[Comprehensive] The five elements are short of money

Going straight to the study, everyone is waiting here, all of them frowning.

As soon as Xue Xun sat down, Mr. Niu asked, "What is the master planning to do?"

Before Xue Xun could speak, Qi Hong said, "Our brothers are only in the early [-]s, and there are two ships equipped with artillery fire. I can't fight it. Many brothers were injured in the Guazhou battle, and the morale is low when the battle starts this New Year's Eve."

This is not a complaint, it is the truth.

"Everyone has any opinions to talk about, and we can work together." Xue Xun had the first victory in independently presiding over Guazhou's customs clearance, but he was not so arrogant that he already knew everything.

Everyone saw that Qi Hong made it clear, Xue Xun was not angry, and looked at each other, each of their plans were in their eyes, and they knew it well.Mr. Niu took the lead in saying: "Nowadays, there was a rout of the army before, and then the city of Hangzhou closed its doors and closed its doors. With a stable rear, we must first start a war with Hangzhou. We are in the middle of the splint, no matter which side we fight, we will be encircled and outflanked. Why use our own wealth to make wedding dresses for others. Master, if you don’t mind , how about we go back the same way?"

"What Lao Niu said is not unreasonable. Jinling is our foundation. The news just came that the refugees in the city have been subdued. The imperial court has reoccupied Jinling. Shi Gui is still the magistrate. The leader of the refugees has been punished and is under the orders of the crown prince. The leader of the garrison has also been put to death. After all, we and the Shijia are old relatives, and we should support each other. Besides, there is room for us to use our means in Jinling." Mr. Ma also agreed with this opinion.

At the beginning, they were ambitious to support the new monarch because of a map, but only now have they realized that the founding monarch of any dynasty has no base, and they drive a few ships like them around the world, like rootless duckweed .Uncle Liu still has the reputation of a royal family, but the Xue family doesn't have this life-saving talisman, so it's still difficult to protect himself, so what's the big deal.

Xue Xun was surprised. Could it be that everyone's confidence is so low?They just passed through Guazhou City without casualties, and those excited cheers were not fake, what happened?

Seeing that the master's expression had softened, Mr. Ma continued to insist: "Master, don't feel ashamed to go back. We are in business, and there is no one who is not wronged. How often do we knock out teeth and swallow blood, and we, Ye Luo, are not ashamed at all."

Return to the roots?

Xue Xun suddenly realized that he still underestimated the rural plot of people in this era.If he can find a place to belong to, just like when he said the destination was Wuzhou, everyone still has something to look forward to.When encountering difficulties like now, what everyone thinks is not to solve the problem immediately and go straight to Wuzhou, but to return to Jinling, where they were born and raised.The words "Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots" express their hearts.

People like Xue Xun who wander around the world and can settle down in every place do not understand this kind of rural plot, or the convenience of transportation and communication, the assimilation of cities, the unity of language, and the diversity of food, let Xue Xun used to live in It's the same everywhere, forgetting that today is different from the past.

Xue Xun pondered for a while, and slowly said: "The ancestral house in Jinling has only been built for a hundred years. The five generations of Xue's family are from Xuzhou, Mr. Ma is from Taiyuan, and Mr. Niu is from Qingdao. When I joined the General Administration Department when I was a child, I probably didn’t know where I was from. When my late father met you, it was definitely not Jinling. One can imagine that Jinling is not necessarily our hometown. He also said that my hometown is where my heart is at ease, and it is the time when we are setting an example for future generations, and we are people wherever we settle down, so there is no need to deliberately return to Jinling."

"Let's take a step back and say, let's go back to Jinling, but does Jinling still have a place for us? Xue's family moved without saying hello to the government. Will this ready-made handle be given to him? Even if the court is in trouble, the emaciated camel is bigger than a horse, and it is more than enough to clean up the Xue family. I blushed when I came out, Shi Gui and I have nothing to do with each other. I am not afraid to go back and bow my head, but the lives of my brothers are in his hands."

"Looking at the current situation, although Hangzhou City is guarding its door tightly, it is not that there is no room for negotiation. Wasn't it the negotiation last time in Guazhou? Don't think too hard about things."

Without a base, it makes people feel uneasy. No matter how nice Xue Xun said, it can't change the fact that they are adrift on the boat.

Mr. Ma tentatively asked: "What if we can't talk?"

"The defeated army is about to arrive, and the prefect of Hangzhou is not a fool, naturally there is room for negotiation." Xue Xun said with a smile: "But Mr. Ma's worries are right, so we need to find a place to station first, what do you guys think of Cixi? "

Cixi is located on the south bank of Hangzhou Bay, facing Jiaxing across the sea, and only a hundred kilometers away from Hangzhou.

"But where there are large tidal flats, our boats are too deep to go up." In such shallow waters, only small boats have the opportunity to go ashore, but they didn't bring many small boats.

The common people also knew that there was a war going on along the coast, and they were all shrunk inside the city. They couldn't recruit fishing boats even if they wanted to.

Xue Xun finally understands why each leading actor was an official and general of the previous dynasty before achieving hegemony, without a legitimate base, how to accumulate strength and develop power.

Xue Xun pondered for a while, and said: "Have all the merchants who came with us left? They are locals, so they should have merchant ships." Building ships and warships like Xue's are not easy to come by, and ordinary civilian ships are still very expensive. simple.

"It's a way." Mr. Niu stroked his beard and thought.

"Golden Beast, go and invite Zhu Qing over here." Xue Xun ordered.

"Master wants Miss Zhu to be in charge of collecting civilian ships?" Yinshuang asked.

"Zhu Qing made a lot of contributions in the Department of General Administration in the early years, and she is not lacking in knowledge and ability. Now she is my righteous sister, and it is most suitable for her to come forward." Xue Xun smiled and mentioned Yinshuang: "In the future, I will call her a big girl. , my younger sister who hasn't left the house, deserves the treatment she deserves."

Yinshuang clasped her fists, but she wasn't unconvinced.Yinshuang and Zhu Qing were colleagues at first, he was a man, as long as the master did not fall, making meritorious deeds only in an instant, Zhu Qing was different, without the special care of the master's blue eyes, how many meritorious deeds she had made in her lifetime would not be able to be publicly stated.The master doesn't look at gender like this, and only looks at credit, which is right for Tie Xue and Yinshuang's thoughts. Even a woman can appreciate it, let alone them.

Xue Xun and Zhu Qing have no ambiguous relationship between men and women, which is more fair and reassuring to subordinates.

While waiting for Zhu Qing, Xue Xun asked Yinshuang about Hangzhou City.

"Wang Shunu, the magistrate of Hangzhou, was born in an honorable family. He has no prejudice against businessmen, so he must be fond of incense and fire." Although Xue's family does not have a title, they are also classified as honorable.

Xue Xun smiled wryly when he heard the words, even Shi Gui, who was once as close as a brother and was so moved, was vulnerable in front of the emperor's order, let alone this Wang Shunu who had never heard of it.

"Is he related to his wife's family?" Xue Xun asked, both of whom were surnamed Wang.

"No, Madam's natal family is the King of Jinling, and this king's uncle is the King of Luoyang." Yinshuang replied.

"Does Uncle Wang know the news about the collapse of the army?" Xue Xun asked.

"I'm afraid I don't know now, and the news of the army's defeat can't be hidden. If Wang Shunu has his own plans, he should be able to get the news in these two days."

"Okay, then wait for two days, and I will talk to Wang Shunu after he gets the news."

It was time for Zhu Qing to speak, so Xue Xun made arrangements for her to be in charge of collecting boats and clippers, and asked her to discuss matters together.Zhu Qing has this ability, and now that she has become a family again, she should be asked to contribute more.

The merchants who followed Xue Xun's merchant ship all the way south also had a preliminary understanding of Xue Xun's ambitions. Looking at the extent of the ruins of their hometown in front of them, they knew it was time to find another way out.The Xue family only collected ships and paid according to the market price, and the merchants had no complaints.They saw with their own eyes that Zhu Qing was regarded as a righteous sister, and they cooperated very well.

In fact, the Xue family wanted to rob them by force, and these businessmen who hadn't had time to enter the city could do nothing about it, but obviously using money to open the way made people feel more at ease.Everyone is familiar with the Xue family's approach. Compared with the bullying official army, the businessmen have the feeling that the Xue family is their own in their hearts.

Zhu Qing was efficient in his work, but in two days he got more than [-] clippers and recruited many good swimmers.Speaking of these masters, they belong to the Cao Gang. The Cao Gang runs through the entire inland river shipping.

When ready, the soldiers will set off in two groups at the same time. Tie Xue will set off two days earlier, leading people straight to Cixi, and occupying the city as king.

"Seek the greatest benefit with the smallest loss. If you can discuss with the magistrate of Cixi, don't use swords; if the government leads the people to rebel, only punish the evil leaders. Restrain brothers not to burn, kill, and loot. This will be our base. It’s not about grabbing a ticket and leaving. Let’s not slaughter the city! If you can’t attack by force, you can retreat. In the long run, the lives of the brothers are what I value most.” Xue Xun urged the iron blood who was about to go to war earnestly, he really cherished it. Human life is really unavailable.The Xue family claims to have a business network all over the country, but how many people can still be contacted now, these 2000 people are his reliance, and there is nothing to lose.

"Master, don't worry, your subordinates will live up to what you entrust." Iron Blood clasped his fists and bid farewell.

Don't worry, there is no way. This is the first time this team has fought with real swords and guns. In the past, they used to be spies and guards. When they were in Guazhou, he took advantage of it.To become an army, this guard team can only be trained in blood and fire if they fight a few battles with real swords and guns.Xue Xun understands the truth, but he is still reluctant, this is his greatest reliance.

Watching Iron Blood lead people away, Xue Xun forced himself not to be distracted by Iron Blood, and headed for Hangzhou City with the Golden Beast and a team of guards.When they arrived, Wang Shunu should have received the news of King Nan'an's defeat.Now that the rout is approaching the city, Wang Shunu should have a face to talk about.