Plan to cut off the nine states

Zhang Shiqing sent someone to deliver a letter, saying that he could not leave the palace for the time being. Xu Chu replied with a letter, claiming that he was going out again, but did not say where he was going.

At noon that day, Xu Chu was escorted by ten guards and left Yuyang all the way to Yecheng.

Feng Juniang and Tian Jiang rode in a car and saw them off ten miles outside the city. Feng Juniang always wanted to persuade Xu Chu to stay, "A well-fed tiger is easy to persuade, but no one should approach a hungry tiger. Today's Liang Wang is no different from a hungry tiger, Mr. If you send it to your door, isn't it asking for death?"

Xu Chu said every time: "I have an old relationship with King Liang, so I have to go there."

Seeing that Xu Chu did not listen to the advice, Feng Juniang couldn't help but said to her husband: "Do you think it is a good idea for the young master to go to Yecheng? Why don't you say anything?"

Tian Jiang was sitting in the car, always smiling but not talking much. When he heard his wife's complaint, he replied: "The world is difficult, who said Yuyang must be safer than Yecheng? Mr. Xu must have known better. Others advised him No."

"Hmph, you are really good at talking. No matter what Yuyang does, at least no one wants to harm the young master."

Tian Jiang laughed twice and refused to argue with his wife.

When it was time to say goodbye, Tian Jiang asked, "Mr. Xu, do you still remember my question yesterday?"

Tian Jiang asked yesterday how many days Yuyang could be stable. Xu Chu didn't have time to answer at that time, but he already had the answer in his heart, "As little as three months, as long as a year."

Xu Chu bowed his hands and left.

Feng Juniang heard her husband's inquiry yesterday and said in surprise: "Can Yuyang only hold on for a few months? But the current situation is obviously much better than before..."

Xu Chu had already walked away, and Tian Jiang said: "It is precisely because the situation is so good that it will cause great trouble. The words 'Tiancheng Imperial Court' are too scary."

Feng Juniang was in a daze for a while, and then said: "The young master is going to Yecheng. I don't know if he can come back. It's a pity that the little princess is still waiting for him."

"If you have to worry, you might as well worry about Prince Liang."

"The King of Liang is forcing the court to marry the princess. Why should I worry about him?"

"I mean, if Mr. Xu goes to Yecheng, the unlucky one will be Prince Liang."

Feng Juniang was in a daze for a while, looking at the retreating figure. She couldn't see any threat, "Looking at your tone, you sound like a roundworm in the young master's belly. He knows everything."

"Haha, don't take it seriously. When you see Mr. Xu again this time, don't you think he has changed?"

"Besides not being able to drink and seeing no changes, what else do you think has changed about him?"

"Less words."

"No, the young master doesn't talk much in Siguo Valley."

"It's different. In Siguo Valley, he was introspecting. He had no one to persuade, and he didn't want to persuade others, so he talked little. But you are Princess Huanyan's confidant, and when he spoke to you, he was just admonishing Princess Huanyan. He still spoke little. There seems to be a lot to hide.”

Feng Juniang understood, "Young master, are you... completely giving up on the court and the princess?"

"I'm afraid it's more than that. Did you tell Princess Huanyan what he said yesterday?"

"certainly."

"What did Princess Huanyan say?"

"Didn't say anything, just nodded to me." Feng Juniang also kept a secret that she couldn't even reveal to her husband.

Tian Jiang smiled and said: "The two of them are quite equal, so we don't need to worry about it, but I'm a little afraid of Xu Chu now, so it's better to have less contact with each other in the future."

"You are getting less and less courageous." Feng Juniang ordered the coachman to turn back to the city and smiled at her husband: "But you are quite capable. If you are willing to serve the imperial court..."

Tian Jiang shook his head, "Mr. Xu and I have the same view. Yuyang cannot escape the disaster."

Feng Juniang sighed and murmured: "I don't care what happens to the court, as long as nothing happens to the princess..."

Jizhou counties and counties rebelled against Liang one after another and returned to the imperial court. Xu Chu carried Yuyang's decree and went all the way smoothly until he was stopped outside the gate of Yecheng. After waiting for nearly an hour, he was allowed to enter the city, but he could only enter the city alone, and all guards were there. To stay outside.

Although Yecheng has changed hands several times, it has never experienced a forced attack. The city, streets, and houses have remained intact. However, most of the people have fled, and there are almost no people on the streets, which makes it appear depressed.

Xu Chu was brought into the main hall of the palace, which was still full of Qianliang relics, all brought from the eastern capital. The number was smaller, and there were no heavy items.

Xu Chu walked through many furnishings alone and looked up. There was no one on the throne. He turned half a circle and saw Lin on a chair.

When Xu Chu escaped from Dongdu, he relied on the strength of the Lin family and held his hands on the spot and said: "Princess..."

"I am Mrs. Lin now." Ms. Lin said with a smile. She was originally a princess, but since Prince Liang wanted to remarry Tiancheng's noble daughter, she was demoted to Mrs. Lin.

Xu Chu refused to change his words, "Has the princess met Princess Huanyan?"

Mrs. Lin did not insist and sighed softly, "I have seen her before. She is indeed a strange woman. Prince Liang is not worthy of her."

"Where is King Liang?"

"He doesn't want to see you."

Xu Chu cupped his hands and said, "Then I'll go out and wait until King Liang wants to see me."

"I want to see Mr. Xu, and I want to ask Mr. Xu for a big favor."

Xu Chu owed Mrs. Lin a favor, so he said: "Princess, please tell me, as long as it is something I can do, I will never refuse."

"Among the children of Prince Liang and me, the youngest is just three years old. He has just become acquainted with human relations and has not enjoyed the slightest benefit of the prince. His life should not be cut off. I hope Mr. Xu can take him away and leave a ray of blood for the Ma family." "If you change your surname in the future, please do as you please."

"Why did the princess say this?"

Mrs. Lin smiled slightly and said, "Although I am a woman, I do know a little bit about things. Please Mr. Xu agree so that I will have no regrets after my death."

Xu Chu bowed and said, "If the King of Liang is in trouble, as long as I am still alive, I will protect the safety of the princess and the children."

"That's not necessary, the youngest son will do. Mr. Xu, do you agree to this?"

"Yes." Xu Chu hesitated.

"Please go down and rest, Mr. Xu, I will persuade the King of Liang to see you."

Xu Chu left the main hall and was taken to the guest room by the eunuch to rest.

Soon after dark, the eunuch came to invite him, this time sending him to a side hall.

Yecheng originally had no palace, let alone a palace. The Tiancheng court was temporarily renamed and has been used to this day. The main hall is not big, and the side hall is even smaller. All the original things have been vacated and replaced with the tablet of the former Liang emperor. The table is filled with incense, and the eternal lamps on both sides are lit day and night.

Ma Wei stopped to look at the tablet. When he heard footsteps, he said without turning his head, "Emperor Wu of Daliang also encountered a rebellion, and only one city remained to defend, but he did not give up. He continued the legacy of three generations and exerted his might to not only suppress the rebellion, but also expanded outward and established the prosperity of Daliang."

Xu Chu walked behind Ma Wei and whispered, "You have neither 'the legacy of three generations' nor 'the might of the sky'."

Ma Wei turned around suddenly, his face full of anger, "How dare you say such a thing! As long as I am still here, Daliang will not and will not perish!"

"Who will change first?" Xu Chu asked.

Ma Wei's expression darkened, and then he showed anger again, "You recommended Bao Dun, so I thought he was a hero who valued friendship and loyalty. You are responsible for his betrayal!"

"I can be responsible." Xu Chu replied.

Ma Wei's fury soon subsided. He sighed and said dejectedly, "I am the King of Liang. What responsibility do you have? The fault is all mine. I didn't see Bao Dun's wolfish ambition..."

"If you want to keep Bao Dun, you must first get Runan City."

"Runan is a small city. If you lose it today, you can get it tomorrow. Why do you have to care about it now? If he really can't bear to leave, why doesn't he want to explain it to you in person?" Ma Wei's anger appeared again, and it came and went quickly, leaving only a frustrated face. "He is not from Liang, and he won't stay with me for long. What's hateful is that those Liang soldiers and generals actually... actually..."

Ma Wei gritted his teeth, and his anger lasted for a long time, as if he wanted to use it to burn those traitors to death.

Xu Chu waited until Ma Wei's anger subsided before he spoke: "Maybe it's because General Pan Kai was killed."

"Pan Kai rebelled in Dongdu and surrendered to King Ning, but was killed. With me...with me..." Ma Wei deliberately left Pan Kai in Dongdu to defend the isolated city and refused to give him support. He didn't dare to say that he had nothing to do with him, so he could only say: "The King of Liang is me, not him!"

After several rounds of anger, Ma Wei was exhausted. He leaned on the altar and asked coldly: "What are you doing here? Are you here to laugh at me? Or do you want to seize Yecheng for Princess Huanyan?"

"I'm here to persuade you to surrender."

Ma Wei laughed, his palm left the table, straightened up again, and said proudly: "If it's really not my time, I will accept my fate, but I won't admit it. If you want me to surrender to a woman, you are wrong about me. "

"The Tiancheng court cannot protect itself, it is not a good place to go. King Liang can surrender to King Ning first, and then wait and see what happens."

Ma Wei looked at Xu Chu in confusion, "You actually lobby for King Ning..."

"I am not for King Ning, but for King Liang. I hope you can tolerate the humiliation for a while, and kneel down to the Chanyu..."

"Then what?" Ma Wei asked coldly, "Kneeling down to the Chanyu is a temporary humiliation, because I know that He Rong's troops can't reach me for a while. If I surrender to King Ning, how can I turn things around? With King Ning's cruelty, he will kill me as soon as he enters Yecheng."

"Although King Ning is cruel, he is not completely unreasonable. As long as King Liang Willing..."

"Don't talk about this for now, tell me how to turn things around after surrendering?"

Xu Chu was silent for a while, and replied: "Wait for the real dragon emperor. If it is none other than King Ning, I hope King Liang will surrender sincerely."

"Haha, is this your idea? If King Ning is the real dragon emperor, will you 'wholeheartedly surrender'?"

"I will flee far away to the sea. King Ning and I have a personal grudge, but King Liang does not."

Ma Wei shook his head, "I would rather be a dead king than a living minister. You have pride, and I have it too."

Xu Chu wanted to say more, but Ma Wei didn't want to listen anymore, "Anyway, you came to Yecheng at this time, which shows your true feelings. Stay here first. Bao Dun and King Ning will not attack for a few days. If you are really willing to Think of me, come up with a brilliant plan to turn defeat into victory for me. "

"Human power is limited, and some things cannot be forced."

"In that case, why did you come to Yecheng? Just for the friendship in the past? Hey, you don't need it, and neither do I. Go down, I need to be alone for a while, this is where the ancestors of Daliang are, you are an outsider, it is not appropriate to stay too long."

Xu Chu bowed and said goodbye, just as he walked out of the door, he heard Ma Wei's shouting behind him: "Ancestors, look at this chaotic world, look at this chaotic world!"

Before coming to Yecheng, Xu Chu knew that he could not persuade King Liang, but he had to come, but his mood did not improve at all, but became more gloomy.

The next morning, the eunuch came to deliver food and said: "Today at noon, King Liang ascended the throne and invited Mr. Xu to watch the ceremony. "