Plan to cut off the nine states

Xu Chu guessed that the general wanted to exchange Cao Shenxi. Guo Shifeng laughed and said: "If all the kings were like King Wu, we counselors would all have nothing to eat. Please be merciful and save us some face. Even if you guess in the future, Come on, don’t say it so quickly.”

The guards were all proud of King Wu's guesses, but Xu Chu knew that his guess was wrong. Guo Shifeng's words were not asking King Wu to save some face, but giving King Wu a step up.

"We are finally friends. If Mr. Guo is not in a hurry, please stay for a casual meal."

"There's no rush." ​​Guo Shifeng thanked him with his hands in hand.

It was not as easy as before to meet the King of Wu alone. Guo Shifeng was searched three times by different guards. He did not refuse. He only sighed when he was searched for the last time: "It is better to ride the wind and waves than to live in the world."

The food and wine were neither sumptuous nor exquisite enough. The meat was cold and cut into random pieces, but the wine was hot and untamable. The first bite was like a knife stabbing into the throat.

Guo Shifeng took a sip and shook his head. From then on, he only dared to sip the wine in small sips, and had to chew the meat repeatedly before he could swallow it.

Xu Chu smiled and said: "This is the old wine brought by the World Coming Army from Qinzhou. It has a bit of flavor."

"More than a little? Is King Wu used to drinking?"

"It's okay." Xu Chu only dared to take a small sip at a time, "You have to taste it slowly to taste the taste."

Guo Shifeng said: "For example, when you meet a person, you will inevitably be blinded by a leaf when you first meet him. It takes more contact to see the person's sincerity."

"Haha, Mr. Guo thinks too much. In fact, all the good wine in the city has been drunk, and only these old wines are left."

"It's like a blessing or a misfortune. Old wine is difficult to drink, but it can be preserved. Good wine is something everyone wants, but it doesn't last long."

"Mr. Guo, the more you think about it, the more you think... If you think wine and meat are unpalatable, just say so."

Guo Shifeng smiled, "At least there is old wine and meat in the city. Outside the city..." Guo Shifeng shook his head, "Even the fodder for the horses is stolen."

"Mr. Guo wants to lure me into sending troops again?"

"King Wu is overthinking this time." Guo Shifeng raised his glass in worship, forgetting how strong the wine was, and drank a little more, sticking out his tongue to exhale.

Xu Chu took a big sip, pressed his lips tightly together, his face flushed and his ears hot, he pushed down the strong drink, and then said: "There are no outsiders here, Mr. Guo can say it."

Guo Shifeng put down his wine glass, stood up and saluted respectfully.

"What does Mr. Guo mean by this?" Xu Chu asked in surprise.

"In front of outsiders, I am the envoy of Yecheng. In private, I am still the counselor of the King of Wu, and I should behave like a minister."

"Your counselor... is a bit unpredictable."

"It's actually simple. I am like a vine, and I need to cling to the towering tree."

"Why did the towering tree agree to your attachment?"

"For example, when climbing mountains, King Wu can reach the top by himself. If he has my help, he can at least speed up a few steps, reduce losses, and be free to manage the four directions as soon as possible."

"Do I need to be in such a hurry?"

"Necessary." Guo Shifeng said firmly, "King Wu is trapped in Dongdu, so he probably doesn't know much about the situation outside, but King Wu doesn't think that all the heroes in the world are inside and outside Dongdu."

"What other heroes will appear in the world?"

"Has King Wu ever thought about why the general turned back halfway?"

"The soldiers in Luozhou were homesick, so the king of eastern Hunan invited them."

"There is another reason, which may be more important. The general originally wanted to defect to Hanzhou, but Hanzhou had already fallen. He had no way to defect, so he had to accept Yecheng's invitation."

"Hanzhou fell? Who did it fall to?" Xu Chu was indeed surprised. He had not heard any news.

"Qinzhou's descending army."

"Mr. Guo is joking, the Advent Army is now in the Eastern Capital."

"King Wu seems to be really unaware that another incarnation army has emerged in Qinzhou with considerable momentum. It has gone south to attack the city and seize territory. Now it has spread across the two states. Only a few cities in Hanzhou are still owned by the officials."

"Is this really happening?"

"What's the use of deceiving the King of Wu? This incarnation army is also led by Maitreya and Xue Liujia. The King of Wu has already conquered two states in vain before he marched westward."

"Hey." Xu Chu laughed dryly. The origin of the emerging World Army is unknown. Not to mention that Xue Liujia is dead. Even if he is still alive, he may not be able to conquer this force.

"The New World Army has no leader. Although the momentum is strong, it cannot find a leader. The next one will be the real hero."

"oh?"

"Huaizhou Sheng clan, has King Wu heard of it?"

"Taifu Liang's in-law, Taibao Sheng Dingsheng? He has been dead for several years, right?"

"He passed away three years ago. The children and grandchildren of the Sheng family are known for their filial piety. Officials, no matter how big or small, will all return to their hometown to mourn."

"Remember, this incident was very popular at the time, and Sheng Ding was awarded the position of Taibao. The Emperor of All Things issued three edicts to commend the Sheng family, and the Liang family was honored. Everyone said that when the Sheng brothers come back, they will become big. official."

"Haha, the three years of mourning have just ended, but the eastern capital has been transferred to the King of Wu. Anyway, the descendants of the Sheng family not long ago raised an army, with Emperor Jiangdong as the leader."

"With the Liang family staying by the emperor's side, the Sheng family will of course surrender to Jiangdong."

"The King of Wu should not underestimate the Sheng family. It is said that they have gathered hundreds of thousands of troops. When the ice melts in the spring, they will march west together with Jiangdong to seize the eastern capital."

"Hebei and Huaizhou are connected by mountains and rivers. Yecheng should be more vigilant than Dongdu, right?"

"Haha, that's true. The Sheng family claims to take the eastern capital from the west, and maybe they want to conquer Yecheng from the north. I don't intend to scare King Wu. I just want to say that the Sheng family has risen in Huaizhou, so we must guard against it."

"Well, is there anything else?"

"The rest is just hearsay. Huangfu and his son were a step too late when they returned to Jizhou. Wang Tiemei led his sudden cavalry to return to Yecheng. King Wu knew about this."

"Um."

"The father and son did not dare to stop and continued to move north. It is said that with the help of He Rong's army, they have captured dozens of cities in Liaodong and will sooner or later move south."

"He Rong's army is very ambitious."

"That's right. The cavalry of He Rong's army has reached the city of Jinyang. I wonder if the King of Jin can get back in time."

There has been no news from Shen Dan, and Xu Chu doesn't even know where the Jin army is now.

"That's all?"

"The Xi family in Jingzhou should not be underestimated. They were not aggressive when fighting for the court, but they were like fish in water when they returned to Jingzhou. They have already recruited soldiers and horses. It is said that the King of Jibei is making good progress there. The Xi family may provide both food and troops."

Xu Chu laughed. Unless Dai Pohu sent news to prove it, he would not take Guo Shifeng's words too seriously.

"In addition, there are forces of varying sizes rising in scattered states in the southeast, northwest, and northeast, all looking to the Central Plains. Who knows when they will declare themselves kings and emperors and come to compete for the throne."

"The more lively the better."

"You have to join in the fun early. The King of Wu is trapped in the Eastern Capital. Aren't you worried about missing a good opportunity?"

Xu Chu was certainly worried. He had already made a plan to pacify the four directions, and he was just waiting to defeat the Jizhou army before he could implement it. But he would not reveal the truth to Guo Shifeng. He shook his head and said, "The good opportunity hasn't come yet, so how can I miss it? I'm only thinking about how to keep the Eastern Capital now."

"Haha, if I don't come, the good opportunity hasn't come. Once I come, the good opportunity will come."

"Mr. Guo seems to be about to get to the point."

Guo Shifeng raised his glass to toast. This time he drank less, so his throat was not too uncomfortable. "It is indeed important, but if the King of Wu If you don't believe me, my words will be useless and will only increase suspicion. "

"I'm waiting for Mr. Guo to convince me. With Mr. Guo's eloquence, I'm sure he can convince me after three cups of wine."

Guo Shifeng glanced at the remaining wine in the glass and smiled, "It won't take that long. Well, King Wu thought that the general wanted to exchange Wu's soldiers for General Cao?"

"Isn't it?"

"Yes and no. The general really wants General Cao back. He is alone now and misses his old subordinates. He often says that if General Cao was there, he wouldn't have been defeated in succession."

"General Cao was in the general's tent when he fought against the righteous army."

"The general regretted not listening to General Cao's instructions, which led to a disastrous defeat. He hopes to get General Cao back so that the two can cooperate like before and pacify the world again."

"Hey. So-called What does "not" mean? "

"General Cao is not the person the general wants most. There is another person in the city who is his dream. "

"It can't be Madam Lan, right?"

"Haha, King Wu knows the Lou family's affairs best. Of course it's not Madam Lan. I asked around and found out a little. It is said that the Emperor of All Things has an illegitimate prince among the people, who is one or two years older than the Emperor of Jiangdong."

The Emperor of All Things likes to have fun outside the palace. It is not surprising that Xu Chu has an illegitimate prince. "So what? The Emperor of All Things did not bring him into the palace, which means he does not value him. Besides, the Emperor of Jiangdong was born by the Queen Mother, which is legitimate for Tiancheng. "

"What if the Emperor of Jiangdong dies? He is still young and it is impossible for him to leave an heir..."

"Yecheng has taken a prince away. "

"Trouble It was here that the prince who was taken to Yecheng was unlucky and died of illness. "

"So Yecheng wants a new prince?"

"No, no, the one who wants this prince is the general, and the King of Xiangdong and the King of Jibei don't want him."

"Hmm?"

Guo Shifeng sighed, "When I was in the city, I felt that the rebels were too scattered and difficult to accomplish anything. After leaving the city, I found that the officers and soldiers were even more chaotic. The general was originally a reinforcement, but as soon as he arrived, he took away the military power and sidelined Wang Tiemei. The King of Xiangdong invited the wolf into the house, and now even he can't control the general. The officers and soldiers seem to be strong on the surface, but in fact they are full of contradictions, and they are in urgent need of food and grass. They can't hold on to the help of Jingzhou, if the Xi family of Jingzhou is really willing to send food. "

"So Mr. Guo has become my adviser again." Xu Chu smiled, and he really believed it.

Before finishing the glass of wine in front of him, Guo Shifeng bowed and said, "I have always been the counselor of King Wu, and I have not come here in vain. I want to give King Wu a great opportunity."

Xu Chu pondered for a moment, "Anyone who trusts Mr. Guo at any time is taking a risk. Yecheng is a ready-made proof. They asked Mr. Guo to pass on the message, but Mr. Guo came for personal reasons."

"It is not my fault that Yecheng is not doing well. There are many heroes in the world, and I can't just stick to one family, right? Even the soldiers under King Wu's account, not many people followed King Wu at the beginning."

"No need to say these, if you want me to believe you, just tell me one thing, which king has secretly surrendered to Yecheng?"

"Someone surrendered to Yecheng? Maybe it was King Liang... I'm just guessing, to be honest, I really don't know, but I can ask when I go back, and I can give King Wu a definite answer before tomorrow night, but if King Wu wants to wait until then to believe me, it may be too late. "

"I said I believe you, Mr. Guo, do you believe me?"

Guo Shifeng stood up again, clasped his hands and said: "I don't want any evidence, I just want King Wu to say it, and only heaven and earth know, and you and I know it."

This is not like Guo Shifeng's character. Xu Chu stared at him for a while and said: "I believe what you said just now, as for the future..."

"That's enough." Guo Shifeng bowed deeply, stood up and said: "I can persuade the general to change his mind, cut off the heads of Wang Tiemei and Xiangdong Wang, and present them to King Wu. There is only one condition, a very simple condition, and King Wu will definitely do it."

"Yeah." Xu Chu had guessed the answer.

"The general hopes that King Wu will change back to his original surname, that's all."

“Hey, Mr. Guo is not trying to persuade the general on my behalf, he is clearly trying to persuade me on the general’s behalf.”