Plan to cut off the nine states

When the pursuers came and saw Ning Baoguan's head, they all cheered loudly and rode horses back and forth trampling on the remaining corpses.

The heads and limbs held by the soldiers of the Ning army were all taken away, and then they were ordered to stand aside. They were not convinced and always wanted to remind the other party that the credit was theirs. As a result, they annoyed the pursuers and all died under random swords.

Only Guan Daogu stood far away and said nothing, allowing the pursuers to treat him as a prisoner.

The pursuers made a fuss for a while and returned to Yecheng with the spoils of war. No one came into the deserted valley.

The official road finally became quiet, leaving behind a few corpses and a strong smell of blood. Zhang Shiqing felt that there was no need to stay any longer and sent an order back to the valley.

Everyone was talking quietly along the way, talking about the fate of Prince Ning and lamenting endlessly. Only Zhang Shiqing was concerned about another matter. After being silent for a long time, she arrived at the door of the house and said goodbye to everyone. She asked: "Why did Kou Daogu say that you died in the rebellion?" Among them?”

"Maybe someone misinformed the news. Anyway, this is a good thing. In the past two years, few people have come into the valley to disturb us. Maybe it has something to do with this."

"This is not a 'misinformation', it must be... it must be news created by Huanyan to fulfill your wish."

"It's also possible." Xu Chu smiled.

"Alas." Zhang Shiqing entered the room, lit the oil lamp, took off his knife and other items, turned around and said, "Why hasn't she gotten married yet?"

"who?"

"You know who I'm talking about."

"Princess Huanyan? This...maybe it's because Lou Ji's whereabouts are unknown."

Lou Ji was the fiancé of Princess Huanyan and was under the command of King Ning. King Liang had promised to find a way to dissolve the marriage, but before he could succeed, he died first. Since then, there has been no news about Lou Ji in the valley.

Zhang Shiqing snorted, "The reason why Huanyan refuses to get married is actually because of you. The two of you have always cherished each other. Every time you ruined important affairs of the court, she was not angry. And you two have a good understanding. If you want to fake your death, she will do it for you. Tell the world."

Xu Chu laughed a few times, stepped forward and gently hugged his wife, comforting her softly. Seeing that she could not untie her knot, he released his hands and said, "You want to know what kind of person Princess Huanyan is?"

"We grew up together. She is only a few years older. I know what kind of person she is."

"You only know 'Huanyan', but you don't know 'Princess Huanyan'."

"It's the same thing again, but it doesn't hurt to listen to what you have to say." Zhang Shiqing sat down and looked at his husband, "I'm all ears."

Xu Chu smiled and then calmed down, "Huanyan is your playmate, named aunt and nephew, and she is like a sister."

Zhang Shiqing nodded, "That's true. Although Huanyan is not my best friend, she is one of the closest people to me."

"Princess Huanyan is the daughter of the Zhang family. Seeing that the building is about to collapse, she wants to support the entire court on her own. However, the general trend is not in her favor, so she can only postpone it for a while."

"So you two cherish each other."

"But we are not walking on the same road. She refuses to get married, not because of me or because of Lou Ji, but because of her unfulfilled ambition and lack of care."

Zhang Shiqing stood up and said with a smile: "Seeing how hard you tried to explain, well, I won't care. But I have something else to say."

"All ears."

"When you decided to live in seclusion in the valley, I was actually a little regretful. Occasionally I felt that you were wasting your talents, and I couldn't express my ambitions. I don't have the ambition to be happy, but I also like the feeling of galloping around. What I just saw makes me feel that you are wasting your talents. No regrets, not at all.”

Xu Chu stepped forward and gently hugged his wife again.

For several days, it was very quiet outside the valley. Gradually, pedestrians began to pass by on the official road. First there were soldiers passing by in a hurry, and then the number of people gradually increased.

The people in the valley went out to inquire and learned that the person who now occupied Yecheng was Bao Dun, king of Runan. He was dividing his troops to seize surrounding counties and recruiting troops from all over, and was about to attack Yuyang in one go.

Bao Dun surrendered to the King of Chu a year ago. After the decisive battle with the Ning army, the heroes retreated, and he was ordered to stay and pacify the entire Jizhou.

Another half month later, the weather turned cold, and the peaceful life in the valley was interrupted by a group of guests.

The ones who came were a group of soldiers. They didn't send anyone to report. They dismounted and used sharp blades to chop away the weeds, push away thorns and dead branches, and then trample back and forth with their mounts. It only took an hour to open a passage.

Xu Chu forbade anyone to interfere, and specifically told Zhang Shiqing: "They are coming prepared. It is useless to block them. It is better to wait and see what happens."

The adults in the valley took their children to hide in the back mountains, leaving less than ten people behind.

More than a dozen knights broke into the village, and one of them shouted loudly: "Runan Baodante is here to visit, please ask Mr. Xu to come out and speak!"

Xu Chu had actually been standing at the door of his house. At this time, he raised his hand and said: "Here."

Bao Dun glanced over, looked at it for a while, laughed loudly, jumped off the horse, threw the reins to his entourage, strode closer alone, cupped his hands and said: "What a paradise, the world is fierce, the valley is silent, Mr. Xu is here How many people in the world are envious of this peaceful life."

Xu Chu had sent Zhang Shiqing and others to another room, faced the guests alone, and said, "People in the world only know King Runan, but they don't know me, Xu Chu."

Bao Dun's appearance has changed a lot, especially his whole demeanor. There is no longer the hesitation and confusion he had at the beginning, and his smile cannot hide the scorn in his heart.

He did not enter the house and did not intend to talk nonsense. "I was about to lead the troops to go out. When I heard that Mr. Xu was here, I immediately came to visit. I had no other intention, but to invite Mr. Xu to come out."

Xu Chu smiled and said: "I have lived in the valley for a long time and am engaged in farming. I neither study nor know anything about the world. Why do I go out to the mountains?"

"Haha, with Mr. Xu's talent, a few words is better than a mediocre person chattering all day long. Are you afraid that you will have nothing to do?"

"To be honest, I have an oath and cannot leave the valley."

The smile on Bao Dun's face slightly faded, "I can't even invite you to visit me personally. It seems that Mr. Xu really wants to live in seclusion in the valley, which is a pity. In this case, I can't force it, but I brought someone with me who admires Mr. Xu It has been a long time since I heard that Mr. Xu was killed, and he was even more sad than me. But when I heard that Mr. Xu was still there, he was so happy that he insisted on coming. "

Bao Dun turned around, called a follower over, and said to Xu Chu: "This is the commander-in-chief of our army and my 'strategist', Lan Ruofu-lan, the commander-in-chief."

Lan Ruofu, who was in his thirties, wore armor for the convenience of marching. However, he did not wear a helmet and wore a Confucian kerchief instead. He stepped forward and cupped his hands and said, "It is truly Lan's lifelong honor to meet Mr. Xu."

Xu Chu returned the gift and said, "Although I am in the deep valley, I still hear the name of Lan Changshi."

"Mr. Xu has heard of me?" Lan Ruofu was slightly surprised.

Xu Chu nodded.

The two of them were polite to each other, and Bao Dun said: "Today the army is going on an expedition. I took a detour to visit Mr. Xu. I originally wanted to ask Mr. Xu to go to Yuyang with me. Since Mr. Xu has sworn not to leave the valley, I can't force it. Say goodbye to me and wait for me. After returning from victory, I had a long drink with Mr. Xu."

“Can’t wait to see more.”

Lan Ruofu said: "My subordinates are brave enough to ask for a day's leave from my king. I will stay here to talk to Mr. Xu about my heart and understand how to catch up. Is it okay?"

Bao Dun looked at Xu Chu, "Mr. Xu, are you staying here?"

Xu Chu smiled and said: "Lan Changshi is a rare guest. Where can I not stay?"

Bao Dun laughed loudly, nodded to Lan Ruofu, walked away, got on his horse, and said loudly: "Lan Changshi is my right-hand man and close confidant. I hope Mr. Xu will treat him as he treats me."

Bao Dun led his followers out of the valley, leaving only a dozen soldiers standing outside the valley, waiting for Lan Ruofu.

Xu Chu invited the guests into the study and said: "The mountains are remote, there is no tea or wine, only the stream water can be drank, and the ocean is boundless."

The two of them were polite back and forth again, and Lan Ruofu finally got down to business: "The Prince of Runan personally came to invite you, which shows your true feelings. Why doesn't Mr. Xu want to come out?"

"I did make an oath..."

Lan Ruofu smiled and said: "There is no oath in the world that cannot be broken. I have always admired Mr. Xu's talent, and I don't understand why Mr. Xu is pedantic about this kind of thing. The King of Runan is extraordinary, and inviting Mr. Xu to come out is not just to get a chance. Staff. Doesn’t Mr. Xu really understand that the world is changing?”

"Visitors are rare in the valley, and I never inquire about them."

"Mr. Xu, please listen to my brief explanation: Now the king of Chu, Song Qizhu, is the leader of the alliance in the world, but after defeating King Ning, the leader is no longer in name only. The king of Chu occupies nothing more than the two states of Jing and Luo, and is adjacent to Huai and Wu Qunxiong in the east. Bian Zhongying, the king of Guangling, is the eldest, and he is connected to the Yi and Han Dynasties in the west. The Tie family brothers dominate, but they are all in harmony with the king of Chu. In the south of Xiang and Guang, the Marquis of Changsha, Guo Shifeng, is the eldest. He has been sending troops and food to the king of Chu, and he has long been tired of it. As soon as they arrived, they were bound to rebel. As for the three northern states, they all belonged to King Runan. King Runan never forgot where the king came from. He once wanted to exchange Jizhou for Luozhou, but was rejected by the King of Chu. After pacifying the whole territory, he entered. We will go south to fight before winter. King Runan has said that if it is just a matter of temporary strength, he will not bother Mr. Xu. The reason why he came to invite you is to calm the world. "

Lan Ruofu said a lot more, most of whom Xu Chu had never heard of, but he didn't hear about the whereabouts of Tan Wuwei, Tang Weitian and others, and he didn't ask.

"What do you think, Mr. Xu?" Lan Ruofu finally asked.

Xu Chu thought for a long time, "Listening to what Lan Changshi said, the King of Runan is sure of victory."

Lan Ruofu smiled and said: "Not eight or nine out of ten, but sixty-seven out of ten. The king of Runan has hundreds of thousands of soldiers and has accumulated enough food for five years. Defeating the king of Chu is not a problem. What is difficult is to sweep the whole world and unify it." The world.”

"Since the leader of the alliance has been defeated, the heroes from all directions will naturally surrender. If there are those who are dissatisfied, first stabilize them, then anger them, and then attack them. In less than five years, the King of Runan will surely conquer the world."

"Mr. Xu thinks so too?" Lan Ruofu's eyes lit up.

Xu Chu nodded, "That's why I can't leave the mountain."

"Huh?" Lan Ruofu was stunned.

"The King of Runan has taken advantage of the time, place, and people. It will be of no use to me after I leave the mountain. I can only walk with the army and watch the winning streak. It is difficult to contribute anything. I am ashamed of my salary, and the King of Runan will also regret it. So I It’s better to keep your oath and stay in the valley.”

"I promised King Runan that I would be able to persuade Mr. Xu to come out of the mountain with my sharp tongue."

"Lan Changshi is a minister and I am not familiar with him, so I shouldn't make a promise lightly."

Lan Ruofu smiled and nodded, "It's my fault, it's my fault. I have said everything that needs to be said. Since Mr. Xu insists, I have no choice but to retreat. I will say goodbye and I will come to visit you again when King Runan returns victorious." , listen quietly and give advice.”

Lan Ruofu left, and Xu Chu walked to the entrance of the village. He watched the guests go away, turned around and saw Zhang Shiqing and others, and sighed: "There is no other way. Let's escape the difficulty. We will set off before dark. I hope it's still too late."