Plan to cut off the nine states

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When it comes to rebellion, everyone is full of heroic spirit. When they really encounter officers and soldiers, those who run away will live longer. Xu Chu was hesitating whether to attack Fan Jianglong on the spot. He jumped up, turned around, and ran towards the camp without even taking his horse.

The leaders of the Wu army fled in all directions, leaving only a few people guarding the original place.

Xu Chu shouted: "The enemy is in front of us, and those who escape will die!"

Bao Dun did not run away. He was the first to draw his sword and shouted: "If you are a hero, stay. If you are a coward, take my sword!"

The soldiers of the Bao clan drew their swords one after another. Tang Weitian was even more furious. He jumped out in one step, swung his stick and knocked down one person, and then chased the leaders of the small surnames. He ran fast and hit accurately with his stick. He quickly chased back most of the people, and only a few people escaped.

The leaders of the seven clans and the heroes of Jingzhou ran slower. When they heard the shouting, they came back one after another.

Xu Chu said to Bao Dun: "The situation is critical, I have an unwelcome request..."

"Why are you being polite at this time? The Wu army can enter the city, but only the outer city."

"Please ask Lord Bao to open the city gate, I will go to the front to check the enemy situation."

Bao Dun nodded, and Xu Chu said to the people who came back: "The officers and soldiers are already at the end of their strength, there is nothing to be afraid of, the enemy will be defeated, the water will be blocked, everyone will first enter the city to take shelter, everything is up to Lord Bao's arrangement."

After that, he called a few more people, got on the horse and followed him to the front.

Entering the city is much better than fleeing like a headless fly. The leaders calmed down a little, returned to the camp, and called their own people to set off.

Xu Chu stopped a group of soldiers with small surnames and asked where the officers and soldiers were. As a result, there were different opinions. According to them, Xu Chu should have seen the smoke and dust when he was riding on the horse.

Like most of the newly established rebel armies, the Wu army lacked scouts and military discipline, and was easily misled by rumors. Xu Chu led people to meet the deserters and see for themselves.

Although the election was abandoned halfway, Tang Weitian thought that the young master had already won, and he kept shouting to the crowd: "Make way for the Grand Commander!"

This sentence really had some effect. The crowd made way, and several leaders of the minor surnames followed Xu Chu and soon shouted the same words.

The Tenth Battalion of the Minor Surnames was built on the road. After passing through the chaotic camp, Xu Chu came to a hill and finally saw the figures of the officers and soldiers.

The officers and soldiers appeared at a bend in the distance and lined up at the foot of the mountain. There were two rows of vehicles in front of them. They had not been settled yet, and the soldiers could be seen busy.

Xu Chu pointed at the officers and soldiers with his whip, turned his head and smiled at his followers: "Don't panic, there are less than a thousand officers and soldiers, and the generals are timid. They came from afar. Instead of seeking a quick battle, they lined up to protect themselves. They must be incompetent."

Xu Chu had only asked a few people to follow him before, but now there were fifty or sixty people behind him, and more people were running on foot.

Qian Jincheng did not run away, but was also among the followers. He asked in confusion: "Are there less than a thousand people? It's not clear here."

"Then go to a place where you can see clearly. Those with horses follow me, and those without horses stay." Xu Chu galloped back to the main road and headed straight for the officers and soldiers.

There were less than thirty people with horses. Only Tang Weitian followed without saying a word. The others hesitated for a while before following one after another. The team was very long. The last few people had to catch up under the gaze of the infantry. If possible, they really wanted to give their mounts to others.

Xu Chu galloped on his horse regardless of whether there were people behind him, getting closer and closer to the line of officers and soldiers.

The officers and soldiers were like facing a great enemy. Two rows of spears stretched out from the back of the carriage. Drums sounded, officers shouted, and soldiers lined up in a hurry.

Xu Chu could see the situation on the other side of the bend at a distance of an arrow. As he expected, there were not many officers and soldiers. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. If he had a real army, he could disperse the officers and soldiers at this moment and win the first victory.

The officers and soldiers also made a mistake. If they could charge while the Wu army was panicking, they would have won with fewer troops and avoided many troubles and casualties later.

Xu Chu sighed again. The court had no generals and he had no soldiers.

Several people had already caught up. The officers and soldiers shot with bows and crossbows, but they were not accurate and neat. Only a few of them fell nearby.

Xu Chu spurred his horse forward again and could even see the facial features of the soldiers on the opposite side.

This time, only Tang Weitian caught up, waving his stick and howling like a teenager.

Xu Chu was just here to demonstrate. Seeing more and more officers and soldiers ready with bows and crossbows, he immediately turned his horse's head and returned to the followers. He smiled at Qian Jincheng and others and said, "What do you think? The officers and soldiers are just this few people."

"The army may be behind." Qian Jincheng whispered.

"Then wait until the army arrives and fight to the death!" Xu Chu led the leader back, deliberately slowing down the speed, not galloping like when he came.

The leaders were embarrassed to run ahead, and they kept looking back. The soldiers did not chase them, so they continued to deploy their troops.

When they felt safe, the leaders' faces returned to normal, their fighting spirits rose, and they praised the courage of the Grand Commander, and regained their confidence in defeating the soldiers.

Xu Chu took the opportunity to order the leaders to gather soldiers and take refuge in the city, and asked them to push away all the debris in the Xiaoxing camp, "leaving a passage for the soldiers, so that they can fight more happily."

Not far away, Bao Dun, Meng Senglun and others came with troops to support them. Seeing that Xu Chu was fine, they felt relieved, and seeing that the soldiers of the Xiaoxing camp obeyed his orders, they admired him even more.

Many people from the ten Xiaoxing camps still ran away, and Fan Jianglong took almost all of his subordinates away.

The remaining camps finally merged into one army.

Xu Chu knew that this battle was crucial to himself and the Wu army. If he won, he would gain a solid foundation; if he lost, he would have to start all over again. Moreover, it would be even more difficult to win over the soldiers with the reputation of a defeated general.

Returning to the city, Xu Chu refused to enter the city and summoned all the leaders on the roadside.

Meng Nilun understood his intention and said for him: "My general, Meng Nilun, who protects the country, has recommended Xu Chu as the governor of Wu State, to command all ministries and command all generals. Who among you has any objection?"

The officers and soldiers stopped more than ten miles away. The title of Commander-in-Chief of Wu State was no longer as popular as before. Xu Chu had shown his strategy and courage again. No one objected to the leaders. They all bowed down and called "Captain Xu". .

The Wu army had not yet completely entered the city, and many soldiers stopped to watch and shouted together.

Xu Chu could only enjoy his pride for a moment. When the shouting stopped, he said loudly: "Now that I have been recommended by you, I will no longer be polite. Now that the foreign enemy is in front of me, if I have done something inappropriate, please discuss it later. Anyone who disobeys orders during the war will be punished." Immediate execution without pardon."

"That's how it should be. Please give the order to the Governor." At this time, no one would compete with the new commander-in-chief for power.

"Bowton obeys."

"My subordinate is here."

"I appoint you as the general guarding the army and in charge of military law. Any disputes between camps and disagreements between generals will be decided by you. The law does not tolerate mercy and must not show favoritism."

"I obey my orders."

"General Meng Nilun, General Song Xingcai, General Qianjin Scale..." Xu Chu called out the names of ten people in succession, namely the leaders of the Qi clan, Xiaoxing, Jingzhou and Bao clan, "You each select 200 elite soldiers from your headquarters. Stay with me outside the city and choose an opportunity to fight with the officers and soldiers! "

Xu Chu also ordered Wang Dian to guard the outer city, and another Bao leader to guard the inner city.

Everyone may have timidity or doubts in their hearts, but they dare not raise them to the new governor in front of everyone, and they all act as ordered.

Xu Chu asked for a long pole and drew a line three miles away from the city to roughly mark the positions of the ten generals and their subordinates to avoid disputes among the various departments.

Two thousand soldiers were quickly in position, which made Xu Chu somewhat satisfied and felt that this army was not useless.

This formation was quite timely. Not long after everyone stood up, a small group of officers and soldiers came over to check the situation. Seeing that the rebels were in large numbers, they turned around and ran away, not daring to get too close.

The timidity of the officers and soldiers gave the Wu army more time. Xu Chu galloped back and forth, setting up the Lujiao Gate and the camp outside the city. He entered the city once, discussed with Bao Dun, and sent all the family members accompanying the army into the inner city, while the soldiers remained in the outer city and divided into sections. Set up camp and count the number of people for later use.

It was not until evening that the defending army began to take shape.

Tang Weitian volunteered and went to check the enemy's situation. He rode a horse for the first time. From then on, he ran around on his feet to report the movements of the officers and soldiers.

The number of officers and soldiers is increasing, but there is no sign of attack. They are also camping behind the line. It seems that they want to wait for the army to arrive before making plans.

Xu Chu really wanted to launch a surprise attack, but he couldn't find suitable generals and soldiers, and he was filled with regret.

Shortly after nightfall, Xu Chu finally entered his Chinese army tent for the first time - it was a very ordinary tent, without even a flag, and two long poles were stuck at the door to show the difference.

Xu Chu dined with the generals to discuss strategies to deal with the enemy, and also took the opportunity to observe which of these leaders could be of great use.

Although Xu Chu was the son of a general, he was not good at fighting. He had to find a few real generals.

Qianjin Scale was quite popular but had no idea about the battle between the two armies. Xu Chu appointed him as the general of the central army and guarded the front line to the city gate.

Not long after the fall of the Wu Kingdom, although the seven clans were in decline, many of their descendants still had learned the art of war. Although they did not have much experience, and they lost more than they won when fighting officers and soldiers in Jiangdong, they at least knew how to advance and retreat. Xu Chu appointed They are generals and are in charge of two thousand elite soldiers.

As for the powerful people in Jingzhou, Xu Chu selected two to serve as personal soldiers.

After a series of appointments, the children of the seven tribes clearly had the upper hand, and even "captured" other people's subordinates.

Xu Chu explained: "It is an expedient move. The division will be redone after the war, and the soldiers will still return to their old departments."

No one raised any objections.

Xu Chu knew that there must be people who were dissatisfied, but the victory was unlikely and no one was willing to compete for the position of general.

"The officers and soldiers are not yet stable, and I intend to attack the camp at night. What do you think?" Xu Chu asked.

The generals looked at each other, and Song Xingcai was the first to speak: "Failure in the first battle is related to the morale of the entire army. I think the night attack is a clever plan, and I am willing to be the vanguard."

Xu Chu was overjoyed, he needed such a brave general.

A Jingzhou general was also willing to participate in the night attack. Xu Chu agreed and asked the two of them to select a hundred people each. There was no need to distinguish between camp affiliations. Those who had to be physically strong and daring would be given a heavy reward, one for each of their entire families. One month's food rations for people, and winter clothing.

Xu Chu sent the generals away, leaving Bao Dun alone. There were some things he should have said long ago, but he waited until now. He cupped his hands and said, "I know General Bao is doubtful. Just ask."

Bao Dun was startled for a moment, then smiled and said: "The Governor once said that the imperial court had forgotten Runan City, but he sent officers and soldiers instead. Do you think I will have doubts about this? The Governor overthought it, because he saw the officers and soldiers were timid. , I am even more convinced that Tiancheng will die."

Xu Chu felt reassured, "Wu Jun is a primitive army. It's my first time to fight with officers and soldiers. I hope General Bao can point out any deficiencies in the distribution and arrangement."

Bao Dun hummed, not being humble, "I still have some ideas about defending the city. As for the battle between the two armies, I have no experience. I think the governor and the generals... are not people who can lead troops."

"Haha, General Bao was right."

"Whether we win or lose this battle, the Grand Governor will have to find someone to help."

"Keep it in mind, I actually have an excellent candidate, but it's a pity that this person is not here."

Song Xingcai entered the tent. He had selected his soldiers and could go to attack the enemy camp at any time.

"Go and rest first, and set off at four o'clock." Xu Chu had high hopes for this night raid and wanted to go there in person.