Plan to cut off the nine states

(Thanks to the reader "No Redemption for Drunkenness" for the red tip.)

Chen Bingcai laughed, then his face darkened, "I never said I wanted to be king, especially the King of Chu. The southern army went north to revive the imperial court, not to fight for the title for me alone."

Xu Chu cupped his hands and said: "This is an expedient measure. All the heroes in Jingzhou are willing to submit themselves to the king to protect their status from degradation."

"Where's Song Tizhu?"

"He admits he doesn't deserve to be king."

"Hey, everyone has good calculations. This is not to give in to the king's title, but to put the blame on others."

"General Chen, is he willing to accept the 'framing'?"

"What are you talking about? Who wants to be framed?"

"Those who can shoulder the burden of morality, those who can help those in need with a sincere heart, and those who are loyal ministers and filial sons who can continue to support others are all willing to be 'framed'."

Chen Bancai laughed again, thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "Master Xu has misjudged the person."

"I don't think there's anything wrong."

"This is the second time we have met. You have only heard a few gossips from Mr. Yin before. Why do you think I am the one who will continue to support others?"

"I mentioned three types of people, and General Chen himself chose 'Ji Jue Fu Qing'."

"Haha, Mr. Xu's words are clever, but they won't help. I won't make such a big decision just because of one sentence."

Xu Chu handed over his hand again, "What I said just now was just a joke. The reason why I determined that General Chen must be the person who 'continues to support Qing'. Without it, General Chen was in Hunan and Guangzhou. He could have stayed out and watched the chaos in Kyushu. If you advance, you can send an envoy to control the situation; if you retreat, you can seal the country and defend yourself. No matter who becomes the master of the Central Plains, General Chen will be rewarded with a high position. "

"Well, the history books are full of people like this."

"The imperial court was in danger and the emperor was humiliated. Shen, Xi, Sheng and other families were known as natural ministers, but in fact they were local heroes who only cared about their own territory. Only General Chen did the opposite, seeking danger instead of stability. Seeking safety in danger, I know that General Chen must be the person who will continue to support the people."

"Although the imperial court is 'absolutely loyal', there is still a glimmer of hope. Because of this, I cannot call myself the king without permission."

"Those who do great things do not stick to trivial matters. The emperor is now in the hands of Shan Yu. The two kings of eastern Hunan and Jibei are both prisoners of the king of Liang in the east capital. It is difficult to escape for a while. If the ministers are unwilling to step forward, they can only do their own things. They fought and were defeated one by one by the He Rong people."

"I understand the truth, but my official position is too low. I have already proclaimed myself the Shepherd of the two states and have never been recognized by the court. If I become king again, everyone in the world will think that I am disobedient."

"When the Duke of Zhou assisted the king, people in the world thought that he was disloyal. Why did the Duke of Zhou argue at that time? When the king was older, the Duke of Zhou returned to power, and the world became enlightened and respected him as the leader of virtuous ministers. This has not changed for thousands of years. General Chen has great ambitions, so why bother worrying about his current reputation?"

Chen Bancai smiled and shook his head. Gradually, the smile disappeared, but he still shook his head slowly. After a long time, he said: "At least Duke Zhou is the real prime minister. Even if I call myself the King of Chu, I will not get the true allegiance of the heroes of Jingzhou."

"Of course, the heroes all have their own selfish motives: the Xi family must surrender to Chanyu, Yang Qinzai wants to dominate the river, Song Qi Zhu, his soldiers are short of food, and he just wants to survive. But these three families only look at the present and have no long-term plans. It's unwise. When General Chen becomes king, everyone in Jingzhou and the world knows it. When soldiers and people from all over the world come to Xiangyang again, who will they defect to? "

"Will others come to help defend Xiangyang?"

"General Chen has traveled thousands of miles to come, and Jiuzhou is moved. There will be people who follow his example."

"Master Xu has a good idea, but I don't have any hope."

Xu Chu stood up, cupped his hands and said, "I am willing to work for General Chen. Within a month, I will definitely bring back a supporting army. If I fail to do so, I will be willing to face death penalty."

Chen Bingcai smiled and said: "The death penalty is not a crime. I know how difficult it is to find reinforcements, and I also know that Mr. Xu will do his best - but I still have to think about it. Please take these things away first."

Xu Chu knew that he could no longer persuade him, so he put away the seal, beads, and letter, and was about to leave. When he picked up the pearl, Chen Bingcai said: "It turns out that this pearl fell into the hands of Yang Qinzai."

"General Chen recognizes it?"

"This is a treasure. It was brought to Guangzhou by an overseas Hu merchant a few years ago. The Hu merchant was killed by his servant shortly after landing. Everything else was there, but this orb was stolen. Later, the servant was arrested, but the whereabouts of the orb were found. Unknown. I was an official in Guangzhou at the time and saw Hu Shang displaying the pearl, so I know the details."

"I see." Xu Chu nodded repeatedly, "Whoever got this pearl in Guangzhou must have wanted to take it north to find a big buyer, but when he was crossing the river, he met Yang Qinzai and a group of water thieves."

"I guess so." Chen Bingcai hesitated for a moment, "Mr. Xu, go and rest for a while first."

Chen Bingcai summoned his generals for discussion. Xu Chu sat in the tent and waited. He was bored. He opened the golden ball, took out the orb inside, held it in his hand and examined it carefully. He recalled the several theories he had heard. He smiled and said: "A small bead also has its name and reality."

It was already dark, and he wanted to wait for a result, but soon he fell asleep after closing his eyes.

When he woke up, it was already dawn, and he was shocked to find that Chen Bancai had never invited him over. This was not a good sign.

Xu Chu waited for a while and decided to ask in person.

The soldier guarding outside the tent said politely: "Mr. Xu is awake."

"Well, I want to see General Chen, please let me know."

"General Chen said that when Mr. Xu wakes up, go to Yiling City to find him."

Xu Chu was shocked again, "When did General Chen leave?"

"We set out last night. Didn't Mr. Xu bring dozens of Yang Army soldiers? He also left with General Chen."

Xu Chu hurriedly asked for horses and rode towards Yiling City alone.

As soon as the city guards saw Xu Chu, they opened the city gate and welcomed him into the city. "Mr. Xu came back too soon. King Jiang is waiting for you."

Xu Chu happened to catch up with a grand banquet, with hundreds of participants, and tables and chairs even placed on the street.

Chang Yan was drinking with a group of people around the table. When he saw Xu Chu, he stood up, waved, and laughed loudly: "I admit defeat, but can you drink today's wine?"

Xu Chu nodded with a smile and followed the person who led the way into the hall.

There were few people in the hall, Yang Qinzai was sitting in the main seat, Chen Bingcai and Xi Ren were sitting across from each other, and several generals were sitting with them. Everyone was drinking and chatting happily, with no grudges at all. No one could tell that the three parties had fought to the death.

Seeing Xu Chu, Yang Qinzai was the first to stand up, "Mr. Xu is finally here. He is the real hero of this celebration banquet."

Chen Bancai and Xi Ren also stood up and greeted each other.

Xu Chu's seat has been reserved, right opposite Yang Qinzai. Xu Chu drank a few glasses of wine and listened to the chatter, but never understood what was going on.

After drinking for three rounds, Yang Qinzai looked at Chen and Xi each, then nodded, and all the generals sitting there got up and left knowingly.

"Shall I tell you?" Yang Qinzai said.

"Prince Jiang is the landlord, it's up to you to say it." Chen Bancai and Xi Ren both said, especially Xi Ren, who has always been impatient, but at this time he behaved extremely humbly and kindly, without saying a word to argue.

Yang Qinzai coughed, "There are some things Mr. Xu may not know yet."

"I think there are many things I don't know." Xu Chu said with a smile.

"That's what happened. Chen Mushou sent someone over last night to say that everyone is willing to help defend Xiangyang. It's hard and inconvenient for Mr. Xu to pass the message alone. It's better to talk in person. I think this is a good thing, so I personally We came out of the city to welcome General Chen Mushou and Xi Er."

Xi Ren interjected: "My father is anxious. He left overnight last night to return to Jiangling to transport troops and food to Xiangyang. He left me to discuss the details. He said that as long as it is beneficial to the defense of Xiangyang, everything will be decided by Chen Mushou and King Yang Jiang. Xi Jiagan Follow the work of dogs and horses."

Yang Qinzai smiled and said: "The Xi family is not a work of dogs and horses. Without the Xi family army, we are not enough people to fill the teeth of the He Rong people. Anyway, we went to the city to talk face to face. We originally sent people to invite the King of Song Chu, but He was even more impatient and had already left camp to go to Xiangyang, but he sent someone to leave a message saying that it was up to us to make the decision. "

"Being at peace without fighting is a good sign. Xiangyang will be preserved." Xu Chu said.

"Don't say that. There is one thing we have been arguing about for a long time." Yang Qinzai glanced at Chen Bingcai, "That is who should be the King of Chu. If the Xi family is willing to live or die, the King of Chu of Song Dynasty should be Song Qizhu. He said that he was not worthy, but General Chen and I were humble to each other, and we couldn’t argue about it.”

Xu Chu smiled and said: "The heroes from all over the world have proclaimed themselves kings, but Jingzhou is the only one who is humble. So I know that the one who can lead the world must be Jingzhou."

"Haha, maybe we people in Jingzhou are all self-aware. We gave in and gave in, and finally we came up with an idea. Let's wait for Mr. Xu to discuss it."

"You all think highly of me, but I am not from Jingzhou, and I have abdicated before. Even if I dare to take on this important task, I will not be trusted by the soldiers."

Yang Qinzai smiled and said: "We really have no objection to Mr. Xu wanting to be the King of Chu, but we all know that Mr. Xu has no such intention, so we decided to find someone from outside to be the King of Chu."

"Here are the heroes of Jingzhou. Who else is more suitable to be the King of Chu than you?"

"Yes, and he is already a king, a real king. If either of them comes to take the title of King of Chu, all the soldiers and people of Jingzhou will be convinced."

"Two people?"

"The King of Eastern Hunan or the King of Jibei."

Xu Chu was greatly surprised. This was not what he expected.

Chen Bingcai said: "To defend Xiangyang is to defend Jingzhou, and to defend Jingzhou is to defend the world. In this case, who else is more suitable to be the leader of Jingzhou than Zhang? Even if the two kings refuse to accept the title of King of Chu, they can only rely on their own His fame and position are enough to command the troops of Xiangyang."

"But the two kings are now in the Eastern Capital, so it's hard to come over."

Yang Qinzai said: "So I want to trouble Mr. Xu. It is said that Mr. Xu has an old relationship with the King of Liang and is a close friend. If you go there in person, you will definitely be able to invite one of the kings to come over. Not more, just one is enough."

"It's difficult." Xu Chu knew how important the two kings were to Ma Wei, and Ma Wei was afraid of the He Rong people and would never dare to participate in this matter.

Yang Qinzai's face darkened, "What Mr. Xu persuades us to do is extremely difficult, but we won't have to refuse when it's our turn to contribute, right?"

"It's my duty, but if I can't invite you..."

"We must invite him. Without the king of the Zhang family, we won't go to Xiangyang." Yang Qinzai said decisively.

"I'm afraid it's too late."

"We will send troops to Xiangyang first. If we can't stop the Bingzhou army, we should disperse. If we can stop it, that's great. Just wait for news about Mr. Xu in Xiangyang. Before the subsequent He Rong army attacks, If the king comes, we will fight to the death. If not, we should disperse as soon as possible. Our family will never fight alone with the He Rong people."

Xu Chu suddenly couldn't guess what these families were thinking.