Xie Zheng was only a rural Taoist priest, and he was once wrapped in a yellow scarf, but was later discovered by Shi Xun, and used his alchemy experience to "invent" black powder, which is quite a miracle. Daoist Xie was valued by Cao Cao and became the head of Cao Wei's "military industry". Later, Zhuge Liang became a squire in the military department, and took most of the military stalls into his own hands, only the research and development and manufacturing of gunpowder and related weapons, Kong Ming did not understand much, and Xie Zheng presided over it.

Therefore, when the formula of gunpowder was leaked, Cao Cao was the first to ask Xie for his guilt.

Shi Xun wanted to help Xie Daoshi say good things, because first, Xie Daoshi was the first to be used by him, and if he was convicted, he was afraid that he would be involved. As for the second, in terms of secrecy and technology, it has been so many years since this gunpowder was invented, even if you don't use it on a large scale, it is difficult to guarantee that it will not be leaked. You may not be able to blame Daoist Xie. But he was moved and wanted to play when he got out of class, but he was gently pulled by a person next to him, turned his head to look, and the man gestured with his eyes and slowly shook his head.

Shi Xun was puzzled in his heart, and said that if he wanted to save Xie Zheng, it would not matter if he made him suffer a little first, so he immediately retreated and hung his head. Immediately, Cao Cao snorted coldly and looked around at the ministers: "I want to conquer in person!" ”

The ministers hurriedly advised, saying that the current news from the carrier pigeons may not be accurate, and it is better to wait for the performance of Taifu Caode and others. finally held Cao Cao down, and after retreating from the dynasty, Shi Xun came out of the hall and asked in a low voice the person who stopped him with his gaze just now: "Why did Ziqi say me?" ”

The other party sighed lightly: "Your Majesty Yu Yi will kill Xie Mouye, and the captain should not ask for ......."

It was not someone else who prevented Isun from interceding for Xie Zheng, but the subordinate prisoner Liu Fang Liu Ziqi is also. The subordinate prison belonged to the inner court institution. He is in charge of confidential information with the secretary and supervisor. Cao Cao's side affairs. There are many things that Xun doesn't understand, but Liu Fang knows it clearly.

Liu Fang said, I estimate that the Son of Heaven will not only arrest and question Xie Zheng this time, but also probably sentence him to death. There are two reasons: First, Chang'an fell, Guanzhong was shaken, and the culprit could not escape this knife. But who is to blame? Even on the basis of the brief information sent back by the carrier pigeon, anyone can analyze it. Xiahou Nan is really to blame. He didn't listen to Liang Xi's advice, he fought recklessly, cowardly fled behind, and after Xiahou died, he was actually in charge of Chang'an's military power, Chang'an was lost, can he escape punishment?

But Xiahou Nan is the son-in-law after all, and the Son of Heaven definitely wants to leave him alive. It's just that if you don't kill one or two people, I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the world, so Xie Zheng has pitifully become this scapegoat - nine out of ten percent of the Son of Heaven will kill Xie Zheng. Taiwei, if you persuade in vain, it will be easy to enlighten the anger of the Son of Heaven.

More importantly, there is the second point. Daoist Xie himself was also killed, and no one could save him.

First of all, this man is useless. Xie Zheng himself was an ordinary tester, and according to the instructions of Xun, he took different proportions of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal to make black powder. Since then, all kinds of applications of black powder have also been all out of Xun's strategy, and Daoist Xie himself has no creativity.

In the early years, Daoist Xie could still improve the catapult according to Cao Cao's ideas, but he was just painting the tiger according to the cat and acting according to the map, especially he was not proficient in the way of counting, and when Cao Cao had Zhuge Liang, Zhao Shuang, and Ma Jun, this kind of military heavy weapon naturally had nothing to do with it. Cao Cao Guang handed over gunpowder and related applications to him, but for many years, Daoist Xie never produced any results.

To say that it is just a vegetarian meal for the corpse, but Xie Zheng was bored, he picked up his old business again, began to refine the pill, and not long ago, he claimed to have refined the elixir that can prolong life, and specially dedicated it to Cao Cao. Although Cao Cao is not very superstitious, after all, he is an adult, and his days are numbered, and he is quite tempted to see this elixir, so he first selected a few little eunuchs to try the medicine, and it seems that there are no side effects, so he can take it with confidence - sure enough, he is quite healthy after taking it.

However, not long ago, Zhang Ji returned to Beijing with an edict to see Xiahou Xuan's illness, and when he met Cao Cao, Cao Cao showed him the elixir. Zhang Zhongjing tasted it himself, and called the little eunuchs to inquire carefully, and then pressed Cao Cao's vein, and immediately said: "Unacceptable!" ”

Zhang Ji said that this is a medicine for dryness, which can temporarily stimulate the vitality of human organs, and it seems to be mentally healthy, but if it is taken for a long time, it will damage the organs - "If you gather to burn a fire, the more vigorous the fire, and the faster it burns." Today, with the five internal organs as the salary, the fire of life is not only unable to live forever, but also harms life! ”

When Cao Cao heard this, he quickly stopped the medicine, and hated Daoist Xie so much, just because he had just rewarded him, and it was not good to increase the blame rashly, so Xie Zheng lived for a few more days - even if there was no leakage of the gunpowder formula, it is estimated that he would find an excuse to punish him in a few days.

This man died like this, can you save him, Captain? Don't do useless work. Besides, although Xie Zheng is recommended by you, after all, he has been directly led by the Son of Heaven for so many years, and if anything happens to him, it shouldn't affect you......

When Shi Xun heard this, he couldn't help but sigh. In fact, he and Xie Zheng hadn't met for many years - making gunpowder was a military secret, and even if Xun was an important minister of the imperial court, there was no need to have no contact with each other - he couldn't even remember what that Taoist priest looked like...... If it had been a few decades ago, when he saw that an innocent person had been killed, Shi Xun might have hardened his head to persuade Cao Cao, but now that he has been mixed in the officialdom for a long time, he has seen Cao Cao kill people a lot, so he no longer has this impulse.

If what Liu Fang said is true, then I really can't save this thank you, and I can't save it.

The key question, though...... Why did Liu Ziqi remind me out of his way? I don't have much to do with him. Was he deliberately courteous?

Let's say that two days later, more accurate information finally arrived in Luoyang, not only Chang'an was lost, but also Fufeng County was full of smoke, and martial arts seemed to have been lost. Le Wenqian led the army to rescue Chang'an, but Pang Tong had occupied Weiqiao and did not dare to advance for the time being. The ministers discussed, Liu Bei must take advantage of this to enter the customs in a big way - don't think about the problem of cutting Shu first, first study how to beat them out.

Cao Cao slapped the table: "If I don't levy it personally, I won't be able to solve the disaster!" ”

The ministers dissuaded again, but this time no one could persuade him, and Cao Cao insisted on going west. Yes Hoon peeked in. I saw that the expression in Cao Cao's eyes did not seem to be annoyance. And more with the colors of euphoria and fanaticism. Think about it too. Lao Cao since the beginning of the army, the southern and northern wars, often risking arrows and stones, has been fighting for more than 30 years, in the original history, he to the year before his death, still in Hanzhong and Liu Bei to fight. Now because he is called the emperor by Zen, he has no chance to go to the battlefield. It is inevitable that the sigh of the resurrection of the flesh - finally seized the opportunity to send troops and release the horses, and finally had a strong enemy to compete with him, how could he not be enthusiastic and energetic?

This has to be fought, and it is estimated that it can make Cao Cao excited more than taking the pill offered by Xie Zheng.

In the end, Cao Cao issued an edict, leaving the crown prince Cao Pi to supervise the country, supplemented by Xun and Jia Xu, and the Son of Heaven personally led Cao Hong, Cao Xiu, Han Hao and other generals, and banned 17,000 troops. Go west to Xinfeng to meet Cao De, Cao Zhen and others to recover Chang'an.

Since I can't persuade him. The ministers had no choice but to discuss the details of the imperial expedition to the west in detail, and Chen Qunnai, the secretary of the ministry, said that Your Majesty, you have to bring a few staff officers with you to succeed - "Liu Ziyang is also a strategist, and he can go with him." Cao Cao shook his head and said that Liu Yeshi was in charge of the Ministry of Engineering, and it was inconvenient to transfer-"Is there anyone else available?" ”

Cao Wei was no longer a military junta, but a real state institution, under which important ministers had their own subordinates and could not be left behind, so as not to disrupt the government's plans and reduce its efficiency. In comparison, Cao Cao, the son of heaven, even if he leaves the capital temporarily, the impact on daily work will not be too great.

The reason why Cao Cao did not take Shixun to the expedition was that after Xun Yu died and Cao De left, Shixun became the first important minister of the country. And it is Xun's talent not to respond to the situation and destroy the enemy and kill the generals, but to strategize and unify the hundreds of officials, so he must be left in the capital - just like when Xun Yu was left in the capital.

As for Jia Xu, who is in charge of the Ministry of War, Liu Ye, and who is in charge of the Ministry of Industry, these are all the leaders of key government departments, and they must not leave for a while. Moreover, sending troops to fight a war is a big project, involving all aspects, and the specific mobilization of troops and horses and the overall planning of grain and straw are all the affairs of the Ministry of War, and the repair of roads and the mobilization of the people are the affairs of the Ministry of Industry, so the role of Jia and Liu in the rear is greater than that of going to the front line in person.

For the same reason, it was Xun who proposed to let Zhuge Liang follow Cao Cao's westward expedition, but Cao Cao also vetoed it - Kong Ming is the second-in-command and pillar of the military department, and he can't do without his own department.

It's Xunxin who said it's a pity, I can't see "Wolong" fighting "Phoenix Chick". But after thinking about it again, Zhuge Liang was good at internal politics after all, and in the original history, it was not until he entered Shu to rescue Liu Bei that he led the troops for the first time, and it was not until the third or even the fourth Northern Expedition to Cao Wei that he finally became a military master. Pang Tong has been fighting with Liu Bei for several years, and today's "Wolong" may not be the opponent of "Phoenix Chick" if it talks about military strategy......

In the end, Jia Xu proposed: "Cheng Zhongde can also." ”

Cheng Yu is already over 70 years old this year, and he has already died. It is said that this Cheng Zhongde actually has a fight with Jia Xu in terms of self-protection, especially his "rigid sex and many people", since the death of the backer Xun Yu, there are often people who complain that he wants to rebel, although Cao Cao does not believe it all, Cheng Yu himself is inevitably frightened. So Wei Guozhaojian, he went back to his hometown, the clansmen offered cow wine, set down a big feast, he said at the banquet: "Contentment is not disgraceful, I can retreat." "Immediately return the military rights, and then shut the door.

Cao Cao asked him to come out, but he simply played a trick and deliberately competed with Taichang Xingzhen for a position at a certain ceremony, so he was impeached and took the opportunity to directly sue the old man and return to his hometown.

Now that Jia Wenhe brought Cheng Yu up, Cao Cao asked: "Old Zhongde, can you still eat?" Jia Xu said: "Lian Po is okay, and Zhong Dedang is also okay." ”

Yes Xun said that Cheng Zhongde is suitable, but it's a pity that he is far away in Dongjun, and it will take a while for him to come over-"Frustrated Zifu is in Luozhong, so you can use it?" "I was frustrated with Cao Wei's official to Yanzhou to assassinate the history, just as his term of office was about to expire, and he returned to the capital to report on his work. Yes Xun said that this person was the mastermind of the Yuan clan in the past, a talented man in Hebei, and he only entered our dynasty to assassinate the history, which is inevitably overkill-Cao Wei's assassination history is only responsible for civil affairs, and he is no longer a local magistrate who grasped the military and civil affairs in the late Han Dynasty as if he was separating the princes-Yuan has been destroyed for a long time, and he has always been conscientious, although he has no great merit or detail, His Majesty can be trusted.

Cao Cao said that it was okay, then he would be called Fu Zhu, plus Jiang Ji, and at the same time send people to Dongjun to summon Cheng Yu, immediately kill Xie Zheng and sacrifice to heaven and earth, and then the army will go west. (To be continued.) )