Just when Chief Zhang was struggling with complex internal factional struggles, meager autumn tax revenue, specious organizational systems, corrupt cadre quality, and complicated daily work, when the autumn tax work was at its busiest, someone followed Arriving at Jiangling as scheduled. Lan
"General Zhang, after seeing you for the past few years, how are you?" In front of the noisy blacksmith shop in the north of Jiangling City, Xie Minghe saw the person coming and saluted from a distance.
"Ashamed, ashamed, how dare you let Chief Xie come to pick you up?" Zhang Gongshen went south alone. After entering the territory, only a team of Qianlong Gang patrolmen escorted him here. He was looking at the huge military camp on the roadside, the bustling roads, and the scale of the blacksmith shop. Suddenly I heard someone's voice and saw it was Xie Minghe. I quickly rolled off my saddle and returned the greeting. "How dare you call yourself a general in front of Chief Xie?"
"I used to be a prisoner, but now I am a guest. Now that I have come, I will make peace with you." When Xie Minghe saw this, he thought that the other party was recalling his previous posture when he was captured. At that time, he, Wang Zhen and Chen Bin were the prisoners of Xilihutu. When they met each other, they came to laugh. "General Zhang is here today. He just wants to stay in the city. The accommodation has been arranged. Should we go to the accommodation first or go to see Chief Zhang first? Or should we visit Jiangling City first?"
Zhang Gongshen didn't dare to pick anything, but he was humble enough to do the right thing.
Naturally, Xie Minghe was not a jobber. In addition, it was the autumn tax period, so he, the person in charge of foreign affairs, had nothing else to say, so he simply took care of everything. After bidding farewell to the sentries who had gone to hand over the task, he asked for help first. Take the other person to visit Jiangling City.
In fact, there is nothing special about Jiangling City except for its convenient transportation and wide open fields. The only explanation may be that the local smoked chicken was a little famous before, but since the Three Expeditions and the wars, this kind of roast chicken is rare. This year it has been a little more stable, and you can see about one or two. However, after Chief Zhang established his business platform here, the surrounding business gathered, and there were more specialties in other places, but it was still not obvious... so that the merchants who came and went were... It is said that the sour plum soup here is comparable to that of Dongdu, but no one knows about smoked chicken.
In fact, many people wonder why Chief Zhang erected the platform in Jiangling. After all, there are too many famous cities in the Bohai Sea and the plains. Lan
At first, everyone's explanation was that Chief Zhang was content with the situation. He chased Xue Changxiong's army to Qingzhang River that day, then avoided the front line, retreated back, and stopped. But soon, a new theory gradually emerged. It was probably because this city was too unremarkable that Chief Zhang chose this place because it could show his ability.
"I can keep my faith." Zhang Gongshen, who was holding the horse, sighed with emotion on the official road. "I followed the Hejian Army here that day and saw what it was like back then. When I passed by here on my way back to Youzhou after the spring, I was already shocked by the scale of the military camp and the military camp. I saw that the spring plowing was not missed at all, and I felt even more awesome. . But who would have thought that in less than a year, we would reach this point and the streets would reach outside the city? The blacksmith shop was also huge, with everything from farm tools to pots, pans, and spoons; cattle and horses. The camp is also great, with so many livestock and so well-organized management; and these outer streets, not only the merchants from the east, but also the merchants from Jin, Youzhou, Beidi, and Jiangnan, it's really awesome. "
Xie Minghe listened to what the other person said, and he seemed to be extremely down-to-earth... Including the slightly weird exchange in Pingchang County last time, it also showed that the other person was indeed a somewhat honest person... and he felt somewhat proud.
"Although it's a bit self-proclaimed, but in terms of appeasing people's livelihood, I have traveled to too many places and met many so-called heroes, but I'm afraid they are not as good as our Deposed Dragon Gang." Xie Minghe twisted his beard and smiled. "Most of the rebels were at a loss once they seized power. As for the court officials, they used to be perfunctory, but when they saw the generals of the Wei Dynasty, they became a little unscrupulous or self-destructive."
"Indeed." Zhang Gongshen thought for a while and nodded seriously. "But there are some things that are proper... Ever since General Manager Li was in poor health and our general was ordered to supervise the four eastern counties of Youzhou, he has been very concerned about the local area. He checks money and food and checks for corruption at every turn, but he is not as good as your family. That’s all.”
Xie Minghe immediately laughed out loud - some words were really unnecessary to say.
In this way, the two of them walked around the city first, and then had a bowl of new noodles somewhere in the south of the city. They just entered the city in the afternoon, but they pointed to the general area of the city and introduced it, and then led each other to Cangcheng At the back door, I found a woman in charge of logistics. The latter came out and introduced the other person to a nearby alley, a house that was simply divided into a front and a backyard. After making an introduction, he told the other person where he lived, and then left. Lan
Moreover, although Zhang Gongshen only came in private because the two families were official thieves, according to what Luo Shu said privately before coming here, if this year's success is achieved, General Luo will probably take off and take over Youzhou in one fell swoop. In the land of twenty counties, he will be regarded as one of the top powerful masters in Hebei... Under this situation, the attitude of the Deposed Dragon Gang towards himself, a confidant of General Luo, is also strange... On the one hand, he sent someone with a background like Xie Minghe, It was surprising to see a leader with seniority and real power come to welcome him in person. On the one hand, he was only given such a small house, and there were no official servants or wives. It seemed to be a deliberate humiliation, which was really strange.
However, Zhang Gongshen was honest and prudent and would not show it. In addition, he was also a junior military officer and could more or less take care of himself, so he just nodded.
Immediately, after Zhang Gongshen tied his horse and got a bucket of water, he followed Xie Minghe out and prepared to do the most important thing of the day - to meet with the deposed leader of the Dragon Gang, the so-called leader of ten counties and one state, Hebei One of the most powerful leaders, even the best rebel in the world, and the recognized leader of the rebels, Zhang Xing Zhang Sanlang.
"correct."
The two walked out, and Xie Minghe pointed to a significantly larger courtyard diagonally across the alley. "That's the residence of Chief Jia Runfu. If you want to see Chief Zhang in the future, even if you can go directly, you'd better go to Chief Jia to make a report first. He is the head of our chief's bodyguard."
Zhang Gongshen was startled for a moment, suppressed his dissatisfaction, and nodded quickly: "It should be like this."
Xie Minghe didn't care, and just continued to emphasize: "In the future, when General Zhang is here, apart from rewards for military exploits, his daily treatment will be the same as that of an ordinary single leader."
Zhang Gongshen was even more surprised and confused, but he still responded quickly.
While they were talking, the two of them had already left the alley and arrived at the tightly guarded Cangcheng City again, but this time it was the main entrance. After Xie Minghe once again showed the sign made of jade, ivory or whale bone, he led Zhang Gongshen Went in.
After entering Cangcheng, he did not go to any large main hall, but turned into a row of ordinary public rooms. Zhang Gongshen had nothing to say about this. With the current state of the Deposed Dragon Gang, the most feared thing was to be beheaded. Then it is normal for Chief Zhang to choose the most ordinary public housing, or even change his office location on a daily basis.
In fact, when Luo Shu realized that Li Cheng was about to die and began to try to fight for control of Youzhou, he seemed to have reached the point of becoming a pill, but he was also so cautious, fearing that someone would stab him somewhere.
That's how it is for those who are superior.
However, what surprised Zhang Gongshen a little was that the interior decoration of this public room was actually just ordinary, with a table, two shelves, three or four chairs and stools, one of which looked like the legendary whale bone chair, but it was In the guest seat, there was a person sitting under the back window of the room, just sitting on an ordinary wooden chair. When he saw the person coming, he raised his head from the bed with bright eyes. It was the leader of the Deposed Dragon Gang, Zhang Zhang, who he had met once. Go to Zhang Sanlang.
"General Zhang came just in time." Zhang Xing also smiled when he saw the visitor, stood up and stretched out his hand in the air. "How about it? Manager Xie can tell you clearly. Do you have any other requirements? Just ask." Lan
"Everything is in order, there is nothing unnecessary. Please rest assured, Chief Zhang." Zhang Gongshen looked a little embarrassed, nodded immediately, and then hurriedly stepped forward to shake hands. His behavior was obviously a little confused.
Although he was at a loss, he was still a little hesitant, but he wanted to ask about the other party's residence. Why did he keep saying that he was being treated like a leader, but it was just such a small courtyard? It wasn't that he couldn't bear it, but that he was afraid of losing Luo Shu's face or doubting the other party's attitude.
"That's good." Zhang Xing didn't want to do anything, he just shook his hand and sat back. "If General Zhang has something urgent, you can ask Xie to take charge of it, or you can come to me... Now that you are here today, can General Luo have anything to say?"
Zhang Gongshen did not dare to sit down on the whalebone chair. He just leaned over and held hands with each other, saying honestly: "No, I just want you to keep in touch with Chief Zhang."
Zhang Xing raised his eyebrows slightly, then nodded, and asked again: "Is there something big going on in Youzhou, Beidi, or somewhere else? If my mother needs to keep it secret, General Zhang must inform me."
Zhang Gongshen thought for a while, looked at Xie Minghe again, and then answered: "There are some things, but I told Supervisor Xie on the way today..."
Zhang Xing suddenly understood and nodded immediately: "That's good. It's almost evening and we're going to eat on the porch. General Zhang might as well go to the porch to wait for a while and have a meal together later." Zhang Xing dismissed it with a casual gesture. the other party. Lan
As soon as Zhang Gongshen handed over his hand, he left immediately. When he came out, he realized that he had forgotten to ask about his residence.
"What do you say?" As soon as the person left, Zhang Xing looked at Xie Minghe.
"Either he is a very honest and steady person, or he is a very thoughtful person who is good at hiding things, and I think it is the former." Xie Minghe said one thing. "Because I took him to eat new noodles in front of the shop opened by Youzhou people, and he acted calmly, as if he didn't know that it was the property of the Hakka family of Luoshu Xinfumen; but after I took him to the residence, he saw the residence It’s simple, he obviously thought that we were slighting him, so he almost didn’t cover it up... However, his cultivation level is quite good, I think he is almost at the point of condensation.”
Zhang Xing nodded: "It's natural. Youzhou has always been a martial artist and it's so big. There are always some heroes. Luo Shu is also ambitious. The Wei Dynasty suppressed the local people before. It's unusual for him to hook up with some heroes early." .”
"I've done some research on Luo Shu these days. No matter how I look at it, I feel that he is always a cunning thief... He cannot be trusted. It's just that we are not bordering each other at the moment. We are just making friends from far away and attacking close by." Xie Minghe reminded seriously. "Don't trust it gullibly."
Chief Zhang was noncommittal: "Actually, no matter what, why don't we make friends from far away and attack close by? If we don't capture Hejian, what's the point of talking about Youzhou?"
Xie Minghe nodded, but smiled and said nothing. Lan
"What do you mean?" Zhang Xing was confused for a moment.
"Are you really prepared to endure it for two or three years and wait until the situation becomes clearer and the opportunity arises before moving to Hebei?" Xie Minghe asked seriously, clasping his hands.
"Why two or three years?" Zhang Xing said disapprovingly. "The situation is moving too fast. I estimate that something will go wrong in Jiangdu and Dongdu within a year and a half... And we really shouldn't have attacked Xuzhou. Attacking Xuzhou not only wasted money and food, but also seriously catalyzed the situation. This is something I didn't expect. ...So now I am only worried that the situation is developing too fast, but we have not accumulated enough strength and have not done what we should do."
Xie Minghe shook his head: "Your worries are right. The situation is obviously accelerating now. According to Zhang Gongshen, the Eight Dukes of Beidi and the Seventh Guards of Dangmo have completely broken up. There seems to be an incident in Tingtao City in the north recently. What kind of chaos happened, and then there was a direct conflict between the Gao family in Lelang City and the White Wolf Guard who were close to Youzhou. People in Youzhou said that it was the White Wolf Guard who got our support..."
"What does it have to do with us?" Zhang Xing said disapprovingly. "The Seventh Guards of Dangmo are restrained by the Blackwater Chief of the Blackwater Guards, so why should we get involved? Besides, Tingtao City has already been in trouble. It must have been caused by conflicts within the Northland to a certain extent. .”
"But it is normal for the people of Youzhou to think this way. Although they have no direct conflict with us now, including Hengshan and Daijun, we have obviously tolerated it, but what we are most afraid of in our hearts is probably that we will attack them from the north and south with the Northerners in the future."
"That's right..." Zhang Xing had nothing to say. "The people of Youzhou won't really trust us. They are just acting for the occasion." Lan
"Besides." Xie Minghe hesitated. "It is also some of the rumors mentioned by Zhang Gongshen just now, but they have not been verified yet. I guess we have to wait for the news from northern Shanxi... It is said that many traditional military towns in Guanlong on the south side of Dumo Desert have also rebelled. Everyone said that the news came from Xuzhou .”
Zhang Xing snorted coldly: "This is just a crime. It's obvious that the Wu clan is going south, okay? What does it have to do with us?"
At this point, Chief Zhang paused for a moment and couldn't help but sigh: "I wonder if this matter will be the final blow to Dongdu..."
"Whether it's the last blow or not, as you said, it's almost a year and a half away." Xie Minghe nodded. "But what I'm worried about now is that the trees are still but the wind is not stopping... I have made it clear that the current situation is like this. Our Dragon Gang has become so big that it attracts the wind. All the rebels have attached themselves to us, and we have separatist rule everywhere. The prefects and generals are also looking at us. Even the traditional civil strife in the North and the rebellion in Guanlongbian Town caused by the Wu tribe going south are all blamed on us... What makes you think, Zhang Sanlang, that you are really going to force Dong Dong? When the emperor's uncle had to fight to the death, how could we survive alone? Why didn't we become the target and others reap the benefits? Is the emperor's uncle really so stupid that he couldn't see that we were the real trouble? ?”
Zhang Xing had nothing to say, or he said calmly: "If this is the case, we must lay a solid foundation and work hard to lay the foundation. We can't stop eating because of choking... Actually, I have just woken up now. Although I have not weighed Wang Zonghe, but emphasizing the leader of the rebel alliance is also a double-edged sword, but I will never regret it. If it does come, the Grand Master Hongshan will be overwhelming, and that will be our fate... ...However, I still feel that the imperial uncle is not that confused, or that with his vision, he must be more wary of the Bai family."
Xie Minghe smiled when he heard this: "You think clearly."
"That's what happened." Zhang Xing said disapprovingly. "Even if there are ten thousand fears and uneasiness, I should have thought of it... I originally wanted to wait until the end of autumn or even the New Year to talk about it. Since Brother Xie also mentioned this matter, I will tell you first. I want to ask Brother Xie to contact you privately. Individual." Lan
"How many diamonds?" Xie Minghe thought for a while and couldn't help but sigh. "I'm afraid it's a bit troublesome. To be honest, it's better to go to Xinbei, take out the score chosen by your Black Emperor, and sincerely ask the great commander to invite some masters from the North."
"Invite everyone and do your best...and the fortune-telling ambassador, as well as the younger brother of Prince Ji and the prefect, even the one holding the mirror, we also need to contact him." Zhang Xing spoke seriously. "Although blacksmithing requires one's own hard work, it is a matter of life and death, so there is nothing to worry about. Do your best to do everything, and try every method."
Xie Minghe nodded.
The two talked about some more details, and when they heard the noise outside, they walked out together carrying chairs.
"Thank you for your hard work, brothers."
After thanking the orderly who had been released from the official slaves, Zhang Xing went straight to his meal as usual, and then talked with the surrounding staff officers, clerks, and other gang members who came to do official business. And the big bosses, chiefs, general managers, branch managers, staff officers, clerks, county officials, and military officers were also impatient and took the opportunity to discuss and talk non-stop, as if they had been familiar with this atmosphere for a long time.
On the other hand, Zhang Gongshen next to him was surprised and uneasy for a long time, obviously unable to adapt. Lan
What surprised Zhang Gongshen even more was what happened later. After finishing the informative meal on the verandah, he saw Chief Zhang quickly clearing away the bowl himself and carrying back his chair. Zhang Gongshen, who had already become numb, came out with the crowd, but unexpectedly came back. When he was staying at his own residence, he was actually traveling with Chief Zhang and several others.
Finally, when he arrived at his residence, he found that the other party actually handed over to him, and then pushed the door open and entered a courtyard that was exactly the same as his own. Several guards followed a young officer and entered the large courtyard next door.
This also made Zhang Gongshen stunned again.
It turned out that Jia Runshi's big house was used for stationing troops for protection, and he really gave him the treatment of a leader, even the treatment of a chief.
In Youzhou, or in Luo Shu's place, although the Eighteen Riders are called brothers, they are typical personal attachments. They need to kneel down to be loyal and serve as the master's servants. The reason is to do big things.
After coming back to his senses, for some reason, Zhang Gongshen suddenly felt a little ashamed as he pushed the door in.
ps: It is indeed influenza A. I spent four or five hours the night before yesterday to confirm the diagnosis. The hospital was full of influenza A. My wife contracted an upper respiratory tract infection when she was 31 weeks pregnant. She was prescribed special medicines and a bunch of things. I am much better. It’s just that You have sore throat, fever, cough and headache, but the rise and fall of symptoms is very interesting. You take acetaminophen, and within two hours you feel almost better, and then two hours later, the symptoms go up again, and then all the symptoms It's getting worse... over and over again... my work and life are still obviously affected, but fortunately I can still manage to take care of my wife, and it's obviously getting better in this cycle. I hope it gets better as soon as possible. Lan
Everyone should also take care and pay attention to protection.
