The two men selected 50 skilled fighters and left them behind, taking the rest into the city. Xiao Wen and Xiao Wu presented Xiao Si with a gift of fortune and treasure, and Xiao Si smiled with a smile that showed his teeth but not his eyes. His two sons had also started families, and his Xiao family would soon be prosperous.
Zhao Xiaofei then introduced Zhou Shuai, Wan Shan, and Fang Xinyu to Xiao Si. Fang Xinyu, in particular, was going to Nanjing with Xiao Si. Xiao Si then spoke a few more words with Fang Xinyu.
After exchanging pleasantries, the group led the convoy into the city. Xiao Si had booked an entire inn for Zhao Xiaofei and his group to rest. The carts were pulled into the courtyard and arranged in a circle. Everyone disembarked, and the women were accommodated upstairs. The men lived downstairs. Ever since Li Sihong disembarked, she had remained by Zhao Xiaofei's side almost constantly.
Zhao Xiaofei called a meeting with Xiao Si, Zhou Shuai, and the others. "Xiao Si," he said, "hand over the training of the militia in Nanjing to Brother Fang. Just deal with the government. Also, discuss the daily management of the manor with Madam. Expand the business in Nanjing as much as possible. If anyone causes trouble, use the princess's name first. Do you understand?"
"I understand! I will do my best to assist you, Madam!" Xiao Si said.
"Brother Fang, do you have anything to ask?" Zhao Xiaofei asked.
"Are there any pirates on the way to Nanjing?" Fang Xinyu asked.
"I went there last time and there were no pirates. After crossing the Yangtze River, as long as we pay the silver to Governor Zheng and get the flag, the fleet will be safe. But I heard that there are quite a few pirates when we go to Nanjing and enter the Yangtze River. The danger begins once we enter the Yangtze River!" Xiao Si said.
"Are there many refugees in Jiangnan?" Fang Xinyu asked.
"Although there are not as many as in the north, there are still quite a few. It will be no problem to recruit tens of thousands of militia soldiers from them." Xiao Si said.
At this time, Li Sihong asked, "I heard that Jiangnan is very wealthy. If our goods arrive there, how much can those wealthy families buy?"
"In reply to the young lady! These goods may be sold out in less than a month after arriving in Jiangnan. I'm afraid that by then the young master will need to ship more goods from the capital!" Xiao Si said.
"Don't worry about that, I have my own way!" Zhao Xiaofei said. He thought, as long as you guys get to Nanjing, the crossing point can be activated immediately. The goods will arrive, and someone will take them. Even if I go there on my own, there will be someone to protect me!
"The most important thing is, are the officials in the south easy to deal with? I'm worried that if we recruit so many soldiers, someone will report us and attack us?" Fang Xinyu asked.
"The young master once said that every policy has its countermeasure. Our militia only has 500 people, and the rest can be called local militia! The local militia should try not to leave the fort, and we can fool them by giving them more silver and money, at least for two to three years!" Xiao Si said.
"There's enough time. Let's avoid trouble if we can! We should try to be patient and avoid conflicts with local authorities!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"I heard there's a slave rebellion going on in Jiangnan right now?" General Zhou asked.
"It is true! But there are not as many people as the legend says. It was just a case of some wealthy families where the masters were too harsh on their slaves, which aroused their dissatisfaction. In the end, they had a falling out and these slaves took up knives and guns to kill the masters. They were afraid of being punished by the government for killing the masters, so they simply rebelled. But they were quickly put down and they couldn't cause any trouble." Xiao Si said.
"Got it! Fourth Brother Xiao, please go downstairs and meet your family first." Zhao Xiaofei said.
Xiao Si stood up and bowed as he left. Zhao Xiaofei said to Fang Xinyu, "Brother Fang! Are you confident?"
"As long as we get to Nanjing safely, there will be no problem! I hope Wanshan will go with us. This way we can train more firearms troops." Fang Xinyu said.
"When we get there, you will first train them in discipline, physical fitness, formations, archery, and gunmanship. After we arrive in Nanjing safely, we will train the firearms troops! You should train the firearms troops when you get there. The locals will hear the noise and report it to the government!" Wanshan said.
"That's it! Everyone else, go to bed early! Brother Fang, stay!" Zhao Xiaofei said to everyone. Everyone stood up and left, except Li Sihong and Fang Xinyu.
"Brother Fang, this is the crossing point. When you get there, first send someone to build a wooden wall around these places." Zhao Xiaofei took out a small notebook and handed it to Fang Xinyu.
"Okay! I know what to do!" Fang Xinyu said.
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