It has to be said that He Xiyang's kick was quite cruel. When Zhao Xin walked to the gate of the fortress, he felt his right calf becoming more and more sore, and hissing air-conditioning was drawn from his mouth with every step he took. He felt that the fracture was not serious, and the soft tissue damage was definitely not gone. He would need to apply some medicine later.
Lu Qi knew that Zhao Xin didn't like ostentation, so he took two guards to the gate of the fortress to greet him. However, when he saw Zhao Xin, he was surprised to see the grinning and frowning look on his face. It looked fine in the telescope just now. What could happen?
"Ouch, what's wrong with you?" Lu Qi walked closer and immediately noticed the beard on the other person's face. He was afraid of causing confusion among his men, so he did not dare to call him "Boss Zhao."
"I fell down from the mountain just now. Help me in first."
"Good guy! Xiao Li, go and ask Director Ma to come and come to my office!"
Lu Qi didn't dare to be careless. If something happened to this guy in his own territory, he wouldn't be able to explain it to the committee. After giving instructions to a guard, he and another guard helped Zhao Xin to the left and right, and turned to enter the fortress gate.
Because Zhao Xin was wearing a baseball cap with the brim held down low and a fake beard on his face, which completely went against his usual image, Lu Qi's two guards didn't recognize him at all.
At the same time, this scene also looked strange in the eyes of Chai Rong and Chen Yingqi who were standing guard at the gate. The two of them thought to themselves: Who is this tall guy? He actually let Chief Lu personally greet him and help him. And what this man is wearing is really strange. I have never seen anyone wearing a short-sleeved floral shirt in all the time I have been in Kinmen.
It is said that the uniforms of the overseas corps are the same as those of the regular army of the North Navy, except for the armbands. The style of the shirt is completely based on the 87-style light green military shirt from another time and space, and the fabric is made of polyester. As for the workers of the engineering team, apart from their dark blue overalls, the jackets underneath are not standard and are usually white homespun waistcoats.
When Zhao Xin was helped into the gate of the Golden Gate Fortress, the gray-white building he had seen before finally came into view. It was a large building connected by container prefabricated houses, facing east and west, with three floors, forming a huge "U" shape. There was a small square in front of the building with a flagpole.
"Is that the barracks?" Zhao Xin asked smoothly.
"yes."
"Where do you live?"
"there!"
Zhao Xin looked in the direction of Lu Qi's finger and saw that on the north side of the inside of the fortress, there was a row of buildings composed of dozens of container houses from east to west. They were separated from the wall by a nearly three-meter-wide road. The houses are two-story structures, with each group consisting of six containers on two floors, with stairs. Forming a small "U" shape.
"Guard platoon, training office, conference room, war room, data room," Lu Qi introduced as he walked. When he came to a group of gray-white container mobile homes next to the communication tower on the northwest side, he finally said: "I live here. .”
Rucci's residence and office are in the same building, with people living upstairs and working downstairs. In addition to the bedroom, the second floor has a bathroom with a shower and an open-air balcony; the first floor has an office, a reception room made of two containers, a staff office, and a room for guards to rest. Because each unit uses a container that is six meters long, three meters wide, and more than two meters high, it looks very large.
He and the guard helped Zhao Xin straight to the reception room on the first floor and sat down, and then started boiling water to make tea. Zhao Xin leaned on the sofa and looked around. He saw that the furnishings in the room were similar to those of the reception rooms of later companies. The black leather sofas, coffee tables, green plants, etc. were all ordinary, except for a picture hanging on the wall. The words made him look twice.
"Sail against the current. If you don't advance, you will retreat." The font is in running script, with the pen moving like a dragon and a snake, flowing like clouds and flowing water. The signature is "In the middle autumn of the Renzi year, Yanghu Hongliang's auspicious book was corrected by Brother Wuqi."
Like everyone else, Rucci also picked up a font name. Zhao Xin joked: "Mr. Lu Wuqi, you actually asked Hong Liangji to write Zuo Zongtang's famous quotes?"
Lu Qi said: "What's wrong? I think it's pretty good. Doesn't this just illustrate our career?"
Zhao Xin said with a flat mouth: "Having said that, I still feel a bit awkward!"
Lu Qi chuckled and complimented in a roundabout way: "Sometimes, knowing too much is a pain. Just like you."
The two chatted for a while, and after more than ten minutes, the guard named "Xiao Li" came with Taoist Master Ma, who was an immortal, and he also carried a medicine box in his hand. In fact, there was a military doctor on duty in the military infirmary in the fortress, and that person used to specialize in looking after falls and injuries from swords and arrows in the Qing military camp; but Lu Qi was so concerned that he actually invited this person here.
At this time, Zhao Xin had already taken off his hat, but his fake beard had not yet been removed. But even so, when Ma Benzhu quickly walked into the reception room and saw him, he was still stunned.
No matter what, Zhao Xin even met Daozhang Ma face to face when he was captured off the Pearl River and taken to the Thor. It's just that many years have passed, and Zhao Xin still doesn't remember who he is. But the question is how could Ma Benzhu forget this origin? If it weren't for this great god, he wouldn't have stayed away from Guangdong for many years and finally came to Kinmen, thousands of miles away.
"Poor, poor, Ma, Ma." Ma Benchu only felt that his legs were weak and his whole body was shaking unconsciously.
Seeing that the other person's expression changed drastically, not only did he stutter when speaking, but his eyebrows and beard also trembled. In the flash of lightning, Lu Qi suddenly thought of the relationship between this person and Zhao Xin, so he stood up hurriedly, and walked towards the other person in a few steps. He held the other person's arm, shook his head slightly and said, "Taoist Master Ma, I called you here because my friend is injured on his leg. Please take a look at it."
When Ma Benchu heard Lu Qi say "friend" and saw the way he stared at him, his heart froze and he immediately understood what was going on. King Zhao, this is the white dragon fish suit coming!
But then he thought again, no, I didn’t hear that a ship was coming today! Could it be that the rumor I heard in Ezo was actually true, that King Zhao possesses the ability to fly to the sky and escape from the earth?
Infinite Heavenly Lord, there are really living gods! I asked silently, King Zhao, will you accept a disciple?
At this time, Zhao Xin had already taken off the shoes and socks on his right foot, and slowly lifted up his trouser leg. He saw that the area above his ankle had turned purple. Ma Benchu lowered his head and looked carefully for a moment, then touched it lightly with his hand a few times. Looking at the bruises, he couldn't help but feel a thump in his heart: "This was not caused by a fall, but by someone kicking me!"
Infinite Heavenly Lord! Who is so bold as to dare to attack this person? Ma Benchu felt anxious and secretly mourned for the unknown attacker.
"Taoist Master, is the problem big?" Zhao Xin's tone was very relaxed.
Ma Benchu came back to his senses and did not dare to look directly. He said in a very humble tone: "It's okay. Pindao brought a homemade plaster, which is specially designed to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis. Apply a hot compress in the morning and evening, and it only takes three days for the swelling and pain to disappear. .”
"Three days? It takes so long?"
Hearing Lu Qi's exclamation, Ma Benchu shuddered and hurriedly added: "Actually, he will be fine tomorrow. It's okay to walk. It's just that it will take three days to get rid of the blood stasis."
Zhao Xin felt that applying plaster was too troublesome, so he said to Lu Qi: "Forget it, do you have a refrigerator here? Find me a piece of frozen meat or something and just apply a cold compress on it."
"No!" Ma Benchu still knew this. Beihai Navy would use cold compresses when encountering injuries during training. He hurriedly explained: "Mr. You don't know something. There is a saying that cold causes stagnation, qi stagnation and blood stasis. Cold compresses are only effective for a short period of time. After that, you need to use moxa needles to drain the cold and dampness, otherwise it will take advantage of the weakness. , deep into the joints and five internal organs, the so-called 'opening the door and leaving the enemy behind' is nothing better than this."
Zhao Xin nodded after hearing this. After coming to the eighteenth century for so long, he no longer admires Western medicine as much as he used to, so he said: "Okay! Just follow the Taoist priest's instructions and apply plaster."
Ma Benchu was very pleased to take the plaster from the medicine box, and asked someone to pour a basin of hot water, fumigated the plaster with hot steam to soften it, wiped Zhao Xin's injured area with a hot towel, and applied the plaster with his own hands. Don't stop until there is no wrinkle on the surface.
Before leaving, he also specifically explained the dietary taboos. Zhao Xin expressed his gratitude very politely, which made Ma Benchu so moved that his eyes moistened and he almost cried.
After he followed the guard out of the door, Lu Qi smiled and said, "Do you know who he is?"
"Who?" Zhao Xin was confused, but when Lu Qi told what happened that year, he suddenly realized and said with emotion: "It turned out to be him!"
Ten minutes later, when Ma Benchu returned to his Taoist temple located in the southeast outside the fortress, his face was red and beaming with joy. The two apprentices who were responsible for looking after the house asked, "Master, what good thing has happened to you?"
"Haha, I met a big shot today, which is beyond words!" Ma Benchu and his two apprentices have been together for warmth since they came from Ezo. They are more like relatives than masters and apprentices. Except for the embarrassing things in the past, they have nothing to hide from each other.
"Oh?" The two disciples looked at each other and thought, besides Chief Lu, who else has the highest official position in Kinmen? Or is it those generals? But that can’t be said to be expensive.
When the two disciples asked again, Ma Benchu just waved his hand incomprehensibly and said, "It can't be said." Because he was in a good mood, he ate an extra bowl for dinner that day.
At dusk, Zhao Xin changed into a non-ranked military uniform and went to the balcony on the second floor with Lu Qi. They sat at a small round table while eating the meal brought by the guards from the canteen and chatting casually.
".Over there," Lucci raised his chin and gestured to the west, and continued: "The telecommunications room, medical room, power generation room, military police and military logistics are all over there."
"You were right to prepare these prefabricated houses. This place only occupies a place, and it doesn't matter what you want. The trees have to be cut down in the mountains across the strait, and the soil is not suitable for making bricks. There is a building more than 20 kilometers away to the south. The quarries are all limestone. In the past, the Spaniards asked the local indigenous people to help quarry and transport them to paint walls and build houses. I found it difficult to use, so I used it as a disinfectant. In the future, when the family area is built, there will be more places to use it. .”
"Thank you for your hard work!" Zhao Xin was quite emotional when he heard this.
Today, Lu Qi is a completely different person than he was a year ago. He has lost a lot of weight, his complexion has become dark and rosy, and he is much leaner than before. He has inch-long short hair on his head, and the muscles on his exposed forearms are tangled, and it seems that he has not exercised less.
Hearing the boss's praise, Lu Qi pretended to be humble and said: "It's nothing. It's much easier than it was before."
Zhao Xin asked: "By the way, where are the Spanish prisoners of war?"
Lu Qi said proudly: "There are thousands of people under the San Bruno Mountain in the south! I sent two companies to watch them. Don't worry, no one can escape."
"Where's the admiral?"
"Over there!" Rucci pointed to a group of mobile homes on the east side of the fortress. "Good food, good drinks, good hospitality, one hour of free time every day, and a 24-hour shift."
Zhao Xin picked up the telescope on the table and looked eastward. He saw two soldiers with guns standing at the door of the house, and two more on the platform above the roof, so he nodded with satisfaction.
"Are you sure the Spaniards will arrive tomorrow?"
"We're close. We'll arrive tomorrow afternoon at the latest. I've placed a platoon of troops in Santa Cruz in the south, and I've also brought a field radio. While you were resting in the afternoon, I received a report that their fleet had passed there. The sea conditions have been okay these two days, and the journey of sixty nautical miles is not too far.”
"How many boats are coming?"
"Two of them are those kind of Manila galleons. We even sank one when we fought with the Spaniards before."
"oh!"
Afterwards, Zhao Xin asked some more about the Lushui Plain and the gold mines, and then said to Lu Qi: "I know you are busy, but the Spaniards still need us to come forward together. My identity is said to be from Beihai Town." The special envoy is coming. I will deal with the Russians alone."
Lu Qi nodded and said casually: "Understood. The Russians are simple. They just want to set up a company and want us to become shareholders."
"No." Zhao Xin lit a cigarette and shook his head: "This matter is not as simple as you think. On the surface, it seems that the Russian businessmen want to monopolize the fur trade in Alaska, but in fact, it is the ownership of the northwest region of North America. In the future, all parties The basis for territorial delineation will also be formed at this time."
"Oh? I'm all ears."
"Siberia was occupied by us, and Okhotsk's outlet to the sea was lost. The Tsarist Russian government was unwilling to give in, and neither were the fur traders. They couldn't rely on Tsarist Russia, so they wanted to embrace us. The British lost the Thirteenth Anniversary of North America. State, so it can only develop in Canada, and westward expansion becomes the only option; Spain, the old empire, is not willing to give in. The problem is that they are now on the same boat with the British to deal with France together, and the black people in Haiti are rioting again. After this War, they have no time to look north for the time being."
Rucci said: "You mean, our enemies are the British and Spanish?"
Zhao Xindao: "There is also the United States. Didn't you mention Robert Gray in your previous call? Although they do not have official status, they have bought a piece of land on Vancouver Island, and the area is quite large."
He then told Ruch about the origins of Oregon and Washington. Although Lu Qi kept nodding, he felt a little disapproving in his heart.
To be honest, the reason why he decided to join the committee in the first place was not only because of his relationship with women, but also because he wanted to do something in this time and space to prove himself. Why else would he take the initiative to come to North America? Wouldn't it be better to stay in Beihai Town?
Now that he has decided to come, he will definitely do his homework in advance. He has read a lot of information on the history, geography, and surrounding forces of western North America in the eighteenth century. He admitted that he did not read as many books as Zhao Xin, but wasn't his main task here to make gold?
Okay! The gold mine hadn't been built yet, so he was asked to work on Vancouver Island. After a few days of negotiation, this Pat Paipai left, leaving a whole lot of trouble to himself, and he was not a weakling.
Thinking of this, he finally couldn't help but said loudly: "The stall is too big! Brother, I am too busy with the Lushui Plain and Coloma. So far, I have only less than 5,000 people here. I can’t do it!”
Zhao Xin was just getting excited when he was talking, but he was suddenly attacked and was stunned. He couldn't help but narrowed his eyes and looked at Lu Qi, feeling very unhappy. In fact, he is a bit overpowering. With the strength of Beihai Town, if it is free in a few years, what will happen even if the United States claims Oregon? The North Navy specializes in dealing with all kinds of dissatisfaction.
After Lu Qi finished speaking, he felt that he had gone too far. Zhao Xin's gaze made him feel restless again, so he sighed and said, "Brother, I really can't take care of it. Because of the gold mine, I haven't gone back for a year."
Both of them fell into silence. After a while, in order to resolve the embarrassment, Zhao Xin found a topic and asked: "By the way, when I came here, I passed by the hill in the south and saw a young man from a distance. The officer and the Indian girl were together, as if they were dating.”
"Oh, that should be He Xiyang." Lu Qi forced a smile on his face and said, "He is He Xiwen's eldest son."
