Plan to cut off the nine states

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Just after capturing the small town of Mengjin, Ma Wei actually became murderous towards Luo Hanqi and wanted to kill the general and seize the troops.

Xu Chu was so surprised that he was speechless.

Ma Wei motioned to Xu Chu to follow him downstairs.

"The world is in turmoil and everyone can be king. Do you really want to help others and be a servant?"

Xu Chu shook his head and glanced upstairs, "It has nothing to do with this. The city is weak and not a permanent residence. There are five hundred soldiers of the King of Wuyue outside..."

Ma Wei interrupted Xu Chu with a smile, "Those soldiers only temporarily surrendered to Ningbaoguan to live under the command of Ningbaoguan. They have no loyalty at all. They only want to return to Huainan and Jiangdong. To be honest, they may recognize Brother Chu more."

Xu Chu still shook his head, "If you have not yet established a stable footing, you must first offend the powerful. How will Brother Ma deal with Ning Baoguan's army?"

"There are only a few thousand people, not a large army. Within three days, I can make this city impregnable. As soon as Ning Baoguan arrives, I will ask for help from the big city on the south bank and take the opportunity to occupy it. Then I will send a message to the Liang Dynasty to summon troops and horses. And then Restore the royal families of the five kingdoms and let them fight on their own. Brother Chu can also return to Jiangdong to rebuild the Kingdom of Wu. "

"What's the end?"

Ma Wei smiled and said, "Manpower can make you king, but destiny can make you emperor. The 'last' thing will have to be discussed at the end."

Seeing that Xu Chu was still pondering, Ma Wei said: "The people are ignorant and do not care about their homeland. This is not the case for the scholars of the Five Kingdoms. Those Liang people who defected to me were originally from aristocratic families. They were exempted from common people by Emperor Tiancheng. If there was any change, they would immediately rise up. , willing to fight for me. Brother Chu will definitely achieve great things when he returns to Jiangdong. He has great ambitions and will not be tied down by a few people. If brother Chu can abandon the Lou family, why should he be so soft-hearted towards a reckless man?"

Xu Chu sighed softly, "I may have ruined Brother Ma's plan."

"Um?"

"Before entering the city, I suggested that Luo Hanqi immediately send someone back to inform the King of Wuyue. I'm afraid that Ning Baoguan will arrive with his troops in less than three days."

Ma Wei was startled, and suddenly remembered that Xu Chu originally had a horse, but he entered the city on foot. The mount was obviously used to spread the news.

"Three days, I only need three days." Ma Wei sighed, quickly returned to normal, and said with a smile: "It must be God's will. He doesn't want me to succeed too early. It has nothing to do with my brother. It's better to do this. I'll arrange my stay as usual." City, if Ning Baoguan arrives with his troops within three days, we will have to stay there temporarily. If he doesn't come, we will act according to my plan, but there is one thing. No matter what, I have to do a favor. "

"Winning over Jiangdong's soldiers? I'm afraid I don't have the ability."

"Haha, Brother Chu, you don't need to do anything. I want to use your life experience to make something, as long as you don't object."

Xu Chu was very opposed to it, but couldn't find a suitable reason for a while, so he had to say: "Okay."

Ma Wei's face was filled with joy, "Although Luo Hanqi is a reckless man, he is also a fierce general. Please hold him in check for the next few days and don't let him see through my plan."

Xu Chu nodded and reminded: "Ning Baoguan is a prominent figure in the world. After learning the news, he will definitely come quickly. Brother Ma, be careful and don't expose your flaws in front of him, let alone make any dangerous plans."

"Don't worry, I understand the importance of timing."

The two went upstairs to continue drinking.

Before dark, Xu Chu went to the South City Tower to watch the situation on the other side.

The middle of the bridge was piled with wood and rocks, blocking passage. The big city opposite looked deserted, with not many officers and soldiers stationed there. The river was surging under the bridge, and although the weather had turned cooler, there was still no sign of freezing.

"Is Tiancheng Chao really going to die at the hands of the Lan family?" Xu Chu murmured.

There were seven or eight soldiers on the city tower, all of them Ma Wei's subordinates. They were standing aside talking quietly. A man came over and said with cupped hands, "Are you the 17th son of the assassin?"

"Exactly, but my surname has been changed to Xu."

"Young master refused to forget his roots and changed his surname from the state of Wu. He is indeed a true hero and admirable." The man cupped his hands and said.

This man is in his thirties. Although he is dressed as a soldier, his appearance and conversation are not ordinary. Xu Chu returned the courtesy, "How can I be a hero when I am a desperado? I wonder how you call me?"

The man smiled and said: "I am a villager, my name is not important." He put away his smile, "We have no other intention, we just want to thank Mr. Xu for his righteous deed of assassination. Please accept my greetings."

Everyone bowed down at the same time, and Xu Chu hurriedly helped the leader up, saying "I don't dare to take it".

After chatting for a while, those people were very interested in the details of the assassination. Xu Chu didn't want to talk about it at first, but when he thought of Guo Shifeng and Ning Baoguan's evaluation of him, he forced himself to answer all questions. No matter what he did in the future, he would "follow the crowd" These are all skills he must learn.

These soldiers were all descendants of Liang Dynasty aristocratic families. Although they were demoted to the rank of common people, their spirits were still there. They had followed Ma Wei for just a few days and showed their sincerity.

The soldiers went to defend the city, and Xu Chu went downstairs to find Ma Wei.

Ma Wei had already arranged a place for Xu Chu and placed more than ten tablets in the main hall, all of which were emperors of the Wu Kingdom. The only person accompanying him was the princess of the Wu Kingdom.

The Kingdom of Wu has existed for forty or fifty years, and the previous generations of emperors were all posthumous, and Ma Wei was not left behind.

Looking at these tablets, Xu Chu felt a little embarrassed and said with a smile: "Brother Ma is too quick to do it."

"It's really hasty. It's just carving. Brother Chu, don't be picky. The emperor's tablet of the Liang Dynasty is also crude."

"Is this trick... really useful?"

"Haha, brother Chu, you have an honest mind. Don't worry about whether it's useful or not. Let's talk about it after you use it. I have something else to do and I won't be here to accompany you. The incense and candles are all ready. Brother Chu, just light it yourself."

Ma Wei said goodbye and deliberately opened the door to the room and courtyard.

Xu Chu overcame his embarrassment and lit candles and incense in front of each tablet. Slowly, his mood became solemn. Especially when it was his mother's turn, he suddenly felt sad.

After all these years, his mother's appearance was still extremely clear, so clear that he suspected that his memory must be wrong.

As night fell, Xu Chu took a few steps back, knelt on the ground and kowtowed respectfully, silently wishing his mother's soul peace and happiness in heaven.

Nothing happened that night. Early the next morning, Xu Chu went to drink with Luo Hanqi again. This time he didn't call the other leaders. Ma Wei only showed up and was busy setting up the defense of the city.

Something happened in the small town, and the big town on the other side seemed to be aware of it and sent people to shout across the bridge. Ma Wei had to find a way to deal with it, and he had almost no time to relax all day long.

Luo Hanqi didn't know that he had just escaped death and was enjoying drinking and eating meat. He said with emotion: "This is how people live. I remember when we first rebelled, we turned over two cows and ate a lot, and then we died." It was hard to get enough food at first, but Prince Ning always insisted on making long-term plans, unlike Ma Wei. "

"The King of Wu Yue has lofty ambitions, which are beyond the comparison of ordinary people." Xu Chu said with a smile. His mission was to accompany him to eat well.

"Of course, of course. When King Ning accepted the title of king, we all thought it was ridiculous. Look, now, he has actually gathered a team. At least he has a chance to occupy Jiangdong, which is the richest place in the world..."

"General Luo, don't be upset. Let me ask you boldly, why have you been following the King of Wuyue and refusing to leave even if you think the king's title is ridiculous?"

"Hehe." Luo Hanqi drank a bowl of wine cleanly, took a long breath, and wiped his mouth, "There were a lot of people when we left Qinzhou, but in the end there were only about twenty of us left. Why are we not willing to die?" Go? Because King Ning is loyal and brave enough. Who among us has not been rescued from the dead once or twice? Not to mention others, my life is entrusted to King Ning. Without him, I would have been a long time ago. He died in the wild and was eaten by some wild beast. How could he still have the chance to sit here and drink wine and eat meat?”

Xu Chu couldn't learn Ning Baoguan's ability to "attach people".

Luo Hanqi became very interested and told many stories about Ning Baoguan. His admiration was beyond words.

"Prince Ning said that everyone can be an emperor. Before Zhang became emperor, he was an ordinary person. Only with good luck did he rule the world. When Prince Ning becomes emperor, I will be the general, and you can be the national counselor."

Xu Chu smiled and said: "In the past dynasties of the Central Plains, there was no position of national preceptor, only grand preceptor."

"Then I'll be a grand master. In short, I'll be a high official."

Luo Hanqi was drunk again, fell down and fell asleep, holding the empty bowl tightly in his hand.

Xu Chu went out for a stroll and saw a group of soldiers surrounding his door, so he went to check.

These people were all soldiers of Ning Baoguan. When they saw Xu Chu, they stepped aside one after another, but their eyes did not leave his face, as if they had just met him.

The Emperor Wu's tablet position does have some influence, but these people were originally common people in Jiangdong. They did not care about the former emperor as much as the descendants of the Liang Dynasty scholars. They only stared at people, did not bow or speak.

This was an opportunity. Xu Chu felt that he should say something to win people's hearts, but he couldn't think of the right words. He could always accurately guess the ambitions and confusions of emperors and generals. When facing a group of ordinary people, there was nothing in front of him. It was a loss.

"Everyone...are all from Jiangdong, right?" Xu Chu finally spoke, and several people ran across from him, making him feel even more guilty.

"Are you really Princess Bao's son?" an old man asked.

"Yes, my mother was originally the princess of Wu."

"There is more than one princess in the Kingdom of Wu, but there is only one princess Bao."

Xu Chu's mother's name was "Baoxin", so he nodded and said, "I am the son of Princess Bao."

The person opposite also nodded, but showed no awe. The old man said: "Are you assassinating Princess Bao to avenge her?"

"yes."

"Then why don't you go to Jiangdong?"

"The road is dangerous... Like everyone else, I am trapped here and want to go to Jiangdong but cannot."

The old man looked at his companions around him and said, "You'd better not go."

"Why is this?" Xu Chu was confused.

The old man refused to explain, "We are from Jiangdong. We want to go back to Jiangdong. You are not. There is no need to go. Going there will only cause trouble. If you dare to assassinate me, you must be very courageous. Jiangdong does not need more people like you."

Without waiting for Xu Chu to ask, everyone dispersed, leaving no one behind.

Thinking about the Liang Dynasty people's attitude towards Ma Wei, and then looking at the Jiangdong people's disrespect for him, Xu Chu was quite shocked.

One of Ma Wei's soldiers came over and said, "Prince Liang, please go to the south gate."

Ma Wei has already called himself Prince Liang.

The south city gate opened, and many soldiers stood outside, looking toward the bridge and the other side.

Xu Chu squeezed through the crowd, came to Ma Wei, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"The other side just shouted, saying that the imperial court has passed the decree and all the garrison guards from large and small cities have withdrawn to Luoyang, leaving the empty city and bridge."

"Is it Lan Xun's idea again?"

"Probably so."

Ma Wei looked at Xu Chu. They both had the same idea. They didn't dare to call Lan Xun stupid anymore. Instead, they felt that there seemed to be a trap.

Ma Wei gritted his teeth and said: "No matter what, I want the big city."