Plan to cut off the nine states

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Shen Bingzhou was only willing to provide 500 soldiers, mostly old and weak, and more than ten horses, which could barely be considered an army. It was called a loan, but Xu Chu was not allowed to lead the troops. Two lieutenants and a middle-ranking soldier were assigned to lead the army, and Xu Chu was just accompanying.

Xu Chu was anxious and had to set off early the next morning, but the Shen family regarded this expedition as a symbol, and performed a full set of ceremonies such as offering sacrifices to flags, offering sacrifices to the gods of war, and sending off.

Shen Zhi still did not show up, and his sons did it for him. Although the eldest son Shen Cong had violated his father's wishes, he was not punished and was still the leader of the sons. After the ceremony, Shen Dan came alone to toast Xu Chu, "Fourth brother, please understand that Bingzhou can only provide this much troops."

"Everything is ready to go. Bingzhou is willing to lend the flags, which shows its deep affection. I have nothing else to ask for."

Shen Dan smiled and sighed, still feeling embarrassed. He pulled Xu Chu aside and whispered: "Zhou Yuanbin, the military officer of the Central Army, is my brother-in-law and I recommended him to my father. This person is the most easy-going and can make friends. To him, you just need to stick to your own opinion. Even if he is annoyed at the time, he will definitely accept it afterwards."

Xu Chu looked from a distance and saw Zhou Yuanbin chatting and laughing with the sons of the Shen family. He has a good relationship with people and can even greet ordinary soldiers.

"Thank you for your advice, third brother."

"Zhou Yuanbin has a governor's order. If the cities within the borders of Bingzhou are attacked by foreign enemies, the military officer of the Central Army can recruit soldiers on the spot." Shen Dan revealed another piece of news.

Xu Chu bowed, "Third brother, you are so kind, I dare not thank you, I only hope to repay you in the future."

Shen Dan smiled and said, "Fourth brother, you are too polite."

As the two were talking, Tan Wuwei strode over from a distance, holding a long sword in his hand, holding his head high and chest out, half a head taller than everyone else. Shen Dan sighed softly, "Second brother is a person... I really can't figure it out."

What Shen Dan cared about was not the other party's character, but he was hesitant about whether he should reuse Tan Wuwei.

Tan Wuwei approached with a smile on his face, "Fourth brother, goodbye, I can't go south with you."

"Huh?"

"Shen Bingzhou's account is short of a military advisor, and Brother Guo recommended me."

Xu Chu bowed and said, "Congratulations, second brother, on your promotion."

Tan Wuwei shook his head, "When can I lead 100,000 soldiers, it will be considered a promotion."

Shen Dan smiled and said, "Second brother usually leads 300,000 soldiers, why are you so humble today?"

"You have to take one step at a time, how can you reach the sky in one step? Start with 100,000."

The three laughed. Xu Chu didn't need Tan Wuwei for the time being, so he didn't keep him.

At noon, Xu Chu mounted his horse and set off. Guo Shifeng stood in front of the central army tent and bowed to him from a distance. Xu Chu returned the greeting. He admired and despised Brother Guo, but looking at his own situation, he put away all his thoughts. The chaotic world has come. Even if he can't rise and fall with the world, he shouldn't make a judgment on a person easily.

Shen Dan couldn't figure out Tan Wuwei, and Xu Chu felt that he couldn't figure out anyone, and even the little confidence he had before was about to disappear.

Zhou Yuanbin was a handsome middle-aged man with a white face and a slight beard. He looked like a scholar, a businessman, and a general who had just taken office, thanks to the battle robe and armor on his body.

He had indeed just taken office. Not long ago, he was a famous businessman in Bingzhou. His ancestors had been engaged in transportation and trade for generations. By the time of his father's generation, he had become a local tycoon. He inherited all the family business and multiplied it several times, but he didn't like being a businessman. He loved making friends and regarded himself as a hero.

When the Shen family was preparing to start an uprising, Zhou Yuanbin immediately donated most of his property without hesitation, so he was trusted by the Shen family.

The two had been introduced to each other. Not far from the camp, Zhou Yuanbin entrusted the responsibility of leading troops to two lieutenants, and regarded himself as a protected entourage. He talked with Xu Chu and soon became familiar with him.

When Zhou Yuanbin felt that he could talk about anything, he immediately asked what he was most interested in: "Seventeenth Master, did you really participate in the assassination?"

"If not, I wouldn't have ended up like this."

"Yes, yes." Zhou Yuanbin was obviously very interested. After a while, he asked again: "Can you tell me the details? I won't ask more about what Seventeenth Master doesn't want to say. Just reveal what you can say."

Xu Chu didn't want to talk about it, but when he thought of Shen Dan's reminder, he changed his mind and roughly told the cause and effect of the assassination, omitting many surprises, hesitations and panics. It sounded like a complete plan without any setbacks.

Zhou Yuanbin took a breath again and again. When he heard Xu Chu stabbed the Emperor of All Things in the stomach with his own hands, Zhou Yuanbin screamed loudly, causing a lieutenant to chase him to check. Seeing that the military officer was just too excited, he retreated to supervise the soldiers.

Zhou Yuanbin clasped his fists and said, "Heroes have always emerged from youth, and it is true. Seventeenth Young Master... you are not yet twenty years old, right? Tsk tsk, when I was twenty, the most extraordinary thing I did was to take a few people out of the pass on horseback, drink with the grassland master all night, and make a big deal. Others say I am brave, but compared with Seventeenth Young Master... tsk tsk, there is no comparison."

Xu Chu laughed and said, "There is only one emperor, and you have to have a chance to assassinate him."

Zhou Yuanbin laughed. Although he was much older, he admired Seventeenth Young Master very much. For the first time since Xu Chu left Dongdu, he felt the benefits of assassinating the emperor, which was better than nothing.

An army of five hundred people could not carry too much food and grass, so the journey had to be strictly calculated. They had to rest when they arrived at the post station, and they could not walk one more mile.

The rebellion in Qinzhou and Hegong had already affected Bingzhou. The cities were guarded carefully, and the towns were depressed. The post stations outside the city were very vigilant about people coming and going. Zhou Yuanbin had to go into the city in person to show his identity to the superiors and deliver the documents written by the governor Shen Zhi and stamped with the official seal.

Most of the cities near Jinyang supported Mu Shou and treated him well after seeing the document.

Xu Chu advised Zhou Yuanbin to requisition some horses from the post station, but Zhou Yuanbin disagreed, "These cities will belong to my father-in-law from now on and should not be disturbed."

This time, Xu Chu did not insist on his opinion.

The two became more and more familiar and talked about everything. Zhou Yuanbin even talked proudly about how he became the son-in-law of the Shen family. Although his family had a lot of property, he was not qualified to marry the daughter of the Shen family, but he admired the high family and wanted to climb high. , before the horoscope was even written, he divorced his original wife and waited for the opportunity.

Many years ago, He Rong's troops pressed the border and Bingzhou was hastily and unprepared. The situation was extremely urgent. Zhou Yuanbin thought this was an opportunity and asked an acquaintance to introduce him to Mu Shou Shen Zhi. He claimed that he had a way to retreat and did not seek fame or fortune. His only wish was Just to be able to marry a daughter of the Shen family.

Shen Zhi agreed.

Zhou Yuanbin did not even take his servants with him. He rode out of seclusion alone and met with the Khan of He Rongbu. He made friends, made lofty words, and drank a lot. He actually persuaded the soldiers to retreat. He Rong's tribe turned to attack Jizhou. After that, he did not disturb the boundaries of Bingzhou for many years.

Shen Zhi kept his promise and betrothed a daughter to Zhou Yuanbin, and she was his favorite daughter. From then on, the two families became like one family, and Zhou Yuanbin became another son of the Shen family.

Xu Chu sympathized with the woman who was divorced by Zhou Yuanbin, but said nothing. He asked, "I don't understand. How can Zhou join the army and make He Rong's troops withdraw?"

"Haha, this kind of thing can't be explained in one or two sentences. My great-grandfather did business with He Rongbu and married an adult's daughter. One of the daughters he gave birth to was married back to the grassland. Since then, he has continued to marry. That's it. Well, in terms of seniority, He Rongbu Khan still calls me 'uncle'."

Xu Chu cupped his hands and smiled: "I admire you."

The further south we go, the more tense the situation becomes, with news coming out one after another. One moment it is said that Tongguan has been captured by Qinzhou's World Coming Army, and the next it is said that the Western Expedition Army has entered Qinzhou and will soon wipe out the rebels and rebel against Hegong. It's even more chaotic. It seems to be everywhere, but no one can tell where the main force is.

There were quite a few rebels who were arrested and paraded at the gates of cities in various places. Looking at them, they looked more like beggars than river workers.

Zhou Yuanbin began to feel nervous. When he arrived at Yingcheng on the southern border of Bingzhou, he refused to advance and led his troops directly into the city to discuss with the city lord how to hold on.

No wonder he was timid, Yingcheng had indeed been attacked a few days ago, and there were still scars on the city walls. From the officers and soldiers to the people, everyone was still frightened. When they saw the troops sent by Jinyang, they all advised them to stay.

Xu Chu did not insist on moving forward, but went around the city to inquire about news. After all, he didn't even know where Ma Wei and Ning Bao'er were.

The more people inquired, the more confusing the news became. Some people have heard of the title "King of Wuyue", but this is just one of dozens of kings. The rebels are more eager to claim the king, even if they are surrounded by officers and soldiers, and their lives are precarious. First, we need to build a big flag and press a king's title.

Xu Chu did not inquire about Ma Wei's whereabouts, but he understood one thing. There were many officers and soldiers, and they won successive victories, but the number of rebels did not decrease. Not all people took refuge in the city, and many people joined the rebels and sought another way to live.

The twenty-day period was about to pass. Xu Chu could not wait any longer. He went to see Zhou Yuanbin and asked directly without greetings: "Do you plan to join the army and stay here forever?"

Zhou Yuanbin was also scratching his head, "If we don't stay here, what else can we do? The Jinyang army should have already set off. We can make plans when my father-in-law arrives."

"Shen Bingzhou promised you a heavy responsibility. Is this the reward for joining the army?"

Zhou Yuanbin continued to scratch his head, "Yingcheng is not big, and the number of soldiers I brought is still less than a thousand, so it will be good if we can hold it. I am still familiar with He Rong's tribe, and I have few friends in the south..."

"If you have few friends, you can make friends. If you have few soldiers, you can recruit them. Why join the army and do nothing?"

Zhou Yuanbin stopped scratching his head and blushed, "My father-in-law gave me a document, allowing me to act according to the situation and recruit troops cheaply. However, this place was attacked many days ago, and it has been relatively peaceful recently."

"Be prepared. The last time we came to attack the city was a group of rioters, so there is nothing to be afraid of. What if the next ones coming back are officers and soldiers sent by the Eastern Capital?"

"Officers and soldiers..." Zhou Yuanbin understood the Shen family's plan and knew that his father-in-law would not want to be king for a while, so he smiled and said: "The officers and soldiers won't attack the city now, right?"

"What if we borrow the city? Join the army and borrow it or not? Shen Bingzhou led his troops south and found that Yingcheng has been occupied by the imperial court. What should he think?"

Zhou Yuanbin's expression changed, "If it hadn't been for Young Master Seventeen's reminder, I would have almost ruined the big thing. Even before departure, Shen Wu reminded me that listening to Young Master Seventeen will never make a mistake. I will go see the city lord right away..."

"While recruiting troops, you should also inquire about the surrounding situation and know your enemy and yourself. Please join the army and divide it into a hundred troops. I will take you out of the city to inspect."

Zhou Yuanbin immediately agreed and called two captains and asked them to send fifty troops each to follow the Seventeenth Young Master out of the city. He also borrowed several guides from the city lord to lead the way.

Xu Chu led his troops out of the city that afternoon and went straight to the south, where it was rumored that there were the largest number of rebels.