In the autumn of the seventh year of Jian'an, the prestige of Cao Cao and Cai Ji's daughter-in-law in the Central Plains can be said to be in full swing. In particular, the two of them successively relied on the technique of "landslide and ground cracking" to conquer Pingcheng and win Liu Biao, which not only frightened the princes everywhere, but also made many previous rumors about Cao Cai's discord disappear. After all, in the eyes of outsiders, if Cao Cao and Cai Ji are really not harmonious, how can they share the secret technique of "landslide and ground cracking".

However, just when everyone in the world thought that Cai Ji had "honored" Cao Cao with the technique of "landslide and ground cracking", Cai Ji himself at this time was dumb and couldn't say what he was suffering from. It must be known that gunpowder has always been a secret skill of the Qi army. Even the Five Elements Escape Banner, which has repeatedly implemented the technique of "Heaven Collapse and Earth Cracking", only uses gunpowder, and has never made gunpowder, let alone knows the formula of gunpowder. Therefore, when he first heard that Cao Cao used gunpowder against Liu Biao in Jingzhou, Cai Ji was far more surprised than anyone in the world. It's just that I'm surprised, and it's impossible for Cai Ji to run directly to question Cao Cao. After all, the two sides still maintain an alliance of in-laws. However, it is a great scandal for his own secrets to be discovered by the enemy after all, and Cai Ji can not settle accounts with Cao Cao, but he must definitely find out the reason for the leakage of gunpowder. So, after learning that Cao Jun used gunpowder, Cai Ji immediately recruited her henchwoman, Duan Emei.

"The Lord wants to secretly investigate the leakage of gunpowder?" Duan Emei, who heard the ins and outs, did not immediately receive the order, but was slightly stunned, and turned to Cai Ji and asked, "The lord is not afraid that Emei is Cao Jun's meticulous work?" ”

"If the Duan Banner Master is meticulous, how can he live to this day." Cai Ji waved his hand to signal Duan Emei not to think too much. But the latter still stood still, and did not seem to accept her statement. Seeing this, Cai Ji couldn't help but smile leisurely, spread his hands and said frankly, "Lonely is an orphan girl, no children, no daughters, no brothers and no elders." If the master of Duan Qi is Cao Jun, he will do it carefully. can kill Lone Strike, and the Lone Prefecture, Soldiers, Horses, and Civil and Military Officers will all return to the Cao family in the blink of an eye. ”

Facing Cai Ji's frank smile, Duan Emei only felt a warmth in her heart, and immediately leaned over and bowed, "Thanks to the Lord's trust, Emei will live up to the trust!" ”

Cai Jixin stepped forward and patted Duan Emei's shoulder to show encouragement, and then took out a palm-sized jade plate from his sleeve, handed it to Duan Emei and said, "The gunpowder case is a matter of great importance, and you are alone in the power of the officials and the people." As soon as there is a situation, report it to Gu Yu immediately. ”

Duan Emei took the jade plaque, and when she fixed her eyes, she saw that the jade plaque was hexagonal and emerald green. The front is engraved with four seals of "impartial use of rights", and the back is carved with exquisite phoenix patterns. Duan Emei didn't know that the emerald jade plaque in her hand was carved from a rare jadeite in the Central Plains. If you let a famous craftsman carve it into other styles, it may be a priceless treasure. Cai Jina's precious jade carving token naturally will not be a whim. In fact. She had the intention of setting up a spy organization responsible for internal inspection of hundreds of officials early on. And this gunpowder incident undoubtedly made Cai Ji completely determined to form a spy organization.

Speaking of inspecting hundreds of officials, the first thing that comes to mind in later generations is often the Ming Dynasty's Jinyiwei and East and West Factories; Twenty-seven cool officials under Wu Zetian; Or a secret police in a foreign country. Cai Ji, who is familiar with history, knows that in ancient and modern times, at home and abroad, there will be such an organization in every government. They are often established in the name of security or in the name of anti-corruption, but in essence they are violent institutions to maintain rule, not good or evil. The key is to see how to use it. For example, under Cao Cao, there are two "school affairs" Lu Hong and Zhao Da, who are responsible for monitoring hundreds of officials. The previous Zhao Yan incident and the Yi Dai Zhao incident more or less had these two people to blame them.

The spies who served as the minions of kings in successive dynasties were often from humble backgrounds, even some marginal people. Cao Cao's school affairs and Wu Zetian's cool officials were all from poor families. The Imperial City Division of the Song Dynasty and the two factories of the Ming Dynasty appointed eunuchs. In terms of identity, Duan Emei, who was born in the rivers and lakes, is indeed a suitable candidate, but what Cai Ji values most is Duan Emei's loyal and upright conduct. Because the position that Duan Emei is about to hold is a double-edged sword.

Thinking of this, Cai Ji said to Duan Emei earnestly. "It's not a secret, Lone has the heart to follow Cao Gong and appoint Master Duan Qi to serve the school affairs and civil and military. Thou art the school, and thou mayest recruit strangers to act as spies, but thou shalt remember that spies only have the right to serve, not the right to arrest, and thou shalt not extort money in the name of scouting. If you are found to be a traitor by a lone agent, you will not be spared! ”

As a woman who has experienced several ups and downs, Duan Emei knows very well what kind of important responsibility she has been given. In the face of Cai Ji's warning, she immediately bowed down solemnly, "No! Keep it in mind. ”

Cai Ji nodded with satisfaction, and then emphasized, "I'll talk about the secret agent later, and the top priority is to find out about the gunpowder case." ”

Duan Emei saw that Cai Ji attached so much importance to the gunpowder case that she had the right to serve the civil and military, and then thought that the gunpowder case involved many Cai Ji's henchmen, and couldn't help but ask with a little hesitation, "The Lord wants Emei to investigate the gunpowder case...... What about Mr. Fengxiao and General Ziyi? ”

"Check!" Cai Ji nodded without hesitation, "Not only Fengxiao and Ziyi, but also Lonely, you also have to investigate!" ”

"What do you mean by that?" Duan E frowned puzzled. In her opinion, Cai Ji asked her to investigate Guo Jia and Tai Shi Ci, and it can be said that she treats civil and military officials equally. That Cai Ji asked Duan Emei to investigate herself, but Duan Emei was confused. Could it be that Qi Hou will still be meticulous?!

Facing Duan E's eyebrows, who looked dazed, Cai Ji cleared his throat and continued to explain, "The gunpowder case may have been stolen with intention, or someone may have unintentionally revealed it, so Gu and Baiguan are suspected. ”

Duan Emei listened to Cai Ji's explanation, and nodded clearly. Indeed, as Cai Ji said, there are many ways for the leakage of gunpowder, and everyone involved is suspicious, even including Duan Emei herself. Thinking of this, Duan Emei couldn't help but recall in her mind her words and deeds about gunpowder. After confirming that he had indeed not disclosed the gunpowder situation to any outsiders, Duan Emei breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. However, in this way, the scope of investigation of the gunpowder case will undoubtedly be expanded to the entire upper echelons of the Qi army. Thinking that Cai Ji asked her to investigate Guo Jia and the others not just for show, Duan Emei asked Cai Ji again, "The Lord is not afraid that Emei will find out that it is related to Mr. Fengxiao at this time?" ”

Regarding Duan Emei's assumptions, Cai Ji seemed very calm. I saw her confidently cutting the railway, "Don't be afraid!" Lone believes in filial piety. ”

In fact, without Cai Ji's order, Guo Jia, who was far away in Longkou at this moment, had already begun to investigate the gunpowder leakage case. Since the gunpowder making zuò was mainly in charge of Duan Zhi and others. In addition to doing research, Duan Zhi and others went to the lecture hall every day to teach, so the lecture hall became the focus of this investigation. However, compared with Cai Ji, who emphasized secretly watching, Guo Jia's investigation is more public. In just a few days, more than a dozen students and lecturers were recruited to talk to the yamen, which put everyone in danger for a while.

On this day, Guo Jia was checking the file sent by Huang Zhen in the study, when he suddenly heard someone laughing loudly outside the door, "Feng Xiao is still worried about the gunpowder case?" ”

Guo Jia looked up and saw that it was Cui Yan, so he quickly got up to greet him, "I don't know Ji Jue is visiting, and I am not welcome." There is a long way to go. ”

"It's Yan who took the liberty to visit, to disturb, to disturb." Cui Yan bowed his hand and said politely.

After some pleasantries, the two sides sat down according to the guests. In early autumn, the heat in Longkou has not completely subsided. Guo Jia ordered someone to serve tea, and asked Cui Yan with a folding fan in his hand. "I don't know what Ji Jue is here for today?"

Cui Yan didn't beat around the bush with Guo Jia. Straight to the point, "Don't hide your filial piety, Yan is here today for gunpowder." ”

At this time, the servant had already served tea to the two, and Guo Jia picked up the tea cup and asked noncommittally, "Oh? What does the gentleman have to teach you? ”

"Yan doesn't know the ins and outs of gunpowder, how dare he teach in vain." Cui Yan waved his hand humbly. Then he took out a letter from his bosom and handed it to Guo Jiadao, "Yesterday, Yuan Hao wrote to Tong Yan about gunpowder, and I think it may help Feng Xiao to investigate the case." ”

Guo Jia listened, and hurriedly put down the tea cup in his hand. He took the letter and read it carefully. In the letter, Tian Feng recounted in detail how he and Xu You investigated the technique of "landslide and ground cracking" outside Liyang City, and how Xu You collected fragments stained with black powder, and deduced that Cao Cao's "landslide and ground cracking" technique may have come from Xu You. To be honest, Guo Jia was skeptical of Tian Feng's statement. This is not to say that Guo Jia suspects Tian Feng of lying. Rather, it is a little unbelievable that gunpowder can be prepared from just a few fragments left by the explosion. Of course, the premise is that Cao Cao's use in Xinye this time is indeed a "landslide and ground cracking" technique.

It is undeniable that Cao Cao's use of gunpowder in Xinye this time not only blew Liu Biao up, but also caught the Qi army off guard. Gunpowder has always been the killer secret of the Qi army, and Guo Jia watched how Cai Ji, Lin Fei, and Duan Zhi developed gunpowder and cast cannons step by step. If the gunpowder really leaked to Cao Ying because of the lax supervision of Longkou's side, then Guo Jia could not escape the blame anyway. Taking a step back, even if Tian Feng's judgment was right, Cao Cao's gunpowder did come from Xu You. Now it is not a bad thing to use the gunpowder case to clean up Jiangwutang and Longkou City. So far, at least, Huang Zhen has arrested more than a dozen fine works in and around Longkou City.

In addition, Guo Jia also found some ill-intentioned people in the lecture hall. Among them were several students who instigated the siege of Cao Pi and intended to burn down the Zun Jing Pavilion. In his opinion, even if it was finally found out that these students had nothing to do with the gunpowder case, they would not be able to continue to study in the lecture hall in the future. Cai Ji didn't cure the sins of these students because he was afraid of reputation at that time, it doesn't mean that Guo Jia is willing to let these people go. What's more, now that it has been found that the students who took the lead in making trouble at the beginning are not all clean, it will be a disaster to let them continue to stay in the lecture hall in the future. It is better to use the investigation of the gunpowder case as an opportunity to completely deport Yigan and others.

Therefore, after reading the letter, Guo Jia did not rush to make a judgment, but put the letter aside and frowned, "I'm afraid Ji Jue is here today not only to deliver the letter?" ”

Facing Guo Jia's point-blank rhetorical question, Cui Yan twisted his long beard and muttered for a moment, and then bowed to Guo Jia and said, "Yan thinks that since the truth has been revealed, there is no need to investigate the teachers and students of the martial arts hall. ”

"What did Ji Qi say about this?" Guo Jia raised his eyebrows and said, "How can the truth ever be revealed?" ”

Cui Yan saw that Guo Jia ignored Tian Feng's letter and insisted on continuing to investigate the case in the martial arts hall, so he couldn't help but say urgently, "Fengxiao!" There is nothing wrong with investigating the case impartially. However, the lecture hall is a place to study, and the yamen disturbs the school day by day, making it difficult for the teachers and students of the lecture hall to teach with peace of mind, and in the long run, it will definitely damage the reputation of the lord! ”

"If the body is not afraid of shadows, if the teachers and students of the martial arts hall are worthy of their hearts, why should they be afraid of the investigation of the yamen." Guo Jia said-for-tat.

Cui Yan was choked by Guo Jia's words. As Guo Jia said, if every teacher and student in the martial arts hall has a clear conscience, there is really no need to be afraid of the yamen investigation. But the problem is that the lecturers and students of the lecture hall come from all over the world, and they have certain connections with all forces. Some lecturers and students will inevitably feel weak under the repeated questioning of the Yamen, and this kind of affection can easily affect other students. Cui Yan, as a Confucian, really couldn't accept Guo Jia to let the cool officials get involved in the holy land of the academy. Therefore, after learning that Cao Cao's gunpowder may have been revealed by Xu You, he hurried to Guo's mansion to persuade Guo Jia to stop investigating the martial arts.

But Guo Jia's attitude at this time was so resolute, which made Cui Yan couldn't help but sigh bitterly and said, "Feng Xiao really wants to find out?" ”

"After Jia checks the finished house, it will no longer disturb the lecture hall. After all, Jia is also teaching in the martial arts hall. Guo Jia softened his tone slightly. In fact, he didn't want to get too stiff with Cui Yan, and he didn't plan to turn his face with the other party. It's just that Guo Jia doesn't think that the lecture hall can be sacred enough to enjoy privileges and not be investigated by the government, and he can't tolerate some mixed people who continue to stay in the lecture hall and wait for the opportunity.

"Anyway. A qiē is all based on filial piety. Cui Yan shook his head helplessly. Under the influence of Emperor Guangwu, the Eastern Han Dynasty always respected Confucius and ruled the world with benevolence and filial piety. However, after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the princes of the world rose together, the Han dynasty declined, and the associated Confucianism gradually weakened. Whether it is Cao Cao in the north or Sun Ce in the south, they all like to use the children of the Han family. And the poor family just happens to be more followers and cool officials. Cui Yan originally thought that Cai Anzhen, who focused on education, would be biased towards Confucianism. Now it seems that the followers and cool officials under the command of the Cai family are not necessarily much less than the Cao family and the Sun family. The only way to do this is to compromise, and when things are clear, then make suggestions to Cai Ji and persuade him not to reuse cool officials.

In fact, Guo Jia didn't know what Cui Yan was thinking. However, the current situation is a chaotic era in which the heroes are competing for the deer, and what is needed is "direct law and governance". Therefore, in the face of Cui Yan, who looked depressed, Guo Jia, who had a clear conscience, hugged his fists and said, "This is Jia's responsibility." Please forgive me. (To be continued......)