Plan to cut off the nine states

Ma Wei was not very interested in guarding Xiangyang and did not want to distract the Liang army for this purpose. He designated a few generals and only allocated 10,000 troops. The remaining 10,000 troops were recruited from the counties in Jizhou and were scheduled to be in Dongdu. Convergence.

When Liang Jun rushed to the east capital, Jizhou's 10,000 soldiers had less than 2,000 soldiers. They had to wait at least half a month to gather them all. Xu Chu hoped to go to Xiangyang first, but the generals insisted on King Liang's order: they must wait for all Only after all Jizhou soldiers arrive can they go to Xiangyang.

Xu Chu had no choice but to stay in Dongdu temporarily and inquire about Xiangyang every day.

Pan Kai, the guard general of the Eastern Capital, was "punished" by King Liang for having a few words with Xu Chu in private. This time he did not show up at all and sent more soldiers to the general's mansion to serve the guests. If there was a military report, he would also Send a copy immediately.

The situation in Xiangyang is extremely chaotic. The only certain news is that the city has not been lost, and He Rong's army has not arrived to support it. Shanyu seems to have made up his mind to capture the entire Hanzhou first, and then solve the problem here.

Xu Chu stayed in Dongdu for ten days. There was already snow on the road, making it inconvenient to travel. The soldiers from Jizhou came even slower, with just over 5,000 people. If this continues, I am afraid we will have to wait another half month or even longer. Only then can we gather the troops.

Xu Chu wanted to go to Xiangyang by himself first, but he was also not allowed. The old eunuch Gao Shengze also lived in the General's Mansion. He euphemistically called himself serving Mr. Xu, but in fact he was a very competent guard and was almost always there.

Xu Chu wrote three letters to Ma Wei in succession, urging him to send troops as soon as possible. Ma Wei only replied one letter, telling him to wait patiently, and he would send troops when it was time to send troops. He also urged him to communicate with King Ning and Lou earlier. Contact us.

In fact, Xu Chu wrote a letter to King Ning and sent someone to deliver it, but so far he has not received a reply.

However, Chen Bingcai responded with a letter. He had heard the news about King Liang sending troops, so he spoke very modestly and hoped that Xu Chu would arrive as soon as possible.

On the twelfth day in Dongdu, some soldiers finally set off on the order of King Liang to guard the food and grass and set off on the road. The remaining people had to wait for a few more days.

Xu Chu could only continue to wait.

That afternoon, the sky was overcast and it seemed like it was going to snow again. Xu Chu stood in the courtyard, looking up at the sky, refusing to go back to the house to rest. Chang Yan had no choice but to bring him a cloak and put it on him - Ma Wei indeed gave it to him. There are several pieces of clothing, but none of them are as warm as this cloak.

Gao Shengze sat in the house warming himself by the fire and asked the two eunuchs to come out in turns to monitor.

Xu Chu thought about one thing repeatedly in his mind: Which side is more beneficial to this winter?

"Brother Chu, are you waiting to enjoy the snow scene?"

When Leng Buding heard the title "Brother Chu", Xu Chu almost thought it was Ma Wei who was here, but suddenly remembered that King Liang had stopped calling him that way, turned around and said with a smile, "When did Brother Guo come to Dongdu?"

"It didn't take long..."

Guo Shifeng strode closer, and Gao Shengze ran out of the room and said in surprise: "How did you get in? Where did the guard at the door go?"

Guo Shifeng smiled and said: "General Pan sent someone to send me over, so the guards did not stop me. Sorry, I should have sent the name sticker first, but I was leaving soon and wanted to see Brother Chu before leaving, so it was rude. "

Xu Chu didn't care, "Brother Guo is going to Jizhou to meet King Liang?"

"I think King Liang has made up his mind and will not go to Jizhou because of the cold weather. I heard that King Liang has led his troops into Bingzhou. Is it true?"

Before Xu Chu could speak, Gao Shengze reminded: "As for the whereabouts of Prince Liang, Mr. Xu had better not say anything."

"I know nothing about the whereabouts of King Liang, what can I say?" Xu Chu asked Guo Shifeng to come into the room.

Chang Yan finished burning the charcoal and the room was very warm. Xu Chu and Guo Shifeng took off their cloaks and thick robes respectively and sat down to talk. Gao Shengze followed him in and took a stool to sit at the door.

"I wrote a letter to Prince Ning a few days ago." Xu Chu said.

"Well, Prince Ning received it. Prince Ning said that he was not good at writing and was afraid that the letter would not be clear, so he asked me to come over and reply verbally."

"Brother Guo made a special trip for this matter?"

"Haha, that's not the case. I'll see if Dongdu still has the strength to attack Huaizhou. To be honest, I'm quite disappointed. Let's not talk about it first. Brother Chu invited King Ning to send troops to help defend Xiangyang. King Ning said that he knew Xiangyang The battle is important, but he lacks the skills to do it, not to mention the Xi family is separated from Xiangyang, and the Sheng family is causing trouble behind him. After he eliminates the two enemies, he will definitely go to Xiangyang in person to compete with the He Rong people. "

Xu Chu smiled, knowing that this was just an excuse. The Sheng and Xi families were very powerful. Even if King Ning was extremely lucky, it would take him a year or two to defeat these two powerful enemies.

"Did the Sheng family cross the river?" Xu Chu asked.

"The Sheng family has gathered troops along the river. They haven't crossed the river yet, so they will soon. King Ning and I guessed that the Sheng family is probably going to join forces with the Xi family to attack. One side will attack Stone City directly, and the other side will hold back the Ning army, so that our army will not be able to look at each other. , but the two sides are still in negotiations, so there has been no action.”

"That must be the case. How does Prince Ning plan to respond?"

"What else can be done? The Ning army has already invaded Jingzhou. They will never retreat until they capture Jiangling City and defeat the Xi family army." Guo Shifeng suddenly laughed.

"Brother Guo must be very confident, so he can laugh out loud."

"What I laugh at is that King Ning and King Liang coincided with each other. They both left their wives and children in the rear city, but they would never return to defense for their wives and children."

Gao Shengze at the door coughed and reminded the two of them not to comment on Prince Liang.

Xu Chu said: "Which wife did King Ning leave behind?"

"Prince Ning has only one wife, whose surname is Luan."

"Where's the one named Niu?"

"The Luan family is the concubine, and the Niu family is the concubine. They are both in Stone City, taking care of Prince Ning's children together."

Xu Chu nodded, "King Ning must think that Shitou City can be defended."

"The Sheng family is full of loyal and filial people, but they have no generals, and they are unwilling to ask for more talents. Although there are many soldiers, they are not to be feared. King Ning is not worried about Shitou City, but Dongdu..."

Gao Shengze couldn't help but say: "The two of you are just chatting. How to defend Dongdu, King Liang will make his own arrangements, so you don't have to worry about it."

Guo Shifeng nodded repeatedly, "General Manager Gao is right. When will brother Chu go to Xiangyang?"

"We have to wait for another two or three days. Everything is decided by King Liang."

"Brother Chu, send someone to send me a letter when you arrive in Xiangyang. King Ning and I both hope to keep in touch with brother Chu from time to time."

"Of course, it's just that the road is not smooth and we don't know where King Ning is. The letter may arrive in time. Later."

"There is an aide under Chen Bingcai, named Yu Liu, who is an old friend of mine. He followed the army north this time and got in touch with me. Chen Bingcai also highly praised King Ning and kept in touch with me. Brother Chu asked him to take the letter and it will be delivered to King Ning in time."

"Brother Guo has acquaintances all over the world, and they can all be used at this time."

"As for counselors, sometimes giving advice is secondary, and knowing people and recommending people is more important."

"Especially when the master can give advice himself."

"Haha, brother Chu hit the nail on the head. Alas, it's not easy to be a counselor nowadays. Without a few skills, it's hard to gain a foothold."

The two chatted and talked about the situation in the world, but they didn't mention King Liang. Gao Shengze listened at first, but gradually became lazy and dozed off.

Seeing that it was getting dark, Xu Chu invited the guests to dinner, but Guo Shifeng insisted on saying goodbye, "No, I've met you, brother Chu. My mission is over. I have to leave the city before dark and report to King Ning overnight. Next time we meet, I must get drunk together."

Xu Chu saw the guests off to the gate. While Gao Shengze was not too close, Guo Shifeng whispered, "King Ning is eager to find talents, brother Chu cares." After that, he laughed and said goodbye.

Snow was falling in the sky. Xu Chu stood at the door and watched Guo Shifeng get in the car and leave. It took a long time before he turned around and returned to the mansion.

Chang Yanzhi was packing tea sets in the room. "This Mr. Guo is quite friendly. He came to visit you for no important matter."

Xu Chu felt uneasy. After thinking for a while, he said, "Please ask General Manager Gao to come over?"

"Hmm? Hasn't you seen enough of him?" Chang Yanzhi went out to find someone.

Gao Shengze lived next door, but he waited for a long time before coming over. He entered the house and said, "Mr. Xu, do you want to see me for something?"

"Yes, it's an important matter."

"If it's about sending troops to Xiangyang again, don't tell me. King Liang has already made arrangements. Who dares not to obey? I have no choice."

"It's not about sending troops. I was thinking that King Liang ordered General Manager Gao to monitor me, and he has always sent others to monitor General Pan, right?"

Gao Shengze's face sank, "King Liang values ​​the friendship of old friends and sent me to serve Mr. Xu. How can it be called 'monitoring'? King Liang treats General Pan as a close relative and gives his wife and children to him for protection. There is no such thing as 'monitoring'."

"Is General Manager Gao 'serving' me?"

"That's what King Liang asked me to do."

"Then can I order General Manager Gao to do something?"

Gao Shengze's face became even gloomier, "If you want something, Mr. Xu can just ask."

"Please ask General Manager Gao if there is anything unusual about General Pan recently. "

"Mr. Xu, what do you mean? King Liang treats you very well, but you want to sow discord? Did Guo Shifeng hint something to you? I knew he wouldn't come to see you for no reason. "

"General Manager Gao is right. Guo Shifeng's coming here would never be for no reason. Moreover, he rushed to Dongdu but didn't go to see King Liang. If you think carefully, his real purpose must be to persuade General Pan to betray King Liang. "

Gao Shengze was stunned, "I remind Mr. Xu that I will write down everything you say now and report it to King Liang later. "

"Send someone to inquire. If I guess wrong, it won't hurt you. If I guess right, you can make a great contribution and make King Liang look at you with a new eye and rely on you from now on. "

Gao Shengze snorted, "If General Pan finds out, I can't afford to offend him. "

Gao Shengjie turned and left. Soon, the footsteps of the eunuch running outside the house came. He still sent someone to inquire.

Chang Yanzhi laughed softly, "Sir, your guess must be correct. King Liang also left people to 'serve' Pan Kai."

"Of course."

"But if Pan Kai betrayed King Liang... Your guess is a bit too much, right? If Guo Shifeng was guilty, why did he come to see you and make you suspicious?"

"Pan Kai and Guo Shifeng saw that the soldiers sent by King Liang were not leaving, so they felt guilty and came to me to inquire about the situation."

"I still find it hard to believe."

"When you know Guo Shifeng as well as I do, you will know that he must have a conspiracy when he came to Dongdu."

"When you know Pan Kai better, you may know that he can't betray King Liang."

Xu Chu was silent for a while, and smiled, "If it were in the past, I wouldn't dare to say it, but with the recent events, I am 90% sure that I can convince General Pan to have other ideas. Guo Shifeng's ability is not worse than mine."

Chang Yanzhi thought he had learned a lot from the young master, but at this time he couldn't think of anything that could make Pan Kai change his loyalty.