Ma Chao said: "Please try to speak, I am all ears."
Bai Xiaowen asked: "When the young general and Zhang Lu were fighting in Chang'an, did you know what I was doing?"
Ma Chao said: "You are fighting Cao Cao."
Bai Xiaowen nodded and said: "Cao Cao's strength is much stronger than the Xiliang army, and he is a formidable opponent. So the general thinks that while I am thinking hard about how to defeat Cao Cao and unify Henan, I will have the energy to take care of the three auxiliary lands.
Business?"
Ma Chao's face moved slightly, but he didn't speak.
Bai Xiaowen added: "The princes of Xiliang did not doubt me at first, but thought that General Ma's curse was done by Zhang Lu. That's why they brought the old general to Yedu and asked me to heal him.
wrong?"
Ma Chao nodded.
"Then why did the young general regard me as the murderer?" Bai Xiaowen asked.
Ma Chao was honest and said: "It was the emperor's uncle Liu Bei, and his adviser Jian Yong came to me and told me various possibilities." He then told Jian Yong's words that day without any concealment.
Bai Xiaowen laughed and said: "No wonder, no wonder. I've heard for a long time that Jian Yong is Liu Bei's number one lobbyist. It's true."
Ma Chao stared at Bai Xiaowen and said: "Jian Yong said that my father must be in danger even in Ye. And the result of the matter was as Jian Yong expected. How do you explain this?"
"Yes, Jian Yong's prediction was successful, so his words are naturally very convincing," Bai Xiaowen said with a smile, "But has the young general thought about a possibility?"
"What?"
Bai Xiaowen said word for word, "Jian Yong is the mastermind behind this!"
This short sentence was like a bolt from the blue, shattering what Ma Chao had always believed to be true!
He hesitated and said, "I have never heard of Jian Yong practicing Taoism."
Bai Xiaowen said:
"Jian Yong is just one of the masterminds behind the scenes, a person responsible for lobbying and spreading the word. There is someone else who really uses the art of praying. Let me analyze the other party's plan. The Major General will listen carefully and see if there are any fallacies.
"First of all, when General Ma was attacking Chang'an, he cast the first level of spell. This level of spell is not fatal for the time being.
"Then, the young general sent General Ma to Yedu, and while he was undergoing treatment, he launched a second spell to directly take away the old general's life!
"At the same time, we sent lobbyist Jian Yong to state this to the Major General, planting seeds of doubt in your heart. When the unfortunate news about General Ma comes, you will completely doubt me.
"However, there is another person on the list of suspects at this time, and that is Zhang Lu.
"So, I guess Jian Yong should have met Zhang Lu! Persuading him to write to you and give up the fight for the Sanfu land to prove his 'innocence' and avoid the disaster of war in Hanzhong.
"In this case, I will be the only one left on the list of suspects. You will raise Xiliang soldiers and attack the imperial court! In this way, the purpose of the mastermind behind the scenes will be achieved."
Bai Xiaowen said so much in one breath. Although Ma Chao was shocked by what he heard, even the generals of the Yuan army on the top of the city were dumbfounded.
Ma Chao closed his eyes and meditated, trying to find the loopholes in Bai Xiaowen's words.
But I have to admit that Bai Xiaowen's speculation seems very reasonable and corresponds to the development process of the matter.
After a long time, Ma Chao opened his eyes, stared at Bai Xiaowen and said, "According to your words, what is the purpose of the mastermind behind this?"
Bai Xiaowen said: "When you and I are at war, I naturally have no time to look south. Who benefits the most?"
Ma Chao opened his eyes wide: "You mean Jingzhou Liu Biao?... No, you mean Liu Bei!"
Bai Xiaowen sighed in his heart, Uncle Liu Huang, I'm sorry, please bear with me for a while, since you have a great reputation anyway.
But on the surface, Bai Xiaowen shook his head and denied: "The emperor's uncle Liu Bei has always had a reputation for benevolence and righteousness. If his adviser Jian Yong had not shown up, I would never have suspected him. Moreover, even if Jian Yong showed up,
I also feel that there is something fishy about this matter, and it is not necessarily Liu Bei’s instigation.”
If Bai Xiaowen insists that Liu Bei did it, Ma Chao might be suspicious because of Liu Bei's reputation for benevolence and righteousness.
However, Bai Xiaowen cleverly used his rebellious psychology to excuse Liu Bei, which made Ma Chao somewhat dissatisfied with Liu Bei's reputation for benevolence and righteousness.
Bai Xiaowen then said: "Actually, there is a clue that can help us find out the real culprit who murdered General Ma."
As soon as these words came out, Ma Dai, Ma Yunlu and others couldn't help but ask: "What clue?"
Ma Chao glanced at the two of them. They realized that they had made a mistake and took half a step back.
Ma Chao then stared at Bai Xiaowen: "Excuse me, please tell me."
Bai Xiaowen said: "I thought about it, and the timing of Zhang Lu's letter was too coincidental. Next, I will march into Hanzhong and take over the land of Dongchuan. If I can capture Zhang Lu, I will ask if it was Jian Yong who asked him to write to
You can probably determine who is behind this."
Ma Chao stood up stoically: "If it is really Jian Yong who persuaded Zhang Lu to write a book, then the murderer is really Liu Bei!"
Bai Xiaowen said: "In any case, Zhang Lu must be an insider. Next, the major general can rest temporarily in Chang'an. I will mobilize troops to attack Hanzhong. After I capture Zhang Lu, I can ask about this matter."
Ma Chao shook his head and said: "If you want to track down the murderer of your father, how can you use someone else's hands? This clue is indeed important. Thank you for clearing my doubts! I will go into the army and capture the rice thief Zhang Lu!"
Ma Yunlu on the side whispered: "Brother, our soldiers and horses are all gone."
Ma Chao was stunned.
At this time, Ma Dai admired Bai Xiaowen so much that he was convinced that Bai Xiaowen was not the mastermind behind the scenes. He immediately said: "Brother, why don't you submit to the Grand Sima and ask for your order to be the vanguard! How can the Grand Sima be stingy with his troops?"
Ma Chao shook his head and said seriously: "The clues have not been confirmed yet, and Grand Sima is still suspicious. How can I surrender directly?"
Bai Xiaowen had expected this and said with a smile: "This is a simple matter. The young general can surrender to the imperial court and be granted a title by the imperial court. Then he can borrow troops from me to attack Zhang Lu. I will send a large army to support him. How about that?"
Ma Chao was overjoyed and said, "That's great!"
In fact, the form was changed. In fact, Ma Chao was still Bai Xiaowen's vanguard in attacking Hanzhong.
But the world of the Three Kingdoms attaches great importance to such formalism.
There is also a substantial difference, that is, if the generals under Ma Chao, Pang De, Ma Dai, Ma Yunlu, etc., submit to the court, the lord is still Ma Chao; if they submit to Bai Xiaowen, the lord is Bai Xiaowen.
Ma Chao still said seriously: "If Zhang Lu has never met Jian Yong, this clue will be meaningless. I still cannot surrender to Mr. Yuan, and I will definitely ask Liu Bei to find out."
Bai Xiaowen said: "What if Jian Yong really lobbied Zhang Lu?"
Ma Chao swore to the sky: "As long as I am sure that Mr. Yuan is not the enemy who killed my father, I, Ma Chao, swear to the sky to be loyal to you. If I violate this oath, I will die by the sword!"