In the past ten days, Han Xiufeng was very busy.

It is necessary to support Dean Gu and other gentry, and persuade those township covenants, Baozheng and A chiefs, otherwise the group fee for the formation of township warriors will not be collected. If you want to go to the threshing field in the west of the city and even Qutang and Baimi, you will be able to check out the three regiments and township brave exercises, and the most obedient and well-trained ones will be rewarded more or less to boost morale.

Then Chu Chenggui, Jiang Huai and other soap Li archers were all incorporated into the three regiments of Hai'an, Qutang and Baimi, and the Yamen of the Inspection Department could not be left without one because of this, so it was not easy to gather twelve people to hurry up and practice.

The movement of guns in the town was too big, and it could only be divided into two groups, and Pan Er and Datou took turns to take them to the corner of the slope next to Hai'an. Every day when they go out early and return late, Han Xiufeng doesn't know what kind of shotgun skills they put in practice, but they only know that they can shoot a few pheasants and hares every day, so that they have game to eat at noon and night in the past few days.

Ji Da went to Caodang yesterday to practice shooting shotguns, and today he will be on duty at the Yamen, wearing a brand-new archer uniform, carrying an oxtail knife and Liang Jiu to guard outside the Yamen.

His family is poor, he has never worn such good clothes, and he has never expected to be able to come to the yamen on an errand, looking at the envious and somewhat frightened eyes of the pedestrians on the stone street, he felt very beautiful, and couldn't help but turn around and ask: "Brother Jiu, why don't we take out the shotgun?" ”

"What do you do with a shotgun?" Liang Jiu asked expressionlessly.

"Shotgun majestic!"

"Shotguns are for war, not for prestige. It's up to you, and you've only eaten a few full meals, and you still want to be majestic. Liang Jiu didn't want to live the previous days of hunger and cold, cherished the current errand, glared at Ji Da fiercely, straightened his waist and clenched the handle of the knife and continued to guard the door.

Liang Jiu is not only a colleague who works with Ji Da but also a master of Ji Da, and he really makes a good knife. Don't look at the inspection master's family, the big head is five big and three thick, and he has brute strength, but the day before yesterday he tried it in the grass, and the big head was thrown to the ground by Liang Jiu before he could react.

Liang Jiu's face was flat, Ji Da didn't dare to squeak anymore, and hurriedly straightened his waist.

At the same time, Han Xiufeng was in the signing room and asked Dean Gu to read the letter sent back by Su Jueming and Han Chen, the cousin of Han Chen, the ambassador of the Jiaoxie Field Salt Division.

"Jiangning, where the second thief arrived in early February, is already the seventh day of the first month today!" Dean Gu said nervously.

"There are only more than 5,000 soldiers in Jiangning City, and the more than 10,000 temporarily recruited villagers can't be counted on at all. The commander Lu Jianying was greedy for life and afraid of death, and he fled back to Jiangning, and it is estimated that he was frightened by the bandits, and this city must not be able to hold it, and Jiangning will not be in the hands of the court at this time. Han Xiufeng sighed lightly and beckoned Dean Gu to drink tea.

If Jiangning falls, Yangzhou, which has fewer soldiers, will not be able to hold it.

Dean Gu didn't have the heart to drink tea, put down the letter and asked: "Master Han, Yangzhou is in danger, Xu Ying, as the chief arrester of the Qing army, should defend the city in Yangzhou, what are you doing in Taizhou at this juncture?" ”

"Isn't it written in the letter?"

"Taizhou is Sanzhou, not Zhili Prefecture, Sanzhou Zhizhou is from the five products, and Xu Ying is the five products, what is it to let an official of the five products act as the deputy from the five products?"

"Isn't Zhang Zhigao still dead, Xu Tongzhi is only moving to Taizhou now, not acting in Taizhou." Han Xiufeng put down the teacup and changed his words: "But this matter is indeed not as simple as Su Jueming and Han Bo thought. If you guess correctly, Zhang Tingrui is going to run, and Yangzhou is going to lose! ”

"Why did Master Han say this?" Dean Gu asked in surprise.

Han Xiufeng picked up the letter again and explained: "The letter is clearly written, Xu Ying is notoriously difficult to deal with, and he is from a Jinshi, even Zhang Tingrui, the prefect, has to give him a few points." If it sounds good, it is iron-faced and selfless, and if it is bad, it is pedantic! The war is so rotten that if the Taiping bandits come to Yangzhou City, and there are less than 1,000 soldiers in Yangzhou City, how can Yang Dianbang and Zhang Tingrui defend it? ”

Dean Gu reacted suddenly: "They want to abandon the city and flee for their lives, worried that Xu Ying will get in the way of their affairs in the city!" ”

Han Xiufeng smiled bitterly: "Xu Ying is not afraid of death, it does not mean that others are not afraid of death." What's more, Xu Ying is not afraid of death, even if he is not afraid of death, he may drag others to die when he is in a hurry. ”

"But death is a small matter, but a loss of temperance is a big thing! Yang Dianbang is an important minister of the imperial court, and Zhang Tingrui is the prefect of Yangzhou, even if he can't keep it, he has to defend it, and even if he dies, he will die in Yangzhou City! ”

"Being a thief is considered a mistake, and abandoning the city and fleeing for your life can only be regarded as greed for life and fear of death."

Thinking that he was also preparing for escape these days, Dean Gu hurriedly diverted the topic: "Master Han, can Yangzhou City be defended, whether Yang Dianbang and Zhang Tingrui will run away, we can't control it and we can't take care of it, the top priority is how to deal with Xu Ying, if he knows that we have trained three regiments of Xiangyong, will he transfer the Xiangyong we have trained to Taizhou to defend the city?" ”

"I don't say it, you don't say it, how will he know that we have trained three regiments of Xiangyong?" Han Xiufeng asked rhetorically, and then said: "Even if he knows, if you don't agree to the gentry, he will have nothing to do." ”

"Yes, yes, at this juncture, he doesn't dare to leave Taizhou, we don't say it, and Second Young Master Zhang doesn't say it, where will he know about the three regiments of Xiangyong that we have arranged. Even if we know it, we are not afraid of him, we are training a village warrior, and we are not a green battalion soldier raised by the imperial court, and it is not something that he can adjust if he wants to. Dean Gu thought for a while, and then asked worriedly: "Master Han, but what if he calls you to go to Taizhou to defend the city?" ”

"If you shout, you can only go. Even if I don't shout, I know that when he arrives in Taizhou, I have to go and see him. ”

"But what are we going to do when you're gone?"

What Han Xiufeng was worried about was that he would be transferred to defend the city, and said in a deep voice: "If he really calls me to defend the city, I will tell him that we have trained three regiments of township bravery......"

The more Dean Gu listened, the more he felt that Han Xiufeng's words had some truth, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After Han Xiufeng finished speaking, how to deal with Xu Ying, who was about to arrive in Taizhou, continued: "Dean Gu, no one knows if the thieves will target the salt farm, and if we are not afraid of ten thousand, we should still prepare early." You can't leave Hai'an now, but your family can't stay in Hai'an for a long time, so quickly find an excuse to send them to the corner, so as not to cause chaos when the time comes. ”

Dean Gu didn't want to leave his hometown, let alone take the lives of his wife and children as a child's play, so he said without thinking: "Okay, I'll send them away in the afternoon." There happened to be a relative in my family in Rugao, and when others asked, they said that they were going to Rugao to visit relatives. ”

"When you arrive at the corner slope field, Ambassador Han will help settle down, your boss can rest assured."

"Thank you Master Han for your care."

"Self-sufficient, you don't need to be so polite, without further ado, I'll send you old."

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