Across the Water Margin: Officials of Ximen

Page 416

Tao Zongwang was born as an illiterate farmer with only brute strength. Since Huangmen Mountain, he has received many pointers from Jiang Jing, and the relationship with Jiang Jing can be said to be the closest.

However, since Tao Zongwang was separated from him in the battle of Zhujiazhuang, Jiang Jing has never heard from Tao Zongwang.

Although it was Jiang Jing who saw that Song Jiang was hostile to Tao Zongwang, he reminded Tao Zongwang to leave Song Jiang's Liangshan Army.But Tao Zongwang hadn't been in contact with him secretly in these years, and Jiang Jing thought Tao Zongwang had already died in the rebellion.

Now that he suddenly heard that Tao Zongwang was still alive and was taking shelter of Ximen Qing, a senior official whose strength surpassed that of Liang Shanbo, Jiang Jing was really overjoyed.

At the same time, Jiang Jing's heart skipped a beat and he realized where his future lies.

Ximen Qing stared at Jiang Jing, seeing that his friendship with Tao Zongwang did not seem to be fake, so he said to him: "Yes, after brother Tao Zongwang took refuge in me, I arranged for him to stay here in Ximenzhuang, Dengzhou. However, during this period of time, brother Tao Zongwang was Not in Dengzhou, but in Jinguo Posu Road in the north of the Bohai Sea. I have a new manor there, and Brother Tao Zongwang is responsible for building the city there. If you want to see him, follow me across the sea to Posu Road in a few days Bar!"

"I am a high official in Ximen, thank you for not killing me. Now that Tao Zongwang brothers have already surrendered to the high official, the small man has the courage to change his mind and join the high official as a pawn. I just don't know, the high official is willing to give to the small A chance for redemption?" Jiang Jing suddenly fell to his knees and asked Ximen Qing respectfully.

"Jiang Jing, I heard that you are good at calculating with books. People in the Jianghu call it a fortune teller. I have an abacus and chips here. You can get up and calculate these accounts with me." Ximen Qing handed Jiang Jing a sheet of paper.

"The villain obeys!" Jiang Jing got up, put the page on the table, picked up the abacus, and started dialing "crackling".

Ximen Qing stood on the side and observed silently. This Jiang Jing is worthy of being a magician.

Not long after, Ximenqing specially asked Jiang Jing several arithmetic problems, and Jiang Jing answered them one by one, without any mistakes or omissions.

This Jiang Jing is indeed an arithmetic talent!It's a pity that there is no special arithmetic test selection in the imperial examination of the Song Dynasty, otherwise Jiang Jing would not become a robber after failing.

Talents like Jiang Jing, who are good at arithmetic, were looked down upon by the Song court, but they were useful to Ximen Qing who wanted to develop science and technology.In addition, Tao Zongwang used his life as a guarantee for Jiang Jing, Ximenqing has decided to accept Jiang Jing and let him work for him.

Jiang Jing made suggestions for Song Jiang, and of course Ximenqing also received information about the defeat of Huyanzhuo's army by the Huaiyang army.From this, Ximenqing knew that Jiang Jing also had the talent of a military adviser.

However, for the newly attached person, Ximenqing will have to test Jiang Jing for a period of time before letting him get in touch with his military affairs.Ximenqing decided to ask Jiang Jing to be the accountant for himself first, to sharpen his temper and see the effect.

"Grand officials and villains have finished the calculations. Please check it out." Jiang respectfully held the answer to Ximen Qing with both hands.

"Don't look any further, Brother Jiang Jing, you're right. My business at Jin Guo Po Su Road is under the care of a shrewd accountant. Are you willing to go there and take care of my business?" Ximen Qing said pleasantly. Jiang Jing asked.

Ximenqing's "brother" means that he accepts Jiang Jing.Jiang Jing heard this, and said with trepidation and fear: "The high officials are killing me! The villain is a guilty person, how dare he call the high officials brothers and sisters? As long as he is not abandoned, the villain is willing to treat the high officials as his masters. The master reuses the small ones. Man, the villain is willing to go to the Kingdom of Jin to take care of the business for the master, even if he dies."

"Brother Jiang Jing doesn't have to be like this. Brother Tao Zongwang is worthy of my brother, so you don't have to be outsiders. Now that we have spoken, you and I should put aside our past differences and get along with each other as brothers." Ximen Qing said.

"No, although the villain is dull, he has already seen that the master is not a thing in the pool, and he will surely soar into the sky in the future. How can the villain dare to call his master brother and brother? The villain is willing to be attached to the tail, please let the master do it "Jiang Jing straightened his clothes again, made a big salute, and said to Ximen Qing seriously.

"Jiang Jing, since you have this heart, I will not stop you today. You and I will get along as master and servant first, and we will discuss it later." Seeing that Jiang Jing's mind has been made up, Ximen Qing no longer shirks it, so he accepts it." The fortune teller" Jiang Jing.

That night, after learning that Jiang Jing had joined Ximen Qing's command, both Du Qian and Song Wan came to Jiang Jing's temporary residence to celebrate with him.

Although Jiang Jing was betrayed by Du Qian and was captured, he was not killed at sea because of a blessing in disguise.Moreover, he was able to invest in a force stronger than Liang Shanbo, and his future is bright.

Thinking about it carefully, Jiang Jing would like to thank Du Qian for not killing him at sea.So after seeing Du Qian, Jiang Jing met him and smiled, letting go of his suspicions.

After a long talk with Du Qian and Song Wan, Jiang Jing became more and more admiring of Ximen Qing's supernatural powers, and also strengthened his judgment.

Chapter 682 Take the thugs to the north

When Ximenqing led a team to Qingzhou to give gifts to Qin Ming, Huang Xin, and Murong Yanda, and when Song Jiang and other Liangshanpo robbers were handed over to the Qingzhou government for execution, more merchant fleets were also sent to meet Du Qian who was staying on Haisnake Island. and Song Wan.

Therefore, when Ximenqing returned to Dengzhou from Qingzhou, Du Qian and Song Wan also transported the remaining food and weapons from Haisnake Island back to Dengzhou.

With so many materials, the warehouse built by Ximen Zhong was full, and it could not be filled.There are still more than ten ships of grain in the port that have not been unloaded, waiting for orders from the officials of Ximen Qing.

After Ximenqing called his brothers to hold a celebration banquet, he subdued the "magic fortune teller" Jiang Jing. When he woke up the next day, he handed over the task of handling this batch of grain to Jiang Jing.

Ximenqing asked Du Qian and Jiang Jing to escort the more than ten boats of grain across the sea to the north, and transport the grain to Posu Road.At the same time, Ximen Qing asked Huang Fuduan to follow him to his own territory on Posu Road.

Ximenqing told the three of them that because Du Qian and Jiang Jing were still the leaders of the Liangshanbo bandits wanted by the court, they were not in the limelight at this time, and it was not appropriate to stay in Dengzhou for a long time.Therefore, Ximen Qing asked the two of them to go to Posu Road and stay in the Kingdom of Jin for a while.

After Du Qian moved to Posu Road, he took over the post of guard from Brother Shi Yong, and was responsible for commanding the army and horses on Posu Road, protecting the safety of Ximenqing's territory, and managing the slaves in the territory.

After Jiang Jing left, he was in charge of various businesses on Posu Road, including collecting taxes on the transactions of merchants from various countries in the territory.But the first task is to sell the excess food transported over and buy the best horses from the Jurchen tribe in Posu Road.

After the Liaojin war broke out, the grain production in Liaodong was destroyed, and grain prices remained high.With Jiang Jing's shrewdness, Ximen Qing believes that he can sell the best price.

But when it comes to buying horses, Jiang Jing is good at bargaining, but not good at recognizing horses.And this is why Ximen Qing asked Huangfu Duan to go north with Jiang Jing first.With the presence of Huangfu Duan, Jiang Jing would never be blind to the quality of the horse when dealing with the Jurchens.

Ximenqing specifically told Huangfuduan to buy fifty of the best horses for him, feed them carefully, and wait for them to be of great use after he goes north.

After the three of Du Qian took orders, they took Ximenqing's warrant and crossed the sea to the north, first going to Posu Road.

Ximen Qing stayed in Dengzhou, watched Hu Yanqing's Ping Navy "kill" the pirates of Sea Snake Island, and returned to Penglai Port with hundreds of heads from the sea, he was completely relieved.

Hu Yanqing, like Qin Ming and others, is very familiar with how to pretend to be a military leader.Ximen Qing had originally instructed him to wander around the sea for a day and a night before returning to Penglai Port, but Hu Yanqing did a full set of plays and took Ping Haijun southward to the deserted Sea Snake Island.

Then, Hu Yanqing led the naval fleet of Ping Haijun to the north from Banqiao Port in Mizhou with gongs and drums, passing through the coastal villages and towns of Laizhou, and finally returned to Dengzhou.

After a lot of tossing, Hu Yanqing's goal was achieved. Before he returned to Dengzhou Penglai Port, the officials and troops in Mizhou and Laizhou knew that the Dengzhou Ping Navy had wiped out the largest pirate gang in the East China Sea under the leadership of Hu Yanqing, and destroyed Sea Snake Island.

Under the jealous eyes of Mizhou and Laizhou navy generals, Hu Yanqing swaggered and led the army back to Dengzhou City.

The pirate captives that Ximenqing handed over to Hu Yanqing were all beheaded by Hu Yanqing at sea to prevent future troubles.What Hu Yanqing brought to Wang Shizhong, the magistrate of Dengzhou, were only a few hundred heads of pirates.Based on this, it is enough for Wang Shizhong and Hu Yanqing to declare their military exploits to the court.

After taking care of the Liangshan pirates and Sea Snake Island pirates, Ximenqing stayed in Dengzhou Ximenzhuang for a few days, and studied the gains and losses of this naval battle with Xu Wen, Ling Zhen and other brothers, especially how to improve the warships. Artillery, making them more suitable for rough sea battles.

"Thunderbolt" Ling Zhen has accumulated a lot of experience through naval battles. It happened that Ximen Ping brought back a few ships of good sulfur from Japan, so he returned to Qingzhou with the fleet.

Through Zishui in Qingzhou, Ling Zhen can easily transport these materials back to Taohuazhuang to produce more artillery ammunition.In the future, the produced artillery and ammunition can also be transported by water to Terengju and Posok Road to strengthen the armed forces of the two places.

Jishui flowing from Liangshanbo passes through Shouzhang County, Yanggu County and Dong'e County, then flows into Qizhou, then flows from Qizhou to Zizhou, flows from Zizhou to Qingzhou, and flows into Bohai Sea in Boxing County of Qingzhou.

Therefore, in the future, Ximenqing can use the two waterways of Zishui and Jishui, which are connected to the Bohai Sea, to transport the artillery produced by the Lingzhen brothers in Taohuazhuang to Yanggu County by boat to arm Ximenbao's army.

Even, Ximenqing can use the navy to move the artillery troops directly westward from the mouth of the Yellow River in the Bohai Sea, and transport them to Hebei Road, Jingji Road, Hedong Road, and Jingxi Road through the Yellow River to fight.

In this way, it is much more convenient than using cattle and horses to haul heavy artillery on land.

It was with this in mind that Ximen Qing built Brother Ling Zhen's artillery workshop to Qingzhou, which is close to the Bohai Sea and has convenient waterways, and at the same time formed a powerful navy in Dengzhou.

The musket workshop, which is easy to carry and more beneficial to the armed infantry, was left in Ximen Fort by Ximen Qing.

As the armies of Dongping Mansion, Yanzhou, Qingzhou and Dengzhou gradually grew, and Liangshanbo bandits and other opponents were completely eradicated, Ximenqing has firmly controlled Jingdong Road in his own hands and built it into a base like an iron barrel.

Hebei Road in the north and Huainan Road in the south now have Ximenqing's allies, forming the outer defensive wings of Jingdong Road. Tokyo Bianliang City on Jingji Road also has Ximenqing's internal support.

Gradually, Ximen Qing's strength increased step by step, and he has formed a situation where he can attack while advancing and defend when retreating.

Of course, although Ximen Qing had ambitions, he would not be so stupid as Fang La, Chao Gai, and Song Jiang to rebel immediately.

Ximenqing, who is familiar with history, is very patient. He is waiting for Song Huizong and his son to do their own tricks and hand over the power.

After Ling Zhen returned to Qingzhou, Shi Yong also returned to Dengzhou from Posu Road, Ximenqing also finished dealing with the Dengzhou matter, and led Jiao Ting, Shi Jin, Yue Fei and others across the sea to Posu Road.

Yue Fei and Wang Gui followed Ximen Qing to Jin Kingdom to broaden their horizons. Ximen Qing said that he would take them to visit Huanglong Mansion.