The snow in the upper reaches is melting, and the water level of the Yongding River is getting higher and higher.

These days, Shi Zanqing, like Shijingshan Tongzhi and Triangle Lake Tongju, led their respective subordinate officials and thousands of people to eat, drink and Lazar all on the river embankment. As the Yongding River, Wu Tingdong could not sit in the government office and give orders, and after announcing the edict, he handed over the three military attaches distributed by the military department and the Eight Banners to Han Xiufeng, so he took more than a dozen family members and officials and went straight to the river embankment, and began to patrol the river as a few days ago.

When I found the No. 93 section on the north bank, I met Shi Zanqing, who was discussing with several subordinate officials that if the water level rose again, he could only dig a dike to divide the water.

In the matter of controlling the river, Wu Tingdong didn't think that he was smarter than Shi Zanqing, so he stood on the embankment of the river that was bigger than the roof below and waited for nearly two incense sticks before he walked up and asked: "Second time, did the people below send someone to evacuate?" ”

Shi Zanqing arched his hand, turned around and sent away a group of subordinate officials, and accompanied him to continue his inspection while saying helplessly: "It's already a few times, but there are still many people who don't want to go." ”

"How can you do it if you don't go, and how can you divide the water if you don't go?" Wu Tingdong stopped and looked at the wider and wider river and asked.

Shi Zanqing said helplessly: "Those people know that if they leave, we will dig embankments to divide the water, and they will have to be displaced." Even if the river recedes, their fields will not be able to be cultivated this year. What's more, no one knows when the river will recede, and no one knows whether the river will be diverted because of this. ”

Wu Tingdong really wanted to send officials to drive away the people under the embankment, but now it is not the Kangxi Dynasty or the Yongzheng Dynasty, at that time the two sides of the strait were full of reeds and weeds.

It is like almost all the things that can be cultivated on both sides of the strait have been reclaimed, and even the horns have been planted by the people with crops. In the final analysis, it has been a long time since the Qing Dynasty was peaceful, and the population has surged, but the land is still so little.

Thinking that if he really drove those people away by force, he didn't know what he would be scolded for, and maybe he would be impeached by those officials who saw the wind and rain, Wu Tingdong said solemnly: "It seems that you can only defend it, and the river god blesses it, and the water can't rise anymore." ”

At the mention of the river god, Shi Zanqing couldn't help but ask, "Lord Wu, is Han Xiufeng okay over there?" ”

"What can he do, not only is it fine, but the emperor also rewarded him with a Baturu Yong."

"I'm not saying he's okay, I'm saying he doesn't know ......."

"I don't know, I just came over there, and he shouldn't have noticed. But even if he finds out about you and I have asked someone to impeach him, what can he do? Wu Tingdong shook the mud on his feet, and then said: "Second time, I know that you are sorry, but in fact, you don't have to take it to heart, you and I made this decision not only for the people on both sides of the strait, but also for the court, not for ourselves, let alone to frame him." ”

"That being said, it's ...... to do it after all."

"After all, I know that you are a gentleman who is above board, but you can only do extraordinary things in extraordinary times. At least in this way, we will be able to save 10,000 taels of silver this year! ”

Thinking that the summer flood was more difficult than the spring flood, and he didn't know how much silver it would cost at that time, Shi Zanqing sighed secretly and didn't say anything more.

At the same time, Tong Chun, who had just settled his family in the village, took his money bag and ran to a small courtyard at the corner of the street, stuffed a door bag for Yongxiang's younger brother, and walked into the courtyard to meet Yongxiang again.

A large family was crowded in the courtyard, and there was really no way to see guests, so Yongxiang simply led him to the capital office.

Tong Chun followed and asked cautiously: "Why don't you live in the government office, why do you let the old lady and his sister-in-law live here?" ”

Yongxiang knew that he had a question, so he stopped and said with a smile: "Brother Tong, it is the rule of Master Han that the family can only rent outside. Master Han said that you and I are both leading soldiers, and the government office is the barracks, and the barracks must have the appearance of a barracks, and the family members don't have to go if they can, and the female dependents can't go. ”

Tong Chun finally found a shortage of co-organizers, thinking that he would be able to have his own government office after taking office, but he had to rent a low house to live in, the more he thought about it, the more depressed he became, and he couldn't help asking: "The rules set by Master Han, no matter how big Master Han's rules are, can they still be as big as the rules of the imperial court?" ”

"Brother Tong, this is the River Camp, not the Xishan Jianrui Camp! As for the rules set up by Master Han, the emperor said that if he doesn't violate the system, he won't violate the system. ”

"The emperor also knows?"

"It's nature."

Yongxiang's home in the capital is not as good as the small courtyard he rents now, not to mention that no matter what he does, he can go to the Metropolitan Affairs Department, but the inner house of the Metropolitan Administration is still empty, and he will go to rest when he is bored at home. More importantly, the emperor must be very happy to bring Heying out of the new atmosphere, and when the time comes, he will naturally have a share of the credit for this capital.

Thinking of this, Yongxiang continued: "Brother Tong, as the saying goes, you have to get used to some things if you are not used to them. For example, our river battalion, in fact, is similar to the river mark, and then we must set up three battalions on the left, center, and right, and when the soldiers are recruited and trained well, the soldiers who can fight are no less than your Jianrui battalion. ”

"But what about the soldiers, why haven't I seen any of them?"

"The soldiers will be there in a few days," Yongxiang smiled, and said as he walked: "Since you are here, I estimate that Master Han will let you command a battalion of soldiers, but being a battalion officer here is different from being a battalion officer in the Jianrui Battalion, you only need to lead the soldiers to practice, and when the soldiers are trained, in the future, as long as you lead the soldiers to fight to kill thieves, whether it is money or food, military reimbursement, and even military discipline does not need you to worry about it." ”

Tong Chunleng froze, and after a long pause, he asked with a bitter face: "The battalion officer doesn't care about money and grain, who cares about money and grain?" ”

"Grain official," Qianli is an official only for money, how could Yongxiang not know what he was thinking, and said meaningfully: "The grain official's surname is Chen, his name is Chen Chongtong, and he was sent by Lord Wu." The original bookstores in Heying are now all under the management of Chen Chong. You and I don't have to worry about official documents, money, food account books, and military reimbursements.

Tong Chun said with a smile: "Lord Wu is too lenient!" ”

Yongxiang smiled casually: "There's nothing wrong with that, think about it, don't worry about those troubles, you and I can train wholeheartedly." ”

"What about Master Han, where does Master Han live?"

"The rules were set by Master Han, and Master Han naturally has to lead by example." Yongxiang raised his arm and pointed to a courtyard not far from the entrance of the village, and explained with a smile: "Although Master Han lives in the River Hall now, he will move out in a few days. I heard that the family was coming, so the courtyard was for the reunion with the family. ”

"Then Master Han doesn't care about money and food?"

"Master Han naturally has to take care of it, but Master Han will only care about whether the food and military supplies can be paid, and he will only care about whether Chen Chongtong and the group of secretaries under Chen Chongtong are greedy, and he shouldn't care about other things."

"What if the person surnamed Chen is greedy for money and food?"

"If the surnamed Chen really dares to be greedy for money and food, Master Han will naturally go to Lord Wu to theorize, if Lord Wu doesn't give an explanation, Master Han can participate in the performance and ask the emperor to punish them." Yongxiang, who didn't know how much suffering he had suffered when he was an errand boy in the palace, had long seen that Tong Chun, who had been a co-organizer of the Wupin Garrison at a young age, was not pleasing to the eye, and said lightly after thinking about it: "Actually, my brother has nothing to worry about, so many people are staring at it, and he doesn't dare to be greedy for food and salary if he borrows a few dares from Chen Chongtong." ”

Tong Chun never thought of borrowing so much silver to make a point, but he actually found such an errand with no oil or water, and then thought that the creditor was taking office with him, and he was waiting for news in that low courtyard at this time, and asked eagerly: "Brother Yongxiang, Lord Wu and Master Han don't let us take care of money and food, how do we live, how can we live on that little bit of official money?" ”

Yongxiang secretly laughed at him after all, he was really uncontrollable, and turned around and said: "Master Han is sympathetic to his subordinates, and he will not watch your wife and children starving, I estimate that I will ask Chen Chongtong to give you a hundred and ten taels of red paper and silver." ”

"What can you do with a hundred or ten taels?"

"One hundred taels is already a lot, Brother Tong, you don't want to think about what time it is. You and I can at least receive a subsidy of 100 taels of subsidies, and the thousands of generals and generals that Master Han brought from Jiangsu are still the thousands of generals and generals who have been on the battlefield to kill thieves, but they don't even have one or two hearts of red paper and silver! ”

"What kind of official is he without money?"

"It's easy to get silver, go into battle to kill thieves and fight for military exploits," Yongxiang stared at his eyes and said with a smile: "The original garrisons, Qian Zong, and General Manager of the River Camp have already gone to Jinghai with Mr. Wang, Master Han's friend of the scene, but as long as they serve in Jinghai for a month and a half. In another month, Master Han will send a second group of people to replace him. Brother Tong, you are seeking wealth and danger, do you dare to take this errand? ”

Tong Chun can have today all because of his sister's good marriage, all thanks to his brother-in-law's support, although he has been mixed in the Xishan Jianrui Camp for nearly ten years, where did he dare to go into battle to kill thieves, he was stunned for a while.

Yongxiang had long seen that he was not a person who could go into battle to kill thieves, and seeing that he was actually afraid of being like this, he thought about the momentum of Wang Qianli and Chen Hu and other Han people when they went on the expedition, and sighed secretly and didn't say anything.

The two of them continued to walk forward without saying a word, and as soon as they walked to the school yard at the entrance of the village, Yang Debiao and Guan Pengcheng, who had also just settled down, caught up, and inquired about where the soldiers were and the money and food like Tong Chun.

Yongxiang was tired of being asked, and was thinking about how to send them, Ji Er ran out of the river hall, bowed down and said: "Master Yong, Master Tong, Master Yang, Master Guan, you came just in time, Master Chen and Mr. Cui are back, Master Han invites you to go to the River Hall to discuss matters together." ”

"Mr. Cui is back from the capital?"

"Just came back."

"Have you applied for any money and food?" Yongxiang asked eagerly.

Thinking that before Cui Hao went to the capital, the capital secretary in front of him also helped write a letter to an old man in the Ministry of Industry, Ji Er grinned and said: "Master Yuyong, I don't know if Mr. Cui has applied for money and grain, but I only know that Mr. Cui brought back ten chopping cannons from the capital, all of which were newly cast and just transported into the garrison office opposite. ”

"It's okay to apply for ten cannons, at least this trip is not in vain." Yongxiang patted Ji Er on the shoulder, then turned around and said, "Three, why are you still stunned, hurry up and visit Master Han." ”