Han Xiufeng changed his clothes and walked into the signing room, nodded slightly with Zhang Guangcheng's family member Zhang Si, then sat down to open and look at the private message that Zhang Guangcheng asked him to send, but found that the letter was full of polite words.

"Zhang Si, your young master didn't just ask you to send this letter, right?" Han Xiufeng put down the letter and asked with a smile.

"Master Han is really wise, and he guessed it right at a glance." Zhang Si bowed and saluted, and then said solemnly: "Master Han, my young master has found some news, and I am worried that Master Han does not know it, and it is not appropriate to write it in the letter, so let the little one tell him in person." ”

"What's the news?"

"The Taiping bandits." Zhang Si thought about it carefully, and said: "Last year, due to the ineffective suppression of bandits, Xu Guangjin, the minister of Qincha and the governor of Huguang, was imprisoned. The emperor transferred Zhang Guangliang, the governor of Hunan, to Zhang Guangliang, as the governor of Huguang, and Qi Shan, the governor of Henan, as the minister of Qincha, stationed in Hubei and Henan, and Luo Huandian, the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, to guard the land of Jing and Xiang......

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, the bandit vanguard went down to Chaohu Lake in eastern Hubei and broke the river defense army of Lord Lu, the minister of the Qin Mission and the governor of Liangjiang. Lord Lu abandoned the army and fled back to Jiangning, and the defense troops along the river were scattered; On the eleventh day of the first month, the bandits captured Jiujiang; On the seventeenth day of the first month, Anqing, the capital of Anhui Province, fell, Anhui Governor Jiang Wenqing and Jiang were martyred, and more than 10,000 Shandong soldiers led by Wang Pengfei, the chief soldier of Langshan Town, Anqing, collapsed without a fight. ”

Zhang Guangcheng's news was better than Su Jue's, Han Xiufeng knew that Anqing would be captured by Taiping bandits sooner or later, but he didn't expect to lose it so quickly, and couldn't help but sigh: "There is no natural danger to defend in the lower reaches of Anqing, and the door of Jiangning is open!" ”

"That's what my young master said."

"Since your young master knows that Jiang Ning is in danger, do you have any plans?"

Zhang Si said helplessly: "My young master has already helped my master to report his illness, but the official document of the illness was submitted, and the government did not reply for a long time. ”

Han Xiufeng asked puzzledly: "Your lord is not pretending to be sick, why doesn't Futai agree?" ”

Zhang Si said with a bitter face: "It seems that the emperor has decreed that all officials in Liangjiang are not allowed to report illness, and even if they die, they will die in office." ”

It may seem unreasonable not to let you get sick, but when you think about it, there is a point. If this precedent is set, when the Taiping bandits are killed, the local officials will not rush to complain. Han Xiufeng nodded slightly, thought about it and asked, "Since you can't get sick, what are your young master's plans?" ”

"Although my lord is sick, he is still conscious, and he urges my young master to go almost every day in the first month, saying that he is so old, even if he dies in office, it is nothing, saying that where the loess does not bury people. But my young master is a filial son, no matter what the master says, he doesn't want to go, he can only take one step at a time. ”

"People regard filial piety as the sky, and if I were me, I would not leave." Han Xiufeng pondered for a moment, then raised his head and said, "Help me bring a letter to your young master, and say that I will leave a fast boat in the east of the city." If the bandits really kill them, the boat will wait until the last minute, and as long as they get on the boat, they will be fine. ”

Everyone says that it is good to be an official, but the official master also has the difficulties of the official master. The gentry in Taizhou City are now staring at the state government, and Zhang Guangcheng is stared at so that he doesn't dare to act rashly, otherwise he won't let his family come to Hai'an to find Han Xiufeng.

Zhang Si didn't expect that before he could ask for help, Han Xiufeng offered to help arrange a retreat, fell to his knees with a puff, and said in a choked voice while kowtowing: "Master Han, your friend and my young master are not in vain!" Your great kindness and great virtue will not be forgotten by my young master......"

"Don't do that, get up." Han Xiufeng touched his chin, and then said: "Help me bring a letter to your young master, and tell him that if there are so many family members that they can't sit on a boat, find an excuse to let the family members come to Hai'an first, and I will escort them all the way to the Jiaoxichang and help them settle down in the Jiaoxie Field first." ”

"Great, thank you Master Han, thank you Master Han on behalf of my young master."

"Don't thank you, listen to me. I also have arrangements over there in Jiaoxichang, if the Taiping bandits really kill Taizhou and Hai'an, then we can take a boat to the sea to take refuge. In short, the retreat is all arranged. ”

"Master Han, do you know everything you just said?"

"I know something, otherwise I wouldn't have made so many preparations, but my news must not be as well-informed as your young master."

"Master Han, don't worry, if my young master finds out the news of the bandits again, he will definitely let the little one come to Hai'an in time to report to you."

"Okay, we're done."

Han Xiufeng was about to send Zhang Si back, but Zhang Si actually took out a stack of silver tickets from his arms: "Master Han, this is a little bit of my young master's heart, you must accept it, otherwise the little one will not be able to explain to my young master when he goes back." ”

"I'm friends with your young master, why bother to be so outside."

"Master Han, one yard is one yard, what I just said is not trivial, my young master can't let you arrange it for nothing."

"Okay, I'll take it first, if I don't accept it, your young master's heart will not be steady."

……

Sent Zhang Si away, Pan Er knocked on the door and walked in.

Han Xiufeng said with a smile while counting the silver tickets: "Second Young Master Zhang is a bit interesting, he wants to be a filial son and doesn't want to die in a foreign country, but he can still make friends like him." ”

"Is this his life money?" Pan Er couldn't help but ask.

"Well, it's four thousand taels as soon as you make a shot."

"It's not much, his net worth is worth this price."

"That's right."

Han Xiufeng handed the silver ticket to Pan Er and said in a deep voice: "Changsheng, it seems that you have to go to Taizhou and go to Qianzhuang to get the four thousand taels back." ”

Pan Er took the silver medal and muttered: "Second Young Master Zhang is also true, he clearly knows that the thieves are coming to Jiangsu, so why don't you take out the silver quickly, what's the use of keeping the silver ticket." ”

"You think he doesn't want to take it, but he doesn't dare to take it."

"Why don't you dare?"

Han Xiufeng sighed and explained: "When the catastrophe is coming, the people, especially the gentry, will keep an eye on the yamen, if he dares to go to the money village and take out all the silver, what will others think and think?" His father, as the main hall of a state, can only appease the people at this juncture, and must not make a lot of noise and panic, otherwise he will really be investigated. ”

"So if the townspeople knew the bandits were coming, they would keep an eye on us?" Pan Er asked in horror.

"This is certain, in fact, the people are nothing, mainly those gentry, their family has a big business, and they are most afraid that the official master will leave them behind. If the Taiping bandits really kill them, they will not only stare at the yamen, but even surround the yamen and watch us. Fortunately, I was prepared, and if I really ran for my life, I would take them with me, so I didn't have to worry. ”

Han Xiufeng paused, and sighed again: "Regardless of whether this Jiupin sesame seed was bought or not, since I have to make decisions for the people, it is really unreasonable to throw so many people to flee for my life like this, but I am so capable, if I stay, not only will I not be able to save so many people, but I will put my own life into it." ”

"Fourth brother, don't think nonsense, we don't owe them, when disaster comes, they can only ask for more blessings."

"That's right, let's go have lunch first, there are a bunch of things to do in the afternoon."