In the second half of this year, the wars between the Qing army and the Taiping army became more and more frequent, and the Taiping army in Hangzhou was lost due to the pressure of Zuo Zongtang's Hunan army. The Taiping army stationed in Huzhou has become the last fortress of the Young Heavenly King.

The Taiping army in Nanxun Town was panicked, and Huang Wenjin, the king of blockage, was even more irritable, and the residents were trembling for fear of breaking any rules, and generally closed their doors after dinner and no longer went out.

The headquarters of the Taiping Army was originally in Liu's house, but due to the geographical location, the Taiping Army had to move to Xifendou Pang Mansion, which was surrounded by water on three sides and was convenient for retreat.

Zhang Songxian didn't know where to hear the rumors, it is said that the army of the Qing Dynasty will recover Huzhou including Nanxun, and there will be a bloody storm at that time, so the silk industry colleagues in the town dragged their families and fled overnight, originally Liu Yong was also going to leave, but Liu Yongniang fell ill again and could not move.

The Liu family had to stay, and the next day the town was under martial law, and it was too late to leave. Only 'Liu Shunheng' and three or four other silk shops were left in the town who had time to escape in the future.

Liu Yong was also very sad when he said this, he thought that Yuhui's tomb was still alone by the Taihu Lake, and he didn't know when he would be able to move back to Nanxun.

After another half a month, the situation in the town became even more scandalous, and the Taiping army beheaded the public on the white square every now and then, claiming that they were all spies who fornicated with the Qing army, and there were all kinds of crimes, including spying on intelligence and funding the Qing army......

Hong Ying strictly forbade the children to go out and locked them all in the backyard to accompany their grandmother so that they would not go out and cause trouble.

In the afternoon of this day, Liu Yong was checking the goods in the warehouse, and heard that his cousin Liu Quan came to report that the guards of the king had arrived at the door and wanted to take Liu Yong to see the king.

Hong Ying was settling accounts in the account room, and when she heard the movement outside, she came out to take a look, and her face turned white with fright, and she didn't know if the Liu family had offended the Taiping Army.

Liu Yong forced his composure and comforted Hong Ying and said: It's okay. I've seen King Plug twice, and he also has a nose and two eyes, and he doesn't eat people.

Hong Ying watched Liu Yong being taken away, and her heart was clenched. Not long after Liu Yong left, she quietly followed outside the door of the Pangfu Mansion.

Liu Yong was brought into Pang Mansion to see Huang Wenjin, the king of blocking, and saw that Huang Wenjin's face was ironclad. Liu Yong beat the drum in his heart, and he had a premonition that a catastrophe would come.

Liu Yong visited the king of blocking, and the king said: Those silk merchant bosses secretly ran away a large number, but you didn't run, which shows that you have confidence in our Taiping army and are loyal.

Liu Yong was confused when he heard this, King Blockade brought him here, not just to commend him, right?

Liu Yong lowered his head and didn't dare to say more, but said slightly: Don't dare to be, don't dare to be.

King Blockade asked the guards to serve tea to Liu Yong, and Liu Yong thanked him for taking the seat, but he sat like pins and needles, and his heart was cramped and uneasy.

King Du took a sip of tea and said: I heard that Boss Liu opened a foreign company in Shanghai, and he is very familiar with foreigners.

As soon as Liu Yong heard this, his soul flew away, and he quickly got up and saluted: "Returning to the king, there is no such thing, it is all rumors." The contemptible people have done business in Shanghai, but they are just selling raw silk.

Huang Wenjin, the king of blocking, sneered. Say: Selling raw silk only? Don't think I don't know. If you don't know foreigners, how can you sell raw silk to foreign countries?

Liu Yong thought to himself that this was troublesome, and interacting with foreigners, which the Taiping army considered to be the most taboo in the same way as the fornicating Qing army. Is the king going to cut his head today? Let's make an example of the monkeys.

Before he could figure out how to deal with it, Huang Wenjin, the king of blocking, changed his face and smiled at Liu Yong: "Boss Liu, this king invited you to come today and want to ask you for a little something."

Liu Yong's soul was scattered, thinking that King Block would say that he wanted a head on his shoulder.

Liu Yong looked at the king in horror and said in a trembling voice: What does the king want?

Huang Wenjin stared at Liu Yong with a straight face and said: Get me two hundred foreign guns!

Where did Liu Yong dare to say the word "no" and ask: When will you want to?

Huang Wenjin said: Now that the war is tense, I can't wait too long, so I'll give you a month.

Liu Yong said again and again: Yes, yes! In the next way by all means.

Huang Wenjin smiled, served tea to the guests, Liu Yong walked out of the Pang Mansion with a fall, only to find that his clothes were soaked.

Seeing this, Hong Ying, who was guarding the gate of Pang Mansion, hurriedly greeted him and helped Liu Yong.

Hong Ying anxiously asked: What happened to you in such a hurry?

Liu Yong shook his hand and said: Let's go home, let's go home.

Under Hong Ying's repeated questioning, Liu Yong told him about the king asking him for arms.

Hong Ying's heart was cold when she heard this, and asking the Liu family for arms was tantamount to forcing the Liu family to a dead end. Now that Lord Zuo Zongtang's Hunan army has regained the lost territory one after another, the Taiping army will soon be unable to hold it. Thinking of her elderly mother-in-law, all four children are going to be involved, Hong Ying is about to go crazy.

Hong Ying said anxiously: Master, for the sake of this family and the children, you must not promise them.

Hong Ying pleaded: Let's think of another way!

Liu Yongdao: Don't worry, I know the severity.

Back in the silk shop, Liu Yong and Hong Ying did not mention today's encounter in front of the old man and the child, and after dinner, the two went back to the room sullenly.

The couple was relatively speechless, and after sitting for half an hour, Liu Yong said: Hong Ying, you take your mother and children to Shanghai. Now Nanxun is not safe.

Hong Ying exclaimed: What are you talking about, if you want to leave, the family will naturally go together. To die or live, as a family.

Liu Yong said: As long as I am returned, you may leave.

Hong Ying said resolutely: You are the backbone of the family, if you don't leave, no one will want to leave. If Sister Yuhui is here, she must be the same as I think.

Liu Yong said helplessly: Forget it, I'm tired today, I don't want to think about it, let's talk about it tomorrow! Liu Yong lay down on the bed tiredly.

Hong Ying said softly: Then you can rest first, I'll go and see a few children, are they sleeping?

Hong Ying covered Liu Yong with a quilt, went out of the door, and went to the room next door to see if An Jiang had slept in the Ying sister-in-law's house.

An Lan and An Jiang were playing together, and when they saw Hong Ying, they affectionately called "Mom". Hong Ying stroked the little heads of the two of them, feeling a lot of sorrow.

Suddenly, Liu Yong's cousin Liu Qi walked into the backyard and saw Hong Ying, so he asked: Sister-in-law, where is my brother?

Hong Ying said: He has already rested, why haven't you come home yet? Is there something wrong?

Liu Qian pulled Hong Ying aside and whispered: Let my brother go to Daqing Teahouse, someone wants to see him.

Hong Ying hurriedly asked: Who is it?

Liu Qian said in a low voice: I don't know, but the man said that he is the person who his brother must see. He also instructed his brother to be quiet, not to be seen.

Hong Ying nodded: I know, you can go back first.

Hong Ying entered the room, shook Liu Yong and said: Get up quickly, someone wants to see you again.

Hong Ying relayed Liu Qi's words to Liu Yong, and Liu Yong frowned and said: What day is today? One blockade in the morning is enough to annoy me, and another one in the evening!

Hong Ying put on Liu Yong's coat and said: Be quiet, don't let anyone see it.

Liu Yong said as he walked out: I know.

Hong Ying walked in front and opened the door of the silk line for him, and when he looked around, he saw a few Taiping soldiers staring at Liu Shunheng's side of the bridge not far away.

Hong Ying hurriedly retracted her head and said to Liu Yong: There are people staring outside, you better go through the back door! ”

Liu Yong hesitated: I'm afraid that there will be people staring at the back door.

Hong Ying said: Then I'll go and I'll lure them away.

Hong Ying went back to hug An Jiang, led An Lan, probed his brain from the back door, and then walked in the direction of the countryside, which really attracted the attention of the Taiping army who were watching.

The Taiping army who was watching thought that Hong Ying was going to run back to the countryside with his two children, so he immediately followed closely behind.

Liu Yong's watchman followed Hong Ying, he wore a cloak and quietly went out the back door, and walked through the alley to Longqing Teahouse.

Hong Ying took the children outside, went crazy, played for a while, and then hugged An Jiang and led An Lan home.

The Taiping army who was watching saw that they were staring at the wrong person, and hurriedly returned to the back door of the silk store to guard.

Liu Yong quietly came to the Daqing Teahouse, and the boss of the teahouse saw that it was Liu Yong, and greeted him warmly and said: Oh, it's Boss Liu, long time no see! Always good?

Liu Yong arched his hand and said: So-so! ”

Boss Xing asked: Boss Liu, please sit upstairs!

Liu Yong followed Boss Xing upstairs, and after sitting down, he ordered: Boss Xing, if anyone looks for me later, bring him over.

Boss Xing said with a smile on his face: Okay! Sit down first, I'll make you a pot of tea!

Liu Yong sat alone in the private seat by the window, looking out the window at the deserted river, guessing who would ask him to come?

Liu Yong was thinking about it, when he suddenly heard the sound of "knock knock" footsteps on the stairs, Liu Yong saw a white-faced scholar and a black-faced man going upstairs together, the black-faced man looked vigilant, looking at his walking figure, he must be the top master of martial arts.

They came upstairs and stood in front of Liu Yong, Liu Yong stood up and carefully identified the person in front of him, only to find that the white-faced scholar turned out to be Lord Chen, the prefect of Huzhou.

Liu Yong wanted to bow down, but the black-faced man pulled him and pushed him back to his position and sat down.

Lord Chen whispered: "Boss Liu, although I have already chartered this teahouse, it is better to be careful.

Liu Yongdao: Lord Chen, I never expected it to be you.

Lord Chen motioned to the black-faced man to go downstairs to guard, and the black-faced man took the order, jumped down, and stunned Liu Yong.

Liu Yong arched his hand and said: Lord Chen, the trial in Huzhou is thanks to Lord Chen's discernment, and the grass people remember it. So far, have you asked the grass people to have instructions?

Lord Chen got straight to the point: I'll open the skylight and say something bright, to make a long story short, I have just been promoted to the political envoy of Zhejiang, and I was appointed by Lord Zuo to assist the Hunan army to encircle and suppress the Taiping army living in Huzhou, intending to capture the young king alive and completely destroy the long hair. Now that the war is urgent and funds are in short supply, it is hoped that Liu Yong, the boss of Liu, will lead the Nanxun silk merchants to fund the Qing army.

Liu Yong asked: How much does Master Chen want to raise?

Chen Dadao: Even Cixi Lafayette knows that the Nanxun silk merchants are rich, so in times of crisis, you must actively contribute to the imperial court, and within ten days, raise at least 20,000 taels of silver.

Liu Yong said: In front of adults, the small people really don't hide from each other, but now the silk merchants in the town have fled, and there are only three or four small silk shops left, and they don't have so much money.

Lord Chen's face sank, and said: How much tax did your Nanxun silk merchants pay to Changmao, don't think that the court doesn't know, Boss Liu, if you don't want the court to settle accounts with you, it's better to get this money happily.

After Mr. Chen said, he brushed his sleeves away, and left his last sentence before leaving: Within ten days, send the silver to Guangji Qianzhuang.

After Master Chen left, Liu Yong was almost paralyzed in his chair. He thought: It's really a disaster, both sides are forcing him to die. One is fornication with the court, the other is fornication with the 'spear', which one is not a capital crime?