Wen Xiang was promoted again, and was promoted twice in just 14 days.

First of all, he was the deputy commander of the Han Army with the Yellow Flag, and he became the second product from the second grade.

The afternoon before yesterday, the emperor ordered him to learn to walk on the Minister of Military Aircraft!

Although it ranks the lowest among several large military aircraft and is nicknamed the "curtain military aircraft", it is also the minister of military aircraft, which makes Cao Yuying, who has been in the military aircraft department for so many years, very uncomfortable. Wen Xiang knew very well in his heart that the emperor ordered him to enter the direct center because the British, Buddha, Mi, and Russian four Yi gathered in Dagukou, and how to deal with Xiyi became the top priority of the imperial court, so that he, the former "Houyi Tang" treasurer, walked on the minister of military aircraft, which was conducive to handling the affairs of the country.

But when I arrived at the military aircraft duty room, there were not many things that could be handled, and the only thing I could do was to wait for the report of Tan Tingxiang, the governor of Zhili, and the minister sent by the emperor one after another, Guiliang, the governor of the former Liangjiang, Zonglun, the head of the household department, and Wu Erkuntai, the cabinet bachelor and the head of the Ministry of Rites.

And with his arrival, Peng Yunzhang, who had no opinions on military affairs, simply became a "hands-off shopkeeper". The emperor asked the will to be drafted, and the emperor ordered the compassionate to be discussed. As the foreman of the Minister of Military Aircraft, what he does every day is no different from those military aircraft Zhang Jing, as if the sky is falling and it is none of his business.

Wen Xiang saw that he was anxious in his eyes, and couldn't help but walk to his public case and said: "Peng Zhongtang, Tan Tingxiang reported the day before yesterday that more than 50 warships and gunboats of the British and Foshan two Yi have gathered at Dagukou, and on the pretext of sending envoys ashore to give speeches, they ordered their steamships to frequently sail into the entrance, and take the opportunity to inquire about the arrangements of our officers and troops on the north and south banks of Dagukou. It is not possible to go on like this, and when the truth of the north and south sides of the strait is clearly explored, it will be even more difficult to prevent it. ”

"The envoy of Yingyi has come ashore?" Peng Yunzhang took off his reading glasses and asked.

"Someone has been sent ashore," Wen Xiang knew that he was pretending to be confused, but he still said respectfully: "Yi Chieftain Erjin has ordered his consul Li Guoya to go ashore to talk about the money." According to the Changlu Salt Transport Envoy Chonghou, the Yi is aggressive, fierce and abnormal, and every time he goes to Guiliang and Huashana Mansions, he will be insulted and roared. ”

Peng Yunzhang rubbed his waist and muttered: "This Xiyi is also really, if you have something to say, you can sit down and discuss calmly, why do you get angry at every turn." ”

Mu Yin put down the teacup and said, "Lord Zhongtang, the lower officials heard that this mile country is from Jiaying Prefecture, Guangdong. Forgetting his ancestors and recognizing the thief as his father, he was the mastermind of Yingyi's provocation. He can't even see Qipinzhi County on weekdays, but now with the support of Youyi people, he sees several ministers, and he is not a fox and a tiger! ”

The English consul actually became a Cantonese, Wen Xiang was made ridiculous, and he didn't know how to explain it, when he saw Cao Yuying walk in with a fold, and said eagerly: "Lord Yuzhongtang, this is the secret fold on the Chonghou of the Changlu Salt Transport, and it was sent back urgently for six hundred miles." ”

As soon as he heard that this was a secret fold, Wen Xiang subconsciously asked: "So the emperor has already seen it?" ”

"The lower officials don't know, the lower officials only know that this secret fold was sent by Yang Gonggong from the Emperor's Internal Affairs Office."

"Okay, I'll take a look."

After waiting for nearly two days to wait for a piece of news, Wen Xiang didn't care about being polite, so he looked at it in front of Peng Yunzhang, Mu Yin and Du Han.

I don't know if I don't see it, and I am stunned when I see it.

Peng Yunzhang realized that it must not be good news, and was thinking about how bad this news could be, Mu Yin couldn't help but ask: "Brother Bochuan, what did Chonghou say?" ”

"Something big, something big!"

"What the hell is going on?"

Wen Xiang wiped his sweat and said reluctantly: "Yesterday (around eight o'clock), the Yi chieftain Erjin sent people to the Dagukou Fort and handed over a note, in Xiyi's words, an ultimatum, saying that if the defenders on the north and south sides of our country did not hand over the fort within an hour, they would start fighting. ”

Mu Yin thought it was a big deal, and couldn't help laughing: "It's just a bluff, Tan Tingxiang and the others have already prepared, so don't worry." ”

Wen Xiang couldn't laugh at it, handed the secret fold to Peng Yunzhang, then looked back at him and Du Han, clenched his fists and said: "Tan Tingxiang has been prepared for a long time, and he feels that he is not to worry about it like Brother Qingxuan, but after three minutes, the large ships of the British and Foshanyi will open fire on the forts on the north and south banks, and the steam gunboats will carry the Yi soldiers into the entrance while firing their cannons, although our soldiers defending the Taiwan have fought bloodily and fought back, but they can't stand the Xiyi There are more guns than us, and there are more soldiers than us, and the forts on the north and south banks fell in less than an hour. Our officers and soldiers have suffered countless casualties! ”

"Dagukou has fallen?" Mu Yin couldn't believe that this was true, and actually muttered: "It's only been a few days since we talked about it, how can Xiyi say that it will start fighting." ”

Du Han eased his senses and asked eagerly: "Brother Bochuan, what is Tan Tingxiang doing, what are Guorui and Zhang Dianyuan doing?" ”

Judging from the report, Tianjin was in chaos, Tan Tingxiang just began to listen to his family's report to the British and Buddha Eryi military ships, built enough coal fires, broke into Dagukou, and hurriedly sent someone to investigate. As a result, the first shift went to the second shift, and the spies of the second shift came to report, saying that the officers and soldiers in the mouth opened artillery bombardment, regardless of victory or defeat, and as a result, after waiting for a while, another spy came to report the loss of the fort on the front road. ”

"What about the back road, there are nearly 10,000 soldiers and horses on the back road, why don't you hurry up and take the fort back?"

"Maybe they've been recaptured." Mu Yin put a handful of sweat, turned around and arched his hand: "Peng Zhongtang, the sublime is a secret fold, and no one knows if it is a rumor." The lower officials thought that everything in Tianjin should be subject to the reports of Gui Liang, Hua Shana and Tan Tingxiang. ”

Wen Xiang has been the treasurer of the "Houyi Hall" for three years, and he has a reputation for "reporting worries but not good news", and Du Han not only did not know Wen Xiang just now, but also knew about the "Houyi Tang" as the Minister of Military Aircraft, and even knew that Chonghou was also half of the "Houyi Tang" who went out.

Because of this, he felt that he couldn't fully believe the noble report, so he also arched his hand and said: "Lord Zhongtang, the lower officials think that before receiving the report from Gui Liang and others, we can't mess up. The lower official estimated that the emperor was also waiting for news from Gui Liang and the others, otherwise he would not have just ordered the internal affairs office to send this secret fold, but had already summoned me and others to discuss how to deal with it. ”

Peng Yunzhang didn't think that Chonghou dared to lie about such a military situation, put down the secret fold and pondered for a moment, then raised his head and asked: "Bochuan, do you think that if Chonghou's performance is true, can the soldiers and horses on the back road recapture the fort?" ”

"Xiaguan...... The lower officials don't know. ”

Wen Xiang said that he didn't know, but in fact, he didn't have any confidence in the nearly 10,000 soldiers on the back road.

Just when the four of them were thinking about what to do next if this battle was lost and Tianjin fell, there was a rush of footsteps outside, and the guards of the Foreign Affairs Office could clearly be heard shouting while running: "Tianjin Emergency!" Tianjin Urgent! ”

It's finally time to come, Peng Yunzhang chuckled in his heart, and involuntarily looked out of the door.

……

Because it was far away, Han Xiufeng didn't know anything about it.

In the morning, he inspected the nine gates with the pillar and the remaining iron lock, saying that it was the nine gates, but in fact only inspected the four palace gates, after all, the south garden was too big, and it would take two days to really patrol a circle along the palace wall at the earliest.

The original vests and gate troops were all driven away, and the later recruits were practicing in the school field, and now the people who are responsible for guarding the palace gate are all soaps in the garden and private land but can't afford to pay the land and land rent. Anyway, no one can tell if they change into a number robe, not to mention that those palace gates have nothing to guard, just pretending.

In the afternoon, I returned to the school field to watch the training of the soldiers of the river camp and the Eight Banners Vest Gate Army, and did not return to the temporary office of the old palace until the sun set.

Ren Yu'er had just come back from the Old Summer Palace, and while helping him serve the meal, she said happily: "Fourth brother, I not only saw the queen mother, but also saw the queen mother, it turned out that the queen mother and the queen mother were about the same age as me, and pulled me to ask this and that, I heard that I was still in the boudoir, and I actually joked with me." ”

"What are you kidding?"

"Concubine Yi said that we only have women in the Qing Dynasty, and there are no female officials. said that I worked for the imperial court, but the imperial court could not reward me, so I could only ask the emperor to help me find a good husband and marry a good man. ”

"If you can get married by the emperor, it will be a rare honor."

"It's just a joke, although the status of the queen mother and the concubine Yi is noble, they are both women, what else can they say besides saying this." Ren Yu'er put down the prepared meal, wiped her hands, ran into the room and took out two satins, and said with a smug smile: "Fourth brother, these are all rewarded by the queen's mother, and she said that I will be rewarded for making a few clothes that fit." ”

Han Xiufeng asked curiously: "What about Concubine Yi, does Concubine Yi have any rewards?" ”

"Concubine Yi happened to meet, when I met the little prince she happened to take the little prince to the queen to say goodbye, she seemed to have heard the queen mother mention me, and saw the queen mother reward these two satins, so she pulled off the hairpin on her head and gave it to me." After Ren Yu'er finished speaking, she turned her head and let Han Xiufeng look at it.

"Not bad, good-looking."

"It's pretty?"

"What are you lying to do, if your sister-in-law knows, she will definitely be very envious."

Ren Yu'er pulled out the silver hairpin rewarded by Concubine Yi's mother, and was about to say that she would give it to Qin'er's sister-in-law, when Xiao Shandong stumbled in, and said breathlessly: "Fourth master, it's not good, something big happened, Tianjin has fallen, and the guerrillas, Dusi, and Qianzong you brought in Baoding are all dead!" ”

Han Xiufeng didn't care about eating anymore, so he got up and asked, "When is it, has Tianjin fallen?" ”

"Tianjin hasn't yet, but that was the news a day ago, and I don't know what the situation is in Tianjin at this time." Xiao Shandong wiped his sweat, took out a stack of Lin Qingyuan from his arms to help copy it, and then secretly took out the recital and edict, panting and said: "There is an edict here, I came back to report to you earlier, just because this edict was delayed." ”

"You go and take a breath first, don't make a big deal about Tianjin."

"Understood."

Sent away Xiaoshandong, Han Xiufeng came to the wind-resistant foreign lamp, and looked at it carefully with a frown.

Judging from the lofty secret fold and the recital of Tan Tingxiang and others, Dagukou has indeed fallen!

Tan Tingxiang, who was self-righteous before, finally knew the power of the foreigners, and said in the report: The guns of the officers and soldiers of 10,000 catties and thousands of catties bombarded the ship's plank, only one or two holes, and they had not yet been drowned, and the roof of the north fort was torn off, and the south fort collapsed and unloaded, and the gun walls were all broken. My cannons are not as strong as they are, and we can't dodge them when they fire them on both sides......

He also said that "Fu Nian's soldiers were brave and scattered, but because the artillery was swift and there were too many injuries, they couldn't gain a foothold", saying that "the soldiers couldn't stand on their feet, and the brave retreated one after another, and the ministers were waiting to supervise the battle in the rear, and they still couldn't exhaust themselves", so they fled for their lives together. As for the nearly 10,000 soldiers on the back road, as expected, they all ran away before they saw the foreigners.

Han Xiufeng had long expected this to be the result, but he didn't expect Tan Tingxiang to be so incompetent, walked to the door and looked at the east in silence for a long time before saying solemnly: "Sha Chunyuan, Chen Yi, Chen Rong and others both died deservedly and unjustly!" ”

"Fourth brother, who is Sha Chunyuan?" Ren Yu'er asked cautiously.

"I sent them to the battlefield for the guerrillas I held when I was patrolling coastal defense, and they didn't disgrace me, they were all good, but I was sorry for them."

"Fourth brother, I know that you value love and righteousness, but now is not the time to be sad and sad, the top priority is how to deal with it."

The emperor was furious and ordered that Zhang Dianxian, the governor of Zhili, the general soldier of Tianjin Town, and Dekui, the deputy general of the Dagu Association, be dismissed and arrested. And ordered the monk king to be the minister of the Qincha, and ordered Tuo Ming to be the governor of Zhili, and led two thousand Beijing battalion soldiers and the horse team that practiced in our Nanyuan to gallop to Tianjin. ”

Han Xiufeng looked down at an edict that Lin Qingyuan secretly helped copy, and then said: "The emperor also ordered Prince Hui to be the minister of the regimental defense king, and to be in charge of the defense of the Beijing Division. From now on, martial law will be imposed in Beijing, and all five cities will have to set up regimental defense bureaus. ”

"No errands for you?"

"Our errand is to do the current errand," Han Xiufeng thought for a while, then raised his head and shouted: "Xiao Shandong, order, from now on, everyone is not allowed to leave the camp, if anyone dares to leave the barracks or school field without permission, they will be punished with cowering!" ”

"Yes!"