Plan to cut off the nine states

Guo Shifeng suggested getting rid of all the kings. Xu Chu did not reply immediately. He sat down slowly and suddenly found that the room was filled with gold, silver and bronze utensils. He quickly understood that these were gifts sent by the generals to please him. Many utensils There is a note attached to it, indicating the source.

Guo Shifeng also noticed it, took off the nearest piece of paper, and said with a smile: "'A pair of gold stoves, ten silver cups, little Li Qiao'er is filial.' He can't even tell the difference between gold and copper."

"Li Qiao'er is the descendant of the World Army." A vague image appeared in front of Xu Chu's eyes. He must now try to remember the names and appearances of all generals and leaders. This is very useful in winning people's hearts.

Guo Shifeng threw the note into the furnace, "The generals have recognized King Wu as their master. It is the time of God's gift. King Wu must hold on tightly and must not be soft-hearted for a moment."

"The officers and soldiers are outside. If I kill the kings, the city will inevitably become more chaotic. Why should I protect myself?"

Guo Shifeng took a step forward and said seriously: "Kill the kings to protect yourself. In the current situation, all the kings want to monopolize the army. It's only a matter of time before they do it. If King Wu doesn't take the first step, not to mention defending the eastern capital, he may even risk his own life." Can’t keep it.”

"King Ning and King Shu have already come to my camp, and King Liang will come tomorrow. We all want to help each other."

Guo Shifeng smiled and said, "The king of Wu is very clear about others, so why is he so unclear about himself? The king of Wu once entered the palace alone, but he truly surrendered to Xue Liujia?"

Xu Chu not only entered the palace alone, but also married Xue Liujia's daughter, completely gaining his trust. If Ma Wei hadn't taken action in advance, Xu Chu would have imprisoned Xue Liujia at a gathering of kings and seized his power.

In fact, Xue Liujia's death was closely related to his belief in Xu Chu. Those who trust Xu Chu easily will inevitably take the threat at hand.

Xu Chu also smiled, and soon became serious again, "It's difficult."

"Why does King Wu think it is so difficult?"

"The first difficulty is that it is difficult for all the kings to gather together. If only one or two people are eliminated and the others are angered, the gain will outweigh the loss."

"This is very easy. King Wu invites all the kings to meet in different places, and then takes action at the same time. There is no need to be in the same place. King Wu has already gained the trust of all the kings, which is the biggest advantage in his hand."

"The second difficulty is the lack of close confidants. A few people will not help, but a large number of people will leak the secrets."

"Although Wu's soldiers are few, there are thousands of them. How can we say that there are too few confidants?"

"Wu Bing...someone told me that Ning Baoguan is trying to win over my soldiers through Jiangdong Hegong. The soldiers with the seventh surname are fine, but the soldiers with the lower surname are hard to tell."

Guo Shifeng smiled and said: "It turned out that King Wu was worried about this matter. Was it Liu Youzhong who said it?"

Xu Chu smiled but did not answer. This was actually what Shen Dan told him. He was half-believing it now. If he didn't believe it, he was afraid of being assassinated. If he believed it too much, he was afraid of falling into Shen Dan's trap.

"The worries of King Wu are exactly the worries of all kings."

"Do all kings have this worry?"

"Let me try to speak for the King of Wu. Let me talk about King Ning first. This man is very sharp. There are many people who follow him, and there are also many people who are jealous of him. The King of Wu is worried about Jiangdong Hegong wooing the generals of the Wu army. Why is King Ning not worried about the bribery of the generals of the seven surnames? His subordinates? After all, they are all from Jiangdong, and they are easier to talk to. Besides, King Jin leads the elite of Bingzhou to the east capital. He is alone in the rear, his nest is threatened by Jizhou, and there is no support in the front. As for Liang, he is even more afraid. The king was deceived by others and took risks, but he ended up becoming the enemy of everyone. Among the kings, who is the most uneasy, it is the King of Liang."

"There is another King of Shu."

"Hey, the King of Shu is a headless fly, unable to protect himself. He is looking for new backers everywhere, but he also understands that no matter who wins, he will also be eliminated. Without it, becoming king is a sin. The anxiety of the King of Shu , comes from being cornered and cannot be resolved, which is more disadvantageous than any other king."

Xu Chu thought for a moment, trying hard to get rid of the title of King of Wu, thinking that he was just a counselor, and then he sighed, "That's all."

Guo Shifeng cupped his hands and said: "Kill all the kings, suppress all the armies, use punishment internally, and show military strength externally, and then ask for peace from Yecheng, and you will definitely get permission. King Wu may be able to retain the title of king, and even retain the eastern capital, at least You can use it to exchange one or two states, such as Qin and Bing."

"Yecheng has a strong army, but there is no emperor, so what we do is not justified."

"Haha, King Wu only wants to get out of trouble temporarily, why should he care about whether Ye City is upright or not?"

Xu Chu looked at Guo Shifeng and said, "I want to do something, but you can't stay in the city."

"King Wu is afraid that I will leak the secret or accidentally cause trouble?"

Xu Chu shook his head, "With you by my side, King Liang and King Jin will have less trust in me, making it difficult for them to take the bait."

Guo Shifeng laughed twice to cover up his embarrassment, "I understand, King Wu has thought carefully. I am focusing on planning for King Wu now. As long as big things can be accomplished, it doesn't matter where I am. Does King Wu want me to go out of the city to contact Yecheng?"

"Well, I have already sent one person, but there has been no reply. After you meet the people in Yecheng, you don't have to tell me about my intention to surrender. You should listen to their voices and find out what they mean, and then you can tell me what I mean."

"What King Wu means..." Guo Shifeng wanted to negotiate, so he had to ask clearly.

"I can surrender and return the eastern capital, but I will not go to Yecheng, nor give up any soldiers. Yecheng will send me to Qinzhou to quell the rebellion. If I can get Bingzhou or Hanzhou again, it will be Brother Guo's contribution. "

"If I can't win two states for King Wu, I am incompetent." Guo Shifeng boasted.

Xu Chu smiled and said, "That's very good."

"Don't you want a name, King Wu? It will be useful during the Western Expedition."

Xu Chu sighed, "You can decide if you want one. One is enough. If you have to choose between name and reality, I would rather have the name but not the name."

"And I must let King Wu have his name and his name." Guo Shifeng handed over his hand, "When will I leave the city?"

"I'll find someone to take you out right now. If you need anything, please ask Brother Guo."

"The rest is useless, I need a handwritten letter from King Wu."

Xu Chu shook his head, "That's not right. The people I sent have not returned yet. Writing a letter hastily will make Yecheng think that I am impatient."

Guo Shifeng wanted to say that he didn't take out the letter at first, but he immediately realized that the King of Wu did not completely believe him, so he smiled and said: "It doesn't matter if you don't write it, I will first contact my acquaintances in Yecheng and ask the King of Wu to come back to report the letter, and then King Wu sent the handwritten letter out of the city again."

"That's good."

"Who was the person sent by King Wu before?"

"General Meng Seng Lun Meng."

Guo Shifeng knew that Meng Nilun was a close general of King Wu, and the last trace of doubt in his heart was eliminated. He cupped his hands and said: "Yecheng has no reason to hurt General Meng. I am leaving the city now, and General Meng will be able to return to the city tomorrow."

"Waiting for good news."

Xu Chu called the Jingzhou general Dai Pohu and ordered him to lead Guo Shifeng out of the city from the west.

Xu Chu walked out of the barracks, and the cold wind blew in his face, like a sword.

Lei Dajun, the general of the seventh surname, came over immediately and said, "Do you want to patrol the camp again when you are in power?"

"I want to go into the palace to see General Song. You send two people to go with me. You stay. If anyone comes, say that I am resting."

"Is two too few?"

"From here to the palace, we are all guarded by Wu soldiers. There will be no danger."

"Yes." Lei Dajun was an obedient general. He immediately appointed two strong leaders to escort the governor, and he continued to guard the barracks as if King Wu was still inside.

Xu Chu took off the armor on his legs and arms, leaving only two pieces on his upper body. He was no different from an ordinary soldier. He took two leaders and entered the palace again at night.

Despite repeated orders and using the commander's seal and command arrows, Wu Jun was still full of loopholes. The road from the Fourth Prince's Mansion to the Imperial Palace was very close. Xu Chu walked all the way without being questioned, and found at least three passages unguarded.

These were all trivial matters, and Xu Chu could only turn a blind eye.

After entering the palace, Cao Shenxi's defense was relatively complete. They were all old officials and eunuchs. They did not recognize King Wu and did not dare to offend the rebels, so he sent people to the vicinity of the Queen Mother's palace.

Song Xingcai was stationed here and was ordered to protect the Queen Mother to prevent her from being taken away.

Song Xingcao did not expect that King Wu would come back tonight. He was very surprised. He welcomed him into the house and poured the wine himself.

He was warming himself by the fire, so the wine was hot. He drank to his heart's content and even took off his armor. Thinking that King Wu was coming to check the post late at night, his face turned red and he murmured: "It's cold outside. I told everyone to drink some wine to keep warm. Scout Everyone was sent out, but no one came..."

Xu Chu picked up the bowl and took a big sip first, and said with a smile: "Good wine, on this cold night, I must have this to endure it. Does everyone have it?"

Song Xingcao looked happy and said hurriedly: "Everyone takes turns to watch the night, and everyone who takes a rest will have hot wine."

The two chatted for a while, and Song Xingcai sent his troops to the army and said, "The governor came to visit late at night. Is there something going on?"

Xu Chu nodded, but did not explain immediately. He drank two more sips and put down the wine bowl, "I heard rumors that all the kings have different intentions and want to cut off others and claim the throne alone."

Song Xingcai's eyes widened, "To be honest, I have also heard such rumors. As for the governor, we can't sit back and wait for death. We must strike first. With the order from the governor, I will take people to the kings' camp. There are many soldiers, but they are scattered. If I make a surprise attack, they will definitely not dare to stop me."

The raid can only be done once, not a second time. Moreover, the kings are vigilant, and no one will let hundreds of soldiers rush to their side.

Xu Chu said: "But this is just a rumor."

Song Xingcai stood up and said, "In power, there is no rootless tree in this world. Rumors must have their origin. And I can see that the kings have never been of the same mind. Either you will kill me or I will kill you, sooner or later." In short, I think the sooner you start, the better.”

Xu Chu also stood up, picked up the wine jar, poured wine for Song Xingcai and himself, and said, "I offer a bowl to General Song."

"Don't dare." Song Xingcai picked up the bowl and drank it all in one gulp, not a drop left.

Xu Chu also finished his drink, put down the empty bowl, cupped his hands and said, "It is my lifelong pleasure to meet in the Ruhe River."

"The Wu army is still alive, and the revival of the Wu state is expected, all thanks to the power of the government. It is our great fortune to meet in the Ruhe River."

"Without further ado, please wait for my order, General Song."

"I have to go through mountains of swords and seas of fire, and I won't say anything about it."

Xu Chu chatted for a while, said goodbye and left without making any specific plans.

The cold wind outside became more and more biting. Xu Chu drank too much and felt a burning sensation in his chest and abdomen, but his mind was surprisingly calm. He believed in Wu Jun with the seventh surname and Song Xingcai, but he did not have that kind of tacit understanding and sympathy. After all, They are still two types of people, and it is difficult for them to communicate with each other.

Xu Chu hurriedly suppressed the unnecessary thoughts in his heart. This was the time when Ma Wei said "think less and do more".

As soon as Xu Chu returned to the camp, he realized something was wrong. It was almost the fifth watch, but the number of soldiers in the camp increased significantly. The guards were heavily guarded. He had to reveal his true face before he could enter.

When the gatekeepers saw the King of Wu, they were all overjoyed. They followed him inside and talked about a commotion in the camp.

Lei Dajun walked towards him, pushed others away, and stood beside the governor. Holding the knife in his right hand, he whispered: "A group of assassins are coming, and someone took action first."