Chapter 79 Bai Qi vs. Huo Qubing Magistrate Jiang, are you trying to raise assassins? ...

Cao Cao was discussing matters with his generals in his tent when he was suddenly informed that an envoy from Eastern Wu had sent a strange object called a "television set".

"A television?" Cao Cao stroked his beard, his eyes gleaming. "What trick is that brat Zhou Yu up to now?"

These past few days, the Eastern Wu's recruitment of immortals has caused unrest. Now, another television set appears. Does Cao Cao think he's some naive, ignorant child?

He won't fall for that!

Cheng Yu cautiously said, "Prime Minister, this might be a trick by Eastern Wu. Perhaps..."

"Bring it here!" Cao Cao waved his hand dismissively. "I want to see what tricks Zhou Yu is up to!"

Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle.

When the television set was carried into the main tent, all the generals of Cao Cao's camp gathered around curiously. Xu Chu's eyes widened: "This black box can project images of living people?"

How can I see anything that's so dark?

It turns out that the Eastern Wu kingdom was all a liar.

Jia Xu narrowed his eyes: "There must be something fishy about the things from Eastern Wu." He habitually assumed the worst about other people's every move.

Could it be arsenic? Or perhaps poison?

Where? Where?

Cao Cao, however, was unimpressed and pressed the switch according to the accompanying instructions. The scene of the Battle of Red Cliffs from "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" immediately appeared on the screen.

At first, when Cao Cao saw the magnificent scene in the drama of himself leading a million-strong army south, he couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh: "Good! Good! This is more worthy of me, Cao Mengde!"

His demeanor, bearing, and height are truly worthy of Cao Cao; one look at him reveals that this man is destined for greatness.

The acting was good.

Cao Mengde expressed his satisfaction.

However, his smile quickly froze. In the scene, Cao Cao's chained warships were attacked with fire, and countless soldiers were burned or drowned. What angered him even more was the Huarong Road episode—he actually humbled himself before Guan Yu, begging for his life!

This is a frame-up.

"Absurd!" Cao Cao suddenly stood up, overturning the table and spilling wine all over the floor. "How could I, Cao Mengde, be a coward who fears death!"

Although I'm a bit afraid of death, I can't just make it into a video and let the whole world know, can I?

What would happen if we gave him some face?

However... if things really came to that point, given Guan Yu's pride and sense of righteousness, he might very well spare him. Although Luo Guanzhong fabricated the story, he was still quite perceptive.

Xiahou Dun's one eye widened: "Does that scoundrel Guan Yu even deserve to make the Prime Minister beg for mercy?"

Who spoke so rudely to Guan Yu?

Although Cao Cao was dissatisfied with Xiahou Dun's tone, he did not show it. Guan Yu had not yet joined him, but Xiahou Dun was his subordinate, and they were on the same side.

Seeing that Zhuge Liang had deliberately assigned Guan Yu to guard Huarong Road to maintain the "three-way balance of power," Cao Cao's eyes narrowed. He stroked his beard and pondered, "What a Kongming! If he truly schemed like that, he would be even more terrifying than the historical records... What a pity, what a pity! If I had eliminated Liu Bei first in the Battle of Red Cliffs, I wouldn't be being portrayed by later generations today!"

Zhang Liao angrily retorted, "This is slander! Utter slander!"

Just as everyone was filled with righteous indignation, the timeline on the screen rapidly advanced, revealing Sima Yi. The initial news was that Sima Yi had feigned illness to deceive Cao Shuang.

Cao Cao sneered, "I knew long ago that Sima Zhongda was not fit to be a subject! Back then, he feared me like a tiger and was as subservient to Pi'er as a dog; it was all a pretense!" He smashed his wine cup, "Cao Shuang? Fool! He doesn't even have the courage of a mere stable boy in my household!"

When Cao Cao saw his descendants being slaughtered by the Sima family and the Wei kingdom changing hands, he was struck dumb and staggered back a few steps.

"Sima Zhongda... what a Sima Zhongda!" Cao Cao's eyes were bloodshot, and he drew his sword as if to strike: "How dare you, you brat! My grandson was slaughtered like pigs and dogs in the street?! Sima Zhao's intentions are obvious to everyone? Haha... what a fine 'obvious to everyone'!"

Jia Xu hurriedly stepped forward: "Prime Minister, the origin of this item is unknown; it may not be genuine..."

Could it be that Zhou Yu's plan was exactly this: to incite them to fight amongst themselves so that they could be the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?

"No." Cao Cao raised his hand to stop him, his face ashen. "Sima Yi does indeed have the look of an eagle and the gaze of a wolf; I noticed it long ago."

Even the most skilled actor cannot escape Cao Cao's eyes. After the TV series' explanation, Sima Yi's past performances seem to have been clarified, and all his actions have a reason.

He turned around abruptly and said sternly to Xu Chu, "Immediately issue an order to summon Sima Yi back to Xudu! Tell him... I have important matters to discuss with him."

——

Early in the morning, as the sun began to shine down, the dew glistened with colorful halos. Everyone gathered in the office, waiting for someone.

A legendary figure.

Most of the people in Songyang County were military officers. As military officers, who wouldn't want to meet Bai Qi?

Jiang Ge also sat quietly in the official's office early in the morning, waiting for Bai Qi's arrival.

A flash of white light.

The Records of the Grand Historian, in the biography of Bai Qi and Wang Jian, describes Bai Qi as "adapting to the enemy's changes and employing endless ingenuity." His military tactics were ruthless and decisive, and in modern film and television works, he is often depicted as a tall, gloomy, middle-aged or elderly military general.

However, there are always some differences between real people and TV dramas.

For example, the real Bai Qi's eyes are as sharp as a hawk's, making people afraid to look him in the eye. He has deep lines between his eyebrows, exuding an aura of authority without anger, and his whole body radiates a murderous aura that makes people fear him.

Bai Qi looked around and saw a series of unfamiliar faces, but with his keen observation skills, he immediately recognized that the leader among them should be Jiang Ge.

The others were either generals or ministers, or even emperors, and there were three little children who were clearly royal offspring. However, not all of them were masters; there was a eunuch next to Django.

Bai Qi discerned Jiang Ge's status based on just one thing: she was different from everyone else, perhaps because she was somewhat carefree or free-spirited.

"I am Bai Qi, a general of Qin, from Mei County in Guanzhong. In my life, I have fought over seventy battles, large and small, and have never been defeated. At Yique, I slaughtered 240,000 soldiers from Han and Wei; at Yan and Ying, I flooded the capital of Chu; at Changping, I buried alive 450,000 Zhao soldiers—the six states trembled at the mere mention of my name, calling me 'the butcher of men'... Ha, that's quite fitting." Bai Qi chuckled, whether in self-deprecation or sneer, it was unclear.

Because Bai Qi was looking directly at Jiang Ge, it was obvious that he was speaking to Jiang Ge. He didn't take the others seriously, as they were all unknown and probably nobodies.

He's not here to make friends.

Everyone saw Bai Qi's arrogance and naturally understood the reason: it was simply arrogance.

They have an arrogant one here too.

Huo Qubing glanced sideways at Bai Qi, a disdainful smile playing on his lips. "Bai Qi? I've heard of him—the massacre of surrendered soldiers, certainly ruthless." His gaze was sharp. "However, I, Huo Qubing, have never needed such elaborate methods in battle. The Xiongnu flee at the mere mention of my name—did I need to dig a pit?"

These words were an insinuation that Bai Qi's methods of killing prisoners were too cruel. Huo Qubing seemed to think that wasn't enough, and let out a cold laugh.

"Victory on the battlefield is not determined by how many people are killed, but by how quickly and far they are killed!"

A direct, head-on confrontation.

The people next to them consciously moved a few steps away, deliberately creating a battlefield for the two of them.

Even Django watched the show with his sleeves tucked in. These two didn't have any deep-seated hatred for each other; they were just exchanging barbs. Besides, one was Bai Qi and the other was Huo Qubing, so neither of them would suffer a loss.

If Huo Qubing is injured, his uncle might be the next one to come.

Bai Qi squinted and scrutinized the young man in front of him. The young man was full of vigor and vitality. This was a young man. Did he once have this kind of spirit?

Too much time has passed.

He could no longer remember what Bai Qi looked like in his youth; he only remembered that he won every battle and every fight, and that he never suffered a defeat in his life.

Before the people of the six kingdoms called Bai Qi the Butcher, his title was God of War!

We will surely win every battle and achieve our goals in every attack.

It had been a long time since any young general had dared to provoke him. The last one who dared to provoke him was probably already waist-high on the grave. Yet, someone still dared to challenge him.

Bai Qi still admired Huo Qubing's courage.

That kid just said he was also a famous general, very famous?

Never heard of it.

Bai Qi's disdainful gaze angered Huo Qubing. This old general was too arrogant, but he disdained to engage in verbal battles and simply silently assumed a fighting stance.

Whether he is famous or not will be known after a couple of moves.

Without Zheng He, Zhu Yuanzhang certainly wouldn't have stepped forward to mediate the situation, and it wouldn't have looked good for the two to remain at odds.

With both sides drawing their weapons, this was no small matter. Wouldn't it be better to just argue a bit? Seeing Jiang Ge frown, Wei Zhongxian had no choice but to reluctantly step forward. Last night, he was still reporting to Chongzhen on the solution given by the Taizu Emperor. Chongzhen was so excited that he had dragged him along to work all night, reviewing memorials until his back ached.

But early that morning, Emperor Chongzhen was all fired up, grabbing Wei Zhongxian's hand and urging him to have a good talk with the founding emperor so he could beg for help, as the Ming Dynasty depended on him.

Some people live off their parents, some live off their children, and Emperor Chongzhen even lived off his ancestors.

It feels so good to have someone to rely on.

It was a hardship for Wei Zhongxian. He originally wanted Bai Qi and Huo Qubing to fight each other so that he could secretly close his eyes and take a nap.

He's nine thousand years old!

He used to have everything he wanted, but now all he wants is to sleep. He wants to sleep.

However, the moment Jiang Ge frowned, Wei Zhongxian smiled obsequiously, bowed, rubbed his hands, and said in a servile tone, "General Bai, you are a wise and capable pillar of the state! Why bother arguing with a young man? Back then, when you tricked the Zhao soldiers, wasn't it all for the sake of Qin's hegemony?"

Isn't that all understandable...?

The executors were always taking the blame for the feudal rulers. Wei Zhongxian understood this feeling. He was clearly a virtuous and capable minister, but because the Ming Dynasty was in turmoil, he had to shoulder this responsibility.

One pillar supports a bright future.

While this approach works for Bai Qi, a different approach is needed for Huo Qubing. Isn't it just that Bai Qi doesn't recognize Huo Qubing?

That's simple.

Wei Zhongxian spoke with a humble attitude and exaggerated tone: "Oh my! The young hero, the Marquis of Champion, has sealed the wolf's lair. He is the first in history to do so!" As he spoke, he did not forget to give a thumbs up.

It seems this kid has the right to be arrogant.

However, when they got into a dispute, it was none of Wei Zhongxian's place to mediate.

Bai Qi and Huo Qubing turned around at the same time and said to Wei Zhongxian, "Eunuchs are not qualified to discuss military affairs, get out!" This man looked like a treacherous and petty person, which was annoying.

Wei Zhongxian did a good deed but was scolded again, so he hid behind Jiang Ge. He was fed up. Every day in Songyang County, he was either beaten or scolded. Nobody treated him like a human being.

It's better to live like this.

Wei Zhongxian hid behind Jiang Ge, feigning dejection, for a short while before Jiang Ge pulled him out and openly took something out of his pocket and handed it to Wei Zhongxian.

The glass bottle is exquisitely designed, and the liquid inside is even colored, making it look absolutely beautiful.

Everyone's eyes also fell on Magistrate Jiang's hand. This thing wasn't there before. Where did it come from? Could it be that he could retrieve things from thin air?

This looks like a good product.

Wei Zhongxian quickly knelt down and accepted the gift with both hands, asking cautiously, "Magistrate Jiang, what is this? I have never seen it before."

Fragrance liquids extracted by distillation existed as early as the Ming Dynasty, such as rose dew and osmanthus dew. These products were closer to "hydrosols" or "fragrant liquids" and were used to scent clothes, skin care, or medicine. Noblewomen would mix the fragrant dew into their face wash, hair oil, or apply it to handkerchiefs, fans, and clothing.

However, solid incense remained the mainstream during the Ming Dynasty, which was placed in brocade sachets and worn. The imperial court and wealthy households created fragrance by burning incense (such as using incense burners) rather than spraying liquids.

Perfume was likely introduced to China during the Qing Dynasty. Wei Zhongxian had never seen perfume before. The odor on his body came from the castration surgery performed during the Ming Dynasty, which involved removing the testicles and other major organs, leaving only the urethra intact. After the surgery, many eunuchs experienced urinary incontinence or incomplete urination, leading to dampness and odor in the genital area.

Ming Dynasty novels often used the body odor of eunuchs as a source of ridicule. For example, in "Stories to Awaken the World," the character is called a "filthy castrated dog, covered in the stench of urine."

The image-conscious Wei Zhongxian would scent his clothes with frankincense every day and order a young eunuch to carry an incense burner with him to mask the odor.

Now that he has arrived in Songyang County, the little eunuch who used to carry the incense burner is gone, and the odor on his body is getting worse and worse. Even Wei Zhongxian himself can smell the odor on him.

Among so many famous figures and generals, he was the only one who exuded an unpleasant odor, which made him feel extremely uncomfortable and he wanted to hide away. Even wiping himself with incense and tea every day did not help.

Jiang Ge said softly, "This is perfume. You can take it and study it. You can open another perfume factory in Songyang County."

These words were naturally spoken out of consideration for Wei Zhongxian's self-esteem.

But Wei Zhongxian was deeply moved.

He does want perfume, that's true, but he doesn't want to get perfume because of his body odor.

Wei Zhongxian touched the perfume bottle, looking at it from left to right. He liked it so much that he didn't want to let go and wanted to try it, but he didn't know how to use it, so he had to ask Jiang Ge for help again.

Django took the perfume and pressed the nozzle a few times in the air. The liquid sprayed from the nozzle shimmered under the sunlight, giving it a dreamlike appearance.

The fragrance instantly filled the entire office.

Wei Zhongxian was surrounded by the aroma, and Jiang Ge even instructed him to turn it around a couple of times to make it more even.

"I've never smelled anything so fragrant in my house. How much does this perfume cost, Magistrate Jiang?" This scent could cover up his body odor. If it wasn't too expensive, Wei Zhongxian planned to buy it himself after he received his salary.

You can use it every day, and maybe even switch up the scents.

hey-hey.

Wherever they went, a fragrant breeze caressed their faces.

"This perfume costs over five hundred yuan." Jiang Ge originally wanted to lie to Wei Zhongxian, but seeing that he wanted to buy it, she told him the real price. Anyway, he would find out sooner or later. She wasn't too worried about most of the system's shopping mall. With so many historical figures working for her, every penny they generated in Songyang County would become her money. Although she couldn't buy big items now, she was still free to spend on small items.

What?

More than five hundred yuan?

The first one to jump out was Zhu Yuanzhang. This is more than his monthly salary, and it was used on eunuchs. What is Magistrate Jiang trying to do?

Raising assassins?!

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The author has something to say: At this moment, Jiang's father is on his way by carriage. [Okay] He will be at the city gate soon.