Chapter 2306: What to Insist on and What to Give Up

Although Tongguan is a military pass, not all the people in the main city are soldiers. There are also some ordinary residents. Most of them are reclaiming wasteland on the Linzhi Plateau, and some are either engaged in business transactions or doing handicrafts to make a living. , and some were civil servants in charge of labor camps outside the city.

Fan Cong is such a small official.

Because Tongguan has been under construction, it also requires a lot of labor, but these labors will not be like a game, where they can be automatically built by adding them. Instead, people like Fan Cong are needed to coordinate and arrange, and then work with The craftsmen worked together to confirm the number of laborers and the amount of building materials, and finally built Tongguan bit by bit.

Mao Shi, a moment.

Fan Cong was already carrying a cloth bag and was about to walk out of the house. Before going out, he carefully checked his clothes, locked his door, walked to the yard, opened the door and walked out.

"Fan Shuzuo, good morning..."

Fan Cong just walked out of the yard and met his next door neighbor head-on.

Fan Cong also said hello, "Morning, morning, hey, you came out so early, where are you going?" 』

"I heard that the Cavalry General is here, and he has brought a caravan with him. He has some new things at the market, and he is going to see the excitement..." The neighbor chuckled, "You didn't know?" Do you want to go together? 』

Fan Cong shook his head and said: "No, I still have to go to the labor camp outside the city today. I don't have time to go... just go..."

The neighbor sighed a few times, and the two separated at the entrance of the alley. The neighbor went to the market, while Fan Cong went outside the city.

Doesn't Fan Cong know that General Hussar is coming?

No, Fan Cong knew, he even knew that not only General Hussar was coming, but also Luoyang's order Yang Xiu.

I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing?

Because the time was slightly earlier, there were not many pedestrians on the streets, but there were still soldiers patrolling the streets. The soldiers held up their spears and pressed their sabers, and their uniform steps made a clicking sound on the stone streets, as if they were always reminding the people around them that this was a military pass, not an ordinary city or village.

Fan Cong stepped slightly to the side of the road to let the patrolling soldiers pass by first. Then he glanced at the city along the direction of the soldiers' march, and then quickly looked away.

Even without looking at the military defense map he secretly drew, Fan Cong could clearly remember the layout of Tongguan City. From the east of the city to the west of the city, it is one and a half miles, and from the south of the city to the north of the city, it is two and a half miles. There are markets and inns in the north of the city. In the city are the general's mansion, Xuancang, and official houses. In the south of the city, most of them are residential buildings, restaurants, and shops. After leaving the south city gate, there are farming fields and labor camps. The school ground and military camp are outside the east gate of the city...

Fan Cong is very smart, but useless. He saw that there were too many children from noble families who were better off than him, living and drinking every day, while children from poor families like him had to lower their heads and look for those fat guys to borrow money and seek help. humiliate yourself just to be able to read one more book.

Then, the debt of gratitude owed can be repaid in one year or ten years.

Or maybe a life...

Is favor or human life more important? Everyone may have a different answer.

Fan Cong silently showed his credentials at the city gate, then walked out of the city gate and headed for the labor camp.

Tongguan is very important, and all fools know this. Then how could Fei Qian build such an important pass with great fanfare without attracting the attention of others? The city defense structure, the arrangement of soldiers, the situation of warehouses, residential streets, etc. are all very important information.

Even the daily garrison rotation time of army soldiers, purchasing fluctuations in surrounding markets, the transfer and relocation of generals and non-commissioned officers, the public sentiment and discussions of the people in the city, etc., are all the objects that Fan Cong collects, and then summarizes them and writes them in small characters on the bamboo on the paper and then send it out...

Some information does not require additional explanation, such as the number of garrison troops stationed, the composition of soldiers, the distribution of equipment, etc. These can be reported directly, but some require Fan Cong's explanation, such as the name of the newly promoted military lord in the city. Name, what are your preferences, is there any possibility of bribery, and what is the best way to contact them...

The sun should be rising at the moment, but the sky is still dark, and when you look up, you can see a layer of gloomy clouds hanging over your head, as if the sun had drunk too much yesterday and skipped work today, so it didn't come out at all.

The clerks in the labor camp were originally supposed to live in the labor camp. However, because the construction of Tongguan was not a matter of a day or two, these clerks were allowed to live and eat together with ordinary laborers for a long time. These clerks were not happy, and the labor camp The labor camp was also uncomfortable, so they were simply separated later. There were only laborers and guards in the labor camp, and ordinary clerks and other people came to the city.

Two hundred steps south, there is a small patch of bushes on one side of the road. Among the miscellaneous bushes, there are half a dead tree. Fan Cong walked here, as if there was sand in his shoes, shook his feet twice, then looked around, walked to the dead tree, then held the dead tree with one hand, took off his shoes with the other, then turned over, shaking sand. The hand holding the dead wood found a small bamboo tube in an inconspicuous tree hole, and immediately hid it in the palm of his hand.

Fan Cong put his shoes back on his feet and hid the small bamboo tube in his socks. Then he stood up, looked around, walked out of the bush, and continued forward...

But after walking a few steps, Fan Cong suddenly felt like someone was watching him. He looked a little hairy, so he immediately looked back, only to see some farmers busy farming in the distance, and in this area. The temporary road trampled by laborers was empty and there was no other person.

……(*￣(エ)￣)……

"Is there a room in the city?" ! 』

Ma Yue's eyes widened in disbelief. In a sense, it was a mistake for Ma Yue to fail to discover these spies after taking over the Tongguan affairs.

Xu Huang also stared, frowning and saying nothing.

Fei Qian turned his head and said to Huang Xu, "Just tell me." 』

Huang Xu took a step forward, cupped his hands towards Xu Huang and Ma Yue, and said, "In the middle of last month, during a routine inspection in Zuo Fengyi, the Zhao family inspected a group of merchants who looked strange, so they carefully inspected their goods. Found in the car were three military passes, five recognition flags, and a forged Tongguan Sima seal..."

Huang Xu said, paused slightly, "During the arrest, three died and three were injured. After interrogation, someone confessed that this object needs to be delivered to Tongguan... But the leader of the team is dead. I don't know who is here." ...』

Ma Yue's expression was rather awkward, and he clenched his hands together uneasily.

Seals, tokens, and flags can all be used to deceive the defense at certain times...

After Huang Xu finished speaking, he retreated to the back, and then Fei Qian continued: "After discovering this matter, people were asked to investigate the traffic of this caravan in detail, and then found..."

Fei Qian pointed to the east, "It's coming from the east, and it's definitely not just this group..."

Ma Yue slammed his hands on the table and shouted angrily: "This is too much! Lord! Can you find out who it is? I must cut him into pieces to relieve the hatred in my heart! 』

Ma Yue was really embarrassed and really scared. These two emotions were intertwined and turned into anger towards these spies.

Fei Qian smiled and waved his hand, signaling Ma Yue not to be nervous. Perhaps for Ma Yue, spying is a very difficult thing to accept, but for Fei Qian, it is actually just that. Since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there have been signs of espionage activities, and their use has been clearly defined in the Art of War. So, is there anything surprising about the emergence of spies now?

If we talk about ordinary tokens and recognition flags, they cannot show specific intentions, but with the addition of a fake seal of Tongguan Army Sima...

Then it can be determined that there are some actions against Tongguan, and there are only two situations for such actions. One is to capture, the second is to destroy...

Fei Qian took a slight breath, his mind wandering a little. In some Three Kingdoms games of later generations, there is often the option of sending officials to the enemy's city to carry out sabotage. Generally speaking, most people will not choose this option, because in the game, even if the city defense is destroyed, it is not a big deal. Effect, because soldiers will eventually be sent to attack, and at the same time there is a certain chance that they will be directly captured by the enemy, and they will be killed thousands of miles away, which is not worth the gain.

But nowadays, spies are quite destructive.

Fei Qian once thought that Cao Cao was going to attack Tongguan, but from various aspects of analysis, Cao Cao did not have the strength to attack Tongguan, and Fei Qian summoned Yang Xiu again, and Yang Xiu came all of a sudden, and immediately Fei Qian Under the threats and intimidation, he confessed his crime of colluding with the Pei family in Hedong to steal and sell arms.

Of course, Yang Xiu must have some other things that he is hiding from Fei Qian, but for now, the possibility of Yang Xiu attacking Tongguan is even smaller than Cao Cao.

So it is obvious that the main purpose of the Tongguan spies this time is...

Xu Huang glanced at Fei Qian, then at Ma Yue, and then with Fei Qian's nod of instruction, he slowly said, "This thief... wants to destroy our defense!" 』

"Hmm..." Fei Qian nodded and said, "What Gong Ming said is true. 』

Xu Huang is right.

Building is difficult, but destroying is easy.

Anyone who is not blind can see how dangerous Tongguan is. Once Fei sneaks here and successfully builds the new Tongguan city, it will almost be the reincarnation of Qinhan Guguan. By then, even if Cao Cao has gathered 100,000 soldiers Horses may not be able to capture Xintong Pass!

So for Cao Cao, the best way is of course to destroy it. Even if it cannot destroy the foundation of Xintong Pass and slow down the construction speed of Xintong Pass, it is definitely an excellent thing for Cao Cao.

Fei Qian looked at Xu Huang and Ma Yue, "What do you two think we should do?" 』

Ma Yue was stunned, and was a little confused for a moment, not knowing how to get started.

Xu Huang thought for a while, then said with a very clear mind: "First, check the soldiers in the army... Secondly,... the labor camp!" 』

"good! Fei Qian nodded again, "I would like to ask Gong Ming to conduct a thorough inspection of the soldiers immediately..."

It is also very important to thoroughly investigate whether there are any people with ulterior motives among the original soldiers in Xintong Pass. Especially those at the Qu Chang team leader level are more likely to cause chaos by pretending to be military commanders.

Xu Huang accepted the order and left, leaving Ma Yue extremely embarrassed.

Fei Qian stood up and signaled Ma Yue to follow. Then the two of them came to the observation deck of the Tongguan General's Mansion. They watched Xu Huang and Huang Xu start to divide the areas in an orderly manner. After screening the soldiers at different levels, they turned around. He gestured with his head, "Did you see it?" 』

Under Fei Qian's command, almost all were first-class or quasi-first-class generals, from Zhao Yun to Zhang Liao, from Xu Huang to Tai Shici, and even the newly surrendered Li Dian was much stronger than Ma Yue in some aspects. As a commander of a cavalry recruit company, Ma Yue is very qualified. This can be proven by the continuous recruitment of hussars soldiers over the years.

But a good recruit company commander may not necessarily be a good general leading troops in combat. Because the target audiences of the two are different. After Ma Yue arrived at Tongguan, he gradually exposed his shortcomings in this area. This time the new Tongguan spy incident can also illustrate this point from the side.

"Gongming has a calm personality, is strict in self-discipline, and is humble and generous, so I am sent here..." Fei Qian said slowly, "In your daily life, if you are not familiar with military law, you can ask Gongming for advice... If you have any doubts, don't hesitate to ask. To solve the problem, you should also ask directly... You must know that the opportunity is rare... Gongming will only stay here for half a year at most..."

Ma Yue immediately fell to the ground and kowtowed: "I am guilty, and I have lost the high hopes of my lord... I should study with all my heart, and if there is any slack in the future, I will ask my lord to kill someone before this level!" 』

Fei Qian stretched out his hand, helped Ma Yue up, then patted Ma Yue on the shoulder, "Go away, after Gong Ming has checked and identified the soldiers, he will lead the men and horses to surround the labor camp!" Beware of unrest! 』

Ma Yue was stunned for a moment, then immediately took the order and left.

……(〃′ Pan`)q……

In Chu Gong's name, Fan Cong found a remote place, checked the information in the small bamboo tube, and was shocked. Although the information was not very clear, the caravan that was supposed to come to join them was caught, which proved that he and he were in danger of being exposed.

what to do?

Fan Cong's first reaction was to run away!

But the next moment, he hesitated again.

What if he was not exposed, but escaped for no reason, then wouldn't he be asking for trouble? And then he even brought out the person who recommended him...

Although the person who recommended him was not a spy, he was still a good friend for many years. If he was implicated, Fan Cong would feel somewhat regretful.

But……

If it was really exposed, then it would definitely be dangerous. He could not be caught and killed on the spot by the hussars who burst in while sleeping in the middle of the night!

After thinking about it, Fan Cong was going to find another person in the labor camp to make a calculation.

In order to reduce others' suspicion, the two of them rarely meet each other, but maintain a unique way of contacting each other.

Because Fan Cong himself was responsible for accounting for labor, his desk was placed outside. Like other clerks, he registered the amount of labor, such as how many sandbags he carried, how many bricks he pushed, etc.

After Fan Cong returned to his position, he accidentally touched the inkstone. Some of the ink in the inkstone splashed out. Then Fan Cong took the opportunity to get some of it and pressed three diagonally on the corner of the table. A long black fingerprint...

This means emergency contact.

If it is a general contact, it is another way.

After a while, the labor leader who came to handle the work registration came over. He was originally going to go to another desk, but he saw the mark on the edge of Fan Cong's desk and touched his head without any trace. Then he changed his direction slightly, walked to Fan Cong's desk, and respectfully handed over the registration slip for the work plan.

Fan Cong nodded, then took the wooden slip and started to register as usual. After a while, Fan Cong stopped writing, frowned and pointed to a place on the wooden tablet and said, "What are you writing?" Why is it so sloppy? 』

The labor leader nodded quickly and leaned closer, as if he wanted to explain the values ​​​​on the wooden tablet to Fan Cong...

"The caravan was captured..." Fan Cong said in a very low voice, and then raised his voice, "If there is a next time!" Someone just doesn’t recognize this number! You should be more careful! 』

The labor leader's expression couldn't help but change, and then he nodded and bowed, bowed his hands, and said he knew and would pay more attention next time.

"Someone comes to ask you...you should report it truthfully...if you have deceived...you should know the crime...are you a worker who is sick or injured?" Does it need to be repaired? ” Fan Cong said slowly and in a tone of voice, which was almost the same as the usual questions asked by the secretary to the labor leader. At most, he asked slower and spoke more.

Determining the number of people working, and determining the content and quantity of the work was originally the responsibilities of the scribe, so Fan Cong's questions naturally sounded "normal" at first glance and did not attract the attention of others.

But after hearing this question, the labor leader couldn't help but sweat on his head. He stretched out his hand to wipe it, and then said after a while, "So that Shu Zuo can know that these workers under the villain...everything is fine." No pain or illness..."

"Are you...sure?" Fan Cong glanced at it, then slowly handed the pen over, "Just draw it!" 』

The labor leader's hand shook twice, but he finally gritted his teeth and drew a "circle" on Fan Cong's account book.

Fan Cong sighed slightly, then nodded.

There are many ways to sign. Generally speaking, scholars will have their own signature, which is similar to the cursive signatures of later generations, so it is also called "monogram". Fan Cong naturally has his own strokes, but for ordinary people, it is impossible for the strokes to be so complicated. The most common ones are two ways. To put it simply, one is to draw a circle, and the other is to draw a cross...

Combined with Fan Cong's previous question, if the labor leader's workers have too many injuries, of course they cannot "continue" working. Fan Cong asked if he needed a "rest", which was his intention, and what the labor leader meant by drawing a circle was Continue to stay, draw a cross to retreat and escape...