Plan to cut off the nine states

When the first batch of officers and soldiers arrived, the sun had not yet set. Thousands of cavalrymen were approaching the city, blowing horns and marching in formation, beating drums to demonstrate, and seeking a fight.

Xu Chu climbed the city wall to wait and see, and experienced the feelings of the people of Dongdu before: standing on a high place, relying on the thick city walls, although he felt safe, he could not see the details of the enemy outside the city, and there was nowhere to escape. The longer he stared, the stronger the anxiety.

If someone could lead troops out of the city to meet the enemy, even if it was just a draw, it would greatly boost morale, but if they were defeated, it would be worse.

If he was a counselor, Xu Chu would definitely advise the commander to attack while the enemy was not yet stable. Now he is the commander himself, and everything is up to him. The target of his persuasion is not others, but himself, which makes him a little hesitant.

If he wins, everything will be alive, and if he loses, everything will be lost. This is a gamble, and Xu Chu never likes gambling.

He has many things he doesn't like, and now he has to do them one by one.

Xu Chu turned around and said to the generals with a smile: "The officers and soldiers are playing this trick. They just arrived and did not set up camp first, but lined up to challenge. It is clearly a bluff. The officers and soldiers are only a thousand or so, and the rear army is still far away, so there is no need to be afraid. I will lead the troops out of the city to fight to show the power of our army. Who among the generals is willing to fight with me?"

Almost all the generals of the five kings were here, and immediately a group of Wu generals stood up, all willing to fight with the ruling.

Xu Chu appointed Song Xingcai and left Meng Senglun.

The Wu army was not good at riding, and had previously lured the officers and soldiers to run. When the real battle came, it was the Jin and Ning soldiers who made the effort.

Xu Chu ordered Song Xingcai to go down to the city to prepare, and said to the remaining generals: "The Wu army is going to fight, please watch from the top of the city and cheer for our Wu army."

Sure enough, some people couldn't stand the provocation, and Ning general Luo Hanqi stood up and said in a rough voice: "I only know how to challenge, not watch the battle. I am willing to follow the King of Wu out of the city, as long as...as long as the King of Ning agrees."

Although Xu Chu was promoted to the commander of the army and the generals came to accept his orders, they still only recognized their old master in their hearts.

Xu Chu wanted to appease him at first, but before he could smile or speak, he immediately changed his mind and said sternly: "I am the leader of the entire army. You all receive orders from the king and are under my command. Why do you need the consent of others? General Luo can fight if he wants to, and stay if he wants to. There is no need to find another excuse."

Luo Hanqi blushed and said sternly: "I am willing to fight. Please give the order from King Wu."

Xu Chu bowed and said: "Thank you, General Luo."

Luo Hanqi went down to summon his troops. Xu Chu gave a few more instructions and appointed Meng Senglun as the general to defend the city. He went to join Generals Song and Luo.

The troops had been gathered, as many as 5,000. Xu Chu felt that it was enough. He was about to order the gate to open and fight, but Ning Baoguan came.

Ning Baoguan was stationed in the north city, which was relatively close. He rushed there immediately after hearing the news.

Xu Chu had thought of many responses and must persuade Ning Baoguan in public not to obstruct the battle.

But these words were useless. Ning Baoguan was not here to stop the battle, but to ask for it.

"The King of Wu is the commander of the army, so it is not appropriate for him to fight in person. Let me do it."

When Xu Chu hesitated for a moment, Ning Baoguan had already ordered the generals, "There are only more than a thousand soldiers. We will not use our numbers to bully the few. You can choose your own. General Song will have 400 soldiers, and General Luo will have 700 soldiers. We will defeat the soldiers with conviction!"

Luo Hanqi obeyed immediately, and Song Xingcai did not hesitate. He ordered his leaders to reduce the number of soldiers and only keep those who were better at riding and dared to fight.

Ning Baoguan crossed his lance on the saddle and bowed to Xu Chu, saying, "Please ask the King of Wu to come to the city to cheer me up. If I lose, I would rather die on the battlefield than ask the King of Wu to open the gate or send troops to help me."

When it comes to charging into battle, Xu Chu is indeed far inferior to Ning Baoguan. He knows this, and the generals also know it, so Song Xingcai accepted the command of the King of Ning without hesitation.

Xu Chu returned the greeting with a bow, "I beat the drum to cheer for King Ning. If King Ning is in danger, and there are cavalry in the city, I will lead the troops to follow and never let the officers and soldiers be proud."

Ning Baoguan nodded, rode his horse and ran to the city gate first.

The soldiers at the gate had already prepared, and immediately opened the city gate to let the cavalry out of the city.

Xu Chu climbed up the city again. The generals above had already learned that King Ning was going to fight, and they all climbed over the wall and looked out.

There was a war drum on the city. Xu Chu held the hammer with both hands and beat the first one.

There are rules for beating drums. Xu Chu knew a little bit about it. Fortunately, Ning Baoguan and others didn't understand it very well, so they just needed to listen to the sound.

At the beginning of the night, the officers and soldiers outside the city shouted for a long time, and their momentum was slightly weakened. They were about to retreat and set up camp, but suddenly saw someone rushing out of the city, and the drum sounded again on the city. They hurriedly re-arranged their formation to fight the rebels.

This was a tough battle that the righteous army rarely experienced. The forces of both sides were equal, and the fight was particularly fierce.

Xu Chu kept beating the drum until he was exhausted, and then he handed it over to Meng Senglun.

Ning Baoguan was at a disadvantage, and he was a little too arrogant. The Jizhou cavalry was famous all over the world, with strong soldiers and horses, and they were well-trained. The cavalry of the rebels were mostly put together temporarily, and they had no time to train. It was already remarkable that they dared to go out of the city to fight. When they really got to the battlefield, they quickly became scattered and not as neat as the officers and soldiers.

Even so, it was right for Ning Baoguan to bring fewer cavalry. The more people there were, the more chaotic the rebels would be. At least 50% of the 1,100 people could keep up with King Ning, so that they would not become a mess.

Although Ning Baoguan claimed that he did not want support, Xu Chu could not sit idly by. He immediately went down the city and led the remaining thousands of cavalry out of the city, crossed the bridge and lined up, making a posture of going to fight immediately. Drums sounded in many places on the city, one after another.

The officers and soldiers noticed the movement at the city gate. They did not expect the rebels to dare to come out to fight. Although they had the upper hand on the battlefield, their momentum had weakened by three points. When they saw that there were cavalry behind the rebels, their momentum weakened by three points, and they immediately called back.

Xu Chu also sent people to call back Ning Baoguan.

This battle does not require a big victory, as long as you can show your willingness to fight.

Ning Baoguan led his troops back to the city, and Xu Chu stood guard by the bridge. After confirming that there were no more of his own people outside, he withdrew his troops and entered the city.

The officers and soldiers stopped at a distance and did not take advantage of the situation to attack the city.

Xu Chu guessed correctly. This was just a vanguard. The army at the rear was still far away, so the general did not dare to fight the rebels head-on.

This battle lasted for a short time, and the losses on both sides were not large, but the impact on morale was very significant. The officers and soldiers set up the fence and built the camp obediently. They no longer thought that the rebels were loose and could be bullied. The morale of the rebels in the city increased sharply, and they were very concerned about King Wu. , King Ning's awe also skyrocketed.

Xu Chu took advantage of this remaining power, reorganized his troops, and formally distributed the descending army to the kings. The numbers were almost the same, and he would not favor one over the other.

Xue Liujia sent people several times to invite King Wu to the palace to discuss matters, but Xu Chu declined them all. He had just emerged, and on Xue Liujia's fear list, he was probably on par with King Jin and King Ning, or even higher.

From now on, Xu Chu will never venture into the palace to see Xue Liujia alone.

After midnight, the rebels in the city were dispatched, and more and more officers and soldiers outside the city began to camp around the city in a siege manner.

Xu Chu stayed up all night, running around to let every leader and as many soldiers in the city see him.

There is a battle outside the city and inside the city. The soldiers outside the city are pressing down on the city, which is a battle of life and death. The kings inside the city are setting up their own banners, which is a battle for prestige.

One by one, Xu Chu will strive for a big victory.

There was a temporary stalemate outside the city, but Xu Chu had a slight advantage inside the city. He was the military leader and the son-in-law of the King of the World. He had just repelled the arrogance of the officers and soldiers. The farther away from the North City, the soldiers and civilians who had not seen the details of the battlefield, the more they thought that the rebel army was bigger. The more he won, the more he was afraid of King Wu and King Ning.

When Xu Chu returned to Beicheng, it was almost five o'clock. As soon as he entered the camp, he was stopped.

Huang Tieniang has been looking for her son-in-law for a long time. She doesn't care who the soldiers of the World Army will be, and she doesn't even notice that the power of the kings is rapidly expanding.

"Where is my daughter? Where is Jin Yao?" Huang Tieniang asked, holding the reins.

Xu Chu had long forgotten about this, "Miss Jin Yao... hasn't come back yet?"

"Come back!" Huang Tieniang became anxious, uttered curse words, grabbed one of Xu Chu's arms, and forced him off the horse, "My wife is gone, and you don't worry or ask questions. What kind of husband are you?"

Xu Chu also felt guilty. He got off his horse and helped Huang Changniang, "Mother-in-law, don't worry, the officers and soldiers haven't surrounded us yet. Miss Jin Yao is on her way back and will enter the city soon."

"You haven't seen it with your own eyes, so what's the use of saying this? Send someone to look for it quickly."

The officers and soldiers outside the city had surrounded half of the city. Xu Chu would never send people out to die for nothing. The casualties would be small, but the loss of morale would be a big deal, so he said perfunctorily: "My mother-in-law, go back to the palace first. My father-in-law has been looking for you, I will send People are looking for Miss Jin Yao’s whereabouts and will inform you as soon as there is any news.”

"Are you really good at sending people?"

Xu Chu nodded.

Huang Tieniang was at her wits' end. Although she had a bad temper, she was still a member of the World Army. Her habit of being afraid of the officers and soldiers would not change for a while. She did not dare to leave the city, so she had to say: "Then I will go back first. You must If you want to find my daughter, you must not forget your wife."

"How could it be?" Xu Chu sent someone to send Huang Tieniang and the female soldiers back to the palace, patrol the city, and tell the generals that if they see Xue Jinyao returning to the city, call him immediately. If there are pursuers behind Saint Jin, don't open the door easily.

Xu Chu hoped that Xue Jinyao could come back safely, but he couldn't take risks because of her alone.

When Ma Wei abandoned his wife and children and fled the capital, Xu Chu still found it difficult to accept it. But now he understands that the personal relationship between his children is not as important as the world. Not to mention that he and Xue Jinyao have no true love. Even if they have some, they still have to let go.

Among the kings, only Xue Liujia always took care of his family, while Ning Baoguan and others did not take their wives with them, and did not even care if they were entrusted to their opponents.

The officers and soldiers failed to win the first battle, so they were no longer eager to fight and concentrated on building the camp. Xu Chu returned to the barracks and planned to take a rest.

As soon as he got out of the city, he saw Guo Shifeng standing below, waiting for him.

When they came to the house together, Guo Shifeng cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations to King Wu for getting what he wished for."

"Brother Guo's words are weird. Officers and soldiers are surrounding the city. Why would I want to taste it?"

Guo Shifeng stepped forward and said with a smile: "The King of Wu can hide it from others, but there is no need to hide it from me. The Jizhou soldiers came suddenly, but the King of Wu responded in an orderly manner, as if he had been prepared for it. Am I right?"

"Brother Guo, don't you think I can stay calm in times of crisis?"

"Haha, of course that's not what I meant. In fact, I came to seek refuge with King Wu."

"Design?"

"Remember? I told King Wu a long time ago that when King Wu will retreat to Yecheng, I am willing to follow him and deliver messages for King Wu for a small fee."

"Brother Guo is overthinking. I have no intention of retreating anywhere. The Eastern Capital is here, and the rebel army is no less than 300,000. They have more than enough to defend the city, and they have the advantage in attacking. Why should we entrust others?"

The rebel army claimed to be 300,000, but the number of people who could actually go to the battlefield was far less than this number. Xu Chu was still not used to boasting, so he did not say 500,000.

Guo Shifeng was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said: "I understand. Since the King of Wu is the military leader, all the officers and men in the city are servants. If I come to defect, doesn't it count as betraying the master?"

Guo Shifeng is the best at adapting to the situation. This is the first time that he has completely switched to King Wu's side.

Xu Chu knew this character's character, but it cannot be said that he disliked him. Guo Shifeng's "defection" at least showed that his plan had initially achieved results.

"Brother Guo is willing to stay, that's fine."

Guo Shifeng held his hand again and whispered: "A servant does not serve two masters. Since he belongs to the King of Wu, I can no longer hide anything."

"oh?"

"King Liang led his troops to the palace to kill the King of the World."

Xu Chu was shocked, and he was particularly confused as to why Ma Wei wanted to kill Xue Liujia?