In terms of official positions and grades, Changlu Salt Transportation Commander Chonghou was taller than Han Xiufeng.

However, Han Xiufeng is not only an official in Beijing, but also an imperial envoy who inspected the coastal defense under the order. In the words of the people, he was "the third level of official position" so Chonghou had to come to pay his respects according to the rules.

They were all people who came from the "Houyi Hall", but they had never seen each other before, and they had never dealt with each other. But with Enjun around, they didn't feel separated. After a few greetings, they talked about the serious matter.

"Brother Han, the emperor has sent you here! I'm not afraid of my brother's jokes. Brother Yu's Yunshi is frightened. He hasn't slept for a few good nights until now when he received the news that the Western barbarians invaded Guangzhou. He really can't sleep at night!"

"Three shocks a day?" Han Xiufeng asked with a wry smile.

"So sometimes, the less you know, the better." Chonghou sighed lightly, put down the teacup and said worriedly: "Ye Mingchen cannot make the decision, and he dare not make the decision without authorization. The Western Yi will come sooner or later. But there are four turrets built on the north and south sides of Dagukou and Daoguang in the 20th year. There are only more than 1,000 green camp soldiers and more than 40 rusty iron cannons that can be used. Can these little soldiers and these little cannons be blocked by the Western Yi?"

Han Xiufeng could understand his mood at this moment, because once the Western Yi gun ships broke into Dagukou, before the Governor of Zhili, Zhili governor and reinforcements from the Beijing camp arrived, the emperor would definitely order him, the salt transport envoy to take charge of the maritime defense. At that time, he would not be able to meet with the Western Yi without authorization, nor would he personally agree to the conditions proposed by the Western Yi. He would also not be able to take advantage of the Western Yi’s foothold and catch the Western Yi off guard. He could only wait for the Western Yi to fire the gun and then fight back.

Not to mention whether the battle could be won by missing the opportunity, even if he could decide when to start the battle and seize the opportunity, the two battalions of soldiers from the Dagu Association are not opponents of the Western Barbarians.

Thinking of this, Han Xiufeng asked in a low voice: "Brother Dishan, the emperor issued an order to the general of Tianjin Town to be careful, why is he still so relaxed?"

When Chonghou mentioned this, he was depressed and said helplessly: "I don't know that the first two generals were acting. The longest time they worked for less than a year, and the same was true for the deputy general of the Dagu Association. The current generals and the deputy generals of the Dagu Association are not even acting, but nursing. I don't know how many days this official can do it, so they have no intention of training troops and strengthening maritime defense."

“It will be replaced too often.”

"It's like a lantern, it's really a yamen official."

"Where is Ulehong, what are you busy with in Ulehong?" Han Xiufeng asked again after thinking about it.

He had no scruples with Han Xiufeng and said bluntly: "The Emperor ordered him to act as the Chief of the Lu Yanzheng, not only to let him supervise the Chief of the General Lu Yanzheng. But he was fine, he didn't care about the matter of coastal defense, only knew how to focus on the salt tax, only knew how to purchase tributes and arrange for them to be presented. Many tributes were not purchased in Tianjin, and a few days ago, even sent people to Suzhou and Hangzhou to purchase them."

The imperial court issued an order to exempt all localities from offerings, but the Changlu Salt Transportation Department, Lianghuai Salt Transportation Department, Jiangning Weaving, Suzhou Weaving and other yamen are not listed here.

According to the rules, Changlu Salt Administration has to attack four times a year, namely the New Year Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, the Emperor's birthday and the Empress Dowager's birthday. The tributes are mainly silk, jade, porcelain, furniture, etc.; in addition to these four tributes, antiques, birds, flowers, fruits, food, etc. are also offered seven or eight times a year. Some tributes are fixed, such as 40 cages of birds and 5 barrels of Buddha's hands every April.

The emperor received a lot of contributions every year, but in fact he only looked at the list of tributes, and sometimes he couldn't even read them, let alone used them. Those tributes purchased for a large sum of money were said to be registered and booked into the treasury of the Internal Affairs Office, but in fact they ended up in the homes of officials and even clerks of the Internal Affairs Office.

Ulehon came out of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and could not have known about this, but he still regarded offering as a top priority, which shows that he was a "knowing to be an official".

Thinking that offering was indeed a big deal, Han Xiufeng really didn't know what to say, so he simply changed the topic: "Brother Dishan, you don't have to worry about these things."

"How do you say this?"

"Think about it, if the Western Yi really attacks on a large scale, can they rely on the four forts on both sides of Dagukou and the two battalions of Dagu Association resist? In other words, if there is a war, it depends on reinforcements!"

"This is the case with Dagu Association, and the bidding may not be much better."

"Zhili governors, the price increase and the price increase are not enough. Is there still a Beijing camp and a Mongolian horse team?" Han Xiufeng smiled and continued: "It is said that a soldier is a bearish nest. Whether it is the Green Camp or the Eight Banners, the reason for the abolition is that this problem lies in the roots. As long as someone who commands the army and thinks about a way to provide food and salary, I guess I can still fight a war with the Western Barbarians."

"Brother Han, are you talking about Senggelinqin?"

"Now I can only count on the Monk King. He is not idle in the capital. He goes to Nanyuan to train the horse team as soon as he has time. What's more, the emperor is not prepared at all, otherwise he wouldn't have ordered Xiufeng to inspect the coastal defense."

"But what's the use of just patrol!"

"It's useful, it's very useful." Han Xiufeng took a sip of tea and explained patiently: "Let's say that, the monk is stepping up training troops in Beijing, and I am here to stand in front of the battle. When fighting, it is about the right time, place, and people. There are many things to do next."

"What do you do?" Chonghou asked subconsciously.

"The map of the Ministry of War was still from the Qianlong Dynasty. So many years have passed, and the times have changed. It would be a joke to rely on the maps at that time to march and fight. So we have to not only re-draw a map quickly, but also gather people to measure whether the direction of the Haihe River has changed, how wide the rivers are, how deep the water is, especially the terrain and water level of Dagukou and Beitang."

Looking at Chonghou's thoughtful look, Han Xiufeng said again: "Before coming, I have read a lot of official documents about Dagukou. Several of them mentioned that there was a river sand outside Dagukou. The water was only two feet wide, the water was more than meter deep, and the water was more than time to rise.'. Three years ago, when the Yiqi chief Bao Ling came, the "small military aircraft" from the Military Affairs Office had read it, and even used this as a reference to several military ministers. With this river sand in the Western Arts, the cannon ships from the Western Arts could not enter."

Chonghou has never led a war before, and he really doesn't know or understand these things. He can't help asking: "Is there any such a river sand block?"

"Yes, I went to see it in the afternoon and asked about the fishermen nearby."

"Can we block the Western Yi's gunship?"

"I have never measured the depth of water at high and low tides. However, according to the fishermen, it should be able to block a large ship equipped with dozens of cannons when the tide is low, but it will definitely not be able to block the small gunboats of the Western Yi." Han Xiufeng touched the corner of his mouth and said helplessly: "Now, it is no longer comparable to the 20th year of Daoguang. The gunboats of the Western Yi no longer rely on the wind, and now they are all steamboats. Whether there is wind or whether the wind direction is beneficial to them is no longer important."

"That's useless to stop Jiangsha?"

"It's useful, at least it can stop the cannon ship."

Han Xiufeng thought for a while and then said, "The river channel is wide and narrow, how many feet and how many meters deep, how often the tide rises every day, when the tide falls, whether the southeast wind or southwest wind blows, all of these must be clarified quickly; the terrain of Dagukou and Beitang banks must be investigated clearly so that the fortress can be repaired and reinforced according to local conditions, so that the walls and trenches can be dug under the fort; then, the worst-case scenario should be made, and the water and land routes from Dagukoukou to Beitang to Tianjin and Tongzhou must be investigated clearly, where it is easy to go, where it is difficult to walk, where it can be blocked, where it can be set up, where it can be defended, and what is the best idea!"

Chonghou finally understood why the emperor valued the person in front of him, and finally understood why the emperor ordered the person in front of him to inspect the coastal defense. Thinking of the young master of Taipu Temple who had not only dealt with the Western Italians but also fought wars, and Senggelinqin, who was waiting for the battle in the capital, suddenly felt that if he really fought with the Western Italians, he would not necessarily lose. He couldn't help but ask, "What do I need to do?"

"Since Brother Dishan has opened this mouth, Xiufeng will not be polite to you," Han Xiufeng took a pre-written charter from the desk and handed it to him: "All what should be done is written on it. I wonder how long it will take for Brother Dishan to complete it?"

Chonghou did not dare to issue a military order easily. He took the list and looked carefully. After estimating for a while, he looked up and said, "It will take three months at the earliest."

"Three months are three months, but you must have to carefully investigate."

"Don't worry, brother, I will send reliable people to do it."

...

I watched Chonghou, the Changlu Salt Transportation Commissioner, and invited Changlu Salt to manage Ule Hong'e and Tianjin Daoyingyu.

Before coming, he found out their details. Han Xiufeng had nothing to say to them, the two mediocre officials who only knew how to make money. He greeted them perfunctorily for a while, accepted the two stacks of silver notes they gave, and then served tea to see them off.

Seeing the nursing chief Yue Keqing A, who knelt down and apologized as soon as he entered the door, and Yu Shuangfu, the deputy general of the nursing Dagu Association, Han Xiufeng was not so easy to talk. Not only did he not let them get up and speak, but he also cursed with a gloomy face and gritted his teeth and cursed: "Yue Keqing A, Yu Shuangfu, before coming, the emperor also mentioned you to me, saying that the Ministry of War would ask for abdication, and ordered me to check how your errands were doing when inspecting the coastal defense. If everything was true, I would submit a memorandum to ask for approval. But you were so relaxed and dereliction of duty. I think you would not be able to make up for this lack of money."

"Sir, please forgive me, I am humble... I really don't know that I am missing the opportunity to come to inspect the coastal defense."

"Is this a matter of nonsense? Is this a matter of whether I welcome my official? It's simply outrageous!"

"I am confused, I am unrestrained, and I am not able to speak..."

While begging for mercy, Yu Shuangfu climbed to Han Xiufeng and took out a stack of silver notes prepared early: "Mr. Han, this is a little bit of my wish. Please give up your hands and spare me. Bei Zhi will summon the left and right second battalions to practice early tomorrow morning..."

Han Xiufeng really didn't know how they were the general officers and deputy generals. Thinking that they were nursing and the real dependence on Dagukou was not them, he simply took the silver note and put it aside. He said with regret: "Since you know your guilt, I will just open it and give you a chance to atone for your sins. I will practice well from tomorrow. If you dare to enter the warehouse again and put your horse in the Nanshan Mountain, don't blame me for showing mercy!"

"Mr. Mr. Xie, please give up your hand!"

"It's getting late, hurry up and go back."

“Wait.”

He drove away two idiots. Yongxiang, who hadn't seen him for more than three years, walked in with Enjun. When he saw Han Xiufeng, he felt bitter and burst into tears.

"Okay, OK, a big man is crying and not afraid of others hearing jokes." Han Xiufeng signaled Eun-jun to bring the towel and ask him to wipe his face. Then, while greeting him for tea, he said bluntly: "I reminded you back then, Brother Bochuan reminded you, and Zhonghua has reminded you more than once, asking you not to get too close to Lianshun, but you don't believe it and have to curry favor with him. Who can you blame for this now?"

Yongxiang was speechless and dared not speak out.

Han Xiufeng sighed inwardly and continued, "Before coming, Bochuan and Zhonghua mentioned you, saying that letting you and Brother Dishan come to Tianjin to serve is a stopgap solution. Thinking about it, he neither led the troops in the Dutong Yamen nor worked part-time jobs. He could not support him even if he wanted to support him. He could only let you run errands and do odd jobs in the Yunsi Yamen first."

"Second Master, stop talking. I came to this point and it was purely my own fault."

"Just give up on yourself?" Han Xiufeng asked back, then changed his mind: "Since you are here, don't leave, just follow me in the future."

Yongxiang was stunned. Seeing that Enjun was constantly winking at him, he realized that he quickly stood up and said, "Xie Si Master, Xie Si Master, Xie Si Master's care, I know that Fourth Master, you are a nostalgic person!"

"Okay, okay, I've said it's my own person, why bother to be so disgusting?" Han Xiufeng picked up a document prepared early from the desk, thought about counting a few newly collected silver notes, and handed them to him, "But you can't even enjoy the leisure time with me. You have been in Tianjin for a while and are more familiar with the place than me. These errands can only be handed over to you."
Chapter completed!