Chapter 64, Nanhai Railway Travel (4)
For all the celebrities from the south of the Yangtze River who went deep into Qiongzhou to spy on the "Qing Dynasty", the first-class carriage they took this time was in the penultimate seat of the train, and there was only a dining car behind it. As a first-class carriage specially designed for travelers and indigenous and naturalized people who are willing to pay a high price, although the chassis of the carriage is basically the same as the flat car in front, it has a wooden body, not only has large and comfortable rattan seats and workmanship The exquisite small table, the glass-inlaid car windows, and the linen curtains are also installed. On the scorching sun of Hainan Island, they can not only provide ventilation but also avoid the suffering of the sun.
Of course, in the eyes of Fang Yizhi, a celebrity from Tongcheng who was used to seeing all kinds of carved and painted buildings, the furnishings and decorations in this carriage were too simple and crude.
"...Is this the so-called first-class train? It's too unrealistic. But the meals served on the train are quite exquisite..."
Fang Yizhi muttered as he prepared to have lunch. Originally, there was a dining car attached to the train, and it was said that it was quite luxurious and comfortable. Guests in the first- and second-class carriages could go there and order food. But now the dining car of this train has been occupied by General Huangshi and the Japanese envoy, and a sign "No entry for idlers" has been hung. If the "Amateur Spies of Jiangnan Scholars" sitting in the first-class car did not want to drink cold water and eat dry food, they had to order food from the menu at their seats, and then let people in the dining car bring the food to them. Or you can buy something to eat from the salesperson's trolley, and the price is cheaper... But as distinguished guests in the first-class carriage, they will not have a simple meal like the Xu Xiake brothers in the second-class carriage and just have a bowl of instant noodles. Or eight-treasure porridge can be dealt with, and a can of canned fish or a few fruits can be considered as a tooth-piercing gift.
At this moment, on the table in front of Fang Yizhi, there was a "Fried Chicken Rice Railway Lunch Box" - the "lunch box" containing the food was a huge square box of black lacquerware with a black outside and a red inside. On the outer wall of the box, gold and silver flowers, plants, birds and animals were painted. Even in the eyes of Fang Yizhi, who was used to seeing splendid treasures, the workmanship was considered exquisite. The meals in the box are also colorful and rich in variety: the main dish is naturally fried chicken nuggets wrapped in batter and fried to a golden and fragrant aroma. The side dishes include mashed potatoes mixed with green beans, diced carrots and bacon bits, and fried shrimp. , fried eggs, a small amount of fried cauliflower and candied taro cut into small pieces as dessert. In a small cup made of blue flower white porcelain, there are fish balls, scallops, dried shrimps, kelp, tofu and other boiled seaweed. The fresh soup, even the ball of white rice, is ingeniously sprinkled with a little black sesame seeds as a decoration... Although the scholars in the Jiangnan Water Town have always been willing to spend time on their meals, and have been known for "never getting tired of eating" since ancient times, but In Fang Yizhi's view, if this food box were taken to a restaurant in Suzhou and Hangzhou, apart from the slightly unusual ingredients, both the workmanship and the combination would be very good.
Fang Yizhi stretched out his chopsticks and picked up a piece of fried chicken. Suddenly, a rich and wonderful aroma hit his nostrils, which could make people drool. After taking one bite, the dough wrapped around it was crispy and the meat juice overflowing inside was sweet and delicious. He couldn't help but admire in his heart:
"...Sigh... The Australians are really good at enjoying themselves. They have some pretty good ways to live in terms of food, clothing, housing and transportation... It's a pity that you can just sell goods and make profits in this small seaside county. Why do you still have such unsatisfactory desires?" , actually colluded with the generals of the country and the country to plot the country? ”
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In fact, as a well-connected and well-informed celebrity, Fang Yizhi, a young man from Tongcheng, Anhui Province, originally did not have much ill feelings toward the "Australian Kun people" who were far away in Qiongzhou, but he has gradually appeared in Qiongzhou over the years. I really like all kinds of "Australian foreign goods" on the market. In addition, I am also fascinated by the various "Australian enjoyments" provided by Hangzhou Ziminglou, from opera to bathing to scented oil massage, and I even spend a lot of money for it.
But in the late autumn of last year, at a gathering held by Donglin Party literati on a certain painting boat in the West Lake of Hangzhou, Qian Qianyi, a Donglin senior and "Mr. Mu Zhai" who is a model of gentlemen in the world, said to everyone with a serious expression. Donglin Junzi announced a big news.
——According to his reliable information, in the past, the late Emperor relied on him as a pillar, and once single-handedly killed the "old slave chief" Nurhachi, a famous general in hundreds of battles. Now, the Fujian general Huangshi, who currently has tens of thousands of elite soldiers and dominates the Fujian Sea, has failed the Holy Spirit. Well, they are closely colluding with the "Australian thieves" entrenched in Qiongzhou, and they seem to have a huge conspiracy! Unfortunately, the imperial court was currently trapped in the Liaodong Jiannu, and the capital was repeatedly exposed to war and was on the verge of collapse. Therefore, the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty were not interested in paying attention to this matter. But if this thief succeeds, the southeastern half of the Great Tomorrow will be in danger, so the gentlemen of Donglin must take precautions early...
In response to this, all the Donglin scholars at the gathering were all shocked - in the eyes of these proud people, the "Australians" who have been selling all kinds of overseas exotic goods in recent years are basically the same as those in the separatist territory. The French people in Macau (the old name of Macau) are almost the same, they are just a bunch of stinky businessmen doing business. Because both have the word "AO" in their names, some scholars from small places even confuse the two.
It would be fine if the Australians were entrenched in the port to trade and seek profit. Unexpectedly, their appetite was so amazing. They even colluded with the military generals of the imperial court in an attempt to separate the country's territory and commit such treasonous acts - this is simply another Liaodong soldier. O slaves who lie dormant before disaster arises!
What's more, the Jiannu's home base is far away from the Great Wall. No matter how ruthless they are in the north, they will not harm the comfortable place south of the Yangtze River. But Huangshi's Funing Army is in Fujian, next door to Jiangnan, and the big ships of Australian bandits often appear in the waters near Jiangnan!
After being shocked, all the gentlemen of Donglin came up with suggestions one after another - since the Donglin Party has always boasted that "the sound of wind and rain and the sound of reading can be heard in the ears; family affairs, state affairs, and world affairs are concerned about everything", then for such people who are shaking the imperial court, the country, and the prestige Naturally, they could not remain indifferent to the major events that threatened the safety of the country, so they all claimed that they should mobilize relatives and friends in the country to submit letters of remonstrance, so that the court should beware of the rebellion of the Funing Army, and at the same time prohibit trade with the Australians...
But the problem is that everyone is just "hearing things" at the moment, and even Qian Qianyi who raised this matter is hesitant and unable to provide any real evidence. It is obviously not enough to impeach Fujian Commander-in-Chief Huang Shi for treason based on just a few empty words. Besides, although Qian Qianyi was highly respected within the Donglin Party, it was still impossible for everyone to obey orders and mobilize their own connections and forces to take action just because of his few words.
——As the political spokesperson group of the Jiangnan landlord and wealthy business group, the Donglin Party was originally a very loose and informal organization. Although these "gentlemen" often shared the same hatred in the court, they fought fiercely with eunuchs, military commanders and nobles. However, there is also a lot of internal strife among various parties who share the same interests and oppose those who are different, and they are also quite fierce. Who knows whether Qian Qianyi has torn off the dignity of the kind-hearted elder this time and set up a trap for everyone to take advantage of?
After all, the "Australian thief" is thousands of miles away. What if it is actually Mr. Qian who is telling nonsense and deceiving everyone? What should we do?
Therefore, after being indignant for a while, the gentlemen came to their senses and said that the matter was of great importance and needed to be investigated carefully and discussed in a long term... Then, these gentlemen who had been idle all day noisily recommended Two "investigation envoys" were sent out, one led by Zhang Dai, a playboy from Hangzhou, to Fujian to check whether the Funing Army had any signs of rebellion. Zhang Dai's family was quite powerful in both Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, and could provide care and convenience along the way.
Another route led by Fang Yizhi, a famous scholar from Tongcheng who had extensive experience in traveling far away, went to Lingnan, a place further away, for on-the-spot investigation and a first-hand view of the "military situation of thieves" - in the Jiangnan Shilin during the Chongzhen period, Fang Yizhi, a famous scholar from Tongcheng, He is a very well-known "well-informed person" who has friends from the market to the court. His number of friends and wide network are second to none in the Donglin Party, and he can be called a person like "everyone in the world". Although he has never been to Lingnan, he has the richest experience in long-distance travel. In terms of mileage alone, he is not even much worse than Xu Xiake, the "first donkey traveler in the late Ming Dynasty". It's just that Xu Xiake only went to deep mountains and old forests and wilderness areas, while Fang Yizhi mainly traveled between prosperous cities.
And Fang Yizhi was also happy to accept this - in recent years, he had seen a lot of wonderful Australian products, and at scholar gatherings he often heard several Lingnan scholars talk about the "Kun people" who had led the city in Guangzhou in the past two years. I am quite curious and yearning for the various "Australian scenery" I have come here to see. Especially the heavenly enjoyments in Guangzhou's "Ziming Tower" made him envious. Unfortunately, there is half of China between Guangzhou and Tongcheng. The distance is too far, so the trip has never been possible. I can only go to the "Ziminglou" branch in Hangzhou to have a good time and experience the kind of sensual entertainment that is different from China.
Now I finally have the opportunity to go to Guangzhou to see the authentic Ziming Tower, appreciate the peerless elegance of the "Australian famous courtesan" Pei Lixiu with my own eyes, and even find some "Australian style" kiln ladies to enjoy the legendary How could he not be attracted by the taste of "Australia's Secret Show"?
Therefore, Fang Yizhi led a group of Donglin scholars who claimed to be "risking their lives for the country and the country" but actually had nothing to do all day long and wanted to find some fresh fun. They marched south from Hangzhou in a mighty manner - although They have no experience in being spies, and they don't know how to understand people's sentiments and collect intelligence. But these "talented men and heroes" think that as long as they work together, there is nothing they can't do! It's just a vulgar warrior and a group of arrogant barbarians trying to join forces to cause chaos. How can they defeat the "Donglin Gentleman" who has a noble family and a powerful influence in both the government and the public?
——Although later generations of scientific research have fully proved that genetic genes cannot play a decisive role in any aspect of political, economic, military, etc. abilities. However, whether in the feudal society of the Ming Dynasty or in the industrial society of later generations, there are still many people who believe that the lineage theory can work in all areas. Naturally, as senior officials and N-generation senior officials of the Donglin Party, the scholars of the Donglin Party generally believe that they are the favored sons of heaven and should naturally enjoy various privileges, and everything is destined to go as they wish.
But what has to be admitted is that the two world-famous signs of the Donglin Party and Jiangnan Fushe are indeed very useful in the entire south. Relying on the escort and service of the rich and well-dressed servants, they can be used in government offices and large households along the way. Under the attentive reception and banquets, the "Donglin Party Tour Group" who felt unprecedentedly good about themselves "wandered" all the way to Guangzhou, sightseeing, drinking and listening to plays. Various banquets and poetry gatherings were held one after another along the way, and it was very difficult to It's a sight to behold.
After arriving in Guangzhou, they met several children from wealthy families who had escaped from Hainan Island. They were all imprisoned by the "work team" of the Lingao Senate for crimes such as "banditry", "resisting taxes", and "hiding land". His family was ruined and he had no choice but to abandon his home and run away. The relationship between them and the "Australian thieves" is really "hatred in two places in one day, hatred in three rivers and four seas", and naturally they will never say a good word about the Australians.
So, after listening to the cries of these "remnants of the Communist Party" about the "thieves" who were confusing right and wrong, all the Donglin scholars were filled with righteous indignation and had a bad impression of the Australians who "harmed good people" - in In the mainstream thinking of the Donglin Party in the late Ming Dynasty, not all ordinary people can be called "people". Those tenants and craftsmen are just humble cattle and horses, and ordinary merchants are like pigs and sheep to be slaughtered, and even military generals Soldiers are regarded as slaves. As for those with low status such as Lehu and Beggar, they do not belong to the category of human beings at all... Although Fang Yizhi has extensive contacts in all walks of life, he does not have such an exaggerated sense of hierarchy. He feels that these fugitives I'm afraid his words are not entirely true, but since the thief is so cruel to the wealthy Jin gentry, he doesn't know how to be cruel to the common people. I'm afraid the entire Qiongzhou has been turned into a human hell.
On the other side, the Lingao Senate was completely unaware of their arrival - the "Donglin Party Tour Group" who came to Guangzhou from the south of the Yangtze River to inquire about the "Kun Thief" information did not hide their whereabouts, but they also did not make any big fanfare to say that they were coming to find them. Trouble with "Australians". In the Ming Dynasty, it was common for dandies and literati to make friends and travel far away, and it was really not rare. As for them scolding "Kun thieves" in teahouses and restaurants for their moral turpitude and licentiousness... There are scholars who do such things every day in the Guangzhou market, and the Guangzhou Intelligence Station of the Senate has long been used to it.
Next, with pity for the suffering "common people" of Qiongzhou (which only included the upper class of Jin gentry) who were struggling in the clutches of the Kun thieves, all the talented and talented people who were concerned about the country and the people, regardless of the dangers, went deep into the tiger's den and poured into the Kun thieves. Ziminglou opened in Guangzhou has a variety of unique Surrounded by the Chinese-style Yingying Yanyan, she "rested" for several days, fully communicated with a group of bunny girls and cat-eared girls in bed, and experienced first-hand how "sexy and evil" the thief is, and by the way, They have a lot of first-hand information...
Then, just as they were enjoying themselves in the Ziming Tower, hundreds of barbarian warships from all directions gathered at Lingao. The "Emperor of the Australian Song Dynasty" came to Qiongzhou to supervise the war. He was about to send his troops to sweep across Lingnan. Unprecedented bad news!
As a result, the city of Guangzhou was in turmoil for a while. In order to avoid the possible military disaster, large landowners from all over the country rushed into the city with their families. When the "Kun thieves" last swept across the Pearl River and bombarded Guangzhou, the people in the Pearl River Delta The landowners have already suffered once. And all the scholars from Donglin also retreated and refused to go to Qiongzhou Thieves Cave again. They even left without saying goodbye and turned around to return home.
Although it didn't take long, because there was still no movement from Qiongzhou, and the Guangzhou government and "Australian Kun people" also tried their best to refute the rumors, the market finally returned to calm. However, the Donglin scholars who came all the way from the south of the Yangtze River have also dispersed, and they have gone to seven or eight stops in ten stops... But Fang Yizhi, who is bold by nature, finally brought the "Wuwei Cub" Yu Guozhen (referring to Anhui Wuwei Prefecture) and others several The remaining scholars, plus their servants and attendants, crossed the sea and came to Lingao, vowing to find out the details of how the "Australian Kun people" colluded with the Fujian general Huang Shi to bring trouble to the world before they were willing to go back to meet the gentlemen of the Jiangnan Shilin.
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At the beginning, when these talented people first arrived in Lingao, they naturally felt unfamiliar and frightened by the various tricks of the "thief", and they were under great psychological pressure. However, after a while, they saw The "beautiful thieves" didn't take them seriously at all (the recent influx of foreign people was too large to handle), so they gradually became accustomed to it, and even had the intention to comment on the various actions of the "beautiful thieves".
Next, when Fang Yizhi and others suddenly decided to go to Sanya to peep at the reality of "the presence of the Emperor of Australia and Song Dynasty", they coincidentally recognized the target of this "infiltration operation" at the station—— Huang Shi, the Fujian general who colluded with the thieves to endanger the imperial court! He even discovered that even the Japanese Japanese pirates seemed to have had a hand in it. He was immediately overjoyed, thinking that this trip would definitely lead to a miracle, find out the details of the rebels and barbarians, and become famous all over the world!
It's a pity that the Huangshi rebel had a high position and was tightly guarded. He booked a carriage by himself during the journey, and no one else could get close to him... At this moment, Fang Yizhi was sitting on the rattan chair, holding a railway bento lacquer. Box, looking at the two tall " There is also a short and capable Japanese swordsman. Thinking that just a few feet behind the door, the Huangshi rebels are probably planning some shocking activities with the Japanese envoys to shake the Ming Dynasty. I feel like a cat in my heart. It seemed as if the child was scratching, and even the food in his mouth became tasteless.
But despite this, Fang Yizhi had no intention of taking action on this train to eliminate this serious trouble for the court. Although he had recruited many talented people during this trip, they were all in the second-class carriage at the front and could not be summoned at the same time. It is also unknown how many "coat soldiers" and Japanese pirates are in the dining car at the back - according to his speculation, it is estimated that his side should not be able to defeat them. What's more, even if he succeeds in the assassination, he will have no way to escape and will definitely die... It is obviously not worth it to let these noble scholars trade their lives with a few vulgar warriors and savage Japanese pirates. Therefore, it is better to take a long-term approach and stay useful to serve the imperial court and the country!
While Fang Yizhi was thinking this, he turned his attention to the few "real-haired" passengers who were also in the first-class carriage. According to the few words that his friend Yu Guozhen, who was traveling with him, had just heard, the strong old man over there seemed to be the favorite of the rich-haired thieves. Admiral... Well, with such a big fanfare, summoning generals, and even trying to connect with the Japanese country, it seems that the "Emperor of the Australian Song Dynasty" must have a big plan this time. In this way, after the slaves and bandits in the north, and the rebellious Tibetan chieftains in the southwest, the dynasty will add such powerful enemies, which really worries us gentlemen...
He speculated this with melancholy, but he was powerless to deal with the gloom of war that was about to come, so he could only let out a long sigh.
However, what Fang Yizhi didn't know was that Huang Shi was indeed discussing military strategy with the Japanese envoy in the dining car, but it was not aimed at the Ming Dynasty court, but at Japan's Tokugawa Shogunate... And what he never expected was However, the identity, origin and purpose of their group have long been betrayed by their fellow "Inaction Young Tiger" Yu Guozhen, and now every move is actually under the surveillance of the "Australian Bandit"! ——Because Yu Guozhen, the "Innocent Tiger" who is "proficient in miscellaneous knowledge" he has recently met, is also a time traveler...