At the end of the first year, Zhao Xin came back with the first group of people. These people included several teachers from the education department and Zhang Bo.
Among those who didn't come back, Hong Tao and Liu Siting were getting married. They decided to come back after receiving the certificates and having a meal with their families. However, because Hong Tao's family believed in the saying "no marriage during the first month of the year," the two postponed the date of getting the certificate to the second month of the lunar calendar.
In fact, in addition to the saying "no marriage in the first month", there is also "no marriage in the twelfth lunar month". However, at that time, Shen Jingdan was obsessed with clinging to Zhao Xin, so he deliberately ignored this statement.
In addition to preparing for the wedding, Hong Tao and his wife spent the rest of their time ordering medicines and medical equipment.
Liu Zheng is still waiting for the quotation list from the fertilizer equipment manufacturer; while Zhao Liang is going to inspect a steel plant, where a 100-cubic small blast furnace is for sale at a low price.
The small blast furnace is not an "earth blast furnace". The earthen blast furnace is made of stone or bricks, while the shell of the small blast furnace is made of steel plates with refractory bricks inside; and the small blast furnace uses coke.
Two old partners, Deng Fei and Ding Guofeng, have gone to West Africa to supervise the transformation of freighters. After arriving at the construction site, the two of them were really impressed by the work efficiency of the Africans! If you don't stare and rush, you can keep working hard. This made Zhao Xin angry when he learned about the situation, but he was helpless.
After returning to Fuldan City and meeting Liu Sheng, Zhao Xin learned that a messenger had been sent from Ninggu Pagoda and the ransom would soon be transported to the Mongolian River Military Station. So Zhao Xin decided to meet Fukangan again.
Ever since Fukang'an learned that the imperial court was raising ransom to redeem them, he had rapidly lost weight. According to the results of his recent physical examination, Marshal Fu now only weighs 90 kilograms.
When Zhao Xin saw Fukangan, he was stunned in surprise. Is this still the famous Manchu general who was once high-spirited and arrogant?
Fukangan cowered in his chair, his thin body seemed to be blown away by a gust of wind. On that extremely thin face, three long beards hung down on his chest. On the originally smooth forehead, the short hair that was several inches long turned gray and mottled.
"Fu Zhongtang, it seems that you haven't had a good appetite recently. You have to take good care of yourself. If you fall ill on the way back, it will be difficult for you and the adults."
Fukangan said nothing, but stared at Zhao Xin with a sharp gaze. He knew that the guy in front of him was unforgiving, and if he had even the slightest criticism, he would be suffocated to death by the words he spewed out.
Zhao Xin seemed to see what Fu Kangan was thinking, and smiled and said: "In a few days, you and Duerjia can go back."
After hearing this, a bright light flashed in Fukangan's eyes, and then quickly extinguished.
Zhao Xindao: "Commander Fu, it's useless for you to torture yourself like this. Forget about you, even if Qianlong's imperial commander personally conquers, he will still be defeated. This is called weapons substitution."
"Weapon generation difference?" Fukang'an repeated these four words in surprise.
Zhao Xin didn't want to explain anymore and let the Manchu bureaucrats guess it themselves! He finally said: "Fuzhongtang, I'm going to say goodbye. I probably won't see you again for a while. You'd better take care of yourself. Once the news from the Mongolian River arrives in two days, you can leave."
Zhao Xin turned around and was about to leave when Fukangan suddenly asked: "Apart from me and Duerjia, where are the others?"
"It depends on how much ransom is sent. If the amount is not bad, I won't keep anyone." Zhao Xin replied without looking back.
At this time, in the prisoner camp of the Qing army, all the Manchu, Han and Mongolian Eight Banners prisoners and border residents knew that the imperial court had sent people to ransom them. I can finally go home! All the prisoners were smiling happily, saying that they finally got over it.
"Your Majesty! I can't repay your great kindness to my slaves!" In the cellar, Enhai, Guan Bao and others knelt down facing south, kneeling three times and nine times in the direction of Beijing City. After the salute, Enhaixin said that I finally no longer have to eat pickles, and the first thing I do after returning home is to stew a pot of meat.
Some people are excited and some people are disappointed. The white-flag-armored Buddhist icon was thinking at this moment that if he left, there would be no free dramas and storytelling in the future.
On the Manchu and Qing side, the team escorting the ransom went through many difficulties and finally arrived on the south bank of the Mongolian River on February 15th, across the river from the military station in Beihai Town.
After some communication between Naqitai and Beihai Town, the two sides agreed to return the first batch of 1,000 Qing prisoners of war on February 18th. Fearing that Zhao Xin was cheating, Na Qitai asked his side to send people across the river to check the number of people before paying the ransom.
Zhao Xin asked the Manchus to transport the ransom across the river in batches, and pay a lump sum after checking. After the prisoners crossed the river, Beihai Town was not responsible. However, Zhao Xin was worried that the Manchus would default on their debts after seeing the border prisoners, so he decided to finally return Fukang'an and Duerjia.
On the morning of February 16th, the prisoners of the Qing army packed up hastily, took the "souvenirs" given to them by Beihai Town, and embarked on the journey back south.
The so-called "souvenirs" seem to be extremely cheap in the eyes of Zhao Xin and others, a set of toiletries for each person, plus a flip-top glass mirror. Toiletries include towels, soap, simple razors, toothbrushes and toothpaste...
Well, Zhao Xin just bought the kind of toiletries set from later generations of express hotels. According to his opinion, each ordinary Qing prisoner was worth one tael of gold, which was nearly forty grams!
You can’t be too black-hearted!
When all the prisoners of the Qing army received the glass mirror and toiletry set, they were all stunned by Beihai Town's generosity. These grandsons must be so rich, even the delicate glass mirrors are given away like pickled radishes!
Many prisoners of war regarded the "souvenirs" they received as treasures and kept them close to their bodies, ready to return to their homes in the south to give to their families or sell, as they were worth a few pennies anyway.
Before leaving the house, the official security threw the things sent by Beihai Town onto the Datong bunk in disdain. Enhai on the side saw it and asked, "What? You don't want it?"
The official said: "It's just a strange and obscene thing. If I take it, I'm afraid my hands will be dirty." After saying that, he walked out of the house with his head held high.
Enhai looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to him. He picked up the package that the security guard had thrown on the bed and quickly stuffed it into his arms. Then he strode out of the house to gather like a meteor.
First, the prisoners from each district lined up to gather. After being confirmed by roll call according to the number of the cellar where they were located, they gathered together and lined up to leave the camp. When they walked outside the prisoner camp, they met up with a thousand prisoners from another district and were uniformly escorted by a battalion of Beihai Town soldiers.
On the land leading to the south bank of the Suifen River, the Ministry of Civil Affairs has organized migrant workers to dig out a three-meter-wide road in the snow. The prisoners walked south along this road, and the soldiers responsible for escorting them used loudspeakers to yell at them from time to time to pay attention to their walking speed and not to go too fast or too slow.
At this time, in the Mongolian River Military Station, Na Qitai came to a barracks with several accompanying guards and was reviewing the "peace terms" drafted by Beihai Town one by one:
Article 1: From the date of signing of this treaty, the Qing Empire and Beihai Town will cease fighting for five years.
Article 2: From the date of signing of this treaty, the Qing Empire recognizes the legal status of the Great Ainu Kingdom and agrees to establish friendly trade relations. and recognized the town of Hokkaido as the plenipotentiary representative of the Great Ainu Kingdom.
Article 3: From the date of signing of this treaty, Beihai Town shall return all prisoners as agreed and shall not mistreat them. The Qing Empire will grant immunity to Serdan, Yarha, Hengji, Erlu and their families who were involved in the previous battle; and the local governments are ordered not to arrest them without permission.
Article 4: From the date of signing of this treaty to the expiry of five years, the Qing Empire allows the Great Ainu Kingdom to use the Flower and Bird Island of the Shengsi Islands off Zhoushan as a temporary docking place, and to build trade warehouses and warehouses, and to dispatch up to Two hundred men were stationed. The annual rent is two hundred taels of silver.
Article 5: From the date of signing of this treaty, the Qing Empire allows the Great Ainu Kingdom to send trade representatives to Guangzhou, and the Thirteen Banks will handle trade matters on their behalf and give orders. The Great Ainu Kingdom has an annual limit of ten ships (times) entering the port. The Great Ainu Kingdom agrees to abide by the trade goods regulations and tariffs related to the Guangdong Customs of the Qing Empire and pay them accordingly.
Article 6: This treaty was signed by He Shen, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Minister of the Qing Empire, and Zhao Xin, the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Great Ainu Kingdom, and was exchanged on the banks of the Mongolian River in February of the 51st year of Qianlong's reign. To this end, both parties must sign and seal the agreement to show their commitment.
Na Qitai read the six items on the paper with wide eyes, and said to Zhao Xin: "Mr. Zhao, can I take back a copy of this agreement?"
Zhao Xin pointed to the horseshoe watch on the table with a smile, nodded and said, "Please do so, but you must stamp and sign before five o'clock tomorrow afternoon at the latest."
"Can...can we have some grace?"
"My lord, He Shen actually assigned you to take charge of such a big matter. I think you were the only one who signed it."
Na Qitai said dumbfounded: "Mr. Zhao, even with a hundred heads I can't afford such a big deal!"
Zhao Xindao: "It doesn't matter. It's up to you whether to sign or not. If you don't sign, then everything we talked about before will be invalid. I will take a boat to Dagokou in the spring and find someone who can sign. Let's see you off!"
Na Qitai had no choice but to leave the military station, crossed the frozen Mongolian River on a sledge, and returned to his tent. As soon as he entered the tent, a soldier behind him sat swaggeringly on the tiger-skin Taishi chair in the tent. The man took off his hat, took the hot tea from Na Qitai, and took a sip before feeling that he was no longer so cold.
"This Zhao Xin! What a stubborn foreigner who has no regard for the king's constitution! He actually dares to threaten the imperial court!"
"Zhongtang, you can't afford to get angry for such a bastard. After dealing with him so many times in a humble position, you can finally understand this person. It's useless to talk about being a king or a person of faith with this kind of person. He relies on his sharp guns. He only cares about money."
This private soldier turned out to be He Shen’s fake one!
He Shen really went all out this time. In order to achieve a great achievement that would shock the government and the public, he actually disguised himself and entered the enemy camp, just to see who could defeat Fukangan and Agui!
He Shen shook his head and said: "That's not right. Don't look at the fact that he is always messing around with you and looks like a street gangster. You would think that he is a thief who only cares about money. This person is by no means an easy person to deal with. He is everywhere. It's full of treachery and treachery. If you sign this thing with him and have this precedent, the people of the world will think that the imperial court has an exception for thieves and bandits, and if you can't defeat them, they will sign such a bullshit contract. If others follow suit in the future and rise up, the imperial court will How to deal with it?"
Na Qitai asked: "Zhongtang means not to sign? Then what if he..."
He Shen said: "We have brought the gold, and we must bring the people back. But this thing must not be signed! If you sign it, you and I will die without a burial place! I, the Qing Dynasty, attaches great importance to the defense of Huayi." , a sinister and sinister person like Zhao Xin must not be allowed to have his face!"
Later generations often said that He Shen was uneducated and behaved like a villain. But in fact, Heshen's knowledge was really good, otherwise he would not have been appreciated by Qianlong, and then he would have risen to prominence. In addition to having passed the Juren exam (but failed), He Shen also had certain attainments in poetry.
Na Qitai said: "Master Zhongtang, please tell me what we should do?"
He Shen said: "I will write a letter and you will send someone to deliver it tomorrow morning."
Early the next morning, Zhao Xin, who was brushing his teeth, received a letter from Na Qitai. He calmly brushed his teeth and wiped his mouth with a towel before accepting the envelope from Guisheng.
This letter is very strange. The cover is bare on both sides and there is not even a word on it. It is said that the Qing Dynasty was also very particular about the use of envelopes. In this era, envelopes were called "book covers", and a long strip of red paper had to be glued in the middle. The red paper had to be glued from the top of the envelope down, leaving no white edges. The words on the red sign must also be written at the top, not empty; and the bottom word must be at the bottom, not hanging. The back of the envelope must also be stamped with the sender's stamp.
"Your Excellency Zhao Xin..." There was no name written on the letter's header. The cursive writing was thin and powerful, and the stipples were connected neatly, without any sense of sloppiness.
Zhao Xin did not look down. He turned to the last page and saw that the signature only had five words, "Master of Jiale Hall." Zhao Xin was stunned, and then his jaw almost hit the ground!
"Master of Jiale Hall" is He Shen's nickname, and he is actually on the other side of the river!
OK! Quite courageous. Zhao Xin chuckled and then started reading again.
He Shen was very direct in his letter. The general idea is that since Shen and I came to Ningguta on business, not even a single person has been sent out to cause trouble for you, which is enough to show my sincerity in the negotiations. In this case, why bother putting it on paper?
Moreover, after my hard arguments, the court agreed to your request and shipped a large amount of gold. For a person like me who keeps his word, why would you, Mr. Zhao, come to harm me?
Since the fall of these soldiers, their families have not known their fate and whereabouts. They have been waiting all day long and shed tears. Even I feel sad when I see them. Your brother did not kill them indiscriminately, but thought of releasing them, which shows that he is a compassionate and kind man. I thank you on behalf of those orphans and widowed mothers.
As for the two things you mentioned about landing in Guangzhou for trade and renting Flower and Bird Island off the coast of Zhoushan, I can agree on your behalf and arrange it privately; but you should also understand my difficulty. If it becomes known to the whole world and spreads around the world, not to mention that your goal will not be achieved, even I will be implicated, and then there will be no one to speak for you.
After reading the letter, Zhao Xin thought about it for a long time. What He Shen said makes sense. If they really broke the contract and signed a contract or Zhao Xin took a boat to Dagokou, Qianlong would not agree to anything, and it would definitely be a fight to the death.
Zhao Xin doesn't want to use troops against the Manchus yet. First, there are not enough grassroots managers. Even if they can enter Shanhaiguan, there is no one to manage those towns and villages; second, the oil in Kuye Island, the steel in Beihai Town, and the coal mines in Ezo all require manpower for production and operation. If the war continues, then everyone will have nothing else to do but recruit troops and spend money to buy ammunition, which will lead to a vicious cycle; the third is the island nation issue. If this is not resolved, the security of Ezo Land will not be guaranteed. Zhao Xin There was no time to look west.
All in all, Zhao Xin still wants to farm and open up wasteland in a down-to-earth manner. Only after he has accumulated enough strength in a few years can he realize his plan.
Since you are so on the same page with the Lord, let’s give him some face! What's more, with the relationship with Heshen, the trade situation in the southeast is expected to open up faster.
Therefore, Zhao Xin asked the messenger to bring back only fourteen words in the letter, "I hope you will keep your promise! If you regret it, I will fight with you!"
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