plumnovel Chapter 17 Guo Jia: I will set up an intelligence agency for my lord!
Chapter 17 Guo Jia: I will set up an intelligence agency for my lord!
Guo Jia was shocked, muttering to himself, his eyes shining even brighter.
Dong Zhong's eyes also gleamed as he repeated, "Break the Hu! Break the Hu!"
Just then, a voice rang in Li Qing's ear.
"Ding! Congratulations on retaking Yanmen Pass! You have triggered an achievement and received a gift pack!"
"A reward of 10,000 coins has been awarded to Drummer Tokimi!"
"It has already spawned in an uninhabited area ten miles outside Linrong County and will be here to report soon!"
Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Li Qing's eyes.
The reward this time is a whopping 10,000 Shi Qian!
Shi Qian, what a resounding name!
He was a true chivalrous thief.
One of the heroes of Liangshan.
However, the scale of the Liangshan uprising in history was far smaller than that described in "Water Margin".
The actual number of participants was far less than 108, with only 36.
Shi Qian was one of them.
He is skilled in techniques such as scaling walls, disguising himself, and shrinking his body.
He moves among the common people, interacting with those at the bottom of society with wit and agility.
They are natural intelligence gatherers, and top-notch ones at that!
Historically, Guo Jia joined Cao Cao's camp and served as his military advisor.
In fact, he was also Cao Cao's intelligence chief!
A large amount of intelligence gathered in his hands. Through his wisdom, he analyzed and summarized the key information and then reported it to Cao Cao.
It can be asserted that without Guo Jia, Cao Cao would have been unable to obtain intelligence, as if he were deaf and blind.
Now, one of the most outstanding intelligence managers in the Three Kingdoms, and one of the top secret agents in history, has pledged allegiance to Li Qing!
"Not establishing a strong intelligence organization immediately would be a waste of these resources!"
Thinking of this, Li Qing turned to Guo Jia and asked in a low voice, "Fengxiao, what is most important when two armies are at war?"
Guo Jia was taken aback, then smiled and replied, "Many factors determine victory or defeat, but in my opinion, intelligence is the most crucial!"
As the old saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated!"
Li Qing nodded in agreement.
"You're right, intelligence is crucial."
"Fengxiao, have you ever considered establishing an intelligence organization that serves me entirely?"
Guo Jia's eyes flashed.
"My lord, I am capable of undertaking this important task. All I need is a year and three thousand men!"
"I can train them all to be top-notch secret agents!"
"At that time, they will be the lord's eyes and ears!"
Li Qing burst into laughter.
"A year is too long. Fengxiao, you also said that the world is about to undergo a great change."
"If we wait another year, we'll miss many excellent opportunities!"
Guo Jia was taken aback, then gritted his teeth and said in a low voice.
"My lord, haste makes waste; training spies takes time!"
"An unqualified and unprofessional spy will likely bring back information full of errors and loopholes!"
"We can't cut corners during this period!"
Li Qing smiled and said, "What if I gave you ten thousand of my most elite spies?"
"Ten thousand elite spies?"
Guo Jia was greatly surprised.
Training spies is extremely costly!
It requires mastering a variety of special skills to deal with various complex situations, thus requiring a high level of comprehension.
Furthermore, due to the special status of spies, their loyalty must be ensured.
When selecting trainees, only young children with clean backgrounds and who are easy to mold are chosen.
Typically, it's difficult to find even one suitable spy out of a hundred people.
Even for wealthy and powerful local lords, establishing an intelligence network is extremely difficult.
After more than a decade of accumulation, reaching a scale of several thousand people is already very efficient!
But our lord is only a county magistrate.
We don't have the resources to train 10,000 elite spies.
"My lord, are you joking? This is impossible!"
I know you won't believe me.
Li Qing smiled and said, "It's okay, you'll believe it soon enough."
Then he turned to Dong Zhong and gave the order directly.
"Dong Zhong, you are responsible for organizing the people to return to the city and ensuring order!"
"You are also responsible for settling the seven thousand people who came from Yanmen Pass. There must be no mistakes!"
"promise!"
Dong Zhong responded immediately.
He was naturally skilled in domestic affairs, and handling these matters was a piece of cake for him.
At this moment, 100,000 people, under his command, returned to the city in an orderly manner.
The soldiers of Linrong City dispersed to help maintain order.
Lu Bu stepped forward and knelt down.
"My lord, the matter here is settled. I must hurry to Jinyang to report to my adoptive father!"
"At the same time, I also asked my adoptive father to write to the court to request merit for our lord."
"I must also tell my adoptive father about my allegiance to my lord."
Li Qing nodded, his tone direct: "Fengxian, go ahead."
"The gates of Linrong City are always open for you."
"Thank you, my lord!"
Lu Bu bowed again, then hurriedly mounted his horse and galloped off towards Jinyang.
The area outside Linrong City was immediately deserted.
Li Qing looked at Guo Jia and asked, "Fengxiao, how are your horsemanship skills?"
"not bad!"
Guo Jia replied with a smile.
"Come with me, I'll show you your intelligence unit."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Qing jumped onto the horse.
The two spurred their horses and galloped away.
While passing through a dense forest, an accident occurred!
"Whoosh whoosh!"
The sound of arrows being shot rang out continuously.
Three sharp arrows flew straight at us!
Li Qing's expression changed, and he quickly drew his sword from his waist, slicing an arrow in half!
But the other two arrows pierced the eyes of the horses he and Guo Jia were riding.
The warhorse immediately let out a heart-wrenching cry, suddenly stopped, and kicked its front hooves.
Li Qing and Guo Jia were suddenly thrown off their horses.
Guo Jia was physically weak and his horsemanship was poor.
With that fall, he felt a sharp pain in his right leg, as if his leg was broken.
Li Qing reacted quickly, bracing himself with his hands as he landed and immediately stood up.
He gripped his longsword tightly, his brow furrowed, and looked towards the forest.
The enemy deliberately shot only at the horses and not at the men, intending to trap them there!
Their intention was to completely cut off any escape route!
"Shameless scoundrel, show yourself now!"
Li Qing's face turned ashen, and he roared angrily.
Several strange laughs immediately came from the woods.
Five people walked out.
Guo Jia's expression changed drastically when he saw the five men's attire!
These five men are Xianbei soldiers!
They wore tattered Xianbei armor, their faces were etched with hunger, and their hair was disheveled and covered in filth.
Clearly, things have been extremely bad lately.
Li Qing immediately understood that these five men were stragglers who had fled after the last great battle.
The garrison in Linrong County was limited, and more than a thousand Xianbei cavalrymen escaped during that battle.
He later ordered the Han army to patrol and encircle and suppress them, eliminating many stragglers, but some were still left behind.
"Haha, Captain!"
"After hiding in this desolate forest for many days, we've finally caught two fat sheep!"
The Xianbei soldiers let out a sinister laugh.
They stared greedily at Li Qing and Guo Jia.
The Xianbei squad leader sneered, his eyes filled with malice.
"I know him!"
"That great battle, that black-clad cavalry, he led it!"
"He's the one who massacred 60,000 of our brothers; he must be a high-ranking Han Chinese official!"
"Thank God, we finally have a chance to avenge our brothers!"
A fierce glint flashed in the eyes of several Xianbei soldiers.
They couldn't possibly not hate!
If it weren't for this damned Han Chinese leading the Black Cavalry to destroy the Xianbei army...
The five of them would not be forced to hide in the dense forest, hungry, fearful, and like frightened birds.
Having finally breached Yanmen Pass, they should have been enjoying the joy of victory and indulging in feasting.
But because of this hatred, he directed all his anger at Li Qing.
With Li Qing isolated and without the protection of the Black Cavalry, this was the perfect moment for revenge!
"Cut off his head!"
"If we return, King Budugen will surely reward us handsomely!"
"That's right, I'm not greedy; a few thousand sheep will be enough!"
"Maybe I can even be promoted directly to centurion!"
Several Xianbei soldiers exchanged glances and laughed arrogantly, as if Li Qing's head was already in their hands.
Guo Jia's eyes were filled with despair, and his heart was ashen.
He was merely a frail and sickly scholar. Although he possessed the wisdom to overturn the world, he was utterly defenseless in a one-on-one fight.
Li Qing, despite having some martial arts skills, was merely an ordinary person with some fighting ability.
He was unable to stop five fierce Xianbei soldiers.
"I, Guo Fengxiao, have been lonely and destitute for many years. I have finally had the opportunity to display my talents, and I have finally found a lord worthy of my lifelong devotion!"
"Why did I end up in such a desperate situation!"
"Heaven is unjust; it has treated me too cruelly!"
Guo Jia sighed deeply, glanced at Li Qing, and his eyes instantly hardened.
"I am willing to die."
"But you must not die!"
"If I die, the world will only lose one pedantic scholar."
"But if you die, the Han Dynasty will lose its pillar, and the people on the borders will once again suffer invasions from foreign tribes!"
Upon realizing this, Guo Jia, enduring the excruciating pain in his right leg, suddenly stood up and shouted loudly.
"Quickly, my lord, I'll stay behind to hold off the enemy!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Guo Jia rushed out without regard for anything else.
He was determined to fight to the death!
Li Qing frowned, quickly reached out, grabbed Guo Jia's collar tightly, and pulled him back.
Guo Jia was stunned for a moment.
"My lord, you..."
"You don't have to die, and neither do I."
Li Qing sneered, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"They're the ones who deserve to die!"
"Hahaha, even on their deathbed, the Han Chinese dare to be stubborn!"
The Xianbei squad leader laughed loudly, drew his curved sword from his waist, and shouted sternly.
"Men, follow me! Kill this Han official and take his head back for the reward!"
No one responded to him.
All around was deathly silent.
The Xianbei squad leader suddenly trembled and felt a chill.
He turned around abruptly and found that a group of men in black had appeared behind him without him noticing!
His four men had their throats cut silently!
He took a step back in terror, his face pale, and cried out, "Who are you?!"
The man in black showed no intention of answering.
They approached swiftly like ghosts, holding gleaming daggers in their hands.
With a single strike, the man in black killed the unsuspecting Xianbei squad leader.
Guo Jia was stunned.
Who exactly are these men in black?
All the men in black knelt on one knee simultaneously, bowing their heads respectfully and saying, "This humble general, Shi Qian, has arrived too late to save Your Majesty!"
"We have caused our lord distress; please punish us!"
Guo Jia's eyes widened upon hearing this.
These men in black are actually the lord's men?
He swallowed hard, looked at Li Qing, and his face was full of shock.
These were clearly elite men in black, along with the powerful Candle Dragon Divine Cavalry and the Sky Sparrow Camp!
Guo Jia quickly assessed the situation in his mind and was surprised to find that his lord's strength far exceeded his expectations!
I am even more convinced that I am truly lucky to have found a true and enlightened ruler!
Li Qing chuckled lightly and said calmly, "If you hadn't arrived in time, Fengxiao and I might have perished here today."
"You are innocent, stand up!"
Shi Qian raised his head only after hearing this.
He was thin, but his eyes were bright and piercing, and his legs were unusually long, making them seem somewhat disproportionate.
Then, the attribute panel appeared in front of Li Qing.
Qualification: S-level; Loyalty: Absolutely loyal; Strength: 77; Leadership: 63; Intelligence: 76; Politics: 27.
Hidden Traits: Proficient in lightness skills, bone-shrinking skills, disguise techniques, and a series of unorthodox methods!
Shi Qian's personal attributes were as ordinary as expected, with nothing particularly outstanding.
But Li Qing was not disappointed.
The value of Shi Qian lies not in the killings on the battlefield.
His specialty is intelligence gathering!
Those hidden attributes from all walks of life will surely play a huge role!
"Fengxiao, this is Shi Qian, my private soldier, courtesy name Yuanfei."
Li Qing introduced in a low voice.
"Yuan Fei, this is Feng Xiao, my strategist."
Shi Qian and Guo Jia exchanged a smile and bowed to each other to acknowledge their acquaintance.
Li Qing said, "Yuan Fei, I told Feng Xiao about your abilities, but he didn't believe me."
"Now, demonstrate your skills to him."
"promise!"
Shi Qian bowed.
Immediately afterwards, he touched the ground with his toes, leaped up, and easily jumped onto a tree five or six meters high.
It moved swiftly through the forest, as agile as an ape.
This is the skill of scaling walls and rooftops!
Then, Shi Qian jumped down from the tree, raised his hand and wiped his face, instantly transforming into a butcher with a face full of scars.
This is disguise.
Immediately afterwards, Shi Qian's entire body emitted a cracking sound as if his bones were exploding.
Before everyone's eyes, he shrunk from a grown man of over eight feet to the size of a child.
This is bone shrinking!
"Alright, alright, no more demonstrations needed. I believe you, I believe you!"
Guo Jia immediately spoke.
He stared at Shi Qian with eager eyes.
Like a starving wolf that has found the most delicious prey!
Skills such as climbing walls, disguising oneself, and contortion can be extremely useful in intelligence gathering.
He's a born spy!
Guo Jia's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands excitedly, looking eagerly at Li Qing.
"My lord, you previously said that there are only a few spies as outstanding as Yuan Fei."
"Exactly ten thousand, no more, no less."
Li Qing calmly replied with a smile, "Fengxiao, if I give you ten thousand elite spies, how long would it take you to establish an intelligence network?"
"One month!"
Guo Jia raised one finger and answered firmly.
His face was full of confidence.
The most crucial element in building a powerful intelligence network is having a group of spies who are both loyal and capable.
He can build an intelligence network, but he doesn't have enough manpower!
"Within a month, I will be able to establish a complete intelligence network in the Han Dynasty!"
"At that time, no matter how small the disturbance in the world may be, it will not escape the lord's notice."
"With just one order from my lord, I can even obtain the current Empress's undergarment!"
"What would I need that for?"
Li Qing glared at Guo Jia, his face darkening, and said sternly.
"Guo Jia, heed my command!"
Guo Jia responded sternly: "Fengxiao is here!"
"From now on, you are in charge of establishing the intelligence agency in Linrong City, with a one-month deadline."
"Yuan Fei's ten thousand elite spies are all under your command."
"If you are short of money or food, go to Dong Zhong."
"I will tell him that I must support you unconditionally!"
Li Qing spoke calmly, looking at Shi Qian: "Yuan Fei, did you understand?"
Shi Qian immediately bowed to Guo Jia and said loudly, "This humble general, Shi Qian, will henceforth obey all orders from Master Guo!"
Guo Jia nodded excitedly, then asked, "My lord, what is the name of this newly established intelligence agency?"