In front of Sungai Village, the sound of killing shook the sky.

Liu Axi and Zhao Hanju were already speechless in shock.

Gui Chen, who was densely packed outside the village, the cold and shining steel knife and spear, and the gun raised with a sound like a landslide and a crack, Liu Axi and Zhao Han raised their hearts like ashes, the musketeers of the new master's family could block them for a while, but it was difficult to stop them, and now Shuangxi Village is afraid that it will be difficult to escape.

And looking at Ye Zhao, who was calmly shaking the folding fan under the ancient willow, Liu Axi walked a few steps quickly and knelt down for Ye Zhao, "Master, master, the little one has hurt you!" "Knock knock kowtow.

Ye Zhao shook the folding fan and didn't speak.

Outside Shuangxi Village is full of green crops, in a green gauze tent, Wu Laosan looked coldly at the firepower point in the village, his face became more and more hideous, "Bah", spit fiercely, and scolded: "Order, if this village is broken, the bandits will kill me!" ”

The head of the Tuan Yong Sect on his side shuddered, but he knew the meaning of Wu Laosan's words, and hesitated: "My lord, this, the government will investigate it......"

"What's wrong with it? A litter of bandits, who can cover it? Wu Lao San rolled his eyes and said viciously.

The head of the sect did not dare to speak anymore, and hurriedly ran to spread the word everywhere, hearing that the village could be burned and looted at will after the village was broken, the eyes of the regimental warriors were immediately red, and several groups of soldiers who did not dare to raise their heads who were suppressed by rifle clicks shouted and rushed up from behind the green gauze tent and the mound.

"My lord, I don't think this new proprietor is simple." The face of the battalion officer who accompanied Wu Laosan back to his hometown was gloomy, and he heard that there were many merchant groups in Guangzhou, but with such a strong business group, how could the owner be an ordinary person?

Wu Laosan snorted: "That's right for our temper, grab it and knock his mother hard." ”

As he was talking, he suddenly heard the sound of a horn faintly behind him, and Wu Laosan laughed: "The Wang family came quickly, and the ghost old man had a smart nose that could smell the meat ten miles away, how did he know that he was going to slaughter a fat sheep today?" ”

Riding his horse out of the green gauze tent, he waved his hand again, and his own small soldier Pegasus greeted the billowing dust in the distance.

"Lao Zhao, aren't you afraid now? When did the old fox of the Wang family make a loss-making deal? Wu Laosan asked the battalion officer with a smile.

Before the words fell, the battalion officer's face suddenly changed, and he pointed to the distance and said, "My lord, look." ”

Wu Laosan looked back, but saw that the soldier on horseback bravely arrived in front of the Biao team, and suddenly fell from the horse, not knowing whether he was alive or dead.

At this time, it gradually became clear that the various military uniforms of the Biao people and horses were neat, and the blue number and red tasseled hat were the armor of the Guangdong army.

"Kill!" In the green gauze tent, the sudden killing sound shook the sky, and when I saw the green gauze tent fall down, it was several armoured soldiers who started and marched together, and the momentum was amazing.

"What's going on?" Wu Laosan was stunned, and he wanted to catch up with the horse. The battalion officer saw the opportunity, grabbed the reins of his horse, and said loudly: "My lord, can't you see it? Yue Yong has come to support the Southern Barbarians, my lord, let's go! "Who will listen when you go up and reason with others at this time? What's more, it can't stand up for reason.

Encircled and suppressed a small village, and the Hunan army brought by Wu Laosan did not set up a sentry post at all, and at this time of the year, he was suddenly attacked from behind, and there was chaos immediately.

In the sound of "bang bang" gunshots, Wu Laosan's horse was shot and neighed miserably, and before he could stand up, several bright steel knives had been set up on his neck.

in the village.

Liu Axi, Zhao Hanju and others were really happy and sorrowful, and they were crying in their hearts that it was difficult to escape the catastrophe, but they saw the people and horses who didn't know where to kill, and the crops in front of Zhuangzi were mixed up, and before the tea, the commander's captured militia was defeated and fled.

"Master, you, you let the little one gain knowledge!" Zhao Hanju, who was the first to wake up, smiled with a sneer, what kind of master is it that can be called master?

Ye Zhao smiled, looked at Liu Axi, and said, "Axi, my field, you can take care of it." This is justified all over the world, is it still untenable in our Shuangxi Village? ”

In addition to kowtowing in shock, where could Liu Axi speak?

Ye Zhao said again: "Today, I have lost a lot of crops, you pass the word, this year's land rent is only seventy percent, regardless of whether the crops have been wasted, it can be regarded as a celebration for me, the new owner." "Nowadays, the land rent varies according to the quality of the field, such as the grain and rice, from three or four buckets to one stone per mu, which is about half of the yield per mu.

"The lord is merciful!" Liu Axi kowtowed vigorously. The villagers who were near heard this and cheered.

At this time, the guard next to him led the horse, Ye Zhao turned over and got on the horse, and said with a smile: "I'm going." ”

Zhao Hanju bowed again and again, and Liu Axi couldn't kneel.

Next to the green crops at the head of the village, Wu Laosan, who had been slapped a few big mouths, was still scolding.

Ye Zhao didn't pay attention to him, and the patrol battalion management belt came to kowtow, Ye Zhao smiled: "Rewind a good soldier." "The bones of the pipe belt were immediately lighter.

At present, the establishment of patrol battalions varies from one branch to another, but fifty rifles are to be guaranteed, and of course, most of them are slow guns eliminated by infantry regiments.

"Let's go, go to your stockade!" Ye Zhao's clear eyes contained a smile, if he was seen by the other party, his heart would tremble, what kind of conspiracy was this guy planning.

…… In April 1858, the general Wang Jingxiang was attacked near Yangmingzhai, and the bandits fled into southern Hunan, and then the fourth town of the infantry regiment of the Guangdong army entered Hunan.

At the beginning of May, with the assistance of Wang Xiaolian and his militia group in Guiyang, they beheaded the bandit gentry Wu Danxiong in Guiyang and Deng Yunhui in Chenzhou, confiscated the property of two families, and in the middle of the year, defeated the bandits in Hengzhou, entered Hengzhou, and reorganized the green camp.

In the middle of the year, the Empress Dowager of the two palaces decreed, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, and Hunan provinces, and the generals Wang commanded the soldiers of each unit in front of the word "Pingyuan", which was the first town of the Pingyuan Infantry Regiment, the second town of the Pingyuan Infantry Regiment, the third town of the Pingyuan Infantry Regiment, the fourth town of the Pingyuan Infantry Regiment, and the Pingyuan Water Division.

…… Shijia in the suburbs of Hengzhou.

There are red lanterns hanging in front of the mansion, beaming with joy, and the faces of the upper and lower houses are shining, today it is really a full of distinguished guests, the squires and lords from all over the place gathered, and the governor of Huguang, Lord Wen, visited and needless to say how glorious it was, the most amazing thing is that the general of Pingyuan Jingkou and the king of Suzhi County stepped into the threshold of the Shi family, which is a grace that is worth boasting about for several generations.

In the flower hall, Ye Zhao was smiling and tasting tea.

In the ebony case, on both sides of the case are wide chairs with patterns carved on the back of the chair, which can be regarded as the main seat, but Ye Zhao is sitting and feels a little uncomfortable.

On the other side of the table, the official text had a sad face, but no, woe to Xiao Wall, the general Wang pulled the troops into Hunan without greeting him, and now he wants to write an excerpt by himself What is to invite the Pingyuan army to help, where is this?

The official document didn't know that Ye Zhaonai was a typical one who got on the bus first and then paid the ticket.

But what can be done now? The Pingyuan Army not only entered the southern border of Hunan, but also reorganized the five battalions of the Pingyuan Southern Hunan Patrol Battalion in a very short period of time, south of Hengzhou, and countless officials were withdrawn, how can this be said?

"Lord Wang, Lord Taiwan, the grass people have coarse tea and cold soup, and I also ask the prince and Lord Taiwan to forgive their sins." Sitting at the bottom was Master Shi, who had just come in, in his fifties, with a silk robe and brocade shirt, and an elegant look.

Ye Zhao smiled: "Xiaolian doesn't have to be polite, I haven't tasted the authentic spicy for a long time." ”

Now the inland wants to expand its power, the most important thing is the support of the squires and landlords, these landlords and squires in the countryside are far from the local tyrants and bullies depicted by later generations, many of them are kind and charitable, highly respected, at least in their own acres and thirds of land are extremely cherished reputation, if they are not ready to be overthrown, their support is necessary.

Ye Zhao also did the same thing by beating and pulling, cutting off the heads that were most closely related to the Hunan army, shocking the gentry in the Hunan realm, and then appeasing them.

The first one to defect was the old man of Guiyang, who scolded the old fox and scolded him, and he was called a rudder who saw the wind and led the militia to be the first to copy the Wu family.

And Shi Xiaolian in Hengzhou is one of the top families in the southern part of Hunan Province, and he has always had a dislike for the Zeng family, and Ye Zhao's reorganization of the patrol battalion has his help, otherwise how could he be so smooth? Among them, the third battalion of the southern Hunan patrol is almost the children of the militia formed by the Shijia and other thirteen gentry, who selected the elite, changed the number, and began to eat military salaries.

"Lord Wang, Lord Taiwan, you two talk, the grass people retire." Shi Xiaolian got up to say goodbye, knowing that he was there, and it was inconvenient for people to talk about many things.

Ye Zhao said with a smile: "Not busy, Mr. Shi (Shi Xiaolian is busy and doesn't dare), the patrol battalion is built, and after a few days, the king is ready to mix it with the patrol battalion of Guangdong and Jiangxi, and the veterans will lead the recruits, so as to improve its combat power very quickly, and break the view of regional nostalgia, it is the only way to train the army, what does Mr. Shi think?" ”

Shi Xiaolian was stunned, knowing that the general Wang would definitely not allow this kind of situation where the whole battalion of soldiers was grouped, but he didn't want to not only start solving it immediately and resolutely, but also to speak out.

"On the way to the military, how dare the grass people speak in vain." Shi Xiaolian looked calm, if he wanted to say that it was also a helpless move to help the general king, the general king came to the door in person and gave him great affection, and he had to know how to lift up, otherwise he was afraid that the Shi family would be in trouble. As for other things, you can't mess around, it's better to stay out of the matter, if the world really changes, these townspeople, whether they are deserters, or follow the general Wang to seek wealth and nobility, they have nothing to do with themselves, and the road is their own choice.

Ye Zhao nodded slightly, and said with a smile: "The railway from Shaozhou to Hengzhou is surveying the route, if Mr. Shi is interested in financing, this king can match Mr. ”

Shi Xiaolian's face showed joy, and he bowed down and said: "Thank you, Lord Xie, let the grass people say a few times, and calculate the money is generous." ”

Ye Zhao's heart was flushed, although Shi Xiaolian's face was happy, but there was nothing in his eyes, it was clearly pretend, and after a few days, he would definitely come to tell him where and where to use the silver, and he really couldn't take out spare money.

Even if they are open-minded and know that this is an excellent business, they are too close to themselves now, but it is not necessarily a good thing to get too close to themselves, so they naturally stay away.

"In this case, Xiaolian is busy with your business." Ye Zhao's expression did not move.

"Yes, yes, the grass people are retiring!" Shi Xiaolian gave the two of them a deep salute and slowly withdrew.

At this time, Guan Wen looked at Ye Zhao with a wry smile and said, "Lord Wang, I can't pay the taxes in the future, the emperor blames it, how can I live?" ”

I also know that south of Hengzhou, the southern border of Hunan is controlled by the general Wang, and there is no need to think about the tax.

Ye Zhao said with a smile: "What is there to say about the military funds of the Pingyuan Army to suppress bandits?" ”

Guan Wen sighed and said: "Lord Wang, the lower official said something that shouldn't be said, the prince is too aggressive." "If it is excusable that the Pingyuan Army entered the southern border of Fujian, this time it can be said that Sima Zhao's heart is known to passers-by, and it would be strange if the one in Yanjing City was still silent.

Ye Zhao smiled and picked up the teacup.

The official text said again: "Why doesn't the prince listen to the words of the lower official and slowly figure it out?" ”

Ye Zhao smiled: "Figure? Figure what? "It's not that I don't want to slowly figure it out, the longer the time, the more powerful the six kings control the temple place, and the bandits are gradually in trouble, if there is another internal strife or something like that, I am afraid of being exterminated, others don't know, I know how irreconcilable the contradiction between the East King and the King of Heaven is, if it weren't for the fact that the Yue army has been maintaining pressure on it, I am afraid that civil strife would have occurred long ago. Once the bandits are exterminated, the foundation of their rule will no longer exist, and when the six kings take power, how will they deal with it?

Now that he has entered Hunan, he has reorganized the Guangdong Army into the Pingyuan Army, breaking the regional concept and integrating the army, which can be regarded as an important step.

Listening to Ye Zhao's rhetorical question, the official document was stunned and smiled bitterly.

Ye Zhao said: "This king has been on the fold, the Pingyuan army entered Hunan, one is to suppress the thieves, the other is to clamp down on the fair thief party, and when the party thieves are destroyed, they will return to the Jiangxi border to suppress the bandits." Otherwise, the thieves will take advantage of the situation to go north, Hunan will be in danger, and the king will also fall into a desperate situation. ”

Listening to the analysis of the great general Wang, it is really such a thing, but the premise is that there are really powerful rogues in southern Hunan who need the Pingyuan army to suppress, but where is it?

Speaking of which, it is also to blame the arrogance of Zeng Guofan's subordinates, and when he returned to his hometown, he was still the same old-fashioned, and he took the group to wash the village in blood, but he hit the iron plate, and he was cut off his head, not to mention, and even more troubled his relatives and friends.

Guan Wen smiled bitterly, and said: "Zeng Junmen has written several times to ask the lower officials to protect the head of Deng Yunhui in Chenzhou, but the lower officials have visited him many times, but he has not been able to see the prince. ”

Ye Zhao smiled and tasted tea, silent.

…… Forbidden City South Study.

The yellow gas is thick, and the pearl is shining.

The six kings sat behind the bookcase that shone with golden light, as if there was a glimpse of a flying dragon, flipping through the folds, and their faces were gloomy.

Under the bookcase, there was the national abbot Guiliang, full of anger, and said hatefully: "Your Majesty, you can't wait any longer, the ambition of this Jingxiang wolf is clearly revealed, and the ministers are furious, and I implore the emperor to cure this thief's crime!" ”

Seeing that the six kings were silent, Gui Liang took his robe and knelt down, and kowtowed: "The slave is dead, if you don't cut off this thief as soon as possible, and wait for his full wings, it will be difficult to turn back, Emperor!" ”

Several ministers wrote to Jingxiang, most of whom were the center, and the most fierce rhetoric was Zeng Guofan, the governor of Liangjiang.

The six kings slowly raised their heads and said lightly: "I have my own score. ”

Gui Liang was stunned, then kowtowed harder, and said loudly: "The emperor is indecisive!" The slave is just dead! Blood poured from his forehead.

"Bold!" The face of the six kings sank, and he slapped the table suddenly, but looking at the father of this favorite concubine, the old man who had always been very good to him, his face gradually softened, "You get up, I am waiting, waiting for a military plane, two months later, and see how I assign this thief!" ”

Military? Two months? Although Gui Liang didn't know what the emperor meant, he could hear that the emperor had already made arrangements, and he was immediately happy in his heart, how wise was the emperor? It seems that he has been planning how to deal with the thief very early, and he has not heard the slightest rumor of this, which shows the secrecy of this matter and the careful planning.

"The emperor is sage, the slave will open his eyes and watch, and see how the rebellious thief will kill himself!" Gui's conscience was relieved and he kowtowed again.

(To be continued)