Ma Yulin was shocked to learn that Zhang Shicheng had not immediately transferred Taizhou soldiers and horses back, and came to Prince Cheng's Mansion to ask about the matter. Zhang Shicheng only said that he was still discussing with his soldiers.
Ma Yulin was worried that the persecution was too hasty and might arouse Zhang Shicheng's suspicion, so he could only return to the recruiting center in anger.
He boasted about Haikou when he set out, but now his success fell short. He felt ashamed to go back to see Zhang Yangquan and spent the whole day drinking in the recruitment hall.
On this day, a civil servant suddenly knocked on the door and gave him a note. Ma Yulin opened it and saw that there were only five words on the note - Luo Ben, Yingchun Tower.
Ma Yulin burned the note and waited until dinner in the evening before leaving the recruitment hall. He paid careful attention along the way and made sure no one was following him before arriving at the restaurant.
He chose an unoccupied window seat on the second floor and sat down. Not long after, a blue-robed scholar came and sat down opposite him. It was Luo Guanzhong.
"Brother Ma, is everything going well?" Luo Guanzhong asked.
Ma Yulin snorted and said, "Are you asking knowingly? If everything went well, I would have gone back long ago."
Luo Guanzhong smiled and said: "Brother Ma's plan is actually close to success. It's just that we all ignored one thing and that's why the current change occurred."
Ma Yulin was stunned and said: "What?"
Luo Guanzhong picked up a cup of tea and said slowly: "Zhang Shicheng attacked Tongzhou not only to cross the river, but also to obtain an outlet to the sea so as to purchase iron ore."
Ma Yulin was silent for a while and said, "How do you know?"
Luo Guanzhong smiled and said: "Brother Ma, don't forget, I asked the manager for ten scouts."
"So the problem lies here." Ma Yulin took a long breath, raised his eyes and said: "I have no choice now, now it's up to you!"
Luo Guanzhong cupped his hands and said: "Brother Ma's plan has actually moved Zhang Shicheng, but it still can't make him completely abandon the sea! I just need to add more fire to make him withdraw his troops! After the completion of the matter, the first success will be achieved."
It’s still Brother Ma’s!”
Ma Yulin silently stared at Luo Guanzhong for a moment, finally put away his pride, raised his hands to him and said: "Help your horse to succeed!"
Luo Guanzhong added: "My plan may make Zhang Shicheng suspect Brother Ma, so I hope Brother Ma will leave Gaoyou as soon as possible."
Ma Yulin said: "Well, I will leave Gaoyou early tomorrow morning."
Early the next morning, Ma Yulin approached Zhang Shicheng again, saying that he had a friend in Hangzhou who was ten times more talented than himself and wanted to persuade Zhang Shicheng to recruit him.
Zhang Shicheng was overjoyed and took one hundred taels of gold to provide support to Ma Yulin.
Ma Yulin only said that his friend had a noble character and that his money would only cause trouble, so he only needed a good horse and ten taels of silver as transportation aid, bid farewell to Zhang Shicheng, and left Gaoyou Mansion.
A few days after Ma Yulin left, Zhang Shicheng, persuaded by Li Boxheng, once again ordered the army and grain to assemble towards Taizhou.
However, just when everything was about to be ready, Li Boxheng suddenly came over and said with a serious face: "Your Majesty, something is wrong in the city. Some people escaped from the city and headed towards Jiangdu!"
Zhang Shicheng was surprised: "How could this be so?"
Li Boxheng said: "In recent days, many people in the city have been talking, saying that the imperial army is about to attack, and we are ready to abandon the people of Gaoyou and flee to the south of the Yangtze River!"
Zhang Shicheng said angrily: "Someone must be spreading rumors. Have you ever found the source of the rumors?"
Li Boxheng sighed: "When we noticed it, the whole city was talking about it, and it was difficult to investigate the source!"
Zhang Shicheng said displeased: "Why wasn't such an important matter discovered earlier?"
Li Boxheng said: "I am not trying to excuse myself. It's just that this rumor started to spread only yesterday, and it was too late for me to realize it."
Zhang Shicheng became even more angry and said: "Within one day, this rumor spread throughout the city! So how much detail should they have in the city? Don't you, the general of the city guard, have no responsibility?"
Li Boxheng smiled bitterly and said: "They don't spread rumors through detailed writing, but by using opera!"
Zhang Shicheng was stunned and said: "Opera?"
Li Boxheng nodded and said: "Starting from yesterday, a drama called 'Slaughter of Xuzhou' was performed simultaneously in the five largest tile houses in the city. The play fully showed the brutality of the Yuan army massacring the people of Xuzhou."
Zhang Shicheng frowned and said: "What does this drama have to do with rumors?"
Li Boxheng said: "The common people were aroused in fear after watching this drama, so when they heard the news of the imperial attack, they became restless and talked about it. In just one day, it spread throughout the city!
”
Zhang Shicheng was shocked and angry, and said anxiously: "Who wrote this drama! Have you caught him?"
Li Boxheng said: "My subordinates questioned the Wasi shopkeeper, and they all said that an honest-looking scholar came to them. The man was less than twenty-five years old. He gave the Wasi boss a script and gave each person two taels of gold.
Let them perform this play five times in a row!"
Zhang Shicheng was stunned for a long time and said, "Bosheng, who do you think is behind this?"
Li Boxheng was silent for a while and said slowly: "Both the Yuan Army and the Jiangdu Army are possible!"
Zhang Shicheng glanced at him and said, "Why did Jiang Dujun do this?"
Li Boxheng said: "Maybe he doesn't want us to capture Tongzhou. Maybe he wants to create chaos and get some refugees who fled from Gaoyou."
Zhang Shicheng nodded and said coldly: "Do you think it is a coincidence that Ma Yulin came suddenly at this time?"
Li Boxheng was stunned for a moment and said: "Yes, it's a coincidence, and he seems to have been preventing us from attacking Tongzhou!"
Zhang Shicheng sighed and said: "It seems that Mr. Yuan is right, this Ma Yulin is the craftsman sent by Zhang Yangquan!"
Li Boxheng was silent. Judging from the timing of Ma Yulin's departure, this was almost certain.
"Your Highness, what should we do now?"
Zhang Shicheng sighed: "Although Zhang Yangquan is behind this plan, the gathering of troops in Xuzhou is real. Rumors are flying in the city right now. If Tongzhou is really attacked, won't all the people run away?"
Li Boxheng thought for a while and said: "We can order the city gates to be closed and they are not allowed to leave the city. We will tell them after Tongzhou is captured. Maybe knowing that we have won the battle will make the situation better!"
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"No!" Zhang Shicheng categorically denied: "Forcibly imprisoning them in the city will only lose the support of the people, which will be irreversible in the future! Send the order and let Lu Zhen and Bian Yuanheng come back first!"
Li Boxheng said hurriedly: "Your Highness, don't worry! The general has a way, which may prevent the people from fleeing!"
Zhang Shicheng asked: "What?"
Li Boxheng said: "Let's quietly send a group of troops out of the city, let them pretend to be the Yuan army to attack the city, and then defeat the "Yuan army". In this way, the people's fear of the Yuan army will be greatly reduced. If we attack Tongzhou again, they will also
Won’t run away!”
Zhang Shicheng's eyes lit up and he said: "Okay, let's do it like this! This matter needs to be done as soon as possible. You will send people out of the city tonight and come to attack the city tomorrow!"
Li Bosheng said: "Your Highness, this plan should not be carried out too hastily. If it is done hastily and the people will see the flaws, it will only be counterproductive!"
Zhang Shicheng nodded and said: "You are right to remind me. How many days do you need to prepare?"
"At least five days."
"Well, I'll give you five days!"
……
At dusk, Luo Guanzhong galloped on the road.
Not long after, Jiangdu City appeared in sight. He got off his horse, passed the city gate, led the horse all the way to the General Manager's Mansion, and was introduced to the study after the announcement.
As soon as I arrived at the door, I heard Ma Yulin's voice coming from the house.
"The manager can rest assured that Brother Luo's plan is a conspiracy. Even if Zhang Shicheng knew it, there would be nothing he could do about it, unless he was willing to watch the people of Gaoyou flee in large numbers!"
Luo Guanzhong never expected that Ma Yulin would praise him behind his back. He felt relieved and hurried into the study. He cupped his hands and said, "Manager, I'm back. Brother Ma, I heard what you just said. Thank you very much."
Ma Yulin coughed, raised his chin and said, "I'm just telling the truth. I didn't mean to praise you. Don't get me wrong!"
Zhang Yangquan stood up, cupped his hands and said: "The success of this plan is all due to the concerted efforts and careful planning of the two of them. I would like to thank you both here."
Ma Yulin raised his hand and returned the gift: "Since the general manager trusts us, we should do our best for the general manager!"
However, Luo Guanzhong said with a serious face: "Reporting to the manager, things have changed again. I just found out that the Taizhou troops have not returned to Gaoyou."
Zhang Yangquan smiled slightly and said, "I already know about this."
Luo Guanzhong was surprised: "You know?"
Zhang Yangquan smiled and said: "We will talk about this later. For this topic, the two of us are equally matched. I would like to ask Mr. Ma to be the referee and Mr. Luo to be the judge. Are you willing to submit?"
Luo Guanzhong was overjoyed. The rank of a judge was similar to that of a judge. He was an assistant officer under the deputy general manager and was responsible for assisting the deputy general manager in handling sundries. For his age, this was an unusual promotion.
"Xiao Ke, thank you, manager!"
Ma Yulin also cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, manager."
At this moment, the wild boar rushed in from outside the door and said happily: "General manager, there is news from the leader of the village that Tai'an has been conquered and is heading towards Tongzhou!"
Ma Yulin and Luo Guanzhong changed their colors at the same time. Luo Guanzhong hurriedly asked: "General manager, are you ready to attack Tongzhou?"
Zhang Yangquan smiled and said: "As you just said, Zhang Shicheng did not recall Taizhou soldiers and horses, but he did not send them to attack Tongzhou. After discussing with everyone, I feel that he has thought of a countermeasure to prevent the people from fleeing, but this method still needs to be solved.
Time, so we neither transferred troops back to Gaoyou nor attacked Tongzhou!"
Ma Yulin's eyes lit up and he said: "So you take the first step and take Tongzhou before he can take action!"
Zhang Yangquan nodded and said: "That's right. As long as Tongzhou is not under my jurisdiction, the decision-making power will always be in Zhang Shicheng's hands. So we thought twice and decided to take Tongzhou!"