The bandits besieged Jiangning and Yangzhou was in danger. Although Xu Ying moved to Taizhou, he still couldn't sleep at night.

As soon as the rooster crowed, he got up and discussed countermeasures with his friends. At dawn, he went to the city wall to inspect. After the inspection, the city wall went to the street to prevent spies from spreading rumors, prevent profiteers from raising prices, and prevent the little girl from causing trouble in the chaos... After a round trip, he returned to the yamen and went to the signing room to follow the reports of his family members who rushed back everywhere. He was not allowed to go to the church until he knew the situation in Taizhou.

Jiangning is too far away, so I can only send someone to Yangzhou to find out the news.

Before moving to Taizhou, he left two families in Yangzhou. After moving to Taizhou, he sent twelve yamen runners. Regardless of whether there is any news in Yangzhou, he would receive a report every other hour.

The salt merchants in Yangzhou City planned to "redeem the city", and the news that Yang Dianbang, the governor of the canal transportation, approved it. Xu Ying not only knew it but also knew it earlier than Han Xiufeng, which made him more worried about the safety of Taizhou. Just as he was about to send another family to inquire about the reinforcements, Master Hu hurried into the signing room.

"Dongweng, Han Zhixing sent his family to report that he had led Hai'an and Qutang two troupes of townships to set off. He would arrive at Baimi this afternoon and arrive at Jiangyan at noon tomorrow at the latest. Zhang Guangcheng and Li Changjing did not go to Hai'an with him, but instead recruited townships to Shilipu and Jiangyan in the east of the city."

"That's all?" Xu Ying asked with his head up.

"It's more than that," Master Hu looked at the letter in his hand and then said, "As soon as he returned to Hai'an, he and Fang Shimei summoned the gentry to persuade the donation. One of the gentry in Hai'an recognized the donation. Dean Gu of Fengshan Academy in Hai'an sent his family and Han Zhixing's family to bring a donation list and more than 58,200 taels of silver."

"Where is the silver?"

"The money is all out, this is the donation list."

Xu Ying took the roster and looked at it, and said coldly: "Why are all gentry members and Han Zhixing?"

Master Hu reacted and hurriedly said, "Han Zhixing's four thousand taels were also sent, a total of nine thousand eight hundred and sixty taels. Dongweng, all the money was sent, and he had to give them a license. What should you do if you talk about this?"

"What's the difference between sending Yangzhou to the thief?" Xu Ying asked back, put down the list and said, "All the silver is deposited into the state treasury, and make it clear to the ambassador. One or two less official officials want his head! As for the ministry, please draw a document, and say that local gentry and businessmen do not show off their eagles without seeing the rabbit and the eagle, and they are unwilling to pledge their donations without seeing the ministry. Together with the donation list, they will send them to Yangzhou quickly."

"Dongweng, the official documents are easy to write, can I get a blank photo after just submitting them?"

"If you can't get it, you have to get it. I told Zhang Tingrui that if you can't get it today, I will go to Yangzhou to apply for it in person tomorrow!"

"Dongweng, isn't that appropriate?"

"When is it, what's the right fit?"

"Yes, they can even do something like redeeming the city, and there is no need to give them face." Master Hu nodded and said, "There is another thing. Han Zhixing said that Han Chen, ambassador of the Jiaoxichang Salt Course, learned that Jiangning was surrounded and Yangzhou was in danger, so he quickly recruited more than 300 township heroes. Huang Zhixin, deputy envoy of the Jiaoxichang Salt Course, led the township heroes to help Yangzhou."

As the general chief of the Qing army in Yangzhou Prefecture, Xu Ying was able to manage all the prefectures and counties under Yangzhou, but he could not manage the salt fields in Huainan. He said with a gloomy face: "He is a salt official. Not only Yangzhou is the one who is rushing to help, but also the Yunsi yamen. What's the matter with us?"

"Wang Zhixin didn't know if he was really sick or was afraid of death. When he arrived at Qutang, he fell ill and asked the more than 300 rural brave men to Han Zhixing. Han Zhixing didn't know what to do."

"Did Han Zhixing say that those rural heroes are not worthy of use?"

"Han Zhixing said in the letter that he was all young and strong, and he didn't know whether he could be used."

Xu Ying pondered: "It's a pity that the young and strong are delivered to the door, but it's not appropriate to just accept it like this. After all, they are rushing to help Yangzhou, so just stop Liu Liangju and Minglun may be able to shirk the responsibility of losing the city in the future."

Master Hu agreed deeply and couldn't help but sit down and said, "Dongweng, this matter has been reminded of me. Think about it, even a small ambassador of the Salt Course Department knows how to rush to Yangzhou. If we keep our troops and only guard Taizhou, will we be criticized for not saving you in the future? Those censors only know the news that they don't care about us even if we summon troops."

"Of course you can't go, but your concerns are not unreasonable. We cannot try our best to defend the city but end up being punished, so we still have to rush to help, but we have to think about how to rush to help." Xu Ying paused and said, "What's more, what we need now is not just a village warrior who can fight, but also time! Just by demolishing a few bridges and filling a few rivers, it's impossible to stop the bandits."

"I ordered Han Zhixing, Li Changjing and Zhang Guangcheng to lead the village to the junction of Taizhou and Jiangdu to block it?"

"This is a solution, but there is no danger to defend at the junction of Taizhou and Jiangdu. Even if they fight all the village heroes, they can't stop the bandits." Xu Ying walked to the map that he had looked at these days again, pointed to the map and turned back: "Since you want to block it, why not let them go away, go to Wanfu Bridge, and set up defenses on the east bank of Liaojiagou!"

Although Liaojiagou is called a gou, it is not an ordinary ditch, but a big river that is more than three hundred meters wide and more than ten meters deep. Although the canals around Yangzhou City, Qili River, Henggou River, Shahe River, etc. are called rivers, none of them can compare to Liaojiagou. Liaojiagou is not only wide but deep, but also a very important waterway. It flows southward from the east of Yangzhou City, then turns east to converge with Mangdao River, enters Jiajiang, and then flows southeast to Sanjiangying and enters the Yangtze River.

In other words, as long as you can defend Liaojiagou, the bandits will not come to Taizhou!

How could Master Hu not know Xu Ying’s good intentions? But he still reminded him: “Dongweng, not only is there close to Yangzhou, but it is also under the jurisdiction of Jiangdu.”

"Aren't we going to help Yangzhou? How can we help Yangzhou if we don't go to Jiangdu?" Xu Ying asked back, then clenched his fists and said, "What's more, I, Xu Ying, is not the main hall of Taizhou, but the general commander of the Qing army. Not to mention sending the township heroes to Jiangdu, even if we go to Jiangdu to recruit township heroes, the magistrate of Jiangdu dare not speak out!"

"Okay, I'll just go back to Han Zhixing."

"Don't reply to him. If you have drafted the official documents of applying for the blank department, you will go to Jiangyan in person. I am really unsure if Han Zhixing is as amazing as it is circulated outside. Li Changjing is just a greedy person who is afraid of death. Zhang Guangcheng is also unreliable. I don't feel at ease if you don't go there for me."

A scholar dies for his confidant!
Chapter completed!