Yang Nengge didn't expect that Han Xiufeng was not only demoted by one level, but also transferred to Tongzhi on the north bank of the Yongding River, Xu Naizhao didn't expect it. However, in Xu Naizhao's opinion, this is not a bad thing, and he even sent someone to invite Gil Hang'a and Yang Nengge to Xingyuan, and took the opportunity of reading the official documents of the Ministry of Officials to beat them.

Gil Hang'a and Yang Nengge were disgraced, but Han Xiufeng was not happy at all, because this result was completely different from what he thought before.

After thanking Xu Naizhao, he took the official document and returned to the "Sichuan Hall", Qiao Songnian, Xue Huan, Liu Cunhou, Hu Songlin, and Hu Kunyuan changed into civilian clothes and followed. Even Wu Jianzhang, Wu Xu, Sun Feng, the acting magistrate of Shanghai, and Zhou Xingyuan, who was supposed to set up a card in Fengxian, followed as if they had made an appointment.

With so many people coming at once, they couldn't ignore the meal, so Han Xiufeng hurriedly asked Su Jueming to make tea, and asked Datou, Cuihua and others to go to the Zhang Luo banquet. Fortunately, today is the twenty-sixth day of the lunar month, and the New Year will be celebrated in a few days, and a lot of New Year's goods have been prepared in the hall, and the chicken, duck and fish are ready-made, so there is no need to go out to buy.

All the officials who came, and the youngest was also a county prince, no one cared about eating and drinking, as soon as he sat down, he began to congratulate, and after the congratulations, he asked Han Xiufeng when he planned to leave, and planned to return to Beijing by sea or land.

Han Xiufeng said with a bitter smile: "It's Chinese New Year's Eve in a few days, I really don't want to spend the New Year on the road, but the official document is clearly written in black and white, let me return to Beijing immediately to receive it." If you procrastinate and wait until the end of the New Year before leaving, you may be impeached again. ”

How could Qiao Songnian not know that he was talking about Yang Nengge, put down the teacup and said, "Since the imperial court has asked you to return to Beijing immediately, there is no need to delay in Shanghai." ”

"yes, it's not been a year!" Liu Cunhou felt that this was the best result, and couldn't help laughing: "The river members of Yongding River are not people who can fill the position, the Holy Ancestor once had a holy teaching, and the selection of river ministers must be familiar with the clear water nature!" And once elected, it is easy not to be transferred, even if it is transferred, it is to be a riverside magistrate. ”

"What's so good about that?" Han Xiufeng couldn't help asking.

"What's so bad about being an official?" Liu Cunhou asked rhetorically, and said with his eyebrows: "Although the promotion and performance evaluation of civil and military officials below the level of the Taoist in Yongding River are all subordinate to the Governor of Zhili, in fact, the Governor of Zhili can't control the Yongding River in the same way that he can't control the Shuntian Mansion. ”

"If it is not under the control of the governor of Zhili, who will be in charge?" Han Xiufeng couldn't help but ask.

"The rewards and punishments of the civil and military officials below the Taoist are under the control of the Taoist, and the Taoist has something to report to the Governor of Zhili, and even more to the Ministry of Works, and to discuss with the Shuntian Mansion. As far as I know, most of the officials of the Yongding River Yamen were selected from among the pen posts and service personnel of various ministries and institutes. ”

Qiao Songnian has been a Hanlin official in the capital for so many years, and he knows these things best, looking at Han Xiufeng who seems to understand whether he understands or not, he explained with a smile: "The river is not only in charge of river affairs, but also in charge of the silt on both sides of the Yongding River and the people who have dredged and reclaimed the wasteland, and the Yongding River is hundreds of miles long, flowing through so many states and counties, among which the most prone to flooding and the least likely to flood are the counties under the jurisdiction of Shuntianfu. You know that Suncheonfu is not only an important place in Gyeonggi, but also has the right to accept complaints from all over the world, which can be called a 'small criminal department', so as long as it involves the affairs of Suncheonfu, the governor of Zhili generally will not ask. ”

"But what does it have to do with the Ministry of Works?" Han Xiufeng asked.

"It doesn't matter, if you think about what the Ministry of Industry does, and what does the Yongding River Yamen do? The Metropolitan Water Division, one of the four major departments of the Ministry of Industry, is in charge of auditing and estimating the expenses for river courses, sea ponds, river defense, ditches, water conservancy, bridges, and road projects, as well as the expenses for the construction of warships, ferries, and other types of ships in various provinces, and the salaries of the officers and men of the river defense.

And Yongding River is also called Wuding River, good siltation, frequent diversion, easy to break the embankment, either no flood, a flood will not only Shuntianfu counties will suffer, and even block water and land transportation, the capital will have a famine. It is precisely because of this that the imperial court set up the Yongding River Yamen. ”

"Gyeonggi is a major land, so naturally I can't cause floods, but I am neither familiar with the terrain nor water, so let me go to control the water, what if this errand is messed up?"

"Yongding River Yamen, not only you, Han Zhixing, is an official." Qiao Songnian looked at him with a smile and said, "Not only is there a Taoist platform, but there are also several Tongzhi, you don't understand it, others understand." I estimate that Master Peng transferred you to the north bank of the Yongding River to manage Tongzhi, and nine times out of ten you were asked to lead the troops, not to control the water. ”

"What soldiers?"

"Leading the river to mark the green battalion," the more Qiao Songnian thought about it, the more he felt that what Xu Naizhao said before coming had a certain amount of truth, and couldn't help laughing: "The two Huaiyun Divisions have salt fishing camps, and there are green battalion soldiers like the Yamen of Yongding River, but those soldiers were not originally used to fight, and they were specialized in dredging and building embankments, and at the same time stationed in the flood land along both sides of the river. ”

Han Xiufeng reacted and asked with a smile: "So those green battalion soldiers in the Yongding River are a group of river laborers, who usually dredge and build embankments, and if anyone commits trouble in the states and counties along the river, they will go to quell the chaos?" ”

"Exactly."

"Is it reliable to let those coolies put things in order?"

"It's not reliable, but it's not a bad thing," Thinking that although there were outsiders here, it was not the business of Songjiang Mansion, Qiao Songnian couldn't help but say: "Yongding River Yamen is only a hundred miles away from the capital, and it is known as the gateway to the capital. So if you really go to lead the troops this time, the imperial court will only let you garrison along the river, and will not easily let you lead the troops to Jinghai to fight for long hair. ”

Xue Huan thought so, raised his head and said: "First, the gateway to the capital can't be opened, and second, if those battalions of soldiers from the river mark are transferred to other places to quell the chaos, what should we do if the Yongding River is flooded." For the imperial court, quelling the chaos is as important as controlling the river. ”

"So although Tongzhi on the north bank of the Yongding River is not a fat shortage, it is also a good errand."

"If you can lead the troops, you will be stationed at the feet of the Son of Heaven, as long as there is no fault, it will be a merit! What's more, stationing in Gyeonggi is no joke, and no one can transfer troops without authorization, and even if a soldier is transferred, he must first report to the Ministry of War and even the Military Aircraft Department. Every move is in the eyes of the princes and ministers and even the emperor, although they are not as comfortable as being officials in other places, but it is not a bad thing to be remembered by the princes and ministers! ”

Looking at the envious looks of Liu Cunhou, Hu Songlin and others, Han Xiufeng couldn't help but smile and said, "If I have a choice, I still want to go home." ”

"What kind of stupid thing," Qiao Songnian knew that he missed his mother-in-law and baby, put down the teacup and said: "Although Tongzhi on the north bank of the Yongding River is not a Beijing official, he is actually no different from a Beijing official. If you miss your family, you can send someone to bring your family to a reunion. ”

"What Qiao Futai said is very true, Zhixing, you can take your younger siblings and baby over." Liu Cunhou couldn't help but laugh.

Han Xiufeng suddenly found that this was really a way, if he could take Qin'er and the baby to his side, it really didn't matter if he didn't go back to his hometown. But thinking that Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang had already killed Jinghai County, and Jinghai County was only two hundred miles away from Gu'an County, where the Yongding River Yamen was located, and there was no danger to defend there, he still muttered: "If you really can't go back, you will naturally take the cheap and the baby over, but you have to wait, and wait until the battle situation on the Jinghai side is clear." ”

Qiao Songnian suddenly realized that if it weren't for the tight war, the people in the capital would be panicked, even if Master Peng brought the north bank of the Yongding River to know that this beauty difference would not be Han Xiufeng's turn, and said in a deep voice: "The top priority is to return to Beijing as soon as possible to take office, as for the people who are almost sent back to pick up their families, we can wait until after taking office." ”

"That's all there is to it."

"When are you going to leave?"

"The sooner nature is, the better." Han Xiufeng didn't want to stay longer in Shanghai, and subconsciously looked at Wu Jianzhang: "Brother Daopu, I plan to take the sea route, and I bother you to help me hire a foreigner's steamer." After all, compared with the sand boat, it is faster and safer to take the foreigner's steamer. ”

"It's hard work, it's not hard work." Wu Jianzhang arched his hand and smiled.

"Brother Xie Daopu," Han Xiufeng bowed back, then turned around and said, "Cousin Jin, I will entrust the guild hall to you after I leave." ”

"This is the Sichuan Guild Hall, I am from Sichuan, and taking care of the Guild Hall is my job, not to mention the labor." Xue Huan said without thinking.

"Since I have a ship, and since I don't have to worry about the guild hall, then I'll leave early tomorrow morning." Han Xiufeng weighed it and continued: "Brother Zhou, according to the rule, I can only bring twenty family members to take office, so those brothers from Jiangbei have to worry about you taking care of them. If they want to stay with you, let them stay, and if they want to go back, they will trouble you to let them go back. ”

"Brother Han, your brother is my brother Zhou Xingyuan, and you can't talk about your own trouble."

"Okay, I'll leave everything to you."

……

After eating lunch and sending Qiao Songnian and the others away, Han Xiufeng didn't care about packing his luggage, but was busy writing letters and preparing silver taels at the same time.

I have to leave tomorrow, and I have to say goodbye to Xu Naizhao and other officials, and I can't help but send a farewell when I say goodbye. rushed to Xingyuan again, but I didn't expect to not only see Xu Naizhao, but Xu Naizhao also asked his relatives to take out a letter and give it to Peng Yunzhang, Minister of Military Aircraft. This letter is very valuable, and even if someone else spends a thousand taels of silver, he may not be able to ask for it, Han Xiufeng thanked him before leaving.

Back at the guild hall, Datou, Cuihua, Ren Yu'er and Su Jueming had already packed their luggage, and Chen Hu and Ji Daji, who had followed him with an iron heart, were saying goodbye to the other brothers of the old Taiyong camp. Liang Liu also wanted to follow him to the capital, but Han Xiufeng didn't let him, because he had a family and a small family, so he couldn't just leave.

Seeing that he wanted to speak and stopped, Han Xiufeng asked with a smile: "Sixth, what do the brothers say?" ”

"Fourth master, you will leave tomorrow, what is the point of us staying in Shanghai? So we plan to put you on board tomorrow morning, and we will go back to Taizhou as soon as you leave. ”

"All back?"

"All back." Liang Liu knew what Han Xiufeng really wanted to ask, and arched his hand and said, "Fourth Master, you treat us as your own people, and Lord Guo treats us well." You don't need us by your side, we can't covet the little money given by Master Zhou, and forget the grace of Lord Guo. ”

"It's okay to go back, be careful on the way back, by the way, by the way, help me carry a letter to Lord Guo, Changsheng and Dean Gu."