Xie Ming

Chapter 529: Journey to Zhenjiang Prefecture

In response to the tactful request of Changzhou County Magistrate Yan Yingyuan, Xiao Jingchuan set off without stopping and decided not to stay overnight. He went straight to Zhenjiang Prefecture to raise food and silver in order to resolve the crises in Changzhou and Danyang as soon as possible!

Look at the resolute posture of this Duke, and Yan Yingyuan sitting at the small table at home. Like the newcomers, they are not too fussy about details.

When she compared herself to the Jin Xiaolang in front of her, her face was full of expectation and anticipation, which was beyond words.

"Uh"

"Duke!"

"please!"

"I cannot thank you enough for your kindness. Ying Yuan, along with more than 10,000 disaster victims from Changzhou and Hexian, are waiting for good news here!"

After saying this, Ying Yuan bowed, and without much politeness to try to keep them, he just respectfully stepped forward to lead the way, and took Xiao Lai and the others to the small gate in front of the courtyard.

When the few of them were pacing and approaching the door, at this moment, Changting came in from outside and bumped into them.

"Yo ho!"

"Hey, General, are you done talking?!" Chang Ting said rashly.

"Oh, yes, we are done."

"Brothers in the team outside, haven't you had any tea yet? Haha," Xiao Lai joked.

It was not until this moment that Yan Yingyuan, who was following behind, finally realized that he had just spoken and was concentrating on the important matter, but he had treated the members of the team so poorly, and was very lacking in courtesy.

"Hey!"

"Yes, yes. It's truly my fault!"

"This this"

"I am so rude, so rude!"

"When you come to my house, I, Yan Yingyuan, can't even serve you a cup of tea."

"Shame on me! I am so ashamed."

Ying Yuan was too embarrassed to speak up and felt too self-reproachful to do so, so he faced the crowd with a flushed face.

"Ha ha ha ha."

"Look, Old Ma, when Yan Yingyuan gets a little stunned, he actually looks quite childish! Huh?! Hahaha."

"Okay, that's all right."

"After this meeting, I can see it now."

"You are a straightforward, innocent person who works hard all the time!"

"Eh?! That's right."

"Before I leave, I have one more thing to do."

"I haven't had time to ask you."

"I asked Yan Bo to bring you a letter of recommendation when I was on the bank of the Yellow River."

"It's been more than a month since we left, right? You should have received the letter, right?" Xiao Lang suddenly brought up this.

"Uh" Hearing this, Ying Yuan's face became even more embarrassed and he nodded in response.

"Well? If that's the case, then I don't understand."

"Looking at your broad mind, you don't seem to be someone who is unwilling to take on responsibilities."

"Then why didn't you use that letter to find someone like you in our army?!"

"Are you unwilling to continue serving in the army, or is there some other obstacle?" Xiao Dun asked Zhuan Hou Yingyuan.

"Uh"

"I am ashamed to say this!"

"If I tell this, I'm afraid the Duke will laugh at me again."

Yan Yingyuan's expression was clumsy.

"Actually, it's because I'm stubborn and pedantic, and I don't want to use connections. What kind of connections do I have to use to get an official position? I feel a little... uh..."

Ying Yuan hesitated about what to say, not knowing how to respond.

Hearing this, Xiao Zi smiled even more. "Hahahaha."

"What a fool you are!"

"Okay, Xiao, I won't ask any more questions."

"Brother Ying Yuan, please stay. We will set off immediately and head straight to Zhenjiang!"

After saying this, Xiao Lang did not look back any longer. He took two quick steps forward and jumped onto his horse.

Following closely behind, Ma, Yue, Chang Ting, and all the cavalrymen in the alley also mounted their horses.

Seeing that the troops were ready, Xiao Wei rushed over to Ying Yuanyi and clasped his fists.

"Let's go!"

After saying goodbye, he pulled the horse's reins, turned around and left.

The rear team also followed, trampling the dust, and the whole team gradually left.
Only Yan Yingyuan was left in front of the door, bowing and knelt for a long time without standing up to show his respect.

Later, on the 19th day, after waiting for Xiao Xing's team and stopping in Changzhou for only an hour or so, they left the city again and set off.

Most of the remaining day was also spent on horseback.

Zhenjiang is about 150 miles away from Changzhou.

On the way, they still had to cross the river and take a boat in the suburbs of Changzhou before the whole team could cross the border.

As it got dark, they had no choice but to sleep outdoors.

Moreover, after the sudden attack on our camp last night, we will set up camp tonight and increase the number of guards by two shifts to prevent any unexpected events.

To make a long story short, nothing happened during the night and the dawn came!

Since they were going to Zhenjiang, they would pass by Danyang City, which was also a county affected by the epidemic. Xiao Wei was interested and went into Danyang for inspection, which cost him most of the day.

The conditions I inspected were actually very similar to those in Changzhou, and even worse.

Later, Kan once again acted hastily.
By the afternoon of the 20th, the sun was setting in the west and it was almost half past the You hour (6:00 p.m.).

Xiao Lang led his troops to hurry and hurry before they finally arrived at the end of this journey, the prefectural government office in Zhenjiang City.

And the Zhenjiang prefect Mei Gongheng, for some unknown reason, knew Xiao Jingchuan's whereabouts in advance.

Since he was in the host country, it was already noon and the table was ready for him.

But Xiao suddenly took a detour on his way, and so he ended up like this. The man in the yamen waited for most of the day before he saw the real Buddha coming, which was quite disappointing.

There is no other way. The banquet will be held again later with good wine, good food, singing and dancing. I just hope that the welcoming ceremony will be complete and not be neglected again, for fear that it will be difficult to be thoughtful.

Of course, Xiao Zi was not happy with this arrangement.

However, after all, this was his first time dealing with Mei Gongheng, so some maneuvering and testing was necessary.

There was no other way, so after the banquet was over, the singing and dancing were cancelled.

After another half an hour of discussion, they still didn't get much useful information out of the magistrate.

Xiao Yi deeply felt that Mei Gongheng was a very cunning person.

There was nothing they could do; the first face-to-face confrontation ended in failure, because it was already the beginning of the hour of Xu when they left, and Xiao Xing and his team had been traveling for days, eating and sleeping at night, so they all looked tired.

Mei Gongheng is a worldly-wise man, and he suggests that guests should follow the host's wishes. As for the post house, it is still quite far from the east of the city, so it would be better for the team to stay overnight in the government office. The room has been cleaned and tidy, so the state police can rest assured.

As for Xiao Jingchuan, he thought that since the other party had already said so, he could not refuse the kindness. But mainly because he was exhausted, he really did not want to bother any more.

So, I reluctantly agreed.

The time turned to 2:15 pm (19:30).

Xiao Jingmei Gongheng personally led the way and came to the master's room in the back hall of the yamen to rest.

The Zhenjiang government office had three courtyards. The following position was at the end of the three halls. The left and right side seats were also used to accommodate Ma Weimin, Yue Xiu, Chang Ting, and Qin Jing, who were sleeping separately.

As for the rest of the cavalry, there is another courtyard to the east of the third entrance where they can rest.

Although Mei Gongheng had made such detailed arrangements, Xiao was a soldier who was responsible for night guarding, so he would not easily leave the task to others.

As there are three shifts, Chang Ting and Qin Jing cannot get a good night's sleep, that's it!

(End of this chapter)