It was not until today that the Manchu Qing Dynasty finally understood how advanced the technology of the Westerners was. Seeing the telegram sent by the Guangzhou general, everyone in the Yangxin Hall sighed.
Ci'an held the telegram paper and sighed, "What did we think before? This telegram is such a good thing, why did we think it was a scourge back then?"
Yi? sighed, "It's not that we think the telegraph is a savage beast, the key is that those officials in the court who don't know anything think this thing is a beast! To this day, there are still people in the court who say this thing is a kid running around delivering messages, otherwise How could it be so fast!"
Today, Cixi and Ci'an truly understood the benefits of technology. The second piece of information sent by the Prime Minister's Office was just sent by General Guangzhou. The news above was shocking.
In the message, General Guangzhou secretly reported to the court the latest information about Southeast Asia. It turned out that the Russian expedition fleet had arrived in the Lion Country, which is commonly known as Sri Lanka by foreigners.
The Chinese have a very long history of managing South Asia. Needless to say, things happened during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. In fact, the Chinese have had a unique influence on South Asia, a land of thousands of islands, since the Song Dynasty.
This has been the back garden of Chinese merchants since ancient times, and it is also a place dominated by Confucian culture. Every time a war breaks out in the Central Plains, a large number of people will be forced to take refuge here.
As time goes by, the influence of the Chinese on this land has become so great that even Western colonists cannot underestimate it.
Since Nanyang is a foreign land and domestic laws cannot control it, merchants have a very high status in this land and there are no messy restrictions at all.
Therefore, from Arabia to Southeast Asia, there are Chinese businessmen everywhere in this vast area. Moreover, the Chinese businessmen at that time were deeply influenced by Confucianism, and the concept of family and country was very strong, so they did not have the stinking problem of later generations who were scattered and fighting in a sand nest.
At this time, overseas Chinese businessmen were very united. They dare not say that they share resources, but at least they share information.
The Russian fleet had just entered the Indian Ocean and appeared on the east coast of Africa. It had been discovered by Chinese businessmen in the Indian Ocean. They used their own unique channels to start publishing news. Coupled with the power of the increasingly formed global telegraph network, soon Bits and pieces of this fleet began to gather domestically.
Maybe those Chinese businessmen just wanted to share a war business opportunity at first. After all, war can always bring huge financial resources, but there are always some patriotic people who are willing to give this information to the country. Of course, some people recognize Xiao Letian's country, and some people recognize Xiao Letian's country. That country of Manchu and Qing Dynasties.
General Guangzhou was the most important Manchu minister placed by the imperial court in Guangdong. His Manchu Eight Banner soldiers were not only responsible for garrisoning the place, but also monitoring Han ministers and collecting intelligence at all times.
When three independent channels conveyed the same information to him, he finally confirmed the authenticity of the information. He did not dare to neglect the Guangzhou general and quickly reported to Beijing that this top-secret information was placed on the dining table. Message.
"I suddenly realized it! Everything is now clear...Old Zeng is showing his loyalty to us. I really saw him right!" Cixi looked at the message with a sneer.
"We in Beijing all know the news that the Russian main fleet is coming to Asia. How can Zeng Guofan in Nanjing not know? At such a critical moment, how could the commander-in-chief not express his position in advance? These Han ministers, this is irritating , Ridiculous, yet respectable!”
Cixi didn't need to explain clearly. Everyone present knew what it meant. Yi? nodded, "I didn't say anything. Since the commander-in-chief has expressed his position like this, the court can't be stingy anymore. Let's mention it to several close relatives and nephews in the commander-in-chief's family." Come on, even Zeng Guoquan can’t wait any longer... It seems like the old Zeng family is still loyal!"
The corners of Cixi's lips curled up and she sneered, "Loyal? Haha... They are loyal to this country, not our Manchu family. Don't mess around, you Japs Six!"
Yi? The old face was slightly reddened by the words, "How can I forget what I said..."
…
At the same time, outside the front door of Quanjude, three nobles in the small box on the second floor were drinking and chatting. Yang Zhi, who was sitting in the front seat, kept pouring wine for Li Tuo and Lao Jiang who had just arrived. Everything he heard today What an eye-opener.
Today is the first day of the new year. It stands to reason that all the major restaurants in Beijing will be closed. It does not mean that these businessmen are not willing to make money and want to rest, but no one comes when they open the door. After all, according to the old rule, no one is at home on the first day of the new year. eat.
But what Yang Zhi never expected was that even with his status as a lord, including three times the reward, he could not open the door of the store in Quanjude. Li Tuo clicked his fingers three times and said a few slow words. The door of Quanjude actually opened. .
They were the only customers in the entire store, and the level of people who served them was also very high. The boss, Yang Quanren, personally served the dishes, and the former imperial chef, Master Sun, personally served the ducks and started roasting them. This kind of treatment might not be possible even for princes and ministers. Come on.
The crispy duck was sliced into small thin slices and dipped in sweet sauce and shredded vegetables. It tasted sweet in the mouth. Various cold dishes to go with wine slowly gathered around the table. Lao Jiang ate like a starving ghost reincarnated.
If the service is good and the food is good, the price will definitely not be low. Not only does Yang Zhi have to pay for his own table, but he also has to pay for the table opened by the boss and the chef outside. In addition, he has to pay for the cooking during the Chinese New Year. You have to give red envelopes, right? This meal cost Yang Zhi a total of 250 silver dollars.
If you don’t want bonds, you want shiny silver with dragon patterns. Boss Yang keeps saying it beautifully, “You’re celebrating the New Year, I don’t want a piece of paper, how can you add some joy to it by pressing it on my hand?”
Come on! Anyway, Yang Zhi is not short of money. Not to mention 250, he has to spend even two two hundred and fifty. Just for the insights gained today, the money is worth it!
"Brother Li, drink slowly, there is plenty of wine...Brother, let me roll you a duck! Please tell me the secrets here, let alone the two telegrams. Even today's banquet makes me a little confused. !”
"You're in the first year of junior high school, how come you can open a restaurant that even the princes and ministers can't open with just a few words? Tell the truth, what is your identity?"
Lao Jiang's mouth was full of vegetables. He drank a glass of wine before he could hold it down. He laughed, "What status? A sixth-grade Zhang Jingbai. In this 49th city, this status is higher than that of a coolie." So a little bit!”
"But sir, please don't underestimate us. The so-called small characters can also have big interests. Sometimes big things that have changed in the future have to be handled by us. Do you think so?"
"Ah?" Yang Zhi was stunned. "What do you mean, a small character can also have a big world?"
Li Tuo drank a cup of warm rice wine and took a deep breath, "Sir, sir! In your eyes, what exactly is this court? Are those five and six people in the court dressed like animals and beasts the same as the stars in the sky?"
"Nonsense, they are all fools... I tell you clearly, no matter how big a person is in this world, in the end he will have to be dealt with by us little characters. Do you believe it or not?"
