3.

The words are divided into two ends, when Lin Hongwen followed Zhao Shun and others to hurry day and night, the original tranquility of Harbin, Kanto, was also broken, and this qiē had to start with a railway.

In 1896, Tsarist Russia took advantage of China's defeat in the Sino-Japanese War to induce the Qing government to send a special envoy Li Hongzhang to sign the "Treaty of Mutual Assistance to the Enemy" in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Robertov and Finance Minister Wette, commonly known as the "Sino-Russian Secret Treaty". The treaty had two main contents: first, if Japan invaded the Russian Far East or the lands of China and Korea, China and Russia should provide mutual assistance with land and navy, arms and food, and all ports in China would be open to Russian warships during the war. Second, China allowed the Sino-Russian Daosheng Bank to build a railway from northeast China to Vladivostok, which Russia would have the right to use to transport troops, food, and ordnance in wartime and peacetime. ①

This railway, which later became the Eastern Railway, connected the Trans-Siberian Railway and made it possible to cross Eurasia by train. However, at the time of the signing of the Sino-Russian Secret Treaty, the specific route of the railway had not yet been determined, and groups of Russian surveyors crossed the Sino-Russian border to conduct geographical surveys of the northeast, and countless royal scholars froze to death every year. And in April 1898, a special expedition team arrived in Harbin.

――Early April 1898 Fujiadian (2) Riverside Morning Market――

Sister-in-law Tian took a rag to wipe off the porridge sprinkled on the table, put away the dishes and chopsticks and put them in the basin, there were already several pairs there, but there were many guests, she didn't care about cleaning up for a while, put down the dishes and chopsticks and hurriedly picked out two buns from the top steamer and served them to the diners. The diner was also in a hurry, and when he saw the bun coming, he grabbed it, but when it was hot, he withdrew his hand, and Sister-in-law Tian was happy, "It's hot, don't worry, drink porridge first." ”

The diner himself was happy, saying, "Yesterday I was busy all day, and I didn't eat well, and my hungry eyes were going to be green this morning." ”

Sister-in-law Tian said, "No matter how busy you are, you have to take care of eating, otherwise your body won't be able to bear it." ”

As he was talking, he suddenly heard Chen Loach, who was selling fish, shouting, "Look, there is an old hairman!" ”

Sister-in-law Tian followed the voice and looked over, only to see Chen Loach pointing to the river and shouting, "There is an old hairman on the boat." ”

Tian's sister-in-law looked into the middle of the river and saw a small boat going down the river, carrying six or seven Russians on board, writing and drawing with a notebook, and looking at the shore without stopping.

"What do you think they do?" Chen Loach asked.

"Who knows, it's not going to be a good thing," the diner said quietly.

Ding Si'er, who was selling pork, put down his knife and walked over, lowered his voice and said, "I heard from someone from Hebei two days ago that it seems that Lao Maozi wants to build a railway here. ”

"Don't you say that thing will break Feng Shui?" Chen Loach asked.

"What feng shui is not feng shui", said the diner, "the world is already like this." ”

"Alas, what you said, although the emperor is far away here", Chen Loach looked at him, "But you can't say it casually." ”

"I look at this familiar", Ding Si'er looked at the diner, "You are Dr. Xu from Kangjitang in front, right?" ”

The diner nodded, "Under Xu Shihuai." ”

Ding Si'er turned his head and said to Chen Loach, "You only escaped from the famine last year, I don't know, six or seven years ago, we had a plague here, thanks to Dr. Xu's medical donation, otherwise I don't know how many people died." ”

Chen Loach patted his head, "I just think this person is not ordinary, it turns out to be a doctor." ”

Sister-in-law Tian turned around and took a small plate of pickles and put it on the table, "Okay, okay, where did you say this, hurry up and let Dr. Xu finish the meal." ”

Chen Loach and Ding Si'er accompanied the smiling faces back to their stalls, and Tian's sister-in-law looked into the river, the boat had long disappeared, and she didn't know where it had drifted to.

――One month later——

Just after lunch, Chen Loach shrunk his hand and sat in front of Sister-in-law Tian's food stall. The river had thawed, and the ice was flowing down the river, and he could neither dig holes in the ice and cast nets in the ice as he did in winter, nor could he cast nets directly in the river as he did in summer. It was the most difficult two months of the year for him, and he couldn't find anything to do, so he had to eat and drink at the market. Fortunately, he is also a good person on weekdays, and most of the leftover fish is given to other vendors, so he doesn't have to worry about eating and drinking at this time.

"I've heard that dozens of old Maozi bought the Tian family's pot (3)," Chen Loach said mysteriously.

"Where did you hear that", Ding Si'er didn't believe it, "Such a big place, you just bought it?" ”

"The real thing," Chen Loach said, "I heard from the people over there, Lao Maozi bought it for eight thousand taels." ”

"Eight thousand taels!?" Ding Si'er's eyes widened and asked.

"What's so strange, no matter how much money they have, they can get it." , Chen Loach said.

"What are they buying there for?"

"I heard that this time I'm really going to start repairing."

"Fix what?"

"Railway," Chen Loach said, "why did you forget this stubble?" You said that this old Maozi is also scheming enough, not long after the opening of the river last year, he came secretly, what is it called? ”

"Doctor Xu said that they are called surveying and mapping," Ding Si'er said, "Didn't you just say that there are dozens of people, how can dozens of people build railways?" ”

"I also wonder what about it", Chen Loach said, "I also think that if they recruit people, I will be idle for two months, and it is okay to go along, and make more and earn less, anyway, it is better than staying dry." ”

"Just your body", Ding Si'er glanced at Chen Loach, "I heard that the sea is tired and tired of road construction, you are really not afraid of death." ”

"I don't want to work long hours, but when the river opens, I have to continue fishing," Chen said.

"You think beautifully", Ding Si'er said, "I'm afraid that place is not something you can go to and go." ”

6.

When the special expedition team set up camp in Tianjia's pot, Lin Hongwen had been walking with the road construction team for two or three days, and there were fewer and fewer people talking in the team. The weather is hot, sweat is dripping down his neck, he spends most of his time in a hurry except for sleeping, and he doesn't eat well, Rao is his eldest brother Lin Hongming, a young man with a strong physique of ten or □□ years old, has begun to wilt, and the rest of the people can't bear it. From time to time, someone fainted, and at first someone went to help, but the Russians in the team saw it, and without saying a word, they gave a rifle butt.

Later, the man was not carried and was thrown on the road, and there will be a second and a third case of this kind of thing, and no one knows whether those who were abandoned on the side of the road will die or live in the end. Lin Xingshen looked at his youngest son worriedly, Lin Hongwen's body was relatively thin, and he didn't know if he could get to Harbin.

"Dad, I'm fine", Lin Hongwen grinned with bloodless lips, "It will be good to walk to the mouth of the Yellow River in two days." ”

At noon that day, Lin was walking, and suddenly a person behind him fell on his back. Lin Xing didn't dare to move, and the two people next to him subconsciously stood up to the fainted man, looking at the back of the Russian in front of the team in horror, not knowing what to do. Zhao Shun turned around and looked at them, motioned for them to keep quiet, and tore a rag himself, drenched it with water, and slapped it on the forehead of the fainted man.

"Do you still have salt in your pocket", Zhao Shun whispered, "pour some salt water on him." ”

"What should I do if I am seen by Lao Maozi", the person who helped him was called Liu Lin, although he was born with thick eyebrows and big eyes, he was not very bold, and he was a little panicked at this time, "If we are discovered, we will also be beaten." ”

"Say it when you see it", Zhao Shun pressed the rag on the man's forehead, "I can still watch him die." ”

The man was also angry, he was carried away for a while, he woke up after pouring some salt water, looked at Zhao Shun twice, and did not speak.

The people holding him couldn't look at it, "Thanks to him, otherwise you would have been thrown on the side of the road, don't hurry up and thank them." ”

Zhao Shun knows this person, this person's name is Du Xinzhu, he has studied for a few years, and he seems to have been a showman, and he looks down on them who work hard.

Du Xinzhu thought about it for a long time before he said thank you, Zhao Shun waved his hand, he didn't say anything, but he felt that this person was like a girl.

Du Xinzhu is back to life here, Zhao Shun glanced at the Russians in front of him, and he didn't seem to notice anything, his eyes swept back, and fell on Lin Hongwen's body, and his heart said that it was not good, and the kid's face was almost bloodless.

Zhao Shun picked up Du Xinzhu's unfinished salt water, walked to Lin Hongwen's side silently, and stuffed it into his hand, "Hurry up and drink it." ”

Lin Hongwen glanced at him gratefully, tilted his neck and drank all the water. Zhao Shun looked at Lin Hongwen's miserable face and said, "If you endure it any longer, you will almost reach the mouth of the Yellow River." ”

Lin Hongwen nodded, Zhao Shun patted him on the shoulder and said, "Good boy", but he sighed in his heart, with such a body, I am afraid that even if he arrives in Harbin, he will not live long.

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(1) The introduction of the "Sino-Russian Secret Treaty" comes from Baidu Encyclopedia

(2) Daowai District, Harbin City

(3) Xiangfang District, Harbin City