Plan to cut off the nine states

Luo Hanqi pulled Song Tizhu to his side and said with a smile: "I will introduce you to Mr. Xu. This is Song Tizhu, known as Thousand-Handed Old Song."

"I have met General Song several times." Xu Chu said with a smile.

"I'm superfluous. Old Song is a good man, a ruthless man, and has made many contributions. Prince Ning values ​​him very much." Luo Hanqi patted Song Tizhu hard on the shoulder twice and walked away to talk to others.

Song Tizhu smiled and said, "Mr. Xu seems a little surprised to see me."

"I was deceived by rumors and thought that General Song... had been killed."

"Haha, I understand." Song Tizhu glanced at the people around him and said sternly: "It's not because King Ning is so ruthless. Chen Bancai and others shouted loudly, and it was King Qin who was going to the north, and he was expelling the northern captives. They were afraid of the danger and wanted to escape to the south of the Yangtze River by boat. King Ning once gave them a chance, claiming that they could only bring one or two hundred soldiers across the river. His original intention was to see if they had the heart to love soldiers. Leading troops across the river could give them a way out, but without exception, the leaders just wanted to escape for their own lives. Even if they didn't bring any troops, they would still rush to cross the river. In this way, King Ning felt that there was no need to keep these people. ”

"Prince Ning did the right thing." Xu Chu nodded and said, "The war is about to begin. If the general retreats first, how can we stabilize the morale of the army?"

Many of the surrounding generals were subordinates of other families. Hearing the conversation between the two, they interrupted: "Generals don't love soldiers, and soldiers don't love generals. Only King Ning takes us seriously. Without King Ning, everyone would have been killed long ago." They were all killed by the He Rong people.”

"Or fall into the river and feed the turtles." Another person said.

Everyone laughed enthusiastically.

Xu Chu also laughed, but he knew very well in his heart that this was all an illusion. The large camp other than the small camp was the true state of the Ning army soldiers. They had been forced to a desperate end: retreat, there were no ships to cross the river, attack, and attack The people of Herong were full of fear, and the entire army was on the verge of collapse.

Song Qizhu whispered: "Some people are dissatisfied and want to avenge the general."

Xu Chu nodded and asked, "Where is King Xiangdong?"

"The King of Xiangdong is still here, and King Ning has clearly defined rewards and punishments. He said that the King of Xiangdong was innocent and was held hostage by Chen Bingcai. He should not have given up his life in vain."

Xu Chu nodded.

"What is Kou Daogu's intention?" Song Qizhu asked. He was also considered a disciple of Fan Guan, but he had no contact with this "senior brother" and had only heard some rumors.

"I don't understand either, but..."

Ning Baoguan led Kou Daogu out of the tent and said to the generals: "Send the order and reward the whole army. They must be well fed tonight and tomorrow morning. Tomorrow morning, I will personally lead the army to fight the He Rong people."

Some people cheered, and some were more cautious. When the cheers subsided, a general reminded carefully: "There is not much food in the army. I want everyone to be fed, but I'm afraid there won't be much left..."

"There's no need to leave anything behind." Ning Baoguan Hao said angrily, "There's no need to leave a single grain behind. We want everyone to be fed, including the people accompanying the army. Tomorrow afternoon, we'll eat He Rong's cattle and sheep!"

Regardless of whether they had any doubts in their hearts, all the generals cheered loudly.

Ning Baoguan arranged his troops outside the tent. Ning's army had few horses and was unable to confront He Rong's cavalry. His strategy was very simple. He sent a small number of cavalry to lure the enemy. A large number of infantry were divided into several parts. They fought steadily and gradually closed up. The knights were forced into a nearby mountain.

"No matter how many people die, we must never retreat even half a step. As long as we enter dangerous areas, we will win. If we retreat to flat ground, we will lose. The He Rong people just died of Shanyu, and they vowed to kill all the Central Plains soldiers and give them to Shanyu. Burial. Go back and make it clear to your subordinates: everyone on the left and right will die. If you go forward, you still have a chance of survival. If you go back, you will definitely die and you will be despised by the enemy."

Ning Baoguan glanced at Kou Daogu who was standing next to him, and nodded lightly with deep meaning, "And I have a sure-fire plan to win. I will never risk everyone's lives for nothing. I will personally go into battle tomorrow and fight with the soldiers. "

Prince Ning did not say what the "must-win strategy" was, but his confidence was conveyed. The generals were originally half-confident about tomorrow's decisive battle, but now they believed two or three more times.

Ning Jun started eating a little earlier than usual, smoke was everywhere, and the tension in the camp was reduced by more than half. Although everyone knew that there was not much food in the army, most of the soldiers didn't care about it. As long as they could have a full meal, their mood would be high. You will be happy.

Xu Chu lived in the small camp and had a full meal. He was also given a bowl of wine, which he gave to Luo Hanqi who came to visit.

Luo Hanqi was not polite, drank it all in two gulps, raised the bowl and poured it into his mouth for a while, then reluctantly put down the bowl and said with a smile: "That's enough. Even if I die on the battlefield tomorrow, I won't complain."

Luo Hanqi will lead the cavalry to act as bait tomorrow and try to lead the He Rong people into the mountains. This is an extremely dangerous task. Even if the Ning army wins in the end, these baits will lead to more deaths than life.

Luo Hanqi obeyed King Ning's orders, but he could not completely accept death. He came to visit Xu Chu to inquire about one thing in private: "What is the ability of that Kou Daogu?"

"He is a first-class person in reading, solving doubts, and discussing Taoism, and is well-known throughout the world."

"Well-known in the world? Why haven't I heard of it?"

"Well-known among scholars all over the world."

"Well, Zhang Wenbi has heard of his name. Mr. Xu, tell me the truth, does Kou Daogu know magic?"

"What spell?"

"Sowing beans to make soldiers, and calling for wind and rain."

"Never heard of it."

Luo Hanqi frowned slightly, "So, Prince Ning's winning strategy is not about him?"

Xu Chu faced a choice, and he quickly made a decision, "What do you think about Kou Daogu?"

"Some say he can do magic, some say he can tell fortunes like a god, some say he knows the Yin and Yang Bagua and can create strange formations, and some say he is the mistress of Shanyu's wife and knows He Rongren's weaknesses... …”

Xu Chu couldn't help laughing.

Luo Hanqi didn't know why, "Which sentence did I say wrong?"

"I only tell the truth as I know it."

"Facts are enough."

"Kou Daogu..." Xu Chu thought for a while, "He is indeed favored by Shan Yu's eldest wife and is the 'holy master' of her two sons."

"It turns out the rumors are correct." Luo Hanqi nodded repeatedly.

"Not a concubine, just a holy master."

Luo Hanqi blinked tacitly, "Understood."

"What happens next is my guess."

"Mr. Xu's guess must be accurate."

"Kou Daogu knows some secrets from Shanyu's eldest wife and can guarantee that King Ning will win."

"What secret?"

"I don't know that."

"Because Mr. Xu is not...that one?"

Xu Chu smiled and said: "No, neither does Kou Daogu."

"Without any personal relationship, why does he know the secret? Is that all?"

"That's all I know."

"Okay, I feel more at ease. If King Ning doesn't have a little confidence, how can he fight to the death? This is called Ji Ren's own destiny. God will let King Ning win a big victory. Farewell, if I can live tomorrow Come back and treat you to a drink. They will always have a few jars of liquor from beyond the Great Wall, right?"

Luo Hanqi left, but Xu Chu was still wondering, what did Kou Daogu say that made Ning Baoguan dare to make a desperate move? Although Ning Baoguan kept shouting for a decisive battle, his confidence increased significantly after talking to Kou Daogu.

After that, several people came to visit, some knew him, some were strangers, and they all came to inquire about Kou Daogu's origins.

Kou Dao Guzheng and Prince Ning were drinking and chatting happily without inviting a third person. According to the servants who came in and out of the tent, the content of the conversation between the two was high and low, and they could not understand it. They only remembered that the word "Tiandao" appeared frequently.

Xu Chu neither exaggerated nor fabricated facts, but after everyone talked with him, they all left with satisfaction, convinced that Kou Daogu was really capable, and full of confidence in tomorrow's decisive battle.

This was Xu Chu's choice to shape Kou Daogu into a "strange man and stranger".

Song Chuzhu came later and was the only one who was not very interested in Kou Daogu. Instead, he came to explain why he could survive, "I led the troops to burn the ships on the other side, and then scuttled the remaining ships after I came back." . Now the Yiling City on the other side hates me to the core, and they all think I killed Yang Moyu."

"General Song has no choice."

Song Tizhu sighed, glanced at the door, and whispered: "To be honest, I'm a little afraid of Prince Ning."

"I haven't seen anyone who is not afraid of him, and I am the same."

"So King Ning agreed to let the heroes cross the river, and I knew it when he stayed alone to guard the north bank... But he was still too ruthless. Not a single one of the forty-seven leaders, big and small, and the more than a thousand soldiers who followed them survived. Come down. Oh, I only let King Xiangdong go. I'm still a little scared."

Song Qizhu looked slightly dull.

"Did Prince Ning reward General Song?"

Song Tizhu smiled and said, "After the victory, he promised me to become the King of Chu."

"This battle is really winnable."

"Does Kou Daogu have ulterior motives? Why did he betray He Rongren and come to join Prince Ning for no reason?"

"Kou Daogu must have thought that King Ning had the ability to bring peace to the world."

"Is that why?"

Xu Chu nodded.

"Ignore that for now. In fact, I came to visit and asked about after the victory."

"What happens next?"

"Should I ask for the title of King of Chu?"

"General Song does not need to ask for anything. If you can win, King Ning will make you king immediately."

Song Tizhu laughed, "Then should I accept it?"

"General Song is excited?"

"It would be a lie to say that I am not impressed. The King of Chu before me was a self-proclaimed king. If I can be canonized by King Ning... it will be different."

"General Song, do you still remember what Mr. Fan said to you?"

"Going to cook porridge?"

"Um."

Song Qizhu sighed softly, "I have been granted the title of King of Chu at this time, which is still in name only, but where can I go to 'cook porridge'?"

"If this battle can be won, King Ning must attack the Xi family in Jiangling City, and General Song should take the initiative to ask for help."

"Haha, Prince Ning regards Jiangling City as his treasure and will not allow me to attack it."

"If King Ning refuses, just refuse. In short, the name of 'King of Chu' is not important at the moment. General Song wants to find ways to lead his troops to stand alone. If he doesn't go to Jiangling, he has to go somewhere else. I will also help you."

Song Qizhu was overjoyed and said, "Thank you very much." Then he said, "Mr. Xu...do you think there is hope for me?"

"General Song asked me, and I said no. If General Song doesn't ask, I won't tell either."

Song Tizhu laughed and said, "You still need to make your own decisions about your own affairs. Farewell, we will not know whether we will live or die in the battle tomorrow. Maybe what we say now will be redundant."

"It is never unnecessary to dare to think about the future." Xu Chu sent Song Qizhu out of the tent and found an acquaintance standing there outside the door, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

"General Chang." Xu Chu said with a smile. He had not seen him in Ning Baoguan's tent before.

"Young Master." Chang Yan held his hands, looking a little nervous.