The fighting is getting tighter, and all the bad news is being heard.

Su Jueming was terrified in Yangzhou, first sent his family members who were finally moved to send two archers to Hai'an, and then moved from the city to the outside of the city with Han Bo, the cousin of Han Chen, the secretary of the Yanjiao Salt Division, and stayed in the inn outside the city for two days before moving to the east bank of the canal. Every morning, they crossed the river and went into the city to explore separately, and in the afternoon they went out of the city together, not daring to stay in the city for a long time.

After sitting in the teahouse near the government office for an afternoon, it was time to go out of the city again.

Su Jueming shouted to the guy to settle the tea money, and hurried to the east gate, only to see Han Bo guarding outside the city gate, and there was a person beside him who looked a little familiar but couldn't remember where he had seen it.

"Brother Han, this big brother is ......"

"Let's go, this is not the place to talk." Su Jueming glanced back at the doorman, pulled him and walked towards the canal.

One of the officials of the Jiaoxian Salt Division had been waiting by the river for a day, and when he saw Han Bo arrive, he called out to the boat that was chatting with people on the shore to come over quickly.

Han Bo called the person who went out of the city together into the boat, and as soon as he crossed the river and went ashore, he went straight to the inn, closed the door as soon as he arrived at the inn, and turned around and introduced: "Jueming, this is Taizhou Master Zhang's nephew and young master Zhang Guangsheng, that is, the cousin of Second Young Master Zhang." ”

"I said how to look familiar, it turned out to be the cousin of Second Young Master Zhang!" Su Jueming suddenly realized, thought about it and asked, "Brother Zhang, did you go to the mansion yesterday morning?" ”

"I've been there, I'm not afraid of Brother Su's jokes, I've been going every day these days."

"Then how did you meet Brother Han?"

Zhang Guangsheng took out a letter from his arms: "Brother Su, this is a letter sent by my cousin yesterday, my cousin and Master Han are friends, Master Han and Ambassador Han are not only friends but also fellow villagers, to put it bluntly, they are all family." Let me hurry up to you and Brother Han, not only can I take care of you, but I can also discuss what I encounter. I don't know where you are, so I can only wait outside the Yunsi Yamen, but I didn't expect to wait for Brother Han. ”

"I see, since it's a family, we'll explore it together in the future." Su Jueming nodded, then turned around and asked, "Brother Han, have you found any news?" ”

"Finding one, it's just bad news."

"How bad?"

Han Bo poured tea for the two of them, and said worriedly: "On the third day of the second month, that is, the day before yesterday, the sailors of the Taiping bandits came to the city of Jiangning and divided their troops to capture Pukou. Lord Lu retreated the soldiers from outside the city into the city before the bandits arrived, trying to hold on, but they were surrounded by the bandits. ”

"How many soldiers does Jiangning have, do you estimate whether the landing lord can hold it?" Su Jueming asked.

It is said that there are more than 5,000 people in the green battalion of flag soldiers in the city, and more than 10,000 brave men who have been temporarily recruited. As for whether it can be held or how long, I don't know. And this news was two days ago, to put it mildly, it is difficult to say whether Jiang Ning is still in the hands of the imperial court at this time! ”

The most feared thing finally happened, Su Jueming didn't care about drinking tea, hurriedly got up and sharpened the ink, and prepared to write a letter to send Hai'an to him.

Han Bo looked up at him and asked, "Jueming, what about you, did you inquire about anything?" ”

"I found out two, one is that the imperial court knew that Jiangning was in an emergency, and urgently ordered the ministers of the Qin Mission, Xiang Rong and Qi Shan, to lead the army from the north and south to help. Xiang Rong: I have heard for a long time, because of the lack of pursuit and suppression, he was dismissed, and eighty percent of the yang and yin disobeyed, chasing but not suppressing, anyway, the South Road army led by him could not be counted on. I haven't heard of Qi Shan, but even if he can fight well, his subordinates are all elite soldiers, and he can't quench his thirst. ”

"And another one?" Han Bo asked.

Su Jueming subconsciously looked at Zhang Guangsheng, held up the pen and said: "There is another one about Master Zhang, Governor Zhang probably knows that Master Zhang is sick, but he can't let Master Zhang report his illness, and he is worried that the officials of the state government will gain power at this juncture, and plan to let Xu Ying and Master Xu move to Taizhou." As soon as I heard the news, I went to the Tongzhi Bureau, and heard from the door of the Tongzhi Office that Master Xu's family was packing their luggage, and it seemed that if I didn't go to Taizhou today, I would go tomorrow. ”

Han Bo's cousin Han Chen is a salt official, Han Bo, as a family member of the palace, usually only deals with the Yunsi Yamen, and is not very familiar with the officials of Yangzhou Mansion, and is about to ask this Master Xu what he is like, Su Jueming continued: "In Yangzhou, this Master Xu is famous for his iron-faced selflessness!" He is the Enke Jinshi of Daoguang Sixteenth, and even Futai has to give him three points. Brother Zhang, it's not that I curse your master, Futai will let Master Xu go to Taizhou at this time, and he will inevitably not wait to act in Taizhou. ”

"I know, I've heard about it." Zhang Guangsheng sighed lightly and said with a bitter face: "When Master Xu arrives in Taizhou, my uncle and my cousin don't think about Ansheng." In the future, it is estimated that all the big and small matters of the state government will have to be decided by Master Xu. ”

"Jueming, Guangsheng, are you saying that this Master Xu is not easy to deal with?" Han Bo asked subconsciously.

"Brother Han doesn't know, this Master Xu is not an ordinary Tongzhi, but an assistant to the government and Taiwan to manage the green camp of the Mansion, and is responsible for coastal defense, river defense and patrol and arrest of the Qing Army! The green battalion soldiers stationed in the city saw him as if they were ghosts, and the sailors on the canal all walked around him. Whoever is unlucky to plant him in his hands, even if he doesn't die, he has to take off a few layers of skin, he is a notoriously cool official! ”

"So he moved to Taizhou, and your master didn't have a good life?" Han Bo asked in surprise.

"That's what I'm most worried about, maybe he will let my lord go to Taizhou to help defend the city, if I know that my lord and the Hai'an gentry have trained three regiments of township warriors together, and even let my lord lead the township warriors to Yangzhou to defend the city!"

Hai'an is the most important part of the retreat, how to advance and retreat is also all the Hai'an Inspection Department of the Han master, Zhang Guangcheng's cousin Zhang Guangsheng realized that the big thing was not good, and said eagerly: "Han can't go to Taizhou, let alone come to Yangzhou!" ”

"Thousands of calculations, why didn't you calculate that you will make a trip to bite the gold halfway, how is this good?" The more Han Chen's cousin Han Bo thought about it, the more scared he became.

"It's useless for us to be in a hurry here, the top priority is to send this news back quickly, so that Master Han can be prepared and see if he can think of a response." Su Jueming quickly wrote the letter, put down the pen and said, "Brother Han, do you see if there is any omission?" ”

"Add the situation of Yangzhou City, and tell Master Han that there are less than 1,000 soldiers in Yangzhou City, and several yamen are in chaos, and Yang Dianbang, the governor of Caoyun, and Zhang Tingrui, the prefect of Yangzhou, have not come up with a charter so far, and they have not even recruited brave men to strengthen the city defense!" Han Bo thought for a while, and then pointed to the letter and said, "Not only did the Cao Pacesetter Ding not defend the city, but they all guarded the Cao boats on the canal. It can be seen that if the Taiping bandits are under the city of Yangzhou, Yang Dianbang is very likely to abandon the city and flee north. ”

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