Plan to cut off the nine states

Yang Tongcai has always felt that he is lucky and does not need to work too hard, and wealth and glory will come naturally. However, he is not proud. He often warns his descendants: "Our ancestors of the Yang family have accumulated good deeds, which is why we are where we are today. You should use it sparingly and leave some for future generations." "

But to outsiders, General Zuo Wuhou has a different face. Anyone who dares to question his ability will be retaliated against.

It was his luck that the Jizhou Army defected before the battle, so it was also his embarrassment to pick a victory for nothing. He always felt that he did not have the respect of his generals, and was often pointed out by these people behind his back.

"Tell me in advance, will I disagree?" Yang Tongcai asked one of his nephews and confidants, "Why do they have to hide it from me?"

The nephew was even more embarrassed because he knew that his uncle would not have the guts to openly rebel against He Rongren, "Haha, they... they are afraid of uncle."

"Um?"

"General, they are afraid of General Yang. Don't take it to heart, General Yang. This is your luck. You don't have to bear the burden of conspiracy, but you will suffer the fruits of victory. When you return to the court this time, you will definitely receive a heavy reward from the court..."

"Bah." Yang Tongcai spat, then nodded, "It's not all luck. If I had escaped early like King Jin, would I still have won this great victory?"

"That's right, General Yang stayed in He Rong's army just to wait for opportunities. It's because these generals don't understand General Yang's thoughts..."

Yang Tongcai clicked his tongue a few times. He was not satisfied with his nephew's compliment. Suddenly he was a little angry and asked: "I am the leader of an army. It's okay if I was concealed. Why didn't you know about it? Or you knew about it but refused to do so. Tell me, are you colluding with other generals?”

The nephew waved his hands and said, "Uncle...General, you have wronged me. No one told me. Didn't they also hold me hostage on the battlefield?"

"In short, it's because you are incompetent. There is no one around me who can use me. When I return to Jizhou, I will naturally have a way to deal with you." Yang Tongcai drove his nephew away and drank alone.

Early the next morning, the generals came to discuss matters. Yang Tongcai had a cold face and looked displeased with everyone.

There is only one item on the agenda today. The army is about to enter Bingzhou. Whether to fight or make peace, borrow the road or seize the road, we need to formulate an idea.

According to the information gathered by the scouts ahead, Bingzhou is currently in a state of confrontation. The Liang army occupied many cities in the southeast, but failed to capture Jinyang City. After the Jin army returned, they won several games in a row and lifted the siege of Jinyang. However, they failed to drive Liang Jun out of Bingzhou, and now they are holding on to the city, waiting for the next battle.

The King of Jin sent an envoy over and expressed his willingness to borrow roads and even provide food and grass, but there was one requirement: he hoped that the Jizhou Army would help them attack the Liang Army.

Yang Tongcai hesitated, and all the generals also took one side.

Some people think that they should help the King of Jin. Firstly, they can successfully annex it. Secondly, Liang Jun made a sneak attack on Jizhou before and was not a real army of the imperial court. There will be a battle sooner or later. Helping the Jin army is also helping yourself.

The other group of people felt that the King of Jin should not be trusted, not to mention that the Jizhou Army had the power of a great victory and there was no need to bow before any force. Even if they wanted to unite with the Jin Army, they had to wait for the court's decree.

The two factions were arguing endlessly. Yang Tongcai was upset and said to Yin Fu, "Master Yin, please make a decision."

Yin Fu smiled and said: "I am a civil servant, and General Yang still has to make the decision in this kind of matter."

Yin Fu rarely interfered in military affairs, and Yang Tongcai was quite satisfied with this. After thinking for a while, he raised his hand to stop the generals from talking, and said: "It was a fluke to defeat He Rongren before, so we should not be arrogant because of it. Besides, the World Army remains here Liangzhou, our Jizhou army is isolated and helpless, and we don’t have much food and grass. The soldiers are eager to return home, and they are not willing to fight. The life and death of the imperial court is now unknown, and there is no way to accept the decree. I have made up my mind to form an alliance with the King of Jin and borrow food. By the way, as for the battle between Jin and Liang, we just watched and cheered. I think that the King of Liang was not a hero, but the same kind of person as Yang Meng of Liangzhou. When he saw the combined forces of Jin and Hebei, he would be afraid, and our army would be defeated thousands of miles away. We should take advantage of the situation to enter Hebei, recapture Yuyang and Yecheng, and most importantly, rescue His Majesty."

Only one of the generals stepped forward and said loudly: "General Yang's words are wrong."

Yang Tongcai's face darkened, "What do you think, Vice General Su?"

Previously on the battlefield, all the generals swarmed up and took Yang Tongcai hostage to retreat. No one admitted that he was the main messenger. Afterwards, Yang Tongcai generously stated that he would not ask further questions. However, he had always been suspicious of the deputy general Su Rongchuan, thinking that the person who secretly stirred up trouble must be. It's this person.

Su Rongchuan, who was in his thirties and had a rather upright temperament, replied: "As the saying goes, 'You have just emerged from the tiger's den and entered the wolf's den.' He Rong is a tiger, and Jin Wang Shen Dan is a wolf. Today he has come to seek an alliance with humility. It is necessary to devise a frame-up. The imperial court is in trouble, and the only one it looks up to is our Jizhou army. If we are trapped in Bingzhou, what shame will General Yang have to return to Jizhou?"

Yang Tongcai's face turned red and she was furious, "We formed an alliance with the King of Jin just to save the court. Don't worry about whether the King of Jin is a wolf or a tiger. The King of Liang is the current enemy of the court. If we don't ally with the King of Jin, how can we join forces with the King of Liang?" ?”

Su Rongchuan raised his head and said: "When snipe and clam fight, the fisherman will benefit. General Yang can be a fisherman, so why must he choose snipe and clam as his friend? Because of the strength and prosperity of He Rong's people, the Jizhou army returned with a great victory, and only Jin and Liang, what’s so scary?”

Yang Tongcai laughed, and then said angrily: "You are misleading our army by talking nonsense. I have already said that the victory of the Jizhou Army was a fluke, and there was no help from the Jizhou Army. Why should we fight the Jin and Liang armies at the same time?"

"It may be a fluke for General Yang, but for us..."

"What did you say?" Yang Tongcai became even more angry and stood up, his eyes wide open.

All the generals persuaded him, Su Rongchuan bowed and said: "I spoke without thinking, General Yang, please don't blame me, but my idea has not changed. King Jin must not be trusted. It is better to take a detour than to be deceived by him. I hope General Yang will think about it again."

Yang Tongcai sneered: "What if I don't want to think about it again? Do you want to make another military remonstration?"

More than half of the generals in the tent participated in the last hostage-taking. They were a little flustered when they heard this. They bowed their heads and kept silent. Su Rongchuan was even more embarrassed. He retreated to the middle and said "I dare not".

Yin Fu stood up and persuaded: "General Yang, don't be angry. The generals expressed their opinions, and it will be General Yang who will make the final decision."

"They have to listen to my "decision" too." Yang Tongcai was still angry, "The decline of the government is caused by these people."

Yin Fu kept persuading, Yang Tongcai eased a little, waved his hand and said: "I have made up my mind, generals, withdraw."

No one dared to object anymore, and the generals left the central army tent one after another. Su Rongchuan kept blushing.

In a tent not far away, Xu Chu was sitting opposite the envoy of King Jin, one drinking and the other tasting tea.

"King Jin must attach great importance to this Jizhou army, so he sent my eldest brother as an envoy." Xu Chu smiled.

Liu Youzhong sighed: "King Jin is now only seeking self-preservation. The civil strife in Bingzhou has not been resolved. If another Jizhou army comes, it will be unbearable. I hope that my fourth brother will help a lot, so that Jin and Ji can form an alliance and not have any grudges. After this battle, they can join forces to deal with the enemy in the south. Have you heard about it? King Ning has already pacified Wuzhou and sent another army to seize Dongdu again. He recruited soldiers and horses, claiming to sweep the world with an army of 500,000. Although He Rong is strong, he misses the frontier and will collapse if he is defeated. King Ning is determined and is the real strong enemy."

"Brother, what That's true, but I'm just a guest in the Jizhou Army, and I'm under their protection and can't say anything. "

Liu Youzhong laughed and said, "What's wrong? Fourth brother is still polite in front of me? It's widely rumored that the Golden Saint of the Advent Army, Lord Yin of the Jizhou Army, Yang Meng of Liangzhou, and Tie Ying of the Yizhou Army defeated He Rongren together, but I know that if it weren't for my fourth brother's advice, there would be no joint efforts of the four families. "

"Brother, you think too much. The Jizhou Army generals didn't even allow me to participate in the meeting. How can I 'give advice'? I went to Jizhou It was only to send Princess Fangde home, nothing else."

One of them flattered, the other was modest, Liu Youzhong finally said: "Anyway, fourth brother, just don't ruin my big plan."

"Of course not, I think the Jizhou army has just experienced a war and has not recovered its vitality. It seems that there is no other choice except to form an alliance with the King of Jin."

"The general situation is like this, I am afraid that someone can't see it clearly, or has too much ambition." Liu Youzhong smiled, "General Yang is not like that, he is a general who knows the times, he wants to take back Jizhou and save the Yuyang court, and he also You need the help of the Jin army, right? "

Xu Chu nodded repeatedly, "There will be news later, don't worry, big brother."

Liu Youzhong's followers came in and bowed, saying, "The meeting over there has been dispersed. General Yang has decided to form an alliance with the King of Jin against all odds."

Liu Youzhong was overjoyed and stood up and said, "It's just as my fourth brother expected. Please forgive me for not being able to accompany you. When we get to Jinyang, the King of Jin will definitely host a banquet for us three brothers to have a long talk..."

Liu Youzhong hurried out of the tent to see Yang Tongcai to discuss the alliance.

Xu Chu continued to drink tea.

Yin Fu came in and saw that there was no outsider. He said worriedly, "Su Rongchuan did oppose it, and Yang Tongcai was indeed angry, but... the generals were timid this time and had no intention of resisting."

"Since they have already resisted, Lord Yin should not waste the opportunity. Go back to the tent and wait. If someone comes to ask for advice, you just agree."

"What if no one asks me?"

"Then we have to wait for the right time." Xu Chu smiled.

"Yang Tongcai is definitely not the opponent of the King of Jin. If they really form an alliance, this Jizhou army will belong to the King of Jin. If I have to, I will take my soldiers to find another way back to Ji."

"I have to do this last resort."

Yin Fu sighed and went back to his tent to wait.

Not long after, Liu Youzhong came back and said with a smile: "It's settled. General Yang will move his camp to Bing tomorrow. The Jin army will welcome him. With this strong support, the Jin army will wipe out the Liang army in one fell swoop, and the rescue of the Yuyang court is just around the corner."

"The King of Jin has the momentum of a dragon rising again, which is gratifying."

"I dare not say such words." Liu Youzhong shook his head, but did not object too much, "Fourth brother, you don't have to do anything, just follow the army to Bing, and the King of Jin will give you a great gift."

"I am ashamed to receive rewards without merit."

The two chatted for a few more words, and Liu Youzhong said goodbye and went back to the tent to write a letter to inform the King of Jin of the good news.

After the first watch, Yin Fu sent someone to invite Xu Chu over for a drink. The two chatted for a long time. Near the second watch, Yin Fu raised his glass and said, "I've waited for the right time."