mtl008 Chapter 614 Guan Xingcheng became a lab rat?
Chapter 614 Guan Xingcheng became a lab rat?
The capture of Zhang Jing was a trivial matter for Liu Bei. Although the School Affairs Office had a great reputation, it was still just a dirty intelligence department that could not affect the overall situation.
But Guan Xing was different. He was his lifeline, his greatest asset in leading his army on the northern expedition. Trading him for Zhang Jing would be a huge loss.
"Is such that……"
Zhang Bao briefly explained the situation, saying, "An Guo said beforehand that mixing beer with other alcoholic beverages would cause a chemical reaction that would temporarily cause people to lose control of their bodies and even cause memory gaps. An Guo and Zhang Jing drank beer first and then sorghum liquor. By the end, their bodies were so weak that it took the four of us to get him into bed. When I saw that things were not going well, I asked the two renowned doctors to come over."
Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang: "..."
Damn Guan Anguo, where did he get so many strange and bizarre things? He's determined to torment himself to death!
Knowing Guan Xing's background, Liu Bei guessed it must be a later version of the game, and asked nervously, "What did Anguo say? Are you sure there's nothing wrong with this wine?"
Zhang Bao nodded and said, "He was very certain that he would be fine after a good night's sleep."
Despite this, Liu Bei was still uneasy and stood up, saying, "Let's go, come with me to take a look."
The group left the palace and headed to the county government office. In a nearby tent, Liu Shan watched their departing figures through a crack in the door, his face filled with longing.
He wanted to go too, but Liu Bei beat him up and confined him, preventing him from leaving the house except for major events that required the Crown Prince's presence.
When Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and the others arrived at the tent, they found that Cheng Li and Dong Feng had already arrived. Looking at Guan Xing and Zhang Jing, who were fast asleep on the bed, they asked, "How are the two divine physicians? Are there any problems?"
Cheng Libai said, "Shence Hou's breathing is very steady, and he is sleeping very soundly. He seems to be fine, but he is sleeping too soundly. Even if someone were to slit his throat with a knife, he wouldn't feel any pain. This is not wine, but clearly a sleeping drug. Moreover, the effect seems to be even better than Hua Tuo's Mafeisan."
“Damn it…” Liu Bei cursed, “That bastard keeps doing things that make my heart race. Where is Zhang Jing’s statement? Let me see it.”
After confirming that Guan Xing was unharmed, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang finally had time to examine Zhang Jing's statement. After reading it and comparing it with other statements, Liu Bei exclaimed in shock, "He even confessed to Cao Pi taking all of Cao Cao's concubines into his own harem! He really knows everything and tells you everything. This wine is too effective!"
This isn't wine, it's clearly a tool for extracting confessions!
Zhuge Liang said, "We cannot let this assassination go unpunished. We must retaliate. If we do not retaliate, others will think we are easy to bully. At that time, not only Cao Wei, but even the gentry of the Han Dynasty will be eager to make a move."
Retaliation is just a means; deterrence is the goal. If you don't retaliate after being beaten, others will think you are easy to bully. Once you give others the impression that you are weak and vulnerable, anyone will take advantage of you.
Therefore, revenge is not for venting anger, but a necessary countermeasure.
Liu Bei said, "That's right. With this confession, revenge will be easy. But there's no rush. Let's think about how to deal with tomorrow morning's court meeting. Someone will definitely use the assassination attempt as an excuse to attack Anguo tomorrow morning."
After the assassination attempt, Yuan Hui began to frantically visit officials in the city. The purpose of these visits is obvious.
Yuan Hui's actions did not escape Liu Bei's notice, but how to deal with him became a problem. After discussing their words, the group got up and left. Before leaving, Liu Bei specially instructed them: "The two divine doctors should stay here for the night. Thank you for your hard work."
He was worried that something might happen to Guan Xing, and feared that if something did happen, he wouldn't be able to treat him in time, so he had the two renowned doctors stay with him at the bedside.
The two nodded in agreement, saw Liu Bei and the others out the door, and returned to the back tent. By the light of the lamp, they took the pulses of Guan Xing and Zhang Jing, examining the two drunkards as if they were guinea pigs.
Its daybreak.
Guan Xing, who had just woken up, was preoccupied with the morning court session. He patted his throbbing head as he got out of bed and, seeing Cheng Li and Dong Feng beside him, asked curiously, "What brings you two renowned physicians here?"
Both of them rolled their eyes at the same time. Don't you know how we ended up here?
Cheng Li leaned closer and quickly asked, "How are you? How do you feel?"
Dong Feng then picked up a pen and paper to take notes. Seeing the expectant looks in their eyes, Guan Xing grabbed the water bottle next to him and gulped down a mouthful. He then took the pen and paper from Dong Feng and quickly wrote something down, saying, "Ask Zhang Jing about the rest. I'm going to court."
After reading Guan Xing's records, the two turned their gaze to Zhang Jing, who was still unconscious, with a hint of inexplicable excitement in their eyes. Guan Xing then went home, changed into his court robes, and headed straight for the palace.
The Han Dynasty was not like the Qing Dynasty, which liked to put on formalities during the morning court sessions. The grand court assembly was held only once a month, and there was no strict time rule. It started whenever the emperor got up, so the ministers would leave home after dawn.
At this moment, the officials had arrived at the palace gate one after another, and were gathering in twos and threes, whispering among themselves. The topic of their conversation was naturally the assassination attempt yesterday. They had not yet received any specific information, so they were all speculating about the identity of the assassin.
The conclusion is that it was most likely done by the Cao Wei Imperial Household Department, and it is unlikely that the Jiangnan gentry retaliated because of the land reform.
The reason is simple. First, although Liu Bei ordered land reform, he did not enforce it. Instead, he encouraged the gentry to build factories by exchanging technology for land. Although this move was somewhat like forced buying and selling, which made the gentry unhappy, it did not reach the point of taking a desperate gamble.
Secondly, the Jiangnan gentry had been repeatedly tormented by Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan, and their strength had long since diminished. Even if they had the will to resist, they no longer had the ability.
Finally, and most importantly, Cao Cao was dead, and Liu Bei was determined to launch a northern expedition to unify the country. This gave the Jiangnan gentry a common goal and an opportunity to invade the Central Plains and seize more territory, higher status, and greater influence. Under such circumstances, who would be foolish enough to cut off their own escape route?
In order to unify the world, the gentry are willing to pay a small price temporarily, but the premise is that you must let the gentry see the hope of unifying the world.
Liu Bei is currently in a very promising position, so naturally no one wants to focus on internal strife. Therefore, the conclusion is that the assassin was definitely sent by the Imperial Secretariat, and has probably already been caught. The search in the city stopped last night. Would it have stopped if the assassin hadn't been caught?
Zhuge Liang arrived quickly, and the officials who had been whispering among themselves immediately surrounded him to inquire about the situation. Zhuge Liang smiled generously and said, "Don't worry, everyone. Thanks to the Marquis of Shence's meticulous planning, Zhang Jing, the clerk of the Imperial Secretariat, has been captured and is safe."
The officials immediately revealed expressions of "I knew it," and insincerely praised Marquis Shence's brilliant military strategy.
Amidst the admiration of the crowd, Marquis Guan Xing of Shence arrived by carriage. The crowd instinctively stepped forward to greet him, but as soon as they got close, they instinctively covered their noses and slowly retreated.
I can smell the alcohol from this far away, how much did this guy drink?
And weren't you arresting people yesterday? How come you still have the energy to drink?
Amidst the crowd's questions, the palace gates opened, and civil and military officials lined up on either side to enter the tent.
The last court assembly of the twenty-sixth year of Jian'an began, because the New Year was approaching and a new reign title would be used afterward.