The left person thinks this thing is interesting, but in fact it is completely an occupational disease, a kind of greed unique to the literary and antique circles!
Samuel's notebook is made of simple cowhide on the outside, and is tied with a belt. The thick notebook inside is made of fine parchment.
Both the paper and the cowhide cover are removable and replaceable. Looking at the worn gloss of the cowhide cover, it can be seen that Samuel has filled many notebooks, and they should have been hidden in his study.
Each notebook is a large amount of wealth. To ordinary people, it is like a heavenly book, but in the hands of people like the left, it is an invisible treasure map.
"I really want to see it, I really want to get it in my hands..." Zuo Zuo kept thinking in his mind, but he couldn't open his mouth. This thing is indeed a taboo.
The two expedition teams communicated with each other for more than an hour. As the night deepened, the northwest wind began to call louder, and the banquet in the main hall became much quieter.
As the drunken Gordon was carried back, everyone here knew that they needed to rest. King Shangtai and the others said goodbye and returned to their room. Naturally, a special maid brought them face wash, and the skilled chef prepared a midnight snack. .
After a night of silence, Zuo Zongtang began to take care of military affairs formally the next morning. The first thing he had to do was take care of these distant guests.
Long Live Lord's 600,000 taels of kindness... Although only 300,000 taels were left in the end, they were used to fight against the Rakshasa ghost to save lives. Zuo Zongtang would not be angry because of this.
On the contrary, Zuo Zongtang wrote a note of greetings and thanks overnight, and prepared a batch of local native products from the northwest to be sent back to Beijing as gifts.
Guan Lu and Duo Luo were asked to escort them, but neither of them left. They insisted that Emperor Tongzhi had asked them to fight and would not return to the Central Plains.
Zuo Zongtang tested them several times and found that these two were really not pretending. Their speech and behavior no longer had the bad habits of those Eight Banners playboys, and they had a bit of the spirit of the Manchus before they entered the customs.
"Okay, since you are going to work hard, I won't be polite... But I have agreed in advance that there will be no special treatment in my army. Everyone has to move forward..."
"It's impossible to think of taking up your job as a sinecure and working hard until the end of the war... Are you two willing to serve as vanguards in Liu Jintang's army?"
"I am willing to serve the commander-in-chief!"
"Okay... then all of you guards should gather at Liu Jintang's headquarters. There are many battles for you to fight after passing the Xingxing Gorge!"
Duo Luo, Guan Lu and the other guards have been arranged, and Zuo Zongtang has begun to arrange for these British people. Since Duo Luo Guan Lu is unwilling to send gifts back to the capital, the only ones left are Gordon and Samuel.
Gordon's mission is to help Emperor Tongzhi investigate the northwest military affairs. The key is to take a look and ask... As soon as he knows the situation, he must gather in the capital.
Of course he couldn't fight with Zuo Zongtang, so he could only say goodbye to Duoluo Guanlu and the other guards, and part ways in Guazhou!
Gordon is ready to continue towards Beijing with the expedition team, Zuo Zongtang's thank you notes and gifts!
But something unexpected happened at this time. Samuel Baker, who was suffering from typhoid fever, and a dozen other British expedition members refused to go with Gordon.
It turns out that during the chat last night, King Shangtai’s men accidentally revealed the news that they were going to Mogao Grottoes and Crescent Moon Spring in Dunhuang!
When Samuel heard that there was a spring like a crescent moon deep in the desert, and a huge group of Buddhist caves with a very long history in the late Three Kingdoms and before the Sui and Tang Dynasties.
That was 300 AD, which was the fourth century!
God, Samuel went crazy when he heard about this time. In the fourth century AD, Christianity was just an era when it was forgiven by the Roman regime. It was not the time when God completely ruled all of Europe.
It was a transitional period from the old classical era to the Dark Middle Ages. It was one of the required courses for all studies of European history.
If Samuel turned a blind eye to such a complex of buildings, he would not be a good and mature explorer!
"I want to stay, I must stay... I want to see the Crescent Moon Spring and the Buddhist caves with my own eyes... None of you can stop me..."
Gordon and Zuo Zongtang kept trying to persuade him, but Samuel was so determined that he refused to leave regardless of his physical illness!
"My illness doesn't matter, it's just typhoid... I must go and take a look. It's an artistic masterpiece from the fourth century AD!"
"Did you know? That era was a period of huge transformation for the entire human civilization. The Roman Empire in Europe was invaded by barbarians, and your Chinese Eastern Jin Dynasty, which was dominated by Han people, was also attacked by nomads in the north. Not everything north of the Yangtze River was lost. Yet?"
"In fact, Eastern and Western civilizations have a vague commonality. If the classical period wants to be glorious, they will flourish together, and if they want to collapse, they will collapse together!"
"You have the Eight Kings Rebellion, and Europe also has the rise of barbarians!"
"I have to study, I really want to study... Please let me study the secrets of the rise and fall of civilization! Please..."
After Samuel died, Gordon and Zuo Zongtang were also blinded. To be honest, Zuo Zongtang was not willing to keep such an Englishman by his side, so he spared his energy to take care of him.
In the end, Zuo Zongtang could only say with a stern face, "Mr. Samuel, you have to know that I am fighting a war here. Maybe we will enter the Western Region after winter..."
"The climate is bitterly cold and harsh, and the medical conditions are not good. If something happens to you... I really can't be responsible!"
"Commander, please rest assured. I can write a letter to the minister of our country, indicating that I stayed here voluntarily. Even if there is any accident, it will be my own responsibility!"
Well, since you have already shouldered the responsibility, it won't matter if you can't blame the Western Expeditionary Army. Zuo Zongtang is too lazy to care about these small things.
Gordon and Samuel Baker parted ways!
Samuel left Gordon and Doro and other guards, so he was left with twelve team members, including four British soldiers, and the rest were his assistants.
Thirteen people licked their faces and found King Shangtai and Zuo Zuo, asking to join the expedition. King Shangtai didn't have anything and didn't care about the extra funds. He couldn't spend all the money anyway.
But there was someone on the left who was arrogant, and he immediately negotiated conditions. He demanded that all the exploration and research done by Samuel on his trip to China must be shared with everyone.
If you don't hide your selfishness at all, then I will let you join in. If you have two minds about things, I guarantee that you will not even be able to touch the door of Dunhuang.
Samuel knew that the left man was trying to pick his fruit. He didn't want to agree, but when he thought about the building complex from the fourth or fifth century AD, he felt itchy and uncomfortable.
In the end, he agreed, but he didn't expect that this adventure would turn into a thrilling historical mystery!
