On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Yuan Chonghuan sent someone with gifts to thank Mao Wenlong for his warm hospitality these days.
Mao Wenlong looked at the envoy and the twenty-odd pieces of brocade piled on the ground. He was lost in thought for a while. He thought in his mind that Dongjiang Town had been stopped by the imperial court since the beginning of the year. He didn't know that it was Governor Yuan who deliberately made things difficult.
, or there are deeper reasons.
He is no better now than he was then. Governor Wei is no longer around, and there is no one at the top of the central government. Although he has surrendered to the British government and nobles in an attempt to reverse the decline, he has achieved little success. Everyone is superficial with him and refuses to have a deep relationship with him.
.
He doesn't understand many things at the top level. He knows what's going on but doesn't know why.
He missed the nine thousand years very much. At that time, as long as he had enough money, Duke Wei would do things for his money, and his reputation was very good. Those years were also the best period for him.
Now, in the entire encirclement of Liaodong, Yuan Chonghuan controls the money, food and supplies of each military town. It is impossible not to deal with Governor Yuan. However, Governor Yuan has a huge appetite, and it seems that he wants to annex Dongjiang Town.
I have worked hard for half my life to build this foundation. If I hand it over to others, I would really hate to give it up. Although I can keep my wealth and honor, today it is no longer a matter of personal honor and disgrace. There are hundreds of thousands of people in Dongjiang Town.
, more than 20,000 elite infantrymen, and the Dongjiang Navy of 4,000 to 5,000 men all relied on him for survival.
No matter what, he cannot just walk away. When his power reaches a certain level, he is no longer a free agent. The will of the group is often his only choice.
Mao Wenlong looked at these gifts worriedly. The value of these gifts was much more than what he gave to Yuan Chonghuan. It made it clear that Governor Yuan did not want to owe him anything, and still had to do business business.
If you don't listen to me, I will cut off your salary. There is no need to negotiate.
Mao Wenlong wiped his face and said: "Mao Da, go and invite the supervisor to come to the banquet today. Just say that the Dongjiang Navy fishing fleet is back and treat the supervisor to a swallow-wing banquet."
Yuan Chonghuan was sitting cross-legged on the boat, looking through the information about Dongjiang Town that he had compiled in the past few days. He carefully verified the actual soldiers on each island and the information about the officers, big and small. He thought carefully.
Yu Deming came in and said: "Supervisor, Marshal Mao sent someone to invite the Supervisor to come to the banquet. He said that the fishing boat has returned and asked the Supervisor to taste the swallow-wing banquet. Do you want to go?"
Yu Deming was his trusted guard captain. He knew that the two meetings did not go well. Neither party discussed the core issues. The main reason was that Mao Wenlong did not answer the conversation and pretended to be confused.
He repeatedly hinted that he would ask the supervisor to show his noble hand and release Dongjiang Town's food and supplies.
Yuan Chonghuan sighed and said: "I am not an unreasonable person. The country is in turmoil now, and it is a troubled time. Dongjiang Town has a great effect on restraining the slaves. It is not appropriate to have major changes. But these are not his attempts to build an independent kingdom. Listen,
The reason for not listening to the announcement."
"The imperial court is a game of chess, and everyone in all directions must obey the unified arrangement. You cannot do your own thing. Apart from asking for money and food from the imperial court, and being unwilling to be controlled by the imperial court, how can everything go as you wish? Besides, there is another issue with North Korea.
Bad thoughts. Li Chengliang and Yin Jian are not far away. How could Governor Zuo be so confused?"
Yu Deming persuaded: "Supervisor, if we continue to talk, it may be difficult to make progress. Governor Zuo has already regarded Dongjiang Town as his personal property. I'm afraid he won't talk about anything else except food and salary."
"As long as he is still willing to talk, and if there is any further discussion, the Headquarters will be willing to talk to him heart-to-heart. Personal interests must be within limits and cannot be placed above the country. Get ready, the Headquarters will go to the banquet right now."
After this banquet, there was still no progress. Yuan Chonghuan and Mao Wenlong were drinking tea in a thatched pavilion.
It was already ten o'clock in the evening, and a group of swan geese flew across the sky. The late autumn in Liaodong was already cold.
Yuan Chonghuan stood up, walked to the edge of the thatched pavilion, looked at the wild geese in the sky, put his hands behind his hands and said: "I can't dream of a bed of ice and silver. The blue sky is like water and the clouds are light at night. The sound of wild geese is far away from Xiaoxiang, and the moon shines brightly on the twelfth floor.
.”
After all, Mao Wenlong was also a scholar, so he naturally understood what Yuan Chonghuan meant. But he pretended to be confused and quickly praised: "Supervisor, you have good poetry and great talent."
Yuan Chonghuan smiled bitterly, this was Wen Tingyun's poem, and he didn't write it himself. This guy was pretending to be stupid with himself. He could only say: "The wild geese also know that spring comes and autumn goes. Governor Zuo has been away from home for twenty years. His hair is gray in the hall, and his child is still young."
Don’t you miss Jiangnan?”
Mao Wenlong was a little touched. He left home for Liaodong when he was 30 years old. Time flies, more than 20 years have passed. His mother is also dying. She is not in good health. To be honest, there is no way she misses home.
Seeing that he was a little touched, Yuan Chonghuan said: "Qiantang has been prosperous since ancient times. It is a paradise on earth. It is full of osmanthus in three autumns and lotus flowers ten miles away. It is so beautiful. Sometimes I really want to quit this hard job and go to the south of the Yangtze River to be a rich man. Wu children are slim and graceful, and Yue girls are like flowers.
.What a magical day.”
Yuan Chonghuan hinted to him that you have made enough money, so it’s time to stop. Without Governor Wei, you, the Left Governor, are no more like a phoenix than a chicken. There are people in the court who are good at becoming an official. Since you have no backer, why bother?
Wandering in this quagmire.
Now that the rapids are retreating bravely, many people can still think of you and make a safe and soft landing. Being an official is easy to take off, but difficult to land safely.
Mao Wenlong was silent for a long time, then sighed and said: "It's not that Wenlong doesn't know how to praise, it's just that these Dongjiang fathers came from being slaves, narrowly escaped death, killed their masters, and fled to seek refuge with Wenlong. The whole family died and was lost along the way.
Lost. Now on this island, Yi Wenlong is as dependent as his parents, but Wenlong will never abandon them as long as he is alive."
"Don't worry, Governor Zuo. The headquarters will be settled properly. There is no way to farm on this island. Hundreds of thousands of people are living on empty land. The imperial court cannot afford it. Wouldn't it be wrong if the headquarters were moved to Liaodong and everyone would be divided into fields to cultivate and feed themselves?
Beautiful.”
Mao Wenlong cursed in his heart: "You big-headed devil, you moved all your family members to your territory. Don't the soldiers of Dongjiang Town have to listen to your orders?"
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "It's not that Wen Long is unwilling, but that the people are attached to the old land and refuse to leave. It will be difficult to deal with if a popular uprising is triggered."
Yuan Chonghuan's expression remained unchanged, but he began to feel irritable.
"Supervisor, how many more days can we stay in Shuangdao? Wenlong should make good arrangements." Mao Wenlong asked respectfully.
"Ningyuan has a lot of affairs. I will leave tomorrow." Yuan Chonghuan said coldly. "I have shipped all the unpaid wages. I will issue the payment tomorrow."
"It's getting late today, so I won't bother you anymore. Farewell!" Yuan Chonghuan said goodbye with his hands in hand.
"Wen Long pays homage to the Superintendent." Mao Wenlong bowed and saluted.
When Yuan Chonghuan came out, his expression remained unchanged. Yu Deming looked at him, did not dare to speak, and quickly arranged to get on the boat.
Returning to the Chinese army ship at the naval anchorage, Yuan Chonghuan began to convene a meeting of the generals. Military schools of all sizes frequently entered and exited the Chinese army ship. The entire Longhu Navy and the Superintendent's Barracks were busy.
After Yuan Chonghuan left, Mao Da came in and said to Mao Wenlong: "Father, Commander Yuan's face is not good-looking. Should we strengthen our vigilance? After all, many people from Guan Ning's army have come. We have to prevent them from taking abnormal measures."
Mao Wenlong smiled and said: "Don't worry, he won't dare to do anything to me even if I don't do it. I've been in trouble for the past few days, so it's time to give up. I'm just a scholar. The scholar rebelled and failed to achieve anything in three years."
The Law of the Ming Dynasty clearly stipulates that officials above the fifth rank are not allowed to kill without permission. The emperor's consent must be reported before arrest can be made, and conviction must be tried by the Three Laws Division. As for the chief military officer, the supervisory officer must speak well and be respectful when questioning the case.
, must not be humiliated.
Mao Wenlong was the chief military officer of the imperial envoy Ping Liao, a former general in the conquest of captives, and the commander-in-chief of the Left Army. He was a first-grade military attache who had reached the highest official position and was on the same level as Yuan Chonghuan.
Although he was considered a noble man but a lowly military man, his Left Commander did not serve in the Fifth Army Commander's Mansion. He just had an empty title and was just a decoration.
But even if it is a decoration, it is the highest-level decoration among the military attaches of the dynasty. Yuan Chonghuan is not something he can handle. Therefore, Mao Wenlong, Mao Da and others have nothing to fear, unless Yuan Chonghuan goes crazy and dares to go wild.
