high, and I don't know how long it will take."

"No need, I will persuade the Xi family to retreat, let them return to Jiangling, and even send troops to support Xiangyang."

"I believe in Mr. Xu's ability." Yang Qinzhai leaned over and held Xu Chu's wrist tightly with his right hand, "But you won't lie to me in return, right?"

"What does King Jiang mean?"

"I see you running around, and all the benefits seem to go to Chen Bingcai. The Xi family retreated, and I surrendered to Chen Bingcai. Although it is temporary, it will not be heard well. In the end, if Chen Bingcai refuses to surrender, If I leave Xiangyang, won’t my hard work be in vain?”

Yang Qinzai's hands were very strong. Xu Chu's wrists hurt, but he kept a smile on his face, "Prince Jiang has a great plan, why are you afraid that your hard work will be in vain?"

"Do I have a clever idea?"

"Prince Jiang just said that Chen Bingcai's men are all southern soldiers. Prince Jiang only needs to hold the river, cut off his retreat, and make him lose contact from head to tail. Why are you worried about not getting Xiangyang?"

"I don't have to leave Yiling?"

"The more soldiers and generals who can assist Xiangyang, the better. King Jiang should go there no matter what, but the river is your territory. Keep it guarded by close men. Will it be lost?"

"I don't dare to brag on land. On water, every one of my brothers is one against ten." Yang Qinzai released his palm and said with a smile, "When will Mr. Xu set off?"

"I'll leave immediately, but King Jiang has to give me one or two tokens that everyone should know, such as the seal of King Chu."

"I don't have a treasure seal, only... this." Yang Qinzai reached into his arms, pulled hard, and took off an object, but did not take it out immediately. "This thing of mine is no better than the treasure seal of King Chu. I have to return it in the future."

"In three days at most, the property will be returned to its original owner."

Only then did Yang Qinzai take it out, holding a golden ball the size of a child's fist in his hand. The golden ball was hollow, with white light shining through it.

Yang Qinzai carefully placed the golden ball on the table, and then gently pressed the button. The golden ball split in half, revealing a pearl inside, which was all milky white and without any flaws.

"This is a pearl I fished from the bottom of the river when I was a teenager. I didn't know the goods at that time, so I sold it for ten taels of silver. This pearl later passed through the hands of many people. It is said that it even entered the palace and was nourished by the aura of the emperor. I returned to the public a few years ago, and finally fell into my hands a year ago. I thought it must mean something, so I kept it with me and rarely showed it to outsiders, but everyone knew that I had this bead as a token. ”

"Very good."

Yang Qinzai closed the golden ball and pushed it over together with the King of Chu's treasure seal. Xu Chu reached out to take it, but Yang Qinzai turned back and stopped him, "Return it to its original owner within three days?"

"If you can't, I'll apologize."

"I don't want your head, I just want the orb. I believe my soul is in this bead. Without it, I can't live for a few days... No, I can't give it to you unless you also leave a token."

"What does King Jiang want?"

"You are the son of a great general. You must have a few heirlooms, right?"

"I have dozens of brothers who are favored by the general, but there are only three or five of them, and I am not among them."

"Both parents are partial." Yang Qinzai was still worried, "Leave that follower of yours behind."

"Chang Yan?"

"Yes, if you don't return the orb, I will kill him. Although it won't help, at least it will make me angry."

"Chang Yan is not my follower, but my friend..."

"Then he must stay. Don't worry, Mr. Xu. Within three days, I will provide him with good wine and meat, and I will never treat him badly."

Xu Chu looked troubled and said after a while: "Okay, I will return the orb as soon as possible."

Yang Qinzai then moved his palm away, and Xu Chu took all the treasure seals and orbs into his arms, "I have to take Xi Yuanyi away too."

"It's up to you. Xi Yuanyu is just Xi Yun's nephew. There's no point keeping him." Yang Qinzai leaned on the back of his chair and stretched himself. He didn't even ask Xu Chu how to persuade the Xi family to withdraw.

Xu Chu resigned and went to Chang Yan first, "Sorry, I betrayed you to Prince Jiang."

"How much is it worth?" Chang Yan asked.

Xu Chu took out the orb, but did not open the golden ball, "The most cherished treasure of King Jiang."

"Water dragon eye? This is really a treasure. Okay, I'm worth it." Chang Yan heard about this bead not long after he entered Yiling City. "Did King Jiang say that he salvaged this bead when he was a child? Everyone said that he Lying but pretending to believe it all.”

"Haha. Within three days, I will come back to redeem you."

"Young master, you must be careful when you are running alone."

"Um."

The soldiers escorted Xi Yuanyi and others out. Xu Chu rode on his horse and said with a smile: "General Yuanyi, let's hit the road."

Xi Yuan was a little frightened, "Where are you going?"

"You'll find out later."

When the group of people left the city, Yang Qinzai sent fifty people to escort them. Xi Yuansuo's men only had ten people and did not dare to attack.

Not far away, everyone encountered a group of Xi Jiajun.

Xi Yun sent many envoys to Yiling City one after another, but Yang Qinzai was determined not to interact with the Xi family. Even after he was drunk, no one dared to disturb him. The envoys could not enter the city and all stayed outside the city.

Xi Yuanyu suddenly slapped his horse, accelerated into the Xi family's army, turned around and said: "Xu Chu, it was you who broke the promise first, don't blame me for being unjust, you let me out of the city, but I can't give you a way out!"

Xu Chu did not pursue him, but rode forward slowly, "What kind of trouble are you making, General Yususu?"

"Come on, you have played tricks on the Xi family over and over again. This revenge must be repaid today!"

"I can understand that General Yuyue is angry, but General Yuyue please be calm and go back and ask Duke Hengguo whether he wants revenge or wants to see me?"

Xi Yuan snorted, not really daring to make his own decision. He turned to the familiar Xi family envoy and said, "What did Duke Heng give you?"

The envoy said blankly: "Duke Hengguo... said there must be a misunderstanding, and asked us to make peace with King Jiang no matter what..."