Plan to cut off the nine states

Liu Youzhong never returned, and no letter was delivered. King Shen Dan of Jin was uneasy about this.

Bad news came one after another. The Jizhou army who had promised to form an alliance "suddenly" turned against them and seized the pass between Qin and Bing. The Jin army was caught off guard. Towns along the way abandoned their defenses. The Jizhou army rushed towards Jinyang non-stop.

On the other side, Liang Jun was ready to move and was slowly advancing.

The King of Jin did not admit defeat and urged his soldiers to prepare for war day and night. He had decided to lead his troops out of the city for a decisive battle when the Jizhou army was not yet stable, and then turn around to deal with the Liang army.

"Life or death depends on this battle. If I can defeat Ji and Liang, then the Jin Dynasty will span the three states and the world will be under my control." The King of Jin unknowingly put these words on his lips, hoping to inspire He would rather not think about the effect of raising the fighting spirit of his soldiers.

Shortly after noon that day, the guards reported that an envoy had returned. King Jin was so overjoyed that he stood up and went out of the hall to greet him without even asking.

The person who returned was not Liu Youzhong.

Zhou Yuanbin walked forward quickly and said excitedly: "Prince Jin, I never thought I would see you again..."

King Jin was greatly disappointed and said coldly: "Brother-in-law, are you worried that I have been killed?"

"No, no, I almost died. He Rongren was defeated twice and I was able to catch up. It was just a little bit close."

After all, they are members of his own family. King Jin said: "As long as you are alive, come in and talk."

Zhou Yuanbin told how he had a lucky escape. Before every battle, he felt terrified, so he prepared to escape early. He was not a soldier and did not need to go to the battlefield in person. As soon as he saw something was wrong behind the scenes, he immediately escaped secretly, without even taking his entourage.

"The eldest wife of Shanyu doesn't treat me as a family member at all. She uses the excuse of being an orphan and a widower. She leaves early every time, but refuses to take me with her..." Zhou Yuanbin was filled with grief, anger and fear, and couldn't help but sob.

The King of Jin was tired of hearing this and said, "It's an unlucky time for you to come back. The Ji and Liang armies are about to attack, and Jinyang Gucheng is about to fight to the death."

"I am from Bingzhou. I would rather die in Jinyang and be loyal to the King of Jin."

"Hey, who said Jinyang will lose?"

"With the divine martial arts of King Jin, we will be able to defeat both enemies." Zhou Yuanbin immediately changed his mind.

"Defeat the Ji and Liang, and the Jin Dynasty will span the three states..." King Jin suddenly felt a breath in his heart, and he couldn't get it up. He only spoke half of the words and sat there in silence.

Zhou Yuanbin waited for a long time and found that King Jin had forgotten him, so he coughed lightly and said very carefully: "Prince Jin actually doesn't have to guard the isolated city, right?"

King Jin was shocked, woke up from his daze, and glanced over, "What did you say?"

Zhou Yuanbin ducked back, then smiled and said: "I'm just talking nonsense, I don't understand anything about war..."

"If we don't defend Jinyang, where can the Jin army go?" King Jin asked, not getting angry.

Zhou Yuanbin breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay - I just thought about it - I can take shelter outside the Great Wall..."

"I was defeated in Jinyang, but I am still a hero of the Central Plains. What's more, when He Rongren was defeated, I went outside the Great Wall..." King Jin, always smart, suddenly had an idea in his mind, and then looked at Zhou Yuanbin doubtfully, "You are ordered to be the leader of the Central Plains." Lobbyist, who sent you?”

"No, no." Zhou Yuanbin waved his hands, "No one sent me to lobby, and I don't dare to persuade..."

King Jin stared more closely, and Zhou Yuanbin swallowed, "I...met...Xu Chu on the road."

King Jin raised his hand and punched the table hard, and shouted: "Don't mention his name. The Jizhou army betrayed its trust and Liu You finally left without returning. This person was the one who caused the obstruction!"

"Yes, I think so too, so I don't believe a word he says."

After being indignant, King Jin could not remain indifferent, "What did he say to you?"

"After the defeat of Qinzhou, I first fled outside the Great Wall, but He Rong's tribes were in chaos, and Shanyu's eldest wife was busy eradicating dissidents. Seeing that everyone was a bad person, I did not dare to see her, and fled back to the Central Plains. Not long after entering the Great Wall, I met a group of Jizhou soldiers and were taken to see Xu Chu. "

King Jin snorted, knowing it was a lie, but he didn't point it out clearly.

Zhou Yuanbin continued: "In the Jizhou military camp, Xu Chu asked me about the situation outside the Great Wall, saying that if the eldest wife continues to torment like this, the people of He Rong will be unable to recover, unless there is another strong-armed Shanyu who rises..."

"Then he asked you to come over and persuade me to become a 'strong-armed Chanyu'?" King Jin sneered.

Zhou Yuanbin shook his head, "No, Xu Chu and I were just chatting, and then he begged the commander of the Jizhou Army to release me. I ran all the way to see King Jin, and on the way I came up with an idea, which might really make King Jin the new chanyu!"

The King of Jin said angrily: "Idiot, don't you understand? Your thoughts and ideas are all put into your heart by Xu Chu. He wants me to escape and make the Jizhou army capture Jinyang without bloodshed."

"I don't know what kind of conspiracy Xu Chu has, but I really came up with this idea myself, and I didn't reveal anything to Xu Chu or anyone else..."

"Xu Chuzhi is far more insidious than you expected. Since my brother-in-law is back, he will stay and live and die with Jinyang. He must not be deceived. Instead, he will be used by others and harm his own people. Go home first to meet your wife and children. , then come to me. The Jin army will fight with all their strength in this battle. Even though you are my brother-in-law, you cannot stay in the city to watch the battle. "

Zhou Yuanbin did not dare to argue and had to leave.

On the contrary, the King of Jin felt a fighting spirit and said to himself: "Xu Chu's attempt to trick me into leaving Jinyang shows that the Jizhou army is just showing off. Qinbei's defeat of the He Rong people must be the credit of the Jishi army."

But at night, King Jin's confidence dropped to the bottom again.

First of all, the morale of the army was low. Even in front of the King of Jin, many soldiers showed timidity. They had been exhausted from successive battles and faced another flanking attack. Among them, the Jizhou army had just defeated the powerful He Rong people. The Jin army cannot but be afraid.

Then a piece of news arrived in the evening, which caused the morale of the Jin army to drop again and again.

The Liang army defeated the Jin army that blocked the road and was heading towards Jinyang. According to the scouts' estimation, it was likely that the Liang army would arrive at the same time as the Jizhou army. The Jin army's plans to defeat each of them could no longer be implemented.

The King of Jin still refused to admit defeat, encouraged his soldiers everywhere, dispersed all his family property, and even distributed the jewelry of his wives and concubines to the soldiers. However, he became more and more unsure in his heart. He missed and hated Liu Youzhong who had no idea where he was.

He called Zhou Yuanbin over again and asked, "Have you heard any news about Liu Youzhong in the Jizhou Army?"

"Liu Youzhong? I've heard of it. It's said that he rode south, probably to defect to Prince Ning."

King Jin gritted his teeth and snorted heavily through his nostrils, "It seems that he has found a new true dragon emperor."

"King Jin, there is no need to be angry. I think Liu Youzhong is just a fortune teller who specializes in deceiving people. It's okay to leave and let him harm others."

King Jin glared at Zhou Yuanbin, but finally said: "Tell me your idea."

"That idea?"

"Do you have any other ideas?"

Zhou Yuanbin was overjoyed and said hurriedly: "No, I just have an idea. It's actually simple. There's chaos outside the Great Wall. The King of Jin is related to all the great men, and he once fought for the strong-armed Shanyu. He went to quell the chaos. It's just and legitimate."

"Is this your idea?" King Jin frowned, "You said it yourself, the eldest wife of the Shanyu is eradicating dissidents outside the fortress, and I will be feared as soon as I leave the fortress."

Zhou Yuanbin smiled and said: "This is my idea: Why doesn't the King of Jin marry an eldest wife? Our two families are getting closer and closer, so it is natural for the King of Jin to become a single man."

King Jin was stunned and blurted out: "What is this idea? The eldest wife will not marry me, and I have a wife, and I will not marry her. Even if both parties are willing, the people of He Rong will never accept a foreigner as a chanyu."

"Although the King of Jin has a wife, for the sake of the overall situation, there is no harm in marrying another one. Why did Xu Chu become the leader in the Eastern Capital in the first place? Wasn't it because he married the daughter of the King of the World? He also had a wife at the time."

King Jin thought for a while and said, "The eldest wife of Shan Yu will not agree."

"There is no custom of widowhood in the He Rong tribe, and the eldest wife of the Shanyu is no exception. It is said that she once set her sights on the powerful Shanyu's younger brother, King Youdu, but King Youdu was too ambitious and the matter failed. King Jin is more suitable."

"Will the eldest wife of Shanyu believe that I have no ambition?"

Zhou Yuanbin's eyes sparkled, "Here are the benefits for both parties. The purpose of King Jin is to be the emperor of the Central Plains, not the Chanyu outside the Great Wall. As long as the King of Jin gives in a little bit, and takes the son of his eldest wife as the Chanyu, he can pacify the Great Wall as his Yafu. Get his troops, and then lead the army southward..."

King Jin waved his hand to show that he understood, "The He Rong people have been defeated in succession, and the casualties must be heavy. How many cavalry can be left?"

"It's better than nothing, and the King of Jin brought his own soldiers out of the fortress, mainly to borrow land for temporary refuge. The chaos in the Central Plains will continue. The Jizhou army can only show off its power for a while, and will die at the hands of others sooner or later. The King of Jin is sitting on the mountain outside the fortress. Watch the tiger fight and seize the opportunity to enter the fortress, at least we can recapture Bingzhou. "

The King of Jin thought for a long time and said, "The eldest wife of the Shan Yu disowns all her relatives. Can you persuade her?"

"If I go out alone, of course I can't be persuaded, but if the King of Jin can go out with me, the situation will be very different. The eldest Shanyu's wife is in urgent need of help. As long as she ensures that her son can be a Shanyu in name only, she will agree to anything, not to mention With the heroic appearance of King Jin..."

King Jin raised his hand to stop Zhou Yuanbin from continuing, "You are my brother-in-law, but you and I are like brothers. I believe you will not harm me."

"Even if I die myself, I won't hurt the King of Jin at all." Zhou Yuanbin showed a little excitement again. He wanted to go outside the Great Wall, where he had familiar relatives and familiar rules, and he felt like a fish in water.

"Stay back and don't reveal this matter to anyone. Let me think about it for one night. This matter...can't be decided hastily."

Zhou Yuanbin said goodbye, feeling uneasy and unable to sleep peacefully all night.

The Jizhou army advanced rapidly and encountered no strong resistance along the way, so Xu Chu kept moving forward with the army. When they were still two days away from Jinyang, the forward sent back news: The King of Jin led his troops to jump north, and Jinyang was no longer defended.

Yin Fu immediately ordered the entire army to speed up and must seize Jinyang before Liang Jun.

Xu Chu sighed to Zhang Shiqing: "When the King of Jin leaves, the Central Plains loses another hero."

"Prince Jin is just trying to escape temporarily. Sooner or later he will enter the fortress."

Xu Chu shook his head, "The King of Jin thought that his destiny was mine. As soon as he left the fortress, all his ambitions and ambitions went away and he will never come back."