"You have a mixed bag of good and bad people in Zhao country. Therefore, the list of this group of spies must be kept secret. Except for me and a few necessary people, no one should reveal it to the outside world."
Liu Ji added, staring at Zhang Ao with seriousness, as if he was entrusted with a heavy responsibility.
Zhang Ao bowed solemnly and accepted this crucial task.
"In a few days, let Zhang Cang take Liu Jing's envoy to Zhao State and look for opportunities from your border to see how to meet with the Xiongnu Chanyu.
You can write a letter first and give it to Prime Minister Guan Gao and Zhao Wu. Otherwise, with their bad tempers, they may not take Zhang Cang seriously, hahaha. "
Liu Ji stroked his chin and reminded lightly.
Guan Gao and Zhao Wu were all Zhang Er's old disciples. He had been in contact with him from time to time before he ascended the throne. He knew that each of them was ruthless. At that time, he only had King Zhao in his heart, not the King of Han. Probably, he will not do so now. Take him as the emperor seriously.
Fortunately, their young master Zhang Ao himself is still in Luoyang, so they will fully cooperate with Zhang Ao's orders.
"Yes, I will repair the book now. I will make sure Guangao and the others are ready before a large number of people arrive in Handan."
"good.
There's nothing else to do. Just follow the queen and go see Lu Yuan.
Chen Ping, please stay here for a while. "
When Lu Zhi walked out of the palace door, he turned his head slightly and glanced quickly at Chen Ping's profile, which was like a jade tree in the wind.
Yes, the person in charge of the spy matter has always been Chen Ping. Lu Zhi secretly reminded himself that he must not ignore this important figure.
***
Chen Ping, who is nearly middle-aged, has been a well-known handsome man since he was young. He has a face as beautiful as jade, is tall and handsome, and is quite famous in his hometown of Yangwu County.
Because he was so good-looking, people who saw him for the first time could never imagine that such a handsome and handsome man came from a poor family with only four walls.
Chen Ping's parents died when he was young, so he relied entirely on his elder brother Chen Bo, who worked hard at thirty acres of thin farmland every day to raise him.
Because they were too poor, their family only had an earth-walled thatched hut. The brothers could not afford to buy a door, so they used a mat as a door all year round. In autumn and winter, the cold room was drafty and miserable.
Fortunately, the young Chen Ping is not a creature in the pool. He is full of talents and does not have to wait too long before he has the opportunity to make a difference.
In the lives of rural residents, grand and solemn spring festivals and autumn festivals, collectively called community sacrifices, are held every spring in March and autumn in September to report the harvest of the year to the community god who is in charge of all people.
Community sacrifices are the most important event in civilian life. In Kushanglizhong, where Chen Ping lives, Li Zheng, who has the highest status, usually presides over it.
After offering sacrifices to the gods, the remaining abundant offerings such as chicken, duck, mutton, etc. will be distributed to the residents living in Lizhong;
And this meat-sharing job often falls on Chen Ping's shoulders.
Because only Chen Pingfen's sacrificial meat can be praised by everyone. Everyone praises him for being a good slaughterer.
Confucian scholars nine hundred years later always focused on his impartiality when talking about Chen Ping's sharing of meat.
However, there are more than a hundred families living in Kushang, and it is absolutely impossible to achieve fairness and equality for every family;
Therefore, Lu Pheasant in the previous life had already seen that Chen Ping's wisdom has gone to a higher level than the realm of blindly demanding fairness——
Although he is a scholar, he has profound insights and is neither pedantic nor rigid.
He is well versed in weighing the pros and cons, and knows which families really need to protect their fundamentals and bottom lines.
And which people are slightly offended but don't care about it?
Also, there are some people who don’t dare to say anything even if they suffer a small loss.
Beneath the glamorous exterior, Chen Ping is actually a terrifyingly pragmatic person.
***
What’s even more interesting is that every time after dividing the meat, the handsome Chen Ping always wipes the greasy hands and says with a smile,
"If one day I am asked to preside over national affairs, I can do it like dividing meat and make everyone praise me."
Later, at the end of the Qin Dynasty, the world was in chaos, and Chen Ping, who had no door, finally waited for the opportunity to jump to the Dragon Gate.
He joined the Han army late. As a counselor, in terms of qualifications, he was far inferior to the outstanding Zhang Liang and Xiao He. In terms of personal ability, he was not as outstanding as the generals.
However, Chen Ping's principle of survival is very simple. He never forms cliques, but only adheres to the core of power. Whoever has the most power, he will wholeheartedly become his most loyal minister.
History books record that throughout Liu Ji's life, Chen Ping was always one of his most favored courtiers.
Later, when Liu Ji died, the famous Empress Lu secretly wielded power, and Chen Ping naturally became Lu Fei's close minister.
Such a disloyal and non-partisan Chen Ping had the last laugh in history, and even witnessed the entire process of the collapse of the Lu Group.
What an admirable smart man, Lu Pheasant sighed. At the moment, the meat on his case is really the world of Jiuzhou.
***
Lu Pheasant's guess was correct. What Liu Ji wanted to discuss secretly with Chen Ping was indeed related to the second batch of spies sent to the Huns.
Because Chen Ping is a natural talent for military intelligence work.
Chen Ping was thoughtful, resourceful, and sharp-tongued. As early as the conflict between Chu and Han, he was promoted by Liu Ji to the rank of Lieutenant of the Guards Army, and was fully responsible for the management of intelligence agencies and personnel.
At that time, among the many top spies sent by the Han army, only he and Liu Ji knew their details.
At present, the spies sent to the Xiongnu are related to the success or failure of the Han and Huns. How could it not be led by Chen Ping?
Regarding this arrangement, Chen Ping himself was very clear-minded.
The noisy and chaotic plan to release spies from the Zhao area just now is all to deceive others, it is an abandoned son, a waste of effort, a temptation, and a living target;
Next, what the emperor wanted to discuss with him was the real key to victory.
"You go and select a group of top-notch students, regardless of gender, origin, or age. You want them to be among the best, the ones who are smart enough to squeeze out the best."
Although there was no one else in the palace, and even the palace officials were dismissed, Liu Ji still lowered his voice unconsciously.
In "The Art of War: Yongjian Chapter", spies are divided into five categories, namely rural, inner, counter, dead and alive.
Generally speaking, the countryside aims to extract words from the enemy's fellow villagers and peers;
Internally, it aims to bribe and exploit the powerful officials and officials of the enemy camp;
Counterattack, as the name suggests, refers to buying and using the enemy's spies;
Death Room refers to those spies who deliberately deliver false information to the enemy. Because the enemy will execute the spies when they find out, so the name Death Room implies their inevitable fate.
The living beings sent by Liu Ji are the most difficult and most effective among spies. They insert spies into the enemy, lurk for a long time, and send back intelligence from time to time.
"yes."
Chen Ping responded and continued to listen to what Liu Ji said.
"It's still the old rule. This batch of people will all be selected to have families, parents, wives and children in Han Dynasty. They will provide for their families well, have enough food and clothing, and have no worries."
"yes."
This is also a commonly used method of coercion. It is said that the court supports the family, but in reality it is a hostage. If the spy who penetrates into the enemy camp performs meritorious service, the family behind will be rewarded. However, if they have second thoughts, the family will be the first to be killed.
"It's just that the Xiongnu were really suffering. I heard that their sky was made of Luo tents and their ground was made of felt. Ordinary people didn't even have a bed in their felt tents. They all slept on the ground wrapped in sheepskins.
You must investigate carefully. If it is just because of inducement and not a loyal person who serves the court, I am afraid that you will not be able to endure this hardship. "
Both of them understood that it was very different from the previous deployment of eyes and ears to Chu camp and other places. The desert was far away and they were a foreign race with completely different languages and customs. It was destined to take a long time and could not be reversed in two or three years. They had no idea how strong the spies' minds were. It is a great test.
"Yes." Chen Ping pondered for a moment,
"I am thinking, how about selecting a group of people who come from the surrounding counties and have a blood feud with the Xiongnu?"
"Okay, just go ahead and do it.
Once you have selected all the people, you don't need to reply to me. Go directly to Xiao He. He will find an inconspicuous place for you near New Chang'an City for them to train and teach. "
"Exactly, there is a lot of construction work going on in Chang'an, it's noisy, there are many and mixed laborers, and there are dozens of people coming and going, I don't think anyone will pay attention."
Chen Ping lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said yes.
