Plan to cut off the nine states

Xu Chu guessed correctly. On the territory of the Jizhou Army, the only people who were so courageous were the cavalry from the He Rong tribe.

The Jizhou soldiers in the camp were all sentinels and patrolmen along the way, and the total number was only a little over a thousand. The cavalry outside the camp were galloping and roaring. It was hard to see how many there were at night, but they were definitely far more than a thousand.

A Jizhou general came running with a look of panic and shame on his face. He cupped his hands and said, "Looking at Wu Wang Haihan, these people from the He Rong tribe are used to being arrogant. They didn't understand the rules after entering the fortress. They surrounded the camp without authorization, which was not the military order from above. "

"It doesn't matter. It's just that I have never had any contact with He Rongbu, let alone any enmity. Why do they want to see me?"

"It is said that the Jin army has sent He Rong's cavalry to attack the Eastern Capital. They are also anxious here and want to take the King of Wu to the Eastern Capital..."

Xu Chu smiled and said: "Understood. General, please ask Mr. He Rong to come into the camp. I will interview them. If we can make things clear, that would be great. If not, I will go with them so as not to embarrass the general."

The general said with emotion: "Since I have been ordered to guard the King of Wu here, I shall fulfill my duties loyally and will never retreat in fear of force. Please rest assured, King Wu, He Rong's troops will not be able to take anyone away from this camp!"

When the general resigned, Tian Jiang said: "He will still invite Lord He Rongbu to enter the camp. If the negotiation cannot be reached, he will still obediently hand over the King of Wu."

Xu Chu smiled and said: "Why force others to make things difficult? He has his own reasons."

"Hey, Mr. Xu is really generous."

"No, this is not magnanimity, I just trust my own mouth."

Tian Jiang also smiled, "Can I stay? Let me see Mr. Xu's eloquence after he no longer becomes king."

"Please."

"But there's a problem."

"What trouble?"

"Although Young Master Xu has lost his royal title, people outside do not recognize him. The soldiers of Jizhou still call him 'King of Wu'. The He Rong Ministry even regards Young Master Xu as the real king and wants to take him as a hostage. With such an identity, Young Master Xu cannot speak easily." "I have an idea, I just want to aggrieve Mr. Xu a little."

Xu Chu smiled and said: "This is a good idea, but if I am really taken away by He Rongbu, please Tian Zhuangshi please don't argue with me."

"Mr. Xu is confident, and I also believe in Mr. Xu."

Xu Chu ordered people to add more food and wine, but still only had two pairs of chopsticks. Tian Jiang took the main seat, and he stood aside.

Half an hour later, General Jizhou finally attracted Lord He Rongbu.

The nobles of the He Rong tribe have many names, and the Central Plains are all addressed by "adult". They also like this title. The number of adults has been increasing over the years, and it is often difficult to distinguish between superior and inferior.

A lot of people came, seven of them entered the tent. There were constant shouting outside, and it was obvious that there were more people.

These seven people were all dressed in the same way. They wore greasy leather jackets and felt hats with varying numbers of feathers on their heads. They carried bows and arrows on their backs and carried more than one knife in their belts.

The seven people stood casually, regardless of priority. They neither bowed their hands or said hello. They looked around unceremoniously, and finally their eyes fell on Tian Jiang.

Although Tian Jiang was born in an alley, he was never afraid of anyone and showed a majestic look. Even if Xu Chu sat with him, people who met him for the first time would usually think that Tian Jiang was the King of Wu.

The seven people were talking in their own language, but they didn't know what they were talking about.

Xu Chu took a step forward, raised his hands and said, "Who can speak to us?"

A man in his thirties stepped forward. He had a few more feathers on his hat than the others, and his beard was thicker. He said stiffly: "Who are you? Let King Wu stand up and talk to me. ”

Xu Chu shook his head and said, "I am a craftsman in the field, a guard of King Wu, and a military advisor. King Wu will not talk to you before I ask you about your purpose of coming."

The seven people on the opposite side laughed. The leader patted the knife on his waist and said, "If you want to know its purpose, ask it."

Xu Chu also had a sword. Without saying a word, he drew the sword out of its sheath and said sternly: "Ask the sword with the sword, what's the difficulty?"

The seven people were startled and drew their swords one after another. There were no guards in the tent. With seven against two, they had the advantage.

The leader turned to his companions and said a few words, and then said to King Wu's military advisor: "If we really need to use swords, we don't have to charge in. You military advisor can't speak. It's a bit dangerous for King Wu to use you. You There is wine and meat here, why don’t you invite us to sit down and talk while we eat?”

Xu Chu put away the knife and said, "I haven't asked you how to address me?"

"My name is He Rongpingshan, and I am the Zuo Shenwei King. You can call me 'Master Shan'."

There are hundreds of kings in the He Rong tribe, but the Zuo Shenwei king is not well-known. Xu Chu cupped his hands and said: "Master Shan, please sit down."

He Rongpingshan looked around, walked past Xu Chu, and sat directly opposite "King Wu". Without using chopsticks, he pulled out the dagger from his arms, inserted a piece of meat and brought it to his mouth. He took another sip of wine and swallowed the meat. As he went down, he spat out the wine and turned to his companions: "Southerners know how to cook but not how to make wine. Bring ours."

A man stepped forward, took off a leather bag from his waist, and handed it to He Rongpingshan.

He Rongpingshan filled two bowls of wine and said to "King Wu": "Do you dare to try it?"

Tian Jiang didn't say anything, picked up the wine and drank it in one gulp, then put down the bowl, his expression unchanged.

He Rongpingshan laughed, drank the whole bowl, and then refilled it, "Good drinker, let's continue."

Tianjiang picked up the bowl and drank again.

The two of them drank a bowl of wine and quickly drank up the wine bag. Another person came forward to give the wine bag. He Rongpingshan put away the disrespect on his face and stared at "King Wu". He just poured wine and drank. No more talking.

After the second bag was drunk and the third bag was delivered, the Jizhou general entered the tent and was deeply surprised to see the King of Wu standing aside while the unknown guard was drinking with Lord He Rongbu.

Xu Chu shook his head slightly at him, while one of He Rongpingshan's companions scolded: "You are not needed here, go out and wait."

The Jizhou general looked ugly, but he did not dare to fight back and left the tent in a dignified manner.

When the fifth bag of wine was delivered, He Rongpingshan pushed it away. He could still drink it, but felt it was no longer necessary. "King Wu has a great capacity for drinking. They say you are a weak scholar, so you don't look like that."

Tian Jiang remained silent, and Xu Chu said on the side: "Rumors are often untrue. In order to belittle the King of Wu, anything can be made up."

"Why don't you say anything? Do you look down on me? There are thirty thousand soldiers in my army, how many does King Wu have?"

Tian Jiang said coldly: "He Rongbu Shanyu is here. If you can talk to me, you go to him."

He Rongpingshan glanced at Xu Chu, "Your military advisor? Does he keep his word?"

Tian Jiang turned his head and Xu Chu said: "The King of Wu obeys my words. The King of Wu recognizes all the words and promises I have made."

He Rongpingshan hesitated for a while, then stood up and said: "If Chanyu were here, you wouldn't be worthy of talking to him. He must be the Emperor of the Central Plains."

Having said that, he turned to Xu Chu and said, "There is nothing to talk about. We heard that King Wu was driven out of the Eastern Capital and was homeless, so we decided to do a good deed and send King Wu back to the Eastern Capital. Set off immediately, don't delay."

"Thank you, Master Shan."

"It's nothing. I heard that Dongdu is the most prosperous place in the world. We have long wanted to take a look. When the time comes, Dongdu will belong to King Wu, and the property and population in the city will belong to us. Everyone will be happy."

"Help those in danger and those in need, Mr. Shan is worthy of his honorable reputation."

He Rongpingshan thought that the "strategist" would bargain, but he did not expect that he would flatter him as soon as he opened his mouth. He was so happy that the prestige of the "King of Wu" through drinking wine was greatly reduced.

"We are all neighbors. There is chaos in the Central Plains. Of course, the He Rong Department cannot just watch the excitement. In the future, if the kings of the Central Plains have any disputes, they will come to us for justice."

Xu Chu said with a smile: "Of course, He Rongbu provided help in times of need, which is very grateful. Especially, He Rongbu has no time to take care of himself and also wants to help his neighbors, which is even more admirable."

"We just love to help... Hey, what are you saying about being too busy to take care of yourself? I understand the meaning of this sentence. Are you saying that there is also civil strife in our He Rong Department?"

Xu Chu smiled and said nothing.

He Rongpingshan finally understood that the "strategist" was mocking him, and his expression suddenly changed, "People from the Central Plains only know how to quarrel. Let's make it clear that King Wu is willing to go with us. We are still neighbors and friends. We will send him all the way to Dongdu, and we will not let him go." He was at a disadvantage. He didn’t want to leave, so we had to drag him away, which would have been ugly at that time.”

Xu Chu knew in his heart that the reason why He Rong's cavalry was willing to come to negotiate was not because he respected the king of Wu, but because he did not want to break up with the Jizhou soldiers.

"Master Shan, don't you believe me?"

"Which sentence?"

"Too much trouble to take care of."

He Rong Pingshan smiled at his companions and said, "King Wu's military advisor is really interesting. He actually thinks that he knows the situation of He Rong's tribe better than we do."

The six companions laughed, and one said: "Why don't you let him tell me, is it snowing or raining on the grassland now? Also, is my wife giving birth to a boy or a girl?"

Another said: "If he can tell a man and a woman, will you still let him live?"

Everyone laughed, and Xu Chu also laughed and smiled. When the other party's laughter stopped, he said: "He Rong's cavalry in the Jin army has gone south, right?"

He Rongpingshan said disdainfully: "Why do you mention something that everyone knows?"

Xu Chu continued: "The next thing is my guess. Do you think I am right? He Rong's cavalry went south, but the general was a general of the King of Jin named Tan Wuwei. General Tan wanted to cross the river by force. When rushing to the east capital, He Rong's cavalry hated taking a boat and would rather attack Mengjin and cross the river on the bridge, right?"

He Rongpingshan frowned slightly, "Mengjin is not far from here. You can find out what's going on over there if you ask."

"I also know that He Rong's cavalry over there failed to capture Mengjin and sent people to ask for help. Lord Shan wants to support you as well as to win credit. When you come to invite King Wu, the first door you want to knock on is not Dongdu. , but Meng Jin, right?”

He Rong Pingshan's expression changed slightly, because the "strategist" guessed correctly that Meng Jin and He Rong's cavalry messenger would arrive soon, and the news should not be leaked.

"The small town of Mengjin is easy to capture. We asked King Wu to go with us just to reduce casualties. The He Rong tribe is a family and we advance and retreat together. There is no such thing as asking for help."

"Okay, I was wrong." Xu Chu said with a smile, "I'm just curious. The cavalry is good at field battles and the Jin army is good at attacking cities. Why does the King of Jin only send one general to lead the army but refuses to send his own soldiers to help? And I If my guess is correct, the King of Jin not only did not go south, but led his troops back to Jinyang."

"So what?"

"Master Shan only helped his neighbors, but he didn't expect that the neighbors might not appreciate it and would bite back? He Rong's troops had approached Jinyang before, making King Jin almost homeless. King Jin escaped from the east capital and ran north all the way. In order to save Jinyang, he can't say he is grateful to He Rongbu."

"We have turned enemies into friends and lent him tens of thousands of cavalry..."

"When the King of Jin returned north, he didn't bring any of the He Rong cavalry with him."

"Then let him return to Jinyang, and we can capture Dongdu by ourselves."

"Master Shan seems to regard King Jin as his father Mu Shou Shen Zhi. Shen Mu Shou can endure it and is willing to be on good terms with the He Rong tribe. The current King of Jin - Yaizhen will retaliate. The He Rong tribe's army went south, how many troops are left in the north? Chanyu Who can protect the old, weak, women and children?" Xu Chu looked at one of He Rong Pingshan's companions, "Your Majesty is expecting a baby, and you are only worried about giving birth to a boy or a girl?"

The expressions of the seven people changed, and He Rongpingshan said angrily: "If the Shen family dares to take advantage of the situation, He Rong's troops will surely destroy Jinyang and leave no one alive! There is no need for the military advisor to say more. In short, King Wu will go with us, no matter where we go." "