The bandits besieged Jiangning, Yangzhou was in danger, and Xu Ying couldn't sleep at night even though he moved to Taizhou.

As soon as the rooster crows, he gets up and discusses countermeasures with his friends, and as soon as the morning dawns, he goes to inspect the city wall, and after inspecting the city wall, he goes to the streets to inspect to prevent spies from spreading rumors, to prevent profiteers from raising prices, and to prevent small people from taking advantage of the chaos...... After turning around and returning to the Yamen, he first went to the signing room to listen to the reports of the family members who rushed back from all over the place, and he would not be promoted until he knew the situation in Taizhou well.

Jiangning is too far away, so he can only send someone to Yangzhou to inquire about the news.

Before moving to Taizhou, he left two family members in Yangzhou, and after moving to Taizhou, he sent twelve officials, no matter whether there was news from Yangzhou or not, he would receive a visit every other hour.

Those salt merchants in Yangzhou City planned to "redeem the city", and Yang Dianbang, the governor of Caoyun, actually agreed to the news, Xu Ying not only knew but also knew earlier than Han Xiufeng, which made him more worried about the safety of Taizhou, just when he was about to send another family member to find out the news of the reinforcements, Master Hu hurriedly walked into the signing room.

"Dong Weng, Han Zhixing sent his family to report that he had already led the two regiments of Hai'an and Qutang to set off bravely, and he would be able to arrive at Baimi this afternoon, and he would be able to reach Jiangyan at noon tomorrow at the latest. Zhang Guangcheng and Li Changjing did not go to Hai'an with him, but recruited Xiangyong separately in Shilipu and Jiangyan in the east of the city. ”

"That's all?" Xu Ying raised his head and asked.

"More than that," Master Hu looked at the letter in his hand, and continued: "As soon as he returned to Hai'an, he and Fang Shimei gathered the squires to persuade them to donate money, and one of the gentry in Hai'an had all subscribed to the donation, and Dean Gu of Hai'an Fengshan Academy sent his family to come with Han Zhixing's family, bringing a donation list and more than five thousand eight two hundred taels of silver. ”

"Where's the silver?"

"All the money is outside, and this is the donation list."

Xu Ying took the roster and looked at it, and said coldly: "Why are they all gentry, Han Zhixing's?" ”

Master Hu reacted and hurriedly said, "Han Zhixing's four thousand taels were also sent, a total of nine thousand eight hundred and sixty taels." Dong Weng, all the money has been delivered, I can't help but give them a photo, what do you say about this? ”

"What is the difference between sending Yangzhou to Yangzhou and giving it to bandits?" Xu Ying asked rhetorically, put down the roster and said: "All the silver is deposited in the state treasury, and make it clear to the ambassador of the treasury that one or two officials will ask for his head!" As for the ministry photo, I bother you to draw up an official document, saying that the local gentry and merchants do not see rabbits and eagles, and they are unwilling to pledge if they do not see the ministry photo, and they will be sent to Yangzhou together with the donation list. ”

"Dong Weng, the official document is easy to draft, but can I get a blank photo just by submitting it?"

"If you can't get it, you have to get it, so I told Zhang Tingrui that if I can't get it today, I will go to Yangzhou tomorrow to apply for it in person!"

"Dong Weng, that's not appropriate, right?"

"When is it, what's not appropriate?"

"Also, they can even do such a thing as redeeming the city, so they really don't need to give them face." Master Hu nodded, thought about it and said: "There is another thing, Han Zhixing said that Han Chen, the ambassador of the Jiaoxichang Salt Division, learned that Jiangning was besieged and Yangzhou was in danger, so he hurriedly recruited more than 300 villagers, and Huang Zhixin, the deputy envoy of the Jiaojiaochang Salt Division, led the township to rush to Yangzhou. ”

Xu Ying, as the chief arrester of the Qing army in Yangzhou Prefecture, can manage all the states and counties under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou, but he can't manage the salt farms in Huainan, and said with a gloomy face: "He is a salt official, and it is not only Yangzhou that is rushing to help, but also the Yamen of the Yunsi, what does this matter to us?" ”

"That Huang Zhixin didn't know if he was really sick or greedy for life and afraid of death, he fell ill as soon as he arrived in Qutang, and entrusted the more than 300 villagers to Han Zhixing, Han Zhixing didn't know how to deal with it."

"Did Han Zhixing say that those townsmen are unusable?"

"Han Zhixing said in the letter that they are all young and strong, and I don't know if they are useless."

Xu Ying groaned: "Don't be sorry for the young man who sent it to the door, but it's not appropriate to accept it like this." After all, they rushed to the aid of Yangzhou, so they intercepted Liu Liangju and Minglun in the future, maybe how they will shirk the responsibility of losing the city. ”

Master Hu thought so, and couldn't help but sit down and said: "Dong Weng, this incident has reminded me, think about it, even a small ambassador of the Salt Division knows how to rush to Yangzhou, if we don't move and only care about guarding Taizhou, will we end up with a reputation of not saving you in the future?" Those imperial histories only know about the rumors, so they don't care about us, even if they gather soldiers and horses, it will be useless. ”

"Naturally, you can't go, but your worries are not unreasonable, we can't desperately defend the city and end up being investigated, so we still have to rush, but we have to think about how to help." Xu Ying paused, and then said: "What's more, what we need now is not only a capable Xiangyong, but also time!" Just by tearing down a few bridges and filling in a few rivers, you can't stop the bandits. ”

"Order Han Zhixing, Li Changjing and Zhang Guangcheng to lead Xiangyong to the junction of Taizhou and Jiangdu to intercept?"

"This is a solution, but there is no danger to defend at the junction of Taizhou and Jiangdu, even if they fight all the townspeople, they can't stop the bandits." Xu Ying walked to the map again that he didn't know how many times he had looked at these days, pointed to the map and turned back: "Since they want to intercept it, it is better to let them go farther, go to Wanfu Bridge, and fortify on the east bank of Liaojiagou!" ”

Although Liaojiagou is called a ditch, it is not a general ditch, but a big river with a width of more than 300 zhang and a depth of more than 10 zhang, although the canal, Qili River, Henggou River, Shahe and so on around Yangzhou City are called rivers, none of them can compare with Liaojiagou. Liaojiagou is not only wide, not only deep, but also a very important waterway, flowing south in the east of Yangzhou City, then turning east to join the Mangdao River, entering the Jiajiang River, and then flowing southeast, to Sanjiangying into the Yangtze River.

In other words, as long as Liaojiagou can be defended, the bandits will not be able to come to Taizhou!

How could Master Hu not know Xu Ying's good intentions, but he still reminded: "Dong Weng, that side is not only close to Yangzhou, but also under the rule of Jiangdu. ”

"Aren't we going to rush to Yangzhou, how can we help Yangzhou if we don't go to Jiangdu?" Xu Ying asked rhetorically, clenched his fists and said: "What's more, I, Xu Ying, am not the main hall of Taizhou, but the general arrest of the Qing army, not to mention sending Xiangyong to Jiangdu, even if I go to Jiangdu to recruit Xiangyong, Jiangdu Zhixian does not dare to say anything!" ”

"Okay, I'll just go back to Han Zhixing."

"You don't need to reply to him, you will go to Jiangyan in person after you prepare the official document to apply for a blank photo, whether Han Zhixing is so miraculous as it is rumored outside, I really don't know the bottom in my heart, Li Changjing is a greedy person who is afraid of death, Zhang Guangcheng is unreliable, I don't worry if you don't go on my behalf."

Death for a confidant!

Thinking that Xu Ying had been treating each other politely all these years, Master Hu gritted his teeth, stood up and arched his hand: "Dong Weng, not only do you want to go in your later life, but you don't plan to come back this time." As long as there is a breath in the late life, the bandits will not be able to cross Liaojiagou, let alone Taizhou! ”