Bao Shichen is not an active person, and he is more than seventy years old, although he is in good spirits and has good body bone maintenance, but it is not easy to take a small steamer to Wuchang. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Yi Zhizhi was confused, and after carefully giving up his seat, he said tentatively: "Everything is okay in Shanghai?" ”

"What can happen in Shanghai?" Bao Shichen said with a smile: "The old man is already a person who buries his neck, and he still wants to see the Yellow Crane Tower again in his lifetime, eat Wuchang fish, and the big shopkeeper doesn't need to think about it." ”

Seeing that his spirit was a little sluggish, Yi Zhi couldn't help but smile, "Sir, let's rest for two days, and then accompany Mr. to the Yellow Crane Tower and eat Wuchang fish." ”

"On the first floor of the world, the little woman has been admired for a long time." With the words, Lin Meilian slowly came in, squatted down, and said, "I've seen the big shopkeeper." ”

Seeing Lin Meilian, who actually followed, Yi Zhishu glared at her angrily, and then said, "Mr. has been bumpy and tired all the way, let's rest first." As he spoke, he looked at Chen Hongming and said, "Let Mr. live in my yard temporarily." ”

Chen Hongming, who was waiting, helped Bao Shichen to leave, and then he looked at Lin Meilian and said, "Mr. Bao came to Wuchang, what is the matter?" ”

"The big shopkeeper has been reduced a lot." Lin Meilian looked at him twice before saying, "My subordinates don't know, but I vaguely heard Mr. mention it, saying that it was to see an old man." ”

Old friend? Yi Zhizhi couldn't help but feel content, the three towns of Wuhan were swept away by the Taiping Army, where can there be any old people? He was also preparing to return to Shanghai in the near future, Bao Shichen came, I was afraid that he would have to delay for a few more days, and after a little muttering, he said: "The journey is still smooth?" ”

Lin Meilian nodded and said: "It's smooth, no one dares to stop the checkpoints along the way, and it's very convenient to stop and replenish." As she spoke, she tentatively said, "The ship is heavily guarded, not like a supply ship....... ”

The Taiping army went down the river to capture Wuchang, and the counties along the river regarded the naval fleet as a life-saving straw. This is expected, Yi Zhixiang nodded, and said, "You are also tired all the way, let's go and rest first." ”

Of course, it was not a supply ship, but a banknote ship, he was stranded in Wuchang, waiting for these banknote ships, the war in Hunan and Hubei was a rare opportunity for Yuanqi Bank - an opportunity to monopolize the Huguang money industry! An opportunity to popularize and promote Yuanqi banknotes!

The Taiping army crossed the border like locusts, looting all the gold and silver, and even if the local money and silver were not run out of business, they could not escape the looting, and the local treasury and silver treasury were the same, which was extremely suitable for Yuanqi to occupy the market, monopolize the money industry, and promote paper money.

He and Feng Yunshan had reached an agreement that the Taiping army was not allowed to rob Yuan Qi's branches in various places, and allowed Yuan Qi to open branches in the areas occupied by the Taiping army.

The reason why he readily agreed to provide a large amount of arms for the Eight Banners Green Battalion and provide relief and appease the people in Wuchang was because of this long-term consideration, first monopolizing the money industry of Huguang and Guangzhou, and then monopolizing the commercial economy, so that the two provinces could be firmly controlled in his hands.

Once he controls Huguang, the financial economy of the southeast half of the wall is almost under the control of Yuan Qi, taking advantage of the Taiping army's rebellion, he can also gradually expand and show his military strength, and Xiao Mingming's troops stationed in the Wa State should also find an opportunity to make an appearance and deter the imperial court and the Taiping army.

After all, Bao Shichen is old, and he rested for two days to recover, but he was not idle in the past two days, and made a detailed understanding of the situation in Wuchang...... ”

Bao Shichen waved his hand and said, "Yellow Crane Tower is not in a hurry. ”

The two slowly walked into the courtyard, and Yi Zhizhi said tentatively: "Isn't Mr.'s deceased from Wuchang?" ”

Bao Shichen smiled but did not answer, and said separately: "The imperial court is preparing to build the Yangtze River Water Division, what is the opinion of the big treasurer?" ”

Yangtze River Water Division? Yi Zhicontent sneered: "With the current financial resources of the imperial court, the Yangtze River Sailor will not have seven or eight years, and it will be difficult to achieve the climate." ”

"Not necessarily." Bao Shichen shook his head slightly, and said: "The preparation for the construction of the Yangtze River Naval Division will inevitably not be the imperial court's allocation of money, if it is not surprising, it must be a card to draw taxes, the Yangtze River is busy with commerce and trade, and it will become a climate in less than three years." ”

"Set up a card to draw taxes?" Yi Zhizhi couldn't help frowning, Bao Shichen's words reminded him that in order to encircle and suppress the Taiping Army, Xianfeng implemented the Li Jin system throughout the country to raise military salaries.

After glancing at him, Bao Shichen said slowly: "The big shopkeeper should think of putting the Yangtze River Sailor in the hands of Yuan Qi. ”

I'm afraid it's impossible, the imperial court is not only preparing to build the Yangtze River Naval Division to encircle and suppress the Taiping Army, but also to contain Yuan Qi's intention, how can Yuan Qi control the Yangtze River Naval Division?

Entering the house and sitting down, Bao Shichen said unhurriedly: "The scale of the Taiping Army's naval division is not small, and it poses a huge threat to the provinces along the Yangtze River. ”

"It's too costly." Yi Zhixiang shook his head and said, "It's easy to ask the gods to send the gods, the Taiping army is too destructive, once it goes down the east of the river, it is not easy to expel it." ”

"It's just for show." Bao Shichen said in a relaxed tone: "As long as the fleet is withdrawn to Anqing or Taiping Mansion, the governors of Huguang and Liangjiang will jump in a hurry." ”

Yi Zhizhi smiled contentedly, "This can be tried, Qi Zhitai recommended Chen Hongming to be the governor of Hubei, but the imperial court did not agree, and the admiral of the Yangtze River Navy Division is a permanent protector, let's pick a pick, and try the reaction of the imperial court." ”

"Although the imperial court is very wary of Yuan Qi, but Yuan Qi is not openly chaotic after all, the Taiping army is called Wang Jian, and the momentum is getting bigger and bigger, and the strength is getting stronger and stronger, as the so-called matter has priorities, and the current imperial court must encircle and suppress the Taiping army as the top .....priority." Bao Shichen said eloquently: "Although he is young and vigorous today, but at this eventful time, he will definitely not be indiscriminate and temperamental, and at this time he will force Yuan Qi to oppose it, which is undoubtedly the most unwise for the imperial court. ”

Yi Zhizu knows very well that the Taiping Army is not easy to be exterminated, and it is not yet the peak of the Taiping Army, so he is willing to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight, and is not in a hurry to reap the benefits.

After a slight groan, he said: "The Taiping Army has now increased in strength, and it is impossible to exterminate ...... in a short period of time." ”

Bao Shichen said slowly: "The Taiping Army is already a rogue now, I'm afraid it will be difficult to control. ”

"Not necessarily." Yi Zhizhi said: "The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has always had the intention of establishing a small paradise, and now it is adopting the Liukou model, which should be to gather strength. ”

Bao Shichen's heart moved, and he said: "The big shopkeeper is planning to lead the troops to quell the rebellion?" ”

"It's not the time yet." Yi Zhizu chuckled: "The imperial court has always been wary of us, and it will not use us as the main force to quell the rebellion unless it is forced to do so." ”

The two were chatting, and Lin Meilian came in quickly and reported: "The big shopkeeper, Jiang Zhongcheng came to visit." ”

Jiang Zhongyuan is here? Yi Zhizhi glanced at Bao Shichen and said, "Jiang Zhongcheng came here, it should be a military situation, sir, and rest." With that, he got up and walked out of the yard quickly.

Jiang Zhongyuan did have an urgent military situation when he came, and as soon as they met, he said: "I just received an urgent report from Chuyang, and Yang Xiuqing, the puppet king of the Taiping Army, led 30,000 troops to the west and went straight to Chuyang. ”

Tsangyang? Yi Zhizu hurriedly walked to the large map of Hubei, and after looking for a map of Chuyang, he saw that Chuyang was not far from Jingshan, and he couldn't help but be surprised, and said, "Where is the monk king now?" ”

"The monk king and the admiral He Chun led 20,000 horses to pursue Shi Dakai, and now it is in Caowu Town, not far from Jingshan." Jiang Zhongyuan said with a solemn expression: "Is the Hou Ye worried that Shi Dakai and Yang Xiuqing will attack the monk king in Jingshan?" ”

Yi Zhisuff nodded at the map and said: "Jingshan County is full of mountains in the north and south, from Jingshan to Zhongxiang, in fact, it is a big canyon, once the monk king chases in, it is very likely to be intercepted before and after, Chuyang is only more than 200 miles away from Jingshan, and the rapid march can be reached in two days." ”

Jiang Zhongyuan's face was extremely ugly, and he muttered, "If it's really a trap, I'm afraid it's too late." ”

"Whether it is in time or not, you must inform the monk king quickly." Yi Zhizu said in a deep voice: "Send someone to cross the river immediately, stop the monk king from pursuing, and go there in several ways!" ”

Both of them knew very well in their hearts that once the monk king was ambushed, the consequences would be unimaginable, the monk king led the new army of the Eight Banners, if it was hit hard, the battle situation in the entire Hubei would be reversed! The Taiping army will in turn chase the Eight Banners Green Battalion to fight, and may even occupy Hanyang again and attack Wuchang!

Jiang Zhongyuan was a little hesitant, if the judgment was wrong, the monk Greenqin and Hechun would miss the opportunity to pursue, the fall of the prefecture and county along the way was a trivial matter, if Shi Dakai went straight to Xiangyang, it would be a big trouble, the monk king and Hechun could not rescue, and the responsibility would inevitably be shifted to him, and he, the newly appointed governor of Hubei, would definitely be dismissed.

Seeing that Jiang Zhongyuan didn't say anything, Yi Zhishu naturally knew what he was worried about, and immediately strode to the door and said, "Someone, the order ......" ”

Seeing that Yi Zhixiang sent someone to report the news without hesitation, Jiang Zhongyuan's face was hot, and he hurriedly said, "Master Hou is so sure? ”

"I'm not sure." Yi Zhizhi said: "The war situation is changing rapidly, virtual and real, who can be sure? As he spoke, he waved his hand and said, "I don't care, if I really make a mistake in judgment, it's a big deal to put the blame on me." ”

Jiang Zhongyuan stood up and said, "The navy is not familiar with the terrain and roads, so the Hou Ye writes a credit seal and sends someone to report it." ”

Yi Zhizhi didn't say much, picked up the pen, wrote three copies of the seal in a row and handed it to Jiang Zhongyuan, and then lit a cigarette, he had a strong premonition, Jingshan is very likely to be a trap, Yang Xiuqing and Shi Dakai are not idle people, they have extremely high military talent, and they have been transferred from Guangxi to Hubei in the past two years, and they have experienced countless battles of all sizes, and they have long been sharpened.

At present, the biggest threat to the Taiping Army is Seng Lingqin's Eight Banners New Army, Yang Xiuqing and Shi Dakai are afraid that they want to annihilate this Eight Banners New Army in their dreams, not only can they get rid of a strong opponent, but they can also capture a large number of Mini guns, Jingshan, it may be a trap that Yang Shi and the two have already deployed!

"Master Hou." Jiang Zhongyuan turned back and said: "The post stations in various prefectures and counties must have been abandoned, the urgent report sent by Chuyang has been two days, and Wuchang has traveled more than 300 miles to Jingshan, and I am afraid that it is too late to .....report the news." ”

Although Jiang Zhongyuan didn't say anything, the meaning was very clear, hoping that the navy would send troops to rescue, Yi Zhizhi smoked a cigarette and didn't say a word, more than 300 miles, and it would take two or three days at the earliest, with the combat strength of the Eight Banners New Army, even if it was attacked by more than 100,000 Taiping troops on both sides, it should be no problem to hold on for three or four days, and it would be too late to send troops to rescue.

But the problem is that this battle, whether it is a heavy blow to the New Army of the Eight Banners or a heavy blow to the Taiping Army, is not what he wants to see, and sending troops to rescue may also make enemies with the Taiping Army, affecting his plan to control the two lakes, but if the Taiping Army wins a big victory in this battle, it is absolutely impossible to give up Hubei.

To send troops or not to send troops? Another dilemma! Yi Zhishu thought about it for a while, extinguished the cigarette, looked at Jiang Zhongyuan and said, "Brother Minqiao, would you like to go to Jingshan together?" ”

Jiang Zhongyuan was overjoyed, and hurriedly said: "I don't dare to ask for it." ”

"Collect as many horses and donkeys as you can." Yi Zhizhi said: "Brother Minqiao's standard, select the elite, you must be able to travel hundreds of miles a day!" ”

"No problem." Jiang Zhongyuan said with a smile, "If we run for nothing, it will be a joke." ”

"It's better to make jokes than to be wiped out by the monk king." Yi Zhishu said and instructed the outside world: "Prepare the horse!" Bring the uniforms! ”

"Riverside convergence." Jiang Zhongyuan arched his hand and said: "Xiaguan went to Qi Zhitai to report it, and then hurried over." ”

Yi Zhizhi nodded, the reason why he decided to send troops to rescue Monk Greenqin was that he did not want the Taiping army to occupy Hubei and threaten the two rivers, besides, the greater the strength and ambition of the Taiping army, and he would definitely not take Yuan Qi seriously, which he could not tolerate.

Moreover, he had already made it very clear to Feng Yunshan that the Taiping Army was not allowed to get involved in Hubei, but the Taiping Army was making a big move in Hubei, and it was a good thing to teach the Taiping Army a lesson and let them remember it for a long time, lest they not take his words seriously in the future!

In addition, if the troops are sent to save Seng Lingqin and Hechun this time, the imperial court's vigilance against Yuan Qi will be relaxed a little, and it will be relatively easy for him to pick a son behind him and win over the Yangtze River Sailor. Of course, he did not deny that Monk Lingqin had a good personal relationship with him, and he didn't want to see death without help.

Lin Meilian came in with a military uniform and said with a concerned face: "The big shopkeeper is going to lead the troops to the battle?" ”

Yi Zhishu said while changing his military uniform: "It's not the first time I've led troops to the battle, so don't worry." After a pause, he advised: "Mr. Bao asked, tell him that I will lead 5,000 marines to Jingshan to rescue the monk king." ”