Chapter 026 Canal Bandits
When Chen Cao saw that the arrow was not aimed at him, he quickly grabbed Zhang Fengnian and retreated to avoid accidental injury. Sure enough, as soon as he retreated, more than a dozen arrows broke through the window and entered. The man in black was shocked and hurriedly retreated. The one with the bow and arrow Either the officials or the army, the big man knew that things would not work out tonight, so he shouted: "The wind is tight, pull the whistle..."
Turning around and running away, Chen Cao let out a big breath. He would never dare to chase after the other party ran away. Now that he was exhausted, he immediately sat down in the middle of the cabin, waiting to see who it was, so as not to lose his royal guard. Zhang Fengnian wiped the blood on his face and stood beside Chen Cao with a knife.
In addition to the sound of diving, there were fierce shouts of killing under the boat. From time to time, the sound stopped and footsteps sounded. As Chen Cao looked, Li Waner ran into the cabin dressed in a smart outfit and holding a bloody sword in her hand. She saw the cabin In the middle of the situation, I saw that Chen Cao's crimson Feiyu suit was already dark. He was so frightened that he let go of his long sword and hurriedly ran to Chen Cao: "Thief, are you injured?"
The caring look was really pitiful, but the lines were really hard to accept, but Chen Cao was very pleased: "Why are you here so soon?"
"Are you injured?" Li Waner asked next.
"No..." Chen Cao turned to look at Li Xiang behind him and said, "Xiang'er, this is the girl Wan'er I told you..."
Li Xiang smiled and saluted Li Waner: "Li Xiang, a citizen girl, has met the Lord of Tieling Township..."
Li Waner replied sheepishly: "Don't dare, don't dare..."
"Sir..." Xu Kaixian walked into the cabin and saluted: "I am late, please forgive me, sir. Are you injured?"
"It's not too late," Chen Cao shook his head and said, "Did you catch him alive?"
"Come here, bring the thief up." Xu Kaixian stood up and shouted.
Several Jinyi guards came in escorting a big man in black. It was the leader from before. Xu Kaixian kicked the big man in the kneecap and cursed: "You bastard, you are tired of living. You dare to attack Jinyiwei? Kneel down and sing." name..."
Chen Cao threw away the knife and asked coldly: "The leader of the Cao Gang will definitely be involved this time."
"It's none of the gang leader's business..." the big man shouted urgently, "I made up my mind to hijack the ship, and it has nothing to do with the Cao Gang."
Sure enough, they are from the Cao Gang...
Chen Cao said again: "Roll call..."
The big man thought for a long time and then said: "Liu San of a certain family..."
"What a Liu San," Chen Cao nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Xu Kaixian and said, "Take him down and keep a good watch on him. Don't let him commit suicide. Return to Nanjing and interrogate him slowly..."
Liu San thought he was going to be interrogated and had even thought about how to resist. Little did he know that Chen Cao only asked his name and took him away. He also wanted to go to Nanjing for a slow interrogation. At this time, he lost his sense and shouted: "Master Chen , you have detained a certain family, and if the Cao Gang is blamed and the water transportation is stopped, you cannot bear it..."
Chen Cao hates being threatened the most. He has Wei Zhongxian as his backer. Why is he still afraid of you, a gangster? So he asked people to clean up the bodies in the cabin and asked curiously: "Old Xu, how did you get here so fast?"
Xu Kai first glanced at Li Waner who was talking to Li Xiang, and whispered: "After the Lord left, the Xiangjun went to see Sun Kexiang, the censor. The Li family has a good relationship with Sun Kexiang, so Sun Kexiang took Xiangjun with him. The emperor went to the palace on his own initiative, and an edict was issued from time to time, allowing him to go to Nanjing to pray for Emperor Taizu for three years." Xu Kaixian added: "The township king received the edict in the evening, so he packed up his luggage and set off with his servants to pursue him. I came up, my family members are all behind me. In front of the boat I was approaching just now, I heard from the surrounding boats that there were water ghosts robberies ahead. I was afraid that something might happen to you, so I rushed over immediately. Fortunately..."
Chen Cao nodded. It seemed that Li Waner really cared about him and was very satisfied. Although this guy said he was cruel, he was actually still a bitch.
"Take my name card and tell the Governor's Yamen of Water Transport what happened tonight, and then inform the Yamen of the General Water Transport Corps; then report the message to the Commander Si Yamen in Tianjin." Chen Cao handed the name card to Xu Kaixian, He thought about saying a few words to Li Xiang, but Li Waner pulled Li Xiang and the two of them entered the cabin together, without giving Chen Cao a chance.
Why...
When Chen Cao arrived at the mouth of Longjiang River, Yang Yipeng was commanding General Wang Yiqing to search both sides of the canal, and then gave Chen Cao an explanation. The biggest problem for Yang Yipeng was that the captured Cao gang members were also the leaders of the attack on Chen Cao.
The news of Chen Cao's attack quickly spread to the capital. After learning about it, Luo Sigong ordered Beizhen Fusi to conduct a strict investigation. Zhang Wenda also used his connections to put pressure on Yang Yipeng.
Pan Yourong, the leader of the Cao Gang, was the one who suffered the most. The leader who was arrested was one of his gang members, and the people killed were proven to be members of the Cao Gang. Yang Yipeng recruited Pan Yourong to Huai'an Mansion, gave him a scolding, and asked Cao Gang He asked whether he was working part-time as a water ghost on the canal, and said that if he wanted to resolve the matter, he would have to talk to the owner.
So Pan Yourong decided to go to Nanjing personally to discuss it with Chen Cao.
When Chen Cao returned to Nanjing, the first thing he did was to tell Xu Xianchun something about what Wei Zhongxian had given him. Then he went to the Nanjing Ministry of War to report. There were documents from the Ministry of War in Nanjing and the Governor's Office of the Fifth Army. Chen Cao quickly handed it over and filed it. Went to Wei Guogong's Mansion.
Xu Hongji was very satisfied with Chen Cao's trip, and said that Chen Cao should train the new Nanjing right guard well and make him proud of the Duke's government. He should never be like Zhang Tiande...
"The Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing is called Qi Boyu. This gentleman has a good background. He retired from the post of the Trilateral General System. When His Majesty ascended the throne, he was the Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing and the censor of the right capital of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. He was in charge of the Ministry. Over there All the officials called him 'Qi Dutang'..." Xu Kaixian carefully educated Chen Cao on science.
The last thing Chen Cao wanted to do was enter these military halls, but he was also on official business. The sergeant guarding the gate had seen Chen Cao just the day before. When he saw Chen Cao coming again, he smiled and saluted, and then went in to report.
Qi Boyu is over fifty years old. Because he has been an official on the border of Shaanxi and Gansu all year round, he has the demeanor of a soldier and is in good spirits: "You just came to report the day before yesterday. Why, is there anything else important?"
"It's not that important." Chen Cao took the initiative to serve tea to Qi Boyu: "Your Majesty appreciates this and gave it to the commander of the Nanjing Right Guard. The Nanjing Right Guard was originally at the military academy at Xihua Gate, but now my nephew's The guard station is preparing to form an all-firearms unit. The area there is too close to the imperial city and difficult to train. Therefore, my nephew wants to get your consent and move the Nanjing right guard to the remaining veins of Jubao Mountain outside Zhengyang Gate. It’s close to the Jubao Mountain Guard, so it’s safe to train with firearms.”
Qi Boyu and Zhang Wenda have a good relationship. According to the relationship between Chen Cao and Zhang Wenda, it is natural to call Qi Boyu uncle. However, Chen Cao knows his interests and will not get too carried away. He is still very respectful in front of Qi Boyu.
Qi Boyu nodded, then reacted and said: "By the way, I just remembered that if your Nanjing right guard were to become a firearms unit, the military expenditure would be extremely high. You guys know that the military expenditure for a year is only so much. , how do you do it?"
Chen Cao knew this and said, "Don't worry, sir. I told Your Majesty about the military expenses. The imperial court will give you the amount in advance, and the rest will be paid from your own home."
This is a key point. The imperial court had to spend money, but some people would think too much. If you spend your own money to raise soldiers, what if you end up like the Li family in Liaodong in the future? Looking at Qi Boyu's eyes, Chen Cao also knew what he knew. Meaning, he explained: "Your Majesty, don't worry too much. I told Your Majesty that in three years the Nanjing Right Guards will form an army and set off for Liaodong. After the Liaodong incident is over, I, the commander, will step down. After all, the Jin Yiwei is my official position, isn't it?" "
As soon as these words came out, Qi Boyu's expression became relieved, and then he said: "Okay, but there are no barracks over there. If you want to get over there, you have to find a way yourself."
This old guy is such a thief...
Chen Cao didn't say it out loud, and then smiled and handed over his hands: "My nephew, thank you sir. If you have any questions in the future, please forgive me. By the way, sir, the right guard of Nanjing was crippled in the battle of Ningbo, and the entire army was basically wiped out. , the new officer will be appointed, and I will report it to you after my nephew has made the selection."
Chen Cao has a lot of things to do, and he may not be able to finish them today, but important things must be done first. After leaving the gate of the Ministry of War, Chen Cao walked to the compound of the Ministry of Industry diagonally opposite. He was dressed in a royal guard's uniform and was so scared that the gatekeepers stopped him. They didn't dare to move, allowing Chen Cao to come in and out freely.
Wang Gongbi, the head of the Ministry of Industry, had just been transferred from the capital. He was in charge of the Firearms Bureau of the Nanjing Ministry of Industry. It was not enough to go to Xiao Duan, the Firearms Bureau ambassador, for this matter. Wang Gongbi had to get a document. This is officialdom, and it is really troublesome.
Wang Gongbi is an upright official, but being upright doesn't mean he doesn't like money. Chen Cao doesn't get much money. If he gets more money, he will definitely not dare to ask for it, so he prepared a banknote of 500 taels to express his feelings. Good guy, old man From the righteous and solemn expression at the beginning to the hip-hop nodding at the end, he wrote the official document to Chen Cao as quickly as possible, stamped it, and then asked Chen Cao to find Xiao Duan.
Xiao Duan was easy to deal with. Wang Gongbi was in the sixth rank, and Chen Cao gave him face, but the ambassador of the Firearms Bureau was only an official in the seventh rank. Chen Cao went in and took out the official power of the Jin Yiwei plus two hundred taels of silver. This guy was Just like meeting the ancestors, they made it easier for Chen Cao and transferred most of the craftsmen from the Firearms Bureau to Chen Cao.
It’s no wonder that Xiao Duan is so polite. Basically all the firearms in the country come from the Wang Gongchang Firearms Bureau in the capital. The role of the Nanjing Firearms Bureau is only to help the guards repair the faulty firearms. There is no profit at all. Xiao Duan, the ambassador, has done nothing. He is so uninterested that two hundred taels of silver notes can make this guy happy for a long time.
Finally, after everything was settled, Chen Cao took the stamped documents from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry and left, ready to start his own business.
In the evening, as soon as Chen Cao walked to the door of his house, he saw a group of people standing respectfully at the door of his house. Among them was a middle-aged man wearing brocade clothes. He looked very rich just by his appearance.
Due to his performance on the canal, Zhang Fengnian was transferred from the Jin Yiwei by Chen Cao and transferred to the Nanjing right guard and was promoted to the rank of private soldier Baihu. At this moment, he was leading the soldiers guarding the Chen Mansion to guard against this group of people with swords in hand.
"Sir," Zhang Fengnian walked down the steps and handed over the name card: "This is their name card. It has been here for two hours and it has not been touched."
When Chen Cao opened it, what came into view were the words 'Caogang Gang Leader Pan', followed by the entire name and origin: "Pan Yourong?"
The man in gilded clothes raised his hand and said, "I am Pan Yourong. I have met Mr. Chen."
Chen Cao knew in his heart that these people must have come to ask about Liu San, so he looked at Pan Yourong coldly and said, "Why, you suffered a loss on the canal, and now you are here?"
Pan Yourong smiled awkwardly and said: "Sir, you are joking. How dare I do anything wrong? My subordinates did stupid things without telling me. As a gang leader, I naturally have to solve this matter. I wonder if you can discuss it with me?"
"Where's sincerity?" Caobang is the richest, and Chen Cao is short of money now.
When asking an official to do something, he was afraid that the other party would not accept the gift. When Pan Yourong heard this, he immediately laughed and said: "There is someone... someone is coming..."
No wonder there was a crowd of people. Each of the three boxes weighed at least two hundred kilograms. The three boxes were opened at the same time. They were all filled with golden gold. Pan Yourong pointed at the boxes and said seriously: "The imperial court has a Tuien Silver. I know a lot about it." , this is one thousand taels of gold, please accept it."
"Well..." Chen Cao nodded. One thousand taels of gold is almost one hundred thousand taels of silver at the current exchange rate, and gold is more valuable than silver. But the other party also came here with intention: "You come in with me."
The lobby is usually filled with outsiders attending the meeting, and the second hall or inner hall is where the meeting is held. Chen Cao and Pan Yourong sat down in the lobby. As soon as the tea was served, Chen Cao said: "Normally, I, the dignified Jin Yiwei, don't have to negotiate with ordinary people like you. , but things have happened, let’s not worry about it. I, Chen Cao, am known as Nalan Rongruo throughout Southern Zhili. Many people know that I, Chen Cao, only publish books to make money. Liu San’s matter has been reviewed. I understand very well that if you submit this complaint, it cannot be solved with one hundred thousand taels of silver. Your Cao Gang will bleed a lot." He looked at Pan Yourong and said: "There are many livelihoods in the two places of the canal. Your Cao Gang controls everything in the world. Lifeline, Liu San threatened to kill him, the Cao Clan has cut off its water transportation, and I, Chen Cao, can’t live without it.”
"Sir, there is absolutely no such thing..." Pan Yourong said hypocritically.
Chen Cao could see it and said: "I think this matter is easy for your Cao Gang, and the Cao Gang is involved with many high-ranking officials and dignitaries. The former governor Li Sancai has not always supported you behind the scenes. This old guy is greedy and has nothing to eat." Didn't I get a lot of money from you?" Seeing Pan Yourong's expression change, Chen Cao said, "This matter can be settled, and I don't have to pursue it, but again, I, Chen Cao, am an official and a businessman, what do you think? Woolen cloth?"
Pan Yourong nodded: "I'm in Xia Province..." After saying that, he took out a stack of banknotes from his arms: "Master Chen, these are one hundred thousand taels of banknotes from Baohuizhuang, the capital of the capital. Please ignore the past grudges and accept these as a gift." Caobang's apology to you."
"Well," Chen Cao winked at Xu Kai first and asked him to accept the banknote, and then said: "Old Xu, while the gate of Nanjing is still open, quickly go to Qianhu Station to bring Liu San and give it to Pan Gang leader, please also bring his confession."
"yes..."
The purpose of Pan Yourong's trip is very clear. First, to obtain Chen Cao's understanding in the form of money. Second, to bring Liu San back. Chen Cao's request is also very simple. It is easy to get Liu San back, but at least this guy cannot be complete. Pan Yourong also expressed his determination to cut off Liu San's hand and expel him from the Caogang as punishment.
Chen Cao has an income of 200,000 taels. Gold is a good thing. It maintains its value. In addition, his Nanjing right guard is about to be reorganized. There are many places to use money, so he does not plan to give benefits to Xu Xianchun and wait for improvement in the future. Say it again.
Two days later, Zhao Xin, who had returned from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, rushed to Chen Cao's home. At this moment, Chen Cao was happy that Li Fengchun was pregnant, his first child in the world, but Li Xiang was a little unhappy. As the head wife and mother-in-law, He was in an awkward position by letting his concubine get pregnant first. This meant that Chen Cao must work hard, otherwise he would have to return to the capital to think about the past.
In the living room, Zhao Xin was a little embarrassed and was eating heavily. Chen Cao waited until he had eaten enough before asking, "How was the trip?"
Zhao Xin swallowed the water and burped comfortably: "Thank you for the reward, sir. This trip to Jiangsu and Zhejiang has lived up to your expectations. I have summoned many craftsmen from the original Nanjing Firearms Bureau in the coastal area, and some have been dismissed from the Capital Firearms Bureau." Most of the craftsmen are craftsmen, and they are very easy to find. Moreover, my subordinates have also found many craftsmen in Taizhou who can build sea-going ships. The ancestors of these people were once the craftsmen of Longjiang Shipyard, and some of their ancestors even I participated in the manufacturing of treasure ships, which are all ancestral craftsmanship. In Chenghua, Li Dongyang and his gang said that the shipyard would cost a lot, so they were dismissed."
"Okay..." Chen Cao laughed a few times and patted Xin Zhao on the shoulder: "Old Zhao, you did a great job. Where are they?"
"According to your wishes, we are now stationed in Chunhua Town. I would like to congratulate you on your appointment as the commander of the right guard of Nanjing..." Zhao Xin said and knelt down.
Chen Cao helped him up and said: "From now on, I will leave the affairs of Jin Yiwei to you, and I must reward you. By the way, I asked you to look at the water conservancy workshop over there, can you find it?"
Zhao Xin nodded, thanked Chen Cao for the reward first, and then said: "Your Excellency, you don't know. There are many water conservancy workshops along the tributaries of the Yangtze River in Quzhou Prefecture. My subordinates know your preference, so I found an excuse to arrest these people." All of them have been brought to Nanjing, and they are all in Chunhua Town."
"You threaten them?"
Zhao Xin looked helpless: "I don't know, sir, this group of people is very stubborn. After the imperial court dismissed them, they were not allowed to engage in other industries because of their craftsmanship. However, they had documents from the imperial court, and their subordinates told them that they had money to take, and all of them I didn’t believe it, no matter what I said, I couldn’t help it. It happened that the Nanjing Right Guards incident happened, so my subordinates arrested all of them on implicated charges. Since they didn’t have enough manpower, they mobilized the local guards in the name of Nanzhen Fusi to escort them.”
"You bastard..." Chen Cao scolded, "How can I win over them in the future if you do this?"
"By the way, sir," Zhao Xin seemed to have thought of something: "I heard that the water hammer produced in the workshop over there in Quzhou was researched by a scholar named Song Yingxing. My subordinates thought that regarding the water conservancy workshop, this should be done It’s better to catch this guy.”
"Song Yingxing?" Chen Cao's heart skipped a beat. Bi Maokang had said that Song Yingxing had returned to his hometown: "Where is he?"
"It seems like I'm in Jiangxi, so I have to inquire carefully." Zhao Xin thought for a while.
Chen Cao said: "Send someone to Jiangxi immediately to get Song Yingxing."
"Okay..." Zhao Xin turned around for a moment, then turned his head and raised his hands and asked: "Sir, what's the charge? I heard that this guy is a civil servant and has a great reputation. Without an appropriate charge, I'm afraid of Jiangxi Academic Affairs. Get a copy from the Nanjing Ministry of Rites."
Chen Cao'e said to Dan Biansheng: "Check out his fraud in the imperial examination last year..."
"ah?"
...
The Nanjing Right Guards' station was officially set at the edge of Jubao Mountain, ten miles outside Zhengyang Gate, and less than five miles away from Chen Cao's residence. This was a location deliberately chosen by Chen Cao.
The Nanjing Right Guard was crippled while watching the Haiwei. If Zhang Tiande had not led his men to run away, there would probably be no Nanjing Right Guard. After that, the whole guard was dismantled, and only Qianhu Station where Qi Xianzong was stationed fought with Zhang Kai. In the end, Qianhu There were only 104 people left in the household, and because of this, Qi Xianzong was not punished.
"Qi Qianhu," Chen Cao met Qi Xianzong at his home. This guy was the son of Qi Changguo, and he was extremely brave: "This time the Nanjing Right Guard was rebuilt under His Majesty's order. I will serve as the commander. I am ready to appoint you as the commander." What do you think?"
Qi Xianzong was very satisfied that he could continue to serve in Nanjing Youwei and was promoted. The 23-year-old young man saluted Chen Cao respectfully: "Thank you for your promotion..."
"Don't worry," Chen Cao handed the document to him: "Take the document and go to Zhejiang to recruit some untouchables. I only want young and strong men who can carry the rest of the army. Tell them that if they have money, I want 2,500 people."
"The general will have his order..."
After Qi Xianzong left, Chen Cao said to Zhao Xin: "You have to handle the recruitment of troops for the time being. You can go find the refugees outside the city. As long as they are young and strong, three thousand people will be enough."
"Sir," Zhao Xin left, and Han Shizhong entered the hall from outside: "Sir, I have found all the things you asked your subordinates to find. I wonder what they are for, sir?"
"It's very big..." Chen Cao smiled and quickly ordered: "Go to Chunhua Town to find a craftsman, someone who can build houses and make rammed earth."
"yes..."
Chen Cao has been very busy these days. He has been working hard at Youwei's quasi-resident. He has a big thing to do, a big thing that benefits the people's livelihood and cannot be delayed.
"Sir," a craftsman knelt down to Chen Cao with great joy: "Sir, it's... it's..."
Chen Cao sat up and walked towards the temporary workshop where he was stationed. He saw a craftsman filling the ground lime powder into a clay pot: "Quickly, bring some sand and gravel. I will give it to you personally." Demonstrate it."
The first cement pillar can be said to be the first in the world. The pillar was not big. After Chen Cao mixed the cement, he used wooden boards to support it and poured a small pillar, and then waited for it to dry tomorrow.
"It looks good," Chen Cao nodded, "You guys did a good job," Chen Cao looked at the dozen or so craftsmen gathered around him, "Each person will be rewarded with two coins..."
"Thank you, sir..." All the craftsmen knelt down one after another, expressing gratitude.
Chen Cao continued: "After it is dried tomorrow, if it is extremely hard, each person will be rewarded with another silver coin as an encouragement."
"Your kindness is like an ocean..." One of the elderly craftsmen cried bitterly. He had been a craftsman all his life and worked for the government for free. Where did the money come from?
"Listen carefully, I, Chen Cao, value craftsmen the most. Although you are craftsmen, as long as you work under me, you can get money. I hereby announce that each of you will earn one tael of silver per month. If you have a big The work is done, and there will be a reward..."
"Thank you, sir..."
