Plan to cut off the nine states

(Thanks to the reader "Red Edge Rush" for the red reward.)

In the dead of night, when he was completely undisturbed, Zhang Shiyu would occasionally ask himself if he was the most unlucky and untimely emperor in history? He had only been on the throne for a few days and had never sat on the real dragon throne. He was just an empty title, but suffered a series of blows. First, his father was detained, and then he was forced to leave Yecheng - he liked Yecheng, second only to Dongdu - and now he had to go to the enemy camp for a visit with unknown fortunes and disasters.

Before setting off, Princess Huanyan assured him: "There is no danger on this trip. All signs show that the Chanyu is willing to form an alliance with the court. Your Majesty will be able to bring back the Herong cavalry. Your reputation will spread far and wide, and the restoration of Tiancheng will all depend on this."

Zhang Shiyu still remembers his answer: "You also promised that Yecheng would be safe before, but what happened?"

But he doesn't remember Princess Huanyan's answer. Perhaps she didn't speak again. Her eyes were a little stern, and she made the emperor obedient with just a silent rebuke.

I don't know when Zhang Shiyu was both afraid and dependent on Princess Huanyan, just like he treated the Emperor of All Things.

Zhang Shiyu didn't dare not set off. He passed by Yuyang City on the way. He looked at it from a distance and envied his sister a little. At least she dared to disobey orders and could disobey orders, but he couldn't. The burden on his shoulders was too heavy. Even if he was extremely unwilling, he had to endure it.

He didn't ride the "dragon chariot", but rode a horse. This was also arranged by Princess Huanyan, who believed that riding a car would cause contempt from the Herong people.

Princess Huanyan sent 500 people to escort the emperor, which was not a lot, and almost all of them were ceremonial guards holding flags. They looked majestic, but in fact they were vulnerable. Even if they faced the same number of He Rong cavalry, they were no match.

He Rong's troops attached great importance to the emperor's visit and sent people to greet him dozens of miles away. Then every three or five miles, an adult led the crowd to wait on the roadside and toasted to show respect.

The number of He Rong's cavalry soon exceeded that of the emperor's guards. I don't know whether they were simply happy or demonstrating. They ran back and forth in groups, and the whistling sound came one after another. Zhang Shiyu could barely maintain his composure, but many of the 500 guards changed color on their faces, and the flags in their hands seemed much heavier than usual.

When they arrived at the He Rong camp, it was dusk, and the last piece of sunlight filled the entire wilderness, making the camp look even larger, and the galloping cavalry became more numerous.

Zhang Shiyu was terrified, but also a little envious. This was exactly the support he hoped to get. If he had such a large army as a backing, he would be considered a real emperor.

The strong-armed Chanyu came out of the camp to greet him in person. When the two horses crossed, he leaned over and hugged the emperor, calling him "brother-in-law", while Zhang Shiyu called him "brother". He felt relieved, as the Chanyu seemed to be very enthusiastic.

The Chanyu and the emperor rode side by side, making a big circle in the camp. Wherever they passed, people shouted "Long live" - ​​this was the Central Plains dialect that He Rongren had just learned.

They stopped in front of the big tent. It was just getting dark, and torches were lit at the same time, especially around the big tent. There were many torches, which made it as bright as day.

The Chanyu dismounted, took the emperor's arm and entered the tent, whispered about his sister's condition, and chatted about family matters.

Zhang Shiyu's fear gradually faded, his smile became natural, and he spoke more casually.

As long as he wanted, Zhang Shiyu was good at pleasing others, and he didn't even need to do it deliberately. The strong-armed Chanyu was really happy and insisted that the emperor sit with him.

The younger brother came to pay his respects and sat beside his elder brother ever since. Although he could not help with drinking, he could help out when the emperor and Chanyu were talking. At a young age, he already knew how to read people's expressions. In addition, he was innocent and liked Chanyu very much.

Zhang Shiyu did not even remember the name of his younger brother, but he was very happy to get help.

The whole camp was as lively as a festival.

Xu Chu's residence was not far from the big tent, but he did not see the emperor, nor was he invited to the banquet. He only got a piece of meat and a piece of cheese more than usual.

Chang Yanzhi went out to watch the excitement for a while, and came back and said: "Tiancheng is the enemy of our seven tribes, but I feel a little sympathy for the emperor today. He was brought by Chanyu and followed him everywhere, without any dignity. I don't know if I saw it wrong or it was really like this, the emperor seemed very happy, just like... just like a poor relative came to the door and finally borrowed a few taels of silver."

"You still don't like Emperor Tiancheng." Xu Chu smiled.

"I just can't like it anyway. Alas, if I were a Herong, I would be very proud and my morale would be greatly boosted when I saw my own Chanyu calm and confident, and then saw the emperor timid."

"The Chanyu is the host and the emperor is the guest. It's normal to be a little nervous."

"For ordinary people, this is normal, but for the emperor, it's not normal at all. I just regret one thing: the prince often says that he is not suitable to be a king, but a more incompetent person can be the emperor. Prince... In fact, I support the prince's choice, but I think it's unfair."

"Being an emperor makes outsiders feel pity, why bother?"

Chang Yanzhi nodded, "That's right, but it's still unfair."

Xu Chu laughed a few times, "In troubled times, where is fairness? Pack up, we're about to leave."

Chang Yanzhi was overjoyed, "The things have been packed long ago and we can leave at any time. Where is Tian Jiang? Are we going to escape in the chaos?"

"It's not so easy to escape from the Herong camp. I'm waiting for the Chanyu to let me go."

"Is this... possible?"

"Be prepared, in case the Chanyu is happy and really lets me go?"

Chang Yan was greatly disappointed, "All the valuables were snatched away by Fan Jianglong and fell into the hands of the He Rong people. They never returned them. They only had a few pieces of clothing left, which they had packed away long ago. Where is the Tianjiang? I haven't seen him for a while. He did."

"He's gone."

"What?" Chang Yan was shocked, "When did you leave? Why didn't He Rongren notice? Why did you escape without us? At least you should have taken the young master with you."

"Both of us are a liability."

"That's too unloyal... How did he escape?"

"Put on the He Rong people's robes, mount the He Rong people's horses, and leave the camp."

"This is too simple. Can't you just do it?"

Xu Chu shook his head, "Neither you nor I can, because we can't leave a 'body' behind."

"Corpse? What corpse?"

"You go out and ask. There should be news outside."

Chang Yanzhi went out with a puzzled look on his face, and came back after a long time. The doubts on his face did not diminish, but became more, "Everyone said... Tian Jiang is dead."

"Yeah, how can you leave a body if you don't die?"

"But... is there someone to die for? Can He Rongren recognize it?"

"Tell me first how he died? I only know the general outline, not the details."

"He wrestled with He Rongren and won several games in a row. He was a little rude and angered a few people. He was hacked to death on the spot. The body was dragged away and buried. He Rongpingshan didn't take it seriously after hearing about it. He also said He was going to be killed yesterday... Who is the body? "

"A prisoner captured by the He Rong people was not reported. He is a redundant person."

Chang Yan understood, "Catch a person and kill him, and destroy his face so that others cannot recognize him. So, those He Rong people who drew their swords are actually friends of Tianjiang?"

"To be precise, they are 'gamblers' who have lost too much money and use this method to pay off their debts."

Chang Yan was in a daze for a while, "They are willing to admit defeat." After a pause, he added: "The person who died in his place was unlucky. He died in an unknown way."

"Tianjiang is a hero. If he becomes king, he will definitely be suitable."

"He hurt people's lives for nothing, just to borrow a corpse... Indeed, he is suitable to be king." Chang Yan sighed softly, found a place to sit down, was silent for a long time, and looked at Xu Chu, "The abdication is the master's luck. , and also my luck.”

"It's just that I have to experience the difficulty of persuading people."

"Is there anyone who the young master can't persuade?"

"There are many people here."

"But with the young master's intelligence, there must be a way, right?"

"Three words - wait."

"What are you waiting for?"

"Wait for the other person to feel moved, express his/her wishes, and then - give him a gentle push."

"Young master seems very happy. Did you just succeed?"

"You've seen it, and I still have to practice so that my expression doesn't change."

"Haha, if you don't change your expression, the young master will turn into a stone man." Chang Yan was affected and felt much better. He only felt sad about the corpse. Then he came to his senses. No wonder he would follow the young master. The young master is not suitable. Even though he is a king, he is not suitable to be a general.

The banquet in the big tent will last all night. In the small tent, Xu Chu and Chang Yan chatted and did not feel left out.

Near midnight, someone asked outside: "Has Mr. Xu rested?"

"Please come in." Xu Chu replied.

Zhou Yuanbin entered the tent and said with a smile: "I saw the lights on. I guess Mr. Xu hasn't rested yet, so he is holding a candle and talking at night?"

"It's too noisy outside, I can't sleep."

"It won't let up all night."

Chang Yan quietly exited knowingly.

Zhou Yuanbin cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations, Mr. Xu, for getting your wish. When Shanyu and the emperor were drinking, King Zuo Shenwei expressed in public that he did not want to marry Princess Fangde again. Shanyu also said that the princess's behavior was unbecoming of a woman, and there were rumors that she She has lost her virginity and is not worthy of marrying into the He Rong tribe. The emperor was embarrassed, apologized on behalf of the princess, and promised to choose another wife for King Zuo Shenwei from the clan. "

"Thanks for letting me know."

Seeing that Xu Chu looked relatively cold, Zhou Yuanbin smiled and said: "Master Xu is really calm. There is another good news. Tian Jiang was killed, and Master Xu never showed his kingly style. Chanyu found it boring and stopped asking. King Zuo Shenwei obtained your surrender and asked him to seize a state in the future and present it to the emperor as a gift. "

"Chanyu must be very happy today."

"I'm very happy, but it's not because of this that Mr. Xu got his wish."

"Thank you." Xu Chu cupped his hands and said with a smile. It was Zhou Yuanbin who went to persuade Shan Yu's eldest wife to accomplish these two things.

"When the King of Jin arrives and see how Shan Yu receives him, we will know his true thoughts." Zhou Yuanbin obeyed Liu Youzhong's orders, but had no idea of ​​the real reason, let alone Liu Youzhong's attempt to persuade the King of Jin. Change plans.

"When can I leave?"

"We'll leave early tomorrow morning in case we have a long night and have many dreams. Where are Mr. Xu going? Yuyang?"

"Not decided yet."

Zhou Yuanbin thought Xu Chu didn't want to say anything and didn't force him, so he said goodbye and left.

When Chang Yan came back, he was respectful and happy when he heard the result. He immediately packed his luggage again and prepared to leave early the next morning.

The noise outside never disappeared, but the two people inside the tent were too sleepy, so they turned off the oil lamp and lay down to rest.

I don't know what time it was, but Zhou Yuanbin came again. He barged in directly without announcing anything outside, "Mr. Xu, wake up quickly."

Xu Chu immediately sat up, his eyes darkened, "Zhou joins the army?"

"Sure enough, the night has been long and there have been many dreams. Shanyu has changed his mind again. Mr. Xu may not be able to leave, and the princess may have to marry him."

"What happened?"

"Among the emperor's entourage was a man named Kou Daogu, who was said to be the envoy of King Liang. I don't know what he said, but he actually made the Chanyu take back his order!"