Plan to cut off the nine states

"Please take a seat." Chen Bingcai said. Xu Chu's words really hit the nail on the head.

Someone brought a stool and placed it on the right side of the desk. Xu Chu sat down. Chang Yanzhi stood behind him. His knife was searched away as soon as he entered the camp, so he could only act as a guard.

Although Chen Bingcai was a civil servant, he sat more upright than a military general. He looked at Xu Chu coldly and waited for him to speak.

Xu Chu also looked at Chen Bingcai with a smile on his face, but he was reluctant to speak.

"Is Mr. Xu really the envoy of Xiangyang City?"

"I have a letter from Lord Leng, the keeper of Xiangyang City." Xu Chu said, without untying the bag containing the letter.

"Leng Yifang?"

"Yes." Xu Chu said vaguely. He had never asked the name of Lord Leng.

"He is an acquaintance. We were both Jinshi in the same year. Since then, I have been working in the south and rarely met him. How is Lord Leng now?"

"I am trapped in Xiangyang and lack soldiers and generals."

"So they sent you here to ask for reinforcements? Ha." Chen Bingcai laughed and said to the generals in the tent: "A few years ago, I had the opportunity to be transferred to Xiangyang, all thanks to Leng Yifang, who made me stranded in Lingnan. But God has his own arrangements. Now Xiangyang has become a deadly place, and Xiang and Guangzhou have become good places. The so-called blessing and disaster are interdependent, this is what it means."

Chen Bingcai and Leng Yifang actually had a feud. Xu Chu regretted that he did not know more about the inside story of the officialdom when he was in Dongdu.

All the generals laughed, so Xu Chu had to bite the bullet and said, "It is because I know General Chen well that Lord Leng asked me to come to rescue."

"Hey, Leng Yifang is so hungry that he has sent envoys to all parties, right? Tell me, who wants to attack Xiangyang?"

"Bingzhou Army."

"Shen's Bingzhou Army?"

"Exactly."

"I heard that Shen Mushou died unclearly, and Shen Dan, the fifth son of the Shen family, called himself the King of Jin. Is it true?"

"The King of Jin is indeed Shen Dan, I don't know anything else."

"He is young, but he has great ambitions. Is he going to seize the whole world?"

"Bingzhou Army is fighting for He Rong's people."

"Has He Rong's army really occupied Qin, Bing, and Ji?"

"Yes, the other states have also sent envoys to surrender. General Chen must have sent people there, right?"

A general He shouted, "General Chen is a loyal minister. How could he surrender to the barbarians outside the Great Wall?"

"The Chanyu claimed that he was the reinforcements invited by Emperor Tiancheng. To pay homage to him is to pay homage to the emperor."

The generals criticized him one after another, and Chen Bingcai waved his hand to stop them, "Mr. Xu, are you really here to ask for reinforcements?"

"Of course."

"But from what Mr. Xu said, it seems that Xiangyang City cannot be saved. You might as well go back and persuade Leng Yifang to surrender the city quickly. Maybe the Chanyu can reward him with an official position."

Xu Chu stood up and bowed, saying, "Please also ask General Chen to return to Lingnan as soon as possible, destroy the roads and seal the mountains, and make a plan for self-defense. Then send an envoy to deliver a letter of surrender to the Chanyu, and maybe you can get a king title because of it."

Hearing the envoy's rude words, the generals in the tent began to rebuke him, and they were about to cut Xu Chu into pieces with a knife as soon as Chen Bingcai gave an order.

"Take him away, guard him strictly, and don't let anyone talk to him." Chen Bingcai ordered.

The guards stepped forward and escorted the two out.

Chang Yanzhi was used to being a captive, so he was no longer panicked, but he was a little surprised by Xu Chu's performance. "Young Master, you didn't perform well today. You didn't persuade Chen Bingcai, but made him want to retreat."

"What kind of person do you think General Chen is?" Xu Chu asked.

"This... It's the first time we met, so I can't tell."

"Even if it's just a glimpse, you can make a guess."

"I'll try." Chang Yanzhi packed up his things and sat on the bed. "Although everyone says that Chen Bingcai's army is a 'Southern Bandit', I see that the camp is well-ordered and is definitely not comparable to robbers and bandits. Chen Bingcai is either a man of both civil and military skills and knows how to command soldiers, or he knows how to appoint people and finds real generals."

"Yeah." Xu Chu nodded to show encouragement.

"But the Southern Army has suffered successive defeats on water and land. I'm not belittling it. The Southern Army seems to be just a facade."

Xu Chu smiled and nodded.

"So I guess Chen Bingcai is ambitious but incompetent. I have seen such people who can arrange small things meticulously but panic when faced with big things. What do you think, sir?"

"I think your guess is very accurate. You can become a master without becoming a disciple."

Chang Yanzhi smiled and said, "I know myself well. If Chen Bingcai was really such a person, you would not have come to him first and would not be so calm at this time. You must have other speculations about him."

"Chen Bingcai has been trapped in Lingnan for a long time and has not been able to move north. It stands to reason that the Tiancheng court treated him unfairly. He should have been resentful, but he raised the banner of serving the king and refused to send an envoy to submit a letter of surrender to the Chanyu, which shows that he is a man with great ambitions. "

"I said that he has great ambitions but little talent."

"It can only be said that his talent is not here. He can win the hearts of the people in Xiang and Guang states, and he must have something extraordinary."

"If I had been an official in a place for 20 years, I would have received a lot of support."

"Well. What Chen Bingcai needs most is a great general, but what he wants most is..."

Someone came in from outside, and Xu Chu immediately shut up.

A general said, "Xu Chu, follow me."

Chang Yanzhi stood up, and the general said, "You stay."

Chen Bingcai summoned Xu Chu alone in the tent, took off his armor, sat on the chair, no longer kept straight, and kept changing his hands to rub both sides of his neck.

There was no one else in the tent, and the general stood at the door, staring at Xu Chu's every move.

"I haven't seen Leng Yifang's letter yet." Chen Bingcai said.

Xu Chu had already unpacked the baggage and put the letter in his arms. He took it out and was about to step forward. The general beside him snatched it away, handed it over to him, and then returned to where it was.

Chen Bingcai opened the letter, glanced at it, and then raised his head and said, "This letter is not written to me."

"Impossible?" Xu Chu looked surprised.

Chen Bingcai looked at the letter again, this time reading it from beginning to end, "This is written to Song Qizhu. I want to make friends with him and ask him to go back and help defend Xiangyang."

Xu Chu patted his forehead lightly and said, "The people around Mr. Leng made a mistake in their busy schedule and gave the wrong letter."

Chen Bingcai picked up the envelope and took a look at it, "It clearly says 'Prince of Chu personally' on it, didn't you see it?"

"The letter was put directly in the bag, and I never read it."

"Hey, as I expected, Leng Yifang went everywhere to rescue her and was not just looking for me."

"Although the letter is wrong, the meaning remains the same, General Chen..."

"First, I can't cross the river. Second, I don't want to save Xiangyang and Leng Yifang. Third, I don't want to offend He Rong."

"In this case, why is General Chen so eager to go north? He Rongshan Yu has aspirations for the world, and General Chen's step north is a threat to him."

"The southern army went north to King Qin, not to save Xiangyang."

"I met the emperor in He Rong Camp."

"Have you ever stayed at He Rongren's place?"

"It's a long story, but I have met the emperor - General Chen recognizes the current emperor."

"Your Majesty," Chen Bingcai corrected.

"If there is no reality, why seek a false name?"

Chen Bing waited for a while and did not insist anymore, "I have never met Your Majesty, but I heard that His Majesty is the son of the King of Jibei. I have met His Highness several times. I guess a tiger father has no son."

"It's just a pity that the emperor has come to peace. The current emperor is not only forced to appoint Shan Yu's sister as the empress, but also to follow the news. Every time he returns to the palace, he must ask for instructions in every possible way, and he also keeps his younger brother by Shan Yu's side as an attendant."

Chen Bingcai's expression changed slightly and he straightened his body again, "The Chanyu is going too far to bully others."

"This is just the beginning. When Shanyu seizes the Nine Provinces, he will definitely regard the emperor as a thorn in his side. I think his intention is to get rid of the emperor first, replace him with a young new emperor, and then force the new emperor to abdicate."

Chen Bancai's expression changed again, but what he recalled was another thing, "Rumors say that you assassinated the Emperor of All Things, is that true?"

"That's right."

"And you still dare to talk so openly about His Majesty's humiliation today?"

"I did assassinate him, and then the current emperor sent me away from the Eastern Capital. In Yecheng, I had his protection for more than a year. We talked about everything in the Shanyu camp. The emperor temporarily returned to Yuyang, and I Then go south to look for loyal ministers and good generals." Xu Chu nodded slightly, "That's all I can say."

Chen Bingcai laughed and thought for a long time, "What does saving Xiangyang have to do with King Qin?"

"The relationship is very important. The He Rong people have occupied the three northern states. They will drive the armies from all states to attack the city and plunder the territory. It will become a sweeping force. Xiangyang is the gateway to Jingzhou. Once it falls, Jingzhou will definitely belong to the He Rong people. The neighboring Luozhou The two states of Yi and Han are hanging in the west, and the two states of Wu and Huai are trapped in the east. Kyushu has been divided into two, and they have no support for each other. This so-called general trend is over. "

"Hunan and Guangzhou can still hold on for a while."

"Yes, and I guess that after Shanyu occupied the nine states, he must be eager to seize the emperor's position. He has no time to go south. He may adopt a soft policy towards the scattered states in the four directions. If General Chen obeys a little, it is really possible to win a king's title. ”

"Ha, I will never fight for the king's title from a foreigner."

Xu Chu handed over his hand, "This is exactly why I went through many obstacles to come to see General Chen."

"Have you heard of me?"

"I once heard someone talk about General Chen in the General's Mansion." Xu Chu observed carefully and knew that he had not guessed correctly this time. He immediately added: "Later, when I got together with Lord Fei Zhenfei and Lord Yin Fuyin, he also said Get up with General Chen."

Chen Bingcai's eyes finally lit up, "Master Yin, have you ever talked about me?"

Xu Chu still had a list of names in his mind, but he didn’t need to say them out now, “Well, Mr. Yin admired General Chen very much and told me that this is an enemy who governs the world, a loyal minister who is in troubled times, a man who can restore the heavens, or one of the others. people."

"I don't have much contact with Mr. Yin. I didn't expect that he would remember me." Chen Bingcai was excited but also a little doubtful.

"Mr. Yin is Mr. Fan Guanfan's favorite disciple. He is the best at recognizing people, but he really does not want to interact with others. He said that it is enough to look at people briefly, and it is enough to look at them from a distance, but you will easily be confused by them when you look up close."

Chen Bingcai nodded repeatedly, "It makes sense."

Xu Chu made up a lot of words for Yin Fu, and then said: "But the world is in chaos, and Master Yin cannot sit back and watch. He now leads a Jizhou army and retreats to the junction of Qin and Liang, waiting for opportunities. As long as the south moves, , he will respond in the north."

Chen Bingcai suddenly felt moved, "Even Mr. Yin... please step aside and rest. I want to think about this matter carefully. Besides, there is a river blocking the way. Even if I want to save Xiangyang, I can't do it for the moment."

Xu Chu resigned and was not in a hurry to persuade him.

Returning to his residence, Chang Yan said with a smile: "Young master, did you succeed?"

"Only five points."

"It's already amazing. The young master didn't finish his words when he left. Chen Bingcai needs a general the most, but what does he want most?"

"Reputation." Xu Chu said, all his words of persuasion were based on this.