Chapter 356: The Aftereffects of Explosives
The true nature of a god?
Qiao Yan said so, but from Zuo Ci's perspective, there was clearly no reverence in her pronunciation of the word "immortal". Instead, it sounded more like a warning to the immortal sign he was putting up.
The Grand Marshal's casual remark, "It was reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye," was like a bucket of cold water poured on Zuo Ci's head.
In the small building opposite them, which was still some distance away, powdery quicksand was still flowing toward the ground, and the residual power of the destructive force was making the last little noise in it, until it returned to complete silence.
And what she said about sitting down and talking with people seemed like a real meeting with friends under the open sky.
When the noise completely subsided, one of the subordinates responded to Qiao Yan's request and spread a mat on the spring grass by the river.
Zuo Ci seemed to have not yet recovered from the scene in front of him and remained standing there in a daze. Qiao Yan, on the other hand, had already sat down calmly.
He realized belatedly that if such an opening had already made him feel afraid, then he would have truly failed in this attempt to gain an advantage.
But when he sat at the table, he didn't know if it was his illusion, but he vaguely felt that the ground under his feet was still shaking, and the smell in his nose was clearly not the smell of early spring by the river, but the smell of sulfur, saltpeter and other things.
Qiao Yan interrupted Zuo Ci's contemplation and said, "The prohibition order has been passed. Since Mr. Wu Jiao has come with wine, why should he hide it?"
Zuo Ci looked at Qiao Yan with complicated eyes, took out a wine glass and a wine pot from his sleeve, and filled the glass with sake under the other's gaze.
Qiao Yan raised his eyebrows, "Just this one cup?"
Zuo Ci replied: "Drink from separate cups, no need for two cups."
He pulled out the hairpin from his hair and swiped towards the cup in front of him.
The wine glass was specially made. When the hairpin was used to divide it into two halves, it would be directly divided into two complete halves. It looked as if the wine in the glass was also divided along the line. But at the moment when Zuo Ci was about to put the hairpin into the glass, he suddenly heard Qiao Yan ask: "Mr. Wu Jiao, do you know how the restaurant became like this?"
She looked meaningfully at the position where Zuo Ci was sitting, as if silently telling him something -
If he wanted to know, he could experience it for himself now.
Zuo Ci's hand shook subconsciously, and the wine glass that was pushed open by the hairpin fell directly to both sides, and the wine in the glass was spilled onto the mat in front of him.
At the moment of the operational error, he heard a sneer from the woman opposite him.
Oh no!
The failure of this "performance" undoubtedly means that he will no longer be able to maintain such a mysterious style in front of the opponent.
But who could shock him in this way like Qiao Yan!
In the past, Zuo Ci once visited Liu Biao in Jingzhou. Liu Biao showed off his soldiers to Zuo Ci. Zuo Ci then conjured up wine, meat and dry food to reward the soldiers and confused Liu Biao.
By doing so, not only did Liu Biao give up the idea of killing him, but he also treated him with greater courtesy.
Where is Qiao Yan?
She had just captured Yangzhou and could have surrounded the place with troops and horses to issue the most direct and effective deterrent to the provocateur Zuo Ci. However, she chose such an unprecedented method, which brought him an indescribable shock.
If he was forced by the soldiers, Zuo Ci would have prepared several ways to escape. He could even perform some tricks such as ascending to heaven or turning into a sheep in front of these soldiers to make them believe in the existence of these immortal magics. He could then use Qiao Yan's reputation to promote himself. But now he was caught in a dilemma.
He didn't know how Qiao Yan had caused the sudden explosion, nor did he know whether she had taken advantage of the guarding of this place in the past few days to plant things that could cause the restaurant to collapse in many places he couldn't see.
His tricks were inexplicable magical skills to others, and Qiao Yan's trick was no different to him!
Do you want to ruin your life for no reason just because of this provocation?
At this moment, countless thoughts flashed through Zuo Ci's mind, and in the end, he only said one sentence to Qiao Yan: "The Grand Marshal is more skilled, what can I do for you?"
Qiao Yan smiled and said, "I think I have made it very clear in my previous communication. Yangzhou is currently not a place that can accommodate you. The only way to survive is in Jiaozhou in the south."
Jiaozhou?
Zuo Ci looked at Qiao Yan seriously for a long time.
As someone who relies on Taoism to cheat people, Zuo Ci is definitely not that ignorant of human nature.
It was not difficult to tell whether Qiao Yan's intention of going south to Jiaozhou was to fool him or to really give him a chance to live.
From the other party's unhurried action of asking for refills of wine, he did not see any intention of taking advantage of the victory to kill him, but instead saw some ambition to make him her own.
Even though she did not express this purpose out loud, the subtext of her decision to go south to Jiaozhou has already made it clear!
What made Zuo Ci see Qiao Yan's "sincerity" even more was the thing she took out, which was obviously a weapon to defeat the enemy.
The crowd around them retreated some distance because of the special restaurant explosion and could not hear what they were negotiating.
All they could see was Qiao Yan raising his glass to Zuo Ci with the same grace. Afterwards, the Taoist bowed deeply to her, then stepped on the bamboo raft again and floated away with the river, soon disappearing from everyone's sight.
"Your Excellency, you don't plan to kill him?" Sima Lang couldn't help but ask Qiao Yan after this shocking incident.
"Is Zuo Ci the only one in this world who acts under the name of an immortal or alchemist?" Qiao Yan asked him back.
Sima Lang didn’t quite understand the situation, but Qiao Yan could give an answer—obviously not.
Judging from the situation during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties in history, there were definitely more than one or two Taoists who believed in the Alchemy School, and they did not just use talismans and water to save people to spread their teachings.
Take the lineage of Zuo Ci as an example. From Zuo Ci to Ge Xuan to Zheng Yin and then to Ge Hong who wrote the medical work "Baopuzi", they have gradually transformed themselves into a state of practicing both Confucianism and Taoism, and combining the real and the virtual, forming an entire faction of Taoist magical existence.
But they had never gone through a domestication process. At this stage when Zuo Ci was at this stage, they were not a special group that could be used by others at will, but a group of troublemakers.
The various rumors left by Zuo Ci are filled with stories of his endless tricks to deal with those in higher positions, as if this would allow them to leave a name for themselves in a way that creates a sense of superiority over others, and add an extra layer of mystery to themselves.
So Qiao Yan had to expose his tricks.
However, it is very likely that the solution to Zuo Ci's attack would not make him feel defeated and stop, and it might even make him continue to provoke Cao Cao with pleasure, just like the various fights between Zuo Ci and Cao Cao recorded in later generations.
Qiao Yan didn't want to become a stepping stone for Zuo Ci's fame, nor did he want to waste all his energy on such meaningless things.
Instead of doing this, it’s better to solve it once and for all!
This directly gave Zuo Ci a difficult problem that he could not understand at the moment!
What could be more effective than explosives, which are related to alchemists but are beyond their current understanding?
Before figuring out what this thing is, Zuo Ci would rather be smart and do what she wants than to bring bad luck upon herself, so as to avoid ending up like that restaurant, which was shattered to pieces.
Going south to Jiaozhou is not only to establish a good relationship with Qiao Yan, but also to give himself a way out when he has not clearly submitted to her command. As long as Zuo Ci is not stupid, he will definitely obey.
Sima Lang thought about it and felt that Qiao Yan's move to order Yu Ji and Zuo Ci to go south clearly had other meanings.
Just as Qiao Yan said, Jiaozhou in the south is still in an independent state due to its special geographical location.
Instead of choosing to pledge allegiance to one side, the imperial court in Chang'an or Yecheng, the governor of Jiaozhou, Zhang Jin, paid no attention to the disputes in the Central Plains and continued to spread his Taoist teachings in Jiaozhou.
The arrival of Yu Ji and Zuo Ci was like a treasure to him, but once the appearance of these two people contributed to his obsession in spreading Taoism, with the Jiaozhou scholars as the local emperors, would it be beneficial to his missionary theory, or would it drive him crazy before destroying him?
Qiao Yan's special performance towards Zuo Ci, when spread in relatively uncivilized areas like Yangzhou and Jiaozhou, is bound to create some fame for her!
"The Shanyue in Yangzhou has not been completely pacified, and there are various internal uncertainties. There are ways to fool the people and deter them. I only suppressed Zuo Ci today, but who knows if it will trigger other chain reactions?"
When Qiao Yan and Sima Lang boarded the carriage to return to the provincial capital, he said, "Only after this can I leave and return to Sili with peace of mind."
Otherwise, who knows whether people like Yu Ji and Zuo Ci would come to play tricks on her governor and generals who are guarding this place.
She was able to use the experience and perspective of later generations to expose their tricks and make the people more obedient to the government's rule. However, Zhang Zhao, Sima Lang, Huang Gai and others might not be able to accurately see through these people's tricks.
Do gods exist in this world? As Qiao Yan herself had to rely on the system to regain her life, she could not give a clear answer. Perhaps believing in their existence would make her have a sense of awe for some things and prevent herself from indulging in her words and deeds. But when she intended to defy the tone of the Mandate of Heaven, she forced the people to carry her will in another direction until the theory that man can conquer nature became mainstream.
The advent of explosives is inevitable!
Seeing that Sima Lang seemed to be hesitant to speak, Qiao Yan asked, "Are you asking me how I turned that small building into this state?"
Sima Lang said, "I wonder if your method can be used to mine mountains or to capture cities?"
At the moment when the small building by the river was blown up by the huge impact force, Sima Lang was terrified and suddenly realized that if this thing could have such terrible power when facing a blue brick building, then it might also be able to produce terrible effects if it was used to blast the ground, blow up city walls, or even be thrown into the enemy's ranks when the two armies were fighting.
Even a character like Zuo Ci, who is full of tricks, couldn't figure out the principle behind it. The most confused and ignorant people even regarded it as a kind of divine punishment. Could their enemies see the secret behind it?
cannot!
Qiao Yan smiled and said, "In fact, this thing has already been put into use in the mine. Otherwise, do you think that in this year of natural disasters, we have to prepare weapons for defense and make so many palm-leaf fan files for digging wells. Do we really have two more hours a day than others, or have an extra pair of hands?"
"However, now is not the time to officially let it enter the battle."
She also needs to let the existence of this thing ferment for a while, allowing people to make some wrong inferences about the existence of unknown things, and then it will appear positively and reveal its true appearance and principles.
Even if Yuan Shao knew about this episode in Yangzhou, it would not affect his ability to effectively stop her when she was about to launch a sweeping attack on Jizhou and Qingzhou.
As early as when she was moving forward step by step in Bingzhou, there was already a gap between them that could not be bridged by ordinary means!
Now, it's just another line drawn in the invisible space.
Qiao Yan said firmly: "I will make it appear at the right time."
It will also allow it to realize its other potential value ahead of actual results!
But what even Qiao Yan probably didn't expect was that before she could pass the matter to the north through the Leping Monthly Report and publicize the confrontation between her and Zuo Ci, the news had already been learned by Yuan Shao's subordinates.
It was not discovered by Yuan Shao's spies who were dispatched to various states, but by... his adviser who originally planned to stir up trouble in Yangzhou.
Until the crowd on the river bank gradually dispersed, Guo Tu was still standing there in a daze, as if he had been frightened out of his wits by the sound of the explosion just now.
He didn't expect that when he arrived in Yangzhou, the Yangzhou noble families who could have been used by him were all gone because of Qiao Yan's action of exiling the four surnames of Wujun to Yizhou, leaving him no chance to negotiate with them.
Guo Tu was wise enough to realize that if he approached another family at this time to sow discord among them, he would most likely fail to achieve his purpose and would be regarded by them as a gift to surrender to Qiao Yan.
But what he didn't expect was that he thought Qiao Yan's expulsion of Ji and Zuo Ci would allow him to find a suitable opportunity to intervene again. However, when he stood in the crowd and watched the meeting between Qiao Yan and Zuo Ci at the risk of being discovered, what he saw was not the immortal alchemist provoking Qiao Yan's existence, but such a "surprise" scene.
The small building that was razed to the ground remained in a dilapidated state, and the soldiers under Qiao Yan began to clean up the remains.
There was no trace of Zuo Ci on the river.
But Guo Tu felt that the scene of thunder and lightning was still replaying in front of his eyes, making him feel that what was blown up was not only the meeting place, but also his crumbling cognition.
"What on earth is that?" Zuo Ci could only smell a familiar odor based on his experience, so it was even more impossible for Guo Tu to know what it was.
Just as Sima Lang would ask Yu Qiao Yan whether this thing could be used for other practical purposes, especially in military attacks, Guo Tu also quickly realized that the attack effect of this thing was far more useful than arrows and crossbows.
Not to mention the explosive attack it caused, the sound it made was an almost fatal blow to the cavalry team.
The cavalry horses can't stand such noise!
He was led away from the onlookers' area by his subordinates in a daze and returned to the guest house where he was temporarily staying to rest. He had completely recovered from the aftermath of the explosion. When he came out for dinner, he heard that while he was frightened by the scene of the explosion of the small building, some changes had taken place in Yangzhou.
Zuo Ci did not just disappear on the river. Instead, he and his disciples took down the imperial edict ordering them to move south in front of the government office, and then he truly disappeared in Yangzhou.
Before leaving, he only left one sentence -
I am not as powerful as Grand Marshal.
Whether this was a magical power or a weapon was obviously not so important at this time. In short, Zuo Ci had already expressed his intention to admit defeat and had no intention of offending him again.
Almost not long after Zuo Ci retreated from Jiaozhou, a tribe of Shanyue people in Fuchun suddenly came out of the mountains and surrendered to the provincial government.
Guo Tu's subordinate who went to get the news carefully looked at Guo Tu's face and saw that he was still a little frightened. Now his face became even more ugly because of Shanyue's submission. He could only say carefully: "I heard from the leader that since the Grand Marshal has this weapon that can blast bricks and stones, if it is used to blast the road into the mountain and bury them under the rocks, it should not be difficult, so..."
So instead of waiting for Qiao Yan to come and attack them personally and let them fall into Qiao Yan's hands like Zu Lang, it would be better to take the initiative and show their submission to her.
Qiao Yan's policy of pacifying the Shanyue had already been announced to them along with Huang Gai, Cheng Pu and others' suppression of the Shanyue forces. The fact that those who cooperated were not necessarily to be killed meant that they had not yet reached a dead end.
So at this time, Qiao Yan has a better food chain relationship than Zuo Ci, so surrendering as soon as possible would be a way to survive.
But for Qiao Yan, this was good news without bloodshed, and an opportunity for her to further increase her prestige in Yangzhou. But for Guo Tu, who was eager to make a contribution, it completely blocked his other way to bring disaster to Yangzhou!
"..." Guo Tu gritted his teeth and had to make a decision that was particularly difficult for him, "We can't stay in Yangzhou any longer!"
Even Yu Ji, who had a reputation in Yangzhou for sending medical treatment and medicine, and Zuo Ci, who was known as a hermit, avoided Qiao Yan, making it clear that they were no match for her, and that Guo Tu would never be able to succeed.
Instead, he should return to Yecheng as soon as possible and inform Yuan Shao of everything he saw and heard in Yangzhou, so as to prevent the weapon that could blow up the small building from suddenly appearing on the battlefield and catching Yuan Shao off guard.
Yes, he must report the news as soon as possible!
Knowing about the existence of this thing early on is also a credit!
With such mixed emotions, he watched Qiao Yan's team leave Yangzhou after achieving their goal, and felt that the panic in his heart had reached its peak.
But how could Qiao Yan care about his existence?
She rode her horse north and watered her horse by the river. While waiting for the fleet to arrive, she saw the sunlight covering the entire river.
Amidst the molten gold, the Yangtze River is no longer a natural barrier between the north and the south, but a link connecting Yizhou, Jingzhou, Xuzhou and Yangzhou under her jurisdiction!
And now, it is time for her to meet Cao Cao again with the victory of Xu and Yang states!
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