"What the hell is going on? How can the newspapers say that you have promised the long-haired negotiations? Why didn't the old man know about this before? ”

"Zhou Futai, is what the newspaper said true or false? Negotiating with Changmao is such an important event, why didn't our Shanghai Chamber of Commerce know anything about it in advance? ”

"Lord Futai, you have to give our Auxiliary Defense Bureau an explanation for this! In order to help you defend Shanghai, the gentry and directors of our Assistance Defense Bureau have given so much grain and silver, and you still have to negotiate with Changmao? What are you going to talk about? How to talk? Are you going to give up Shanghai to Long Hair?! ”

Thanks to Wu Laomai, who knew some inside information first, Yang Fang, the president of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, also personally came forward to help Shanghai Wu Jun try to buy Tan Shaoguang of the Suzhou Taiping Army, and he was somewhat mentally prepared, relatively calm, otherwise, Zhou Tenghu would definitely be torn up on the spot!

However, even so, Gu Wenbin, the representative of the Jiangnan landlords who knew the least inside information before, was so anxious that he directly grabbed Zhou Tenghu's sleeve and yelled vigorously, forcing Zhou Tenghu to immediately give an explanation to himself and the Jiangnan landlord group behind him. Zhou Tenghu had no choice but to shout: "Quiet! The newspaper is talking nonsense, and the official didn't promise anything to negotiate with Long Hair! ”

"Is it nonsense in the newspapers?"

Gu Wenbin turned his anger into joy, and just when he wanted to question Zhou Tenghu carefully, he never thought that Deng Siyuan and Meng Qi, the veterans of the Wu Army, also rushed into the lobby, and they also took a newspaper and asked Zhou Tenghu: "Dashuai, what's going on in this newspaper?" How can you say that we are going to negotiate with Longhair? When our brethren heard about this, their hearts were affected. ”

"That's nonsense!" Zhou Tenghu replied with a roar.

"It's not nonsense!"

Jin Anqing's voice came from outside the hall again, and in a hurry to the hall, Jin Anqing quickly said loudly: "Tao Fu, we can't hide it anymore at this time, we can only tell President Yang and General Deng about our plan, so that they can know the inside story." Otherwise, if Changmao shakes out your letter, President Yang and Director Gu will only misunderstand them even more, and the morale of our soldiers will only be affected even more! ”

Jin Anqing's words of course made a big uproar in the hall, and when Gu Wenbin, Deng Siyuan and others were shocked and shocked, Zhou Tenghu suddenly woke up, and suddenly thought of the letters he had contacted the Taiping Army several times before - not only did the letters have words of hope for peace talks, but none of them have been brought back by the envoy!

"I almost hit the trick again." While breaking out in a cold sweat, Zhou Tenghu didn't hesitate anymore, and immediately said: "Everyone, I didn't make it clear just now, and what I said in the newspaper today is not completely nonsense, this official did have contact with Changmao, but I did it to buy time...... ”

It took a considerable amount of time for Zhou Tenghu to carefully explain to everyone the process and purpose of his secret contact with the Taiping Army, and he also clearly told everyone that it was impossible for the Shanghai Wu Army to bow to the Taiping Army and make concessions that were even a foot and a half inches. As a result, Deng Siyuan, Meng Qi and other generals of the Wu army were okay, and immediately expressed that they understood and understood Zhou Tenghu's distress, while Gu Wenbin and Yang Fang first breathed a sigh of relief, and then complained together: "Zhou Futai, then you told us the bottom beforehand, which scared us, and thought that you really planned to talk to Changmao." ”

"The two gentlemen forgive their sins, in order to avoid leaking the news, and even more so as not to shake people's hearts, so they hide it from you." Zhou Tenghu explained: "Once the news leaks out, not only will Changmao's side definitely not be fooled again, but the rumors may also become more and more evil, turning into a rumor that we are begging for Changmao to surrender in order to survive, affecting the stability of the military and the people." ”

After carefully explaining to Gu Wenbin and Yang Fang, Zhou Tenghu himself gradually woke up and began to understand where he made a mistake - only to buy time, without considering the importance of people's stability. At the same time, Zhou Tenghu was vigilant in his heart, and said secretly: "Could it be that this was arranged by Li Xiucheng?" If it is, then this big long hair is terrible. ”

At this time, Jin Anqing also seized the opportunity to ask Zhou Tenghu a key question, and said: "Tao Fu, what's going on with "Shanghai New News"? It's like deliberately helping the long hair to hit the morale of our people? ”

"I don't know." Zhou Tenghu shook his head, but his eyes looked at the old comprador Wu next to him, and asked tentatively: "Master Wu, do you know anything about this?" ”

"How could the old man know?" Old comprador Wu asked angrily, and said: "But it doesn't matter, it should be found out, the editor-in-chief of "Shanghai Xinbao" Hua Meide knows that he is a priest from the United States, and he also received the favor of your king Zhennan when he was preaching, so he can go directly to him to ask about the situation. ”

"Missionary?!" Zhou Tenghu and Jin Anqing glanced at each other in surprise, thinking of Father Joseph Ai, who volunteered to act as a liaison for the Taiping Army, and vaguely guessed the reason why the "Shanghai Xinbao" published this headline today......

After spending a lot of thought and time investigating, the truth finally surfaced, and Zhou Tenghu guessed that the reason why the "Shanghai Xinbao", which had always been more inclined to Shanghai Wu Jun, published such news did have a lot to do with Hua Meide, the editor-in-chief of the missionary.

However, Hua Meide was not out of malicious intent to deliberately shake the hearts of the people and soldiers in Shanghai, it was Joseph Ai Joseph, who brought his own dry food to the Taiping Army, took the initiative to find Hua Meide, and told Hua Meide that Wu Lao Comprador had accepted Li Xiucheng's letter requesting negotiations, and asked Hua Meide to announce this matter in the newspaper. Huade was firstly for the sake of newspaper sales, secondly, he hoped for a peaceful solution to the Shanghai problem, and third, he had no political acumen, and as soon as his head was in the water, he agreed to Joseph's request, which led to what happened later.

In the evening of the same day, Joseph and Yang Duxin were also found by Wu Lao's compradors, and the two foreign devil priests both frankly admitted that they were entrusted by Li Xiucheng to do so, but they also denied that they had any malicious intentions, and insisted that they did this to avoid war, appease the hearts of the people in Shanghai, and help promote a peaceful solution to the Shanghai problem, and even insisted on denying that they were bought by the Taiping Army and acted as a spy for the Taiping Army.

It doesn't matter whether Joseph and Yang Duxin have malicious intentions or not, anyway, Zhou Tenghu has the heart to eat them raw, because even if Wu Lao comprador and Yang Fang and Gu Wenbin help appease and explain, and secretly tell the truth, Zhou Tenghu is still entangled and embarrassed by the landlords and wealthy businessmen who gave money and food to support Wu Jun in Shanghai, and he has to explain and defend himself again and again, and he wastes a lot of energy and time.

At the same time, word of mouth spread, the news fermented and changed, and all kinds of rumors and rumors inevitably became popular, some rumors said that the Shanghai Wu army had lost the confidence to defend Shanghai, and some people said that the Shanghai Wu army was ready to flee from the sea if the war was unfavorable, and there were also rumors that Zhou Tenghu and the Taiping army secretly negotiated with the Taiping army, and planned to sell Shanghai in exchange for their own net worth and glory! As a result, the people were panicked, the military and the people panicked, and the voices of the officers and men of the Wu army were rising to the top, and the Shanghai Cooperative Defense Bureau, which had been preparing military salaries and materials for the Wu army, also began to raise dangerous voices about whether or not they should support the Wu army to the end.

There are things that make Zhou Tenghu even more depressed and worried, when it was dark, he finally got a little free, and Wu Lao comprador quietly told Zhou Tenghu that the British consul Mai Huatuo came to negotiate with him yesterday, and he and the French consul Aishang asked the Shanghai Wu Army in person about the reason for the secret contact between the Shanghai Wu Army and the Taiping Army, and also directly asked the Shanghai Wu Army whether he had any plans to negotiate secretly with the Taiping Army? As a result, Wu Lao comprador did not dare to give a positive answer, but only said that he would discuss with Zhou Tenghu and then give a reply to the British and French consuls.

"Master Wu, do you still need to discuss this matter with your juniors?" Zhou Tenghu, who was already tired and paralyzed, had a weak voice, and asked very depressedly: "Why don't you just tell them the truth?" ”

"Isn't the old man afraid that they will leak the news?" The old comprador Wu replied in a more depressed tone, and said: "The consul of the foreign devils is easy to say, barely reliable, and there is not a single interpreter and entourage around them who are not open to money, and they may betray us at any time for three or five taels of silver." At that time, Long Hair knows that we are just trying to buy time to negotiate fakely, but it is better to say that if we come to a plan and take the opportunity to set us up, then we will be in big trouble. ”

Knowing that Wu Lao's comprador concerns were also for the good of the army, Zhou Tenghu could only shake his head and shut up, and after thinking about it tiredly for a while, Zhou Tenghu made up his mind and said: "We can't fight the idea of using negotiations to delay the army, the situation in Shanghai is too complicated, as long as our attitude is a little ambiguous, it will immediately be full of wind and rain in the city, and China and foreign countries will be shaken!" ”

"Only open and honest!" Zhou Tenghu raised his voice a little, and said viciously: "Understand the announcement, let the military and civilians in Shanghai and overseas foreigners know our determination to fight to the death with Changmao, and cut off the way to negotiate with Changmao, so as to stabilize people's hearts and stabilize the situation in Shanghai!" ”

"Tao Fu, I'm afraid it's too late to do this now, right?" Jin Anqing, who was next to him, also said in a tired tone: "The news that we plan to negotiate secretly with Changmao has leaked out, and it has already caused a storm in the city. ”

"Although it is a little late to make up for the lost sheep, it is better than losing the sheep and not repairing the sheepfold." Zhou Tenghu said: "Release the announcement first, and then fight a few vicious battles with Changmao on the battlefield, and the people's hearts will come back." ”

Jin Anqing nodded tiredly, and immediately drafted the external advertisement of Shanghai Wu Jun according to Zhou Tenghu's request, so that it could be publicly released early the next morning. The old comprador Wu over there also said: "Tao Fu, why don't the old man go to the concession overnight and talk carefully with the foreigner consul, and make it clear that we will fight with Changmao to the end, and feed them a reassuring pill, lest Longhair take the opportunity to take advantage of the loophole and pull the foreigner to their side." ”

"It's getting late, the door of the consulate is already closed, Mr. Wu, you better go back to the house to rest first, and then go tomorrow morning." ...... your age, huh, what's the sound? ”

casually persuaded the old comprador Wu who was already old to go back to rest, Zhou Tenghu's face gradually changed, because Zhou Tenghu clearly heard that the sound of rain had gradually sounded outside the door, and at the same time, Zhou Tenghu suddenly remembered another important event - he was only busy appeasing the gentry and wealthy merchants in Shanghai today, and he didn't have time to care carefully about the specific situation of night defense......