Plan to cut off the nine states

Guo Shifeng brought more than 20 vehicles, and he and Xu Chu shared one. The rest were all goods, escorted by hundreds of guards, with a huge momentum.

Xiangyang is the only way to go from Dongdu to Yizhou. Xu Chu persuaded Guo Shifeng to stay outside the city for three days to meet with the heroes. At least the road in the future would be more convenient.

Outside Xiangyang City, there are military camps in the east, north and south directions. They are large or small, far or near. They are all coalition forces. There are seventeen in total. Most of them are bandits from Jingzhou and Luozhou. They were taken by the Song Dynasty. Invited by his father-in-law, Ma Lao Ma Ma Dao, he came to cheer - it was really just to cheer. After arriving, he first asked for food from all parties, but did not participate in any battle. He could always find various excuses.

Xu Chu and Guo Shifeng went to see Chen Bancai first.

After several hesitations, Chen Bing transferred all the Southern Army to Xiangyang. He claimed that he had 100,000 men and was the main force. Now the people guarding the city were the Southern Army generals, but like the other heroes, he would rather count outside the city. Set up camp in a dangerous place ten miles away to avoid being trapped in the city with no way to escape.

The King of Xiangdong was also in the Southern Army camp. Due to his stern refusal, he was never promoted as emperor, but he was engraved with a royal seal, and all orders of the Southern Army were stamped with this seal.

Of course, the royal seal is in the hands of Chen Bicai.

Although there were more reinforcements, Chen Bancai's face was not happy. He received the two envoys in the Chinese military tent. As soon as they met, he asked: "Will King Ning personally lead his troops to Xiangyang?"

Guo Shifeng stepped forward and said: "Guo Shifeng, who serves as a military advisor general under King Ning, has met Lord Mu Shou. Lord Mu Shou is right. King Ning is about to lead an army of 200,000 to Xiangyang to fight against the He Rong people together. ”

"Hey, two hundred thousand is quite a lot. General Zong Ming Yi Zong came here two days ago. Is he really a subordinate of Prince Ning?"

"Exactly, General Zong..."

"Zong Mingyi's entire army was wiped out and he died on the battlefield. It's a pity that there was only one brave general... Is this the way Ning Jun fought?"

Guo Shifeng said proudly: "General Zong was ordered to fight to the death and advance without retreating. This is indeed the way the Ning army has fought."

Chen Bingcai laughed twice, then let out a long breath, "Don't lie to me, Ning Baoguan won't come back. After Zong Mingyi, not a single soldier of the Ning army will come. Ning Baoguan doesn't understand Xiangyang at all. He thought it was just a question of whether he dared to fight or not. Once Zong Mingyi died, Ning Baoguan would no longer be so courageous. "

Chen Bingcai called Prince Ning by his name, and Guo Shifeng had to respond tit-for-tat, "Excuse me, Chen Mushou, when General Zong Mingyi led his troops to fight the Bingzhou Army, what were the Southern Army doing? What were the heroes doing?"

Chen Bingcai's face changed slightly.

Guo Shifeng said: "This is really a question of dare and dare not. The heroes claim to be aiding Xiang, but they are all stationed outside the city, far away from the enemy. Although there are brave generals in front, no one follows them. Chen Mu can rest assured that King Ning will come , I will definitely defeat the Bingzhou Army for you, and the heroes can just sit back and enjoy the success."

Chen Bingcai was furious and sneered: "You are an envoy from one party. I don't care about you, but I have seen many people who can talk big words. When King Ning really comes with his troops and dares to fight with the Bingzhou army, you Let's use our words again. Oh, please remind King Ning that there are not only people from Bingzhou, but also people from Jizhou and Qinzhou. The total number is at least 150,000. Of course, it is still not as good as King Ning's twenty. Thousands of troops."

"Whenever there are soldiers from Hunan and Guangzhou in the Bingzhou army, King Ning will be a little worried."

"I'm sorry for sending you away." Chen Bingcai directly chased the guest away.

Xu Chu didn't say a word.

When he arrived outside the tent, Guo Shifeng smiled and said as if nothing was wrong: "Since you are here, there is someone you must meet."

Chen Bingcai became angry and the two of them could not stay in the camp. They had to go out first and then ask the soldiers of the Southern Army to report on their behalf.

The Confederate army's camp was surrounded by mountains and rivers, and heavily guarded the road leading to the river. Guo Shifeng boarded the car and looked into the distance, saying to Xu Chu: "Although I don't know much about arranging troops, I can also see that the Confederate army seems to have no fighting spirit."

Xu Chu stood by the car and looked in the direction of Xiangyang City. It was too far away and blocked by mountains and forests, so he couldn't see anything. "The Southern Army hopes to attract more reinforcements."

"Is that why Chen Bing used aggressive tactics against me?"

Xu Chu laughed twice. They all knew that Chen Bingcai was not really angry, nor did he really want to offend Ning Baoguan, but he was worried that after Zong Mingyi's defeat, Ning Baoguan would retreat in the face of difficulties, so he used the method of provoking the general. Guo Shifeng used the same trick.

"It's a pity that General Zong was defeated." Xu Chu said.

"If King Ning had not sent troops to Xiangyang, Zong Mingyi would have been defeated in vain. If King Ning had come and started fighting immediately, the power of Ning's army would have started from Zong Mingyi, and his death would not have been unjust."

Someone was riding at full speed from the camp.

The visitor was a middle-aged man with a bright red face and a smile on his face. He was friendly and enthusiastic. He stopped in front of the car and without dismounting, he said, "Brother Top is not dead yet?"

Guo Shifeng said coldly: "I wouldn't dare to die without planting willows in front of Brother Yu's grave to mourn."

The two stared at each other for a moment, laughing at the same time.

Guo Shifeng introduced: "This is Yu Liu, the first strategist of the Southern Army who I often mention. This is..."

Yu Liu jumped off the horse and interrupted: "I recognize the world-famous Mr. Xu Cuxu. It was not a coincidence before that every time Mr. Xu came to visit General Chen, I would not be present. Today, with the help of Brother Guo, I can finally meet him." ”

Guo Shifeng did mention Yu Liu, but only once, not often. Xu Chu stepped forward and cupped his hands and smiled: "I've heard about Brother Yu for a long time."

Guo Shifeng also got off the car, and the three of them were polite to each other on the roadside, especially Xu Chu and Yu Liu. They had already met each other late before they knew each other better.

After a long time, Yu Liu said: "Brother Guo has always been ups and downs in the world, and has been among princes for half his life. Why did he lose his standard today and anger General Chen?"

Guo Shifeng said: "I have no choice but to do it. I don't know what happened to Chen Mushou. When we first met, he repeatedly disrespected Prince Ning. As a minister, how can I endure it?"

Yu Liu smiled and said: "Brother Guo, don't think too much. General Chen has heavy responsibilities, so it is inevitable that he will be a little anxious, and..."

"And what?"

"Let's talk in private. Brother Guo, please don't be angry. Prince Ning came from a shady background and forcibly married the Queen Mother. General Chen is a very stubborn official in the court. How can you remain indifferent after hearing this?"

In front of Yu Liu, Guo Shifeng was indeed lifeless and said with a smile: "Since you are a stubborn minister, you should understand the general situation, why bother to stick to the details? If Chen Mushou thinks that he is not a loyal minister who is not born, who among the heroes would dare to come to Xiangyang?"

Yu Liu nodded repeatedly, "Brother Guo is right, but the bosses always have their own ideas, and we staff sometimes can't change them."

"I have been named Military Advisor General by King Ning."

"Congratulations." Yu Liu cupped his hands and said, not forgetting to add, "Is this the name created by Prince Ning?"

Guo Shifeng patted his abdomen, "I have a gold seal. Brother Yu, tell me the truth. Can Chen Mu Shou put aside his prejudice? If he can't, I will go back immediately and persuade King Ning not to come. Everyone is guarding Xiangyang, and the foreign enemies attack before retreating. Internal coaxing is not good.”

Yu Liu thought for a while and asked, "Can King Ning pay homage to King Xiangdong?"

"Um?"

"Everyone is guarding Xiangyang together. It cannot be a piece of cake. It needs to be divided into priorities. The King of Xiangdong is the uncle of the current emperor, and more than half of the heroes came here for him. Chen Mu Shou will not compete with King Ning for the throne, but the King of Xiangdong must not live in this place. "

"Since we are all kings, we just need to be equals."

Yu Liu shook his head, "We are both kings, but our origins are different. Prince Ning must at least pay homage to the King of Eastern Hunan."

"I can't decide on this kind of thing, but I will try my best to persuade Prince Ning not to ruin the overall situation over small things."

"If the etiquette is correct, everything else can be solved easily. I'll wait for the news from Brother Guo." Yu Liu said goodbye and mounted his horse: "I met Mr. Xu in a hurry and didn't get any advice. I deeply regret it. I hope that next time we meet, you will I can have a long conversation.”

Xu Chu and Guo Shifeng got in the car and headed to the next camp.

Guo Shifeng said: "I am very familiar with Yu Liu, but I don't know much about Chen Bingcai. From what Chu brother knows, is he really such a pedantic person?"

"I don't know much about him, but he once refused to be king and insisted on welcoming the King of Xiangdong, which may be evident. I wanted to meet the King of Xiangdong, but it seems that I have no chance."

"Haha, there is always a chance."

"Brother Guo really wants to persuade King Ning to pay homage to King Xiangdong?"

"Of course not. You know as well as I do what Prince Ning is like. If I say something like this, wouldn't I be seeking death? When Prince Ning comes, let Chen Bingcai fight on his own. He is no match for Prince Ning."

Xu Chu didn't say anything.

The next person the two visited was Yang Qinzai.

Jiang Wang Yang Qinzai was very polite and looked forward to the arrival of King Ning. He knew that he had few soldiers and was weak, so he did not dare to argue with King Ning about etiquette. Speaking of Zong Mingyi, Yang Qinzai admired Zong Mingyi: "We have lost several games in a row. Everyone is a little scared. Half of them are afraid." No one has dared to challenge him for months, but General Zong stepped up despite the difficulties. He was a true hero, and he died with honor. We all admire his courage. "

Xu and Guo declined the banquet and went to see Ma Lao Machete and Song Tizhu before dark.

Although the two armies did not form one army, the camps were closely adjacent to each other and relied on each other. There were several small camps surrounding them, which were connected together and showed considerable momentum. They were not as good as the Southern Army, but they were stronger than the Yang Army.

Song Qizhu was even more enthusiastic. The banquet had been arranged and the two of them had no choice but to participate.

Ma Lao Ma Ke Dao is a pure bandit. His ancestors did not have any business and did not leave any family property. They only established a reputation for the Ma family. Ma's father died early, and Ma Lao Ma Ma Dao was already the leader when he was a teenager. He was frequently suppressed by the government, but his power gradually expanded, and his footprints were found in the three states of Jing, Luo and Han.

Ma Lao Machete was particularly enthusiastic about Xu Chu, "Are you Xu Chu who stabbed you? Haha, I finally met you. You are our great benefactor. Come, come, everyone, come and kneel down to worship your benefactor. He gave you all your lives." ”

Xu Chu was flattered and did not dare to accept this great gift. Song Qizhu explained from the side: "Let them kneel down, because you killed the Emperor of All Things and the government's siege ended without any problem, so they saved their lives."

Ma Lao Ma Dao smiled and said: "That time was really dangerous. There were more officers and soldiers than any other time. It seems that he was really cruel and wanted to wipe out the Ma family. Who would have thought that God has eyes and suddenly news came that the Dog Emperor passed away? , the officers and soldiers immediately retreated, which shocked us, and it took us a long time to find out what was going on. "

Dozens of people knelt down and worshiped, and Xu Chu returned the favor.

Grateful to be grateful, Ma Lao Ma Dao did not want to continue to guard Xiangyang, "We can't defend Xiangyang. Now we have enough food and grass to last the whole winter. We are going to go to the mountains and divide into small groups. When the fighting outside is finished, we will get together again. Mr. Xu What do you think of this idea?"

Song Qizhu gently shook his head to Xu Chu, indicating that he should not object.

Xu Chu smiled and said: "It seems safer."

"It's just that if you want to make a living in the world, stability is more important than anything else. A son-in-law like me is good at everything, but there is uncertainty. People in their thirties are still the same as when I was in my teens. They always want to make some effort. Something big is coming.”

When everyone sat down at the table, Song Qizhu grabbed Xu Chu and whispered: "The Xi family sent someone here."