Plan to cut off the nine states

Chanyu was not in a hurry to enter Qinzhou, and stationed at Puban. He divided his troops and sent generals to plunder the land and attack the city. His tactics were not much different from those of the previous officers and soldiers. They first occupied the counties and then attacked Xijing in search of a decisive battle. He Rongpingshan The defeat seemed to put an end to his plans for a quick victory.

Only Xu Chu saw something special.

Shan Yu was following his plan to "destrange" the kings and their generals, but he did it extremely skillfully. He did not generalize about the kings, but always showed different attitudes, making them suspicious of each other. He gave complete trust to the fourteen cavalry, and even gave them command of his own cavalry. From time to time, he praised these people in front of everyone for their bravery and fearlessness, and treated them like brothers.

After staying in Puban for seven or eight days, He Rongbu captured a lot of surrounding territory, but compared with the entire Qinzhou, it was still a small corner.

Emperor Tiancheng Zhang Shiyu arrived in time, one day ahead of the fifteen-day deadline. When he saw Shanyu and his brother in the dust, he cried again, expressed his longing for him, and personally delivered the letter written by the queen to his brother - The Queen She didn't know how to write, so the letter was dictated by her and written by someone else. She was so talented that after hearing this, Shanyu laughed and said, "I almost don't recognize my sister."

In the evening, when Xu Chu was invited over for a drink, Zhang Shiyu revealed his true emotions, "I'm back again." He said with tears, holding the wine, but couldn't take a sip, "I'm back again, I can't even find a person." There was no chance for excuses. As soon as I received the letter from Shan Yu, the queen urged me to leave. Huanyan directly arranged the carriage and horses. The empress dowager was even more perfunctory and just said - I was not the one who left her in Yecheng in the first place. It’s my idea. Only my mother doesn’t want me to leave, but she can’t say a word..."

Xu Chu drank in silence without saying a word.

Zhang Shiyu suddenly put down his wine glass and pointed at Xu Chu, "Your Majesty, you look like this, as if this matter is insignificant and you are just going out."

Xu Chu smiled and said: "This is indeed not a big deal, and you must come here. There is also a Jizhou army in Qinzhou, and those are your soldiers."

"I'm even more upset when I mention this. I don't know what the Jizhou army was thinking. They refused to accept the imperial edict and refused to join He Rong's army. Shanyu asked a King He Rong to take me with him and set off early tomorrow morning. Take over the Jizhou Army."

"That's a good thing."

"What's so good? It's said to be a takeover, but it's actually a wedding dress for others. Can I mobilize soldiers? Isn't it all Shanyu who has the final say?"

Xu Chu also put down his wine glass, "There is something I really shouldn't say, but I have to say it."

"What words?"

"You... are so stupid."

Zhang Shiyu's face turned red at first, then turned livid, and his voice trembled with anger, "You, you... I kindly invited you to drink, but I thought you were... one of my own family members, and you actually... said such things !”

"Don't cry."

"I'm not crying. I am the emperor and you are a commoner. If you dare to humiliate the emperor, I...I...will ignore you anymore." Zhang Shiyu turned his head and said he was expelling the guest.

Xu Chu smiled and said, "I haven't finished speaking yet. Do you want to listen?"

Zhang Shiyu waited for a while and turned around, "Besides calling me stupid, what else do you want to say?"

"Let me ask you first, what do you think of the emperor?"

"Huh?" Zhang Shiyu didn't understand what Xu Chu meant.

"Do you think that as long as you ascend the throne, you can dominate the world, make everyone kneel down, and do anything to you?"

"Isn't it like this? The Emperor of All Things..."

"In the time of the Emperor of All Things, at least on the surface, the world was unified. Now that the heroes are divided and each has his own side, there is not much left of the legacy Tiancheng left to you."

"Stop talking. The more you talk about it, the sadder I feel."

But Xu Chu insisted on saying, "The one you want to imitate now is not the Emperor of All Things, but the founder of the country, Emperor Zhang Xi."

Zhang Shiyu finally understood Xu Chu's intention, lowered his head and thought for a while, "You mean, I should go and win the loyalty of the Jizhou Army? But... won't that annoy Shan Yu?"

"If you don't want to annoy the Chanyu, you should be content with the current situation. At least the Chanyu has not imprisoned you. As your brother-in-law, you can learn from Zhang Geng and work hard to please the Chanyu and his wife."

"Who is Zhang Geng?"

"Your brother."

"His name is Zhang Geng?" Zhang Shiyu was surprised, "Why not Shi Geng?"

"He said he was not yet born when the Empress Dowager gave him the word."

"Hey, he is not qualified to receive the title." Zhang Shiyu showed contempt on his face. Although the power of the Empress Dowager was rapidly declining, at the beginning, it was an honor for all the descendants of the Zhang family to win the favor of the old Empress Dowager. " Tell me, how's it going?"

"What?"

"That thing." Zhang Shiyu once asked Xu Chu to get rid of his only brother, and he always took it seriously.

"Now that you're back, this matter has nothing to do with me anymore."

"You even asked for his name, which shows that there is some progress. Don't waste it. I may not be able to stay here for long. You are right. I shouldn't just wait and wait. I must do something. After all, the Jizhou Army is the army of the imperial court. , and away from Huanyan's control, as long as I work hard, I might be able to win their allegiance. If Shanyu... is not happy, I am not his slave, why do I have to please him? "

Zhang Shiyu was a little excited, but also a little scared. He picked up the wine glass and said, "There is always something to gain from chatting with you. One day, if I have power, I will definitely make you my prime minister."

"I'm not an official."

"Then...become an advisor and attendant, like now." Zhang Shi Yuyao thought about what he looked like when he had great power.

Xu Chu smiled and said nothing more. He knew that his words were completely useless. Zhang Shiyu's enthusiasm could only last for a short while, but he couldn't help but said it. Looking at the wine glass, he felt that maybe it had been a long time. After drinking the wine, I got a little too drunk.

He didn't want to drink anymore and asked before leaving: "Have you heard about the princess in Yuyang?"

"No, I only stayed in Yuyang for two or three days before I received a letter from Shan Yu and had to leave immediately. What's wrong, what did you hear?"

Xu Chu shook his head.

"Strange, has my sister become a fairy? She disappeared without a trace. My mother was so worried that she asked me to plead with Shanyu to cancel the marriage, thinking that this might make my sister appear. It's really ridiculous, at this time. , Who dares to mention this to Shan Yu. Xu Chu, do you think my sister... will elope with that Tang Shiju? "

Xu Chu smiled helplessly, turned and left.

Early the next morning, Zhang Shiyu set out, escorted by tens of thousands of cavalry, to contact the Jizhou Army. The round trip took six or seven days.

Chanyu had already dispatched most of his cavalry, and there were only less than 20,000 people left in the camp, as well as several times that number of soldiers and craftsmen from Jizhou and Bingzhou.

The adults who stayed with Shanyu were a little nervous, but Shanyu himself was calm and composed. He discussed matters and held banquets as usual every day, and seemed not to worry at all that the Central Plains people would rebel.

Xu Chu also felt that this was an excellent opportunity. The Central Plains people could kill the Shanyu with just one attack, and the He Rong armies outside would immediately fall into a leaderless state.

But he couldn't find anyone who could "raise his arms and call for help."

He himself was not good enough, and the prestige of the "King of Wu" was not much left. Even if it was still there, it would not have much influence on the people of Ji and Bing.

Zhang Shiyu was even worse. Xu Chu didn't even mention the matter to him for fear of scaring the emperor.

After several days of observation, Xu Chu had to give up the plan. People in the two states hated each other and were wary of each other. Even if King Jin and Princess Huanyan were here, there was no way to unite them in a short time.

What's more, there are still people who have been keeping an eye on Xu Chu and not giving him a chance to contact outsiders.

The hatred in Kou Daogu's heart remained fresh for a long time. He observed silently and was extremely patient. Whenever he had the opportunity, he would always reveal Xu Chu's "true face" to Shan Yu.

This afternoon, all the adults were not present. Chanyu talked about the Nine Heroes and the Twenty-Four Horsemen, and was worried that some of them would be disobedient and might cause trouble after being sent out.

Kou Daogu stepped forward and reminded: "The people Shanyu should worry about most are not them, but the kings who stayed in the camp."

"They don't dare to do anything if their confidants are not around." Shan Yu said with a smile.

Xu Chu was standing next to him, but Kou Daogu pretended that he did not exist and added: "The kings, especially the five kings, have seen Shan Yu's intentions. They may not wait for their trusted general to come back. They may have secretly joined forces to It is not good for the Shanyu. I have always thought, and I still think, that those who trick the Shanyu have ulterior motives."

Shanyu smiled at Xu Chu and said, "I'm talking about you."

Xu Chu nodded and argued: "If someone offers a sword to the Shanyu, will the Shanyu accept it or not?"

"Of course I accept."

"A treasured sword has an edge that can hurt others as well as its owner. Therefore, the treasured sword is given to masters and is not lent to children. I offer advice to the Shanyu, just like I offer a treasured sword. I believe that the Shanyu can use it well and will never hurt him. Himself. What Mr. Kou is worried about is rather doubting Shan Yu’s ability.”

Kou Daogu sneered, and Chanyu laughed, "Mr. Kou, don't worry. When it comes to 'sowing discord,' you are worse than Xu Chu, but I believe you are more loyal than him."

Kou Daogu handed over his hand and said, "Since Shan Yu has a solution, I feel relieved."

Shan Yu said: "My method is not just to send out the kings' confidants - Xu Chu, can you see another trick?"

"There are few He Rong people in the camp and many people in the Central Plains. The kings are always worried about foreign enemies, so they join forces. It is also for this reason. How can they be disadvantageous to Shan Yu at this time?"

Chanyu nodded and said to Kou Daogu: "Look, sometimes bad things can turn into good things. Kings should beware of the Central Plains people. The Central Plains people think they are trusted by me and are not in danger to me."

"That's what I say, but tactics are not as reliable as loyalty."

"What Mr. Kou said is absolutely true. Use tactics only for a moment, but loyalty will last a lifetime." Shanyu turned to Xu Chu again, "You once said that if there were too many casualties during the siege, the people of the Central Plains would be dissatisfied. Well, I have thought of a way. Solved."

"The Shan Yu dances the sword with great skill," Xu Chu said.

Chanyu laughed but did not explain it. It was not until the next morning that Xu Chu saw his plan with his own eyes.

Shanyu summoned the generals from the Central Plains and announced that they would break camp that day and march towards Xijing. Regarding the attack on the city, he said: "Dangerous things cannot always be done by one person. When we attacked Yingcheng before, the people of Jizhou contributed their strength. The next time we attack the city, It’s time for the Bingzhou Army to make a contribution. The Jizhou Army has experience and is responsible for the rear. When you attack Xijing, it will be the task of the Qinzhou people to rush into the battle and capture the flag. "