Plan to cut off the nine states

After learning about the conversation at the banquet, Zhang Shiqing couldn't help complaining: "It's the time when the spring breeze is triumphant. I don't forget my old friendship and treat you as an honored guest. Why do you have to say these unpleasant things? I haven't seen you for many years, and you don't know." Even Tan Wuwei and Tang Weitian may not fully understand what kind of person the King of Chu has become, so why would you advise them to retreat bravely? "

Xu Chu smiled and said: "Tan Wuwei is a general on the West Route. He has been fighting in the states of Qin and Han, but he was named the King of Yecheng. There is something fishy about it."

"What's weird about this? When the heroes besieged King Ning, Tan Wuwei also participated. It is said that he made the first contribution and was granted the title of King of Yecheng. Isn't it an exaggeration?"

"It's not an exaggeration, but the King of Chu personally attacked Yuyang and won the hearts of the people of Jizhou. No matter how great his contribution was, Tan Weiwei was just one of the generals. He was transferred from the west to the east, and his foundation was unstable. I saw that after he learned the news of the king's appointment , I was so happy that I was afraid that I would offend the King of Chu."

"Anyway, in your eyes, nothing is normal. What about Tang Weitian? Although he is a brave general, he is also a reckless man. He should not offend the King of Chu, right?"

"Tang Weitian was both loyal and brave. He often served as a general under Tan Wuwei. He was loyal to the commander but not to the king. Moreover, when he was marching, he asked the soldiers he encountered to kneel down. He was too arrogant and could easily cause trouble."

Zhang Shiqing sighed, "They won't listen to you. Anyway, you have tried to persuade them. Don't make others uncomfortable in the future. Let's go back to the valley as soon as possible."

It's not easy to think about going through the trough. Although Tan Wuwei was slightly unhappy because of the words "retreat bravely from the rapids", he didn't have any resentment. Xu Chu said goodbye again and again, and he tried to persuade him to stay again and again. First, he watched the ceremony of crowning the king, and then there were countless Dinners and conversations.

Tang Weitian often participated, and all he talked about was the past and showing off, while Tan Wuwei was more concerned about the direction of the general trend. The three of them often talked about breaking up in the middle of the night, which was quite speculative, but no one mentioned the matter of "retreating bravely from the rapids" again.

More than a month later, at Xu Chu's insistence, Tan Wuwei was finally released.

The road was covered with snow. Xu Chu and Zhang Shiqing led the villagers back to the valley. Tan Wuwei and Tang Weitian walked outside the city gate and watched for a long time.

As soon as they were out of sight, the old servant couldn't help complaining: "The two generals are really enthusiastic, but... they didn't send any food or anything, and all the houses in the valley were burned down. When we go back Where do you live? The young master is thin-skinned, so I’m sorry, little princess..."

Although they have been married for many years, Zhang Shiqing is still called the "little princess". She glared and asked: "What, am I thick-skinned?"

"No, no," the old servant said with a smile, "I mean that the young princess can urge the young master to ask Generals Tan and Tang for emergency supplies."

Complaints are complaints. We have already left the city and are on the road. We can't go back to ask for gifts. The group of people, both old and young, walked relatively slowly. They set off in the morning and returned to Siguo Valley in the evening. Everyone was surprised when they saw the scene in the valley. .

Siguo Valley has a new look. The blackened ruins have been cleared away, and a batch of brand new houses have been built. They are more numerous and sturdier than before. The roads are smooth, and courtyard walls with more than one person are built, making it a real manor.

"Is this...is this Si Guogu? We are not going wrong, are we?" The old servant couldn't believe it.

Someone laughed and said, "You said that Generals Tan and Tang were ungrateful. They heard it, so they built a manor for you to see."

"I have never said the words 'unkind'. I have known for a long time that the friends the young master is willing to make will definitely be the right ones."

There were three people left in the village. They came out to greet Xu Chu and Zhang Shiqing respectfully. Without saying much, they left the keys and simply handed over the keys, then left and returned to Yecheng.

The old servant took the key and checked everywhere. When he saw the warehouse full of grain, bacon, cloth and other items, he was very excited and kept praising the two generals.

Life returned to normal, winter turned to spring, the livestock and poultry in the valley flourished again, and more than ten people who had escaped from the disaster were added, giving the valley a sense of vitality.

Tan Wuwei and Tang Weitian occasionally sent people over to deliver some things, but they didn't come to bother them. When the weather got warmer, they led their troops out to fight, but they kept asking questions.

One afternoon in early summer, a carriage entered the valley and saw the magnificent manor. The driver did not dare to go straight in. After stopping, he asked: "Is this really here?"

A woman poked her head out of the car. She was also surprised, but she was sure that she was on the right track. She smiled and said, "It's rare that Xu Chu actually knows how to arrange property."

The visitors were Tian Jiang and Feng Juniang. The couple had been guarding Yuyang alone for more than half a month, containing Bao Dun's army and providing the King of Chu with an opportunity to launch a fatal blow from behind.

After the war, Tian Jiang led his army out of the city and surrendered. The King of Chu admired him very much and wanted to accept him as a general. Tian Jiang declined because he was disabled, but he was still taken into the army until he was convinced that he really refused to lead the army. The King of Chu Only then was he rewarded and released.

The couple was welcomed, and three days later, the vehicle carrying goods arrived. Feng Ju Niang gave gifts all over the place, including the newborn child, which won the favor of everyone.

Coincidentally, Zhang Shiqing had not been pregnant for five or six years after their marriage. Three months after Feng Juniang arrived, the two of them showed signs of pregnancy one after another, and the valley became even more lively.

Tan Wuwei and Tang Weitian never returned to Yecheng, and there was less and less news, until finally, in early winter, Yecheng no longer sent anyone to ask questions.

Xu Chu did not care about worldly affairs and forbade people in the valley to go out to inquire. He concentrated on taking care of his wife and preparing to welcome their first child.

At the turn of spring and summer the following year, Feng Ju Niang gave birth to a daughter first, and a few days later, Zhang Shiqing gave birth to a son. Her delivery process was difficult, from morning to midnight, she cried in pain, and the midwife was helpless. Xu Chu, who never believed in ghosts and gods, also prayed to the sky, hoping to keep his wife safe.

After many twists and turns, mother and child were finally safe. Zhang Shiqing was so weak that he couldn't speak, but he still smiled when he saw the newborn baby.

Xu Chu sat next to his wife, looked at the baby in the midwife's arms, and smiled: "Do you think he looks ugly?"

Zhang Shiqing laughed, which was exactly what she thought in her heart.

The midwife was an old woman in the valley, and she also laughed and said, "How can you say that about your own child's parents? They are like this when they are just born. It will be fine in a few days. You will never like it when the time comes."

The valley was celebrating, and the old servant was unusually generous. He took out the treasured wine and meat and sent them to each family. When he arrived at the Tian family, Feng Ju Niang shouted in the house, "Why didn't I have wine and meat to celebrate when I gave birth to my child?"

"Who made me a member of the Xu family?" The old servant did not hide his pride and joy, "The Xu family has a successor, haha, the Xu family has a successor."

"Actually it's the Lou family, you don't have to be proud, no matter which family has a successor, it will fall into our Tian family."

Feng Ju Niang kept her word. On the day when the Xu family's little son was full of one month, she and Tian Jiang came to congratulate him and also came to ask for marriage.

The two babies, who were still in their cradles, were engaged in this way and exchanged tokens with each other.

The other children in the valley were already five or six years old and could read and write. Xu Chu personally taught them and taught them very attentively, but the student he had devoted the most effort to before disappointed him a little.

Ma Shi was already ten years old and looked very similar to his father. He also studied hard, but gradually lost interest, especially after Tian Jiang arrived. The two of them became friends regardless of age. Ma Shi was obviously more willing to follow the lame master to practice martial arts.

After several urgings and a deep talk, Xu Chu had to give up this student and allowed him to practice martial arts, but he had to take out an hour every day to study.

Another year later, several uninvited guests came to the valley. The leader was Yu Zhan, a reckless disciple of Fan Bi. He and three others wanted to worship Xu Chu as their master.

Xu Chu insisted on not doing so, so the four of them said they wanted to stay to study and receive teachings as fellow brothers.

Seeing that they were sincere, Xu Chu stayed in the valley to study together and teach the children together.

Yu Zhan brought a batch of books, which were rare in the troubled times. They turned three empty houses into study rooms, reading every day, and were deeply respected by the people in the valley.

Yu Zhan had been traveling with the army for many years and brought a lot of news, but Xu Chu was unwilling to listen and suggested that he should forget about the outside world in the valley.

Yu Zhan agreed, but there was one person he couldn't help mentioning, "Kou Daogu was disloyal and had been killed by the King of Chu, but rumors said that this was designed by Guo Shifeng to eliminate the enemy."

Xu Chu smiled and didn't ask for details, and Yu Zhan didn't say anything more.

In the early winter of this year, Tang Weitian came, but he was no longer as brave as before. He lost his entire right arm. When he entered the valley, his injury had not healed yet. His face was as pale as paper. When he saw Xu Chu, he wanted to kneel down. After being helped up, he said: "Now I understand what you mean by 'retreat bravely in the face of danger'."

Tang Weitian changed his habit of bragging and did not mention how he was injured or what victories he had won. Ma Shi heard that this man was the best general in the world and wanted to learn some real skills from him, but was ruthlessly rejected.

Tang Weitian actually wanted to change his study of literature. "I have done many things. Now I hope to understand what these things mean. Does Maitreya Buddha have any plans for me?"

Tang Weitian insisted on worshipping Xu Chu as his master. Xu Chu accepted. This was his first formal disciple, but Tang Weitian was not the eldest disciple. "Chang Yanzhi is the first disciple I accepted. You must remember this eldest brother."

Tang Weitian remembered it in his heart. He is now over 20 years old and has lost his right arm. The most lacking thing in his life is patience. Therefore, his literacy is quite slow, and his progress is not even as good as that of a child of a few years old.

He was angry and blamed Xu Chu and himself. When he felt the most difficult, he escaped from the valley and came back in a mess half a month later. He said nothing and continued to write with his one arm after dinner.

It took three years for Tang Weitian to recognize enough characters and read books fluently.

It was during these three years that the King of Chu won the world and ascended the throne to become emperor. Although there were rebellions from time to time in all directions, they were no longer relevant to the overall situation.

Tan Wuwei was not killed, and returned to Yecheng to be the king. He would occasionally visit his old friends and talk about the past.

In the autumn of the year when Xu Chu's eldest son was seven years old, Tan Wuwei came to the valley in person to announce a good news: the emperor was touring the four directions and would come to Yecheng next month. He sent someone early to say that he wanted to meet Xu Chu.

Xu Chu almost didn't remember what Song Quzhu looked like.