Gordon was an important link in military exchanges between Britain and the Qing Dynasty. After Emperor Tongzhi returned from Europe, he took Sir Gordon back to Asia.
Since Gordon came to the Qing Dynasty, his most important task was to train troops in the Xishan Camp and cooperate with Prince Dun Yi to transform the tens of thousands of troops left behind by the Japanese Six Regiment.
Gordon is still very responsible. He basically does not get involved in the official battles within the Qing Dynasty and focuses on training troops. Today, there are more than 10,000 elites in Xishan Camp trained by him.
Gordon once boasted to Emperor Tongzhi that as long as the weapons and equipment of these 10,000 elites are not too different, they are all iron troops that can fight the Chinese elites in a decisive battle!
Zai Chun needs Gordon to train his troops, and may rely on him to fight wars in the future. Moreover, British domestic politics also hopes that Emperor Tongzhi will have such a British person beside him to connect with him!
The existence of Gordon is a symbol of the honeymoon period between the Qing Dynasty and Britain!
For those in the officialdom of the Qing Dynasty, Gordon was far more important than Delaney. This was the real celebrity!
"A powerful official of the Qing Dynasty and a British foreign devil... have dual identities in one person. Who dares to offend this person?"
"But he doesn't show up easily and doesn't go into the city very often. Why is it rare that he comes into the city today?"
"Forget it...why do you think so many people are here? We are all from England, why don't we get together and reminisce about old times? Why don't you go and ask?"
"Isn't this an argument? People know who I am! I'll go up and ask..."
Gordon walked up to the second floor, and the soldier took the cloak behind him. Gordon said to the waiter, "Put a small table at the top of the stairs. My soldiers will have their meals here. You can order whatever you want. No drinking!”
"Delaney...my good friend, when did you learn to be as elegant as the Chinese, enjoying the snow and drinking wine?"
Delaney greeted him with a smile, "Dear Sir, we haven't seen each other for more than a month, right? The Xishan Camp is so good that you are too lazy to go into the city..."
The two shook hands, exchanged greetings, and entered the private room together. They were not afraid of others eavesdropping. They spoke in English with a strong London accent and spoke very fast.
There were many people in the Qing Dynasty who knew English, but not many could understand such a fast-speaking British dialect!
"You are in the city and don't know the scenery outside the city. Your Majesty allows me to live in the Qingyi Garden of Wanshou Mountain... The beautiful scenery of the lakes and mountains is much better than the scenery in the city!"
"These soldiers from the Xishan Camp also gave me great respect. I often ate and lived with them, and gradually we developed feelings for them!"
"As a British person, I want to establish friendship with them, and I can't do it without investing time!"
The two chatted about topics in the military camp, and soon the waiter brought over a churning copper hot pot and various side dishes. Some coal was also added to the cast iron coal stove in the room. The air door was opened and the flames roared quickly. stand up.
"It's hot...it's hot in this room...open the window quickly..."
After two plates of mutton and a few sips of Chinese soju, the two of them were sweating on their foreheads. When they opened the window, the scenery of heavy snowfall was refreshing, and the cold wind blowing in was very refreshing.
Delaney raised his glass, "To borrow a Chinese proverb, auspicious snow heralds a good year, and snow is a good sign... Cheers!"
Gordon had a drink but was not so excited. "Good sign? I don't think so... You have been living in the city and don't know what's going on outside!"
"The lives of the people of the Qing Dynasty in the mountains west of Beijing are very difficult. There is an unusually large amount of snow this winter. Too much snow will be a disaster! You have to understand this truth..."
"What I have seen with my own eyes is that four villages have been completely closed by universities. The mountain roads in and out of the mountains are completely covered with snow. Villagers can only rely on manpower to pull sledges in and out!"
"According to the Chinese calendar, it is the middle of the twelfth lunar month, and we have to prepare for the Spring Festival... But I always have a hunch that these poor people may have a hard time surviving this winter, let alone the New Year!"
Delaney also put down his wine glass and talked about the beggar he just met. "Even though I haven't been out of the city much, I can also feel the poverty of this country!"
"The Qing Empire is now completely in a state of external power! I have always felt that the prosperity of the past few years was completely based on the suppression of rural and remote areas!"
"Ordinary people's lives are very difficult. An illness, a work-related accident, a natural disaster... it is very likely that the little good life they have just enjoyed in this prosperous age will be shattered!"
"Gordon...do you have an official position in the Qing Dynasty now? Didn't you give advice to the emperor?"
Gordon shook his head, "I once thought about it, but Prince Dun immediately stopped me. His expression at that time was very frightened!"
"Prince Dun said... there are many unwritten rules among the officials of the Qing Dynasty, which must not be touched. They are all taboos!"
"First of all, you can't mix up the different paths of civil and military affairs... Unless you reach the level of governor or governor, and the imperial court grants you civil and military rights, you can speak!"
"Chinese people have always been taboo on talents with both civil and military skills. It is easy for such people to gain prestige, and things like prestige and prestige... are actually the root of rebellion!"
"I came to the Qing Dynasty to be in charge of the army! There are already many objections in the court to letting foreigners take charge of the army... At this time, I am going to get involved in local civilian politics?"
"No! Look, how afraid is the imperial court of the newly-rising warlords of the Han people? Even the native-born Han people can't do it, let alone me, an Englishman!"
"Hey...it's hard for me to integrate in. There's really no way!"
Delaney thought for a moment and suddenly whispered, "Gordon, this time I'm inviting you to drink, partly because of our personal friendship, we want to get together... and we also have domestic tasks!"
"The House of Lords in China sent a telegram... Let me ask you, does Emperor Tongzhi really have the command of the Xishan Camp in his hands?"
"Huh? The House of Lords asked this?" Gordon was stunned. The British House of Lords is also called the House of Lords. The members here are all nobles and members of the royal family.
They have a noble status but don't deal with national affairs very much. How could they suddenly directly intervene and ask about the affairs of the distant Qing Empire?
"Could it be that..." Gordon's heart really skipped a beat, "Could it be that... the person I want to ask is... His Majesty?"
Delaney spread his hands, "Don't ask me, I don't know. Anyway, this is the telegram sent to me by the House of Lords... Maybe the royal family wants to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of His Majesty Emperor Tongzhi!"
"Maybe, I'm just saying maybe... As you know, I am a military attache and I have very little power. How could the House of Lords tell me the details?"
Gordon thought about it and said, "That's right! It is reasonable for Your Majesty to pay attention to the situation of the Eastern Royal Family... Please report to the country truthfully!"
"After the Xishan Battalion was reorganized, a number of unqualified troops were eliminated. Now the number of troops capable of fighting is 60,000, and auxiliary personnel are not included in the establishment!"
"I am responsible for part of the 60,000 people, 10,000 of the most elite warriors! I can guarantee that this unit is absolutely loyal to the emperor of the Qing Dynasty. There is no doubt about this!"
