Chapter 545: Two-hearted worm, lurker, digging into the problem (5K)
"Two-hearted worm." At the same time, in a house adjacent to the fish shop in the west of the city, a man of medium height and somewhat gray hair looked up at the fire in the distance for a while. Armor was faintly revealed under his civilian-style robes.
With a cold light, he then turned to look at the masked man sitting above him:
"Prepare many clever strategies in advance, each strategy corresponds to a specific time period, and then let the Changling Palace and the two-hearted bugs here die together at a certain time, and launch one of the plans based on the death of the bugs to attack
It’s really a good trick to catch Chu people off guard.”
"The 'Two-Hearted Insect' that can live and die together across two places is quite troublesome to cultivate, so naturally you have to use it sparingly." The masked man nodded, stretched out his finger and popped out a sword energy, knocking out the glass jar next to him.
A small purple insect in it crushed into a blood mist: "Now, we should evacuate."
"A fire triggered the suspicion and fear of the uncertain workshop craftsmen and Chudu dignitaries about the so-called 'New Deal', creating chaos and division, and putting everyone in danger. This mission has been successfully completed...
...It is worthwhile to give up the spy network that has been in operation for many years."
"Even though it is strong on the outside and its national power is growing day by day, the Chu dynasty, which is riddled with internal hidden dangers and has countless wormholes, is still not as tough, stable and far-reaching as our Great Qin. Therefore, in the next battle, the first dynasty to be destroyed will be
Then it will be Chu, not Qi, Yan..."
"If a seemingly gorgeous palace and pavilion accumulates too much dry firewood in the corner, it will only take a spark to quickly ignite and burn down the entire supporting beams. Collapse is inevitable...
…Perhaps it won’t be many years before we have the opportunity to return to this place.”
The gray-haired man stood up slowly and shook his robe. As the subtle sound of armor blades rubbing against each other was heard, his figure quickly grew taller and became extremely tall and majestic, completely different from the ordinary old man before.
:
"I have been quietly working on burying firewood for more than ten years. Now I finally got the order to light them. I am still a little unbelievable and excited. However, I have not been able to fight with the generals of the Chu Dynasty in person to find out.
The progress of their cultivation in recent years is quite a pity."
"You've waited too long, Yingsheng." The masked man sighed softly, with a hint of emotion in his voice.
The burly man named Ying Xi looked up to the sky and laughed. His heroic laughter spread far in the nearby air, and was quickly pursued and engulfed by the profound sword intent:
"Yeah, it's been too long! However, I can watch that dynasty that once swept the world but is now so rotten turn into ashes amidst the firewood and sparks I buried with my own hands. Even if I wait for another ten years, there will be another dynasty.
Why not?"
After saying that, he strode to the courtyard wall, his shoulders sank slightly, and with a "boom", the whole person broke through the thick wall and disappeared into the alley outside, without even looking back. It was extremely...
Determined, it seemed like nothing could hold him back.
The masked man sat quietly, watching Ying Hai leave. After a while, he sighed and said to himself: "It's not just the Chu Dynasty that is so rotten?"
He reached out and took off the black gauze on his face, revealing a rather handsome face with some wrinkles at the corners, and a pair of bright and deep eyes, which seemed to have light flashing inside, but also seemed to be shrouded.
There is so much fog that it is difficult to see clearly.
"I just hope that 'over there' can understand the value of your and my sacrifice, and don't live up to it." The man murmured to himself, stood up and walked to the backyard. As he waved, several men in black appeared silently and began to clean up the belongings.
, destroying the documents: "Send a message to others to evacuate Yingdu according to the second plan, without any mistakes."
"Yes!" The people in black agreed in unison and acted quickly without any delay.
The masked man - who has taken off his veil at this moment, his eyes slowly swept around, as if he wanted to deeply imprint every inch of land, every brick and tile in this house into his mind. This place holds them
Too many memories and hard work, but now I have to give them up. The feeling in my heart is hard to describe.
There was a look of wistfulness and regret on his face. He knew that although his mission was completed beautifully, he also exposed a lot of things. The Chu Dynasty's counterattack would inevitably be more violent. He couldn't help but have a lot of thoughts in his heart:
"In the past, in order to explore the reality of Chu State and plan for the future, I did not hesitate to lower my identity and sneaked into the capital of Ying. I started from a white body and worked hard to climb to the high position of 'Zhibo' today. I mastered a lot of important information and even secretly laid out
I got a lot of chess pieces, and I even got the blueprint of 'Flying Sky'."
"I thought I could continue to lurk for a few more years, slowly activate those chess pieces one by one, play a greater role, penetrate deeply into several imperial crafts workshops, and steal the craftsmanship of advanced talisman tools such as the 'Celestial Punishment' back to the country, but I didn't expect
A fire tonight has wiped out more than ten years of hard work..."
He shook his head, as if to get rid of these unpleasant thoughts, turned around and strode towards the depths of the backyard, where there was a secret room where the last trump card they had prepared for safe evacuation was hidden:
"That's all, as long as we can complete the mission assigned by 'over there', no matter how big the sacrifice is, it will still be worth it. What's more, I have already left a backup plan for myself. Even if I evacuate Yingdu, it doesn't mean that everything has to start from scratch.
Beginning - No matter in the north or south of Chu, there are many local sects who are pro-Qin."
At this moment, the city of Yingdu, unlike the orderliness of this house, was filled with chaos and noise.
The panic caused by the fire has not completely subsided. The streets are full of panicked people and soldiers rushing to put out the fire. Occasionally, you can hear a few angry shouts and the sound of weapons clashing. It is obvious that someone is taking advantage of the fire.
, fishing in troubled waters.
On the edge of a rockery five or six miles northwest of Tianyangqi Garden, Zhao Qing used the Lingxi Jade Talisman to connect to Fan Wugou, who was searching in Chudu to suppress suspected arsonists, and listened to the reports of several lieutenants of the other party in turn.
voice, while examining the several panicked old craftsmen she had just captured.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "The reason why you cooperated with the Qin spies and some treasonous dignitaries in the 'Fire Dragon Burning Warehouse' action is probably not just because the workshop has a shortage of refining materials.
, do you need to settle the account?" Her eyes were like a torch, staring at the craftsmen in front of her who were bound by spiritual energy chains and whose cultivation had been banned, and her tone was as cold as ice:
"The fire can't burn much metal, and the remaining traces can completely restore the previous total amount... Moreover, I have never said that I will investigate the past transactions of private workshops, and I don't care whether the amount of materials reported to the supervisor is
There is something concealed. After all, poor management and even bankruptcy are the workshop’s own business.”
"What on earth are you thinking? Are you violating other regulations in order to take advantage of the chaos to destroy other important evidence? Are there quality issues with the talismans involved in the military order? Are the parts substandard? Are there any financial transactions from Tong Qin in the internal accounts?
Or have you been bribed with huge sums of money, have connections with foreign countries, and want to subvert the country and create chaos?"
As Zhao Qing asked questions one by one, the faces of the craftsmen became more and more ugly. They looked at each other and could see the fear and uneasiness in each other's eyes, but they didn't know that the other party just took a deep look, then
The relevant memory was read.
"Just because a 'credible' person deceived you, claiming that the next 'New Deal' will thoroughly investigate all the problems in the operation of the workshop, you became panicked, doubted each other, and were afraid of being liquidated, so you were easily incited.
Used and linked together to trigger this incident?"
Zhao Qing looked at them coldly and asked, but secretly sighed in his heart.
Although I had known that the Qin people had penetrated deeply into the Chu territory over the years, bribed a large number of high-ranking officials and dignitaries, and mastered an unknown amount of confidential information, it was difficult to prevent them. They had to expend energy to slowly screen and replace them in order to gradually eliminate these contradictions and hidden dangers.
.
But today's fire, even the craftsmen who should focus on their skills and pay little attention to worldly affairs, have been greatly affected and manipulated. It still made her deeply feel the cunning and difficulty of Qin spies, and their unscrupulous methods to achieve their goals.
behavior style.
The Lushan Alliance is about to be held, and a sword meeting is also being held in Changling, the capital of Qin. No matter how you look at it, the situation in each dynasty should have stabilized in the near future. This made Zhao Qing unexpected, and she tried to integrate and form a "consortium" of workshops for her.
The New Deal actually led to such a decisive, rapid and violent sudden attack.
It seems that I have underestimated the influence of the previous major events, the sense of crisis brought to Yuan Wu, Zheng Xiu and others, the strategies of the Qin Dynasty, and the fact that I am not the only one who has it.
A tool for delivering messages remotely.
Zhao Qing thought secretly in her heart and had already made a new decision. Ji Tianxue, the master of the Shenjiang Workshop who was following her, was also furious. She exuded a majestic momentum like a mountain, took a few steps forward, and pressed towards
Those trembling old craftsmen.
As the most experienced weapon-refining "holy hand" in the Great Chu Dynasty and almost the number one, he has seen the ups and downs of too many eras. He has witnessed with his own eyes the rise of this generation of Chu emperors from crisis, turning the tide, and failing due to rapid aging.
I gradually became powerless, but I have never felt so humiliated and angry as I do today.
"A bunch of worthless things! What I hate most in my life is for people to use the art of weapon refining as a bargaining chip to do such dirty things!" Ji Tianxue shouted angrily, the sound was like a bell, and it shook the ears of the craftsmen.
There is a buzzing sound, Qi and blood are flowing backwards, and the face is getting paler:
"Each of the workshop reform measures proposed by His Majesty and the Envoy is to promote the improvement of craftsmen's skills and the long-term development of the industry. Is there any intention of persecution?"
"If you usually act in accordance with the law and work according to the rules, why are you afraid of a thorough investigation? Don't you understand that if you are upright, you are not afraid of a slanting shadow? Or, you know that you are not clean on weekdays, so you listen to the wind and it rains.
Do you think you can use this chaos to cover up the past?"
He stretched out his hand and grasped it, and light blue chains of true energy instantly dropped from the sky. He grabbed these craftsmen and hung them in the air, shrank them and hung them in front of him, and then looked at their faces one by one.
The tone became more severe:
"Do you know how much damage this fire caused to Yingdu and our country just because of your one thought? How many innocent people were affected by this disaster? How many soldiers had to take risks to put out the fire and maintain order, and they might even be injured and sacrificed?
"
"You think you are just a small person and what you do has nothing to do with the overall situation? Let me tell you, you are wrong! Big mistake! The reason why Chu State is strong depends on the joint efforts and perseverance of every Chu person. And you, as alchemists
Master craftsman, rated as 'famous craftsman'
','Skilled Craftsman', who enjoys the support and respect of the court and the people on weekdays. He should have served the country and benefited the people, but because of his own selfishness and temporary fear, he did such things that harmed the country and the people! You deserve it.
My own identity and responsibilities?”
Every time Ji Tianxue said a word, the faces of the craftsmen turned pale. By the time he finished speaking, several of the craftsmen's faces were ashen, and one of them was trembling all over and suddenly burst into tears:
"Master Ji, we are guilty! It is true that some Qin spies secretly spread rumors that the imperial court was going to severely punish the workshop. We were panicked and were bewitched by them, so we did such stupid things.
!”
Another craftsman also spoke tremblingly: "Master Jibo, please have mercy on us. I am also obsessed with it for a while. Please give me a chance to change my ways!"
"Little characters like us, with limited talents and cultivation, are no higher than you. We can sit firmly as the masters of a workshop and do not want to live in the world. As we grow older and weaker, our skills decline, and it is no longer possible to maintain the original craftsmanship.
With no teacher rating, and being forced to make a living, we can only find ways to take advantage of the situation, and this is what leads to today's disaster!"
Another craftsman lamented, his face covered with tears representing regret and self-blame, but most of them were forced out with real energy: "If I had known that it would cause such a disaster, I would not be involved even if I was killed.
!”
"Yes, the craftsman rating assessment is becoming more and more stringent, but the success rate of weapon refining is difficult to increase, and the material consumption is high. In order to keep the rating and jobs, those of us can only seek medical treatment in a hurry, and try our best to cheat and bribe the superiors.
, even at the expense of the interests of the workshop and the court..."
Another person also said with a cry.
Listening to their excuses and cries, Zhao Qing and Ji Tianxue's expressions became more and more serious.
Compared with the problem of reselling materials and deficient accounts, widespread falsification of craftsman ratings is probably the real cause of this disaster - the problems exposed behind this are even more serious!
Fraudulent craftsman ratings and “academic corruption”—unexpectedly, this kind of problem has also appeared in the craftsmanship industry, which is most demanding of rigor and excellence!
And listening to the implication of these criminal craftsmen, this situation seems to be quite common. It has formed an unspoken rule, and even an "industry consensus" in a sense. There are only a few imperial craftsmen's workshops that are isolated from the outside world.
Being kept in the dark.
It is basically certain that the reason why the Qin people can directly or indirectly influence and control a large number of craftsmen in many workshops is precisely because they are deeply involved in this counterfeiting industry chain and control the lives and lives of many people.
Weakness.
According to the confessions of these people, in order to be rated at a higher level during the craftsman assessment, or to maintain the original rating, they tried every means to falsify the success rate of their own weapon refining on the surface, and even spent more materials and wasted resources for this purpose, please
It has long been commonplace for people to practice on their behalf.
On weekdays, it is not uncommon to have good relations with relevant officials, bribery, cliques within the workshop, and exclusion of dissidents, as well as all kinds of intrigues and infighting.
After all, as long as the craftsman’s rating is higher and his reputation is greater, his products will naturally be more expensive and more popular. Anyway, most buyers are not able to distinguish good from bad. On the surface, they are almost the same and can be used.”
"Fitness" and other excuses are fooled.
This creates a huge operational profit margin, which is enough to form a brand effect and make up for the money spent on it, so that many thoughtful craftsmen can make a lot of money and gain both fame and fortune.
The related counterfeiting methods, after several iterations and upgrades, have gradually become an extremely complex and profound skill, involving many vitality changes and rune structures, which can be said to have created a new path for weapon refining.
The more "strong" the craftsmen in the workshop are, the more attention they will receive from the court and the military. They will receive key research projects and receive priority in obtaining a large amount of weapon refining resources and long-term orders for talismans. Those who are qualified will do so.
Recruit more low-level craftsmen, apprentices and helpers who can be exploited.
As for the increasingly stringent assessment of craftsman ratings, it is actually a means for relevant officials to gain political achievements and make private profits - if they want to be promoted or maintain the original rating, they have to pay some "blood", right?
Silverfish, big and small, in the entire profit chain are all hoping to make a fortune from this.
What's more, by taking some special elixirs produced in the Qin realm, they forcibly improved their skills in a short period of time, and barely managed to be rated as a senior craftsman. Then their level dropped, but in order to maintain their rating, they had to continue taking elixirs, and
Providing confidential information to the Qin people in exchange for what they needed, he completely became the enemy's lackey and pawn.
In addition, there are also some craftsmen who are not very "knowledgeable" and are not good at "doing things". They have been repeatedly squeezed out and could not bear the harsh environment. They resigned and were recruited by the Qin, Qi, Yan dynasties or local powerful families.
, taking away a lot of advanced weapon refining skills and experience.
From this point of view, the last time Emperor Chu had a whim, he organized a public bidding meeting for military talismans, which put the selection and procurement of military talisman orders on the bright side, with quality and cost-effectiveness speaking, and a certain degree of competition.
Marketization and the introduction of a competition mechanism have invisibly broken the monopoly of certain workshops on the court's supply channels and touched the hearts of many people.
This may also be a major reason why during this incident, some people had connections with foreign countries, instigated, and connected a large number of craftsmen to take the opportunity to cause chaos.
This was originally an act of innovation and change, but it became the fuse that triggered many problems and caused many craftsmen to take risks!
In the past, the Great You Dynasty's weapon refining skills were unparalleled from ancient to modern times, its military power was at its peak, and there were countless powerful practitioners. If you take any one of them, they are legendary existences now. However, they still cannot escape the disaster of destruction. Because of this incident,
The reason for this is probably inseparable from its internal corruption.
"It's really... such a smoky atmosphere that it's unsightly to look at! All the dirty things I've seen in my life are not as good as what I've heard on this day!"
Listening to these shocking crimes and the shocking cases being revealed, Ji Tianxue laughed angrily, with a cold light flashing in his eyes:
"I originally thought that only those politicians in the court would use these methods, but I didn't expect that our weapon refining world would also be like this!"
He has been immersed in the art of weapon refining all his life, relying on hard work and countless failures to reach his current position step by step, becoming one of the top weapon refining masters in the Chu Dynasty and a world-famous weapon refining master.
The industry leader feels deeply remorseful and ashamed at this moment:
"If this fire hadn't burned out the hidden dirt, I wouldn't have known that there were so many silverfish and scum hidden in the workshops in Yingdu City! This is not only your personal shame, but also the shame of the entire refinery.
A disgrace to the utensil industry! It is a dereliction of duty and a disgrace to our generation of craftsmen!”
I saw Ji Tianxue looking at the craftsmen sadly, and suddenly clenched her palms. These people suddenly felt that their whole bodies were tightly bound by an invisible force, and their bones seemed to be squeezed to pieces. They couldn't help but let out a cry.
He screamed miserably, then turned to look at Zhao Qing, cupped his fists and said:
"Your Majesty, I request that these craftsmen who have committed heinous crimes be punished as a warning to others! At the same time, all workshops in Yingdu and even across the country will be thoroughly investigated. Anyone involved in counterfeiting, corruption, or collaborating with the enemy will be severely punished without mercy.
Appease, and restore the art of weapon refining to a bright future!"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Hearing this, Zhao Qing nodded slightly: "What Master Jibo said is true. However, in addition to thorough investigation and punishment, we also need to reflect on and improve the current craftsman rating system.
And the management system of the workshop can fundamentally prevent such problems from happening."
On the bright side, since the craftsmanship system of the Great Chu Dynasty has been corrupted to this extent, it can still produce excellent works repeatedly and achieve great results. After her cleaning and rectification, the original problems have been solved, and more talents will surely be released in the future.
Powerful weapon refining ability.
"Yes!" Ji Tianxue solemnly promised, and with a wave of his hand, he destroyed the true energy seals and meridians of the craftsmen, completely abolishing their cultivation, and then threw them to the soldiers who followed: "Take these sinners with you.
Go down, keep a close watch, and wait for your release!"
"The trend of counterfeiting is so prevalent that it is really depressing." After dealing with these craftsmen, he sighed, and then asked: "What should we do next? Do we need to summon all the major workshops in the city immediately?
The workshop owner and senior craftsmen will discuss countermeasures together?"
Zhao Qing nodded: "That's right. However, before that, I have to do another thing. Those Qin masters who lurked in, we can't just let them go."
She looked up to the distant sky, where she could faintly see that the fire was gradually extinguishing, and a new dawn was about to emerge.
As a result, the "Acacia" sword mark that was shallowly scratched on the ground not long ago, encompassing almost the entire city of Ying, stretching for hundreds of miles, gradually became lighter, breaking away from the heavy gravity of the earth.
Started to float into the air.
A bunch of messy black lines danced in the wind, stretching and continuously changing its appearance, just like the unpredictable thoughts of fellow people, but finally stayed on a fixed picture.
The next moment, a huge furnace of heaven and earth, covering several miles in radius and as vast as a mountain, suddenly formed directly above Zhao Qing. The mouth of the furnace was facing down, and it was filled with violent and flying flames, and there were countless terrifying blazing vortexes.
Endless dust, mist, and residual firelight are constantly swallowed up.