"I will finally meet the governor."
Zhang Huai came to the back office of the governor's office and bowed to Liu Hong, who was sitting at the head of the table.
As the commander-in-chief of Datong Town, he did not need to kneel down and kowtow to Liu Hong, the governor of Datong, like other generals, even if the latter came back half a level higher than him.
"You and I have been officials in Datong for many years, so there is no need to be so polite." Liu Hong stood up from his seat, walked over, and helped Zhang Huai straighten up with both hands.
Zhang Huai is wearing a scarlet robe, with a squatting lion on his chest.
The two of them sat down separately, and the Yamen servant who stayed in the back office brought Zhang Huai a cup of hot tea.
Zhang Huai took the tureen, put it aside, and said: "Since I heard that the governor was coming back, I have been looking forward to it day and night. It can be said that he has been waiting for you."
"Haha." Liu Hong smiled and said, "Although I left Datong before, Governor Xu is still here in Datong. As long as General Zhang and Governor Xu work together, Datong will remain stable."
Hearing this, Zhang Huai said with a look of disdain: "Xu Tong is greedy by nature. Within a year of taking office, banditry broke out in Datong. Datong, which you had previously governed, was filled with complaints, and some were a little weak. The businessmen who lost their property fled and dispersed, and many were arrested and are still in prison."
"So the memorial to impeach Xu Tong in Beijing is all true?" Liu Hong frowned.
As early as when he left Datong, he had a bad impression of Xu Tong, but less than a year had passed and Datong had been turned into such a mess by Xu Tong, which still shocked him.
Before coming to Datong, he only thought that the reason why Xu Tong was dismissed was because the clan under his rule was murdered and the king took advantage of him. Now it seems that the murder of the clan is only one aspect, and it is more that the people of Datong can no longer tolerate Xu Tong. .
Of course, the people of Datong in his mind were not the tenant farmers and long-term workers, but the kind of gentry families or families with a scholarly legacy.
"The impeachment of Xu Tong is all true." Zhang Huai said with certainty.
Even he himself impeached Xu Tong more than once.
Liu Hong picked up the tureen and took a sip of tea.
Only then did he realize that Xu Tong had offended everyone in Datong. Even if he was not dismissed this time, he would be dismissed by the court sooner or later.
At the same time, I was glad in my heart that if Xu Tong had not committed suicide, he would not have been able to make a comeback. He had gained an additional title of Crown Prince and Taibao, and his rank had been further improved. Only Liaodong Jinglue could compare with him.
Putting down the tureen, holding it in his hand, he asked: "How much do you know about the banditry in Daliang Mountain?"
Zhang Huai pondered for a moment and said: "The general has only heard about the banditry in Daliang Mountain. The details are not clear. Governor Xu has always been responsible for this matter personally and has not approached the general."
Liu Hong nodded slightly and added: "Governor Xu told me before he left that the banditry in Daliang Mountain was related to the Tiger Flag in Lingqiu. You have been in Datong. Is this statement true?"
"I have never heard this statement before." Zhang Huai shook his head.
Liu Hong's face sank and he said, "Have you never heard of it or are you unwilling to tell me? I don't know the relationship between you and the Tiger Flag."
"I have never heard of the connection between the tiger-character flag and banditry in the Daliang Mountains." Zhang Huai stood up, bowed and clasped his fists.
"Sit, sit." Liu Hong raised his hand to signal him to sit down, and then said, "I trust you."
Zhang Huai sat back in his seat.
Liu Hong asked again: "How much do you know about the death of the general who held the country in the Prince's Palace?"
"The arrest of the murderer has always been a matter of the governor's office, and I have never had any involvement in it. In addition, Governor Xu has always been responsible for this matter, and it is not easy for me to overstep."
"Do you think General Zhenguo will be killed by people from the Tiger Flag?" Liu Hong suddenly asked.
Zhang Huai was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said: "There is no enmity between General Zhenguo and Tiger Character Banner. Dongzhu Liu is also a sensible person, and it is impossible for him to do such irrational things as murdering the clan."
"Well, what you said makes sense." Liu Hong nodded slightly.
This time he came to Datong to take office. In addition to stabilizing Datong, he also had the task of finding the murderer of General Zhenguo.
When a clan member dies, the court always has to come up with a clan to explain to the world, so this matter fell on his head.
Zhang Huai hesitated for a moment and said: "I'm afraid it will be difficult to find the murderer of General Zhenguo. If the court presses for it, please make plans in advance."
"Do you have any clues about General Zhenguo?" Liu Hong asked.
Zhang Huai shook his head and said: "The general is a rough man. He doesn't know how to investigate and solve crimes. However, the death of General Zhenguo is indeed a bit strange. I heard that he was kidnapped in his mansion. When he was found again, it was already a few days later. People died in the moat outside the city.”
"So you don't have any clues?" Liu Hong frowned.
Regarding the case of General Zhenguo, although the court did not set a time for him to solve the case, he knew that this time would never be too long. If the case was still unable to be solved, the court would soon reprimand him.
When Fang Zhonghan was the first assistant, he naturally didn't care about a rebuke, but since Fang's first assistant retired and returned to his hometown, it can be said that there are no people outside the house, and he has truly experienced the situation of a person walking away from home.
This time he was able to recover again, and he was determined to stay in the court. For this reason, he paid a special visit to Wei Zhongxian, the most popular eunuch in the inner court, and surrendered.
It was not that he had never thought of joining the Donglin Party. After all, the Eunuch Party had a bad reputation. However, the Donglin Party itself was fighting for power within itself. It would be difficult for him to be reused as a person who surrendered. Moreover, the position of Chief Assistant Liu Yishui was no longer available. Wen Wen, although the Donglin Party is now powerful, he is more optimistic about the future of the Eunuch Party.
Liu Hong took a sip of tea from his tureen and said to Zhang Huai, "Who do you think is appropriate to send to Daliang Mountain to suppress the bandits?"
Zhang Huai, who was sitting at the bottom, was stunned for a moment.
Just now he was talking about General Zhenguo, but in an instant it turned into the bandit suppression in Daliang Mountain, which made him unable to react in time.
"The suppression of bandits still needs to be done by your general military office." Liu Hong said again.
Zhang Huai hurriedly said: "Daliang Mountain is located on the Datong East Road. Why not let Li Huaixin, the general of the East Road, go to Daliang Mountain to suppress the bandits?"
"Is this Li Huaixin the general who wiped out the banditry in Daliang Mountain last time?" Liu Hong asked.
"Exactly this person."
"Leave the matter of suppressing the bandits to him." Liu Hong said, "When he suppresses the bandits in Daliang Mountain, I will personally ask for credit for him."
"Yes, after the general returns to the General Military Mansion, he will send someone to Xinping Fort to inform him." Zhang Huai agreed.
Liu Hong nodded, took a sip of tea, and then asked: "How is your relationship with Dongzhu Liu of Tiger Character Banner?"
"There has never been any contact between the general and Liu Dongzhu of the Tiger-Character Banner. It's just that one of the staff around the general is very close to the Tiger-Character Banner and has some contacts." Zhang Huai explained.
"Don't be nervous." Liu Hong waved his hand and said immediately, "I just want to meet Mr. Liu."
"Sir, you want to see Liu Heng?" Zhang Huai looked surprised.
A Datong governor who was from the first rank actually wanted to see a white businessman, which made him a little confused.
"I'll leave this matter to you." Liu Hong picked up the bowl and took a sip of tea.
Zhang Huai stood up and said: "I will let the staff around me make arrangements."
