In the second half of the year, wars between the Qing army and the Taiping army became more frequent. As Zuo Zongtang's Xiang army pressed the border, the Taiping army in Hangzhou fell. The Taiping army stationed in Huzhou had become the last bastion of the Young Heavenly King.
The Taiping troops in Nanxun Town were in a panic, and Huang Wenjin, the king of the blockade, was even more irritable. The residents were afraid of breaking any rules and usually closed their doors after dinner and never left the house again.
The headquarters of the Taiping Army was originally located in Liu's house. Due to geographical reasons, the Taiping Army had to move to Xifendou Pang Mansion, which was surrounded by water on three sides, making it easier to retreat.
Zhang Songxian didn't know where he heard the news. It was said that the Qing army would soon regain Huzhou, including Nanxun, and there would be a bloody storm. Therefore, the silk industry colleagues in the town fled overnight with their families and their families. Originally, Liu Yong also
He wanted to leave, but Liu Yongniang fell ill again and could not move.
The Liu family had no choice but to stay. The town was under martial law the next day and it was too late to leave. Only Liu Shunheng and three or four other Silk Road families were left in the town who had no time to escape.
Liu Yong felt very sad when he said this. He thought that Yu Hui's grave was still alone by Taihu Lake, and he didn't know when it would be moved back to Nanxun.
Another half month later, the situation in the town became even more turbulent. The Taiping Army beheaded people on the white field at regular intervals, claiming that they were all spies who had illicitly collaborated with the Qing army. They were charged with various crimes, including spying on intelligence, and funding the Qing army...
Hong Ying strictly prohibited the children from going out and kept them in the backyard with their grandmother to prevent them from causing trouble.
In the afternoon of that day, Liu Yong was checking the goods in the warehouse when his cousin Liu Quan came to report that King Du's guards had arrived at the door and wanted to take Liu Yong to see King Du.
Hong Ying was settling accounts in the accounting room. When he heard the commotion outside and came out to take a look, his face turned pale with fright. He wondered if the Liu family had offended the Taiping Army in some way.
Liu Yong forced himself to calm down and comforted Hong Ying, saying: It's okay. I've seen King Du twice. He also has one nose and two eyes, and he doesn't eat people.
Hong Ying watched helplessly as Liu Yong was taken away, her heart clenched. Not long after Liu Yong left, she quietly followed him outside the door of Xifendou Pang Mansion and looked around.
Liu Yong was brought into the Pang Mansion to see Huang Wenjin, the king of Du, and Huang Wenjin's face was stern. Liu Yong was pounding in his heart, foreboding that a big disaster was coming.
Liu Yong paid a visit to King Du, who said: Those silk merchant bosses secretly ran away in large numbers, but you did not run away, which shows that you have confidence in our Taiping Army and are very loyal.
Liu Yong was confused after hearing this. King Du brought him here just to praise him, right?
Liu Yong lowered his head and did not dare to say more. He only said slightly: I don't dare to take it, I don't dare to take it.
King Du asked the guards to serve tea to Liu Yong. Liu Yong thanked him for taking the seat, but he sat on pins and needles and felt uneasy.
King Du took a sip of tea and said: I heard that Boss Liu opened a foreign business in Shanghai and became brothers with foreigners. He was very familiar with them?
When Liu Yong heard this, his soul flew away. He quickly stood up and saluted and said: Report back to the king, there is absolutely no such thing, it is all rumors. I did business in Shanghai, but it was just selling raw silk.
Huang Wenjin, the king of Du, sneered and said: Just selling raw silk? Don't think I don't know. How can you sell raw silk to foreign countries if you don't know foreigners?
Liu Yong thought that he was in trouble now. Associating with foreigners was the most taboo thing for the Taiping Army, as was liaison with the Qing army. Will King Du have an operation on his own head today? Let's kill the chicken to scare the monkeys.
Before he could figure out how to respond, King Huang Wenjin changed his face and smiled at Liu Yong: Boss Liu, I invited you here today and want to ask for something from you.
Liu Yong was so distraught that he thought King Du would ask him to put his head on his shoulders.
Liu Yong looked at King Du in horror and trembled: What does the king want?
Huang Wenjin stared at Liu Yong with a straight face and said: Get me two hundred foreign guns!
How could Liu Yong dare to say "no" and ask: When will he want it?
Huang Wenjin said: The war is tense now. I can't wait too long, so I will give you a month.
Liu Yong kept saying: Yes, yes! I will find a way next time.
Huang Wenjin smiled and served tea to see the guests off. Liu Yong walked out of Pang's house and found that his clothes were soaked.
Hong Ying, who was guarding the door of Pang Mansion, saw this and hurriedly rushed forward to support Liu Yong.
Hong Ying asked anxiously: What happened to make you so anxious?
Liu Yong shook his hand and said, "Let's go home. We'll talk about it later."
Under Hong Ying's repeated questioning, Liu Yong revealed that King Du asked him for arms.
When Hong Ying heard this, his heart went cold. Asking for arms from the Liu family was tantamount to forcing the Liu family to a dead end. Now that Master Zuo Zongtang's Hunan Army has regained the lost ground, the Taiping Army will soon be unable to hold on. At this time, they are blocked.
Wang provided arms, and if he was accused of colluding with the Taiping Army, he would definitely be executed in the future. Thinking that his old mother-in-law and four children would be implicated, Hong Ying almost went crazy.
Hong Ying said anxiously: Master, for the sake of this family and the sake of the children, you must not agree to them.
Hong Ying begged: Let’s think of other ways!
Liu Yong said: Don't worry, I know the severity.
Back at Silk Road, Liu Yong and Hong Ying did not mention what they had experienced today in front of the elderly and children. After dinner, the couple returned to their room gloomily.
The couple were speechless. After sitting for half an hour, Liu Yong said: Hong Ying, take your mother and children to Shanghai. Nanxun is no longer safe now.
Hong Ying exclaimed: What are you talking about? If you want to leave, the whole family will naturally leave together. Whether you want to live or die, the family will be together.
Liu Yong said: As long as I am here, you can leave.
Hong Ying said firmly: You are the backbone of the family. If you don't leave, no one will be willing to leave. If Sister Yu Hui were here, she would definitely think the same as me.
Liu Yong said helplessly: Forget it, I'm tired today, don't think about it anymore, let's talk about it tomorrow! Liu Yong lay down on the bed tiredly.
Hong Ying said softly: "Then you should rest first. I'll go check on the children to see if they are asleep."
Hong Ying covered Liu Yong with a quilt, went out of the room, and went to Mrs. Ying's room next door to see if An Jiang was asleep.
An Lan and An Jiang were playing together. When they saw Hong Ying, they called "Mom" affectionately. Hong Ying stroked their little heads, feeling filled with sorrow.
Suddenly, Liu Yong's cousin Liu Qing walked into the backyard. When he saw Hong Ying, he asked: Sister-in-law, where is my brother?
Hong Ying said: He has already rested. Why haven't you gone home yet? Is something wrong?
Liu Qing pulled Hong Ying aside and whispered, "Let me go to the Daqing Teahouse quickly. Someone wants to see him."
Hong Ying hurriedly asked: Who is it?
Liu Ting whispered: I don't know, but the man said that he is the person I must see. He also told me to do it quietly and not to be seen.
Hong Ying nodded: I understand, you go back first.
Hong Ying entered the room, shook Liu Yong and said: Get up quickly, someone wants to see you again.
Hong Ying relayed Liu Qing's words to Liu Yong. Liu Yong frowned and said, "What day is it today? One blocking king in the morning is enough to annoy me, and another one comes in the evening!"
Hong Ying put on Liu Yong's coat and said, "Be quiet and don't let anyone see it."
Liu Yong walked out and said: I understand.
Hong Ying walked in front and opened the door of the Silk Shop for him. He looked over and saw several Taiping soldiers on the bridge not far away, staring at Liu Shunheng's Silk Shop.
Hong Ying hurriedly withdrew his head and said to Liu Yong: There are people watching outside, you'd better go through the back door!"
Liu Yong hesitated and said: I'm afraid someone might be watching at the back door.
Hong Ying said: Then I will go and lead them away.
Hong Ying went back, hugged An Jiang, held An Lan's hand, poked his head out of the back door, and then walked toward the countryside. Sure enough, he attracted the attention of the Taiping Army who were watching.
The Taiping soldiers who were following him thought that Hong Ying was running back to the countryside with his two children, so they immediately followed him closely.
Liu Yong watched as the people following him followed Hong Ying. He quietly walked out of the back door wearing a cloak and walked through the alley to Longqing Tea House.
Hong Ying took the children outside, played wildly for a while, then hugged An Jiang and led An Lan home.
The Taiping soldiers who were following him saw that they were following the wrong person, so they quickly returned to the back door of Silk Road to guard the place.
Liu Yong quietly came to the Daqing Teahouse. When the teahouse boss Xing saw it was Liu Yong, he greeted him warmly: Oh, it’s Boss Liu, long time no see! How are you always?
Liu Yong cupped his hands and said: So-so!"
Boss Xing asked: Boss Liu, please take a seat upstairs!
Liu Yong followed Boss Xing upstairs. After sitting down, he ordered: Boss Xing, if anyone comes to see me later, bring him over.
Boss Xing said with a smile on his face: Okay! You sit down first and I will make you a pot of good tea!
Liu Yong sat alone in the window seat, looking out the window at the deserted river, wondering who would invite him here?
Liu Yong was thinking when he suddenly heard the sound of "dong dong dong" footsteps on the stairs. Liu Yong saw a white-faced scholar and a black-faced man going upstairs together. The black-faced man looked wary. Looking at his walking figure, He must be a top martial arts master.
They came upstairs and stood in front of Liu Yong. Liu Yong stood up and carefully identified the person in front of him. Only then did he realize that the white-faced scholar turned out to be Mr. Chen, the then magistrate of Huzhou.
When Liu Yong was about to bow down, the black-faced man grabbed him and pushed him back to sit down.
Mr. Chen whispered: Boss Liu, although I have booked this teahouse, it is better to be careful.
Liu Yong said: Mr. Chen, I never thought it was you.
Master Chen signaled the black-faced man to go downstairs and guard. The black-faced man accepted the order and jumped down, leaving Liu Yong stunned.
Liu Yong cupped his hands and said: Mr. Chen, the Huzhou court was opened thanks to Mr. Chen's clear observation. The common people will remember it in their hearts. From now on, have you asked the common people for any instructions?
Mr. Chen got straight to the point and said: Let me open the sky and speak frankly. To make a long story short, I have just been promoted to Zhejiang Chief Envoy. I was appointed by Mr. Zuo to assist the Hunan Army in encircling and suppressing the Taiping Army living in Huzhou. I intend to capture the young king alive and completely destroy Changmao. Now that the war is urgent and funds are in short supply, I hope Liu Yong, the boss of Liu, will lead the Nanxun silk merchants to provide money to support the Qing army.
Liu Yong asked: How much does Master Chen want to raise?
Master Chen said: Even Cixi and Lafayette know that Nanxun silk merchants are rich, so in times of crisis, you must actively contribute to the court and raise at least 20,000 taels of silver within ten days.
Liu Yong said: The common people tell the truth in front of adults, but now all the silk merchants in the town have fled, and there are only three or four small silk shops left, and they don't have that much money.
Mr. Chen's face darkened and he said: "Don't think that the court doesn't know how much tax your Nanxun silk merchants paid to Chang Mao. Boss Liu, if you don't want the court to settle accounts with you in the future, it's better to get the money as quickly as possible."
Master Chen said that and walked away. Before leaving, he left his last words: Just send the money to Guangji Bank within ten days.
After Mr. Chen left, Liu Yong was almost paralyzed in his chair. He thought: It's true that misfortunes never come singly. Both sides are forcing him to die. One is liaison with the imperial court, and the other is liaison with "Lance". Which one is not a capital crime?