There is a small courtyard in Chang'an City. It seems to be no different from an ordinary courtyard. There are no complicated people coming and going inside on weekdays. It looks very ordinary.
The back wall of this courtyard is the backyard of the Taoist Temple of the Five Gods.
The Five Directions God Sect is now the main religion in Guanzhong. On weekdays, many believers go to the Taoist temple to burn incense and worship, ask for fortunes and seek blessings. Therefore, they are separated by a wall from this small courtyard, and they seem to be two different worlds.
This quiet place amidst the chaos is the newly established Youwen Division.
Although Fei Qian and Cao Cao are in a state of relative confrontation, it does not mean that they are completely separated and cut off from each other. Cao Cao needs Fei Qian's products, and Fei Qian also needs some raw materials and handmade products provided by Cao Cao. Therefore,
The caravans traveling between Fei Qian and Cao Cao would naturally be mixed with some people with ulterior motives.
If you can't stop people from Cao Cao's side, you can't stop people from other areas.
Ordinary crossings can only protect against reckless people, but for those who have some preparations, such as border checkpoints and passes, most of them can only protect against objects, but it is difficult to protect against people.
Just like in later generations, if you cross the border with some prohibited items, you will be caught easily, but if you pass the border with some prohibited thoughts in your head and go through the legal procedures, who can prevent it?
Kan Ze was sitting in the main hall, looking at a piece of information on his hand, frowning and thinking for a moment, then picked up the long-handled copper spoon beside the table and lightly tapped the edge of the incense burner, making a crisp impact sound.
The attendant outside the door held his hands at the door.
Notify Chen Cao, Wang Junhou and Ma Junhou from the Siwen Department, and Li Shuzuo from the Archives Department to come and discuss anything.
The young man understood the attendant's response and walked out.
Hu Kanze exhaled a long breath.
Kan Ze rubbed his face vigorously with both hands, calming down his slightly tired expression. He arranged some letters and wooden slips on the table, drank the remaining half of the tea, and then placed the teacup on the spout of the teapot.
Then he left the main hall with the piece of information he had just given and headed to the Taoist room.
The Taoist Room is actually a courtyard on the back wall of the small courtyard that connects to the Five Directions God Taoist Temple. Because this Taoist Room can not only enter from this small courtyard, but also from the backyard of the Five Directions God Taoist Temple, it is called that.
Youwen Division is directly under the General's Mansion and is under the command of the Secretariat. Of course, the Secretariat is now concurrently held by Pang Tong.
There is a stone room at the end of the Taoist chamber with no windows. As long as the stone door is closed, no outsiders can overhear the conversation inside.
Kan Ze had a slight headache, but of course he was also a little excited.
The Youwen Division has many responsibilities, but the most important task at the moment is to track down spies, and tracking down spies is not about catching one or two people, but about following the clues and pulling out the entire thread.
Kan Ze didn't wait long, and several people attending the meeting arrived at the stone room one after another.
The people attending the meeting today are generally considered to be the main officials of the Youwen Department. The first person to arrive was Li Shuzuo from the filing office. He was an old man with gray hair, short in stature and slightly slow in movement. His
Although the filing office he is in charge of does not have much operational power, it is still an important department. All meetings, actions, and results within the department must be archived so that if any problems arise, they can be easily traced back to the source.
The Archives Department is also the department with the smallest number of people. There are only four people, two assistants and two assistants. They are basically older, lonely scribes. They never leave the house on weekdays and basically live in the Youwen Department.
, so although it moves slowly, it comes the fastest.
Following Li Shuzuo were the two military princes from the Wen Division. The Wen Division was basically an operational unit, dedicated to inquiring and gathering information, and was managed with a military structure. Although there was a Wen Division
He is not responsible for arrests and trials, but will take certain actions when necessary.
The last person to come is Chen Caoyu, the adjutant of the Youwen Division. He is regarded as Kan Ze's deputy. He mainly compares, refutes, and analyzes the obtained information. This position is relatively boring, and the requirements for members are not courage.
, but has keen observation and careful thinking. He usually does not work in the Youwen Department, but walks outside, so when he comes, he comes in through the Five Directions Taoist Temple.
After all these people sat down, they gave a slight signal and asked the guards to close the door of the stone room from the outside.
Everyone, a certain person has just received a piece of intelligence. Kan Ze said as he handed the manuscript of the intelligence to Chen Caopu, and then he passed it on to other people. If this intelligence is true, we are now facing a very big problem.
big problem
The other four people did not speak immediately, but circulated the information. After about a stick of incense, everyone had finished reading, with different expressions.
Is the source of this information reliable? Wang Junhou asked with a frown. It could be seen that this was what he cared about most.
Kan Ze glanced at Chen Caopu.
Chen Caopu immediately said: It is reliable. Many officials personally admitted that someone is inquiring about the new battleship in Xuanwu Pond. This matter is not normal.
Kan Ze nodded and said: Generally speaking, most people will care about the hottest issues in Qinglong Temple, rather than what new battleships are in Xuanwu Pond.
For three to four hundred years, the sons of the gentry have despised industry and commerce. Although there has been a slight change now, it is certainly not as eye-catching as the scripture annotations at Qinglong Temple.
Ma Junhou laughed and asked: In that case, why not arrest all those who inquired about the new warship?
Chen Caopu shook his head and said: Not all of the people who came forward to investigate and inquire may be suspects. They may have asked casually, or they may have been instructed by others. If these people are arrested, then the people behind may run away. Yes.
Wen Si does not have the right to arrest, and even if he does, if Kan Ze takes action, it is difficult to guarantee how many useful people will be captured, and whether there will be people who fish in troubled waters and frame them.
Kan Ze knocked on the table and said: Catching one or two may be effective, but it is useless! What we have to do is to capture the entire line and capture the most important people, not these few exposed fools.
And I suspect that if more than one spy wants to take action, they must be caught, otherwise there will still be hidden dangers in the future.
Li Shuzuo sat aside, silent, but kept recording everyone's speeches.
Ma Junhou scratched the back of his head and said: If it is an ordinary artifact, this is a warship. Moreover, the surrounding areas of Xuanwu Pond are under surveillance, and soldiers are on strict guard. The craftsmen responsible for the production are under control and rarely go out. Even this spy is
You want to steal, but you have no way to do it?
Chen Caopu glanced at Ma Junhou. Don't forget about Tongguan.
Ma Junhou took a breath, coughed twice, and then stopped talking.
When the others heard this, they also fell into silence.
The espionage incident that occurred in Tongguan was a case reported within the Youwen Department. Several people present had seen it. If General Hussar had not arrived at Tongguan and personally investigated and arrested the lurking spies, Tongguan would have been in chaos.
!
Yes, the spies in Tongguan were wiped out, but what about other areas?
How many people are hiding in the dark?
Kan Ze knocked on the table again. The warship cannot be stolen, but the blueprints and models can be stolen.
Everyone was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly realized. Yes, the warship is so big, and it is impossible to steal it except for the blueprints, but before building the warship, there must be a model of the ship.
The only people who can enter and leave the Xuanwuchi dock at will are craftsmen and soldiers. Kan Ze made a summary, so the current work is two-fold. On the one hand, continue to sort out the residences of outsiders and their related personnel affairs. This matter is handled by Ma Jun
Hou is in charge. On the other hand, he keeps an eye on the place where the ship models are stored and finds out how many craftsmen and soldiers have access to the drawings and ship models. This is the responsibility of Wang Junhou.
What questions do the two military princes have? Kan Ze asked.
The two armies looked at each other, and then Ma Junhou said: I'm afraid I'm a little short on manpower. I wonder if I can add some more manpower to help?
Kan Ze glanced at Ma Junhou, OK. Who do you need to add? Submit the list to Chen Caopu. Where is Wang Junhou on your side?
Me? Wang Junhou thought about it and said, My side is generally sufficient, and there is no need to increase manpower for the time being.
Kan Ze nodded, that's it, let's break up the meeting. After signing the names, they went about their business!
Everyone stood up and signed and stamped their signatures on the meeting files written by Li Shuzuo. Kan Ze looked at the records written by Shuzuo and found that there were no discrepancies. He just signed and then pulled the rope on the side, causing the door to open.
The bell rang, and then the guards opened the stone door and everyone filed out.
?(*–-)?
At the same time, twenty or thirty miles away from Tongguan, a man was walking slowly on the official road carrying a large package. This man had a bad complexion, and a large black spot on his left face. His body was slightly
Somewhat stooped, he wore a sun-shading straw hat on his head and a gourd hanging on his waist. He made the sound of sloshing water as he walked. He held a wooden stick in his hand and walked forward step by step.
But not long after, the sound of some carriages and horses was heard from behind this person, and then some smoke and dust gradually rose.
A group of caravans came from the rear, and each cart carrying goods was covered with felt cloth and tied with some thick hemp ropes.
This man waved to the caravan and shouted: Can you take a ride? I'll pay for the ride!
A man who looked like a caravan leader came over. Where were he going?
Tongguan!
Fifteen dollars!
I just want to take a ride with someone, and I don’t have any cargo. It’s only over twenty miles, so can I pay five bucks?
Then just walk there yourself!
Eight dollars! I’ll pay eight dollars!
At least twelve!
Ten dollars! Ten dollars at most! Or I’ll leave by myself!
The caravan leader frowned and rolled his eyes, OK! Ten bucks! Pay first and sit in the last car.
The caravans are escorted, and not only are they transporting goods along the way, but they are also usually willing to pay for a few rides, etc. Anyway, it is extra income.
The man waited until the last car.
The last cart was a flatbed cart, and the cart was pulled by a mule. The cart carried fodder for livestock. He stopped the cart with the handlebars, then reached out and pulled the man onto the cart.
He just waved his whip and asked the mule to continue moving forward.
What's your name? Where are you from? The handlebar asked.
My name is Qin An, and I come from Heluo. This man answered briefly, perhaps because he was tired from the long journey.
What do you do? Where are you going? The handlebar type asked again.
My family suffered a disaster and can no longer survive. There is my third uncle in Chang'an who wants to visit his relatives.
Oh, that's it. In fact, it's good to go to Chang'an. Apparently no one spoke to me all the way. I was so depressed that I didn't care what the person answered, and just kept talking.
While chatting, Tongguan was right in front of us.
The man looked up at Tongguan, his face under the shadow of the straw hat, and he didn't know what his expression was.
The reconstruction of Tongguan is basically over. Although there is still a little tail, the new Tongguan, which combines earth and cement, is the leader among the current passes from every angle and the nightmare of all generals.
Get off the car! Get off the car! Ready to unload and inspect! Hurry up! The caravan leader walked all the way and shouted all the way, then glanced at the man, Tongguan has arrived! Cross the border by yourself!
Qin An nodded, said hello to the driver, got out of the car, and walked to the pedestrian checkpoint on the other side.
At Tongguan, ordinary pedestrians and traveling merchant convoys are separated.
Line up! You have everything you need to pass! the guard at the checkpoint shouted.
Qin An lowered his head and took out the wooden slip used for passing the examination.
The flow of people moved forward slowly.
That! Yes! You! Come here! Take off the hat! Bring it over to the passerby! Open the package! The soldier took the passerby, checked the information written on it, and said to Qin An, where are you going?
Qin An handed over the pass. I came from Heluo and wanted to go to Chang'an to visit my relatives.
The soldiers looked up and down, asked him to stand with his hands stretched out, and then began to search him to check if there were any prohibited items on his body. Qin An's package was also opened and spread on the ground. Another soldier used the wood of a spear to
The soldier poked around and saw that there were only some old clothes, a small bag of dry food, a bundle of felt blankets and a hatchet inside. The soldier looked through it briefly and found nothing unusual.
The soldier who searched Qin An found a money bag from Qin An, opened it and looked at it. To Qin An's surprise, the soldier did not take the money inside. He just took out one, looked at it, and rubbed the money bag again.
cloth, he threw the money back, tied it, and threw it to Qin An. He picked up the gourd from Qin An's body, knocked on the gourd, shook it twice, opened the stopper of the gourd, smelled it, and raised it.
Eyebrows, wine?
Qin An apologized and said with a smile, "I'm afraid I'll be stuck on the road. If the drunken military master wants to be beaten,
The soldier snorted, plugged the stopper again, and threw it to Qin An. Come on over!
Qin An took the gourd, then packed the package on the ground again, carried it behind his back, then waved to the caravan on the other side, as if saying goodbye, and walked forward.
The soldiers here turned around and seemed to exchange a look with the soldiers over there.
Qin An moved forward and put on the straw hat again, hiding his face under the hat.
What a hassle!
Not greedy for money, not greedy for wine
Very high alert
Even because he waved at the caravan, he paid attention and stepped up the inspection there.
This is really
Gives people a headache.
Qin An walked along the five-mile long strip of Tongguan, searching left and right, as if he was unconsciously curious, or looking for something.
There is a height difference between the pass and Tongguan New City. Most of the caravans coming from Heluo will not go directly to Tongguan New City. The goods are transported down the plain, and then pulled up by a crane, and then from Tongguan
It is obviously more cost-effective and convenient to take over the transfer fleet to Chang'an. Therefore, it would be particularly eye-catching if there is a caravan transporting it all the way to Chang'an.
In this way, even if you pretend to be a caravan, it will be very troublesome to sneak into Chang'an.
Not to mention Chang'an, it is relatively easy to enter Tongguan Checkpoint and the same gate, but it is difficult to sneak into Tongguan New City for a convoy or something.
I heard that ferries such as Shaanxi and Tianjin also use this model of taking over transshipments. Well, I don’t know how it is at Wuguan.
The defenses are really tight.
Qin An was walking slowly and thinking.
Didn't see the logo
Are everyone in Tongguan gone?
Suddenly, Qin An seemed to see something and stopped slightly.
Qin An looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to him, so he pretended to have a stomachache, bent over, and did not enter Tongguan New City directly, but went to the grove in the nearby plain.
After entering the woods, Qin An looked at the people who were not following him, then suddenly straightened his back and returned to a normal body shape. He quickly searched around in the woods, lowering his head, and quickly
He ran to one of the trees and squatted down to look for something at the roots.
Soon, he pulled a wooden box out from the edge of the tree root. He opened the wooden box and tore open the oil paper wrapped in it. A brocade robe was revealed, as well as a matching middle coat and belt.
, boots, a money bag with some money in the corner, a fan and a small piece of jade with a red string beside it.
Qin An chuckled with satisfaction.
Qin An quickly took off his clothes, then took off the gourd on his body, took another old piece of clothing, wet it, and wiped it vigorously on his face and neck. Soon, the color on Qin An's face began to fade.
Even the dark spots on my face began to fade, and after a few more wipes, the original whiter skin was revealed.
Qin An put on new clothes, took out the hatchet inside the package, removed the handle, and pulled out another paper certificate hidden in it, then put it in his arms and put the old clothes and all
All the sundries were stuffed back into the wooden box and buried back in the ground. Finally, I washed my hands with the wine in the gourd and threw the gourd away.
After all these things were done, Qin An looked around and came out of the grove and headed towards Tongguan New City. At this moment, Qin An no longer looked like a person who was on his way to visit his relatives, but like a member of a poor family.
Children.
Within Tongguan New City, there are basically military equipment and barracks, markets, ordinary people's residences, and post stations, etc. are all built on the plateau, relying on Tongguan New City.
After passing through the new city, you can enter Chang'an Sanfu.
Qin An did not enter Tongguan New City directly, but slowly walked with his fan swinging.
Before arriving at the inn, Qin An looked at it and walked in.
Do you want to stay? When the old guard guarding the post house saw Qin An dressed neatly, he brought him a bowl of syrup and asked casually, where did Lang Jun come from?
Well, Guanzhong Di went to Hongnong to visit friends a few days ago and couldn't walk. Is there any room available? Take a break and come back in a few days to see the peach blossoms again. By this time, Qin An had already adopted some Guanzhong accent.
It’s a little late to see the peach blossoms! But there are also some old men who laughed and said, I have twenty for the house, fifty for the house, what does the gentleman want? Is there anything wrong? Please register for the old man. Hello, sir.
I don’t know what the surname is Wei.
Qin An, who had changed his surname to Wei, smiled reservedly, as if an old pawn had discovered his secret.
