lady, please calm down

Chapter 292

On the second day of the second lunar month, the dragon looked up.

Spring is getting stronger.

On the same day, Fan Gongzhi, Minister of the Ministry of War, came to Caizhou City in person with the eunuch who conveyed the order.

In the decree brought by the emperor, Chen Chu was officially granted the power to open the governor's office, making him the ninth governor of the Qi Dynasty, with jurisdiction over the three prefectures of Cai, Ying and Shou in Huaibei.

Fan Gongzhi's personal visit was to express his gratitude again on behalf of the Xiangdang and his party.

Now that Chen Chu has already firmly grasped Sanzhou in his hands, it would be unrealistic for him to spit it out, so it would be better to be a favor and let him fulfill his wish.

Chen Chu had known about this a few days ago, so he was naturally not too surprised after the formal appointment was announced.

But his brothers in the army were far more excited than him.

Brother Chu has been promoted, and the opportunity for everyone to make progress will come, right?

The position of Jiedushi was born in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. In the Tang Dynasty, the power of Jiedushi was as great as that of the master of a country. He not only had military power, but also local administrative power, financial power, and judicial power.

After the Kaiyuan Dynasty, the reasons why the Tang Dynasty suddenly fell from its peak to the bottom were complicated, but the Jiedushi who could not lose his tail was definitely an important, even the most critical factor.

The Zhou and Qi states learned from their mistakes and although they sealed off their envoys, they took back administrative, financial, and judicial powers.

However, this is enough for Chen Chu. He can command and dispatch local soldiers, recruit troops, and assign military tasks. These are the only things Chen Chu values.

As for administration, finance, and justice, the Tongshan Clan behind him kept Caizhou's operations airtight. It was supported by two consortiums, Sihai Commercial Bank and Luliuwei Farm Reclamation, which were making money every day. They had administrative and financial powers in name only. What does it matter?

On the second day of February, Chen Chu summoned senior generals stationed in various places to come to Caizhou to discuss matters.

In the following days, the generals returned one after another.

On the seventh day of February, Peng Er, Wu Kui and Liu Siliang, who had been stationed in Shouzhou for several months, entered the city.

That night, the eldest son held a banquet at home to welcome several good brothers.

At the end of Youshi, several people came to the eldest son's house with their wives and children.

The house that the eldest son walked into was not big, and there were not many people there. It only hired a porter and two rough ladies, but it was clean, tidy, and well-organized.

Wu Kui laughed after entering the door, punched his eldest son twice in the chest, whom he had not seen for a long time, and said with a smile: "What do you mean by that? What three days, do you want to be a widow?"

"Dad, that's called a three-day farewell. You should look at him with admiration!" Wu Yanzu, who had already entered middle school, corrected him with disdain.

Sandra Ng also quietly let go of the little hand holding Wu Kui's clothes, as if she thought it was embarrassing to have such an illiterate father.

"Ah, that's right." Wu Kui chuckled and said, "Who did the eldest son learn 'Jie Feng' from? He even sent someone to my house to deliver the post. After three days apart, we looked at each other with admiration, haha."

The eldest son smiled naively and pointed at Cui Yuan who was busy and said: "It was all my wife's idea. She said that we brothers haven't seen each other for a long time and we finally returned to Caizhou, so we need to get together."

"Haha."

Wu Kui turned to Cui Yuan and said, "My eldest brother has been stupid since he was a child, but unexpectedly he married a smart sister-in-law."

The eldest son chuckled and didn't think there was anything wrong with what Wu Kui said. He also thought he was not smart.

But Cuiyuan was not happy, "Brother Wu, what you said is wrong. My husband is just a kindhearted man, not stupid."

Hearing that his wife was protecting him, the eldest son's mouth, which could eat children, grew even wider.
"Ah, brother, I can't speak. I'll punish myself with three drinks later, haha."

After a while, the banquet was arranged.

The brothers sat in the front hall, while the woman and children sat at another table in the side hall.

After having two glasses of wine and casually chatting about some anecdotes, the second brother Peng, the eldest among us, suddenly asked out of curiosity: "Eldest son, why haven't you seen Da Lang? You didn't call him?"

"no."

"I originally called Da Lang, but just in the afternoon Brother Chu called Da Lang over, as if he had something to discuss."

Zhou Liang explained for his eldest son.

Upon hearing this, Wu Kui couldn't help lowering his voice and said with excitement: "Now that our junior brother has become the commander-in-chief, I'm afraid the elder brother will also be promoted, right?"

"Well, I heard Brother Chu mention it yesterday that Dalang was recommended to be the governor of Shouzhou."

Even if Zhou Liang doesn't say anything about these things today, he will probably announce them early tomorrow. There is nothing to hide.

Speaking of which, Brother Chu became the governor and promoted Dalang to be the capital commander. It was not unexpected, but Brother Peng didn't expect that he would go to Shouzhou, so he couldn't help but ask: "What about the governor of Caizhou? Brother Chu himself Do you have both?"

Zhou Liang shook his head and said, "It should be Commander Chiang Kai-shek of the Armed Guards who was promoted."

Peng Er, Liu Siliang, and Wu Kui were all surprised, but only Wu Kui was surprised and said: "He? He is not from Tongshan. How could Brother Chu allow an outsider to become the governor of the capital? I would say that Brother Peng has the most credit. "

As soon as Wu Kui opened his mouth, Liu Siliang knew what he wanted to say, but since he came from Luliuwei, he naturally felt that he was not as close to his employer as everyone else in Qifengling. After a moment of hesitation, he did not speak after all.

But Brother Peng didn't have so many worries. He immediately interrupted Wu Kui and said, "Brother Kui! Stop complaining!"

"." He originally wanted to apologize for Brother Peng's injustice, but unexpectedly he was scolded. Wu Kui couldn't help but shut up in anger.

Seeing this, Brother Peng couldn't help but soften his tone, and whispered: "Brother Kui, please don't talk about people from Tongshan or Caizhou outside! Since Brother Chu used Commander Jiang of the Armed Guards and Commander Jiang of the Ningjiang Army, , you have to treat them as your own brothers! Brother Chu is a man who does big things, if he relies solely on our runaway family for everything, what can he accomplish?"

"Second brother, I understand."

The people sitting here were all dead brothers, so Wu Kui admitted his mistake in person without feeling any burden.

Zhou Liang smiled and followed suit, "Brother Kui has to think ahead of his words. Otherwise, how could he be the commander of an army?"

It was okay to be scolded by Brother Peng, but Zhou Liang was a few years younger than Wu Kui. The latter was naturally a little dissatisfied, but before he could retort, he suddenly reacted, "Commander of the First Army? Me?"

"Haha, Brother Chu has talked to me a few days ago. In the Huai Suppression Army, you, me, Er Ge, and Er Hu have all been promoted to the army. Brother Kui, from now on, I will also call you Wu. Commander!"

"Uh hahaha."

Wu Kui was someone who couldn't hide things in his heart, so he ran to the side hall next door, held up the door frame and laughed at Sister Wu: "Mother! Brother Chu wants to promote me to be the commander of the first army. I told you earlier. One day I will let you be the wife of an official! How about it? Now it has become a reality."

The female relatives of the runaways don’t have so many scruples.

He was not scared to hide because of Wu Kui's sudden intrusion. Instead, after a burst of congratulations, he inquired carefully.

In the hall, Brother Peng glanced at Liu Siliang, who had been silent, and finally asked Zhou Liang on behalf of the latter, "Brother Liang, what are the arrangements for Siliang? The year before last, if Siliang could successfully conquer the Wuwei Army, Siliang would immediately You have made great contributions! Last year, the three prefectures in Huaibei moved to war, and the fourth and second dynasties also made great contributions."

Zhou Liang looked embarrassed. Although he had been staying in Caizhou, he didn't hear Brother Chu talk about how to arrange Liu Siliang. He could only tell the truth: "I didn't find out about Brother Siliang. Come to think of it, Chu Brother, I guess you know it well."

Liu Siliang pretended not to care, but the fingers holding the wine glass turned white. He thought he was extremely concerned about his future.

Yes, among the normal men in the world, who doesn’t want to go further?

Progress means honoring one's ancestors, power, and the approval of one's employer.

But after listening to Zhou Liang's words, Liu Siliang pretended to smile freely and said: "I am originally a tenant of my employer, and I can't do big things. If my employer promotes me, it will definitely be a mistake, hahaha."

The laughter was a little bitter. Zhou Liang and Peng Er looked at each other and had no choice but to laugh awkwardly.

The eldest son wanted to say something to comfort him, but he was stupid and could only hold back one sentence, "Brother Si Liang, you are capable, and all the brothers can see it."

At the beginning of Haishi.

Liu Siliang and his wife Zheng walked home.

During the dinner, Liu Siliang had a few more drinks and became slightly tipsy.

After being married for many years, Mrs. Zheng naturally noticed what was on her husband's mind.

The night wind was chilly, and before she was about to arrive home, Mrs. Zheng finally couldn't hold it back and called in a low voice: "Four taels."

"Ok?"

"But are you worried about whether your employer promotes you or not?"

"Uh-huh, yeah."

The person who asked the question was an intimate who shared the same bed with him. Liu Siliang no longer concealed it and acknowledged it directly.

Seeing her husband's honesty, Ms. Zheng smiled relaxedly, and suddenly used the title they used when they first got married: "Fourth brother, do you still remember the night you first worked with your employer in the summer of the ninth year of Fuchang?"

She was talking about the time when Chen Chu took everyone to Qingfengling Baofeng Village to suppress bandits.

That night, Luliuwei's Qingzhuang, who played for the first time, did not perform well, but Liu Siliang captured the green-faced ghost Fan Yi alive, which was praised by his boss as "the only highlight of the night."

Thinking of this, Liu Siliang couldn't help but smile, "Of course I remember."

Mrs. Zheng also smiled sheepishly and said, "After you guys set out that night, I secretly cried at home for a long time, always worried that my fourth brother would be injured. Later, you were sent by your employer to work under Kou Shizhong of the Wuwei Army, and you were killed by him. After dozens of blows, the skin on my back was torn. That day when your Paoze sent you back to Luliuwei, my heart was broken in half just by looking at it."

"Haha, the grass on Kou Shizhong's grave is already ten feet high." Liu Siliang comforted his wife with his unique words.

Mrs. Zheng nodded and whispered: "At that time, not only did I resent Kou Shizhong, but I also secretly complained about my employer."

"."

"Fourth brother, please don't be upset. I am a womanly person with little experience. At that time, I always thought that you suffered all these crimes because of your employer. Until later, in order to reunite our husband and wife, the eldest lady transferred me to Cai Sihai Trading Company. Be the shopkeeper of the state branch”

"Hey, without my boss and my wife, how would we be living today? You don't dare to blame people randomly."

"Fourth brother, I already understand this. You don't know, on the ninth day of August last year, the news of our left-behind division's great victory in suppressing bandits spread back to Caizhou. Many people rushed into the merchant store to buy firecrackers early in the morning. At first, they didn't know that Fourth Brother He was also in the army, and later a neighbor mentioned that the fourth brother was the Marquis of Yu under the employer, that day."

When Mrs. Zheng said this, she suddenly choked up, and after her emotions calmed down a little, she continued: "That day, a room full of people suddenly saluted me, saying that they wanted me to accept the bow on behalf of Fourth Brother and other soldiers. "

Zheng wiped the corners of her eyes and continued: "Fourth Brother, I don't know how I felt that day. I probably felt that I was finally living like a human being! That was also the day when I understood that Fourth Brother was not only fighting for life and death, but For my boss. Also for Granny Zhang who sells fermented glutinous rice on the street corner, for the Xu sisters in the embroidery shop next door, for our parents, Caizhou City, and even more for me, and..."

Mrs. Zheng turned her head and glanced at her son, who was sleeping soundly in her mother-in-law's arms. "It's also so that my son will no longer be bullied like a bully like we did in the early years." What his wife said, Liu Siliang said. I was filled with emotion, and then felt strange again. After saying so much, the lady seemed to be trying to persuade herself to be more open-minded.

He couldn't help but smile and said: "If you have something to say, just say it."

Mrs. Zheng wiped away her tears, smiled shyly at Liu Siliang, and said, "I have no knowledge, and I can't tell you the truth. I just feel that there is no need for fourth brother to be upset because his employer did not promote him. It means that fourth brother only works in his employer's house. Being a top soldier is our destiny and our hero in our hearts."

The simple conversation made Liu Siliang think for a long time, and finally he sighed with emotion, clasped his fists to his wife and said, "Thank you, sister Xi, for waking me up. I almost got mad. You're right, I want to be a big-headed soldier under my employer." , you have to be the best soldier!"

Sprinkle Gold Alley, Hou Mansion.

Seeing Cuitang in the front house, Zhu Da, the commander of the Jing'an Army, who was hosted by Chen Chu for the first time at a family banquet, raised his glass frequently.

Chen Jingan and Yang Dalang, who were accompanying him, raised their glasses in response.

For a time, the atmosphere was extremely harmonious.

The news that Chen Chu had taken charge of the three palaces in Huaibei had long been spread, and he had become the officially recognized King of Huaibei. Zhu Da was invited to his home for a drink. Although he was honored, he was a little cautious.

After all, he was the only person in Caizhou who was not a direct descendant of Marquis Lu An.

However, Chen Chu did not mention anything about the military tonight. Instead, Chen Jingan kept talking about the planning and layout of Huaibei's future development.

".Establish a free trade zone with Caizhou as the center."

"Mr. Yanagawa, may I ask what a free trade zone is?"

Zhu Da has a strong businessman character in his heart, so he is particularly interested in business matters.

"A free trade zone is a free trade zone." Chen Jingan chuckled, emphasizing the word 'freedom'.

Huaibei is located on the border between Qi and Zhou. Since Ding Wei, the two countries have never been able to carry out normal trade. The trade of goods between the north and the south relies entirely on "leakage", that is, smuggling.

Zhu Da heard something and asked carefully: "Mr. Yanagawa, did you say that bartering between the north and the south can be carried out openly in Caizhou?"

"That's right. We will ensure the safety of personnel and property on both sides, and at the same time provide land, tax incentives, as well as supporting facilities such as warehousing, transportation, dental shops, and justice."

"In this way, Caizhou will definitely become a place where merchants and goods from all over the world gather!"

Nowadays, there are no normal trading channels between Qi and Zhou. If, as Chen Jingan said, the free trade zone can really provide protection for merchants from the north and the south, then Caizhou is likely to become a prosperous place in Qi and even the world.

Smuggling is illegal, but it is not difficult for a local military governor to keep it open and honest.

In recent years, Zhu Da relied on his relatively good relationship with the Tongshan Group to earn a lot of money by cooperating with Sihai Commercial Bank. At this time, he learned that the free trade zone was about to be established, and his keen intuition made him think that this was another good opportunity.

But Chen Jingan said again: "Commander Zhu, he has a business now. I wonder if you are interested?"

Zhu Da glanced at Chen Chu, who had been silent, and said politely: "Oh? Sir, please speak."

"After the free trade zone is established, we must ensure that the trade routes and waterways connecting the north and south are unimpeded. But outside our three prefectures in Huaibei, it will be inconvenient for our officers and soldiers to come forward. Now brothers Sihai Commercial Bank, Sitong Passenger Transport, and Caobang are ready to join forces Is Commander Zhu interested in setting up an escort agency to protect trade routes?"

Just by listening to the partners reported by Chen Jingan, you can get a glimpse of the strength of this escort agency.

Sihai Commercial Bank has branches in more than a dozen cities across the country, and there are many influential secret shareholders everywhere.

Sitong Passenger Transport has branches all over Huaibei, and it is said that it has hired hundreds of elite passengers.

Although the Caobang acts in a low-key manner, according to Zhu Da's knowledge, the Caobang has dozens of halls distributed along the Huai River and the canal, with a membership of nearly [-], and should not be underestimated.

If these parties work together to set up a escort agency, even if they leave the three houses of Huaibei, the black and white will not dare to easily stroke their tiger beards.

The threshold for this business is extremely high, and it is not something that ordinary people can do.

But it is also a near-monopoly business, which means huge amounts of income.

Although Zhu Da couldn't understand why Chen Jing'an was willing to take a share of such a good thing, he still agreed, "Thank you, sir. If our escort agency needs me to do anything, I will be obliged to serve!"

Zhu Da expressed his determination. After all, there is no free lunch in the world. Chen Chu was willing to take him to make a fortune. He thought it would be useful to him.

Sure enough, Chen Jing'an immediately said: "Now the escort agency only has a framework, and it still needs a lot of skilled hands to fill it. It's just that we can't find so many people in a hurry."

Next to him, Yang Dalang, who had been pouring himself a drink, finally interjected: "Sir, is it difficult to find a man with martial arts skills?"

Chen Chu, who had also not spoken for a long time, also smiled and said, "It's hard to distinguish good from evil among people in the world, so we can't trust them."

"Then what should we do?" Yang Dalang asked distressedly.

Chen Jing'an continued: "It would be best to find some soldiers from the army who we know well to join the escort agency!"

These people sang in harmony. Zhu Da had vaguely guessed the other party's intention, but refused to answer.

There was an awkward moment of silence at the table.

Seeing this, Yang Dalang suddenly smiled, stared at Zhu Da and pointedly said: "Brother Zhu, I heard that many of my brothers and nephews helped with the family's business before joining the army! They know business well and know everything about it. Why don't we bring them to the escort?" Fine!"

Now that the words have been spoken, Zhu Da can no longer pretend to be confused. In just a few breaths, heaven and man are at war in his heart.

When Chen Chu took over the Caizhou Left-behind Division, he first eliminated Kou Shizhong, the thorn in the side. Although Ma Maoxing was later killed by thieves, the Ma family's influence in the Ningjiang Army was also uprooted.

There is something strange about this matter.

Zhu Da recently had a premonition that Chen Chu would attack his Jing'an Army sooner or later.

Although the strength of both sides is almost as strong as an egg against a stone, the Jingan Army is the root of his Zhu family. He is really unwilling to let go of the Jingan Army unless it is absolutely necessary.

But what Chen Chu proposed at this time was to exchange wealth and honor for his Jing'an Army. Zhu Da's already weak will couldn't help but loosen even more.

After all, if he brought his brothers and nephews to join the escort agency, it would be considered as finding another way for his family to become wealthy. Not only would he avoid conflict with Marquis Lu An, he would even get on the other side's ship.

However, Zhu Da still had worries. After all, without the Jing'an Army to rely on, if the Marquis of Lu'an turned against him in the future, his Zhu family would not even have the capital to resist.

Chen Chu, Chen Jingan and Yang Dalang looked at Zhu Da in silence with smiles on their faces.

His eyes were obviously kind, but they made him feel hairy.

Zhu Da naturally knew that whether he agreed or not, it would not affect Marquis Lu An's decision. Whether he was an enemy or a friend, he needed to make a decision in an instant.

After his brain was running rapidly, Zhu Da suddenly thought of a way to keep his family wealthy even if he gave up the Jing'an Army. He couldn't help but said: "Master Marquis, I have a girl who is twenty-eight this year."

"." Yang Dalang almost laughed out loud.

Even Chen Jing'an showed a playful smile and said to himself, this Zhu Da is also smart.

Now that Chen Chu wants his Jing'an Army, Zhu Da proposes a marriage, which is indeed a way to reassure both parties.

Chen Jing'an even nodded quietly to Chen Chu, which meant that if he could take down Jing'an's army without fighting, he would be able to do business.

Marriage is almost the lowest-cost political means to bring together the forces of all parties.

"Ahem~" Chen Chu glanced at Brother Zhu, who had a big nose, a wide mouth and small eyes. He coughed and interrupted Zhu Da's proposal, and said with a smile: "Commander Zhu, I remember that your youngest son is seven years old this year. If you If you don't mind, you can ask your son to become my master, and I will teach him some gun and stick skills."

"Pfft~"

This time, Dalang finally couldn't hold back his laughter.

Brother Chu, do you teach people Kung Fu? ? ?
Zhu Da, however, turned a deaf ear to Yang Dalang's laughter. He stood up and clasped his fists with a look of surprise on his face and said, "That's great! I would like to thank the Marquis on behalf of Quan Zi!"

Will Lu Anhou have any trouble with his skills?

As long as the youngest son and Marquis Lu An have the status of master and apprentice, they can ensure the prosperity of the Zhu family's descendants!

Seeing this, Chen Chu also stood up, personally helped Zhu Da fill a glass, then raised the glass and said with a smile: "Brother Zhu, drink better!"

The word "brother Zhu" also marked the end of Zhu Da's military career. From then on, the two only talked about personal relations, regardless of superior or subordinate.

"Win the drink!"

Accompanying guests, Chen Jingan and Yang Dalang, held cups at the same time.

After a few drinks, Zhu Da quickly adjusted his mentality and said, "Master Hou."

"Haha, Brother Zhu, just call me Yuan Zhang."

"Okay, my lord."

"."

"Master Marquis, tomorrow I will take my brothers and nephews to withdraw from the Jing'an Army and make full preparations for the escort service."

"Brother Zhu, this is not urgent. When the new commander I send takes office, you still need to familiarize him with the Jing'an Army before handing over the errand."

"Well, it's all up to the Marquis."

After psychologically accepting this matter, Zhu Da felt that his mind had broadened and his courage had become much greater. He couldn't help but asked curiously: "Master Marquis, Brother Yu, I dare to ask, who is the new commander?"

Chen Chu didn't hide anything and said with a smile: "Brother Zhu should know that his name is Liu Siliang."

"Ah! How could I not know! It was Brother Liu who managed Jiang Shuquan's command in the first place! The Wuwei Army returned to the command of the Marquis, and Brother Liu made great contributions!"

"Yes, you must be promoted if you have merit! When Si Liang arrives at Jing'an Army, Brother Zhu can't bully him!"

When Chen Chu spoke, he kept smiling, but Zhu Da couldn't help but feel a shiver in his heart, and hurriedly promised: "Don't worry, Mr. Hou, after Brother Liu takes office, Brother Yu will help him get familiar with the Jing'an Army as soon as possible. When Brother Liu takes charge, Once the Jing'an army is stabilized, Brother Yu can go to Nanshan, where he can go fishing, listen to music, and take in two aunts to see if the old trees can bloom and give birth to a few fat boys."

"Hahaha! Okay, brother Zhu, don't worry, I will definitely live up to you!"

"Okay! Lord Hou, I respect you!"

"Drink together!"

(End of this chapter)