Chapter 44 A navy guard fell into the hands of Yangzhou matchmaker

The assassination of Ma Xinyi was done flawlessly, and the imperial court was very satisfied, and issued a commendation: Zeng Guofan, Kuiyu, Zheng Dunjin, Zhang Zhiwan, Mei Qizhao and others were all handed over to the Ministry of Excellence.Zheng Dunjin sent his horse back to the court, and the Jiangning Fan treasury took out another two thousand taels of silver as a gift for Cheng Yi. Zeng Guofan no longer asked Liangjiang general affairs, not only because he was too weak and unable to do what he wanted, but more importantly, the lesson plan gave him too much stimulation. He knew very well in his heart that the Jin case ended with paying compensation to kill his compatriots. The humiliation is because of his efforts to gain fame. In order to take the overall situation into consideration, it is actually the imperial court and the whole of China who are trying to compromise. They are seeking temporary peace at the expense of the dignity of the country and the nation. The image of a powerful country in the Han and Tang Dynasties has been established There is nothing left in front of the countries of the world.The reason for this is because the country is weak.In the process of dealing with foreigners, China can not be wronged and live on an equal footing, not only because of the adequacy of reason, but also because of the strength of its national power.Let Xu Tu strengthen himself!Zeng Guofan vowed to devote the rest of his life to the cause of "teaching wisdom from barbarians to control barbarians" that he started ten years ago.This is the only way for China to become strong and prosperous. At the same time, he must use his own practical and effective actions to prove to the Chinese people that he is not a traitor, but a man of great vision and down-to-earth for the country and the people. Self-proclaimed patriotism, but in fact irresponsible, shame on the Qingyi faction who have not done anything practical!

Over the years, apart from Zeng Guofan, court ministers such as Yixin and Wen Xiang, and local governors such as Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang, Shen Baozhen, Ding Richang, etc., have all been interested in the matter of "teaching the barbarians to control the barbarians", and successively set up Shanghai Military factories such as the Third Bomb Bureau, Suzhou Machinery Bureau, Jinling Machinery Bureau, Fuzhou Shipping Bureau, Tianjin Machinery Bureau, Lanzhou Machinery Bureau, etc. paid a lot of money, but the results were not very significant, which aroused relatives and nobles represented by Yizhen and Woren. With the opposition of veterans and ministers, both sides have fierce rhetoric and tough attitudes when arguing.The Empress Dowager tends to do her own western affairs, so the faction of Yixin and Wenxiang has the upper hand.

Li Hongzhang was the most vigorous advocate of Westernization among the officials in the frontier.He is energetic, shrewd and has a close relationship with foreigners.He achieved the most remarkable achievements in foreign affairs.Jinling Manufacturing Bureau was run by him alone, and Tianjin Manufacturing Bureau was run under his initiative. When Fuzhou Shipping Bureau encountered resistance, he tried his best to speak up for it.The Jiangnan Machine Manufacturing General Bureau, which was moved from Anqing to Shanghai, achieved great development during Li Hongzhang's tenure as the governor of Jiang. He personally approved the relocation of the factory site from the narrow Hongkou to the open Gaochangmiao Town in the south of the city.

The current Jiangnan Machinery Manufacturing General Administration is the largest production place of arms ships in the country.All these made Yung Wing and Yang Guodong, the supervisors of the bureau, very grateful.Zeng Guofan decided to go to Shanghai to inspect the Jiangnan Machine Manufacturing General Administration, give them encouragement and help them solve some practical difficulties. It was a sunny and sunny day in autumn. Zeng Guofan took his confidant Zhao Liewen and his favorite students Li Shuchang, Xue Fucheng, Wu Rulun and others to board the Weijing ship moored on the river at Xiaguan Wharf. Shou, Hua Hengfang, Li Shanlan and others greeted them on board.Yang Guodong, in his fifties, is full of energy.Over the years, he has been Yung Wing's right-hand man, and his ingenuity has been fully utilized.Xu Shou and Hua Hengfang even found a large stage to display their abilities.They cooperated very harmoniously with Yung Wing, and they both had a lofty sense of mission, and they all realized that what they were engaged in was an unprecedented great cause that made China embark on a journey of self-improvement.

"Xuecun, this is the third time for me to take a boat built by you. It's really more comfortable every time." The Weijing cut through the waves and moved fast on the clear river. Zeng Guofan sat at a small table covered with snow-white foreign cloth by the window, smiling He said to Xu Shou.The first time was in June of the third year of Tongzhi, a few days after Zeng Guoquan captured Jiangning, Zeng Guofan went to Jiangning from Anqing on the Huanghu. The word "yellow hu" was named by Zeng Guofan himself. He compared it to a healthy yellow hu that volleys in the air. This is the first ship powered by a steam engine built in China.The second time, on the eve of going to Zhili in the seventh year of Tongzhi, Rong Hong drove the Tianji made by Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau to Jiangning. Zeng Guofan took it from Jiangning to quarrying alum, and then returned to Jiangning from quarrying alum.In the past year, the Jiangnan Bureau successively built four new ships, and Zeng Guofan named them Weijing, Huiji, Caojiang, and Cehai respectively.

"I remember that when Lao Zhongtang took the Yellow Hu for the first time, it was so hot that he changed the civilian ship halfway, so when he built the Tianji, special consideration was given to the ventilation facilities. The second time, when Lao Zhongtang took the Tianji, he said that it was not hot anymore. It’s almost too fast, but the turbulence is too severe. When building the Weijing and Huiji this time, we paid special attention to the smooth driving.” Xu Shou happily recalled Zeng Guofan’s feelings on the three boats. As the main designer of these ships, He is actually admiring the step-by-step improvement of his shipbuilding skills.

Li Shuchang jokingly said: "Brother Xuecun, you forgot, the second time the old Zhongtang was on the Tianji in winter, so of course it's not hot!" "Where is it?" Xu Shou said solemnly, "Lao Zhongtang boarded the Tianji on September 16. The weather was extremely hot that day, and everyone only wore a single long gown. The second son brought a waistcoat for Lao Zhongtang. Lao Zhongtang didn’t wear any clothes, so it’s winter.” Seeing Xu Shou's serious expression, everyone burst into laughter.Xue Fucheng said: "Xuecun remembers it very clearly!" "How can I not remember!" Xu Shou took off his glasses, wiped the lenses with a flannel cloth, and said emotionally, "How many good days like this can there be in a person's life? Don't be afraid that everyone will laugh at me. The birthdays of my three sons I can't remember any of them, but I remember clearly which one of the six ships built from Anqing to Shanghai was launched for sea trial someday. I think Guodong, Uncle Ren, and Ruoting feel similarly to me. .”

"I'm better than you." Hua Hengfang said boldly, "I also remember my son's birthday." Wu Rulun said mischievously: "You also remember your wife's birthday." Everyone laughed out loud. "Of course I remember." Hua Hengfang readily admitted, "However, none of you know that my wife was born on the same day as me." "No wonder!" Several people said in unison. There was a cheerful atmosphere on the Weijing.The boatman set up a table full of Chinese and Western snacks, and made a cup of coffee for everyone.Zeng Guofan didn't drink coffee, so the boatman made him another bowl of tea.The living room on the ship is spacious and bright, the ship is moving fast and smoothly, and the tea in the bowl changes straight or curved ripples from time to time, but no drop spills out of the bowl.In the distance, farmhouses and villages are fleeting; nearby, wooden boats with huge sails are squeezed far away on both sides, and the bosses of the boats with green cloth wrapped on their heads shake their heads helplessly and sigh while looking at the rolling river waves.Zeng Guofan suddenly remembered the tragic scene of Hu Linyi vomiting blood by the foreign ship on the Jiujiang River Gate pier that year, and his heart was sad and relieved.

"Runzhi, if only you could live to this day!" He said softly in his heart. "Snow Village." Zeng Guofan said to Xu Shou, "Take us to see it from beginning to end!" "Wow!" Xu Shou said happily, "It's just that the wind is strong on the deck, I'm afraid Master Zhongtang can't bear it." "It doesn't matter if the wind is strong, just add some clothes." Zeng Guofan said as he walked out of the cabin, and everyone followed behind him. The whole body of the Weijing is painted with white paint, shining in the sunshine and the reflection of the river, full of majesty, like a silver-robed white-horse general galloping forward.Zeng Guofan put on a dark red hara coat brought by Yang Guodong, leaned on a black cannon, and asked Yang Guodong, "How many cannons are installed on the ship?"

"There are twenty-six cannons in total." Yang Guodong replied, "Ten are placed on the bow, six are placed on the stern, and five are placed on each side, all of which are 64-pound heavy cannons." "How are Caojiang, Cehai, and Huiji's guns equipped?" Zeng Guofan asked again. "Those three ships are smaller than the Weijing, and they are equipped with fewer guns." Yang Guodong touched the body of the gun, which is proud of the blue sky, and reported like a few treasures, "Caojiang has twenty-four guns, ten at the bow, six at the stern, There are four statues on each side. Ce Hai has twenty statues, eight at the bow, six at the stern, and three on each side. Huiji has twenty-two statues, two more at the bow than Ce Hai, and the others are the same."

After hearing this, Zeng Guofan turned around, held on to the iron chain on the ship's side, and walked towards the stern with big strides. He didn't speak all the time, and everyone followed silently. Ten feet long!" "Oh, Lao Zhongtang, you are really a man of genius. You guessed it very accurately. The exact length of the Weijing is twenty feet five feet." Xu Shou said excitedly. "No guessing!" Zeng Guofan said with a smile, "I measured it with my footsteps. I walked six steps to nine feet, and I walked one hundred and thirty-two steps. It is estimated to be about twenty feet." Everyone was surprised.Hua Hengfang asked: "Old Zhongtang, do you usually walk like this?" "Since I read "The Complete Book of Zhu Zi" with Mr. Jing Hai in the 23rd year of Daoguang, I have established a set of rules for my walking, sitting and daily life. For more than 20 years, as long as I am not sick, I have basically followed them." Everyone was in admiration.Zeng Guofan asked Li Shanlan next to him: "How powerful is this boat?" "Six hundred and five horses." Li Shanlan replied. "Can it carry heavy cargo?" "Two million catties." "It's worth forty or fifty civilian ships." Zeng Guofan said softly. The wind on the river was getting stronger and stronger, and everyone advised Zeng Guofan to take a rest in the cabin.Zeng Guofan smiled and said to Xu Shou: "I have been on your boat three times, and each time is better than the first. I want to praise you for this. However, your three boats are the same in one thing. There is no change, which makes me dissatisfied." "What is Lao Zhongtang saying that he hasn't improved?" Xu Shou asked seriously. "Look," Zeng Guofan tapped the deck with his foot. "Whether it is the Huanghu, the Tianji, or the Weijing, they are all made of wooden boards. In a war, wooden boards can't stop iron shells, but the gunboats of the foreigners are all made of iron boards. At this time next year, if I'm still alive, I'll take the boat you built again, but it's an iron-hulled boat. Can you make it?" "We will work hard to make it live up to Lao Zhongtang's expectations." Xu Shou said firmly after thinking about it. At the time of Shenzheng, the Weijing came to the outside of Zhenjiang City.Sun Changguo, the chief soldier of Guazhou Township of the Yangtze River Fleet, and a group of military officers were waiting by the river, and Ding Tiangeng, the prefect of Zhenjiang on the other side, was also waiting by the river with a group of officials. They all invited Zeng Guofan and his party to rest in his yamen.Zeng Guofan sent Zhao Liewen to tell Ding Tiangeng in a small boat: "This visit, one is to check the manufacturing of machines, and the other is to review the military deployment along the way. Please don't disturb the prefectures and counties. Please forgive me." So Sun Changguo happily All the personnel on the Weijing were invited into the Zongbing Yamen. Sun Changguo and his younger brother Sun Changkai were originally blacksmiths in Hengzhou City, and they got along well with Peng Yulin.After Peng Yulin set up a naval division, the Sun Changguo brothers set up a fire to join the naval division and have been building weapons in the back camp.In the Tianjia Town battle, Hengjiang Iron Lock was set on fire, and the pair of blacksmith brothers made great contributions, and both were promoted, and then promoted step by step.After Jiangning was taken down, the two brothers were protected as the registered admiral and the registered general soldier respectively.When the navy was being rectified, Sun Changguo was actually appointed as the commander-in-chief of Guazhou Town, and Sun Changkai was also appointed as the deputy general in Yuezhou Town.Sun Changguo was very grateful to Zeng Guofan and Peng Yulin. It was a rare opportunity to be so courteous. The reception banquet that day was very grand and rich; After dinner, Sun Changguo invited Zeng Guofan to drink tea in his small living room. The two talked about the past events of Hengzhou's army training, fighting Wuchang, and Tianjia Town, and they were full of emotion. Just as he was talking, a soldier walked up to Sun Changguo and said: "My lord, that man came again a few days ago, crying and begging your lord to make decisions for him, please let him go so that his husband and wife can be reunited, and he also brought a A group of people speak up for him." "Get out! Let's talk about this later. Didn't you see that I was talking to Mr. Zhongtang?" Sun Changguo cast down his face and reprimanded his own soldiers. "What's going on? Tell me about it." Zeng Guofan didn't relax.He thought to himself, this must be another case of rape of a civilian girl.Military capacity must be inspected, and military discipline must be especially interrogated.Without strict military discipline, how can the combat effectiveness of the army come from?The Yangtze River Navy has been lax in discipline over the years, and has repeatedly told Peng Yulin and Huang Yisheng to be stricter. How can they ignore this matter today? "Old Zhongtang, eat pears." Sun Changguo handed over a watery Dangshan pear that he peeled himself. "The thing is like this. Ten days ago, Bu Fuyuan, the garrison of the third battalion, bought a concubine from Yangzhou. Bu Fuyuan was brave in battle and made a lot of contributions. When he went to Jiangning, the emperor rewarded him with the title of lieutenant general and rebuilt the navy. Time to make up a defense. This person is good in everything, but one thing is not good: he is greedy for women. Most of the thousands of taels of silver he usually saves are spent on women. In his hometown, Ningxiang, he has a first wife. He thinks she is ugly. , getting old again, and asked for a concubine here. That's all. Last year, he fell in love with a woman who was 20 years younger than him, and clung to her. The woman's parents were greedy for money. He sold his daughter to him for five hundred taels of silver. This woman had a master. After she got married, she always thought of her unmarried husband and son-in-law. After half a year of noisy and tossing, she jumped into the river and committed suicide. Bu Fuyuan had no money. Another time I bought an eighteen or nineteen-year-old concubine, and said it only cost three hundred taels of silver. Bu Fuyuan took advantage of it and was very proud of it. Unexpectedly, in less than half a month, a dozen or so people ran to the Sanying camp , and filed a complaint with General Niu Hu, saying that Bu Fuyuan had abducted a wife, and one of them came out to prove that the woman was his wife. Niu Hu brought Bu Fuyuan to me, and I gave him a scolding. Bu Fuyuan repeatedly stated that he was a flower I bought it for three hundred taels of silver, and I didn’t owe a penny. It was definitely not abducted. I also said that I could go to Yangzhou to find the matchmaker. I said, okay, go and find the matchmaker. He is coming to the banquet today. I forgot to ask him, but this group of people came to quarrel again. This Bu Fuyuan is really busy." "You send someone to call Bu Fuyuan." Zeng Guofan said. After a while, Bu Fuyuan, a short and fat defender in his forties, came in.He bowed to Zeng Guofan and Sun Changguo, and asked, "What orders do you have from Lao Zhongtang and Sun Junmen to call you humble?" "Bu Fatty." Sun Changguo looked unhappy. "That gang is here again, don't you know?" "Here again?" Bu Fuyuan showed a trace of panic on his face, "I don't know about the humble job." "Let me ask you, did you find the matchmaker in Yangzhou yesterday?" Sun Changguo asked with a straight face. "No." Bu Fuyuan replied lightly, with a frustrated face. "I said Fatty Bu!" Sun Changguo stood up, walked to Bu Fuyuan, patted him on the shoulder, and smiled. "You and I have been old brothers for many years, Zeng Zhongtang is not an outsider, tell the truth, how did that little woman get kidnapped? Make it clear, I don't blame you if I return it to her husband, and Zeng Zhongtang will surely forgive me. " Zeng Guofan felt very uncomfortable when he heard this: Is this how Sun Changguo leads troops and manages his subordinates? No wonder the ruling and opposition parties have complained about the Yangtze River Navy in recent years.He tensed his face and asked seriously: "Bu Fuyuan, you have to make it clear in front of the governor, if you lie, the military law will not tolerate it!" "Zeng Zhongtang, Sun Junmen, you are wronged, you are wronged!" Bu Fuyuan knelt down and argued aggrievedly: "The humble job was indeed bought with three hundred taels of silver. In a house in Zhangjiaqiao, Yangzhou, one hand paid for it, and the other Leading people. The matchmaker is an old woman in her fifties, and I remember some white pockmarks on her face." "If the person is not found, the house should be found." Zeng Guofan asked. "It's strange to say." Bu Fuyuan touched the top of his bald head and said in confusion, "I clearly remembered that the house was empty, but when I went there yesterday, it turned into a paper horse shop. The nearby People say that there has never been an old woman with long white pockmarks here. This paper horse shop has been open for 60 years. Swear a curse in front of Sun Jun's gate, if there is even a half-truth, it will be a thunderbolt, and you will not live to be fifty years old!" After saying that, a few tears came out. "Look at you, don't you still look like a masculine man?" Sun Changguo stepped forward, pulled Bu Fuyuan up, and said, "Brother Sun, I believe you, just ask a few brothers to drive that guy away." "Slow down." Zeng Guofan stopped, "He said you abducted his wife, you said you bought it with three hundred taels of silver, he has many people speaking for him, you have no one to testify for you, you just blow him away with a knife and a gun , he will not be reconciled." "Old Zhongtang, what do you think we should do? Or, Fatty Bu, you just give him that woman." Sun Changguo had no idea. At this moment, Xue Fucheng came in and said, "Just now I heard the soldiers talk about Bu Shoubei. I thought, could it be that Bu Shoubei was deceived by the falconers?" "What is falconry?" Bu Fuyuan and Sun Changguo were stunned, and Zeng Guofan had never heard of it. Xue Fucheng said: "When I was young, I heard from my father that there are people who specialize in falconry in Yangzhou City, and men and women combine to harm people. They buy poor women from other places at a low price, train them, and then sell them at a high price to rich people. A person becomes a concubine. After the buyer pays the money and takes the person away, at most ten and a half months, at least three to five days, a man comes to the door with a group of people, claiming that the woman is his wife and has been abducted , the woman cried and made noises, saying that the person who came was her husband and wanted to follow. The buyer said that there was a document and a matchmaker, but the matchmaker could no longer be found, and the document became waste paper. The people who followed They all proved that this woman was the wife of so-and-so, and threatened to turn her over and send her to the official. The buyer had no choice but to let her go; if she was timid, she would give another sum of money to settle the matter. This is called falconry. Earlier Years of growing hair, this thing has disappeared, and unexpectedly, it will come back again." After hearing this, Zeng Guofan felt very ashamed.As the governor of Liangjiang, I know nothing about such strange things in Jiangning less than two hundred miles away. It is really a vegetarian meal.From this matter, he also thought that there must be many ills and bad habits in Liangjiang, which he didn't know at all. "Oh, it's empty talk to talk about rectifying the two rivers and changing customs!" He mocked himself in his heart about his previous ambitions. "Okay, these sons of bitches, you dare to put the eagle on the head of Lao Tzu's navy, come on!" Sun Changguo was furious, "Catch those bastard grandsons for Lao Tzu and hand them over to Yangzhou!" The government sent them down, told them to follow the vine, and kill all the dogs and men in Yangzhou city who are hawking!" The soldiers who came in promised to go out and arrest people immediately. "Sun Zhentai!" Zeng Guofan called out politely.He admired Sun Changguo's decisiveness in handling affairs and his idea of ​​following the vine, but he quickly realized that the targets of the falconers could only be ordinary people. the guts?He asked Sun Changguo to sit down, and said, "Don't be too busy arresting people first, let's clarify the matter." Turning to the soldiers, he said, "Go and call in the man who is looking for a wife, and be gentle. Scared him." He ordered Bu Fuyuan, who was kneeling on the ground, to go out as well. The man was brought in, and when he saw that besides the chief soldier, there was also an old man with gray beard and hair. He knew that he was an official older than the chief soldier, so he knelt down on his knees and said, "Please, my lords." Make the decision for the little one, and bring the little woman back to the little one." "Raise your head!" Zeng Guofan ordered. The man lifted his head obediently.Zeng Guofan took a careful look, and said kindly: "The concubine that Bu Shoubei bought is your woman. You can tell me carefully, and you can't tell lies, understand?" "Yes." The man didn't dare to look directly at the senior official, and lowered his head again, looking at the ground and said, "The young one is from Jiangdu, he works as a waiter in a restaurant, and his name is Kuai Xingjia. Three months ago, I took my wife Dushi to the Fairy Temple to offer incense.Mrs. Du has been in the family for two years and hasn't given birth yet. The old mother is anxious and urges us husband and wife to ask the fairy for protection.There were a lot of people in the Fairy Temple that day, and it was already noon after offering incense. I asked Mrs. Du to sit under a camphor tree to rest, and I went to buy some firewood to satisfy my hunger.When I bought it to burn, my wife disappeared under the camphor tree.I was so anxious that I searched and shouted, and searched the entire Fairy Temple, but I couldn't find her anymore.After I got home, I asked my boss for a long vacation. I carried my burden and umbrella and searched everywhere. I made up my mind that I would rather die than go home if I don’t look for Du Shi in this life.Half a month ago, I came to Guazhou Town, and I fell into a small shop. I asked the owner of the shop if I had seen a twenty-year-old foreign woman haunting the neighborhood.The owner of the store said that the navy here was a garrison, and he bought a concubine in Yangzhou a few days ago. After buying it, the woman cried all day long and refused to obey.When the little one heard it, he thought this must be my wife, who had been trafficked.I walked around the garrison for two days, and once in a while, I saw a young woman combing her hair in a small window.I am both happy and sad: this is my miserable wife. " Speaking of this, Kuai Xing's family couldn't help crying, stopped for a moment, and said: "I wanted to go to the garrison dignitaries right away, but then I thought, he is an officer, and he was bought with money. I am an ordinary man. Common people, how can I beat him? So I went home and discussed with my uncles and brothers. They said, there is no reason to see my wife as a concubine, and I will get it back no matter what. To embolden me, they all Get up. Find Bu Shoubei first. Bu Shoubei said that he bought it from a matchmaker in Yangzhou for three hundred taels of silver. I'm looking for the matchmaker here, I don't know if I can find it now. Please Master Qingtian make the decision for the young one, and break the young one's wife back to the young one." After speaking, Kuai Xing wiped away his tears with his sleeves and kowtowed again and again.Zeng Guofan looked at his words and saw that Kuai Xing's family looked honest and honest, and his words were reasonable and sincere, so he thought: this is probably not a hawk hunter.Then he said: "It's easy to handle. I'll ask you a question, and you answer it. I can tell from your answer if she is your wife." Kuai Xing's family hurriedly said, "I beg Master Qingtian to ask." "Where is your wife from? When was she born? What is her name in her natal family? Who is the matchmaker?" "My wife is also from Jiangdu, from Xiaodu's Village. She was born on October 21st, the second year of Xianfeng. She was nicknamed Cuiye in her natal family. Cuiye's uncle is my cousin, and he is the best matchmaker." "Okay, you go down!" Zeng Guofan waved his hand and said to the soldiers, "Ask Bu Shoubing to come in." "Bu Fuyuan, when you bought your concubine, did you know her birth date?" Zeng Guofan asked Bu Shoubing who came in. "The matchmaker said that he was born at Maoshi on the first day of June in the fourth year of Xianfeng. He is eighteen years old this year." Bu Fuyuan answered. "After the concubine bought it, did you ask her again?" "I asked, but she refused to tell." "Sun Zhentai, send a carriage and quickly fetch Mrs. Bu Shou Ru, I want to ask her personally." Zeng Guofan said to Sun Changguo. "Okay, I'll send someone right away." It can be seen that Sun Changguo is very interested in hearing this matter. Half an hour later, a thin and haggard young woman was brought in. She shyly knelt down and bowed her head without making a sound. "Aunt Bu, let me ask you a few words, don't be afraid, answer truthfully." Zeng Guofan said softly in a gentle tone that was rarely seen in the past.He was full of sympathy for this woman, whether she was the wife of the restaurant clerk or not, she was unfortunate and pitiful. "Bu Shoubing bought you from Yangzhou City, is there such a thing?" The woman nodded, but remained silent. "You have to speak, speak slowly, it doesn't matter if you don't speak well, I don't blame you." Zeng Guofan encouraged her. "Let me ask you again, where are you from, and why were you betrayed by a matchmaker?" Before the woman opened her mouth, tears were streaming down her cheeks. After a while, she simply started to cry, as if she was full of grievances and bitterness. "Why are you crying, talk about it if you have something to say." Sun Changguo became annoyed, "Women are so annoying!" Zeng Guofan persuaded: "Don't cry, you answer according to my question." The woman wept sobbingly for a long time before she stopped her tears and said softly, "The little girl is from Xiaodujia Village, Jiangdu County. She got married two years ago, and her husband's name is Kuai Xingjia. Three months ago, my husband and I made offerings at the Fairy Temple.Later, my husband went to buy food, and I sat under the tree and waited for him.After a while, a man came up to me in a hurry and said: "Your husband was crushed by a carriage on the road and broke his leg. He is now being carried to a doctor's house. He wants me to call you." When I heard this, I was dizzy with anxiety, and hurriedly said: "My kind brother, please take me to see him." ’ The man said: ‘I will take you there. 'I didn't have time to think about it, I got into the car in a daze, and was dragged to Yangzhou City just like that, only then did I know that I had been cheated.I cried out my tears and shouted hoarsely. After being locked up in the back room for a few days, an old woman with white pockmarks took me out.The Ma woman was very concerned about me and said that she was slowly finding a husband for me.After living with her for two months, who would have sold me here. " After hearing this, Zeng Guofan probably felt better, so he asked again: "How old are you this year? When was it born?What nickname do you call at your mother's house? " The woman replied: "The little girl is twenty years old this year. She was born on the 21st day of October in the second year of Xianfeng. Her maiden name is Du, and her nickname is Cuiye." Everything came to light!Du Cuiye was abducted and sold by falconers, but the buyer was the guard of the navy, they dared not come to make trouble, and it was her real husband who came to find her. After Cuiye was taken out, Zeng Guofan called Bu Fuyuan in again, and said to him, "The governor has made it clear through the interrogation that the concubine you bought is indeed the wife of Kuai Xing's family. You let her go back and let them reunite." Bar!" Bu Fuyuan puffed out his cheeks, breathing heavily from his nostrils. "Brother!" Sun Changguo patted Bu Fuyuan on the forehead. "She refuses to obey you, crying and crying all day long, what's the fun! Let her go, and buy another one to obey in the future, just be careful, don't be fooled by the eagle hunter." After finishing speaking, I laughed out loud.Bu Fuyuan puffed his cheeks again, and said after a long time, "I don't feel sorry for letting that little woman go, but I threw three hundred taels of silver into the water." "Hey! A man, you have the face to say that!" Sun Changguo punched Bu Fuyuan on the shoulder. "What is three hundred taels of silver? Which one do you like in the future? Brother Sun, I will buy it for you!" Only then did Bu Fuyuan let go of his mouth, showing two big canine teeth and smiling. Kuai Xing's family came in with his wife Du Cuiye, saluted Zeng Guofan and Sun Changguo, and thanked Zeng Guofan and Sun Changguo.Zeng Guofan said: "Kuai Xingjia, you don't have to thank me. If you do something for me, if you do it well, you will be thanked." "Whatever, my lord just orders, even if it is to take the guts of a tiger, I will do it with all my life!" "I don't want you to take the guts." Zeng Guofan said with a smile, "Go to Yangzhou City for a secret investigation, find out the pockmarked matchmaker who betrayed your wife within three months, and then come to Jiangning City to find me at the Yamen of the Governor of Liangjiang. Arrest her and avenge your husband and wife." "Ah, you are Mr. Zeng, Governor of Liangjiang!" Kuai Xing's family hurriedly kowtowed again. "The little one is really lucky to meet an adult in Sansheng. The little one must find out that murderous fairy woman, and avenge the young couple and all the victims." A feeling of joy that had not been felt in many years flooded Zeng Guofan's heart. He felt that only today he looked like the governor of Liangjiang.He imagined that after the matchmaker was caught, he would interrogate him himself, just like interrogating the bandits in Changsha back then. He would open a gap in this person, and then capture all the thieves and men in Yangzhou city. All the servants were charged with three hundred boards, and they were exiled to Ili, and used this matter to carry out a vigorous sweep to clean up all the filth in the two rivers and three provinces.That night, Zeng Guofan slept very sweetly and beautifully. The next day, accompanied by Sun Changguo, Zeng Guofan inspected the Fourth Battalion of Guazhou Township.I saw that the warships were neatly arranged, and the armor was still bright. Under the guidance of the command flag, the sailors drove the warships to form various formations.The cannon hit the surface of the water, sparking water splashes into the sky, and the sound of killing, startled Jiang Ou and fled far away.Looks like it.Zeng Guofan praised a few words, and Sun Changguo was extremely proud.When the Weijing blew its whistle and set sail, he asked someone to hastily carry ten baskets of Dangshan pears to the ship, saying that it was for everyone to quench their thirst along the way, but it was too late for Zeng Guofan to stop it.