Plan to cut off the nine states

The King of Xiangdong still had illusions about the general and advised Wang Tiemei: "The general has this temper and has been like this for many years. I think when he led the troops to fight, even the late emperor couldn't control him."

Wang Tiemei sneered, "At that time, the general was victorious in every battle, but now? Who knows if he will run away again."

"No." After saying this, King Xiangdong was not too sure and could only try to find reasons. "Most of his soldiers are from Dongdu and are eager to go home. Now they are only separated from home by a city wall. The general thought Let’s go, the soldiers don’t agree either.”

Wang Tiemei just sneered.

The king of eastern Hunan said again: "Capture the eastern capital, and the general will stay. General Wang will return to Jizhou and remain the governor."

"I will take away all the Jizhou soldiers and leave none behind."

"certainly."

"If the general stays in Dongdu and declares himself king or defectes to Jiangdong, wouldn't we be drawing water from a bamboo basket but in vain?"

The King of Xiangdong smiled and said: "Don't worry, as long as Liang and Lan are still in Jiangdong, the general cannot surrender to Jiangdong. As for self-reliance, he was not impressed by so many opportunities in the past, and even handed over his biological son to the court. Why bother at this time? adventure?"

Wang Tiemei had no way to argue and simply remained silent.

"I am not as good as Governor Wang in matters such as fighting. I think I am still somewhat capable of joining forces vertically and horizontally. The general has many descendants, and our Zhang family also has many children. Every time we get married, the relationship becomes closer. I I have promised my daughter to his family and will hire a daughter-in-law from his family.”

In the past, Wang Tiemei, who was a side general, would never dare to make a mistake in front of the King of Eastern Hunan, but now it is different. He sent Jizhou out, and he had some advantages as a landlord. His courage increased, and he said coldly: "Yes. , for the sake of marriage, we don’t even care about our seniority.”

The King of Xiangdong and the King of Jibei were uncles and nephews, but they both married their daughters to the sons of generals, creating a confusion of generations.

The King of Xiangdong laughed and said, "Don't worry, Commander-in-Chief, you have a crown princess at home."

Wang Tiemei became angry when he mentioned this matter, "The prince in Yecheng is gone. Who will my daughter marry as the princess? To Jiangdong?"

The King of Xiangdong smiled and shook his head, "Don't worry, Governor King, there will definitely be a prince in Yecheng, and even the positions of emperor, concubine and queen will definitely be reserved for your Wang family."

Wang Tiemei hummed twice, and finally a smile appeared on his face, "I'll take my leave first, but the ugly talk is ahead. The general must stop it in moderation. If he uses me as a subordinate again, don't blame me for falling out on the spot."

"The general will not."

Wang Tiemei left, and the King of Xiangdong let out a sigh of relief and secretly prayed that the general would be more restrained. As for persuasion, he did not dare.

Wang Tiemei returned to his tent and called his aide Sun Yalu, "The King of Eastern Hunan gave me a bunch of useless guarantees, but I still don't believe the general. Please give me an idea."

Sun Yalu had already had an idea, but now he pretended to think hard. After a long time, he said: "It's not appropriate to stay in Dongdu for a long time."

Wang Tiemei cursed, "At first you advised me to send troops south, but now you say it's not advisable to stay for a long time?"

This is one of the reasons why Sun Yalu would rather take a woman as his master. No matter how many ideas he comes up with, success will belong to Wang Tiemei, but failure will have to be borne by him.

"One moment, another moment." Sun Yalu said with a smile, "When I was in Jizhou, I saw that the situation in the eastern capital was in chaos. King Wu..."

"Don't mention him. He is a shameless and capricious villain. How many lies has he told these days? Tell me about the retreat."

"If you ask me, I will retreat tonight and go directly back to Yecheng without informing the general."

"Where is King Xiangdong? Is he also thrown here?"

"The King of Eastern Hunan wants to take him away, and there is also the Queen Mother. Yecheng can still stand on its own. In the west, He Rong will divide and merge the states, and in the south, Liang and Lan will fight for Huai and Wu. With the four states in hand, it will be easy to attack the eastern capital."

"No matter what happens, it's 'easy as pie' in the words of you counselors. In the end, we have to do the hard and tiring work."

"Those who are capable work hard. We counselors are not capable of enduring hardships and hardships, so we have to rely on our mouths to make ends meet."

"The Queen Mother is easy to say, just take him away. King Xiangdong - I think he means that he values ​​the general very much, and he may not be willing to go back to Yecheng with me."

"I'll go and persuade him."

"Well, if you fail to persuade me, don't come back to see me." Wang Tiemei said sternly. To his subordinates, he always insisted on giving both kindness and power, and he wanted more power.

"Yes, I will risk my life to persuade the King of Xiangdong, and I will never disappoint the King."

Sun Yalu was about to leave, but Wang Tiemei waved him to stay, "Is there any way you can get rid of...that guy? He is so hateful, taking the spotlight and taking the spotlight, and he still thinks he is the same as before."

"You have to think slowly about the solution." Sun Yalu said with a smile. He knew the governor of Jizhou so well that he didn't even dare to reveal that the general had murderous intentions. He was afraid of frightening his superiors and panicking about escaping.

"Go ahead, by the time you figure out a way, the general will have already captured the Eastern Capital, and no one can touch him."

Sun Yalu went to see the King of Xiangdong.

Because of his daughter's recommendation, the King of Xiangdong also valued Sun Yalu. After receiving the notification, he immediately invited him in.

Toward the King of Eastern Hunan, Sun Yalu had a different attitude. He avoided politeness and said directly: "Your Highness must leave this place tonight and return to Yecheng as soon as possible."

"Something happened in Yecheng?" King Xiangdong stood up immediately, his heart pounding.

Sun Yalu shook his head, "Nothing happens in Yecheng, but something will happen here."

"What other trick has King Wu come up with? I don't believe what King Wu and his rabble can do with the general here."

Sun Yalu said: "The trouble is caused by the general. He has decided to make peace with the king of Wu. He will assassinate His Highness and the king's governor, and then lead his troops to seize Yecheng."

The King of Xiangdong was stunned. When he came to his senses, he smiled and said: "Mr. Sun is joking, why would the general kill me? I have a favor to him and we are my relatives. And how can he make peace with the King of Wu? Father and son. The power of water and fire is the same, and the king of Wu even changed his surname."

Sun Yalu looked serious, "Your Highness, there is no need to ask any more questions. I have received the exact information. The general will take action within three days."

"Impossible." King Xiangdong still didn't believe it. "What good will the general gain by doing this?"

"There are many benefits: making peace with the King of Wu, or even joining forces, can make his Luozhou soldiers feel at ease; seizing Yecheng can give him a foothold, and all the children and grandchildren of the Lou family will be there. In two or three years, he will definitely become the overlord of the party. , If you advance, you can conquer the world, if you retreat, you can keep your family business."

King Xiangdong turned pale.

Sun Yalu said: "What the princess said in Yecheng has been realized one by one. Even if your highness doesn't believe me, you should believe the princess."

"Huanyan also wants to retreat?"

"The time is tight and there is no time to communicate. The princess once asked me to adapt to the situation. If your highness believes in the princess, you should trust me."

The thing that King Xiangdong regretted the most was that he did not listen to his daughter's advice and invited the general. But the more he did this, the more reluctant he was to admit his mistake. He thought for a moment and said, "Let me think about it again."

"We'll leave tonight. Your Highness will go in front, and the Royal Governor will take the rear."

"The Royal Governor also agrees to withdraw the troops?"

"Captain Wang has obeyed my advice. If I go and persuade him now, it will definitely happen." Sun Yalu lied lightly.

"Go and persuade him first, and come to me later."

Sun Yalu bowed down and walked around the camp, planning to come back to see the King of Eastern Hunan in half an hour.

King Xiangdong sat alone in the tent, feeling regretful, scared, and doubtful. He always felt that the general did not want to be cruel.

"Why did he want to kill me?" King Xiangdong muttered.

The guard came into the tent and announced: "Lou Xiaoqi wants to see His Highness."

"Please come in quickly." King Xiangdong's heart lit up.

Lou Ji entered the tent, bowed and saluted, "I pay my respects to Your Highness."

There were not many people who proclaimed themselves ministers in front of the King of Xiangdong. Lou Ji was one of them. The King of Xiangdong liked him very much and said with a smile: "Lou Xiaoqi doesn't need to be polite, just give me a seat."

King Xiangdong always has a waiter around him, but today was an exception. Because of Sun Yalu's visit, he sent the waiter away, but he forgot about it at this time.

Lou Ji picked up a stool and sat down, cupping his hands and saying, "The minister is here to apologize for the general."

"Apologise? What are you apologizing for?"

"The general is rude in front of His Highness."

"I have known the general for many years, but I still don't know what he is like?" King Xiangdong waved his hand to show that he didn't care. He looked at Lou Ji, his heart moved, and he asked tentatively: "I just don't know what the general thinks of me."

"What does His Highness mean by this?"

"I heard - just heard. You also know that there are many rumors in the army nowadays, and I never take them seriously. It's just that this rumor happened to be related to the general, so I asked about it."

Lou Ji stood up, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed to the King of Eastern Hunan.

King Xiangdong hurriedly stretched out his hand to help him, "Why is Lou Xiaoqi doing this?"

Lou Ji looked panicked, "Your Highness has shown me such great kindness, I can no longer hide it: Your Highness, leave quickly, General... The General is already murderous, Your Highness is in danger."

King Xiangdong was shocked. His intention was just to test, but he did not expect to hear the worst result as soon as he opened his mouth. However, he was grateful to Lou Ji and helped him up and carried him to his seat.

"Wonderful son-in-law - although we are not married yet, I already regard you as my son-in-law. Can you tell me in detail what is going on?"

Lou Ji told all about his father's plan. The more King Xiangdong heard, the more frightened and frightened he became. He managed to keep calm, "It turns out that Mr. Sun's words are true. I didn't believe him at first. If it hadn't been for the wise son-in-law's reminder, I would still have done it." If you are still hesitating, there is nothing to say. I will lead the troops back to Yecheng with Governor Wang, and my son-in-law will go with me. Although you are from the Lou family, I treat you as my own son. "

Lou Ji stood up and returned his seat to King Xiangdong, "The general is moody and has many children and grandchildren. He has never taken me seriously. I am willing to follow your highness."

The King of Xiangdong was greatly moved and comforted him, and finally said: "You go back first and don't make the general suspicious. Come to me as soon as it gets dark. Mr. Sun and I will have already discussed the plan."

"Oh, I just regret that I don't have any other abilities and can't help His Highness turn defeat into victory."

"The days ahead are long. Let's go back to Yecheng first and then plan for the future. The Zhang family has been revived. The words of the wise son-in-law today have done a great job."

Lou Ji said goodbye. King Xiangdong was both frightened and angry. In the end, fear prevailed and he waited anxiously for Sun Yalu, hoping that it would get dark soon.

Sun Yalu walked around half a circle and came to see him again. As soon as he entered the tent, King Xiangdong rushed over, grabbed his shoulders with both hands, and said eagerly: "Mr. Sun is right, we have to leave, the sooner the better, Governor Wang What do you say over there?”

"The King is also willing to withdraw his troops overnight. Why does Your Highness suddenly believe my words?"

"Oh, don't mention it. Fortunately, I have a good daughter. She not only recommended Mr. Sun, but also selected a good son-in-law. Lou Xiaoqi came here just now and revealed the general's plan to me. It turned out that he was planning a mutiny and killed first... "

"Wait, Lou Ji has been here?"

"Yes, you told me everything you knew."

"What did His Highness tell him?"

"Uh...it's nothing. He is loyal to me. I can't leave him alone, so I invite him to go back to Yecheng tonight."

Sun Yalu was shocked, stamped his feet and said: "It's over!"