"Come on, come on, give way, the assorted duck hot pot is on the table... come and try my handmade Su's cherry meat... emerald shrimp fish balls..."
"Sir, this is Shanghai Liubaili Express. Hu Xueyan has sent you the 50-year-old Nuerhong. He also said that he will come to visit you after the New Year..."
"This is the Dahongpao newly produced in Wuyi Mountain this year. Please try it... Also, the old shopkeeper specially ordered hundreds of firecrackers with 100,000 rings from Liuyang. They are now hanging outside the foreign bank, waiting for your order. Let’s just listen to the fun next time!”
In the middle of winter in Tanggu City, the roof of the noisy back house of Lotte Matheson near the pier was almost uncovered today. Xiao Letian, who had not returned from Naha for three days, had already fallen into the gentle land and couldn't extricate himself. What's more, it was still a big day. On New Year's Eve, the fourth year of Tongzhi is about to pass.
No matter how big things are, they have to give way before the New Year. All official documents have disappeared in these days, and no one will find it uncomfortable without being discerning.
"My lord, this year is really not easy. Please calm down and let me have a good New Year..." This sentence has become a common saying among Xiao Letian's people.
1865 was the fourth year of Tongzhi. It was destined to be an extraordinary year for Xiao Letian. In the spring of this year, his Western classic "A Journey to the West" was released, and it instantly swept the entire Qing Dynasty, giving him Brought endless prestige.
What followed was the revenge of the Confucian scholars, Master Wang's bombardment at Baihua Tower, Xiang Shaolong being bewitched and kidnapped, and then the opening of the Taibaiding Silver Furnace. During this period, Master Long came to surrender, and Er Mao entered the palace. Wait for the bizarre events.
Then at the beginning of summer, Lotte Foreign Trade opened in Tanggu. Xiao Letian led a group of bandits to sweep through the Tanggu business district, suppressing the troublemakers and single-handedly wiping out the unconvinced businessmen.
Then there was the bloody battle between Naha and the Japanese. Xiao Letian walked on the edge of death several times, displayed his majesty on the battlefield, and gained the identity of the Prime Minister of the Ryukyu Kingdom in exchange for his help.
Then the Americans finally extended their olive branch, and Xiao Letian's forces finally received a strong foreign aid. Just when everyone thought the road ahead was bright and sunny, this group of clear water began to stir up trouble again.
The disputes over land acquisition in the Tanggu Industrial Zone continued to the civil war between the New Army and the Green Camp. Even the Eight Banners soldiers guarding the Tianjin Guards were about to take action. Coupled with the massive riots in Beijing, the entire winter of the fourth year of Tongzhi became a mess. .
Looking back on this long year, Xiao Letian himself didn’t know how he got through it. Many things he couldn’t feel at the time, but once he looked back, he would be extremely scared. Not to mention the thousands of troops, just a few assassinations were enough for him. Aftertaste.
"Master? Master...what are you thinking about? Madam is waiting for you to sit down, so don't imitate the old monk in meditating..." Qingwen spoke so hotly that Xiao Letian couldn't talk back.
Today is the New Year's Eve dinner. Logically speaking, an unmarried woman cannot live in a man's house, but who makes Xiao Letian an unruly Japanese devil? In his eyes, it doesn't make any difference whether he has married or not.
There are 12 tables inside and outside Lotte Foreign Store, including two tables in the inner house and ten tables upstairs and downstairs at the counter outside. Xiao Letian and his harem are hiding in Wenrouxiang to open a small stove. The second shopkeepers, under the leadership of Fan Jian, drank until they were drunk.
Not only was Lotte Foreign Company crowded with people, but even the shops on the left and right were temporarily borrowed by Xiao Letian. Half of the street was brightly lit, and the guards of the execution hall and the new officers and soldiers who stayed behind were all crowded together that night. Celebrate the unforgettable four years of Tongzhi.
"Drink this cup to congratulate your lord! I have been the second shopkeeper for thirty years, and this is the first time I have made money so smoothly. I am afraid that even Fan Li and Lu Buwei in ancient times will not be able to compare with the layout of the big man's popularity. I am lucky in this life. Fortunately..."
"The First Company of the New Army... Let's raise a toast together to congratulate you on the New Year, and congratulate the New Year on our brothers who are on the expedition to Europe. Cheers!"
Half of the street was full of toasts and clinking glasses. Soldiers who drank so much that white smoke came from their foreheads hugged the boys who made money and started to toast, chicken, duck, fish, roasted whole lamb, beef stew... just to name a few. The unclear dishes were served to the table like a flowing stream, and the empty plates were moved down like a flowing stream. The atmosphere of the banquet was already extremely lively.
Xiao Letian listened to the roars outside, and felt like there was a fire in his heart. He ignored the cold wind outside and pushed open the window and wanted to roar, but a hand suddenly stretched out from beside him and closed the window again.
"Don't be cold. You are a big man and don't be afraid. But what about Amber? She is still weak now..." It was Fuhui who spoke. She is the oldest sister in Xiao Letian's harem. She is even older than Xiao Letian. She is still two years older, a typical imperial sister type.
Xiao Letian looked back at the pale Amber in the corner, walked over and sighed, "I'm wearing too little for such a cold day...Bring me my white fox cloak..." Xiao Letian put the cloak on Amber's body with his own hands, And gently help him smooth it out.
"Isn't Evil Doctor Huang here? How is the medicine he prescribed? How do you feel after taking it?" Amber is just a woman who came from the Jiaofang Department. The little unruliness in the past is actually a way of survival for the poor woman. In their minds, there is no way the girls can survive in the inner house without fighting.
I never thought that there would be such a noble man who could treat girls so tenderly. Compared with those arrogant Manchu nobles and perverted Hanchen Confucian scholars who like small feet, they are just a bunch of pigs and dogs.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" ...He said that as long as I keep eating, I have a 60% chance of making a complete recovery..."
"Ah! This is good news. Let's have a drink... Amber, you can't drink strong wine. You can drink a few glasses of Western wine. The fruity fragrance will not hurt your health... Come on, let's drink this cup. I have made you suffer for the past year, and I, Xiao Letian, will help you!" After saying that, he raised his head and drank the whole drink.
In one sentence, the eyes of the girls in the room were all red, and the daughter's cleansing of the intestines was not just like this. When men go out to do big business, they naturally complain that they have less time to spend with them, but if a man is tired of staying at home every day, They definitely despise men as worthless.
Women are such tangled creatures, especially when a large group of women have their thoughts tied to Xiao Letian alone, the traces of resentment in their eyes made Xiao Letian feel guilty.
Looking at a room full of women with red eyes, Xiao Letian scratched his head in embarrassment, "Okay, everyone smile, you will be busy after the New Year. I promise you that I will get married in March. As a madam, you will be very busy when you get started..."
This sentence made Huniu and Fu Huixian's faces turn red. Now they could only accept their fate. This man had almost subverted all the rules of the Qing Dynasty. How could weddings and funerals in Sijiu City be so chaotic? It’s coming. But who else in the Qing Dynasty can defeat him?
"Cheers!" With a glass of wine in his stomach, the atmosphere in the whole room suddenly became lively. The girls competed with me to pick up their favorite vegetable clips. Just the delicious ones like Qingwen and Fangguan. In the drinking order, those who lose are not only fined with drinking but also fined with singing songs.
Xiao Letian touched his nose on the side, and wanted to propose a penalty note and take off his clothes, but he looked around at Huniu and Fuhui, and quickly dispelled the dirty thoughts in his heart. This is not a wedding yet, so he is such a licentious person. The unruly nature cannot be exposed.
Xiao Letian looked left and right, then suddenly put his hands under the table and grabbed the small hands of Huniu and Fuhui at the same time. The two women almost screamed in shock, their resentful eyes mixed with sweetness and fierceness. He gave Xiao Letian a blank look.
But Xiao Letian knew that even though they were looking at him with their eyes, neither of them retracted their hands, and they just let Xiao Letian hold them. Xiao Letian thought, the so-called happiness is nothing more than this.
Just when the girls at the wine table were almost going crazy playing, there was a sudden knock on the window lattice, and Mr. Long, who had just recovered from a serious illness, became Xiao Letian's mouthpiece again.
"Sir, it's past ten o'clock for foreigners. You have to go see the distinguished guests on the second floor. Several foreign friends also want to clink glasses with you..."
Xiao Letian slapped his forehead and said in his heart, Wenwen Township is indeed the Tomb of Heroes. In such a short time, he forgot about Mike, Matthew, and the British doctor Buck. It was really forgetful of friends!
Xiao Letian didn't dare to look at the girls in the inner house at all, and ran to the front yard as if running away. As a result, before he even got to the second floor, he was surrounded by groups of excited soldiers and guys.
"Your Excellency has come out, Your Excellency has come out of the inner chamber! Today is the New Year's Eve. No matter how big or small, let's toast to Your Excellency..." Then Jiudan, the brothers who did not dare to look directly at Xiao Letian in the past, swarmed up to greet him. I didn't even take ten steps before I was poured six or seven glasses of wine in a row.
"Brothers, have a good meal and drink. Please allow me a moment. After I go upstairs to meet the guests, I will come down and drink with you all. Apologize, accuse..." After saying that, he walked up to the hotel under the cover of Mr. Long. Floor.
Mike, a member of the American Carnegie family, Matthew, the American military attache in China, and Buck, a British doctor, plus Fan Si, Wang Huaiyuan, Tanggu colleague Zhou Mingkui, plus several senior officers of the New Army, including Xiao There were exactly ten people from Lotte, and they gathered around a full table.
Everyone who could sit at this table was already someone Xiao Letian could trust. After a few polite words, the topic turned directly to the future development of the situation, such as the details of the establishment of the industrial zone, as well as sensitive topics such as the development of Naha, among which Matthew, the military attache stationed in China, has the most acute problem.
"Mr. Xiao, not long ago you just sent 300 carefully selected soldiers to Prussia and Germany. I don't know why a small Nordic country made you put so much effort into sending soldiers out to sea to participate in a war. China’s unrelated war?”
Matthew waved his hand to block the polite words Xiao Letian wanted to say, "Mr. Xiao, please don't use useless diplomatic words to deal with me. As a military attache, I still have my own analytical skills. Especially you at Naha Port. The broken flag was awarded to Xiao Hexin, and I know very well the meaning of this flag, which is war..."
"You want your soldiers to fight in Europe? Please tell me why, and please tell me which war you are going to fight in?"
The United States had just ended its civil war and was pursuing isolationism in its foreign policy. At this time, Americans wanted to do business with the world and had little interest in competing for global hegemony, so they did not pay much attention to intelligence collection in Europe.
Almost all Western countries are paying attention to the rise of Prussia and Germany, but how can Bismarck lead that weak country to challenge the established powers such as Britain and France? Not to mention that the Americans are not clear about it, even the Germans themselves have no idea.
Xiao Letian has established a close cooperative relationship with the United States, and people can understand why he bet his money on the United States. After all, the American Civil War has just ended, and the West Coast and Ryukyu can sail directly there, so at least he will not lose money when doing business. But what’s the use of having close ties with Germany?
"Mr. Xiao, I want to remind you that China's land transportation to Prussia is blocked by the Russians and the Turks in the Middle East, and the maritime transportation lifeline is controlled by the British. Even if you can establish friendly relations with Germany, you How much return can we get?"
