The rain trickled on the ground, and the bearded young man hired a mule from the wharf with an umbrella to go east in the drizzle, and after about half an hour, from the high embankment to the gentle slope, and then to the large fields and houses, and then to the rows of dwellings...... The young traveler, who was already wet on the mule, also breathed a sigh of relief - Qingjiang had finally arrived.

At this time, Qingjiang had been officially established as a county, but as we all know, the governance situation in Jiangbei was different from other places, and military and civil affairs were all grasped by the Generalissimo's Office.

Between June and July, the Generalissimo's Office established new institutions, such as the Department of Integrity and the Department of Civil Affairs, which completely discarded the old bureaucratic system. Therefore, although Qingjiang is a county, it is actually to find a yamen to hang a sign, and the specific administrative matters are all carried out by the departments under the Generalissimo's Mansion.

It's July 28th, and the heat has been forced back a lot by this drizzle. At least, this young traveler riding on a mule is from the north across the Yellow River, Henan this summer is still little rain, only a light rain in two months, along the way, the crops are yellow, the land is cracked, the harvest is not good is already obvious, of course, this young man is reserved, although deliberately dressed plainly, but a green span on his finger is also his identity exposed, whether the crops are good or not is of course none of his business, just along the way, the sun is in the sky, fierce and unstoppable, and the official road is full of dust, At the end of a day's walk, a person can dust off three catties of soil...... When I arrived in Qingjiang, it was really two worlds.

"Uncle Tang, you're here!"

Qingjiang County stretches for more than 20 miles, it was originally a very prosperous boundary, the crown prince to, and it is a big construction, the construction of many buildings such as the camp yamen, not to mention anything else, the official warehouse in the northeast of Qingjiang County has increased the area several times, and the original household and industrial warehouses have been collected into the camp, and there are several large shipyards, and the workers have increased by more than ten times, and they are working overtime to build ships. As for the style of the boat, it was presided over by the Taixi people hired by the crown prince, and from a distance, it did not look like the lucky boat used by the Zheng family's sailors, but the style of a serious Taixi boat.

Shipyards, warehouses, plus tens of thousands of soldiers of the New Army, the population of Qingjiang has more than doubled.

In front of me, there is a Shandong restaurant, the boss came to Jining Mansion to cook, and the first-hand good taste of Shandong cuisine was fired, and the restaurant was crowded with people inside and outside.

However, as soon as the guests surnamed Tang arrived, they all came out from the shopkeeper to the guys, and they stood under the dripping eaves, and they all bowed down from afar, and they couldn't be more respectful.

"Straighten up, all of you, and don't be looked at."

The young man surnamed Tang frowned, and his originally calm and indifferent face also looked rigid. At this moment, he came out with a commanding look.

"Yes, uncle!"

The shopkeeper agreed, that is, Zhang Luo welcomed people in, and then asked people to feed the horses with concentrate, although the eaves were sparsely splashed with water, but such a Luo, so that people felt happy in their hearts, as if the rain was small.

"Uncle, this line of work is hard."

When he arrived in the private room, the shopkeeper's expression became more and more respectful, not only kneeling, but also slamming his head a few times.

"Get up, get up."

The young man surnamed Tang also had an emotional look on his face: "There are many servants in my family, but Tang Twelve, you are the most loyal one." Arise, arise and speak. ”

It turned out that the shopkeeper was a slave in the family surnamed Tang, the world was in chaos, Shandong and Henan became a battlefield, the family surnamed Tang moved to Yanjing, and the slaves could not bring too much, so everyone sent a little money to be dismissed, but this Tang 12 had good cooking skills, and opened a restaurant in Qingjiang, and actually set up a lot of family business to make a living.

"Uncle has won the prize." Tang Twelve smiled toothlessly: "No matter how much money I make, I can't afford to praise me like this." To be honest, after so many years of hard work, I still want to be a few masters and uncles. ”

"Now that this thing is done, it can also make you grow hair and take you back to Yanjing. Don't dare to say anything else, get you a military attaché, and don't serve people in the future...... How, do you dare to do it? ”

This uncle sneaked back, and of course the Qingjiang shopkeeper didn't know what he was doing, but since he agreed to settle the old master, of course he still had a choice in his heart.

It's not that this shopkeeper is unhappy, it's just that everyone wants to be rich and rich, and they expect a change in their lives, the Tang family is a family of military generals, and the family style is not very good, but it is not too thin for the next person, so when the opportunity comes, this old servant of course still chooses to cooperate with the master.

As for how you live here in Qingjiang, it doesn't matter too much.

"Dare to do it." When the topic came to this, Tang Twelve nodded and replied: "What the uncle tells you to do is how to do it, in the wind and rain, you only listen to the uncle's orders." ”

"Yes, very good."

After praising him, he felt that the trip was smooth, and the young man surnamed Tang couldn't help but raise his head and laugh.

He is Tang Qilong, the general of the standard battalion under Shi Kefa, and his father is also a general in the Ming Army, a family of generals, no wonder there is a shrewd and decisive spirit on his face.

The size and demeanor also have a taste of experience in the army.

"The news of the Northern Mission, how about you to inquire?"

"Uncle wants to ask about the news of the Chen family, right?"

"Yes!"

"Today is 28 July, and several senior officials of the Northern Envoy moved from Nanjing five or six days ago, and the Cao Yun ship has already sailed from the mouth of the river and is heading directly to the north. The three senior officials and attachés of the mission were about 200 people, and after walking for so many days, I am afraid that they would arrive at the mouth of the Qingjiang River in just one or two days. ”

"Good, good!"

Tang Qilong's face was shining, and his expression became very excited.

This time, he naturally has a big task to change the fate of the Tang family. In June, his father went straight to the Imperial Palace. That is, of course, straight to the Regent's desk.

Although the Tang family is a family of generals, his grandfather is still the deputy chief officer, and his father is only a general, and he works hard, that is, he is a small general in the standard camp under Shi Kefa.

When the crown prince was appointed as the generalissimo, Shi Kefa's standard battalion was also under the jurisdiction of the Generalissimo's Mansion like the ordinary battalions in Nanjing and even most of the southern Zhili. Except for a small number of elite battalions that were merged into the Beijing battalion or garrison battalions in various places, most of the semi-standard battalions were directly disbanded.

He, a staff general, was also ordered to report to the Governor's Office of the Five Armies and accept the arrangement. Most of them are directly placed in the Beijing camp, or they are placed outside the garrison camp.

Most of the positions are a battalion officer, and they are all dead, after the restructuring, the Military Judge Advocate General's Department has a lot of power, and there is no way to get other benefits, although how many times has it been increased, but what is the use of such a little dead money?

The honest generals who can't do it are ecstatic, and the sons of generals like him are lazy to work honestly and honestly, but they receive so much money to live.

In a fit of anger, the surname Suo lost his official position, and went to Hebei to vote for the Qing Dynasty, but there were too many generals who were demoted for a while, and the son of a general came to vote, of course, it can't be compared with the time of the King of Sanshun, although Tang Qilong surrendered, he was only awarded the post of Henan general, this time, it was really angry.

Fortunately, the opportunity came, and the mountains couldn't stop it. In the Northern Mission, Chen Hongfan is his father-in-law, and they are both generals, they know the roots, why did his old father-in-law invite himself to be an envoy, Tang Qilong is very clear in his heart, at the moment it is his father who writes to the regent, and recommends his son to send an envoy to contact Chen Hongfan, and the regent really allows it, because the situation in the Southern Dynasty has been separated for a long time, and most of the secret agents sent over are blocked in the north of the Huai River. It's not serious news at all.

Who is in the hands of the government now, what is the reality of the Ming Dynasty, how many towns are organized, how many soldiers and horses are trained, and what is the emperor's mind...... There is no insider to tell the truth, and then to scrutinize and analyze it based on intelligence, and it is impossible to prove it just by relying on some gossip.

The regent read and approved, and Tang Qilong also set off immediately.

The Ming and Qing dynasties could not make peace, and whether they fought or not, it had nothing to do with the Tang family. The most important thing now is to connect with Chen Hongfan and find out the actual news, of course, the most important thing is to get Chen Hongfan's words, or the best handwritten letter.

With such a great achievement, the three generations of the Tang family's wealth will be firmly in hand.

As for the country and the nation, the people at that time did not have this kind of consideration, so they did not have to take it to heart.

"As soon as the old man of the Chen family arrives, you will quickly inform me." Tang Qilong instructed: "I have something important, I want to see him in person." It's best to find a way to ask him to come out single once and meet you here. ”

Like many restaurants at that time, this restaurant also has two rows of rooms that can accommodate people in the back room, and some guests eat and stay here, and it is convenient to take one of them.

Of course, Tang Qilong lives here, and if Chen Hongfan can meet here, of course, it will be the best.

"Yes, please rest assured, the villain has sent several reliable guys to inquire near the official road and the official house. The number of envoys is quite large, and as soon as they arrive in Qingjiang, there will be news. ”

That way, things go smoothly.

Tang Qilong was very satisfied, the room arranged for him by Tang Twelve was very elegant and quiet, looking out of the window, in the rain, Qingjiang County was also clearly in sight.

Most of the houses along the street are tall and spacious, and even on such rainy days, the streets are still full of pedestrians and very lively.

Even if it is a shouting voice, it is also from south to north, Henan and Shandong to Jiangnan and Fujian, Zhejiang, and you can really listen to any dialect.

Thinking about it, it seems that it is in Yanjing, and it is far less than here. Originally, the territory of Jingshi was of course stronger than that of a county like Qingjiang, but after the Manchurians entered the city, they were isolated from inside and outside, and business travel was forbidden.

(To be continued)