Plan to cut off the nine states

Xu Chu stood up to say goodbye, and wished the other party to "avoid great disaster". Lou Ai was stunned at first, then smiled and said: "Mr. Xu, don't worry. If you want to go to Yizhou, I will send someone to send you there, and I will never force you to stay. And--" Lou Ai laughed twice, "Mr. Xu, you should tell me what my "great disaster" is, right?"

Xu Chu also laughed. Using a harsh word to arouse the other party's interest, and then admonishing him, this is a common trick used by counselors. Lou Ai is obviously not unfamiliar with this and did not fall into the trap.

After laughing, Xu Chu did not sit down. He stood in front of Lou Ai and said seriously: "Are He Rong's people going to attack Sanguan?"

"It has been captured. The Yizhou army did not hold it to the death, so I have to occupy the exit of the valley as soon as possible to prevent Tie Yuan from leading his army back to Hanzhou."

"Is it He Rong's idea to attack from the north and south?"

"Yes, I guess so."

"Lou Changshi plans to pacify Hanzhou first and then rebel when the opportunity arises?"

"That's right."

Xu Chu glanced at the guards and servants in the tent. Lou Ai smiled and said: "They are all my confidants and will never leak secrets."

"It doesn't matter if you leak secrets. The Chanyu will not change his plan anyway. He will not allow the Hanzhou soldiers to stay in Hanzhou, but will drive you to attack Yizhou."

"Is this what Master Xu called a disaster?"

"If the Hanzhou army is willing to be the vanguard of the Chanyu, then after Yizhou there will be Jingzhou, Luozhou, Wuzhou... The Chanyu will not put down his whip until the end. When there are no more enemies in the world, Lou Changshi must have been dead set on him and dare not rebel again."

"Haha, everything depends on human efforts. I have my own way to keep the Hanzhou soldiers in Hanzhou." Lou Ai also stood up, "Mr. Xu, don't you want to see the situation at the entrance of the valley? The trenches over there should be almost dug, and I guess General Wei will not dare to send troops out to stop it."

Wei Xuan did not dare. When Xu Chu and Lou Ai went to the entrance of the valley, they passed by Hanping City and saw clearly that the city gates were closed and there were many soldiers on the city. They stood high and could see the Hanzhou soldiers moving towards the entrance of the valley, but they still refused to come out.

It was no wonder that Wei Xuan was timid. Lou Ai had set up an "ambush" outside the city, hiding in a depression. The flags were like the sea, and the swords and spears were like forests. The general idea could be vaguely seen from the city wall. If Wei Xuan sent troops out of the city to the valley entrance, he would have to pass in front of the "ambush", which made him think that the Hanzhou army was luring the snake out of the hole.

When Xu Chu passed in front of the "ambush", he saw that there were mostly straw men, and even some long spears stuck in the mud. There were very few real soldiers. The cavalry galloped in the formation, raising a cloud of dust.

Lou Ai sent the Yizhou army's guard of honor back to the city on the way. Two hundred soldiers waited for a long time under the city gate before they were let in one by one.

Hanping City was not far from the valley entrance. Xu Chu and Lou Ai arrived before dark. A long trench had been dug there, and water was being diverted from the nearby river.

The trench was not very wide or deep, and could only serve as a temporary deterrent. Deer horn fences were set up on both sides of the trench, leaving only a few entrances and exits.

The Hanzhou army had already captured the small town at the entrance of the valley, and was setting up layers of obstacles along the valley road until they met the first section of the plank road.

As soon as it got dark, many torches were lit on the valley road, and the soldiers had to work overnight.

There was an extremely narrow passage between the many obstacles, which could only accommodate one person walking. Lou Ai walked in front, followed by Xu Chu. The two walked three or four miles into the valley and arrived in front of the plank road.

Lou Ai ordered the servant holding the torch to stop, "Be careful, the plank road is full of grease, and even gods can't put it out if it burns." Then he said to Xu Chu: "It hasn't been arranged yet, but there are no major loopholes. Do you think the Iron Kite Army can pass this level?"

Xu Chu shook his head. Once the plank road was destroyed, it could not be restored in a short time. The Yizhou army was trapped in the road, unable to advance or retreat, and would starve to death sooner or later.

"The Iron Kite Army cannot get out of the valley, and Wei Xuan in Hanping City will lose his fighting spirit. I guess he will abandon the city and flee to Yizhou. The Yizhou army in various counties will naturally flee upon hearing the news. At that time, I will divide my troops to pursue the defeated. Do you think you have a good chance of winning, Mr. Xu?"

Xu Chu nodded. Wei Xuan did not seem like someone who could defend the city to the death. Once he found that there was no hope for reinforcements, he would most likely flee. Although Tang Weitian was highly appreciated, he was just a fierce general and his words did not carry much weight.

"Hanzhou will finally return to the court." Lou Ai sighed.

"It should be said that it will be included in He Rong's army."

"Haha, Mr. Xu, come with me and check if there is enough grease on the plank road."

The servants all stayed behind. The two walked forward slowly, not daring to walk too far, and stood at the entrance of the plank road. Lou Ai reached out and touched the wooden frame, "Enough."

"Can Chief Lou speak now?" Xu Chu knew in his heart that he was not brought here to touch a handful of grease.

"You said before that the Chanyu would force the Hanzhou army to leave their homeland, and I said I had a way."

"Well, I'd like to hear the details."

"Among the nine states, Hanzhou is the smallest and cannot support itself. I can't let my state alone face the He Rong army."

"Lou Changshi wants me to persuade Tie Yuan to surrender?"

"Besides that, does he have any other choice? If Tie Yuan surrenders, he can defend Hanzhou with me and stop He Rong's people from going south. If Tie Yuan doesn't surrender, he will be trapped in the valley, and I can't stop He Rong's cavalry, so I can only be willing to be its vanguard and choose another time."

"Tie Yuan originally came to stop He Rong's people."

"It's different, very different. Tie Yuan is now a general of the King of Shu. After he stops He Rong's people, he will turn around and attack the Hanzhou army. Master Xu knows that the Han and Yi armies will never coexist in this state. One side must surrender to the other."

Tie Yuan had indeed made a plan to attack the Hanzhou army, but Lou Ai got there first.

"Tie Yuan is an old friend of the King of Shu, and the relationship between the king and his ministers is very close. It is difficult for him to betray the King of Shu."

"If it were easy, I could just send an envoy to persuade him to surrender. Why should I ask Mr. Xu for help? I heard that Mr. Xu went around to persuade people to resist He Rong's tribe. I was also fortunate to learn from him. Now it is time for Mr. Xu to help. . Of course, I will not force him. If Mr. Xu feels that my plan is not good and will definitely lead to defeat, or if he feels that Tie Yuan would rather die than surrender, then forget it. I will send Mr. Xu to Yizhou early tomorrow morning. Okay, if it's a few days later, I'm afraid the roads will be blocked and it won't be safe."

Xu Chu was also forced to a dead end by Lou Yu. He thought seriously for a while and said, "I am willing to go and persuade him to surrender, but I want to ask one thing first."

"Excuse me, I will answer truthfully." Lou Yu said with a smile, not surprised by the result.

"It is rumored that Hanzhou officers and soldiers were plundering food and grass long before the chaos, causing public resentment to boil. Is it true?"

Lou Yu didn't expect that Xu Chu would ask about this matter. He was slightly startled, and then laughed and said, "I didn't expect that in troubled times, there would be a person like Mr. Xu who never forgets the people."

"No, I just want to know whether Building Director Shi has a long-term plan, or if he just wants to occupy a state to protect himself."

"I understand what Mr. Xu means, but you can't tell me anything. The officers and soldiers did collect food early, but they also pointed out a clear way for the people: the whole family moved into the city, the men as soldiers and the women as servants, and they worked together to ensure peace with the officers and soldiers. But The common people were beguiled by the unruly people, and instead of trusting the government, they hid food and killed officials, just for the sake of immediate comfort, regardless of the disaster in the future. When the bandits arrived, the people became even more emboldened, and even threatened the officials with rebellion, saying that they could not afford to eat. , isn’t it? In fact, they transported their food, wives, children, and children into the mountains early to hide, and then went out to rob them. If Mr. Xu thought that the people were just lambs to be slaughtered, he would be totally wrong. Really kind people would always follow them. The government has never had any disloyal intentions and has been well taken care of. As for the gangsters, they are all unruly people."

"So Building Commander Shi doesn't want the Jishi Army, he only wants the Yizhou Army."

"Well, at least the Yizhou army did not become bandits. Moreover, they are guest citizens in Yizhou and can be used by Hanzhou."

"Understood."

"So, Mr. Xu, do you think I have a long-term plan?" Lou Yu said with a smile.

"Building Chief Shi's long-term plan must be to restore Tiancheng and become his own prime minister." Xu Chu guessed.

Lou Yu did not smile, "Although the imperial court has many faults, it treats the Lou family and me with great kindness. Even if I cannot be a minister of revival, I will never be a rebellious minister!"

Xu Chu cupped his hands and said, "I admire you. People like me are just rebellious officials and traitors."

"Mr. Xu has not received much kindness from the court and the Lou family, so naturally he has no intention of repaying the kindness. What I said today is not out of brotherly love. I simply believe that Mr. Xu's talents are enough to put down the chaos in Hanzhou."

"Thank you for your kindness."

"Master Xu is leaving early tomorrow morning?"

"You don't have to wait so long." Xu Chu glanced at the dark plank road, which was covered with grease and made it more difficult than usual. If you are not careful, you will fall into the deep valley. "I will set off now. The iron kite must not be far away. Far."

"It's hard to see the road clearly at night, and you can't light a fire here..."

"I am a person who is used to walking at night." Xu Cugong said, "Your Excellency is loyal to Tiancheng, but the imperial court is in the north and you live in the south. The farther the distance, the weaker the kindness."

"Understand, if Tiancheng wants to revive, the first step is to get His Majesty out of He Rongren's control."

Xu Chu smiled, said nothing, stretched out his hand to touch the wooden frame of the plank road, and walked up carefully, pausing every step without daring to be careless.

After only a few dozen steps on the plank road, it took Xu Chu a long time to reach the opposite side. The soles of his boots were covered with grease, and it took a long time to rub on the road to make them less slippery.

Lou Yan's voice came from the distance, "Is Mr. Xu safe?"

"Peace." Xu Chu replied loudly.

"Water without a source will dry up, and trees without roots will wither. I hope Mr. Xu will not care about petty grudges and find his roots as soon as possible!"

"Thank you." Xu Chu walked away, at least understanding that he and Lou Yudao were different.

He no longer cared about the Lou family, or even about the old grudge between Emperor Tiancheng and Princess Wu. He walked all the way, asking to see the heroes, just to find a little light. Just like this valley road, there was obviously only one way. But as night fell, he could only move forward gropingly.

Near dawn, Xu Chu met a group of Yizhou troops. They were walking in a hurry. One of them recognized Xu Chu and told him that Tie Yuan was not far behind to supervise the troops on their way.

Tie Yuan led his army to march day and night, and saw that it was not far from the mouth of the valley in Hanzhou. Hearing that Xu Chu had come to see him, he was very surprised and immediately guessed that something bad would happen.

Xu Chu thought about it for a whole night and found that everything was as Lou Yu said. Tie Yuan had no other choice but to surrender.