Pu An County, county seat.
In the Yang Clan's study.
Yang Lu and Ma Zhou sat facing each other.
Yang Lu looked at Ma Zhou and smiled, "Mr. Ma, I can guarantee that the Governor of Jian Province, Tang Ziyong, will definitely submit to Xia Xia. As for the Pu An County Magistrate, Yang Zhengjian, he is a member of the Yang Clan. These two are aware of the situation, they won't have any other choice. "
Yang Lu already knew Ma Zhou's identity.
Ma Zhou's identity was not discovered by Yang Lu, it was Ma Zhou who told Yang Lu of his own accord. The premise of this information was that Ma Zhou had to wait until the news of the burning of Swords Gate Pass' granary reached him. Only then would Ma Zhou tell him the truth.
After all, under this premise, Yang Lu could not change his stance.
Yang Lu was surprised when he heard this, but he quickly accepted it. He admired Ma Zhou even more, because Ma Zhou was bold and meticulous, doing things flawlessly, earning Yang Lu's praise.
Ma Zhou said unhurriedly, "Eunuch Yang, whether they are willing to submit or not, we still have to meet them. The reason why I asked you to make an extra plan is to prepare for the worst. In this world, there is no need to fear powerful people, only overconfidence. There is no harm in being more cautious and making more plans. Even if this method cannot be used, there is no harm. "
Yang Lu stroked his beard and praised, "Military Advisor Ma is worthy of being Emperor Xia's trusted aide. His work is flawless. I estimate that they will arrive at the Yang Clan soon. This time, with my name, it will not be difficult to invite them to the residence. As for the executioners lying in ambush at the side of the hall, they will definitely not be needed. "
Ma Zhou said, "I hope so."
Ma Zhou had always been in Pu An County. He and Yang Lu had previously arranged for people to destroy Li Chengqian's granary in Swords Gate Pass. By now, Ma Zhou had already received the news of the rations in Swords Gate Pass being burned to the ground. He even knew that Li Chengqian was currently heading towards Pu 'an County. Hence, Ma Zhou once again formulated a plan.
Ma Zhou's plan was for Yang Lu to convince Tang Ziyong and Yang Zhengjian to submit to Xia Xia. As long as the plan was completed, once Li Chengqian's army reached Pu 'an County, they would be able to capture Li Chengqian like a turtle in a jar.
Right now, he was using Yang Lu's name to invite Tang Ziyong and Yang Zhengjian to his residence for a discussion. Once either of them refused to submit, they would be killed on the spot to prevent any accidents.
Dong! Boom!
There was a knock on the door outside the room. The butler's voice sounded, "Master, County Magistrate Yang is here."
"Got it."
Yang Lu replied. He stood up and nodded at Ma Zhou. The two of them walked out together. After leaving the study, he went straight to the main hall. When he entered the hall, he saw that Yang Zhengjian had already arrived.
Yang Zhengjian was around thirty years old.
He was able to become the County Magistrate of Pu 'an County in Jianzhou. On one hand, it was because of the Yang Clan's operations. On the other hand, it was because of Yang Zhengjian's ability. Under Yang Zhengjian's governance, Pu 'an County was well-connected and the people lived and worked in peace. Everything was developing well.
When Yang Zhengjian saw Yang Lu, he quickly went forward and bowed, "Granduncle!"
According to seniority, Yang Zhengjian had to address Yang Lu as Granduncle. Although Yang Zhengjian was in his early thirties, his seniority was relatively low. However, he still had some say in the Yang Clan. After all, he was the County Magistrate.
Even so, Yang Zhengjian was still a junior in front of Yang Lu. He had to listen to Yang Lu.
Yang Lu nodded and motioned for Yang Zhengjian to sit down. After Yang Zhengjian sat down, he waited for Yang Lu and Ma Zhou to take their seats. Then, he took the initiative to ask, "Granduncle, may I know why you invited me here today?"
Yang Lu said, "Please wait a moment. Governor Tang hasn't arrived yet. We'll talk about it when Governor Tang arrives. "
Yang Zhengjian immediately complied.
It didn't take long for Tang Ziyong to enter. When he entered, Yang Lu stood up and bowed. Ma Zhou and Yang Zhengjian also followed suit and bowed. Tang Ziyong accepted Yang Lu's bow and immediately bowed to Yang Lu as a disciple. Finally, he sat down and said, "Teacher, may I know why you called me here today?"
Yang Lu stroked his beard and nodded slightly.
He was very satisfied with Tang Ziyong. At the age of thirty, he had become the Provincial Governor of a province. Even with the Yang Clan's help, Tang Ziyong was undoubtedly very capable.
Yang Lu didn't say much. Instead, he pointed at Ma Zhou and said, "Governor Tang, I called you and County Magistrate Yang here because I wanted to introduce someone to you. This person is Ma Zhou, Mr. Ma. Mr. Ma is the confidant of His Majesty, the Xia Emperor. He is also the military advisor of the Xia Army who is attacking Li Chengqian. He personally came to Pu 'an County and also destroyed Li Chengqian's grain in Swords Gate Pass, cutting off Li Chengqian's foundation. "
Tang Ziyong's eyes narrowed slightly and a surprised expression appeared on his face.
Ma Zhou was here.
As the Provincial Governor of Jianzhou, Tang Ziyong naturally knew about Ma Zhou. He was an important minister in Xia Xia's cabinet, Du Qi's right-hand man, and also Xiao Yuanqi's military advisor. He didn't expect that Ma Zhou had already hidden in Pu 'an County and was in the Yang Clan.
Everyone thought that Ma Zhou should be by Xiao Yuanqi's side, advising him. Who would have thought that Ma Zhou would appear by Yang Lu's side. It seemed that the Yang Clan had already submitted to Xia Xia and worked for Xia Xia.
After hearing this, Yang Zhengjian's expression didn't change. He also knew about Ma Zhou. But when he thought that it was Yang Lu who introduced him and also said that Ma Zhou destroyed Li Chengqian's grain, Yang Zhengjian knew that the Yang Clan had already made a choice.
As a member of the Yang Clan, he should advance and retreat with the Yang Clan. There was nothing to say.
Ma Zhou said unhurriedly, "Provincial Governor Tang, County Magistrate Yang, Mr. Yang has already told you my identity, so I won't say more. You should all know about the current situation. The grain in Sword Gate Pass was burned, and Li Chengqian retreated from the front line, leaving Sword Gate Pass behind. Once Li Chengqian lost Sword Gate Pass, he can no longer defend Sword Gate Pass and the center of Sichuan. Now the center of Sichuan will fall into the control of Xia Xia. You two are both smart people. The situation is so clear. I think you should know what's the best decision to make. "
Yang Zhengjian said directly, "I'm willing to follow Emperor Xia and work for Xia."
Tang Ziyong smiled faintly and said unhurriedly, "The Great Tang's momentum is gone. Moreover, Li Chengqian has gone to Jianzhou and collected grain without regard for the lives of the people. I, Tang Ziyong, will not follow such a tyrannical lord. Military Advisor Ma is here on behalf of Xia Xia. I, Tang Ziyong, am willing to work for Xia Xia. I'll do whatever Military Advisor Ma says. "
Ma Zhou smiled and said, "You two are both straightforward people. If I say more, I'll be stingy. I won't say more, I'll just tell you the next plan. "
Tang Ziyong said, "Military Advisor Ma, please tell us."
Yang Zhengjian said, "Military Advisor Ma, please tell us."
Ma Zhou said, "The next plan is actually very simple. According to Mr. Yang's information, Li Chengqian's army will reach Pu 'an County in half a day. I believe you all know about this. "
"Until now, Li Chengqian still doesn't know that Pu 'an County and even Jianzhou are working for His Majesty. Then we'll use the strategy of catching a turtle in a jar. When Li Chengqian's army arrives outside the city, we'll let him enter the city. Once he enters the city, we'll mobilize Jianzhou's forces to surround him and capture him alive. "
Ma Zhou said, "Li Chengqian is the Crown Prince of the Tang dynasty. Such a person is very valuable."
Tang Ziyong said, "No problem. I'll arrange it properly. Jianzhou's 5,000 troops are stationed in Pu 'an County. Apart from them, there's also a group of people in the county government. We can gather 6,000 people and hand them over to Military Advisor Ma to command. "
Yang Lu had been silent all this time.
He gave the initiative to Ma Zhou and let Ma Zhou preside over the arrangements. But now that it involved the transfer of personnel, Yang Lu directly said, "My Yang Family also has 2,000 private troops. We'll also take them out and gather 8,000 people and hand them over to Military Advisor Ma to command. Li Chengqian will retreat with a group of troops, but his troops won't exceed 5,000. 8,000 against 5,000. Moreover, Li Chengqian's troops have been traveling with empty stomachs. Their bodies are weak and their morale is low. It'll be easy to defeat them. "
Ma Zhou said, "You're right, Mr. Yang. We'll set up an ambush in the city and wait for Li Chengqian to walk into the trap. Everyone has contributed to taking down Li Chengqian this time. Whether it's the Yang Family, Provincial Governor Tang, or County Magistrate Yang, I'll report your contributions to His Majesty. When the time comes, His Majesty will reward you. "
Yang Lu shook his head with a smile and said modestly, "It's just a meager effort. It's not worth mentioning."
Tang Ziyong and Yang Zhengjian also spoke modestly.
Both of them were faintly excited. Whether it was Tang Ziyong or Yang Zhengjian, they had been government officials for a long time and their achievements were good. But it would be very difficult for them to be promoted. This was because the Yang Family's influence was only in Jianzhou. It was impossible for them to move more space for Tang Ziyong. But Tang Ziyong was in Jianzhou, so it was impossible for Yang Zhengjian to be promoted.
After all, every carrot had its own hole. If Yang Zhengjian wanted to be promoted, Tang Ziyong had to be promoted. Now that the two of them had the opportunity, they were naturally looking forward to it. In fact, Yang Lu himself was also very happy.
He built the academy and preached because he wanted to continuously cultivate talents and then make the Yang Family prosper. Unfortunately, the Yang Family had been trapped in Jianzhou and couldn't move forward. Now that there was an opportunity, he was naturally happy to see it happen.
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