The weather has gradually cooled down, and in Yingtianfu, the capital of the Ming Empire, the crowds on the street are wearing long robes and short shirts with yarn, and people who are a little more fashionable are still wearing suits and dresses to swagger through the market. The first phase of the capital construction plan has been drawn up in the capital city under the management of the Jishi Youth Party, and construction and construction are now in full swing. Major roads are being opened, the city's drainage system is being built with great fanfare, and the west bank of Xuanwu Lake is building new Imperial Consortium Headquarters and Industrial Foundation Headquarters Building, as well as other magnificent office buildings, which have gradually acquired the style of a modern business center. In addition to horse-drawn carriages and oriental carriages, there is also a very scarce and strange kind of rail-drawn carriage, which is a carriage that is dragged by horses and placed on a built-in track, and the transportation efficiency is unknown how many times higher than that of ordinary horse-drawn carriages. Of course, this is something that the Europeans know, and now it has also spread to China, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin have appeared, and now Nanjing also has several railroad carriage lines, which greatly facilitates the travel of citizens. It's hard to imagine that anywhere else in the world is the downturn and sadness of the economic crisis. Zeng Guoquan and Guo Songtao returned to Nanjing in this early winter. The two ambassadors to Britain and France were in the limelight for a while because of the Chinese fever that arose in Europe during this time and the upcoming marriage between Prince Zhu Guojie and Princess Helena. Talking with some European celebrities every day, from this drinking party to that dance party is like rushing to the scene, the life is very comfortable, and everyone seems to be refreshed. This time, the two of them were ordered by the cabinet to return to China to report on their work, and they are likely to be of great use -- after the rise of those Jishi Youth Party members who "studied both China and the West," Zuo Zongtang, the left minister of the cabinet, already felt great pressure. It is necessary to introduce some small characters of the Xianghu Party who have seen more Western customs and have a broad vision to enter the cabinet. And Zeng Guoquan and Guo Songtao, aren't they the best candidates?

They returned home on the steam schooner of Jardine Matheson, which had become the largest shipping company in the world, with two or three hundred scissor clippers. There are more than 1,000 Chinese-style large canton ships. There are even 12 3-ton steam sailing ships, and the total tonnage is much more than that of the Ming Navy!

The two ambassadors and their entourage have been abroad for many years, and they have only seen in the newspapers how the domestic economy is developing. I haven't seen it with my own eyes, but I didn't see it until I went ashore from Shimonoseki Wharf today, and I saw a scene where construction was being started everywhere and many buildings were already rising from the ground. When the two of them and the servants they were carrying looked around with their mouths open. Then he saw a carriage drawn by four horses speeding up. The carriage was painted an ugly gray, which was the special color of the 6th Army of the Ming Dynasty, and the side door was also painted with five yellow stars in a circle, and six cavalrymen were guarding the front and rear, which looked like a car of the marshal of the 6th Army. Both of them were slightly curious, who was sitting in this car? The 6th Army of the Ming Dynasty has been at war for more than ten years, and the scale is even more than a million. Naturally, there will be no shortage of high-ranking generals, but there are few marshals. In addition to Zhu Jishi, who is the generalissimo of the 6th Navy, only four people who have been awarded the rank of marshal are Zheng Hong, Han Si, Luo Junqi and the Frenchman Lao Pier, and even Liu Jiong, the chief of the General Staff, is still a general because of his lack of military merits. When I am in doubt. I saw the car parked in front of the entrance and exit of the VIP pier, the door opened, and a bald and one-eyed man came down, it was Zheng Hong, the first vase of the Ming Empire, the king of Yanping, I don't know why, he also came to the dock today.

As soon as the three of them met, they were all surprised. King Zheng and Zeng Guoquan are not familiar with each other, but they are still familiar with Guo Songtao, who used to be an official in Nanjing, and immediately smiled: "It turns out that Guo Yunxian is back, then this must be Zeng Yuanpu, right?" ”…

Guo Songtao and Zeng Guoquan did not dare to slack off, and hurriedly saluted respectfully, calling them "princes". Zheng Hong squinted his eyes and smiled, waved his hand and said, "What's polite, this is not a court." Yunxian, Yuanpu, the two of you are envoys for thousands of miles to fight for the country. Today, there is another general who is going on an expedition of thousands of miles, and the general who is fighting for the country will also go to Nanjing, and the three heroes will gather, and they will go to the emperor to eat with the king later. The Emperor's Maria had just returned from Europe, and she had brought a lot of good wine! ”

It turned out that Zheng Hong was picking up people at the dock, but he could bother this uncle to come to greet him in person, so he must not be an ordinary general, right? When the two were pondering, a small steamer had already docked, and several soldiers in gray 6th Army uniforms walked down from this small boat used as a ferry with suitcases and briefcases, and the first one was proudly hung with the rank of general of the 6th Army, but he was only twenty-six or seventeen years old. The young general obviously also saw Zheng Hong, walked out of the VIP entrance and exit quickly, walked in front of Zheng Hong and saluted, and said loudly: "Shi Dakai, see His Royal Highness King Yanping." ”

Zheng Hongha smiled, waved his hand and said, "Shi Dangdang, what are you polite to me?" I am a prince of peace and happiness, not the king of Guilin. ”

As he spoke, he pointed to the two ambassadors beside him again, and said with a smile: "These are Ambassador Zeng Guoquan and Ambassador Guo Songtao, who have just returned from Europe, and they have also been ordered to come back to report on their work this time. ”

It turned out that Zheng Hong personally came forward to greet Shi Dakai, who had made outstanding achievements in the northwest battlefield, although he was only 7 years old now, he had already worshiped the general of the 6th Army, and he was also awarded a champion marquis, which was the title of Huo Quai's title in history. It can be seen how high Zhu Jishi's expectations for Shi Dakai are.

After a few more pleasantries, the four of them got into Zheng Hong's carriage together, and then galloped along the newly opened Xuanwu Avenue to the Purple Mountain outside Nanjing. After the carriage started, the four people looked at the hot construction sites on both sides of the road, and they all felt refreshed.

Zheng Hong suddenly asked, "Yunxian, Yuanpu, you have been outside all the year round, how do you feel?" Is the United States really going to be divided? His tone was solemn, so that Shi Dakai couldn't help but glance at him, thinking, why did it get to the United States? Now the Russian side is quite chaotic, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Western Qing Dynasty are desperately following the Ming Dynasty, Han Dashuai is thinking about using this opportunity to start a war in the west and hit the Ural Mountains in one go...... Before he was recalled to Nanjing this time, Han Dashuai also asked the staff officers of the Steppe Army to formulate a plan to attack Russia and bring it back to the emperor. He thought about his own thoughts, and forgot to listen to Zeng Guoquan and Guo Songtao's replies for a while, and waited until the two finished speaking, and then he pondered and said: "Lord, it seems that there is a bit of chaos in Russia now, there have been several serf riots in Russian Siberia, and there seems to be even more chaos in the Ural Mountains, and the Siberian Governor Muravyov is now leading troops to quell the chaos outside all day long, and the Orenburg fortress is very empty." ”

Zeng Guoquan and Guo Songtao listened to Shi Dakai's words, and they both waved their hands at the same time and said: "No, no, now is not the opportunity to move Russia." ”

Zheng Hong just smiled, this prince has always liked to pretend to be confused, of course he will not show his wise side without anything. Shi Dakai shook his head to express his puzzlement, and Guo Songtao explained with a smile: "Master Hou, things in Europe have always been involved and moved. It doesn't matter if we fight Russia, we are afraid of provoking the cooperation of the European powers. Our emperor's policy toward Europe has been consistent, that is, to find and maintain staunch allies in Europe as much as possible, and we must think twice about actions that may change the balance of power in European countries. Now, the shape of Europe is very delicate, although Britain and France are allied, but they have their own ghosts, and Britain is very wary of France's strength in the big 6 in Europe. Thus Prussia was being fostered and at the same time the possibility of improving Anglo-Russian relations was being sought. And France was also reluctant to be troubled on the European Big 6, and Napoleon III learned the lesson of his uncle and repeatedly declared that he would not seek new European possessions outside of France and Italy. At the same time, it also set its sights on the new big 6 and began to focus on supporting Mexico ruled by the Bonaparte dynasty, so the new big 6 is the center of gravity for the next round of great power competition. ”)

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