Chapter 56 Nine exotic agates

After lunch, Zeng Guofan took a nap for a while, and when he woke up, people kept looking for him, which made him unable to read the documents.After dinner, he asked Jing Qi to block all visitors, and tonight he must approve the military payment bills reported by each battalion. The forty battalion officers on land and water were all appointed by Zeng Guofan himself, and he knew their morals, talents, strengths, and weaknesses very well.The expenditure reports reported by Luo Zenan, Wang Chi, Li Xubin, Peng Yulin and others are generally not very different from the actual ones, so Zeng Guofan is more at ease.For the details they reported, they will not be checked one by one.Some battalion officials, especially those transferred from the green battalion, are extra careful when looking at their expense bills, checking item by item, and verifying item by item. Educate his subordinates with Yue Fei's words that "civil servants don't love money, and generals don't hesitate to die".Zeng Guofan especially couldn't tolerate someone deceiving him.After reviewing more than 20 expense bills, it was already late at night, and Wang Jingqi exchanged for two more large candles.A personal soldier came in and reported: "Navy Commander Biaozi Battalion Officer Shen Biao asks to see you."

"No one will be seen tonight. Come tomorrow if you have something to do." Zeng Guofan didn't lift his head, still looking at the expense slips filled with dense numbers.After a while, the personal soldiers came in again: "Shen Mingbiao said that there is something important, so he must come at night. I beg your lord to see him." "Why do you have to come at night?" Zeng Guofan thought.He put down his pen, stretched his waist and said, "Then let him in!" After Shen Mingbiao sat down, Zeng Guofan said with a smile: "Biaoziying set fire to nearly a hundred pirate ships on the Yangtze River this time, and made great contributions to breaking Wuchang. The Shenying officer commanded well."

Shen Mingbiao hurriedly bowed and said: "The recovery of Wuchang and Hanyang depends entirely on the master's ingenious plan, and the contribution of the subordinates is very small." Zeng Guofan didn't want to talk to him, so he asked, "Officer Shen Ying came here at night, what's your business?" Shen Mingbiao moved the stool to Zeng Guofan and said in a low voice: "When Baoziying entered the city and attacked the governor's office, Yi Shichang found a red sandalwood box in the bedroom of the thief leader Wei Jun. Inside the box was a light yellow agate that was one inch square. , There is a red peony in the agate. The Yongdings are watching curiously, just as I go in. The chief gave me the agate. Under the sun, I saw that the peony had blood-red petals, it was really beautiful, so I took it away Down. I slept on the bed tonight, thinking that I was a vulgar soldier leading the army, what do I want this agate for! My lord loves antiques, why don’t you give this agate to my lord. I got up overnight and took out the agate from the wooden box. Suddenly Found something weird."

Shen Mingbiao deliberately paused, seeing that Zeng Guofan was listening to him attentively, very proud.He thought Zeng Guofan would ask him "what's the strange thing?" Seeing that Zeng Guofan didn't speak, he had to continue: "My lord, are you always saying that it's strange that the petals of the red peony I saw during the day have all shrunk, as if it had already shrunk?" It was like withering. I was very surprised, so I quickly lit two large candles, and when I looked carefully, the petals bloomed again, but they were not as bright as during the day. I thought, this is really a treasure, so I brought it to him overnight. grown ups."

After finishing speaking, he took out the red sandalwood box from his body and handed it to Zeng Guofan with both hands.Zeng Guofan said: "It's not strange that there are peonies in the agate. As you said just now, the petals can bloom and harvest. I haven't heard of it before. Let me see." Zeng Guofan looked at the agate, and there was indeed a blooming red peony inside.He blew out the candle, and when he looked at the agate again, the peony shrank without knowing it.He asked Jing Qi to light the candle again, and the peony really bloomed again.Zeng Guofan said happily: "What a monster!"

"My lord likes it, so please honor this agate to your lord!" Shen Mingbiao said with a smile, got up and left after speaking. After Shen Mingbiao left, Zeng Guofan tried again, the same as before.He couldn't figure out the mystery, and said in his heart: "There are really some unbelievable things in this world." Put the agate on the desk casually, and continue to review the outstanding expense list.After reading a few copies, it was the detailed account of the military pay and expenses of the Biaozi Battalion.On the eve of the war against Wuchang, Zeng Guofan heard that Shen Mingbiao had falsely received three thousand taels of silver when he was supervising the work at the Xiangtan Shipyard.Zeng Guofan carefully read the list submitted by the applicant, and found that the project was similar to that of Peng Yulin and Yang Zaifu, but the money was more than five thousand taels.Zeng Guofan felt suspicious.He left the desk and paced with his hands behind his back, and saw the pale yellow agate shining under the candlelight at a glance, understood it in his heart, and cursed fiercely: "This kid wants to use agate to bribe me, he is really blind! "

Two days ago, Liu Rong told Zeng Guofan that during this period, many Xiangyong fled from the camp with looted property in the three towns of Wuhan every night.Zeng Guofan has ordered Peng Yuju to lead men to guard all the intersections leading to Hunan to capture them.According to Peng Yuju, among those who were arrested, there were also many people who were arrested. "This quack thief will not change his nature!" Zeng Guofan cursed again thinking of this.He heavily crossed the application form, and then angrily pushed it aside. Under the candlelight, the strange agate was still shining with a faint yellow light.Zeng Guofan walked over, picked it up gently, and looked at it carefully.He remembered that tomorrow he would hold a banquet to welcome Duolonga, a sneer appeared on his face: "I will use this treasure tomorrow night, it will kill two birds with one stone!"