Plan to cut off the nine states

Burning, frightening, and trampling are just some tricks. If you want to prevent the spread of weeds, the most effective thing is to mow the grass. Keep mowing, at least once a day.

Cutting grass is a boring and boring job. Zhang Shiqing's greatest enthusiasm for it is to pick up the sickle, wave it, and immediately put it back where it belongs.

She found a job for herself, reading military newspapers sent from Yecheng to Xu Chu.

The little maid returned to the city colorfully and followed her master's orders. Instead of going to her own house for help, she went to the Xiangdong Prince's Mansion to ask Princess Huanyan for a copy of the military report.

Princess Huanyan readily agreed to send someone to deliver military reports every day.

Xu Chu was busy "fighting" with the weeds, and Zhang Shiqing followed him. At first, he read word for word, but soon he got tired, so he read it once and then narrated it briefly.

"Mobilizing troops... is boring, transporting grain... boring, adding salt... What does the army need salt for? It's even more boring, military pay... How can fighting be like doing business? Ha, finally there is something to look at, it says, The rebel army was defeated somewhere, killing 6,300 people - is it necessary to write in such detail? More than 6,000 people were killed and nearly 30,000 people were captured! Liangdao, within ten days, the army going south will join the Jingzhou army. Is this good news? "

Zhang Shiqing's so-called good news had nothing to do with the war, but wanted to ask whether it would help expel the "little barbarians" from He Rong's tribe.

Xu Chu concentrated on mowing the grass and said without raising his head: "Just one grass is not worth mentioning."

"There are many more." Zhang Shiqing held a thick stack of papers in his hands, holding more in his arms.

But the more he read, the more boring Zhang Shiqing felt. It was said to be a military report, but in fact it was more like a running account. More than 90% of it was a general who led a number of people to a certain place. How was the enemy, how was our own side, how was the road, how was the city, and how was the food and grass? How, how is the horse, so-and-so is late, so-and-so does not fully obey the order, so what...

Zhang Shiqing put all the reports of General Zhang Shiqing into his arms, "Don't read it, don't read it, it's just useless words, Huanyan...have you withheld all the more important military reports?"

Xu Chu straightened up and said with a smile: "All the important information is inside."

"Which one is important?"

"A single piece may not be that important, but together they are interesting."

"Why didn't I see it?"

"When the army sets off, the strategy has already been determined. The generals at the front should implement it accordingly. The more boring the military report is, the more it means that the progress is going smoothly. If the military achievements are specifically emphasized, it may delay the plan."

Zhang Shiqing let out a long sigh, "So, the army going south to Hanzhou is actually not going well?"

"It's hard to say, but it's doubtful. Killing 6,000 enemies and capturing 30,000 prisoners must have been a big battle, and the officers and soldiers may have paid some price."

Zhang Shiqing took the military report back from Binfen and looked through them one by one. He finally found the content he was interested in and said with a smile: "Here, this is the military report that was sent three days later. The top started to complain, saying that it was difficult to place the prisoners. The army rations have not arrived for a long time, and they also say that there is a plague in the camp, many people have fallen, and the horses are not accustomed to the climate... But the officials still say that they can enter Hanzhou and join the Jingzhou army within ten days. "

This time, Xu Chu didn’t need to remind Zhang Shiqing. He understood clearly, “The bad news cannot be told all at once. It needs to be foreshadowed little by little. If we can meet on time in such a difficult situation, it will be a great achievement. If not, this will It’s a shirking of responsibility in advance.”

Xu Chu nodded with a smile, bent down and continued mowing the grass.

Binfen sincerely praised: "The princess is really smart and can be the right-hand man of Princess Huanyan."

"She can't afford to invite me." Zhang Shiqing said proudly, becoming somewhat interested in military reports.

After reading more than 50 military reports, Zhang Shiqing said with emotion: "I thought fighting was very interesting. Thousands of troops, trapped in battle and breaking the city, but it turned out to be so boring. Look at these military reports, more than 90% of them are trivial matters. , It’s hard for Huanyan to see this kind of thing every day.”

Xu Chu wiped the sweat from his forehead. Today's work was almost done and he could take a short rest.

Back in the room, Xu Chu blocked Zhang Shiqing from the door, "You also go to rest and come back later."

"I'm not tired."

"I need to scrub it down."

Xu Chu's whole body was covered with sweat and his face was covered with dust. Zhang Shiqing said: "You really need to wash up. You wash yours inside, and I will continue reading outside. There are many more, so don't waste time."

Xu Chu closed the door. The old servant had prepared a large bucket of water and another empty bucket for him. He took off his clothes, stood in the empty bucket, scooped up the water and poured it over his head.

Zhang Shiqing read aloud outside the door: "This article says that the Qinzhou bandit army is retreating steadily. I don't know whether it is true or not."

Xu Chu also said loudly: "Lying about military information is a serious crime. I forgive the generals at the front who dare not lie. The enemy is definitely retreating. Whether they are defeated or retreating, it is difficult to say."

"How can you tell the difference?"

"If the officers and soldiers of Qinzhou are divided into multiple groups and go to Pingding counties, then nine times out of ten, the descending army will be really defeated. The officers and soldiers feel that they have nothing to fear. If the officers and soldiers are still gathered together and point to a certain city, then the general in front thinks that they are not afraid of them. The situation is still unclear, and there is no conclusion yet on whether the Advent Army will be defeated or withdrawn.”

Zhang Shiqing outside did not reply, and Xu Chu continued to water and wipe himself without urging.

"I suddenly remembered something." Zhang Shiqing said.

"Um?"

"Others call them traitors and rebels, but you call them the Army of the Fallen. You used to be the King of Wu, and you were the leader of the…thieves of the Army of the Fallen."

"Haha, I do have many incarnation armies under my command, but I am not their 'leader of thieves'."

"The leader of thieves is the king of the world. After his death, the throne will be passed to his daughter." Zhang Shiqing snorted twice, "You married a female leader of thieves in Dongdu. Don't think I don't know."

"You already divorced me, remember?"

"It's useless. Apart from you and me, no one else recognizes us, especially my family. They still think that we are...husband and wife." Zhang Shiqing became more and more angry as he spoke. He turned around and left with a few bah-bah sounds, and Colorful called behind him, She ignored it.

Xu Chu scrubbed clean and put on clean clothes. He was about to open the door to pour out the dirty water when Zhang Shiqing's voice suddenly came from outside. He didn't know when she came back.

"How is she?"

"Who?" Xu Chu did not open the door.

"That female thief, your other wife."

"She's...fine."

There were a few more beeps outside, but there was no sound again.

Xu Chu opened the door and found no one outside, so he called the old servant to pour water together.

The old servant whispered: "Master, please say a few words of kindness."

"Did you hear that?"

"Of course. After all, the little princess is the daughter of the King of Jibei. When she comes, our place will be a lot more lively. Moreover, I don't know if the young master has noticed that the prince's palace sends things to the valley every day, and everyone takes advantage of it."

"I said the food and wine these days are better than ever."

"That's right, so the young master can't treat the little princess like this, say nice things and coax her. The little princess is still young after all, and it would be enough to wrong her to fall here with us."

"I can say nice things, but I can't lie." Xu Chu said with a smile.

The old servant shook his head helplessly, "I haven't seen that one very often, but I have heard a lot of rumors, saying that she is as strong as an ox, eats raw meat, and even eats human flesh..."

"You believe it?"

"Well... Anyway, I think that one is quite tall and strong, taller than the young master. Not many men can compare with her."

"You don't even dare to say her name?"

"No matter what, the little princess is the real wife, and the young master must keep this in mind."

Xu Chu went back to his room to study. His current mentality was "wait a little longer". He was not in a hurry for everything, just "wait a little bit longer".

Zhang Shiqing came alone, entered the room and sat on the edge, put a few pages of paper on the table, and then remained silent with a serious look on his face.

Xu Chu put down the book and said, "Your divorce letter will be recognized sooner or later."

"How early and how late?"

“If it’s early, it’ll be two or three months, if it’s late, it’ll be more than a year.”

"Did you figure it out?"

"No need to calculate, the situation is like this. Now that the world's situation is not yet clear, Yecheng is also observing. Once the strength of the heroes is determined, Yecheng must quickly make a plan. For you Zhang family, marriage is always an extremely effective move. , can’t be wasted on me.”

Zhang Shiqing had been looking forward to returning to his unmarried status, but he didn't want to hear it at this time, "What do you think of me? The person who made the decision in Yecheng must be Huanyan. If she forces me to marry someone else, I will ask her: Why don't I marry?"

"She will too."

"Will she remarry? But Huanyan is already engaged, and she is also from your Lou family."

"My surname is not Lou. They are not married yet, and they are not even remarried. Soon, someone will rush to marry her or you."

Zhang Shiqing's expression became more serious, "What about you? Just sit back and do nothing and let me marry someone else?"

"Isn't that what you want?"

"As I wish...I divorced you and didn't say I wanted to marry someone else?" Zhang Shiqing cried whenever he could, but his face was still full of solemnity and pride. He kept reaching out to wipe away the tears. Flow outward.

"That's good." Xu Chu had to change his words, "If everything goes well with the groom Yecheng has chosen for you, you will marry him. If you are not satisfied, I will find a way to reject it for you, okay?"

Zhang Shiqing cried even more sadly. He could no longer maintain the seriousness and pride on his face. He also felt embarrassed and cried bitterly at his desk.

Xu Chu wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know what to say. These days, he wanted to understand many things, including how to coax people.

Zhang Shiqing had cried enough, raised his head and asked, "Is this the world in chaos?"

"Um?"

"The world is in chaos, everyone is displaced, and no one is free. Is that true?"

Xu Chu thought for a while and decided not to lie, "We are born as human beings and are not free. It has nothing to do with the chaos in the world."

Even when Zhang Shiqing was crying, there was light in his eyes, but then it slowly dimmed. Suddenly, she burst into tears and smiled again, "Isn't it time for the fire attack again tonight?"

"yes."

"Then seek happiness in front of you first." Zhang Shiqing picked up a few pages of paper on the table, "It doesn't matter where I marry in the future. First, I have to drive away the little barbarian girl. Look at these military reports, the Jizhou Army has no military divisions Instead, he went to Xijing with the Bingzhou Army and the Huaizhou Army. What does this mean? "

"This means that the Advent Army has captured Xijing. It means that the old and new armies have probably merged. It means that the battle in Qinzhou will be very difficult. It means that... there should be some movement in Jiangdong."