As if knowing the anxiety of several officials in Tongzhi, when Xiaolong was not ready to go to the capital to report on his work, the Beijing officials issued an official document to let the prefect of Wang be re-elected as the prefect of Lanzhou.

Some people are happy and some people regret that the father of Kong Mansion Ah Jing's second uncle Kong and his sixth brother Ah Jing are also talking about Xiaolong's retention: "It is said that Hengtai has done so well in recent years, and even the Ministry of Officials has been rated excellent, it should be promoted, or transferred to the capital at the same level." But why didn't you say a word and still stay in your job? Has this son-in-law of your family offended anyone? ”

Kong Liuye smiled: "Second brother will think about those conspiracies!" Hengtai is a magistrate who has never been to the capital, how can he offend the people of the Ministry of Officials? ! I guess he only asked for it. When my family Ah Jing wrote back, he said that there were still many projects in Hengtai that had not been completed, and he was afraid that he would be paralyzed there, so he wanted to finish everything at hand before leaving. I'm afraid the officials are having a headache where to arrange him, and he has this request, so he can't hurry up and give it. ”

Master Kong said very regretfully: "He is really stupid, those unfinished projects have to be done by the prefect behind them, where can he stay there." ”

"Second brother! I know that you are good to Hengtai, but you must also know that the emperor values more courtiers who have a beginning and an end. If Hengtai is transferred away like this, it may have no impact on him at present, but if the prefect behind cannot do a good job of the project he left behind, he will instead put the responsibility on Hengtai, who has already left. It's also a thing. In the future, when the emperor wants to use Hengtai, he will inevitably be restricted, and it is best to have a beginning and an end like this. ”

"You have a point! Everything is a pros and cons, if in the long run. Hengtai's pros outweigh the disadvantages! Forget it, I won't bother with that idleness anymore. Are you doing well in the yamen now? ”

"I'm okay! I don't want to be promoted or anything, as long as I don't make mistakes. My colleagues knew my thoughts, and no one went against me for no reason, so life was relatively comfortable. ”

Master Kong looked at the sixth brother's satisfied smile, looking silly, but he couldn't help but be envious. The sixth brother-in-law's business is doing well. It has grown to four seafood tents. The annual income is not worse than that of his wife and daughter's high-end restaurant, and the private income is sufficient, and the sixth brother is not an official. There is no need to socialize the ditches in the officialdom. The sixth brother himself has no ambitions, he does not seek an official position, as long as there is something to do, of course he has a comfortable life. But he couldn't. Although his wife made a seafood restaurant. has earned a lot, but he is in an official position, and if he doesn't think about it, he will be torn and pulled down. The same situation but not the same leisure, it is really enviable and jealous.

Ay! Having an official is quite restrictive!

Here, Xiaolong received an official letter from the capital, appointing him to continue the post of prefect of Lanzhou, and he was also relieved. At present, only the main road in Qujiaao has been repaired, and the water conservancy project is nearing completion. However, the frontier trade market is still under construction, the displaced areas are still under construction and transformation, and the arid and semi-desert areas on the western border are still being transformed, and these places are not something he can leave now.

Xiaohu and his wife, who were far away from their hometown, heard that Xiaolong would continue to stay in the west as officials. There was neither regret nor joy, business as usual.

"This is what Xiaolong himself wanted. Then follow Xiaolong's wishes, and we can continue to help as much as we can. The others do not interfere! ”

Wang Xiaohu replied to his daughter-in-law angrily: "What can I interfere with!" Now we all have to listen to his assignment and do whatever he tells us to do, and I am all under his command. ”

Listening to Xiaohu's resentful complaints, Erya couldn't help but say funny: "Now complaining here, when Xiaolong comes to something, you are the most busy." Just whine in front of me in the future, but don't forget to say anything about the occasion. Otherwise, you see that Xiaolong is the heaviest and has done the most for him, but in the end, because of these few words, all the family affection and dedication will be hit with nothing. Loss or not? ”

"Cut! There you go! I don't know what to think, and I always devalue family affection to worthless. If the relationship between our brothers can be destroyed with a few words, then there is nothing to count on in the future. In this life, there are many big and small things, and everything can be satisfactory? Our brother doesn't have a measure, how can he be an official for a long time? And to make a big difference? Woman! No matter how capable you are, it's still a little less high-minded for others! ”

Erya really wants to say: The more intimate the two people, the easier it is to care about these small things. If you really encounter a major event related to life and death, you are more anxious and nervous than anyone else, and you will not hesitate to risk your life for the other party.

She looked at Xiaohu with a smug look of complete pride and pride for Xiaolong, and endured what she was about to say. Xiaolong's practice of being an official in the past few years can be seen to be a big ambition. Since Ah Jing married Xiaolong, her husband has followed her wife, and she has put Xiaolong's requirements first in everything, and she will not disobey Xiaolong to alienate her in-laws' brothers and sisters-in-law. If he said too much, he would reduce the personality of Xiaolong and his wife, and also reduce his own personality.

Erya didn't answer, so she looked a little cold, so she turned around and asked about the supply in the west: "Have the caravans from all over the country been notified of the delivery to Lanzhou?" ”

"Hmmm! All the letters have been sent, and it is estimated that it will arrive tomorrow morning! ”

The caravans going to Lanzhou from all over the country have always been taken care of by special personnel. The Lanzhou side will send over the inventory they still have, and this side will be able to equip the goods they need to replenish according to their usual sales situation. In the peak season, there is one trip to replenish the goods every month, and in the off-season, every two or three months, which is much more complete and faster than the previous replenishment volume of one or two trips a year for large merchants in the western region.

Because the border market is already under construction, caravans going to the frontier from all over the country will inevitably be established in the future. Erya took the lead in co-operating with various dart bureaus in the world according to its own advantages, and set up a small caravan in various places with its own industries, and gradually matured in the supply of shops to the Lanzhou government in the past two years.

Naturally, the specific matters of these caravans are not in the hands of Erya and Xiaohu, but they must inquire about the delivery time every month. She was just afraid that those people who went down in the world would do whatever they wanted, and if she didn't give orders on her side, they wouldn't listen to the assignment of the local steward and refused to leave.

Xiaolong is already taking a big risk by breaking the routine to do government business, and if there is a situation everywhere that causes business trouble, I am afraid that it will be difficult to escape this responsibility. Therefore, their relatives must do their best to help deal with this backing matter and avoid some unnecessary troubles for Xiaolong.

Speaking of the caravan that supplied Lanzhou, Xiaohu remembered that the ocean caravan should return soon. So he asked his daughter-in-law: "It's time for the ocean-going fleet to come back, right?" When the time comes, do you want to send some foreign goods to the shops in Lanzhou? ”

And what Er Ya wanted the ocean caravan to bring back was not the goods, but the children who were originally sent out. After more than ten years of wandering, I don't know if everything is safe? I don't know if I would like to come back with everyone and contribute to my homeland?

At this time, the ocean-going caravan that Xiaohu and his wife were thinking about was engaged in a sudden sea battle at their doorstep.

The caravan of the Great Min Dynasty was originally unimpeded all the way, and no pirate or thief dared to clash head-on. In particular, the area close to the coast of the Damin Dynasty has been handled very cleanly by the Tianxia Ascending Sea Dart Bureau, and basically no pirates appear.

The pirates who intercepted the caravan this time said that it was a thief, but in fact it was not, the original Damin Dynasty caravan was informed by a certain force in Dongying from the time of departure, and temporarily formed a pirate team for the caravan of the Damin Dynasty, secretly trained for three years, at the beginning of the year, quietly bypassed the Ryukyus, stationed on Luzon, and waited for the return of the Damin Dynasty's ocean-going caravan.

Because they had to pass through the Ryukyus and other places, a long part of the sea area belonged to the Great Min Dynasty, and they did not dare to send too many ships. Thirty regular warships were prepared, and to deal with more than a hundred commercial fleets, they thought that it was enough.

The reality is not optimistic.

The Damin Dynasty had more than 100 ships in this caravan, but not all of them were merchant ships, and more than 70 of them were frigates, several times larger than the Dongying warships. Superior in numbers, and combat effectiveness is not bad! These frigates are not only striving for the best materials, but also attacking and defending, and they are also the leading level of the current maritime fleet. How many islands and islands do you have to pass back and forth along the way?! How many pirate areas?! But those pirates didn't even dare to show their faces, knowing how powerful these frigates were. And only this Dongying pirate didn't know what to think, and he thought that with thirty warships, he could rob the caravan protected by more than seventy frigates of the Great Min Dynasty?! Maybe the person who made this decision was in the water.

The commander who led this caravan was thrilled to see that he was about to enter his country's waters. This mission to various countries in the ocean went unusually well. And everyone is safe, not a single ship has been lost, and the emperor will definitely praise him. Just as he was in his thoughts, he heard a report from the lookout that he had spotted a flotilla similar to a warship ahead, and had warned us that he would not retreat.

He scolded in his heart, damn! Who is so short-sighted? Immediately an order was issued to the convoy: "All escort ships, prepare for the attack!" ”

The ships of the caravan, in the absence of storms and under normal conditions, moved in a hexagonal diamond formation. Each side is protected by six escort ships on the perimeter, and the second line of defense inside is also protected by six escort ships on each side, ready to replenish the outer escort ships at any time.

The commander of the Dongying warship, in the distance getting closer and closer, finally saw the huge caravan of the Great Min Dynasty. When he saw the two rows of frigates arranged in a figure-eight shape at the front, he couldn't help but cover his eyes and deceive himself and said: I saw it wrong.

He hates! Who gave the message? Say that this caravan is only escorted by about twenty escort ships? What's going on with those hula-la-open tails behind the other party, like a giant peacock opening the screen?

Is it too late to turn around and run away? (To be continued.) )