Yi Zhishu can understand Lin Zexu's complicated feelings, as the governor of Liangguang, he naturally does not want Jiangning City to be attacked by the British fleet, and does not want Jiangning's prosperity to be ruined in the war, and this battle, the Qing Dynasty has very little chance of winning, and it can even be said that it is very small, once Jiangning is defeated, not only will it damage his life's reputation, but his good career will also be ruined, but he is also worried that the British army will attack Tianjin, after all, this war can be said to be provoked because of the ban on smoking in Guangzhou, if Tianjin is defeated and endangers the Beijing Division, he is also to blame. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

It's not a good thing to suffer from such gains and losses, Yi Zhixin unconsciously took out a cigar, realized that the occasion was wrong, and took it back, Lin Zexu glanced at him and said, "There are no outsiders, just smoke if you want." As he spoke, he got up and put up a window, then turned around and asked, "Do you have a detailed understanding of the inland waterway from Jiangning to Haikou?" ”

Yi Zhizhi didn't squirm, struck a match and lit a cigar, slowed down before he spoke: "My lord is worried that the Yingyi fleet will not dare to enter the river?" ”

Lin Zexu bowed his head slightly: "The hydrology of the inland waterway is complex, the Haikou shoal, the reef in the river, there are rapids in some sections, the Yingyi warship is huge, the draft is quite deep, just the Haikou shoal, I am afraid it will be difficult to pass." ”

Yi Zhishu didn't rush to answer, but asked, "Mr. Wei is familiar with the situation of the Great River Waterway?" ”

"It's not familiar, but he has lived in Suzhou, Yangzhou, and Jiangning for many years, so he knows it roughly."

"Mr. Wei probably hasn't seen Yingyi's steamships." Yi Zhizhi said with a smile: "The shallows of the sea are not deep, you can pass through at high tide, and the rapids can be pulled by steamships, and as for the reefs in the river, you are familiar with the waterway, so you can naturally avoid it." ”

Speaking of this, he suddenly understood, why did the British army attack Jiangning back then, he reminded him, Lin Zexu was still suspicious, and he couldn't believe that the British fleet would enter the Yangtze River channel and attack Jiangning upstream.

Hearing this, Lin Zexu didn't say anything for a long time, the reason why he hesitated was because of Wei Yuan's reminder yesterday that the section of the channel from Jiangning to Haikou is difficult, and it is difficult for big ships to travel, and after coming back, people will inquire, sure enough, it is difficult for the huge warships of the British army to even pass through Haikou, let alone attack Jiangning against the river.

When Zheng Chenggong attacked Jiangning, the fleet from Zhenjiang to Jiangning took half a month to live in a short voyage, Yingyi is not as good as Zheng Chenggong, it is easy to recruit people along the way, and can get sufficient supplies, dare not delay time on the waterway.

But he neglected that Yingyi had a steamer, and there was no need to tow the warship with manpower, so it was really possible for Yingyi to take a risk and attack Jiangning by surprise!

Seeing that he was silent, Yi Zhizhi continued: "Your Excellency might as well secretly Chen Huang, mobilize heavy troops to defend Tianjin, the greater the momentum, the better, so that it is more conducive to luring Yingyi to attack Jiangning, as for Jiangning, prepare 10,000 or 20,000 elite soldiers, and reinforce them in time." In addition, it is best for adults to win the right to control the Guangdong and Fujian sailors. ”

Lin Zexu nodded slowly, and then asked, "Yingyi is coming with all his strength, Jiang Ning may be able to hold it?" ”

Jiang Ning couldn't hold it, how dare he dare to open his mouth indiscriminately, and he groaned slightly, before he said: "If the troops are sufficient, elite enough, and can be deployed carefully, Jiang Ning may not be able to hold it, but ......." After a little hesitation, he continued: "I think that even if I exchange Jiangning for a city in exchange for the opportunity to annihilate Yingyi, it is worth it, this is a battle related to the national fortune of the Qing Dynasty for a hundred years, and I will not hesitate to pay any price." ”

Lin Zexu glanced at him and said in a deep voice: "Is contentment planning to trap Yingyi?" ”

Yi Zhizhi said: "If you can't succeed in trapping the Yingyi fleet, then there will be only one result, and you will fail!" After successfully trapping Yingyi, how to fight? Whether it is to besiege but not fight, or to attack by fire, at night, or by force, it depends on how Yingyi reacts, and the first task is to besiege the Yingyi fleet. ”

Without waiting for Lin Zexu to ask, he continued: "You want to besiege the Yingyi fleet on the river? It is nothing more than blocking the upstream and downstream channels, and the simple, fast and effective way is to choose a suitable location for the shipwreck. ”

In terms of blocking the waterway, the sailors are experienced, but Lin Zexu didn't care too much, and sighed slightly, before he asked: "Has the Citi merchant ship arrived in Guangzhou?" ”

Citigroup does have ships, but not merchant ships, but warships, Olifin, Wetmore delivered three cruisers and a batch of artillery, rifled barrels during the Chinese New Year, this batch of ammunition is content but has no intention of contributing, his Yuanqi regimental training needs.

Of course, he couldn't deny the information that Citigroup had sent a new ironclad ship to England yesterday, and he also knew that Lin Zexu had asked this question, which was intended for arms, and the Jiangning War was imminent, and it was normal to urgently need arms, so he smiled, and then he said: "Where is there still a merchant fleet that dares to come to Guangzhou now, only one merchant ship came, mainly to transmit news, in order to prevent the British warships from searching, and they did not dare to transport artillery and muskets." ”

Hearing this, Lin Zexu couldn't help but be a little disappointed, but he didn't ask much, and sighed slightly, before he asked: "The garrison of Yuanqi's group training, content should be carefully considered?" ”

Finally to the point, Yi Zhizu said slowly: "Although Yuanqi Tuanlian is dressed up in the green camp, but 5,000 people are not a small number, stationed in Jiangning, even if it is around Jiangning, it is easy to attract attention, for the sake of prudence, I thought that it should be stationed in a place with convenient transportation and not far from Jiangning City, Anhui Taiping Mansion, but it is quite ideal, take a boat down the river, and you can reach Jiangning in half a day." ”

Lin Zexu thought for a moment, and then said: "The Taiping Mansion is indeed more suitable, the headquarters hall will use the text and seal, and the deputy general will go to the Taiping Mansion to coordinate with him." ”

Coming out of the Governor's Palace, Yi Zhizhi is relaxed, what is Taiping Mansion, the famous Ma'anshan, is the largest iron mine in East China, if you build a large steel plant in the south of the Yangtze River, Taiping Mansion is undoubtedly the best choice, he plans to use this short garrison opportunity to go to the field for a visit.

Walking out of the street, the little servant Li Wang came up with the sedan chair man, and when he got on the sedan chair, he said, "Young master, where are you going?" ”

"Back to the inn." Yi Zhizhi instructed, Jiangning officialdom he didn't have the heart to socialize, visit Jiangning City, then find a good guide, he wanted to go to Qinhuai River the most, but this time to visit Qinhuai, it is obviously not a good choice, or wait until dusk.

As soon as he got up from the sedan chair, a small guy hurriedly caught up and said, "Master Yi and stop the sedan car." ”

Hearing someone call him, Yi Zhizhi was surprised, he didn't have any acquaintances in Jiangning, so he immediately ordered the sedan chair to stop, opened the sedan curtain, and glanced at the little guy, who was very clever, and hurriedly said: "Master Yi will arrive in a moment, and my master will arrive later." ”

"..... is your master?"

"My lord's surname is Wei."

Wei yuan? What's the urgency of him chasing? Yi Zhishu didn't dare to slack off, and hurriedly got out of the sedan chair, and when he got out of the sedan chair, he saw Wei Yuan coming over quickly, and hurriedly stepped forward, and said with a smile: "It is inconvenient to visit Mr. Wei in the government office, and I hope Mr. Wei will forgive me." ”

As the right-hand man of the Governor of Liangjiang, Wei Yuan and the others did not see any guests, and no one went to the Governor's Mansion to visit him, which involved the integrity of the staff, Hearing this, Wei Yuan waved his hand and said with a smile: "I heard that Master Yi just came out of the Xiaoxiang Pavilion, no, hurriedly chased him out and found a place to sit?" ”

Knowing that he had something to say, Yi Zhixiang smiled and said: "Early in the morning, I ate some breakfast and entered the city, and now it's noon, how about we find a restaurant?" ”

"Okay." Wei Yuan said briskly: "I'm familiar with this street, let's go 'drunk too white'." ”

'Drunk Taibai' is only a stone's throw away from the place where the two of them are talking, it is a courtyard-style restaurant, Wei Yuan entered the door and instructed the guys: "I want a clean courtyard." ”

The guy hurriedly led the two of them to the back, and Wei Yuan introduced all the way: "The environment of this restaurant is quiet, suitable for talking about things, and many officials who come to the Governor's Mansion like to choose to feast here." ”

As the guy passed through the verandah and turned into a cross-courtyard, Yi Zhizhi realized that this restaurant was really not small, and it was estimated that the consumption would not be low. ”

It turned out to be a recommendation, but Yi Zhishu is indeed in urgent need of staff now, so he immediately nodded and said, "Does Mr. Wei have a suitable candidate?" ”

"Yes." Wei Yuan said with a smile: "However, if this person is willing to come, I don't dare to guarantee it." ”

The pretentious and high is not suitable, Yi Zhizhi secretly thought in his heart, "This person is a native of Xiangyin, Hunan, named Zuo Zongtang, the word Ji Gao, studied under He Xiling, the head of Changsha Chengnan Academy, and his fame is only a person, but he is a contemporary genius, reading all over the books, studying geography and the art of war, Tao Wenyi Gong appreciates it very much, recruits him into the scene, and takes it as his son and daughter's in-law ........ ”

Listening to his gushing introduction, Yi Zhizhi was a little stunned, Zuo Zongtang He didn't know the reason, the four famous ministers of the late Qing Dynasty, 'The world can't be without Hunan for a day, and Hunan can't be without Zuo Zongtang for a day.' 'Recovering Xinjiang, advocating the Westernization Movement, and opening the Fujian Shipbuilding Bureau...... can be described as a great bull in the evening, and at this time, he began to show his talents? He still has this relationship with Tao Shu, the governor of Liangjiang?

After a slight groan, he asked, "How old is Zuo Jigao?" Where is it now? ”

"It's the year of the establishment." Wei Yuan said: "This person is now in Anhua, Hunan Province, Xiaoyan Tao Wenyigong's palace protection professor Tao Gongzi - also his future son-in-law. ”

Yi Zhishu took out a cigar and lit it, did not rush to express his position, the four famous ministers of the late Qing Dynasty were also the mainstay of the late Qing Dynasty, Yuan Qi did not want to be the mainstay of the Qing Dynasty, did not want to turn the tide and save the Qing Dynasty, but did the work of digging the corner of the Qing Dynasty, although Zuo Zongtang was talented and agreed with the Westernization Movement, but in his bones he was still loyal to the monarch and patriotic thoughts, thirty years old, he could not influence his thoughts at all, and he was recruited to the scene, not necessarily asking for hardships.

Seeing that he was silent, Wei Yuan was a little surprised, but he didn't say more, waited quietly, and after a while, Yi Zhizhi was content before he spoke: "Zuo Jigao's name has been heard of a little below, but it is not suitable to hire him ...... right now." ”

Hearing this, Wei Yuan said with some surprise: "Master Yi, this is ...... Concerns? ”

Yi Zhizu nodded and said: "Don't hide it from Mr. Wei, the scale of Yuanqi's group training is slightly large, Zuo Ji is tall and young, and he is familiar with geography and the art of war, if he is hired into the scene, I am afraid it will cause unwarranted suspicion." ”

Wei Yuan didn't know the situation of Yuanqi's group practice, and when he heard this, he was quite surprised: "How can the imperial court suspect Yuanqi's group practice?" ”

"Mr. Wei doesn't know." Yi Zhizu said slowly: "Yuanqi regimental training is built in imitation of the regulations of the Western Army, and all the training equipment is modeled after Citigroup, and it ..... In Xialin, the ministry once recommended to the imperial court to be the minister of Guangzhou regimental training. ”

Wei Yuan nodded slowly and said, "Master Yi wants to preserve the Yuanqi group practice for a long time, no wonder the imperial court is suspicious. ”

"Yuan Qi, this is a typical thankless task." Yi Zhizu said with a wry smile: "The Eight Banners Green Battalion is no longer useful, and Yuan Qi did not hesitate to spend a huge amount of money to build a new army model for the imperial court, but in exchange for suspicion. ”

Wei Yuan smiled when he heard this, "That being the case, why don't Lord Yi bring Yuanqi Tuanlian to Jiangning and make a great contribution, and the imperial court may be able to change its mind." ”

It seems that Lin Zexu's tone is also quite tight, the news that the Yuanqi group came to Jiangning has not even been revealed, Lin Zexu has not leaked it, and he naturally will not be able to, so he immediately shook his head and said: "Without the order of the imperial court, how dare you transfer the Yuanqi group to Jiangning without authorization?" ”

After a slight hesitation, Wei Yuancai said: "Lord Yi had better prepare early, if Yingyi attacks Jiangning, it is very likely that the imperial court will transfer the Yuan Qi group to Jiangning." As he spoke, he asked curiously: "Yuanqi group practice is better than Yingyi, which is better or worse?" ”

Yi Zhixiang smiled and said, "As the saying goes, the wife is the good of other people's families, and the son is the good of his own family. As he spoke, he turned his head, "Now there is only Mr. Bao in the Daoya, and he is entangled in chores, and I hope that Mr. Wei will help find a few staff, who are familiar with the place and are good at government affairs." ”

Wei Yuan said with a smile: "Lord Yi can rest assured, the Lord of the Ministry has already explained, and the most important thing in Jiangning City is talent." ”

"Ahem." A light cough came from afar, and then I heard the voice of the guy, "Guest officer, the wine and food are here." ”

When the sun was sinking in the west, Yi Zhizhi returned to the "Liufu'an" inn, and was about to take a rest and go to the Qinhuai River for a stroll in the evening, but Li Wang came in and reported: "Young master, someone has come to visit." ”

Yi Zhishu glanced at him, saw that it was empty-handed, and couldn't help frowning, "No post?" ”

"No, it's a middle-aged man, and it doesn't look like a good ......." Before Li Wang's words were finished, he listened to the outside and shouted, "What person? Visitors are not allowed without permission. ”

Yi Zhifen hurriedly got up and walked out, as soon as he went out, he saw a burly man in his thirties who was stopped by two subordinates, and when he saw Yi Zhifen, the man divided his hands and easily separated the two, and then rushed in, but saw several black hole muzzles aimed at him, "Take one more step, and you will be killed on the spot." (To be continued.) )