Plan to cut off the nine states

All the kings' camps had mutinies, big or small, early or late, as if they were showing off to each other, and no one wanted to be second.

The most serious mutiny occurred in King Ning's camp in the North City, and the most severe sanctions were also used here. Ning Baoguan arrested more than 500 people and killed 99 of them. He deliberately made up this number, claiming that it was for A waiter sent by the coming king.

He announced that if anyone still wanted to serve the coming King, he would be responsible for "escorting" them, and no one would be left behind.

All the kings became more cautious and sent envoys to each other. They were determined not to leave the camp. Even Gan Zhao, the king of Shu, did the same. He sent his trusted aides to seek advice from the king of Wu. When he heard that the king of Wu wanted to summon gods to the world in the hall, he agreed. , sent many utensils.

All the kings had sponsors, thinking that this move could calm down the World Army. Xu Chu took the opportunity to send out an invitation, hoping to have a gathering tomorrow morning to resolve misunderstandings and discuss a retreat strategy. The location was set to be in a temple next to the palace. It is about the same distance from the North and South City, and closer to the West City.

All the kings agreed and all said they would go in person, but Xu Chu understood that even if the kings made excuses not to come at the moment, he could not force him.

This gathering is considered a practice. If the kings can feel at ease, they may show up in person at the next gathering.

In the afternoon, a small change occurred when the summoning god came to the world.

Li Qiaoer really tried his best on this matter and found ten famous incarnation mages and a large number of assistants. He said that he could find all the people in this camp, but after the news spread, many mages came from other military camps. He is not good at rejecting others, so the scale of the birth ceremony has become larger and larger before it even begins.

After discussion, the ten masters who presided over the ceremony raised a serious question: If you want to invite the patron saint of the King of Avatar to come to the world, you must find a blood relative of the King of Avatar to "introduce" him.

This was a bit troublesome. The group of Shishi soldiers brought by King Liang took a look and killed all the relatives and friends of the Xue family in the palace.

Xu Chu sent an order to use his own life as a guarantee to find the living relatives of the King of the World.

In the evening, someone finally sent a three-year-old son of the King to the World. His mother had been killed. The baby happened to be taken back home by his wet nurse to visit relatives, so he escaped death.

The ceremony was finally flawless. Hundreds of mages went to the main hall to arrange the ceremony. The wet nurse and the child stayed in the camp. Xu Chu assigned a hundred Wu soldiers to protect the two of them and never allow any more accidents.

Xu Chu toured the camp with the stick of birth, and even visited the mutiny leader who was being imprisoned. Everywhere he went, he didn't say anything, just looked at the other person coldly.

All the soldiers of the Avatar Army knelt down and worshiped, especially the dozen or so mutiny leaders, who cried bitterly and begged for mercy. However, they did not admit their mistakes and instead begged King Wu to avenge the Avatar King.

What surprised Xu Chu was that these leaders were not Xue Liujia's cronies. They had no blood relationship or strong friendship. They were purely convinced that the King of Avatar was a disciple of Maitreya, so they had to be loyal to the end.

After Xue Liujia died, all the injustices and bad deeds he had done in the past were quickly dissipating, and the "miracles" he had performed became more and more clear and profound in everyone's impression.

Xu Chu no longer hesitated at all about the summoning of gods to the world that night, and sent more soldiers to guard the hall to prevent accidents.

The main hall is relatively close to Nancheng, so Xu Chu informed the kings of Jin and Liang of every move in the ceremony to avoid suspicion and misunderstanding.

As the night got darker, Xu Chu needed to take a shower and change clothes. Afterwards, he stayed alone in the house in silence to show his piety. However, he told Lei Dajun that if anyone important came to visit, he must inform him at any time.

The envoys of the kings came several times, but it was nothing serious, just asking questions. Lei Dajun answered on his behalf without disturbing the administration.

Around the second watch, three guests arrived from Xicheng. Lei Dajun felt that they were very important and must be sent to the ruling house immediately.

Guo Shifeng kept his promise. After he left the city, Meng Nilun finally came back, and two people came back.

Seeing Meng Nilun, Xu Chu breathed a heavy sigh of relief, stepped forward and held his arm, asking for his welfare.

The other two people were wearing heavy cloaks. Xu Chu couldn't see clearly. Meng Nilun briefly explained the situation, "General Wang Dian Wang did find the Yecheng army, but he was not outside the city and was left behind for hundreds of miles." Outside, I am waiting for the successor army in Yecheng. The commander outside is Wang Tiemei, the governor of Jizhou. He sent an envoy to follow me into the city to meet with the governor. To show his sincerity, he also sent back..."

Meng Nilun turned sideways and gently lifted the hood of the person behind him, revealing his true face.

It turned out to be Xue Jinyao, with a piece of cloth wrapped around his mouth, and his hands seemed to be behind his back. His face was full of anger, but he didn't struggle.

Meng Nilun cupped his hands and said: "Please forgive me the governor and Golden Saint Ru, I can't help it, I need to be quiet when entering the city..."

Xu Chu nodded to him, stepped forward and untied the strip of cloth on Xue Jinyao's mouth, "It turns out that Miss Jinyao fell into the hands of officers and soldiers. Everyone is worried about you."

Xue Jinyao looked at her husband coldly, spat, and refused to speak.

Xu Chu asked Meng Nilun to take Xue Jinyao to the next room to rest. He turned to the other person, cupped his hands and said, "Are you the envoy of the King's Governor?"

The man waited for Meng Nilun and Xue Jinyao to leave, then raised his hood and said with a smile: "I am the envoy of the King of Xiangdong and the King of Jibei."

Xu Chu was not so surprised when he saw Xue Jinyao, "Is it you?"

"Well, seventeen... no, King Wu still remembers me." Lou Ji, the twenty-third son of the Lou family, bowed his hands and smiled.

Lou Ji is the fiancé of Princess Huanyan. Xu Chu met him once in Siguo Valley outside Yecheng, and their impressions of each other were not very good.

Xu Chu was no longer the one who asked for help at that time, so he smiled and returned the favor, "Of course I remember, why didn't Mr. Lou follow the general?"

"Loyalty and filial piety cannot be balanced. Now everyone is his own master. The general went west to Hanzhou but refused to go north and submit to Yecheng. It is disappointing."

This was the first time that Xu Chu learned the specific whereabouts of the general. He felt a little reassured. Hanzhou was a small place, and the general must go there to seek refuge with his sixth son who was an official in Hanzhou. In troubled times, people tend to be afraid of difficulties and seek easy solutions. It means that the ambition is obviously not very big.

Xu Chu smiled and said: "Since everyone is his own master, why should we be 'disappointed'? Mr. Lou, please sit down and talk about our affairs."

Louji sat down and Xu Chu poured tea himself.

The two drank tea in silence, and Lou Ji spoke first: "Does the King of Wu really want to surrender?"

"Guo Shifeng must have made my meaning very clear."

"Well, it's clear, but... King Wu is not serious, right?"

"Which point?"

"All, Guo Shifeng said that the King of Wu should retain his title and the entire army, not go to Yecheng, and go to quell the rebellion as the commander-in-chief of Qin and the military forces of the two states. He also asked the court to supply food, grass, and equipment." Lou Ji shook his head with a smile. Shake his head.

Guo Shifeng proposed more conditions than originally planned. Xu Chu did not deny it and said with a smile: "Didn't Guo Shifeng mention Han and Yizhou? What I want is to be the military commander of the four states."

Lou Ji's smile froze slightly, "Guo Shifeng mentioned that when he heard that the general was in Hanzhou, he agreed to give up. Without the Hanzhou passage, Yizhou doesn't matter, right?"

"It is indeed more convenient to go to Yizhou from Hanzhou, but you can also take a detour, and - 'Each one is his own master'. I have no reason to abandon Hanzhou because of the general."

Lou Ji's smile became stiffer, "Although King Wu has changed his surname, his identity as father and son cannot be changed. Everyone knows that King Wu is the son of a general. It seems inappropriate for a son to fight with his father."

"I will not argue with the general, but I will invite him to Yecheng, as the two kings of eastern Hunan and Jibei wish."

"Why would the general listen to you?"

"That's another thing. Just give me Hanzhou."

Lou Ji's smile finally disappeared, showing obvious surprise. After a while, he said: "There are nine states in the world, and King Wu wants to divide them into four states. This... must not be done."

"After the chaos is quelled, I can give up Bingzhou."

"The chaos in Bingzhou can be solved without the help of the King of Wu himself. Yecheng will have its own solution."

"Then I will give up the Bingzhou now, only the three states of Qin, Han and Yi."

Lou Ji originally wanted to take the offensive as soon as they met. Unexpectedly, within a few words, he became purely defensive. He only thought about how to parry and completely forgot about the original attack plan. "No, it definitely won't work. Since King Wu surrendered, How can I win the three western states for nothing? Even if I agree temporarily, I will be rejected by the King of Xiangdong and the King of Jibei."

Xu Chu said: "Master Lou just said, 'Everyone is his own master.' I haven't asked yet, who is the 'master' of Yecheng?"

"Uh...for the time being, the two kings of Eastern Hunan and Jibei will jointly assist the Empress Dowager."

"Where is the emperor? Submission is a big deal, and I don't want to choose the wrong person."

Lou Ji laughed, "The King of Wu was too cautious. The emperor abandoned his mother and fled. He was kidnapped by the Liang and Lan families and took refuge in Jiangdong. He lost the hearts of the people. The civil and military ministers of the imperial court went north to seek refuge in Yecheng. Looking at the world, Yecheng is the best place. Zhengzong, there will be a new emperor on the throne soon."

"Is the new emperor the King of Jibei, or the youngest son of the Emperor of All Things?"

"This... I don't know, and I can't say. After King Wu surrenders, he will naturally have the opportunity to meet the new emperor."

"Well, the Empress Dowager wants to establish the King of Jibei, but the King of Xiangdong does not agree. Let's establish the youngest son of the Emperor of All Things. He is also the younger brother of the Emperor of Jiangdong. He is a bit shorter, so he has not established it for a long time."

The expression on Lou Ji's face was stiff again. He volunteered to act as a messenger and refused to admit defeat, "These matters are beyond the scope of ministers. King Wu should consider surrendering again. To be honest, Governor Wang does not trust King Wu very much. He said..."

"Young Master Lou will definitely support the King of Eastern Hunan. If he becomes emperor, Young Master Lou will be your consort."

Lou Ji's face changed slightly, and he couldn't hold back the anger in his heart. He said coldly: "King Wu has already married two wives, so don't think about others anymore."

Xu Chu laughed, "Master Lou really loves to joke, who can I think of?"

Lou Ji's face was as frosty as he said, "When I left for Yecheng, Princess Huanyan asked me to bring a message to King Wu."

"oh?"

"Take care of yourself."

"Is this what she asked you to bring?"

"Yes, that's it, 'take care of yourself'. King Wu, don't think that Yecheng's soldiers can't attack the Eastern Capital, and don't think that this is your opportunity. Yecheng accepted King Wu's surrender, not out of necessity, but because the two kings missed their old friendship, Especially the King of Jibei, who still loves you as a son-in-law, would have no way to submit to you."

"Yecheng doesn't care about the Queen Mother?"

"Care, if King Wu really wants to surrender, he must send the Queen Mother out of the city first, and then we can discuss the details." Lou Ji finally returned to the original path.

Xu Chu didn't want to go along, so he pondered for a moment and said, "Since Mr. Lou is here, come with me to see some interesting things."