Double penetration: This Three Kingdoms has dragon energy

Chapter 132 Xun You Inspects Taishan County

Guo Mansion, Fenggao County.

A thin haze hung in the sky, and morning dew still clung to the ruts on the bluestone road.

Suddenly, a light dust rose from the intersection of West Market Street, and a blackwood carriage slowly approached.

The carriage body was not painted vermilion or gold; only the shaft and window frames were inlaid with sandalwood with flowing cloud patterns. The wheels were wrapped in soft cloth, and made only a very light rumbling sound when they rolled over the stone road.

The bronze bells hanging from the eaves are covered with cotton covers. When they occasionally sway, they only emit a muffled hum, but they also exude a deep and noble air.

The carriage stopped in front of the Guo residence. The black brocade curtain was gently lifted by a white jade hook, and the first thing to land was a pair of black boots with cloud patterns, the uppers of which were trimmed with extremely fine silver thread.

The young scholar who followed next wore a moon-white straight robe, covered by a semi-transparent smoky-colored gauze shirt, with a warm and lustrous jade pendant tied at his waist, the dark gold tassels of which swayed gently with his steps.

The ebony hairpin that held his hair up was topped with a perfectly round pearl, which shimmered softly in the sunlight, complementing the scholarly air between his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes.

The hands holding the folding fan had distinct knuckles, and the lotus embroidery peeking out from the cuffs was so delicately stitched that it resembled the subtle shading in a traditional Chinese ink painting.

"Please inform them that Xun You of the Xun family of Yingchuan has come to pay a visit," he said to the gatekeeper of the Guo residence.

The gatekeeper of the Guo residence was also captivated by his charm, and it took him a while to react before he hurriedly said, "Please wait here for a moment, sir, I will go in and inform him right away!"

While they were still waiting for him to enter the mansion to announce his arrival, they saw a young scholar of equal charisma walk out of the Guo residence.

He strode forward to greet Xun You, laughing loudly, and said, "Gongda, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting for you for ages!"

Upon seeing this person, the gatekeeper of the Guo residence was immediately startled and quickly bowed, saying, "Greetings, Master!"

It turns out that the young scholar who came out to greet the guests was none other than Guo Jia, the Minister of Internal Affairs in Taishan County, who could stop children from crying at night!
When Xun You saw Guo Jia, he couldn't help but chuckle and teased, "Your timing is so precise; it seems Fengxiao is indeed sharp-witted and perceptive."

Every little thing that happens in Taishan County doesn't escape your notice, and I've been under your control since the moment I stepped into Taishan County!

"Gongda is too kind. This is my duty. My lord has entrusted me with the important task of stabilizing the internal affairs, and I dare not slack off in the slightest!"
"You must be tired from your long journey, Gongda. Please come in and rest!"

Guo Jia lightly raised his wide sleeves and stepped aside to give way to Xun You behind him.

Black brocade boots trod across the white marble steps, and the copper bells on the eaves rang out softly in the wind, mingling with the sound of flowing water under the corridor.

The two passed through the hanging flower gate, and through the moon gates on both sides of the covered corridor, half a wall of roses was visible. Amidst the wafting fragrance, the faint sound of a page grinding ink in the backyard could be heard.

The main hall was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood incense, and the ink bamboo painting on the sandalwood screen was faintly visible in the sunlight.

Guo Jia gestured for Xun You to sit in the mother-of-pearl inlaid armchair, while he himself leaned back on the rosewood couch opposite him, the jade pendant and gold sash at his waist swaying gently with the movement.

Two gilded and silver-inlaid candlesticks stand on either side, their candle wax forming delicate lotus patterns.

"Serve tea." As soon as Guo Jia finished speaking, two maids with flowing hairpins entered gracefully.

They wore moon-white ruqun (traditional Chinese dresses), and the silver bracelets on their wrists made a pleasant sound as they served tea.

The Biluochun tea in the celadon teacup swirls and steams, its aroma mingling with the jasmine scent emanating from the maid's sleeve.

Xun You picked up the teacup and took a sip. The gold-painted intertwined branches on the bottom of the cup shimmered in the tea, and the gold-stamped saucer complemented the dark cloud-patterned satin on his cuffs.

"Good tea!" Xun You put down his teacup and sighed softly.

Guo Jia stroked the teacup with his fingertips, a smile playing at the corners of his eyes: "This tea was bestowed upon me by my lord. I've heard it's rare even in the Heavenly Realm. I only brought it out to entertain my guest today because Gongda is here; otherwise, I would never have been willing to do so!"

“The Celestial Realm?” Xun You’s gaze sharpened, and he said in a deep voice, “Is this the foundation upon which Lord Ji has built his empire today?”
This must be Lord Ji's biggest secret. For Fengxiao to tell me so easily, wouldn't that be betraying Lord Ji's trust?

"Gongda is right! Such a secret must not be known to outsiders."

In fact, my main job every day is to protect this secret.

Generally speaking, if spies from other forces discover this secret, I will arrest them and imprison them in the Internal Affairs Department's dungeon, and they will hardly ever see the light of day again.

But Gongda is different from others. With your intelligence and the long period of investigation in Taishan County, you must have already seen through this secret.

Therefore, I no longer need to hide this secret from Gongda.

"However, I am having a real headache about how to deal with Gongda. I need to ask Gongda for advice!" Guo Jia said with a smile.

Xun You shook his head and said, "It seems you are not planning to let me leave."

"But do you really have such faith in Lord Ji, believing him to be the true dragon capable of pacifying the world?"

"I am naturally confident that all the feudal lords in the world are nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs to my lord, and are easily defeated!"
Moreover, I believe that there are many people like me who have faith in my Lord. The vast majority of the high-ranking officials under my Lord have the same faith!

Even those who are not currently under my lord's command have such thoughts.

For example, Gongda.

"If Gongda didn't think that way, why would he be here?" Guo Jia chuckled.

Xun You was speechless. He had to admit that Guo Jia was indeed remarkable and had a real ability to win people's hearts.

It's not just that he can grasp the thoughts of ordinary people; he can even grasp the thoughts of a wise man like himself with such precision.

Of course, this is mainly because he did not try to hide his thoughts too much.

In fact, the connection between Xun and Jiqiu dates back to a very long time ago.

As early as when Ji Qiu had just left Luoyang City to take up the post of Commandant of Taishan County.

Passing through Yingchuan County, Ji Qiu was able to successfully recruit Guo Jia through Xi Zhong's recommendation, which was partly due to the tacit approval of the Xun family.

The Xun family originated from a high-ranking family outside the city of Yingchuan County. Their influence extended beyond Yingchuan County and could even affect the entire Yanzhou.

They knew all the talented people in Yingchuan County like the back of their hand, and were even more aware of Guo Jia's abilities.

Ji Qiu would not have been able to recruit Guo Jia without their tacit approval.

There are two reasons why they tacitly approved Ji Qiu's recruitment of Guo Jia.

One reason is that they don't get along with the Yuan family.

Secondly, they supported the emperor.

Their conflict with the Yuan family was not because they had a personal grudge against them.

It was a pure struggle for interests.

As a top-tier aristocratic family, the Yuan family's influence has exceeded the limitations of the state and has begun to expand towards the entire country.

As a province bordering Yu Province, Yan Province was naturally subject to attacks from the Yuan family.

However, Yanzhou was Xun's territory, so naturally there were many frictions between Xun and Yuan.

After all, no one wants to give up the rights they've already gained.

Overall, the Xun family was at a disadvantage in this struggle.

After all, a family that can only influence a high-ranking family outside a province is no match for a top-tier family that can influence the entire country.

Zhang Miao, a disciple of Yuan Wei, was able to become the governor of Chenliu, which is clear evidence of this.

Chenliu is a large prefecture within Yanzhou, not much less important than Yingchuan.

This is the core territory of the Xun clan, and under normal circumstances, its governor should be a member of the Xun clan.

But it was snatched away by the Yuan family.

This is also why, when Ji Qiu later captured Chenliu County and killed Zhang Miao, no unrest occurred within Chenliu's territory.

Those aristocratic families outside Chenliu County, under the command of the Xun family, tacitly cooperated with Ji Qiu.

They used this incident to eliminate the pawns that the Yuan family had placed in Chenliu County.

At the same time, because the Xun family was at odds with the Yuan family and had to face pressure from the Yuan family, the Xun family became loyal to the emperor.

This is because only in this way can the emperor's power be used to alleviate the pressure on the Yuan family.

Overall, the strategy was successful. Whether it was proactive or reactive, the emperor did indeed bear the main pressure from the Yuan family.

This gave the Xun family a chance to catch their breath.

However, although Xun and Jiqiu had this tacit cooperation.

However, they did not have much interaction afterward.

Although the Xun family was loyal to the emperor at the time, the current late emperor, they were very independent and were not the kind of vassal families that were completely dependent on the emperor.

At that time, Ji Qiu's strength was far from enough to attract the attention of the Xun family.

So after a brief period of cooperation, the two sides parted ways and went their separate ways.

The second encounter between Xun and Ji Qiu occurred when the late emperor passed away, Dong Zhuo entered the capital, and Ji Qiu secretly returned to Luoyang to help transport the people.

However, this intersection is less about Xun You and Ji Qiu and more about Xun You and Ji Qiu.

Because the Xun clan's influence never penetrated deep into Luoyang. The limited Xun clan influence in Luoyang was under the control of Xun You.

However, although the Xun clan's power in Luoyang was not strong, it possessed considerable influence.

Because Xun You was a strategist in the General's office and was deeply trusted by He Jin.

With the help of He Jin, Xun You made the most of the limited Xun clan's power in Luoyang.

He is capable of doing things that many more powerful forces cannot.

It was at this time that Xun You discovered Ji Qiu's existence.

Ji Qiu's act of moving the people of Luoyang was never hidden from the eyes and ears of anyone in Luoyang.

After all, this is Luoyang, a place with many experts. How could the disappearance of so many ordinary people be kept secret from everyone?

However, the various factions that discovered Ji Qiu's relocation of Luoyang's people chose to turn a blind eye for various reasons.

Xun You was also one of the forces that chose to turn a blind eye.

Because he knew that Luoyang would become increasingly chaotic, until it turned into a living hell.

These people who stay here will only suffer innocent and tragic deaths.

These are the essence of the Han dynasty; rather than wasting them meaninglessly here, it would be better to give them a way to survive.

However, he could turn a blind eye to the disappearance of the Luoyang people, but he could not turn a blind eye to Ji Qiu.

Ji Qiu's ability to transport people over long distances was truly unexpected to him.

Xun You was all too aware of the value of this ability.

Most importantly, at the time everyone thought that Ji Qiu was trapped in Taishan County by Yuan Wei's economic blockade tactics.

Who would have thought that not only was he not trapped, but he was also using this ability to continuously transport Luoyang people to Taishan County.

Yuan Wei's economic blockade tactics not only failed to weaken Ji Qiu's strength, but instead created a safe zone for him to develop with peace of mind.

Once Yuan Wei's economic blockade tactics are lifted, Ji Qiu's strength will surely shock everyone!

After gaining this understanding, Ji Qiu's status in Xun You's mind, and even in the mind of the entire Xun clan, rose sharply.

He has transformed from an ordinary lackey of the emperor into a powerful lord who can stir up the world's affairs!

However, at this time, Xun and Ji Qiu still did not have much contact.

Because the timing is not right.

Taishan County is still under lockdown, and even with the Xun family's strength, it would be difficult to break through and make contact with Ji Qiu.

At the same time, there were some disagreements within the Xun family about how to contact Ji Qiu.

So the matter was temporarily put on hold.

More than half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

By late autumn, Luoyang had been emptied, and the political landscape had shifted to a point where warlords were vying to overthrow Dong Zhuo.

The blockade of Taishan County has been largely lifted without anyone noticing.

Just as Xun had predicted, Ji Qiu led his troops to Qingzhou, making a name for himself and shaking the world!

It was only at this point that the Xun family began to send people to contact Ji Qiu.

The person they sent to make contact was none other than Xun You!
Within the Xun clan, Xun You had always advocated for actively engaging with Ji Qiu.

The one with a conservative attitude, who wanted to observe the situation further, was Xun Yu, the head of the Xun family.

However, Xun You was held back by something, which prevented him from contacting Ji Qiu until now.

After the death of General He Jin, he conspired with ministers such as He Yong, Zheng Tai, Zhong Yao, and Wu Qiong to assassinate Dong Zhuo.

But the assassination attempt ended before it even began.

Because they leaked the information in advance, Xun You and He Yong were arrested and imprisoned, where they spent half a year in jail.

Later, it was Wang Yun who persuaded Dong Zhuo, saying that Xun You was a member of the Xun family, and that the Xun family was opposed to the Yuan family, so they were a force that could be won over.

Dong Zhuo then released him.

It was already March of the first year of the Chuping era.

After returning to the Xun clan, Xun You immediately began to make contact with Ji Qiu.

His first step in getting to know Ji Qiu was to investigate the situation in Taishan County.

Because he wanted to see how capable Ji Qiu was at governing!
But what he saw next took him quite a surprise.

Because the area under Ji Qiu's rule was completely different from other places!
Xun You, reflecting on what he had seen and heard over the past month, still felt a chill run down his spine.

Who could have imagined that Taishan County, which was originally the poorest place in Yanzhou, would develop into the most prosperous place without anyone noticing?

This tiny place actually has twelve cities that can accommodate a million people!
Although most of these cities are still under construction.

There is only one city that has been truly completed and has a population of one million.

But this is already terrifying.

Looking across the world, how many cities can truly have a population of one million?
There was only one city, Luoyang!

Later, the emperors of the late Han Dynasty used Luoyang as a means to suppress the entire country!
Today, there is also a Luoyang city in Taishan County!

It could even be said to be a city even greater than Luoyang.

According to Xun You's investigation, the power of the government in this city was far greater than that of the imperial court in Luoyang.

The forces that can be mobilized are also greater than those that the imperial court in Luoyang can mobilize!
And this is not the end, but only the beginning.

After carefully studying the origins of the people in this city, Xun You had no doubt that the other eleven million-strong cities under construction in Taishan County would also be completed soon.

Because Ji Qiu possessed the ability to transport people across distances, and because the world was in chaos, he had ample opportunity to relocate the people!
Once the twelve cities with populations of one million each are established in Taishan County, Xun You can hardly imagine how powerful Taishan County will become.

Perhaps they could use the strength of a single prefecture to fight against the entire Han Dynasty!
With such potential, how could Xun You not be tempted?

However, in this world, every advantage has its disadvantage.

While the autumn season's potential is astonishing, it also has its flaws.

"According to Fengxiao, the massive resources needed by the twelve cities in Taishan County all come from the celestial realm behind Governor Ji."
As for the true state of the celestial realm and whether it can sustainably supply the resources needed by the twelve cities of Taishan County, no one except Magistrate Ji knows.

In that case, wouldn't the life and death of the entire force be entirely in the hands of Lord Ji?
"If anything were to happen to Lord Ji, the entire force would likely crumble and vanish in an instant!" Xun You asked tentatively.

But Guo Jia answered very frankly: "That's right, the life and death of the forces under my lord's command are entirely in my lord's hands!"
If my lord makes even the slightest mistake, the entire force will suffer annihilation.

At that time, we wouldn't even need any external forces to attack; we would have collapsed on our own!

"Isn't Fengxiao worried about this?"

Although the ruler should rightfully wield power, this power should not be too great.

"If it comes to the point where one can influence the life or death of a force with their own power, then the risk is far too great!" Xun You frowned.

As a member of a powerful and influential family, one naturally resists dictators.

Not only because it would affect their interests, but also because dictators are truly terrifying.

Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han were undeniably accomplished military commanders.

However, the harm they inflicted on the people during their reign was also extremely terrifying.

The reason for this is that their power is too great, so great that it is impossible to restrain them, so they can do whatever they want!

The situation of the Ji Qiu forces was even more outrageous than that of the Qin and Han dynasties during the reigns of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han.

Ji Qiu directly controls the life and death of everyone within his faction.

What if he loses control?

Who else can cure this?
Guo Jia chuckled and calmly said, "Gongda, I understand what you mean, but I disagree with your point of view!"
Not to mention that we are now in a chaotic world, a world that requires severe punishment and centralized power.

Even in prosperous times, centralized power remains of paramount importance!
In my opinion, the reason why various chaotic phenomena occurred during the Qin and Han dynasties was not because the Qin and Han emperors had too much power, but precisely because their power was not great enough!
Because their power is not great enough, they give petty people a chance to survive.

If Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han could have completely controlled the life and death of everyone within their respective factions and the country, just like my lord, would there still be such chaos?

When a person's power expands to its extreme, to the point where the nation is him and he is the nation, then the entire country will function as one, and true stability and prosperity will emerge!

(End of this chapter)