Ma Chao said, "Please tell me. I'm all ears."
Bai Xiaowen asked, "When you fought Zhang Lu in Chang 'an, did you know what I was doing?"
Ma Chao said, "You were fighting Cao Cao."
Bai Xiaowen nodded and said, "Cao Cao was much stronger than the Xiliang army. He was a terrifying opponent. Then, do you think I would have the energy to manage the affairs of the three auxiliary lands when I was thinking about how to defeat Cao Cao and unify Henan? "
Ma Chao's expression changed slightly, but he didn't say anything.
Bai Xiaowen continued, "The Xiliang generals didn't suspect me at first. They thought that Zhang Lu was the one who cursed Old General Ma. That's why they brought Old General Ma to Yedu for me to treat, right? "
Ma Chao nodded.
"Then why did you think I was the murderer?" Bai Xiaowen asked.
Ma Chao was honest and said, "It was Imperial Uncle Liu Bei's strategist, Jian Yong, who came to me and told me all kinds of possibilities." He then told him what Jian Yong said that day without hiding anything.
Bai Xiaowen laughed and said, "No wonder, no wonder. I've heard that Jian Yong was Liu Bei's number one strategist. Sure enough. "
Ma Chao stared at Bai Xiaowen and said, "Jian Yong said that my father would be in danger in Yedu. And the result was as Jian Yong expected. How do you explain this? "
"Yes, Jian Yong's prediction was successful. His words were naturally very persuasive." Bai Xiaowen said with a smile, "But, have you thought of another possibility?"
"What?"
Bai Xiaowen said word by word, "Jian Yong is the mastermind!"
This short sentence was like a bolt from the blue. It shattered Ma Chao's belief that it was true!
He said hesitantly, "I've never heard of Jian Yong practicing Taoism."
Bai Xiaowen said,
"Jian Yong is only one of the masterminds. He's in charge of passing the message. The one who performed the Praying Technique is someone else. Let me analyze their plan. Listen carefully and see if there are any mistakes.
"First of all, when Old General Ma is attacking Chang 'an, use the first level of the spell. This layer of curse was not fatal for the time being.
"Then, when Young General sent Old General Ma to Yedu for treatment, he activated the second level of the curse and directly took Old General Ma's life!
"At the same time, I sent the lobbyist, Jian Yong, to tell you this and this to plant a seed of doubt in your heart. When news of Old General Ma's misfortune arrives, you will completely suspect me.
"However, there is still one more person on the list of suspects, and that is Zhang Lu.
"So, I guess Jian Yong must have gone to see Zhang Lu! Persuade him to write a letter to you and give up the fight for the Sanfu to prove his' innocence '. At the same time, he can avoid the calamity of war in Hanzhong.
"As such, I'm the only one left on the list of suspects. You will raise the Xiliang army and attack the imperial court! This way, the mastermind will have achieved his goal. "
Hearing Bai Xiaowen say so much in one breath, Ma Chao was shocked to the core. Even the generals of the Yuan army on the city wall were dumbfounded.
Ma Chao closed his eyes and pondered, trying to find the loopholes in Bai Xiaowen's words.
However, he had to admit that Bai Xiaowen's speculation was very reasonable and matched the development of the matter.
After a long time, Ma Chao opened his eyes and stared at Bai Xiaowen. He said, "According to what you said, what is the mastermind's motive for doing this?"
Bai Xiaowen said, "Our armies are at war. Naturally, I have no time to care about the south. Who will benefit the most from this? "
Ma Chao's eyes widened. "You mean Liu Biao of Jingzhou? … No, you mean Liu Bei! "
Bai Xiaowen sighed in his heart. I'm sorry, Royal Uncle Liu. I'll have to trouble you to take the blame for a while.
However, on the surface, Bai Xiaowen shook his head and denied it. "Royal Uncle Liu Bei is known for his benevolence and righteousness. If his strategist, Jian Yong, didn't show up, I would never suspect him. Moreover, even if Jian Yong showed up, I felt that there was something fishy about this matter. It might not have been Liu Bei who ordered it. "
If Bai Xiaowen insisted that Liu Bei did it, Ma Chao might have doubted Liu Bei because of his benevolence and righteousness.
However, Bai Xiaowen cleverly used reverse psychology to exonerate Liu Bei. This made Ma Chao somewhat disapprove of Liu Bei's benevolence and righteousness.
Bai Xiaowen then said, "Actually, there is a clue that can help us find out the real culprit behind Old General Ma's murder."
As soon as he said this, Ma Dai, Ma Yunlu, and the others couldn't help but ask, "What clue?"
Ma Chao glanced at the two of them. They knew that they had misspoken and took half a step back.
Ma Chao then stared at Bai Xiaowen. "Why don't you tell me about it?"
Bai Xiaowen said, "After thinking about it, the timing of Zhang Lu's letter is too coincidental. Next, I will send troops to Hanzhong and take over Dongchuan. If we can capture Zhang Lu and ask him if Jian Yong asked him to write a letter to you, we will probably be able to determine who the mastermind is. "
Ma Chao suddenly stood up. "If it was really Jian Yong who persuaded Zhang Lu to write a letter, then the murderer is really Liu Bei!"
Bai Xiaowen said, "No matter what, Zhang Lu must be an insider. Next, Young General can temporarily rest in Chang 'an. I will lead troops to attack Hanzhong and capture Zhang Lu. After that, I will be able to clarify this matter. "
Ma Chao shook his head and said, "How can we let others do it if we want to track down the murderer of our father? This clue is really important. Thank you for dispelling my doubts! I will go to Hanzhong and capture the thief Zhang Lu! "
Ma Yunlu, who was at the side, said in a low voice, "Brother, our troops are all gone."
Ma Chao was stunned.
At this time, Ma Dai was full of admiration for Bai Xiaowen. He firmly believed that Bai Xiaowen was not the mastermind behind the scenes. He immediately said, "Brother, why don't you submit to Da Sima and ask to be the vanguard? Do you think Da Sima will be stingy with his troops? "
Ma Chao shook his head and said seriously, "The clue is not confirmed yet. Da Sima is still suspicious. How can I submit directly?"
Bai Xiaowen had already expected this. He smiled and said, "This is simple. Young General can submit to the imperial court and receive a title. Then you can borrow troops from me to attack Zhang Lu. I will lead the army to support you. What do you think? "
Ma Chao was overjoyed. He said, "That's great!"
In fact, it was just a change of form. In fact, Ma Chao would still be Bai Xiaowen's vanguard to attack Hanzhong.
However, in the Three Kingdoms plane world, this kind of formalism was very important.
There was another substantial difference. If Ma Chao's generals, such as Pang De, Ma Dai, Ma Yunlu and so on, submitted to the imperial court, their lord would still be Ma Chao. If they submitted to Bai Xiaowen, their lord would be Bai Xiaowen.
Ma Chao said seriously, "If Zhang Lu has never met Jian Yong, this clue is meaningless. I still cannot submit to Deacon Yuan. I will definitely find Liu Bei and ask him clearly."
Bai Xiaowen said, "What if Jian Yong really did persuade Zhang Lu?"
Ma Chao pointed to the sky and swore, "As long as I can confirm that Deacon Yuan is not the murderer of my father, I, Ma Chao, swear to the heavens that I will be loyal to you. If I violate this oath, I will die by the sword! "
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