Oujiang River is a vast river flowing into the East China Sea. On this day, the steam engine ship was stained with the ruddy color of the setting sun, and kept clapping hands with the Oujiang River, stirring up waves.
When the sunset bid farewell, Oujiang became calm, as if everyone had gone home. Ningcun Institute. The sergeant sat with his head wide open on the dilapidated pier, looking at the sea in the distance. He saw a steam engine ship approaching but did not make any move.
It is common for the navy to stop at Ningcun when traveling from north to south. They are just stopping for a rest, at most to replenish fresh water, and will not stay long.
Besides, there are only two ships here, so there is no need to notify thousands of households. The steam engine ship slowly docked. After it stopped, Zhu Yunwen appeared at the dock looking like a businessman and Huang Huai looked like an old butler. As for Tang Buping and Gu Yun, they were naturally rough-clad men.
When Zhang Datou saw this scene, he sniffed suddenly, stood up, casually picked up the red tassel gun stuck on the side, and walked over step by step.
Tang Buping took a look, winked at Gu Yun, and began to observe the surrounding movements. Gu Yun stared at Zhang Datou. When he saw that the other party was within two feet, he stretched out his hand and shouted: "Stand where you are, don't come any closer." Zhang Datou had a cold face, spit into the palm of his hand, held the spear tightly, and raised it. He took a step forward and shouted: "A bold businessman, how dare you use national weapons for personal use. Who is a naval officer who has forgotten the navy's rules? If you encounter me today, you can't even think of leaving!" Gu Yun almost took action. After hearing this guy shouting, he didn't know how to respond for a moment, so he had to look at Zhu Yunwen.
Zhu Yunwen was very satisfied with Zhang Datou's performance. The navy did not use it for personal use, and steam engines and ships were even more powerful weapons for the navy. They would not be open to merchants at the moment. If merchants used steam engines and ships, it would mean that there was collusion between the navy and merchants to seek profit. In the case of self-interest, what Zhang Datou did was right.
Zhu Yunwen walked forward and said: "The Security Bureau is doing business, please get out of the way." Tang Buping took out his token.
Zhang Datou suddenly broke into a cold sweat when he saw that he was from the Security Bureau. He quickly put away his spear and stood aside at a loss.
Zhu Yunwen comforted him and said, "You are right. All the sergeants in the guard station should learn from you and keep an eye on the navy. They are not allowed to do business or welcome business. If anyone violates military discipline and rules, he should be stopped and reported to thousands of households." "Zhang Datou agreed repeatedly.
After Zhu Yunwen passed by, he looked back at the lonely person on the pier, but he still stood upright with his head raised. He frowned and asked: "How many sergeants should be assigned to the guard pier?" Tang Buping replied: "The important guard pier should be assigned two hundred. Sergeant, non-important dock, thirty sergeants. Equipped with five to twenty sergeants."
"Then why is he the only one here?" Zhu Yunwen pointed to the pier. Tang Buping said solemnly: "It should be Ningcun who neglected his duties." Zhu Yunwen looked at the sky and the smoke not far away, and said, "Let's go." Chen Lian of Qianhu was having dinner with his wife and daughter. A sergeant came in to announce the arrival of someone from the Security Bureau.
Ms. Chen looked at Chen Lian uneasily. Her little daughter almost cried. Her mother had said that the Security Bureau specializes in catching bad people. When she cried, her mother used the Security Bureau to scare her. Now that they are here, could it be? Catch yourself?
Chen Lian comforted his wife and daughter, got up and just walked out of the front door. People from the Security Bureau had already arrived in the yard. They hurriedly stepped forward and asked: "Chen Lian, who lives in Qianhuan in Xianing Village, I don't know..." Tang Buping took out his token and asked Chen Lian not to do anything. To inquire.
Zhu Yunwen looked at the embarrassed Chen Lian, walked into the room, glanced at the two simple dishes and one soup on the table, sat down, smiled at the girl hiding behind Chen and said, "What a cute child. Mrs. Chen, could you please add a pair of bowls and chopsticks?" Chen Lian followed, looked at Mrs. Chen who was at a loss, nodded slightly, and added: "Add a dish." Mrs. Chen took the child and left. Lian sat down and didn't dare to speak first.
Zhu Yunwen looked at the radish, green vegetables and tofu soup on the table and asked, "Is this your usual dinner?" Chen Lian frowned. People in the Security Bureau were not all responsible for big things and investigating big cases. They came to him instead of asking about serious matters. , asked what the dinner meant. Could it be that he wanted to eat and drink as much as possible so that he could put a table of wine and meat for him?
"It's really not a good reception." Chen Lian apologized and then looked at Zhu Yunwen. That means, this is what our family eats. If you want to eat wine and meat, we don’t have it here.
Zhu Yunwen took the bowls and chopsticks sent by Mrs. Chen, looked at the hot rice, and said to Chen Lian: "When we enter the harbor in the evening, why is there only one sergeant on duty?" Seeing that Zhu Yunwen was asking about this matter, Chen Lian relaxed and explained. He said: "This year, farming is heavy everywhere, and the guard station is no exception. I have arranged for the sergeants to clear up wasteland, leaving only one person on duty." Zhu Yunwen picked up a chopstick of green vegetables without ceremony. After tasting it, he asked again: " Reclaiming wasteland is good, but have you ever thought about it? Ningcun is located on the seaside. Once pirates or Japanese pirates invade, how can one person ensure safety? If the response is not timely, the guard station will fall in an instant. People will die. What's the use of the land?" Chen Lian took the scrambled eggs with leeks brought by Mrs. Chen and said, "I think you don't know much about the sea outside Wenzhou Prefecture." Zhu Yunwen asked Chen to take the children to sit down, but Mrs. Chen didn't dare to serve. Zhu Yunwen said with a cold face: "If I have something to ask you, sit down." Mrs. Chen then took the child and sat down.
Zhu Yunwen looked at Chen Lian and motioned to continue. Chen Lian explained: "There are many islands off the coast of Wenzhou Prefecture. In order to guard against the invasion of pirates and Japanese pirates, and also to ensure the safety of night sailing trade ships, the Navy placed lighthouses and sergeants on duty on many islands. The lighthouses are guarded by sergeants day and night. , if there is danger, it will be reported with beacon fire. In addition, there are naval forces cruising in the outer sea, so pirates and Japanese pirates cannot go deep."
"What if it goes deep?" Zhu Yunwen asked. Chen Lian sighed: "In case of going deep, Ningcun Institute is also capable of fighting. There is a wide gap between the Ningcun Institute's military camp and the dock, connected by a bridge. The distance between the military camp and the dock is three hundred steps. Once If someone invades Ningcunsuo, only ten to twenty sergeants are needed to guard the bridge. They can hold the barracks and wait for the main force to arrive before launching a counterattack." Zhu Yunwen thought about the layout of Ningcunsuo, and it was exactly as Chen Lian had said. Said, it can be seen that he is not unprepared. Moreover, the military camp itself has a watchtower. With the telescope, it is enough to have a panoramic view of the dock.
As long as safety is ensured, there is nothing wrong with assigning sergeants to cultivate wasteland and expand production. Zhu Yunwen looked at Mrs. Chen, and his eyes fell on Chen Lian's daughter. He saw that the little girl's hair was yellow and she was a little thin. She looked at the few eggs in the leeks eagerly, and couldn't help but ask: "What's your name?" The little girl dared not speak.
Chen Lian smiled and said, "My little girl, Chen Ke." Zhu Yunwen put a piece of egg in Chen Ke's bowl and looked at Chen Lian: "You are Qianhu. The salary you receive should be enough to eat eggs, right?" Qianhu is a regular person. A fifth-grade official, with a monthly salary of twenty-four dan, which is equivalent to twelve taels of money, is not considered a low-income group. He is not so poor that he can't even afford eggs. It makes people feel sad to see this child eating eggs.
Chen Lian shook his head slightly: "This seems to have nothing to do with the Security Bureau." Zhu Yunwen was stunned. Yes, officials eat and drink and spend a lot of money. It is normal for the security bureau to check whether there is corruption. But people are poor and eat green vegetables and tofu every day, so why ask?
Chen Ke looked at Zhu Yunwen innocently and said softly: "My father is a good man. He distributed his salary to the sergeants. Don't arrest him. He never cried..." Zhu Yunwen looked at Chen Lian in surprise and said Salaries distributed to sergeants?
Chen Lian raised his hand, rubbed Chen Ke's head, and said to Zhu Yunwen: "Although the imperial court has plans for a new army, some soldiers' families are still in dire straits. I can't stand it. They are all my brothers, just helping out. Isn't this an invitation to buy people's hearts?" Zhu Yunwen put down his chopsticks, stared and said: "Whether it is an invitation to buy people's hearts, you need to see it to know. Chen Qianhu, can you lead the way to see those soldiers in need?" Chen Lian stood up. , stretched out his hand and said: "Please." Zhu Yunwen smiled at Chen Ke, then walked out of the room and walked to the sergeant's residence under the leadership of Chen Lian.
Chen Lian arrived in front of a sergeant's courtyard, surrounded by a simple fence and containing four wooden houses. Chen Lian shouted through the fence: "Lin Musan, come out." Zhu Yunwen saw a surprising scene.
The doors of the four wooden houses were pushed open one after another, and two old men in their fifties and sixties came out, followed by five middle-aged people, seven children standing at the door, or hiding behind the windows, and several women. He also walked out wearing an apron.
"Chen Qianhu, have you eaten yet? Please invite me to the room quickly. Mu San, hurry up and salute. Mu Da, where's the stool? Mu Wu, go get some food..." Tang Buping and Gu Yunhu were waiting for Zhu Yunwen. Beside you, watch with vigilance.
Zhu Yunwen pushed Tang Buping away, looked at Chen Lian, then looked at the twenty heads in front of him, and couldn't help but ask: "Chen Lian, what is this?" Chen Lian's face was solemn, with sadness in his eyes: "This is Ning In the village, Sergeant Lin Musan and his family."
"Family?!" Zhu Yunwen was a little unbelievable. An ordinary sergeant's family is no more than a family of five. Here, mother, there are at least twenty-four people in four houses. How do you sleep in open spaces?
"This is a person from the Security Bureau. He wants to see your home." Chen Lian said to Lin Musan. Lin Musan was a little nervous. The security bureau didn't have any good stuff, so why did they come to him?
However, Lin Dasen, who was nearly sixty years old, was very tolerant and greeted Zhu Yunwen and others inside. Zhu Yunwen walked into the main room and almost choked from the turbid air in the room. It smelled of everything, and there seemed to be a smell of urine.
Looking at the child held by the woman, Zhu Yunwen understood. In the small room, there are four wooden beds, which are double-decker and can accommodate eight people to rest. The corridor is very narrow, and everyone is sitting beside the bed. There is only an unstable table. Whoever walks by and rubs it, All shake and shake.
Chen Lian found a stool and wiped it for Zhu Yunwen: "Some sergeants have a very difficult life. With all due respect, the court needs to pay attention to it, otherwise it will cause big trouble."
"Why is this so?" Zhu Yunwen frowned. Chen Lian gritted his teeth and said sadly: "The guardhouse is a place of honor for sergeants, but it is also a prison!"
