Chapter 69: The heroic spirit of heaven and earth, the autumn is still awe-inspiring

Chapter 69: The heroic spirit of heaven and earth, the autumn is still awe-inspiring

Chapter 69: The heroic spirit of heaven and earth, still awe-inspiring for thousands of years

The sting garden is full of green mountain houses.

There are wintersweets planted all over the front of the house. The heavy snow has just passed, and white snow is still hanging on the branches. The wintersweets have already begun to bloom, blooming proudly in the snow and frost.

This is the time when scholars and literati gather together and excellent works are produced.

Li Xiucheng destroyed the Jiangnan camp and established the Sufu Province, which put the Jiangnan region under pressure. Chen Yucheng advanced westward to Wuchang, intending to rescue Zhao from Wei and lift the siege of Anqing, which put Hubei under pressure.

The situation in front of my Qing Dynasty is tense everywhere. In the Green Mountain House, there are toasts, elegant people gather, and the table is full of delicacies. We are eating hard here.

It’s okay. My Qing Dynasty family is rich and powerful, so we are not afraid of eating.

Lord Qiao said that he was holding a banquet to celebrate Shao Quanzhong's success. In fact, he had been planning this banquet for a long time and was just waiting for the plum blossoms to bloom so that he could come to the Zhe Garden to appreciate them.

Therefore, although it was called a celebration banquet, there were no common people like the Taizhou prefect or the Green Camp captain who should have attended a celebration banquet. Instead, they were all elegant scholars who were proficient in poetry.

Wu Wenxi stood up with his wine glass in hand and said, "Since Lord Qiao came to Taizhou, the bandits in Qinhu Lake have been eradicated, the salt smuggler Hou Boqiu has surrendered, and the three states of Tongtai and Yangzhou are safe and sound, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. This is all due to Lord Qiao's contribution.

When the Huai Army was first established, it cleared the three states and eliminated stubborn bandits. Lord Qiao, with his achievements in both civil and military affairs, is a pillar of the southern sky of the Qing Dynasty. It is only a matter of time before he will shoulder a heavier burden for the Qing Dynasty.

Please drink and congratulate Master Qiao!"

Everyone raised their glasses together, and the sound of flattery was endless.

Amidst the harmonious atmosphere, a discordant voice arose.

"The plum blossoms bloom before the New Year, and there are more plum blossoms after the New Year. I know that spring is beautiful, but what can I do about my sorrow?

Alas, my hometown Jiangyin is still being ravaged by the Guangdong bandits, and I am living in Taizhou, with no food or clothing. Although I am in a prosperous place, I have no good works to produce. "

Everyone stared at this fool who ruined the mood, um, the talented Jiang Chunlin.

This guy had only been a minor official of the eighth rank, the Salt Field Ambassador, for a few years. He didn't know how to please his superiors, nor could he make money from salt. Now he had been driven back and was unemployed, so of course he was full of complaints.

Wu Wenxi shook his head helplessly.

He had long seen that Jiang Chunlin had no talent for managing the world, and was just a poor scholar who was suitable for "riding a donkey into Jianmen in the drizzle", unable to be an official, and only suitable for "writing lyrics". He deserved to be left with no food or clothing.

He once warned his eldest son Wu Ziyi not to associate with this poor man, so as to avoid bad luck.

However, this poor man was very famous in the literary world, and such occasions that required praising Lord Qiao would inevitably require literati to flatter him, so they invited him.

Who knew that dog meat cannot be served at banquets? They are just pointing at you to add a few words to liven up the atmosphere, but you really think you are a dish.

There was a lull in the conversation. Wu Fu tiptoed into the hall, fearing that he would disturb the old masters' interest. "Master, Shao Quanzhong is here."

The sound of military boots stepping on the stone pavement in the corridor could be heard, the door curtain was lifted, and Shao Quanzhong walked in dressed in military uniform.

He wore a blue wool military uniform with a belt, a pistol slung over his shoulder, and a Western command knife at his waist.

He wore a wide-brimmed hat, a tweed coat, and smelled bloody, which was out of place with the atmosphere of the banquet.

He took off his hat after entering the room, and knelt down in front of Qiao Songnian, "Greetings, foster father."

He stood up, put on his military cap, tapped his heels together, and saluted, "Greetings, Sir Wu!"

Jiang Chunlin fanned his nose. "I heard that he killed more than 600 people in Guazhou? A butcher coming to this elegant place is really a spoiler for the scenery."

Wu Wenxi was even more dissatisfied and glared at the great talent Jiang.

This butcher is the host. What qualifications do you have to judge Lord Qiao's adopted son?
He coughed and said, "Yu Ting fought hard. Without Yu Ting personally braving the arrows and stones to kill the bandits, how could you scholars have the opportunity to compose poems and essays?
Yuting, come and sit next to me."

Shao Quanzhong took off his hat and sat down. Qiao Songnian looked at his adopted son with a smile, "Yuting took Guazhou in just thirteen days this time, and it was a clean victory.

I heard that under Yuting's rule, people in Guazhou do not lock their doors at night and do not pick up things on the road. Yuting, your father is very satisfied with the soldiers you have trained.

I have recommended you to be the sixth-rank salt transport judge. You must make more military achievements in the future."

"I will follow my adoptive father's teachings." "Come on, welcome Yu Ting back triumphantly, let's have a drink!"

Everyone raised their glasses and drank it all. Qiao Songnian sighed, "Even though Hou Batian has been defeated, it will take several months to collect the profits from the salt transportation and distribute them to your Huai Army.

"I don't have any money to give you for the time being. What are your plans, Yuting?"

"I will report this to my foster father right away."

Shao Quanzhong raised his voice, "Siwen!"

Zhang Siwen walked in with his head held high, accompanied by a few personal soldiers. He looked around the house and pointed at the huge painting of flowers and birds in the hall.

Two bodyguards opened a large scroll and hung up a topographic map of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Shao Quanzhong stopped drinking, put on his military cap, took out white gloves from his pocket and put them on, then took the teaching stick handed to him by Zhang Siwen and pointed at Jinling first.

"Now our Qing army is besieging Nanjing. But Nanjing is heavily guarded. I don't think it will be taken down in a few years. We can only fight a stalemate here."

"In the areas of Suzhou, Changzhou and Hangzhou, the Jiangnan camp was destroyed by the Guangdong bandit Li Xiucheng's troops. There are no organized troops of the Qing Dynasty in southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang.

Li Xiucheng established the pseudo Sufu Province with the intention of taking over Shanghai, seizing all the wealthy lands in the south of the Yangtze River, and cutting off the Qing Dynasty's route to transport money and grain to the north.

But Shanghai has the support of the British and French allied fleets, and the foreign rifle corps will greatly expand its army, so the Guangdong bandits cannot be defeated.

There will always be a tug of war here in Jiaxing, Qingpu and Ningbo. With the foreigners helping us for a few years, there won’t be any major changes in the situation.”

"Here, the Hunan Army is besieging Anqing. The Guangdong bandit Chen Yucheng's troops have joined forces with the Nian bandits Gong Deshu and Sun Kuixing, gathering a hundred thousand people and occupying Tongcheng, hoping to lift the siege of Anqing.

At the beginning of this month, Chen Yucheng's troops failed in their attack on Zongyang and their plan to support Anqing failed. The next step should be to enter Hubei and approach Wuchang, intending to attack Wei to save Zhao.

It would take at least one or two years for our Jiangbei government troops to encircle and suppress Chen Yucheng's troops.

Therefore, according to my humble judgment, the situation of suppressing Guangdong bandits will not change much in one or two years.

Our Huai Army is currently weak and is not in a hurry to join a battlefield with tens of thousands of people to serve as cannon fodder.

These two years are a great opportunity for us to train an elite army. We should build high walls, store up food supplies, train elite soldiers, and wait for the right time.

When the Guangdong bandits are exhausted and their elite troops have been almost consumed by the Hunan Army and the imperial army in northern Jiangsu, our Huai Army will join the battlefield with a sharp edge, determine the outcome in one fell swoop, enter Nanjing, capture Hong the rebel alive, and build a great achievement for our adoptive father. "

Qiao Songnian clapped his hands softly, "Okay! Let's do as you say, Yuting.

The Huai Army is not in a hurry to expand its army. First, we need to train two battalions. When my father has straightened out the Lianghuai salt industry and the money and grain have increased greatly, we will have money and grain, and then we can expand the army and prepare for war. "

Wu Wenxi flattered him immediately, "Lord Qiao is a master of strategy, Yuting is a good fighter, if we retreat, we can protect the safety of the people in Huaibei and Huainan, and if we advance, we can destroy the Guangdong bandits and achieve unprecedented achievements.

"It is a blessing for Taizhou to have Mr. Qiao in charge and Yu Ting as assistant."

Shao Quanzhong stood at attention and said, "I have finished my report. I am just a warrior, and I am not suitable for this elegant banquet. I will take my leave."

Lord Qiao nodded in agreement. Shao Quanzhong waved his hand, and Zhang Siwen led his men to roll up the map and prepare to go back to the village with Shao Quanzhong.

Jiang Chunlin's lazy voice came from behind, "A good gathering of scholars has turned into a discussion of weapons. The crude spirit of warriors has overflowed, which is really a disservice to the mood."

All the officials glared at Jiang Chunlin, but Jiang Chunlin remained unafraid. “I have lost my official position, so who should I be afraid of?”

"Did I say something wrong? Ask Butcher Shao to write two lines of poetry for me. If he does better than me, I'll take my words back."

Shao Quanzhong held up his command knife, looked at the plum blossoms outside the window, and said, "The red plum blossoms are like the blood of heroes, staining the battle robes!"

He turned around and walked out of the door proudly, only to hear the neat sound of military boots gradually fading away.

There was a moment of silence at the banquet, followed by a roar of genuine applause. Qiao Songnian stroked his beard with satisfaction, "My son has a heroic spirit, not bad, not bad."

Jiang Chunlin sat there in silence, distraught.

(End of this chapter)