Plan to cut off the nine states

Fei Zhen was a civil servant. He only knew that a dagger could be used to kill people, but he had never practiced it. In excitement, he felt that his whole body was full of strength, but in fact his movements were clumsy and devoid of any threat.

Even so, Xu Chu was still shocked. He didn't expect that Lord Fei had such a strong temper and would kill someone if he didn't agree with him, so he hurriedly avoided it.

Fei Zin was old after all, so he missed the stab and staggered out two steps, hitting the corner of the table. Xu Chu hurriedly stepped forward to support him, grabbed the dagger, and helped Fei Zin sit down, "Master Fei Why is this necessary?”

After just two blows, Fei Zhen was out of breath, his eyes still burning with anger, and he glared at Xu Chu: "I don't have the ability to stop the chaos. I can at least kill one or two heroes like you to make the world suffer less." suffering."

Xu Chu sat across from him, "Master Fei really thinks that killing me can alleviate the chaos in the world?"

Fei Zhen sighed, "Oh, who am I kidding? No matter whether killing you is useful or not, I can't touch you at all. I don't even have the ability to be an assassin. Bai Wuyi is a scholar, and an old scholar like me, It's even more useless. King Wu shows mercy and kills me. If you don't want to do it, throw me to the rebels outside and let them chop me up."

Xu Chu returned the dagger to Fei Zhen, "Master Fei really wants to rule the world? Why don't you stay and help me? The faster we eradicate the heroes, the sooner the rule of the world will come."

Fei Zhen did not take the dagger and sneered: "You all have the same tone and only want to win over others. Why don't you give up your title of king and go to help someone? If King Wu is willing to help others, he will rule the world faster. And I am the ruler of the world. Sir, I can’t do anything in troubled times, and my words are ugly, so it’s useless for you to keep me.”

"I hope to listen to Mr. Fei's words more often. Although they are unpleasant, they are like good medicine."

Fei Zhen didn't answer, and was in a daze for a while, then suddenly burst into tears.

This surprised Xu Chu even more than the assassination just now, and he hurriedly advised: "Master Fei, why is this happening?"

Fei Zhen wiped away his tears, and when he spoke again, his voice was no longer strange, "It's nothing, just disappointing. Tiancheng is disappointing, Yecheng is disappointing, and King Wu is also disappointing. It's a pity that the great rivers and mountains of Kyushu will be destroyed by a group of people." In the hands of Xiong Xiong, King Wu... I'll call you Mr. Xu."

"random."

"Master Xu is still a child."

"I am indeed younger."

"It has nothing to do with youth, you people are all children, even the King of Xiangdong is no exception. You are simple and naive. You all think that you can defeat others and end this troubled world. Just like those noisy children, they also Thinking that you can get good things by crying.”

Xu Chu couldn't help laughing, and then said sternly: "Like Mr. Fei, I once hoped to persuade someone to come forward and end the hidden dangers before the chaos happened. But it was useless, no one was willing to listen to me, and they waited until the opportunity passed. , troubled times..."

"It was you who killed the Emperor of All Things, and you still don't think you started this troubled world?"

"I did pierce the last layer of window paper, but the troubled times were not caused by me. Mr. Fei has been an official in the court for a long time, so he should see it more clearly than me."

Fei Zhen was silent.

"I'm a little curious. Master Fei was still very high-spirited when he left the city, but now he is disheartened. What did Yecheng do to make you so disappointed?"

"I have said enough about Yecheng. Mr. Xu no longer needs to pry for information from me. You only need to know that Yecheng's plan is almost the same as yours. Whoever wins will depend on who has more soldiers and generals. Who is ruthless?"

"It is inconvenient to transport grain and grass in the north in winter. I think this battle is about who can hold on longer."

"Hey, Mr. Xu, you still think this is about governing the world. Does the court have to distribute food and grass when it sends out troops? These are troubled times. Mr. Xu, you lead your own troops to rob the official rations of the Eastern Capital, and you don't allow others to do the same thing? Yecheng soldiers Wherever you go, you will collect food. The area around Dongdu has been plundered by the rebels, and now they are being beaten to death. Who do you think can last longer?"

Xu Chu was silent.

As soon as Fei Zhen mentioned his disappointment, he could no longer hold back and continued: "Yecheng also attracted the He Rong tribe from the north, and foreign tribes entered the Central Plains, which added to the chaos."

"I didn't see any troops from the He Rong tribe outside the city."

"He Rong's tribe was unwilling to go too far south, so they went to attack Bingzhou. The Shen family has worked hard for many years, but it is about to be wiped out."

Xu Chu was surprised. Although the Jizhou cavalry were strong, they were not in large numbers. Since they came to besiege the eastern capital, it would be difficult to divide their troops to attack Jinyang. Therefore, Xu Chu and Shen Dan were not too worried. However, once He Rong's cavalry was introduced, Things would be very different.

Xu Chu thought for a long time, "Master Fei has been disappointed in Yecheng. Even if I really want to submit to Yecheng, what's the use?"

"Although Yecheng has lost the style of the king's master, it has not been long ago. If it can wake up in time, it can be picked up again. The rebels started by looting, and they have been looting all the way until now. There is no way to change it."

"What do you think, Master Fei, of Prince Jin?"

Fei Zhen shook his head, "I'm not familiar with King Jin, but there are rumors that he killed his father and his brother. This alone is not enough to be the rightful ruler of the world."

Xu Chu smiled and said: "The King of Xiangdong wants to seize the throne from his grandchildren. Can he be called the 'rightful master'?"

"If Yecheng wants to change his ways, King Xiangdong will never proclaim himself emperor. I have already persuaded him once. As long as I am still alive, I will continue to persuade him. If he fails to persuade, I will die as a remonstrance."

"If the King of Xiangdong gives in, who can become the emperor? You can't accept the one who ran away as your master, right?"

Fei Zhen shook his head, "I know who should not be the emperor. As for who should be the emperor, it is too early to say now."

Xu Chu picked up the dagger on the table, swung it gently, and then said after a while: "Will Yecheng believe me?"

"The King of Xiangdong doesn't believe it, but the King of Jibei does. Fortunately for Mr. Xu, the King of Jibei has a slightly higher status in the army. With his guarantee, the King of Xiangdong doesn't dare to mess around."

Xu Chu continued to think, and the marks made by the dagger on the table became deeper and deeper. "If I can get a guarantee, I can consider surrendering sincerely."

Fei Zhen's eyes lit up, "Are you telling the truth, not lying to me?"

Xu Chu smiled and said: "In troubled times, it is rare to find a selfless person like Mr. Fei. I can't deceive anyone. I am thinking, you are right. If we want to end the troubled times, it is better to transform Yecheng than to start again." The stove is easier. And - did Yecheng really attract He Rongbu?"

"Hey, Mr. Xu won't lie to me, so how can I lie to you? Deception can bring temporary benefits, but it will make people more confused. I would rather die than do it."

"It's my fault, Master Fei. Don't blame me. It's right to think about it. If there was no worries in the north, Jizhou wouldn't dare to go south. When the prince of Jibei went to Yecheng, he went to Yecheng under the banner of sending He Rong as an envoy."

"The Crown Prince did go, bringing many gifts, as well as letters written by the two kings of Jibei and Xiangdong. It is said that the Crown Prince is very popular with Master He Rongbu and has already recruited him as his son-in-law."

"Everyone loves to recruit sons-in-law."

"Marriage and alliance are common in ancient times. The King of Jibei went further and won the title of King of Guanzhong for the crown prince, and the barbarian girl became the princess."

"In this case, I can sincerely surrender, but I need a guarantee that I will not be killed or become a prisoner."

"What kind of guarantee would you believe?"

"I don't know, let King Jibei think about it."

Fei Zhen frowned slightly, "Let's talk about the guarantee later. Since you sincerely submit, the terms must be renegotiated. Stop asking for high prices."

Xu Chu smiled bitterly and said, "Are my previous conditions too excessive?"

"Except in troubled times, there is no reason to call a king with a different surname, so you can't keep the king's title. At most, you can be the Duke of Wu, equal to the six founding ministers. It is an exception."

"Master Fei is really good at bargaining."

"I don't know how to bargain, I just understand some principles and insist on it."

"I can accept the reduction of my name to Duke Wu."

Fei Zhen's expression softened slightly, "Since you surrender, there is no reason to be independent. The so-called 'dudu state military' must be appointed by the imperial court. Isn't it something you can ask for?"

"I am not surrendering, I am surrendering. I am also tying myself and putting my life in the hands of others. Master Fei need not say anything. I will just be a hero and fight to the death with Yecheng."

Fei Zhen raised his eyebrows, "You're right, why do we have to fight to the death again?"

"It doesn't matter if I can't be the king. I don't seek fame. But if you don't give me the land, you will probably take away my soldiers next. I won't accept such submission."

Fei Zhen sighed heavily, "The Prince of Jibei has just been crowned the King of Guanzhong, but Guanzhong is the source of chaos in Kyushu, and the World Army has risen there - you can take them back, and if the chaos can be quelled, Yecheng will grant you the title." Real title. But that’s not a condition you put forward, but a normal reward based on merit.”

"Master Fei, guarantee that Yecheng can still reward people based on their merits? Now they have even lost the style of being a king."

"Master Xu, must you force me to say this? If you can quell the chaos in Guanzhong, Yecheng will be beyond the reach of the whip. What can you do if you don't want to reward your merits?"

"Well, I originally wanted to cut off four states, but Lou Xiaoqi cut off two states, and Master Fei cut off another state..."

"There are nine Zhengzhous in the world. Mr. Xu is not satisfied with one of them? If this continues, even if there are a few surrenders, the whole world will not be enough."

Xu Chu smiled and said: "Okay, I only want Qinzhou... No, I will lead troops to Qinzhou to quell the rebellion and wait for the reward from the Yecheng court."

Fei Zhen was slightly satisfied and nodded, "Also, the daughter of the King of Jibei is the daughter of Mr. Xu. It is known to the whole world and cannot be changed. The daughter of Xue is either divorced or a concubine. You cannot compete with the daughter of the King of Jibei. Bit."

"Master Fei even wants to take care of this kind of thing?"

"The status of husband and wife is the main road, I must take care of it, and without this status, why would the King of Jibei protect you?"

"Okay, I'll take care of it."

Fei Zhen stood up and said, "Mr. Xu may have thought that I was deliberately using this inappropriate method to persuade you to submit, but I really had no intention of doing so. The original plan was to kill you and then go out and scream, destroying the morale of the rebels and committing suicide." No regrets. As a result, the assassination failed and you changed your mind - I will trust you for the time being. It is up to the King of Jibei to decide whether to accept your surrender and what guarantees to give. "

"Of course, if there is no Jibei King, I will not submit."

"I'll be staying soon, so I'll say goodbye. I hope that we can really become ministers in the same palace in the future, and jointly assist Mingjun to end this troubled world. There is still hope, I believe there is still hope, even if it is slim, it is worth fighting for."

"If Tiancheng had used Master Fei earlier, he wouldn't have fallen to this."

"There is no point in using me. I know myself. Mr. Xu is the talent that can change the world. If he can be used in the right way, he will be a blessing to the people of the world."

Fei Zhen cupped his hands, bowed deeply, stood up and walked out of the room without saying anything else.

Xu Chu came to the door and ordered people to escort Master Fei out of the city.

He stood in the cold wind for a long time, admiring Fei Zhen very much in his heart. He regretted that such a person could not be used for himself. After thinking for a long time, he sighed.

The person who knows him best is Princess Huanyan, not Fei Zhen.

"We must fight quickly." Xu Chu murmured.