Chapter 161 Making a feint to the east and attacking in the west
Yu Qian held the bowl and stirred rice while saying: "Through the Cuju competition, the people who work hard every day have an outlet to vent. After dinner, they will definitely put all their energy on Cuju.
As a result, if someone wants to fan the flames and stir up trouble, I'm afraid it will be difficult to create any momentum."
Zhu Qizhen nodded secretly. Just imagine, when working hard every day, an entertainment event suddenly appeared, and it was of a competitive nature. Then these young people gathered together, whether they were participating in the competition or onlookers, they would inevitably compete with each other.<
/p>
All their energy will be wasted, and the resentment born of hard work will also disappear.
This move is awesome!
Modern society pays attention to the balance between work and rest. It turns out that the ancients understood this truth long ago...
Yu Qian continued: "I once said that managing rivers is the same as leading troops. In the military camp, soldiers must not be allowed to relax, otherwise, their excess energy will not be vented and trouble will arise. The same goes for managing rivers.
In this way, although the emperor was gracious and allocated one million taels of silver for work expenses, and the people were happy to take the money, but the work of building the river embankment was so hard, and so many people gathered together, as long as
If there are unscrupulous people secretly instigating trouble, trouble is likely to occur. Nowadays, you only need to set up a few Cuju teams and give out hundreds of taels of silver as bounties, and you can prevent trouble before it happens. Why not?"
Zhu Qizhen finally smiled: "Isn't that what it means to attack with troops?"
Yuan Bin looked puzzled and said: "Can we hold a Cuju competition to prevent the White Lotus Sect from causing trouble? If it is so easy, then wouldn't it be a joke if Jin Yiwei invested so much manpower and material resources?"
He is not opposed to Yu Qian's approach, but Jin Yiwei has invested too much energy in Nanjing, Huai'an and the coastal areas for this matter. In contrast, he is more or less unwilling to do so.
Even Yu Qian's son-in-law went to Fuzhou to investigate the case. It is conceivable that Jinyiwei spent a lot of money.
According to the tip, a lot of thieves from the White Lotus Sect have been mixed in among the civilian men recruited this time, and they obviously have an agenda.
With so many people gathering together, anything will be magnified infinitely. Even a small rumor will make people uneasy. Once someone takes the lead and confronts the supervisors who usually supervise them, others will either watch indifferently or follow suit.
, waiting for things to ferment further.
Therefore, since ancient times, river management has been a national matter. A little carelessness may lead to the destruction of the entire country. This is the reason.
Yu Qian smiled disapprovingly and said: "Hearing is false, seeing is believing. As for the effectiveness, the emperor might as well go to the scene to see for himself."
Yuan Bin looked at Zhu Qizhen with a questioning look in his eyes.
He couldn't hold back anymore and wanted to go to the scene to find out. However, considering the emperor's safety, he hesitated...
Zhu Qizhen nodded and said, "Then go and have a look!"
"However, I am worried that there will be many people at the scene, and what if there are thieves from the White Lotus Sect..."
"Don't worry, they are busy spreading rumors, how can they care about us?"
…………
More than a mile away from the Yellow River embankment, there was originally an empty farmland.
After the Yellow River burst its banks, large areas of farmland were submerged and crops were destroyed. Later, it became a temporary residence for civilians, and many temporary tents were erected. At a glance, it seemed that there was no end to the vast expanse of water.
In the evening, after work, people like to hold up bowls and chat together in small groups.
"Old Liu, who are these people? They look a bit unfamiliar."
The man called Lao Liu smiled naively and said: "He is from my hometown and he also comes to work."
"Are you still recruiting people now?"
"We're recruiting, the notice is still posted, why aren't we recruiting?"
Although Old Liu has a pleasant smile and a simple and honest face, in fact, this person is a spy planted by Jin Yiwei.
This person usually works together with other people, eats and sleeps together, and looks no different from ordinary workers.
Zhu Qizhen and others also dressed up as ordinary people, served their own meals, and mingled with the crowd.
Everyone gathered together, started to eat the food in the bowl, and then talked about everything.
At this time, the sky was getting darker and darker, and no one noticed these new faces. After all, one hundred thousand people were recruited, and new people might come in at any time.
"Sword Comes"
Even if he found out, he just asked casually and found out that he was a fellow villager of Lao Liu, so he no longer had any doubts.
"Today's goal was such a pity. If the Zuo Army wins this game again, it will be a third consecutive championship!"
"Yeah, I heard that their main players specialize in practicing Cuju on weekdays and don't even go to work!"
"Can the foreman agree to not go to work?"
"What do you know? If someone wins a game, the foreman will get ten taels of silver. Where can you find such a good thing?"
"But if the superiors know about it, can they agree?"
"You're just too worried. The imperial court has recruited 100,000 people. How many are short of this?"
Everyone was talking to each other, and the atmosphere suddenly became lively. Of course, almost everyone was talking about today's game.
Some people also like to play and talk about tactical coordination. Some people simply watch the participating team members win money and are envious. Most of them simply join in the fun.
Even people who didn’t like this sport very much at first have listened to it more and now they enjoy it with gusto.
Their work is usually very hard, and they are happy to have enough to eat, but besides working, eating and sleeping are still very boring.
How can you not be depressed after living in such an environment for a long time?
This is Yu Qian's strategy. Whether it is controlling floods or leading troops, they all follow the same principle. It is better to block than to open up.
Now that there is a Cuju competition, it is equivalent to opening a hole in the boring life of these people, allowing them to have a common topic in their spare time, and have a place to vent their long-term suppressed emotions, thereby preventing problems.
The role of Yu Weiran.
"Cough, cough!"
Zhu Qizhen was squatting aside, eating his meal silently, and listening to the discussions of the people. At this time, the spy named Lao Liu suddenly coughed softly.
The voice is very small, but...it has a profound meaning.
Several people followed Lao Liu's gaze and saw a middle-aged man with a sharp beak and a goatee. At some point, he had arrived.
Yuan Bin suddenly became alert. Just as he was about to stand up, Zhu Qizhen secretly tugged on his clothes and continued to squat.
"Old Liu, are you eating?"
"It's Third Brother. Has Third Brother eaten?"
Goatee waved his hand and said with a dissatisfied look on his face: "Forget it, didn't you notice? There is obviously less meat today!"
Lao Liu chuckled and said, "If you don't tell me, I haven't noticed it yet!"
"You don't know this!"
Goatee approached everyone, looked around cautiously, and said in a low voice: "I heard about something. The quartermaster in charge of food deducted part of our daily supply of meat and secretly sold it...
”
Zhu Qizhen looked at his rice bowl in confusion. It contained vegetables and meat, and the portions were sufficient. It didn't look like he had been deprived of food.
This is the brilliance of the White Lotus Sect. It only talks about part of it, but not much. Anyone who believes in this person will feel that it is missing.
After the man finished speaking, he did not forget to add: "I am only telling you this, but don't say that I told you!"
Lao Liu nodded vigorously and said: "Third brother, don't worry, brother will never tell anyone!"
"Okay, you eat first, and I'll go over there for a walk."
"Third brother, walk slowly!"
Dada walked toward another group of people with a slick goatee. It seemed that he was continuing to spread rumors.
Zhu Qizhen remained calm and continued to pay attention to this person's whereabouts.
"Have you heard that the quartermaster seems to have embezzled a lot of money..."
Sure enough, someone on the opposite side immediately started to say angrily: "Does he have such courage?"
"Yeah, aren't you afraid that the superiors will find out and kill his head?"
"That man has a fat head and big ears, which is not a good thing at first glance. If it weren't for corruption, how could he be so fat? Look at him, he can't breathe even after walking a few steps on weekdays. From what I say, there is no need for Shangguan to kill him.
Just let him participate in the Cuju competition, and he will be exhausted by then."
"Don't tell me, in today's game, the ball head of the right army is a fat man, and he is very agile!"
"Haha..."
Everyone laughed while talking, and seemed to have forgotten the issue of food being withheld.
Zhu Qizhen squatted not far from these people, watching their every move.
He could clearly feel that when a piece of bad news came out, people were suddenly angry, but soon, this anger was inexplicably diverted, and the topic returned to the direction that everyone was concerned about.
Yuan Bin was also greatly shocked. He was in charge of the Jin Yiwei, and it was his job to crack down on rumors and those who deceived the public with evil talk. However, there was absolutely no way to eradicate this kind of thing. No matter how many you arrested or killed, the result would still be the same.
It is a wildfire that cannot be burned out, but spring breeze blows and rekindles it.
Unexpectedly, it was easily resolved with just a Cuju game.
Relatively speaking, the money spent on these games is nothing compared to Jin Yiwei’s investment.
He felt a little confused and fell into deep thought for a while.
Goatee opposite saw the actions of the people around him, his face became gloomy, and he had no choice but to walk away.
Zhu Qizhen winked at Yuan Bin, and Yuan Bin understood and followed him with his rice bowl.
After about a quarter of an hour, he came back.
Zhu Qizhen asked without raising his head: "How?"
Yuan Bin chuckled softly at first, and then said: "I surrender, I am convinced!"
Apparently, no one else was attracted by the goatee.
At this time, the sky was completely dark, and Zhu Qizhen and others returned to the inn under the cover of night.
"Yu Qian, please tell us the situation here in detail now!"
"Yes!"
Yu Qian took out a map he had prepared and spread it on the table.
"Your Majesty, please look!"
This map seems to be something he carries with him on a daily basis. It is already somewhat worn and has several markings on it.
"The Japanese pirates have repeatedly sent small-scale troops to harass Quanzhou, Fuzhou and other places. The White Lotus Sect has penetrated into the people who repaired the river, which shows that they can no longer hold back. Now the Prince of Jingan County has arrived in Nanjing and will set off in three days. Now
It can be said that the right time, right place, right people, and all the necessary equipment are available. Therefore, Wei Chen estimates that the other party will probably take action in about ten days."
Zhu Qizhen thought for a while and asked: "If you were the mastermind of this conspiracy, what would you do?"
Yu Qian said: "If I were the person behind the scenes, I would first send people to intensify the campaign against the river people, create a situation of rebellion, and attract troops from Shandong to Huai'an Prefecture. Then, continue to send small groups of troops to attack Fuzhou.
We will carry out raids in other places to attract troops from Jiangsu and Zhejiang to suppress the Japanese. Taking advantage of this gap, with a simple internal and external cooperation, we can capture the city of Nanjing in one fell swoop!"
Everyone looked at Yu Qian and took a breath.
The other side has made so many small moves, but they are all just a pretense to attack the east and attack the west. Their real intention is Nanjing.
It seems that the matter is much more serious than imagined!
Zhu Qizhen asked again: "Since we have guessed the other party's plan, now tell us how to crack it?"
Yu Qian pointed to the location of Huai'an Prefecture on the map and said: "I can guarantee that the White Lotus Sect will not be able to incite the people to rebel. When they finally get desperate, they will definitely create an incident or create an illusion of rebellion to coerce them.
Those civilians must take precautions here. If the White Lotus Sect shows signs of gaining momentum, Commander Yuan..."
"This is easy to handle!"
Yuan Bin said confidently: "Jinyiwei's spies have tracked down all the White Lotus Sect rebels hidden among the people. As long as they have trouble, they can control them all immediately."
Jin Yiwei is good at spying. As for the White Lotus Sect hidden among them, you don't need to take the initiative to look for them. When you eat every day, you only need to hold a bowl and wait, and they will take the initiative to find you.
Just like the third brother with the goatee that I saw just now, Old Liu had already set his sights on him, but his superiors asked him not to alert others, so he didn't touch him.
At this time, Beilin asked thoughtfully: "If the other party fails in instigating the people to rebel, will they give up the idea of attacking Nanjing? Wouldn't it be more difficult to kill all the Japanese pirates by then?"
"No!"
Yu Qian shook his head and said: "The desire for power and the greed of human nature are endless. Now that they have come to this point, they will never look back easily. Moreover, the civilians in Huai'an Prefecture are just trying to contain Shandong's troops. Even if
If they fail, they can still launch a surprise attack on Nanjing City."
Zhu Qizhen looked at Yuan Bin and said, "To what extent does Jin Yiwei have information now?"
Yuan Bin nodded and said: "Zhu Ji led his people to lurk in the Fuzhou area. The information they obtained was similar to what Mr. Yu said. Those who came ashore were all small groups of Japanese pirates. Moreover, most of them only chose a remote village or town and ran away if they made any noise.
, seems to be just to attract the attention of the court."
Zhu Qizhen said: "Since the Japanese pirates there are not a problem, why not withdraw them to Nanjing?"
But Yuan Bin shook his head and said: "Back to the emperor, things are far more than that!"