"As long as there are not many soldiers, Qishan's northern army can lift the siege of Taizhou!"

“That’s right.”

"What if the bandits wandered around like before?" Li Changjing asked again after thinking about it.

Han Xiufeng touched the corner of his mouth and analyzed: "If the bandits want money, they will definitely go to Suzhou and Hangzhou; even if they go north, they will go to Yangzhou and Qingjiangpu to Beijing. What's the case in Taizhou? Taizhou only has salt, and salt cannot be eaten as food."

"So that's how can this city be defended?" Zhang Guangcheng looked at the two of them and asked.

"As it said, whether you can defend it, especially whether you can defend it, you have to find out where the bandits and where the reinforcements are!"

"I was just asking my cousin in Yangzhou to inquire about Jiangning, but I forgot to ask him to inquire about reinforcements."

"It's still time to inquire now."

"Okay, I'll let Zhang Si get ashore here and ask him to go to Yangzhou quickly."

...

Han Xiufeng waited for him to explain to Zhang Si, and when Zhang Si climbed ashore, he pointed to Xu Laogui's charter and said, "I thought Xu Laogui had some tricks, but in the end he wanted to produce a strong man in each armor."

"Exemption of corvee labor?" Zhang Guangcheng asked subconsciously.

"Yes." Han Xiufeng nodded.

“Where does the food come from?”

"Where can we come from besides persuading the gentry to donate?" Han Xiufeng closed the constitution of Xu Laogui and said with a wry smile: "I said Xu's surname is how dare I take this job? It turns out that Xu Laogui had already thought of him to bring the yamen runners transferred from Xinghua to force donations. Moreover, the bandits will soon be in the city of Yangzhou. We can't train this village chariot for a few days. When we enter the city, we will eat the food from the city. In other words, he doesn't have to raise much food and money."

"It's enough to raise food for more than ten days." Zhang Guangcheng pondered.

"Yes, so this errand is not difficult." Han Xiufeng thought for a while and then said, "Two, since we have to make preparations, the local heroes must take it seriously. I will go and say that it should not be difficult to move the three gangs of local heroes who are training to Jiangyan. The top priority is how to recruit the four hundred assigned by Xu Laogui."

"Then let's do what Xu Laogui said, let each A produce a young and strong man!"

"That's fast, Brother Li, or you will go ashore later and call the village agreement from here, Baozheng and Chief A, and hand over this matter, and summon the gentry to tell them, so that they can donate some food and wages."

"Where are you?"

"I will go back to Hai'an to hand over the handover with Fang Shimei. After the handover, I will lead the village to Jiangyan." Han Xiufeng paused and then said, "Second Young Master, you go ashore in Jiangyan. First find a good camping place, and then summon the gentry to persuade the donation of food and money. Isn't it a 20% discount to donate the top dress now? Tell them clearly that as long as you donate a top dress and donate some money and food, you can do an errand in the township."

Zhang Guangcheng asked in surprise: "Brother Han, are you talking about letting those gentry lead the troops?"

"I don't care about so many enemies. As long as they are willing, they can lead troops. They can come to the village to serve as a brave man or organize their own group training. If they can help a group of young men, they are supervisors, and if they can help a battalion of young men, they are officials. Isn't Xu Laogui trying to donate money? Let's help him! Didn't Xu Laogui want a brave man, a brave man, a brave man, a brave man, a brave man, a brave man, a brave man, a brave man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, a man, to protect the city. Not to mention four or five hundred, I can help him find even four or five thousand!"

"But will this be too big? Brother Han, think about it, if all the gentry turned into officials and shouted out when they went out, they could summon dozens or even hundreds of young and strong men. Will they listen to anything in the future? Will they still take us officials seriously?"

"That's the future. Even if there is one day, what's our business?"

"Brother Li, Brother Han is right. Things are prioritized. Now it is important to train the local bravery and defend the city."

"Okay, anyway, I have been dismissed. I may not be able to open up the office. Even if I can get a Kaifu, I will not become an official in Taizhou." Thinking that the Taiping bandits were about to fight to Yangzhou, Li Changjing couldn't help but smile and said, "Even if I were asked to become an official in Taizhou, I will not do it anymore."

"Then let's just say that, the boatman, dock!"

"Brother Han, Guangcheng, then I will take my family ashore first and see you in Jiangyan."

"It's a blessing for Brother Li, let's wait for your good news."

...

Seeing Li Changjing leave, Han Xiufeng held the tent and looked at the west side, then opened the curtain and entered the cabin again.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he sat down, Zhang Guangcheng frowned and said, "Brother Han, it's hard to say Li Changjing just now, but this surname is not right. As the saying goes, the people don't fight with officials, but he actually goes out to fight with us, not even afraid of death!"

"Actually, I think it's strange. When you say that, I feel that he may not be just a small salt merchant, nor is he just a private salt dealer."

"Fortunately, he colluded with Yizhen's private owls. It's not difficult to find out his details. I explained to Zhang Si that when Zhang Si arrived in Yangzhou, he would go to inquire with my cousin Guangsheng."

"It's best to figure it out. We have at least a clear idea in our hearts. We won't be plotted against him like this time." Han Xiufeng nodded.

Compared to Xu Lequn, Zhang Guangcheng hated Xu Ying even more and said coldly: "Just as Li Changjing said just now, the person named Xu only stirred up the wind and fired. The real hateful thing is Xu Laogui. Do you think he really died for the court, but in fact he is betting on the future. Not only did he bet on the lives of the whole family, but he also took other people's family and children to gamble together. After all, it was all for him!"

"Yes, if he was really a loyal minister, as the chief inspector of the Qing army of Yangzhou Prefecture, why didn't he summon the Green Camp soldiers from Taizhou, the yamen runners and the young masters to help Yangzhou? He was worried that I would not save him when I saw death, so why didn't he do that!"

"Brother Han, we can all think of Xiang Rong and Qi Shan's reinforcements, and he, Old Gui Xu, can think of him!"

"It's really a mystery to the authorities. He is very cunning. How could he not have thought that the bandits would attack Yangzhou? If Xiang Rong and Qishan knew that Jiangning had been trapped, they would rush to Yangzhou and were on the way to Yangzhou." Han Xiufeng thought about it, and couldn't help but slapped his legs and smiled: "This old fox is not only guarding the city, but also doing it for the court to see!"

Zhang Guangcheng murmured: "Although it is dangerous, it is worth betting on him."

Han Xiufeng looked at him and asked, "Do we also take a gamble?"

"I'm already on the betting table, and I have to bet if I don't gamble."

"That's all I'm left," Han Xiufeng weighed the pros and said resolutely: "I've been betting with him, but I won't bet like him. Second Young Master, you are more familiar with me in the city than outside the city. Think about where it's easier to break out of the city. You have to leave more village heroes outside the city."
Chapter completed!