After Liu Ming returned to his hometown, he lived in his hometown of Liu Laowei, the original meaning of "Wei" is the earthen embankment of waterproof and field protection in low-lying areas, which shows that the topography of Liufu must be low.

Liu Laowei in today's Hefei City, Anhui Province, Xixiang Daqian Mountain north foot of three or four miles, is a three-in, three-out Anhui dwelling, concave shape, horse head white wall, moss tile, a Jinshui River around the polder, surrounded by deep trenches and stone walls, the wall is equipped with five pillboxes, forts, southeast and northeast corners of two large suspension bridges, to enter the house you have to put down the suspension bridge, the same as the ancient city, it is no wonder, Liu Liu Mazi has killed countless people in his life, at this time at home, naturally to guard against the enemy.

That day, the sun was in the sky, the air was humid and hot, Song Xiaofei followed a housekeeper in a black coat, and entered the house from the suspension bridge in the southeast corner. Song Xiaofei looked at these family members, their bodies were straight, they were very energetic, and they were obviously trained in the military, he thought, it is estimated that Liu Mingchuan is not idle at home, so he is a little more sure in his heart.

Enter the attic, there is a panting pavilion behind, surrounded by water on all sides, there are floating lotus in the clear water, and two white geese frolic among the lotus. It was summer, and the housekeeper led Song Xiaofei to a living room in the north of Panting and said, "Son, please wait here, my lord is studying on the island in the west of the polder." ”

Song Xiaofei nodded and sat on a pear wood chair in the living room and waited. Half an hour later, sweating through my back. Liu Mingchuan held a copy of "Da Qian Shanfang Poems" in his hand

It was too late, and he said as he walked: "I thought that the noble people of Zhongtang were so forgetful that they forgot about me Liu." ”

Song Xiaofei knew that Liu Mingchuan was dissatisfied with Li Hongzhang's two gaffes, so he deliberately snubbed himself, he smiled slightly, and did not explain the intention, but just praised Liu Mansion for being quiet, seeing that Liu Mingchuan was still holding a collection of poems in his hand, he talked with him, starting from Wang Wei in the Tang Dynasty's "Conquering Peng out of Hanse, returning to the wild goose into Hutian", and then talking about Xin Qiji's "Drunk to pick up the lamp to see the sword, dreaming back to blow the horn and the camp", Liu Mingchuan wanted to talk about business, Song Xiaofei interrupted, and then said that he was tired and wanted to rest. After resting, Song Xiaofei went to climb the Daqian Mountain near Liu Laowei, which was beautiful and lush.

After seven or eight days like this, Liu Mingchuan, who was in a hurry, gradually lost his patience. That said, Song Xiaofei asked to see the bronze plate in Liu Ming's family collection, which was obtained in the stable of the former Taiping Army general Chen Kunshu's palace when Liu Mingchuan led people to conquer Changzhou in April 1864. Emperor Guangxu's teacher Weng Tongyi is a fan of ancient relics at the ash level, and his biggest hobby in his life, in addition to calligraphy, is ancient cultural relics, and he once sent someone to buy this plate with a lot of money, but Liu Mingchuan didn't buy it.

The shape of the white plate of Yu Jizi is wonderful, just like a large bathtub, as a rectangle, straight mouth, square lips, the abdominal wall is obliquely adducted and adducted, the micro drum, the four walls are each placed with a pair of animal head rings, the four legs are rectangular, the lower part of the mouth edge of the instrument is decorated with poor curved lines, the abdomen is decorated with wavy patterns, the inner bottom has a long inscription text, and the whole article is neat and rigorous. The handicap is rectangular with rounded corners, two animal heads on each side, and a ring in the mouth. Reaching out and flicking, there was a pleasant sound of metal knocking, which was not loud but extremely penetrating.

After reading the copper plate, Song Xiaofei said, "Congratulations to Lord Liu." ”

Liu Mingchuan was puzzled: "How can I be happy?" ”

Song Xiaofei said: "Lord Zhongtang said that Lord Liu can rest at home for another ten years. ”

"Huh? What did you say? Decade? Liu Mingchuan was like a thunderbolt on a sunny day, and he thought that Song Xiaofei came to invite him out of the mountain on behalf of Li Hongzhang.

Song Xiaofei asked Liu Mingchuan: "Lord Liu, this copper plate is called the white plate of Yu Jizi, if I guess correctly by looking at the inscription, it is a treasure of the Western Zhou Dynasty." ”

Liu Mingchuan nodded, but he was absent-minded.

Song Xiaofei wanted to capture the old man, and then said, "Your house is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and it is a good place to retire. ”

Liu Mingchuan has been suffocating in his hometown for the past seven years, and he thinks about making a comeback all the time, hearing Song Xiaofei say this, a burst of anger rose in his heart, but it was not easy to attack, so he said: "How can a husband live in the countryside for a long time." ”

Song Xiaofei continued to say the opposite: "Lord Liu is 39 years old this year, and if you wait for another ten years, you will only be half a hundred years old, and you still have a lot to do." ”

Liu Mingchuan's patience has reached the limit, and he asked: "For the sake of Lord Zhongtang's face, I endured and endured you for this stinky boy, what kind of medicine are you selling in your gourd?" If you have something to say, you can say it quickly, and if you have a fart, let it go. Nothing else, I'm sending off! ”

The white goose outside the pavilion "rolled" twice, and a cool wind blew on the water, Song Xiaofei felt that the time was almost up, and said to Liu Ming, "Lord Liu, if you can take this bronze plate and exchange it for five thousand Huai troops and four warships, plus a big battle, how about it?"

Liu Mingchuan only understood Song Xiaofei's intention at this time, and said, "Tell me, who are you going to fight?" ”

"I will give this plate to Bachelor Weng Tongyi, and ask him to ensure that you go to North Korea and call me."

Liu Mingchuan asked: "Why doesn't Master Li keep the performance?" ”

"To avoid suspicion." Only then did Song Xiaofei pass Li Hongzhang's letter to Liu Mingchuan, saying: "Although you are brave, you don't like to be restrained, and many things will make it difficult for Lord Zhongtang to do." ”

Liu Ming legend: "What if I don't take out the copper plate? ”

"If the adults don't want to take out that plate, I bet your surname that you will definitely stay at home for more than three months, at least another ten years!" Song Xiaofei gave him a general analysis of the situation between the DPRK and China.

Liu Mingchuan is good at fighting, he can't do it, only Li Hongzhang has appreciated him for so many years, he has been at home for seven years, so he nodded and agreed, but let Song Xiaofei tell Li Hongzhang: "Outside, the king's order is not affected!" "Actually, it's about wanting carte blanche.

Song Xiaofei nodded and agreed to tell Li Hongzhang, and Liu Mingchuan ordered the housekeeper to kill the goose and prepare wine, and greeted Song Xiaofei.

Song Xiaofei rested for one night, and the next day he rushed back to the capital non-stop to meet Weng Tongyi.

When he arrived at Weng's mansion, Weng Tongfei looked at the face of the bronze plate and met with Song Xiaofei, but asked him to play Liu Mingchuan, Weng Tongrong smiled and snorted, and made Song Xiaofei drink the white tea of Wuyi Mountain.

To convince others, you must first put yourself in the other person's shoes. Song Xiaofei knew this, so he said to Weng Tongyi: "In fact, this time it is not only Lord Zhongtang who wants to use Liu Mingchuan, but the Empress Dowager Cixi.

"Oh, tell me about it." Weng Tongyi touched his fingers with his fingers on the more than 100 inscriptions on the bronze plate, which is not only a cultural relic, but also has calligraphic value, and his heart was pounding.

"First of all, even Li Zhongtang's two sponsorships were unsuccessful, my lord, you can do it with one fold, how will people in the world think of this matter? If it were me, I would think like this: Lord Weng's words are better than the protection of the middle hall! ”

Weng Tongyi is a person who loves face very much, and when he heard Song Xiaofei say this, he was a little moved.

"In addition, the Queen Mother of the two palaces know that Lord Weng and Li Zhongtang have a personal enmity between their father and brother, if you are able to protect the generals of the Huai Army and the five thousand people who are guilty of crimes, the Queen Mother and the people of the world will naturally admire Lord Weng's heart as broad as the sea."

Weng Tongyi stroked his beard and said with a smile: "Although your doll talk is suspected of sycophancy, the old man loves to listen to it." Needless to say, the third point is already known. ”

Song Xiaofei still insisted: "Third, I don't want to use the bronze plate to please the adults, it is really the Longxing treasure land adjacent to the northeast of North Korea, and for my Great Qing Kingdom, I have to protect it." As the emperor, Lord Weng knows better than me the weight of this in the heart of the Queen Mother of the Two Palaces. ”

Song Xiaofei's words were all in the hands of Weng Tongyi, and this time, he went against the norm and recommended Liu Mingchuan. Song Xiaofei didn't expect that Weng Tonggong had other thoughts, first, as a hard-core cultural relics lover, Weng Tonggong had coveted the "Yu Jizi White Plate" for a long time, and this plate Qing Prince Yikuang also asked Liu Mingchuan for it, so he was determined to get it. In addition, Weng Tongyi knew that Liu Mingchuan was only good at horse warfare, and he was not good at naval warfare, if he was killed by the Navy, then Li Hongzhang would be equivalent to a broken arm.

On July 15, 1875, after the sacrifice to the ancestors, Liu Mingchuan rushed to Tianjin. He and Song Xiaofei asked for two large merchant ships, plus four "mosquito" warships purchased from Hurd, replenished with gunpowder and cannonballs at the Tianjin Machinery Manufacturing Bureau, and took 5,000 heavily armed Huai troops from the port of Tianjin to Ganghwa Island on the west coast of North Korea.

Before leaving, the Huai army also held a ceremony to go out to sacrifice to the sea, the war drums were thunderous, the horns were deafening, and the firecrackers were noisy, Li Hongzhang rushed from the Zhili Governor's Mansion to see him off, and also gave the names of the four warships respectively: "Longxiang", "Huwei", "Feiting", and "Strategy".

Parting, Liu Mingchuan hugged Li Hongzhang tightly and said goodbye, "This time, Liu Liumazi and his brothers will definitely not disappoint Lord Zhongtang!" ”

Li Hongzhang nodded and advised: "The sea is not as good as the land, you take care more!" The old man prepares the wine and waits for you to triumph. ”

The whistle sounded, Song Xiaofei stood on the deck of the merchant ship, holding the bag given by Li Hongzhang, the sea breeze blew his clothes, at this moment he was full of pride, looking at the rolling waves of the Bohai Sea, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and shouted silently in his heart: "Xiao Yueben, you wait, Song Xiaofei is coming!" ”;