Chapter 1386
Marbo's Secret
Chapter 1386 Marbo's Secret
Ma Bo didn't dare to refute, so he could only nod in agreement, but he didn't completely agree with the other party's statement in his heart.It has been more than a year since the Haihan people came to Dengzhou to settle down. Although they still maintained the ruled area within Fushan County and did not continue to expand outwards, Ma Bo was very aware of the changes that had quietly taken place in this ruled area.Daming's actual control here has dropped to the lowest point in history, and it is even far worse than during the Denglai Rebellion. No one regards the county government in Fushan County as an authority, and no one expects the Ming army in Dengzhou City to "" To regain the lost ground", the base built by the Haihan people on Zhifu Island is the real center of the local area, and more and more people choose to join the Haihan camp, accept its military protection, or become a part of its huge trade network. one ring.
The Ma family is the representative of the change of camp. From the country gentry of the Ming Dynasty to the marriage with the high-ranking officials of Haihan, the Ma family completed this identity change in less than a year, and became the most important spokesperson for Haihan in the local area.If the Ming government still had substantial influence in Fushan County, and the Ma family cared about the family's future, it would be absolutely impossible to take the initiative to complete such a transformation.But now the Ma family has gone too far, and it is impossible to turn back—at least most of the people except Ma Bo.
The reason why Ma Bo chose another path was because Haihan and the Ma family married at a later date, which made him miss the opportunity to choose a team. After being liquidated by the government, the person who can stay and guard the Ma family's property may only be Ma Bo who is competent.
But looking at the current situation, Haihan has no intention of leaving here and returning to the south, and has also established a new stronghold in Liaodong across the sea.The officers and soldiers in Dengzhou City did not see any decent actions from them, except for some assassination and sneak attacks that could not be put on the table.A few days ago, the Haihan army even robbed a horse farm of the Ming army and brought back hundreds of war horses. Everyone in Majiazhuang knew about this, but Dengzhou didn't respond at all, as if it had nothing to do with it.If it was as Soi Ying said, how could the Ming army turn a blind eye to this attribute.
In fact, Ma Bo felt a little regretful in his heart. He just wanted to protect himself and save a bloodline for the Ma clan, and maybe he could win a fortune from it.But now it seems that this choice is just jumping from one pirate ship to another. The risks faced have not diminished at all, and it is difficult to make an accurate judgment on which is good or which is bad.
In October, the Dengzhou government organized a surprise attack on Majiazhuang. Although Ma Bo did not witness the short and bloody battle at the scene, he did witness it with his own eyes when the horse-drawn carriage transported the corpses of the assassins from the battlefield.Those bloody corpses gave him a great shock, and made him truly realize the cruelty of this struggle.Hearing that several more people were captured alive, Ma Bo was really afraid that the Haihan people would follow these captives to find him, because he was the one who provided information about Chen Yixin's work and rest movements to the intermediary, and then passed it back to Dengzhou. Let the Ming army plan the assassination.
If Chen Yixin finds out the truth of this matter, Ma Bo can be sure that the marriage between the Ma family and him will not protect him in the slightest, so for him, although the matter has not been revealed, there is no turning back now. Go, can only obey the mercy of others.But now he doesn't dare to hope that the government can drive Haihan out of Shandong in a short period of time, and for a small person like him, if one of the two sides moves his mind, he can be crushed with a single finger, so he We can only find a balance point in the cracks between the two sides, and try our best to avoid offending both sides.
"It's not a problem whether the money surnamed Liu will be collected or not. You just need to keep an eye on him and see what other moves he will make next." Hei Ying urged again: "He is just a little civil servant who just came to Shandong. , don’t be afraid of him, I don’t think he would dare to provoke you. Anyway, don’t panic, and don’t forget who is behind you!”
After Ma Bo exited the room, he sighed slowly. He knew that his status was low, and he could not afford to offend anyone, so he could only choose to be wronged.Not to mention the guy in the room, even the seemingly harmless Liu Shang, he is an official with status in the Haihan State, and he is not something a wealthy countryman can deal with.The man in the room threw the responsibility on himself with a few words, but how could Ma Bo have the ability to deal with Liu Shang? He could only see the tricks and deal with them cautiously, hoping that Liu Shang would let him go. , don't delve into the problems of the immigration camps.
Ma Bo didn't dare to check at this time whether Liu Shang had woken up and found what he put on the table last night, so he could only wait for Liu Shang to appear by himself.Early in the morning, he ordered one of his confidantes to go down to the second courtyard and stare at the room where Liu Shang lived, and he would report back immediately when the other party came out.Regardless of Liu Shang's attitude towards the things he sent, he must be sure at the first time, so that he can make the best use of the situation to respond.
After three poles in the sun, the door of the room where Liu Shang lived finally opened with a creak.The person leaning on the porch to watch immediately dodged into the third courtyard and rushed to report the incident to Marbo.
Liu Shang only stood at the door for a moment, and Ma Bo had already appeared before he stepped out of the room.Liu Shang didn't think it was a coincidence, and he couldn't help secretly slandering that the local rich man really couldn't hold his breath, and he must be waiting for him to open the door to observe his reaction.
When Liu Shang was in the room, he had already spent a long time thinking about the coping strategies in various situations. He didn't have a big reaction when he saw Ma Bo appearing, he just nodded his head to say hello.Ma Bo was as enthusiastic as ever, and he took the initiative to come over and say hello: "Did Brother Liu rest well last night? I was afraid that you were still drunk, so I specially ordered the servants not to disturb you to rest in the morning, and let you sleep enough before getting up. "
The corner of Liu Shang's mouth raised slightly and he said, "My brother really has a heart. Thanks to your care, I slept soundly last night, and slept until dawn."
Ma Bo wanted to see if the envelope he put last night was still on the table in the house, so that he could confirm whether Liu Shang had accepted it.But Liu Shang just stood at the door without moving, and Ma Bo was a little shorter, so he couldn't look over Liu Shang's shoulder to see the situation inside the house.He didn't dare to make his movements too obvious, so he could only ask with feigned concern: "Brother Liu must be hungry by now, so I'll order my servants to bring breakfast here."
After finishing speaking, without waiting for Liu Shang to refuse, he called the servant and asked him to go to the kitchen to bring the breakfast prepared for Liu Shang.He thought to himself that you have to go in to eat, and when the time comes, he will let the door open, and he will know at a glance whether the benefit will be confiscated.
Liu Shang's thoughtfulness is far beyond this Ma Bo's comparison. Naturally, the other party's careful thinking cannot be hidden from his eyes. He smiled slightly and stepped aside: "In that case, brother Ma might as well come in and sit down. Let’s eat together, too.”
Naturally, Ma Bo would not refuse this invitation. When he entered the room with Liu Shang, he glanced at him, but saw that the envelope was still on the table.Marbo quickly recalled the location and orientation of the envelope on the table last night, but he was not quite sure whether the envelope had been touched.Although he also considered Liu Shang's refusal to accept the benefit, he still felt flustered for a moment when he saw the envelope placed on the table so glaringly.
Liu Shang calmly sat down at the table, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, lowered the volume of his speech slightly, and said, "I woke up today and found this thing on the table, maybe it was my brother last night. Did you forget to leave it in the room when you sent me back?"
Ma Bo swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and replied with a forced smile, "Oh? I've never seen this envelope before, so it probably shouldn't be mine. Or Brother Liu's own stuff. I forgot to put it away after drinking."
"It's definitely not mine." Liu Shang continued to ask with a look of confinement on his face, "Since there is no owner, it must have fallen from the sky?"
Ma Bo thought in his heart that this was a ladder handed to his feet, and immediately responded: "The windfall of heaven, that's the blessing of brother Liu! Brother Liu put it away quickly, don't disappoint God's good intentions."
Liu Shang stretched out two fingers to pick up the envelope and said, "It turns out that Brother Ma possesses supernatural powers and can see through his eyes. He can see that the envelope contains valuables. I admire it!"
Ma Bo opened his mouth and was at a loss for words. Then he remembered that Liu Shang had never mentioned that he had seen the contents of the envelope, let alone anything related to money. He was so focused on getting Liu Shang to accept it. This envelope, but in a hurry, he actually talked about his identity, which can be said to be a very stupid operation.
Liu Shang put the envelope back on the table, and then said: "Brother Ma, what do you want to say about this unowned thing?"
Ma Bo stammered and replied, "I don't...have anything to say."
Although he had already thought about how to deal with it in advance, he was not a person who is good at adapting to the situation after all. After being pointed out by Liu Shang, he had already started to lose his position, and all the countermeasures he had thought about before were all left behind. Forget it all.
Seeing his embarrassment, Liu Shang calmed down his uneasy mind.What Liu Shang was worried about was not that the other party used money to buy him to cover up the problem of empty wages in the immigrant camp, but that Ma Bo was so deep-minded that he would use this method to test his bottom line, leaving behind other tricks. Use it.But after probing with words, he found that Ma Bo was actually the same inside and out. He was just a land rich man with no city mansion, and he was not a master of conspiracy at all.
As for the money on the table that Ma Bo refused to admit, Liu Shang had already figured out how to deal with it, knocked on the table again and said: "Since this thing fell from the sky and there is no owner, why don't you just make up your own mind?" how?"
Naturally, Ma Bo couldn't wish for it, and he said that it's good for you to keep it yourself, or you can pretend to be a little bit more than me, anyway, as long as you accept it, the rest of the matter will be easy.Everyone has a good face, and the things below are tacit, and this matter is considered a success.Thinking of this, Ma Bo finally felt a little bit of relief from the burden, and couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly.
However, the smile on the corner of Ma Bo's mouth soon froze, because he heard Liu Shang's steady voice say: "Since this thing has no owner, it will be used as public funds for the immigration camp to improve the living conditions of the immigrants. Ma What do you think, brother?"
"Ah... Is that so? This...Since it's Brother Liu's intention, then...then let's deal with it like this." Ma Bo never expected that this Liu Shang would come up with such a routine to deal with the money. , even the person who instructed him earlier did not expect Liu Shang to have such a reaction.Liu Shang took the money, but confiscated it. Is this a success or a failure?
Before Ma Bo could figure out the reason behind this, Liu Shang picked up the envelope and shook the stack of Haihan banknotes on the table.Liu Shang deliberately counted them in front of Ma Bo, and then sighed: "One hundred yuan, this is not a small amount!"
"Yes, yes!" Ma Bo echoed with embarrassment.He thought to himself that it was just a tentative gift of a sum of money. If he really decided to give Liu Shang a large sum of money, wouldn't it be a waste if it was confiscated?But after thinking about it, Liu Shang could withstand the temptation of a hundred yuan, but if he gave more, he might not be able to hold on. Maybe he shouldn't be so cautious, and it would be easier to knock him unconscious with a lot of money.
But the matter has come to this point, and Ma Bo can't ask Liu Shang to keep the money, so he can only do it according to his wishes.Fortunately, at this time, the servants brought a hot breakfast, which slightly eased the awkward atmosphere in the house.
"Let's eat first, and we'll talk about other things later." Liu Shang didn't want to make Ma Bo too ugly, so he put the envelope back on the table, and stuffed the steaming steamed bread into his mouth.
Naturally, Ma Bo would not object to this suggestion. Although he had already eaten a meal after getting up in the morning, he still stuffed his mouth with steamed buns without hesitation, as if he was afraid that he would say something wrong again in a panic.
Swallowing the steamed buns into his stomach, Ma Bo got up and said he was going to make a pot of tea to digest his food, hurried back to the room in the backyard, and reported the situation to the person sitting in the dark.Of course, Ma Bo wisely concealed the fact that he was a scandal. If the other party found out about this, he would be severely reprimanded.
After listening to Ma Bo's narration, the black figure was silent for a long time before saying: "This Liu man is very experienced in his work. No wonder the Haihan people transferred him from the south to Shandong from a long distance... So, that's true. Beware of him, don't let him see more flaws!"
Ma Bo asked tentatively: "Then...do you want to continue sending him money to test?"
"Don't worry, let's take a look." Soi Ying seemed to have doubts about the effectiveness of this method: "If this person shows distaste for giving money, then don't try this method again."
(End of this chapter)
Ma Bo didn't dare to refute, so he could only nod in agreement, but he didn't completely agree with the other party's statement in his heart.It has been more than a year since the Haihan people came to Dengzhou to settle down. Although they still maintained the ruled area within Fushan County and did not continue to expand outwards, Ma Bo was very aware of the changes that had quietly taken place in this ruled area.Daming's actual control here has dropped to the lowest point in history, and it is even far worse than during the Denglai Rebellion. No one regards the county government in Fushan County as an authority, and no one expects the Ming army in Dengzhou City to "" To regain the lost ground", the base built by the Haihan people on Zhifu Island is the real center of the local area, and more and more people choose to join the Haihan camp, accept its military protection, or become a part of its huge trade network. one ring.
The Ma family is the representative of the change of camp. From the country gentry of the Ming Dynasty to the marriage with the high-ranking officials of Haihan, the Ma family completed this identity change in less than a year, and became the most important spokesperson for Haihan in the local area.If the Ming government still had substantial influence in Fushan County, and the Ma family cared about the family's future, it would be absolutely impossible to take the initiative to complete such a transformation.But now the Ma family has gone too far, and it is impossible to turn back—at least most of the people except Ma Bo.
The reason why Ma Bo chose another path was because Haihan and the Ma family married at a later date, which made him miss the opportunity to choose a team. After being liquidated by the government, the person who can stay and guard the Ma family's property may only be Ma Bo who is competent.
But looking at the current situation, Haihan has no intention of leaving here and returning to the south, and has also established a new stronghold in Liaodong across the sea.The officers and soldiers in Dengzhou City did not see any decent actions from them, except for some assassination and sneak attacks that could not be put on the table.A few days ago, the Haihan army even robbed a horse farm of the Ming army and brought back hundreds of war horses. Everyone in Majiazhuang knew about this, but Dengzhou didn't respond at all, as if it had nothing to do with it.If it was as Soi Ying said, how could the Ming army turn a blind eye to this attribute.
In fact, Ma Bo felt a little regretful in his heart. He just wanted to protect himself and save a bloodline for the Ma clan, and maybe he could win a fortune from it.But now it seems that this choice is just jumping from one pirate ship to another. The risks faced have not diminished at all, and it is difficult to make an accurate judgment on which is good or which is bad.
In October, the Dengzhou government organized a surprise attack on Majiazhuang. Although Ma Bo did not witness the short and bloody battle at the scene, he did witness it with his own eyes when the horse-drawn carriage transported the corpses of the assassins from the battlefield.Those bloody corpses gave him a great shock, and made him truly realize the cruelty of this struggle.Hearing that several more people were captured alive, Ma Bo was really afraid that the Haihan people would follow these captives to find him, because he was the one who provided information about Chen Yixin's work and rest movements to the intermediary, and then passed it back to Dengzhou. Let the Ming army plan the assassination.
If Chen Yixin finds out the truth of this matter, Ma Bo can be sure that the marriage between the Ma family and him will not protect him in the slightest, so for him, although the matter has not been revealed, there is no turning back now. Go, can only obey the mercy of others.But now he doesn't dare to hope that the government can drive Haihan out of Shandong in a short period of time, and for a small person like him, if one of the two sides moves his mind, he can be crushed with a single finger, so he We can only find a balance point in the cracks between the two sides, and try our best to avoid offending both sides.
"It's not a problem whether the money surnamed Liu will be collected or not. You just need to keep an eye on him and see what other moves he will make next." Hei Ying urged again: "He is just a little civil servant who just came to Shandong. , don’t be afraid of him, I don’t think he would dare to provoke you. Anyway, don’t panic, and don’t forget who is behind you!”
After Ma Bo exited the room, he sighed slowly. He knew that his status was low, and he could not afford to offend anyone, so he could only choose to be wronged.Not to mention the guy in the room, even the seemingly harmless Liu Shang, he is an official with status in the Haihan State, and he is not something a wealthy countryman can deal with.The man in the room threw the responsibility on himself with a few words, but how could Ma Bo have the ability to deal with Liu Shang? He could only see the tricks and deal with them cautiously, hoping that Liu Shang would let him go. , don't delve into the problems of the immigration camps.
Ma Bo didn't dare to check at this time whether Liu Shang had woken up and found what he put on the table last night, so he could only wait for Liu Shang to appear by himself.Early in the morning, he ordered one of his confidantes to go down to the second courtyard and stare at the room where Liu Shang lived, and he would report back immediately when the other party came out.Regardless of Liu Shang's attitude towards the things he sent, he must be sure at the first time, so that he can make the best use of the situation to respond.
After three poles in the sun, the door of the room where Liu Shang lived finally opened with a creak.The person leaning on the porch to watch immediately dodged into the third courtyard and rushed to report the incident to Marbo.
Liu Shang only stood at the door for a moment, and Ma Bo had already appeared before he stepped out of the room.Liu Shang didn't think it was a coincidence, and he couldn't help secretly slandering that the local rich man really couldn't hold his breath, and he must be waiting for him to open the door to observe his reaction.
When Liu Shang was in the room, he had already spent a long time thinking about the coping strategies in various situations. He didn't have a big reaction when he saw Ma Bo appearing, he just nodded his head to say hello.Ma Bo was as enthusiastic as ever, and he took the initiative to come over and say hello: "Did Brother Liu rest well last night? I was afraid that you were still drunk, so I specially ordered the servants not to disturb you to rest in the morning, and let you sleep enough before getting up. "
The corner of Liu Shang's mouth raised slightly and he said, "My brother really has a heart. Thanks to your care, I slept soundly last night, and slept until dawn."
Ma Bo wanted to see if the envelope he put last night was still on the table in the house, so that he could confirm whether Liu Shang had accepted it.But Liu Shang just stood at the door without moving, and Ma Bo was a little shorter, so he couldn't look over Liu Shang's shoulder to see the situation inside the house.He didn't dare to make his movements too obvious, so he could only ask with feigned concern: "Brother Liu must be hungry by now, so I'll order my servants to bring breakfast here."
After finishing speaking, without waiting for Liu Shang to refuse, he called the servant and asked him to go to the kitchen to bring the breakfast prepared for Liu Shang.He thought to himself that you have to go in to eat, and when the time comes, he will let the door open, and he will know at a glance whether the benefit will be confiscated.
Liu Shang's thoughtfulness is far beyond this Ma Bo's comparison. Naturally, the other party's careful thinking cannot be hidden from his eyes. He smiled slightly and stepped aside: "In that case, brother Ma might as well come in and sit down. Let’s eat together, too.”
Naturally, Ma Bo would not refuse this invitation. When he entered the room with Liu Shang, he glanced at him, but saw that the envelope was still on the table.Marbo quickly recalled the location and orientation of the envelope on the table last night, but he was not quite sure whether the envelope had been touched.Although he also considered Liu Shang's refusal to accept the benefit, he still felt flustered for a moment when he saw the envelope placed on the table so glaringly.
Liu Shang calmly sat down at the table, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, lowered the volume of his speech slightly, and said, "I woke up today and found this thing on the table, maybe it was my brother last night. Did you forget to leave it in the room when you sent me back?"
Ma Bo swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and replied with a forced smile, "Oh? I've never seen this envelope before, so it probably shouldn't be mine. Or Brother Liu's own stuff. I forgot to put it away after drinking."
"It's definitely not mine." Liu Shang continued to ask with a look of confinement on his face, "Since there is no owner, it must have fallen from the sky?"
Ma Bo thought in his heart that this was a ladder handed to his feet, and immediately responded: "The windfall of heaven, that's the blessing of brother Liu! Brother Liu put it away quickly, don't disappoint God's good intentions."
Liu Shang stretched out two fingers to pick up the envelope and said, "It turns out that Brother Ma possesses supernatural powers and can see through his eyes. He can see that the envelope contains valuables. I admire it!"
Ma Bo opened his mouth and was at a loss for words. Then he remembered that Liu Shang had never mentioned that he had seen the contents of the envelope, let alone anything related to money. He was so focused on getting Liu Shang to accept it. This envelope, but in a hurry, he actually talked about his identity, which can be said to be a very stupid operation.
Liu Shang put the envelope back on the table, and then said: "Brother Ma, what do you want to say about this unowned thing?"
Ma Bo stammered and replied, "I don't...have anything to say."
Although he had already thought about how to deal with it in advance, he was not a person who is good at adapting to the situation after all. After being pointed out by Liu Shang, he had already started to lose his position, and all the countermeasures he had thought about before were all left behind. Forget it all.
Seeing his embarrassment, Liu Shang calmed down his uneasy mind.What Liu Shang was worried about was not that the other party used money to buy him to cover up the problem of empty wages in the immigrant camp, but that Ma Bo was so deep-minded that he would use this method to test his bottom line, leaving behind other tricks. Use it.But after probing with words, he found that Ma Bo was actually the same inside and out. He was just a land rich man with no city mansion, and he was not a master of conspiracy at all.
As for the money on the table that Ma Bo refused to admit, Liu Shang had already figured out how to deal with it, knocked on the table again and said: "Since this thing fell from the sky and there is no owner, why don't you just make up your own mind?" how?"
Naturally, Ma Bo couldn't wish for it, and he said that it's good for you to keep it yourself, or you can pretend to be a little bit more than me, anyway, as long as you accept it, the rest of the matter will be easy.Everyone has a good face, and the things below are tacit, and this matter is considered a success.Thinking of this, Ma Bo finally felt a little bit of relief from the burden, and couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly.
However, the smile on the corner of Ma Bo's mouth soon froze, because he heard Liu Shang's steady voice say: "Since this thing has no owner, it will be used as public funds for the immigration camp to improve the living conditions of the immigrants. Ma What do you think, brother?"
"Ah... Is that so? This...Since it's Brother Liu's intention, then...then let's deal with it like this." Ma Bo never expected that this Liu Shang would come up with such a routine to deal with the money. , even the person who instructed him earlier did not expect Liu Shang to have such a reaction.Liu Shang took the money, but confiscated it. Is this a success or a failure?
Before Ma Bo could figure out the reason behind this, Liu Shang picked up the envelope and shook the stack of Haihan banknotes on the table.Liu Shang deliberately counted them in front of Ma Bo, and then sighed: "One hundred yuan, this is not a small amount!"
"Yes, yes!" Ma Bo echoed with embarrassment.He thought to himself that it was just a tentative gift of a sum of money. If he really decided to give Liu Shang a large sum of money, wouldn't it be a waste if it was confiscated?But after thinking about it, Liu Shang could withstand the temptation of a hundred yuan, but if he gave more, he might not be able to hold on. Maybe he shouldn't be so cautious, and it would be easier to knock him unconscious with a lot of money.
But the matter has come to this point, and Ma Bo can't ask Liu Shang to keep the money, so he can only do it according to his wishes.Fortunately, at this time, the servants brought a hot breakfast, which slightly eased the awkward atmosphere in the house.
"Let's eat first, and we'll talk about other things later." Liu Shang didn't want to make Ma Bo too ugly, so he put the envelope back on the table, and stuffed the steaming steamed bread into his mouth.
Naturally, Ma Bo would not object to this suggestion. Although he had already eaten a meal after getting up in the morning, he still stuffed his mouth with steamed buns without hesitation, as if he was afraid that he would say something wrong again in a panic.
Swallowing the steamed buns into his stomach, Ma Bo got up and said he was going to make a pot of tea to digest his food, hurried back to the room in the backyard, and reported the situation to the person sitting in the dark.Of course, Ma Bo wisely concealed the fact that he was a scandal. If the other party found out about this, he would be severely reprimanded.
After listening to Ma Bo's narration, the black figure was silent for a long time before saying: "This Liu man is very experienced in his work. No wonder the Haihan people transferred him from the south to Shandong from a long distance... So, that's true. Beware of him, don't let him see more flaws!"
Ma Bo asked tentatively: "Then...do you want to continue sending him money to test?"
"Don't worry, let's take a look." Soi Ying seemed to have doubts about the effectiveness of this method: "If this person shows distaste for giving money, then don't try this method again."
(End of this chapter)