The order of disembarking from the boat was absolutely particular. Zai Chun and Da Sixi, who held an umbrella for him, were first, followed closely by Xiao Letian, two powerful figures from the East.
After that came the Duke of Newcastle who accompanied them, and then the Chinese senior officials ranked them based on their seniority. Position, age, and military exploits were all taken into consideration. Who came first and who came last were all particular.
Wang Huaiyuan naturally walked ahead of all the officials. Even though he had never personally commanded the army in battle, the credit within the CIA was calculated based on military merit. The value of the CIA he led was no less than the 100,000-strong Chinese army.
After that, there are veteran-level generals such as Liang Kun, Sima Yun, and Luo Huo, while Xiang Ying and others can only be ranked in the third echelon.
When Xiang Ying stepped onto the gangway, Zai Chun, who was first, had already started shaking hands with the British officials who lined up to welcome him. Benjamin respectfully stretched out his hands and held Zai Chun's right hand tightly, with his waist very bent and his head It's even three inches lower than Zaichun's head.
"Your Majesty the Emperor, welcome to the British Empire. On behalf of all the members of the British Cabinet, I would like to express my welcome to you and wish you long live, long live, long live!"
Oops, Xiao Letian was immediately delighted. He heard very clearly that Benjamin’s greeting was actually in Chinese! This old guy actually learned a sentence in Chinese just for this event.
Zai Chun immediately felt very proud. He replied in English without being humble or condescending, "Thank you very much. On behalf of the Qing Empire, I would also like to express my gratitude to your government. During this period of time in the UK... I have really troubled you!"
The emperor of the Qing Dynasty knew English! Everyone present exclaimed, which was a very good sign. It showed that the emperor of the Qing Dynasty had a good impression of Britain.
This will definitely be of great help to future cooperation. This sentence in English immediately brought Zaichun closer to the British officials.
Time was running out and it was still in public. Benjamin and Zai Chun couldn't say anything more. They looked at each other with understanding eyes, and then let go of their hands. Gladstone next to him immediately bowed and held Zai Chun's hand in his hands. Right hand.
"Bless you, His Majesty the Great Emperor! You have worked hard all the way, and I hope you can feel at home in the UK..."
"Thank you very much, Your Excellency the Chancellor! I already feel it..."
Just when Zai Chun and Gladstone were shaking hands, Xiao Letian was already standing in front of Benjamin. Two flashes of light shot out from their eyes like lightning and flint. They collided in the air and a series of sparks suddenly shot out.
"Welcome, dear Yuan!" Benjamin said with a smile.
"Thank you very much, dear Mr. Xiang!" Xiao Letian is also an expert in acting.
Both of them felt the coolness in each other's hands, which was as cold and slimy as shaking hands with a poisonous snake.
The hand loosened at the first touch, and then Xiao Letian stepped over Benjamin and gave Gladstone a smile. The two have already had secret contacts. Although they have not reached a real alliance, they already have the intention to cooperate.
"Hello... Dear Yuan!"
"Thank you very much...Honorable Chancellor of the Exchequer!"
Without saying anything, the two of them separated their hands with a faint smile. In this way, Zai Chun controlled the speed of shaking hands and meeting, and the long queue began to shake hands with the welcoming team one after another.
However, when Zai Chun's handshake came to the end of the line, an accident happened, which also attracted the attention of all reporters present. The scene was recorded by the sound of shutters.
It turned out that when Zai Chun was about to shake hands with a British officer, the officer did not extend his hand. Instead, he crossed his hands and slapped his cuffs, then directly hit the ground with a thousand blows, and then knelt on the ground with one knee.
I only heard a strange Chinese voice coming from his mouth: "Your Majesty... Admiral of the Victory Army, Charlie George Gordon, your Majesty, long live my emperor, long live, long live!"
Zai Chun was stunned for a moment. Even Da Sixi, who was holding an umbrella, shook his hand and almost dropped the bright yellow umbrella to the ground. He watched a British official kneel down and bow to the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. This strange scene made everyone stunned. .
Zai Chun obviously didn't know much about the details of the Ever Victorious Army and was very unfamiliar with Gordon's name. It's no wonder that he couldn't remember all the officials when he was only seven or eight years old during the most violent years of the Taiping Rebellion. It would be good to be able to remember a limited number of people such as Zeng Guofan and Zuo Zongtang.
Da Sixi obviously didn't quite understand what was going on here, so he quickly turned to the master behind him for help.
Xiao Letian was also shocked. He was not shocked by Gordon's appearance, but shocked by Britain's generosity this time. In order to please Zai Chun, they actually encouraged this influential man nicknamed Chinese Gordon to come out.
Damn, how many benefits did this secretly give him? Can you just kneel down and bow down? This is too flattering.
There was no time to be stunned, Xiao Letian quickly said with a smile, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten that during the civil strife in Changmao, there was a foreign gun team in Shanghai? It was the same foreign self-defense team that fought bloody battles with Xiaodao..."
"Later, the imperial court named the Ever Victorious Army, and this Sir Gordon became the third admiral of the Ever Victorious Army... Don't be surprised, he is really the admiral general given by the Qing Dynasty, and the imperial court is giving him a salary. oh!"
Gordon has lived in China for many years and has a certain foundation in Chinese. With the help of a translator behind him, he quickly understood Xiao Letian's words.
"Yes, my long live Lord! I am the official admiral of the Ministry of War. I got this admiral through bloody battles! I did not get it by donating money... a dirty... dirty officer!"
Aha! Zai Chun immediately laughed, "You still know how to donate an official position? It seems that you are really good at China! Is this considered meeting an old friend in a foreign land? Does the court still give you a salary now?"
"Sit down, get back up quickly!" Zai Chun did not get carried away. He did not dare to let Sir Gordon kneel for a long time.
Gordon stood up with a blush on his face, "No, they haven't given it to me for several years. I didn't ask for it, and the court didn't mention it... Of course, they didn't say that I would be removed from my official position. Anyway, we are half a world away, so the court doesn't care. Even if you want to give it to me, you can’t!”
Zai Chun clapped his little hands, turned around and said to Da Sixi, "Remember, this matter must be done well! This is a hero of our Qing Dynasty! The official position has not been withdrawn, how can we not give him a salary?" "
"You think about it later. How many years of salary do you owe me? I'll make up for it from my own pocket first! I can't let the hero's heart be chilled!"
Gordon's eyes filled with excitement when he heard this. He didn't care about the amount of money, but the face. The emperor of the Qing Dynasty trusted me so much. This is my worth!
"Your Majesty! I request to be a guide by your side! I am your minister, and I cannot just take my salary for free and not work!"
"Hahaha...Okay, okay, as long as it doesn't delay your work in the UK, my door will always be open to you!"
