A month ago, Zheng Haizhu and Wu Bangde, Xu San and other partners landed at Lushunkou.

The value of the goods doubled compared with the last time, Mao Wenlong was very careful, and sent his two righteous sons to take the Liao people's husband to stay in Port Arthur in advance. From them, Zheng Haizhu learned that Mao Wenlong had been transferred west from Aiyang Fort, and was ordered to be stationed in Liaoyang City in late autumn, and was promoted to guerrilla.

From Lushun to the north, passing through Jinzhouwei, Fuzhouwei, Gaizhouwei, and Haizhouwei, along the way, Zheng Haizhu asked Xu San to sell goods while asking Wu Bangde to draw a map.

When she arrived in Liaoyang City, she and Wu Bangde basically knew the defense line and terrain of the guard post near Liaodong Bay in southern Liaoning.

The shipment also caught up with the opportunity for the Liao people in various counties to purchase New Year's goods, and the middle and lower grades were replaced with silver and copper coins. The high-quality brocade and tea were brought to Liaoyang, and Mao Wenlong was first given a look to see which ones should be honored (given for free) to the governor of Liaodong, the general soldier and other figures, and the rest were sold to rich and wealthy households.

Since then, Mao Wenlong has completely regarded this "eldest niece" rewarded by God on the stinky river in the south of the Yangtze River as his own. Therefore, when Zhang Chengyin, the general soldier of Liaodong stationed in Guangning, inspected the city defense of Liaoyang, Mao Wenlong immediately asked Zheng Haizhu to bring Hangjin and silver tickets to visit together, and promised Zhang Zongbing that Haoming Trading Company could buy the mink of Zhang's family at a price higher than that of Shanxi and Hebei merchants.

coaxed Zhang Chengyin to be happy.

Not long after Zhang Chengyin returned to Guangning, Mao Wenlong told Zheng Haizhu that the imperial court seemed to be quite worried about the situation in Liaodong, and sent Zhang Quan, a military attendant, to inspect the defense line adjacent to the Jianzhou Jurchens in Liaodong.

Because of the butterfly wings of Zheng Haizhu's Jinyuan diplomacy more than a year ago, Mao Wenlong is no longer the small army leader who was strapped for money in the original history, and he has some financial resources to make Zhang Chengyin more comfortable. Zhang Zongbing naturally intended to promote Mao Wenlong and let him show his face in front of the officials of the military department.

Zhang Zongbing then recommended Zhang Quan to be stationed in Liaoyang, accompanied by Mao Wenlong, a guarded general.

Mao Wenlong, who had an active brain, reciprocated the favor and immediately asked Zheng Haizhu if he wanted to do the Songjiang cotton armor military uniform business, if he wanted to meet Zhang Quan.

Of course, Zheng Haizhu couldn't ask for it.

is not only because Zhang Quan and Ma Xianglin are already Weng sons-in-law, which helps him sell military uniforms, but also because this Zhang Quan is a backbone anti-gold civil official recorded in history.

In real history, a few years later, in the defense of Liaoyang, the Ming army was defeated, Zhang Quan swore not to surrender to Jiannu, and when the city was broken, he cleaned up his clothes and crowns, and killed himself.

Zheng Haizhu learned from the rumors after entering Liao that Li Weihan, the governor of Liaodong at this time, was a useless guard, and if he wanted to try to counterattack and attack the Jiannu Tartars in Fushun in the spring of the next year, in addition to influencing Zhang Chengyin through Mao Wenlong, it was also very important to brainwash Zhang Quan while he was in Liaoyang.

I like it even more this time, Wu Bangde can also come forward to thank Zhang Quan for his righteous act of defending Qi Jin to the court a few years ago.

Zhang Quan didn't expect to see the righteous son of General Qi in Liaoyang City, and he didn't expect that the simple and gentle but clear-eyed woman next to Wu Bangde was Zheng Haizhu.

"Miss Zheng, even if General Mao and Bond don't introduce you, the old man has already heard your name from his mother-in-law. You used Songjiang cotton cloth and Jiading yellow grass mixed with dark armor, General Qin and Xianglin showed me, it is really good. ”

Zhang Quan started talking about this, and Mao Wenlong wanted to rush to pick up the stubble, complaining that the cotton armor of the Liaodong Border Army was now rotten cloth and rusty iron, so as to raise the market for Zheng Haizhu's business, but he had just stuffed a piece of hot and fragrant goose meat into his mouth.

Just as he was about to chew it quickly, Zheng Haizhu had already opened his mouth with a smile, but changed the subject.

"Zhang Shilang, our Songjiang spinning and embroidery are good, and the congratulatory gift that Miss Han and I gave to Miss Fengyi is not bad, right?"

"Oh, yes, yes, the little girl loves it. Speaking of which, we Fengyi are about the same age as you. However, her own female celebrity can't take it, that girl, like her grandfather, likes to dance with guns and sticks, ride horses and shoot arrows, and she has said that she wants to be Mulan since she was a child. ”

Zheng Haizhu hurriedly said: "How good is that, it is really harmonious with General Pony." In the future, if Miss Fengyi also carries a gun into battle, we will make her battle robe. ”

As she spoke, she glanced at Wu Bond quietly.

Before going to the banquet, the two had discussed how to cooperate and lead the topic to the right thing.

Wu Bangde then made a look of not being presumptuous, only worried about state affairs, and sighed lightly: "Wu said a word that is not afraid of offending General Mao, this time when he entered Liao, along the way he saw the scene of those guards being in ruin and the soldiers were sluggish. We really have to go up together, as well as General Qin's Sichuan soldiers. ”

Mao Wenlong swallowed the goose meat, and his mouth was empty.

Although he wondered why Zheng Haizhu didn't take the opportunity to do business with Zhang Quan, as soon as he heard Wu Bangde talking about the battle situation in Liaodong, he immediately became more energetic.

"Wu Gongzi compared the boys led by Mao with the Qi family army and General Qin's white pole army, where is the offense, it is clearly to promote me. However, in front of the officers of the military department, I also have to say a few words to our Liaodong soldiers. When you came from Lushun and saw Jinzhou and Fuzhou and other guard posts, there was no dispute between soldiers for a long time, and the guards often couldn't ask for salaries, and the sergeants were a little slack, which was reasonable. ”

Zheng Haizhu was afraid that Mao Wenlong would start complaining about the arrears of the imperial court and delay himself in getting down to business, so he nodded hurriedly and said: "Actually, I also told Bond like this, presumably the defenders of Qinghe Fort and Yahu Pass must be elite and strong." ”

When Zhang Quan heard this, his eyes flashed: "Miss Zheng is so familiar with the Liaodong border defense? Do you even know about Qinghe Fort and Yahu Pass? ”

Zheng Haizhu said calmly: "Zhang Shilang, after the Jianzhou chieftain Nurhachi unified the Jurchen tribes and established himself as Khan, in fact, there are many people of insight inside and outside the court, who are very worried. Whether it is our Jiangnan or Shandong, where we crossed the sea and set off, it is not uncommon for voices to talk about Liao affairs. I already had the support of Xu Hanlin and the old parents of Songjiang Mansion, and I funded the development of artillery to protect the coastal defense of Songjiang, and of course I would also think about the border defense of eastern Liaodong. I asked Uncle Mao what were the closest guards to Hetuala, and what were the firearms. ”

Mao Wenlong smiled and nodded: "Ah yes, Salhu, Fushun Pass, Qinghe Fort, and Yahu Pass are all what I told this girl." If you want to talk about elite soldiers, the men and horses led by General Zou of Qinghe Fort, there is nothing to say. But firearms, it's really not good. The ones that were used when he helped Li Chao fight the Japanese people, after he came back, they were distributed to the various forts and guards, and they were not well prepared, and they always blew up their chests, and they didn't dare to use them during training, let alone fight the Tartars. ”

Zhang Quan's face sank as he listened.

These are actually the truths he wants to listen to and want to hear, but the truth often makes a pure minister like him worry.

Zheng Haizhu glanced at Zhang Quan's face and said to Mao Wenlong: "Uncle Mao, firearms are indeed important, whether it is the combination of infantry arrays, or the different large, medium and small artillery, defending the city and field battles, I believe it will be a must for my Ming soldiers to attack and defend in the future." Sometimes, though, you don't need to hunt with a bird's gun, you can also use a trap, as long as you bet on which way the beasts will go. ”

Mao Wenlong took a sip of wine and said, "Girl, what do you mean?"

Zhang Quan put down his wine glass and looked at this businesswoman who was the same age as his daughter.

Zheng Haizhu then respectfully stated his judgment with Wu Bangde.

"Will the Tartars rob Fushun?" Mao Wenlong frowned, thoughtful.

Zhang Quan asked him: "General Mao, will the horse market in Fushun be opened every year?" ”

"Yes, in the past, when Gao Huai, the eunuch of the mining tax, was here, we Liao were afraid that he would take someone to blackmail, so he stopped. It opened again a few years ago. ”

Zhang Quan's face was solemn, and he asked again: "Nurhachi has established himself as a khan since the first month of last year, so in the horse market of last year and this year, are there many Jurchens entering the city?" ”

Mao Wenlong thought about it, showed a cautious look, and said to the soldiers around him: "You go and call Kong Youde in." ”