Xu Ji was sent to the carriage this time, and walked for nearly two quarters of an hour, the journey was not long, and it took a lot of time to stop and stop, and after getting out of the carriage, he followed Sun Yalu into a hut, and through the thin door, he could hear the quarrel on the other end.

The cries of too many people were mixed together, and Xu Ji could only occasionally hear a few words, including the word "Qinzhou".

There was a low kang in the house, on which a few were placed, Sun Yalu invited Xu Ji to sit down, poured tea himself, and whispered: "The officers and soldiers were defeated in Hanzhou. ”

"Hanzhou?" Xu Ji was very surprised, what he had been waiting for was news from Qinzhou.

"It is likely that the thief army was Cao Shenxi's idea to defend Xijing, and secretly sent people to Hanzhou, enveloped the small group of thieves there, gathered into one, and attacked the grain route of the Jingzhou army. The Jingzhou army was horrified when they heard the news, fled overnight, and then ...... Alas. ”

It's the same old routine again, the officers and soldiers of the states don't trust each other, when the Jingzhou army fled, they didn't even say hello to the friendly army, and when the news spread, the Huaizhou army immediately retreated, and after running for dozens of miles, they sent someone to inform the commander of the Jizhou army.

There are still Jizhou Army and Bingzhou Army left outside Xijing, these two states are the main force, and they can still fight, but their morale has plummeted, and they can't argue over who will take the lead.

In the next room, everyone was arguing about this matter, and no one could convince anyone else.

Sun Yalu finally said: "Gongzi Xu must understand what I mean by bringing you here, and Lord Huanyan wants to hear your opinion." ”

"Xijing and Yecheng are far apart, and if you make a decision here, the war over there may be an end. Who is the commander of the Jizhou Army? ”

"Zuo Wuhou General Yang Tongcai." Sun Yalu replied immediately.

"Sister is the general Yang of Emperor Zhang Xi's concubine?"

"Yes, he was also a last resort, after General Wang Tiemei was killed, the Jizhou army was leaderless, and there were quite a few soldiers who missed the old lord Huangfu Kai. Although General Yang has never led troops alone, he once followed the first emperor to fight in the south and the north, and his prestige still exists, and among the generals of Yecheng, he is the only one who can suppress the Huangfu family. ”

Huangfu Kai, Huangfu rank father and son occupy Liaodong, under the mediation of He Rongbu, they led an army to join the Jizhou army, although it is a strong reinforcement, it is also Yecheng's heart disease, and they have to find a noble to take charge of the army.

Xu Ji didn't know much about Yang Tongcai, but he only knew that this person was not famous for his military exploits, so he asked again: "What about the state army?" ”

"Former Tunwei General Shen An, a distant uncle of King Jin, Xu Gongzi should have heard of this person."

"I've heard a little."

"Xu Gongzi thinks that these two people are not enough to defeat the Xijing thief army?"

"If these two people had real skills, they would not sit idly by and watch the Jingzhou and Huaizhou armies escape. Where is the garrison of Huangfukai? ”

"Tongguan, this is his own request, but he handed over most of his soldiers to General Yang, leaving only a few thousand for himself."

"Well, I already understand that Mr. Sun doesn't need to be in a hurry."

Sun Yalu laughed, "It's a lie to say that you're not in a hurry at this time, but Gongzi Xu should be more anxious." I can bring you here because of the words of the county lord, she said that in troubled times, you need to use extraordinary people, and it is beneficial to the country, no matter how big and serious the sin is, you can forgive Xu Gongzi at least to prove that he is an extraordinary person, otherwise, I can't explain to the county lord, and the county lord can't explain to the empress dowager. ”

Sun Yalu seemed to be really anxious, and her tone and expression were not as steady as usual.

Xu Ji was still not in a hurry, and said with a smile: "Lord Huanyan has an idea, she gathered everyone, not to ask questions, but to listen to his words, and find a suitable executor from them, there should be a result soon." ”

Sun Yalu was slightly stunned, "If the county lord has an idea, he will definitely discuss it with me first......

"That's right, in such an important meeting, Mr. Sun was not invited to participate, but was sent to pick up a prisoner, which shows that the county lord of Huanyan thinks that this matter is non-negotiable, and all she needs is a suitable person."

Sun Yalu was stunned again, "In that case, why did the county lord invite Xu Gongzi over?" ”

"Wait and see."

The two drank tea slowly and did not speak again.

After a long time, the voice next door gradually weakened, and Sun Yalu said: "I lost my temper for a while just now, which made Xu Gongzi laugh." ”

"Mr. Sun's urgency is out of concern, Yecheng has this loyal minister, I can only admire, not ridicule."

"Hey, Mr. Xu...... There are times when you can talk. What Xu Gongzi said just now is extremely true, and the county lord has already made up his mind. The Jingzhou and Huaizhou armies withdrew their troops one after another, and the officers and soldiers were bound to be in turmoil, and their defeat was revealed. At this time, looking forward to Jizhou and the merger state army to break the thief army, it is useless, it is better to find a way to reduce the losses. What Yecheng needed was a brave and knowledgeable general who could lead his troops westward, stop the entire Jizhou army from retreating, and then bring back as many soldiers as possible. ”

"Presumably."

The voices next door had been weakened to the point that they could not be heard clearly, and soon there was a chaotic sound of footsteps, apparently everyone had retreated, and the discussion was over.

Zhang Shiyu, the prince of Jibei, walked in, nodded to Xu Ji, and said nothing, not surprised by his appearance.

Sun Yalu gave up his place and went to straighten a chair opposite the dwarf kang, but he didn't sit down, poured tea, and stood aside.

After waiting for a while, Lord Huanyan entered the house, also without speaking, sat on a chair, and drank tea slowly, seemingly still thinking about a certain problem.

Zhang Shiyu couldn't help it first, got up and said: "The squire Yin Fu led the troops and the two kings to support, maybe he can still capture Xijing, even if he can't, it is enough to take back the soldiers of Jizhou, and he will not be defeated." In short, the matter in the west is over, Huanyan, what else are you worried about, just say it, let's discuss it together. There are no outsiders here, and there is no need to hide it. ”

When talking about the word "outsider", Zhang Shiyu glanced at Xu Ji and Sun Yalu.

Lord Huanyan put down the teacup and said, "Trouble Mr. Sun to tell me about the situation in all directions, so that Xu Gongzi can know in his heart." ”

"Yes." Sun Yalu has been accompanying Xu Ji, but without the permission of the county lord, he didn't say a word superfluous, "I just said the situation in Xijing, and I need to add two sentences: the Xi family in Jingzhou and the Sheng family in Huaizhou both sent envoys over, one said that the headquarters was unstable and must retreat to quell the chaos, and the other said that there was a fire in Jiangdong, and we must go back to deploy as soon as possible to avoid being affected." ”

"The situation in Jiangdong was as expected, there was no emperor in Stone City, and Liang Zhao and Lan Sui were willing to return to Yecheng, and that was before the news of Xijing came. Ning Baoguan also sent an envoy, claiming that as long as Yecheng crowned him as the king of Ning, he was also willing to be a vassal. ”

"He Rong's troops in the north are more righteous, and He Rong Pingshan claims that with just a word from Yecheng, 100,000 cavalry can go south in a few days, and they can be dispatched."

After Sun Yalu finished speaking, he glanced at Lord Huanyan, saw that there was no addition, and stepped aside.

Zhang Shiyu said: "The matter has come to this point, and the people of Yecheng should work together to tide over the difficulties." Xu Gongzi don't shirk either, since you live within the boundaries of Jizhou, you are a person from Jizhou, and when it is critical, you should make a contribution. ”

Xu Ji arched his hand and said: "I'm afraid that I have more than enough heart and not enough strength." ”

"Don't be humble, everyone knows that you are clever and used it on the Jizhou army, so help us use it on the enemy this time."

"Yes, but ...... What do I need to do? ”

Zhang Shiyu frowned slightly, "Obviously, please consult and see how Yecheng can get rid of the current predicament and win the states of the world again." ”

Xu Ji thought for a while, "The prince needs to ascend the throne as soon as possible." ”

Zhang Shiyu's brows furrowed even tighter, "This is the idea you came up with?" If I need flattery, I'll find someone else. ”

"That's what I mean from the heart. Yecheng was able to unite the armies of the states to quell the chaos, and there were two people to rely on, one was that He Rongbu was the backup, and the other was that each family had the intention of expansion. But these two are also weaknesses, and He Rongbu can only be used for reinforcements on paper, not really ......"

Zhang Shiyu interrupted: "That's not right, what about 100,000 cavalry, why don't you use it?" ”

Lord Huanyan said: "Listen to what Gongzi Xu said." ”

Zhang Shiyu smiled and didn't interject again.

Xu Ji continued: "Each family is willing to expand outward, and naturally it is necessary to prevent other families from expanding into their own territory. Therefore, as soon as the Jingzhou army retreated, the Huaizhou army also retreated, and both states had ambitions for Jiangdong and Dongdu, fearing that the other side would take the lead. Since the Huaizhou Army has withdrawn, the Jizhou Army can only shift its division as soon as possible to avoid worries in the south. The so-called pulling a hair and moving the whole body, this is also said. Cao Shen's plan has succeeded, and no one can break it. ”

Zhang Shiyu couldn't hold back, "Finished?" I don't know whose plan it is, or even whether it's a plan is still unknown, maybe the Hanzhou Rebellion was just an accident, and the Jingzhou military mediocre people disturbed themselves and ruined the chaos. ”

"Even if no one designed it before, as soon as the Jingzhou army retreats, the Xijing army will turn it into a strategy."

"When the Jizhou soldiers return safely, Yecheng will naturally have no worries, the problem is that once the coalition army is broken, it will be difficult to gather, and the states will go their own way." Zhang Shiyu brought the topic back to the original place.

"Therefore, the prince needs to ascend the throne as soon as possible and become the emperor, take advantage of the chaos in the states, first seize the orthodox position, and then plan to command the world."

"Just like Xu Gongzi occupies Siguo Valley?" Zhang Shiyu asked with a smile, "The disciples of the Fan Sect have never recognized Xu Gongzi's 'orthodoxy'. ”

"But they didn't push for 'orthodoxy' either."

Zhang Shiyu said twice, although he was the one who called the emperor, he couldn't be too anxious, and he needed to listen to the opinion of the county lord of Huanyan.

The county lord of Huanyan said: "At this time, although it is orthodox, it will also arouse the suspicion of the states, how to deal with it?" ”

"After becoming the emperor, you must win over to Huaizhou, as long as you get the support of the Sheng family, the throne can be stable."

Zhang Shiyu said: "Let's not talk about whether you should be the emperor at this time, shouldn't Jincheng's strong reinforcement be He Rong's department?" Why do you want to win over Huaizhou? ”

"He Rongbu has a heart of disobedience, and he can use his power to fake the tiger's might, and he can't lead it to his side. Huaizhou is close to Jizhou, each other is horns, the Sheng family is not ambitious, with these two points, it is the most suitable ally, the prince is to give half of the world to the Sheng family, but also to win it over. ”

"Half of the world?" Zhang Shiyu shook his head while laughing, "Maybe I think too much, I vaguely feel that Xu Gongzi doesn't seem to like He Rongbu very much, it can't be because of my sister, right?" ”

Xu Ji refused to answer.

Lord Huanyan got up, "That's it, the prince and I will go to see the old queen mother to discuss the matter of ascending the throne, and then whether to entrust He Rong in the north or the Sheng family in the south, and then discuss." ”

"The two kings are outside, and you can't rush to the throne......" Zhang Shiyu looked very embarrassed.

"The two kings have not yet left the city, so they will go to the old queen mother to discuss together." The county lord of Huanyan should go out of the house first.

Zhang Shiqing then turned around to say goodbye to Xu Ji and blinked his eyes to show his gratitude.

Sun Yalu didn't go out, "Xu Gongzi, is this a suggestion for Yecheng?" ”

Xu Ji shook his head, "These are all thoughts that Huan Yan has long had in his heart, and I said it just to protect myself." Please forgive Mr. Sun, Yecheng is in turmoil, and I have no intention of giving advice for it. ”