Plan to cut off the nine states

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No matter how chaotic the world is and how difficult life is, the New Year still has to pass. The scholars and people living in Dongdu are like kittens and puppies that have just arrived in a new home in the past two days. They first hide in the most hidden place, and then slowly Put your head out, check carefully, and after confirming that it is safe, go out to patrol, not daring to go too far away from the hiding place. You will still hide when you hear footsteps. It will take a few days before you recognize the new home and start acting randomly.

The people of Dongdu are in a stage of careful testing. A few brave people have begun to walk in the streets and even dare to talk about the "rebels" entering the city. "There are emperors and courtiers, but the people are still the same people and pay the same taxes. Doing the same job, living the same life.”

On the afternoon of New Year's Eve, the streets were particularly lively. The soaring prices could not stop everyone's enthusiasm for buying. Every business door was crowded with people, and customers were complaining about the merchants raising prices while arguing. Grabbing goods, no chance to pick and choose.

The rebel soldiers in the city were also very happy. There was a constant flow of wine and meat, and almost half of them were drunk all day long. The rebel soldiers outside the city felt that they were treated obviously differently and were very dissatisfied. After a large amount of wine, meat, and cloth were delivered to the camp, They were temporarily comforted. Although they still clamored to go into the city, they were no longer so urgent and were willing to celebrate the New Year outside the city.

Xu Chu returned to the general's palace and invited the kings to come to meet him tomorrow in the name of King Wu, which was agreed.

Things went smoothly, at least on the surface, Xu Chu gained the trust of all parties, and for the first time in this overt and covert struggle, he had a clear upper hand.

In the palace, Xu Chu hosted a banquet for a group of Wu army soldiers and described to them various scenes after returning to Jiangdong. He won bursts of cheers, but he was not good at this kind of thing after all. After three rounds of drinking, Meng Nilun, Song Xingcai, etc. The generals naturally seized the opportunity to speak and reinterpreted the promises of governing. They deviated greatly from the original intentions, but won even greater cheers.

Xu Chu said: "When the eastern capital is stable, I and the princes will lead the army eastward. The officers and soldiers will surely surrender in the hope of the wind. The revival of Wu is imminent. Regardless of whether people from Wuzhou or Jingzhou, they are all heroes in the founding of the country."

When Meng Nilun spoke again, it became like this: "Tiancheng is finished. We Wu people can finally avenge the annihilation of the country. It is certain to win Wuzhou, but this is not enough. The ruling will lead everyone to pursue death and defeat, and will Zhang Huang Let the descendants eradicate them completely and not let any evil species remain in this world!"

Xu Chu said: "Although the Kingdom of Wu was destroyed by Tiancheng, the tyranny of the Xu family was undeniably responsible. If we return to Jiangdong and find the descendants of Empress Xu, we should remember the lessons learned from the past. We will assist the new emperor, treat the people well, and make the Kingdom of Wu stronger!"

Song Xingcai's understanding was: "Although we are descendants of the old ministers of the Wu Kingdom, to be honest, Emperor Xu did something wrong back then. He was drunk and murderous. Many loyal ministers died of torture. Even when the enemy was in front of us, the DPRK actually There is no general available. The rise and fall of an emperor is determined by heaven. If we can find a descendant of Queen Xu and he has the style of an emperor, of course we will serve him as our leader. If we can't find him, or he is too weak. It’s God’s will that Xin Xu ascend the throne.”

Xu Chu couldn't defend himself, he just accepted it.

In the middle of the banquet, Xue Jin, the ruling lady, walked into the room. She was still wearing a silver helmet and did not show up. She drank with the soldiers and refused anyone who came. Even if the other party was just an ordinary soldier, she drank it all in one gulp. A coy, contemptuous attitude.

Xue Jinyao immediately won the favor of the soldiers and received more toasts than Xu Chu.

As night fell, the soldiers said goodbye, all staggering, full of confidence in the future.

Meng Nilun left later, and while the governor was seeing him off, he whispered: "If the governor has any instructions, just ask. There is no need for us to rely on others for the affairs of Wu State."

Xu Chu was also about to reveal something and said with a smile: "General Meng is my right-hand man. Without you, I really can't do what I do." He looked around, lowered his voice and said: "General Meng doesn't have to attend the gathering of kings tomorrow. Guard the west city, gather the soldiers, and wait for my order."

"Yes." Meng Nilun resigned with satisfaction.

Back in the banquet hall, Xu Chu had to face his newlywed wife again. He cupped his hands and said, "Miss Jin Yao, please rest early."

Xue Jinyao's face turned red and became more charming, but his eyes were still so cold. He glanced at her husband and said, "I understand, the matter of husband and wife... is not okay for the time being. If you dare to touch me again, I will break your arm. "

Xu Chu felt relieved and wanted to laugh, but immediately suppressed it and said seriously: "Girl Jin Yao makes the decision."

"Where's the magic stick? Why don't you bring it with you?"

"I'll leave it to someone else for temporary custody."

Xue Jinyao sneered and walked up to Xu Chu, "Do you think you are smart?"

"I temporarily handed over the magic stick to others, not to guard against the Golden Yao girl, not to mention this is not a smart move."

Xue Jinyao acted as if he had not heard the excuse, "I am not as smart as you, but I have the celestial eye given by Master Maitreya, and I can foresee what is going to happen: you will voluntarily hand over the magic stick to me, and soon."

Xu Chu couldn't help but laugh, "What else did you foresee?"

Xue Jinyao didn't answer and strode away.

Xue Jinyao is also a magic stick, far behind his father Xue Liujia, let alone Liu Youzhong, who is famous for his physiognomy.

Xu Chu avoided a problem and felt much better. He walked out of the banquet hall and looked for another place to stay.

Song Xingcao hurried over, and he and some Wu army soldiers stayed to guard the gate, "Governor, you have guests."

"Which one?"

"Calls himself Tianjiang."

Xu Chu was stunned, and came to the gate in person. As expected, he saw Tian Jiang standing outside, wearing single clothes, not feeling cold, and looking a little dazed.

"It's a rare guest, Tian Zhuangshi, please come in quickly."

Tian Jiang said calmly, and walked into the mansion without even bowing in return. Song Xingcai and others were quite dissatisfied. Seeing that the ruling official didn't care, they put down their swords and guns.

Xu Chu hadn't found a place to stay yet, so he took Tian Jiang into the banquet hall, "Sorry, I just drank and haven't cleaned up yet. How come Tian Zhuangshi has time... Mother?"

Under the light, Xu Chu noticed that Tian Jiang had a white mourning belt wrapped around his waist.

"He just left yesterday."

"My condolences."

"Well, I'm not here for this matter. I'm going to find Lord Fei. General Cao asked me to find you."

"Lord Fei has left the city this morning."

"I thought Lord Fei wanted to live and die with Dongdu."

"Lord Fei did have this intention. I asked him to go out and welcome the troops from Yecheng, Jizhou."

"People from Jizhou are coming?"

"I guess so."

"Hey, Mr. Xu either guessed it right or wanted to use this as an excuse to send Lord Fei out of the city."

"My guess is right. In fact, I guess that the defeat of the officers and soldiers in Mengjin and the escape of the dignitaries in Dongdu are also related to Yecheng."

Tian Jian was silent for a while, pointing to the remaining wine on the table, "Can I drink it?"

"Whatever."

Tian Jian poured himself a drink, did not toast, and did not speak for a long time.

Xu Chu pulled a chair and sat down, also did not speak.

"I can do it." Tian Jian put down the wine glass, and in just a short while, he drank more than a dozen glasses, and his face did not change at all.

"What can I do?"

"I can work for Master Xu."

Xu Chu stood up and bowed, saying, "It is my honor to have Tian Zhuangshi work for me."

Tian Jiang raised his hand, indicating that he had not finished speaking, "But I can't stay with Master Xu now."

"Do you have anything else to do? You can finish it first."

Tian Jiang shook his head, "I have nothing to do, but Master Xu doesn't need my service right now, and it's not worth my service."

The first half of the sentence is fine, but the second half is a bit weird. Xu Chu said, "What did I do wrong to make Tian Zhuangshi think that it's 'not worth' working for me."

Tian Jiang let out a long breath, and a smell of alcohol hit his face, "Master Xu doesn't have an emperor. If you force yourself to do something like a king, you will suffer from the consequences. If I stay now, I will only push Master Xu into the fire pit faster. "

Xu Chu laughed and said, "Does Tian Zhuangshi know how to read faces?"

"I can't read faces, but I just see too many people. Master Xu is smart enough and has a kind heart, but he is self-respecting. To put it in a good way, you are too kind, and to put it in a bad way, you think too much, which are all enemies of becoming an emperor or a king. When Master Xu changes his mind, I will come to seek refuge again. Goodbye. "

Tian Jiang turned and left, and Xu Chu chased after him, "Tian Zhuangshi wait a minute..."

Tian Jiang walked fast, pushed the door and went out, Xu Chu ran out, but couldn't catch up.

Xu Chu had to give up, looking at Tian Jiang's back, muttering, "Where does the emperor's face come from? After success, someone will naturally make up the emperor's face for me. "

But Tian Jiang's words still made Xu Chu feel uneasy. He walked around the yard twice, went to the gate to call Song Xingcai, and invited him to drink alone.

Xu Chu knew what his biggest weakness was, so he had to correct it deliberately and win over his generals.

Although Song Xingcai and others were loyal to the ruling king, they were not close and lacked personal connections. In this regard alone, Xu Chu was not even as good as Liang Wang Ma Wei, who also started his army.

Song Xingcai was a little flattered, and after a few glasses of wine, he became more and more natural and casual.

When the two chatted, Song Xingcai's favorite saying was: "Some people are really born. The ruling king is so young, but he has such courage and wisdom. It is really a great blessing for my Wu country."

Xu Chu smiled, praised Song Xingcai's bravery, and then turned the topic to Chang Shunzhi.

"I still feel pain in my heart for killing General Chang in front of the battle."

When fighting with officers and soldiers, in order to establish his prestige and restrain the soldiers, Xu Chu had to kill two generals, one of whom was Chang Shunzhi, one of the seven surnames of Wu.

Song Xingcai's excited eyes dimmed for a moment, and he drank two more glasses of wine silently, saying, "Chang Shunzhi did not abide by military law, so his death was not unjust."

"Even so, I still feel heartbroken. It's just that troubled times are difficult, and the strong prey on the weak. If the Wu army is slightly weak, it will die at the hands of the kings, and even have no chance to return to Jiangdong."

Song Xingcai nodded, but stopped drinking, "What the governor said is very true. The seven surnames were too scattered in the past, so they were suppressed by the small surnames and suffered consecutive defeats in Wu. If the governor had not appeared in time, the Wu army would probably still be freezing by the Ru River, and how could they have a chance to enter Dongdu? It's late, the governor should rest early, and I will go for another inspection."

Song Xingcai said goodbye and left, and Xu Chu sighed lightly. He still hadn't learned the skills of the world. It was very simple to see others do it, but he always stumbled when he practiced it himself.

Xu Chu left the house. Although all the plans were under his control, he felt lonely and no longer had the excitement and publicity when he first entered Dongdu.

The so-called owning a city is ultimately an illusion, he thought.

Xue Jinyao led a group of female soldiers to the gate without any greeting. Xu Chu was puzzled and asked, "Where is Miss Jinyao going?"

"To see my mother and go hunting with her."

"Hunting?"

Xue Jinyao stopped and said, "I heard that the prey has left the nest. It's a good time to hunt. Don't you Wu people ever hunt?"

Xu Chu suddenly understood that the prey referred to the people of Dongdu.