***
"Hurry, come in and load the things into the car, quickly."
At Huang Lianshan's urging, several night spy agents rushed into Ka Saisai's room and moved the two boxes to the car outside. Bian Saisai changed into men's clothes, but her attractive curves could not be concealed.
She looked back at her room reluctantly. The rosewood screen, the spotless piano table, the carved windows covered with ivy, the tender green leaves swaying gently in the breeze, a faint fragrance flowing in the air, all of which were so peaceful and elegant;
There are also those books that cannot be taken away completely, lying quietly on the bookshelf, and the breath of Chinese civilization permeates among these poems, books and ink.
"Miss Bian, is there anything else you haven't taken?"
Bian Saisai walked to the bookshelf, picked up a copy of the Book of Songs, flipped through it and said, "Brother Huang, can I get some more books?"
"This..." Huang Lianshan said in embarrassment: "Miss Bian, these books are all in Huguang. The situation is critical, we can't bring too many things."
Bian Saisai thought that these books were very likely to be destroyed by the Tartars, and could not help but sigh. She reluctantly put the "Book of Songs" back on the bookshelf and arranged it neatly. "Can't Lord Qin really send troops to save Nanjing?"
"Miss Bian, it's not that Lord Qin doesn't want to save us, it's that he can't. Right now, Lord Qin is fighting a bloody battle with the Tartars on the top of Hanyang City. The situation is not optimistic. Huguang and Jiangxi have to face the pressure of 600,000 enemy troops. The troops are stretched thin. The two places will be the last safe haven for the Han people and the foundation for us to restore the Central Plains. We must not let the flames of war burn unless it is absolutely necessary."
Bian Saisai couldn't help but ask, "Then why didn't Lord Qin move his troops to protect Jiangnan? Isn't it more important to protect Jiangnan?"
"Miss Bian, you don't know that most of the soldiers under your command are from Huguang and Jiangxi. If you give up these two places to protect Jiangnan, the soldiers will definitely not be willing to risk their lives, and then neither side will be able to be protected."
"I heard that Yangzhou..." Bian Saisai couldn't continue speaking, tears welled up in her eyes.
Thinking of the massacre in Yangzhou City, Huang Lianshan's expression darkened. He gritted his teeth and said, "My Lord said that blood debts must be repaid with blood. One day, we will let the Tartars taste the pain of being massacred."
"Will Nanjing also face the same fate as Yangzhou?"
"No, the nobles in Jinling don't have the character of Mr. Shi... Well, Miss Bian, get in the car quickly. The whole city is under martial law now. At the second watch, Eunuch Han's people will open the west gate for you. But it can only be opened for a moment. You must first get ready near the west gate."
"Brother Huang, won't you come with us?"
"Miss Bian, don't worry. You and President Xu can go first. I have to stay and make some arrangements for the future recapture of Jinling City."
"Then... take care, Brother Huang."
"Miss Bian, please get in the car quickly."
Bian Saisai sat in a carriage, escorted by Huang Lianshan and others, and drove through the streets of Jinling in the night. In the past, there were teahouses on both sides of the Qinhuai River, and the prosperous scene with fragrance wafting across the river has changed. There are few pedestrians on the road, and those who come are all in a hurry and look depressed;
The teahouses and restaurants on the street were all closed, and the brothels were dark and silent. The air was filled with a heavy atmosphere, which made people feel as if they could not breathe.
The wheels rumbled as they rolled over the bluestone pavement, and Dada's horse hooves seemed to be beating against his heart.
The car quickly drove into a small courtyard inside the west gate. Xu Yingjie came up and asked, "Did you pick up Miss Bian?"
Huang Lianshan nodded and said softly, "Miss Bian is in the car. There is chaos outside. Once you leave the city, it will all depend on you, Boss Xu. General Meng has deployed troops in Chizhou. You will be safe once you arrive in Chizhou."
"I know, Brother Huang, be careful."
Huang Lianshan pulled Xu Yingjie aside, took out a small bamboo tube sealed with wax and handed it to Xu Yingjie, and whispered: "This is very, very important. Take it back and give it to the adults. Remember, you must give it to the adults in person."
This is the list and contact information of some death squads arranged by Huang Lianshan. He is the only one who knows the list. Considering that he has to stay in Nanjing, he temporarily decided to let Xu Yingjie take it back and give it to Qin Mu to prevent any accidents.
Although Xu Yingjie didn't know what was inside, seeing Huang Lianshan was so serious, he didn't blame him for being negligent. He carefully put it away and said, "Don't worry, brother Huang, I will definitely hand it over to you personally."
Xu Yingjie felt heavy in his heart. Huang Lianshan suddenly entrusted something to him so solemnly. It seemed that he was ready to sacrifice at any time.
Over the past year or so, the two have worked together in Nanjing, spending time together day and night, working closely together, and have developed a deep friendship. Huang Lianshan's stay in Nanjing is full of dangers, and Xu Yingjie is very worried.
Huang Lianshan changed the subject and said, "By the way, have you dealt with all the remaining silver in the city?"
"They are all buried deep in the pond. Unless someone drains the pond and digs another ten feet deeper, they won't be found." Xu Yingjie thought for a moment and continued, "Once Nanjing falls, the bank's compound will probably be occupied by the Tartars or others. If Brother Huang needs silver to bribe the enemy or to get connections, there is an inconspicuous courtyard in Yuhua Lane, Sanshanmen. There is a stone dog at the gate. There is also a batch of silver buried under the osmanthus tree behind the courtyard. It should be enough for Brother Huang."
"I understand. The second update is coming soon. President Xu, please leave quickly."
"Take care, Brother Huang."
"treasure."
At the second watch, the west gate was quietly opened, and Xu Yingjie, with several horse-drawn carriages and two hundred fully armed men on war horses, hurriedly left Jinling City under the cover of darkness. After traveling all night, they had passed Dasheng Pass by dawn.
Dashengguan Pass is strategically located and got its name because Zhu Yuanzhang defeated Chen Youliang here. It was originally a major port city and military fortress in the southwest of Nanjing.
But at this time, there were no Ming troops guarding Dashengguan, and only groups of civilians were unable to escape to the southwest.
The noble gentry of the past were now in a hurry on the road, the unkempt scholars were mixed with the peddlers, and even the daughters of the boudoir and the noble ladies who never left the house had to sit on the shabby ox carts and flee to Jiangxi among the noisy refugees.
There are always some ruffians who take advantage of the situation to rob, molest women, and steal property, causing crying and chaos.
Bian Saisai was sitting in the carriage with the curtain half lifted when he suddenly heard someone crying out in the noisy crowd: "Take all the money and give me the painting box. This painting is useless to you and is not worth eating. Please, give it back to me."
"What kind of crappy painting is this? It's worthless, but you treat it like your life?"
"Haha, let me take a look."
Bian Saisai took a look and saw a man kneeling on the ground not far from the roadside, kowtowing and begging to a few bandit-like men. None of the people fleeing by were willing to care, and they just walked faster, making those vicious men even more arrogant.
"Boss Xu, I know that man. He is Wu Hongyu, a famous scholar in Yixing. Boss Xu, please save him."
"Miss Bian, don't be anxious." Xu Yingjie gave an order, and several guards rushed out immediately and beat up those evil thugs.
The man named Wu Hongyu found a way out of the desperate situation. He didn't care about his own property and tried to get the painting box back as if it were his life.
"Mr. Wu, are you okay?"
"Ah! It's Miss Saisai. This time, it's all thanks to Miss Saisai for saving me. Thank you so much." Wu Hongyu bowed while holding the painting box, his gratitude beyond words.
"Mr. Wu, why are you alone? Aren't your family members with you?"
"We got separated. We all got separated last night." Wu Hongyu is about fifty years old. When he talked about his miserable situation, tears suddenly blurred his eyes.
"Don't be sad, Mr. Wu. You are going to Jiangxi, right? Why don't you come with us? We can help you find out the whereabouts of your family."
"Miss Saisai, I don't need to thank you for your kindness. I don't need to thank you for your kindness."
"Mr. Wu, you don't have to be polite. In these troubled times, we should help each other. But what you are holding in your hand is 'Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains'?" Bian Saisai guessed that, apart from this, there would probably be no other paintings that Wu Hongyu would consider more important than his life.
“This…” Wu Hongyu subconsciously hugged the painting box in his arms tightly, his face embarrassed. He didn’t want to say yes, but he was too embarrassed to deny it.
Xu Yingjie, who was standing by, brightened up when he heard the conversation between Bian Saisai and Wu Hongyu.
This time in Jiangnan, in addition to making money, he also had two very important tasks. One was to collect various skilled craftsmen and send them to Jiangxi and Huguang. The other was to collect those precious cultural relics to prevent these Chinese treasures from being destroyed in the war.
He had heard of "Dwelling in Fuchun Mountains" a long time ago. This painting is the representative work of Huang Gongwang, a famous artist in the Yuan Dynasty, in his later years. It takes Fuchun Mountain in Zhejiang as the background. The whole picture is painted with elegant ink, and the mountains and water are arranged in a suitable density. The ink colors are thick and thin, dry and wet, which is very varied. It is the best of landscape paintings.
More importantly, Xu Yingjie had heard Qin Mu mention this painting once when he was chatting with Qin Mu.
Qin Mu, who was busy with military affairs, actually mentioned this picture. With Xu Yingjie's intelligence, he naturally knew what it meant.
He immediately said, "Mr. Wu, I am Xu Yingjie. If Mr. Wu does not mind my money, please ride with me. We have guards with us to ensure your safety. As for your family, I will definitely send someone to find out their whereabouts and bring them to reunite with Mr. Wu as soon as possible."
"Xu... ....Are you Mr. Xu from Ganzhou?" Wu Hongyu was very surprised.
"I am just a humble merchant, and I made Mr. Wu laugh. It is not suitable to stay here for long in this chaotic situation. Mr. Wu, please get in the car."
Xu Yingjie's enthusiasm made it difficult for Wu Hongyu to refuse. In this chaotic time when the country was destroyed and the family was ruined, it was a blessing to have such an opportunity. How could he refuse it
The fall of Yangzhou plunged the entire Jiangnan area into extreme panic. Anyone who had the means to escape did so, some fleeing to Fujian and some to Jiangxi.
On the way of escape, many people could not even guarantee their personal safety. Wu Hongyu, who boarded Xu Yingjie's carriage, felt that his life was finally guaranteed this time.
But if he knew what behind Xu Yingjie's smiling face, he would never get into Xu Jie's car even if he was beaten to death.
**********************
ps: I hope you will support me.
.(To be continued..)
...