It is said that Sun Quan has not seen Cai Ji himself since he arrived in Longkou, and when he heard Qi Hou arrive, he couldn't help but subconsciously look back for prestige. Seeing a brocade-clothed woman with a combed horse bun, she stepped into the workshop under the support of a cadre of civil and military forces. At first glance, this woman's bright eyes seem to be in the prime of peach and plum, but a pair of phoenix eyes are full of wisdom and maturity in the hope of brilliance. Sun Quan was conceited and counted countless women in Soochow, but he had never seen that woman have such a confident beauty that transcends age and appearance.

And just when Sun Quan secretly sighed in his heart, "Cai Anzhen is really a strange woman in the world", Cai Ji suddenly turned his head, and the eyes of the two instantly met. Between the four eyes, Sun Quan was not weak-hearted, but flicked his long sleeves and waved his hand towards Cai Ji in a chic manner. Cai Ji has traveled through the late Han Dynasty to the present, although he often works with men, but the man who dares to look at her so directly and stunned, and looks so frank, is the first time he has encountered her. However, the other party's seemingly provocative behavior did not cause Cai Ji to be dissatisfied. On the contrary, it reminded her of the previous era of equality between men and women. So the next moment, Cai Jidai raised her eyebrows slightly and smiled kindly.

Sun Quan's flick and Cai Ji's smile were all seen by Cao Pi. It is true that he no longer dares to claim to be Cai Ji's fiancé, but seeing his nominal fiancée eye-to-eye with other men, Cao Pi still feels quite uncomfortable. In addition, Sun Quan's appearance also made Cao Pi secretly wary of him. After all, a man who dares to behave like this in front of Qi Hou will never be an idle person.

Cai Ji didn't know that his whim smile made Cao Pi have many ideas. At this time, she had already turned around and beckoned to Ma Ju and Mi Heng, "I heard that Ma Bo and Mr. Zhengping are betting here, and Gu also came to join in the fun." How? Can the two distinguish the winner from the loser? ”

Ma Ju saw that Cai Ji was present. Immediately stepped forward to present the sample in his hand and said, "The old man is fortunate to have developed the technique of movable type printing, please take a look at it." ”

Cai Ji took the sample and saw that the handwriting on the white paper was fresh and even. couldn't help but smile knowingly, "Good, Ma Bo's craftsmanship is really exquisite." ”

In fact, the development of movable type printing was a task assigned by Cai Ji to Ma Ju and others before he set out for Hebei. Although movable type printing in history did not appear until the Song Dynasty. In terms of technology accumulation alone, the development of movable type printing in the Eastern Han Dynasty was only a matter of piercing a layer of window paper. After all, as early as the Warring States Period, the Central Plains already had the same printing and dyeing technology, that is, carving patterns on wooden boards and printing them on cloth with dyes. In the Han Dynasty, printing and dyeing technology has made great progress, for example, the intricate patterns on Cai Ji's clothes are printed with embossed plates. In other words, as long as the printing process is successfully prototyped, it will be possible to overprint color pictures on paper according to the principle of printing and dyeing in the future. Because of this, Ma Ju boasted in front of You Heng that his printing skills were comparable to handwriting, so there was a bet between the two of them.

At this moment, seeing Cai Ji praising Ma Ju's sample again and again, You Heng on the side jumped to his feet anxiously. "Lord Mingjian. Printing is not as good as Dong Shi imitates, how can it be half a charm of handwriting. ”

Cai Ji was not moved by You Heng's accusation of printing, but echoed in casually, "Mr. Zhengping is reasonable. Printing really can't replace calligraphy. ”

You Heng saw Cai Ji standing on his side, and immediately raised the corners of his eyes and showed a smug look. provoked Ma Ju to bow his hand to Cai Ji angrily. "If the Lord thinks that this printing is too rough, the old man will take it back and revise it."

"Hmph, it's the same if you change it." You Heng snorted coldly with his nostrils facing the sky.

Faced with such a more serious two, Cai Ji had to smile bitterly and said, "Why are the two of you like this." Printing cannot be made without the original. Books are not efficient if they are copied by hand. The purpose of developing the printing technique was not to replace the handwritten script, but to allow the classics to be widely circulated. ”

Cai Ji's words were so straightforward that the students present nodded again and again. Seeing this situation, Ma Ju was naturally proud, and Mi Heng, who has always liked to raise the bar, also agreed with Cai Ji's statement with silence at this time. After all, he was born in a poor family, and he knew very well that the Zun Jing Pavilion of Printing Technology would break the monopoly of knowledge by the family for thousands of years, so as to broaden the promotion path of the children of the poor family.

Cai Ji settled the differences between Ma Ju and Mi Heng, and turned the conversation to the main topic of her trip. I saw that she first asked Ma Ju. "Ma Bo, Gu plans to print 100 copies of the Four Books, the Five Classics, and the Arithmetic for the Lecture Hall. I wonder how long it will take for the workshop to be completed? ”

Ma Ju pondered for a moment and replied, "The workshop has engraved a copy of the Book of Songs, and a hundred copies can be printed in ten months." As for the rest of the classics, the old man can only say that it takes two months to carve a "Book of Songs". ”

"How long does it take to print with movable type?" Cai Ji asked with a frown.

Ma Ju explained: "The master doesn't know that there are not many movable types in the workshop, and they are adapted to typesetting. Commonly used words must be prepared with a few or even dozens of movable types for typesetting. In case of cold words, it is necessary to engrave movable type. In addition, the typesetter must not only be familiar with the classics, but also be able to quickly pick out the required movable type from the word plate. ”

According to Ma Ju's standard, the typesetting workers for movable type printing were really hard to find in the late Han Dynasty. At least those who are familiar with the classics and proficient in rhyme books will not be willing to be a craftsman. There are very few literate craftsmen, and even fewer have read the Five Classics. In contrast, the engraving printing of the gourd painting scoop is really less demanding of the craftsman than the movable type printing.

However, before Cai Ji could open his mouth to borrow help from Mi Heng, Cao Pi had already stepped forward and Mao Sui recommended himself, "Pi is willing to help the horse master typesetting and proofreading." ”

Since Cai Ji found a famous scholar Xu Gan as a master for Cao Pi, Cao Pi sensitively felt that the other party might want him to become a scholar who "looks for chapters and excerpts sentences", rather than a military general who surprises the battlefield. So taking advantage of this opportunity, Cao Pi decided to try Cai Ji's attitude. It's better than his own cranky thoughts in private.

Sure enough, Cai Ji first glanced at Cao Pi in surprise, and then nodded approvingly, "It's rare that Zihuan has this heart." However, it is difficult for you to do this alone. With that, Cai Ji turned his head and asked Mi Heng, "Mr. Zhengping, can you seconded a few students from the Zun Jing Pavilion to help with typesetting in the workshop?" ”

Mi Heng didn't say a word, hugged his fists, "Rest assured, the Lord will personally lead his disciples to come to help President Ma." ”

At the same time, He Yan and Guo Yi on the side also clenched their fists and begged for their lives. "Yan is willing to participate in typesetting." "Yi is also willing to follow the power of dogs and horses." At the beginning of the two of them, several students at the scene expressed their willingness to participate in the printing of books. Although Sun Quan was also interested in printing, in view of the imminent opening of the Qihou Mansion. He still chose to watch the excitement on the sidelines.

"Good, please leave the matter of printing books to you." Cai Ji bowed his head, then turned back to Cao Pi and ordered, "Zihuan." Ru Tongping and Uncle Ping and others stayed in Jiangwutang to study and print books together. ”

"No." Cao Pi bowed obediently, and at the same time secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Qi Hou really wanted to stay in Longkou to study.

Cai Ji after assigning the task of printing books. He asked Mi Heng about the repair of the scriptures and scriptures in the pavilion, and then said goodbye to the scholars and drove home. As soon as Cai Jicai went out, he ran into Duan Emei, who had been waiting outside the martial arts hall for a long time. As soon as the latter saw Cai Ji, he quickly stepped forward and whispered to her, "Lord, Yuan Tan has been found." ”

Cai Ji looked stunned and asked, "Where is it?" ”

Duan E hugged her fists and said, "Plug the root of Xianbei's steps." ”

Eilechuan. Under the Yin Mountain, the sky is like a dome, covering the four fields. The sky is blue, the wilderness is vast, the wind blows the grass and sees the cattle and sheep.

The Tumut steppe in the moonlight is silent and vast. The herdsmen who had worked all day should have been on such a clear moonlit night. Or go back to the tent and drink a few sips of mare's milk wine, and make love with your wife with the strength of the wine. Or gather around the fire to drink, chat, sing and dance. As for those who are still beating singles, they are even more busy taking advantage of the moonlight to quietly approach the woman who is suitable.

However, the camp of Budugen stationed on the banks of the Ele River was a different story entirely. The rattle of horses' hooves, the whirlwind of bowstrings, the breaking of arrows, and the clashing of knives and guns were like a huge iron hammer smashing through the silent night sky. Countless figures galloped in the flickering light of the fire, but they did not alarm the old and weak women and children in the camp tent, as if this qiē had long been accustomed to them.

Guo Tu sat on the thick felt carpet, listening intently to the shouts and killings outside the tent, while closing his eyes like an old monk in meditation. Yuan Tan, who was sitting opposite him, couldn't hold back the curiosity in his heart, and said again and again. "Budugen trains night and night, and he is not afraid of hurting his own people."

It is said that since he was expelled from Gaoyang by Yuan Xi last year, Yuan Tan fled all the way from Jizhou to Dai County in Youzhou under the escort of Guo Tu and other henchmen. Originally, Yuan Tan just wanted to recruit troops and sell horses near Daijun to counterattack the Central Plains. But who knew that the plan was far from catching up with the changes that would come quickly. Before Yuan Tan could gain a foothold in Shanggu, Yuan Xi died outside Handan City. Although there has long been no brotherhood between Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi and Yuan Tan. But the news of Yuan Xi's death finally disintegrated the foundation of the Yuan family in Youzhou. Many Taishou, county orders, and Haoqiang who had submitted to the Yuan family either ignored Yuan Tan's decrees, or simply switched to Cao Cao and Cai Ji. For example, Xian Yufu of Yuyang County expressed his loyalty to Cai Ji at the first time. Yuan Tan, who felt that he was weak, hurriedly sent an envoy to Bingzhou to contact his cousin Gao Gan. However, what made Yuan Tan deeply disappointed and angry was. Instead of forming an alliance with him for the sake of his relatives, Gao Gan took refuge in Cao Cao.

And just when Yuan Tan was in a dilemma, Guo Tu decisively built yì He gave up the Daijun County to govern Gaoliucheng and turned into the outside of the Saiwai, learning from Hu Lu to use cavalry to fight with Cao Cai's allied army. Yuan Tan could not resist the attack of Cao and Cai's armies, and he was also afraid that Gao Gan would cut the back road. So he accepted Guo Tu's advice and led 2,000 soldiers and horses to escape to the Tumut grassland to operate a horse thief camp on the border between the two states.

However, at present, Yuan Tan is not the only one who is doing businessless at the border. In fact, since the death of Yuan Shao, many nomadic tribes outside the Great Wall broke away from the control of the princes of the Central Plains, and began to constantly harass the border between the two states. Among them, the most powerful is the Xianbei people. Therefore, whether Yuan Tan wanted to take root in the grassland or recruit soldiers and horses to counterattack the Central Plains, he needed the help of the Xianbei people. And the collaborators selected by Guo Tu for Yuan Tan are the roots of Budu wandering on the banks of the Eile River.

At this moment, hearing Yuan Tan's disdain for Budugen in his words, Guo Tu couldn't help but suddenly open his eyes, and said to him earnestly, "Your Majesty, it is precisely because Budugen leads the men in the department to practice martial arts after night, and improve the riding and archery skills of the subordinates, that his subordinates can stand out from the Xianbei tribes. It can be seen that the step root is by no means a thing in the pool. ”

In fact, Yuan Tan, who was born in a family, looked down on the Xianbei people who used the dome as the room felt as the wall, and thought that they were all barbarians with developed limbs and simple minds. If it weren't for the fact that the Xianbei people were good at fighting, and Budugen was the brother of the former Xianbei Shan Tanshi Huai, Yuan Tan would not have come all the way to Elechuan to join the alliance with him. However, after he really reached the root of Budu, Yuan Tan found that the strength of Budugen was far less than he had imagined before. This made him quite disappointed, so he had previously mocked the Xianbei people for training at night. However, at this moment, Guo Tu's words once again ignited the hope in Yuan Tan's heart. But I saw him ask with concern, "Oh? According to Guo Qing, this step can help me counterattack the Central Plains? ”

Facing Yuan Tan, who was full of expectations, Guo Tu shook his head and said frankly, "No." ”

Such an answer was obviously unexpected by Yuan Tan. In a hurry, Yuan Tan couldn't help but ask Guo Tu, "Can't?" Why did that gentleman let me come here to make an alliance with Budugen! ”

"Your Majesty Mingjian, if you only rely on the roots of your steps, it will be difficult for you to go south to recover the country. However, the Xianbei people are good at riding and shooting, and the roots of the gait are more diligent in practice than ordinary tribes. If these fierce tribes can be used by His Majesty, the other princes will not dare to underestimate His Majesty? Ignoring Yuan Tan's piercing questioning, Guo Tu turned to analyze in a deep voice.

Although Yuan Tan was stupid, he still heard the off-string sound in Guo Tu's words. I saw him bow his head and stare for a moment, then ask hesitantly, "Other princes...... What does Guo Qing mean? ”

Guo Tu said indifferently, "What the old man means is that only by joining forces with a deep-rooted prince can he return to the Central Plains. ”

Yuan Tan's eyes flashed, and he couldn't wait to ask, "Is that the prince?" ”

Guo Tu replied, "Gongsun Du." ”

"Gongsun Du?" After hearing what Guo Tu said, Yuan Tan was stunned for a moment. In fact, it is no wonder that he reacted in this way. After all, the relationship between Gongsun Du and the Yuan family has not been very harmonious. Once upon a time, Yuan Shao also used Cai Ji to inhibit Gongsun Du from getting involved in Qingzhou. Of course, the implementation proves that this move is completely luring the wolf into the house. What's more, Gongsun Du is notoriously stubborn and self-serving, Yuan Tan really didn't dare to think that the other party would form an alliance with him.

Compared with Yuan Tan, who lacked confidence, Guo Tu analyzed for him unhurriedly, "Exactly." Gongsun Du has been in Liaodong for many years, and is known as the Marquis of Liaodong. Cai Anzhen has been at odds with Gongsun Du for a long time because of his involvement in Liaoxi. As far as the minister knows, Gongsun Du also led his troops to attack Jinxi City the year before last, and finally returned defeated. At this moment, Gongsun Du must hate Cai Anzhen to the core. If His Majesty does not dislike it, the old man is willing to go to Liaodong for His Majesty to persuade Gongsun Du to join hands with His Majesty to go south to defeat Cai Anzhen! (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation and monthly passes, and your support is my biggest motivation. )