Plan to cut off the nine states

Meng Nilun brought back five to six hundred people, all soldiers of the Wu army. Xu Chu could use them to do many things, each of which was extremely important, so that he hesitated.

Meng Nilun took a few steps forward, looked up at King Wu, and asked cautiously: "Is the ruler back?"

Xu Chu made a decision in his heart and felt that this was the least costly and most beneficial approach, so he raised his stick, slowly passed it from left to right in the air, and said loudly: "Forgive your sins, you..."

Xu Chu lowered his stick and swayed, as if he was about to fall off the city wall.

Meng Nilun and others were frightened and surprised. They watched from a distance and did not dare to go to the city to help.

Xu Chu shook a few times, and his body returned to normal. His face was blank, as if he had just woken up from sleep. He looked around and asked, "Where is the ancestor? Is he gone already?"

Cao Shenxi stood behind Xu Chu, shaking his head repeatedly and sighing softly, feeling a bit of admiration.

Meng Senglun was the first to arrive at the city. He was more than ten steps away and asked, "Are you in power?"

"It's me. The ancestor king has always borrowed my body..."

"He just left...does the governor remember what happened before?"

"Well, the ancestor allowed me to watch. He did a lot of things, and he just pardoned your sins." Xu Chu had to remember, otherwise, he would not be able to do many of the next things.

Meng Nilun let out a sigh of relief, "Great, the ancestor must have arranged everything, returned to the Heavenly Palace, and left the remaining matters to the governor."

Xu Chu nodded and ordered: "Divide your troops and occupy the city gate. You stay."

"Yes." Meng Nilun immediately sent soldiers to guard the city gate, and called more than 20 people to come up and protect the governor with him.

Xu Chu looked at Cao Shenxi and said, "General Cao, come with us."

"I'm not helping anyone."

"No need to help, just asking you to take a look."

Xu Chu led the guards towards the nearby city gate tower.

Niu Tiannu was locked in the building, her hands and feet were tied, and her mouth was stuffed with a piece of cloth.

Xu Chu personally stepped forward to untie the rope, cupped his hands and said, "I have wronged Mrs. Ning Wang."

Niu Tiannu took out the strip of cloth from her mouth and looked at Xu Chu, "You are..."

"The ancestor king has returned to heaven. I am Xu Chu."

Niu Tiannu hesitated for a moment, knelt on the ground, and said in a low voice: "I was wrong before, and I shouldn't have talked nonsense in front of the ancestor king. The ancestor king has great supernatural powers, and there must be a reason for the decision he makes. No matter whether he lives or dies, he is the king of Ning. I don’t ask the ancestor to change his mind, I only ask the ancestor to leave a few people in the world to assist King Wu in establishing the Buddhist kingdom.”

Niu Tiannu is indeed a character, capable of bending and stretching. Xu Chu almost changed his mind and immediately returned to the original plan. He smiled and said: "Prince Ning is willing to assist me?"

"King Wu has supported the soul of his ancestors with his body, and he is the appointed successor. There is no doubt that if King Ning doesn't assist you, who will help you? I will call King Ning back. He will definitely kneel outside the city gate and remove the king. No. From now on, I am willing to be the first pawn of King Wu."

Niu Tiannu was a very smart person, she could tell King Wu his thoughts without him having to ask.

"There is no need to remove the king's title." Xu Chu said calmly.

"Yes, Prince Ning will definitely come and kneel outside the city." Niu Tiannu kowtowed.

"Please ask Mrs. Ning Wang to call Prince Ning back."

"Invite King Wu to play drums on the city. When they heard the sound of the drums, everyone believed that this was an order to retreat."

"Okay, I'll play the drums after you leave the city."

Niu Tiannu kowtowed again, stood up and exited the building, hurried down to the city, looking for horses to leave the city.

Meng Nilun stepped forward and whispered: "Have you thought about taking office? Prince Ning is not a thing in the pool after all. If he escapes today, there will be trouble in the future."

"Seize his army first. General Song is also outside. We must call them back together."

"Why did Song Xingcai run out?" Meng Nilun was very confused. He explained clearly that Song Xingcai should stay in the city to help King Wu capture the North City.

"It's a long story. When Prince Ning comes to the city, you have to take him and his wife into custody. If they cooperate, try not to be violent."

"As ordered." Meng Nilun also retreated and arranged for soldiers.

Cao Shenxi couldn't help but said: "It's too late. King Ning cannot escape the siege of Jizhou's sudden cavalry. If you can send 10,000 people to respond, there may be a chance."

Xu Chu did not have 10,000 men, and the available troops were only a few hundred Meng Nilun's men. He did not want to send this few men outside the city.

"Perhaps Jizhou also wants to withdraw its troops and will let King Ning go." Xu Chu blinked.

Cao Shenxi just shook his head. As a veteran, he didn't quite believe in King Wu's judgment.

Xu Chu came out of the building and came to the drum stand. He saw the figure of Niu Tiannu approaching the battlefield in the distance. When he felt that it was almost done, he raised his hammer and beat the drum. The sound of the drum spread far away, signaling the withdrawal of troops.

Cao Shenxi commented: "Blowing the trumpet to assemble the troops, beating the drums to advance, and shouting gold to retreat, these techniques have not changed through the ages. It is extremely unwise for the rebels to do the opposite."

"Times change and things change." Xu Chu put down his drumstick, "When I reorganize the rebel army, the old rules will be restored."

Cao Shenxi stared at the battlefield, "Look, King Ning can't break through the siege."

"Wait a little longer."

After nearly a quarter of an hour, the officers and soldiers inexplicably opened up a way out, and the Ning army soldiers fought and retreated, heading towards the city gate.

Cao Shenxi was shocked, "Wang Tiemei is a veteran, how could he make such a stupid mistake? Why open the siege at this time?"

"King Ning is good at fighting and the rebels are brave. Although the officers and soldiers surround him, they will not be able to destroy it for a while. Instead, his troops will be restrained and unable to support places with a better chance of winning."

"Where is the chance of winning?" Cao Shenxi didn't know much about the entire war.

Xu Chu turned around, "It's either west or south. I guess it's the south. If the soldiers move from the east, it means they will support the battle in the south city. If they move to the west, it means that Saint Jin is in danger." After a pause, Xu Chu said, "King Ning and Saint Jin are both outside the city. Even if they are eliminated, the soldiers can't take back the East Capital. Only the south is fighting in the city. If the soldiers can win, they can end the battle in one fell swoop."

Cao Shenxi sighed again, "Alas, from what you said, Wang Tiemei must be moving his troops south. He has always had a big appetite and can win a great victory, but he doesn't covet one-sided benefits."

In the north, the soldiers slowed down after chasing for several miles. Ning Baoguan did not lead his soldiers to flee all the way. From time to time, he turned around and rushed to provoke the soldiers. It seemed that he forced the soldiers to stop.

Xu Chu stood on the city gate tower, waiting for the rebels to retreat.

Ning Baoguan and his wife Niu Tiannv were the first to arrive at the city. Niu Tiannv dismounted and knelt. Ning Baoguan looked up and watched. His face was covered with blood and was almost unrecognizable.

Niu Tiannv said a few words, and Ning Baoguan dismounted and knelt beside his wife, saying loudly: "Ning Baoguan fought with the officers and soldiers in accordance with the Buddha's order, and retreated in accordance with the Buddha's order. Is it a merit or a fault? Please ask the King of Wu to judge on behalf of the Ancestor King and Maitreya."

More and more soldiers were under the city, and they all looked up at the city, waiting for a "verdict". After all, they did not completely defeat the officers and soldiers, nor did they die fighting. Whether they could satisfy the Ancestor King was uneasy in their hearts.

Xu Chu raised his stick high and shouted: "The morale of the officers and soldiers has declined, and you have made great contributions."

The soldiers outside the city cheered, and when the shouting subsided, Xu Chu continued: "This battle is not over yet. Maitreya is looking down on the Eastern Capital from the world. Seeing that the officers and soldiers in the north of the city turned south, he ordered me to tell you: Keep up the good work, the South City is the place for the decisive battle!"

The killing sound started again.

Xu Chu then ordered Meng Senglun, who was at the foot of the city, to open the gate and let in the soldiers and civilians outside. He also went downstairs to greet them.

Ning Baoguan was the first to come in, his face full of dissatisfaction. Meng Senglun led the guards and whispered, "King Ning is tired, I'll take you to rest."

"I'm not tired, I can kill hundreds more of him." When it comes to the word "kill", Ning Baoguan stares at King Wu not far away.

Xu Chu stepped forward and met Ning Baoguan's gaze, "King Zu can foresee everything, he didn't see you appear in the South City."

Niu Tiannu stepped forward and pulled her husband's arm. Ning Baoguan lowered his eyes, "Well, since King Zu asked me to rest, I will rest."

Xue Liujia, the king of the world, has gained an unprecedented lofty status after his death. Xu Chu shared most of it. King Zu is the spokesperson of Maitreya, and he is the speaker of King Zu. Ning Baoguan, who had just fought a hard battle, and his soldiers all believed in the theory of the world of the world. He was temporarily unable to fight against the "gods and Buddhas".

Ning Baoguan and his wife were taken away by Meng Senglun. Xu Chu mounted his horse and shouted to the rebels who were entering the city one after another: "Follow me to the South City. The ancestor king has made the officers and soldiers scared to death. We can no longer stop the bravery of the rebels!"

The rebels who entered the city were exhausted, but still in an excited state. The battle outside the city was not completely won. They were holding back a lot of anger and were looking for a place to vent. So they roared in unison and followed the King of Wu to the South City.

The officers and soldiers took a detour outside the city. The road was long, but it was suitable for cavalry. The rebels went inside the city. The road was short, but they lacked horses and were not suitable for galloping. One inside and one outside, they arrived one after another.

The South City had been fighting hard for a long time. Ma Wei did not devote all his troops at first. As the battle became stalemate, and the King of Shu sent an order, Ma Wei sent out the remaining soldiers.

The Jizhou cavalry lived up to their reputation. The streets were full of obstacles. They dismounted and fought on foot, still bravely. They once attacked the south gate of the palace, but they were weak afterwards and retreated more than two miles.

Half of the southern city became a battlefield, and every street was stained with blood. Ma Wei could no longer command his soldiers. He could only block several important exits to prevent the soldiers from expanding the battlefield, and then look forward to the King of Wu coming to support him.

This battle was much more difficult than he expected.

Xu Chu arrived one step earlier than the Jizhou reinforcements, but his team was stretched out. When the front arrived at the battlefield, the back was still in the north city.

Hearing that the King of Wu had arrived, Ma Wei was overjoyed and led the remaining 100 men to join him. The King of Shu Gan Zhao came later, and his men were even fewer, and they were all in a mess.

The Jizhou soldiers were good at fighting, which exceeded everyone's expectations.

Xu Chu personally led his troops into the battlefield. Without any other tricks, he relied on the large number of people to occupy the main streets and advance forward little by little.

The soldiers were in a stalemate for a while and slowly retreated. Soon, the reinforcements arrived, and they boosted their morale and fought hand-to-hand with the rebels.

The battle lasted until the evening. The soldiers of both sides had not eaten or drunk anything for the whole day and were exhausted. The only thing they were competing for was their will. At this point, the rebels finally had the upper hand.

In terms of equipment and training, three or five soldiers of the rebel army were equal to one soldier of Jizhou. When their strength gradually declined, the rebels, relying on their faith in Maitreya, were able to fight one against one and take advantage of their numbers.

Perhaps they really couldn't hold on, or perhaps they were afraid that they would have no way to retreat after nightfall, so the soldiers finally retreated.

This battle was not a great victory, but it was the first head-on battle between the rebels and the soldiers. Not losing the upper hand and defending the city was equivalent to a great victory.

Xu Chu finally got the entire Dongdu and the entire army that he had always dreamed of.