When Deng Fei and his party left Chaoyin Temple, boarded the speedboat and sailed out of Dagokou, Jiang Fan's underwear was soaked through, and he murmured with lingering fear: "What a danger!"
Deng Fei noticed that Zhao Xin beside him was deep in thought and silent, so he asked loudly: "What did He Shen mean by what he said just now?"
"He knows who I am." The sound of the speedboat motor was so loud that Zhao Xin could only shout loudly. Now even Chen Jishan and Jiang Fan beside him heard it.
"Ah?!" Several people looked stunned.
Zhao Xin thought about it and couldn't figure it out. He had never seen He Shen before, so how could he recognize him at a glance? Could it be Liu Yong? No, it was obviously He Shen who recognized him first, and only then did Liu Yong react.
Liu Quan? Horse eighty-three? possible.
At this time, in Chaoyin Temple, Liu Yong blocked He Shen with an angry look. When everyone else went out and only Fu Changan, who looked confused, was left, he asked: "He Zhongtang, why didn't you order the guards outside to capture him just now?" That animal?"
He Shen smiled faintly: "Brother Chongru, have you forgotten that night in Guangzhou two years ago?"
Liu Yong said: "So what?! Even if I risk my life, I will bite off a piece of Zhao Ni's body!"
"Haha!" He Shen shook his head and said, "He won't die if he loses a piece of meat."
Fu Chang'an already understood what was going on, and was stunned and said: "Zhizhai Gong, are you saying that the guard wearing a koji at the door just now is Zhao Ni himself?! Isn't this thief too courageous?"
"Keep your voice down!" He Shen glared at Fu Chang'an, then smiled at Liu Yong and said, "Brother Chong Ru, the system of Beihai Town is different from that of the imperial court. Although Zhao Ni is the leader of the rebel bandit, everyone within him performs his own duties. Each takes charge of his own affairs and does not interfere with each other.
Don't forget, that Liu Sheng didn't come this time. This person has a hot temper and uses his troops like a tiger to drive away wolves. I heard that this man was leading troops to deal with the Rakshasa army in Irkutsk. Even if Zhao Ni is killed by you and me, who can guarantee that he will not take over? Furthermore, today's surname is Deng. He is very scheming and scheming. He is not a good person to get along with either. If something happens to Zhao Ni, leading to a large-scale landing in Beihai Town, and the country is in turmoil, you and I will be eternal sinners! "
"Alas!" Liu Yong stamped his feet and sighed, knowing that what He Shen said was quite reasonable. But he was really unwilling to miss such a good opportunity in vain. When Zhao Xin used Zhu Zi's words to criticize Sang and Huai, it tore open the hidden pain in Liu Yong's heart and made him hate him.
He Shen cupped his hands toward the west and said, "He Shen will report this matter to the emperor and obey the holy judgment in everything!"
Speaking of which, after the first contact, the British became more and more curious about Beihai Town. No matter which of the three ships in the distance they were, they were all salivating over the mystery and wanted to figure it out desperately.
After Stanton and Nelson returned from the Thunderbolt, they described in detail what they saw and heard on the ship to Macartney, John Jervis and others. When they heard that the Thunder was made of steel inside and out, all the British were so surprised that they were speechless.
"Their artillery is very strange. Although they are covered with tarps, I can still see that the length of the barrel is between 15.5 feet and 16.5 feet. However, the caliber of their barrels seems to be very small, with an outer diameter of only about 5 to 5 feet. About 6 inches.”
"Thirty diameters?!" John Jervis waited for his men to finish calculating on the paper, and then took a breath of air.
Among the artillery in active service in the British army, the 68-pound carronel gun has a magnification of 9 and a maximum range of 1,377 yards, which is 1,260 meters. Only early coastal defense long-barreled guns could reach a diameter of 30 times, and the current long-barreled guns in European countries are around 26.
"The caliber is similar to that of a coastal defense gun, but how can it shoot so far?"
Nelson said regretfully: "I can't see it anymore."
"We have to find a way to see them again. These guys who call themselves Chinese are really weird. They don't have braids, don't wear Chinese robes, and have such mysterious technology. They are completely like people from two different worlds from the Qing Empire."
Macartney thought for a moment and said, "Don't be impatient. We'll wait until the envoys from the Qing Empire meet with them. We can start communicating in the name of helping them find out the enemy's situation."
So, in the afternoon after the talks between the Northern Navy and the Qing court, the British drove a small boat and went to visit the Thunderbolt again. Of course, as the "peace messenger", Staunton Jr. once again accompanied him.
The child also remembered the sweets and desserts he had eaten in the Thunder Restaurant that day, his beautiful sister and the big orange cat. When I heard that I was going to the big iron ship, I immediately cheered.
Naturally, the British's movements could not be hidden from the Qing Dynasty. After Qiao Renjie found out, he immediately reported it to He Shen. However, after He Zhongtang heard about it, he decided to turn a blind eye.
Compared with other officials in the Manchu and Qing Dynasty, Heshen, who has been in charge of the revenue of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Internal Affairs for many years, clearly understands that the British are foreigners, and their admiration for Wang Hua is on the one hand, but their real purpose is to expand trade with the Qing Dynasty. .
He Shen strongly agrees with the expansion of sea trade. Although he didn't know how much he was greedy, the imperial court's revenue and expenditure accounts were clear.
At present, the annual income of the Qing court is 43 million taels, which has dropped by 5 million compared with 20 years ago. This is mainly because natural disasters have occurred frequently in the past two decades, and Qianlong continued to save money and food in disaster-free areas. However, the cost of restoring the economy in the disaster-stricken areas after the disaster is very high, including famine relief, river dredging, and seed distribution, all of which cost a lot of money.
However, due to the policy of "emphasis on agriculture and suppression of commerce", the development of industry and commerce has been restricted, and there are only two ports of foreign trade, Guangzhou and Kyakhta; Kyakhta trade has stopped in recent years.
Therefore, the Manchu Qing's fiscal revenue could only be based on land tax. However, "never increase the tax", "dividing one acre per person", and all the wasteland in the pass have been reclaimed, making the collection of land tax a fixed amount, which only costs so much every year.
In the past two years, the imperial court has deployed troops everywhere, outside the customs, northwest, Taiwan, Annan, and southern Tibet. Wars have been frequent and finances are extremely tight. However, due to the ancestral system of "the country's entry and exit are regulated and expenditures are regulated", whenever Qianlong needed money, He Shen could only find a way elsewhere. Chongwenmen Customs, Salt Merchant, Thirteen Banks, Copper Mine, and the Crime Bank, that's all.
So a few years ago when he heard that Zhao Xin sent people to dig gold mines on Soulengji Island, He Shen wished he could send troops to take it back. This was also an important reason why he strongly agreed with the imperial court's purchase of sailing gunboats and encouraged Qianlong to agree.
In addition, even Heshen did not realize that rising prices and inflation during the Qianlong period were also important factors in financial constraints.
Qing court officials only focused on food prices, and not having enough to eat was their biggest concern. However, once food prices stabilized, they thought things were going well.
In fact, due to the rapid growth of China's population throughout the Qianlong period, too much currency in market circulation (inflation), and sufficient national granary reserves, prices increased year by year, and the people's living burden became increasingly heavy.
The massive inflow of silver caused huge changes in China's silver-currency relationship. At the same time as the large inflow of silver, the amount of money made by the Qing government in the circulation field also increased significantly. The increase in the quantity of silver and money made the phenomenon of "money is cheap and material is expensive" persist, which has a profound impact on the common people.
Historically, starting from the Jiaqing period, Westerners caused a large outflow of silver through opium. Although there is less money, prices have not dropped, and the taxes and fees collected by the government have not dropped. Coupled with the continuous war and famine, people's livelihood is in decline, finances are tightened, and no amount of money is enough to spend.
And this is the truth behind the rapid decline after the glitz of the "Qianlong Emperor".
The second reason why He Shen turned a blind eye to the British's behavior was that he had an unspeakable problem and wanted to seek help from the British. He had tried all the doctors and medicines he could take in traditional Chinese medicine, but he had never been able to cure it. That is the disease of willows, also known as "bayberry sores".
As officials, except for famous Neo-Confucian officials like Liu Yong and Wang Jie, who were strict in their health, many others, not to mention He Shen, suffered from "bayberry sores"; such as Qiao Daotai.
The biggest problem with this thing is contagion. In these days, no one who likes "boudoir pleasure" and brothels can escape it.
So He Shen gave Qiao Renjie a task. While he was in contact with the British, he quietly inquired to see if there was any good medicine that could cure the disease. When Qiao Renjie heard what he wanted, he also had this unspeakable secret.
However, Macartney was at a loss after hearing Qiao Renjie's request: "I'm really sorry, we don't have such medicine."
At this time, Europe was at the end of the "era of court fornication". If aristocratic men and women did not go to bed together, it was called mutual distrust! The promiscuous aristocratic life and filthy living environment have made Europeans regard "flower and willow disease" as common for a long time, and they can do whatever they like!
It was mentioned in the famous satire "Gulliver's Travels", first published in 1726: "Various types of syphilis have completely changed the face of the British, making them short and nervous. , the muscles are flabby, the complexion is sallow, and the fat smells bad.”
Not to mention the fashion that young women consider their beauty to be pale when they have tuberculosis.
Mr. Qiao, why don't you try bleeding some blood? This is the most effective therapy! One cup is not enough, two cups is just right.
When Qiao Renjie heard this, he was so frightened that he shrank back and quickly thanked her. Then he explained what "the body's hair and skin are received by the parents and do not dare to damage them. This is the beginning of filial piety."
However, things happen by chance. On the third day after the negotiations, Macartney also boarded the HMS Thunder, bringing even more people and more gifts.
Among them are celestial orbits, monocular telescopes, globes, clocks, music boxes, wool tapestries and carpets, golden saddles, and even Mauser guns, repeating air guns for hunting, one-handed swords, and a cannon with 110 cannons. Warship model.
In return, Zhao Xin took out a windproof lighter, a simple calculator with an LCD screen, a compass, a quartz watch, cigarettes, candies, several boxes of wine, instant coffee, and a military knife produced in Beihai Town.
The people in Beihai Town ignored the British request to see the power and cockpit of the Thunderbolt. Every time they boarded the ship, apart from the conference room and the restaurant, the only exception was when they visited Deng Fei's captain's quarters, which had been cleaned up in advance.
Whether it was Nelson, Sir Jervis or other officers, when they pretended to go to the deck to get some air, they found that both the machine guns and cannons on the side of the ship were tightly covered.
By this time, the British had understood that the secret to obtaining weapons and mechanical power was a dream. Moreover, Zhao Xin does not plan to buy any sailboats from the British. His next plan is to eliminate sailboats and build "clippers" specifically for transporting goods and people.
Even so, the British still saw a lot of tricks from the Thunder. For example, the bulbous bow above the water surface, in addition to saving fuel in later generations, its biggest role is to improve the wave resistance from transverse and oblique waves; another example is the winches and cranes on the deck.
Both Zhao Xin and Deng Fei understood that many things could not be hidden unless people were not allowed to come close or get on the ship. It’s just that it’s hard to say how much technological progress these things can bring to the British.
When it came to the dinner party, Macartney and his party enjoyed the combination of Chinese and Western food provided by the restaurant while drinking the fine wine provided on the ship. In order to set the tone, Zhao Xin also brought out whiskey and brandy, which made the British overjoyed.
So when Macartney was drunk, he couldn't help but tell everyone that Qiao Renjie was looking for him as a joke.
After hearing this, Zhao Xin laughed and took the time to call Deng Fei out to whisper a few words. After Deng Fei returned, he said to Macartney: "Sir, you can ask him to come to me. I have this medicine."
"What?!" The British people present were stunned, and the faces of several of them suddenly appeared as if they were seeing God...
So after Macartney returned with large and small packages of gifts, he asked Qiao Daotai to come over tomorrow and said he had good news to tell him.
After Qiao Renjie met Macartney with great hope, the first thing he asked was, Mr. Qiao, when can we go ashore? Even the enemies of your court can go ashore to negotiate. Those of us who have traveled thousands of miles to help the Qing Empire's navy have been at sea for two months.
"Don't worry, Your Excellency. Maybe there will be news in the next day or two. I have already made your request clear to the Central Hall, and he has also reported it to the Emperor. Please be patient."
Well, Macartney shrugged helplessly and told Qiao Renjie the news he got on the Thunder.
Qiao Renjie did not show joy after hearing this, but asked with doubts on his face: "Is this true?"
Macartney said: "To be honest, there are several people among our people suffering from the same disease. The other party said that they can be treated together, but the dosage of the medicine can only be determined after examination, so the patients must go to the big iron in person. Inspection on board.”
Qiao Renjie was silent for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "At this time, I will allow you to go back and think about it."
Macartney advised: "Master Qiao, that Master Deng said that they have to leave once the negotiation agreement is signed. I think time is running out, isn't it?"
After half a day, He Shen, who lives in Haiguang Temple, found out. You must go in person, and you need to check on the spot to determine the dosage of medication.
This is troublesome. If he were like Qiao Renjie, he would just go there secretly. But now that he is a bachelor, military minister and negotiator, how can he go to the enemy ship? !
After thinking for a while, He Shen asked Qiao Renjie to go out and wait for a while, then called Liu Quan into the room. The two closed the door and began to murmur.
Liu Quan listened for a while and then said in astonishment: "Sir, this slave is not a doctor."
"Stupid!" He Shen cursed and said, "I will write down the symptoms on paper in a while, and burn it when you memorize it. Then you say that I sent you back to Beijing for something. As for you, just take a detour to the university. Qiao Hansan from Gukou, take the boat with him tomorrow. Remember, if you don’t understand anything, ask Zhao Xin. After all, I have been doing business with him for several years, so you still have to give me this little face."
"Okay! Don't worry, sir, I will remember it."
Liu Quan raised his feet and was about to go out. He Shen stopped him again and said, "There is one more thing you should ask Zhao. Seventy percent of the ginseng outside the pass has fallen into his territory. Now inside the pass Ginseng is extremely expensive, and even the Ministry of Internal Affairs doesn’t have much in stock. Let’s see if we can share it equally, and you can negotiate the price.”
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