Fenghou

Chapter 1562 Night News
Chen Qing had just returned to the harem, and he was not in a good mood today. The Guangyuntan incident came to an end today. In addition to compensating each dead laborer for two hundred guan, he also dealt with more than a dozen officials, which made him feel the most uncomfortable It is Lu Wei.

Lu Wei can be said to be the biggest person responsible for this accident, and also the instigator of the accident. The original plan was three years, but Lu Wei forcibly changed it to two years. Therefore, everyone is rushing to the deadline, and the things that should have been done have not been done. In order to build reinforcement piles, the silt had to wait for six minutes to dry before excavation. It took at least five days, but the construction foreman couldn't wait five days and forced the excavation. As a result, it collapsed and 35 workers died tragically.

In fact, Chen Qing is very clear about Lu Wei's thoughts. He is too eager to make political achievements. The year is also good.

At this time, Yao Mei came in and said, "Your Majesty, the inner guard Zhonghuan urgently asks for an audience, and he is already waiting in the Linde Palace."

Chen Qing nodded, "Prepare a carriage for me, and go to Linde Hall!"

Chen Qing knew that Zhong Huan must have something extremely important to come to him at this time.

He soon arrived at the Linde Hall, and Zhong Huan, who was waiting here, hurriedly came up to him and bowed to salute, "My minister sees Your Majesty!"

Chen Qing sat down and asked, "What's the rush here at this time?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, there is an important clue that may involve Korean spies."

"you say!"

"Today, Bo Kongyuan, the craftsman's supervisor, came to Beizhi to report the case. Someone kidnapped his concubine and son, and forced him to hand over the roster and map of the first-class master craftsman in Sifang City."

Zhong Huan reported what happened today in detail, and Chen Qing asked after listening, "What did you find?"

"After discussing with my colleagues, I made two big discoveries. First, the theft of Tiehuolei, which we had been unable to solve before, has finally come to light."

The Koryo people stole an iron fire mine from the construction of the Danba Waterway. This case has never been solved, because the Korean spies they caught only knew how to get an iron fire mine. They have nothing about how to get it. It is known that the specific operator has already gone to Korea with Tie Huolei, and the internal guards have combed through the various links of the construction of the Danba Waterway several times, but no loopholes have been found. Affection.

Chen Qing said with a smile: "Let's talk about the first one first, where are the eyebrows?"

"The clue is that we got the direction wrong and have been sorting out the Danba Waterway. In fact, this Tie Huolei was not lost when the Danba Waterway was being built, but was lost in Xianyang County."

"Xianyang County also uses Iron Fire Thunder?"

"I used it last winter to blow up the ice floes. The county captain Yao Kaishan was in charge. We have actually seen his records, which are very complete and standardized. We didn't pursue them. We are still looking for clues on the Danba waterway."

Chen Qing nodded, "Now you are finally starting to suspect Yao Kaishan."

"Exactly! Kong Yuan was in a hurry to ask for [-] yuan to buy an honorary officer and marry a concubine, and that Pei Qiushan appeared, but only Yao Kaishan knew about it, and they both had the word "mountain" in their names, which is a bit strange. They were arrested before. The leader of the Koryo spies is called Luo Hushan."

Chen Qing smiled and waved his hands, "Let me make a digression first, five hundred coins can buy an honorary officer and marry a concubine? It seems impossible!"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I don't know exactly what counts as a lowly position, but Kong Yuan said that there is a loophole now. The imperial court officially listed corn as grain, but the price of corn is very low. Five hundred guan can buy enough corn to donate to the government."

Chen Qing was stunned, and couldn't help laughing: "It's really a big loophole. This loophole must be filled immediately, and the sentence 'equivalent to the value of grain' must be added, otherwise everyone will buy corn to donate to the honor officer."

"Your Majesty, there is a second discovery that what the other party really wants is not the first-level craftsman of the craftsman supervisor, but the list of first-level craftsmen of the firearms supervisor. They are very cunning. After inspecting the roster and address of the first-level craftsmen, the remaining first-level craftsmen are the first-level craftsmen of the Firearms Supervision, so they want the detailed map of Sifang City."

Chen Qing nodded, "You mean, they got the Tie Huo Lei, and found that they couldn't copy it when they got back, so they wanted to kidnap the firearms supervisor craftsman?"

"Wei Chen thinks so."

"Then what are you going to do?" Chen Qing asked again with a smile.

"Weichen considers to follow the plan and ask Kong Yuan to hand over the roster and detailed map to them, but if we do a small trick on the map, we will wait and catch them all."

Chen Qing walked away with his hands behind his back and said, "Do you think they will enter Sifang City to kidnap craftsmen?"

"Other than that, I can't think of any other way, and now Sifang City is not as strict as before. It is normal to go in and out at night, the gate is not locked, and there are no soldiers standing guard. It is said that many vendors go in every day to sell vegetables and snacks."

Chen Qing still shook his head, "If that's the case, with Yao Kaishan's assistance, wouldn't it be easy for them to kidnap people, and what would they want to do with Kong Yuan? Wouldn't it be unnecessary?"

Zhong Huan hesitated, shook his head and said, "I don't understand either!"

Chen Qing smiled and said: "Actually, there are many details in it. For example, the Firearms Supervisor has gunpowder smiths, gunsmiths, gunsmiths, iron shellsmiths, and matchlock makers. They certainly can't kidnap them all, so they will definitely find the craftsmen they need most. , the most likely is the gunpowder craftsman, because with gunpowder, iron fire mines can be imitated, or they didn’t come to the firearms craftsman at all, you took it for granted and went in the wrong direction.”

Zhong Huan was taken aback, "The humble job is a bit confused!"

Chen Qing said indifferently: "Actually, I lost the Iron Fire Thunder before, and I didn't take it to heart. Goryeo is not Liao and Jin. Liao and Jin can already manufacture ordinary firearms. They can imitate them if they get the Iron Fire Thunder. No, Koryo is not. Goryeo still needs to start from the search for saltpeter mines. After finding the fire nitrate, it needs to make nitrate and purify it. The high-purity fire nitrate powder is handed over to the gunpowder maker, and then it starts to prepare gunpowder. After the gunpowder is obtained, it starts to think Try to make all kinds of firearms. If they have never made any firearms, how can they make iron fire mines in one step? Imitation is impossible, so unless they kidnap a whole set of more than a dozen craftsmen, there is no way to kidnap individual people. significance."

Zhong Huan nodded, "Your Majesty is right. If they want to catch firearms craftsmen, they don't need to go to Kong Yuan. It would be better to go directly to Bo, the firearms supervisor. The firearms supervisor Bo knows where everyone lives and what job they do. Chu, then what kind of craftsman are they looking for?"

"Maybe they came to look for master prospectors and smelters, who are in short supply of pig iron."

Chen Qing put his hands behind his back and said calmly: "No matter what craftsmen they find, they will be caught after they enter Sifang City, and they will not be given the slightest chance."

"Wei Chen obeys!"

Chen Qing shook his head. Goryeo didn't know how to live or die, and didn't know how to repent. When the incidents in the Western Regions and grasslands were over, they could attack Goryeo.

Two days later in the morning, Kong Yuan was sitting in the teahouse anxiously, waiting anxiously for Pei Qiushan's arrival. At this moment, a short man appeared, walked up to Kong Yuan and said, "Our shopkeeper Pei can't come today, give me the things." Bar!"

Kong Yuan was not an idiot, he patted his pocket and said, "I brought the things, I want to see my family, let them go and deliver the goods."

The man waved to the distance, a carriage drove up, and the window was opened, revealing the faces of his concubine and son.

"They are all safe and sound, hand over their things!"

Kong Yuan took out a detailed map of Sifang City and handed it to the man. The short man's expression changed, "This is just a map, where is the roster?"

"You let them get off the carriage and walk to the middle of the road, I will give it to you, if I don't give it to you, you can stab me with a knife."

"Give me the things, and I promise to let them go."

"No, you must release him first!" Kong Yuan did not budge.

The short man's eyes shot with murderous intent, he held the dagger inside his clothes, gritted his teeth and said, "I'll say it one last time, give me the things!"

For the sake of his son, Kong Yuan had already gone all out, shook his head and said: "I don't believe you, I'm not that stupid, the thing is not on me, if you let him go, I will tell you, where is the thing?"

After a pause, he added: "I wrote a letter and put it at home. If you kidnap me, my wife will immediately hand over the letter to the inner guard!"

(End of this chapter)