Taizhou, a state because of water.

The moat is also called the Fengcheng River, the river is wide and the water is deep, the city wall that passes through the city wall is thick and less than three miles, it is the east and west city river and the Yudai River that surround the city for a week, it intersects with the middle city river and the sky, the inner city water system of the Tiancheng character is formed by nature, and the clear water of the Fengcheng River outside the city is ringed, constituting the pattern of double water surrounding the city, easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The houses outside the city have been completely demolished, not even a few trees are visible, only a few bridges remain, and it is conceivable that these bridges will be destroyed when the bandits come. The officials of the state government were leading the young and strong to strengthen the city wall that had fallen into disrepair, and boats of stones and rolling wood needed to defend the city were being transported from all directions to the wharf outside the city.

Han Xiufeng and his entourage entered the city from the south gate, and they found that the city was also preparing.

Old Ghost Xu didn't know where to summon so many people, so he built a second city wall along the north side of the Yudai River, and the original houses and shops built along the river were all gone, and all became materials for building the water urn city.

Water bridges are naturally indispensable, which can be called one mile across three bridges. Han Xiufeng was shocked by the hot scene in front of him, and walked to the highest point of the stone bridge and stopped.

Huzi said with a little pride and caution: "Master Han, my master said that as long as he is given a month, he can run Taizhou as solid as gold." When my lord has built the urn city, you will no longer be intercepted outside the city, and then you will be able to lead the villagers to retreat to the city to defend the city with my lord. ”

Han Xiufeng thought that Old Ghost Xu did have a few brushes, and couldn't help but raise his arm and point to the inner city wall that was being built: "Since you want to build an urn city, the city wall can't be shorter than the outer city wall, if you build a low city and wait for the bandits to capture the outer city, they can condescendingly fire shotguns, and even bombard them with cannonballs." ”

"This is natural, my lord has thought of it a long time ago."

"There is still food, you can do without anything, and you can't do anything without food!"

"Master Han can rest assured, Wu Yimu and those alternate masters are all raising grain these days, several granaries in the city have already been piled up, and all the grain transported in the past two days is stored in the school palace. My lord was worried that the thieves would send him to burn grain and grass, so he set up dozens of checkpoints inside and outside the city, and as long as they spoke with foreign accents and did not have the local gentry as a guarantee, they would not be able to get in. ”

"How many have you taken these days?" Yu Qinghuai asked curiously.

"There should be two or three hundred, some say they are fleeing, some say they are here to join their relatives, but no one guarantees them, and they don't even know who their relatives are."

"All in jail?"

"My lord originally planned to let them go out to fill the river, but then he was worried that if some of them were sent by bandits, if they ran away, they would leak the truth in the city, and let them build the city wall together with the local young people, and he was worried that they would confuse the people and shake the morale of the army, so he simply asked the jailer to escort them to the Dongshi River to build the city wall, and no one else would do it to them in that section."

"Are there any women or children?" Han Xiufeng asked in a low voice.

"Yes, but my lord said that there are also old and weak women and children among the bandits, so those old and weak women and children who have been taken down have to work the same, and don't want to go out of the city."

"What are you doing?"

"They can't do heavy work, they can only let them do light work, let them cook, cut bamboo thorns, weave straw ropes, weave straw shoes or something, although there is no shortage of food in the city, they can't be raised in vain, anyway, they all have to work."

As he spoke, a familiar face could not be more familiar.

"Young master, why are you here, I'm about to go to Jiangyan to find you!" Seeing Han Xiufeng, Pan Er, who had sent the donated silver a few days ago, was overjoyed, glanced at Old Ghost Xu's family Huzi, and turned back and said, "Young Master, Master Wu had to go with me to find you, but I didn't expect to meet you before I left the city." ”

Wu Wenrong, Wu Wenxi's younger brother Wu Wenming, went to meet the Wu family with Yi Zhenzhi County before coming to Taizhou, and Su Jueming was also introduced by him.

The Taiping bandits want to attack Yangzhou, and Yizhen is a must-go place. And his family is a famous family in Yizhen, his two cousins, one is the governor of Huguang, and the other is the official residence of Sichuan Salt Tea Road, and the thieves will definitely not let go of the Wu family.

Han Xiufeng even helped Wu Wenxi's friend Zhang Dejian's family settle down, so naturally he would not miss this opportunity to make friends with the Wu family, he had already explained to Su Jueming, and Pan Er was also busy with this matter in the past two days. Unexpectedly, Wu Wenming really came, Han Xiufeng was also happy, and hurriedly arched his hand and said: "Brother Wu, Yizhen has been farewell, it has been two months." ”

"It's exactly two months when it's full." Wu Wenming bowed back, and then pointed to a teahouse at the head of the bridge and asked, "Brother Han, this is not the place to talk, how about we go have a cup of tea?" ”

"Just what I want, Brother Wu, please."

"Brother Han, please?"

Huzi didn't know where Wu Wenming was sacred, so he couldn't help asking: "Master Han, are you going to the state government?" ”

"I'll go later, you can go back first."

"That'...... The little one goes first. ”

"Help me apologize to your master, and say I'll go see you when I'm done."

"Okay, the little one will help you report first." Huzi had never seen such an official who didn't take Xu Ying seriously, and he actually dared to let Shangguan wait, and couldn't help but look at Wu Wenming a few more times.

After sending away the family of Old Ghost Xu, Han Xiufeng and Wu Wenming walked into the teahouse together, followed the guy to the private seat on the second floor, drank tea and chatted.

“…… No matter how we who are younger generations persuade us, the two ancestors just don't want to come to Taizhou, they say that they will die in the ancestral hall, even if they die hard, they can't let the thieves destroy the ancestral hall of my Wu family and dig the ancestral grave of my Wu family. Wu Wenming sighed, put down the teacup again, and said: "The two ancestors didn't want my Wu family to break the incense, so they asked me to lead my daughters and nephews to Taizhou to avoid trouble." ”

"Brother Wu, but even if the two ancestors don't leave, what can they do, can they stop the bandits?" Han Xiufeng asked solemnly.

"To tell you the truth, as early as the first month of the year, I received the news that the bandits were going down the river, so I Wujiazhuang began to prepare, gathered more than 200 young people, and sent people to buy more than 30 firebird guns from a foreign company in Shanghai. If the bandits really dare to offend my Wu Jiazhuang, even if they can't keep the ancestral hall, they will let me know that my Wu family is not so easy to mess with! ”

"But ......"

"Brother Han, I know what you want to say, but there is really nothing to say about this matter, my Wu family is deeply favored by the emperor, and I can't just leave, let alone let the two brothers Wen Rong and Wen Xi be ashamed!"

A famous family wants to have the appearance of a famous family, Han Xiufeng sighed secretly and didn't persuade again, but asked in a low voice: "Taizhou is settled here?" ”

"After settling down, I rented two courtyards in the innermost part of Song and Dance Alley, which are only separated by a wall from the garden of the state government."

"Not far from the Hokkien Hall, going north from the gate of Tianhou Temple?"

"Exactly," Wu Wenming nodded slightly, thought about it and said with a wry smile: "There are more and more people who come to Taizhou for refuge, and the yard is becoming more and more difficult to rent." ”

"Then what is Brother Wu's plan next?"

"I'm going to go to my brother."

"Defect to me? Brother Wu, don't be kidding! ”

"No kidding," Wu Wenming's face was straight, and he stared at Han Xiufeng's eyes and said: "Brother Han, the bandits are coming, Yangzhou is in danger, and Taizhou may not be able to hold it." Although Xu Ying has made a lot of preparations, how can he compare with Wuchang and Jiangning? My Wu family children can retreat to Taizhou today, and tomorrow they can listen to your retreat to Hai'an or even the corner slope field, but what if the thieves kill the corner slope field? ”

"There is a way out, I have arranged everything."

"Brother Han, the foolish brother knows that you have good intentions, but you can retreat again and again, when will it be a head? What's more, the roots of my Wu family are in Yizhen, so I can't just abandon my family and business! Brother Changsheng said that you have trained a battalion of village warriors, and you will go to Jiangdu to intercept the bandits in the next few days, and who else is more familiar with Jiangdu and even Yangzhou than me, take me, I will definitely be able to help you! ”

Dealing with those gentry in Jiangdu and even the entire Yangzhou Mansion, the words of this person in front of him are much more effective than the words of Old Ghost Xu, Han Xiufeng wanted to bring it but didn't dare to bring it, because he really dared to fight with the bandits.

If he goes to help now, he will become a prison army, and he, the prison army, is different from Hu Yaobai, Master Xu's friend behind the scenes, who dares to hit his board, and who dares to cut off his head? Han Xiufeng didn't dare to bring a lifeless person by his side, put down the teacup and said, "Brother Wu, Xiufeng can't let you get into danger." ”

"This is where I go, not what you asked me to go!" Wu Wenming pointed to Pan Er, who was standing on the side, and said: "Changsheng saw it with his own eyes, I have written the suicide note, and I have explained it to my wife and children, even if there are three long and two short, it is none of your Han brother's business." ”

"No, no, Brother Wu, don't embarrass me, if you really have three long and two short, let me explain to Brother Ling!"

"It's none of your business!"

"It's none of my business."

"Brother Han, you really don't want to take me?"

"No."

"Since this is the case, then I can only return to Yizhen, you have trained a battalion of village warriors, and I also have more than 200 young men in Wujiazhuang, and they are all children of my Wu family, and I still have a fight with bandits!" Wu Wenming clenched his fists and spoke in a resolute tone.

Han Xiufeng had no choice but to say with a bitter face: "Brother Wu, why are you so troubled!" Since you've made up your mind, you're one. ”

"That's it, don't look at me Wu Wenming is powerless, but going to Jiangdu can really help."

"I know, but there is something to say in front, Brother Wu, since you are going with me, you are the people of Yongying in my township, not only you Brother Wu, but even the more than 200 children of your Wujiazhuang have to listen to me!"

"I am willing to be sent by my brother, but I can't be the master of the more than 200 Wu family children."

"If they don't listen to me, how can I kidnap the two old ancestors out of Wujiazhuang?" Han Xiufeng asked rhetorically, knocked on the table again, and said: "Brother Wu, you can't disobey the two ancestors, I, Han Xiufeng, am not your Wu family, and I don't have so many scruples at a hundred thousand times of emergency." ”

"Brother Han, are you going to fight with the two ancestors?" Wu Wenming asked in surprise.

"I can only make this decision, otherwise I won't be able to explain to Wu Zhongtang and Lord Wu in the future, and I won't even have the face to see Lord Wu again!"

"I ...... I ......"

Han Xiufeng got up and said with a smile: "It's none of your Brother Wu's business, as long as you don't let those children of the Wu family stop stopping when the time comes." Even if the two ancestors blame, they will only blame me Han Xiufeng, not you, Brother Wu. ”