The mage in the late Qing Dynasty

It's raining outside, but it can't stop Chen Zhaochang's eager heart.

He urged Wu Luzhen to go to Zhao Chuanxin even if it rained.

Before, he had not agreed that he was the one cooperating with the wanted criminals of the imperial court, but now he was the one who was anxious.

The spring rain is lingering in the sky. It doesn't look crisp at all, but the rain is actually quite heavy.

The swallow's sharp wings cut through the rain curtain, revealing the buds of willow-leaf and hydrangeas sprouting wildly along the road.

Wu Luzhen, wearing a raincoat, led her entourage to inquire.

The camp of the Backwater Army was supposed to be kept secret.

But when you go out for training or shopping, it's impossible for some news to leak out.

When the local people learned about such a non-official and non-bandit team, they gave the location of the rebel army a name - Laoyinggou.

Except for areas with ethnic characteristics, the place names outside the customs are all given very randomly.

For example, in Jilin, place names come out of the mouth and are expressed directly with numbers, such as several ditches, forks, and rivers.

Laoyinggou is a little more attentive. There are also Eagle ditch, Yezhu ditch, Heixiazi ditch and so on. You will get confused if you don't pay attention.

Wu Luzhen went into the mountain in the rain, trudged and struggled in the mud for a long time, and finally saw the outline of the Beishui Army camp from a distance.

Looking into the distance under the rain curtain, looking around, I saw that there are mostly rolling hills with soft lines and gentle terrain. But the path is very deep. If an enemy attacks, there is only one way to attack.

But the troops carrying the enemy can flee in all directions, or choose a road up the mountain without difficulty. They can even push the field artillery up the mountain and launch it from a distance.

Wu Luzhen lamented: The local selection is really bad!

After going up and down the winding mountain and through tunnels, Wu Luzhen finally arrived at the outskirts of the camp.

A hidden sentry discovered him. Perhaps seeing that there were only two of them, he showed up with a gun and asked: "Who is it?"

"Go and report to Captain Zhao, Captain Zhao, and tell him that Wu Luzhen came to see him."

The secret sentry of the backwater army took out his binoculars and looked behind Wu Luzhen. When he found that no one was there, he said, "Come with me."

He took oil paper, covered the important parts of the gun to prevent it from rusting, and led the two of them into the camp.

There is a pavilion on the training ground. The pavilion is very large and can accommodate four to five hundred people.

Because of the rain, all the soldiers of the Backwater Army rested here to take shelter from the rain.

When Wu Luzhen arrived, he saw a group of soldiers from the rebel army surrounding Zhao Chuanxin in the center, while the ground next to Zhao Chuanxin was smoking.

There are wisps of meaty aroma, which is filled with fireworks. Even the rain can't extinguish this aroma.

He walked into the shed and coughed: "Captain Zhao, Mr. Wu is here to bother you today."

Zhao Chuanxin straightened up and took a look in the middle of the crowd, and waved to Wu Luzhen: "Old Wu is here, come here quickly."

Wait for Wu Luzhen to take off her raincoat and squeeze into the crowd.

It turned out that there was a hole dug in the center of the pavilion.

There is a jar buried in the pit, and the rim of the jar is lower than the pit mouth.

On the pit, there were several logs with hooks hanging on them, and several fat geese were hung on the hooks.

The tank should be filled with charcoal and the smoke should not be too great.

The skin of the goose is shiny and shiny even on rainy days. It is burnt and the color is very attractive.

Occasionally, grease falls onto the charcoal in the vat, and a fire ignites like a bud emerging from the earth in spring.

Those oil fumes are mainly caused by this.

A group of soldiers who were backing the water army stared greedily at the big vat with their Adam's apple rolling.

"Captain Zhao, what are you..."

Zhao Chuanxin said happily: "No, I promised them a few days ago that as long as they train well, I will take them to eat delicious food if it rains one day."

"Haha, Captain Zhao really doesn't get tired of eating fine meats and fine meats. This kind of eating method has never been heard of by Wu."

"Old Wu, you are so damn lucky. Even rain can't stop you from enjoying the delicious food."

"..."

Cui Fenghua recognized Wu Luzhen and had the foresight to bring him a small horse.

Wu Luzhen thanked him.

Then he asked Zhao Chuanxin: "Captain Zhao, what's the point of this?"

"Famous?" Zhao Chuanxin said with his fingers: "That's a lot. I learned this method from my friends in Hong Kong Island. Use cinnamon bark, bay leaves, nutmeg, cumin, Sichuan peppercorns, tangerine peel, cloves, tangerine peel, Dry ginger, all these must be ground into powder. Add sugar, soy sauce, flour sauce, and salt, and stuff them into the goose belly. Spread maltose, rice vinegar, and wine on the outer skin. The vat is inside the pit to reduce heat leakage. The vat is heated The skin is baked evenly and crispy. This slow fire allows the flavor of the seasonings to slowly penetrate into the meat. Finally, the skin is crispy and the meat is fragrant and chewy. It tastes like a yummy..."

I am Cao!

Wu Luzhen felt like she was in trouble.

Why don't you say it in such detail, it will make your mouth water?

If you listen carefully, the sound of swallowing around you can even be heard louder than the sound of rain outside.

"So, when will this be ready to bake?"

Zhao Chuanxin raised his head and looked at the vat: "It will take a while to cook the delicious food slowly."

What a mean mouth.

Wu Luzhen said sincerely that she wouldn't have asked if she had known about it earlier. The most painful thing was having to wait after asking.

After a while, he suddenly came to his senses.

You came here with a mission, why are you just thinking about delicious food?

This captain Zhao probably knew his purpose of coming and did this on purpose.

Duan is extremely treacherous!

He cleared his throat and said: "Captain Zhao, I'm here mainly for "Dadong and the Map" this time."

After going around in a circle, Zhao Chuanxin still didn't escape.

"Oh, that's how it is."

Wu Luzhen was waiting, but nothing happened.

He was anxious: "Captain Zhao, if you don't foresee everything, it will be ruined. We have to plan ahead. That Shinoda is smarter than a monkey and extremely treacherous. What if we let him know about "Dadong and the Map" first? If he destroyed all the original books, we would have no evidence."

In fact, Zhao Chuanxin was also very troubled.

The Qing court was weak and unreliable in diplomacy.

As long as you learn a little bit of the shamelessness of Xiao Nippon and Bangzi, or you can be tougher and more aggressive, you won't be controlled by others everywhere.

Little Japan was also forced to knock on the door of the country, but they did not always feel that they could not do anything to anyone, but instead made trouble everywhere.

Cixi was beaten twice, and she couldn't recover from her humiliation.

And he can't really start a war, because the rebel army can't defeat it in an all-out war.

If the backing army is defeated, Cixi's urinary temperament may lead to retreat again and again.

Besides, his main purpose was not to fight, but to regain the land. It makes people miserable, which is not beautiful at all.

He said helplessly: "I don't know what you are thinking. The little Japs and Bangzi are obviously trying to push their limits. Bring all the Beiyang troops outside the pass and clearly tell the little Japs to come and fight if they dare, and fight to the last soldier. Do you think he is afraid? It has only been a year or two since the Russo-Japanese War, and they dare not really continue to launch a war."

This is indeed very Zhao Chuanxin.

Wu Luzhen sneered: "I can't decide on this matter. Besides, diplomacy is not that simple. Japan does not dare to provoke a war, and we do not dare to start a war. We cannot afford it for the time being. If we can fight without bloodshed, it is better not to fight."

Zhao Chuanxin rolled his eyes.

During this time, he was actually making an idea.

He suddenly asked: "If we take back the Jiandao area, what are you going to do with this land?"

As soon as these words came out, Wu Luzhen was a little confused.

Not only him, but Xu Shichang, Chen Zhaochang, and even Cixi must have never thought about this issue.

What can be done?

Of course, just as it was in the past, so will it be in the future.

"This, the Jiandao area, was originally land that the imperial court kindly gave to the Korean people who suffered hardships. It is estimated that this will continue to be the case in the future."

"Shit!" Zhao Chuanxin was furious: "Learning from the past, if you give them free land, they will eventually tell you that this is the boundary of South Korea. In another ten years, they will come back and kick their noses in the face."

That's just the way it is.

After World War II, some of the sticks who lived on the island returned to their home countries, while the rest stayed and were assimilated.

However, these sticks, who had been kindly taken in by the Qing court, swore that Jiandao had been South Korea's inherent territory since ancient times.

If you fall out, you won't recognize anyone.

Zhao Chuanxin would not tolerate their mistakes.

"Um... Captain Zhao, do you have any ideas?"

"Of course!" Because he knew that Wu Luzhen was an undercover agent lurking in the Qing court, Zhao Chuanxin did not have too many scruples and said directly: "I have chosen this place. If I want to come back, this will be the base of the rebel army. I want to check the accounts and collect taxes!"

Off the mark!

That was the original idea.

Essentially, this had little impact on the Qing court.

The land in Jiandao is like a rich man throwing a bowl of rice to a beggar on the roadside without any intention of receiving anything in return. The meal had been eaten, and the Qing court was now merely asserting its sovereignty over the bowl.

However, if Zhao Chuanxin collected taxes privately and the Qing court found out, his temper would be completely different.

The old Buddha in the Forbidden City was always stingy and merciless to his own people, but submissive to outsiders.

Can she bear this?

"Captain Zhao, is this difficult?"

"It depends on people. If Xu Shichang doesn't say it, if you don't say it, as long as I deal with old man Chen Zhaochang when the time comes, Cixi will never have the chance to know."

What a great move to pull the trigger.

However, things of this nature were actually done by local officials in the Qing court.

If officials hide from each other and protect each other, there will be no problem if no one exposes them. If Zhao Chuanxin can take care of everyone, then it won't make any difference.

However, Wu Luzhen still said: "But after driving away the Japanese, you also taxed the Korean farmers in Jiandao. Then wouldn't the good reputation you have accumulated in the Jiandao area be in vain?"

"Old Wu, you don't think I really care about them when I drew those cartoons about the rebels wearing a pair of pants with them, right? Wait until Little Japan leaves and see how I deal with these bitches! Whoever obeys me Chang, those who disobey me will perish, life and death will depend on whether they are obedient or not."

Wu Luzhen took a breath.

The Japanese, Koreans and the Qing court may be able to take advantage by showing off their lower limits.

But if you are shameless compared to the person in front of you, you really picked the wrong opponent!

Zhao Chuanxin knew a lot about crossing rivers and tearing down bridges, unloading mills and killing donkeys.

Zhao Chuanxin continued: "Although the population here is large and the land is fertile, don't forget that this is the main way for Japan to come to our territory through the Korean gateway. The army that backs the enemy does not take advantage. If the little Japanese invade, We are the first to bear the brunt. If you make a mistake, maybe one day in the future all the rebels will die for the country."

Wu Luzhen does not have Sharingan and cannot see into the future.

He was noncommittal: "Not that, not to that point."

Zhao Chuanxin responded: "Haha."

At this time, the roast goose is almost ready.

Zhao Chuanxin asked someone to carry a wooden stick and pull the roasted goose out.

He shouted: "Get on the chopping board!"

But he had a kitchen knife in his hand. He pulled out the goose-tail needle, drained the water from the chamber, chopped it into pieces and served it to the table!

The skin is golden red in color and the inside is fragrant.

Everyone can't wait.

Zhao Chuanxin shouted: "Have the pancakes been spread out over there?"

"It's spread out, here it comes."

"Bring the green onions!"

Someone brought the washed green onions over, and Zhao Chuanxin pressed them on the board and cut them into sections.

He rolled the roast goose and scallions into pancakes and handed each of Wu Luzhen and his entourage a piece of pancake.

"There are only a few roast geese, one piece of cake per person, no more."

Wu Luzhen took a bite, and when she chewed the goose skin inside, it was crispy and full of oil, and the aroma immediately bloomed on the tip of her tongue.

Mugwort, what a treat, this is what people should eat.

Zhao Chuanxin rolled one for the dry rice, rolled another for himself, and said to Cui Fenghua, "Go and wash your hands, then roll it up and share it with everyone."

He himself lay on the recliner and started eating comfortably.

All around are the sounds of chirping.

The spring rain was pattering outside, and as we feasted in the shed, we immediately felt the mood.

After eating, Zhao Chuanxin drank a cup of tea to relieve his tiredness.

It was delicious, but there was more monks and less meat, so I was not full.

But Wu Luzhen said that it was not in vain to come here.

He continued to ask: "Captain Zhao, when will I bother you to leave for South Korea?"

Zhao Chuanxin looked at the rain curtain outside the shed and said, "Let's take a look and wait for some information. I'll leave as soon as the information arrives."

People are restless on rainy days.

Similarly, someone braved the rain and came to Chen Daguang's clothing store.

When the waiter saw this person, he greeted him enthusiastically: "Please come in, sir."

Naoko Yuka was led to the back hall, where she skillfully picked up a pen and paper and wrote quickly. After writing, she stuffed it into an envelope. The clerk brought the paint and heated it to stick to the mouth of the envelope.

Naoko Yuka wears a gold ring on her hand. The surface of the ring is a sun-carved flower, like a lotus or a mandala. Although the shape is complex but regular, it is vaguely mysterious.

This flower is drawn based on the patterns that appear in front of people who practice "Taiyi Jinhua Purpose" when they meditate.

The true energy of the innate Taiyi can look inside and outside, and gain insight into the truth of all things.

Naoko Yuka stamped the ring surface on the fire paint, leaving the pattern behind, and then floated away.

The clerk, on the other hand, called someone to wrap the letter in waterproof oil paper, and then sent it to Laoyinggou in the rain.

When Zhao Chuanxin received the letter, he opened it and read it, with a relaxed smile on his face.

Liu Yonghe asked him curiously: "What did the Japanese girl say this time?"

In the past, this letter was delivered directly into his hands. But since Zhao Chuanxin came, he missed the contents of several letters.

Zhao Chuanxin didn't mean to show it to him, and said: "I have to go to South Korea, and when I get back, it's time to close the net. By then, Japan will probably be completely angry. Get ready, you may have to fight head-on. "

It's not like he hasn't been through it before, but Zhao Chuanxin's ability to be so solemn shows that this time the tough fight should be stronger than before.

Although Liu Yonghe did not approve of Zhao Chuanxin's way of leading troops, he still admired Zhao Chuanxin's method of playing tricks on Japan.

The facts are there. Little Japan is now overwhelmed and overwhelmed every day.

Their progress in building the Tongjianfu Police Station was abruptly delayed.

Zhao Chuanxin said to Liu Yonghe again: "Remember the hole that was dug to bury the vat that day? Find a piece of cowhide and cover it on the vat. Find someone to monitor it day and night. If a large group of people comes to attack, we can be there several miles away. Heard.”

"Is this possible?" Liu Yonghe expressed doubts.

"You don't understand. This is a trick used in ancient warfare. It's very easy to use. Every day when we go out for a morning run, you have people carefully distinguish the difference in the number of people and distances, and grasp the rules first. In case the Japanese jump over the wall and attack, say It might come in handy.”

…

According to the original trajectory, Saito Kijiro and Shinoda Harice would cross the river in Huining, North Korea during this period, pass by Dongshengyong, Juzi Street, Tongfo Temple, Tianbaoshan, Toudaogou, Longjing Village, and finally return to the village. Return to North Korea Jongseong.

They spent two weeks intensively inspecting the Hailan River and Burhatong River basins where Korean farmers live.

On the one hand, it is to give an answer to the Korean Tongyuan Office, and on the other hand, it is also determined to establish the Tongyuan Office police station in Longjing Village.

But now, their rhythm has been completely disrupted by Zhao Chuanxin, who leads them by the nose.

Therefore, after returning to Zhongcheng this time, the two of them frowned.

Because I am going to a banquet soon, how should I explain it to Superintendent Hirobumi Ito then?

Saito Kijiro regretted his mistake and said afterwards: "We shouldn't have started a public opinion war with Zhao Chuanxin. This person's control over people's hearts is terrible. We should have followed our own plan."

There was a lot of complaining in his words.

In the public opinion war, they were defeated across the board.

Before that, he completely trusted Shinoda Haruse, and Shinoda Harice did a good job at first.

Until Zhao Chuanxin appeared in the rebel army.

This is not the case for Shinoda Haruse. At first, he felt that he had a good harvest in both his love and career.

Now that his career has been hit, he can't help but feel a little depressed.

That was Naoko Yuka, her gentle and considerate caress made him feel a little warm.

He said bitterly: "As a last resort, we asked Ito Hirobumi to issue a note to the Qing court. We said that Jiandao is Chinese territory and South Korean territory. It has not been resolved for a long time. There are more than 100,000 Koreans there, and they are subject to horse thieves and rogues. Abuse. Therefore, the unified supervisor should send officers to Jiandao for protection. In this way, we first establish the police station, and the rest will be dealt with slowly by Zhao Chuanxin."

This is to create established facts first, and then act rogue to argue with the Qing court.

The backstabbers are what they call "horse thieves" and "rogues."

This style is very Japanese!

Having said that, Shinoda Haruse felt very uneasy in his heart.

Because they are rogues, and Zhao Chuanxin is even more rogue, worse than others.

There is a disadvantage in slandering rebels as "horse thieves" and "rogues."

For example, if Zhao Chuanxin did something outrageous, the Qing government would probably directly deny it and say it was none of their business. It was all done by "horse thieves" and "rogues."

There is also a benefit, that is, Japan has another reason to build police stations.

Anyway, they will have a headache then.

Saito Kijiro said fiercely: "Let's do it. By then, if Zhao Chuanxin continues to cause trouble, I will lead my troops to crush him and the backwater army."

Shinoda Haruse stood up: "Well, I'll take my leave now. I need to go back and prepare."

…

They were preparing, and so was Zhao Chuanxian.

He organized his own space and stored a large number of cans, bedding and other items in the hidden warehouse that Zhu Jianye had prepared earlier as inventory.

Shells for the Krupp field guns were replenished.

Finally, he asked Wu Luzhen to prepare a stick translation attendant named Jin Wuzhi.

Why use Bangzi as a translator?

Because Zhao Chuanxin felt that he could abandon him at any time and let him fend for himself without feeling guilty.