Arhat and the others had always hoped to intercept and kill them outside Guangzhou City, because once a figure of the level of a great boxer arrived in a city with complex terrain, it would be almost impossible for ordinary soldiers and horses to find him if he deliberately concealed himself.
Rivers, pavilions, high walls, and houses are all obstacles to ordinary people, blocking their movements and blocking their sight, but to the great boxer, it is like walking on flat ground and extending in all directions.
When the sky gradually became brighter and a red sun slowly rose among the sea of clouds in the east, the soldiers who were searching vigorously stopped and stopped doing useless work.
All the troops available to Luo Han and the others were transferred back to the south for defense.
After Nalando heard what happened at night, he felt uneasy and asked Arhat to meet him.
Arhat entered the house alone and explained his intention.
"These rogue gangs are determined to come to Guangzhou. They must have taken a fancy to Guangzhou's convenient water transportation. They want to take advantage of it to go overseas. For the current plan, they can only stick to the waterway and maybe gain something."
Nalando nodded slightly when he heard this, took a sip of his tea and said, "You guys in the Ministry of Internal Affairs have the most dealings with the gangsters, so naturally you know them well enough, but that green-faced ghost has been living in the three cities and seven villages for several years. The means of doing things are also very different from those of ordinary gangsters. Now that he has arrived in Guangzhou, I am afraid that he will be detrimental to the wealthy businessmen in the city and some court officials."
Arhat thought: "The coach's top priority is to send away the roster. Since the green-faced ghost chose to follow the coach, he must have been influenced by the coach."
"Don't be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of what happens."
Nalando said worriedly, "Guangzhou City is not like the three cities and seven villages in the countryside. There are high-ranking officials of the imperial court sitting here. If he is assassinated by him, it will definitely bring disgrace to the imperial court. Those rebellious parties will probably be happy to see it." Its success."
Arhat understood what he meant and said smoothly: "Master Nalan is still the most important here in Guangzhou. I immediately asked the boxers and some people from the sticky pole to go to the general's mansion to protect your safety. "
Nalando pretended to hesitate and said: "But this will inevitably weaken the strength of the troops. If the two traitors really show up, I wonder if you can handle it?"
"Don't worry, sir. Now our focus is only on the two sides. Besides, if they want to go overseas, they must show up on the ship during the day. As long as we can find out, the heavy encirclement during the day will be better than the situation at night. , it’s quite different again.”
Arhat said, "The instructor only escaped from two hundred people that day, and everyone was injured. Now, thousands of troops have been deployed during the day. Moreover, the two sides have clear locations and are helping each other. The result can be imagined."
"That's good, that's good."
Nalando achieved his goal and felt a little relieved. Then he remembered, "I heard that some of the masters at Sticky Rod were unfortunately killed by those two traitors? I ordered them to be buried with honors." "
Regardless of not mentioning it, it has been postponed until now, and it is mentioned in passing. Arhat couldn't help but frown, and said firmly: "The traitors are still on the run, and it is not shameful to bury them at this time. Besides, we people have long been prepared to be loyal to the imperial court, and with the grace of the palace, their corpses will be transported back to the capital for burial."
Nalando saw that he was actually in a very depressed mood and didn't want to delay here any longer, so he said a few words of condolence and resignation, and got up to see him out of the house.
After returning to the living room, my favorite Huangshan Maofeng was in my mouth, but it seemed bland and tasteless.
After Nalando sat alone for a long time, he put his palms in front of his lips and took a breath. A stink rushed back into his nostrils. Without the tea to moisten him, he pursed his lips a little harder, and the smell of blood spread from his teeth. open.
The smell was really unpleasant, and I just didn't pay attention to it at ordinary times. Once I noticed it, I felt that all the teeth in my mouth were aching. In order to cure this tooth problem, Nalando hired many doctors, but to no avail.
Two years ago, I went to see a Western doctor, who told me that he had a problem with excess sugar in his blood and urine. The foreigner told him not to eat meat, eggs, alcohol, and even eat less rice. Only in this way can he control the disease a little, otherwise Not only the problems on the teeth cannot be cured, but any break on the body will not be cured for a long time and will shorten the life.
Although Nalando has lived for almost fifty years, which is longer than 50% to 60% of people in the Qing Dynasty, he still cherishes his life.
For the sake of his own life, he had thought about eating taboos. However, sitting in this seat, he had a lot of things to worry about. According to his habit for many years, he would eat and drink a lot when he was happy, and he would eat a lot when he was unhappy. Only by eating and drinking can the depression and injustice in the heart be relieved. How can this disease be controlled?
Sometimes colleagues and even people from the palace would invite him to a banquet. Could he still refuse?
Recently, Nalando has seen clearly that the Qing Dynasty is becoming more and more unstable. The rebel parties are becoming more and more powerful. I am afraid that the Beiyang New Army also has some disobedience. Sooner or later, the world will be in chaos and the smoke will be raised.
Instead of occupying such a position and waiting until troubled times come, it is better to save enough money early and take a large number of nursing family members to hide overseas.
Foreigners have heard that the land is vast and sparsely populated, and some families are well-off. They can run horses in their gardens, and groups of foreign doctors are waiting around them. Isn't it wonderful?
But Nalando understands one thing better. Whether it is foreigners or the Qing Dynasty, there are some rules about eating people and not spitting out their bones. Especially for outsiders like him, it is useless to rely only on nursing homes and guns. You also need to have a background. connections.
For this reason, Nalando actively interacted with many British people. The Seymour who lives in the house now, his uncle was the first commander-in-chief of the Eight-Nation Allied Forces, and his background was strong enough. When this person's requirements were met, The network of relationships established with the British is about the same.
"Somebody come!"
Nalando thought of this and called people in, "How is the matter of finding that ancient painting going? Didn't Li Duo say there was news two days ago?"
Li Duo is a staff member of the Nalando Mansion, and his servants usually call him Master.
"Master Li has figured out who owns the painting and said he would talk to someone today."
Nalando asked again: "In whose hands?"
"I heard it's the Ma family of Baoshengtang."
Nalando patted the armrest of the Grand Master's chair and said, "Okay, now that we've found it accurately, let's go to the foreigners and let them know. They've been waiting for so long, so it's time to give them some definite information."
"yes."
After his men retreated, Nalando picked up the tea cup again and took a sip.
He was the only one left in the room, smiling to himself: "A few foreigners don't play with guns and cannons, but they still imitate old scholars and look at ancient paintings. Oh, who cares, it's better than asking my officer directly for money." .”
Nalando's original intention was just to give the news to stabilize the foreigners, so as not to let them lose their patience.
But Simon Seymour valued that painting far more than Nalando expected.
As soon as he got the news, Seymour put down his half-drinked morning tea and directly urged someone to lead the way, taking his guard with him to Baosheng Hall.
The Ma family of Baoshengtang is quite famous in Guangzhou city. It is said that it has a history of nearly a hundred years. It passed into the hands of Ma Baiwen and Ma Zhixing, father and son, and added a lot of good reputation to the family business.
Both father and son are very accomplished in medical skills, especially Ma Zhixing, who studied abroad in the West. After returning, he used a mixture of Western medicine and Chinese medicine, and he actually cured several serious diseases that his father could not cure.
It's just that his father hates foreign things very much, so he and Ma Zhixing had a quarrel with each other for a long time, and it was only this year that he was willing to let him into the house.
When Dimon Seymour and the others were still half a street away from Baosheng Hall, they heard a gunshot.
The man leading the way felt his body suddenly being pulled by the wind. When he turned around to look, the two foreigners following him had disappeared.
Dimon Seymour and Mai Boer rushed to the place where the gunshots were fired and smelled the smell of blood coming from the door.
In the front yard, several soldiers were standing there at a loss. In the living room were two corpses, both old men wearing melon caps and long robes.
A man with water and blood on his face and a bullet wound on his body was lying on the ground. It was Li Duo, the master of the General's Mansion.
Another one was sitting on a chair with a dagger stuck in his chest and bleeding profusely.
Seymour glanced around and saw broken pieces of porcelain on the ground and a pistol dropped at the foot of the steps, and asked, "What's going on?"
These soldiers often walked around the general's house. Knowing that these two foreigners were the general's distinguished guests, they did not dare to neglect and rushed to answer.
Their voices were messy, mixed with dialects, and they spoke urgently. Seymour frowned tightly, not understanding a word, and shouted: "Shut up."
He pointed to the soldier on the far left and said, "Speak first, and speak slower."
The soldier was startled by his shout. When those green eyes looked over, he felt inexplicably tense all over. He stammered for a while before straightening his tongue.
Seymour listened to him and figured out what happened.
After Li Duo brought people to the door, he talked about the Ma family's collection of ancient paintings, and then acted like a general's house, wanting to buy their paintings at a low price.
People under the eaves had to bow their heads. When Ma Baiwen heard that Nalando wanted it, he was ready to swallow his anger and let his son take out the painting, but he asked one more question, why Nalando suddenly admired it? Calligraphy and painting?
After all, everyone knows that this Guangzhou general does not like literary works. Spending so much effort to find out the whereabouts of an ancient painting and then coming to his door was not like his usual style.
At that time, Li Duo was probably thinking that the things he had been told by his superiors were about to be completed and he could get some kickbacks. He was in a good mood, so he truthfully told the truth that the British wanted this painting.
Unexpectedly, when Ma Baiwen heard that a foreigner wanted to paint, he became furious and refused to sell. During the dispute, he even smashed Li Duo's head with a teacup.
Li Duo's head was bruised and bleeding, and his face was red from being burned by the hot tea. He was so angry that he pulled out a dagger and stabbed Ma Baiwen to death.
This scene happened to be seen by Ma Zhixing, who had taken the ancient painting. He didn't know how he had a gun on him, so he shot Li Duo on the spot.
After the nearest soldier shot down his pistol, Ma Zhixing escaped.
While the soldiers who were left behind were talking, the few soldiers who were chasing people also ran back.
They lost Ma Zhixing.
The sound of gunfire attracted more soldiers, and Baosheng Hall was sealed off. Arhats even sent people to take a look.
The housekeeper of the General's Mansion arrived and repeatedly assured Seymour that he would capture Ma Zhixing and present the ancient painting to him.
"No need to trouble you."
Seymour raised his hand, stopped the housekeeper from talking, and said, "Please help me ask, does anyone know which room the son of this family lives in?"
The apprentice in Baoshengtang who was helping to grab the medicine was quickly brought over by Suo Jinghui and pointed to Ma Zhixing's room.
Dimonsi Moore walked in by himself, while Mai Boole blocked the door and did not allow anyone else to approach.
The housekeeper of the General's Mansion could only watch from outside the door.
Simon Seymour walked around the room without any trace of rummaging. He just stood for a while every time he walked to the table, wardrobe, or bed.
The morning sunlight had not yet fully penetrated into the house. Dimonsie Moore stood in a somewhat cool and dark place, raised his hand to lift the fly-proof gauze, and looked down at the bed.
The housekeeper thought he might be a little dazzled. Just when Seymour raised his hand and lowered his head, he suddenly seemed to see fine lines like fish scales on the British man's neck.
It extends from the neck to behind the ears and disappears in a flash.
………………
The green mountains are halfway into the city, and all six branches lead to the sea.
Guangzhou is surrounded by mountains and rivers. There are rivers outside the city and rivers all over the city.
There is a saying that one-tenth of the people in Guangzhou live on the water. Each family's only possession is a small boat. They rely on the cabin for food, housing and living expenses. They rely on the planks of the boat for living expenses, or they drift and fish on the Pearl River. , or carry passengers and goods in the river.
Just like what we saw in the Three Cities and Seven Townships, the outside of the city is desolate, dilapidated and shabby, but the city is much better, at least on the outside it looks like that.
However, the prosperity of the three cities of Diancheng, Tancheng and Heyang combined is far from comparable to that of Guangzhou City.
As the sun gradually warms up, the city of Guangzhou is crowded with people. On the streets of all sizes, wizards with ropes tied around their waists and wearing masks dance and lead the team forward. There are also monks chanting sutras and Taoist priests ringing bells at the door of each house. Put down the paper boat and wait for the host to put some sawdust and grass residue into it.
The faces of the common people were rough and sad from the wind, frost, night rain, but they were also infected by the atmosphere, and they showed some lively smiles in the sunshine.
Children were even walking around on the street, holding some worthless things in their hands, some of which were just a piece of shabby red cloth, but they were also smiling happily.
The instructor squatted by a small river and looked at the scene on the street.
Guan Luoyang handed over the steaming steamed buns, squatted down next to him, and said, "Is today a festival?"
The coach said: "Not only today, September 23rd to September 28th is Huaguang's birthday. Everyone has a hard time on weekdays, but in these days, we can also have some fun."
"So it's Hua Guangdan." Guan Luoyang nodded.
In fact, the Huaguang Festival is held in the Three Cities and Seven Townships, but it is only held during the 27th and 28th, and it is not nearly as lively. It is just a two-day opera with a troupe.
The instructor took a bite of the steamed bun and said, "Now is not the most lively time. The past few days were just about dancing to drive away ghosts, hoping there would be no fire. On the 28th day, the statue of Patriarch Huaguang will be returned to its place, and dragon and lion dances will be performed. , and there are torches and lights everywhere at night.
Trick performers are everywhere on the street. All the Liyuan children who regard Emperor Huaguang as their ancestor must be 100% energetic, play gongs, worship gods, and sing their voices on stage. "
Just as he was talking about this, a small boat passed by near the two of them. The man on the boat was shirtless and wearing a turban. He looked to be in his forties, but in fact he was probably in his early thirties. He sang two times and couldn't hear it. Clear the tone of the lyrics.
Guan Luoyang looked around and smiled unconsciously.
There was a child in the cabin holding a yellowed candied haws with only one left. He carefully stretched out the tip of his tongue to lick it, smiled with his mouth closed, and wrapped the candied haws again.
Guan Luoyang, who had just been immersed in the atmosphere and felt a little happy, saw this scene, and the smile on his face slowly faded away.
He suddenly felt uncomfortable squatting and sat down.
Both sides of the river are paved with stone bricks, which are much higher than the water surface. There are bamboo sheds connected to several eaves pavilions behind it. Sometimes tourists can stay here to protect themselves from the sun and rain while waiting for boats and unloading goods.
Guan Luoyang sat like this, his feet almost hanging down to the water. The heel of his right foot was still broken, and he said, "The time you have agreed on is September 28th, right?"
The instructor hummed.
It’s not hard to guess. September 28th is the busiest time, so choosing that time to connect is naturally the safest.
"But if this happens, I won't have enough money to last until that day."
When he was carrying out assassinations in the past few years, Guan Luoyang would sometimes go through the target's money bag. He couldn't take the banknotes, so he saved some broken silver, most of which was left at Tian Gongyu's place.
Guan Luoyang said, "I'll look for any work this afternoon."
After the instructor finished eating the steamed buns, he rubbed the crumbs on his hands into the water mixed with some hand sweat. Finally, he clapped his hands and said, "No hurry, we will go to the appointed place to take a look today, in case we meet No matter what happens, it won’t be delayed because of the unfamiliar terrain.”
"Huh? Do you want me to go too?"
"certainly."
