In the third year of Wanli, April 12.

As an important minister of Beiyang, Chen Mu led the crowd out of Beijing and set off for Tianjin on a patrol ship.

The patrol boat is the boat taken by the patrol envoy and the official army on the canal, in fact, Chen Mu can take the boat, but it is just in time for the busy spring to be busy, although Chen Mu and his party do not have much luggage, but there are several war horses, so they simply take the official ship to slow down.

The ship was not very large, except for them and the boatmen, a sentry sent by the Caoyun Yamen to escort the officers and soldiers, and they were divided into the next two patrol boats, not only to perform their duties on the canal, but also to send Chen Mu safely to Tianjin Wei.

Cao transport ships in the orthodox time of 11,700 ships, in the past are southwest timber transportation to Shandong Linqing, Huai'an Qingjiang to build, later according to local conditions, by the participation in the transport of the health station, lifting division, private self-made, in order to clear responsibility, each has a name, the health of the building for the military, the lifting of the division for the transport of the brand, the civil for the people.

For example, Chen Mu's ship is a military official patrol ship built in Tianjin.

"Changji, do you know what the official roads along the coast are doing with fires every other section?"

It was still early when he set off from Beijing, and it was already dark in a blink of an eye, Chen Mu put away the python robe when he left Beijing, put on the usual general's breastplate, leaned on the side of the boat and pointed to the shore and asked Zhao Shizhen.

Not long after the beginning of spring, Zhao Shizhen, a foreigner, took out a folding fan and wrapped it up, but fortunately, his head was not broken, but he didn't really fan it when he held it in his hand.

Hearing Chen Mu's question, Zhao Shizhen, who was painting at the desk in the cabin, poked his head out, smiled at Chen Mu and shook his head, "I don't know." ”

"That's the electric wire, the elder of the pavilion sent a conscription, to erect a telephone pole along the canal around the people, the telephone pole was designed by me, for the future urgent delivery of the telegraph preparation." Chen Mu said easily, he compiled most of the development trends of electricity in his mind into a book, regardless of whether he knew it or not, it was all handed over to the people of this era to make and develop, anyway, he didn't expect this thing to help him make money, he spread his hands and smiled: "Now I don't know how far it has progressed." ”

"However, I heard that although the suitable motor has not yet been completed, Zhang Ge Lao has already asked Qi Shuai to make a set of ciphertexts for future telegrams."

"This line will also be repaired to Tianjin, and perhaps when we return from Amerika, we will be able to use the telegraph."

Zhao Shizhen didn't have much expectation for the telegram, he was more interested in what they were going to do in Tianjin, there was such a boring Chen Mu to disturb him, no matter what, he would not let him continue to paint the canal scene with peace of mind, so he simply stretched his waist on the boat board and asked Chen Mu: "Shuai Ye, why do I have to go to Dagu instead of Tianjin Wei?" Isn't Tianjin Sanwei already under the control of the Beiyang Military Government? ”

Chen Mu glanced at Zhao Shizhen and said, "Tianjin is busy with health affairs, and it is not good to train troops over there. ”

"This is to the capital to transport silver and grain by sea, from Haikou to the Wei River is shipping, there is a guard over the Grand Canal is transport, since ancient times. From top to bottom, the Yamen of the Fusi of Jinyi Weinan Town, the Yamen of the Tianjin Bingbei Road, the Yamen of the Salt Transportation Division, the Yamen of the Salt Patrol Department, the Yamen of the Tianjin Branch of the Household Department, as well as the Yamen of the Qing Army in charge of military affairs and military discipline, the general army of shipping and the general army of Caoyun. ”

"In all kinds of reasons, many of their yamen positions themselves overlap, and now they overlap with the newly established Beiyang yamen, so it is better to jump out and give orders directly to the city if there is something, so don't go to the prosperous city of Tianjin to make trouble."

Tianjin is a good place, the name comes from the Ming Dynasty ancestor Jing Nan led the army to cross here, when he came back, he was named Tianjin, which means the ferry that the Son of Heaven passed, the people are mostly Cheng Zu Jing Nan came with the army immigration, so the language of Tianjin Gate is similar to that of Nanzhili, Tianjin Wei commander Ni Jiayin is the eighth commander of Ni Jiayin, the ninth commander of Tianjin Left Guard Zhao is Zhao Kezhong, and the eighth commander of Tianjin Right Guard Mei is Mei, and the hereditary lineage of the three Wei chiefs has not been broken since the Yongle Dynasty.

Zhao Shizhen sighed and said, "The student still thinks it's good to be in Tianjin City, and it will cost 30,000 taels of silver to go to that wilderness to build a city again." ”

"Where is thirty or forty thousand taels enough!" Chen Mu smiled, looked around, and then whispered to Zhao Shizhen: "Before leaving Beijing, I have sent a message from the cavalry to Nanyang, and the goods that need to be transported with Beijing, but I don't know if I can catch up with Beijing. ”

"Two hundred thousand taels!"

Zhao Shizhen was dumbfounded, and he asked in a low voice, "How long will Chen Shuai stay in Tianjin?" Aren't we here to plan and allocate troops and horses, and then set off for America as soon as the ships come? ”

Chen Mu shook his head with a smile, he didn't see that the little staff was so excited about crossing the sea and the East: "I can't go, the route has not been explored, how can I send the army directly, now we only have the route given to you by the Spaniards, the route is true or false and has not been tried, if the army is lost in the past, the responsibility is small, the army is gone, and you can't come back." ”

"In addition, I also have a plan in my heart to make in Beizhili, the stalls of the Beiyang Military Government and the Yamen must be set up, many functions under the military government have not yet been sorted out, and Tianjin coastal defense must also be built, not to mention that I still want to train a cavalry - and wait, when the fleet that sailed east with the Spaniards comes back, and there is a clear chart, we can go."

Zhao Shizhen pursed his lips, and said with a little disappointment on his face: "Then let's say that it will take a year and a half, then what if there is an accident on the chart, we won't go to America?" ”

"Don't panic, there are few military officials right now, and you won't be idle. If there is an accident on the chart, then it's fine, we have another way in our hands. Chen Mu almost laughed out loud when he thought of Ma Gui's news, and said: "Ma Gui and Ma Jin are not dead, and the imperial court has issued orders for several months, so they sent people to contact the soldiers and horses left behind in Wangxia Prefecture in the north, but after hearing the news, after the glacier thawed, they sent people to the other side to find it and couldn't find it, so they left Leshi and went south." ”

"At this time next year, if the fleet to Madrid does not come back, we will go through the northern route, and now the imperial court already knows when the north will freeze and when it will be thawed, and Magui has also explored a black water Taya Islands, which leads directly to North Asia and Molica, and the first thing we have to do is to send someone to find Magui's whereabouts after the thaw and transport him baggage...... They're definitely having a hard time this winter. ”

"What can students do, I'm not afraid of too much!" Zhao Shizhen's eyes lit up and Chen Mu asked, "As long as the handsome doesn't let me write papers, I can do anything!" ”

"You don't have to worry, the matter of communicating with the officials of the Ministry of Industry in the past will be handed over to you, a member of the Ministry of Rites, the Yamen of the Beiyang Military Government wants you to supervise the construction, build the warehouse first, and you don't have to worry about other things for the time being."

Chen Mu looked at the Grand Canal at night, dark and shining with the lanterns of the patrol ship, "When you settle down, you will first recruit Li Dan back to ask about the situation, and the fight has not been over for almost two years...... If you want to go to the Great East, first settle the small Eastern, in today's world, you fight for me, and the Ming Dynasty can't make way for anyone! ”

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