Plan to cut off the nine states

"Prince Jin?" When Guo Shifeng spoke again, his face was slightly surprised, and then he smiled again, "Master Xu plans to bring trouble to Prince Jin? Well, brothers can sever ties, let alone sworn brothers?"

Xu Chu knew that he could not continue talking, so he stood up and said: "King Ning has far-reaching ambitions. He is dormant at the moment. Sooner or later, there will be a day when the dragon will rise. He must have a good idea of ​​the heroes in the world who are strong and weak, who is ahead and who is behind. It's useless to talk about it. Let's talk about it. Go chase Liang Wang."

The two set off on horseback, leaving their entourage to clean up the mess in the pavilion.

There was no conversation all the way. When the two caught up with the team, it was getting late, the camp had been set up, and they had not gone far that day.

Several screams were heard from deep in the camp, and Xu Chu said: "The King of Liang kills people every day to establish his authority, so he must be hesitant in his heart."

Guo Shifeng said with a smile: "Mr. Xu, be careful. Even though we are old friends, you still have to pay attention to the difference between the king and the minister. If your words are heard by the king of Liang, you will be in big trouble."

"Brother Guo once asked me if I thought the King of Liang had no qualifications to compete for the title. This is my answer."

Guo Shifeng was stunned, "Mr. Xu..." He laughed and shook his head, not sure if it was appreciation or warning.

Ma Wei didn't even have a stable territory, so he was eager to establish the distinction between monarch and ministers. Based on this alone, Xu Chu was not optimistic about him.

In the tent, Yu Zhan was happier than usual. He didn't speak when he saw Xu Chu. He just nodded slightly and his eyes flickered, as if he was waiting for Xu Chu to ask first. After a long time, he finally couldn't help but said, "Mr. Kou has been summoned. "

"Really?" Xu Chu sat on the bunk, feeling a little tired.

"Some scribes and staff in the army recommended him one after another. King Liang was deeply moved. Not long after setting up camp, he personally visited Mr. Kou in his tent and invited him to drink in his tent. They were talking at this time."

"I'm a little hungry too. Where's the army's dinner?"

"Uh... I thought you ate out, so I didn't stay."

"It doesn't matter. I can hold on until tomorrow morning. Maybe someone will treat me to a drink in the evening."

Yu Zhan was very dissatisfied with Xu Chu's cold attitude, "Is Mr. Xu jealous? Although Mr. Kou's eloquence is not as good as Mr. Xu, he is good at subtle words and righteousness, and he will definitely be able to persuade the King of Liang to withdraw his troops."

"What kind of 'small words and big ideas'?"

"Ye City is the seat of the imperial court. Once it collapses, the world will be without a master, and there will be chaos and loss of life. If the King of Liang takes a step forward, he will become a sinner for the ages. If he takes a step back, he will be an important minister of peace and stability. With the current situation of the King of Liang, instead of being a pawn in Huaizhou, It would be better to switch to Yecheng and become the mainstay."

"The 'great righteousness' is there, but the 'micro-words' is a bit worse."

"I'm stupid, Mr. Kou must be much better at speaking than me."

Xu Chu smiled and said, "Kou Daogu wouldn't say this."

"Hey, Mr. Xu doesn't believe in 'righteousness', so he thinks others don't believe it either?"

"I believe in 'great justice', just because I believe it, so I know that King Liang will not be persuaded by such words, and Kou Daogu will not waste his words on this. He is trying every means to see King Liang, and it has nothing to do with Yecheng."

Yu Zhan showed a trace of disdain, "Mr. Xu thinks that Mr. Kou wants to avenge himself? Mr. Xu can't stand being left out. He always thinks of everything about himself."

Xu Chu thought for a while, nodded and said: "I do hate being left out. Looking back, it was because I was left out that I made the move to assassinate him."

Yu Zhan was slightly startled. He had heard the rumors about assassinating Jia, but he didn't expect to hear Xu Chu say it with his own ears, "Assassin Jia, change the surname, become king, seize the grain... No wonder Mr. Xu doesn't believe in righteousness. In your case, , there has never been justice.”

Xu Chu smiled and had no intention of arguing. He lay down on his back and murmured: "We have to wait a little longer."

The good impression Yu Zhan had not long ago disappeared again. He snorted and turned around to go out of the tent. He didn't want to be in the same room with this person. He couldn't walk around freely in the military camp. He would rather stand at the door or squeeze in with the Yecheng soldiers who were traveling with him. together.

Xu Chu fell asleep unknowingly, and was awakened by a burst of hunger in the middle of the night. There was no food in the tent, so he could only swallow his saliva. He regretted that when talking with Guo Shifeng during the day, he only drank wine and did not eat more food.

Yu Zhan still didn't come back. Xu Chu couldn't sleep for a while and lay on his back in a daze. The biggest impact of Si Guogu's "practice" on him was that he learned to "wait a little longer". He was not anxious at all. No matter what the prospect was, he had to wait for the opportunity to come. , can be realized.

Someone outside coughed, "Mr. Xu?"

"Please come in." Xu Chu stood up and sat up.

Someone opened the curtain and came in. He probably felt it was dark, turned around, asked for a lantern from outside, and came in again.

The tent suddenly became brighter, and Xu Chu couldn't adapt to it. It took him a while to see the person coming clearly, and he was quite surprised, "Mr. Qiao!"

The person who came was none other than Qiao Zhisu. He placed the lantern on the ground and sat on the bunk opposite Yu Zhan. He nodded and said after a while: "It's me."

"This is such an unexpected surprise." Xu Chu said with a smile.

Qiao Zhisu sighed softly, "I have served as a staff member under King Liang."

"Congratulations." Xu Chu did not ask further.

"I just want to save my life."

"understand."

"And Yecheng is not a place to live for a long time. The Zhang family has been mediocre for a long time, and it cannot be changed in a day. The emperor is too young. Although he has the ambition to seize power, he has never shown his superiority. To be honest, I originally advised Mr. Xu to deal with it together. King Xiangdong, this is not my intention, just to please the Lord."

"So I didn't accept it either." Xu Chu smiled, having already guessed Qiao Zhisu's intention.

"The uncle and nephew of the King of Xiangdong and the King of Jibei have not understood the situation until now. They still think that their identities and status remain unchanged. All the changes that have happened so far are accidents. As long as they work a little harder, the world will naturally return to its original state. Owned by Zhang."

"The two kings are indeed not the masters of ZTE."

"Princess Huanyan... Alas, it's a pity that she is just a princess."

"Um."

Qiao Zhisu was silent for a while, then suddenly raised his head, "There is no hope in Yecheng. Mr. Xu must have seen clearly."

"I never had hope in Yecheng."

"In this case, why does Mr. Xu want to be a lobbyist for Yecheng? Some people say that Mr. Xu is trying to repay his favor, but I don't think so. I think Mr. Xu must have a deeper reason."

Xu Chu did want to repay the favor, but he didn't want to reveal it now. He smiled and said: "The one who knows me is Mr. Qiao. Although it is difficult for Yecheng to achieve great things, it should not die now."

Qiao Zhisu nodded, "To persuade people, you must first gain their trust, and the best way to gain their trust is to make friends. The person Mr. Xu wants to persuade is the king. It is already difficult, but it is even more difficult to persuade someone as an envoy of the enemy."

"No need to say more, I understand what Mr. Qiao means. Wait a little longer, and King Liang will soon understand that he needs the opinions of some 'enemy messengers' more than those who surrender."

"Master Xu can't wait. In three days, Liang Jun will launch an attack on Yecheng. Yecheng has agreed that King Liang will send an envoy to the city - Master Xu hasn't heard the news yet, has he?"

"I have been cut off from Yecheng."

"There are signs of surrender in Yecheng, Mr. Xu still wants to fight for it?"

"It's up to them to decide whether Yecheng surrenders or fights. I only care about the general trend - how long has Master Yin been in Qinzhou?"

"Master Yin? He...should have arrived...I don't know." Qiao Zhisu was caught off guard by the question and answered in a panic, "Why did Mr. Xu suddenly think of Master Yin? He did leave before us and avoided Liang. The army stopped him, but he was alone, with only dozens of soldiers accompanying him. In front was Tongguan, where the Huangfu family was guarding, and in the rear were the pursuers sent by King Liang. They were probably captured by this time. "

"It's such a pity. I thought Lord Yin could bring back the Jizhou Army, but as long as the exact news hasn't been received, we can't say he failed, right?"

"Even if Mr. Yin successfully enters Qinzhou and rushes to Xijing, it will be difficult to quench his thirst by water far away."

"The distant water can quench the distant thirst. Although the Jizhou army cannot return to Yecheng in time, it can take advantage of the situation to invade Bingzhou. Once the Shen family is in danger, He Rong's tribe will abandon it and support Yecheng instead, with hundreds of thousands of cavalry Swarming southward, even if King Liang captures Yecheng, can he stop them in such a hurry? "

Qiao Zhisu said with a smile: "Master Xu has a good idea, but... he takes too much for granted. The situation in Qinzhou is complicated. How can Yin Fu stabilize the morale of the army so easily? How can he convince the soldiers to follow him to attack Bingzhou? Is it possible for the Jishi Army in Xijing City to Just sit back and do nothing? Even if the Jizhou army really dares to attack Bingzhou, the Jin king will be defeated if it is defeated? "

"So we have to wait a little longer. Mr. Qiao has served King Liang for the first time and has not yet made any meritorious service. Why not take the opportunity to advise and ask King Liang to wait a few more days. Once the situation becomes clear, Mr. Qiao's contribution will be considerable."

Qiao Zhisu shook his head with a smile, "For one-tenth of the great work, you have to take nine-tenths of the risk. I won't do this kind of thing, and Mr. Xu can't find anyone willing to do it."

"Alas, I have no choice but to come forward myself."

Qiao Zhisu was ordered to persuade Xu Chu to surrender. He didn't have high hopes at first and was just following orders. Then he stood up and said, "I have said everything that needs to be said. If King Liang asks..."

"Mr. Qiao went out of his way to explain the blessings and disasters clearly. It's just me who is stubborn and insists on waiting any longer."

"Thank you." Qiao Zhisu said goodbye.

Yu Zhan happened to come back and met Qiao Zhisu, who was holding a lantern. They nodded to each other and passed each other.

Yu Zhan did not speak to Xu Chu. He took off his shoes, put on his clothes and lay on the bed. After a while, he suddenly sat up and said loudly: "I remember who he is."

Xu Chu lay there without falling asleep, "What did Mr. Yu remember?"

"The person who walked out just now is the person who discussed the conspiracy with you in the Valley of Thoughts. Although I only saw the profile and back, I will never admit his mistake."

"That person just now was Qiao Zhisu. He was once a staff member of the general. He later transferred to the King of Jibei. He just transferred to the King of Liang a few days ago."

"He turned out to be a capricious villain."

"Qiao Zhisu is by no means a villain, but he hasn't found his master yet. Mr. Yu, don't be too harsh on people in troubled times."

"Hey, you are the same kind of people." Yu Zhan lay down and recognized Qiao Zhisu, which reminded him of the incident when he appealed but was wronged. He was both sad and angry, "Mr. Kou is still in King Liang's tent. It seems that he is To hold a candle and talk at night is a good sign—for Yecheng, but not necessarily for Mr. Xu."

"Do you believe what I say?"

"Even if Mr. Kou says something in front of King Liang, it is appropriate. This is not called avenging private revenge, but serving both public and private matters. After all, you have done all the evil things yourself, and you cannot deny it."

Xu Chu smiled and said: "It's a good thing that Kou Daogu didn't mention those 'evil things'. Once he mentions them, King Liang will hire me as his minister. Don't you understand, Mr. Yu? These are troubled times, and what the heroes want is to be good at doing evil things." people."

Yu Zhan finally thought of this argument, but Xu Chu refuted it with a few words, and he once again had nothing to say.

Xu Chu closed his eyes and murmured: "It can arouse the interest of Liang Wang Bingzhu's night talk. Do you think Kou Daogu is talking about righteousness, or how to do evil?"

Yu Zhan was even more unable to answer.