Jiangning, Yangzhou, Guazhou and Yizhen were occupied by the Taiping army, and the water transportation of the Yangtze River was blocked. In addition, the big salt merchants in Yangzhou City were served by the Taiping Army, and no one came to buy the salt in Huaizhong and Huainan for more than 20 fields, and they couldn't be shipped out if they bought it, so that the salt river that I didn't know how lively it was in previous years became deserted, and I couldn't see a salt boat for ten days and a half. And Hai'an Town, which is located at the point of the salt transportation waterway, has become lively again because of Han Xiufeng's departure.

The threshing floor in the west of the city has now become a school yard for the salt fishing and private enterprises of the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Division, and a small blue brick courtyard next to the threshing floor has become the temporary government office of the acting Taizhou Prefecture, and the rows of houses by the river to the west of the threshing floor have all been requisitioned as barracks for the salt fishing and private enterprises.

Township covenant and the chief of the first set up the stage that will only be built during the New Year's festival again, not only put a public case and a Taishi chair on the stage, inserted the "quiet" and "avoidance" cards in front of the public case, and leaned on a few water and fire sticks on the shelves on both sides, and erected two flagpoles in front of the stage. On one flagpole is the big flag of "Qinjia from the sixth rank acting Taizhou Prefecture Tonghan", and on a flagpole hangs the battalion flags of the two Huai Salt Transportation Divisions to capture and arrest private individuals.

However, the main master has been here once these days, recruiting soldiers, building weapons, purchasing uniforms, practicing martial arts and food and other camp affairs are all helped by Han Chen, the cousin of Han Chen, the ambassador of the Jiaoxie Field Salt Division, Tang Guozheng, and the acting Haian Inspector Fang Shimei.

Han Xiufeng went and returned the happiest were Dean Gu, Yu Qinghuai, Wang Qianli and other gentry, these days it is said that they are recuperating from their injuries, but in fact, they are busy playing in the mountains and rivers, and they are busy eating and drinking. Even the big head also put knives and guns into the warehouse, horses put Nanshan, as soon as he came back, he went to Jijiazhuang with Ji Daji to play for two days, and then he checked the illicit salt with the first month, and then went to guard the Wanfu Bridge together, and then followed Wei Yong, who came back together, to go to Hujiaji to play, and now he happily went to catch fish with Wang Ruhai's second son Wang Qianbu.

Looking at his running, Dean Gu muttered: "Master Han, this kid with the big head is quite sensible, why can't he hold back when he plays (plays)." Changsheng climbed the high branches, and now he is on an errand in front of Lord Guo, and there is a big head left by your side, but you can't let him go crazy, you have to take care of it. ”

"I asked him to go, let him play for a few more days," Han Xiufeng carried the fishing rod and followed everyone to Huangsha Harbor, and said with a smile: "Dean Gu, you don't know anything, the big head is a hard-working baby, he has no father or mother when he is young, and his brain is not good, and then he was displaced from me, and he hasn't had a good life for a few days over the years, and he finally didn't let him have a good time when he was free." ”

"Master Han, it is really a blessing that he can meet you after eight lifetimes of cultivation!"

"How can you always say such an exaggeration."

Thinking that Han Chen, the ambassador of the Salt Division of the Jiaoxie Field in the morning, sent another boatload of rice, Yu Qinghuai, who was following behind with a fish basket and a bench, couldn't help but remind: "Master Han, Lord Guo really treats you as his own person, and he really wants to give you anything, and you can't always ignore the matter of rebuilding the salt fishing camp." ”

"I didn't take it to heart." Han Xiufeng smiled, turned around and said, "Qinghuai, haven't you fought enough?" ”

"I don't want to fight, I'm worried that you won't be able to deal with Lord Guo if it goes on like this."

"Master Han, Qinghuai's worries are justified, you have been back for eleven days, Ambassador Han has sent six boats, Ambassador Han has also sent more than three thousand taels, and a lot of machetes and spears, but the soldiers have only found more than thirty today, when will the salt fishing camp be rebuilt if it goes on like this?" Wang Qianli asked worriedly.

"You also know that the salt fishing camp was rebuilt, so do you know what the salt fishing camp is for?" Han Xiufeng asked rhetorically, and then said with a smile: "Lord Guo is neither the minister sent by the Holy Lord to attack and suppress the bandits, nor the local officials in Jiangsu, but the transportation department who was ordered to revitalize the Lianghuai salt affairs in danger, which is different from the previous two transportation divisions who assisted in the defense of the river. In other words, there is no need for Guo Daren to take care of the affairs in Yangzhou, and the reconstruction of the salt fishing camp is not used to deal with the Taiping bandits, so there is no need to worry. ”

"I know I don't need to fight the thieves anymore, but the smugglers have to be suppressed, and the smugglers have to be investigated!"

"How can there be a private scoundrel without salt?"

"Why is there no salt?" Dean Gu asked subconsciously.

While they were talking, they had already reached the river.

Han Xiufeng put down the fishing rod, took the rice bran from Wang Qianli's hand, picked a place with few aquatic plants to lay a nest, and immediately put bait on the hook, while saying with a wry smile: "It is said that the Lianghuai Yunsi is the first fat shortage in the world, but that was before, and the current Lianghuai salt service can be described as a natural disaster and a man-made disaster." You know about natural disasters, the yellow water has been diverted, the Huai water is running around, and the salt works have been affected every year over the years. In addition, there is a lot of sediment in Huaishui, which continues to alluvial to the sea. Although Huaizhong Huainan and other fields have newly silted a lot of land in recent years, the halogen has also gradually faded, not only the salt production of Anfeng, Fu'an and other fields is getting less and less, it is said that several fields of the Tongzhou branch have stopped producing salt. ”

"Yellow water enters the Huai, good siltation and accumulation, I know this." Dean Gu put down the bench, held the fishing rod, looked back at the direction of Fengshan and sighed: "The Fan Gong embankment in the Song Dynasty was on the edge of the Kushiba River, and according to legend, the Kuanchang River was dug by Fan Zhong when he was drowning the seawall. ”

Han Xiufeng nodded, and continued: "You also know about man-made disasters, Taiping thieves and bandits are in chaos, waterways are blocked, Huaizhong and Huainan and other fields can't produce much salt, but now it's hard to produce some salt, not only can't it be transported, but even can't find a financial transporter, so how can those stove households live a life of salt, so the last time I went to Taizhou, the field officials complained bitterly, and they begged Lord Guo to reclaim." ”

Li Zhiyong had never been to the salt field and didn't understand salt affairs, so he couldn't help asking: "Reclamation, what reclamation?" ”

"Salt is boiled, and boiling salt is inseparable from firewood, so there is a saying that 'dang is the mother of salt'. In the past, in order to boil salt, only grass was allowed to grow in the salt farm. Now the salt is becoming more and more difficult to cook, and even if it is boiled, it cannot be sold, and thousands of stove households eat and drink whatever they want, so the field officials want to let the stove households reclaim the land to grow grain. ”

"Does Master Guo agree?"

"If all the land is reclaimed, what will be used to boil salt, and the imperial court will collect salt tax from whom it is time to use money, where will Lord Guo dare to agree, so now it is a headache." Han Xiufeng put the fish hook into the river, looked at the buoy and sighed lightly: "There are enough troubles in the salt business, how can Lord Guo have the heart to help attack the bandits." This is a mess, and the trade of private salt is not easy to do, so there are not so many private tyrants, so we don't need to worry. ”

Dean Gu was confused, and couldn't help asking: "Master Han, since Lord Guo doesn't have to attack and suppress the bandits, and he doesn't have to worry about the leakage of the salt farm, then why do you still help rebuild the salt fishing camp?" ”

"No matter what Master Guo says, he is also a third-grade master, and the bandits are close at hand, so he naturally can't do without soldiers in his hands. And this is different from our previous training of Xiangyong, the salt fishing camp is a green camp within the economic system, not only the Jiang'an grain road has to allocate grain, the Jiangning Domain Division has to allocate salary, and the Huaizhong and Huainan fields also have to help with grain and salary according to the routine. ”

Dean Gu reacted, thought about it and asked, "Then according to the imperial court's customization, which military attaches are set up in the salt fishing camp?" ”

Han Xiufeng mentioned the fishing rod and said: "The salt fishing camp is the only battalion in the Yamen of the Yunsi Division, not only although the sparrows are small and complete, but also higher than the general green camp regulations, there is one division of the four products, two of the six products of the thousand, two of the seven products, two of the eight products, four additional commissions from the ninth grade, plus 14 alternate foreign commissioners and 14 alternate foreign commissioners. ”

"No wonder Ji Da Ji Er said that they were all promoted," Dean Gu couldn't help but laugh.

Yu Qinghuai also asked curiously: "Master Han, there are more than 20 official officials, what about the soldiers, how many soldiers are there in the economic system?" ”

"Two hundred and thirty-six, this is the food and salary given by the imperial court. However, more than 200 soldiers can do anything, so Lord Guo asked us to recruit 500, half of which will be paid by the imperial court, and the remaining half will be paid by each field. Han Xiufeng paused, and then said: "This is not an unauthorized recruitment, because the former Yizhen Approval Office and the current Taizhou Taiba Supervision and Control Office all have salt guards, and the Yamen of the Yunsi Division must have Kuding to guard the warehouse, not to mention so many soap Li archers of the Yamen of the Inspection Division." In short, the posts have a provenance, and we don't have to worry about the salary. ”

Wang Qianli couldn't help but smile and said: "There is food and salary, and there is no need to fight, this errand is really not bad." ”

"If you are not afraid of 10,000, you are afraid of what if," Han Xiufeng turned around and said: "I don't know who loses and who wins on the Yangzhou side, in case Qishan not only fails to recover Yangzhou, but is defeated by the bandits in Yangzhou City, the situation will become the same as half a month ago." At that time, Lord Guo will no longer be able to reorganize the two Huai salt affairs as he is now, and he, as a member of the third grade, will have to stand up to intercept the bandits from attacking Taizhou, and the salt fishing camp will come in handy at that time. ”

"Master Han, I've been patronizing and drinking these days, don't you say that I almost forgot that the thieves are still entrenched in Yangzhou, and the world is not peaceful!"

"Dean Gu, I've seen bandits, it's not that I am discouraged, it is not so easy for Qi Shan to recover Yangzhou, I wonder if I will really be defeated like Master Han said." Yu Qinghuai muttered.

Dean Gu asked eagerly, "What should I do then?" ”

"What was done in the past will be done in the future, in short, we can't take it lightly." Han Xiufeng took a deep breath, thought about it and said with a wry smile: "You guys know, I originally planned to retire and return to my hometown." As a result, Lord Guo came, not only did we know each other as early as when we were in the capital, but also Lord Guo treated me like a nephew, I couldn't just leave and put his old man in danger. So even if he can't keep Taizhou, he has to keep his old man safe. ”

"Then why aren't you in a hurry about the salt fishing camp?"

"Who said that I am not in a hurry, there are not many soldiers, and I would rather lack than abuse in the matter of selecting soldiers." Han Xiufeng paused, and then said, "Speaking of which, I really thank Pan Er, and I have to thank you, Dean Gu." As early as more than 20 days ago, Pan Er thought that this battle would not be completed for a year and a half, and there would be casualties in the war, and there would be no soldiers to replenish, so he came back to work with you to resettle those coolies on the Taiba with all the angles. ”

"Master Han, are you going to recruit those coolies into the camp?" Dean Gu asked subconsciously.

"Well, but as long as we recruit five hundred, Ambassador Han is helping us recruit, and those coolies also want to work. It's just that it's spring ploughing, and the land they bought before and the land you rented to them can't just be so barren, so they can't enter the camp until they have cultivated the land and sown the spring seeds. ”

vertex