Plan to cut off the nine states

Although he had only left Liangying for a short time, it was not easy to get back in. Xu Chu waited for a long time before he was summoned.

His guess was absolutely correct. Guo Shifeng returned to King Liang's tent and had obviously been persuading him for a while.

Ma Wei was sitting on the throne. Perhaps because he stayed up late, he looked a little tired. From time to time, he opened his mouth and yawned, but he did not expel Guo Shifeng. Seeing Xu Chu come in, he said, "You two fight, I want to take a rest. Call me when it’s over.”

Ma Wei leaned on the chair and closed his eyes to rest, while Gao Shengze stood by the table, paying attention to any subtle movements of Prince Liang - as an old eunuch, he also stayed up all night, but he did not show any signs of tiredness.

Guo Shifeng said with a smile: "Master Xu left and came back again. Did he forget something?"

"I did forget one thing. I forgot that Mr. Guo is not someone who gives up easily, so I rushed back here to prevent Brother Guo from having no opponent."

"Ha..." Guo Shifeng glanced at Prince Liang and lowered his laughter, "Okay, let me tell you straight away, the princess's proposal is all nonsense. Can't I understand her tricks? There are thousands of deceptions in the world. In summary, there is only one method: defrauding the future to gain current benefits. What the princess provides is benefits in months or even years, but she wants the king of Liang to leave a way for Yecheng to survive immediately. Although the future promises are considerable. , but not as reliable as the current situation.”

"Mr. Guo is familiar with deception, and his summary is correct, but it is wrong to apply it to the princess. The princess will soon hand over Yecheng, and canonize the king of Liang before leaving. How can this be a benefit months or even years later?"

Guo Shifeng sneered, and Gao Shengze in the distance hissed softly. Guo Shifeng lowered his voice again, "Yecheng was originally in the possession of King Liang, so how can we 'hand it over'? As for canonization, Tiancheng cannot protect himself. Canonization can How much actual benefit did you get?”

Xu Chu said with a smile: "Mr. Guo's vision is definitely not limited to this. The Sheng and Xi families and the powerful states of various states have not been able to claim the title of king because there is still a Tiancheng who is 'unable to protect himself'. The one who canonize him will definitely be There are no practical benefits. Those who make good use of this title will have endless benefits. With the wisdom of King Liang, will it be wasted? "

Guo Shifeng couldn't argue with this issue, "In short, the princess showed that she had made a huge contribution, but in fact it was insignificant, but the Liang King wanted to let the tiger return to the mountain, and the consequences would be endless."

"Why is Mr. Guo upside down?"

"Where am I upside down?"

"Mr. Guo said before that Tiancheng 'cannot protect himself', but now he says 'let the tiger return to the mountain'. How is it that Yecheng is weak and strong in Mr. Guo's eyes?"

Guo Shifeng chuckled, "The two statements are different, but they are not inverted: In terms of the current situation, the Jizhou army is far away in Qinzhou, and the distant water cannot quench the thirst of the people nearby. The King of Liang is approaching the city with a large army at this time, and Tiancheng cannot protect himself; in the long run, Judging from the situation, if Yecheng really gets the help of He Rong's tribe to seize Bingzhou and recall the Jizhou army, it will be like "letting the tiger return to the mountain", and then the king of Liang will be constrained by heaven. "

"Based on the current situation, heroes are rising together to fight for victory. This is the so-called time when there is strength and no weakness. King Liang is slightly weaker, but he is the pioneer of the powerful Huaizhou. After the success is achieved, there will be no success. King Liang You must choose to unite. A strong alliance will make your own side weaker, and a weak alliance may make you stronger together. The same is true for King Ning - and I believe King Ning already understands it and is preparing to attack Huai. "

Guo Shifeng showed a hint of contempt, "Master Xu, please don't use this trick on me again. I know all of Prince Ning's thoughts clearly. He has no intention of attacking Huaihe or Jing. He just wants to calm down Wuzhou and gain a firm foothold first." Say it again.”

Xu Chu raised his head and said: "If this is the case, then King Ning is not enough to rule the roost, and Mr. Guo is not enough to serve as a counselor."

"Mr. Xu is adventurous by nature, and he is inevitably subject to ups and downs. He is really lucky to be alive until now. Until the time comes when he must no longer remember, a king must seek stability: King Ning has made progress in Jiangdong, and in one year at most, he will surely pacify the whole state. The same is true for the King of Liang. After capturing Ye City, he either destroyed Tiancheng and used this to call the world's rebels, or he used the emperor to command the princes and restrain the officers and soldiers of the states. These were all prudent measures and were better than forming an alliance with the cunning princess. ”

Xu Chu smiled and said: "A king may seek stability, but if he wants to be the master of the world, he must seek victory in danger. The kings who seek stability today will surely be the ministers of those who take risks in the future. Mr. Guo has also read history books well, and he can learn from them. Find any founding king who has won the world?"

"Hey, there is no one in ten thousand who conquers the world by taking risks. More heroes don't even get the chance to become kings. Moreover, the founder of a country does not just take risks blindly. He must first be stable and then take risks. When he has the opportunity to eliminate the enemy in one fell swoop, ”

"The great enemy of King Liang was not Yecheng, but Huaizhou and Bingzhou. In order to avoid being accused of regicide, Huaizhou sent troops without setting up a flag. After the incident, they would definitely turn against each other - just like what King Ning did in Jiangdong, Mr. Guo was The King of Liang should take a warning from those who made plans at that time.”

Emperor Jiangdong died in an unclear manner, and the crime finally fell on the Liang and Lan families. However, many people knew that the mastermind behind the scenes must be Prince Ning. After the emperor died, he took revenge and wanted to kill both families. Old and young.

Guo Shifeng sneered, "Master Xu values ​​sex over friends. Which of his words can be sincere?"

"Mr. Guo values ​​profit over righteousness. How can he really care about King Liang?"

The two of them kept talking to each other, not giving in, and gradually they began to speak poorly and began to attack each other as a person.

Ma Wei suddenly opened his eyes and said loudly: "That's enough!"

Xu Chu and Guo Shifeng shut up at the same time, bowed to each other, each took two steps back, and did not say another word.

Ma Wei had a blank expression on his face. In front of outsiders, he had to try his best to maintain a superior posture and never show any hesitation. Even if he felt that both sides of the argument had their reasons and was worried about gains and losses, he still had to show a confident look.

After a moment of silence, Ma Wei asked: "Mr. Xu, why did you come back? Just to stop Mr. Guo from persuading me to change my mind?"

This is a difficult question to answer. If you are not careful, you will anger King Liang - if you say yes, it implies that he thinks King Liang is weak and cannot argue with Guo Shifeng. If you say no, it seems that he has ulterior motives and must find a suitable excuse.

Guo Shifeng felt that he did not need to interrupt, because when they met, Xu Chu had admitted that he came back to be Guo Shifeng's opponent.

King Liang listened for a long time, but he was still worried about the first sentence.

Xu Chu smiled slightly, "I guessed that Mr. Guo would not give up, so I rushed back to stop his plan, but this is an excuse so that the princess can let me go."

"What does this mean? You are not going to be the envoy of Yecheng anymore?" Ma Wei asked.

"Since the King of Liang and the princess have formed an alliance, my identity as an envoy has come to an end, and I will no longer be an envoy of any party."

Ma Wei raised his eyes slightly.

Xu Chu bowed and said, "The most important thing for me to return here is not to argue with Mr. Guo, but to say goodbye to the King of Liang."

Ma Wei suppressed the disappointment in his heart, "You don't want to stay in Yecheng or here, where do you want to go, Mr. Xu?"

"I still have to go to Yuyang, rescue Tian Jiang before the princess arrives, and then return to Siguo Valley to continue my seclusion."

Guo Shifeng couldn't help but chuckle, obviously not believing a word of it.

Ma Wei was silent for a while, "What's so special about this Tian Jiang that it's worth Mr. Xu to rescue him alone?"

"Nothing else, I owed him a favor and I have to pay it back."

Guo Shifeng interrupted, "Does Mr. Xu think he only owes him a favor?"

Before Xu Chu opened his mouth, Ma Wei stood up, "It's rare to repay a favor, especially in this chaotic world. I can send someone to escort Mr. Xu."

"Thank you, but I don't need an escort. If King Liang is willing, please give me an official document and let the towns along the way allow me to pass."

Guo Shifeng said, "Why doesn't Mr. Xu ask for an official document from Yecheng?"

"King Liang is about to be canonized, and the cities in Jizhou should obey King Liang's orders."

Guo Shifeng shook his head slightly, knowing that Xu Chu was trying to please King Liang, but he couldn't refute it.

Ma Wei was indeed happy, his face remained calm, and he sat back in his chair, "At dawn, you two will set out at the same time. I will write a letter to King Ning and an official document to Master Xu."

Ma Wei closed his eyes again, and Gao Shengze came over and whispered, "You two should go and rest first."

The argument ended here. Although neither of them was convinced, Ma Wei had already decided the winner.

When they walked out of the tent, the sky was already slightly bright, so there was no need to rest, and the two of them had to set out soon.

After walking to a place where people could not see him, Guo Shifeng stopped and bowed, saying, "I was rude just now. I hope Mr. Xu will forgive me."

Xu Chu smiled and said, "Each of us should do our best. Mr. Guo has shown mercy, and I will remember it in my heart."

Guo Shifeng said, "It is refreshing to be able to debate with Mr. Xu. I lose this battle. After I return to Jiangdong, I will definitely persuade King Ning to attack Huai and accept the title of Tiancheng, but that's all. I will 'do my best' to prevent Yecheng from becoming stronger."

"Next time I may not stand on the side of Yecheng."

"Mr. Xu, do you want to learn from me to 'rise and fall with the world'?"

Xu Chu shook his head, "I have other plans, which are not worth mentioning at the moment."

"No matter which side Mr. Xu stands on, I think we will have a battle sooner or later."

"Looking forward to it." Xu Chu smiled.

"Looking forward to it." Guo Shifeng also smiled and bowed to say goodbye.

With a little time left, Xu Chu returned to his tent, where there were only two beds and nothing else, even the bedding had been taken away.

He stood there, this time he really had nothing, no followers, no friends, no money, no weapons, all alone, and suddenly regretted asking Ma Wei for a few more things.

Someone lifted the curtain and came in.

"Are you leaving now?" Xu Chu turned around and saw Kou Daogu, who was full of anger.

Kou Daogu always controlled his emotions and rarely changed his face. It was obvious that he was so angry that he lost his composure.

"Sir... are you here to see me off?" Xu Chu asked.

"You are so shameless." Kou Daogu gritted his teeth.

Xu Chu was stunned, "I will not stay in Liangying, I will leave soon, you don't have to feel threatened."

"Why did you... say those words?"

"I said too many things last night, which one are you referring to?"

"You... you deliberately leaked some of my... my secrets to outsiders."

Xu Chu was stunned again, "Your secrets... I seem to have only mentioned them in front of you, and were they overheard by outsiders?"

"Don't quibble anymore, Yu Zhan must have been instructed by you!"

Xu Chu suddenly realized, "You betrayed Yecheng and joined King Liang. Master Yu must be very dissatisfied, so he said a few more words before leaving - I thought he had never noticed it, but it turns out that you knew about it. You didn't... do anything to make him suspicious, right?"

"I heard that you are going to Yuyang."

"Yes, we will leave later."

"Very good, I will ask King Liang to send me to Yuyang as well. No matter what you want to do, I will stop you. Xu Chu, in Yuyang, it's a life-and-death battle." Kou Daogu turned and left after threatening. He hated his hatred and the despicable behavior caused by it, but he hated the humiliation brought to him by Xu Chu even more, forcing him to fall from the clouds and seek revenge in the mud.

Xu Chu sighed lightly. He didn't want to have another powerful enemy before he even arrived in Yuyang.