Plan to cut off the nine states

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When Xu Chu was still being forced to move forward by the rebel army on the road, Guo Shifeng rode a high carriage with four horses, holding a staff, and successfully passed Mengjin and arrived in Jinyang.

The lack of a big word in the title of "General Manager" makes a huge difference in rank. Although the General Manager of Jinyang Army and Horses is in charge of the army, he has no power to mobilize troops. Even if he sees that the father and son of the Shen family have a rebellious heart, he is powerless to stop it. He can only be careful and secretly send a letter to the court to warn.

Guo Shifeng brought the imperial edict he needed most.

The imperial edict conferred the title of General Manager of Jinyang Army and Horses Miao Sa as General Dingbian. In name, it was to guard against He Rong's troops in the north, but in fact it gave him the power to mobilize troops.

Thousands of officers and soldiers in Jinyang City all belonged to General Manager Miao. Although the Shen family had tens of thousands of soldiers outside the city, there were only more than 300 private soldiers in the city to guard the mansion. The two sides temporarily maintained superficial friendship, and no one wanted to be the first to tear their faces apart.

Liu Youzhong came to see Xu Chu, one for his old friendship, and the other for Guo Shifeng.

Liu Youzhong was not surprised to hear that the Seventeenth Young Master had changed his surname. He smiled and nodded, "Very good, very good." Then he said, "How familiar is the Seventeenth Young Master with this Guo Shifeng?"

"So familiar that they once planned to assassinate the emperor together."

Liu Youzhong had a habit of only opening his right eye when he was surprised, and not moving his left eye, giving people an unfathomable impression. At this time, his right eye was raised, and then he laughed, "I see, this Mr. Guo is really capable. Please follow me into the city. Mr. Shen Wu has prepared a banquet to welcome the Seventeenth Young Master."

Xu Chu really needed to wash off the dust on his body, packed up his bag simply, and set off immediately.

Liu Youzhong glanced at the books in the bundle and smiled, "The Seventeenth Young Master is really studious, and he never forgets to read when he goes on a long journey."

Xu Chu smiled and did not explain.

Outside, Tan Wuwei didn't know whether he had won a great victory or a complete defeat. In short, there was no opponent in front of him. He stood alone with a sword, looking around blankly. Seeing Xu Chu and Liu Youzhong, he smiled and bowed, dragging his long sword on the ground.

Xu Chu nodded, walked a few steps, and said to Liu Youzhong: "Take him with you."

"Tan Wuwei? Has Mr. Seventeen thought about it?"

"Even if he is useless, it's just an extra mouth."

"This mouth is not simple. It can talk from morning to night. It is said that he even talks in his sleep at night."

"Mr. Liu, based on physiognomy, what do you think of this person?"

Liu Youzhong looked back, and Tan Wuwei bowed again.

"I won't lie in front of Mr. Seventeen. Zhongnan physiognomy only looks at important people. For this Tan Wuwei, there is no way to comment. But if Mr. Seventeen wants to take him, then take him. At least it can make Mr. Shen Wu happy."

Important people know and contact many people, and it is easy to get information. Liu Youzhong can guess the thoughts of the person being looked at, and it is foolproof. As for Tan Wuwei, he knows too little and cannot guess, and he is unwilling to waste energy to guess.

Xu Chu raised his arm and waved. Tan Wuwei strode over and said directly without asking anything, "I have nothing to pack, so I can go into the city now."

Liu Youzhong laughed, took the two out of the manor, and took a car into the city. This time, they were not stopped.

Jinyang City was bustling with people coming and going, but almost half of them looked like refugees, pushing carts and carrying loads, carrying wives and children, either with a wooden face or a panic face, and often heard the heartbreaking cry of children.

It was relatively quiet in front of the Duke of Jin's mansion. The whole street was guarded by guards, and the people had to take a detour.

The carriage drove straight into the mansion from the side door. Shen Dan had been waiting in the yard. When he saw the carriage, he immediately came up, opened his arms, and laughed, "I have been looking forward to it for a long time, and it is finally here." After that, he personally helped Xu Chu get off the car.

Liu Youzhong got off the car by himself, and Tan Wuwei sat on it without moving.

Shen Dan and Xu Chu exchanged greetings for a long time and walked into the hall hand in hand. Tan Wuwei had no choice but to get off the car and walk behind him with his head held high.

A banquet had been set up in the hall. Shen Dan kept apologizing. Although he was cold to Tan Wuwei, he was not rude. He ordered the servants to add more cups and chopsticks and give Mr. Tan a seat.

The four of them sat down. Shen Dan sighed for a long time and kept saying "I can't believe it". When it comes to changing the surname, he agrees very much, "Brother Chu is from Wu, that's right."

"That's what I said." Tan Wuwei interrupted and sat there waiting for the servants to pour wine.

Xu Chu bowed and said, "I didn't let Brother Shen Wu know earlier, not because I didn't want to, but because it was too big and hard to say."

"Those who do big things should be cautious in words and deeds. If you tell me your plan early, I will not be optimistic. Brother Chu came from afar, my father is very happy, but because he is busy with trivial matters, he specially ordered me to receive you. I will toast you three cups first, and then ask Brother Chu to rest for a while, and then drink, how about it?"

Shen Dan is considerate. Seeing that Xu Chu was exhausted, he knew that he had suffered a lot on the road, so he asked him to wash and change clothes before coming out to drink.

Half an hour later, Xu Chu changed into new clothes and came out clean. He felt relaxed and seemed to be back in Dongdu.

The other three were waiting for him. Tan Wuwei also changed into new clothes. I don't know if it was a reward from Shen Dan or he insisted on coming.

Xu Chu sat down again, and after three toasts, he said, "I came to Jinyang, first, to seek refuge with Uncle Shen and Fifth Brother Shen, and second, there is an unfinished chess game. I have set my sights on Central Tianyuan, and I came to ask Fifth Brother if you still want to hold on to one corner?"

This was a secret code between the two. Shen Dan said seriously, "Tianyuan is a position that must be fought for. I never lag behind in chess, and I should fight back."

Liu Youzhong understood what the two were talking about, and Tan Wuwei also understood it, and said, "The Eastern Capital still has many soldiers and horses, and the front is unstoppable. The best strategy is to send troops across the river to Qin and drive the rioters into Tongguan as the vanguard. At the same time, send an official with the remaining power to persuade Jizhou. The two wings are stable, and the position of Tianyuan can be planned in the south."

Xu Chu thought this plan was good. Just as he was about to speak, Shen Dan winked at him and asked, "Tan Wangsun has a good plan. However, Qinzhou is in chaos and cannot be pacified in a short time. How many soldiers are needed?"

"If Shen Bingzhou leads the army in person, he will need 100,000 soldiers. If it were me, I would need 300,000 soldiers."

"Tan Wangsun is very modest." Shen Dan said with a smile.

Tan Wuwei shook his head, "Shen Bingzhou was born as a civil servant, and leading 100,000 troops is already the limit. After arriving in Qinzhou, he can only drive directly to Xijing, and then drive the rioters to attack Tongguan."

"What if Tan Wangsun leads the troops himself?"

"If I lead 300,000 troops, it will take at least three months, and at most half a year, to completely pacify Qinzhou, and use all the rioters for my use. The force will double, and the troops will be sent back to Bingzhou. Tongguan can be broken without attacking, and then..."

Tan Wuwei couldn't stop talking. Shen Dan and Liu Youzhong kept toasting. After more than a dozen cups, his tongue became bigger and his words were a little messy. "Where was I just talking? Oh, it's not the best strategy to attack Luoyang in the south. Once Bingzhou moves, the whole world will move. Luoyang is a place of war on all sides, difficult to attack and difficult to defend..."

After three more cups, Tan Wuwei couldn't speak clearly. Shen Dan ordered his servants to carry him away. The long sword swept across the ground, leaving a series of sounds.

Shen Dan smiled and said, "This Tan Wuwei has some eloquence, but he doesn't know the situation."

"He claims to be originally from Liang."

"Well, his grandfather once married a princess of Liang. By the time of his father's generation, it had declined, but he still remembered her and liked to be called "Prince's grandson."

Xu Chu thought of Ma Wei, who often called himself "Liang Dynasty Emperor", but did not immediately ask for help. He asked, "The rebel army is approaching the Eastern Capital, and the court is in chaos. What is Shen Bingzhou waiting for?"

Shen Dan sighed lightly, "My father is cautious and does not want to be the first minister to raise an army."

Shen Zhi had the same idea as the general. Xu Chu said, " But the court has become suspicious. If we wait, the time will never come again. "

Shen Dan nodded, "I think so too, but father..." Shen Dan glanced at the servants in the hall and retreated one after another, "Please let Mr. Liu speak."

Liu Youzhong made friends with Shen Dan in Dongdu. After escaping to Jinyang, he became one of his confidants. He first bowed to Shen Dan, and then said: "I have said everything I can say, Shen Bingzhou is unmoved. The only way now is to make it a done deal."

"What do you mean?"

"Kill the general manager Miao Sa, lead the generals to support Shen Bingzhou as king, act first and then plan, and great things can be accomplished." Liu Youzhong spoke bluntly for once.

Xu Chu understood his usefulness. "I am an old friend of the imperial envoy Guo Shifeng. I know his character well. After killing General Miao, I can persuade him to make Uncle Shen the king in the name of the imperial court."

"That would be even better." Shen Dan was overjoyed, but his request did not stop there. "Brother Chu, can you persuade Guo Shifeng to switch to the Shen family in advance?"

Xu Chu shook his head. "No, that would only alert the enemy."

Shen Dan gave up his extravagant hopes. "It's enough to be made the king in the name of the imperial court."

"What do the generals think?" Xu Chu asked.

"All the generals are willing to serve Shen Bingzhou and the fifth son of Shen. They will respond to a call, but it's difficult to enter the city."

Most of the old members of the Shen family and the newly recruited soldiers were stationed outside the city. There were only a few hundred private troops in the city, and they might not be willing to listen to Shen Dan's orders.

"In this case, if you want to kill General Miao, you can only use your wits."

Shen Dan and Liu Youzhong paused. The three of them were in deep thought, and they seemed to be thinking of ideas. Xu Chu knew clearly that the two had a plan and were waiting for him to speak.

Xu Chu patted his leg lightly, "I remembered something that might make Shen Bingzhou feel more at ease."

"What is it?" Shen Dan's eyes lit up.

"Thinking back, the assassination was planned by three people. Guo Shifeng and I were both followers. The mastermind was Yuefu Hou Ma Wei, a descendant of the former Liang emperor."

"I recognize him." Shen Dan was not particularly interested.

"Ma Wei has crossed the river and was elected king by the rebellious Hegong and some Qinzhou rioters. He is advancing eastward along the river. If he raises the banner of rebellion first, Shen Bingzhou will have nothing to worry about."

Shen Dan and Liu Youzhong looked at each other. At the moment, the news was not smooth. They only knew that Hegong rebelled and retreated step by step, but they had never heard of who the leader of the rebel army was.

Shen Dan reacted faster, "How is the relationship between Lord Ma and Brother Chu?"

"We have been close friends for many years. If I come forward to persuade him, he will listen to me."

Shen Dan nodded, "Lord Ma is a descendant of the Liang Dynasty. He is not a king who claims to be a rioter. If he can take the lead in raising the banner of rebellion, it will indeed make father feel more at ease."

Liu Youzhong said: "There is only one thing. Ma Wei's career is to restore the Liang Dynasty..."

The foundation of the Liang Dynasty is in Jinyang. Liu Youzhong is worried that Ma Wei is too ambitious and will become an enemy of the Shen family.

"Ma Wei is just a scholar who was forcibly elected as a king by the rioters. If he meets a wise master, he will give up his title and surrender. It is enough for him to get a piece of land to worship his ancestors." Xu Chu said.

Liu Youzhong also nodded, "Let alone the future, the biggest enemy right now is still Tiancheng. The more people who start the rebellion, the better. But they are all distant waters and cannot quench Jinyang's thirst."

Xu Chu stood up and said with emotion: "The only plan now is to send me to the General Manager's Mansion, take the opportunity to kill Miao Sa, hold the imperial envoy hostage, and seize military power."

Shen Dan and Liu Youzhong smiled at each other. They were waiting for this sentence.