Plan to cut off the nine states

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The general wrapped himself tightly in a cloak made of more than a dozen fox skins, but still felt cold. Looking around, the generals in the tent were older and older, and they were all like him. No matter how thick the clothes were, or how many charcoal fires were lit around them, they still felt cold in this winter.

Looking back, once the general said that he wanted to attack a certain city or a certain army, he could immediately guess who would be the first to ask for battle, but who was the real person to be used, and who needed comfort, who needed encouragement, and who needed rewards... Now, he has lost this ability. The words have been spoken, but he doesn't know what kind of answer he will get.

Of course, this time it is not to "attack", but to "retreat", and the veterans who have followed the general for many years are extremely uncomfortable.

This was even more tragic than the defeat in Qinzhou. In that battle, the general led only a few soldiers and was suddenly attacked, so he had to flee. Afterwards, although the general was angry, his ambition was not diminished. Both he and the court believed that he could make a comeback.

The general couldn't help but ask himself secretly, is it considered a comeback now? He has elite soldiers and old generals around him. The people sent by the court to hinder him were either sent away or fled. He finally took charge of the army again...

The soldiers were there, but the general's confidence was not back.

Finally someone spoke up. Guan Changling was one of the general's most loyal old subordinates. When the general was in a bad mood, he was usually the only one who could raise some objections.

"I still think there are not many rebels in Dongdu City. If the officers and soldiers besiege from all sides..."

"Didn't General Guan see the camp left by the rebels? It's enough to accommodate 100,000 people!" said another old general.

"The camp is not complete, and it can be faked." Guan Changling stood up, enduring the pain in his joints, and bowed his hands and said, "King of Wu..."

The general was like being poured with a basin of cold water, his fat body shook violently a few times, and he was furious, "What kind of King of Wu is he?"

Guan Changling was speechless, not knowing how to call the man in the city.

"Xu Chu, his name is Xu Chu." The general said.

"Xu Chu is good at using tricks to show the officers and soldiers the camp, but he stubbornly defended the city without fighting. Nine out of ten times he is guilty. I estimate that the rebels are no more than 10,000 people. They have just entered the East Capital and have not yet established a firm foothold. They can be defeated in one fell swoop."

Guan Changling opened his mouth, and others dared to speak up, most of them agreed to siege the East Capital again.

A soldier covered in frost and snow came into the tent and said to the general: "The rebels are approaching from behind, about ten miles away."

The soldiers retreated, and the general straightened his body slightly, "What can we do if we take back Dongdu? Those who can run have run away, even the Zhang family has given up Dongdu, and what is left is a ruined city. Why should people of other surnames worry about them? I know why you want to take the city, it's nothing more than thinking that your family is still in the city. Don't worry, they may have already escaped, not to mention that your adult children and grandchildren are all in the army, as long as they find a place, they can naturally spread out. A man in the world, where can't he make his home?"

The old generals didn't dare to mention the siege anymore, and one general asked: "Where is the right place to go?"

"I want to hear your ideas." The general said to Guan Changling: "General Guan, go and gather the army, destroy the baggage, take only dry food, and travel light."

Guan Changling took the order and left.

The generals discussed and made suggestions. Some said Jizhou was good, as the emperor and the empress dowager were likely there. Some said Jingzhou was good, as it was connected to Luozhou by mountains and rivers, and could be used for attack or defense...

Finally, someone mentioned Hanzhou, "Hanzhong is located in the west of the world. Although it is a small place, it is surrounded by mountains and rivers, has fertile land, and has many people. If we can occupy it, it will be a good place to stand."

The general nodded slightly, and the generals understood his thoughts and immediately found more reasons.

"Isn't the sixth son of the general's family an official in Hanzhou? He can be a good support." One general gave a more powerful reason.

The general had already made up his mind, but he just hoped that his subordinates would bring it up and stand up. "Go to Hanzhou, set off immediately, infantry in front, cavalry behind. If the rebels dare not follow, it's fine. If they dare to come, how can we be defeated in the real battlefield?"

The general regained some confidence, but this confidence was like a charcoal basin in the tent. Once it came to the ice and snow, it quickly dissipated and turned into a pile of dead ashes again.

The general could not ride a horse, so he could only take a car. When he left, the sky was slightly bright. He looked at Dongdu for the last time. Suddenly, his heart was pierced with needles and he regretted it so much that he almost ordered the whole army to stop and concentrate on attacking again.

But he finally gave up. The most taboo in managing the army is to change your mind. If you say you want to leave, you have to leave. Going back and forth will only make the army collapse faster.

The soldiers also looked at Dongdu frequently, wondering if their families had escaped.

The general was afraid that the army's morale would change, so he urged them to set off and promised many benefits, all of which would be fulfilled after they arrived in Luozhou.

More than half an hour later, the soldiers had completely withdrawn, leaving only smoke and dust everywhere. A large number of weapons were burned, and some were thrown away without being ignited.

Jin Wang Shen Dan led his army to occupy the camp and breathed a sigh of relief.

Tan Wuwei rode a small circle on his horse and came back and said, "The soldiers left not long ago. It seems that they went west. We still have to chase them..."

Liu Youzhong had already returned to Jin Wang and said in surprise, "Chase? Why chase?"

Tan Wuwei was also surprised, "Because... because the soldiers have become dogs without a home. If they are hit again, they will collapse and eliminate the trouble forever."

Liu Youzhong smiled and shook his head. Although they were sworn brothers, he rarely called Tan Wuwei brothers, "General Tan is indeed a general, but there is always a purpose in fighting, and killing is the second best. General Tan, please look, the Eastern Capital is right in front of you."

"I saw it. I've been here before. But the officers and soldiers are a threat after all. If we don't eliminate them completely..."

Liu Youzhong still shook his head and said to the King of Jin: "The Eastern Capital is right in front of us. Losing it is like losing half of the country. Even if the general escapes, he will at most be the enemy of a state."

Shen Dan said: "There is no need for you two brothers to knock on the door first. If you can enter the city, join forces with King Ning, and then pursue the officers and soldiers. If you cannot enter the city - Mr. Liu is right, capturing the Eastern Capital is the most important thing." "The most important thing."

Tan Wuwei sighed softly. Although he was a cavalry commander, he actually had no command authority. He was still a staff advisor to King Jin.

Someone had already gone to call the door, and they hurried back on horseback and said to King Jin: "There is no response from the city. It is useless to say anything. They just refuse to speak."

Shen Dan frowned slightly and looked at Dongdu again, "The ones who captured the city are really King Ning and King Wu?"

"It can only be them." Tan Wuwei said. No one knew yet that it was him who gave King Wu the idea.

Tan Wuwei had said before that King Ning and King Wu would capture the eastern capital. Shen Dan was half-believed at the time. Now when he arrived at the city and saw the officers and soldiers fleeing, he believed it. Especially the flags on the city were very confusing, which was the usual style of the rebel army. .

"Hey, Prince Ning wants to monopolize the Eastern Capital." Shen Dan sneered.

"It must have been Xu Chu's idea." Liu You finally did not recognize this "fourth brother". "Originally, it was Xu Chu who persuaded King Ning to surprise the Eastern Capital."

"Fourth brother...it shouldn't be the case. Maybe he was held hostage by Prince Ning and couldn't help himself." Shen Dan still believed in Xu Chu.

Liu Youzhong said: "No matter what, Xu Chu is in the city, but he didn't think of a way to let His Highness enter the city."

Shen Dan remained silent.

A soldier galloped over on horseback, "The King of Liang is here."

Ma Wei rushed to join the King of Shu. They were originally located behind the officers and soldiers. The general turned around and rushed back to the east capital. They could not stop him and could only follow him from a distance. There were some disputes outside Changwei, but he fell behind the Jin army.

Ma Wei came with only a few people. As soon as they met, he said: "We captured Dongdu? Why don't you enter the city?"

"We have captured it, but the new master of Dongdu doesn't welcome old friends like us." Liu Youzhong said.

Ma Wei immediately understood, "Prince Ning is going to proclaim himself emperor, and he doesn't even want his own subordinates?"

There were many of King Ning's subordinates in King Jin's army. Shen Dan turned around and saw King Ning's fierce general Luo Hanqi chatting with a large group of generals. He looked at the city from time to time, looking quite confused.

"Mr. Liu, maybe he said he surrendered to General Luo?" Shen Dan said.

Liu Youzhong also glanced at Luo Hanqi in the distance and shook his head slightly, "It won't take one day. If King Ning insists on closing the city to no one, maybe it can be done in a day or two."

Ma Wei said anxiously: "You don't have to wait a day or two. As soon as King Ning opens his mouth in the city, Luo Hanqi will definitely lead people there, and he may even turn against King Jin."

"There are some of our people in the city too," Tan Wuwei reminded.

Liu Youzhong laughed and said: "General Tan's thinking is too simple. Dongdu has been occupied by King Ning. He has all the gold, silver, jewels, cloth, grain and grass. He can reward the soldiers as he pleases. 'Our people' will probably enjoy it." ”

Tan Wuwei remained silent. Ma Wei clapped his horse and stepped forward. He met with Shen Dan and whispered, "Xu Chu can no longer be trusted. We have to change our plan."

The original plan was to capture all the leaders of the Advent Army after conquering the Eastern Capital. It was nominally to secure Jiangdong territory for the King of Wu. But now that they can't even enter the city, the plan cannot be implemented.

Shen Dan then looked at Ma Wei seriously and said with a smile: "Prince Liang must have had an idea."

Ma Wei lowered his voice again, "The Jin and Liang soldiers are too small to attack the city, so we must borrow the power of King Jingshi. King Ning left his family behind, which was his mistake. If King Jingshi can be persuaded to drive his family members to the city, King Ning will If you don't surrender, the soldiers in the city will open the door."

"The King of Avatar is quite afraid of you and me, how can he lend us his strength?"

"There is no other way. We can only accept him as the master first and persuade him to proclaim himself emperor. Besides, we don't have to show up in person. We can let the King of Shu deliver the message on our behalf."

While they were talking, King Gan Zhao of Shu also arrived with his army and sent people to inquire about the situation.

Shen Dan made up his mind and said to Liu Youzhong: "Please make a hard trip, Mr. Liu, and accompany King Liang to see King Shu. We will definitely make him turn against King Ning."

"This is easy to handle. King Ning seizes the city, but lets the King of Shu come to attack the officers and soldiers. The King of Shu almost died on the battlefield. He must have resentment towards King Ning, so he can do it with just one persuasion." Liu You finally accepted the order and left with Ma Wei.

Tan Wuwei said: "Prince Jin might as well wait a little longer. Maybe fourth brother..."

Shen Dan shook his head, "We can't wait any longer. King Jingshi is right behind us. If he is instigated by others to attack the Jin army, we will be trapped in a tight siege again. There will be no reinforcements to help us this time."

Tan Wuwei sighed, looked to the west, and murmured: "Officers and soldiers must not look back."

A cavalryman galloped from the direction of the city gate, "King Jin, the city has spoken."

"say what?"

"It said that we must wait for the arrival of the coming king before we can open the city gate, and no one else can."

Shen Dan was stunned for a moment, and then he understood, "King Liang is still smart. With the current situation, whoever can get the support of King Jishi will win the Eastern Capital."

"In this case, wouldn't Dongdu be returned to the King of the World?" Tan Wuwei was a little confused.

Shen Dan smiled and said nothing, and after a while he said: "The King of Avatar is not a problem, it never has been."