On the third day of the lunar month, Yuan Chonghuan sent someone with gifts to thank Mao Wenlong for his warm hospitality in the past few days.
Mao Wenlong looked at the envoy and the twenty dozen pieces of brocade piled on the ground. He stayed thoughtfully for a while. After thinking about it, Dongjiang Town has been stopped by the imperial court since the beginning of the year. I don’t know if Governor Yuan is deliberately making things difficult, or if there is a deeper reason.
He is no better now than before. Governor Wei is no longer there, and there is no one at the top of the center. Although he surrendered to the British government and nobles, he tried to restore the decline. However, the results were very little, and everyone was just superficial with him. Reluctant to have deep friendship.
He couldn't figure out many things at the top. I know it, but I don’t know why.
He missed the nine thousand years very much. At that time, as long as he had enough money, Duke Wei would do things for the money, and his reputation was very good. Those years were also his best years.
Now, in the entire encirclement of Liaodong, the money, food and supplies of each military town are controlled by Yuan Chonghuan. It is impossible not to deal with Commander Yuan. However, Governor Yuan has a huge appetite, and he seems to want to annex Dongjiang Town.
I have worked hard for half my life to build this foundation. It would be really hard to give it up to someone else. Although he can keep his wealth and honor, today it is no longer a matter of personal honor and disgrace for him. Hundreds of thousands of people in Dongjiang Town, more than 20,000 elite infantrymen, and the Dongjiang Navy of 4,000 to 5,000 people all relied on him for survival.
No matter what, he couldn't just walk away. When one's power reaches a certain level, one is no longer free. The will of the group is often his only choice.
Mao Wenlong looked at these gifts sadly. The value of these gifts is much more than what he gave to Yuan Chonghuan. It was made clear that Governor Yuan did not want to owe him anything, and he still wanted to handle official matters.
If you don't listen to me, I will cut off your salary. Not negotiable.
Mao Wenlong wiped his face and said: "Mao Da, go and invite the supervisor to come to the banquet today. Just say that the Dongjiang Navy fishing fleet is back and treat the supervisor to a swallow-wing banquet."
Yuan Chonghuan was sitting cross-legged on the boat, looking through the information about Dongjiang Town that he had compiled in the past few days. Carefully verify the actual soldiers on each of their islands and the information on their officers, big and small. Think carefully.
Yu Deming came in and said: "Supervisor, Marshal Mao sent someone to invite the Supervisor to come to the banquet. He said that the fishing boat has returned and asked the Supervisor to taste the swallow-wing banquet. Do you think you are still going?"
Yu Deming is his trusted guard captain. He knows that the two meetings did not go well. Neither side addressed the core issues. Mainly because Mao Wenlong didn't answer the question and pretended to be confused.
He repeatedly hinted that the supervisor would be noble and release Dongjiang Town's supplies and wages.
Yuan Chonghuan sighed and said: "I am not an unreasonable person. The country is in turmoil and troubled times now. Dongjiang Town has a great influence on the Jiannu. It is not appropriate to make major changes. But these are not his efforts to build an independent kingdom. Listen, The reason for not listening to the announcement."
"The imperial court is a chess game, and everyone in all directions must obey the unified arrangement. You can't do it yourself. Apart from asking for money and food from the imperial court, and being unwilling to be controlled by the imperial court, how can everything go as you wish. Besides, there is another issue with North Korea. Bad thoughts. Li Chengliang and Yin Jian are not far away, why is Governor Zuo so confused?"
Yu Deming advised: "Supervisor, if we continue to talk, it may be difficult to make progress. Governor Zuo has already regarded Dongjiang Town as his personal property. I'm afraid he won't talk about anything else except food and salary."
"As long as he is still willing to talk, and if there is any further discussion, the Headquarters will be willing to talk to him heart-to-heart. Personal interests must be within limits and cannot be placed above the country. Get ready, the Headquarters will go to the banquet right now."
After this banquet, there was still no progress. Yuan Chonghuan and Mao Wenlong were drinking tea in a thatched pavilion.
It was already ten o'clock in the evening, and a group of swan geese flew across the sky. The late autumn in Liaodong was already getting cold.
Yuan Chonghuan stood up, walked to the edge of the thatched pavilion, looked at the wild geese in the sky, put his hands behind his hands and said: "I can't dream of a bed of ice and silver. The blue sky is like water and the clouds are light at night. The sound of wild geese is far away from Xiaoxiang, and the moon shines brightly on the twelfth floor. .”
After all, Mao Wenlong was also a scholar, so he naturally understood what Yuan Chonghuan meant. But he pretended to be confused. He quickly praised: "Supervisor, what a poem and what a talent."
Yuan Chonghuan smiled bitterly, this was Wen Tingyun's poem, not written by himself. This guy is pretending to be stupid with himself. He could only say: "The geese also know
As spring comes and autumn passes, Governor Zuo has been away from home for twenty years. Don’t think about Jiangnan. "
Mao Wenlong was a little touched. He left home for Liaodong at the age of thirty. Time flies, and more than twenty years have passed. My mother is also in her final years. My health isn't very good either. If I'm honest, there's no way I'd miss home.
Seeing that he was a little touched, Yuan Chonghuan said: "Qiantang has been prosperous since ancient times. It is a paradise on earth. It is full of osmanthus seeds in the three autumns and lotus flowers ten miles away. It is so beautiful. Sometimes I really want to quit this hard job and go to the south of the Yangtze River to be a rich man. The Wu children are slim and the Yue girls are like flowers. .What a magical day.”
Yuan Chonghuan hinted to him that you have made enough money, so it's time to stop. Without Duke Wei, you, the left governor, are like a phoenix that has lost its feathers, not as good as a chicken. There are people in the court who want to be officials. Since they have no backing, why bother struggling in this quagmire.
Now that the rapids are retreating, many people can still think of you well and have a safe and soft landing. It's easy to take off as an official, but difficult to land safely.
Mao Wenlong was silent for a long time, then sighed and said: "It's not that Wenlong doesn't know how to praise, it's just that these Dongjiang fathers came from Jiannu, narrowly escaped death, killed their masters, and fled to seek refuge with Wenlong. The whole family died and was lost along the way. Lost. Now on this island, Yi Wenlong is as dependent as his parents, but Wenlong will never abandon them as long as he has his breath."
"Don't worry, Governor Zuo. The headquarters will be settled properly. There is no way to farm on this island. Hundreds of thousands of people are living on empty land. The imperial court cannot afford it. Wouldn't it be wrong if the headquarters were moved to Liaodong and everyone would share the land and cultivate and feed themselves? Beautiful."
Mao Wenlong cursed in his heart: "You big-headed devil, you moved all your family members to your territory. Don't the soldiers of Dongjiang Town have to listen to your orders?"
"It's not that Wenlong is unwilling, but that the people are attached to their old land and refuse to leave. It will be difficult to deal with if a civil uprising is triggered."
Yuan Chonghuan's expression remained unchanged, but he began to feel agitated.
"Supervisor, how many more days can we stay in Shuangdao? Wenlong should make good arrangements." Mao Wenlong asked respectfully.
"Ningyuan has many affairs, I will leave tomorrow." Yuan Chonghuan said coldly. "I have shipped all the unpaid food and wages. I will issue the payment tomorrow."
"It's getting late today, so I won't bother you much. Farewell!" Yuan Chonghuan said goodbye with his hands. .net
"Wen Long pays homage to the Superintendent." Mao Wenlong bowed and saluted.
When Yuan Chonghuan came out, his expression remained unchanged. Yu Deming looked at him, did not dare to speak, and quickly arranged to get on the boat.
Returning to the Chinese army ship at the naval anchorage, Yuan Chonghuan began to convene a meeting of the generals. Military academies, large and small, frequently come in and out of Chinese military ships. The entire Longhu Navy and the Superintendent's personal barracks were busy.
After Yuan Chonghuan left, Mao Da came in and said to Mao Wenlong: "Father, Commander Yuan's face is not good-looking. Should we step up our guard? After all, many people from Guan Ning's army have come. We have to prevent them from taking abnormal measures."
Mao Wenlong smiled and said: "Don't worry, he won't dare to do anything to me even if I don't do it. I've been in trouble these past few days, so it's time to give up. I'm just a scholar. The scholar rebelled and failed to achieve anything in three years."
The laws of the Ming Dynasty are clearly stipulated. Officials of the fifth rank and above are not allowed to kill without permission. The emperor's consent must be reported before an arrest can be made, and a conviction must be made through a trial by the Tribunal of Justice. As for the commander-in-chief, the supervisory officers must speak kindly, be respectful, and must not humiliate them when asking questions.
Mao Wenlong was the chief military officer of the imperial envoy Ping Liao, a former general who conquered the captives, and the commander-in-chief of the Left Army. He is a first-grade military attaché, reaching the highest official position and on the same level as Yuan Chonghuan.
Although he was considered a noble man and a lowly military man, his left governor did not serve in the Fifth Army Commander's Mansion. He just had an empty title and was just a decoration.
But even if it is a decoration, it is the highest-level decoration among the military attaches of the dynasty. It's not something he, Yuan Chonghuan, can handle. Therefore, Mao Wenlong, Mao Da and others have nothing to fear, unless Yuan Chonghuan is crazy and dares to go wild.
