Dakui was startled and then laughed loudly and said: "Has the manager heard this? The reputation of our Red Scarf City has spread to this deserted island."

Ryukyu Island is almost isolated from the world, but he has heard of the name Red Scarf City. Xu Xian was very surprised and couldn't help asking: "Where have you heard the name of Red Scarf City?"

The man replied: "When I was shopping in Quanzhou last year, I heard someone at the dock saying that the red scarves of the Great Zhou Dynasty were so powerful in Huainan. The general must be Xu Yuhou. I thought he was a veteran in the army, but I never thought he was.

A handsome young man."

"What Yuhou is called General Manager! Now our General Manager Xu is the military commander of the Henghai Navy! I might as well tell you that last year the General Manager led us to capture the important town of Changzhou, and we have just withdrawn from Changzhou."

The man was a little excited when he heard this, "Has the Emperor Zhou already destroyed the Tang Dynasty?"

"That's not true, but we have completely conquered Jiangbei and Huainan." Xu Xian looked him up and down, "Why are you so concerned about the current situation on a deserted island? Judging from your appearance, you should not be an ordinary refugee."

The man cupped his hands and said, "I dare not deceive Mr. Xu. The villain Wang Jihong was originally a soldier of the Min Kingdom. After the fall of the Min Kingdom, we were unwilling to serve the Tang Kingdom, so we fled to this desert island to take refuge."

The Min Kingdom was not created by the Fujian people. Wang Shenzhi and Wang Chao brothers who laid the foundation for the Min Kingdom were originally from Gushi County, Guangzhou. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, they joined the rebel army of the butcher Wang Xu because they were afraid of being killed by the cannibal king of Caizhou.

Qin Zongquan annexed it and then led his army south to establish a foothold in Fujian.

Later, he was named King of Fujian by the Li Tang court. After the fall of Tang Dynasty, he always respected the Central Plains Dynasty as Zhengshuo. After Wang Shenzhi's death, the brothers fought against each other and civil strife continued. Finally, the Southern Tang Dynasty took advantage of him and subjugated the country.

"Wang Jihong? It sounds like he belongs to the clan of Fujian."

Wang Jihong cupped his hands and replied: "It's just a side branch, not a serious clan. When my father was still alive, he could only find an official position in the army as the Duke of Yu."

Xu Xian asked: "How many troops do you have?"

When Wang Jihong heard this, he couldn't help but feel a little wary, his eyes averted and he hesitated to answer.

Old Mutou snorted, "It seems he can't trust us. They are not the only people on the island, and you don't need to waste time on them. A great opportunity is right in front of you. Don't regret it if you fail to seize it!"

Wang Jihong rolled his eyes and asked, "Does the Emperor of Zhou want to bring Ryukyu under his control? I know a few words and a few words about a gun and a stick, and I am willing to serve the Emperor and serve the general manager."

Xu Xian wiped the beard on his lips and smiled: "I like smart people. I will make you the commander of the Eighth Army in Henghai Town. Now you can tell me about the situation on the island!"

Dakui immediately quit his job, "It's not fair. During those years when I was in charge of the army, I am still a captain now. He just said a few words to the manager and became the commander. It makes no sense!"

"You will not be rewarded for your merits. It is not too late for a villain to be rewarded after he has made meritorious service." Wang Jihong replied in a deep voice: "There were about two thousand soldiers who came across the sea one after another. Many of them have died in more than ten years.

, there are now more than 1,800 people, including family members, a total of 7,000 to 8,000 people. Because we have to fight with the wild people in the mountains from time to time, most of the young people in the village also know how to use swords, guns, bows and arrows!"

"Do they all listen to you?"

"We have already removed our armor and returned to the fields. We make a living by farming and hunting on the island. There is no military system, so there is no distinction between superior and inferior. However, because of our status, the villain's words still have some weight."

Xu Xian nodded and asked, "Are you the only people on the island?"

Wang Jihong replied: "There are still many refugees in the flat and fertile land a hundred miles to the north. I don't know how many people live there because they are scattered. There are always three thousand households. There are also about hundreds of households on the outer islands of Penghu.

We usually make a living by fishing, but we don’t have much contact with each other, and the rest are just savages in the mountains.”

Xu Xian nodded secretly. Roughly speaking, there were 20% of Henghai's population here and a lot of ready-made soldiers. As long as it was managed well, it would take only a few years to bear fruit, but a small commander would not be able to handle it.

"Let's go, take me to your village and take a look!"

Wang Jihong bowed and agreed, and he took Xu Xian to the east for about ten miles. From a distance, he saw a large stockade surrounded by earthen walls. The surrounding streets were lined with chickens and dogs, making it look like a paradise.

But at this moment, the gate of the village was wide open, and the old, weak, women and children were rushing to escape with their baggage. Before Xu Xian and the others could get closer, the soldiers had already gathered near the village and came over to kill them with a roar.

When Wang Jihong saw this, he said to Xu Xian: "Please wait a moment, manager, while I go explain to them."

Wang Jihong stepped forward to stop the soldiers and talk to them, but the soldiers in ragged clothes still gathered around them, but they were not as aggressive as before.

Wang Jihong came to Xu Xian with several old men in full armor, "This is Xu Yuhou, whom I mentioned to you last year. He is now the Jiedushi of Henghai Town. This time he came to Ryukyu to serve as Emperor Zhou.

The order was proclaimed."

Several old men briefly bowed their hands in greeting, but there was suspicion in their eyes. One of them stepped forward and said: "The Emperor of Zhou is rich in the Central Plains, how could he care about this barren island?"

"My lord is a man of great talent and strategy. This southern expedition has already led Li Jing to cede territory and become his vassal. Unification of the world is just around the corner. Since the descendants of the Yan and Huang Dynasties in Ryukyu should submit to the royal teachings!" Xu Xian's voice suddenly turned cold, "Don't you agree?

?”

"It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I'm used to being lazy and farming on this desert island, and I have no intention of going into battle to kill enemies. I just want to live a stable life. The manager should find someone else!"

Wang Jihong said anxiously: "Uncle Chen, the Emperor of Zhou is a great lord, why can't he accept his sincere surrender now?"

The other old men had noncommittal expressions, but there was not much enthusiasm on their faces.

The leader of the old man said: "The more powerful you are, the less likely you are to fight. We brothers have been fighting all our lives and now we just want to spend our remaining lives on this deserted island."

Old Mutou sneered, "Without the butcher king, we still have to eat pigs with hair on them? Our Zhou generals are good at fighting, so we don't care about your big head. We just need to be obedient people."

"Boss Mu has gone too far." Xu Xian looked at him and said coldly: "If this senior is tired of fighting and killing, he can live a peaceful life here farming and hunting. As long as he doesn't commit rebellion, he can do anything. But if he wants to harm me,

Don't blame me for being ruthless."

The Muggle laughed ferociously and said: "Cut off his head! Well...what are you doing to me!"

"Give me a use of Dakui's shoulders!" Xu Xian stepped on Muggle's back and stepped on Dakui's shoulders, shouting to the soldiers in the distance: "Anyone who serves me... I, the Great Zhou, will be rewarded with ten pieces of linen cloth."

Two pieces of silk, ten pounds of refined salt, ten pounds of sucrose, and a monthly salary of five hundred cents. If you don’t want to join the army, you can just live a peaceful life farming and hunting without paying taxes for ten years, but anyone who commits rebellion will be put to death!"

What Xu Xian said next was almost in vain. In this era of scarce supplies, few ordinary people could withstand such a silver bullet offensive. For a group of people who had lived on a desert island for nearly ten years, the killing effect would be even greater.

Some.

Before Xu Xian could finish reading, many soldiers had already lost their weapons and came forward to ask for rewards. Fortunately, Xu Xian was prepared and immediately asked people to bring supplies from the ship for distribution.

Not one of the nearly two thousand people refused to surrender. The old man who was very timid at the beginning also came to receive the reward under the pressure of his mother and wife. The old mutou was still teasing from the side. The old man's face turned red and he wished he could find a place on the ground.

Get in.

Xu Xian asked Wang Jihong to inquire, and found out that the old man indeed had some status. His name was Xu Shaogui, and he had served as the capital of Yuhou in the Fujian army.

How could Xu Xian let go of a ready-made talent? Even though he had done a good job in military training, he really didn't have anyone who could lead an army in battle. What's more, this person's prestige was higher than that of Wang Jihong.

He immediately appointed him as the deputy commander of the Henghai Navy Yamen, and rewarded him with armor, weapons, money and cloth, and then took Yin Simiao to consult his eighty-year-old mother.

The trick to win over people was only half successful, so they made him kneel on the ground and shouted "go through fire and water" and "suffer the brains from the ground". They even gave Xu Xian his youngest son, who had just turned sixteen, to serve as a personal soldier.

The boy who stabbed Xu Xian on the bank was a bit brave even though he was young.

"Commander Xu, don't worry, I will definitely train Alang well after I return to Henghai with me!"

Xu Shaogui asked in surprise: "The manager doesn't seem to want to ask his subordinates to go back to Henghai together?"

"Indeed, the things here are much more important than Henghai. Wang Jihong is still young, so you have to take charge of the overall situation here."

"Don't worry, manager. I've decided to train the soldiers. In less than three months, these old brothers will be able to go north to kill the enemy."

Xu Xian bowed his hands and said, "Who wants you to go north to kill the enemy? Isn't it true that you are overqualified and underused?"

"Then what does the manager want me to do?"

"I want you to build a dock and then recruit some fishermen from Penghu to serve as sailors and train the navy. As for the ships, you don't have to worry about them. Someone will send them to you soon."

Xu Shaogui asked: "Does the imperial court want to attack Tang or Han by sea?"

Xu Xian smiled and replied: "You are overthinking. I am asking you to sell smuggled salt, liquor, and tea!"

"Smuggling salt?" Xu Shaogui couldn't help showing a bit of embarrassment on his face. It wasn't that he had any scruples. Compared to killing people and setting fires to rebel, selling smuggling salt was really not a crime for the military men.

"I know you don't understand business matters." Xu Xian pulled someone out from behind, "This is Chen Yonggui, the Zhike Yaya of the Jiedushi Mansion. He will take care of the business affairs. You just need to help him."

Xu Xian couldn't stay in Ryukyu for too long, so he stayed for a total of seven or eight days to make some rough arrangements before sailing back. It took him more than ten days along the way, and it was already early February when he returned to Henghai.

As soon as he entered the Yamen, Hu Dapeng, the commander of the Yamen, hurriedly came over and handed over Chai Rong's handwriting, which told him to return to Beijing immediately.

Everything was within Xu Xian's expectation. At this time, Li Jing had been defeated, Jiangbei had no place to stay in the Southern Tang Dynasty, and no longer had the ability to threaten the Zhou Kingdom. Chai Rong's next step was naturally to prepare for the conquest of Liao, so

How could important things be done without Xu Xian, a handy confidant?

After checking Chai Rong's handwriting, Xu Xian immediately ordered: "Jiubao asked the brothers to rest for a day and return to Beijing via Pinglu tomorrow. By the way, send someone to the Tianxiong Army and ask Zhao Kuangyi to go back as well."

Xu Xian and Fu Yanqing already had a sworn feud. Now that Fu Yanqing's injuries were almost healed, Xu Xian was looking for death if he ever crossed his territory.

Hu Dapeng said: "The Zhao Kuangyi the general manager mentioned is your sister-in-law?"

"Exactly, have you seen him?"

"I haven't seen him, but he sent a message to someone a few years ago saying that he was going back to Tokyo."

Xu Xian frowned and said, "Oral message? Not even a letter?"

Hu Dapeng shook his head and said: "There is no letter, I just asked the merchants who came to Cangzhou to send a message."

Old Mutou said: "It's probably because he was bullied by Fu Yanqing. Zhao Yuanlang's brother is not a person who can stand anger. He just gave up."

"It doesn't matter, he was born with a good fortune. It would be strange if a little clerk can continue to work with peace of mind."

Xu Xian didn't take it seriously and hurried back to Beijing the next day. It took him four or five days to finally reach Kaifeng.

The New Cao Gate has just been completed. The city walls are brand new and smooth, and the city towers are tall and majestic. Even the soldiers guarding the gate look more powerful than before. When entering the inner city, it feels even more alienated. Ma Xing Street is twice as wide as before.

The shops have been rebuilt, and there is no trace of mess anymore.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... this is the atmosphere of the imperial capital!"

The old mutou chuckled and said: "When the house was demolished, His Majesty received countless scoldings. Now those ignorant people finally know that His Majesty is wise."

"Your Majesty is not the only one who has been scolded. I am afraid that Wang Pu and I have been scolded even more. Some people even stabbed me and cursed me!"

Old Mu Tou suddenly dropped the smile on his face and said, "Wang Pu has passed away, you don't know it yet."
To be continued...