The mage in the late Qing Dynasty

The visitor is Niu Zihou's son, Niu Hanzhang.

Niu Hanzhang was also stunned when he saw Zhao Chuanxin.

This, this, Uncle Zhao...?

In the past, he couldn't scream, but now that he thought about it, calling him uncle might not be a disadvantage.

Zhao Chuanxin lit up a cigarette: Oh, nephew, you want to buy a shop, then you buy it first, and we will talk about it later.

If he showed any intention of buying it, the shopkeeper would probably raise the price.

Niu Hanzhang was much smarter than Zhao Chuanxin the last time they met. He immediately restrained his respectful expression, nodded solemnly, and said to the shopkeeper: Please come in and let's talk in detail.

After saying that, he left Zhao Chuanxin behind and entered the house first.

Shengfu didn't understand what was going on and asked, Master Magistrate, we...

Let's go to the Bingbei Road Yamen and meet Huang Shifu.

Huang Shifu is not a pure evil person, he is just stubborn and has no brains. When he has a preconceived impression, he will keep his head down and act stubbornly according to the plan.

He believed that Zhao Chuanxin was harmful, and Zhao Chuanxin was harmful, so he slandered Zhao Chuanxin behind his back. This was not considered a lack of morality, but at most it was an unscrupulous act for the common people in order to serve the imperial court.

Later, he found out that Zhao Chuanxin was really not easy to mess with. He did not dare to slander him anymore, but he still opposed Zhao Chuanxin in terms of stance and worked hard to support him at the Hulun Army Preparation Road.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Chuanxin came to visit in person.

Prefect Zhao? Huang Shifu smiled dryly.

Zodiac, hello. Zhao Chuanxin looked at him with a calm expression.

What do you want from Governor Zhao? Huang Shifu asked with a smile on his face.

I'm here to inform you that the Hulun Army Preparation Road can hand over the two battalions of men and horses in your hands. From now on, the taxation and negotiation of Hulun City and the counties under its jurisdiction, as well as the negotiations with the various ministries of the Mongolian Banner, will be handled by Lubin Prefecture. Unified control. Zhao Chuanxin sat on the table, lit a cigarette and said quietly.

Huang Shifu's body trembled: You, you, you are rebelling...

Behind Zhao Chuanxin, Shengfu's eyes narrowed: Master Huang, don't slander anyone!

If Huang Shifu hands over these powers, then Hulun Military Preparation Road will have no meaning.

This is a delicate time. Cixi is dead, Guangxu is dead, and Puyi has not yet ascended the throne.

It was just a matter of making small fuss, and no one cared about Zhao Chuanxin.

When Aixinjueluo Zaifeng heard this, he must have just swallowed his anger and admitted defeat.

Huang Shifu probably figured out Zhao Chuanxin's sinister intentions and sighed: Since Governor Zhao is eager to go against the grain, there is no need for me to stay here. Soon...

Before he finished speaking, he heard Zhao Chuanxin say: Don't leave in a hurry. You officials are really good at adapting to the wind. As soon as you encounter some setbacks, you will run away immediately. You will eat all day long without any intention and blame others. , If you don’t think about progress, you are nothing.”

... Huang Shifu gritted his teeth and asked, Then if I don't leave, what else can I do?

Drinking tea at the government office every day?

Zhao Chuanxin took out a map, placed it on the table, and circled it with his fingers: From now on, these places will be under the jurisdiction of Lubin Prefecture. But don't forget, Lubin Prefecture is Chinese soil and is not divided. Armed preparations The province surrendered its original military power, but I allowed Bingbei Road to establish a forest police station, equipped with guns and uniforms; I handed over the negotiation and tax authorization, but the Lubin government gave Bingbei Road the power to establish a land inspection department...

The circle he drew at random with his finger was very large, encompassing thousands of square kilometers of land that Zhao Chuanxin had recovered. Going south, he had already passed Lake Bell, and included some land from the Chechen Khan Tribe and the Xilin-Gol League. , heading east to Zha-Lantun, naturally also includes the Da-Xing-an Mountains Forest Area.

The power that Zhao Chuanxin took away was completely taken away.

The power that Zhao Chuanxin was given again was smaller and narrower in name, but judging from Zhao Chuanxin's current territory, it was definitely not the case.

Huang Shifu pondered for a full five minutes, then he hesitated and said: Prefect Zhao, do you think this is still the land of China?

Of course. Zhao Chuanxin flicked the ashes and said, No one can think of dividing it.

Huang Shifu frowned slightly.

…

Beijing.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Liang Dunyan was talking to Ijuin Hikoyoshi, the Japanese Minister to China, who had a broken arm.

Ijuin Hikoyoshi's broken arm was naturally the work of Zhao Chuanxin.

Yijuin Yanji said: Master Liang, the border affairs of the Tumen River have been unresolved for a long time. Bandits are rampant in the area and the people are miserable. The Qing Dynasty has not yet established a new monarch and the people's hearts are unstable. In order to protect the safety of the Korean people, we have decided to send additional troops. .”

Liang Dunyan first thought of Xu Shichang, then Wu Luzhen, and then Liu Shanzi.

But in the end, what emerged in his mind was Zhao Chuanxin's unruly figure.

Liang Dunyan is not a tough person.

But when he thought of Zhao Chuanxin, he somehow felt confident: Are you sure those are bandits? How miserable are the people? The increase in troops you mentioned is a threat to the court, or is it someone else?

Ijuin Hikokichi hung one hand, his face was a little pale, and he looked very weak.

He thought of the culprit who caused him to be permanently disabled, and he couldn't help but frown: Master Liang, our Japanese Empire has never been afraid of anyone or any country. In the past, Western countries came to knock on the door of the country and made us tremble, but we were not more than fifty In the year, the great Tsarist Russia has to bow down in front of us. This is true for a country, let alone an individual. The Qing Dynasty, does it need to rely on someone to have the confidence to act now?

Liang Dunyan lit a cigarette and was noncommittal.

He blew out white smoke and said: There is evidence from all sides. The Tumen River is the national boundary and cannot be questioned. There is really nothing to say. If your country forcibly increases its troops, it will be an invasion.

Ijuin Hikokichi straightened his back: In order for the border residents of China and South Korea to enjoy eternal happiness, we have no choice but to sign the terms.

Oh? Liang Dunyan was slightly surprised.

In the past, they wanted to demarcate the border and sign terms, but Japan did not agree. How could they agree to it now?

He immediately remembered that Xu Shichang had told him that Liu Shanzi was getting stronger and stronger, and the more he fought with his backing army, the more courageous he became. Moreover, they seemed to have deployed no data points, secret weapons and ammunition depots, and war warehouses near Yanji a few years in advance...

These people were really inexhaustible and could not be dispersed. Even though they were running out of ammunition and food, they turned around and picked up new guys to continue fighting, which made the Japanese military police and the Korean police miserable.

Sign a contract?

Liang Dunyan can foresee that the territory may be preserved, but Japan will definitely expand its interests in China.

The court should compromise, but will Zhao Chuanxin agree? Will the backwater army agree?

…

At the end of October of the lunar calendar, there is light snow.

Now Manzhouli has officially been renamed Lubinfu.

The original Lubin Prefecture was the office of the Bureau of Government and Commodity, a permanent border trading post, and the residential area for Lubin Prefecture officials.

Here, Zhao Chuanxian's new residence is ready for move-in.

The house was finally finalized, and Zhao Chuanxin no longer had the habitual fancy decorations. He became more and more integrated into this era, and his food, clothing, housing and transportation were somewhat tainted with the rustic of the times.

The sunlight, which is quite dazzling in winter but can only warm the eyelids, shines through the lattice shutters and shines on the shell photo frame on the wooden cabinet countertop. The photo embedded in it is a photo of Rebecca Levi and Yao Bing.

On the tablecloth, there are also strips of slag-colored cloth sewn on it. There are pencils and fountain pens in the wooden bowl, and a paperweight that jumped out of the pile of agate that the Sniffles picked up from the river has a clever landscape painting on it. picture.

The living room has its own small fireplace, which can heat an entire wall of fire.

A middle-aged Tsarist Russian maid was playing with the twine in her hand under the sunlight by the window. She waited for the sound of the American Victory vinyl hand-cranked record player on the basswood table in the corner to turn her attention away from her needlework. .

Her name is Nina.

The strings were re-winded, and the gramophone began to play Bach's third set of Breeze again.

Nina went out to grab some more firewood, peeled off the birch bark and put it in the basket next to it, and then threw the firewood into the fireplace.

The birch bark that was peeled off was to be saved for later use as a fire starter.

In the reception room, Zhao Chuanxin and Niu Hanzhang were drinking tea and smoking.

Niu Hanzhang felt like laughing. Zhao Chuanxin's family was a bit rustic, and they were not worthy of the attention of the son of the richest man. But he suddenly felt that there was a touch of warmth of home in this rustic atmosphere.

Mr. Zhao also likes to listen to foreign music? My father likes opera, so he spent money to buy records and sent a few back.

Hearing this, Zhao Chuanxin suddenly remembered something: Speaking of opera, have you ever thought about building a theater in Lubin Mansion?

Um... Niu Hanzhang scratched his head: This is a border land, and it may be difficult to develop.

Think about it. Zhao Chuanxin advised him: There are many talented people here who love art. You can recruit opera singers, or you can bring some opera troupes from Guan Nei to build a large theater. You can make money by mixing Chinese and Western singing. , if you can leave a name, why not do it? Right nephew?

This...uncle, let me think about it later. Niu Hanzhang did not agree directly.

Their family is rich, but money does not come with strong winds.

Niu Hanzhang came today mainly to hand over the land where the bank was to be built to Zhao Chuanxin.

Niu Hanzhang incidentally expressed the Niu family's intention to do business in Lubin Mansion.

Uncle Zhao, Man... Although Lubin Mansion is smaller than Hulun City, there are almost no open channels for drainage. Our own county government is not as good as the city planned by the Russians. If uncle wants to change it, when building the foundation What a bold move...

Niu Hanzhang studied abroad and had a lot of experience. He usually talked to Sun Yutang, the boss of Yuan Shengqing, and other people including his father, and they all seemed to play the piano to Niu.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Chuanxin was convinced: My nephew is really insightful. Not only are culverts beautiful, they can also prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria and avoid the spread of odors. In big cities in the United States, they use lime, alum and bleaching powder to treat the water before discharging it. Get into the river.”

Zhao Chuanxin had long felt that the open channels in front of the street shops in Hulun City were unsightly.

Normally, it is mainly used for draining rainwater, but the people couldn't hold it back and poured dirty water, feces and urine into it.

Niu Hanzhang's eyes lit up and he was greatly encouraged, and continued: Uncle Zhao, there is one more thing. When I was studying abroad, I saw cars that burned oil and were more convenient than mules and horses. With the appearance of cars, the streets in some towns were not wide enough for cars to pass. Residential houses and shops on both sides are not allowed to be demolished and expanded at will. I think that in a few decades, it may become a big problem...

Zhao Chuanxin crossed his legs and smiled and said: What my nephew said is true. Lubin Fucheng will have to expand an arterial road outside the original street through the city's main trunk next year to avoid the existing houses. The main road is 40 meters wide. , plus a 5-meter wide pedestrian and bicycle lane.”

Niu Hanzhang took a breath, what a big deal.

Then very excited.

This Uncle Zhao is amazing, with a long-term vision and a broad perspective.

He not only accepted it, but actually implemented it.

Niu Hanzhang looked at Zhao Chuanxin eagerly, because he knew that Yao Jia, the current general manager of Lubin Prefecture's Government and Commodity Bureau, was also a Lu merchant industrialist. If Yao Jia could find an official position, then Niu Hanzhang was not bad either.

Lu merchants are a group of merchants in Lugang Town, and they have become a trend nowadays.

Zhao Chuanxin saw it, but Quan pretended not to see it.

Putting the power of turning on the rain and clearing into the hands of umbrella sellers is doomed to lead to floods one day in the future.

In the early days of appointing Yao Jia, Zhao Chuanxin thought of many ways to restrict his power, and it was impossible to use Niu Hanzhang again.

Zhao Chuanxin put out his cigarette in the agate ashtray and said persuasively: My dear nephew, if you want to leave a name in history, you may not have to be an official. Since you mentioned cars, if your Niu family can change the transportation pattern in Lubin Prefecture, , that can be regarded as serving the country and the people. When the city's sewage system is improved, it will be a great achievement if your Niu family builds a sewage treatment plant. In addition, there are other aspects, and what the Niu family does should not be limited to buying and selling.

Niu Hanzhang was thoughtful.

He also has ambitions, but he doesn't have the skills and opportunities of his father.

After catching up with Zhao Chuanxin, his fate changed accordingly.

At this time, someone knocked on the door outside.

Nina went to open the door and brought Yang Sangdaxi in.

Yang Sangdaxi held a roll of newspaper in his hand: Sir, this is the latest newspaper.

Zhao Chuanxin said angrily: How many times have I told you not to roll up the newspaper.

Yang Sangda smiled happily: I understand, sir.

Manzhou Daily, Shengjing Times and Fengtian Gongbao.

Zhao Chuanxin opened it and took a look and found that the three newspapers were full of articles about Lugang Town participating in the London Olympics and winning five medals: 3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze.

Niu Hanzhang read the newspaper, his pupils shrank suddenly, and then widened.

After all, he is someone who has studied abroad and knows what this world-wide event represents.

Bring glory to the country!

Zhao Chuanxin bared his teeth.

Liu Guogui and the others had just returned, but Zhao Chuanxin actually passed them by without realizing it.

He shook the newspaper and said to Yang Sangdaxi and Niu Hanzhang: In the future, Lubin Prefecture will also vigorously develop sports. In my opinion, Hong Kong Island, Ao Island, Hankou in the south, Lugang Town and Lubin Prefecture in the north, They can echo each other.”

It's hard to say that Lao Zhao wasn't secretly happy at the moment.

Liu Guobao led the team to participate in the Olympic Games, which absolutely rewrote history. He won the medal many years earlier than the original history.

For a long time, Chinese people have been constantly defining themselves, such as what is suitable or not suitable for Asians, what is the golden age of Asians, etc...

What about the facts?

How can you say that a 39-year-old old guy can win the heavyweight boxing belt?

Don't be qualitative, qualitative will lose half of it first.

The London Olympics achieved a result that caught the world's attention. It is not yet a sensation in the country, and the sentiment of the Chinese people is still brewing.

Because many people don’t know what the Olympic Games are.

But the Japanese take it very seriously.

At the junction of Russia and South Korea, Wokuowei.

Nozumi Aoki, the military attaché of the Japanese Embassy in Beijing who had escaped, was hiding here.

In addition to him, there is also a small mixed Japanese and Russian force here that is undergoing special training.

Nobuzumi Aoki said to Afanasev, a staff lieutenant sent by Tsarist Russia: I have carefully observed the training of the Japanese-Russian joint tiger hunting team, and I feel that what you have done is far from enough.

Afanasyev was displeased when he heard this: That's because you don't understand it well enough.

Aoki Xuanchun straightened his back and looked serious: Maybe you are right, but again, no one in this world understands Zhao Chuanxin better than me.

Afanasyev sneered: I admit that Zhao Chuanxin is very powerful, but the members of the Joint Tiger Hunting Team are the elites among the veterans of Japan and Russia, one in ten thousand. After half a year of training and running-in, I dare to It is said that they are the pinnacle of individual combat effectiveness in the world at this time.

No! Aoki Xuanzhun shook his head: They are not even comparable to the insurance team in Lugang Town.

Afanasyev decided not to pay attention to Aoki Nozumi.

He felt that Nobuzumi Aoki was very good at it.

Seeing that he was silent, Aoki Nobuzumi could only frown and continue: Zhao Chuanxin has been injured more than once. What can cause harm to him is not the elite soldiers in hundreds of battles, but his personal negligence. One of them was our Japanese Empire. The soldier shot him in the thigh with a pistol.

Afanasyev was stunned for a moment.

The Joint Tiger Hunting Team is a special force secretly trained to assassinate Zhao Chuanxin.

Afanasyev was confident, but in fact he was full of fear of Zhao Chuanxin.

He hasn't heard that Zhao Chuanxian was injured.

Seeing that Afanasev's attention had been attracted, Nobuzumi Aoki breathed a sigh of relief: If you want to kill Zhao Chuanxin, the first thing is to take a surprise. Even a tiger in the mountain will take a nap. The second thing is not to get close. Back then we sent intelligence People sneaked into Lugang Town. At that time, someone in the crowd wanted to take out a gun and assassinate Zhao Chuanxin. As soon as he took out the gun, Zhao Chuanxin noticed and shot him dead. He didn't even aim. This is a kind of person who is extremely sensitive to danger. Perception.”

Afanasyev nodded silently.

After a while, he said: I have seen this kind of ability. Although it is magical, it is not impossible to crack.

Nobuzumi Aoki asked him: I have just been sent to the staff headquarters and I still don't know much about the Joint Tiger Hunting Team. I want to know what preparations you have for Zhao Chuanxin?

Afanasev became interested, pointed not far away and asked: Look, what is that?

Nobuzumi Aoki took a serious look and shook his head: I didn't see anything.

Afanasev laughed: Yes, you didn't see anything, that's the key. There is a gunman ambushed there. The color of his clothes perfectly blends with the environment, and his gun is also painted with camouflage colors. All this It’s a trick we learned from the Lugang Town Insurance Team based on the information you gave us.”

After saying that, he shouted twice in Russian.

Nobuzumi Aoki was dumbfounded when he saw the snow moving, and a humanoid silhouette wearing light gray cotton clothes stood up.

This man trotted over carrying a gun painted in light gray.

Afanasev took the gun from the soldier and showed it to Nobuzumi Aoki: Do you see the long tube above the barrel? This is called a scope. In the last century, the American Civil War, Spot During the Battle of Selvinia, a major general of the U.S. Northern Army used this kind of gun equipped with a long scope and was shot to death at a distance of 1,400 yards. Can Zhao Chuanxin still sense it from this distance?

The long barrel is almost as long as the barrel below.

1400 yards?

Aoki Xuanchun's pupils shrank.

He blurted out and asked the Russian soldier: Can you really hit a target a thousand meters away?

The Russian soldier opened his mouth and finally said shyly: Occasionally we can hit, but if many of us lie in wait and shoot at the same time, we will definitely hit.