Plan to cut off the nine states

Guo Shifeng never relies on the word "loyalty" to win the trust of his lord. Every time he takes advantage of the situation, he must provide irreplaceable information so that the other party has to keep him.

To King Wu, he brought more than one piece of news.

"Mr. Guo came so early." Xu Chu said with a smile, looked at the dark night outside the house, and changed his words: "It should be said that it was really late."

It was already past midnight and Xu Chu went to bed late, so he could receive the envoy immediately.

Guo Shifeng bowed his hands politely, and when the guard left the room, he said, "I just came from the King of Shu."

Xu Chu said nothing.

"I went to see the King of Shu from the north gate, and then walked out of the city to the west gate to see the King of Wu." Xu Chu added.

"I didn't expect it to be him." Xu Chu murmured, understanding the meaning of Guo Shifeng's words.

The first piece of news hit home. Guo Shifeng was very satisfied, but there was no excitement on his face. He asked with concern: "King Wu never doubted him?"

"I have doubted everyone, including the King of Shu, but he is not among the most suspected. Thinking about it, he had no intention of rebellion and was not willing to take risks. I once suggested that he go to Yizhou to avoid the limelight temporarily and wanted to test this person. Regardless of his ambition, he immediately agreed and chose the title of King of Shu for himself. Since then, he has been trying to leave the dangerous place of Dongdu - is it the same this time? "

Guo Shifeng nodded, "He is willing to give up his title of king and only seek the official position in Yizhou. He is not even a pastor. He will be satisfied if he can take over a county in Yizhou."

Xu Chu laughed and said, "Some people are too ambitious, and some people are too ambitious."

"Anyway, I can't keep up with King Wu." Guo Shifeng added.

"Isn't he very disappointed that I didn't fall into the trap of the officers and soldiers?"

"Well, I'm disappointed, so I'm trying my best to stir up trouble."

"I am at odds with the officers and soldiers, so why do I need him to stir up trouble?"

"The general wants to reconcile. The general said that he would provoke a mutiny in the camp and kill the King of Eastern Hunan. Then he would kill Wang Tiemei in the name of revenge, and send Lou Xiaoqi to capture Yecheng in the name of protecting the funeral. . If the King of Wu is willing to return to the Lou family, the general will be happy. The sooner the better. If he is not willing, the general will not continue to besiege Dongdu and will soon retreat to Yecheng. River water.”

"Will Luo Bing go to Jizhou with him?"

"That's why the general wanted to show his kindness to the King of Wu. Although he didn't say it explicitly, I guess he was willing to exchange the captured Wu soldiers for the Luo Bing family members in the city. If the King of Wu insisted not to exchange, he would also release the Wu soldiers for no other reason. At least he can let his soldiers leave with him at ease."

Xu Chu smiled, he thought so too, and Guo Shifeng said everything.

"The general needs to stop the troops as soon as possible more than I do."

"Exactly, no matter how you hide it, the general's intention is to find a foothold to stabilize the hearts of the soldiers."

"How does King Shu plan to stir up trouble?"

This was the most important news. Guo Shifeng did not reveal it immediately. He asked with a smile: "The King of Wu hasn't given me the answer yet? The general is eager to stop his troops and go to capture Yecheng. Does the King of Wu really agree or is he pretending to do it again?" Raid?"

Xu Chu sighed softly, "Tricks cannot be used again and again. Now it is difficult for me to win people's trust when I tell the truth, let alone the lies? When even Fei Zhen wants to play tricks, it means that this kind of thing has come to an end."

"Fei Zhen, Master Fei? King Wu must have misunderstood. I don't know about others. Master Fei is rare and open-minded. He would rather die than harm others behind his back. Useless, but respectable."

"He went to the city with you a few days ago and revealed the movements of the two kings of eastern Hunan and northern Ji. Wasn't it to confuse me? It was because I believed his words and thought that the general was far away that I launched a decisive battle."

"To be honest, I was indeed ordered to lure King Wu to send troops as soon as possible. Master Fei didn't. I brought him with me just as a foil. Who would have expected that he would tell me everything I said."

"He doesn't know that the general and the King of Xiangdong have arrived?"

Guo Shifeng shook his head, "Master Fei has an official title. He doesn't care about military affairs, and he has no close followers to inform him. The general blocked the news, and he knew nothing about it. After the Queen Mother was sent out of the city, she only trusted Master Fei and called him as her bodyguard. As an official, he is even more indifferent to chores now."

Xu Chu was a little surprised and laughed at himself: "My suspicion is so serious that it is about to get to me."

"It is better to be suspicious than to be suspicious. Only when the king of Wu has this kind of heart can he overcome all the heroes." Guo Shifeng bowed deeply.

Xu Chu could see that Guo Shifeng was trying hard to please him. Different from before, this time he was at least six or seven sincerity.

Of course Xu Chu would not believe Guo Shifeng easily and said with a smile: "You want an answer?"

"I have to know the King of Wu's intentions before I can make suggestions for the King of Wu. Otherwise, my good intentions will inevitably lead to bad things, and I will be suspected of acting on my own initiative."

This sentence touched Xu Chu's heart, and he stretched out his hand and said: "Mr. Guo, please sit down."

Guo Shifeng handed over his hand again and sat on the stool. He was satisfied with the progress and did not rush.

Xu Chu did not sit down and paced back and forth in front of Guo Shifeng. After a long time, Guo Shifeng cut the candles once before he stopped walking: "What do you think Mr. Guo? Is it war or peace?"

King Wu had obviously made a decision in his heart, but it was up to others to say it. Guo Shifeng understood this and stood up and said: "War and peace each have their own advantages and disadvantages..."

Xu Chu motioned for him to sit down and said, Guo Shifeng sat back on the stool and continued: "Accept the general's kindness, the siege of the Eastern Capital will be solved immediately, and the Wu army will have few casualties, so it can be used to plunder the land. The world is in chaos and people's hearts are floating. Wu Jun Wherever the army comes, it will be overwhelming."

"This is an advantage, what are the disadvantages?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, the general will seize Yecheng after he retreats. I guess the King of Wu will not return to the Lou family. At most, he will be on the same page with the general, right?"

"Mr. Guo can assume this for now."

"Assuming this is the case, the two states of Ji and Luo should be at odds with each other, but it is difficult. The biggest disadvantage is the general himself."

"After the general has established his footing, he still wants to rob the Eastern Capital?"

Guo Shifeng shook his head, "I don't know what the general is thinking. Even the King of Wu probably can't figure out the general's next thought. It's not that the general conceals it well, or that he has too many ideas, but... "

Guo Shifeng smiled. After all, he was the father of King Wu. He had to be careful with his words.

"Mr. Guo, it's okay to say it. I understand the general as a person."

"The general has nothing in his heart and no ideas at all, which is why he is unpredictable. The general is very powerful, but he must have good generals and counselors around him to be able to go on the right path. If he makes up his own mind, I am afraid that It was just a stupid move. He might have been in a bad mood after waking up. He thought of King Wu's actions and sent troops to attack Dongdu in a rage. "

"He has some good advisers around him - is Qiao Zhisu still there?"

Qiao Zhisu was the most trusted adviser around Lou Wen, and Xu Chu was deeply impressed by him.

"Qiao Zhisu was sent to Luozhou to find Mr. Lou Liu. He is not in the army. Even if he is, the general will only listen to a few or four points of his words."

"So if the general takes Yecheng, not only will I not be able to feel at ease, I will also have to divide my troops for defense."

"Unless King Wu is really willing to recognize his ancestor and return to his clan."

"What if I fight for real? What are the advantages and disadvantages?" Xu Chu asked.

"Although I have used too many strategies, I still have a way to gain the general's trust and make him relax his vigilance. King Wu will fight with all his strength, and there is at least an 80% chance of winning. King Wu will become famous because of this, and the benefits are small to say the least. , Say it’s big, it’s limitless.”

Xu Chu thought of Tian Jiang's words about "name and reality" and murmured: "Everyone is weak, only name shows strength."

"What?" Guo Shifeng didn't hear clearly.

"Mr. Guo, please continue."

"Besides getting the name, there is another benefit. If you defeat the general, Yecheng will still be in the hands of Princess Huanyan..."

"Huh?" Xu Chu felt strange. Guo Shifeng didn't say that Yecheng was in the hands of the two kings, but instead said that he was the princess.

Guo Shifeng said with a smile: "Princess Huanyan is a strange woman. Although she is a female prostitute, she has won the hearts of scholars. Many people serve her wholeheartedly."

Guo Shifeng did not mention Sun Yalu's name. This was one of his bottom lines as a counselor. He could betray his master but not his peers. This move gained very little and also cut off a possible escape route.

"If she really has such ability, Yecheng will become a powerful enemy. Is this Mr. Guo's so-called disadvantage?"

"In the long run, it may be a disadvantage, but within a year or two, it will be an advantage to King Wu."

"How do you say this?"

"The general does what he likes. Now that he has no emperor to control him and no good generals to assist him, he may not be willing to accept it even if there are all kinds of benefits. Once he has established a stable footing, he will inevitably miss the Eastern Capital. The princess is smart and steady. Although she is a strong enemy, But he can explain the truth. The Shen clan of Bingzhou is in the west of Yecheng, He Ronghusheng is in the north, and Sheng clan is in the south. They are all urgent tasks. If the king of Wu can temporarily avoid their attack and concentrate on the westward and southern expeditions, they can protect both sides within a year or two. There is no need to worry about the future. Therefore, if the princess takes over Yecheng, it will not be a disadvantage, but an advantage. The only thing is that if the two powers advance together, there will be a battle in the future, and there may be dangers of raising tigers. "

"Well, I've talked about the pros and cons, what about Mr. Guo's choice?"

"The Eastern Capital is a place of four battles. The situation is not conducive to holding on, but conducive to attacking. However, we cannot attack on all sides. We can only ally with one party, appease one party, contain one party, and then specialize in one party. This matter is urgent. Based on my plan, I would rather choose Princess, don’t leave Lou’s family behind.”

This was exactly Xu Chu's idea, but he couldn't help but hesitate, "Even though I have changed my surname, people in the world will still say that I killed my father. Hey, regicide, patricide, my reputation is about to be ruined."

Guo Shifeng stood up and said with a smile: "What if the son did not kill his father, but the father wanted to kill his son?"

Xu Chu was silent, having already guessed that Guo Shifeng had something to say.

"It is said that the King of Wu wants to order General Meng Seng Lun Meng to commit suicide. Is this true?"

Xu Chu was stunned, never expecting that the rumor would come out of Guo Shifeng's mouth, "There are no secrets in the world."

"I won't ask the reason, but I will tell you one thing: the King of Shu has learned about this and wants to take the opportunity to incite General Meng to kill Mrs. Lan and the general's concubine who stayed in the house."

Xu Chu raised his eyebrows and said, "King Shu...are you going to use this trick to drive a wedge between me and the general?"

"Yes, and I think he will succeed. The general really cares about these concubines, more than Cao Shenxi and the illegitimate prince. It is difficult to determine whether this prince is true or not. Maybe it is just an excuse for the general."

"Mr. Guo's suggestion is..."

It is one of the counselor's duties to speak out the evil thoughts in the lord's heart. Guo Shifeng cupped his hands and said: "King Wu can just stand by and watch. There is no need to do anything. Just wait for the father to kill the son."

"In this case, the general and I will become an open battle, and there will be many casualties."

"No. The general hasn't captured Ye City yet, so he doesn't dare to do whatever he wants. I am confident that he can persuade him to take a dangerous plan and sneak attack on the King of Wu..."

Xu Chu only needs to set a trap to kill the general. Although he still cannot get rid of the reputation of patricide, at least he has a "last resort" reason.

"Wouldn't it be better to remind King Xiangdong and let him take action?"

"I have warned you, but I don't have any hope. Besides, the general is as powerful as a tiger. Doesn't King Wu want to be known as a tiger?"

Xu Chu wanted it, but he missed Meng Senglun a little. If Guo Shifeng "acted on his own" and let everything happen, and the King of Wu "knew nothing", how good would it be?

Xu Chu despised his own weakness and hypocrisy, and bowed to Guo Shifeng and said: "Mr. Guo alone is worth hundreds of thousands of righteous soldiers."

Guo Shifeng returned the greeting, not excited at all. He always succeeded in such matters.