On the morning of the eleventh day of the first lunar month, Han Xiufeng had a good meal and was about to ask the more than 30 villagers of the Hai'an Regiment how they were prepared and whether they could leave in the morning.

As soon as he sat down to read it, Pan Er ran in and said that Han Chen, the ambassador of the Salt Division of the Angle Slope Field, had arrived, and it was Huang Zhixin, the deputy envoy of the Angle Slope Field Salt Division, who led more than 200 townships to come. Last night, the newly appointed Haian Inspector Fang Shimei also came, and when he saw that Ambassador Han, who was similar to the main hall of the state and county, he asked people to report first, but he didn't dare to come in like this, but waited respectfully outside the Baojia Bureau.

"What are you doing in a daze, please Ambassador Han."

"Oh." Pan Er reacted and hurriedly ran out of the hall.

As soon as Han Xiufeng stood up and walked to the door, Han Chen had already walked into the courtyard and said from a distance: "Brother Zhixing, the foolish brother took the liberty to come to the door, didn't delay your business trip?" ”

"Let Brother Yuzhi laugh, how can I have any business trip." Han Xiufeng knew that his fellow villagers were completely for those people outside, so he welcomed Han Chen into the hall and said with a wry smile: "Xu Ying really didn't come well, saying that he asked me to train a battalion of township warriors to go to Taizhou to defend the city, I don't think things are so simple, maybe when I train a battalion of township warriors to Taizhou, he will let me take the villagers to the junction of Taizhou and Jiangdu to intercept the bandits." ”

"When you meet such an old fox, it seems that you can only see the moves."

"yes."

Han Chen saw a letter on the table, and couldn't help asking: "I'll talk about Xiangyong later, let's talk about the battle situation in Jiangning first, is this a letter sent back by Su Jueming and my third brother?" ”

"Exactly, I just finished reading it." Han Xiufeng greeted Han Chen for tea, and introduced: "Old Ghost Xu said yesterday morning that Jiangning City was broken, and Lu Jianying was martyred with his family. Lu Jianying is so greedy for life and afraid of death, I believe it when he says that Jiangning has fallen, and I don't believe it when he martyred his family. Sure enough, this news is fake, but this fake news is not made up by Xu Lao Ghost to scare us, but from Yangzhou, Yangzhou is now three shocks a day, a message for a while, fake news is flying all over the sky. ”

Han Chen didn't care about drinking tea, stared at Han Xiufeng and asked eagerly, "What about the real news?" ”

"There is good news, but it's not good news, and it's bad news two days ago, the bandits have been building the ladder since the fifth day of February. Two days ago, that is, on the morning of the eighth day of the new year, the ladder was almost ready to attack the city. ”

"It's been two days since I said that!"

"I don't know if Lu Jianying can stay for two days."

Han Chen thought about it and asked, "What about Yangzhou, what is the situation in Yangzhou now?" ”

Han Xiufeng picked up the letter and said with a smile: "This is the news that Brother Ling and Su Jueming inquired about, signed by Zhang Guangcheng's cousin Zhang Guangsheng together, in their words, it is true, but you and I can't believe this news." ”

"Why can't you believe it?"

They found out that as early as the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, a Hunan man named Li Guang went to Yangzhou and found a painting dealer named Jiang Shoumin in Yangzhou, saying that he was coming for the people of Yangzhou, and also claimed that the Taiping King Weide refused to kill everywhere. If the people of Yangzhou are obedient, they will not do harm. ”

Han Chen exclaimed, "The spies of the bandits! ”

"Eight or nine is not far from ten." Han Xiufeng nodded, and continued: "The painter surnamed Jiang not only believed it, but at noon on the thirtieth day of the first lunar month, he drove dozens of cattle and sheep to the Jiangning Taiping bandit camp to treat the teacher, planning to follow the example of Yan Chongli, a salt merchant in the twenty-second year of Daoguang, to find foreigners to redeem Yangzhou City, and ask for his life for Jiangning and Yangzhou!" ”

"And then?"

"Those salt merchants in Yangzhou City not only knew about this matter, but also reported the plan to redeem the city to Yun Si Liu Liangju, the former Yun Si Minglun, Yangzhou Governor Zhang Tingrui and Jiangdu Zhixian County, these people are more greedy than one and afraid of death, and they actually went to report to Yang Dianbang together, it is said that Brother Ling said that Yang Dianbang actually agreed!"

"Don't they know what it means to defend the land?" Han Chen was taken aback.

"They have all planned, they plan to play a double reed with the Taiping bandits, the bandits have only borrowed Yangzhou, they will not occupy Yangzhou, they plan to wait for the bandits to go back to the city to recover."

"They also believe what the bandits say, isn't this a plot with the tiger?"

"Yang Dianbang is over eighty years old, and he is probably old and confused." Han Xiufeng sighed lightly, and said with a wry smile: "Liu Liangju, Minglun and Zhang Tingrui can't believe the words of the bandits, they must be pretending to be confused, as long as Yang Dianbang nods, they have nothing to fear, after all, there are tall people on top of the sky when the sky falls." ”

"In the huge Yangzhou City, there are so many yamen, and none of them dare to stand up?" Han Chen clenched his fists and asked.

"Yes, it's really one."

"Who?"

"Your colleague, Zhang Yiguo, the alternate governor of the Salt Transportation Division, has been training Xiangyong since the day he learned that the Taiping bandits had been killed in Jiangning, and it is said that he has trained more than 300 times. Liu Liangju and Minglun probably thought he was in the way, and on the afternoon of the seventh day of the first month, they drove him and the villagers he trained out of the city. ”

Han Chen muttered: "So as soon as Jiangning is broken, the bandits will be able to take Yangzhou lightly." ”

"Almost, Guazhou has just taken office, and Yizhenzhi County has just taken office, they can't count on it at all, if Jiangning falls, the army of thieves and bandits will be able to kill Taizhou in ten days at most. Now it's time to see Xiang Rong and Qi Shan's reinforcements, if they can arrive in time, Taizhou may be able to keep it. ”

"Where are the reinforcements from the north and south?"

"Investigating."

Han Chen muttered: "It seems that you can't be lucky, you have to retreat when you should retreat, and you can't break the way of retreat." ”

Han Xiufeng put down his letter and said: "This is natural, even if Xiang Rong and Qi Shan's reinforcements can arrive in time, even if Taizhou can barely hold on, this retreat must be kept." ”

Thinking that if the bandits could not attack Taizhou for the first time, they would probably send an additional army to attack, Han Chen felt that Han Xiufeng's words were very reasonable, and looked back at the distant gate and said: "Zhixing, I have brought all the township warriors that have been trained these days, and let Huang Zhixin rush to Yangzhou with you." In short, it is his business whether he is willing to lead Xiangyong to go, but it is my business whether to send Xiangyong to help. ”

Han Xiufeng suddenly discovered that the fellow villager next to him was also a scheming master!

As the ambassador of the Salt Division, he has the same responsibility to protect the land as the main hall of the state and county, so naturally he can't leave the corner without permission. Knowing that the Taiping bandits were besieging Jiangning, and Yangzhou where the Yunsi Yamen was located was in danger, and he couldn't see death without help, he hurriedly arranged Xiangyong to let the deputy envoy go to help, no matter whether those Xiangyong won the battle or were scattered, he, the ambassador of the Salt Division, had merit. More importantly, he can take this opportunity to take away the deputy envoy who is in the way.

Thinking of this, Han Xiufeng subconsciously asked: "Brother Yuzhi, what is this Huang Zhixin?" ”

Han Chen couldn't help but smile and said, "It is estimated that he will be ill as soon as I leave, and he will entrust those townsmen to you, but he shouldn't dare to turn back." ”

Han Xiufeng asked, "What about those villagers, are they available?" ”

"The dozens of my cousin's men are available," Han Chen sighed helplessly, and said again: "The temporarily raised villagers are not of great use, but there is still plenty of food and grass. I've brought six boats, and you'll eat them first, and I'll send you them in a few days. ”