There are not a few soldiers in the capital department, but there are many family members and servants of the current capital Xu Sikui, and they can't live in the huge inn, and it is said that the innkeeper said that there are dozens of people who live outside.

Wang Qianli, who had knocked two Huai salt transport envoys and one Yangzhou prefect's bamboo bar, saw that the inn was full of cages that had not yet had time to return. Looking at the Xu family's maids and handymen who were busy coming in and out, a casual smile immediately appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Xu Sikui's curtain mate peeked at Chen Hu and the others with a vicious look, and said cautiously: "Master Wang, please come here." ”

"Oh, lead the way." Wang Qianli nodded slightly, and followed the curtain friend into the backyard.

Xu Sikui didn't expect the new Nan'an Tongzhi to send someone to chase after him, so he didn't dare to avoid it, so he pretended to sit calmly in the main hall of the backyard and drink tea. Thinking about how to pass this level, Wang Qianli walked into the main hall and hugged his fists and said: "Wang Qianli, the candidate of the seventh grade of the county of the late Qin Cizheng, meets Xu Dusi!" ”

As soon as Wang Qianli arrived at the inn, he asked the Xu family to hand over Han Xiufeng's name card and the official document of the Yamen of the River Hall, Xu Sikui thought that Wang Qianli was just an errand sent by the new Nan'an Tongzhi to pass the word, but he didn't expect that Wang Qianli was not only wearing, but even the top belt was given by the emperor, and hurriedly got up with the support of his family to return the salute: "Brother Wang doesn't need to be polite, sit, please sit down." ”

Before Wang Qianli came, he only knew that Xu Sikui had been a capital secretary for more than ten years, but he didn't expect Xu Sikui to be an old dragon clock, his forehead was full of wrinkles, there were not a few teeth left, and the old man who couldn't even stand on his feet was stunned for a while.

"Little Liuzi, don't hurry up and serve tea to Master Wang!"

"Oh, the little one, go now."

Wang Qianli relieved himself and immediately arched his hand: "Xu Dusi, he is on official business in his later life, so he doesn't dare to delay." ”

Although Xu Sikui was old, he was not confused, and squinted his eyes and asked: "Brother Wang, the old man has the courage to ask, what is the matter with Master Han ordering you to summon the old man?" ”

"Please Xu Dusi, you move to the River Hall to discuss military affairs."

"Brother Wang is really good at laughing, the old man told his illness in the morning, and the military department has already approved it, it is said that even the official documents of the military department of the new capital department have arrived at the provincial office, and the old man is now unofficial and light, and Master Han can discuss what military affairs with the old man."

"The official document arrived, but the people did not. Xu Dusi, if the new Dusi does not arrive for a day, Heying will not be able to leave you for a day! ”

"But ......"

"Xu Dusi, don't be, not only Master Han is waiting for you, but even Master Wu is waiting for you."

"Lord Wu is also waiting for old decay?" Xu Sikui was taken aback.

"How dare you lie to such a big event?" Wang Qianli asked rhetorically, and then his face turned straight: "Xu Dusi, you must have heard that Master Han came to Gu'an to train soldiers by order, and the emperor gave dozens of volumes of the Guangbing Book before leaving Beijing, most of which were used by the emperor when he was a prince!" Although it does not have the name of Qincha, it is no different from Qincha. If you are always late and delay military affairs, Master Han will definitely not be happy. ”

"Brother Wang, the old man is old, and he is ...... old age"

"Chen Hu and Zhang Qingyu listened to the order and waited for Xu Dusi to move to the Yamen of the River Hall!"

"Order!"

With Wang Qianli's order, Chen Hu and others rushed into the main hall, set up Xu Sikui and were about to go out, Xu Sikui was so frightened that he couldn't give up, and shouted while struggling: "Brother Wang, I'll go, I'll go, I'm not okay to go?" ”

Wang Qianli secretly scolded you for relying on the old and selling the old, walked into the courtyard with his hands behind his back, looked around at the Xu family who came up and said: "The river hall yamen is on errands, and the military and civilians are all avoided!" Whoever dares to make trouble will be tied up and sent to the yamen for punishment! ”

"Master, master......"

Seeing that Tian Gui and other military attachés raised their foreign guns, Xu Sikui realized that Wang Qianli was prepared, and he didn't dare to struggle anymore, so he hurriedly instructed: "It's okay, it's okay, it's all gone, I'll go back, master." ”

"Did you hear it, your lord said that it was okay, if there is a horse, hurry up to prepare the horse, and if there is no horse, hurry up and prepare the sedan chair, otherwise your lord will have to walk."

"Oh, Master Wang, wait a minute, the little one will go and prepare the horse."

……

When Xu Sikui was "invited" by Wang Qianli to the Yamen of the River Hall like a prisoner, Wu Tingdong had already arrived at the Yamen of the River Hall, and was sitting upright in the lobby drinking tea and talking to Han Xiufeng and Shi Zanqing, who were sitting on both sides.

Before, he directly thought that Han Si should have climbed the high branch of Duan Dazhang when he was the first person in the Chongqing Hall in the capital, and under the help of Duan Dazhang, Huang Zhongyin and other Chongqing townsmen and Guo Peilin and other Duan Dazhang and Huang Zhongyin in the same year, he sought to go to the South Bank Hall to know this shortage. It wasn't until he walked out of the Provincial Administration and saw the military attache brought by Han Si, the chief soldier, from Shanghai, that he really realized that Han Si had led troops to fight, and the victory at Wanfuqiao was not blown.

Just as he was asking with great interest how the thousand townsmen who were sticking to Wanfu Bridge were arranged, Han Xiufeng just said about Wang Qianli intentionally or unintentionally, and Wang Qianli ran in to report that Xu Sikui, the capital of the river camp, had arrived.

Wu Tingdong was born in Bagong, and he had no prejudice against Wang Qianli, who was born as a prisoner, not to mention that he had just learned from Han Xiufeng that Wang Qianli had also fought with Changmao, and he felt that Wang Qianli was a talent in his heart, so he couldn't help but smile and said: "Please!" ”

"Yes."

Wang Qianli bowed, then turned around and walked out of the lobby to invite Xu Sikui, who was waiting outside, in.

Although Xu Sikui is in the fourth grade, in the eyes of Wu Tingdong, he is not even as good as the magistrate of the seventh grade, and when he bows respectfully, he points to the chair that the big head has just moved over, and asks Xu Sikui to sit down and talk.

Xu Sikui peeked at Han Xiufeng, who was sitting opposite, and said nervously: "Lord Wu, the Ministry of War has been approved to report illness from the lowly position, and the lowly position will wait for the new capital secretary to arrive, and leave for his hometown after completing the handover with the new capital secretary......

"Xu Dusi, the official has heard about your illness, but the plan is not as good as changing." Wu Tingdong picked up a copy of the Beijing newspaper and looked at the Beijing report: "The war in Jinghai is tight, and the emperor has just issued an edict, and those of us who are courtiers are worried. ”

"What did the emperor say?" Xu Sikui asked cautiously.

"This official reads it to you, the emperor said that the rebels have been in Shucheng and other villages, and they have been in charge for months, and they have been issued strict decrees beforehand, so that the minister will attack quickly, and he will be punished and washed, but there will be no report for several days, and my heart is really anxious! The villages in Shucheng are small and there are not many valleys. And I heard that the wooden fortifications built by the thieves and half of them were supported by branches, and they must not be very strong. Take advantage of this to attack and easily annihilate yourself. If you only try your best to resist when the bandits are attacking the camp, and then you will escape back to the thieves' lair, and then you will not be able to sit back and watch. The teacher is paid, and the day is useless, when will he start to do things? ”

Wu Tingdong paused, and then read in a subdued voice: "Now that the army is gathered, surrounding this poor man, if he does not join forces as soon as possible, he will disturb other places." And at this time, it was mid-February, and the spring was thawing, and it was difficult for the horse team to walk, and it was even more difficult to do it. The ministers and others must be strict with the troops, motivate the soldiers, work together, and work hard to smash the thieves' nest and quickly eliminate the ugly kinds. If one of the generals does not obey the order, and a battalion goes out of the team, and the other battalion does not respond, it will be punished according to military law, and the punishment will be carried out! If the monk Greenqin and others have their own opinions, they can't join forces to attack, and delay the time, I can only enforce the law and never forgive the loan! ”

Although Xu Sikui didn't know a few words, he could also understand a rough idea, thinking that the emperor was really anxious, and he didn't know what to say, Wu Tingdong put down the Beijing newspaper and flipped through the stack of official documents in his hand: "Xu Dusi, you should be familiar with these official documents, this one was sent by the Ministry of War to the Sixth River Battalion in early September last year to aid Henan, this one was ordered by the Taiwan Lord on October 21 last year to send 300 troops to Cangzhou, and this one was ordered by the Ministry of War on November 29 last year to send 100 troops to help Hejian, This is the ...... of the 16th day of the first month of this year, when the people of Taiwan ordered the River Battalion to send 400 troops to help Jinghai."

On more than one occasion, the Ministry of War and the Yamen of the Taiwan Command ordered the river battalion to send troops, but Xu Sikui either used the excuse that the soldiers were in the river work, or he used the lack of food and salary as an excuse to stay still. Not to be exact, but not to be stationary, but to have no troops to send.

Seeing Wu Tingdong staring at him with murderous eyes, he suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, and said hesitantly: "Lord Wu, even if you borrow a few guts to give a lowly position, the lowly position does not dare to disobey the order, but the lowly position has the bitterness of the lowly position. ”

Ngo Tingdong asked, "What are your difficulties?" ”

"Lord Wu, as the saying goes, the soldiers and horses go first before the grain and grass are moved, but to this day, the Zhili Domain Division and the grain road have been in arrears to my river camp for more than four months, even if the arrears of money and grain cannot be paid for a while, you have to give some money to go out to the expedition to load silver, go out to the salt and vegetable silver and go out to the army rations silver, but the Shangguan only let the lowly post send troops but did not even give a little money to the expedition silver, no money and food let the lowly post send troops!"

"Xu Dusi, I didn't have it before, but now I have." Han Xiufeng arched his hand towards Wu Tingdong, who was sitting at the top, and said with a smile: "Lord Wu is different from the previous rivers, and he has never regarded the river camp as an outsider. Although Ling Xun was approaching and he had to use silver everywhere, he still managed to vacate 5,000 taels for Heying. You and I know how many soldiers there are in the river camp, and I think these five thousand taels are enough to pull out. ”

"Pull?"

"It's a march."

"Go to Jinghai to quell the chaos?"

"What do you think we're talking about?" Wu Tingdong took over the conversation, stared at him and said in an unquestionable tone: "Xu Sikui, Heying is disrespectful again, don't say that you can't afford it, even this official can't deal with the emperor!" ”

"But the lowly position has already been sick, Lord Wu, the lowly has been in the army for decades, please wait for a few more days for the sake of the lowly and old, and wait for the new capital secretary to arrive...... Rush to the aid of Jinghai again. ”

"Soldiers, you are fast, is this something you can wait for? What's more, how long has the matter of sending troops been delayed, do you think it can be delayed any longer? ”

"Lord Kure......"

"It's useless to say more, hurry up and send your family back to prepare, and when all the battalions are brave, they will go out to fight, and this officer will personally practice it for you, I wish you success!"

Xu Sikui never thought that Wu Tingdong, who was busy governing the river a few days ago, would be so vicious, and then thought that if he was so old and really went on the expedition, even if he didn't die in the hands of Changmao, he would be tossed to death, and suddenly fell to his knees with a pop, and begged with tears.

He is already old enough to fight like this, and Wu Tingdong didn't think about letting him go into battle to fight, he only wanted his silver. But he has never done such a thing, but he always can't say it. Shi Zanqing was not only ashamed to speak, but also felt that blackmailing an old man in his sixties was a disgraceful thing after all, no matter how Wu Tingdong tried to make his eyes, he pretended not to see it, and did not move at all.

Han Xiufeng didn't care so much, but the longer he worked for the official, the richer he became, and the more an old guy like Xu Sikui had to knock on this bamboo pole, and said lightly: "Xu Dusi, in fact, there is another matter to invite you to come today." ”

"What's the matter, please let Master Han know."

"Someone accused you of pretending to be a soldier and filling your pockets. It is said that there are soldiers in the river camp book, but there are no soldiers in the army; There is a salary on paper, but there is no salary in the army! This official remembered that you have served the imperial court for so many years, even if you have no merit, you have hard work, and I don't want you to lose your old age, so I asked Lord Wu to give you a chance to lead your troops to help Jinghai, and take the guilt for yourself. ”

"Wronged, unjust!"

"Whether you are wronged or not, you know it very well in your heart! Now there are two ways, either lead the troops to Jinghai to kill themselves, or return the military salaries and money and food that have been deducted over the years! ”

Xu Sikui wanted both life and money, and suddenly became anxious: "The surname is Han, I, Xu, have no grievances with you, why don't you kill them all?" ”

"You have no grievances with this official, but this official is as jealous as hatred! The court is in an eventful autumn, the official is deeply favored by the emperor, and should serve the emperor, if anyone dares to be greedy for the emperor's silver, dare to eat empty salary and drink the blood of soldiers, he is the enemy of the official! There is also a group of guards outside, co-organized garrisons, thousands of generals, and general bamboo poles waiting to be knocked, Han Xiufeng was too lazy to talk to him anymore, stared at him and said: "Before the sun sets, let the family take five thousand taels, and the official will ensure that you are fine." If you can't see the silver before the sun sets, don't blame the official for sending you to serve in Jinghai! ”