"It was an unbearable time, the British officer Helis and his bandit soldiers broke into the Old Summer Palace, and after the allied army headquarters ordered the looting, the invading army flocked to all corners of the garden, running to the palace, to the pavilion, to the pagoda, to the library, greedy and crazy to rob." When Zhang Tianyuan talks about this now, he can form a picture in his mind, a picture that makes people feel heartbroken.

"How many things have been robbed, and there doesn't seem to be a statistic now." Liu Mengxun asked suspiciously.

"How many treasures in the Old Summer Palace were looted and destroyed can no longer be counted, just two examples, it can be seen. When the looting was completed and the invading army marched from the Old Summer Palace to the imperial capital, the French vehicles loaded with goods walked for a full hour, and the thousands of carts and pack horses of the British expeditionary team were two kilometers long, and they were also fully loaded, and even filled with ammunition boxes and guns. When evacuating the Old Summer Palace, in order to make it easier for cannons and vehicles to pass, many exquisite clocks, wall clocks and ivory carvings were filled into the ditch where the vehicles had to pass. A large number of fine silks, precious clothing, jade, porcelain and other artistic treasures were not only looted, but also trampled and destroyed. Every soldier came home with a lot of money in his pocket. The gold and silver vaults in the Old Summer Palace were also opened and looted. The tragic appearance of the looting of the Old Summer Palace at that time is unimaginable. ”

"I know this, I saw a movie before, which describes the burning of the Old Summer Palace, but it should be the Eight-Nation Alliance, right?" Serpentine said.

"After this, the Eight-Nation Coalition was also led by Britain and France. These bastards are not satisfied with robbing their own things, and they even want to continue to plague China. After the British and French invaders, who prided themselves as "civilized people", completely ransacked the Old Summer Palace, they also wanted to completely destroy the Old Summer Palace. The fire lasted for three days. It's been three days! At that time, dozens of places in the Old Summer Palace were full of smoke, thousands of flames burst out, thick smoke and fog, covering the sky and the sun, all palaces, temples, ancient buildings were burned, turned into ashes. When Zhang Tianyuan said this, he angrily slammed the chair again.

He's not an angry young man though. However, he was extremely indignant at this kind of destruction of cultural relics, whether it was Chinese or foreigners who burned them, because he was a lover of cultural relics.

"At that time, the "Siku Quanshu" collected by the "Wenyuan Pavilion" and the "Siku Quanshu Huiyao" of the "Weizhen Shuwu". Along with its buildings, it was reduced to ashes, and only a small part of it was looted by the invading army and auctioned off to the civilian population. I thought that these things would no longer be found, but I did not expect that this time there would be a fragment of the Siku Quanshu at the auction in London. You've got to find a way to get your hands on this thing anyway! ”

"Alas. Anyway, some things have been preserved, and it's good that they haven't been destroyed. Liu Mengxun breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hmph, do you know that when the invading army withdrew from the Old Summer Palace, the only remaining 'Zhengda Guangming' hall and the Dagongmen area were burned down. So far, by Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang V carefully built the essence of hundreds of years, hundreds of millions of gold storage, as well as sect utensils, clothes, calligraphy and paintings, treasures, good play and other things...... Ten thousand palaces were reduced to ruins. The British and French forces looted and burned the Old Summer Palace, and the severe losses caused to the Chinese people are incalculable. It is impossible to count the looted and destroyed property. Witnessing this scene of the destruction of the garden, even the commander of the British Expeditionary Force, General Grant, who was actively carrying out the destruction of the garden at that time. I also have to admit that what they have done is 'an uncivilized act'. ”

"Husband, your expression is so scary."

"I'm sorry, my dear, I'm a little too excited, alas, I didn't expect that, after so many years, Hellis, Stein, and Birch have frequently appeared in market auctions related to Chinese antique collections, and their names are also associated with Chinese antiquities, maybe they think they are glorious? But this just confirms their banditry behavior! Zhang Tianyuan knows that Liu Mengxun is a native of Baodao, and Baodao basically does not publicize the invasion of the West, especially the Eight-Nation Coalition and Japan's invasion of China, almost reluctant to mention it, and even has a lot of beautification, she grew up in that environment, it is estimated that it is difficult to have hatred for these robbers in the West, but this is fine, this kind of painful hatred, it is enough to bear it alone.

Among the works in this auction, many of them were stolen from the Old Summer Palace, such as 2 jade treasures, 22 imperial concubine ceremonial staffs, 14 imperial concubine colored staffs, 1 old and new cloud disk umbrella, 13 brocade flags, 9 ivory, 2 elephant saddles, 2 war drums, 2 bells, 2 static whips and a number of accompanying items.

These things may not sound valuable, but they were undoubtedly stolen from the Old Summer Palace, which even these robbers can't rely on.

"The snake team is still powerful, such important information can be investigated, but I heard that these auctions are strictly confidential before the auction starts, but I am afraid that it will cause trouble if it is leaked. There have been similar situations before, some people tried to auction off things taken from the Old Summer Palace, but they were protested by the Chinese, and finally had to withdraw the auction, but an auction was held secretly, and many people only knew about it afterwards, so it can be seen how important secrecy is to this kind of thing. Zhang Tianyuan looked at the snake lin in front of him and said.

"Hey, I have to thank General Nie for this, well, let's not talk about it for now, I have to drive carefully, let's talk slowly when we get to the hotel, I'll tell you everything that happened." Serpentine smiled.

"Okay, no problem."

Because it was raining, it would be very unsafe to talk while driving, so Zhang Tianyuan did not force the snake, he kept thinking about the information about the lots he saw through the email, although many of those things were not valuable, but they were imprinted with a strong Chinese brand, but how did he get these things back?

Because he was thinking about things, the car was quiet all the way after that, and Liu Mengxun was also very obedient and did not disturb Zhang Tianyuan, but through the window, enjoying the scenery outside.

The hotel that Snake Lin booked for Zhang Tianyuan is the most luxurious hotel in London - The Langham, London

The Langham, London, the first luxury hotel in Europe, was unveiled in 1865. Today, the hotel has undergone an 80 million pound refurbishment and offers a new look of unrivalled elegance and a unique classical flair. It combines the modern with the modern, the old and the modern, the retro and the innovative, all of which are on display at The Langham, London.

The moment a guest steps into the lobby of the hotel. You will be captivated by her unique charm and elegance.

The Langham, London has always been committed to providing attentive service while staying ahead of the curve and equipped with state-of-the-art technology to meet the needs of the modern guest. The Langham, London is a member of LeadingHotelsoftheWorld and has always been one of the leading luxury hotels in London.

And they chose the most luxurious suite here. This is one level higher than the presidential suite, and it can be said that it is very good. However, at this time, Zhang Tianyuan had no interest in paying attention to these, whether it was wine or food. It all made him feel bored, and he felt very unhappy at the thought that those Chinese treasures were still in the hands of foreign robbers.

For a collector of cultural relics, the cultural relics of their own country can only be seen in foreign countries. This in itself is a disgrace. An abnormal phenomenon, but anyone who still has some feelings for this country will not feel that this matter does not matter.

After arriving at the hotel, Zhang Tianyuan casually ordered something to eat, and while eating in the room, he asked about the snake lin about this auction, this supreme suite is really spacious enough, but it still can't attract Zhang Tianyuan's attention.

"Is General Nie the person you are talking about, Sister Nie?" Zhang Tianyuan asked.

"Yes. That's right, it's General Nie Qinglan. As you know, I used to be a guard for her, to protect her safety, and she came to Europe alone to complete the mission, and she knows this part of Europe very well, and he knows very well about Hellis, Stein, and Birch and the family! Serpentine nodded.

"So, there are still a lot of treasures in these three families that haven't been revealed?" Zhang Tianyuan asked.

"Yes, they haven't sold out of what they robbed at the beginning, not to mention that the three families have also purchased more cultural relics and antiques from tomb robbers through smuggling and other means, and now they have become a tool to make money. Where do you think all the grave robbers in China have sold? In fact, there are special gangs abroad to buy these things, for example, these three families have joined forces to create a 'cultural relics protection company', the name is very good, but in fact, it is to buy those things from tomb robbers and thieves from all over the world! ”

Snake Lin's words made Zhang Tianyuan admire Nie Qinglan even more, this real female general, risked her life to perform a mission abroad alone, and finally obtained a special merit that is very difficult to obtain in peacetime, and was promoted to general, and her age is still so young.

The star on her body was exchanged for her life.

Of course, admiration for Nie Qinglan was only one aspect, and as Serpentine slowly said more detailed information, the expression on Zhang Tianyuan's face became more and more gloomy.

After the Old Summer Palace was burned down by the British and French forces, it still belonged to the forbidden garden of the Qing Dynasty court, and there were special institutions and special ones

Man guarded.

However, after the Eight-Nation Coalition occupied the imperial capital in 1900, the invading army once again carried out open looting, and the Old Summer Palace was once again destroyed. The "Haiyue Placket" in the Changchun Garden, was originally built on the double-layer white marble altar in the lake, a splendid and magnificent building, which survived the battle of the British and French alliances, but the battle of the Eight-Nation Alliance was finally destroyed into ruins. The "Pengdao Yaotai" in the center of Fuhai was also destroyed in the battle of the Eight-Nation Alliance. The "Solemn Dharma Realm" and "Ulzao Hall" in Wanchun Garden were also destroyed at this time.

And in this invasion, what the British and French forces had not taken away before was also looted again, and the famous "Yongle Canon" was almost destroyed at this time.

Tens of thousands of books of scriptures and history were lost in Hanlin Academy, 307 volumes of Yongle Canon were lost, and tens of thousands of newly minted copper coins in Qian Fatang, gold and steel sacrificial vessels in Taichang Temple, and gold and silver tableware in Guanglu Temple were all looted.

The "Yongle Grand Canon" in the Huangshi Palace on Nanchizi Street was destroyed and discarded by the Eight-Nation Coalition in 1900, and even used for the construction of fortifications, and only more than 200 copies are left so far. The Eight-Nation Coalition burned all the best books in the imperial capital, and the wind blew the fragments of the "Yongle Canon" all over the sky, and tens of thousands of copies of the Siku Quanshu were destroyed by the Eight-Nation Alliance.

This is the real history, the history of blood, and those who advocate that cultural relics are safer abroad do not know what kind of thoughts they will make when they hear such a thing. (To be continued......)