In Taihu County, Anqing Prefecture, figures swayed on the dilapidated west wall. Wu Dacai had just put down the hoe, and he just stood there with the hoe propped up. He looked back at a group of people walking on the street in the city. His closest subordinates came over and pouted on the ground.
spit out a mouthful.
Wu Dacai turned his head and glared at the subordinate, "Don't tell me you bitch, don't look over there. That's someone from the Military Department of Daotai Yamen. It's terrible to see him."
The subordinate shrank his head and said, "It's clearly the magistrate of Taihu County."
"Didn't you see that Magistrate Yang has walked to the back? Adults are very particular about walking, just like in our military camp. Look at who dares to walk in front of the adults."
"The county magistrate and the army are not good at it. We are an invincible soldier. They asked us to build the city wall..."
After Wu Tac Choi looked around, he waved to the subordinate who was close to him, took him to a farther place, stopped, and slapped the subordinate on the head.
The subordinate covered his head and took a step back in panic. Wu Dacai pointed at him and whispered, "Where did my lily wood bed go? It's been a month since Jiangnan came back, and there's still no fucking sign. Are you there?"
Is Anqing sold?”
"Mr. Qi, what are you talking about? How dare I do that? That lily wood bed followed the boatmen. They came back against the current, and they may not be able to reach it even if they walk for a month." His subordinates waved their hands repeatedly, looked around and then came back, "
Maybe the boatmen have arrived, but we are not in Anqing, so we will definitely find it when we get back."
"It depends on who you are looking for to do things. The second thing is that the bed is not available. Don't let them talk nonsense. Today, Jiang Guoyong reported that three people in the first department secretly took jewelry and silver in Chuzhou, and their family members were in Anqingkou.
Yan Shi, all three of them have been arrested and imprisoned. We are just waiting for Mr. Pang to come back and question the charges. Do you still want your head? I told you not to move or not to move, but you insisted that it was okay."
The subordinate had a sad look on his face, "It's not my fault. Who asked the Taiyamen to randomly transfer us? It wouldn't have happened if we stayed in Anqing. Mr. Qi, what kind of official does the Taiyamen count? I didn't see it during the serious war.
, once Pang Daren is gone, our garrison will become the soldiers of Daotai Yamen."
Wu Dacai snorted. The entire garrison camp was quite complaining about Daotai Yamen. They had just returned from Jiangnan. Due to the rapid expansion some time ago, there were basically no trained supplementary soldiers. Each department was short of establishments. Soldiers and generals were short of men and horses. Daotai Yamen
They were almost not allowed to repair it, so they were recruited from various places. When they arrived at Taihu Lake, they were used by the military department and the magistrate to build earthen walls.
Looking back, I saw that the earth wall was crumbling everywhere, and it required soldiers to lift it up bit by bit with picks, and to compact it with manpower. Even if it was tamped with wooden piles, Wu Dacai felt that it would be useless. The climate of Taihu Lake is similar to that of Tongcheng.
Even if there is a little bit of soil, as long as there is a heavy rain in summer, more places will collapse.
After cursing in his mind, more than ten cavalrymen entered the city from the south gate. At this time, Yang Zhuoran and others had already walked east into the ruins. This group of cavalrymen stopped at the door for a while and came in the direction of Wu Dacai and the others.
.
"Get the sword and gun quickly!
There was a commotion on the earthen wall, and many soldiers from the garrison camp were shirtless. They could see the west side of the city wall where they were located. They had no idea where these cavalry came from, and even the flag troops on guard outside the city did not give any warning.
"Line up! It's Panda!" Wu Tachai saw the person coming clearly, jumped up like a spring, jumped down the earth wall from the collapse, and shouted loudly at the roadside.
The earthen wall was in a mess, soldiers were looking for ways to get off the wall, and many people were looking for clothes.
"Stand still first"
The flag of the Second Division was raised at the foot of the northern wall, and Wang Zenglu also hurried over. Wu Dacai howled loudly, urging his men to stand down from the wall. The soldiers in place were hurriedly getting dressed.
The cavalry stopped just in front of them, and Wu Tachai immediately stood up, not daring to show off his anger, and not daring to care about his soldiers anymore, and stood motionless under the wall.
Pang Yu watched the chaotic scene from horseback. Many soldiers were shirtless, holding hoes and baskets in their hands, and were covered in mud.
When Wang Zenglu arrived, Pang Yu said coldly, "You brought my second division into this state?"
"Subordinate..."
"The second division, armed with armor and weapons, will line up outside the south gate in half an hour."
Pang Yu didn't wait for Wang Zenglu's reply, turned around and rode towards the south gate.
…
"What does General Pang mean? This part of the garrison camp was ordered by Lord Daotai to garrison Taihu. You should know that there were still bandits coming from Beishan yesterday. Why did Pang garrison lead the troops and retreat without authorization?"
The Second Division assembled outside the city, and the movement alarmed the residents of the city. The military officials who arrived were furious. Yang Zhuoran was beside the officials, but he did not speak.
This official from the Military Department of Daotai Yamen was very rude, but Pang Yu was not angry after hearing this. He was also familiar with this official. When Shi Kefa first arrived in Tongcheng, he was among the officials he brought with him, and he was regarded as Shi Kefa's.
As one of his confidants, the magistrates from all over Anqing were quite polite to him.
Pang Yu laughed and said politely to the military officer, "Don't be surprised, Mr. Jiang. I didn't lead the troops to retreat privately. It was just because I received a secret report from the upper reaches of the river the day before yesterday, saying that the eight thieves and the Gypsophila troops appeared.
Luotian, Tingqian Post, all the soldiers and horses of Fucheng have been mobilized to various places. Once the bandits pass through Susong and go directly to Wangjiang to capture Fucheng, Anqing may be endangered. I don't dare to delay the military plane, so I have hurriedly reported to Master Daotai with Mr. Pi.
, transfer the second division to return to assist Anqing."
The official was stunned and stretched out his hand and said, "Does Master Daotai have any documents here?"
"The military situation is like a fire. If the city is lost due to documents, who can bear this heavy responsibility?"
"This..." The official looked at Pang Yu and opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't say anything. He was assigned by Shi Kefa to cooperate with the local officials to restrain the army. If he really wanted to talk about these battles, he would not even look at Wangjiang You.
If you can't tell a few roads clearly, how can you know whether it will endanger the city, let alone for him, an official, to bear the responsibility.
Yang Zhuoran raised his hands to the official and said, "Yang, come and have a few words with General Pang."
After that, he walked over slowly. Pang Yu had not met Yang Zhuoran much, but after a transaction on the city tower that day, he had some understanding of this man's nature, and he took a few steps to the side to avoid other people.
Yang Zhuoran stared at Pang Yu for a moment before saying, "I haven't even finished congratulating General Pang on Jiangpu's great victory. The general's fame has spread to the south of the Yangtze River. We, the Anqing officials and the gentry, are all honored."
"You're welcome, Your Excellency."
"The garrison camp came to Taihu, but the thieves stayed away. The people of Taihu wanted to thank the general for being saved. But as soon as the general returned, he disobeyed Lord Daotai's military order, which was a bit inappropriate."
When Pang Yu heard that Yang Zhuoran also pulled out Shi Kefa's banner, he bowed politely and said, "Master Yang, please understand that I met Mr. Zhang Du in Jiangnan. Later, the officials and gentry in Nandu were too hospitable and had no choice but to stay a little longer."
He also personally led the troops to rescue Taihu Lake, so that Mr. Yang was frightened by the bandits, which is a crime for me. However, the city is in danger, so Mr. Pi hastily urged me, and I have no choice but to do so."
Yang Zhuoran listened to Pang Yu's wishes and became Zhang Guowei's confidant. He also gained new military fame and moved the southern capital. He might not listen to Shi Kefa's orders.
After thinking about it, he said, "The city is backed by a mountain and faces a river. The city is high and the pond is deep. Even if we only recruit some soldiers to go to the city, the bandits will not be able to break it overnight. General Pang has transferred his soldiers and horses. If Taihu City is destroyed because of this, the general can't
Can you bear the huge responsibility?"
Pang Yu smiled and said, "Master Yang is joking. Taihu Lake has been destroyed a long time ago. How can the city be destroyed again?"
Yang Zhuoran was stunned. He didn't expect Pang Yu to speak so bluntly. He twitched the corner of his mouth twice and said, "Taihu Lake was destroyed last year, but thousands of people gathered here within a year. Regardless of whether the city was destroyed or not, this
The lives of the people are irreversible, so how could General Pang bear to say this?"
Pang Yu's eyes wandered around the city gate. The people watching were sparse and many were skinny. "Master Yang's words are a little inappropriate. Since the massacre of the city, Taihu has only had two thousand people at most. When the Yingshan thieves appeared this time,
, most of the people have fled to Fucheng, and there are only a few hundred in Taihu City. How come there are thousands of people, I think you can count them yourself."
Yang Zhuoran turned his head away and said with a smile, "General Pang means that the only one who cannot escape from Taihu City is me."
Pang Yu said without hesitation, "That's the truth. Taihu Lake was destroyed last year, and there are only ruins in the city. Even if the rogues come again, not one more county magistrate will die."
The muscles on Yang Zhuoran's face twitched twice and he didn't say anything for a while. Pang Yu glanced at him and continued, "I have been thinking about this since I agreed to Master Yang to garrison Shipai last time. The Shipai camp has been prepared for a long time.
When I returned to the south of the Yangtze River from Chuzhou this time, I had obtained Zhang Duye's approval that our garrison camp could be stationed in Shipai Town, and I immediately ordered people to start building the barracks. But the people from Yinzhuang replied to me, saying that Mr. Yang seemed
He changed his mind again and did not intend to deposit the money for building the city in Dajiang Bank. It didn’t matter whether the business was successful or not. Instead, Mr. Yang used my soldiers and horses as coolies to build the city wall. Even the military rations were obtained from Daotai Yamen from Shi.
I bought it with cards, but Mr. Yang didn’t produce anything. I think the same thing as Mr. Yang just did, and I also feel that something is wrong.”
At this time, the second division had assembled outside the south gate. Some people in the city packed their things in panic and prepared to flee to Anqing with the army. After all, this army had never robbed anything in the past few days. Once this army left,
Well, Taihu Lake is an undefended place. If we follow the army to Anqing, we will be safe on the road.
Pang Yu waited quietly for Yang Zhuoran. This Yang County magistrate was smart and had a good impression on Shi Kefa. He persuaded Shi Kefa to mobilize the garrison camp to Taihu Lake to help him defend the city and build it. In this case, Pang Yu's role was
Not much. So Mr. Yang changed his mind and raised more than 60,000 taels of silver to build the city. He spent all of it on official bank loans in Anqing and Chizhou, which paid higher interest than Pang Yu gave.
Pang Yu came here to take away Taihu soldiers and horses this time. Pang Yu wanted to let Yang Zhuoran know whose soldiers and horses the garrison camp belonged to.
After a long while, Yang Zhuoran finally said, "I think General Pang has misunderstood. I want to wait for the general to return and personally verify with the general whether he will station troops in Shipai."
"I will tell Mr. Yang at this time that the garrison camp is stationed in Shipai, not Taihu. If Mr. Yang thinks that the previous proposal is feasible, I can still abide by the agreement. If the garrison camp has more people in the future, it can be set up at Fengxiangyi
With one army, you will have nothing to worry about in Taihu Lake."
"In this case, I will ask the general to leave his troops, and I will deposit the silver at Dajiang Bank. However, the bank in front may have lent a small amount and cannot withdraw that much at the moment."
"That is Mr. Yang's business. Mr. Yang broke the contract first, so this credit is not reliable. When did the first deposit of 40,000 taels of silver arrive at Dajiang Bank, and when did the garrison return to Taihu Lake?" Pang Yugao.
After saying that, he waved to Wang Zenglu who was lined up over there and said, "March stone."
…
On Matang Lake in Shipai Town, the setting sun sparkled, and the Second Division of the garrison camp was setting up camp. Many residents of Shipai Town came out to watch. Unlike ordinary officers and soldiers, these officers and soldiers came and went several times, and the people recognized them.
If you know not to grab anything, you can still watch a lot of fun.
"Sir, look over there. That piece of land was given by the Tang family here. It's right by Matang Lake, but the terrain is higher. It's cheap to get water in the camp on weekdays. It won't be flooded in summer. It's just that the well needs to be dug deep.
Some."
"Then we will set up camp here. I will go to the Tang family in person tomorrow to express my gratitude. Although they are gifts, we will also give some money. Those people brought back by Chuzhou, as long as they are not craftsmen or apprentices of the silver village,
Send it here first and let them build the wall and dig ditches." Pang Yu put a piece of cake into his mouth. It is a specialty of Shipai, called tribute cake. It was once sent to the palace as a tribute, and it suited Pang Yu's taste.
Mr. Hou clicked with his pen and finally decided on the location of the stone plaque. He also breathed a sigh of relief. Following Pang Yu, an energetic young leader, Mr. Hou was also a little tired. He had just selected the documents to be sent to each camp.
Well, Pang Yu asked him to be in charge of the new camps in Shipai, Leigang and Songyang. Leigang was relatively simple. There were existing navy camps there. Shipai and Songyang were both newly built, and both involved water and land camps.
.
"Sir, I have something to say."
"Mr. Hou, please speak." Pang Yu said and handed over a few pieces of the tribute cake in his hand.
Mr. Hou quickly followed, and after taking a bite with Pang Yu, he said, "I feel that no one in Taihu City is without food. The villages along the official road around the city are like ghosts. If we recruit laborers, we will have to walk dozens of miles to transport food and goods."
The losses are huge, and these 60,000 taels are not enough to build the city wall."
"What do you think,"
"Master Yang didn't expect to finish building the city wall."
Pang Yu nodded and said, "The adults in Anqing Mansion also know that it can't be repaired, and they are probably also eyeing that sum of money. In addition, there are Susong and Qianshan. But right now, Shidaotai is focused on building the city. I heard that he also wants to follow
The imperial court wants internal funds to build castles in various places in Anqing."
Mr. Hou sighed, "Shi Daotai was determined to build the city and fortress. Your Excellency violated Shi Daotai's wishes this time and took the soldiers away from Taihu Lake. Shi Daotai will have a grudge in the future. Although Zhang
I appreciate it, but Shi Daotai is in Anqing after all, so I'm afraid... Sir, should you go to Tongcheng to meet Shi Daotai and have a good discussion?"
Pang Yu nodded and said, "Of course I have to go. Why did I have to take away the soldiers from Taihu? It's all because of the Daotai Yamen's deployment of troops this time. All the chief officers of the four divisions obeyed. It was Jiang Fan who sent me an urgent letter, so I could
I learned that Mr. Hou sent to the secretarial offices of various ministries one of the things to do in the future is to let the soldiers and generals know who should listen to this garrison."
"This, this subordinate understands, but..."
"It's just that sir, you don't quite understand how to make the soldiers listen to you." Pang Yu smiled and said, "I will naturally give you some power, and the soldiers must listen to you. Otherwise, I will go through life and death. How can I be promoted to an official position?
?If the elite soldiers we trained are wasted like this, we might as well go to Nanjing early and become a rich man."
Mr. Hou knew that Pang Yu was joking, so he put away the book in his hand and said with a smile, "As for your official position, this time we have the Jiangpu Victory and the Chuzhou Victory. It is not impossible to say that you should be promoted to guerrilla and general."
Pang Yu glanced north and said, "How big an official you want to be depends on what the emperor thinks. Look at Jiang Chen, who can be promoted more easily than him? He doesn't look upright and virtuous, but he becomes a virtuous and upright person."
Ke, I became the head of the Household Department without doing anything, and even though I have been through life and death, I am still a low-level warrior in their eyes."
Mr. Hou was about to persuade, but Pang Yu raised his hand, "I'm just talking. I won't go if someone from the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Works invites me. This time I got Leigang and Songyang, and set up Dajiang Bank in Nanjing."
, the things in my plan are gradually taking shape, sir, I have taken care of several new camps and the affairs of the army secretary. There is Fushe support in Nanjing. Regardless of whether the emperor gives us an official position or not, there will be a time when we soar into the sky, the warriors