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Volume 1: Fierce Battle in Changsha Chapter 499: Former Friends

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    Sitting on the carriage, Zhou Qibin raised the curtain and looked out from time to time. Although Jiang Guolin was sitting upright in the carriage, his eyes drifted out unnaturally.  The changes in Shanghai brought them more than shock. Is this still the small fishing village at the mouth of the Yangtze River?

    The most intuitive feeling is the road in Shanghai. After coming out of the pier, the carriage has been driving slowly and slowly on this gravel-paved road, like an endless long line, extending into the distance, and then like  Spider webs generally radiate to every corner of Shanghai.  The road is slightly higher in the middle and gentle and low on both sides. Drainage ditches are built on both sides of the road to collect water on the road. Various trees are planted outside the drainage ditches on both sides of the road, among which sycamores are the most common.

    After leaving the pier, you can see an extremely prosperous street in front of you. There are an endless stream of pedestrians, carriages, and foreigners on horseback. There are three-story Western-style buildings on both sides of the road, and there are shops on the ground floor. It is bustling and bustling.  You can see foreign women exposing their snow-white breasts everywhere.  Jiang Guolin just shook his head and sighed, slowly closing his eyes.

    Fortunately, the carriage turned around at an intersection and did not go that way. Zhou Qibin looked back with some surprise at the Taiping soldier sitting in the carriage.  After getting along with each other, the Taiping Army soldier's name was Wang Kai. He was from Taiping Prefecture in Anhui Province. He fled famine and came to Jinling City to seek life. When the Taiping Army entered the city, he joined the West Palace Taiping Army. He was also considered a veteran of the West Palace.  Wang Kai's name was originally changed to Huang Kai according to the taboos of the Kingdom of Heaven. Fortunately, after King Xi entered Tianjing last year and Brother Tian came to earth, all the taboos on words were abolished, and Huang Kai changed his surname to "Huang Kai".  Changed it back.

    Seeing Zhou Qibin looking at him, Wang Kai said calmly: "That's the foreign concession. Two years ago, Shanghai's roads were named. The King of Xi personally named Nanjing Road, which is the most prosperous place in Shanghai. This is a prison car, so we can't  Go that way."

    Zhou Qibin blushed. Only then did he remember that he was still a prisoner. He sighed and said nothing, just looking at the scenery outside.

    After walking along the road to Yangjingbang, you can see a large area of ??tall chimneys and endless brick houses in the distance across Yangjingbang. There are very few residential buildings on the land over there.  Zhou Qibin asked curiously: "Where is that place?"

    Wang Kai just said without raising his eyes: "That's the Shanghai Firearms Administration, which manufactures guns, cannons, and machines."

    Jiang Guolin couldn't help but look over after hearing this. Wang Kai continued: "The Shanghai Firearms General Administration is now the largest firearms manufacturing factory in the East. There are tens of thousands of people working in that factory, and we will use it to beat you.  Most of the guns and cannons are manufactured there.¡±

    Jiang Guolin's face was ashen, and his hand holding on to the carriage window trembled uncontrollably, muttering to himself: "I see, that's it" I didn't know what he meant.

    Wang Kai said calmly: "Two eldest gentlemen. I was ordered to accompany you two to the Military and Political Bureau. But if you have anything you want to ask, you may as well ask directly. The order I received is to tell you everything you know."

    Jiang Guolin was silent for a moment and then asked curiously: "Aren't you afraid that if you talk too much, the secrets here will be revealed after we escape?"

    Wang Kai shrugged his shoulders and said: "Let's not talk about whether you can escape or not. Even if you can escape from Shanghai, there is nothing that cannot be known to others. Our King of the West has said that even if the Qingyao knows that Shanghai has our guns and cannons,  So what about the manufacturing bureau? Can Qing Yao still fight back?"

    Jiang Guolin and Zhou Qibin were both speechless. After a while, Zhou Qibin couldn't help but ask: "Why do you want to arrange this? If you want to enter Tianjing, wouldn't it be closer to taking the Yangtze River waterway?"

    Wang Kai shook his head and said: "I don't know. Anyway, your itinerary is to take a train to Suzhou, and then from Suzhou to Tianjing. I don't understand either. Going to Beijing to offer prisoners is like a tourist trip."

    After turning around the long road beside Yangjingbang.  The old city of Shanghai is right in front of you, and the changes here are even more dramatic. The awning boats that have been living on the water for many years have disappeared from the inland rivers. Outside the city walls, there are neat brick houses and ordinary straight gravel roads.  The road leading directly into the city is neat and clean, and there are an endless stream of merchants and hawkers on both sides. The pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages coming and going are not inferior to those in the foreign concessions.

    The plane trees planted on both sides of the road can be connected to each other by the arms of the trees, making it very shady when 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.  There are shops all around, including various shops, tea shops, restaurants, theaters, inns, etc., but there seems to be a lack of opium dens and flower houses.

    ????????????????????????????????????¡ªEveryone wearing Hanfu, occasionally someone wearing a Taiping Heavenly Kingdom mandarin robe and a red scarf, and some wearing Western-style clothes, the whole old Shanghai city is like a hodgepodgeThe exhibition hall is decorated, but the only thing missing is the Manchu and Qing clothes with horseshoe sleeves.

    Arriving outside the original Shanghai Daotai Yamen, Wang Kai jumped out of the car and said: "The Shanghai Naval Administration Department has moved to Zhabei New District. This was originally the Qingyao Shanghai Daotai Yamen. In the past, the Shanghai Naval Administration Department conducted official business here. Now it is  Several branches of the department have been kept here for the convenience of the people in the old city. There are many empty rooms inside, so we will stay here tonight."

    Jiang Guolin and Zhou Qibin got off the carriage, but they didn't see the other people who were captured together. When they came to ask questions, Wang Kai already answered tactfully: "You two have good official reputations in Guangdong. This is the treatment. Ye Mingchen and Bai  Those dog officers of yours cannot enjoy this kind of treatment, and they are still being penned on the ship."

    Jiang Guolin and Zhou Qibin looked at each other and smiled bitterly. As they were walking in, they saw several Taiping Heavenly Kingdom officials walking out of the yamen. They were all wearing ordinary Taiping Heavenly Kingdom robes, mandarin jackets and official uniforms, and wearing red hoods. One of them was over fifty years old, with gray beard and hair.  But he is in good spirits.

    Jiang Guolin glanced at the man and shouted in surprise: "Is this Mr. Tao here?"

    The old official was slightly stunned and looked up, with a happy face on his face. He stepped forward and said, "Who is it? It turns out to be Yunong."

    Jiang Guolin stepped forward and gave a long bow and said, "I never expected to see Mr. Tao here. When we were editors of the Hanlin Academy together, Mr. Tao made many suggestions. Guolin never dared to forget them."

    The old official smiled and said to the officials behind him: "You go back and do your errands first. I'm here to catch up with old friends." After several Taiping Heavenly Kingdom officials said goodbye, they took a carriage and left.

    Jiang Guolin pulled Zhou Qibin over and said, "Mr. Tao, this is Zhou Qibin, the envoy of Guangdong. Yiyang (Zhou Qibin), this is Tao Gong of Tao Enpei."

    That old official was none other than Tao Enpei. After he came to Suzhou from Hengyang, he was appointed as the Minister of Household Affairs by Xiao Yungui. After serving as the Minister of Household Affairs for a year, due to his old age and the heavy workload of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Tao Enpei often  He was ill, so Xiao Yungui transferred him to the Shanghai Naval Administration Department as deputy director to recuperate his health, while the Minister of Household Affairs appointed Xu Naizhao, who was more capable and motivated, as the deputy director.

    After Tao Enpei and Zhou Qibin met, they wanted to take them back to their house to reminisce about the past. Wang Kai immediately stepped forward to stop them and said, "Master Tao, these two are my prisoners."

    When these words came out, Jiang Guolin and Zhou Qibin were greatly embarrassed. Tao Enpei slapped his head and said: "Yunong, look at my memory. A few days ago, an official document came saying that several empty rooms in the old Yamen will be used to guard several prisoners.  The captured officials of the Qing court turned out to be you two."

    Jiang Guolin's face turned red, he turned his head and clasped his fists and said, "Mr. Tao, I originally wanted to die for my country"

    Tao Enpei quickly stopped and said: "Wait a minute, what are you going to do? Marry your country? Which country did you die for? The Manchu Qing Dynasty is not the country of our Han people, Yu Nong, you are making a big mistake." Seeing that Jiang Guolin and Zhou Qibin were silent,  Tao Enpei turned back to Wang Kai and said: "Thisoh, the official title is captain, this little brother captain, which room are they going to be locked in? I will take them in, and you ask the soldiers to buy us some food and wine. I am in there."  How about catching up with them in the wing?"

    Wang Kai was not pretentious, he just showed his hands and said: "Master Tao, I don't have money." Tao Enpei laughed and scolded: "The military pay is the day before yesterday, will you have no money? Take it, I won't let you do anything bad.  Money." After that, Tao Enpei took out a few silver coins. Wang Kai took them with a smile, called the two accompanying soldiers to give some instructions, and then followed Tao Enpei and others into the Yamen with the remaining soldiers.  .

    Arriving at the wing in the backyard of the Yamen, Tao Enpei chose a larger wing for the two of them to live in.  After freshening up, food and wine were also bought. Tao Enpei gave more money, and Wang Kai and other soldiers also got a table of food and wine for their own use outside the house. Tao Enpei and the other three people set up the food and wine inside the house to talk.

    After three drinks, Tao Enpei said bad things about the Manchus during the dinner. Jiang Guolin frowned more and more as he listened. He didn't know how Tao Enpei became so rebellious. Zhou Qibin just smiled and said nothing, neither agreeing nor refuting.

    "Tao Gong was born as a Jinshi in the 15th year of Daoguang's reign." Jiang Guolin changed the topic and said: "But I still remember that when I was an editor in the Hanlin Academy, there were many young men who were favored by Tao Gong."

    Tao Enpei stopped his glass and sighed: "I remember that Yunong was born as a Jinshi in the 18th year of Daoguang's reign, and he immediately took up the post of editor of the Hanlin Academy. At that time, Yunong was still a dazed young man, and it was I who took Yunong to the post.  "

    Jiang Guolin nodded and raised his glass: "I still remember what Mr. Tao said to me on the first day he took office. Mr. Tao said that he should remember the emperor's grace and be loyal to the emperor and serve the country."

    Tao Enpei laughed and said: "I want to say something about you, but you say something about me." He then raised his glass and said: "Yes, I did say that back then, but there are two more important sentences behind it, that is, I am waiting for you.  lifelong passion? Only by benefiting the people of the world can we not lose sight of the teachings of sages.  "

    Jiang Guolin drank the wine with a slight respectful gesture, and said with a red face: "But why did Mr. Tao commit himself to a thief? Has Mr. Tao forgotten the word loyalty?"

    Tao Enpei also drank wine, smiled slightly, took out a few books from his arms and handed them over, saying: "This book was written by overseas Ming Dynasty survivors. It contains information about Yangzhou and other places when the Manchus entered the customs."  Yunong can take a look at the chronicles he created. There are also several books written by Yu Songnian and others who were great scholars in Jiangsu and Zhejiang at that time, together with Xiao Hong, the most talented woman in the country.  "Chronicles of Confucianism in the Qing Dynasty", "New Notes on the Complete Library of the Siku" and other books. After reading it, Yu Nong understood why I had such a change." (To be continued)
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