Plan to cut off the nine states

Hearing that Saint Jin was holding back to kill him, Zhang Shiqing laughed out loud, "Welcome her. I admire her. She can't protect herself, but she still wants to be jealous - and it's a vague jealousy."

"It's not all jealousy." Meng Yingbo ignored Xu Chu's eyes and explained: "Saint Jin said that there are no good people in the Zhang family - not all Zhangs, but the Zhang family of the Emperor of All Things - regardless of gender, they should all be killed. Princess Fangde should be killed especially because you are unfaithful and unfilial. , Unfaithfulness: When the Emperor of All Things was assassinated, you did not seek revenge, but let the assassin go, which is unfaithfulness; I heard that you often disobeyed your parents' orders and acted recklessly, which is unfilial; you also did not observe etiquette, wrote a letter of divorce, and showed up everywhere, which is unfaithfulness; and... "

"Enough!" Zhang Shiqing scolded, turned to Xu Chu, and said coldly: "You still want Yecheng to form an alliance with the rebel army? If you succeed, I will not only admire you, but also treat you as a living god. "

Zhang Shiqing turned and left, full of anger.

Xu Chu said to Meng Yingbo: "Did Saint Jin say these words?"

Meng Yingbo glared at first, intending to fight to the end, but then changed his mind and said with a smile: "I can't imitate it?"

"Saint Jin admires the things you said, how can she regard them as sins?"

"Hehe." Meng Yingbo scratched his head, "I told General Wang Dian at the time that I should not lie in front of the King of Wu... in front of the young master, but he didn't listen and insisted that I memorize the conversation, saying that if it was useful, the young master would lose his most important backer in Yecheng..."

"Wang Dian is so anxious for me to go to Qinzhou?"

"Not only Wang Dian, everyone is anxious. Seeing that the Advent Army is getting worse day by day, the enemy forces around are getting stronger and stronger..."

"Kneel down." Xu Chu said.

"Hmm?" Meng Yingbo was stunned. He wanted to kowtow when he came, but was stopped by Xu Chu and Chang Yanzhi. Now he was asked to kneel down for no reason. It was really puzzling, but he was very obedient. If he didn't understand, he didn't understand. He would do it first and then talk about it. So he knelt down and kowtowed respectfully. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind and he said happily: "Young Master wants to be king again..."

"I won't go back. Kneeling down is to make you speak honestly and stop lying. If you play tricks again, the gods will hate you and the sky will be struck by lightning." Meng Yingbo was scared and anxious. "It's not me, it was all Wang Dian's idea."

"I don't care whose idea it was, you did it, so the fault lies with you."

Meng Yingbo kowtowed again, "I don't dare to do it again, please forgive me for my brother's sake."

Speaking of Meng Senglun, Xu Chu sighed, "I don't care, but you don't have to get up, just kneel there and talk."

"Yes, yes, I won't get up, and I have no right to stand in front of you." In order to persuade Xu Chu to come out of retirement, Meng Yingbo was much more respectful than before.

Xu Chu moved the chair away and sat aside, "You can talk now."

"Say...what?"

"The true situation of the Advent Army."

Meng Yingbo knelt down and tried to change direction to face Xu Chu, but was stopped by a wave of his hand. He had to continue talking to the table. Before he spoke, he sighed, "Anyway, the lies will be discovered by the young master, and I don't have the ability to make it perfect, so I'd better tell the truth. Although the leaders of the Advent Army are not in harmony, they are much stronger. Everyone says that the Golden Saint is better at fighting than the Advent King and is more fair. They are willing to be loyal to her, not to mention that there is a young king, and Maitreya still cares for the soldiers of the whole army."

After staying in the Advent Army for a long time, Meng Yingbo also began to believe in Maitreya, and he believed it sincerely. When he said these two words, he unconsciously clasped his hands together and looked up.

"Those officers and soldiers who surrendered in Dongdu, especially Cao Shenxi, are now the right-hand men of Saint Jin. They are in charge of everything from attacking cities and seizing land, deploying troops, to organizing the ranks. Saint Jin has no objection. We Wu people are pitiful. We are the direct descendants of the prince. We were entrusted by the prince to follow Saint Jin to Qin, but we were rejected. No one can be called a confidant, and we are not qualified to participate in major and minor matters. Just before I set off, Saint Jin forcibly broke up the Wu soldiers and divided them under the command of various generals. Even the flags of the Wu army were cancelled. . "

"This move is cruel enough."

"That's right. Saint Jin didn't care about the old friendship with the young master at all. She treated the Wu people as ordinary soldiers. General Wang Dian's burns have not healed completely. Now he can only be an idle general without any soldiers under his command. I am even worse off. I am just a deputy general with 500 soldiers. 90% of them are not Wu people, but the Jiangshi Army. They don't listen to me at all."

Meng Yingbo was so angry that he shook his head and gritted his teeth. Xu Chu sat aside and watched carefully. He believed that he was telling the truth this time.

"Are all the other Wu people like this?"

"Yes, the highest Wu people are only lieutenant generals with 3,000 soldiers. Really, our requirements are not high. The Jiangshi Army is large in number and is the old Xue family. They have more advantages than us, so we can accept it; the new army is also large in number and has higher official positions than us, so we can tolerate it; but what about Cao Shenxi and others? They used to be officers and soldiers, and they are the great enemies of the Jiangshi Army. They are surrendered generals and surrendered soldiers. There are only 300 to 500 people, and their loyalty is not guaranteed, but they are all reused. Cao Shenxi refused to lead troops, but he is the most trusted military advisor of Jin Shengnv, and he must participate in all decisions. Jin Shengnv even calls him her foster father!"

"Foster father?"

"Yes, let alone the Wu people, the Jiangshi Army is not happy either, especially Xiong Nandi, who publicly stated that if Cao Shenxi dared to call himself grandfather, he would cut the old guy in two even if he died."

Xu Chu laughed out loud.

"Master, don't laugh, this is the truth. Not only Cao Shenxi, but also Guan Changling, who is too old to even ride a horse, was entrusted with the post of deputy commander. There are dozens of others who were named generals, and their official positions are higher than How many levels must we raise before surrendering? We see it in our eyes and are anxious in our hearts. If this continues, the Advent Army will inevitably mutiny out of dissatisfaction..."

"Didn't you say that all the Advent Army is willing to be loyal to the Golden Saint?"

"Yes, allegiance, but there is also dissatisfaction in the heart. It is both. If the young master can go there and put things right in time, the World Army will naturally lose all dissatisfaction and only be loyal. If it is a few days later, I am afraid the dissatisfaction will overwhelm it. Loyalty will be irrevocable."

"good."

"Okay...what do you mean?"

"Just rest in this room and don't go out. Wait until someone comes from Yecheng before making any plans."

"Young master... you won't hand me over, right? If I fall into the hands of the government, I will definitely die."

"Of course not. If the officials insist on taking you away, I will accompany you to see the officials."

Meng Yingbo kowtowed to the table and said, "Young Master's words are enough. If there is really no way out, I will die and I will never harm the Young Master. I only ask the Young Master to look for opportunities and go to Qinzhou as soon as possible before I can save Wu." "The Man and the Golden Saint."

"Rest calmly and leave everything to me."

Xu Chu got up and left, going to the study next door to rest.

Meng Yingbo stood up, let out a long breath, and murmured: "Young master has a clever plan. Since he said everything will be left to him, it must be fine. I'd better take a nap."

Meng Yingbo went to bed and lay down, snoring soon. Separated by a wall, Xu Chu was reading military newspapers with a light on. He had already read them once, and now he was re-reading dozens of selected ones.

The night is deep, the valley has become silent, and even the sound of insects has become much less frequent. Most people have already gone to bed. Even the officers and soldiers around the courtyard only have a few people on duty. The others go to the outpost or find an empty room to rest.

Zhang Shiqing didn't sleep either. She had already laid down and couldn't fall asleep after tossing and turning, so she just got up again without waking up Binfen. She put on her clothes and shoes and went out quietly. She saw the light in the study at a glance.

It was a hot summer day, and the doors and windows of the study were not closed. Zhang Shiqing stood at the door without crossing the threshold, quietly looking at Xu Chu who was unaware. She knew that soldiers were watching from a distance, but she didn't care.

I don't know how much time had passed, but Xu Chu felt a little tired. He stood up and stretched his waist. When he saw the person at the door, he smiled and said, "How long have you been here?"

"Just arrived. It's too hot and I can't sleep."

"Come in."

Zhang Shiqing shook his head.

"Meng Yingbo admitted that he made up those words, Golden Saint..."

Zhang Shiqing shook his head again and stepped into the room, "It has nothing to do with her." He took off his shoes, walked to the mat and sat down, adjusted his posture for a while, and praised: "No wonder Mr. Fan likes to sit on it. Although he is a little tired, there is no chair." The stool is cramped.”

Xu Chu also went to the mat and sat opposite, "And there is no distinction between host and guest."

"Yes, your position is the chief."

"That's an ancient ritual that has no meaning anymore. When we sit together at the same table, there is no distinction between host and guest. There is no distinction between high and low, and no distinction between high and low."

"Hey, it sounds nice, but it's ultimately an illusion."

“Appreciating flowers in late spring is only a moment, looking up at the stars is a moment, riding the golf course is a moment, and kings and generals are nothing more than a moment.”

"I won't argue with you about this kind of thing." Zhang Shiqing was silent for a while, "That person named Yu Zhan is telling the truth, right?"

Xu Chu refused to answer.

"Are you afraid that others will listen to you again?" Zhang Shiqing smiled disdainfully, and then his face darkened, "I have thought about it for a long time, what is the 'general trend' of our family? In the end, I have to say that my father and brother have a relationship. possible……"

"It's just possible. There are rifts everywhere, and no family is really monolithic. It can resolve the rifts, or at least cover up the rifts. It is the responsibility of the head of the family, and this person's ability is shown here."

"You put all the responsibility on Huanyan."

"Since she wants to be the head of the family, she can't avoid this kind of thing."

"What if she uses killing to resolve the feud?"

"This is a way, but it will do more harm than good. It will make me doubt that she is not capable enough."

"Hey, this is Huanyan's 'general trend': at least for now, she can't leave our home."

"Can't live without it."

"What about the future? You don't have to answer." Zhang Shiqing lowered his gaze, and the innocence in his expression almost disappeared.

Xu Chu was impulsive and wanted to say something to restore some of the innocence on his face. In the end, he held back. Even in this small and remote valley, he couldn't make the decision. Instead of giving false hope , he is more willing to show the cruel reality.

"I will lie here for a while. If I fall asleep, please wake me up."

"good."

Zhang Shiqing lay down on his side, resting his arm on his pillow. He kept his eyes open at first, then slowly closed them.

Xu Chu sat opposite her, without waking her up, or even checking to see if she was asleep. He just watched silently until the oil lamp went out, until it was almost dawn, and the sound of messy horse hooves came from outside, notifying him that someone was coming from Yecheng.