One night passed, the explosive news spread throughout Yecheng.
The general and leader of Jizhou Mu Yuan Shao was assassinated by an assassin at the wedding of his second son Yuan Xi!
Of course, Yuan Shao did not want to publicize this matter. However, there were too many guests present. Even if everyone deliberately did not talk nonsense, the news still leaked out quickly. The high-ranking families in Yecheng and even the streets and alleys said so.
Some people also suspect that the subsequent blockade of the city gates, strict entry and exit, and even a search of the entire city are enough to prove this.
For a time, various analyzes and speculations were rampant, not only within the scope of Yecheng, but also rapidly spreading to the nine counties and hundreds of cities in Jizhou.
Of course, what everyone is paying more attention to right now is not just a mere assassin, but who is the mastermind behind it!
Are they the noble families, civil and military officials within the country, or the princes of the world outside the country?
In comparison, in the eyes of most people, the latter is more likely. After all, Yuan Shao had just defeated Gongsun Zan at the beginning of the year and became the Lord of the North. His momentum was unparalleled for a while, and some people were afraid, so they made murderous intentions.
It's also very normal.
Unfortunately, the female assassin took the poison in advance and died of the poison on the way back while being escorted back, which made the case even more confusing.
This is also expected. To assassinate a prince like Yuan Shao and a direct descendant of a behemoth like the Yuan family in Runan, no matter whether he succeeds or fails, the identity of the person behind the scenes must not be revealed, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable. Therefore, the assassins sent are originally
It should be a dead man, because only a dead man's mouth is the tightest, so that the possibility of leaking secrets can be completely eliminated!
When Lieutenant Pang Ji of the Fujun Division of the "Jianjun Division" accepted this case, he encountered this kind of situation where all clues were cut off.
Seeing Yuan Shao urging him with stern eyes, Pang Ji took a deep breath and finally said: "My lord Mingjian Wanli, this assassin is a slave of the Zhen family. This time he was also in the procession of sending off his bride, so he had the chance."
Sneaked into the Major General’s residence!”
"Go ahead."
He raised his head and asked: "Since I sold myself into the government, who is the steward responsible for selecting? Is it in the city?"
Yuan Shao stared out the window thoughtfully, his eyes twinkling: "But it was entrusted by an acquaintance?"
After recalling it in his mind for a moment, he said with some uncertainty: "When I was young, I made friends with some Jianghu Renxia. I vaguely remember that this sect seemed to be founded by Nie Zheng, one of the four great assassins of the Warring States Period?"
Pang Ji Zhengse said: "My Lord, I don't know. Although Nie Zheng is one of the four assassins, he is different from the other three, Zhuan Zhu, Yu Rang, Jing Ke, etc. He never disdains to kill people with sneak attacks and deceitful techniques, such as killing Han Xiang Xia Tire.
, that is, he entered Yangzhai, the capital of Han Dynasty, alone with a sword, entered in a majestic manner, and first killed dozens of his guards, and then with the power of a white rainbow piercing the sun, the owl warriors fell on the steps with their heads! "
A more detailed report was sent back a day later.
Pang Jidao: "When I took people to his residence, I found that some of the valuables had been packed away in advance."
This is true. Liu Biao and Yuan Shao currently do not have any bordering territory, so there is no possibility of conflict, and there is no direct threat to each other. Liu Biao's reason for assassinating Yuan Shao is untenable.
"neither."
Having said this, Pang Ji raised his head and glanced at His Majesty, but stopped talking.
Yuan Shao's face showed a gloomy look, and he asked in a deep voice: "Which family is the thief from, the Han family or the Gongsun family?"
Yuan Shao frowned slightly. At that time, he was still besieging Yanjing in Youzhou, intending to kill his great enemy Gongsun Zan. However, the news of the marriage between the Yuan family and the Zhen family happened to be announced to the world not long ago. This assassin was able to sneak into the Zhen family in advance and choose to defend himself.
The one who is not very strict is quite smart to get to the point.
"The implication is that this cheap servant was not bribed to assassinate this general."
Pang Ji shook his head: "This assassin probably did not come from a high family. However, after searching her previous living place and asking generals Zhu and Zhang about the fight with her, I came to the conclusion that this person should be from a high family.
A disciple of the Guanri Sect!"
Pang Ji opened his mouth, but failed to answer. He realized that he had overlooked an important detail.
"promise!"
The Military Division, like Wang Zheng's Benming Division, is Yuan Shao's intelligence agency. However, the functions of the two are actually quite different. Because of the cavalry and cutting system, Wang Zheng's subordinates, regardless of whether they are civil or military, are basically responsible for high-level positions.
They have all joined the team, and there is no question about their loyalty. Therefore, although Benmingsi is nominally arresting both internal and external, in fact, it is mainly for spying on the enemy country, such as fighting against Sun Ce, seizing Shouchun, and even the recent intention to go south, all of which are done by Benming.
Mi Fang from the company arranged the manpower to make the layout in advance.
"oh?"
"I will go take care of this matter immediately."
Yuan Shao's expression changed. Pang Ji's words were equivalent to removing most of Yuan Xi's suspicion and guilt at the same time. However, in fact, Yuan Shao had never doubted his son, but if it was his daughter-in-law, he was still a daughter-in-law who had just passed away.
That doesn’t leave much trust at all!
Yuan Shao lowered his head and fell into silence. Pang Ji stood respectfully, not daring to take a breath. For a while, the entire study fell into an audible silence, as if the air had become stagnant.
Hearing Wang Zheng's name, Yuan Shao was startled at first, and then he burst into laughter: "I also heard that this Zhuzi took six brides in one go. That's all. The key is to make a maid and Lu Bu's daughter the same wife, regardless of distinction.
High and low, hey, it’s really vulgar and without any rules!”
Yuan Shao frowned and had some vague guesses in his mind. He couldn't help but look at Pang Ji's face: "Isn't that about the same time as the Zhen family's wedding party?"
And he did not let down Yuan Shao's trust. Even though the assassin was dead and her accomplices were not found in the city, Pang Ji still obtained some extremely important information through some clues.
Pang Jidao: "Although the Guanri Sect has been around for a long time, it has never recruited many disciples. It has a somewhat independent flavor, and its scope of activities is more concentrated in the land of Jingchu, and rarely seen in the northern border of our country."
I don't know how long it took, but Yuan Shao raised his head again and asked calmly: "Then you went to interrogate Zhen Mi. When did this assassin enter her house?"
"Only entrusted by friends." Pang Ji said every word: "Never be tempted by profit!"
Yuan Shao pondered for a moment, but still did not agree: "Besides, whether his wife is a disciple of the Guanri Sect, it is impossible to make a conclusion at this time, and it still needs to be investigated clearly."
Pang Ji's face turned bitter, and he said politely: "My lord, the wedding period has not passed yet, if I come to the door now to disturb you, will you?"
"Nie Zheng is more like a swordsman than an assassin, so the Guanri Sect itself should be said to be a sect that teaches martial arts rather than an assassin organization. Of course, I have heard that Guanri Sect's disciples occasionally commit assassinations, but
Basically, it will have a very obvious feature, which is completely different from other killer organizations!"
Pang Ji raised his hands and said, "My lord, have you heard that Wang Zheng of Xuzhou just got married not long ago?"
It's normal. After all, he and Xu You have average qualifications among the Eight Great Counselors. They were both ministers of Conglong who served Yuan Shao as their leader in the sixth year of Zhongping (189 AD). When the three of them fled to Jizhou to avoid Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao looked up to Han.
Fu Zi was in a desperate situation, and it was precisely because of Feng Ji's advice that Yuan Shao was able to turn his back on the enemy and occupy Jizhou.
But other slaves, clan members, etc., cannot enjoy this kind of treatment!
"Does this mean that the internal situation can be ruled out?" Yuan Shao asked in a deep voice: "In the land of Jingchu, are you saying that Liu Jingsheng was behind the assassination of this general?"
But Wang Zheng is very different, because Linzi, where Yuan Shao's eldest son Yuan Tan is stationed, poses a direct threat to Langya and Mount Tai within his territory!
"Still unlikely!"
Yuan Shao was furious, slapped the table and shouted: "Send people out of the city immediately to arrest him!"
"Guanri Gate?" Yuan Shao was startled when he heard this, "How come this name sounds familiar?"
"In addition, the identity of Wang Zheng's wife, whether she is a disciple of the Guanri Clan, and who among other princes, such as Cao Cao and Ma Teng, have interacted with the Guanri Clan, should be investigated as soon as possible."
"I forgot about this incident." Yuan Shao smiled and asked: "What about the others? Where are the people accompanying the relatives and the Zhen family members who came to congratulate them this time? Are they going to be questioned?"
Having said this, Pang Ji glanced at Yuan Shao and said in a more serious tone: "I heard that Qiao Wan has superb swordsmanship and is even better at bow and arrow. The Guanri Sect is not only one of the few sects in the world that accepts both men and women.
The female disciples in the sect are naturally the best at using swords, either double swords, single swords, or even some short daggers."
Pang Ji's words had reached this point, how could Yuan Shao fail to hear the meaning, and he couldn't help but be shocked: "Are you saying that Wang Zheng's wife is also a disciple of the Guanri Sect?"
"Let's put those two wives aside for the moment." Pang Ji said: "What I want to say is that among the concubines accepted by the royal government, there is a person named Qiao Wan, who was born in the Qiao family in Wancheng."
"Just like their ancestor Nie Zheng did when he assassinated Han Xiang Xia Lei just to avenge his friend Yan Zhongzi."
For such an important position to be able to become the top leader despite the circumstances, it shows that Yuan Shao has great trust in him.
"Of course I know."
Pang Ji nodded slightly: "My lord, wenqiangji, that's exactly what happened."
Yuan Shao, like most people, doesn't really care whether it's an assassin or a dead assassin, but since Pang Ji said so, maybe the identity of the other party can explain a lot, so he asked this question.
This astonishingly high efficiency is enough to show that Pang Ji's hard work over the years has not been in vain.
"Her origins are not worth mentioning in the eyes of the lord. However, according to the reports from the front sentinel, this Qiao Wan is not comparable to an ordinary woman. She can be said to be a woman who can't be compared to a man. She is also brave enough to be worthy of any man. Before entering the palace, she had
After serving in the Xuzhou Army for a long time, it was no problem to kill generals, seize flags, and be the first to capture the formation!"
Now that he has packed his things, he is not a visiting friend at all. He is running away out of fear, right?
"This animal must know about it!"
"My lord, this assassin entered the young master's mansion a month ago."
After Zhen Mi and Yuan Xi got married, they were considered to have entered the Yuan family and were considered one of their own. Even if there were suspicions, the good-looking Yuan Shao would not choose to question her at this time, even after the wedding period.
Take action immediately. You may have to wait until the situation calms down for a period of time and no one is paying attention anymore before you take action.
Pang Ji said disapprovingly: "And maybe he gave up the jade seal just to cover up his actions and get rid of suspicion?"
After thinking for a moment, Yuan Shao shook his head: "This man has repeatedly expressed his good will to form an alliance with me, and even gave up the imperial seal. If he has the intention to assassinate me, why go to such trouble?"
"I disagree with what my lord says. Compared with forming an alliance, if the assassination is successful, wouldn't it make it more difficult for our Jizhou Tigers to go south in a short time?"
Yuan Shao realized that there might be another hidden story in this case, waved his hand and said: "If you have any guesses, just tell me."
Because of his seniority, great achievements, and resourcefulness, after Yuan Shao became the shepherd of Jizhou, he attached great importance to Pang Ji and made him personally in charge of the military affairs department. He has been his intelligence chief for eight years.
Seeing that Pang Ji was still waiting to talk, Yuan Shao cut him off directly: "Besides the Guanri Gate, what else was found?"
Pang Ji gently stroked the thin beard under his lips, narrowed his eyes slightly and said: "The key is that this son's motives and suspicions are far better than Liu Biao's!"
Yuan Shao's Military Secretary is similar to Cao Cao's School Affairs Department and the intelligence system of other princes. Its main responsibility is to monitor hundreds of officials and prominent families internally. As for external enemy intelligence, most of it is provided by the army.
The guard captain arranged for sentries to go collect them.
"How did this assassin infiltrate Xi'er's mansion and when did he infiltrate?"
"So what?" Yuan Shao waved his hand casually: "The Qiao family is not a famous family."
"That's the weird part about it."
"this"
"The steward's name is Wu Cong. He was originally in the procession to see off his bride, but just the day before yesterday, he suddenly left the city under the pretext of visiting a friend and has not returned yet."
"promise!"
"That's just a killer organization. What's so unusual about it?"
"No matter what, it's not easy to conclude that Mrs. Wang Zheng is the mastermind just because of her background."
Yuan Shao turned his attention to Pang Ji and knew that the key point was coming, "What are the characteristics?"
"It's unlikely that Liu Biaoying will be there, but it's another person."
Within half a day, Yuan Shao received Pang Ji's report, "My lord, although we have not yet found out who is behind the scenes, I have confirmed the identity of the assassin."
"Three months ago."
"Yes, if Wang Zheng's wife is from the Guanri Sect, then he will naturally have the qualifications to invite the other party to take action."
Yuan Shao's expression was still very calm: "Be careful, don't make too much noise."
"A month ago?"
"otherwise."
"yes."
"Forehead"
After meeting Yuan Shao again, Pang Ji reported the latest information: "According to the investigation, the assassin was Zhen Mi who entered the palace three months ago on the grounds of prostitution. Because of his cleverness and quick hands and feet, he was killed in a short time.
She fell in the eyes of young lady Zhen Mi and was promoted to one of her personal maids."
In normal times, Pang Ji would have been able to think of this. The key was that the impact of this assassination was too great. He was eager to find out a result and reply to Yuan Shao. After verifying most of the information, he hurriedly
Came over.
Pang Ji bowed in response and presented another volume: "Lord, this is some information about Wu Cong."
"What's so good about a slave?"
Yuan Shao snorted coldly, but still took it. Not for a moment, his expression suddenly changed: "What?"