Plan to cut off the nine states

A stack of military newspapers was placed on the table. Zhang Shiqing picked up the top one and read it quickly. He looked at the others and couldn't find any relevant content.

"Just a few words." Zhang Shiqing handed over the paper.

Xu Chu took it in his hand and glanced at it. The content was indeed simple. This military report came from the envoy from Yecheng who was on an envoy to Huaizhou. Everything he wrote was based on what he heard and there was no evidence. The envoy was obviously eager to report the news and had no time to check and verify it.

"Ning Baoguan is a traitor, how can he be a general? I remember that the court seemed to have a saying: the title of general is exclusive to one person. After Lou Wen passes away, this position will no longer be held." Zhang Shiqing was confused.

General Xu Chu put the newspaper back on the table and said with a smile: "Prince Ning and Guo Shifeng really complement each other."

"What does this news mean? Should Ning Baoguan become a general first and then do that? Is it good news or bad news for Yecheng? What about me...what about the little barbarian girl?"

Xu Chu shook his head, "We have to wait a little longer."

"We just have to wait for everything. When everything comes to light, why should we use you?" Zhang Shiqing ran out of the room angrily.

Chang Yan was from Wu and was very concerned about the changes in Jiangdong. He kept guarding the door and said at this time: "There are only a few thousand people in Ningbaoguan, how could it be possible... Did he use Taiwei as a hostage to force the emperor to make him a general?" It’s impossible, the emperor didn’t even think of the Queen Mother when he fled.”

"Wait a minute." Xu Chu gave the same answer, went out to wash his face, went to the back of the house, and chopped firewood as usual.

When the fifth stick was struck, Zhang Shiqing came again, sitting on a small stool behind Xu Chu as usual, so that they could hear each other clearly without being hurt by the flying wood.

She held dozens of military reports in her hands and read them carefully one by one. After a long time, she said: "These are the military reports I selected, and they are all related to Wu and Huaizhou."

Xu Chu happened to be a little tired, so he put down his axe, turned around and said, "What did you see?"

"Are you really smart, or are you pretending to be smart?" Zhang Shiqing tilted his head and asked.

Xu Chu scratched his head, "I think I'm pretty smart, but not enough. There are many people smarter than me in the world."

Zhang Shiqing was not satisfied with this answer and shook the paper in his hand, "After reading it all, I became even more confused. The Huaizhou military report has no content and is all boring trivial matters. Jiangdong Wuzhou - there is no military report at all. , a total of four or five, it doesn’t matter. Since Huanyan places her hope in Jiangdong, why doesn’t she care about what happens there? "

"Because these are military reports. There is no war in Jiangdong. Of course there are no military reports, only public and private letters."

"I'll let Fanfen go into the city again later and ask for a letter for me."

"The official letter is fine, but how can the private letter be easily shown to outsiders?"

"Am I an outsider? I... am indeed an outsider." Zhang Shiqing sighed, feeling deeply that he had been abandoned.

Suddenly an urgent voice came from in front of the house, "Where is Mr. Xu? Take me to see him, I have something urgent."

"Maybe it has something to do with Jiang Dong." Zhang Shiqing guessed.

The speaker was quickly brought here. As soon as he saw Xu Chu, he immediately quickened his pace and rushed over. When he was a few steps away, he knelt down and said in a tearful voice: "Mr. Xu, save me!"

"What does Lou Xiaoqi mean by this?"

The visitor was Lou Ji. Just as he was about to tell his story, he suddenly found a young girl sitting nearby. He immediately guessed that she was the daughter of the King of Jibei and couldn't help but feel greatly embarrassed.

Zhang Shiqing didn't care, but was very curious, "Lou Xiaoqi? Are you the young master of the Lou family who is engaged to Huanyan?"

Lou Ji nodded awkwardly.

"Yes, you came back from Ning Baoguan, so you should know some inside information - but why are you running here? And you are begging him for help. Even if someone wants to kill you, you should go to Huanyan, she is... …oh."

Zhang Shiqing has been reading military newspapers these days, analyzing the situation from them, and his knowledge has increased unknowingly, and he soon guessed the truth.

Ning Baoguan was made a general, which was obviously a violation of his promise. Now the city of Ye is in a disadvantageous situation. Lou Ji, as the messenger in the middle, will naturally be offended. He comes to Xu Chu for help, because the person who wants to kill him is Princess Huanyan.

"Please stand up and speak." Xu Chu said.

Lou Ji stood up slowly, glanced at Princess Fangde, and refused to continue talking.

Xu Chu had no intention of rejecting anyone. Even if Chang Yan and others came to listen, he would not care.

Lou Ji could only take two steps forward, cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Xu, have you heard the news?"

"There is only a simple military report, I don't know whether it is true or false, and I don't know the details."

"It's true." Lou Ji had a look of panic and embarrassment on his face. He would never have come here for help unless he had no way out. "Ning Baoguan lied to me, to everyone, and to Guo Shifeng. I'm sure It was his idea..."

"Speak slowly."

Recalling the past, Lou Ji is still terrified.

The general was accidentally killed, and many descendants of the Lou family panicked. No one stepped forward to take charge of the overall situation. Lou Ji had only one thought in his mind at the time: How is it possible? How could he be so unlucky? He had just decided to betray King Xiangdong and firmly support the Lou family, and yet he encountered such an incredible situation?

When they woke up, they were all captives, tied in a string with ropes, driven by whips, and running in embarrassment with the horses. For them, this was the beginning of endless suffering.

Lou Ji really didn't want to recall the details at that time and jumped directly to that transfer.

Ning Baoguan led his army to Jiangdong, grabbing some grain and grass on the way, but once they entered the border of Wuzhou, they issued a banner that they would never invade in the autumn.

The biggest problem facing the Ning army was not food and grass, but the inability to cross the river. Guo Shifeng took a small boat to the other side and somehow managed to convince the general guarding the river to take thousands of Ning soldiers over and provide some food and grass.

Ning's army did not burn, kill or rob, which was completely different from the previous military style. Ning Baoguan's methods were harsh and he once personally beheaded a leader who robbed people's property as a warning to the entire army.

Not long after crossing the river, Guo Shifeng called Louji and said many things to him.

"The Lou family is finished, there is no need to hide it. The general is dead, what is left of your Lou family? General Lou Jian of the Chinese Army? You children of the Lou family who don't even dare to take revenge?"

Lou Ji's face turned red. When the general was assassinated, there was not even a maid by the Queen Mother Luan's side. Any descendant of the Lou family could grab the dagger and avenge their father on the spot. But no one did this, not everyone. He was so frightened that he was helpless, thinking only about how unfortunate he was.

"Originally, there was a glimmer of hope for your Lou family, that is, King Wu. Although he has changed his surname, his bloodline cannot be changed. When he becomes famous, it is possible to rebuild the Lou family. Unfortunately, he is too weak and defeated himself. Alas, I From the beginning, I saw that he was not a top contender, but later he worked very hard, and I changed my mind slightly. This is my fault. "Working hard" is a special skill for ordinary people. The more "hardworking" King Wu is, the more he is too hard. If you are too ordinary, you are not worthy of competing.”

"In short, your Lou family has no hope of making a comeback. All you can do is work hard to save your life - for you, it especially requires 'hard work'."

Lou Ji sensed a glimmer of hope, knelt down and begged, thinking of all his words to please the other party.

Guo Shifeng enjoyed it for a long time, and after he was completely satisfied, he pointed out a way out for Lou Ji, "Ning Wang is a hero, and he will never stay under others for a long time. Taking refuge in the Jiangdong court is just a temporary solution. Once he establishes himself, he still has to establish his own banner. But Ning Wang He doesn't want to be alone, he hopes to get some support. I will let you go back to Yecheng, and you can tell Princess Huanyan that everyone understands the principle of making friends from afar and attacking closely. Prince Ning and Yecheng have no life-or-death feud, nor are they each other's biggest enemy. Threat. King Ning is willing to get rid of the obstacles for Yecheng, and also asks Yecheng to give us a way. "

Lou Ji agreed and ran all the way back to Yecheng, where he met Princess Huanyan. After being questioned, he became confused: How did Guo Shifeng guess the princess's thoughts? How do you know that the princess has secretly attracted some forces in Jiangdong?

In any case, the two parties began to communicate and gradually increased their trust. Among them, Lou Ji contributed a lot. He sincerely believed that King Ning had no choice but to seek peace from Yecheng. He also truly believed that King Ning would kill the emperor if he had the chance.

"King Ning is by no means a human subject. When he was in the Eastern Capital, he was only slightly lower than King Wu. He still holds a grudge, let alone surrendering to the emperor? He will definitely kill the emperor, but he lacks a way to get to Stone City."

Huanyan also believed it. In her opinion, killing the emperor and monopolizing Jiangdong was the best choice for Ningbaoguan. It was also reasonable to seek peace from Yecheng.

It was due to her intervention and Guo Shifeng's eloquence that Ning Jun was able to advance safely and actually reached Stone City without being intercepted by the counties along the way.

The Stone City court did need an army, but it was suspicious of this traitor-turned-defender and ordered Ning Baoguan to remove his title as king and give him the position of general. He was not allowed to enter the city and could only be stationed outside the city.

This happened many days ago. After that, rebellions broke out one after another in Wuzhou counties. Many self-reliant generals took the banner of revenge for King Guangling and declared that they would attack Stone City.

According to the original plan, Ning Baoguan should take the opportunity to win the trust of the Liang and Lan families and kill the emperor after entering the city. As for whether to frame it for others or openly admit it, it was Ning Baoguan's choice. Yecheng would enjoy the success and establish a new one. You can.

Ning Baoguan did lead his troops into the city, but instead of killing the emperor, he accepted the title of general and led his troops to recapture the eastern capital.

"Taking back Dongdu was just an excuse. Ning Baoguan actually wanted to take the opportunity to pacify Wuzhou counties, and the first target he attacked was a general who had secretly defected to Yecheng. Yecheng was now very embarrassed, and he just sat back and did nothing. Soon, They will lose the support of all forces in Jiangdong and send troops there, but they will not be able to bypass Huaizhou..."

That's not what Lou Ji cares about. "The princess now suspects that I am colluding with Prince Ning and deliberately defrauding her trust. I really don't have it, but the princess now refuses to see me. I have no choice but to come and beg..."

Xu Chu said: "You have come to the wrong place. I can't defend you, and I can't let the princess see you."

"As long as Mr. Xu comes forward, the princess..."

Zhang Shiqing, who had been listening, suddenly stood up and interrupted: "I can let Huanyan see you. Whether you can defend yourself or not depends on your ability."

Lou Ji didn't know what to say.

Zhang Shiqing smiled slightly at Xu Chu and said, "Let you see how smart I am."