Chapter 13 Chapter 12 Fall of Beijing and Tianjin

one This four-year combined account, the performance is unexpectedly good.The old gang of Dai Ying of the Beijing account has been praised by the old Taigu account: they can take a vacation in advance, go home for the New Year, and the host will provide special hospitality.Also receiving this commendation is Chen Yiqing's old gang from Hanhao.In Tian Chengyuan, Dai Ying and Chen Yiqing's positions are already very important, but this time their shares have been increased to 9%, second only to Master Sun, so Kang Hunan wanted to call these two generals back and reward them grandly . Of course Dai Ying really wanted to go back for the New Year and accept the award from his employer.He has been away from home for almost three years, and he will not be able to get off work and return to Jin for vacation until summer.The old number agreed to leave work early, which of course made him happy.He has not celebrated the New Year in Taigu for a long time.But years ago, he heard a lot of news from the court, which made people extremely worried about the current situation. How could he dare to leave Beijing so easily?

Therefore, he replied to the main account, only saying that the business of Beijing-Tianjin No. 2 was of great importance at the beginning, and it was really inconvenient to leave after the year and year, so he could only thank his boss and the old account for their kindness.Later, I found out that Chen Laobang of Hanhao did not go back early.Although the situation in Hankou is not as tense as in the north, Chen Yiqing also wants to make a good start for the new accounting period.In contrast, what Dai Ying hoped for was only a safe start. Among the many worrisome news, the Boxing Boxing in Shandong has become a prairie fire, which is the most disturbing.

Yuxian, the governor of Lu Province, has used both soft and hard tactics against the boxers for several years, suppressing and appeasing them, but the situation is still bad.Instead of being contained, the Boxers grew like wildfire, and even many states and counties fell into the hands of the Boxers.Countless foreigner churches were burned all over the world, and many priests and believers were killed and injured.The great powers are extremely resentful towards this Lord Yuxian, and the American Minister Conger has come forward again, asking the imperial court to remove him.In the November of last winter, the imperial court really removed Yu Xian and transferred Yuan Shikai to serve as Fu of Lu.

It is said that the imperial court sent Yuan Shikai to Shandong, originally expecting him to gather Boxer Boxing and appease him as a rural group training loyal to the imperial court, so as to curb the influence of foreigners.But this Yuan Xiangcheng, after bringing 7,000 military guards into Lu, resolutely changed his mission and took the position of protecting foreigners and suppressing boxers.When he first took office, he said that the Boxer bandits would be wiped out.In a few days, a notice was issued to prohibit Yihequan, and anyone who violated the prohibition and caused chaos will be killed without mercy.

Dai Ying and a group of veterans from the Beijing gang of the Western Gang had a good impression of Boxing Boxing at first.The Boxer Boxing uprising occurred in Shandong, and the hatred for teaching and killing foreigners made it difficult for foreigners to teach foreigners. It was also because the imperial court indulged foreigners too blindly.I heard that Western Catholicism and Christianity are almost all over the urban and rural areas of Lu Province.How many natives in the countryside know what gods and gods God and Christ are, and how wonderful are the teachings of foreign religions?Yiwofeng followed the foreign religion, didn't he look at other church priests, and the officials dared not mess with it?Therefore, the believers who joined the foreign religion felt that they had a powerful backer, ran wild in the countryside, bullied men and women, seized people's land, and dared to do any bad things.Ordinary villagers live in a difficult life, but suddenly there is such a disaster, and the government doesn't make decisions, so the people's grievances are accumulating day by day, can nothing happen?The general villagers are anxious, who cares if you are a big power or not?The imperial court can't rebel, and the Western devils can't rebel?

There is nothing wrong with the villagers being bullied by foreigners and foreign religions.Who told the imperial court not to make decisions for the people!Let's just talk about those Western banks, pressing every step of the way, bullying the Western gangs, where did the court control them? It's just that the set of heretical sorcery that the boxers worship is really stupid and stupid.They threatened that the gods possessed their bodies, making them invulnerable to swords and guns.Most of the devotional gods are taken from the characters in the novels of Barnyard Officials, and they are very absurd.Dai Ying has consulted the masters of the Martial Escort Bureau many times, and those who are well versed in martial arts disdain Yihequan.But it is also because of this that people feel very scary: fooling people and thinking of themselves as magic soldiers must be lawless and have no scruples about anything!

Relying on foreign religions, the religious people ran rampant in the countryside, forcing out a Boxer;One side is rampant in the countryside, the other side is lawless, the two are against each other, isn't the world in chaos? It's a pity that the imperial government is also incompetent with Boxing Boxing, making it grow stronger and becoming a prairie fire.Now that Yuan Shikai is suddenly suppressing so much, can it really do the trick?Back then, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was suppressed more and more, so that half of the country was lost. The West Gang regards the world as their business field, and they are most afraid of chaos in the world.Looking at the situation of the Boxers today, there are no leaders like Hong and Yang.But this time the turmoil dragged the Western powers in, which is really a big trouble.The imperial court could not offend the Western powers, nor could it control the Yihe Boxers. This was what really worried Dai Ying and the others!

I heard that a group of princes and ministers in the court, especially the important ministers in the Military Aircraft Department, very much advocated borrowing the magical skills of the Yihe Boxers to suppress the domineering arrogance of the foreigners.Isn't this confusing?The imperial court poured the power of the whole country, but it was repeatedly defeated by the Western powers, and the indemnity was not enough to cede the territory. How could the sorcery of the foolish people in the countryside be able to do anything?Yuan Xiangcheng was not ignorant, and he didn't provoke foreigners with heavy soldiers in his hand, but he didn't pay much attention to the boxers' magical skills and killed them ruthlessly.

Whether Yuan Shikai can extinguish the wildfire of Boxer Boxing, half depends on his ability, and half depends on the attitude of the court.Of course the imperial court was afraid that Yihequan would grow up and cause chaos, but they also wanted to start this wild fire and burn the asses of foreigners.Ever since the Empress Dowager Cixi destroyed the New Deal of 1898 and came back to power, Western countries have not given her face very much, so the Empress Dowager is angry with foreigners.The Boxer Boxing expelled the teachings and destroyed the foreigners, the Queen Mother was happy in her heart.Can she agree with Yuan Shikai blindly protecting foreigners and destroying Boxers?

In the twelfth lunar month of last year, the Empress Dowager appointed Pu Jun, the son of Prince Zaiyi of Duan County, as the prince, commonly known as the elder brother.The ministers of the great powers all refused to enter the palace to celebrate, in order to protest against the queen mother's attempt to force the current emperor to abdicate.As a result, the Empress Dowager hated foreigners even more.Prince Duan Zaiyi, who gained power, and a group of princes and ministers who fawned on him took the opportunity to praise Yihequan, saying that it is not only a righteous person, but also has magical skills.The Empress Dowager became more and more ambiguous about Yihe Boxing, and the edict sent to Yuan Shikai still told him to practice according to the regiment of self-defense, to treat boxers, not to misunderstand rumors, treat them as gangsters, and kill indiscriminately.

No one knows whether Yuan Xiangcheng will listen to the imperial court's edict.However, in the first lunar month of the Gengzi year, there was a rumor in the capital that under Yuan Xiangcheng's ruthless suppression, the Boxers from Shandong had entered the territory of Zhili one after another, setting up altars to teach boxing.The big names in Zhili, Hejian, Shenzhou, and Jizhou originally had Yihe boxing forces, but now Shandong boxing forces have poured in, and this prairie fire has ignited on the side of Gyeonggi.Back then, Hong Yang's Taiping Army was suppressed from Guangxi, moved all the way, grew stronger all the way, and captured Jiangning all the way, and established the country as its capital.The Boxers seem to be simpler than the Taiping Army, and they escaped from Shandong, and they went straight to Gyeonggi. After the Boxers from the two provinces of Zhili in Shandong merged into one, they publicly played the banner of helping the Qing Dynasty and destroying the foreigners, in order to please the imperial court and avoid being suppressed and killed.This way, the situation becomes more and more difficult to predict. By February, it was widely rumored that in the area from Baoding to Xincheng in the south of Beijing, the Boxer Regiment was becoming more and more powerful.In Jinghai and Tianjin in the east, the crowd also gathered their fists.In Duliu Town, there was also the No. 1 regiment in the world, gathering thousands of people. Within a few days, Dai Ying heard from one of his subordinates that the Boxers had set up the first altar in Beijing at Yu Qian's ancestral hall in Xibiao Hutong, Dongdan Pailou.That friend was going to Dongdan for business, and when he heard about it, he turned into Xibiaobei Alley.Take a look, it's really not a rumor!The ancestral hall is full of red cloth hexagrams, talismans and flags, and everyone who enters and exits also wears red scarves around their waists.He just stood far away and looked at it for a while, when a person with a red scarf came over and handed him a sticker.Jietie is what we call leaflets now. Has the wildfire of the Boxers already burned into the capital? Dai Ying took the Boxer Rebellion post brought back by his friend, and when he read it, it was a poorly composed poem: Gengzi Sanchun, sunshine and heavy shade, You are not Jie and Zhou, but there are bandits. What I hate most is a mistake in the peace agreement, which will cause the party and the people to harm the people. The up and down effect, the treacherous study of Taoism. The Central Plains is extremely tolerant to the foreigners with wings. Tend to follow the trend, the four animals are in the same group. Every time the temple of heaven is angry, the good people with fake hands. The red light is dimly shining, and the people are not confused. Righteousness and Mingjiao are not in agreement. The golden mouse drifts abroad, and it is the year of birth, On the Double Ninth Day, cut the grass and remove the roots. Stele of Liu Bo Wenfu Although it is not clear what the purpose of this post was, it was issued by the boxing club, so there is no doubt about it.It seems that the Boxers really entered the capital!Now although I just heard that Yu Qian's ancestral hall has the first altar, but the boxing will spread rapidly, maybe in ten and a half months, there will be a lot of incense altars in Beijing. Will Boxer Fist enter Beijing, causing chaos?If the imperial court tolerates the power of fists entering Beijing, will the Western powers sit idly by?There are foreign church auditoriums in central Beijing, as well as embassies of various countries. If boxers want to go to these places to perform their kung fu, wouldn't Beijing be in chaos? The more Dai Ying thought about it, the more he felt uneasy, so he took this post and rushed to Chongwenmen Wai Caochang Shitiao Hutong to meet Liang Huaiwen, the old gangster of Rishengchang in Beijing.At such a time, what Dai Ying most wanted to see was Li Hongling, the veteran of Wei Fenghou's Beijing name.Li Hongling has seen people well, and often has ingenious schemes, especially in the face of crisis, the more crisis he has, the better he has to deal with it.It's a pity that Mr. Li returned to Jin for vacation after get off work and was not in Beijing, so he came to see Rishengchang's Mr. Liang. Liang Huaiwen took the post, read it hastily, and said: "There is a boxer's altar in Beijing, and we have heard of it." Brother Zhankui, don't you take it seriously?Seeing that Liang Huaiwen looked normal and didn't take this post seriously, Dai Ying asked this question. What do you think, Brother Jing? I still can't be careless.The Boxer Rebellion spread rapidly, and we were stunned for a moment, maybe it has flooded Jinshan. Brother Jing, you think too much of these boxers.What is the boundary of the capital?You are the state and county below, if you make a splash, you can make trouble? This group of boxers should not be underestimated.Even though they are all a bunch of foolish people from the countryside, who are illiterate and have no martial arts, but once they are enlightened by sorcery, they all think that the gods are possessed, so why can't they make trouble?What kind of capital, what kind of imperial court, he is so happy that he is a god, so he doesn't care about you! Hahaha, Brother Jing, have you also joined the Boxers? Brother Zhankui, I am serious. I think you are still worrying too much.Although this gang of Boxers is not considered a minor disturbance, it is not against the imperial court, nor is it exclusively bullying our Western gang, it is just making things difficult for foreigners.I think the imperial court is still turning a blind eye, why should we take it too seriously? Let’s just say, the Boxer Rebellion caused chaos in the imperial court, so what can we do if we are serious!It's just that the world is in chaos, what business do we still do?In the past two years, although Tianchengyuan's several shops in Shandong have not been withdrawn, their business has been very slow. The business in Shandong is slow, and you Tian Chengyuan combined accounts and produced such a golden mountain. If it is not slow, can you combine another golden mountain? Rishengchang closed accounts this year, and it is not far behind.You are used to being the boss, so the little money we earn is worth paying attention to?The current situation is chaotic, and the boss should worry more about his peers.Brother Zhankui, do you think it is necessary to ask colleagues to gather at the Huiye Office to have a public discussion, whether it is good or bad for Boxing Boxing to enter Beijing? Let me see, there is no need to startle everyone like this now, let's wait and see for a while.I still say that, what is the boundary of the capital?Can the imperial court let this group of foolish people stir up trouble under the eyes of the Queen Mother?The Minister of Military Aircraft, the Criminal Department of the Ministry of War, the Admiral of the Nine Gates, the Yamen Commanding the Infantry, the Shuntian Mansion, the Censor of the Five Cities, how many Yamens are worrying about the imperial court!We do our best to do business.From the perspective of the Western Gang, if Beijing wants to deal with the chaos of the Boxers, it must impose additional levies on the provinces and urgently collect Beijing salaries, so we can get more money exchange business.Besides, the imperial court was busy with recruiting foreigners and controlling the boxing clubs, so it didn't mention the ban on foreign exchange by the Western Gang.Aren't we just about to let go of business? I hope so.Brother Zhankui has heard about the situation in Shandong, right?The Boxers not only burned churches and killed foreigners, but also cut electric poles, cut wires, and built railways.As a result, the telegrams at the big wharf were blocked, the couriers in the small places were afraid to go, and our money orders could not be delivered.We can't go through the tickets, what business can we do?Many urgently needed remittances had to be escorted by escorts.Where the Boxers were tossing hard, the Escorts did not dare to go, so they had to pay a lot of money and secretly asked officers and soldiers to escort them.The situation in various places has become like this, and our ticket numbers have been hung up! The situation in Shandong is very bad, that's because Yu Xian prefers Yihequan.As soon as Yuan Xiangcheng left, wouldn't the arrogance of the boxing club be suppressed? But Yihequan was pushed to Zhili and Tianjin, and it seems that he has entered the capital again!I heard that from Xincheng to Baoding and Zhengding all the way in Jingnan, the messengers are not very smooth.The postman of the letter office is often regarded as a bastard who communicates with foreign countries, and is arrested and killed.This road is the throat of the capital leading to Hankou, the throat is blocked, is it okay? I heard that the imperial court has called Yulu, Governor of Zhili, to control the boxers. Yulu is also a big member who is biased towards boxing.Otherwise, Shandong's boxing power will move to Zhili? Yu Lu is not as conniving with Yi He Quan as Yu Xian is.Besides, Zhili is different from Shandong. After all, it is Jifu, the capital of the capital, so he can't be too laissez-faire. After talking for a long time, Liang Huaiwen still told him to calm down and wait for a while before speaking.Dai Ying thought about it, and that was the only way to go.No matter how anxious I am, it is actually useless, at most it is just a rainy day.If the situation is not good, just shrink the business.In this kind of situation, even if you want to do a big job, it is difficult to implement. Gengzi New Year, I expected to have a good start, but I didn't expect the situation to be so bad.Maybe it's just me worrying too much?After all, the imperial court can still count on it. No matter how bad the situation in the capital is, how bad can it be?But that's it.For Xibang, business in the north is not easy, there is also Jiangnan, and outside the customs.But in his heart, Dai Ying still didn't dare to be too careless.I have been stationed in Beijing for many years, but I still don't have this insight: the imperial court also has times when it can't be counted on! After meeting Liang Huaiwen's old gang in Rishengchang, Dai Ying still wrote a long letter to Sun Da, the shopkeeper of the head office, reporting the movements of the Boxers in Zhili, Tianjin, and Beijing.Many of my worries about the current situation were also euphemistically expressed.Of course, the worries about the imperial court cannot be expressed directly in the letter.He also notified Chen Yiqing of Hankou and the veterans at several other large wharves about these situations. Shopkeeper Sun's reply letter was still neither painful nor itchy, and most of it was about the camera.As for Boxing Boxing, the big treasurer made it clear: it is the foolish deeds of the villagers and cannot be successful.Because in Henan last summer, he and Kang Lao Dongtai had personally experienced the teaching.The shopkeeper's reply letter was obviously full of joy: the old Taigu account is probably still immersed in the joy after closing the accounts. The Han name Chen Yiqing's reply letter actually said that there is no need to worry too much.Zhang Zhidong of Huguang, Liu Kunyi of Liangjiang, Li Hongzhang of Guangdong, Guangxi, Xu Yingyun of Fujian and Zhejiang, and Sheng Xuanhuai, the minister who supervised the Luhan Railway, all took the same position as Yuan Shikai of Shandong: there should be no tolerance for Yihequan!With the current state of the country, it is absolutely impossible for these foolish people to drive foreigners and destroy religions and offend multinational powers.They have already reported to the court one after another, please make a decision as soon as possible, so as not to cause a catastrophe like Hong Yang.These officials of the Westernization Group play an important role in today's border ministers and officials. The court will not ignore them, will it?The entry of Boxer Boxing to Beijing will prompt the imperial court to make a decisive decision.My brother can concentrate on business. The situation reported by Chen Yiqing can actually cheer people up.It's just that those who surrounded the Queen Mother in the court were all Duanjun Wang and his gang who favored Yihequan.It's really hard to say who the Queen Mother will listen to. However, after reading Chen Yiqing's letter, Dai Ying also began to doubt himself: Anyone can think about it, but I can't think about it myself? two But March passed, and now April, although the imperial court continued to issue orders to strictly ban the Yihe Boxing Club in Beijing, the boxing games still spread rapidly in the capital.There are more and more altars, and the boxers are increasing day by day, especially the boxers from the surrounding counties have also begun to flow into the capital.In this Gengzi Sanchun, Boxing Boxing is really a wildfire, riding the spring breeze, burning all over the sky. The capital of a country, under the feet of the emperor, can't stop this wildfire? Whether the imperial court didn't want to block it, or was powerless to block it, people still couldn't understand. Tiancheng Yuanjing is located in the grinding factory outside Qianmen.In Damochang Street, there are many famous blacksmith shops in the capital.Since March and April, Dai Ying has watched these blacksmith shops with his own eyes, and the business is booming day by day: Boxers who have joined the Boxer Regiment come to order big swords one after another.The fire in the blacksmith shop is always on day and night, and the sound of hammering and hammering can be heard more clearly at night.The price of the big knife is several times higher than usual, but it is still impossible to buy. Seeing the knives and weapons being scattered into the hands of boxers like this, Dai Ying became even more worried.With so many foolish people wielding big swords, if they really help the Qing Dynasty and destroy the foreigners, they will not oppose the imperial court, but only destroy the foreigners, and that will cause great disaster.There are also Western missionaries in central Beijing, but the areas where the most foreigners gather are still the embassies of various countries.Enter the legation to destroy foreigners?Isn't that going to war with the Western powers?If the imperial court is still so ambiguous, those foolish people will not have any scruples.Maybe one day the excitement will come, and if you say kill, you will go to the legation. I heard that the ministers of various countries have continuously made representations to the Prime Minister's Office, demanding that the imperial court suppress the Boxer Regiment in Beijing. Relying on this group of foolish people, dare to go to war with the Western powers?Don't need to guess the result, it must be land cession and compensation!I don't know when the Jiawu indemnity will be paid off, and if I pay it again, what compensation will I get? What is even more frightening is that the country is so weak that if we really want to fight with foreigners, the world really doesn't know what chaos it will be like!The business of the Western Gang has become more and more difficult, and in another troubled world, it will really be a disaster. Just thinking about it makes people restless. After entering April, Rishengchang's calm and optimistic Liang Huaiwen couldn't sit still.He finally stepped forward and summoned all the veterans of the Western Clan in Beijing to gather at the Huiye Office in Lucaoyuan to discuss the righteousness and boxing chaos in Beijing.By this time, no one dared to be too optimistic, but they couldn't come up with any good strategy. It was nothing more than shrinking business, taking care of each account, and reporting the crisis in Beijing to the old account in time. It's just that shrinking isn't easy either. The situation in central Beijing is becoming more and more chaotic every day. The business circles, folks, and especially the dignitaries in the official circles all come to the ticket office to deposit money and exchange tickets. The momentum is unstoppable.The intention of people coming here to deposit silver is obviously that they are afraid of getting lost in the chaos. After depositing silver, they hold a paper note, which is easy to hide after all.In this chaotic situation, the ticket office can be safe if it collects so much money?But the merchants, people, and officials in Beijing and China were all determined at this time, and they trusted the Xibang bank very much, as if they also had magical skills, and they could transfer the money they had collected to the safe Jiangnan.They only know that the West Gang has the ability to transfer Juyin thousands of miles away, which is safer than hiding in a secret dark place or being guarded by military guards. You only need to keep the account book properly, isn't that enough? How can it be so simple to exchange a ticket number in another place, deposit in the north and release it in the south!However, at this time of crisis, Beijing officials, merchants, and people trust the Xibang voters so much, you really can't put a cold face on them and push them out of the name, right?The reputation of the West Gang for more than a hundred years cannot be destroyed at this time.Neither the estate was withdrawn from business, but the business offered by others was always repeatedly rejected, and they couldn't justify it.Especially the dignitaries in the official circles of the capital can't afford to offend them. Everyone discussed it for a long time, and felt that the century-old reputation of the West Gang should be the most important thing, and it should not be shrunk too hard.At this very moment, once you destroy your reputation, it will be hard to recover, and you don't have to think about repairing it. During the public discussion, Zhou Zhangfu, an old member of the Qi Gang Dade Tong, proposed whether it is possible to withdraw from the capital and return to Shanxi for a while, as in the case of the Taiping Rebellion, when the Xibang Piao Bank reported to the officials and closed down. Withdrawing from the capital is not a small move.To withdraw, it has to be agreed by the old accounts of Qi, Tai, and Ping.The capital was in chaos, and everyone kept reporting it to the old account, and none of the master shopkeepers had any intention of withdrawing from the village.Besides, during the Xianfeng period, in order to avoid the Hongyang Rebellion, the Xibang ticket offices withdrew from the capital one after another, taking away huge sums of money, which made the market in Beijing depressed, and the imperial court was very unhappy.It is hard to say whether the present Boxers can become the climate of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.Therefore, there was no much discussion about the withdrawal of the village, and it was just passed by. In retrospect, this was the biggest mistake made by Jingshi Huiye colleagues!If in April of the Gengzi Year, the Xibang Bank could plan for a rainy day and resolutely withdraw from Beijing and Tianjin, what a good strategy it would be: one step earlier, it would have avoided the catastrophe.At that time, it was clear that the wind and rain were coming, but there was still hope for the imperial court. No matter how bad the situation was, they did not expect that the sky of the capital, the sky of the Guochao, would really fall down! No matter how conceited the West Gang is, they absolutely dare not publicly discuss whether the sky of the country will collapse. After that meeting, all the families in the capital turned to the Jingshi Escort Bureau one after another, and hired martial artists to come to the house for the night.I heard that there are several families who even summoned martial arts masters from Shanxi.It was only later that I learned that no matter how good these martial artists were, they couldn't stop the flood of boxers. In mid-April, I heard that churches were burned and foreigners were killed in Zhengding and Baoding.Later, I heard that from Zhuozhou to Liulihe, the boxers were already digging up the Lu-Han railway, cutting the wires along the way, burning the railway vehicle factory, bridge factory, material factory, and the residences of foreign workers hired by the railway.The embassies of various countries stationed in Beijing even made severe representations to the Prime Minister's Office, demanding that the Boxers and the Broadsword Association should be suppressed as soon as possible, otherwise, troops would be sent to protect the embassies and overseas Chinese. The situation in central Beijing is really worsening day by day, but the court still seems to be sitting still.Notices about the banning of boxing clubs were continuously posted, but the banned officers and soldiers did not appear.On the contrary, the post about Yihequan was also distributed all over the streets.It is said that there are more than 1,000 places at the mouth of Yihe boxing altar in Beijing, and there are 100,000 boxers!The knife business in the blacksmith's shop is indeed more popular.Dai Ying met with several acquainted doctors and principals in the household department, they said that the imperial court continued to issue orders, ordering the infantry to command the Yamen, Shuntian Mansion, and Wucheng Yushi, and severely investigate and deal with the Yihe Boxing Association.But where can we see the movement of officers and soldiers? There are still many customers who come to deposit money at the counter of the shop.Cash registers are very busy, but it is getting more and more difficult to send out cash.The capital was almost besieged by the Boxers to death, and even the Beijing pay for the officers and soldiers to be released from custody could barely pass.Dai Ying tried his best to recruit, wooed everywhere, lowered the interest rate and then lowered it, and tried every means to lend out the silver he had collected.Among them, the largest household is the household department.The Beijing salary cannot be paid on time, and the household department is also struggling.However, every family was vying to lend money to the household department, and Tian Chengyuan could not monopolize it.Therefore, in addition to the big head of the Ministry of Households, other yamen, as well as money houses, account houses, and furnace houses, also tried their best to solicit.In addition, with the cooperation of various numbers in the south of the Yangtze River, some business of exchanging Beijing rates was obtained, and the official messengers were recruited, and they brought money orders with them, trying to bring them here.Only in this way can some of the pressure of depositing silver be offset, and the business can still be maintained. On April 22, a young eunuch from the palace came up from the cabinet.He saved his private savings for the Grand Priest who was in charge of him.When Dai Ying heard about it, he hurriedly invited the little father-in-law into the counting room at the back and served him tea.This little eunuch came here often, so Dai Ying was already familiar with him, and everyone on the cabinet knew his nickname, Er Fuzi.After talking some gossip, he asked if the palace knows about Boxer Boxing outside. Erfuzi said, "Why don't you know?"The palace is exactly the same as the outside! exactly the same?Dai Ying still doesn't understand what exactly the same is. Not exactly the same!Yihe boxing is also practiced in the palace, and there are also red scarves on their heads and red belts around their waists, coming in and out. When Dai Ying heard this, he was really dumbfounded: My God, the emperor also practiced Yihequan in the palace? Everyone in the palace also practice Yihequan?Is this the decree of Lafayette? It's not Lafayette's imperial decree, so some people don't practice it.But those princes and Baylor that Lafayette trusted were all obsessed with boxing, why can others not follow suit?As for Boxing Boxing, it doesn't pay much attention to honor and inferiority. Those of us palace guards, guards, and court ladies are also allowed to follow suit.Look around, but the palace is also like the outside, full of red! Those who like Boxing Boxing, you Duan Junwang, right? It's not just King Duan!Prince Qing, Prince Yi, Belle Zai Lian, Zai Ying, and Duke Fu Zai Lan are all obsessed with righteousness and boxing!You can't see, Zai Ying, Zai Lian, Zai Lan, these masters, how big they are, have recently dressed like Boxer, with short jackets and narrow sleeves, and red scarves around their waists.The spirit and spirit are also different from usual, as if he has more confidence and is more aggressive.I have also seen with my own eyes once, Master Zai Lan summoned a god possessed, with straight eyes and a fierce face, jumping up and down while shouting, as if he was crazy and drunk, it was really scary. Little eunuch, is this really the case? Can I coax you to wear the treasurer?Shopkeeper Dai must never dare to tell the outside world. Little eunuch, do you still not trust us? Can't believe you, what can I say? Lafayette, the current emperor, let them practice in the palace like this?We are grassroots outsiders, and we always feel that we behave like this in the forbidden place of the imperial court. Doesn't it hurt the great system of the holy dynasty?Your majesty is the son of heaven, Lafayette, the current emperor is originally a dragon body ordered by a god, and he is a god who came down to earth, how can he invite gods like this? I heard that Lafayette also said about them, and they are reasonable.Once, Zaiying actually raised an argument with Lafayette, and I heard that he almost overturned the imperial case! so smart? They have their reasons! What's the point? It is said that those who practice righteousness and boxing are righteous people, loyal and brave, and obey the rules, and their magic skills are amazing.It is absolutely true that after the god possesses the body, the blade cannot penetrate and the gun cannot hurt.Why are there so many righteous people with incomparable miraculous skills?It was God who saw that foreigners were too presumptuous, and sent them to protect our Qing Dynasty.The hearts of the people outside the capital all turned to the Boxers, and all the Manchu and Han armies also joined forces with the boxing club.Otherwise, there would be so many people in the palace who followed Lianyihequan? Little eunuch, you often come out of the palace, have you seen people practicing Yihe boxing outside? have touched.Especially recently, I accidentally bumped into it. Then you see, these boxers outside are really as good as the legends in the palace say? How can I see it?It's just that the vigor and fierceness are almost the same.Whether they are good or not, it doesn't matter if I say it.It's your shop today, I saw you shopkeeper Dai, and I whispered a few more words.In the palace, who dares to talk too much?That's it, some time ago I was clamoring that there were also dudes in the palace, and they had to be pulled out one by one for inspection.The palace guards and maids, who were so frightened, ran to Lafayette, crying and complaining. The palace also catches dudes?What kind of inspection method? It is said that it means reciting a few mantras, and then slapping you hard on the forehead. If you are an erotic child, there will be cross marks on your forehead immediately.How and how effective it is, it's so evil, who can not feel hairy? Will Lafayette allow it to inspect Er Maozi in the palace like this? Lafayette said that gods and Buddhas don't wrong people, so let them take pictures of you. How many bastards did you really shoot? If Lafayette let it go like this, who would really check it?Those who clamor to catch the bastards will lose face and get confused. Little eunuch, it's the first time I've heard of such an inspection of Ermaozi.Excuse me, you can also pat me on the forehead to see if I am a dude? Haha, shopkeeper Dai, how can I have that ability! Then let me take a picture of you? What's the deal with dry shooting?I heard that you have to chant mantras. I will also recite a few words of the Yihequan mantra: Heaven is Lingling, Earth is Lingling, I invite the ancestors to manifest their spirits. Shopkeeper Dai can recite mantras, so I don't ask you to take pictures. Why? I still feel pain! Hahaha! The little eunuch told Dai Ying about all these situations in the court, and before leaving, Dai Ying reminded: "Young eunuch has worked hard for this trip, and the little tea money for my filial piety will be written on your booklet." The little eunuch said: Shopkeeper Dai, you are welcome.He lifted his foot and walked away. Xibangjing also has thoughtful means to win over eunuchs who can enter and leave the palace.Little eunuchs like this kind of errands are not underestimated, and they are happy every time they take care of them.They did not dare to take the gift money back to the palace, so they made a booklet, kept the name, and when they took it, even if it was ten or twenty years old, they would recognize it even after they left the palace.Therefore, the Xibang ticket number also has a good reputation among the palace supervisors, and they whispered many things that should not be said. After seeing off the little eunuch, Dai Ying was really scared.There are actually so many people in the palace who have faith and fists!Even today's favored princes and ministers firmly believe in such a foolish and foolish sorcery.The announcements to wipe out boxing clubs and suppress boxing bandits all over the street seem to be nothing to count on.If this is the case, the situation in the capital does not know where the turbulence will go! That night, Dai Ying wrote the situation in the palace as a secret letter and sent it back to the old Taigu.The situation in Beijing and Central China has become so bad, whether to withdraw from the farm or stay behind, the old name should have made a decision early, right? However, it is difficult to predict when this urgent letter will be sent to Taigu.In the past, when the Private Letter Bureau sent letters to Shanxi, it went out of Beijing to the south, passed through Zhuozhou, Baoding, and Zhengding, and then went west to Shanxi.Now Jingnan Road is the world of Yihequan, so I have to go out of Beijing by North Road, go around to Xuanhua, and then go south to Jin Dynasty.But recently, the North Road has become increasingly unsettled, Boxing Boxing has spread to the north of Beijing, there are often barriers to travel. The private letter bureau opened by the Ningbo gang is an old acquaintance with the Xibang ticket office. It has always been invincible and rarely makes mistakes.Recently, I have also lamented bitterly, saying that entering and leaving the capital is like going through life and death, and there have been several incidents of messengers being killed as erotic sons.The business of the letter bureau is almost impossible. Who wants to die? The ticket number operates financial remittance in different places, relying entirely on the credit bureau to issue the ticket.Once the letter bureau was closed, the ticket office had to be closed. three Entering May, Jinghao received fewer and fewer letters from Jinhao.The distance between Beijing and Tianjin is very close, and the postal route is also blocked, which is not a good sign. It is said that the warships of the great powers of various countries have gathered at Dagukou in Tianjin, and they want to send troops ashore to enter Beijing from Tianjin to protect the embassies of various countries. Boxers then tore down the Lujin Railway to prevent foreigners from entering Beijing.Beijing and Tianjin have become a battlefield, how can the postal route be smooth? Dai Ying was even more worried when he couldn't get the news from Tianjin. Last year, Liu Guofan committed suicide in trouble, and Jin Hao was greatly hurt.After closing the accounts at the end of the year, we should have sent a new and old gang to Tianjin to reverse the situation as soon as possible.But the shopkeeper of the old account, Sun Da, still called Dai Ying from the Beijing account, and took care of him; on the other end of the Tianjin account, he asked the assistant assistant Yang Xiushan to take over the estate temporarily. In fact, shopkeeper Sun Da has already selected a new Jinhao old gang, that is Wang Zuomei who leads the village in Zhangjiakou.Zhangjiakou, commonly known as Dongkou, is also a big wharf, and its business is no less than that of Jinhao.Wang Laobang has been stationed in Dongkou for many years, and they are far superior to Liu Guofan in terms of talent, means, and seniority.Shopkeeper Sun transferred Wang Laobang to Jinhao this time, obviously with the intention of self-blame and repentance.However, when Wang Zuomei received a new appointment, he requested to postpone his trip to Tianjin: he will have another year before the deadline to leave work, so he wants to work in Dongkou for three years before resigning and taking a vacation to transfer to Tianjin.The stall he spread out was afraid that others would not clean it up halfway.I don't know if Wang Laobang deliberately made things difficult for shopkeeper Sun, anyway, shopkeeper Sun actually agreed to Wang Zuomei's request. There has never been a precedent for this in the past, and it cannot be said that it is indistinguishable, and orders and orders are prohibited. How can it be called the big shopkeeper of Lingdong!It seems that Sun Beiming is sincerely blaming himself and repenting. Wang Zuomei's postponement saved him from a catastrophe. During this time, Dai Ying suffered a lot!The situation in the capital is already enough for him to fight, and there is one more Tianjin.Entering the Year of Gengzi, both Beijing and Tianjin are making troubles for righteousness and boxing, and Tianjin is even more violent than Beijing. Jinmen is the largest trading port in the north, and there are more foreign firms and foreign schools than the capital, and the Zizhulin area has long since become a barbarian place bought by foreigners, which is what was later called the concession.The people in Jinmen were bullied even more by foreigners. When the Boxers said that the hatred of religions would destroy the foreigners, the responders naturally surged up.Jinghai, Duliu, and Yang Liuqing have all emerged as senior senior brothers who are like leaders. It is said that they have extraordinary magical skills, as if they can really call wind and rain. Tianjin also has a unique boxing event for women, called Hongdengzhao.All the women joining the association wear red clothes and red trousers, hold a red lantern in their right hand, and a red folding fan in their left hand. The elders wear their hair in a high bun, while the younger ones wear a double bun.The elder sister who is illuminated by the red light is called the Madonna of Huanglian, and it is said that her skills are also amazing.The women who entered the red light, followed the elder sister to practice boxing in the quiet room, and within a few days, they will be able to achieve Taoism.Once the operation is completed, hold the red folding fan and fan it slowly, and you will be able to ascend to the sky and fly freely in the air.At this time, wherever the red light on the right hand is thrown, there will be a sea of ​​flames, and its power is like a bomber today. In Jinhao's letter, deputy assistant Yang Xiushan wrote about such situations from time to time.Dai Ying had seen it, so naturally he would not believe in the miraculous skills of those big brothers and sisters, but he was very worried about the arrogance of Tianjin Boxing Boxing.The imperial court still can't stop the Yihe boxing in the capital, but who can suppress it in Tianjin? Sure enough, the recent letter from Tianjin even said that Tianjin has become a boxer world, with many altars, swords cast everywhere, thousands of boxers, all over the street, and the government can only humiliate and avoid it.The big brother of the boxing club was walking in the market, and when he met an official, instead of avoiding him, he would give an order, ordering the official to sit in the sedan chair and get off the horse, and the horse rider to get off the horse.The officials and gentlemen listened to it, hurried down, took off their official hats, and stood on the side of the road to avoid it.The situation has come to this point, and incidents of burning churches and killing foreigners are not uncommon.However, the situation was so critical that Yang Xiushan of Tianjin did not request to withdraw from the village.Judging from the positive reports and retaliations sent, the business of Jinhao is not less than usual.Dai Ying sent letters and repeatedly warned that in this chaotic situation, one must be cautious in doing things, and would rather shrink and do less in business than dare to be rash.Usually, if you accidentally make a mistake, you can still make up for it. Now if you miss it, who knows what disaster will happen?在今亂局中，拳民，洋人，官府，我們對誰也得小心，不敢得罪，也不敢太貼近。對黑道上的匪盜，街市間的青皮混混，也得細加防範。世道一亂，正給了他們作惡的良機。 可楊秀山似乎是處亂不驚，說津門局面雖然危機重重，但還能應付。義和拳勢力高漲，洋商洋行只好退縮，尤其西洋銀行幾乎不能跟華商打交道了，正好空出許多盤口，由我們來做。 楊秀山說的，那當然是個不尋常的商機。但這樣的商機，也不是尋常人能駕馭得了。 楊秀山以往給戴膺的印象，也並不是那種有大才，有膽略的人，他也敢走這樣的險招？或許以往在平庸的劉國藩手下，不便露出真相？ 戴膺對楊秀山處亂不驚，從容出招，當然不能潑冷水，只是叫他前後長眼，謹慎一些。但心裡對津號是擔憂更甚了。 現在，京津間的信報越來越不能及時送達，電報也是時斷時通，戴膺哪能不著急？ 到五月初九，終於收到津號的一封信報。這是進入五月後，戴膺頭一回收到津號的信件。急忙拆開看時，還是寫於四月二十四的信！從信報能看出，津號依然平安，楊秀山也依然從容不迫。可是這封信件居然在京津間走了十四五天，實在也叫人不敢寬心。 戴膺打發手下伙友，給津號發一封問訊的電報，跑了幾天電報局，還是發不出去：有一段電報線，又被義和團給割了。說是派了官兵護線、搶修，誰知什麼時候能修通？ 熬到五月十五，依然得不到津號的一點消息。就在這天午後，櫃上閃進一個乞丐似的中年人，站櫃的伙友忙去阻攔，那人已癱坐在地，啞著嗓子無力地說： 快告戴掌櫃，我是津號來的 聽說是津號來的，站櫃的幾個伙友都圍過來，看了看，又不敢相信。義和拳入京以來，街頭乞丐也隨處可見。一夥友便說：你要是津號來的，那你用太谷話說。 那人嗓音嘶啞，又疲憊之極，但改用太谷鄉音說話，卻是地道的。 京號幾個伙友聽了，才真驚慌起來，有的趕緊攙扶這位津號來客，有的已跑進去稟告戴老幫。 戴膺一聽，慌忙跑出來，見真是乞丐似的一個人，吃驚不小。 戴掌櫃，我是津號跑街李子充 戴膺是常去天津的，對津號的伙友都熟悉。只是眼前這個乞丐似的人，滿臉髒污，聲音嘶啞，實在辨認不出他是津號的李子充不是。但對方能認出他來，似乎不會有錯吧時局這樣亂，他不能不小心些。 你既到了京號，就不用慌了。他轉而對櫃上的伙友說：你們快扶他進去，先洗涮洗涮，再叫伙房做點熨貼的茶飯伺候。 戴掌櫃，我有緊急情況稟告！ 我能看出來。還是先進去洗涮洗涮，喘口氣。既已到京，不在乎這一時半會兒。他極力顯得鎮靜。 來人被攙扶進去了。戴膺心裡當然鎮靜不了：要真是津號派來的人，那天津就不是出了小事！ 果然，他回到自己的賬房不久，這位天津來客就急急慌慌地跑來求見：他已經洗涮過，換了衣束，但只是吞嚥了幾口茶水，就跑來了。現在，戴膺能認出來了，此人的確是津號的跑街李子充。 戴掌櫃，津號遭搶劫了 果然出了大事。 Four 天成元的津號，是在五月十一凌晨遭到搶劫的。 那幾天津門局面亂是亂透了，但國人開的大商號鋪子，還沒聽說誰家遭了搶劫。遭義和拳打劫焚燒的，主要還是洋人教堂、洋人住宅。洋行、銀行早都關門停業了，貨物、錢款也隨之轉移。津門是大商埠，商家不存，立馬就會成為一座死城。所以，洋商收斂後，國人自家的商貿買賣依然在做。特別是銀錢行業，似乎想停也停不下來。市面混亂，生計艱難，當鋪、錢莊的生意，似乎倒比平素還火熱一些：大多生計斷了，靠典當、借貸也得活呀！而當鋪、錢莊的資金，又一向靠票號支持。所以，那幾天津號的生意也一直在照常做著。 副幫楊秀山見局面太亂，也從鏢局請了一位武師，夜裡來護莊。初十那天夜裡，鏢局武師恰恰沒有來櫃上守夜：他往五爺的宅子護院去了。 五爺失瘋後，什麼都不知道了，就知道不能離津。所以只好給他買了一處宅院，長住天津。原先跟著五爺五娘出來的保鏢田琨，深感五娘的被害是自己失職，就留下來陪伴瘋五爺。那幾天，五爺的宅院忽然有了異常。白天，常有敲門聲，可開了門，又空無一人。尤其到了夜晚，更不斷有異響，提了燈籠四下裡巡查，卻什麼也查不見。 女傭就說是鬧鬼，怕是五娘嫌冤屈未伸，來催促吧。 田琨卻說，真要是五娘回來顯靈，倒也不怕。怕的是活著的匪盜歹人！現在外頭這樣亂，要有強人來打劫，五爺又不懂事，再出意外，我們也別活了。 田琨跟津號說了說這番異常，楊秀山就把字號雇的鏢局武師打發過去了。因為字號一直還算平靜。兩位武師守護一處宅子，強人也該嚇跑了吧。等五爺那頭安靜了，再回字號來護莊。 誰能想到，鏢局武師只離開了兩天，這頭就遭了搶劫！ 十一那天凌晨，楊秀山和津號的其他伙友，幾乎同時被一聲巨響驚醒：那是什麼被撞裂了的一聲慘烈的異響。緊接著，又是連續的撞擊，更慘烈的斷裂聲晨夢被這樣擊碎，真能把人嚇傻了。 老練的楊秀山給驚醒後，也愣了，還以為仍在噩夢中。定過神來，意識到發生了不測，急忙滾下地來，將自己房中幾本字號的底賬翻出，抱到外間一個佛龕前。這佛龕內，有一個隱秘的暗門，打開，裡面是一個藏在夾牆內的密窯。楊秀山拉了一把椅子，跳上去，移去佛像，打開暗門，飛速將那幾本底賬扔進了密窯。隨即關了暗門，又將香爐裡的香灰倒了些，撒在佛龕內，掩去暗門痕跡，再放回佛像。 楊秀山在做這一切時，儘管迅疾異常，但外面已是混亂一片，砸擊聲、喝罵聲如暴風驟雨般傳來。他剛衝到院裡，就見一個伙友滿臉是血，一邊跑，一邊說：楊掌櫃，他們撞毀門面護板，破窗進來了！ 楊秀山剛要說什麼，一夥紅巾蒙臉，手提大刀的人，已經湧進來。 前頭的一個喝道：爺爺們是義和團天兵天將，來抓二毛子！大師兄說了，你們字號的掌櫃，就是通洋的二毛子！哪位是掌櫃？還不出來跪下！ 別的蒙臉人跟著一齊喝叫：出來，出來！ 楊秀山聽說是義和拳的，知道已無可奈何了，正要站出來跟他們交涉，忽然發現：這夥人怎麼用紅巾蒙臉，只露了兩隻眼，就像強人打扮？街面上的義和拳也見得多了，都是紅巾蒙頭，趾高氣揚，一臉的神氣，沒見過這樣用紅巾蒙了臉的呀？ 正這樣想，櫃上賬房的孔祥林已經站出來，拱手對那夥人說：各位師傅，在下就是敝號的掌櫃。各位可能聽了訛傳，敝號一向也受盡洋行洋商的欺負，對洋人憤恨得很，決不會通洋的 領頭的那人立刻就喝道：你找抽啊？大師兄火眼金睛，能冤枉了你孫子？ 說時，已舉手向孔祥林狠扇去。孔祥林比楊秀山還要年長些，被這一巴掌搧下去，早應聲倒地了。 去看看，是不是二毛子！ 領頭的一吼，有兩人就過去扭住孔祥林的臉，草草一看。 不是他，不是他！ 楊秀山見這情形，就過去扶孔祥林，一邊說：各位不要難為他，他只是本號的二掌櫃，敝人是領莊掌櫃。我們西幫對洋商洋行，的確是有深仇大恨，早叫他們欺負得快做不成生意了！各位高舉義旗，仇教滅洋，也是救了我們。能看出各位都有神功，敝人是不是通洋的二毛子，願請師傅們使出神功來查驗。 領頭的那人瞪了楊秀山一眼，就又一巴掌搧過來：嘛東西，想替你們掌櫃死？滾一邊待著！ 楊秀山只覺半邊臉火辣辣一片，兩眼直冒金花，但他挺住了，沒給搧倒下。 搜，快去搜！他就是鑽進地縫，也得把他搜出來！ 領頭這樣一喊，跟他的那夥人就散去了幾個。 其實，自這夥人破窗而入以來，砸擊、摔打、撕裂、破碎的聲音，就一直沒有停止過。闖進來的，肯定比剛才見著的這五六個多。現在散去幾人，還留著三人，但不斷還有別的蒙臉人押了櫃上的伙友，送過來。 很快，全號的伙友都押來了，他們還在翻天覆地地搜尋。他們在找誰？找已經死去的劉國藩？ 領頭的還在不停地喝叫：說，你們的二毛子掌櫃，到底藏哪了？ 大家已不再說話，因為無論說什麼，都只會遭到打罵凌辱。 楊秀山也希望，眾伙友不要再冒失行事。這是禍從天降，也只能認了。別處的賬簿，不知是否來得及隱藏？還有銀窖！西幫票號的銀窖，雖然比較隱秘，但這樣天翻地覆地找，也不愁找到。只願他們真是搜查人，而不是打劫銀錢。 不久，就見匆匆跑來一個蒙臉同夥，低聲對領頭的說了句什麼。領頭的一聽，精神一振。他過去一腳踢開了楊秀山住的那處內賬房，吆喝同夥，揮舞起手裡的大刀片，把津號所有的人都趕了進去。跟著，將門從外反鎖了。 你們聽著，爺爺要燒香請神了，都在屋裡安分待著，誰敢惹麻煩，小心爺爺一把火燒了你們字號！ 領頭的吼完，外間真有火把點起來了。天剛灰灰亮，火光忽忽閃閃映在窗戶上，恐怖之極。 門被反鎖，真要焚燒起來，哪還有生路！ 外面，砸擊摔打的聲音已經沒有了，忽然顯得安靜了許多。他們真要請神了。請了天神來，到底要抓拿誰？ 漸漸地，聽到外面有雜沓匆促的腳步，但聽不見說話聲。他們在舉行降神儀式嗎？ 雜沓的腳步聲，很響了一陣。後來，這腳步聲也消失了。外面是死一般沉靜，但火把的光亮仍在窗紙上閃動。 又停了一陣，見外面依舊死寂一片，有個伙友就使勁咳嗽了一聲。 外面，什麼動靜也沒有。 有人就走到門口，使勁搖晃了搖晃反鎖著的房門。 依然沒有動靜。 楊秀山忽然明白了，慌忙喊道：趕緊卸門，趕緊卸門！ 幾個年輕的伙友擠過去，七手八腳，就卸下一扇門來。那時代的民居門板，雖然厚重結實，但都是按在一個淺淺的軸槽裡，在屋裡稍稍抬起，便能卸下來。 門被卸下，大家奔出來，見火把只是插在院中的一個花盆裡，似乎一直就沒人在看守！ 楊秀山又慌忙喊道：快去看銀窖！ 奔到銀窖，果然已被發現，洗劫一空！ 西幫票號做全國性的金融匯兌生意，銀錢的進出量非常巨大。因此，銀錢的收藏保管成為大事。票莊一般都是高牆深院，有的還張設了帶鈴鐺的天網。在早先，西幫還有一種特殊的保管銀錠的辦法：將字號內一時用不著的銀錠，叫爐房暫鑄成千兩重的大銀砣子。那時代法定流通的銀錠，最重的僅五十兩。所以這千兩銀砣子，並不能流通，只是為存放在銀窖內安全：如此重的銀砣子，盜賊攜帶也不方便。縱然是能飛簷走壁的強人，負了如此重的銀砣子，怕也飛不起來了。所以這銀砣子有一個俗名，叫莫奈何。不過到後來，西幫票號也不常鑄這種千兩銀錠了：事業走上峰巔，經營出神入化，款項講究快進快出，巨資一般都不在號內久作停留。 當然了，再怎麼進出快捷，票莊也得有存放銀錢的銀窖，也即現在所說的金庫。西幫的銀窖，各家有各家的巧妙，各家有各家的秘密。外人不易發現，號內自家人存取時又甚方便。 天成元津號的銀窖，處置得不算是太巧妙：只是將設銀窖的庫房，佈置成為一處普通伙友的住房：盤了一條大炕，炕前盤了地爐子，火爐前照例有一個深砌在地下的爐灰池，池上嵌蓋了木板。看外表，沒有一點特別。津號的銀窖，就暗藏在地下的爐灰池一側，尋常的爐灰池其實正是銀窖的入口處。當然，地面上嵌蓋的木板，暗設了機關，外人不易打開。 這伙蒙臉的劫匪，居然把隱藏在此的銀窖尋出來，打開了。他們沒耐心破你的機關，砸毀蓋板就是了。存在裡面的四萬兩銀錠，自然全給搶走了。 他們哪裡是來抓二毛子？不過是來搶錢！ 楊秀山忙趕到臨街的門面房，那裡更是一片狼藉，但劫匪早無影無蹤。從被撞毀的那個窗戶中，已有晨光射進來。 開門出來，見門外撂著一根碗口粗的舊檁條。顯然，劫匪們是舉著這根檁條，撞毀了臨街的窗戶。 門外，還有牲口糞和分明的車輪痕跡。劫匪是趕著車來打劫？ 看了這一切，楊秀山更斷定，這夥人不是義和拳民，而是專事打家劫舍的一幫慣匪！ 朝街面兩頭望了望，尚是一片寂靜。這幫劫匪為何偏偏來打劫天成元？ 京號的戴膺聽了津號遭劫的情形後，也問李子充：當天，還有誰家遭劫了？ 李子充說：沒有了，只我們一家。遭劫後，到我離津那幾天，也沒聽說誰家又遭劫。 就偏偏拿我們天成元開刀？你們得罪義和拳了？ 津門已經是義和團天下，我們哪敢得罪？看那活兒，也不像拳民所為。 那就怪了！ 出事後，我們雇的武師和五爺的保鏢，都趕來了。他們依據搶劫的手段，推測是江湖上老到的強盜所為。出事前，騷擾五爺的宅子，只怕就是他們聲東擊西。從破窗而入，到盜了銀窖，活兒做得夠利落。尤其他們只劫財，未傷人，更不是義和拳那些烏合之眾所能做到。義和拳真要認定誰家有通洋的二毛子，不殺人能罷手？ 江湖上老到的盜匪？那你們津號得罪江湖了？ 沒有呀？ 戴膺忽然拍了一下額頭，說：我明白了！這次津號遭劫，只怕與去年我在你們那裡演的空城計相關吧？ 李子充忙說：我們招的禍，哪能怨戴老幫！ Do you remember?去年夏天，五娘被撕票，你們劉老幫又忽然自盡，惹得擠兌蜂起，眼看津號支持不住。不得已了，我由京師調了四十多輛運銀的橇車，號稱裝了三十萬兩銀子，