xymnovel Chapter 52 "Brother, you have some good methods."
Chapter 52 "Brother, you have some good methods."
Yang Zhi's expression changed.
"Cai Jing is Liang Zhongshu's father-in-law. He has cultivated influence in the court for many years, and most of the Privy Council members are his men. What will be the outcome if this letter reaches Liang Zhongshu's hands?"
Yang Zhi didn't speak, but his fists were already clenched.
Liu Bei continued, "Liang Zhongshu will know you're making a complaint. He already wanted you as a scapegoat, and now he's even less likely to spare you. He just needs to wait a few more days, until your supplies run out, until your soldiers are too hungry to even lift their swords—"
He didn't continue.
Yang Zhi suddenly stood up.
"I'll send someone to retrieve the letter!"
"It's too late to get it back." Liu Bei looked at him. "How many days has it been since the letter was sent?"
Yang Zhi gritted his teeth: "Five days."
"Five days ago, they'd already reached Tokyo. Even if you sent someone to chase after them, they wouldn't catch up. And even if they did, the letter would already be opened."
Yang Zhi slammed his fist on the table. The teacup on the table jumped up, spilling tea all over the floor.
Wang Cheng stood behind, not daring to breathe.
Liu Bei did not try to persuade him. He waited until Yang Zhi's breathing had calmed down before slowly speaking.
"Commander, things have come to this point, there's no use in rushing things. The most urgent task is not to pursue the letter, but to find a way to protect those five hundred brothers and their families."
Yang Zhi raised his head and looked at Liu Bei.
"What does 'baozheng' mean?"
"Bring your family out first."
Yang Zhi was stunned.
Liu Bei said, "Most of the five hundred soldiers under the Commander are from Daming Prefecture. Their families are all there. If Liang Zhongshu wants to deal with you, he can't capture you, but he can capture their families too. In that case, their mothers, wives, and children will all be thrown into prison."
Yang Zhi's face turned pale.
"If the Commander trusts me, I will arrange for someone to go back with you. They will secretly contact the families of those soldiers and, before the authorities take action, secretly bring them out and send them to a safe place to take refuge."
Yang Zhi remained silent for a long time.
"Where to send it?"
Liu Bei looked at him and said, word by word, "Liangshanbo".
Yang Zhi's pupils contracted slightly.
Liangshan Marsh. The place he burned down with his troops. Now, someone wants him to send his family there.
"Liangshan Marsh was burned down once, and now it's an empty lot," Liu Bei said. "I have some arrangements there. Eight hundred li of marshland is more than enough to hide several hundred households. The government won't investigate, and the Jurchens won't find us. Once things calm down, if the supervisor's side is alright, I'll secretly send my family back. If—"
He paused.
"If Liang Zhongshu really wants to put the supervisor to death, the supervisor and his five hundred brothers will have no worries about the future."
Yang Zhi stared intently at Liu Bei.
"Does the headman mean he wants me to join the outlaws?"
Liu Bei shook his head.
"It's not about making the commander join the outlaws. It's about leaving him a way out. Whether he goes or not, he needs to prepare a backup plan. This is about being responsible for himself and for the brothers."
Yang Zhi did not speak.
He recalled the old steward's words—"Now that things have come to this, what can't we try?"
He thought of those five hundred faces again. The soldiers who had followed him out of Daming Prefecture, enduring hardships along the way. Some of them had just gotten married, and some still had elderly mothers to support.
"Village head," Yang Zhi's voice was hoarse, "their family is small, can they be brought out?"
Liu Bei looked at him.
"Yes. As long as the chief supervisor trusts me."
Yang Zhi closed his eyes.
After a long time, he opened his eyes.
I believe you.
Liu Bei took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and spread it on the table. The paper depicted the terrain around Liangshan Marsh, marking waterways, shoals, and docks where one could disembark.
"Commander, when you get back, first find out the whereabouts of all your officers above the rank of squad leader. Tell me whose home is in Daming Prefecture, whose home is in the countryside, and whose home is close to the city gate. Make a list for me."
Yang Zhi nodded.
"I will send two people back with you. One will be eloquent and handle communications; the other will be skilled in combat and can hold you off if anything goes wrong." Liu Bei then pointed to a waterway on the map. "After your family is picked up, they will board the boat here. The Ruan brothers will meet them on the water and take them directly to Liangshan."
Yang Zhi looked at the map and memorized every mark.
"it is good."
Liu Bei stood up.
"Commander, this matter concerns five hundred lives. We cannot rush it, and we cannot let it slip. You must keep the brothers in the camp in check and not let them know. If too many people know, their mouths will not be shut."
Yang Zhi also stood up.
"I see."
Liu Bei saw him to the door.
Yang Zhi mounted his horse and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped.
"Chao Baozheng."
Liu Bei looked at him.
"I have a question."
"Please speak, Commander."
"We're complete strangers. What do you want from me?"
Liu Bei looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then smiled.
"I hope that one day in the future, I, the Chief Administrator, will remember this day."
He didn't say he wanted "your troops to join me," nor did he say he wanted "your family fortune." He only said one ambiguous sentence.
Looking at his face, Yang Zhi felt that sense of déjà vu again.
But he couldn't explain it.
"drive."
The two horses disappeared into the night.
.........
Wu Yong stood behind Liu Bei, watching Yang Zhi's departing figure.
"Brother, did he believe it?"
Liu Bei turned around and walked back to the back hall.
He had no other choice.
Wu Yong followed him in and closed the door.
"How did you know, brother, that the Privy Council would definitely forward that letter to Liang Zhongshu?"
Liu Bei sat down, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.
"I don't know. But Yang Zhi doesn't know I don't know."
Wu Yong was taken aback for a moment, then laughed.
"Brother, you have some clever tricks up your sleeve."
Liu Bei put down his teacup.
"It's not a tactic. It's a gamble. A gamble that those people in the Privy Council wouldn't dare offend Cai Jing. If the gamble is right, Yang Zhi will no longer rely on the court. If the gamble is wrong..."
He didn't continue.
Wu Yong finished the sentence for him.
"Even if you bet wrong, there's not much to lose."
……
The morning after Yang Zhi left, Liu Bei summoned Wu Yong.
"Scholar, go to Liangshan."
Wu Yong paused in his fanning, then nodded: "What message does Brother want me to convey?"
"Two things," Liu Bei said, holding up one finger. "First, go and see how many people are on the mountain now, how long their food supplies will last, and what stage the water fortress is at. Brother Lin is reliable, but he doesn't report things, so we need to keep track of the situation."
Then he extended a second finger.
"Secondly, tell him about Yang Zhi. Tell him that Yang Zhi's five hundred soldiers might be going to Liangshan. Not now, but in the future. Let him be prepared so that he won't be caught off guard."
Wu Yong hesitated for a moment: "Brother, aren't you going yourself?"
"I can't leave. There's a mountain of business with the rice shop and the escort agency, and I also have to deal with Master Shi." Liu Bei looked at him. "You go in my place. You were one of the first people to follow me, so your words are my words."
Wu Yong stood up and cupped his hands in greeting: "I understand. I will convey your message to Instructor Lin."
"One more thing," Liu Bei said, "Tell Brother Lin that there's no rush regarding Yang Zhi's matter. We'll discuss the arrangements after we get definite news from Yang Zhi. Tell him to get the men on the mountain trained first, so that when they arrive, they won't be left without a place to stay."
Wu Yong nodded: "I've got it."
……
Then Song Jiang and Lei Heng entered the room.
Song Jiang smiled and asked, "Brother, what brings you here?"
"Brother, Brother Lei, you two should go to Zengtou City."
Song Jiang was taken aback: "Brother, what are we going to Zengtou City for?"
"We're not going into Zengtou City," Liu Bei said. "We're going to Yang Zhi's camp."
He looked at Song Jiang and lowered his voice.
"Although Yang Zhi has agreed, his men may not all be convinced. Brother Lei is a government official, so he should wear his official robes and make a proper appearance. He can say that he has been ordered by Prime Minister Shi to inspect the area and has come to pay his respects to Commander Yang while passing through your camp."
Lei Heng scratched his head: "Brother, what about Master Shi..."
"I'll have Sun Sheng deliver a message to Lord Shi. He won't say anything," Liu Bei said. "When you go, don't say much. Check on the situation in Yang Zhi's camp—how's the morale? How much food is left? Have any soldiers deserted? Come back and tell me."
Song Jiang asked, "What should we say if Yang Zhi asks us?"
"Just say you're passing by," Liu Bei said. "No need to say anything else. Yang Zhi is a smart man; once you get there, he'll naturally understand what it means."
Lei Heng chuckled: "Brother, are you sending us to embolden Yang Zhi?"
Liu Bei glanced at him but didn't reply.
Song Jiang grabbed Lei Heng's sleeve and stood up.
"Don't worry, brother, we'll take care of it."