"General, how should we reply to this letter?" the general asked.
Qin Wubing leaned back on his chair, pondered for a moment, and said: "To the Governor's Mansion of Xiliang: I would like to inform you of your letter on the 26th of the first month of the 42nd year of Jiushi. In compliance with the letter, our department will abandon thousands of wastes in the West Gobi of Yongzhou. The household office will organize the army, conduct an inventory inside and outside, and is willing to accept investigation at any time. The specific results of the inventory will be informed in a separate letter. Qin Wubing, Deputy Protector of the Xiliang Protectorate."
The general quickly wrote it down and repeated it again. After confirming that it was correct, he turned and left the signing room to reply to the Xiliang Governor's Mansion.
With the development of the world, this kind of official document exchanges are no longer delivered manually in many cases. The six hundred mile express and eight hundred mile express have become a thing of the past, but have become letters sent through the air.
The earliest one was the flying sword transmission, which was similar to the flying pigeon transmission. Later, the flying sword was abandoned, and only a small talisman array was needed to transmit documents.
The Taoist sect calls this kind of talisman array "Xun talisman array". Each "Xun talisman array" can connect multiple "Xun talisman arrays", and they are numbered with different talismans. When passing the letter, you can freely according to the number. Select the person to whom you want to send the letter.
The only shortcoming is that the "Xunfu Array" is expensive to build, reaching tens of thousands of peace money, and cannot be deployed on a large scale. Looking at the entire court, the men in black have spread to the guerrilla level, the Qingluan Guards have spread to the thousand-household level, and the local yamen It has spread to the prefectural level, but at the county level, people still use manpower to deliver letters. However, it can take as short as half a day or as long as two or three days from the county seat to the prefectural city, and manpower delivery is enough.
As for why the Zimu Talisman is not used to replace the "Xun Talisman Array", there are many reasons. First, the Zimu Talisman is a one-time consumable item, while the "Message Talisman Array" can be used repeatedly. Secondly, there is no proof for what you say, but it must be backed up by words in black and white, to prevent mutual blame-shifting in the future, and to avoid taking the blame for others. A clear and clear official document is essential, so the "Xun Talisman Array" cannot be replaced by the Zimu Talisman.
After the generals left, Qin Wubing took out a Zimu Talisman and held it between his two fingers, seemingly hesitant.
Which is more important, your own future or the loyalty of your friends?
There is an old saying that there are no friends in officialdom.
But there are brothers Pao Ze on the battlefield. You can distrust your colleagues in the officialdom, but you cannot distrust your own integrity on the battlefield.
Qin Wuyou stared at the Zimu Talisman in his hand, frowning, and finally lit the Zimu Talisman with his own true energy.
After a moment, the Zimu Talisman turned into a flame, projecting Shangguan Jing's half-length shadow.
"What's the matter?" The Tiangangtang Taoist priests have many similarities with the military attachés of the imperial court. They don't like polite greetings, especially people like Shangguan Jing who have just returned from the border battlefield.
Qin Wubing didn't care and said with a smile: "You are not a peerless beauty or a fairy. If there is nothing wrong, I won't bother to talk to you."
Shangguan Jing smiled: "Then let's talk about it."
Qin Wubing asked, "Where have you been?"
Shangguan Jing didn't think much and replied: "We are stopping at Cuowenbu to replenish water."
Qin Wubing asked again: "You haven't been back to Yujing for a while, right?"
"I haven't been back for a while, but why do you care about this?" Shangguan Jing finally noticed something was wrong, "Even if something happens to Yujing, you won't be the first to get the news."
"It's hard to say." Qin Wubing said, "The wind starts at the end of Qingping. By the time it turns into strong winds and waves that can capsize the ship, it will be too late."
Shangguan Jing was silent. He smelled an ominous atmosphere from Qin Wubing's words.
Qin Wubing said softly: "From now on, I will stop and rest."
"What do you mean?" Shangguan Jing asked immediately.
Qin Wubing asked an unexpected question: "I would like to advise you to be careful in your actions. Even if you don't make an inch of success, you won't make a big mistake."
Shangguan Jing was not a fool. He had already heard the underlying meaning of Qin Wubing's words and stared at Qin Wubing with a solemn expression.
Qin Wubing avoided Shangguan Jing's gaze and said: "I have no intention of joking now. You and I have been friends for more than ten years. I just go out of my way to remind you that someone said hello and asked me to stop and catch my wife." ghost."
"Who?" Shangguan Jing's eyes flashed.
Qin Wubing said calmly: "At this point, is this still important? Don't ask."
"Is it the Western Region Protectorate? Or the Cabinet?" Shangguan Jing went straight to the point.
Qin Wubing pondered for a while, and then said after a while: "Are you really not understanding, or are you pretending not to understand? This is not a battlefield facing the Golden Horde. The water here is deeper than Tso Wenbu."
Shangguan Jing said softly: "I don't want you to wade in the water, and I don't want you to hold me on the shore. I just want you to remind me on the shore."
Qin Wubing was silent for a moment and sighed: "That's all, then I'll tell you, it's Xiliang Governor's Mansion and Beichen Hall."
Shangguan Jing was silent for a long time and then slowly said: "I can think of it even if you don't tell me. If you tell me, I finally didn't lose you as a friend."
Qin Wubing had many feelings: "You and I are both people who have been in prison for a long time. We should understand that where we are, there is no need for impulsiveness or anger. If an official document comes down from above, we must follow it. You have to obey even if you don't want to. All I can do is let you know in advance that if you can retreat, you should retreat first."
Shangguan Jing shook his head and said: "I appreciate your kindness. But I want to retreat, but where can I retreat to? To Yujing?"
Qin Wubing said in a serious tone: "The matter has become clear. The secret association of revenge is just a high-sounding excuse. Taiping Dao wants to make a big fuss about this matter. They have to convince both groups and elect a great leader named Li. They I even want the Grand Master to be hereditary like the throne. Whoever blocks the way to Taiping Dao will be crushed to death by Taiping Dao. People who stand in the way kill people, and Buddhas who stand in the way kill Buddhas. Neither you nor I can stop you."
Shangguan Jing was silent.
Qin Wubing's tone became lowered: "Even if we retreat to Yujing and lose our position as deputy hall master, it is better than losing our lives."
…
Qi Xuansu came to the second floor of the "inn", came to Qin Xiang's room, and knocked on the door gently.
"Are you... okay?" Qin Xiang opened the door and looked Qi Xuansu up and down to see if he was missing any arms or legs.
Qi Xuansu said: "Fortunately, there was no danger."
"Come in and talk." Qin Xiang let Qi Xuansu in and was about to close the door when Qi Xuansu raised his hand to stop him.
Qin Xiang looked at Qi Xuansu doubtfully.
Qi Xuansu explained: "Leave it open, there's nothing you can't see."
Qin Xiang was startled, but then he understood and said angrily: "You... are no longer in the world of Neo-Confucianism!"
Qi Xuansu smiled and did not refute, but did not intend to close the door.
The two of them sat facing each other with the door open. Qin Xiang said: "I didn't expect the little prince to invite you here. But since you are here, I just want to thank you. What do you want?"
This was a bit condescending, but Qi Xuansu didn't feel offended. He didn't think that the silly county leader did it on purpose.
Qi Xuansu did not reject it very grandly, but thought carefully for a while and replied: "Taiping money."
Qin Xiang was not being polite and immediately asked: "How much is appropriate?"
Qi Xuansu estimated his net worth and found that he still had 800 Taiping left, which was more or less. The little county owner didn't seem to be rich, so he might as well ask for 200 Taiping. integer. For a county owner, two hundred Taiping should not be too much.
So Qi Xuansu stretched out two fingers.
"Two thousand Taiping money?" Qin Xiang secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said with a relaxed expression, "It's not much. In fact, you don't need to be so polite."
Qi Xuansu only felt that his two fingers were a little stiff. He suddenly realized that his vision seemed to be low.
It's not Qi Xuansu's fault, because he hasn't come into contact with many wealthy people.
There is no doubt that Qiniang is a rich person, but she is a stingy miser and cannot be judged by normal standards. As for Zhang Yuelu, her high moral standards made her live in poverty, only slightly better than Qi Xuansu.
Qin Xiang is different.
To be fair, in her eyes, two thousand Taiping money is not a small sum of money, but it is not a big sum of money either. Daxuan's clan lost their fiefdoms, and only some of them were able to participate in political affairs. The rest began to get involved in various businesses. They did not come forward to operate, but invested their own money, hired professional shopkeepers, and held shares in various companies. Sit back and enjoy the dividends.
Qin Xiang is just a county boss, but her parents are pampered and she has some stocks in her name. Her annual income is about five thousand Taiping coins. Two thousand Taiping coins is her income for half a year, and she doesn't spend much money on weekdays. I also have a small amount of savings, about 10,000 Taiping, which is enough to cope with it.
In the end, Qi Xuansu accepted the number without explaining.
