Plan to cut off the nine states

When Xu Chu came in, Guo Shifeng had already put the candle on the ground and sat on a stool to eat. The food was cold, but he ate it with relish even though he had been hungry for a day.

"Xu Chu, Xu Chu, Xu Chu." Guo Shifeng put down his bowl and chopsticks and said it three times, as if this was a dish to go with the meal.

Xu Chu stood at the door, smiling but not saying anything.

"You have done me a disservice." Guo Shifeng sighed, picked up the bowl and took a few more bites, then stood up and showed Xu Chu the empty bottom of the bowl, "No wine and no meat, in your eyes, am I so cheap?"

Xu Chu smiled and said, "Those with money pay money, those with things pay things, I have no money and no things, so I will not bribe Brother Guo with wine and meat."

"What do you have?"

"I have a great situation."

"Hey." Guo Shifeng sneered, "What a coincidence, I also have a great situation, the great situation is that you are going to be finished, you know the temper of King Ning, in a rage, he will definitely bring troops to ask for punishment - you didn't even destroy the ship, just left it to King Ning."

"Since So, why did Brother Guo run away?"

"I didn't run away, I was... I was checking the situation by the river."

Xu Chu just smiled, Guo Shifeng sighed, "After all, we have known each other for a while, why did Mr. Xu hold on to me?"

"When we were in Dongdu, did Brother Guo ever want to let me go?"

When Guo Shifeng persuaded Pan Kai to surrender to King Ning in Dongdu, he was determined to kill Xu Chu, and he did not deny it at this time, "So Brother Chu is for revenge?"

"Although Brother Guo has the intention to kill, I have no intention of revenge. I just think Brother Guo is full of talent and it would be a pity to abandon him, so I asked General Song to recruit him and give Brother Guo a place to show his skills."

" Hey, how do you know I have nowhere to go?"

"Where are you going, Brother Guo?"

"Not here anyway."

"General Song commands 100,000 troops and is also a local hero. Where do you think he is lacking, Brother Guo?"

"Mr. Xu should see it more clearly than me."

"Well, the Song army is said to have 100,000 troops, but in fact there are only a little over 30,000. Most of them are southern soldiers who are homesick, and the rest are bandits in Jingzhou. They are difficult to tame on the mountains."

Guo Shifeng laughed, "That's all?"

"General Song was ordered to pacify Xiang and Guang. It seems easy, but it is actually extremely difficult. Even if he succeeds by chance, the two states are far away from the Central Plains and have never been conquered. "Chen Bingcai's going north can serve as a lesson for the past. "

"Chen Bingcai didn't dare to claim the throne, which was his wisdom. After crossing the river, he retreated in fear of difficulties, which was his stupidity. But General Song's problems are not limited to these two points. "

"General Song killed the King of Shu and seized the boat to cross the river. Before he gained a foothold, he had already revealed his ambitions and ambitions, which would surely become a thorn in the eyes of King Ning. "

"I understand your thoughts. I think King Ning is eager to attack Jiangling City and return to Shitou City for support. He has no energy to retaliate against General Song at the moment, so he has to swallow his anger and even reward General Song. "

"If Brother Guo stayed with King Ning, he would surely advise him in this way, right?" Xu Chu smiled.

"As a counselor, I must persuade King Ning to be patient for a while. As a counselor, I know King Ning will not be patient. He will mobilize the soldiers of Yizhou and encourage them to avenge the King of Shu."

"The soldiers of Yizhou want revenge, but they have to be patient for a while. They must return to Yizhou immediately to pacify Jindu City."

"What happened in Jindu City again?"

"The King of Shu left his favorite minister Che Quanyi to guard the city. Che Quanyi is at odds with the Tie family. Once he hears the news that the King of Shu has been killed, he will seize power first. Tie Yuan fled back to Yizhou from Hanzhou and has become a prisoner. His brother Tie Wei is the general of the King of Shu's eastern expedition. When the King of Shu is away, he will be in power. He can only choose one between revenge and saving his brother. I bet he will choose to save his brother."

Guo Shifeng didn't know much about the internal situation in Yizhou, but he believed that Xu Chu would not lie about such things. After a moment of silence, he said: "That won't delay for a while. If the Tie family wins, they will still come to seek revenge. If the Tie family loses, Che Quanyi will be alone. If the wood is difficult to support, Yizhou will definitely return to King Ning. When King Ning's situation stabilizes, he will not let General Song go. "

"It's better to delay it for a while. When King Ning's situation stabilizes, he will have more pressing enemies."

Guo Shifeng thought for a while, "So, General Song doesn't intend to be an enemy of King Ning?"

"Not for the time being."

"Then he must go deep into Hunan and Guangdong to show that he has no intention of returning north."

"That's right."

"In this case, not only should I not stay, but Mr. Xu should not either. You just said that the southern state is remote, and there are some who occupy one side and become kings, but there has never been anyone who can compete with the Central Plains."

"So the Song army wants to go deep into Hunan and Guangdong, but General Song wants to stay."

Guo Shifeng was stunned, and then laughed: "This goes back to the first question. The southern army and the bandits are more difficult to tame than each other. General Song himself is still difficult to reconcile. If he stays, who will lead the troops to go deep into Hunan and Guangdong?"

Xu Chu bowed.

Guo Shifeng was surprised and said, "Me? Mr. Xu is joking again, how can I lead the troops?"

"Brother Guo is in charge, General Mao Yuanti will lead the troops, and we will obey Brother Guo's orders."

Guo Shifeng was even more surprised, "Are you serious?"

"Why lie?"

Guo Shifeng smiled and shook his head, "No, a counselor is a counselor, I can't be the one in charge."

"As Brother Guo said, although Xiang and Guang are not in a position to compete for the throne, they are easy to become kings. Brother Guo has these two states, and he can persuade people to do anything. If they are willing to surrender, it will be a great achievement. If they are unwilling to surrender, they will also have a place to stand, which is better than wandering around the world."

Guo Shifeng still laughed, "Mr. Xu himself does not claim to be a king, but he is tempting me with the title of king?"

"Brother Guo is not tempted, but he can use the two states to tempt others."

Seeing that Xu Chu was really not joking, Guo Shifeng began to take it seriously, "For General Song's plan, the two states cannot be handed over to the same person, nor can they both be handed over to outsiders or locals. They need to be one outside and one inside, and they must restrain each other."

"Neither General Song nor I are familiar with Hunan and Guangzhou. Brother Guo has to personally take action. It is up to Brother Guo to decide who should be promoted and who should be demoted. General Song will not say a word."

Guo Shifeng couldn't help but feel his heart pounding, "But I won't be the one in charge publicly."

"The Southern Army is led by Mao Yuanti, and the bandits are led by Dai Pohu. General Song will issue a strict order requiring them both to obey all arrangements made by Brother Guo. If Brother Guo is willing, he can serve as a supervisor or general protecting the army."

"It's better to let me be the commander-in-chief of Song Dynasty."

"It's okay."

Guo Shifeng shook his head again and said with a smile: "It's wrong, it's very wrong. General Song gave me his troops. Why should he aspire to conquer the Central Plains? Is he afraid that he can't even establish a foothold in Jingzhou?"

"General Song will leave thousands of people dormant in Jingzhou, waiting for the opportunity."

"What if the time doesn't come?"

"General Song vowed not to enter Hunan or Guangzhou."

Guo Shifeng still shook his head.

Xu Chu turned around and invited Song Tizhu who was waiting outside.

As the leader of an army, Song Qizhu stood guard outside the tent like a soldier, coming in at any call, still smiling, "How were you two chatting?"

Guo Shifeng said: "I have a way to pacify Hunan and Guangzhou, but General Song must personally take charge of the army, and no one else can."

Song Qizhu showed a trace of embarrassment, "This... is a bit difficult. I have sworn to Mr. Xu that I will never enter Hunan or Guangzhou. If I violate this oath, I will die badly."

Only then did Guo Shifeng believe Xu Chu's words and thought for a moment, "I told General Song that if you want to stabilize the morale of the army, you must first find a strong enemy for the Southern Army."

"I've been thinking about this outside, but I'm really not familiar with Hunan and Guangzhou."

"There are many wild dogs in Hunan and Guangzhou, but they live scattered and are at odds with each other, which is not a big deal. If you want to create an enemy for the Southern Army, you must be the governor of Xiangzhou, Beizhen. He has always been at odds with Chen Bingcai, and he was forced to If you give in, you will most likely rebel after hearing the news of his death. I will spread the news in the army and then send people to Xiangzhou to carry out a separation plan. Bei Zhen is arrogant and untalented, and he is fierce in nature. It is best to choose him as an enemy.

Song Qizhu was overjoyed and cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Xu is right. Without Mr. Guo, it will be difficult for the two states to be at peace."

Guo Shifeng waved his hand and said: "These are all risky moves and may not be effective. Bei Zhen may have an expert around him to give advice. If he recruits Hunan soldiers who have returned home, I can't compete. If he holds the city and holds on, I can't afford it. All in all, the chance of winning is Less than 40%. Not to mention there is Guangzhou, which I am not familiar with, so the chance of winning is even lower.”

Song Tizhu smiled and said: "Forty percent chance of winning is already very high. If I stay in Jingzhou, I don't even have a 10% chance of winning."

"General Song doesn't care?"

"Wealth can be gained through danger. When doing business, you will have a narrow chance of winning. Why care about the odds of winning? I only look at people. With the help of these two gentlemen, it means a 90% chance of winning for me."

Guo Shifeng still couldn't make up his mind and thought it would be better to say something in advance, "If I'm lucky enough to conquer the two states, General Song will count on me to provide troops and food, right?"

"Of course."

"What if I don't want to?"

"That's because I misjudged the person. The responsibility lies with me, so I have to find another way." Song Tizhu said with a smile.

"General Song, please sit down." Guo Shifeng asked Song Qizhu to move to the bunk.

"Mr. Xu, please also sit down." Guo Shifeng let Xu Chu sit on the stool, stood facing the two of them, and said with cupped hands: "I roughly understand the intention of the two of you: He Rongren was defeated, and King Ning had just risen and had not yet established a firm foothold, so It is necessary to establish heroes in all directions to contain King Ning, and General Song is waiting for the opportunity. "

Xu Chu and Song Tizhu nodded at the same time.

Guo Shifeng continued: "King Ning is only one step away. Whether he defeats the Xi family in Jiangling City or takes advantage of the victory to pursue the He Rong people, success in any battle will allow King Ning to gain a foothold. From now on, it will be difficult for him to have an opponent." So there is no other reason why he fled from King Ning. King Ning also knew that his great achievements were about to be achieved, and he was so proud and arrogant that he could not tolerate others. He blamed me for losing the King of Liang before and the King of Shu now. He was already dissatisfied in these troubled times. Since the king does not trust his ministers, the ministers do not have to be loyal to the king."

Song Qizhu nodded and said: "When the heroes are competing, a 40% chance of winning is quite good, but Prince Ning wants a 100% chance."

"That's what I mean, so I don't promise anything to General Song, and General Song doesn't have to make demands from me. If I lose, I will die in Hunan and Guangzhou. If I succeed, I will rely on the heroes of the Central Plains. Please do your best, General Song." , so that I can rely on and be worthy of relying on.”

Song Qizhu stood up and laughed, "When Mr. Guo pacifies the two states, if I am still dormant, I will have no shame in asking Mr. Guo to rely on me."

"Okay, then I won't be polite. Please make me a long history general and entrust me with a large army. I will hold the banner of General Song and go south. I will let the world know it, especially let King Ning know it. One south and one north, everyone. Everyone works hard, where is Mr. Xu?”

"I will go north." Xu Chu said casually, and Guo Shifeng didn't ask any more questions.

The three of them chatted for a long time. Xu Chu and Song Qizhu said goodbye before dawn. After leaving the tent, Song Qizhu said: "Mr. Xu originally said that he would recruit a counselor for me, but in the end he gave away all my money." ”

"Don't worry, General Song. Guo Shifeng will return to General Song sooner or later."

"Mr. Xu said in the tent that he wanted to go north?"

"The north is in chaos. I want to make enemies for King Ning and allies for General Song."

"Then what do I do?"

"To do what needs to be done, Guo Shifeng and I both need proof that General Song is worth relying on."

Song Quzhu sent away the soldiers and counselors, and wanted to prove his ability. He couldn't help but laugh, and then said seriously: "I will prove it, and the three of us will prove it."