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Volume 4 Leviathan Chapter 21 Zhangjiakou

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    "It's not like that!" Chen Zaixing shook his head: "This man named Jiang is just an ordinary little bastard from Shanghai. He is just greedy for the huge profits promised by the foreigners to do things for him. I just showed my power, how could he do it?  Concealing it for that guy? Besides-" At this point, Chen Zaixing took out the notebooks from the side: "What the guy said is consistent with what is recorded in these notebooks. It seems that this foreigner is really just here.  Did you see these things in these places? " "Is this foreign devil really just here for a trip?" Xue Ruowang had a puzzled look on his face.  "No?" Chen Zaixing shook his head slowly but firmly: "It's just that I haven't discovered the real purpose of his trip yet!" Two days later at dusk, Chen Zaixing was sitting in the carriage, talking to Gillings.  of chit-chat.  Suddenly there were two soft sounds outside the window, and then the car door was opened, and Xue Ruowang's voice was heard outside the car: "Sir, Zhangjiakou is almost here, and Lord Gao is waiting in the camp outside the mouth!" "Oh?" Chen Zaixing responded.  After making a sound, I poked my head out of the car window and saw half of the setting sun on the horizon in the distance. The east and west mountains stood facing each other like a giant mouth. There was a city in the middle. Under the shining of the setting sun, it looked very majestic.  "Master Chen, this is Baozili. It was built by Ming general Zhang Wen in the fourth year of Xuande in the previous dynasty. It is the root of Zhangjiakou!" Xue Ruowang was riding on a horse, pointing to the castle not far away and explaining to Chen Zaixing in the car:  "This fort is very strange for four miles. The city is three feet and two feet high. To protect against the Mongolian Tatars outside the fortress, there are only city gates on the southeast side. The east gate is called 'Yongzhen' and the south gate is called 'Cheng'en'. Because the north gate is  The East and West Taiping Mountains face each other like a huge mouth, hence the name "Zhangjiakou". "That's it!" Chen Zaixing nodded slightly and looked at both sides of the road.  It was dusk, but the shops on both sides were lighting up their lamps one after another to welcome business travelers from outside to do business. They did not look like an important border defense area outside the Great Wall.  "Ruowang, you said this is an important border defense place, but I don't think it looks like it. It looks like a big market!"  The Chao Dynasty and the Mongolian Anta tribe had a "tea and horse trade", and this place became the "place for mutual trade" between Mongolia and Han, and it became prosperous.  Furs, livestock, and wool from various Mongolian tribes, as well as tea, ironware, salt, and general merchandise from the mainland are all traded here. You are here at the wrong time. If it is autumn, the only businessmen coming to Yuanbao are Mongolian merchants.  There are thousands of tents, so it¡¯s really lively!¡± Chen Zaixing nodded when he heard this.  It turns out that since the beginning of the 18th century, the Shun army completely wiped out the Jungar Khanate, completely conquered the Mongolian tribes in the north and south of the desert, and opened up the trade routes to the north of the desert. Zhangjiakou has also become a link between the inland and the Mongolian tribes in the north and south of the desert.  The commercial and trade center, especially the domestic and foreign trade centered on furs, livestock, and wool, occupies the center of the entire Northeast Asia region.  At that time, it was said that "furs all over the world were imported into the country through this, and the fur markets in all directions were priced and traded here." Zhangjiakou became a famous "leather capital" at home and abroad.  Although Gillings on the carriage could not quite understand the explanation of the officer outside, he was still observing the scenery outside the carriage calmly.  Chen Zaixing and his party were passing through Dongguan of Zhangjiakou Fort, which is still the most prosperous Wucheng commercial street in Zhangjiakou.  As a careful observer, Gillings naturally saw not just shops, but the vast land beyond the Great Wall and the increasingly close economic ties in the interior, as well as the huge wealth that followed.  "It seems that this trip was not in vain. Let those bureaucrats sitting in the London office sit at their desks, facing the portrait of the Queen, and take it for granted to command the armies of the empire thousands of miles away, but they thought they were working for the empire.  What a ridiculous thing! But the irony is that not long ago, I was envious of them, thinking that they were the elite of the empire, and I wanted to be one of them. This is really too much!  Stupid!" Thinking of this, Gillins shook his head slightly, with a self-deprecating smile on his face.  Chen Zaixing's eyes swept across Gillins's face. He had noticed the emotion that the other party had just inadvertently revealed, but he didn't say anything.  There is no doubt that this British man came to China with an extremely important mission. It was dangerous for him to run around alone. Fortunately, he met him and tied him to his side. As long as he had enough time, Chen Zaixing believed that  You can find out the truth yourself.  Thinking of this, Chen Zaixing turned his gaze back to the street scene outside, pretending to be ignorant of everything.  While the two people in the carriage were thinking about their own thoughts, the carriage rolled over the ruts on the bluestone and entered the east gate of Zhangjiakou Fort.  At this time, Xue Ruowang bent down and whispered: "Master Chen, the Marquis has an order for you to go see him as soon as you enter the city!" "Yes!" Chen Zaixing saidHe nodded, straightened his robes, and got out of the carriage: "Ruo Wang, please let me take good care of my British friend!" "Yes, sir!" Although Chen Zaixing had spent a lot of time guessing this person along the way,  The appearance of the powerful Marquis Gao, but when he saw the other party in person, he still couldn't believe his eyes.  In the past, he had heard about the countless meritorious deeds established by this big man, and the other party was from a clan. According to his imagination, this big man must be a majestic big man, but what he saw now was that the man who commanded Dashun Sanfen  The big man with a strength of more than one can only be regarded as a small man, and he looks quite frail in appearance. He is in his early fifties and wears a gray lambskin robe that is 70% new. It is thick and looks a bit like a man.  The frustrated Mr. Dong Heng.  "Master Chen, you have finally arrived. If you hadn't arrived today, I would have gone to Eren!" Chen Zaixing frowned slightly. As soon as he entered the room, the other party did not greet him and greeted him with a lukewarm word.  It would be fine if he was an ordinary person, but since he was the one speaking, he had to be careful in his answers.  "Master Hou, I arrived at Yanshan Mansion two days after I was ordered to leave the capital, and then rushed all the way to Zhangjiakou. Your noble Xue Ruowang knows all this. You will know it as soon as you ask!" Gao Tingyu did not answer, and glanced at Chen Zaixing.  Face: "Mr. Chen, I don't mean to blame you. It's just that the military situation is urgent and there is no need to delay! The army will set off for Eren tomorrow morning. You have worked hard along the way. Go back and rest early!" After that, he picked up the teacup on the side.  , took a sip of tea, and the attendant on the side shouted loudly: "See you off!" "Master Chen, please forgive me! The commander-in-chief is not like this on weekdays, but whenever he goes into battle, he becomes a completely different person. He looks lifeless.  Yes, even when the late emperor was alive, several of the husband-in-laws suffered a lot of embarrassment!" Xue Ruowang explained with a smile while holding a lantern to lead the way for Chen Zaixing.  "Yes!" Chen Zaixing nodded noncommittally. Xue Ruowang walked through the verandah, pointed to a room in front, and said with a smile: "Master Chen, that's where you will stay tonight!" "Thank you!" Chen Zaixing said with a smile.  Hands over, I suddenly noticed that there was light coming from the room next door, and a figure was reflected in the window, which seemed to be writing something. I couldn't help but turn around and asked Xue Ruowang: "The British guy who lives in the room next to me is  "That's right!"  "Is there any way you can show me what that guy has written now?" Xue Ruowang's face was slightly startled, but then he showed a knowing look and nodded: "Please don't worry, sir!" In the room, Gillins was sitting  He was writing furiously at the desk when suddenly there were several knocks on the door. He closed his notebook and turned around and shouted: "Come in!" Chen Zaixing opened the door, followed closely by the servant, holding a bottle in his hand.  Just a steaming barrel.  Chen Zaixing cupped his hands: "Mr. Gillings, you have worked hard on the journey today. I asked someone to get a bucket of hot water to soak your feet so that you can sleep more peacefully." "Thank you very much!" Gillings  He stood up and closed the diary behind him. After traveling in this ancient country for more than two months, he was already very familiar with the Chinese habit of soaking their feet in hot water before going to bed, and he enjoyed it very much.  .  Gillings closed his eyes slightly, enjoying the warm foot-washing water comfortably. The servant on the side carefully poured hot water into the wooden bucket until the water temperature was adjusted to a level that satisfied Gillings.  Chen Zaixing leaned on the desk and cleverly stuffed the notebook on the desk into his sleeve.  "Mr. Gillings, we will leave the customs tomorrow!" Chen Zaixing took two steps forward: "Master Gao is famous for his strict military management. Once we leave the customs, we will have to travel day and night. I am afraid that we will have to eat on horseback. Wait.  It¡¯s hard to enjoy leisure time. It¡¯s fate that we met on the road. Why don¡¯t we bring some food and drinks and have a chat?¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Gillins¡¯s feet were in the hot water.  The tense nerves in the past few days could not help but relax. The main purpose of his trip was to conduct an in-depth investigation of Chinese society, collect and organize information from all aspects, and find basis for the British Empire's future policy decisions in the Far East. As for  Obtaining military intelligence was not part of the plan, but I didn't expect to be able to personally participate in a great expedition. This was very rare, both in terms of intelligence collection and personal experience. Naturally, the relationship with Chen Zaixing also eased a lot.  "Bring the wine and food!" Chen Zaixing ordered, and quietly handed the notebook in his sleeve to the entourage behind him. The servant who had been waiting outside the door filled the two people with white wine that had been boiled in the white tin pot, and then  After placing four dishes of side dishes, the servantsHe retired happily, leaving only Chen Zaixing and Gillings in the room. Chen Zaixing picked up the wine glass in front of him and said with a smile: "Mr. Gillings, Chen will do it first!"
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