When it was time to set sail the next day, Pastor Mike not only came on his own, but also brought a dozen international personalities. This was a bit unexpected for Mai Ke. He meant to invite Pastor Mike alone. Of course, this was just what he thought in his heart at the time, and he didn't make it clear.

Since it's here, it doesn't matter how many more people there are. As soon as Mike introduced him, Mai Ke was happy. It turned out that in addition to three of these people who were priests like Mike, four of them were adventurers who did things like mercenaries. The other four, even more special, according to Mike, are not serious about their profession;

Introducing the names of these four adventurers, Mai Ke was happy again. These people are all famous in history. Listen to their names: Harry, Bai Juwen, Keling, and Robert. The names of all four men, with the exception of Robert, are recorded in historical sources.

In real history, these people all participated in the Taiping Revolution and joined the long battle against the Manchus. Among them, Bai Juwen was finally captured by the Manchu army, and despite his immunity from foreigners, he sank into the water and drowned on the way to escort him. Because during the years of war, the Manchu soldiers and those in power hated him to the core.

Great, I'm short of a coach for the Guns.

Those three pastors must have agreed with Mike that they could be involved in missions, but that their kingdom claims needed to be limited. Let's go over and talk about it first.

Four scientists, Mai Ke knows a little bit about them. Because when Mike made introductions, they also kept recommending themselves and touting how good they were. It seems that Huai Cai has not met for too long, and he has forced a scientist who is immersed in research to become a salesman of fake and inferior products.

One is a researcher in chemistry and seems to know a little about medicine and explosives, and the other is a firearms expert who has a lot of ideas for large-caliber guns.

The third is a smelting expert who has succeeded in refining high-strength steel, and the last is a shipbuilding expert who says he can build a behemoth more than ten times larger than the most advanced ships today. As long as the required materials are complete.

The more such people there are, the better! Mai Ke shook hands with them one by one and welcomed them. At the same time, it is especially emphasized to each scientist that if they have friends with the same aspirations, they are welcome to call them all.

Before the commotion was over here, there were more than a dozen people over there. Mai Ke saw that it was Pastor Liang Fa. Okay, why don't you join in the fun?

When I looked closer, I saw that each of these people was carrying a sack with bulging bags inside. In addition, they don't pay attention to their dress, and those who don't know them think they are the new recruits of the beggar gang.

Mai Ke shook hands with Liang Fa, and then asked him, "Brother, which one are you doing?"

"Yes, there is something. I'm here to ask you for a consecration. I am presiding over Peter's wedding and organizing the sisters of the church, and how come you, a rich man, have not even made a donation?

"Yes, yes, it's my fault, come to the ship, I'll give it to you. If you don't mention it, I really ignored it. ”

When he arrived on the boat, Liang Fa told Mai Ke the real reason why he came.

It turned out that Pastor Liang Fa had been preaching for more than ten years, and he had traveled all over the vast area within a radius of four or five hundred kilometers. In the course of years of zealous evangelism, he devised two methods.

One is the printing of gospel pamphlets. He was originally a printer, but later learned a new method with the foreign pastor Mi Lien, who led him to the Lord, to print on both sides and produce beautiful Gospel chapters. He spent most of his time printing and distributing preaching materials around his back.

Another way is to follow up and distribute gospel materials to those who participated in the imperial examinations. It doesn't matter if it's a township, county or state capital, wherever there is an exam, he will follow him. This is the case with Hong Xiuquan, who, during the exam, received a single chapter of his gospel and came into contact with the Christian faith.

He devoted his whole mind to spreading the gospel farther afield, especially in the upper reaches of the Xijiang valley in Guangxi. Therefore, as soon as he heard the news that he could go to the interior of Gwangse, he immediately handed over the affairs of the local church in Gwangju to his deputy, and rushed over with his 12 students, to go to the area of Gyeonggang in Wuzhou to open up a new gospel field.

This is also a key preparation of God. These strong-willed, faith-mature pastors are necessary for the pure faith of the people of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the soldiers of the Taiping Army in the future.

A few horns blew and Peter's ship set sail. Ten tall pirate ships surrounded the perimeter, and even outside were the ships of the boat gang, and I don't know how many there were. Not only that, but the part above deck is covered with large tarpaulins, which from a distance is indistinguishable from a large cargo ship.

This was the first time that a foreign warship had sailed into the inland waters of the Liangguang region, and at the same time, foreign missionaries had penetrated into the interior. However, on the surface, it was all carried out in the way that Mai Ke and Governor Ye had discussed.

Looking at the fleet going upstream, gradually moving away, in a small three-story building built by the river, the two people looking out of the window sighed, turned their heads to the table and sat down.

This is Zeng Guofan and Ye Mingchen, a pair of friends. Both of them had a relationship with Mai Ke, both touched and worried. Therefore, the two took the opportunity of this meeting to plan countermeasures.

"Brother Kunchen, if it's not my back, Zheng Zuchen, the governor of Guangxi, is not a reliable lord. Today's officials are all getting by, even making trouble when they have nothing to do, and they are afraid to avoid it when they have something. Zheng Futai can deal with errands, but when he encounters chaos, I'm afraid he will be helpless. Zeng Guofan spoke first.

Both of them were familiar with the affairs of the two lights, and the area had always been a place of chaos. Resistance, popular uprising, banditry, that is called one after another. Although it has also caused a lot of trouble, in the eyes of these two, it is nothing more than a disease of ringworm and scabies. Because they have neither a clear proposition nor a coherent organization. A rabble can't make the climate.

But now there is Christianity! After talking with Mai Ke, Zeng Guofan sorted out the Christian beliefs he had heard, and also looked through the Bible from time to time to check it. The text of the Bible is quite easy for Lao Zeng to understand, and those who have understood the four books and the five classics are naturally easy to understand.

As a result, he further concluded. This belief is extraordinary! Not only does it have a self-justifying system, but it also has far-reaching intentions and solid foundations. It is even more clever than the way of Confucius and Mencius that he has always adhered to.

This mastery is to clearly put forward the fundamental position that God created all things and govern one qiē, and that all human thoughts, words, and actions should be guided by God's will.

This norm is absolute, indisputable, unexplained, and unchangeable.

If you only see this level, it is not too much of a problem, but it is just another layer on top of the supreme imperial power. If it is combined with the constant chaos of the rabble that already exists in the Liangguang region?

There is another layer, which is the person Mai Ke. He gave him the problems he encountered, and he has been entangled until now and has not been solved. The two extremes of heroism and compassion above 10,000 people are embodied in Mai Ke at the same time, which is very incomprehensible and unfathomable.

Although Lao Ye didn't think so much, he had more contact with Christianity than Lao Zeng, a brother who had lived in the center for a long time. He also adhered to a principle before, as long as you don't make trouble and don't cause trouble, I won't have much to prohibit or interfere with.

After listening to his old friend's analysis, he also had the same worries as Lao Zeng. However, because of his deep understanding of the Manchu ruling system, he could not help but feel powerless again.

Not to mention those top decision-makers who don't leave the deep palace, isn't his top boss Qi Ying just as stubborn, mediocre and incompetent, and crushes himself to death?

"I also feel that the crisis is very strong now. It is equivalent to a pile of dry firewood that has been accumulated there for a long time, and when it touches a barrel of oil, a little bit will ignite a sky-high fire. This day is the Lord of the North Meridian. When did the Han people's opposition to the Manchu rule stop!" Lao Ye sighed and said helplessly, "But what can we do but hope that this fire will not be lit?"

At this time, Lao Zeng, who was praised by the Manchu Qing as the minister of Zhongxing, reflected his decisiveness, "I have decided to return to my hometown in Hunan and immediately organize self-defense forces." Then he returned to the North and wrote to ask the emperor for permission. If there is trouble, Hunan will not be lost. Those banner soldiers who drag a big smoking gun all day long and the green battalion are simply unreliable!"

The powerful minister in history waved his hand vigorously, "If we can't even keep our hometown friends, it will be extremely useless! Brother Kunchen, I don't ask you anything else, but I implore you to pay attention to blocking the chaotic party in Guangxi, and don't let them cause trouble in Guangdong, and then go north by sea." If something happens that we're worried about. ”

It's often the case, and the good things don't get the bad. After a short period of time, the things that the two were worried about not only happened, but also the scale and scope of the incident were even more than many times that of Yan zhòng.

Lao Ye could only smile bitterly. Due to the limitations of his power and responsibility, I am afraid that he will not even be able to fully control Gwangju City, let alone the entire Gwangdong. Unless you can move the center and transfer Qiying, I will replace him, it will be possible. He was reluctant to complain too much about this reality and poured cold water on his old friend, but just smiled noncommittally and responded to his old friend's ardent expectations of him.

"Disheng, you also know my situation, many things are more than enough but not enough. I'll definitely do my best, though. ”

After bidding farewell to Governor Ye, Zeng Guofan returned directly to his hometown, Hu Chang Nansha. He counted in his heart some of the civil and military generals who could be used in his mind, the management staff, and the economic talents, so that all his strength and savings, people and materials should make the best use of their talents, and make the best use of their resources, so as to completely realize the idea of applying the world to the world, and show the invincible power of the way of Confucius and Mencius.

Lao Zeng was immersed in his grand plan, but he didn't know that several pairs of eyes had been staring at him, following him all the way from Gwangju City to Changsa. Once again, the life of this wise man was in danger.