Chen Baotong was very surprised to see that the people who were dealing with government affairs were not the common masters of other yamen, but a group of young people who looked like students, and they were in their early twenties, of course, there were seven or eight masters of the same age as Sun Fu, but they were not directly involved in government affairs, but only instructed these young people. (Please remember our website)

Seeing Chen Baotong's hesitation, Sun Fu first solved his doubts, "These are the newly graduated students of Mawei Higher College opened by Lord Qin, according to the requirements of Lord Qin, they must be interned in the yamen and various industries for half a year, Lord Qin said, just reading books, it is absolutely not good, but if you don't study, it is absolutely impossible."

These words made Chen Baotong ponder for a while, and when they arrived at the side hall, the tense atmosphere here made Sun Fu and Chen Baotong stunned, Governor Qin Kai was convening a meeting of more than a dozen officers, the scene was very hot, the officers were arguing about something, Sun Fu and Chen Baotong naturally did not enter, and immediately went to the side room to sit for a while.

Although Chen Baotong looked at his nose and nose and heart, pretending not to care, some words floating in it still attracted his attention.

"Playing ......"

"Vietnamese ......"

Obviously, there must be something going on in Vietnam, a vassal state of the Great Qing Dynasty, another thought, but it immediately came to Chen Baotong's mind, he just went to the Governor's Mansion to see Master Liu, the Governor's Mansion is very stable, and Master Liu did not mention such a major matter, with his relationship with Master Liu, it stands to reason that this matter should not be hidden......

After a while, the commotion outside died down, and an unfamiliar calm voice whispered some orders, and then the officers immediately jumped up and hurried out of the courtyard

Sun Fu went out for a while, and then followed a young man in civilian clothes with a calm face to come in, Chen Baotong didn't guess and knew that this was the governor of Qin, and he was secretly surprised in his heart, this governor of Guangdong was really young, in fact, Qin Kai did not find any changes in the past three years, but he privately thought about it, is it because of the relationship between the wormhole of time and space......

Seeing Shangguan, Chen Baotong hurriedly got up and saluted, and after sitting down, Qin Kai looked up and down a little at the prefect who was born in Jinshi, but he was a white-faced Confucian student, and he didn't have the fat head and big ears of the big corrupt official in his imagination, and he looked a little bit of style, this was the first time that the Nanyang system took the initiative to recruit other officials of the Qing system, of course, this will definitely not be the last time

It's not that he didn't think that he would sweep away all those old forces in the shape of **, but it is obvious that the time is not ripe now, and the trauma that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has brought to the entire land of China can be described as very heavy, and the Manchu Dynasty is difficult to return, and it must be to bury him completely, but it does not mean that Xiàn can gently overturn it by himself.

Five thousand years of imperial power and three hundred years of rule have left a deep imprint, and the orthodox national art of Confucianism is by no means something that can be shaken lightly by oneself, not to mention the five thousand years of cultural accumulation of this ancestor, there is dross, but it still condenses countless bright essences, and only some extreme angry young people will put forward the idea of completely abandoning and reopening the world.

According to Sun Fu, this Chen Governor is still an official with ideas, but it also represents a potential force in the officialdom of the Qing Dynasty, there is no shortage of capable officials in any era, but there are very few who really have the opportunity to play, which is also the talent he really lacks in the current system, and I don't know if this Chen Baotong is counted as one......

He smiled slightly, picked up the teapot on the table, and poured a cup for Chen Baotong, who was sitting at the bottom, at this time, Chen Baotong suddenly found that this huge governor's yamen inside and out, except for a group of soldiers with strict expressions, there was no little girl, seeing the governor personally pour tea for himself, he was somewhat frightened, and hurriedly got up and served the cup......

Qin Kai smiled slightly, poured most of the cup for him, and then motioned for him to sit down, and poured another cup for Sun Fu, it was obvious that Sun Fu enjoyed the treatment of the governor pouring tea, picked up the cup and smiled without saying a word, just stared at the cup, remembering that Chen Baotong gave a can of the best Longjing, he couldn't help but sneer again in his heart...... This Qin Qiangfeng, can't he finish drinking this shoddy tea?

Qin Kai naturally didn't know Sun Fu's thoughts, he didn't say much polite words after he sat down, those words Sun Fu had already said, and he also went straight to the point: "Governor Chen, I won't say much about those polite words, I, the minister of Nanyang, is a hard worker, no, the French are making trouble in Vietnam again, and I still carry the name of a Qincha, so this matter of Leizhou Mansion, I'm afraid I have to ask you for more help......

Speaking of this, Qin Kai did not continue, this Chen Baotong's attitude Sun Fu had already reported to him, it was obvious that he was very tempting to woo him, and now it was time to leave a message to this Chen prefect

Chen Baotong didn't expect that the young Nanyang minister and the governor of Guangdong would get straight to the point, he already had some ideas, but now that the governor has already provoked the conversation, he naturally wants to pick it up, he took a sip of tea, and his brows couldn't help frowning, this tea is really bitter...... This governor is really different, but if he is not different, then he will find himself as the remote prefect of Leizhou......

Thinking of this, he felt a little suddenly enlightened, and hurriedly got up and bowed to salute, "My lord, I have thought about it, this matter of the Leizhou Mansion is all assigned by the adults" He had already made up his mind at this time, and he was not incompatible with the officialdom of the Qing Dynasty, but it turned out that he could not gain a foothold in front of these big forces at all, and this alternative Shangguan was a good choice.

Sun Fu saw Chen Baotong's statement, his squinted eyes also opened suddenly, it seems that this matter is done, but this Chen Baotong still needs to be carefully observed for a while, and the best way is to let him do a thing that is tied to the Nanyang system...... Thinking of this, he opened his mouth and said: "Governor Chen, this new city near Suixi in Leizhou has been built, I think you will write the chapter, set up a county seat in this local area, and manage it."

After hearing this, Chen Baotong immediately nodded his head, he naturally understood that this was what he had to do, and from now on, the governor would officially accept himself

Chen Baotong took the initiative to move closer to himself, this is naturally a good thing, Qin Kai immediately promised benefits, before he stepped down as the prefect of Leizhou, there would be other arrangements, but now in front of him is another problem, this Qing Dynasty officialdom, social entertainment is a must, and the usual practice of giving it to the boss is even more on the surface.

Qin Kai can be regarded as having been in the Qing Dynasty officialdom for three years, and Sun Fu is on the side, the mystery is naturally very clear, when he was an official in Fuzhou, the silver sent to Ding Richang and Zhang Peilun on weekdays is not a small amount, plus Lao Ding's shares in the toothpaste factory and Zhang Peilun's soap factory, the silver in the hands of the two bigwigs is definitely more lively than other feudal officials.

However, he also knew that these silvers were not actually put in his pockets by Ding Richang and Zhang Peilun, and Lao Ding was just a good sip of tea, and then he tossed his collection of books that sought truth from facts, and when he saw good books and solitary books, he had to spend some silver to rub them, and Zhang Peilun was to spend some silver for the gathering of literati and Confucian scholars.

Most of these silver, the two bigwigs are also in a hurry to go to the big people in the capital, familiar colleagues from the gifts, this summer to send "ice respect", cold weather to send "charcoal respect", catch up with the festival that naturally also send the usual money, if not, they will have a lot less voice in the court, this is all integrated into the Qing Dynasty officialdom on the bright side, these gifts compared to the Qing Dynasty government issued incorruptible silver, is more than dozens of times.

Qin Kai also hated this customary officialdom rule, before he was just a hidden behind the scenes of the shipmaster supervisor and Ding Richang's important staff, plus he did not show up often, these problems are not important, now he is the governor of a province, these days, the regular money of the provinces and counties in Guangdong is not less, all sent over on a monthly basis.

In just two months, Sun Fu has recorded more than 18,000 taels of silver, which is all common money, if he asks to go to the governor's yamen to do things, he should send another silver, for the clear rules of this officialdom, Qin Kai has no power or intention to change it, if you want to clean up the government, this is what the Manchu nobles in the palace should think about, for him, the more corrupt the Manchu dynasty, the better it is to overthrow.

He also asked Sun Fu if there are prefects and counties that do not send the usual rules, and there are no exceptions in the entire 12 prefectures and more than 80 counties in Guangdong.

In the Nanyang system, this pure silver relationship has not yet been bred, and in the Nanyang Naval Division, under the leadership of Lu Han, there is no such practice at all, and the officers in the escort are all students of Qin Kai and young people from the security regiment, and joining the army has given them the opportunity to play and high military honors, and similarly, compared to the original income, the salary has been very high, as well as some of the military benefits promised by Qin Kai, and the severe punishment received for corruption have maintained the temporary integrity of this emerging group. ,

And the officials at the core level of Mawei, in the face of the huge wealth of the group, they are naturally not unmoved, but the high amount of pension paid by Qin Kai on weekdays has made them and their families rich enough, like Sun Fu, who has a salary and pension of the four-grade Taoist platform with a real job, and also has two thousand taels of silver, plus the shares in the Mawei shipbuilding industry, the annual share is more than 50,000 taels.

And the most important piece of regular money, Sun Fu has long been free to worry about it, every qiē is specially paid by Qin Kai's side, and the various relationships in the court naturally have to be put in place, and now is the stage of grass creation, and any disturbance in the officialdom is a troublesome thing.

Now that Chen Baotong has joined, there are two situations in the Nanyang system, but after the discussion of Qin Kai and Sun Fu, it was decided to maintain the status quo

After Chen Baotong got Qin Kai's promise, he was also full of joy, and hurried back to Leizhou Mansion, the governor had high hopes for him, and he still needed to deal with the six counties of Leizhou Mansion, plus the newly established Zhanjiang City, all needed to vacate the position to install the officials of the Nanyang system, this matter was completed, and he could be regarded as truly entering the Nanyang system......

The next day, the excerpt of the establishment of Zhanjiang County in Leizhou was delivered to the governor's yamen, but Qin Kai was no longer in the yamen, Sun Fu's subordinates, but he also smiled slightly, this Chen Baotong is an understanding person, he immediately drafted the excerpt in the name of Qin Kai and forwarded it to Beijing......

At this time, Qin Kai was visiting Liu Kunyi, the governor of Liangguang, he sat calmly at the head of Liu Kun, Master Hu and Master Han were also old men and horses of the Hunan army, but they had a nervous expression on their faces at this time.

Liu Kun was holding a telegram in his hand, which was the news sent back from the Haiphong urgent shooting, the news was not detailed, only a few words......

"On July 17, the French army set out from Yilu and captured Anpei City after crossing the Banbang Ridge, while the other part still set out from Hejing Pass, went ashore from Lizhuang, captured Fushou City, and began to build fortifications north of the Red River, and the rest of the situation is unknown."

At this time, Master Han had already taken out a large map and spread it on the square table in the hall, which was a map drawn by a very traditional Chinese method, but the terrain of the north of Vietnam could also be seen clearly, and the entire battlefield of the north of the north was along the Shanxi ...... Hanoi...... The Bac Ninh front line is divided into the Eastern Front and the Western Front.

Among them, nearly 20,000 troops of the Dian army commanded by Cen Yuying, the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, were stationed in the important towns of Gaoping and Taiyuan north of Xuanguang, while the main forces of the eastern front battlefield included the Qingzi army of Wu Changqing, the general of the Huai army, the Gui army commanded by Xu Yanxu, the governor of Guangxi, the Yunnan army commanded by Tang Jiong, the political envoy of Yunnan, and the Guangdong army under Liu Kunyi.

And on this military strength map drawn before the war, because of Qin Kai's little tricks, the Black Flag Army withdrew from Shanxi City, an important town on the front line, and is now stationed in Yong'an Mountain City on the other side of the Red River, hidden in the mountains, and Liu Kunyi's 5,000 Guangdong Army was led by Wu Kui, a general from the Hunan Army, and was stationed outside Shanxi City, and Xu Yanxu's 7,000 Gui Army was stationed in Shanxi City.

But what Qin Kai and Liu Kunyi didn't know was that the 7,000 Gui troops in Shanxi City were led by three garrisons, while the actual commander and the new governor of Guangxi, Xu Yanxu, was in Langshan after 500 miles, which was called escorting grain and grass.

Liu Kun looked at the map for a while, and his brows immediately wrinkled, the Qing army gathered around Hanoi, stationed at various key points, this defense is indeed very in place, but obviously, the French are not stupid, last time in front of the Shanxi fort, they naturally dare not underestimate the fort that clamps the Red River, but for such a large plain area as the North Vietnamese Plain, a fort guarding the river is obviously not enough......

This time, the French were much smarter, and the canyon of the Hejing Pass immediately landed on the plain, but what was more unexpected was that they did not land on the south bank of the Red River to launch an attack on Shanxi, but ran to the north bank of the Red River to rob the small city of Fushou City, but combined with the actions of another French army, Liu Kunyi immediately turned his eyes to a city above the battlefield on the Western Front

He turned his head to look at Qin Kai, who had already walked behind him, "Lord Qin, what do you think the French are fighting?" ”

This old fox, Qin Kai looked at Liu Kunyi depressedly, he obviously figured out the battle situation in the north of Vietnam, but he still had to start the conversation himself, but now Liangguang is people's territory, he smiled calmly, "Lord Liu, this French intend to Xuanguang, this is almost identified, I guess...... Xuanguang may have been lost",

Liu Kun nodded, today is July 21st, this news is 4 days ago, Xuanguang and An Peicheng are only a hundred miles away, what he cares about now is actually the strength of the Guangdong army, the original guard in Shanxi was the protector of Qin Kai, and it was only a month before the French actually called, this luck is really not covered......

General Wu Kui's ability to lead troops, he can be regarded as relieved, but the combat power of the 5,000 Guangdong army is really not good, the previous battle was defeated in Hanoi, he directly put the commander in prison and asked Wu Kui to re-train, and the new army that Guangzhou has just organized and trained is still in the grass-roots stage, and it can't be used at all.

Thinking of this, Liu Kunyi's title to Qin Kai was also slightly adjusted, "Gale Wind, how many Vietnamese guards do you control now, do you see if you can assist the defense of the Yue army in Shanxi?" ”

Qin Kai looked at Lao Liu, those men and horses under us are all cannon fodder troops in your opinion, but it is not easy to accumulate these soldiers and horses by yourself, but today I came to tell Liu Kunyi the news, I came to do business with Lao Liu, Liu Kunyi dominates the military power of Liangguang, but you have to give me some of this territory.

He laughed, reached out and took out a sketch from his pocket and handed it over, "Lord Liu, it is necessary for friendly forces to support each other, but now the Guangdong army and the Gui army are nominally under the command of Xu Yanxu, the governor of Guangxi, so it is naturally inconvenient for me to interfere, but you see, this is the position of the ** guard under my jurisdiction"

Liu Kunyi took the map, looked at it carefully for a while, and after the two discussed it secretly, they negotiated the conditions.

After Qin Kai left, Master Han stood up, looked at Liu Kunyi with a frown, and asked respectfully: "My lord, it seems that Qin Kai has lost a lot of money in this condition, is there something wrong with this?" ”

"What can be the problem...... Liu Kunyi squinted his eyes and looked sideways at Master Han, "Even if there is a problem, we can't suffer at all, you hurry up and send a telegram to Haiphong City, please send the telegram to Shanxi secretly...... You send a cronie to bring a secret letter to Wu Kui overnight, and let him act on camera!"

Master Hu next to him shook his fan at this time, looked up at the sky, and suddenly said: "My lord, if this Qin Fierce Wind is not a powerful person, he is an outlaw gambler."

The battlefield of the western front of the northern part of Vietnam, west of the Banbian Mountain Range, along the Lujiang River is Xuanguang City, which is a big city built with mountains and stones, more than four kilometers long from east to west, more than three kilometers long from north to south, one side of the city wall only relies on the stone mountain by the Lujiang River, relying on the stone mountain to build the city wall, condescending to erect cannons to control the zhì river, and the other three sides only dig a deep moat.