On September 5th, Zheng County Station was paved with loess and clean water was poured into the street. Thousands of gentry and common people were looking up at the station outside the station under the sun. They held various flags and banners in their hands. The most conspicuous one was the horizontal banner.
There is a banner in the middle of the road, which reads in square regular script: "The people of Henan Province are happy to welcome Deputy Inspector Wu."
At this time, the bell of Dongguan Jesus Church rang ten times. Soon a group of military police arrived in a car and blocked the entire street with three posts, one post and five posts. Then a group of cars drove outside the station, and a group of people got down.
General Bian, this group of generals, like stars and the moon, surrounded a potbellied general as they entered the station. Some sharp-eyed people in the crowd had already recognized who it was and exclaimed: "Governor Zhao is here too."
A middle-aged man dressed as a teacher curled his lips and said, "What's so strange about this? When Deputy Inspector Wu comes to Henan, Governor Zhao will naturally come to greet him."
Someone said mysteriously: "I heard that Governor Zhao and Deputy Patrol Envoy Wu are not on good terms. This time Deputy Patrol Envoy Wu came with a large army. I'm afraid there will be something good to watch in the future."
Everyone couldn't help but look worried. When a big shot sneezed, the people at the bottom trembled. Henan Province had just had a few peaceful years in these years. They were afraid of another military disaster. Some people had already clasped their hands in prayer.
The sky is filled with gods, Buddhas, and Christ Jesus, bless Deputy Envoy Wu and Governor Zhao and bring them peace and prosperity.
The common people knew this, and the military and political officials in the province were even more worried. After all, many of them had a mutually beneficial relationship with the warlord Zhao Ti.
Zhao Ti entered the waiting hall with a gloomy look. When he got off the bus, he saw the conspicuous banner at a glance. The content written on it made him feel stuck in his throat. He was shocked and angry. He wanted to send the military police to tear the banner into pieces immediately.
The person who held the banner was jailed again, but he finally endured it, but his heart was filled with a haze. Wu Peifu's arrival had prevented him from having a sound sleep for several days, and he was afraid that he would have trouble sleeping and eating in the future.
The attendants all noticed that the governor was in a bad mood, so they did not dare to come up to disturb him, and hid far away, with their own concerns in mind.
"Woo——"
A long whistle blew, interrupting Zhao Ti's reverie. He opened the blinds of the window and looked outside, only to see a military train with an armored locomotive clanging into the station.
"Commander, it's time to pick you up." The adjutant came over and said softly.
Zhao Ti stood up, organized his troops, and strode out, followed by his entourage.
…
In the military train, Wu Peifu was holding a new book on Ji Xiao and was reading it happily. He seemed to have no feeling about the arrival of the train. At this time, the carriage door was pushed open, and his aides Zhang Qijun and Zhang Fangyan walked in. Zhang Qijun said: "Jade."
Handsome, we have arrived at the station, Zhao Ti and the military and political officials from Henan are here to pick us up."
"knew."
Wu Peifu replied lightly, but did not put down the book.
Zhang Qizong gave a wry smile and glanced at Zhang Fangyan. Zhang Fangyan coughed lightly and said, "Commander Yu, there are many people outside to greet you. You can't keep the people waiting for a long time."
"oh?"
Wu Peifu finally moved his eyes away from the book, opened the window screen and looked outside. Sure enough, he saw figures outside the station fence. He could vaguely see the flags and banners held high. His expression suddenly became serious, and he looked at the two people fiercely.
A capable colleague asked: "Are you the one who arranged the people outside?"
Zhang Qiqi shook his head and said: "How dare you humble your position? People outside the station came spontaneously."
Zhang Fangyan cupped his hands and said: "Commander Yu, the people are inspired by you. This is exactly what the people want."
Wu Peifu glanced at him and said meaningfully: "Don't say this again. The people's support is with me. I'm afraid some people will not be able to sleep."
"Ha ha!"
Zhang Qiquan and Zhang Fangyan smiled knowingly.
Wu Peifu put on his military cap, stood up and got out of the carriage. The moment he revealed his figure, military music played, the generals saluted him, and the civilian officials took off their hats to salute.
Wu Peifu smiled and held his hands around, and at a glance he saw the two brothers Zhao Ti and Zhao Jie on the platform. A smile appeared on his face, he quickly walked up and pulled down Zhao Ti's saluting hand, grabbed Zhao Ti's arms and said affectionately
: "Brother Zhou Ren, why are you and I doing this kind of false courtesy? We were able to defeat the Anhui army this time, thanks to Brother Zhou Ren's help. Thank you, brother."
"Brother Ziyu is serious, we are a family, if I don't help you, who will I help?"
Zhao Ti had a smile on his face, but he sneered in his heart, "If Wu Peifu really wants to thank me, why do you have to go to Luoyang to train troops? You can't go anywhere in Hebei or Shandong. What you say now seems to be nice."
While the two were moving and talking, a reporter captured the scene, and the spotlights flashed.
The two exchanged pretentious greetings for a while. Wu Peifu cast his eyes on Zhao Jie behind Zhao Ti and said with a smile: "Brother Yiwu, how are you?"
Zhao Jie and Brother Nai have completely different looks. He is tall and thin, and his face is very fair. He has a bit of a Confucian general's demeanor, but those who are familiar with him know that he has the most rude temper. At this time, he heard Wu Peifu calling him
name, he hurriedly bowed and said: "Hello, handsome Yu."
"What position does Brother Yiwu hold now?" Wu Peifu glanced at the rank of lieutenant general on Zhao Jie's shoulder and asked.
Zhao Ti rushed to reply: "Brother Ziyu, this younger brother of mine is incompetent and is currently the commander of the Kaifeng garrison." He did not say that Zhao Jie's other identity was the commander-in-chief of the Hongwei Army. This was because the Hongwei Army was targeting him.
A private label is not a formal appointment by the Ministry of War. Such a private military position cannot be mentioned in public at this time.
"Oh, the future is bright!"
Wu Peifu smiled and then shook hands with Hu Xiangshan, Chairman of the Provincial Council and other officials.
After the pick-up was completed, the crowd surrounded Wu Peifu and Zhao Ti and left the station. When Wu Peifu showed up, the people who had been waiting outside cheered and shouted long live the train.
Wu Peifu smiled and waved to the people in a friendly manner. He glanced at Zhao Ti from the corner of his eyes and saw that Zhao Ti looked very uncomfortable. It was obvious that the people's voices had violated a taboo. He did not want to continue to irritate Zhao Ti, so he did not stop and quickly
Got in the car and left.
…
We drove all the way to Xingyuan, which was requisitioned by the Ren family's ancient house, known as the "Gateway" in Zheng County. His ancestors once served as the second-rank chief minister in the Qing Dynasty, and it is one of the most wealthy and prestigious residences in Zheng County.
The car slowly stopped at the entrance of the house. The adjutant jumped out of the car neatly from the passenger seat and opened the rear door. Wu Peifu and Zhao Ti got out of the car.
"Brother Ziyu, please come inside!" Zhao Ti, as the proprietor, walked in front to guide Wu Peifu.
Wu Peifu followed closely behind. When he reached the doorstep, he looked up at the lintel and couldn't help but stop. He saw a plaque with gold letters on a black background that read "Assisting Wings for the Government" hanging on the door. Then he looked at the withdrawal words on the plaque.
It was a gift from Emperor Daoguang. He couldn't help but praise it: "To be given a plaque by the emperor, the Ren family can shine on the lintel. It's a good support for the country's affairs, but there are still some flaws."
Zhao Ti heard this clearly and smiled when he heard the words: "Brother Ziyu, if the Qing Dynasty is still here, what kind of plaque do you think we can get?"
Wu Peifu stroked his beard and said with a smile: "Brother Zhou was placed in the Qing Dynasty, and he was the second-rank governor. The emperor wanted to give him a plaque, which should be regarded as the four words of merit and salvation."
Zhao Ti thought about these four words and couldn't help but waved his hands and said: "Brother Ziyu is joking. How can I compare with Liu Gong? I don't dare to take these four words seriously."
Wu Peifu said with a smile: "Brother Zhou is being humble. The Zhi-Wan war is related to the fate of the country. If the Henan army had not strongly supported our Zhi army to fight north, how could I have defeated the enemy? This is not salvation through merit."
Zhao Ti's face lit up and he asked with a smile: "Brother Ziyu, what is your plaque?"
Wu Peifu smiled and said nothing, and Zhao Ti said: "Since Brother Ziyu won't tell me, then I will show my shame and mention it to you." After saying that, he pondered for a long time, slapped his forehead and said: "If you have it, how about honoring Gao Zhushi?"
Wu Peifu recited these four words silently, and his eyes flashed. With his talent, he naturally knew that these four words were the plaque given to Zeng Guofan by Emperor Tongzhi. This was already the highest praise from a minister. Just now he compared Zhao Ti with Liu Ming Chuan,
Now Zhao Ti compares himself with Zeng Guofan. Although it seems to be flattering each other, this is exactly his ideal and ambition.
"Brother Zhou is so flattering, how dare Wu dare to compare with Zeng Wenzhenggong? It's embarrassing, it's embarrassing." Wu Peifu said.
After entering the camp, Wu Peifu took a short rest, showered, washed and changed his clothes. When he came out, an adjutant came forward and said: "Commander Yu, Governor Zhao has prepared a banquet and is waiting for you to attend the banquet."