Plan to cut off the nine states

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Cao Shenxi was injured and exhausted. He didn't sleep for an hour all night. He lay on the bed, opened his eyes and listened quietly to the drum outside. He was often startled and thought that this was twenty years ago. The enemy was about to attack, and he hadn't put on his armor yet, and his weapons were not at hand...

Soon, he returned to reality and found that he had sat up without knowing when. The drums had just stopped, and everything was quiet. There were no enemy soldiers attacking. Thinking about it again, the current situation was worse than any battle in the past.

Someone outside asked softly: "Is the general still awake?"

"What's the matter?" Cao Shenxi was eager to have something to do.

"The general's son has entered the camp. I think the general should see him..."

"Which son?"

"Seventeen." A number was replied outside.

Cao Shenxi thought about it twice in his mind, and finally remembered who Lou Shiqi was. He was shocked and said, "Take him to the central army tent."

Cao Shenxi would never meet the wanted assassin in his tent.

The personal soldiers came in and helped the old general put on his clothes, not the armor. He didn't want to suffer this at night. He left the tent. It was quite cold outside. Cao Shenxi wrapped his robe tightly and hurried to the central army tent.

"What is he doing here?"

The chief secretary Liang Pingzhi was waiting outside, following the old general, and replied: "He is now the military advisor of the King of Wuyue, and he is here to accept the amnesty on his behalf."

Cao Shenxi stopped for a while and walked forward again.

"And he has changed his surname to Xu, and his name is Xu Chu."

"Yeah." Cao Shenxi was not surprised.

"He claimed that he could persuade all the rebels in the south to accept the amnesty and stay where they are, so that Dongdu would have no worries."

"Okay." Cao Shenxi was not deliberately perfunctory, but his mind was slow to think about other things, thinking about the young man he had met several times.

Xu Chu stood in the tent, guarded by a dozen guards at the door.

Cao Shenxi entered the tent and signaled the guards to leave. Liang Pingzhi whispered: "General, don't be careless, this man..."

"He can't always be an assassin." Cao Shenxi walked towards the guest and felt that he seemed a little different from what he remembered.

Liang Pingzhi followed closely, and there was no one else to accompany him except him.

"I am Xu Chu, and I pay my respects to General Cao."

Cao Shenxi smiled and held the guest's hand. He sat in the main seat and asked Liang Pingzhi to bring a small stool for Xu Chu to use. Liang Pingzhi could also sit, but he would rather stand and stay alert.

"My dear nephew, you came from afar, why didn't you inform me in advance?"

"I came in a hurry and didn't have time to inform you. Besides, I have changed my surname, so I don't deserve the title of 'my dear nephew'."

"Hey, whose family doesn't have some disputes? You don't recognize your father, so do you also not recognize all your acquaintances?"

Xu Chu had no choice but to say, "If General Cao doesn't despise me, I'd be more than happy to meet you."

"Haha." Cao Shenxi turned to Liang Pingzhi, "I have known the general since we were young, and we have participated in dozens of battles together. Thinking back to the past, the general was also a handsome and elegant young man. He used a long spear to perfection, and many men and women were attracted to him and were willing to be his concubines. But the general was not as handsome as the seventeen-year-old man today."

Xu Chu couldn't answer, Liang Pingzhi smiled and said, "Mr. Xu's biological mother was a princess of the Wu Kingdom, so it's not surprising that he has such a beautiful face. Strange."

Xu Chu bowed and said: "Appearance is useless. A real man does not make a living by it, and a general does not defeat the enemy by his appearance."

"Of course, appearance only makes the general have countless romantic debts." Cao Shenxi sighed for a long time, swinging back and forth between nostalgia and reality, and finally chose to stay in reality, "I heard from Liang Changshi that my nephew can recruit the rebels in the south for the officers and soldiers?"

"That's right."

"How to recruit?"

"With my mouth."

Cao Shenxi laughed. He had heard of the prophecy of "opening mouth" and "closing mouth", but never took it seriously. "Just with a mouth?"

"And the identity of the military advisor of the King of Wuyue."

"Ning Baoguan agrees?"

"Agree, the only requirement is..."

"Food, horses, and armor." Liang Changshi continued. He had many contacts with Zhang Wenbi and knew Ning Baoguan's thoughts very well.

"That's easy. The court doesn't lack these things. But... the southern rebels all come from the states in the south of the Yangtze River and have no contact with the Jiangshi Army. How much weight can the words of the King of Wuyue carry?"

"The King of Wuyue fought in the north and south and recruited several rebels. His reputation has long spread to the south of the Yangtze River. His words have weight."

"Even so--" Cao Shenxi laughed and glanced at Liang Pingzhi, "If you say that persuading people to rebel, I believe you, but persuading people to accept the amnesty, I don't think my nephew and the King of Wuyue will be more effective than the envoys sent by the court."

"So I have to rely on my other identity, an identity that the court envoys will never have."

"Oh?"

"The son of the Princess of Wu and the assassin wanted by the court. ”

Cao Shenxi laughed twice again, and then pondered for a moment without saying anything. Liang Pingzhi, who was standing next to him, said, "An assassin persuaded the rebels to accept the amnesty? Interesting."

"I assassinated the tyrant. The tyrant is dead, and good governance can be expected..."

Cao Shenxi shook his head, "This kind of words are said to us, and the rebels will not believe a word of it."

Xu Chu smiled and bowed, "First courtesy, then force, it is also the art of persuasion. Amnesty is the good governance of the court, and it is first used on the rebels. The rebels are natural people, who are bullied by corrupt officials and tempted by evil people, so they raise the flag to rebel. Their feelings are pitiful and their crimes are forgivable. Accepting the amnesty and returning to their hometowns to be good citizens can avoid the pain of thousands of miles of trekking and the disaster of corpses lying in ditches."

Cao Shenxi continued to shake his head.

Xu Chu added: "I'll start with the Jiangdong rebels first. They care more about the identity of 'son of the Princess of Wu'. I also have contacts with the children of the seven tribes, so it is easier to persuade them."

Cao Shenxi stopped shaking his head and said, "The Wu people are the most stubborn. The children of the seven tribes have always wanted to restore the country. Your identity is only for convenience of travel and cannot be answered at once. How are you going to persuade them to accept the recruitment?"

"Although Dongdu is besieged, the army is still there, numbering no less than 100,000..."

"Three hundred thousand." Liang Pingzhi corrected him. He was the chief historian of the army and was responsible for records. He could not admit that the number of soldiers was less than three hundred thousand at any time, not even to his own people.

"No less than 300,000." Xu Chu changed his mind, "Although there are many rebels, they are divided into two parts, the north and the south. The Northern Army has experienced hundreds of battles, and has the great victory of Mengjin, and its momentum is like a rainbow. The Southern Army fights on its own, or is defeated. If the local officers and soldiers are forced to go north, or if they are lucky enough to defeat a small group of officers and soldiers and take advantage of the situation to go north, they are not as strong as the Northern Army. "

"That's indeed the case." Cao Shenxi nodded, "Ning Baoguan's army is slightly stronger in the south."

"Looking at General Cao's strategy, we must first eliminate weaknesses, and then strive for strength. Eliminate weaknesses to avoid worries, and only by focusing on strength can we have a chance of victory."

Cao Shenxi laughed and said to Liang Pingzhi: "A hero comes from a young age. The Seventeenth Lang can even see our strategy."

Liang Pingzhi said calmly: "I only know one, but not the other."

The two of them would not disclose the entire plan, and Xu Chu naturally would not ask. He continued: "The King of Wuyue also saw this, so he would accept the recruitment to avoid the sharp edges of the officers and soldiers. The other southern armies were weaker. To protect themselves, Accepting the offer is the only option.”

Cao Shenxi and Liang Pingzhi looked at each other and began to think that Xu Chu's words were somewhat interesting.

Liang Pingzhi said: "Avoid the sharp edge of the officers and soldiers, and then challenge again when you are strong? Is this your 'clever plan'?"

Xu Chu said: "The above is what I said to persuade the rebels on the South Road. Next, I want to persuade General Cao and Liang Changshi."

"What are you persuading us for?" Cao Shenxi said with a smile.

"Give me a scepter, a vehicle, money and silk, and give me the name of imperial envoy to facilitate recruitment."

"Don't you want food, grass and soldiers?" Liang Pingzhi mocked, Ning Baoguan only had these things in his eyes.

"No need, but I need thirty blank seals for my use."

"Hey, with the scepter, the empty seal, and the imperial envoy, whoever you send can recruit rebels with these things." Liang Pingzhi objected before Cao Shenxi could speak.

Xu Chu handed over to the two of them, "Can the envoys sent by the imperial court regret it later?"

Cao and Liang were slightly startled, and Xu Chu continued: "I have the crime of assassinating Jia, and I am also the military advisor of the King of Wu and Yue. No matter whether the recruitment is successful or not, the court can repeat it."

Liang Pingzhi asked in confusion: "So, all good things go to the court, and you get nothing. You can be regarded as a very loyal minister."

Xu Chu smiled and said: "I don't dare to take it. The advantage for me is to go to Jiangdong with King Wu and Yue, where I can observe the power of the world. See you again in the future. I am either an envoy of the two countries or a prisoner of the subordinates."

Liang Pingzhi felt that this man was too crazy and was about to laugh at him again when Cao Shenxi said: "I understand, you want to go back to Jiangdong to take root and rebuild the Kingdom of Wu."

"Whether it should be called the Kingdom of Wu is still up for debate, but King Wu Yue and I both aim at Jiangdong."

"Ning Baoguan is from the Qinzhou World Army. Why is he so interested in Jiangdong?" Liang Pingzhi asked.

"The King of Wuyue was originally from Jiangdong. When the country was destroyed, he moved with his family to Qinzhou. The name 'King of Wuyue' means missing his hometown."

Liang Pingzhi didn't ask any more questions, and turned his gaze to Cao Shenxi, waiting for the commander to make a decision.

Cao Shenxi pondered for a moment, "After all, you asked the court to give up Jiangdong in exchange for the South Road rebels temporarily accepting recruitment, right?"

"Whether we give it or not, Jiangdong is not owned by the imperial court, let alone the imperial court's concern."

"Where are the other states in the south of the Yangtze River?" Cao Shenxi asked.

"It will take some time for the King of Wu and Yue to establish his foothold in the east of the Yangtze River and for the court to quell the chaos in the north. When the time comes, we will either be a friendly neighbor or an enemy country. Things are unpredictable, and I dare not say anything unreasonable."

Cao Shenxi turned to Liang Pingzhi and said with a smile: "Young people are terrible. It would be a mistake for the general to abandon this son."

Cao Shenxi seemed to be convinced by Xu Chu. Liang Pingzhi bowed and said: "The staff and the official seal are all belongings of the imperial court, and the imperial envoy is an official of the imperial court. They can be awarded to non-military personnel..."

"Then please trouble Liang Changshi and send someone to Dongdu to ask for it. The sooner the better."

"Yes." Liang Pingzhi said goodbye.

Xu Chu also stood up to say goodbye, and Cao Shenxi personally walked to the door, "My dear nephew, have a good rest. Maybe, just maybe, when you and father and son meet again, we can also become ministers in the same palace."

"I would like to ask General Cao for your kind words."

Cao Shenxi watched Xu Chu leave, returned to the central army tent, and waited for dawn.

Liang Pingzhi brought the memorial, which needed to be stamped by Cao Shenxi before it could be sent to the eastern capital.

"Will the imperial court... agree?" Liang Pingzhi was a little uneasy. The situation in the DPRK was complicated, and even the commander-in-chief who was in charge of the troops outside could not get approval for everything.

"If you don't agree, just give him what's available in the general. As for the imperial envoy, you write a letter of appointment."

"This...this can't be done."

"Soldiers never tire of deceit, Liang Changshi, soldiers never tire of deceit. If we want to defeat the rebels in the north, we must first get rid of the ugly people in the south. No matter whether they accept the recruitment or not, our fighting style will not change. This will not only avoid worries, but also boost the morale of our army. Go, If something goes wrong, I’ll be responsible.”

"The general's brilliant plan." Liang Changshi hurriedly resigned. While sending people to the east capital, he prepared the staff and other items to make preparations.

Xu Chu fell asleep in the tent, thinking about another plan of his in his dream.