The mage in the late Qing Dynasty

Zhao Chuanxin has not returned to Lugang Town for a long time, and many changes have quietly taken place here.

Samuel Goldberg and Rachel Kravis are enjoying their time in Lugang.

In the evening, Samuel Goldberg was invited to drink tea by Liu Guigui. He said one thing: "Did you know that at the end of April this year, London will host the Olympic Games. This is a grand event with athletes from five continents participating. It’s a lot of buzz and it means a lot.”

Liu Guogui’s biggest motivation for doing things in the past two years is to show off.

On the road of "pretending to be cool", he went further and further.

In order to show off, he learned English, and usually invited Samuel Goldberg, a foreigner, to drink and drink tea just to practice his spoken English.

Liu Guoguo scratched his head: "Sports meeting? What is that for?"

"Promote the spirit of sports and strengthen the body." Samuel Goldberg said: "The standard of living and physical fitness of the people can be seen through the level of athletes in each country. Winning medals in the Olympics will gain world-renowned glory. It can also bring glory to the country.”

When Liu Guoguo heard about the "glory that attracts worldwide attention", his eyes immediately brightened: "Haha, then Lugang Town must participate."

…

On the train heading south from Beijing.

Belgian counselor Lin Ade, Roman Catholic missionary Van Dijk, and British "The Times" Beijing correspondent Morrison gathered at the table.

Lin Ade said with a cautious face: "You two, in the northwest region of the Qing Dynasty, banditry is even more serious than outside the customs. After all, there is Zhao Chuanxin outside the customs, so the gangsters will be somewhat restrained. But it is different in places like Shaanxi and Gansu. There is even collusion between soldiers and bandits. As the local saying goes - if you want to be an official, you will be a bandit chief; if you want to sit in a sedan chair, you will be kidnapped! This is no joke, so we have to keep a low profile."

There have been many rebellions in the northwest region. The rebel bandits suddenly changed their identities and were recruited by the court to quell the rebellion.

That's why there is such a saying.

Van Dijk wears gold-rimmed glasses like Lin Ade, but Lin Ade has a long beard, while Van Dijk has a clean shaven beard. Perhaps this is related to his identity.

Van Dijk frowned: "I am a missionary, just like a monk or a Taoist priest here. Do gangsters still make things difficult for monks?"

Morrison, who has lived in China for a long time, smiled: "In the Qing Dynasty, the last thing you need to worry about is the officials, followed by the common people, and what we should fear the most are the bandits. They don't care what your status is, as long as you have money, kidnapping for meat is a common occurrence . My servant was kidnapped once, and they released him only after I paid the ransom. Later, Zhao Chuanxin came out, and things became more peaceful outside the customs, but there are still some gangsters in remote areas."

This guy earns a lot of money. No matter where he goes for filming, he has to have servants at his service at all times. He even has to use a car to carry large and small packages.

Looking at Lin Ad, who was wearing a melon silk satin cap and a simple cotton robe and vest, Van Dijk suddenly said: "If I dress up like you, maybe they will treat me as a poor man and won't rob me." ?”

"That's it. It also allows you to integrate into the lives of local people and facilitate missionary work."

In fact, Lin Ade still doesn't understand. Ordinary people can't afford his silk satin hat.

Van Dijk was surprised: "Seeing that you are all talking about Zhao Chuanxin, is Zhao Chuanxin the man known as the 'Butcher of the Far East'? It seems that he is a good person in the Qing Dynasty?"

Morrison smiled, made no comment, and looked out the car window.

On a nearby railway track, an oncoming train was approaching.

This is the train going north on the Beijing-Hankou Railway.

Suddenly a loud noise was heard, and a violent explosion occurred in the last two carriages of the train.

Flying sand and rocks, the earth trembled and the mountains shook.

The carriage where Morrison and others were located was affected by air waves and sand, and the glass was shattered.

Van Dijk's cheek was wiped with a bloody mark by a stone, but luckily the others were not injured.

The people in the car were stunned.

…

Zhao Chuanxin took Nikola Tesla to stay in Xi'an that night. The next day, he passed through Sanmenxia and stopped at the Wei River to disembark.

They bought two horses and took the land route from Guanzhong through the Hexi Corridor to Suzhou.

Next to the post road, three piers and barracks forming a beacon appear constantly in an angle. Poor pedestrians in patches of cotton robes are everywhere. Loess and windy sand are everywhere, making the environment very desolate.

Nikola Tesla's lips were chapped by the cold wind, and he became more and more confused as he walked: "Zhao, are you sure you want to build a laboratory in this environment?"

Zhao Chuanxin looked a little embarrassed: "Ahem, so what, this is also beneficial. At least you won't be remembered, and no one will come to burn your laboratory and experimental materials, don't you think?"

He himself was a little worried, because the place where the laboratory was to be built must be more desolate than this...

It is better to take the train first and then take the waterway. If you go directly by land, you have to cross the Taihang Mountains, which is really hard.

Nikola Tesla remained silent, feeling more or less deceived.

There are many post road tip stations on the Hexi Corridor. When people are tired and their horses are tired, they have to tip off, eat some food, drink some water, feed the horses grass, and take a rest before continuing on the road.

There is a small temple next to Jian Station.

Although the temple is small, it has all the main ridges, vertical ridges, and owl tails, as well as cloth tubes, tiles, tiles, and dripping water.

The roof protects the wooden frame from rainwater erosion. There are wooden fences between the frames and also wooden fences under the floors.

Zhao Chuanxin dismounted, tied the horse, and rested in a pavilion made of loess.

There was a group of traveling merchants with a convoy of seven large mule carts with loose rope harnesses on the shafts and mules in front. The carts were loaded with boxes, baskets, and baskets, and were covered with mats to protect them from rain and sun.

Due to the long journey and rugged roads, we cannot carry too much cargo.

At this time, seven mule carts were arranged in a row on the ramp outside the top station, with wooden monkeys gnawing under the wheels to prevent them from slipping.

The team owner, seven drivers, and two bodyguards were all resting in the pavilion.

When Zhao Chuanxin saw the boss pulling a leg of lamb that was slightly dried on the surface from the car, he said, "Boss gave us a leg of lamb. The price is easy to talk about."

During Zhao Chuanxin's trip, the secret space was filled with all kinds of supplies. He didn't bring any extra food. He just resupplied along the way and bought what he could eat now.

Zhao Chuanxin was dressed very thinly, with thermal underwear underneath, a gray-green Henley shirt as a base layer, a denim jacket on the outside, and a thick Arabian kerchief around his neck, which he used to protect himself from the wind and sand while riding.

The team owner was very generous. He casually pulled out another leg of lamb and said in a thick Linxia dialect: "Just give me some money."

What kind of temperament does Zhao Chuanxin have? The more cowardly you are, the more he will take advantage of you; the more generous you are, the more he will give you.

So he tossed a piece of ocean over and said, "Man, take it."

The man laughed and didn't mention any change.

Zhao Chuanxin moved the knife like flying and shaved the mutton leg into slices.

It doesn't matter if it's dried, it will become soft again after marinating it with soy sauce, soybean oil, cooking wine and various seasonings.

Take out the baking pan and light a fire to bake on it.

It was also a leg of lamb. The fragrance from Zhao Chuanxin's side was wafting in the wind, but the dry look from the team boss's side was unappetizing.

The team owner swallowed his saliva and came forward with a bag of wine: "I don't want your money anymore, but I still care about the wine. How about sharing some of the meat with me?"

Although Zhao Chuanxin gave up some pots and pans, he never tired of eating and had to bring various seasonings with him.

Zhao Chuanxin laughed: "I'll treat you to this meal."

"Okay, this road is not peaceful. You and the convoy should take care of each other. Both of my escorts are equipped with fast guns. Small groups of bandits are not a problem!"

They met by chance, and they didn't know each other's names. They had a barbecue around the fire, drank wine, and talked freely. Zhao Chuanxin felt that it was a bit interesting.

Nikola Tesla was very particular about food, but how could he care so much when traveling long distances?

The lamb leg meat was roasting sizzlingly on the baking pan, soaked in soybean oil and supplemented by various spices. Even the monk couldn't stand the smell of the smell.

Near the sharp station, children carrying dung baskets to pick up horse dung were all attracted by the aroma.

Nikola Tesla asked: "Zhao, what do they pick up horse manure for? Is it used as fertilizer?"

Zhao Chuanxin explained: "It is not used as fertilizer, but horse manure is picked up to burn the kang."

The northwest is bitterly cold and there are not many trees. The only options for burning fires are horse dung and dead grass.

The three ragged little friends looked at them eagerly, but Zhao Chuanxin and the team owner had no intention of giving them any points.

Saving the poor won't save them at all.

Zhao Chuanxin drank a little bit of wine, and then stopped when he felt sweat on his forehead.

After they finished eating, the three children ran away carrying horse manure on their backs.

After a little tidying up, Zhao Chuanxin got on his horse and followed the convoy.

But the team boss said to the two bodyguards: "Be alert, those three children might be being watched by bandits."