Plan to cut off the nine states

A large number of officers and soldiers surrounded Siguo Valley, and several small teams went into the mountains to search to prevent Qinzhou's "distinguished guests" from having accomplices.

The Prince of Jibei, Zhang Shiyu, entered the room and saw his sister sleeping on the mat. He couldn't help but be startled. He turned to Xu Chu, who was sitting opposite, and asked coldly: "You..."

Xu Chu quietly stood up and whispered: "Let her rest."

The noise outside was too noisy. Zhang Shi woke up with sleepy eyes and saw his brother and Xu Chu standing nearby. He turned around hurriedly, "Why is my brother here? Sun Yalu didn't come? Xu Chu, you made a mistake this time... …”

"Mr. Sun is outside." Zhang Shiyu replied.

"Hmph. Please help me call Binfen."

"Sister, did you stay here last night?"

"I came out to take a breath at night. I just wanted to rest for a while, but I fell asleep. I'm like this now. If I don't talk to you, I'll ask you to come over."

Zhang Shiyu dragged Xu Chu out of the house, went to the door of his sister's room first, and said loudly: "Binfen, the princess wants you to come over."

"I know." Fanfen replied inside, without asking where the princess was, she hugged a box and hurried out.

Zhang Shiyu glanced at the soldiers in the distance and asked stiffly: "Xu Chu, I have always trusted you and treated you as one of my own..."

"Is it because of Yu Zhan? I'm sorry that the news leaked, but it's definitely not me..."

"I'm not talking about him. Who would believe what a civilian scholar said? I also know that it wasn't you who leaked it - I was talking about my sister."

"Princess, why...oh." Xu Chu smiled.

"Don't laugh. I made a promise in front of my father that you are not a wanderer and will never do anything shameless."

"Your promise is still valid. I am not a wanderer, and your sister is not a frivolous person. She... is still a child. She was just tired last night and took a rest there."

Zhang Shiyu let out a long breath, still feeling a little embarrassed, and said with a smile: "I knew it...brother-in-law, don't think too much, I just think it's not the right time. I'm not denying the identity of you and my sister as husband and wife..."

"At this time, the prince should not mention the word 'brother-in-law' again."

"Haha." Zhang Shiyu laughed dryly, "I'm not here today for this matter. Where are the people from Qinzhou?"

"Here." Xu Chu looked at his bedroom and raised his voice, "General Xiao Meng!"

"Here!" The voice in the room was trembling, and no one dared to come out.

"We need to find a place where we can talk without being overheard."

"Yu Zhan is gone, and Mr. Fan's grave is relatively deserted."

"In front of the dead man's grave?" Zhang Shiyu looked a little embarrassed, "Okay, I'll go ask Mr. Sun, and you bring the people from Qinzhou with you."

"good."

Xu Chu knocked on his door and said, "General Xiao Meng, come out."

Meng Yingbo opened the door a crack and saw that there were no officers or soldiers guarding the door. He felt relieved. But when he saw the crowd in the distance, he still felt uneasy. "They...are here to arrest me?"

"I'm here to protect you. Come with me and I'll take you to meet two important guests."

"Yes, I listen to the young master. I will do whatever the young master says."

When Meng Yingbo went out, Xu Chu looked at him and said, "Leave all the weapons in the house and don't take anything with you."

"Bringing nothing?"

Xu Chu nodded.

Meng Yingbo went back to the house to store the sword and other weapons. Zhang Shiqing happened to come out of the study with the maid. He had returned to normal. He walked closer and said with a smile: "I know why my brother is here. This is one of Huanyan's ways to resolve the feud. With This shows everyone that she has no suspicion about our family.”

Xu Chu smiled back.

“It’s easy to understand the general trend and ‘guess people’s minds’, so why bother reading those military newspapers?”

“The general trend is used to ‘guess’, and the details are used to ‘persuad’.”

Zhang Shiqing lowered his lips slightly, "'Persuading' is the most boring thing. I never 'persuad', Binfen, do I need to 'persuade' you?"

"Persuasion? What is persuasion?" Funan looked confused.

Zhang Shiqing returned to his room, uncharacteristically showing no interest in this potentially important conversation.

Xu Chu took Meng Yingbo to Fan Guan's tomb, but was stopped three times on the way. Different people came to search him, but only Meng Yingbo was searched. After confirming that there was nothing hurtful on him, he was released.

Sun Yalu stood in front of the tombstone, while Zhang Shiyu was a little further away from him, guarding the door of the wooden house and refusing to get close to the tomb. The two could only talk loudly, but when they saw Xu Chu approaching, they both shut up.

After Xu Chu introduced him, Sun Yalu came closer and asked Meng Yingbo about the situation of the World Army and Xijing. He was not very polite. When he found that the news about this person was still more than ten days ago, he smiled and said to Zhang Shiyu : "Your Majesty, do you have anything to ask?"

Zhang Shiyu shook his head. He had been standing at the door without coming over, pretending to be a bystander.

"It's okay for now. General Meng, please go back and rest first."

"Ah, I'll take my leave then." Meng Yingbo didn't know why, but he didn't dare to ask. He glanced at Xu Chu and left.

Meng Yingbo had not gone far when four officers and soldiers came to greet him. The two in front and the two in the back escorted him back to where he came from. However, there were no ropes or shackles on him, which made Meng Yingbo feel more at ease.

Sun Yalu watched Meng Yingbo go away and said to Xu Chu: "He is either a 'distinguished guest' or an ordinary rebel. He came to Yecheng to invite Mr. Xu to come out of the mountain again and become the king of Wu again."

"Yecheng is in need of a messenger. General Xiao Meng has come at a very good time. He should be treated as an honored guest."

"Hey, Mr. Xu made a mistake. Although you offered your advice, Yecheng didn't accept it. How did you say you needed a messenger?"

"At this time, you still don't accept it?" Xu Chu looked surprised.

"'At this time' there is especially no need to form an alliance with the bandits. Mr. Xu also learned that the friendship between Yecheng and He Rong's tribe is getting closer and they trust each other. He Rong's tribe is willing to send 100,000 cavalry for Ye City to call upon at any time, but Yecheng is not needed for the time being; Bingzhou has no plans to invade Jizhou. They are accumulating grain and grass in Feihukou because there are several rebellions in the area and Jinyang needs to send troops to suppress them. As for the Bingzhou army, they have consolidated the grain road in Qinzhou. Traveling quickly under the stars, we arrived at Xijing three days ago and took a short rest. Today and tomorrow we will join forces with the Jizhou army to attack the city. In a few days, good news will come. "

"Congratulations." Xu Chu cupped his hands and turned to Zhang Shiyu, "I especially want to congratulate the crown prince."

"Huh? What do you congratulate me for?"

"The He Rong tribe has taken control of Jizhou, and as the prince's brother-in-law, he deserves to be reused."

"Take control of Jizhou? How did Mr. Xu hear this?" Zhang Shiyu sneered and simply looked away, unwilling to get involved.

Xu Chu said to Sun Yalu: "The officers and soldiers will be defeated in Xijing, and the news will come soon. Because the real commander of the Jishi Army is none other than Cao Shenxi. General Cao's formation of troops is so superb that it is unparalleled in the world. , and the plan is grand and far-reaching. Until the last moment, the opponent will be unpredictable..."

Before Sun Yalu said anything, Zhang Shiyu, who was a little further away, couldn't help but laugh: "Cao Shenxi? Cao Shenxi, who has been defeated in consecutive battles and is a captured general? Mr. Xu... what he said is too exaggerated, Lou. Even though the general was killed, when it comes to famous generals in the world, Cao Shenxi is hardly the best."

Xu Chu shook his head and said: "What I said is all true, but General Cao has a shortcoming. He is not strong-minded and courageous. He can move forward bravely when facing the enemy, but he always gives in when facing his own dignitaries, so that the plan cannot be fully completed. But the general used only six or seven points of his plan to run rampant in the world. Today, the descending army obeys General Cao's plan and there is no interference from the powerful. Therefore, I say that the officers and soldiers will not only be defeated. , and it was a huge defeat.”

Zhang Shiyu laughed and shook his head, feeling that there was no need to argue, so he simply stopped talking.

Xu Chu continued: "Last year in Dongdu and this year in Xijing, the Jizhou army was defeated one after another. It was inevitable that morale was low and people's hearts were floating. For He Rong's tribe, this was a God-given opportunity. Instead of making friends or supporting them, it was better to capture it in one fell swoop. . Even if He Rong's troops don't go south, the Huangfu family in the north will be interested. It's hard to say who will lend the 100,000 cavalry."

Sun Yalu also shook his head, "Is Mr. Xu finished?"

"Although it is not a clear statement of truth, it is generally true. Jizhou went against its path and attacked Qinzhou from afar. It is extremely unwise to make close friends with the Yi people and powerful enemies."

"Hey, Mr. Xu lives in seclusion in the valley, read a few military newspapers, and heard a few rumors. Do you dare to judge the situation in Jizhou and the wisdom of governing?"

"More than that, I understand the purpose of Yecheng: occupying Qinzhou in the west is to benefit the Shen family in neighboring Bingzhou, but in fact it is to bring in the Xi family of Jingzhou and the Sheng family of Huaizhou. The three parties quarreled, and the Shen family was constrained. . At the same time, the emperor was killed in Jiangdong, a new king was elected in Yecheng, and the orthodoxy was successfully won. When the three parties are in dispute, they will come to Yecheng to seek justice. By then, the Zhang family will become the common master of the world. "

Sun Yalu sneered and felt there was no need to answer.

"Princess Huanyan is just like Cao Shenxi back then. She has a very good strategy. Unfortunately, she is constrained by the powerful. She reduces it by two points and uses inhumane methods. She also reduces it by two points and underestimates the enemy. She reduces it by two more points and only four points are left. What? Can it succeed?"

Sun Yalu's face was gloomy, "I came here specially to visit, thinking that Mr. Xu really had a real plan, but it turned out that it was just lies. Take my leave."

Xu Chu refused to let go and followed Sun Yalu, "The biggest hidden danger in Yecheng is none other than Princess Huanyan herself. As a woman, she is in power and is quite ridiculed. Others can gain support if they succeed for five points. She must be seven, eight or even ten points in order to suppress..."

Sun Yalu fluttered his sleeves, quickened his pace, and threw the ignorant Xu Chu away.

Xu Chu stopped, and Zhang Shiyu caught up with him, whispering: "That's good, that's right, but it's too bold and makes Huanyan angry. What good will it do to you?"

"She needs to be stirred up."

"Hey, it's up to you. Don't mention that matter for now. I've sent Qiao Zhisu away to avoid the limelight."

Xu Chu looked at Sun Yalu's back without saying a word.

"Everyone has to be careful now. If Huanyan is really angry, Mr. Xu can find his own solution. It's not easy for our family to come forward. As for my sister, I will pick her up as soon as possible. Oh, it's a lot of trouble..." Zhang Shi Yu couldn't stay long and strode off to chase Sun Yalu.

Zhang Shiyu and Sun Yalu returned to Yecheng, but most of the officers and soldiers stayed behind. More than 200 people were guarding everywhere. The valley suddenly became like a prison.

Xu Chu's fate depends on the outcome of the war in Xijing, thousands of miles away.