"Shenwen, Divine Wen! Such a genius appears in our Qing Dynasty. This is a blessing for the country and all the people...Blessed by the emperor and ancestors, it turns out that foreigners have experienced so many hardships in conquering the sea?"
"It's hateful, it's hateful! Why didn't this book come out earlier so that we could know the details of the foreigners earlier? How could we be so confused and bullied by foreigners... But why was it printed before it was finished? What follows? Where’s the article?”
"Shameless, shameless! This guy named Xiao Letian is so shameless. Why did he print the book before he finished writing it? And look at the printing quality, is it cheap? What is going on behind the scenes, this Inca Empire What happened after meeting the Spaniards...Eunuch, you damn eunuch!"
On February 2, the fourth year of Tongzhi, it was the time when the dragon raised its head. On this day, the old and young men in Beijing would eat spring cakes, and those children who were preparing to become enlightened would also shout a few words on this day, "February 2, the dragon raised its head, the dragon raised its head." The saying "If you don't raise your head, I will raise my head" will give you a good reputation for your lifelong studies. Update as soon as possible
However, a little strange thing happened on February 2 this year. A book called "The Journey to the West" suddenly appeared on various book stalls in Beijing. The author is unknown and the name is really vulgar. . Xiao Letian? Look, the literati of the Qing Dynasty did not write their own names. At the worst, they had to use their own characters. I have never heard of anyone using their real name, and it is still such a crude name.
But this guy named Xiao Letian had such a loud voice that he actually placed a wooden board at the door of every bookstore in the capital, with a line of big characters on it that almost made the literati at that time crazy.
"I have been traveling in Europe for twenty years, and I am the strongest in Western learning. Who can criticize mistakes and omissions? I will receive a tattoo of five thousand taels of silver."
What a loud tone, this shabby book actually dares to say that it is the best in Western learning? Wei Yuan's "Hai Guo Tu Zhi" did not dare to boast so much. Of course, few Qing scholars at that time were willing to read such books introducing Western knowledge. They were not tested in the imperial examination, and they were not used in drinking parties or poetry gatherings. , so few people in the Qing Dynasty at that time were willing to learn Western learning.
But there are exceptions to everything. In inland provinces, in places where there is no intuitive sense of Western influence, people will definitely not care about Western learning. But in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin... these cities that were forced to open and close, scholars have deeply felt the power of foreigners, and they still yearn for Western learning in their hearts.
For example, in Beijing, the tragic scene of the burning of the Old Summer Palace four years ago is still in front of us. People are eager to get the secrets of the powerful foreigners. Unfortunately, the Qing Dynasty at that time did not have a book that could systematically introduce Western politics, economy, culture, history, and more. Customs books.
It’s not that the Western missionaries didn’t want to communicate with the scholars of the Qing Dynasty, but the East and the West are completely two cultural systems, each with its own origins. Without truly digging into the roots, if you want to learn from half of it, you can only have a partial understanding. This is the reason why Wei Yuan's Haiguo Tuzhi was not taken seriously.
If we use Eastern values to explain the development history of the West for thousands of years, there will always be a sense of mechanical application between the lines. This made those Qing literati who only knew the words of saints confused.
Xiao Letian has long considered this issue. Why does he use the form of storytelling novels and stories to describe the entire modern history of the West? His purpose is to provide the most critical foundation, at least to make it understandable to people in the Qing Dynasty.
You see, this is an extremely low standard, but at that time the literati were not even willing to use punctuation marks. Their purpose was to confine knowledge in high cabinets and concentrate it in their small circles. Being able to understand the latest updates as soon as possible has become a luxury.
Xiao Letian sounded very crazy because he firmly believed that the ruling class of the Qing Dynasty, which had been turned twice by foreigners, would never ignore this book, and any literati with some foresight would not give up this book. Therefore, Xiao Letian will use an extremely arrogant tone to make propaganda slogans, and he will use the gimmick of five thousand taels to completely stir up the cultural spirit of Beijing.
Xiao Letian shamelessly plagiarized the copyright of the famous American journalist Snow and appropriated the title "A Journey to the West" in advance. In this book, Xiao Letian describes himself as a Chinese who was born and raised overseas, and a hero who cares about his mother country after traveling thousands of miles in Europe and going through many difficulties and dangers and finally returned.
Five thousand taels, a full five thousand taels of silver, can definitely buy a courtyard house with a garden in Beijing. Don't look at the arrogance of those literati who are so aloof every day. Most of them have pockets cleaner than their faces, and they can still find fault after hearing it. If you have money, these sour guys are all going crazy. Please come to more and faster chapters. Anyway, this book is sold extremely cheaply, and ten rich people can buy one copy.
But these literati fell into the trap carefully crafted by Xiao Letian and were unable to extricate themselves. When they turn the first page and start reading, they will never be able to escape the influence of this great master of Western learning throughout their lives.
In Xiao Letian's writing, a continent of Europa that Chinese people have never seen before appears before their eyes, and there is even a map in it. The story begins with the great adventure of Prince Enrique, from the primitive black tribes on the west coast of Africa, to the distant North American Indians, to the ancient Inca Empire of South America... The big picture of Westerners conquering the world is here presented before the reader.
It is undeniable that Xiao Letian's writing is straightforward, vulgar, severely colloquial, and not concise at all, but it is this kind of Mengtong-like writing that gives everyone a sense of imagery.
Since that day on February 2, the literati in Beijing have collectively lost their voice. Even the business in the eight major alleys has been slow these days. The leading figures were puzzled. After asking around, they found out that something happened in Beijing. This strange book made all the readers in the city go crazy.
All the scholars were communicating in private, and all they were talking about was "Have you read it today?" Within three days, the only thing everyone was talking about was "Where does this dead eunuch live? Do we?" Come to the door to urge the manuscript..."
The entire literati class in Beijing was completely shocked. Everyone was talking about "The Journey to the West" and Xiao Letian's name was on everyone's lips. There are obviously few people talking about the mountains in the teahouse. A few Eight Banners men can discuss whether the earth is round when they get together. Update as soon as possible
Mr. Guan in Bada Hutong couldn't smoke any more sweet cigarettes. Lying in the arms of No. 1, all he could think about was what it would be like for a Western woman to tie her waist very thin and squeeze her breasts very high. He even looked forward to them stealing men's breasts at will. atmosphere.
Of course, there are also some rotten scholars who are bookish after reading this. They are desperately looking through the saint's classics one by one to find evidence to refute Xiao Letian. God knows whether they really want to defend the saint's words, or they are trying hard for the five thousand taels.
In just ten days, the city of Beijing was considered a complete sensation, and even the nearest Tianjin was also a sensation. Along the Grand Canal and the Qing Dynasty's post road network, this sacred book began to spread in all directions.
Only then did people collectively discover a question: "Who is this Xiao Letian? Where does he live? Why doesn't anyone in the entire Qing literati system know him?"
After asking around, people only got some clues from booksellers. It turned out that this book was published by Fan Yan, the shopkeeper of Shanxi Merchant Guangde. If you want to know who Xiao Letian is, you must first find the old shopkeeper Fan Yan. But when everyone flocked to the Guangde to inquire about it, they found out that Fan Jian had actually separated from his brother years ago and had already left his own life.
"Let's go, let's go. I've found out where shopkeeper Fan Lian lives. It's in Daliushu Hutong. I'll go with you to urge the manuscript..." A group of scholars gathered in Guangde did not ride horses or sedans. , a group of dark people walked straight to Fan's house.
Now, Xiao Letian happened to be meeting guests at Fan's house in Daliushu Hutong, and the people he met were either outsiders or Pastor Lewis who had been separated in the mountains.
"Pastor Lewis, how is everything? Is the house I give you big enough? I think it's okay to build a small church..."
"Thank you for your generosity. The Lord will bless you. But what I am talking about today is not this, but the 'divine revelation' you gave me. Where did you get this information from?" Lewis said tightly. Staring at Xiao Letian.
Xiao Letian smiled, "It's really hard to answer this question. I can only tell you that it's divine inspiration. You just need to know that this news is not a prank."
What the two were talking about was actually an important piece of information, because Xiao Letian still had fresh memories of an event that happened in 1865, which was Lincoln's assassination.
If Xiao Letian's memory had not been confused, and if the history of the United States had not been changed by his time-traveling butterfly, Lincoln would have been re-elected as President of the United States in November 1864, but his abolitionist cause and reform plan had already offended people. too many people. On April 14, 1865, in Ford's Theater in Washington, a madman was about to end his life.
Xiao Letian didn't want this tragedy to happen again. On the one hand, he admired Lincoln himself, and on the other hand, he also considered his own actual interests. If he wanted to establish a real cooperative relationship with foreign powers, he must have a springboard. Lincoln's assassination Maybe this is his opportunity.
Pastor Lewis can be trusted, not only because he is a clergyman, but more importantly because of his equal attitude towards the little black man Simon. It is certain that Lewis is a supporter of the abolitionist cause and a fighter in the same camp as Lincoln. The information given to him should be credible.
Lewis thought for a while, "There are already a small number of telegrams transmitted from the east and west of the United States. In addition, the fastest clipper ship is chosen to cross the Pacific. I think it is still possible to send the information at the time you mentioned. . But, Xiao... is it really okay for you to gamble like this?"
Lewis seemed to be in a dilemma. He thought for a long time before speaking, "If this is a false intelligence, then Minister Hua Ruohan and I will become the laughing stock of American politics. Frankly speaking, the Minister is not a kind person. I think He will definitely take revenge on you, I hope you can be mentally prepared..."
Xiao Letian smiled bitterly, thinking that Lewis was really not bad, and it was already loyal enough to inform him in advance. But he didn't know Xiao Letian's difficulties. Xiao Letian had already seen clearly from history what the Qing Dynasty was like. His career was not very conspicuous in its initial stage. Once it became powerful, the Manchu Qing Dynasty would not talk a little bit of truth to Xiao Letian and would definitely destroy it as soon as possible.
"You don't understand my difficulties. The crisis I face is much greater than you think. In my eyes, Hua Ruohan's threat is nothing compared to the crisis I face... Forget it. , you should help me figure it out, if this thing is true, will the U.S. government agree to the conditions I hope to get?"
Xiao Letian's question made Lewis very embarrassed. Just as he was frowning and thinking, suddenly there was a burst of noise from the direction of the gate in the distance.
"We want to see Mr. Xiao, you, a little concierge, dare to stop me, get out of the way..."
"Don't try to lie to me. I just came from Guangde. Fan Qian only has this house now. Where else can he go?"
"Mr. Xiao, come out, we want to see Mr. Xiao..."
Shopkeeper Fan's courtyard has only three entrances in total, and it is a smaller one. If there is a loud noise at the front entrance, the study can hear it clearly. These passionate literati were just buzzing like flies at first, but after a while, there was already a unified roar outside like a mountain roaring and a tsunami.
"Update...update...update..." At that moment they shouted out the aspirations of all the scholars in the capital.
