The sunset was low, the sea was lapping against the side of the ship, and the first day of the fifth year of Tongzhi was about to pass. The decks of Dutch merchant ships were crowded with young men in blue military uniforms, their right hands stretched out on their foreheads, saluting all the Chinese who saw them off on the docks.

Choked with tears and cries on the docks, the majestic military posture of the new army was imprinted in the hearts of the people of the Lion City in just one day. From 8 o'clock in the morning to 5 o'clock in the afternoon, only nine hours, not to look at the short, but what it brought to the Chinese people in the city was an unforgettable dignity.

"Peace, a safe journey...... Come back to the Lion City when you come back, and let us do our best again......

"The Chinese people in the world are one family, we are waiting for you to bring back the good news......"

The sound of blessings and cries on the pier resounded in the sky, and when the merchant ship began to break away from the trestle with a slight shock, the crowd suddenly moved, and everyone subconsciously wanted to rush forward. The send-off people close to the pier crackled and fell into the water, and the sailors who rescued people also desperately swam somewhere, and the whole send-off scene was chaotic.

The young men of the New Army were about to jump off the boat to save people, but the old men on the shore were shouting, "Don't look back when you travel far away, it's unlucky... Don't jump ship, don't jump ship, leave us alone...... I wish you a victorious start..."As he spoke, his head instantly lowered, and in addition to kneeling, the most honorable thing in Chinese etiquette was to bow long.

Xiao Hexin bit his lip and didn't let himself cry, but the tears had already rolled down his eyes, and the scene in front of them was blurry.

The Chinese who climbed ashore from the sea did not have time to change their clothes, so they bowed down to the ship, the elderly saw off the new army with a long bow, the children with their horns knelt directly on the pier and kowtowed to their uncles in their mother country, and even the women went out of their homes to give them blessings.

"Blood is always thicker than water, and we will come back..." all three hundred new soldiers wept, and their saluting hands trembled. Xiao Hexin suddenly yelled at the brothers.

"If you live a lifetime and can live like this, even if you die, it's worth it... Instead of living a mediocre and servile life, it is better to spill blood and change the respect of all people..."

"Wait for us, we will come back......" cries, and the Dutch merchant ship set sail full sail to cross the Strait of Malacca.

At the top of the deck, the Dutch captain and Jonas were dumbfounded, how many times can they see such a touching and bloody scene in their lives? The Dutch captain sighed and said, "What a proud group of soldiers, it reminds me of the sharpness of Britain when it defeated the Spanish Armada, how can China have such elite soldiers and be defeated by the British twice in a row?"

Jonas smiled wryly and said, "Because that country is so big, they have countless such hot-blooded young people, and they also have more corrupt officials and minions, and of course, they also have the largest number of insensitives. In that country, good people want to do something, and there will always be more wicked people to drag their hands and feet, or even press into the muddy pond......"

"Hey...... The ugly soul is like this, because he himself is soaked in dung and can't get out, and he will try his best to drag everyone else into it. I really don't know if Xiao Letian will be able to protect the flame of hope in China in the future, but I hope these good guys will not be worn out by those corrupt officials and minions......"

Jonas recalled what he had encountered and seen in Beijing, shook his head and sighed, and really sweated for this group of young men and Xiao Letian in his heart.

The voyage was much smoother, with clippers crossing the Strait of Malacca into the Indian Ocean, resupplying at Colombo and heading straight for Mogadishu, Africa, followed by the coast of Africa towards the Cape of Good Hope.

The days passed, and after the young man carried the initial seasickness and discomfort with his enthusiasm, he was finally in the mood to appreciate the vastness of the world.

People say that it is better to read 10,000 books than to travel 10,000 miles, it really makes sense, travel is like a life practice, when the exotic and strange customs and customs are shown one by one in front of the new army, they can truly understand how vast the world is.

On the ship, the new soldiers eagerly learned German from Jonas for daily use, and even compiled a thin German-English-Chinese dictionary themselves.

It was impossible for the soldiers to become proficient in German for three months, but there was no problem with daily conversations, and in the end Jonas even taught them some military German in advance, and he was already preparing them for battle.

By the beginning of April in 1866, the stormy Dutch merchant ships had finally seen the lighthouse in the Strait of Gibraltar, and they had finally returned to Europe.

"Dear Chinese guests, welcome to Europe, to the civilized world, with the Strait of Gibraltar in front of you...... "With a roar from the lookout, countless new troops leaned on the side of the ship and looked out.

The Strait of Gibraltar is the gateway to the Atlantic Ocean from the Mediterranean, where sails flutter like clouds and even steam paddle steamers sail across the sea. In the eyes of these young soldiers, this is not something that can be summed up in a single sentence, and they can already feel the power that makes Europe stronger.

"Lads, our journey ends in Hamburg, and to celebrate your entry into Europe, I will treat you to a drink of French wine...... Don't save money for me, Mr. Fan from Tanggu Port has already provided enough silver coins for us to drink......"

After a short feast, Jonas began to give orders to the new army. Since the Kingdom of Prussia did not sign a formal diplomatic agreement with Xiao Letian, the 300 new troops were still smuggled in the legal sense, so when sailing in European waters, no one could be on deck, so as not to cause diplomatic disputes.

"Gentlemen, please understand my bitterness, the appearance of 300 Chinese soldiers in Europe will certainly cause a sensation, especially Britain and France, and they will certainly pay close attention...... So you can't be in public until the prime minister has signed. ”

"The captain and I have arranged for me to temporarily go ashore in Rotterdam to send a telegram, and when the Hamburg side is ready, we will enter the port of Hamburg at night, and I will properly place you in the barracks, and I hope that you will live in seclusion and not cause unnecessary trouble......"

The soldiers began to talk to each other with a bang, not expecting that landing in Europe would be so troublesome, is this a distrust of us or an insult?

Xiao Hexin said with a blushing face, "I understand your plight, we can obey the arrangement, but before the formal contract is signed, the silver coins in the merchant ship must be kept by us......"

"Yes, there is no formal diplomatic agreement, and no one wants to touch the adult's silver coins......" The brothers exploded at once.

Jonas said with a bitter face, "You better not do this, Mr. Xiao is because he believes in the virtue of the Prussian nation that he will send the silver coin on the ship with only one memorandum, and you are afraid that the king and the prime minister will misunderstand Mr. Xiao's ......sincerity by doing so."

"Hmph... Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, the conditions given by our adults can already prove sincerity, do you want to take the money without signing the agreement? don't even think about it......"

The collective toughness of the officers left Jonas speechless, knowing that it was a bit unreasonable to move money from a memo, and finally he could only nod his head.

After a brief three-hour stop off Rotterdam, Jonas took a small sampan to the port, sent an urgent telegram to Hamburg, and then immediately returned to the merchant ship and continued north.

At this time, Europe had attached great importance to telegraph technology, and Jonas's heavy information was transmitted to Hamburg at almost the speed of light, and when the military operator received this codecode, he did not dare to slack off and quickly delivered it to the Hamburg Prime Minister's residence.

Coincidentally, Bismarck happened to be in Hamburg at this time to inspect Mr. Nobel's new explosives factory and other munitions factories, and he did not live in Berlin. When he received the coded message that the intelligence officer had deciphered for him, the bearded prime minister's eyes widened like brass bells, and he could stuff two eggs in his mouth.

"Is there any mistake in your translation? Is it really Jonas, my student has returned, and he has brought a million taels of silver and three hundred Chinese troops?"

The intelligence officer stood in front of the table and said with a wry smile: "Your Excellency, do you think that with Jonas's strict temperament, he will be able to lie and deceive people? ”

Bismarck, the iron-blooded prime minister who is in turmoil, is really a state of affairs today. He could easily face the politicians of all Europe, but today he could not face a group of soldiers from the East.

In the minds of Europeans during this period, distant China was synonymous with isolation. Let's not talk about whether they are strong or not, their strength to close their eyes and look at the world is enough for Europeans to laugh at.

Jonas was first a secretary to Bismarck, and the relationship between the two was the best master-apprentice relationship, Bismarck let Jonas go to the far east, in fact, he didn't think about getting any diplomatic breakthroughs, in fact, he just wanted to give his apprentice a chance to experience.

But I never thought that my young apprentice would be so neat, although he did not get the diplomatic agreement of the Great Qing Kingdom, but it was also a big surprise to take the line of the Prime Minister of the Ryukyus.

"One million taels of silver, that's a full $2.5 million, and there are more war loans to be shipped in the next three years, which will solve our urgent needs. ”

The current Prussia is definitely a typical example of reckless military force in human history, and the national compulsory military system has provided Prussian Germany with sufficient soldiers, but it has also severely destroyed the German economy.

Countless women and child laborers filled the factories, and every copper plate of the working class and every grain of grain of the peasant class were concentrated and supplied to the military on a priority basis. What is even stricter is that Germany even forbade any luxury goods that he had ever passed into customs at this time, and the German emperor was afraid that any gold coins would flow out of Germany.

But today, Jonas was able to bring in $2.5 million in cash, and there was a long-term loan agreement, which was enough for Germany to arm an army of 150,000 to 200,000, which eased the finances of the Reich.

"Arrange the train, I will return to Berlin to meet the king at once, you must cooperate with Jonas to prepare for the reception, you must not make the guests from afar feel unappreciated, nor can you indulge the guests to move around Germany at will, and you will have to wait for me to come back before making a decision..."

This book was first published from 17K Novel Network, the first time to see the genuine content!R405