Plan to cut off the nine states

Guo Shifeng said goodbye and left. Xu Chu sat alone for a while before he suddenly realized that he had just decided the death date of hundreds or even thousands of people. Some people deserved to die, and more people just died with them.

"I only want to defeat my opponent. Emperors from ancient times to the present are all like this. Killing people for no reason is called cruelty..." Xu Chu murmured, wondering if other founding emperors had also felt uneasy before killing.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He got up and walked out of the room. Tang Weitian and several guards were standing outside. He was yawning and shaking his head hard to stay awake.

"You go and rest." Xu Chu said to Tang Weitian. The other guards were on duty, and only Tang Weitian was with the King of Wu at all times, and there was no time to rest.

"I'll go make the bed for the Grand Commander."

"No need, I... go to the room of the Golden Saint to rest." Xu Chu wanted to say the General of the World, but felt awkward and changed his words halfway.

Tang Weitian wished it was so.

There were also guards at the door of Xue Jinyao. They were female soldiers she trusted. When she saw King Wu coming, she showed a strange smile on her face. She opened the door and let him in without notifying him.

The room was dark. Xu Chu stood at the door and listened for a while. Xue Jinyao had already fallen asleep, breathing evenly, and seemed to be sleeping well.

Xu Chu wanted to go over countless times, hug that warm body, and get a little comfort from it, but he couldn't take a step forward.

"I have forced the self-willed general to commit suicide. How can I forgive her alone? Military law is ruthless, national law is ruthless. If you go over, you will be breaking the law and being weak. How can you compete for the world?" Xu Chu kept using this sentence to suppress the desire in his heart.

I don't know how long it took. He pushed the door out of the house. He didn't go to his bedroom, but returned to the study.

The female soldiers outside the door looked at the back of King Wu in surprise, and looked at each other, all of them regretted it.

No one disturbed him in the study, but Xu Chu was still restless, so he flipped through books, put them down after a few glances, and changed to another one, until he accidentally picked up a book of "Book of Songs".

The book was very ordinary, a common version, nothing special, but it was a gift from Princess Huanyan. Xu Chu had always carried it with him, and only buried it in the pile of books after he had a study.

Princess Huanyan gave him a total of four books at that time, three of which were related to the study of names and realities, and only this one seemed useless. Xu Chu often wondered if the princess had taken the wrong one in a panic.

Princess Huanyan was not the kind of person who panicked. Guo Shifeng said that she even won a group of followers in Yecheng. It was also she who always reminded her father, King Xiangdong, not to believe anything Xu Chu said.

She was right.

"She would never hesitate. I will never be laughed at by a woman." Xu Chu imagined Princess Huanyan as an enemy standing opposite, and the two of them held weapons, sizing each other up, looking for each other's flaws.

Xu Chu's mood gradually calmed down. He sat behind the table and flipped through the "Book of Songs". These were all texts that he had read countless times since he was a child. He could read them naturally just by looking at the beginning, without having to bother thinking about the meaning.

After flipping through only three pages, he fell asleep on the table and didn't notice that the candle had gone out.

Xu Chu suddenly woke up and looked up. It was already bright outside.

Xu Chu washed his face hastily, didn't eat breakfast, and went directly to the meeting room. The generals had already arrived and were discussing matters with the descending general Xue Jinyao.

Xue Jinyao was in charge of military affairs, and Xu Chu just listened after he arrived.

Both sides were very quiet inside and outside the city. The officers and soldiers had no intention of attacking, and the rebels had no intention of going out of the city to challenge. Both sides were waiting for the most favorable situation for themselves.

Jingzhou general Dai Pohu has not sent back any news, which is a good thing, indicating that he did not encounter Jingzhou's grain transport team on the way, or according to Xue Jinyao, "maybe he was killed by the soldiers."

The soldiers left a gap in the east, and the scouts of the rebel army had already explored it. There were indeed no soldiers in Wushang Garden, but they brought back a special messenger.

There was also a Wu army in Runan City, controlled by the local hero Bao Dun. Because he was injured, he did not follow the King of Wu to the Eastern Capital. Letters were often sent back and forth, and they were forced to stop after the Jizhou army besieged the city.

The messenger knelt down and kowtowed to the King of Wu, and handed over the letter with both hands. After the guard took it, he stood up and left without saying a word.

The messenger Bao Dun was respectful at first and arrogant later. Xu Chu immediately had a bad premonition. He opened the letter to check it. After reading it, he couldn't help but snorted coldly.

Xue Jinyao finished the meeting, dismissed the generals, and came over to ask: "Who offended you again?"

"The person who wrote the letter is Bao Dun, you don't know him, he surrendered to me in Runan City, I thought he was a hero who kept his promise, but in the end..."

Xu Chu handed the letter over, Xue Jinyao took it in his hand and read it for a while, then returned it, "I don't know many words, just tell me directly."

"I left Bao Dun to guard the city and used Runan as a retreat. It was agreed that he would lead his troops to join Dongdu after the spring. He kept his promise and surrendered the city before the spring. To others."

"To whom?"

"Sheng family in Huaizhou. Bao Dun said that Sheng family has many soldiers, and Runan is adjacent to Huaizhou. He is now alone and helpless. In order to protect the people in the city, he has to adapt to the situation and turn to his family."

"He wrote a letter just for this matter? Is this deliberately humiliating you?"

"Hey, he doesn't have the courage yet. Heroes like false reputation. Bao Dun wants to tell everyone that he is not secretly betraying. He wants to make everything clear, so-called gratitude and resentment are clear."

"He is a hero." Xue Jinyao admired this "false reputation".

Xu Chu took the letter and thought for a moment, and asked: "In addition to defending the city, how much troops can you spare?"

"Hmm?"

"I will send troops to retake Runan."

"I didn't see that you have such a big temper." Xue Jinyao laughed.

"This is not anger, but I have to. Runan is not far from Dongdu, and is located in Luozhou. Huaizhou Sheng's seizure of this city is a challenge to Wu's army. If I don't respond, I will be despised and there will be troubles. This is the first reason. Bao Dun wants fame, so he will spread this letter everywhere. If I endure it, I will give my fame to him. This is the second reason. Officers and soldiers..."

"These two points are enough. How big is Runan City? How many people does Bao Dun have?"

"Runan is a small city, and the Bao family has only a thousand soldiers. There are more than enough. There are his relatives and friends in the city. I will tell them the truth later. You can go or stay as you like. "

"Five thousand people should be enough."

"Let Prince Ning go."

"Prince Ning?"

"Bao Dun has the support of the Sheng family behind him. The person who goes to seize Runan must be able to stand alone. Prince Ning can do it."

"Okay, but you have to pass on this order. I can't control Prince Ning."

Xu Chu did what he said. He and Xue Jinyao gave orders separately, ordering Prince Ning to lead his troops out of the East City in the afternoon to attack Runan.

Sending Ning Baoguan away was a plan Xu Chu had made long ago. After being postponed once, it was finally possible.

Xue Jinyao mobilized the troops in the city, saying that he was sending Prince Ning a way to prevent the officers and soldiers from intercepting him halfway. In fact, he was supervising the team and not letting him turn back.

Ning Baoguan sent someone over to express his obedience. He had already made preparations and led his troops out of the city before noon.

Xue Jinyao led his troops to line up at the gate of the city and returned to the city half an hour later.

The officers and soldiers sent people to check the situation. It was too late to send troops to attack. Therefore, they found that the rebels were heading east. The officers and soldiers did not chase them, but only strengthened the defense.

Xu Chu did not intend to stop there. Sending Ning Baoguan away was just the beginning.

He went to Nancheng to see King Liang.

Ma Wei welcomed the King of Wu into the hall, exchanged some polite words, and dismissed the others, saying, "Excuse me for being so nosy, but letting Ning Baoguan go is like letting a tiger go back to the mountains. Why doesn't the King of Wu cut the grass and root it out?"

"Jiangdong is occupied by the Liang and Lan families, and the Sheng family has risen in Huaizhou. They are all strong enemies. Instead of killing Ning Baoguan, it is better to send him to disturb Huaizhou and Wuzhou to relieve the worries of the Eastern Capital."

"I hope Ning Baoguan won't bite back."

"Haha, Brother Ma is right. Ning Baoguan will bite back once he has a foothold, but before that, he will concentrate on fighting for Jiangdong. Why? It is legitimate for him to seize Jiangdong, and his soldiers are willing to follow him. If he fails halfway, it will not harm the Wu army. If he can really pacify the east, the Wu army will have a firm foothold, and everyone will fight fairly."

"The King of Wu is thoughtful." Ma Wei bowed, and he no longer regarded the King of Wu as a "brother".

"Before the beginning of spring, the officers and soldiers must retreat. When the Wu army advances westward, it will seize Hanzhou and enter Yizhou. Brother Ma will lead the Liang army southward to pacify Jingzhou."

Ma Wei had long hoped to lead the army to pacify a state alone. Upon hearing this, he immediately said with emotion: "As long as Ma has one soldier left, he will never let Jingzhou be constrained by the King of Wu. The east is left to Ning Baoguan, and what about the north? Bingzhou and Jizhou are both powerful enemies."

"Bingzhou is threatened by He Rong and can't take care of itself. Jizhou is also in trouble and is willing to stop fighting with the Wu army."

"So the King of Wu has made all the arrangements." Ma Wei bowed his hands to express his admiration, but there was still a question in his mind, "What about the King of Shu? Will he join the King of Wu in the westward expedition?"

Xu Chu came for this matter and sighed lightly, "The King of Shu has secretly surrendered the officers and soldiers."

Ma Wei widened his eyes and quickly returned to normal, "To be honest, I'm really not surprised. Gan Zhao is a man who seeks stability in everything. He seems to be loyal and honest, but in fact Everything is for himself. What conditions did he put forward to the officers and soldiers? "

"I just want to go to Yizhou to be an official of a county."

"Hey, it's really easy to get rid of it. When Shen Dan wanted to surrender, the condition he put forward was to retain the title of king and monopolize the three states of Bing, Qin and Han. Gan Zhao is really, he doesn't want to be a good king of Shu, but he just wants to be a small county governor."

"In his eyes, although the king of Shu is respected, it is ultimately illusory, and although the county governor is small, it is within reach."

Ma Wei shook his head, still puzzled, "Even if there are thousands of feet of mountains between us, I will go straight to the throne and will not be tempted by small profits halfway."

Finding that there was something wrong with his words, Ma Wei hurriedly changed his words and smiled: "But no matter how ambitious I am, I only want a throne and can worship the ancestors of Daliang, I am satisfied. The King of Wu wants to climb thousands of feet above the thousands of feet, and I can only look up. Haha. "

Xu Chu smiled and nodded, not picking a mistake.

Ma Wei added, "Since Gan Zhao has betrayed us, there is no need to keep him. Ning Baoguan has just left, Gan Zhao thinks he is free from constraints, so he must be proud and less vigilant. We can take the opportunity to get rid of him in one fell swoop. Ma is not talented, but I am loyal and brave. I am willing to be the sword of King Wu and be used by King Wu."

"That's why I came here."

"Please give the order, King Wu." Ma Wei bowed and asked for his order.

"I ask Brother Ma to hold on to the South City. No matter what happens in the north, you must not waver."

Ma Wei was stunned and felt that King Wu did not need to come in person for such a small matter. He soon realized that King Wu was not asking for his help, but to reassure him.

Ma Wei stood up and bowed deeply, "The kings have brought this upon themselves. I only regret that I can't kill the thieves with my own hands. King Wu has made arrangements. I will not force you to come. I can only defend the city with my life and not let King Wu worry."

This is what Xu Chu wanted. He chatted with Ma Wei for a while and stood up to say goodbye.

Back to the camp, Xu Chu sent someone to invite King Gan Zhao of Shu, and then summoned the generals of Wu.

All the generals were present, except Meng Senglun and Lei Dajun, who were said to be on a city patrol.

Xu Chu knew what the two were going to do, and that the general's mansion would soon be flooded with blood. In order to suppress the hatred in his heart towards himself, he had to create more blood with his own hands.