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Volume 1: Fierce Battle in Changsha Chapter 312: New Style in the Ancient City

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    Tao Enpei's thoughts were interrupted by the increasingly noisy sound of people. He opened the curtain of the carriage and looked out, but he had already reached the outside of Suzhou.  Tao Enpei was a little surprised by the Suzhou in front of him. This Suzhou seemed to be the Suzhou of the past. Since ancient times, "there is heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below", but it did not seem to be the Suzhou he had seen before.

    The Suzhou that Tao Enpei saw was the same as before. It was a famous water town in the south of the Yangtze River. The city was crisscrossed with water ports and criss-crossed streets. Du Xunhe, a poet of the late Tang Dynasty, once said in a poem: "When you go to Suzhou, you will see all the people sleeping on the river. There is little free space in the ancient palaces.  There are many small bridges in the water lanes.¡±

    It is located in the famous Shantang Street among the many streets and alleys in Suzhou. This street is known as the "No. 1 Street in Suzhou".  Shantang Street starts from Changmendu Monk Bridge in the east and ends at Wangshan Bridge in Suzhou's famous Huqiu Mountain in the west, which is about seven miles long.

    This place is the same as before, surrounded by shops, including various shops, teahouses, restaurants, theaters, inns, etc., but it seems that there are fewer opium dens and flower houses.

    The small green stone pavement is generally smooth. The plane trees planted on both sides can be connected by the arms of the trees across the road. It is very shady for walking in summer.  Various stalls are set up under the trees on the roadside, from the street to the end of the street.  On the stalls, there are all kinds of robes and skirts, headdress jewelry, shoes, hats, scarves and socks, fruits and snacks, bonsai arts and crafts, glassware, etc., and there are even foreign goods and miscellaneous hardware, etc. It is really crowded and steaming, and it paints a picture.  A picture of the bustling Shantang market.

    "It's just more prosperous than before. What's wrong?" Tao Enpei thought to himself. He always felt that although the Suzhou he saw was more prosperous than before, there seemed to be something different that gave this ancient city a different flavor.

    Suddenly he heard a burst of sweet singing. Tao Enpei looked up and saw several young women wearing red scarves holding oil-paper umbrellas. The melodious Pingtan music from the theater beside them came, accompanied by those walking in the gentle spring rain.  woman.  Yiyi's low singing reflects the charm of this ancient town in the south of the Yangtze River.

    Looking at the crowd around him, Tao Enpei suddenly realized, "It turns out that people are different."

    Among the bustling crowds, it is rare to see people with long braids and horseshoe-sleeved mandarins. The women on the street seem to be talented and walk more confidently and uninhibited. The men's robes are  There is a crisp red scarf under her short coat, and when meeting passers-by, she bows her hands in front of her as a salute, and her servile look of hunching over is gone, and her chest seems to be lifted up a little more.  Look around.  The crowd now no longer has the brilliance of the shaved foreheads of the crowd in the past, but instead is a dazzling bright red, a red that is heart-warming and inspiring!

    Tao Enpei slowly understood that the men with long hair and the women who got rid of foot binding made the ancient city of Suzhou more confident.  A kind of heartiness that breaks away from the constraints and shackles glows in this ancient city, which is different from the lifeless depression of Hengyang.  Tao Enpei felt that the smiles on people's faces came from the heart.

    With thousands of emotions.  Tao Enpei arrived outside the West Palace. More than a hundred guards from the West Palace were patrolling outside the door, but no one came to greet him.  Tao Enpei felt a little disappointed, but he thought that as a person who lost Hengyang, he didn't have the dignity to ask someone to pick him up with eight sedans.

    Song Feng and Su Ji stepped forward and handed over their official certificates to the counselor at the door, and then the counselor from the West Palace entered the West Prince's Mansion to report.  Tao Enpei got off the carriage.  Then he waited outside the house.

    As soon as we got off the carriage, a number of horses came galloping towards us. The people on them were wearing the official uniforms of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and red hoods.  When he got off the horse, he was tired of the journey. The guards from the West Palace had already come to lead the horse.  However, the man did not need to report to the guards of the West Palace, and went straight into the West Palace without any guards to stop him.

    Tao Enpei was very curious and asked Su Ji next to him: "Who is this person? Can he get in without asking for permission?"

    Su Ji tightened his robe and said, "This lord is Mr. Wang Tao of the Propaganda Department. He is the one who presides over the publication of "Southern Jiangsu Times."

    Tao Enpei said oh, he had also borrowed the newspaper from Suji and read it on the way. The contents of it ran through ancient and modern times, covering China and the West. Many of them discussed current affairs and criticized the Manchu and Qing Dynasties. The words were sharp and heartbreaking. Tao Enpei was self-conscious  He was already a rebellious person, but the words in the newspaper were heart-breaking.

    "It turns out he is Wang Tao, and he is indeed very handsome." Tao Enpei sighed, stroking his beard.

    "Mr. Tao, with your literary talents, you can submit an article to that newspaper. As long as the editors of the newspaper review it, you can also publish it in the newspaper and spread the word among the people." Su Ji said with a faint smile.

    Tao Enpei hummed and seemed a little moved, but before he could answer, he saw a Western-style carriage approaching.  This Western carriage is different from the Chinese carriage. The shed is square and black, with transparent glass windows. Tao Enpei has seen this kind of carriage many times along the way, but he always feels that this carriage is not like the canopy of our Chinese carriage.  Top?It has to have artistic conception.

    The carriage stopped at the gate of the West Prince's Mansion, and two people, a Chinese and a Western, got off. The Chinese was wearing the official uniform of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and a red hood, but the Westerner was wearing a tuxedo, a tall top hat and a civilized staff in his hand.  In his hand, a head of golden hair allowed Tao Enpei to see a foreigner up close for the first time.

    After the two people got off the carriage, what Tao Enpei didn't expect was that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom official was talking to the foreigner in a foreign language. When the two people passed by Tao Enpei and others, they just nodded slightly to say hello, and then the two people  With a worried look on his face, he walked into the West Prince's Mansion as he talked.

    Tao Enpei looked curious again. This time, before he could speak, Su Ji said: "Mr. Tao, do you want to ask who these two people are? That gentleman is Xu Shou, the Minister of Industry of our Xiwangfu. He is here  I studied at Mohai Academy in Shanghai for several years, and also translated Chinese and foreign classics with Mr. Li Shanlan. I can speak foreign languages ??very fluently. I don¡¯t know those foreigners. Since the construction of the railway from Shanghai to Suzhou, the number of people traveling between Suzhou and Shanghai has increased.  There are a lot of foreigners.¡±

    Tao Enpei said oh, and Song Feng on the side smiled mischievously and said: "What is that foreigner's name Wilbur? When he arrived in Shanghai, I joined the escort team to greet him. This foreigner has a very bad temper, but his wife  Not bad with my daughter, her skin is snowflake white, snowflake white"

    Su Ji secretly sighed that this man was hopeless. Before he could finish three sentences, he added that it was a woman.  Tao Enpei frowned and said: "Captain Song, as the saying goes, the word sex is a knife to the head, and it is best to stop sexual intercourse in moderation"

    Song Feng snorted and interrupted: "Mr. Tao, you are good at everything, but you are too wordy." After that, he turned aside.

    At this moment, more than ten people came out of the mansion, and the first one was the Queen of the West, Hong Xuanjiao. Song Feng and Su Ji hurriedly came forward to greet her, but Tao Enpei had not seen Hong Xuanjiao, so he only came forward to greet her after being recommended by others.

    Queen Naxi was dressed in a yellow robe and mandarin jacket, with a yellow mantle on her head. She was so beautiful that Tao Enpei did not dare to look directly at her. He only heard Queen Naxi saying softly: "Mr. Tao has suffered, little girl."  I will take the people of the West Palace and the people of Hengyang to thank the old gentleman in advance." After saying that, he bowed down.

    The soft words of the Queen of the West touched Tao Enpei's grievances. He couldn't help but shed tears and hurriedly stepped forward to return the favor: "I dare not bear the gift of the Queen of the West. I have lost Hengyang and I feel unworthy of the great trust of the King of the West."  .¡±

    Queen Xi helped Tao Enpei up and said: "Old sir, please don't say that. The King of the West has always been worried about Hengyang's arrangements. At that time, he was forced to leave due to the situation, so he felt sorry for him. Sir, he worked hard to save the people, and everyone deserves credit for it."  It¡¯s all understood.¡±

    After hearing this, Tao Enpei was relieved and shed more tears. After some persuasion from the Queen of the West, she ordered someone to take Tao Enpei into the palace to rest first, and then told Tao Enpei that the King of the West had taken the West Palace counselor to the farm in the eastern suburbs to help with the farming.  , she went to look for him and let Tao Enpei rest in the mansion first.  Immediately, Tao Enpei followed the west hall to introduce Zan into the palace, and the Queen of the West went there with her own people.

    Arriving at the mansion, Tao Enpei seemed to have entered a strange place. It was a royal palace, but it looked like a huge yamen.  You can see people passing by in a hurry everywhere, everyone is holding thick copywriting in their hands, everyone is in a hurry, and everyone is busy with their own things.

    "Efficiency, Integrity, Dedication, and Dedication" were written in large letters on the wall in the front yard, which made Tao Enpei stop and look at them for a long time.

    Arriving at a row of side rooms in the backyard, in the first room, I saw Xu Shou, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom officials and a few foreigners whom I had just seen, arguing with each other while pointing at maps one after another. The Chinese and foreign texts were mixed unclearly, and Tao Enpei also  Don't know what they are arguing about.  But seeing a few foreigners shouting angrily and looking menacing, Tao Enpei was a little worried and said to the West Palace next to him: "Will they fight if they are arguing like this? Do you want to replace the soldiers?"

    Na Yinzan smiled slightly and said: "No need, Mr. Tao doesn't know. These foreigners don't know our etiquette and they have always been so loud. King Xi and Queen Xi Wang always have to argue with these foreigners every time. King Xi  His Highness has said that these foreigners do not recognize people, and as long as your theory is correct, you can convince them, no matter how loud they are."

    Tao Enpei groaned and said to himself: "Recognize principles but not people; recognize principles but not people."

    ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Came outside a wing room, only to hear the crackling sound of abacus inside. I saw more than ten desks lined up inside, and more than a dozen mathematicians immersed themselves in calculating accounts.

    Tao Enpeiqi asked: "Are there so many accountants in the Xiwang Mansion?"

    Na Yinzan shook his head and said with a smile: "No, their team is planning the cost of relocating the railway line. The Shanghai Railway is going to be built, and a lot of people's fields and houses will be occupied along the way. They are planning the cost of relocating the boundary to ease the people. Just now.  Master Xu Shou and the foreigner over there?This is also the argument. I heard that the railway planned by foreigners would take up too many private fields and houses, while the line planned by Mr. Xu Shou could avoid a lot of private fields and houses, but it would cost more construction costs for the railway.  , so the two sides are still arguing.  Both sides are waiting for the side to figure out whether the cost of relocation and resettlement is less or the cost of construction is less.  "Tao Enpei said oh and understood.

    More than ten wing rooms in a row were used as offices. Only then did Tao Enpei realize that the West Palace was the central government office of the West Palace.

    When they arrived at the last wing, Na Yinzan ordered several West Palace counselors to take care of Tao Enpei. He only said that the West Palace was now in a tight housing situation, so he could only let Tao Enpei stay here for the time being. Later, the King of the West would naturally settle down after meeting Tao Enpei.  .  (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature. The novels will be better and updated faster!
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