Plan to cut off the nine states

Fei Zhen seemed to be serious. The old man's eyes were as bright as fire, as if the ashes were resurrected, and this time it would burn even more vigorously.

Xu Chu shook his head gently, "Master Fei, please don't say anything further."

"What, do you think I'm too old to do this kind of thing? Or do you think I'm tricking you into getting involved and staying out of it? I'm indeed old, but I'm not old enough to sit back and wait for death, and I won't let Xu The young master broke into Longtan alone. You and I join forces, and I will bear all the blame for the incident."

Xu Chu still shook his head.

Fei Zhen said angrily: "If I were not worried that I would not have the chance to get close to the King of Liang, I would not invite Mr. Xu at all. When Mr. Xu attacked the emperor with a single sword, he was so brave and brave. Only one year later, he became timid. It was Yecheng Don’t you deserve your help, or do you think I, Fei Zhen, am not trustworthy?”

Xu Chu said: "The emperor of all things is arbitrary and arbitrary, like the head of a ferocious beast, which can be killed. Although King Liang is the leader of an army, most of his soldiers are seconded..."

"I understand what you mean, but getting rid of King Liang can cause a little accident. Yecheng can breathe for a few days. Maybe the Jizhou army in Xijing can come back in time - if they are still there."

"There is no chance to get rid of Prince Liang..."

"Yes, as long as Mr. Xu lowers his rhetoric and declares that he is willing to assist King Liang, he will be summoned again. When the time comes, I will pretend to be angry and denounce your betrayal in public, and King Liang will definitely send me to you for disposal. You think of a way to make the guards leave, take advantage of the situation, and when you succeed, hand the weapon to me. Just run out and yell, and leave everything to me."

"Master Fei...has thought a lot."

"Of course, I have considered it all. What Mr. Xu has lost is nothing more than a little reputation. I will write a letter, Mr. Xu will hide it with him, and then pass it on to Princess Huanyan. She will understand everything and will only be grateful to Mr. Xu. ”

Fei Zhen was so obsessed with this idea that he became obsessed with it.

Xu Chu could only say: "Master Fei, please wait for another two or three days..."

"We can't wait. The situation in Yecheng is critical and it is urgent."

"If Yecheng cannot sustain itself for two or three days, what's the use of saving it?"

Fei Zhen was stunned for a while, then reluctantly said: "Okay, I'll wait for two or three days. I hope Mr. Xu is not perfunctory with me."

"I won't go around with Mr. Fei for this meal of meat and wine. But I said that after two or three days, I will not take action, but give Mr. Fei an answer."

"After two or three days, if you still don't want to participate, I will think of another way. I just hope that Mr. Xu will stay out of the matter and don't talk too much."

"I can definitely do this."

Fei Zhen relied on his strength to support him. Once he relaxed a little, it immediately released like a flood and could no longer be stopped. The light in his eyes quickly dimmed and his body slowly shrank. "Mr. Xu, eat slowly by yourself, I want..." I have to lie down for a while."

"I've almost eaten. Master Fei, take a good rest."

"You take the wine away. I have to... Mr. Xu, don't think I'm a loser. When it's time to get up, I won't be any weaker than you."

"I believe it." Xu Chu said with a smile, holding a pot in one hand and a cup in the other, and left.

There was already a fighting atmosphere in the military camp. Even at night, there were groups of soldiers running around, transporting large quantities of wood, stones and other objects in preparation for the siege.

Several soldiers from Yecheng stood at the door of the tent with panic on their faces, turning a blind eye to Xu Chu who walked in front of them. For them, there was no hope for them.

Yu Zhan was not in the tent. Xu Chu lit the oil lamp and sat on the bunk to pour himself a drink. He already had an answer for Fei Zhen in his heart. He would never use assassination again, nor would he use it on anyone. He hoped that something would turn around within two or three days and that Fei Zhen would be relieved of his worries.

The night was too long and the wine was too little. Xu Chu had not yet finished enjoying himself, and the pot had reached the bottom. He could only sigh softly, looked at the oil lamp, and planned to lie down and sleep after the flames disappeared.

When Yu Zhan came in, Xu Chu was in a daze.

He sat across from him, lowered his head and said nothing.

"It's almost extinguished. Does Mr. Yu still need a light?"

"unnecessary."

"Then let it go out on its own and save the effort of blowing it."

The last flame was extremely tenacious and stayed put out for a long time. Xu Chu felt a little tired from staring and said with a smile: "You really can't underestimate anything. Look at this..."

"Mr. Kou wants to do harm to Mr. Xu."

"Um?"

"I don't know what Mr. Kou thinks. He seems to think that surrendering the city to the King of Liang would be more beneficial to Yecheng. He...he persuaded the King of Liang to take Mr. Xu as a hostage and force Yecheng to open its doors."

"I have been a hostage for a long time, and so have you."

"It's different. We just don't have freedom. We have to watch Yecheng be attacked. Mr. Xu... may be sent to the city and be attacked with swords and axes. If the people in the city refuse to surrender, Mr. Xu will be executed in public."

"Is this a plot? How will killing me interfere with Yecheng? What benefit will it bring to Liang Jun?"

"Mr. Kou thought that because Mr. Xu was famous all over the world and had an old relationship with the King of Liang, Yecheng would use the fact that Mr. Xu was sent as an envoy to the King of Liang to appease the people. Seeing that Mr. Xu was killed, the people in the city would be in chaos."

Xu Chu thought for a while and said with a smile: "It's really hard to refute."

Yu Zhan was a little frustrated, "I thought Mr. Kou only followed the high road, but I didn't expect that he would also play tricks."

"Kou Daogu must have an explanation for this."

"He said that scholars also need to use knives when killing pigs, and money when buying rice and noodles."

"He called me a pig?"

"Wild boar," he said. Talking about morality when you meet a wild boar on the road. If you die without morality, it will be a laughing stock. He also said that to deal with people like Mr. Xu, you must use all possible means to defeat conspiracies with conspiracy and fight with deceit. , then there is a chance of winning.”

"Well...it's also impossible to refute, unless you think I'm not 'such a person'."

Yu Zhan sighed: "Maybe I'm confused. I feel that Mr. Xu is not...'such a person'. I hope Mr. Xu can find a way to save himself."

"If I use tricks to save myself, I will become what Kou Daogu calls a 'wild boar'. If I don't use tricks, I can only wait to die in silence, proving that Kou Daogu is wrong."

Yu Zhan shook his head, "Even if Mr. Xu is waiting to die, others will think that Mr. Xu is inferior in skill. No one except me knows that Mr. Xu has refused to use tricks."

"Having a close friend is better than a thousand friends."

Yu Zhan was surprised, "Master Xu really... doesn't intend to save himself?"

"Save yourself, but without trickery."

"It's impossible, Prince Liang is already moved..."

"Wait a little longer."

Yu Zhan was even more surprised. He was speechless for a long time, and finally said: "Master Xu, please wait. Alas, it's upside down and the hierarchy is out of order. I'm blind now and can't see anything clearly. I really hope my master is still here. Only He can answer my doubts.”

"There is a man in the camp named Guo Shifeng. If Master Yu is interested, you can ask this man for advice."

"Can he answer my doubts?"

"This man claims to be 'up and down in the world', which is exactly the opposite of Mr. Yu's behavior. After being in contact with him for a while, if Mr. Yu can be persuaded by him, he also wants to 'up and down', and there will naturally be no more doubts in his heart. If Mr. Yu insists on his own opinion, he will also If we can get some different insights from him and balance the two aspects, we may be able to resolve the confusion.”

"Mr. Xu's method of solving doubts...is somewhat special."

"Guo Shifeng likes to make friends with all kinds of people. When you go to see him, don't show your humility to ask for advice, but call yourself a Yecheng family and know many scholars."

"I do."

"Where is Mr. Sun Yalu Sun?"

"We have met several times and know each other's names."

"You want to say that you are Mr. Sun's friend."

"Okay... ok." Yu Zhan scratched his head, "Obviously I am worried about Young Master Xu, why did I become Young Master Xu to give me advice?"

"There is no solution to my problem. I can at least try to solve Mr. Yu's problem."

"Tomorrow I will find a way to ask to see Mr. Guo."

Early the next morning, the camp set off and arrived outside Yecheng within a short distance of meeting Liang Jun.

The camp stretches for dozens of miles, and except for a few sections where the terrain is too steep, Liang Jun is everywhere, surrounding Yecheng.

A small number of Jizhou troops had already withdrawn into the city and never fought against Liang Jun.

Early in the morning, Xu Chu noticed something unusual. There were a few more guards outside his tent. After setting out on the road, the number of Liang soldiers escorting the envoy increased significantly.

Fei Zhen felt a little guilty and asked Xu Chu with a wink. Xu Chu found an opportunity and whispered: "It has nothing to do with Mr. Fei."

Before noon, King Liang led his troops into the camp ahead.

As soon as Xu Chu mounted his horse, the captain came over and said coldly: "Please follow me."

Xu Chu didn't ask anything, and followed the captain into a tent that had been prepared. He waited for a long time, and until dark, no one came to explain what was going on, and no one provided food. Xu Chu was hungry and thirsty. The only choice is to endure.

After about one update, someone finally showed up.

The visitor was Kou Daogu. After entering the tent, he stood at the door and asked after a while: "Why don't you light the lamp?"

“Nothing worth seeing, no need to light, waste of grease.”

"Let me give you a few words of advice."

"Please tell me."

"The only way for Yecheng to surrender is to surrender. The earlier we surrender, the fewer casualties we will have. If you can get the princess to open the city gate and welcome the Liang army, the Zhang family can be saved and the Liang King will not kill anyone."

"I don't have this ability. You all overestimated my influence on Princess Huanyan, and underestimated the will of the princess herself."

"The 'will' of the princess will kill everyone." Kou Daogu came under the order, not sincerely persuading, but changed the topic, "I will make her life worse than death for that witch you raised. All the humans and animals in the valley will be dead." They will be killed, burned down with their houses, and rebuilt again. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to see any of this.”

Xu Chu seemed to be frightened and didn't speak for a long time. When he spoke again, he smiled, "I suddenly remembered four words - Israel affects others, and it is perfect to use it on you. If you have a chance, you should It’s better to ask Mrs. Feng for advice. If you get her advice, you will be successful in everything.”

Even through the darkness, Xu Chu could feel the other party's violent anger.

"I hope you will know after you die and still be able to see the cruelty in the world." Kou Daogu said in a calm tone and turned to leave.

Xu Chu closed his eyes and slept, and never got up.

It was late at night when he woke up. After getting up, his steps were sluggish, and he didn't wake up until he walked out of the tent.

More than a dozen soldiers walked in front and behind silently, their armors making a slight sound.

The military camp was quiet, and they must have been ready, just waiting for the order.

The tent was brightly lit, with dozens of candles lit, and more oil lamps and torches, so that only a small open space and a narrow passage remained.

Ma Wei was sitting on an ancestral chair. Only the lamps and candles within a few feet of him were not lit, and both the person and the chair were hidden in the haze.

Gao Shengjie, who was staying with King Liang, was not here tonight. The soldiers tied Xu Chu's hands and then retreated, leaving only two people in the tent.

Xu Chu stood far away, raised his hands, and said with a smile: "Is that so?"

Ma Wei slowly raised his head and said in a bewildered voice: "What should I do?"