Plan to cut off the nine states

On the polo field, the competition between the two sides was quite fierce. The prince's side originally had a slight advantage, leading by one or two goals. Some of the onlookers were quite anxious and even suspected that the prince's players were deliberately concealing their strength.

He Rongpingshan did not come in person, so he sent three companions to watch. These three people did not speak the Central Plains dialect very well and did not understand the rules of polo. After the explanation, they quickly understood the key. The more they watched, The more urgent.

The prince's side had scored nine goals, and the last one was either missed or intercepted, while the princess's side had already chased eight goals. The two sides fought fiercely, and the three nobles of He Rongbu finally couldn't hold back and unanimously proposed to play in person. After some negotiation, a nobleman replaced the weakest player on the court.

This noble man has excellent riding skills. He is just twenty years old and his reputation has spread beyond the Great Wall. However, he underestimated polo. He galloped as if he was in no one's land and could make all kinds of dazzling moves on horseback. , just can't touch the ball.

Moreover, as soon as he came on the field, the other nine players had to make way for him, and they were unable to cooperate. The slight advantage that he had had was quickly eclipsed.

Zhang Shiqing loudly commanded from the sidelines, and Chang Yan, with divine help, scored two goals in a row and turned defeat into victory.

Judging from the scene alone, this was a wonderful competition, with endless cheers. Zhang Shiqing was going to "roll the snow" on a BMW, ride a lap, and then give the horse to Chang Yan under the watchful eyes of everyone—— He was the biggest contributor to the victory, scoring five goals by himself, especially the last two goals. Each goal was quite thrilling, and he was almost pushed off the horse by the nobleman Kaeibe.

The crown prince Zhang Shiyu was greatly depressed, but he accepted the bet and handed over the BMW. He also gave gold and silver to the players of both sides, with the winner being more likely to win.

The three noblemen of the He Rong tribe insisted that the competition was unfair, refused to accept the reward, mounted their horses and left first.

The crowd gradually dispersed, and the Siguo Valley became empty again, but it could not regain its quietness. Zhang Shiqing's excitement had not passed yet, and he was shouting and distributing gifts everywhere, even giving one to Yu Zhan who was guarding the house.

Yu Zhan was surprised and disgusted. Before he could sternly refuse, the princess had already run away.

Near dusk, Zhang Shiqing finally calmed down a little and ran to the study, carrying a bottle of wine, "Why don't you go watch?"

"I know you will win, so I don't think there is any need to watch." Xu Chu said with a smile.

This answer was not satisfactory. Zhang Shiqing put the pot and cup on the table and sat down on the chair. A tired look gradually appeared on her face. Although she did not play, she was exhausted after shouting for a long time.

Xu Chu poured wine and read a book while drinking.

Zhang Shiqing picked up the wine glass and turned it slowly in his hand without drinking. After waiting for a long time, he said: "Sometimes you are very nice, sometimes... you are so boring. If I stay with you for a while, I feel Depressed, as if... like being locked in a box again. "

"Have you ever been locked in a box?"

"This is how I left the city two days ago. You didn't care at all and didn't even ask."

Xu Chu smiled and said: "I am indeed a boring person. I don't even know what 'interesting' feels like. For example, polo, judging from your appearance, it should be interesting, but whether I am playing or watching, I can't understand it." To the 'fun' feeling."

Zhang Shiqing sighed and drank all the wine in the glass. "It seems that you are born like this, or else...is it related to the death of your mother?"

No one mentioned Princess Wu for a long time. Xu Chu found that he didn't care as much as before, so he thought seriously for a while, "Maybe, it is true that after her death, I became more and more 'boring'."

"It's really strange. Even if the rumors are only half true, Princess Wu is also a very interesting person. She actually has a son like you."

"Have you heard rumors about her?"

Zhang Shiqing's eyes lit up, as if he was talking about someone he admired, "I have heard it since I was a child. Not just me, but all of us have heard it, and we often argue about which ones are true and which ones are false. I have always felt that Wu The princess is amazing. Really, as a woman in such a situation, she still dares to resist, which is admirable. My mother often said that as a woman, even the most beloved daughter of the emperor must accept her fate. So she thinks Princess Wu is a bit..."

"madness?"

"In short, she is not very smart and a bit stubborn. But my mother still admires Princess Wu. She said that extraordinary people do extraordinary things. If Princess Wu were a little smarter, she would fall into mediocrity. She might live comfortably, but she would never They will not be remembered. Smart and mediocre, stubborn and outstanding, everyone has their own choice. My mother admires the latter and would rather choose the former. She also asked me to learn the same. "

"The princess seems to be disappointed."

"Haha, very disappointed. Do you know? When I decided to escape from the palace, the first person I thought of was Princess Wu. I kept thinking, what choice would she make if she encountered this situation?"

"She didn't escape." Xu Chu said sadly.

"But she struggled to escape and refused to accept her fate until her death."

Xu Chu was silent, thinking that he no longer cared. As the conversation deepened, the image of his mother appeared in front of him again, like a wall, blocking him from anyone.

Zhang Shiqing stood up and said, "I will not accept my fate. I would rather die than accept it."

Xu Chu raised his head and swept away the image of his mother, "It's okay not to accept your fate, but when you get beyond the Great Wall, you have to find another way to resist."

"Huh? What are you talking about? I don't have to go beyond the Great Wall. I won polo and can stay." Zhang Shiqing smiled happily. This was her biggest joy in the past few days.

"The prince only agreed that you should stay in Siguo Valley, and did not promise to cancel the marriage."

The smile on Zhang Shiqing's face gradually disappeared. He sat down and thought for a while, "Do I have to marry the Barbarian King? It's the little barbarian girl who caused the trouble."

"It has nothing to do with the little barbarian girl, the situation is like this."

"What's the situation? Do you have to let me marry outside the Great Wall?"

"All the heroes stand side by side, and Jizhou only occupies one side. It relies on the support of the He Rong tribe to command the states. However, the He Rong tribe has been on good terms with Bingzhou for generations, so Yecheng must secretly compete with Jinyang to win more of the He Rong tribe. Only with support can we maintain our current advantage.”

"Then there's no need to force me to get married. There's also the princess and Huanyan herself."

"He Rongbu wants to crown the heir apparent as emperor, and you will be the eldest princess then. As for Princess Huanyan, He Rongbu regards her as her rival."

Zhang Shiqing was stunned for a while, "I don't think this throne is interesting. I advise my father and brother not to fight."

Xu Chu shook his head, "Whether to fight or not to fight is no longer something that Prince Jibei and his son can decide."

Zhang Shiqing was even more surprised, and after a while he said: "After all, Huanyan has the final say in everything. She is the one who insists on letting me suffer outside the Great Wall."

"Princess Huanyan just happens to be in that position. Anyone else would have to make the same decision."

"Well, you two are the same person, so of course you speak for her." Zhang Shiqing's face gradually turned red, and the good mood of the day disappeared.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said this to you."

"You really shouldn't say that I am very happy, even if I wait until tomorrow... No, no, I would rather know these things earlier. Thank you for being so frank. If there is any unavoidable 'situation', please tell me together."

Xu Chu waited for a while and said, "As long as you marry outside the Great Wall, the matter is over. You will still have to take on arduous tasks."

"Are you trying to please He Rongbu? She looks good, but she is no longer my friend. Why should I do things for her?"

"Not for her, but for your parents and brother."

"I am the one who is suffering after marrying outside the Great Wall. They are doing well, so why do you want me... I understand, you continue." Zhang Shiqing's face was cold. She knew that she was the only one to win more support from He Rong's Ministry outside the Great Wall. Only then can the family be valued and safe in Yecheng.

"There are two biggest enemies in Yecheng right now. One is the Emperor and King Ning of Jiangdong, and the other is the King of Jin in Bingzhou. If my guess is correct, Princess Huanyan's plan is to defeat Jiangdong first, and then eliminate Bingzhou. So you After arriving outside the Great Wall, we must work hard to separate the relationship between He Rongbu and Bingzhou. This is difficult. The Shen family has been in business for many years and has become more intimate with He Rongbu. The only opportunity is the ambition of King Jin himself. If Xin can be allowed to do so, Shan Yu believes that King Jin will dominate the world sooner or later, which may make him give up his support for the Shen family. "

Zhang Shiqing remained silent.

"That's pretty much all I can think of." Xu Chu added.

Zhang Shiqing laughed, "Is this the solution that I came up with after reading so many military reports and thinking for many days? Let me marry outside the Great Wall to win a strong ally for Yecheng?"

"This is the method I came up with for you, not my own method."

Zhang Shiqing frowned slightly, "You are already boring enough. If you continue to speak like this deliberately to make people unable to understand, I would rather marry... no, no, I would rather stab myself in the chest."

"Haha. What I mean is that you are a descendant of the Zhang family, the daughter of the King of Jibei, and the younger sister of the Crown Prince..."

"I'm still Huanyan's niece, what exactly do you want to say?" Zhang Shiqing interrupted.

"If you care about these identities, then what I just said is your best choice."

"What if I don't care?"

"In this case, we can discuss my approach."

"Your method... you are right. You have stabbed Jia and rebelled. You don't care about the decline of the Zhang family or the safety of Yecheng." Zhang Shiqing looked Xu Chu over and over, "I should hate you."

Xu Chu smiled and said nothing, letting Zhang Shiqing make his own decision.

After staring at Xu Chu for a long time, Zhang Shiqing sighed, "You are so boring that I can't hate you. You are like a stone. Although you are blocking the road, I feel that if I go up and kick you, you will only make me angry." You are in pain, but nothing happens to you.”

"Haha, please believe me, I'm a little softer than a rock."

"Can you tell me your solution?"

"What Yecheng lacks is strong support. If there is other strong support, Yecheng will no longer need to propose a marriage to please He Rongbu."

"I understand the situation in the world to a certain extent. Each of the heroes occupies a state. No matter who is strong or weak, who is willing to be someone else's 'strong aid'? He Rongbu looked at the Central Plains and bordered the two states of Hebei and Bing. They are really the only ones who can help.”

"Yecheng is fine."

"Are you talking nonsense again? Yecheng is trying to support yourself?"

"No, Yecheng can provide strong support to others."

"Um?"

"In today's situation, helping others means helping yourself, but you have to make the other party believe it, and most importantly, you have to make Princess Huanyan believe it."

Zhang Shiqing really wanted to kick this "rock" hard so that he could say something clear.