"No, no, no, we absolutely cannot do this. It is no different from open rebellion. Are you trying to drag me down?" Dong Shuheng shook his head and refused.
Fu Shanxiang's request is indeed a bit excessive.
Dong Shuheng could usually make some deals with them privately, but the risk of helping them support the Northern Expedition was too high. If he could openly fall out with the Qing government, Dong Shuheng's long-term efforts to hide his capabilities and bide his time would be in vain.
"Master Dong, isn't there any room for negotiation? Our Northern Expeditionary Army soldiers are deep in the north alone, without even winter clothes. Master Dong is also a Han. These soldiers are fighting Qingyao. They are fighting for us Han people.
To conquer the country, don’t Mr. Dong have any compassion at all?" Fu Shanxiang said indignantly.
"Fuck, this woman's mouth is really poisonous. She really is a female champion." Dong Shuheng complained in his heart.
"Miss Fu, the Northern Expedition's lone force is entirely caused by the decision-making errors of your Taiping Army leaders. No one with a little military knowledge will let their soldiers conduct such a long-distance attack without logistics. This matter
The only thing to blame is your Heavenly King and Dongwang. Can't they send more reinforcements?"
"You are not allowed to say that my brother still has the King of Heaven. You are just cold-blooded and ruthless, refusing to save anyone and disregarding the justice of the nation." Yang Ximei stood up angrily and cursed.
Dong Shuheng's words just now were indeed harsh. They were tantamount to scolding Hong Xiuquan and Yang Xiuqing for their lack of military knowledge.
In fact, the reason why the Northern Expeditionary Army ended up in such a situation in history that it started in full force and advanced alone, and was finally destroyed by the entire army, was largely due to the power struggle between the King of Heaven, Hong Xiuquan, and the King of the East, Yang Xiuqing.
Lin Fengxiang, Li Kaifang and Ji Wenyuan are all close generals of the Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan and are all very capable. Especially Lin Fengxiang is not only a good fighter but also very talented, and has always been jealous of Yang Xiuqing.
In order to weaken the power of the Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan, it was the Eastern King Yang Xiuqing who strongly supported the Northern Expedition led by Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang who captured Yangzhou. However, for more than half a year, the Northern Expeditionary Army had not received supplies and support. Not only that, Yang Xiuqing also gave Zeng Lichang to
Receiving his own camp is equivalent to poaching Lin Fengxiang's corner.
In this process, the Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan also made a mistake. He directly issued an imperial edict to Lin, Li, and Ji, telling them to go straight to Huanglong and not waste time by attacking cities and territories along the way.
He overestimated the Taiping Army and underestimated the Qing court. You must know that a skinny camel is bigger than a horse, and the Qing court has not yet reached the point of exhaustion after the Xinchou Treaty.
If the Northern Expeditionary Army had first occupied a base area in Henan and then slowly attacked Zhili, it would not be as stuck as it is now.
"Miss Fu, what you said means a bit of moral kidnapping. I have no obligation to help you make up for your mistakes. At this time, if your Taiping Army abandons Tianjing and the whole army goes north, I think it won't be a big problem to capture the city of Beijing.
Bar?"
Fu Shanxiang felt that what Dong Shuheng said made sense. But she didn't know how to answer him.
"Miss Fu is a smart person. She should know the secrets here. To put it bluntly, there are still some people who are greedy for the glory, wealth and comfortable life of Tianjing City. Miss Fu, your original intention has not changed, but many people have forgotten the oath made by Jintian Village.
.”
After hearing Dong Shuheng's words, not only Fu Shanxiang, but also Yang Ximei was stunned on the spot.
We all are not fools, so what qualifications do they have to accuse Dong Shuheng?
…
"It's getting late today, so you two girls should go back and rest first."
Dong Shuheng issued an expulsion order, and he still needs to think about transporting supplies to the Northern Expeditionary Army. At least he must first understand the situation of the Northern Expeditionary Army.
It is impossible to make a decision based on a few words from Fu Shanxiang.
Fu Shanxiang also knows that this matter is not so easy to decide. If it were easy to handle, the Kingdom of Heaven would have taken care of it long ago. Now that the Kingdom of Heaven is fully engaged in the westward expedition, it cannot send too many troops to go north. In addition, Hong, Yang and others are also worried about sending more people to the north.
Will they be surrounded in the north as well?
Therefore, we can only appeal to Huai Haijun, because only Huai Haijun controls the north-south traffic of the canal. In addition, Huai Haijun also has the power of shipping.
Fu Shanxiang pulled Yang Ximei aside and left the presidential palace. It was already dark.
Yang Ximei was still angry in her heart. Dong Shuheng was so stingy that he didn't even care about a meal even when it was dark.
The presidential palace in Yangzhou was renovated from the former Dong family's house. Although Dong Shuheng was rich, he always wanted to spend his money wisely. He could not tolerate spending money on personal enjoyment that had little practical significance.
Outside the Presidential Palace is a road. Illegal buildings have been demolished on both sides of the road, making it look very clean and tidy.
There are street lights at regular intervals on the road. The street lights emit bright yellow light, cutting through the darkness of the night. They not only illuminate the road, but also seem to add a sense of warmth to people's hearts.
"You two girls, please stay!"
At this time, a clear female voice sounded.
Fu Shanxiang and Yang Ximei looked back together, and it turned out that Wei Yuzhen was chasing after them.
"Sisters, it's getting late. My sister invites you to eat Yangzhou roast goose. Shuheng has something to do and can't come. Please forgive me." Wei Yuzhen invited with a smile.
Fu Shanxiang and Yang Ximei looked at each other, nodded and said, "Thank you very much, Miss Wei, for your hospitality."
It was the time when the lanterns were first lit, and there was an endless stream of pedestrians on the road. There were uniformly planned and constructed small stalls on the street, specially for small vendors. Some small vendors and craftsmen in the city could use these stalls as long as they paid a small rent.
In addition, there are now police patrols on the streets, and the gangsters who used to come out to extort money every day are gone. The life of small traders is much better than before.
The reform-through-labor system in Huaihai Haijun is very strict. It not only targets criminals, but also former gangsters and idlers in the city. All are sent to farms for labor reform.
Lazy people and idlers are not allowed to appear within the Huaihai Navy's sphere of influence. Now that the country is in a critical period of change, every Chinese has the responsibility to contribute to the development of the country and the nation. Therefore, even a beggar is looked upon within the Huaihai Navy's sphere of influence.
Less than.
Because of the good public security, there were many women walking around and shopping on the street, so the three of them walking on the street did not look out of place. The guards followed behind and kept a certain distance. They gave the impression that they were three ordinary women going shopping.
"Sister, your Huaihai navy has installed so many street lights on the road. Isn't it a waste? Many people can't even light oil lamps at home." Fu Shanxiang said. After all, she is the number one scholar and a commoner herself, so she knows the sufferings of the people.
When I was in Dongwang Mansion, I repeatedly advised Dongwang face to face not to be extravagant and wasteful.
When I arrived in Yangzhou today, I found that Huai Haijun also liked to do such extravagant and wasteful things to celebrate success.
When I arrived at the Presidential Palace just now, I saw that Dong Shuheng's presidential palace was simply decorated and there were not even any maids. I had some admiration for him in my heart, but now it disappeared.
"Sister, you are wrong about this. If you had read a book called "Economics" published by our Huaihai Bookstore, you wouldn't say that."
With that said, Wei Yuzhen pointed to the pedestrians on the street and said to Fu Shanxiang: "Sister, have you noticed that there are a lot of pedestrians on the street at night, and many of these people come out for shopping."
"Most of our residents in Yangzhou City have to go out to work during the day, and only have the opportunity to go out for activities at night. So we installed street lights on the streets so that the vendors do not need to hold another oil lamp. At the same time, the street lights are decorated and the streets are filled with light.
Yicai, everyone is more willing to go shopping. Shopping people exchange the wages they earn for needed goods, and those small traders and craftsmen also earn income to support their families, and then buy products produced by workers and
Farmers’ food. If there is no such thing, workers will keep their money at home, and farmers’ food will be stored at home, then how will these small traders and craftsmen make a living?”
After listening to Wei Yuzhen say a lot, Fu Shanxiang seemed to understand something. When he saw the vibrant scene on the street, he recalled that in Tianjing City, there was a curfew at night, and everyone could only stay in their own buildings, which was lifeless.
.
If she had a choice, of course the current Yangzhou would be better and closer to the Kingdom of Heaven.
They came to a roast goose restaurant. The lobby was already full of guests, many of whom were merchants from all over the world. The Canal Market was about to open, and Yangzhou gathered a large number of merchants, which also promoted the prosperity of Yangzhou.
The guard has already reserved a private room for the three of them in advance.
Entering the private room, the three women started chatting. Wei Yuzhen was very envious of Fu Shanxiang for being able to get the top prize. As a woman, she couldn't be more proud.
Fu Shanxiang asked about Wei Yuzhen's bookstore work, and also talked about some things about Huaihai Academy. He heard that Wei Yuzhen was still teaching in the academy, and he admired her very much.
"Sister, you are really amazing, you are actually a female teacher!" Fu Shanxiang said with admiration.
At the same time, she also admired Dong Shuheng's ability to agree to his woman doing things, which was unimaginable in the current social background. Unconsciously, the score that had been cleared just now was added a few more points.
"Sister, if you can win the first prize, your literary talent must be very good. You can also submit articles to our bookstore in the future. Sister will help you publish the book." Wei Yuzhen said with a smile.
After a while, the food was served, and Wei Yuzhen chatted with Yang Ximei about Shuyun, Shumei, and the women who stayed in Gaoyou.
At this time, the voice of a northern man came from the room next door. This man had a loud voice and spoke with a Tianjin accent. Wei Yuzhen and the other two could hear the content of his words clearly.
"Hey, brothers, have you heard about it? The imperial court allocated funds to mobilize 20,000 elite soldiers from Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Mongolia under the command of the Taoist monk Gelin Qin, allowing him to train troops in Tianjin while surrendering bandits. He also ordered the Ordnance Bureau to build muskets.
, artillery. I think the bandits in the north may not be able to survive for a few days! Our business in the north will be easier in the future." The businessmen at the same table also agreed and applauded.
Yang Ximei and Fu Shanxiang frowned, showing deep worries.
Wei Yuzhen naturally saw what they were thinking and said with relief: "Sisters, there is no need to worry. Although I have not been involved in political affairs, I also know that General Lin and General Li are both rare generals."
"They entered Zhili from Shanxi and made many military exploits. Their military strength doubled. However, the Qing army used the tactic of strengthening the walls and clearing the country, burning all the treasury. The two generals Lin and Li were unwilling to plunder the people.
This has led to the current shortage of supplies. But I think with the bravery and skill of the two generals, we will be able to get through it."
Fu Shanxiang was about to speak, but Wei Yuzhen interrupted her and glanced at Yang Ximei next to her. Wei Yuzhen continued: "I know what the two sisters want to say. Shuheng also has his difficulties. Our Huaihai Navy is a start-up and is single.
We are weak, the Qing court has been keeping an eye on us, and every decision he makes affects the lives of thousands of people."
"Our Huaihai Navy is now putting all its efforts into regulating the rivers. It is a big project that benefits the people and requires a lot of manpower and material resources. Shu Heng will not mess with the Qing court at this time. But, two sisters, please rest assured,
I will try my best to persuade him and see if I can transport a batch of supplies through the canal. At worst, I will say that it was robbed by your army."
Wei Yuzhen's words were very sincere. The two girls were very grateful after hearing this and made no further requests.
On the contrary, Fu Shanxiang gave Dong Shuheng a few more points in his heart. Now that the war is in chaos, even the Qing government will not regulate the river.
At this time, the Huaihai Navy also invested limited resources in river management. How courageous this must be. It seems that the Huaihai Navy is not as simple as they thought. They are not ordinary local warlords.