The heavy rain that swept across the entire North Zhili finally gradually lightened up, and the drizzle replaced the previous heavy rain. Even the clouds in the sky thinned, and wisps of sunshine emerged from the gaps.
It was only then that the rain-sheltered homing pigeons hiding in tree holes, haystacks, and under the eaves of ancient temples fluttered their feathers and flew into the sky toward the destination in their memories. The homing pigeon intelligence networks of all parties were finally restored. Pieces of unbelievable news began to spread across the land of Zhili.
In the south city of Beijing, in a commercial area near Chongwenmen, there is a small shop called Qiu's Foreign Goods Store. The store is not big and not very conspicuous. It is hidden in a deep alley, so most people can't find it.
In these years, foreign goods have begun to become popular in the Qing Dynasty. Table clocks, pocket watches, portable lanterns, velvet... Even kerosene, nails, matches, etc. are sold in this small foreign goods store.
The business is not very good, but it can be maintained. The boss named Qiu is living a very good life. At least his neighbors can see the young boss taking a few pieces of meat home every now and then.
In today's heavy rain, the foreign goods store is not idle. The boss only removed one door panel. Even if he says it is open, it does not count as open. If he says it is closed, he is still open. In fact, he is just buying matches and foreign oil for the neighbors. Just leave a gap, the boss also knows that there will be no big business coming to the door today.
But strangely enough, when the heavy rain gradually subsided, the sound of horse hooves trampling on the stagnant water could be heard at the entrance of the alley. Just listening to the rhythm, one could imagine how fast the horses were.
The owner of the foreign goods store hid back unnaturally, with the right half of his body hidden behind the door panel, and looked outside with a pair of vigilant eyes.
The war horse screamed, and the knight dismounted and jumped right in front of the foreign goods store. "Boss, do you have a good lantern?"
"Yes, yes...Imported British lanterns, the glass is translucent and the material is sufficient. You can scrub and wash it frequently to ensure that it can be passed down to your grandson..."
"The British products are very good, and the French products are just okay. I heard that the Prussian products are excellent. The boss has the goods."
When the boss surnamed Qiu heard the code, he actually got it right. He narrowed his eyes and his heart tightened, "Prussian goods are precious, a lantern costs a hundred dollars..."
"Why is it so expensive? I can't sell it for one hundred and twenty yuan."
"I bought it. I'll invite you in the old guest room..." The code words all matched, and the boss quickly bowed and invited the guest in.
The big man who walked in was wearing a raincoat and a bamboo hat, and there was a hint of cruelty in his eyes from time to time. Anyone with a discerning eye would know at a glance that he was a veteran who had returned to the army. This guy didn't talk nonsense when he came in.
"Qiu Wei, right? Xiao Letian's detective in the execution hall... don't do anything. I know you have a gun in your hand. Although I'm not on the same side as you, I'm here to send you information today. Just now Fei Ge reported Just an hour and a half ago, Xiao Letian used strange sky fire to defeat the Huai Army and the Eight Banners Allied Forces, and now the troops are heading straight towards Beijing..."
"If my calculation is correct, the front of the New Army will be visible from the walls of Beijing in two hours."
Qiu Wei's face changed greatly. "What you said is true. Why should I believe you? Whose subordinate are you?"
The big man smiled bitterly, "After all, I'm still your enemy. I'm a spy stationed in the capital by the Huai Army..." Before he could finish his words, Qiu Wei struck out like lightning, pressing a Colt revolver to his forehead. .
"Don't move. You'd better be honest. No matter how fast you are, you can't beat bullets. You have to think clearly..."
"Don't move, I definitely won't move... I know you don't believe me, but I ask you to send a letter to Manager Ermao quickly and pass on this news. It can be considered a favor to our Huai Army."
"Why did you help us? What's the reason...didn't you ambush the Prime Minister?" Qiu Wei asked coldly.
"I know it's hard for you to believe my information, but what I said is completely true, and this information was sent here personally by my Marshal Li..."
"Hey, the reason is very simple. We are guilty of losing. If we want to reduce our guilt, we have to let the imperial court lose even more. Only when the Eight Banners lose worse than our Huai Army can we turn the corner and use the firepower of all parties in the imperial court. They won’t focus on us...you understand."
Of course, Qiu Wei understood that he could become an important intelligence officer in the torture hall. His mind was faster than ordinary people, and what the other party said really made sense.
"Okay, my message has been passed over, I won't care about the rest... One last word to you, get out of here quickly, your identity has been exposed, and the secret code of your connection has been given by Zhitou in the sky prison. It was leaked, not long ago..."
"I'm leaving. You have to take care of yourself. I'm afraid the imperial grandson has already come to you. Be careful Sister Wu..." After saying this, the big man turned around and left.
The sound of horse hooves quickly faded away. Qiu Wei rushed to the backyard without any hesitation, gathered all the intelligence papers into a copper basin, poured kerosene on them and lit them.
Just when Qiu Wei opened the back door and was about to escape, suddenly a cold female voice came from the diagonally opposite eaves: "Qiu Wei... A son of the Green Camp of the Han Army, his father was once a general of the Green Camp in the west of Beijing, and later died of illness... …The next year, he was bewitched by Xiao Letian’s Western thoughts and took refuge in the execution hall, directly under the command of Chun Shisanniang…”
Qiu Wei was so frightened that he was covered in white hair. Without saying anything, he raised his hand and fired three shots at the sound without even aiming.
Bang bang bang... Three crisp gunshots were replaced by low shouts from the residents of an alley, followed by the sound of doors closing.
Qiu Wei did not dare to neglect and ran forward along the alley. He squeezed out the last bit of potential in himself on the line of life and death. At that moment, his speed was faster than that of Usain Bolt.
"How brave, how dare you shoot at my sister Wu...surround her and catch her alive, this is a big fish..." As he spoke, there was a clicking sound on the roof ridges on both sides of the alley, and four eagle-claw sunga The kid from Kirigakure surrounded him and chased him.
Qiu Wei knew that the Kirigakure kid was a female pervert, and it would definitely not be good for him to fall into his hands. Now he could only escape by relying on his familiarity with the terrain.
There were many and dense alleys in Nancheng, and Qiu Wei ran like crazy in them, with mud and water splashing under his feet. From time to time, he would shoot in the air to drive back the approaching Eagle Claw Suns.
After walking through four alleys, Qiu Wei was already out of breath from exhaustion. His chest was like a furnace, spitting fire into his throat, and his heart was beating so fast that it almost jumped out of his heart.
But he kept persevering, and his belief in survival supported him as he ran forward. Only when he saw an old man with white hair and beard at the entrance of the fourth alley did he realize that his end was finally coming.
"Huh huh huh..." Qiu Weila gasped like a bellows, "Forbidden City... old... ancestor, haha... it seems that I am hopeless today... there are wolves in front of me and tigers in the back."
That's right, the person blocking the alley was the ancestor who was the best in martial arts in the Forbidden City. Behind him were six disciples, all of whom were masters of martial arts no less than the Kirigakure kid.
Qiu Wei stood still. In front of him was the ancestor, and behind him was Sister Wu. He was attacked from both sides and had no way to escape. The executioner's executioner turned the revolver over and pressed it against his temple. He roared. "Farewell, my brothers and sisters, I will never see the new world that the Prime Minister talked about. Remember to burn incense on the paper for me..." After saying this, he suddenly exerted force on his index finger.
At this moment, there was only a crisp sound, and the revolver in Qiu Wei's hand was knocked away by a small pebble. Qiu Wei's wrist was numb from the shock.
The one who took action was the ancestor. He waved his hand without saying a word, and the disciples on both sides rushed over, while the ancestor himself slowly walked towards Qiu Wei as if he was strolling in a garden.
Qiu Wei held his numb right wrist with his left hand and stared at his ancestor coldly, "What's the matter? You also want to catch someone alive. You want to get something from my mouth, and you want to give it to your master. Humph, it's really It's a pity that you have worked so hard, but you were sold to a jackal..."
At this time, several of the ancestor's disciples had already rushed past Qiu Wei and killed the Kirigakure kid behind him. The ancestor glanced at him and said lightly, "Your father is also a general in the imperial court, and you are also the queen of the generals. You are lucky that you actually surrendered to the enemy. The imperial court has reconciled with Xiao Letian. I am here to catch the Kirigakure kid. You can go to Jingshan to find Ermao. You will be safe there..."
After saying that, the ancestor strode towards the depths of the alley, leaving only Qiu Wei in a daze.
"I surrendered to the enemy, hahaha, I am still the general queen... When did this damn court care about us general queens?"
"When my father was seriously ill, he went to the camp to collect monthly rations. What he got was half a bag of brown rice mixed with sand and no money at all. All the rations and rations we deserved were embezzled by dog officials... …”
"What kind of ghost world is this? My father did not take bribes and pervert the law, but he died of poverty and illness. Those shameless people are singing and drinking in the pond and meat forest every night. Why should I be loyal to such a dirty court?"
Qiu Wei stared at the back of his departed ancestor and said harshly, "You are just a dog. All you care about is whether there are enough bones and flesh in front of you... The prime minister is right, when a person has no homeland and no dreams in his heart, , just filling up their own selfish desires, such people are slaves of desire, no matter what their status is, their souls will always be despicable."
"To determine whether a person is noble or not, it doesn't matter his identity or name, but only his soul. You don't understand this truth, and few people in the entire Qing Dynasty understand it... Fortunately, the Prime Minister understands, and we have brave reversals. The trendsetters also understand that the hope of this country lies with us, that’s all…”
Qiu Wei picked up the pistol on the ground and started to run towards Jingshan. At this time, the disciples of the ancestors were almost finished the battle, and the Kirigakure kid's subordinates died tragically on the spot one by one.
"Sister Wu, you'd better surrender. If you die in front of the Empress Dowager Ci'an, you can help your master calm down... As long as your life can save the Empress Dowager Xi, then it will be considered a well-deserved death."
When Sister Wu heard this, she exclaimed, "Let me die, auntie, and you can dream about it." After saying that, she flew to her room and fled to the south.
Note: Why do some people say that I am a woman? Let me announce here that the author of "The Hidden Dragon of the Qing Dynasty" is a pure man, not a woman. Remember, I am a man, not a woman.
In addition, I would like to promote Xin Jing’s old book "Star Hunting Country", a very unique interstellar war novel. It has been completed with 2 million words. You can search and watch it. Don’t you still believe in Xin Jing’s quality?
