Huzi hurriedly returned to the state office, and when he saw that the master was not there, he could only report with Master Yang and Master Hu, who was lying on the couch while recuperating from his injuries, while reading official documents.

Like Xu Ying, the two masters were most worried about the Taiping bandits, and the most uneasy was Han Xiufeng, the only one in front of them who could delay the bandits. Knowing that Han Xiufeng did not come to the state government in time to see a scholar at this critical juncture, the two of them suddenly became suspicious, and immediately sent someone to find out who the scholar was.

Taizhou City is not big, and these days, in order to prevent spies, not only clear the armor, check the night, but also send more than 100 officials to check inside and outside the city to pay attention to suspicious people, and it will be clear after a while.

Master Yang never thought that the people of Yizhen's Wu family would come to Taizhou, and even rented a place on the edge of the state government, and he didn't expect that Han Xiufeng, a state company from a donation, would also have a relationship with Wu Wenrong, the governor of Huguang, and Wu Wenxi, the Sichuan salt tea ceremony, and couldn't help but look back and smile bitterly: "Brother Hu, I finally know why the surname Han dares to beat your board." ”

Hu Yaobai also didn't expect Han Xiufeng's background to be so big and his background so deep, and said with a bitter face: "I really don't complain about this board." ”

Huzi also went up and down in his heart, and said with a sad face: "Mr. Yang, Mr. Hu, Master Han has a relationship with the Yizhen Wu family, in fact, there are a lot of things in the yamen, but we haven't remembered to ask." ”

"A lot of people know?"

"Master Zhang knows, and the nine-room scribes and those classes of officials also know."

"How do they know?" Master Yang asked subconsciously.

"A few years ago, Master Han came to Taizhou to take office, and the official document of the Yamen of Taiwan arrived early, but Master Han did not arrive for a long time, and later I learned that he went to Yizhen first, and first went to meet the two elders of the Wu family, it seems that the Yizhen County Master who was deprived of his post a year ago accompanied him."

"He is a native of Sichuan, how did he get in touch with the Yizhen Wu family?" Master Yang muttered.

"I inquired about it, Master Han was the director of the Chongqing Hall in the capital before he came to Jiangsu, and I also lived in the hall when I was in the capital, but I lived in the Huguang Hall. Although the director of the guild hall, Jiang is not an official master, he is better at speaking in the capital than ordinary officials. Huzi paused, and then said: "Master Han has been the curator of the Chongqing Guild Hall, and he must know many adults like the curator Jiang of our Huguang Guild Hall. ”

Hu Yaobai reacted, and couldn't help but raise his head and said: "Brother Yang, isn't Wu Daotai an official in Sichuan, so it's normal for him to recognize Wu Daotai." ”

"The director of the hall is not something that anyone can do, if you guess correctly, whether it is the Wu family, Yang Wending, Qi Suzao, they are just the tip of the iceberg. He made friends with more dignitaries and nobles in the capital than Dong Weng's classmates in the same year. ”

"This is not a thing, Huzi, hurry up and report to the master."

"I'm leaving, what should I do when Master Han comes over later?"

"You're not the only one in the yamen, hurry up and report it, there's us here."

"Oh, the little one, go now."

……

As soon as Huzi walked on his front foot, Han Xiufeng arrived on his back foot.

Master Yang, who lives in a simple house on weekdays, personally greeted him, and greeted him in the second hall for nearly a stick of incense, before accompanying Han Xiufeng to the Wanghai Tower in the southeast corner of the state city.

Wanghai Tower is the tallest building in the city, according to legend, it was built in the second year of Shaoding in the Southern Song Dynasty, but it was not called Wanghai Tower at that time, but called Haiyang Tower. Lu You, Fan Zhongyan, Ouyang Xiu, Yue Fei, Kong Shangren and other sages have all visited, and it is known as "the first floor of Jianghuai". Like the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuchang, it has been repeatedly destroyed, and most of them were destroyed in the war and rose in the prosperous era.

From the beginning of the Song Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty rebuilt, many people have not been able to say the specific changes of Wanghai Tower, only know that the former Ming Zhou Shou Baolong rebuilt and named Wanghai Tower. It was rebuilt during the Kangxi period and renamed Jinghai Tower. During the Jiaqing period, it was rebuilt due to serious damage and demolition, and was renamed Mingfeng Tower. Although it has changed its name several times, it is still customary to call it "Wanghailou".

Han Xiufeng passed by several times, but it was the first time he came.

Accompanied by Master Yang, he walked up the stairs, looked at the poems and texts left by the literati of the past generations on the wall, and unconsciously climbed upstairs, only to see Xu Ying standing holding a delicate speculum (monocular) and looking into the distance.

"Xiufeng meets Master Xu!"

"Brother Zhixing doesn't need to be polite." Xu Ying put down the peep, looked down at the boats transporting materials to defend the city on the moat and the young men who were repairing the city wall and asked, "Brother Zhixing, you said that if you give me Xu Ying another month to prepare, can this city be defended?" ”

Han Xiufeng held on to the wooden fence and muttered, "How many thieves do you want to see?" ”

"What if four or five thousand come?"

"Shuangshui surrounds the city, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and you have Master Xu in charge, let alone four or five thousand, even if seven or eight thousand bandits come, this city can be defended."

"What if 10,000?" Xu Ying turned around and asked.

Han Xiufeng asked rhetorically, "Do the bandits have so many soldiers?" ”

"If the bandits want to invade my Taizhou, they must occupy Yangzhou first, it stands to reason that the bandits can't divide so many soldiers, but don't forget why the bandits are getting bigger and bigger, and they are running more and more! As far as I know, they will coerce the people everywhere they go, although Wuchang has been recovered, but what has been recovered is an empty city, and almost all the people in the city have been coerced to our Jiangsu. Xu Ying took a deep breath, clenched his fists and said: "I can't hide it, I'm not afraid of anything, I'm afraid that the thieves will coerce the people of Yangzhou, and I'm afraid that those people will take the opportunity to make trouble or even be thieves!" ”

"The local people are simple, even if there are thieves, there shouldn't be many."

"That's because the bandits didn't come," Xu Ying's face changed, and he said coldly: "In troubled times, whoever dares to make trouble at this juncture must be suppressed, and must not be merciful!" ”

What can Han Xiufeng, a madman like him, say, perfunctory: "Yes, what Master Xu said is extremely true." ”

"But there is no need for Brother Han to worry about these things, the elder brother only needs to help Xu and the people of Taizhou to delay the thieves for a month, and after a month, the elder brother can act on the camera, and then he can come back to defend the city with Xu, and he can also attack and disturb outside the city."

Cameras can also harass outside the city......

How could Han Xiufeng not hear the meaning of Xu Ying's words, and felt that it was not easy for these words to come out of his mouth, although the premise was to intercept the bandits for a month, and he didn't know how to answer, Xu Ying suddenly changed his words: "Wu Zhongtang and Wu Daotai's cousin Wu Wenming have come to Taizhou?" ”

Han Xiufeng thought that he was really well-informed, and said bluntly: "Here, not only Wu Wenming is here, but almost all the daughters and nephews of the Wu family are here, so they rent in Song and Dance Lane, which is only separated by a wall from the back garden of the state government. ”

"I didn't expect Brother Han to have a friendship with the Wu family."

"When the lower officials were in the capital, Wu Daotai took special care of the lower officials. Now that Xia Guan has come to Yangzhou Mansion to take office, he naturally wants to visit the two clan elders. ”

Xu Ying nodded slightly, thought about it and asked, "The two clan elders of the Wu family are also here?" ”

"No, Wu Wenming said that the two ancestors were worried that the bandits would destroy the ancestral hall of the Wu family and dig the ancestral grave of the Wu family, and they were unwilling to come to Taizhou to avoid trouble no matter how they persuaded them. However, Xia Guan will never watch the two old ancestors fall into the hands of thieves, and he is planning to take a trip to Yizhen, even if he is tied up, he will tie the two old ancestors out of danger, and by the way, see if he can contact Yang Yiguo, the governor of Shangyan, and invite him and those villagers under him to guard Liaojiagou with Xiaguan. ”

Looking at Xu Ying's thoughtful appearance, Han Xiufeng continued: "Master Xu, even if you don't ask, the lower officials will report to you about the Wu family, and help Wu Wenming ask for an errand to help him run the camp." He planned to go with his subordinates to intercept the bandits, and his Wu family had already prepared, not only gathered 200 young people, but also sent people to Shanghai County to purchase more than 30 bird guns in the first month. ”

"This is a good thing, isn't it just an errand to help with the camp, Mr. Yang, I bother you to draft a paperwork."

"Yes."

Han Xiufeng knew that he couldn't ask for it, looked back at Master Yang, and said: "Master Xu, the people of the Wu family and the shotgun can't be wanted, but they can't be asked for in vain, even if they ask for nothing, they won't give it in vain, so the lower officials have to go to Yizhen to compete with the bandits first, and give the Wu family an explanation." ”

Thinking that it was impossible for the Wu family to abandon their family and business and retreat to the east bank of Liaojiagou, Xu Ying muttered: "You can go, but you can't miss a big event." ”

"Master Xu can rest assured, the subordinate officials are measured."

"It's good to be measured," Xu Ying nodded, and held the peep in front of Han Xiufeng: "Whether Taizhou can hold it or not depends on my brother." In addition to the dozen or so small cannons, the only thing that can be taken out is this speculum barrel, bring it, you can hold it more effectively than I am here. ”

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