Zhang Yongde's endless sentence of "the minister is guilty" confused Chai Rong, and he hurriedly asked: "Why did Aiqing say this?" ”

Zhang Yongde kowtowed again and said: "Bixia asked, but the minister didn't dare not answer." did not hide from Bixia, and the minister had always been suspicious of Wang Kunjun and others coming to the capital to meet Bixia. Therefore, not long after Wang Kunjun and others came to the capital to meet the officials, he secretly sent some cronies to Youzhou to find out the details of these people. As an official of the imperial court, the minister secretly sent people to investigate other officials of the same dynasty, which was intolerable and unreasonable. ”

Chai Rong didn't care too much about Zhang Yongde's behavior of secretly sending people to visit Wang Kunjun and others, because in his opinion, although Zhang Yongde's move was somewhat illegal, Wang Kunjun and others were just local squires who were willing to serve the imperial court, and Zhang Yongde sent people to secretly visit before Lin Xiaoyu sealed the concubine, and at that time, Wang Kunjun and others were not relatives of the emperor, and Zhang Yongde's behavior was not a big crime. What he really cares about now is, firstly, that his brother-in-law Weishenme is going to send someone to investigate Wang Kunjun and others, and secondly, what he has found out. Therefore, Chai Rong asked Zhang Yongde to get up and speak, and asked: "Wang Aiqing and the others are the second disciples of the Fuyao Zi Daoist, and they are the talents recommended to the United by the Fuyao Zi Daoist, why did Aiqing send someone to secretly investigate, is Aiqing still suspicious of them?" ”

Zhang Yongde knew very well how much Chai Rong trusted Fuyaozi, so he naturally didn't say that he didn't believe in this old way, but explained: "Qiqi official, the minister will never believe in Fuyaozi, and the minister believes that Fuyaozi will never deceive the official in this matter." However, as the saying goes, 'knowing the face but not the heart', Wang Kunjun and his brothers are unknown after all, although they insist that they are descendants of overseas Han Chinese, but this statement is unsubstantiated, and it is difficult for people to fully believe it. Although Fuyaozi Dao Chang is a master in the world, he is not an immortal after all, and his time with Wang Kunjun and others is not long, if Wang Kunjun and others deliberately want to deceive him, they may not be able to hide it. What's more, the Taoist of Fuyaozi also listened to the recommendation of his disciple Sun Yu Xuzi, and accepted Wang Kunjun and others as re-disciples based on his trust in his own disciple. But who can guarantee that this Jade Xuzi is telling the truth to Daoist Fuyaozi, instead of colluding with Wang Kunjun and others to deceive Daoist Fuyaozi?

Moreover, when Wang Kunjun and others went to Beijing to meet me, although they kept saying that they longed for my Great Zhou and had already intended to serve them, and they gave them sharp weapons such as flintlock muskets, there were not those few people who were familiar with the construction of firearms in the team they met. When Bixia hoped that his brothers could go south and come to the capital to serve the imperial court, they pushed back and back, with the so-called need to secretly accumulate Liliang in the land of Youyun, and when the imperial army went north to attack Youyun, they rose up, echoing with the army of the court, in the name of helping the imperial court recover Youyun, not only did not recruit those who stayed in Youzhou to go south, but those who had already gone south except Xu Shao'an, but also only left the virtuous concubine Niangniang, who was already in love with the queen's mother, and Lu Yue, who had no real skills. This is the behavior of a person who sincerely serves the court. ”

When Zhang Yongde said this, he paused slightly, observed Chai Rong's expression, and saw that although he did not clearly agree with what he said, he was already frowning and pondering, obviously thinking carefully about what he said.

Seeing that his rhetoric had a certain effect, Zhang Yongde hurriedly hit the railway while it was hot: "It's just that although there are doubts in the minister's chest, Wang Kunjun and the others are the second disciples of the Taoist of Fuyaozi after all, and they are the talents recommended to Bixia by the Taoist Master himself." Therefore, in order to confirm the minister's doubts, and also for the sake of safety, the minister took matters into his own hands and sent his righteous son and righteous daughter to lead some trustworthy pro-soldiers and generals to secretly go to the land of clouds and try to find out what Wang Kunjun and others were doing in the local area. ”

At this time, Chai Rong had already recovered from his contemplation, and interjected and asked: "Since Aiqing has sent people to Youzhou to inquire after Wang Aiqing and the others left the capital, why have you never heard any news from Aiqing to me before?" Or is Aiqing getting the news but unwilling to tell me? ”

Chai Rong already had a reproachful tone when he asked, Zhang Yongde naturally didn't dare to slack off when he heard this, and hurriedly made a sense of shame, and replied with some embarrassment: "Bixia Mingjian." The reason why the minister has not reported the news about Wang Kunjun and others to Bixia in the past two years is not that the minister deliberately concealed it, but that Wang Kunjun and others are extremely secretive, and they are even more strictly guarded against outsiders. Therefore, the detailed work sent by the minister has not been able to send any important news back to the minister, so the minister can't come to report to Bixia. ,

However, after more than two years of unremitting efforts, not long ago, a fine worker sent by the minister finally won the trust of one of Wang Kunjun's brothers, and managed to find out some confidential information about the 'Qingyuan' brothers from him. The minister came to see Bixia today, and he planned to report these important news to Bixia. ”

Although Zhang Yongde's statement that he sent Xizuo to Youzhou to inquire about the reason why the "Qingyuan" brothers had not returned for more than two years was somewhat far-fetched, Chai Rong did not take this to heart, and what he was most concerned about now was what news the people sent by Zhang Yongde had found out not long ago, so that he would rather tell the story of his secret agent and report it to himself. Therefore, Chai Rong did not blame the other party for concealing and not reporting, but signaled him to continue.

With Chai Rong's approval, Zhang Yongde was more confident, and continued: "There are two main pieces of news sent by the minister to the minister this time. The first piece of news is what the minister just said to Bixia that the original battle of Dabaoshu was carried out by the private soldiers under Wang Kunjun and others. This private army, known as the 'Flying Dragon Army', had a strength of about 2,000 men when it attacked the fortress of the Puppet Han Dynasty. The army is well-equipped and well-trained, and not only does the whole army use firearms, but also in terms of proficiency in the use of firearms, I am afraid that it is even higher than that of our Da Zhou's 'Divine Machine Army'.

The second piece of news is that this so-called 'Flying Dragon Army' seems to have been expanding its army after the Battle of Dabaoshu. Although it was not possible to find out the actual number of the 'Qingyuan' brothers, according to the financial, material, and manpower of the 'Qingyuan' brothers, I am afraid that the number of the expanded 'Flying Dragon Army' should be four or five thousand. ”

"'Flying Dragon Army', four or five thousand people" Chai Rong muttered quietly and interjected, "Have the people sent by Aiqing ever reported to Aiqing why Wang Aiqing and his brothers wanted to establish such a large private army?" And why did this so-called 'Flying Dragon Army' take such a big risk to attack the puppet in the first place? ”

"This fine work has not found out the exact news," Zhang Yongde shook his head and said, "After all, although the fine work sent by the minister successfully approached one of the 'Qingyuan' brothers, the other party is not a brainless rough person, and his tone is still very strict. In addition to the side knocks on the side to investigate, the detailed work sent by the minister can only take advantage of the other party's drunkenness, or when he is in a good mood and does not pay much attention to his speech, in order to catch some confidential information from his words and sort out the ins and outs of some things.

However, although Xizuo failed to hear the two questions asked by Bixia, judging from what Wang Kunjun and others have done in the past few years, as well as the various news that Xizuo has discovered, the minister thinks that his intentions are not small. First, although it was common for wealthy merchants and gentry to support their families and private soldiers, they had never seen thousands of private soldiers like the 'Qingyuan' brothers, and they were so well-equipped private soldiers. Second, even if the 'Qingyuan' brothers had the need and ability to support these many private soldiers because of their vast fields and many industries, then it was also impossible to explain why they sent private soldiers to attack the puppet Han's big fort.

Therefore, the minister thought that the 'Qingyuan' brothers raised such a large army of private soldiers, probably because they wanted to use their local prestige one day to use their local prestige to summon the local people and gentry to rise up in the name of expelling foreign races, and drive the Khitans out of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, and then either establish themselves as kings, or lead their own envoys, so as to achieve their own achievements. As for sending troops to attack the fortress of the Puppet Han Dynasty, it can be regarded as a test of the combat strength of its own private soldiers, and it can also be regarded as a kind of training for the soldiers, because only an army that has fought and seen blood can become a truly strong army. And the reason why it chose a military fortress of the puppet Han as the target is probably a last resort. After all, whether it is the strength of the 'Flying Dragon Army' at the beginning or now, it cannot be compared with my Great Zhou or the Khitans. ”

After listening to Zhang Yongde's speculation, Chai Rong pondered for a moment and said, "What Aiqing said also has some truth. However, if Wang Kunjun and the others are indeed as Aiqing said, their ambition is in the clouds, then why did they come thousands of miles to Kaifeng to meet me, and also presented me with sharp weapons such as flintlock muskets and artillery? ”

Zhang Yongde replied: "According to what the minister saw, Wang Kunjun and others did not come to see Bixia for the sake of investment, but for speculation. Since the establishment of our Great Zhou, the national strength has been thriving, and he will surely dominate the world one day. Although Wang Kunjun and others are ambitious, they are not reckless and arrogant, so they can naturally understand the general trend of the world. Although the 'Flying Dragon Army' it raises is constantly expanding its strength, it is still far from being short and long compared with the Khitans. And if before they had enough strength to expel the Khitans, my Great Zhou had already moved north to drive out the Khitans, then all the preparations and efforts they had made before would have been in vain. Therefore, in order to leave a way back for themselves, and at the same time to keep their share of the great family business they had purchased before, they risked being discovered by the Khitans and killed their heads and came all the way to Kaifeng, not only showing their loyalty to Bixia, but also offering so many gifts. ,

In this way, they not only gained the trust of Bixia, but also were rewarded with official positions one by one, and that Xu Shaoan also won Bixia's appreciation and became one of the founders of my Great Zhou's 'Shenji Army', and now the official residence 'Shenji Army' is in command. And Concubine Xian Niangniang was favored by Bixia and became the imperial concubine of my Da Zhou.

And all of this is only part of the proceeds of this speculation. Some time ago, Bixia had already set the strategy of next year's Northern Expedition to Youyun, and Wang Kunjun and others had proposed when they came to meet Bixia that when Wang Shi went on the Northern Expedition in the future, he would do his best to help and contribute to the recovery of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun in my Great Zhou. In this way, after the end of the Northern Expedition, their share of the 'Qingyuan' brothers is naturally indispensable when they are rewarded for meritorious deeds. With this merit, coupled with their prestige and connections in the Land of Clouds, even if they can't be the envoys of the festival, it is still possible to obtain an official position such as an assassin or a defense envoy.

In addition, according to the detailed report of the ministers, Wang Kunjun and others also had a close relationship with the local Khitan officials in Youzhou, and they often corresponded with Xiao Siwen, who was left behind in Nanjing, and bribed a lot of money, so that they were rewarded by the Khitan emperor under the recommendation of the other party, and many people were awarded official positions of Khitans.

It can be seen from this that Wang Kunjun and others are simply half-hearted and two-sided speculation, and they only think about their own interests and losses, and they are by no means sincerely serving my Da Zhou. Such a person must not be trusted. ”

When Zhang Yongde first said that Wang Kunjun and others went south to meet Chai Rong was speculative rather than effective, Chai Rong nodded approvingly, but when he began to associate this matter with Xu Shao'an, who was deeply trusted and promoted by Chai Rong, and Lin Xiaoyu, who was deeply favored by Chai Rong, the expression on Chai Rong's face began to change, and approval turned into hesitation, and appreciation turned into doubt. When Zhang Yongde finished speaking, the expression on Chai Rong's face had become cold and serious.

If Zhang Yongde's initial statement about letting the "Qingyuan" brothers provide flintlock muskets, that he privately sent people to Youzhou to visit the "Qingyuan" brothers and obtained a lot of useful information, and that the "Qingyuan" brothers had certain ambitions in their actions, and so on, can still give Chai Rong a feeling that he is dedicated to the country and shares his worries for the court, then in his later remarks, he said that the "Qingyuan" brothers are useless, and they are simply a group of sinister villains with ill intentions. and involved Xu Shaoan and Lin Xiaoyu, which made Chai Rong feel very uncomfortable.

In Chai Rong's view, maybe the "Qingyuan" brothers came to work for themselves because of speculative intentions, maybe these people really have ambitions for the sixteen states of Youyun, maybe they trained private soldiers really to get a piece of the pie in the future battle of Youyun, but as the so-called "people are not for themselves, the heavens and the earth will be destroyed", Wang Kunjun and others traveled thousands of miles and returned to Middle-earth through hardships and dangers, and it is reasonable to want to gain a firm foothold in Middle-earth through their own efforts and create a foundation for themselves. Although Zhang Yongde claimed that Wang Kunjun and others had no basis for this statement, it was also just speculation and there was no real evidence to deny it, so Chai Rong still believed this statement. Although it is a bit shameful to curry favor with each other and speculate on the camp, looking at the world, there are actually people like them who are wall-riding factions and fall on both sides, and this is also forced by the times, which is not a crime. What's more, with the huge family business of the "Qingyuan" brothers in the land of clouds, if they didn't deal well with the high-ranking Khitan officials, I am afraid that they would have been robbed by powerful people long ago.

Moreover, whether it was the battle of the Huainan conquest that had already ended, or the battle of the Northern Expedition to Youyun, which was to be launched soon, his handling of local officials followed the principle that as long as he was willing to submit to the Great Zhou, his official position would be retained. Even Liu Renzhen, the pseudo-Tang Shouzhou guard who had been guarding Shouzhou City for several months and had no face for himself, was named the Shouzhou Festival Envoy by himself - but he died at an untimely time and could not be blessed. Since he can seal a Liu Renzhen who desperately defends the city, why not seal some powerful official positions of the "Qingyuan" brothers who assisted him in recovering Youyun. In particular, these people have only been back in Middle-earth for only a few years, and they do not have deep roots in the court, and they do not have much to do with those important ministers, which is the best choice to balance the existing shili in the court.

Therefore, as Zhang Yongde continued to slander the "Qingyuan" brothers and constantly exposed the so-called "conspiracy" of the "Qingyuan" brothers, Chai Rong became more and more suspicious of his intentions in saying these words. In particular, in his later remarks, he only talked about the "Qingyuan" brothers, but he never mentioned that the "Qingyuan" brothers would provide flintlock muskets for the imperial court, which made Chai Rong begin to suspect that he was only afraid that the news he had reported in detail this time was false, and he took the opportunity to slander the "Qingyuan" brothers, suppress Xu Shaoan, and provoke his relationship with the virtuous concubine. ,

So, just when Zhang Yongde thought that his high-minded arguments would make Chai Rong behind the imperial case think so, and therefore alienated Wang Kunjun and others, and it was not in vain that he exposed the fact that he had sent a detailed work in the Land of Hidden Clouds, he heard Chai Rong say solemnly: "Although what Aiqing said also has some truth, what I and Lu Aiqing are discussing today is the lack of flintlock musket production, and the top priority is still on this flintlock musket. Ai Qing just said that Wang Kunjun and others could build a thousand muskets and send them to the capital within three months, and I thought it was also a way. It's just that since Aiqing said before that Wang Kunjun and others have four or five thousand private soldiers under them, and everyone is equipped with firearms, it can be seen that their skills in making muskets are very proficient. Then, in my opinion, it is better to directly let them build 3,000 muskets for the imperial court within three months, and it must be able to do it. ”

Although Chai Rong Zuihou raised the number of flintlock pistols that the "Qingyuan" brothers had built to 3,000 pieces, it was an indirect acceptance of Zhang Yongde's statement that the "Qingyuan" brothers were secretly accumulating thousands of private soldiers, which meant weakening their strength, and Wang Kunjun and others were likely to be blamed by the imperial court for failing to complete this request, but this was still far from the result that Zhang Yongde originally expected.

It's just that he didn't meet the expectation and didn't meet the expectation, at this time, Zhang Yongde already felt Chai Rong's dissatisfaction with his words, where did he dare to dwell on this matter anymore, so he had to praise "Bixia Shengming" with the relieved Lu Yuanye to express his support for Chai Rong's decision.

On the eighth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar of the fifth year of Xiande, Chai Rong ordered the "Qingyuan" brothers to build 3,000 flintlock muskets in March and deliver them to the capital The holy decree was handed over to Xu Shao'an. Receiving this will, which was considered to be the first arms deal in the history of this time and space, Xu Shaoan smiled helplessly, turned around and walked to the telegraph room.