Chapter 4 Red Top Merchant (2-2)

Leaving the Yangtze River from the Ji River, passing through the south of Chongming Island and entering the sea; a total of 18 sandships, protecting the foreign soldiers-finally negotiated and determined, a total of 12 people, 100 soldiers, most of them were "Luzon people"; There are three officials, seven Luzon people, three Americans, and two Chinese who are regarded as liaison officers.Take two sand ships and insert them in the middle of the fleet. Hu Xueyan was on the first boat.On the same boat were Xiao Jiaji, Li Delong, and Li Qingshan, the "Boss of the boat" sent by Yu Fuhua; there was also a liaison officer named Kong.All advances and retreats are discussed and decided by these five people on this boat, and they give orders.As soon as he boarded the boat, Hu Xueyan received a warning that there were many taboos on sand boats sailing in the sea, and the small shrine on the cockpit where the God of Heaven was enshrined was especially not taken lightly.Thinking of the phrase "Right and wrong are just to talk more", Hu Xueyan didn't talk much on the boat, and just lay on the bunk thinking about his thoughts when he was free.However, others are different. Although Xiao Jiaji is used to living on the water, there are no such taboos on the ship; Kong's surname doesn't care much; Li Qingshan and Li Delong are aware of the taboo.In contrast, Hu Xueyan, who usually talked and laughed happily, seemed to be preoccupied and depressed.

So the surname Kong proposed to play mahjong, and Xiao Jiaji specially invited him to join the game in order to relieve Hu Xueyan's loneliness. "How can five people fight. Unless one person does--." When it came to the word "do", Hu Xueyan shrank his mouth; he remembered that he had been on the boat of the "Waterway Team", and "dream" was taboo. Liangzi." Xiao Jiaji was taken aback, and after thinking about it for a while, he realized, "No need." He said, "I don't want to fight. Mr. Hu, come and relieve your boredom."

So Hu Xueyan had no choice but to enter the game.In the middle of the fight, the storm blew up and was forced to stop; Hu Xueyan went back to sleep on the bunk, unavoidably uneasy. feeling. "Mr. Hu, it's okay!" Xiao Jiaji came to comfort him over and over again. Not only verbal comfort, but also care in daily life, treating Hu Xueyan just like Gu Yingchun, respectful and affectionate.Hu Xueyan was very moved. He had a lot to say in his heart, but he was not in good spirits and was too lazy to say it. At night, the wind is calm, and the sea is full of a bright moon. Hu Xueyan’s seasickness, healed without medicine, but his stomach was unbearable. I remember that Grandma Qigu once put a box of foreign biscuits in the net basket, got up and fumbled, and woke Xiao Jiaji who was sleeping .

"It's me!" He said apologetically, "I want to find some dry snacks to eat." "Mr. Hu is comfortable!" Xiao Jiaji said happily, "I left the porridge in the tail cabin, I'll get it for you." So Xiao Jiaji lit a lantern, and went to the tail cabin to bring porridge and rice, a plate of salted fish, and a salted egg; Not going anywhere." "It's not about being a human being, it's about the heart." Xiao Jiaji said, "Wang Futai has a friend like Mr. Hu, and he has vision." "It's useless!" Hu Xueyan said sadly, "Do your best and obey the destiny. Even if you arrive in Hangzhou, you don't know what's going on; maybe at this moment, the city of Hangzhou has already been broken."

"No." Xiao Jiaji comforted him and said, "We always have to think in a good place." "Yes!" Hu Xueyan was easily encouraged, "People live in hope. Jiaji, let me ask you, what are your plans for the future?" These words made Xiao Jiaji feel as if he had met a bosom friend.Even Gu Yingchun never asked him this question.So full of ambitions, I can't tell; I don't want to have a chance to talk at this time. "I will compete with foreigners in the future. I always think, why can't we do what they can do? Chinese people are as smart as foreigners, but they are not united; so I want to find some like-minded people. People, unite and compare with foreigners."

"Ambition!" Hu Xueyan blurted out praise: "I count as one. Tell me, how do you compare with them?" "Naturally, it is business. If he comes to us to do business, we can also go to him to do business. In the short term, Chinese business should be done by Chinese; Chinese money should also be earned by Chinese. As long as It is not necessary for me to be well-off if it is cheaper than foreign countries.” Hu Xueyan thought about his words for a while, and said with admiration: "Your mind is amazing. I must help you. Look, there is a business that you want to steal from foreigners—"

"The first is the steamer—." So, from that day on, Hu Xueyan talked with Xiao Jiaji about the plan to start a steamship company; until Shachuan was about to enter Biezimen, Fangtai stopped. According to the predetermined plan, the smuggling in the dark and crossing the narrow place was regarded as an escape, and he walked southwest along the Qiantang River; in the northeast wind, he quickly arrived in Hangzhou; he parked in the middle of the river.However, Hu Xueyan didn't know how to get in touch with the city; looking at the distance from the center of the river, outside Fengshan Gate, there were long-haired hedgehogs, which seemed to stretch for tens of miles, and no one dared to go ashore rashly.

"It was originally agreed that Wang Xuegong sent someone to contact me; he told me not to go ashore." Hu Xueyan said, "I just wait, wait, wait!" Wang Youling predicted that Hu Xueyan's grain ship would soon arrive, and what he was trying to do at this time was to open up a line of roads, leading directly to the river, so that grain could be transported into the city.But ten cities were tightly besieged, and the defenses were poor, so he became ill with anxiety and anger, and his anger rose; he vomited blood from time to time, and every time he vomited a bowl, he lost too much blood, became dizzy, and his face was like gold paper. However, he refused to go down to the city to rest, because Rest is also useless, it is better to support it hard, but it can boost morale.

The morale of mourning soldiers is not bad; but as the saying goes: "The emperor does not send hungry soldiers"; fighting is a labor-intensive thing, and fighting with a belly, you can't even run, how can you talk about killing the enemy?So every day when they go out of the city to attack, as soon as the long hair retreats, the officers and soldiers immediately withdraw their troops.This stalemate has been going on for a long time without any success, but more and more people are starving to death in the city; Let nature take its course; there are countless "dumped corpses" in the streets and alleys. Fortunately, it is winter, so there will be no plagues, but the smell of corpses in the city is enough for people to bear.

By the end of October, the camps of the officers and soldiers outside the city were all broken by Chang Mao; the only thing left was the battalion of the lieutenant general who had won the victory outside the Chaochao Gate, standing still.It is a miracle that this battalion survived; but to put it bluntly, it is not surprising that it is easier to find food outside the city, and if you really can’t find it, you can find it in the long-haired camp.Anyway, death in battle is also death, and death by sitting without food is also death; in this case, it is better to seize the food of Long Mao, which is a way of survival in death.Therefore, Zeng Jun really regarded death as home when he started fighting.Strange to say, when Chang Mao saw the "Zeng" flag, he was flustered at first, and often fled without fighting; however, this battalion could only protect itself, and the strength of the battalion was too great to attack and defeat the enemy.In the end nothing can be done.

But Wang Youling placed great expectations on this battalion, and specially ordered Wu Baofeng, the magistrate of Renhe County, to move a 3,000-jin cannon placed on Chenghuang Mountain to the Zeng Desheng battalion with all his strength, and aim it at the long-haired cannon. Barriers, big bang, bang, bang.The long hairs in this area have disappeared, but they still can't go straight to the river, because beyond the range of the cannons, the long hairs are still like cow hair, heavily blocked, filled everywhere, and still can't break through the encirclement. At this time, a spy was caught—it was very easy to distinguish a spy, because people in the city were either swollen or skinny, unable to walk three inches, and spoke weakly; Those who can hear clearly without straining their ears must have sneaked in from outside the city; what is the meaning of someone jumping into such a hell on earth?Needless to say. Sure enough, after a beating, he immediately revealed the truth. This person said he was sent by Changmao to send a letter to a foreign battalion officer under Rao Tingxuan, agreeing on a date for internal and external cooperation.At the same time, he also got news from him that there were more than a dozen large ships moored in the Qiantang River, full of grain.It goes without saying that it was Hu Xueyan's grain ship that had arrived; Wang Youling suddenly felt refreshed, and immediately went to see Hangzhou General Ruichang to discuss how to open a bloody road so that the grain in the river could be transported into the city? There was no need for much discussion, and there was a result. It was decided to ask Jiechun, the vice capital, to take on this important task.In fact, I am afraid that this is the only person who can take on the heavy responsibility——Jiechun is a Mongolian, and his ancestors have been stationed in Hangzhou for several generations; The co-leadership of the product is quite relied on by Ruichang. In the spring of the tenth year of Xianfeng, the city of Hangzhou was bombed by Changmao for the first time, and Ruichang was about to kill himself and die for the country; Jiechun advised him not to commit suicide, thinking that the enemy army from Guangde, Anhui, marched lightly and had no successors, so there was nothing to worry about. Might as well stick to it and wait for help.Ruichang listened to his words and retreated to the Manchu camp; the camp is actually a sub-city by the West Lake, commonly known as Mancheng.Because of the good defense, Changmao attacked for six days without success. Jiechun's eldest son was killed in defense of the city, but Jiechun died without crying, thinking that the eldest son died at the right place and at the right time. On the seventh day, Zhang Yuliang's reinforcements arrived; Jiechun's angry horse stood out and was invincible. Cooperating with the reinforcements, he launched a massive counterattack and drove Chang Mao out of the city for more than ten miles.With this credit, Dai Hualing was rewarded and promoted to the deputy capital of Ningxia, but he still stayed in Hangzhou and became Ruichang's right-hand man. This time Hangzhou is in a tight spot again. Jiechun has made outstanding military exploits and was given the title of Batulu and transferred to Zhapu as the deputy capital commander.Among the ten cities of Hangzhou, the most important ones are the Wulin Gate in the north and the Fengshan Gate in the south; Fengshan Gate was originally guarded by Wang Youling himself, but this time because of excessive hematemesis and exhaustion of Qi, Jiechun was changed to defend it——Hu Xueyan's grain The boat is moored on the river outside the Fengshan Gate; letting Jiechun go to kill a bloody road is also a logical thing where people and geography are compatible. The long-haired general who surrounded Fengshan Gate was called Chen Bingwen, and according to the title of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, he was called "Lang Tianyi".He was about to leave - Changmao's military rations were gradually becoming insufficient; Li Xiucheng had already made a plan to return to Suzhou for the New Year's Eve, preparing to make a comeback next spring.But Chen Bingwen had learned from the refugees who escaped from the city that there was no food in the city and that people could eat people; so he changed his plan and insisted on not leaving; Gather troops, layer by layer, until the riverside, a tiny place, gathered as many as 40,000 people. When the grain ship arrived, Chen Bingwen became more jealous when he saw it from a distance. On the one hand, he was on guard against the city rushing out to pick up the grain; , even if the ship is not sunk, the people must be killed or injured.For three days in a row, there was no plan. Finally, someone offered a plan. According to the method of Chibi's fierce army and defeated Cao's army, a small boat was loaded with grass firewood, poured with oil, and flowed down the river from the upper reaches to attack the grain ship. Chen Bingwen thinks this plan is feasible.But the upstream is not his own war zone, and he needs to send someone to contact him; he also has to report to the loyal king for the ruling, which cannot be arranged in a day or two.At the same time, the weather is getting warmer, the wind direction is uncertain, and there are many small boats of their own on the river; if it is self-defeating and gets burned, wouldn't it be bad?Therefore, there was no hesitation.At this moment, the grain ship couldn't wait. Because of waiting for three days in a row, Hu Xueyan lived like a year, without sleep or food.The liaison officer Kong, who was escorting the foreign soldiers, believed that he was in a dangerous situation, and if he did not snore quickly, the consequences would be disastrous, so he kept urging Hu Xueyan that if the food could not be transported to land, he should follow the original advice and divert to Ningbo.Li Qingshan of the Shachuan Gang kept silent, and looked quite anxious, which made Hu Xueyan even more irritable, his eyes were red, he muttered to himself all day long, he didn't know what to say, he looked like he was going crazy. "Brother Delong," Xiao Jiaji's reassurance to Hu Xueyan was ineffective, so he had to discuss with Li Delong, "I think we have to think of a way to solve the problem. If this 'screen' goes down, something will happen." "Yeah! I was thinking the same way. But what can I do?" What? Trapped in the middle of the river, I can’t move.” Li Delong pointed to the bank and said, “The long hairs are like ants; the city of Hangzhou is surrounded like an iron barrel. How can the people in the city get out?” “It’s for this A little bit. I think, people in the city can’t get out, so we have to find a way to go into the city and ask for a definite message; if it’s okay, Mr. Hu should make a plan early. Such an idiot waits for his wife to board the boat, until someday until?" Li Delong was also young, impatient, and adventurous, so of course he agreed with Xiao Jiaji's approach; he also volunteered, willing to swim ashore and go to the city to pass news. "Brother Delong," Xiao Jiaji said calmly, "this matter is not about loyalty, let alone politeness. Things have to work out; it doesn't matter if you go or I go, it just depends on which one is right for you? You are better than me. Well, people are more flexible than me, and my hand skills are not something I can match—" "Okay, okay!" Li Delong said with a smile, "Don't praise me! The higher the praise in front, the more difficult it is to say in the back; honestly, can I go?" At that time, there was no emotion, my dear brother, why didn’t you speak clearly. Let me ask you first, Brother Delong, have you ever been to Hangzhou? Do you know the name of the city gate in front of us?” "I don't know. I have never been to Hangzhou." "This is not very suitable. Hangzhou was once the capital city of the Song Dynasty, and the city is quite large. I am not familiar with it, so I can't find it; this is the second thing. The most important point is that you have heard Mr. Hu say that the city of Hangzhou The interrogation of spies is very strict; and because you are hungry, you are unreasonable. Brother Delong," Xiao Jiaji paused and said, "I'm telling the truth, you don't get angry. You have a bad temper and your eloquence is not as good as mine. Are you going?" Great Xiangyi!" Li Delong was straightforward, obedient and willing to reason, and when he heard what Xiao Jiaji said was good, he immediately replied, "Okay! You go." So the two of them discussed how to go ashore, how to get past Changmao's position, and how to contact and enter the city when they arrived at the bottom of the city. "Mr. Hu!" It was Li Delong who said, "I have something to tell you, old man. We have discussed the matter, and Chenguang will not allow us to procrastinate any longer. I said, please do it, old man, and don't reject it. Please write a letter Send the letter to Wang Futai, and Jiaji will go into the city to deliver it." Li Delong actually misjudged Hu Xueyan.He had thought long ago that he had to stay on guard, lest the city send someone who had worked so hard to catch up and make irreparable mistakes; besides, as long as possible, anyone might as well go to the city to pass news.So when he heard this, his demeanor immediately changed. "Take your time!" He returned to his calm and unflappable attitude when facing major events; compared to his two days of restlessness, he looked like a different person, "Tell me first, how do you go about it?" "Swim up—." "No, no!" The first sentence made him shake his head. "If you get wet, you won't get sick from the cold. What will you do when you go ashore? Is there an inn where you can dry your clothes?" "It was to play by ear." "At this time, you can't say that you are lucky. You have to stop before you start." Hu Xueyan said, "Listen to me." He really doesn't have any secrets, but he has always been quick, thinking and talking all the way, and he has a set of methods. The most important point in the whole set of methods is how to deal with long hairs?Hu Xueyan taught him a strategy: pretending to be a representative of British businessmen in Shanghai and selling arms to Changmao. "Fortunately, you can speak English, and you are familiar with the situation of Shanghai Ocean Tour; you are smart, so you must pretend to be like one." Hu Xueyan said: "You have to remember that Changmao is also rustic, so you have to scare him with foreigners." ——The confession was done, but he never wrote a letter; this is also where Hu Xueyan was careful, fearing that if he found this letter, he would fail in a major event and instead lead to death.But when he met Wang Youling, he had to have a token as proof; the gold ring in his hand was the most authentic, but he was afraid that the long hair would be plundered, Hu Xueyan thought for a long time, and could only explain it in words. "Before I left, Wang Futai talked with me for a long time, and entrusted me with his funeral affairs. His favorite youngest son, named Tiaoyun, is only five years old this year, and he wants to send it under my name; I said I will talk about it when I come back from Shanghai. No third person will know these words, if you tell him, he will naturally believe that I invited you to go." This is the best way to check credit. Xiao Jiaji asked clearly how to write the word "Shaoyun" and kept it in his heart.However, I can't go for a while; first find a way to find a boat. There are small boats. In the past, ferries carrying refugees were seen from time to time, but foreign soldiers with live ammunition and guns were on the sand boats, and no one dared to approach them.It was up to Li Delong, who borrowed the telescope of Liaison Officer Kong, and spotted an empty boat far away; he swam up to meet him, held the side of the boat, and saw the boss with his head, and without speaking, he felt a watery horseshoe on his body Silver, handed it over; it is really "under a heavy reward, there must be a brave man", and the ship was hired smoothly. It was dusk and the horizon was unclear, but it was easier to get ashore; Hu Xueyan pointed out the direction himself, and when he was about to set sail, he suddenly thought of something. "Hey, hello, Boss, what's your last name?" The boss of the boat pointed to the surface of the water: "My surname is Jiang." "Old Jiang, I'm sorry for you." Hu Xueyan said, "You take my friend to the shore, and when you come back, write me a letter, and I'll give you another ten taels of silver. I will never lie to you; if you lie, teach me to immediately If you fall into the Qiantang River, you will die badly." Boss Jiang seemed quite moved when he heard such a heavy curse, "What's your lord's name?" he asked. "My name is Wong." "Master Wang, please don't worry, old man; I have delivered this young master, and I will report to you." "Please, please!" Hu Xueyan bowed on the sand boat, "I'll wait for you here with my money ready, it doesn't matter even in the middle of the night, you must come! Do you have any lanterns on the boat?" "There are lanterns." Boss Jiang is also very flexible and knows his intentions, "If you hang them out at night, they will go out as soon as the river wind blows." "That makes sense. Come on, come on, just 'six fingers tickle', I'm flattering you." Hu Xueyan also gave him a horse lantern powered by "Mobil oil" as a signal to hang on the bow of the ship when reporting the message, so as not to be caught in time The foreign soldiers went in without knowing it and accidentally injured him. As soon as Xiao Jiaji left, Li Delong couldn't help but ask why he treated Boss Jiang like this, and even gambled on him, lest he would not believe him.Are you worried about Xiao Jiaji? "I've let him go out, there's nothing to worry about." Hu Xueyan said, "I'm guarding against the boss of this boat; I want to prevent him from sending people to Changmao's place to inform him for a reward. So I tied him with ten taels of silver. feet, so as to teach him to come back early. Of course, this must be cursed, otherwise he will not believe it." "Mr. Hu, I've really convinced you. It's really exhausting. But, Mr. Hu, why do you say your surname is Wang?" "There's another reason for this. The ferrymen on the Qiantang River hate me; it's bad for me to say my real name. Listen to me and tell you the reason; twenty years ago——" Twenty years ago, Hu Xueyan was still studying business in a bank. Once he was ordered to collect an account in Xiaoshan County on the south bank of the Qiantang River; The loss left only ten small coins needed for the ferry. "The boat arrived in the middle of the river, and the money was collected." Hu Xueyan said, "When I got in front of me, I put my hand into my pocket and couldn't get it out." "What's the matter?" Li Delong asked. "It's also called that misfortunes never come singly. The edge of my pocket is torn; I don't know when the ten pennies will be gone. The ferry boat on the Qiantang River is notoriously fierce. I heard that there are some cases where they can't pay the ferry money and are pushed into the river. I was naturally embarrassed at the time, so I had to tell the truth, and agreed to go ashore and go to the bank to get the money to make up for it. It’s useless to say anything, and I insisted on stripping my clothes.” "It's so hateful!" Li Delong was very aggrieved, "However, could it be that the whole boat just stood by and watched?" Of course not, someone lent him ten Wen to avoid the shame of stripping his clothes.But after being stimulated by this, Hu Xueyan vowed when he went ashore: as long as he is proud one day and can afford it, he will definitely buy two boats, hire a few boatmen, and set up a free cross-strait ferry. "My wish, to be honest, can be fulfilled a long time ago. I don't know that doing good deeds is not enough! Delong, think about it, what is the reason?" "It's easy to understand. If someone does good deeds, someone will have nothing to eat." "Yes! Because of this, the Qiantang River ferrymen joined forces to oppose me, and I was not allowed to set up a free ferry. Later, thanks to Wang Futai's help." At that time, Wang Youling had been transferred to the magistrate of Hangzhou. Not only was it a personal friendship, but it was his duty to help Hu Xueyan; even as a local official, it was his duty to benefit the people and reward good deeds.So on the one hand, a notice was issued not to sue those who make a living on the ferry, obstructing this good deed; on the other hand, he also asked for an award for Hu Xueyan. There are countless people who have benefited from setting up a free ferry. Hu Xueyan's reputation is overflowing, and he has won the reputation of a "Hu Shanren".It's just that most of the boatmen on the Qiantang River gritted their teeth when they mentioned "Hu Shanren", so he refused to reveal his real name to Boss Jiang. A small story, because Hu Xueyan was in a more cheerful mood, recovered his original eloquence, and told it quite humorously, so Li Delong listened with relish and admired it even more. "Mr. Hu, there is karma after all. Mr. Hu, you have done such a good thing on this river; there should never be any risks on this river. We all want to rely on you." These two sentences sounded very pleasant, and Hu Xueyan said happily, "Thank you! Thank you! I will be like you Chrysostom." Not only Hu Xueyan himself, but also other people on the boat were encouraged by Li Delong's words, thinking that if there are good people on board, disasters will be turned into good fortune.As a result, it suddenly changed the sleepy, melancholy, restless, breathless taste of the previous two days; at the dinner table, the spirits were very good, and even Li Delong, who could not drink, was willing to have a drink. "Speaking of which, you really have to believe in ghosts and gods." Liaison Officer Kong raised his glass and said leisurely, "However, if you don't teach others to do good deeds, you can really do good deeds; it's not surprising to do good deeds for the reputation of good people." "Otherwise. If everyone is willing to do good deeds for the sake of the reputation of good people, the world will be fine. Some people are simply 'good sticks'." Hu Xueyan said, "This is called 'below three generations, for fear of bad reputation'." "What's 'good stick'?" Li Delong laughed, "This is the first time I've heard of this name." "A good person is a liar. They cheat in the name of doing good deeds. This kind of liar is very difficult to guard against. But after a long time, they can't hide it from others." Hu Xueyan said, "No matter what happens, one's heart can't be fake; some people think they are extremely smart , everyone will be fooled by him; in fact, in the end, the truth is revealed, and he ruins himself. Whether a person is worth anything or not depends on whether what he says counts; like Wang Futai, the official voice in our Zhejiang, to be honest, It’s not that it’s the best; but now he says he won’t leave, he won’t leave, and he wants to live and die with Hangzhou people, and he is much more valuable than He Zhitai in this regard.” At this point, everyone thought of Xiao Jiaji unexpectedly, and speculated when he would be able to enter the city?What will Wang Youling do when he gets the news?How to respond on board? "There must be actions. But—" Hu Xueyan stopped drinking suddenly, his face was bleak, and after a long time, he sighed and said, "I really can't think of how to transport this batch of rice ashore; A blood road, how can we keep this food road unblocked?" "Mr. Hu, I don't know if there is a way to do it?" Li Delong said, "Isn't there a water gate in Hangzhou? How about getting a few small boats and splitting rice to smuggle into the city?" "I'm afraid it won't work—" Just halfway through speaking, there was only a gunshot; then someone shouted: "You can't shoot, you can't shoot; the messenger is here." So Hu Xueyan and Li Delong went out of the cabin to visit one after another, and sure enough, a little spark came slowly; as they approached, they saw that there was a lantern hanging on the bow.When the boat approached, Li Delong called out: "Boss Jiang!" "It's me." Boss Jiang agreed, throwing a cable over. Li Delong stretched out his hands, tied the boat, picked up Boss Jiang, and led him into the cabin; Hu Xueyan had already placed a piece of silver on the table. "The young master has come ashore." Boss Jiang said, "I'm here to deal with the business." "For your trouble." Hu Xueyan pushed the silver forward, "I will send you as a host for the New Year." "Thank you, thank you." Boss Jiang took the silver in his hand, hesitated for a moment before saying, "Master Wang, I have to tell you something after thinking about it: As soon as the young master came ashore, Chang Mao caught him." Not afraid to catch it, it depends on how to catch it?Hu Xueyan asked calmly: "Is the long hair very fierce?" "That's okay." Boss Jiang said, "This young master is so courageous that he won't run away when he sees Chang Mao; Chang Mao should be more polite to him." Hu Xueyan was half relieved first, and asked casually, "What news is there in the city?" "I don't know," Boss Jiang shook his head, his face suddenly filled with sorrow, "It's like two worlds inside and outside the city." "And what about outside the city?" "Outside the city? Master Wang, you mean long hair?" "Yes! Any news about Long Mao?" "I'm not too sure. A few days ago, I said that I was going back to Suzhou; some Changmao set up street stalls to sell looted things, which were not worth a penny, as if they were eager to get rid of the goods for cash; I haven't heard anything about it in the past two days. " Hu Xueyan knew in his heart that Chang Mao's army rations were also going to be difficult to sustain: now it was a stalemate with the defenders, if there was food relief in the city, and they could defend for another month or two, Chang Mao could retreat without a fight.But on the other hand, since Changmao is short of food, the dozens of boats of food placed on the river will surely inspire his covetous heart. It would be very dangerous to mobilize small boats and pounce on them regardless of their lives.Therefore, this night he was so anxious that he couldn't sleep, he only hoped that Xiao Jiaji could sneak into the city, Wang Youling could mobilize his troops to fight a bloody road and keep the food road; Unload food and enter the city. Sure enough, Xiao Jiaji sneaked into the city. When he was arrested, Changmao "looked at him differently"; because all the people who were taken into captivity trembled with fear.Only this "new guy"—Shangmao's common name for the people who had just been taken into captivity—was different.Therefore, the other "new guys" had their hands tied as usual, and one's braids were tied with that's to prevent them from "running away with long hairs"; but for Xiao Jiaji, as Boss Jiang said, he was quite "polite" and escorted to " Mansion", the tone of the question was quite polite. "You look like you're from outside. What's your name and what do you do?" asked a little leader in yellow clothes and hat who spoke Hubei dialect. "My surname is Xiao, and I come from Shanghai." Xiao Jiaji replied calmly, "To be honest, I want to do a big business. If this business is successful, the city of Hangzhou will no longer be able to hold on." The little boss heard his tone extraordinary , Immediately stood in awe, and changed his name to him: "Mr. Xiao, what kind of big business is it? How can they say that if this business is successful, they will not be able to keep it in Hangzhou?" "I really can't tell you that." Xiao Jiaji said, "Please send me to King Zhong." "King Zhong doesn't know where the driver is? I can't see him either, so I have to send you up. However, Mr. Xiao," the little boss hesitated and said, "You won't harm me, will you?" "Why harm me? " "If what you said is not true, isn't it all my fault?" Xiao Jiaji smiled.Seeing that this person was honest and deceitful, he deliberately pretended to be contemptuous, "Your words are really funny? How do you know that my words are not true? I live well in Shanghai, so why come here all the way? Tell you the truth." , I was entrusted by the British, and I want to see King Zhong, and I have a great service to Chen." He suddenly asked, "May I ask your name?" "My name is Lu Deyi." "Meet King Zhong, I will speak well for you, and I will give you a great reward." Li Xiucheng's army is different from other Hong Yang generals, and he has always paid attention to recruiting talents; so after hearing his words, Lu Deyi dared not neglect him even more. "Mr. Xiao," he replied sincerely, "thank you for your kindness. I would like to thank you in advance. However, it's already late today, so you can stay overnight. it is good?" It's inconvenient to act too hastily, Xiao Jiaji thought to himself, staying for one night first, taking advantage of Lu Deyi's good friend and inquiring about the situation, wouldn't it be more sure to act?Then he replied happily: "That's fine. I'll just stay for one night." So Lu Deyi regarded him as the honored guest and set up wine to entertain him.Xiao Jiaji was used to running around the Yangtze River Wharf, and Lu Deyi was from Hanyang; therefore, the topic of Hubei's recent situation was quite speculative. Finally, when it comes to the situation in Hangzhou, Lu Deyi is really a loyal person, and he is unhappy, "It's really doomed!" He sighed and said, "When I think about it, I can't even eat. I hope that the city will be broken as soon as possible." , the people of Hangzhou still have a way out; if they continue to be besieged like this, I am afraid that the people of Hangzhou will all die." "Yes!" Xiao Jiaji took the opportunity to say, "I am here to do this big business, of course to help you, and it is also for the benefit of the people of Hangzhou. However, I don't understand. The loyal king broke Suzhou, and the people are grateful for their benevolence. Since So, why not let the people of Hangzhou live.” "It's hard to ride a tiger now." Lu Deyi replied: "I heard that King Zhong shot an arrow into the city, and there was a letter on the arrow to surrender. He said it very earnestly; but there was no reply from the city." "Oh!" Xiao Jiaji asked: "What do you say about the letter of surrender?" It will take more than 20 days from here to Tianjing to return to the north. The "imperial approval" has not yet come. Once the "imperial approval" is sent back, people will be sent to discuss peace with Ruichang. At that time Maybe it will be another scene." Lu Deyi said: "I have been to many places, and it seems that the soldiers in Hangzhou are the most powerful." This made Xiao Jiaji think of Hu Xueyan's words again, as long as there is food in Hangzhou, it can last for a year or so, so he feels more and more responsible, so he sleeps in Lu Deyi's "mansion" all night, imagining various situations over and over again, He was thinking about how to win the trust of Li Xiucheng and get out of the surveillance; how to convince them that he was not a spy after meeting the officers and soldiers, and take him into the city to meet Wang Youling? Tossing and turning in this way, he didn't fall asleep until he heard the fourth watch. He didn't know how long he slept, but he woke up suddenly, only to hear the noise of people's voices and hurried steps, as if a great accident had occurred.Xiao Jiaji was startled, his drowsiness disappeared, he sat up suddenly, and listened intently; he heard a sentence: "The evil wind is blowing, the evil wind is blowing!" As if he had heard this sentence somewhere, Xiao Jiaji gritted his teeth, struggling After thinking about it, I finally realized that nothing happened on the sandboat. I heard from Hu Xueyan that Changmao called the Qing army "monsters", and "the demon wind blows" means that the Qing army is coming. When he thought of this, he was both surprised and happy, got up hastily, and tied up; but he didn't dare to make a mistake, he pushed open a crack in the door and looked outside, only to see long hairs swarming out, and the weapons in his hands were of different types, such as red-tasseled spear, There are white wax poles, machetes, and foreign guns—the sound of gunfire has already started; mixed with the sound of roaring, from far and near, from east to west, changing with the wind, it seems that there are quite a few Qing troops. How about it?Xiao Jiaji asked himself in his heart; this is a great opportunity to get out, but the situation outside is not clear, and he is thrown into the hail of bullets in a daze, and if he dies, he is afraid that no one will know, isn't he wronged?But not to go?Among other things, at least meeting Li Xiucheng is not something that can be done all at once; if there is a delay, maybe Lu Deyi will die in this battle, and there will be no such a reasonable person to deal with, and the consequences will be even more disastrous. In such a dilemma, I saw another group of people flashing by outside the yard, their steps were light and their voices were soft, but they were in a hurry, "Quick, quick!" Someone urged, "Quick 'escape long hair', where are you going?" Where is it?" "Escape from Changmao" is a very popular saying, and Xiao Jiaji often said these three words when he heard Hu Xueyan, which means to escape from Changmao; "Escape!" He said to himself, "If you don't escape, do you really want to do arms business with Li Xiucheng?" Typing idea, let alone negligence; but although it is not in a hurry, it is clear that there is no one, and it is clear that there is no one in the lane, and at the same time it smells the aroma of rice, and when I look up, it is a kitchen. The kitchen is huge, but seems empty.Xiao Jiaji looked carefully, walked through the courtyard step by step, until he reached the stove, only to find that there was a man warming under the stove; the man was extremely thin, with big eyes, and when he saw it, his description was particularly terrifying, which made him take two steps back in fright.The man looked like a fool, with a pair of big but lost eyes, looking at Xiao Jiaji without any expression. "Who are you?" he asked. "Don't ask me!" The man replied in a weak voice, "I won't run away! I can't escape their hands by running around; I'm resigned to my fate." Hearing these words, Xiao Jiaji's heart became half cold, and he stared at him blankly, speechless for a while. "Look at you, you are not a local; where did you escape from?" 看他相貌和善、而且说话有气无力，生趣索然似的，萧家骥便消除一恐怕戒备之心，老实答道：“我从上海来。”“上海不是有夷场吗？大家逃难都要逃到那里去，你怎么反投到这里来？”那人用听起来空落落的绝望的声音说：“天堂有路你不走，地狱无门闯进来！何苦？” “我也是无法，”萧家骥借机试探，却又不便说真话，“我有个生死至交，陷在杭州，我想进城去看他。”“你发疯了！”那人说道，“杭州城里人吃人，你那朋友，只怕早饿死了；你到哪里去看他？就算看到了，你又不能救他；自己陷在里头，活活饿死。这打的是什么算盘？真正气数。” 话中责备，正显得本心是好的，萧家骥决定跟他说实话，先问一句：“你老人家贵姓？” “人家都叫我老何。” “老何，我姓萧，跟你老人家老实说吧，我是来救杭州百姓的——也不是我，是你们杭州城里鼎鼎大名的一位善人做好事；带了大批粮食，由上海赶来。教我到城里见王抚台送信。”萧家骥略停一下，摆出一切都豁出去的神态说：“老何，我把我心里的话都告诉你，你如果是长毛一伙，算我命该如此，今年今月今日今时，要死在这里。如果不是，请你指点我条路子。” 老何听他说完，沉思不语，好久，才抬起头来；萧家骥发觉他的眼神不同了，不再是那黯然无光，近乎垂死的人的神色，是闪耀着坚毅的光芒，仿佛一身的力量都集中在那方寸眸子中似的。 他将手一伸：“信呢？” 萧家骥愕然：“什么信？” “你不是说，那位大善人托你送信给王抚台吗？”“是的。是口信。”萧家骥说，“白纸写黑字，万一落在长毛手里，岂不糟糕？” “口信？”老何踌躇着，“口信倒不大好带。”“怎么？老何，”萧家骥了解了他的意思：“你是预备代我去送信？” “是啊？我去比你去总多几分把握。不过，凭我这副样子，说要带口信给王抚台，没有人肯相信的。” “那这样，“萧家骥一揖到地，“请老何你带我进城。”“不容易。我一个人还好混；象你这样子，混不进去。”“那末，要怎样才混得进去？” “第一、你这副脸色，又红又白，就象天天吃大鱼大肉的样子，混进城里，就是麻烦。如果，你真想进城，要好好受点委屈。” “不要紧！什么委屈，我都受。” “那好！”老何点点头，“反正我也半截入土的了，能做这么一件事，也值！先看看外头。” 于是静心细看，人声依旧相当嘈杂，但枪声却稀了。“官军打败了。”老何很有把握地说，“这时走，正好。” 萧家骥觉得这是件不可思议的事，听一听声音，就能判断胜负，未免过于神奇。眼前是重要关头，一步走错不得，所以忍不住问了一句：“老何，你怎么知道？” “我早就知道了。”老何答道：“官军饿得两眼发黑，哪里还打得动仗？无非冲一阵而已。” 这就是枪声所以稀下来的缘故了。萧家骥想想也有道理，便放心大胆地跟着老何从边门出了长毛的公馆。 果然，长毛已经收队，满街如蚁，且行且谈且笑，一副打了胜仗的样子。幸好长毛走的是大街，而老何路径甚熟，尽从小巷子里穿来穿去，最后到了一处破败的财神庙，里面是七八个乞儿，正围在一起掷骰子赌钱。 “老何，”其中有一个说，“你到没有死！” 老何不理他，向一个衣衫略为整齐些的人说：“阿毛，把你的破棉袄脱下来。” "What are you doing?" “借给这位朋友穿一穿。” “借了给他，我穿啥？” “他把他的衣服换给你。” 这一说便有好些人争着要换，“我来，我来！”乱糟糟地喊着。 老何打定主意，只要跟阿毛换；他的一件破棉袄虽说略为整齐些，但厚厚一层垢腻，如屠夫的作裙，已经让萧家骥要作呕了。 “没有办法。”老何说道：'不如此就叫不成功。不但不成功，走出去还有危险。不要说你，我也要换。”听这一说，萧家骥无奈，只好咬紧牙关，换上那件棉袄，还有破鞋破袜。萧家骥只觉满身虫行蚁走般肉麻，自出娘胎，不曾吃过这样的苦头，只是已穿上身，就决没有脱下来的道理。再看老何也找人换了一身衣服，比自己的更破更脏，别人没来由也受这样一分罪，所为何来？这样想着，便觉得容易忍受了。 “阿毛！”老何又说：“今天是啥口令？” "I don't know." “我晓得。”有人响亮地回答，“老何，你问它做啥？”“自然有用处。”老何回头问萧家骥：“你有没有大洋钱，摸一块出来。” 萧家骥如言照办；老何用那块银洋买得了一个口令。但是，“这是什么口令呢？”萧家骥问。 “进城的口令。”老何答道，“城虽闭了，城里还是弄些要饭的出来打探军情，一点用处都没有。” 在萧家骥却太有用了；同时也恍然大悟，为何非受这样的罪不可？ 走不多远，遥遥发现一道木城；萧家骥知道离城门还有一半路程。他听胡雪岩谈过杭州十城被围以后，王有龄全力企图打开一条江路，但兵力众寡悬殊，有心无力。正好张玉良自富阳撤退；王有龄立即派人跟他联络，采取步步为营的办法，张玉良从江干往城里扎营；城里往江干扎营，扎住一座，坚守一座，不求速效而稳扎稳打，总有水到渠成，联成一气打开一线生路的时候。 由于王有龄的亲笔信，写得极其恳切，说“杭城存亡，视此一举，不可失机误事，”所以张玉良不敢怠慢，从江干外堤塘一面打、一面扎营，扎了十几座，遭到一条河，成了障碍，张玉良派人夺围进城，要求王有龄派兵夹击；同时将他扎营的位置，画成明明白白的图，一并送上。王有龄即时通知饶廷选调派大队进城；谁知饶廷选一夜耽误，泄潜心机密，李秀成连夜兴工，在半路上筑成一座木城，城上架炮。城外又筑土墙，墙上凿眼架枪，隔绝了张玉良与饶廷选的两支人马；而且张玉良因此中炮阵亡。 这是胡雪岩离开杭州的情形，如今木城依旧，自然无法通过；老何带着萧着骥，避开长毛，远远绕过木城，终于见了城门。 “这是候潮门。” “我晓得。”萧家骥念道：“'候潮'听得'清波'响，'涌金''钱塘'定'太平'。” 这两句诗中，嵌着杭州五个城门的名称，只有本地人才知道；所以老何听他一念，浮起异常亲切之感，枯干瘦皱，望之不似人形的脸上，第一次出现了笑容，“你倒懂！”他说，“哪里听来的？” 萧家骥笑笑答道：“杭州我虽第一次来，杭州的典故我倒晓得很多。” “你跟杭州有缘。”老何很欣慰地说，“一定顺利。” 说着话，已走近壕沟；沟内有些巡逻，沟外却有人伏地贴耳，不知在干什事？萧家骥不免诧异却步。 “这些是什么人？” “是瞎子。”老何答道，“瞎子的耳朵特别灵；地下再埋着酒坛子，如有啥声音听得格外清楚。” “噢！我懂了。”萧家骥恍然大悟，“这就是所谓'瓮器'，是怕长毛挖地道，埋炸药。” “对了！快走吧，那面的兵在端枪了。” 说着，老何双手高举急步而行；萧家骥如法而施，走到壕沟边才住脚。 “口令！”对面的兵喝问。 “日月光明。” 那个兵不作声了，走向一座轴驴，摇动把手，将一条矗立着的跳板放了下来，横搁在壕沟上，算是一道吊桥。 萧家骥觉得这个士兵，虽然形容憔悴，有气无力，仿佛连话也懒得说似的，但依然忠于职守，也就很可敬了；由此便想：官军的纪律，并不如传说中那样糟不可言。既然如此，何必自找麻烦，要混进城去。 想到就说：“老何！我看我说明来意，请这里驻守的军官，派弟兄送我进去，岂不省事？” 老何沉吟了一下答道：“守候潮门的曾副将，大家都说他不错的；不妨试一试。不过，“老何提出警告：“秀才遇着兵，有理说不清，也是实话。到底怎么回事，你自己晓得；不要前言不搭后语，自讨苦吃。” “不会，不会！我的话，货真价实；那许多白米停在江心里，这是假得来的吗？” 听这一说，老何翻然改计，跟守卫的兵士略说经过，求见官长；于是由把总到千总，到守备，一层层带上去，终于候潮门见到了饶廷选的副将曾得胜。 “胡道台到上海买米，我们是晓得的。”曾得胜得知缘由以后，这样问道：“不过你既没有书信，又是外路口音，到底怎么回事，倒弄不明白；怎么领你去见王抚台？”萧家骥懂他的意思，叫声：“曾老爷！请你搜我身子，我不是刺客；公然求见，当然也不是奸细。只为穿越敌阵，实在不能带什么书信，见了王抚台，我有话说，自然会让他相信我是胡道台派来的。如果王抚台不相信，请曾老爷杀我的头。我立一张军令状在你这里。” “立什么军令状？这是小说书上的话。我带你去就是。”曾得胜被萧家骥逗得笑了；不过他的笑容比哭还难看。“是！”萧家骥响亮地答应一声，立即提出一个要求，“请曾老爷给我一身弟兄的棉军服穿！” 他急于脱卸那身又破又脏的衣服；但轻快不过片刻，一进了城，尸臭蒸熏，几乎让他昏倒。 王有龄已经绝望了！一清早，杰纯冲过一阵——就是萧家骥听到枪声的那时刻；十几船活命的白米等着去运，这样的彭励，还不能激出士兵的力量来，又还有什么人能开粮通道，求得一线生路？ 因此，他决定要写遗折了：窃臣有龄前将杭城四面被围，江路阻绝，城中兵民受困各情形，托江苏抚臣薛焕，据情代奏，不识能否达到？现在十门围紧，贼众愈聚愈多，迭次督同饥军，并密约江干各营会合夹击，计大小昼夜数十战，竟不能开通一线饷道。城内粮食净尽，杀马饷军，继以猫鼠，食草根树皮，饿殍载道，日多一日，兵弁忍饥固守，无力操戈。初虞粮尽内变，经臣等涕泣拊循，均效死相从，绝无二志，臣等奉职无状，致军民坐以待毙，久已痛不欲生。 写到这里，王有龄眼痛如割，不能不停下笔来。他这眼疾已经整一年了，先是“心血过亏，肝肠上逼，脾经受克，肺气不好”，转为“风火上炎”而又没有一刻能安心的时候，以致眼肿如疣，用手一按，血随泪下；见到的人，无不大骇。后来遇到一位眼科名医，刀圭与药石兼施，才有起色；但自围城以来，旧疾复发，日重一日，王有龄深以为恨，性命他倒是早已置之度外，就这双眼睛不得力，大是苦事。 如果是其他文报，可以口授给幕友子侄代笔，但这通遗折，王有龄不愿为人所见，所以强睁如针刺般疼痛的双眼，继续往下写： 第残喘尚存，总以多杀一贼，多持一日为念，泣思杭城经去年兵燹之后，户鲜盖藏，米粮一切，均由绍贩运；军饷以资该处接济为多。金、兰这法后，臣等早经筹计，须重防以固宁绍一线饷源，乃始则饬宁绍台道张景渠，继又迭饬运司庄焕文，记名道彭斯举，各带兵勇设防，均经王履廉议格不行；又复袒庇绅富，因之捐借俱穷，固执已见，诸事掣肘。臣等犹思设防堵御，查有廖守元与湖绅赵景贤，历守危城，一载有余，调署绍兴府，竭筹布置。乃违大绅不愿设防之意，诬以通贼痛殴，履谦从旁袖手；比及城陷而走，卒致廖宗元城亡与亡，从此宁绍各属，相继失陷，而杭城已为孤注，无可解救矣！ 写到这里，王有龄一口怨气不出，想到王履谦携带家眷辎重，由宁波出海到福建，远走高飞，逍遥自在，而杭州全城百姓，受此亘古所无的浩劫；自己与驻防将军瑞昌，纵能拼得一死报君主，却无补于大局，因而又奋笔写道：王履谦贻误全局，臣死不瞑目。眼下饷绝援穷，危在旦夕，辜负圣恩，罪无可逭。惟求皇上简发重兵，迅图扫荡，则臣等虽死之日，犹生之年。现在折报不通，以后更难偷达，谨将杭城决裂情形，合词备兵折稿，密递上海江苏抚臣薛焕代缮具奏。仰圣瞻天，无任痛切悚惶之至。 遗折尚未写完，家人已经闻声环集：王有龄看着奶妈抱着的五岁小儿子，肤色黄黑，骨瘦如柴，越发心如刀割，一恸而绝。 等救醒过来，只见他的大儿子橘云含着泪强展笑容，“爹！”他说，“胡大叔派人来了。” “喔，”这无论如何是个喜信，王有龄顿觉有了精神。 "Where?" “在花厅上等着。”橘云说道：“爹也不必出去了，就请他上房来见吧！” “也好。”王有龄说，“这时候还谈什么体制？再说，胡大叔派的人，就是自己人。请他进来好了。”他又问：“来人姓什么？” “姓萧！年纪很轻，他说他是古应春的学生。” 进上房，萧家骥以大礼拜见。王有龄力弱不能还礼，只叫：“萧义士，萧义士，万不敢当。” 萧家骥敬重他的孤苦忠节，依旧恭恭敬敬地一跪三叩首；只有由橘云在一旁还了礼，然后端张椅子，请他在王有龄床前坐下。 "Master Wang!" 萧家骥只叫得这一声，下面的话就说不出来了。这倒不是怯官，只为一路而来，所见所闻，是梦想不到的惊心惨目；特别是此一刻，王家上下，一个个半死不活，看他们有气无力地飘来飘去，真如鬼影幢幢，以致于连他自己都不知道此身究竟是在人间，还是在地狱？因而有些神志恍惚，一时竟想不起话从哪里开头？ 于是反主为客，王有龄先问起古应春：“令师我也见过，我们还算是干亲。想来他近况很好？” “是，是。托福，托福！” 等话出口，萧家骥才发觉一开口就错；王有龄眼前是这般光景，还有何福可托？说这话，岂不近乎讥讽？这样想着，急图掩饰失言，便紧接着说：“王大人大忠大义，知道杭州情形的人，没有一个不感动的。都拿王大人跟何制台相比——。” 这又失言了！何桂清弃地而逃，拿他相比，自是对照；然仿佛责以与杭州共亡似的。萧家骥既悔且愧又自恨，所以语声突住；平日伶牙利齿的人，这时变得笨嘴拙舌，不敢开口了。谁知道这话倒是发生了意想不到的效用，王有龄不但不以为忤；脸上反而有了笑容，“上海五方杂处，议论最多。”他问：“他们是怎么拿我跟何制军相比？” 既然追问，不能不说，萧家骥定定神答道：“都说王大人才是大大的忠臣。跟何制台一比，贤愚不肖，更加分明了。大家都在保佑王大人，逢凶化吉，遇难成祥了。”“唉！”王有龄长长地舒了口气，“有这番舆论，可见得公道自在人心。”他略停一下又问：“雪岩总有信给我？”“怕路上遇到长毛，胡先生没有写信，只有口信。”萧家骥心想，胡雪岩所说，王有龄向他托孤的话，原是为了征信之用；现在王有龄既已相信自己的身分，这话就不必再提，免得惹他伤心，所以接下来便谈正题：“采办的米，四天前就到了，停在江心；胡先生因为王大人曾交代，米船一到，自会派人跟他联络，所以不敢离开。一直等到昨天，并无消息；胡先生焦躁得食不甘味，夜不安枕，特为派我冒险上岸来送信，请王大人赶快派兵，打通粮道，搬运上岸。” 话还未完，王有龄双泪直流，不断摇头，哽咽着说：“昨天就得到消息，今天也派兵出城了。没有用！叫长毛困死了；困得一点气力都没有了。可望而不可即；有饭吃不到口，真教我死不瞑目。” 说到这里，放声一恸；王家大小，亦无不抢天呼地，跟着痛哭。萧家骥心头一酸，眼泪汨汨而下，也夹在一起号啕。“流泪眼看流泪眼”，相互劝慰着收住了眼泪；萧家骥重拾中断话头，要讨个确实主意。 问到这话，又惹王有龄伤心；这是唯一的一条生路，关乎全城数十万生灵，明知可望而不可即，却又怎么能具此大决断，说一声：“算了！你们走吧！” 不走等机会又如何？能办得到这一点，自然最好；虽然画饼不能充饥，但是望梅或可止渴，有这许多米停泊在钱塘江心，或者能激励军心，发现奇迹——王有龄见过这样的奇迹，幼时见邻家失火，有个病足在床的人，居然能健步冲出火窟。人到绝处想求生时，那份潜力的发生，常常是不可思议的。 然而这到底是可遇而不可求的事。这许多米摆在那里，长毛必起觊觎之心：就算他们自己不绝粮，但为了陷敌于绝境，亦必千方百计动脑筋不可，或明攻、或暗袭，只要有一于此，胡雪岩十之八九会葬身在钱塘江中，追随伍子胥于地下，呜咽朝夕，含恨千古。转念到此，王有龄凄然下泪，摇头长叹：“何苦'临死还拉个垫背的'？萧义士，你跟雪岩说：心余力绌，坐以待毙。请他快走吧！” 其实这倒是萧家骥想讨到的一句话；但听王有龄说出口来，他反答应不下了。 “王大人！再筹划筹划看！” “不用筹划了。日日盼望，夜夜盘算；连想派个人跟雪岩联络，都不容易办得到。唉，”王有龄痛心欲绝地说：“我什么都不错，只错了两件事，一件是当初有人劝我从城上筑一条斜坡，直到江边，派重兵把守，以保粮路，我怕深累民力，而且工程浩大，担心半途而废，枉抛民力，不曾采纳。如今想来，大错特错。” 这实在是个好办法，有了这条路，当然也难免遭长毛的袭击；但九次失败，一次成功，城内亦可暂延残喘，决不会象现在这样被困得一点点生路都找不到。 当然，这话要说出来，会更使王有龄伤心，所以只好反过来说，“那也不见得。”他说，“照我一路看到的情形，长毛太多，就有这条斜坡，也怕守不住。” “这不去说他了。第二件事最错！”王有龄黠然说道：“被围之初，有人说该闭城，有人说要开城放百姓，聚讼纷纭，莫衷一是。我不该听了主张闭城的人的话，当初该十门大开，放百姓去逃生才是正办。” “王大人，你老也不必懊悔了。说不定当初城门一开，长毛趁机会一冲，杭州早就不保。” “原来顾虑的也就是这一点。总当解围是十天半个月的事，大家不妨守一守；开城放百姓，会动摇军心。哪知道，结果还是守不住。既有今日，何必当初？我对不起杭州的百姓啊！”说到这道，又是一场号啕大哭；萧家骥再次陪泪，而心里却已有了打算，哽咽着喊道：“王大人，王大人，请你听我说一句。” 等王有龄悲伤略减，萧家骥提出一个办法，也可以说是许诺；而实在是希望——希望粮船能再安然等待三天；更希望城内官军能在这三天以内，杀出一条血路，运粮上岸。“但愿如此！”王有龄强自振作着说，“我们内外和继，尽这三天以内拼一拼命。” “是！