Plan to cut off the nine states

Yecheng could not muster many troops at the moment, so Yin Fu and the two kings could only bring 8,000 people to meet the Western Expeditionary Army, which was called 30,000 people. It was originally intended to be called 50,000 people, or even 100,000 people. Yin Fu firmly opposed it. , said to the ministers: "The two kings took the trouble to go to Qinzhou in person. They will surely boost their morale and defeat an army of 100,000 people."

According to Yin Fu's idea, he didn't even need to bring eight thousand soldiers. He and the two kings just rode lightly on the road, went straight to Qinzhou to take over the Jizhou army, and then acted expediently, deciding whether to attack, defend, retreat, or make peace.

Other ministers disagreed, thinking it was too risky. The King of Xiangdong and the King of Jibei especially disagreed. They just said "not appropriate" and insisted on leading their troops on the road.

Yin Fu was originally a civil servant. Although he refused to obey his elders, he was quite unfamiliar with military matters. He was anxious, but he could not mobilize the whole army. Five days after setting off from Yecheng, he reluctantly arrived at Mengjin, which was much later than he expected. Much slower.

The northern and southern cities of Mengjin were still guarded by the Liang Army, but friendly troops were allowed to be stationed outside the city. On the south bank was a Huaizhou Army, and on the north bank were the Jizhou Army and the Bingzhou Army. Their main responsibilities were to supervise grain-carrying ships and ensure smooth westbound roads.

Yin Fu had no intention of staying here, but the two kings and generals thought that there happened to be their own military camp on the north bank, and they could rest there for a while while waiting for news from Qinzhou.

By coincidence, the Huaizhou army retreating from Xijing arrived at Mengjin and stopped on the south bank. They heard that the two kings from Yecheng were coming, and the commander-in-chief wanted to cross the river to meet them.

The Huaizhou army withdrew from Xijing very quickly, and a large amount of military supplies were abandoned. After passing through Tongguan, the soldiers felt a little relieved. Especially when they heard that the Jizhou and Bingzhou armies had not retreated, and there was no World Army chasing behind them, they felt even more relieved. , changed to a slow march, always paying attention to the news in Xijing and Yecheng. If there was another change, they would still have time to turn around and return to Qinzhou to get a piece of the pie.

Yin Fu knew this clearly and said to the two kings: "Huaizhou will wait and see the situation and fall with the wind. Your two highnesses do not need to be polite and should set off as soon as possible, either to capture Xijing or to welcome back the soldiers of Jizhou. As long as Yecheng still has strength, so the children of the Sheng family will naturally go to Yecheng to pay homage to the Empress Dowager and their two highnesses."

The King of Jibei is a nephew and doesn't speak much. He only listens to the arrangements of his uncle, the King of Xiangdong.

The King of Xiangdong suffered in the Eastern Capital and still has lingering fears, so he must be safe, "Master Yin has read the book of sages, why is he so restless? The news of the departure of reinforcements from Yecheng must have reached Qinzhou, let's go slower It doesn't matter. Huaizhou is a vital ally of Yecheng, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is an arm. Sheng Xuan, the commander-in-chief of the South Bank, is an elder of the Sheng family and has had a relationship with me for decades. If he comes to visit the North Bank, I will ignore him. , It’s very disrespectful and will create a rift between the two states. It’s very inappropriate.”

The King of Jibei nodded, "It's just one night. We can set off tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. If we talk well, we may be able to persuade Shengxuan to change his mind and lead his troops back to Xijing. The two sides of the Taiwan Strait can advance together, which is better than the Jizhou army marching alone."

The King of Xiangdong agreed, "It makes sense, but it's hard for you and me to talk about it. We need to find someone to mediate and make Sheng Xuan voluntarily turn around."

"I have a staff member named Qiao Zhisu who is very eloquent and may be of use."

Qiao Zhisu originally went out to seek refuge, but after the storm passed, he was called back and followed the King of Jibei to the west.

The King of Xiangdong looked at Yin Fu, "Master Yin is a veteran minister and a leader in the literary world. He should be very familiar with the Sheng family, right?"

Yin Fu was indeed familiar with the Sheng family, but he was unwilling to help. He handed over his hand and said, "How about this. Your Highnesses will stay in Mengjin temporarily and dedicate a thousand troops. I will lead them and rush to Xijing. At least they will get to Tongguan first to ensure that they leave." The gate of Qin will not be closed."

The King of Xiangdong had no choice but to look at the King of Jibei and said, "Master Yin must be in such a hurry. Well, how about you bring five hundred cavalry as the vanguard, and the King of Jibei and I will follow, not too far away?"

Five hundred people were five hundred people. Yin Fu had no time to be picky and immediately said: "Okay, please sign the order. I will lead the troops and set off in half an hour."

"Are you leaving now? It's afternoon now, it's getting dark, and Sheng Xuan is here to visit, but Master Yin is missing?"

"I am a civil servant and I am not familiar with the Sheng family who leads the army." Yin Fu said perfunctorily.

The King of Xiangdong wrote the military order in his own hand, sealed it with the King of Jibei, and handed it to Yin Fu, "Master Yin, be careful on the road and don't be too hasty. If there is an accident, the loss of Yecheng will be great, and a hundred thousand troops will not be able to make up for it."

"Your Highnesses must also be careful. You must not trust the Sheng family, and you must be wary of Liang Jun in the city." Yin Fu resigned and went to select generals and prepare to set off.

The King of Xiangdong was a little dissatisfied, "When I was in the Eastern Capital, Master Yin was not such a hot-tempered person."

The King of Jibei smiled and said: "It was originally his idea to send troops to meet the Jizhou army, and he personally led the troops, so naturally he had to be more urgent. What's more, he has been idle for a while, and he is suddenly used in a important way, so of course he must do his best."

"He is indeed a loyal minister." King Xiangdong said, having already concluded in his mind that Yin Fu was not suitable for troubled times and could only be a minister of peace.

As night fell, Sheng Xuan, the commander-in-chief of the Huaizhou Army on the south bank, led a large entourage through the two cities and came to the Jizhou Military Camp on the north bank to pay homage to the two kings.

In the past, the King of Xiangdong and the King of Jibei sat in the tent and waited. However, the situation was different now. The two stood under the camp gate to greet them.

The host and guest met happily. Sheng Xuan was one of the few generals in the Sheng family. He had known the King of Eastern Hunan for many years. He dismounted from a distance, walked forward quickly, knelt down and kowtowed as a minister.

Dayue, the king of eastern Hunan, hurriedly stepped forward to help him with his own hands.

Sheng Xuan brought many children of the Sheng family, as well as important generals from Huaizhou, and introduced them one by one, as if two long-estranged relatives were meeting again.

When they arrived at the tent, the guests and hosts were drinking and reminiscing about the past, sometimes laughing, sometimes sighing, and the people accompanying the banquet on both sides were all affected by it, and they were filled with joy and sorrow.

Qiao Zhisu took advantage of every opportunity and slowly brought the topic to Xijing, claiming that the two kings would personally conquer the country and put an end to the chaos soon.

With the wine in his ears and the noise in the tent, Sheng Xuan leaned forward and said to the two kings: "I understand the intentions of your two highnesses. If I can make the decision, I will lead my troops to Qinzhou tomorrow. I will not destroy the traitors and never look back. But I With the title of commander-in-chief, I can only take care of small things, and when big things happen, I have to ask for instructions. Alas, I am too old to follow the advice of my nephews in the Sheng family. "

The King of Xiangdong was deeply touched and raised his glass: "You are indeed old. I think back then, we looked down on our elders. I didn't expect that the same thing would happen to us so soon."

Qiao Zhisu smiled and said: "I am an old man who has ambitions of thousands of miles. Not to mention that Your Highness and General Sheng are in the prime of life and are galloping around the world. Who dares to say that they are old?"

The two of them laughed when they heard this, and the King of Jibei also helped: "I'm not too old, but without Uncle Wang here, I can't move even an inch, and I don't know what to do."

Sheng Xuan moved closer to King Xiangdong again, as if he wanted to whisper. Qiao Zhisu retreated into the crowd knowingly and toasted to the other Sheng family members.

Sheng Xuan did not just speak to the King of Xiangdong, but also stared at the King of Jibei, "Congratulations, the prince is about to ascend the throne. With this wise king, Tiancheng's revival is imminent."

The King of Jibei said calmly: "The restoration of nature lies with the king, and more importantly with the officials and the people. If it is unpopular, it will be useless to ascend the throne, and it will bring disaster."

"With two highnesses sitting in charge, how can the new emperor be unpopular?"

The King of Jibei smiled and said: "Since ancient times, there has been no principle for a son to be the emperor and his father to be a minister. When the incident in Xijing is over, I will retreat to the palace and hand over all powers in the court. Fortunately, there is still Uncle Wang to assist the new emperor, and it is indeed not necessary. I need to run around, it’s just hard work, Uncle Wang.”

King Xiangdong shook his head and said: "The new emperor should use his new ministers to bring peace to the world with his vigor. I also want to retire. When the new emperor needs it, I can occasionally come out to make a scene and stop the old ministers from being too arrogant."

Sheng Xuan smiled and said: "The two highnesses are too humble. Without the two kings in charge, Yecheng will be like destroying its own arms. The people of the world are looking forward to these two highnesses."

King Xiangdong took the opportunity and said: "My uncle and nephew often hear about what people want, but rarely see it with their own eyes."

Sheng Xuan understood what he meant and lowered his voice and said: "If your two highnesses really want to pacify Qin, why not stay here for a while. In less than three days, I will make Huaizhou understand the situation and allow me to lead troops back to Qin. Wouldn't it be great if the two armies marched side by side across the river?"

"Three days... is too long." King Xiangdong said.

"I can do it in two days, but if it doesn't work, I will risk my life. I will bear the crime of neglecting my life, and I will also lead the troops to help the two highnesses. To be honest, if Yecheng had let the two highnesses lead the army during the first Western Expedition to quell the chaos. , Xijing has already been captured."

The two kings looked at each other, and King Xiangdong said: "Okay, then we will wait for news about General Sheng in two days."

Shengxuan was overjoyed and offered a toast.

The guests from Huaizhou did not leave until midnight, and Liang Jun left a passage for them to return to the south bank.

Qiao Zhisu never had the chance to participate in the conversation. After the banquet, he learned from the King of Jibei that he had to stay for two more days, and felt vaguely inappropriate, "Mengjin is still several days away from Huaizhou, not to mention two days. Sheng Xuan has been unable to contact his family for three days, who can he ask for help? "

"Mr. Qiao, there is no need to worry too much. The Sheng family has also sent people to come out and station them on the border of Huai and Luo states. It is not far from here and can be returned in two days. Although Sheng Xuan is not the head of the Sheng family, he is older and If you have high prestige, you can dispatch troops even if you have no orders."

"The imperial court wants His Highness to go west for support as soon as possible. It would be a good thing if the Huaizhou Army can make a decision immediately, but it seems inappropriate to ask His Highness to wait here for two days."

"Isn't it right? Hey, why can Mr. Qiao imitate the tone of King Xiangdong? Don't worry, Master Yin has already set off, right? There's no time to waste."

Qiao Zhisu had recently defected to the King of Jibei, and he did not fully trust each other. He could not say anything more, so he could only hold up his hands and said with a smile: "Your Highness is right. If you can bring the Huaizhou Army with you, the Jizhou Army in front will be greatly encouraged and will never retreat again." meaning."

"Yes, I will send someone to deliver a message to Yin Fu and the Jizhou Army in Xijing early tomorrow morning. Needless to say about waiting, I just want to say that the Huaizhou Army has changed its mind so that they can be at ease."

Qiao Zhisu's heart changed, and he held up his hands and said: "I would like to take a trip, and I don't have to set off immediately tomorrow morning. Maybe I can catch up with Mr. Yin, and he can announce the good news to the soldiers in front, which will boost morale."

"Okay, then it's all thanks to Mr. Qiao."

Qiao Zhisu took less followers and more horses. He left the camp before dawn and ran for nearly a hundred miles. He failed to catch up with Yin Fu, but saw something strange.

There is a military camp on the roadside, which was supposed to be a temporary settlement for the Jizhou Army, used to supervise the road.

The weather was fine, and Qiao Zhisu could see flags flying in the camp from a distance. As he got closer, he saw many flags with the word "Liang" embroidered on them.

Their whereabouts were also discovered, and a group of soldiers came towards them. The leader shouted: "Liang Jun is here. Anyone who comes can dismount and stand by!"

Qiao Zhisu was taken aback, and the faint uneasiness in his heart suddenly turned into a huge panic.