December, Chengdu.

The cold winter freezes the earth, and the snow covers the country. Even the Sichuan Basin, with its relatively mild climate, has not been spared by the majesty of nature.

A group of fast horses galloped on the official road leading to Chengdu. There were more than thirty of them, all of them sturdy and sturdy warriors, carrying five tightly wrapped leather and wooden boxes, and their faces were covered with wind and frost. There was a knife and bow hanging under the saddle, and a short barrel was addicted to the bag. From Hubei to Chengdu, Sichuan, two thousand miles along the way, I don't know how many times I passed robbers and robbers with malicious intentions, but with the green skin on their bodies, as well as the knives and guns in their hands, they came to Chengdu Mansion one by one.

Sichuan is still Luo Bingzhang is the governor, and Chonghou is the general of Chengdu. But at this time, in Fan Debiao's view, Sichuan was much more depressed than the Sichuan of [Liu Xian in Sichuan] at the beginning. This is true for the people, Chongqing and Chengdu.

The sound of horses' hooves was far away, and a group of green battalion soldiers stationed at the city gate were still sticking their heads out to look at the back of the distant horse team.

Sichuan is mountainous, and there are few war horses to ride. It is the garrison of the Eight Banners in Chengdu, and the local people have not seen the so-called Eight Banners riding and shooting for a long time, and the Eight Banners Iron Cavalry that the Manchu Qing Dynasty has been preaching for more than 200 years is even more nonsense.

Therefore, it is rare for the battalion guarding the city to see more than 30 horsemen riding like a dragon horse team at first glance.

Only the leading Mr. Qian is still smashing his mouth, "Shandong Governor Liu Xian, why is this name so familiar?" Have you heard of it there...... "It's not the era of information explosion in later generations, Shandong and Sichuan are thousands of miles apart, and they simply don't hear each other." How could a little Sichuan sesame grain Qian feel familiar with the name of the dignified Shandong Admiral?

Looking at Fan Debiao and his entourage who entered the city by horse, and looking at the shops on both sides of the street that were closed from time to time, most of the people present were the old guards who followed Liu Xian into Sichuan, and they all raised their heads and sighed.

"The first place in the southwest of the dignified city is not as good as Wuchang today."

Chengdu and Wuchang, in the minds of the Chinese people, are all at the same level.

"Hair is not shallow in Sichuan. I don't think this Chengdu is much stronger than Kaifeng. ”

Another said. Henan has suffered a lot from military disasters and man-made disasters.

While speaking, the group rushed to the yamen of the Sichuan political envoy. Zhang Shoudai worked hard and fulfilled his duties, and finally rose to the position of political envoy of Sichuan in September. And the former political envoy Yang Chongya summoned Beijing to wait for Jane.

The arrival of more than 30 Humvees made the guards and servants in front of the yamen panic. Fortunately, Fan Debiao immediately made his intentions clear, otherwise the pacesetters guarding the door would have shouted warnings.

Zhang Shoudai, who was hanging official documents in the signing room, immediately put down his Chinese pen and went to the study. instructed his entourage to lead Fan Debiao into the study to see him, and on the other side, he asked the people in the house to greet the rest of the people.

"The little one has seen the fourth master." Zhang Shoudai ranked fourth in the clan, and after the two families became relatives, Liu Xian called him the fourth uncle, and Fan Debiao naturally called the fourth master.

"Get up. Along the way, thank you for your hard work. Zhang Shoudai was kind to him.

Fan Debiao hurried in the winter, of course, it was bitter. But the person's low status is what he looks like now, in the face of Zhang Shoudai's gentleness, he looked frightened, and said busily: "It's not hard, it's not hard." It's all small things to do. ”

A word from a high status can make the people under the identity feel the 'happiness' of their hearts, and the hardship becomes sweet.

"What is the current situation of your military gate? Are you still being excluded today? Zhang Shoudai has always been very concerned about Liu Xian's situation. Knowing that after the Battle of Runan, a large number of Xianghuai troops entered the battlefield one after another, and Liu Xian was once again marginalized.

But the newspaper of the Qing court will not specifically write about the battlefield of twisting, there are many things in the world, that is, writing about the war of the twisting army, and Zhang Shoudai can't find the word Liu Xian from it. The correspondence between the two sides has always been true, but the distance between Sichuan and the Central Plains is too far and the correspondence is too inconvenient, and since the letter in mid-October, Zhang Shoudai has never heard any news of Liu Xian.

Zhou Shengbo, Pan Dingxin, Zhang Shusheng, Wu Changqing, Guo Songlin and other generals, 20,000 soldiers and horses, and the Henan army Song Qing, Zhang Yao, the Anhui army Zhang Desheng, Guo Baochang, and the Hubei army, and the original Liu Mingchuan department, the total strength of more than 50,000.

Among them, in addition to Liu Mingchuan, Song Qing, and Zhang Yao, the generals of the four armies of Hunan, Huai, Anhui, and Hubei are all arrogant and arrogant, and they do not listen or obey, and regard the military gate as nothing. ”

Fan Debiao said with an angry face. After the Battle of Runan, Liu Xian was actually appointed as the governor of Shandong, and the counselor was the second-in-command on the entire battlefield of suppression. But obviously, the four armies of Hunan, Huai, Anhui and Hubei, except for Liu Mingchuan, who has a great favor with him, and Song Qing and Zhang Yao, who are still very ordinary in the background, no one will really obey Liu Xian's orders, even if it is only superficial. Even in Liu Xian's view, Zeng Guofan quickly marginalized himself, and there was no reason for the generals of the Fourth Army.

Anyway, Liu Xiantun has been stationed in Xiaogan for two months.

Zhang Shoudai sighed, he couldn't either. Although Zhang's connections in the officialdom can give Liu Xian some help, they are mainly in the support of materials and food.

Zhang's network, protégé and deceased brother, are all on the clerk.

Everything on the battlefield depends on Liu Xian's own hard work.

Zhang Shoudai opened the letter in his hand, and there was nothing on it except for some greetings about the upcoming New Year. The two sides have been in contact for such a long time, where is the strength of the Zhang family, how could Liu Xian not know. Now the situation he faced was beyond Zhang's ability.

At this time, five leather wooden boxes were also sent to the back house of the government office. Judging from the character prints on the boxes, Zhang's light yì can tell who belongs to these five boxes.

One vermilion box is his own, three light green boxes are from his own master Zhang Shoudai, and the last red box is given by Liu Xian to his daughter-in-law who has never passed the door.

It is said that Zhang Shoudai brought his niece to Chengdu thousands of miles away, in order to give a wedding daughter when the two families got married. But now that Liu Xian has become the actual governor of Shandong, he has come to the door of Zhang's house. Although he is actually still in Hubei.

"Come on, send the box that my uncle gave to Miss Nine." Zhang's smile was beaming. Holding the red leather box in his hand, he urged the personal maid.

"Madam, my uncle is a caring person, and the color is really good." The housekeeper on the side also laughed and joked. It is red, which is the color of the main house. Ledezhang was even happier.

At this time, in a small courtyard in the back house of the government.

In the bedroom, there was a charcoal basin, and a girl wearing a white coat, black hair scattered over her shoulders, and a white background and red plum blossom placket in her arms were half lying on the bed, looking at the book in her hand attentively.

The liveliness of the front yard of the government office did not seem to affect the tranquility of the small courtyard at all. One of the two maids in the room was embroidering patterns, and the other was lying on the table boredly. Even the little maid and the rough maid outside the bedroom were also in their huts, and they didn't see the one walking outside.

Therefore, the news and movements of Fan Debiao's entourage of more than 30 people did not reach this small courtyard at all, until the personal maid next to Zhang's side brought people to this courtyard with a box.