Guan Zhuofan only felt that his mind was in chaos.

The heavy buildings are stacked, the palaces are towering, the eaves fly to the octagonal, and the walls shine on the Forbidden City of Kowloon?

That majestic, majestic, red-walled, blue-tiled, million-stored, and unparalleled museum?

How can it be the Forbidden City that is going to be burned?

When Grant saw that he had stopped writing, he looked at himself in a daze, thinking that he did not understand, so he repeated the sentence.

"The Forbidden City, the Emperor's Palace." After that, he glanced at Major General Montoban of the French army.

Guan Zhuofan suddenly realized. The two of them originally agreed that the goal was the Old Summer Palace, but Grant was not satisfied, and proposed the so-called "heavier punishment" and turned the target to the Forbidden City.

No, this kind of thing can't happen and is not allowed to happen! I'm a knowledgeable docent, I'm a good salesman of counterfeit goods, isn't he just a stupid foreigner? I can fool him! Guan Zhuofan's mind was racing with thoughts, put down his pen, and stood up: "Your Excellency the General, I don't think the Forbidden City is a proper target. ”

"It's not something you can decide." Grant looked at him impatiently, "Your job is to finish the letter." ”

"If this is the case, Mr. Grant, I take the liberty of suggesting that you immediately request that more soldiers be sent here from England, five, ten times as many," Kwan Zhuofan's attitude was humble and stubborn, "even then, you will spend all the rest of your life suppressing the endless riots that have arisen in this vast country." ”

“…… It's funny. Grant looked at the interpreter coldly, "What the hell are you trying to say?" ”

"I don't mean to offend, but we all know that you defeated only the Mongol army of 20,000 monks, a very small part of all the armies of the Qing Empire." Under Grant's gaze, Guan Zhuofan did not flinch, and still said very gently but persistently, "South of the Yangtze River and north of the Yellow River, there are still hundreds of thousands of troops loyal to the imperial court, who are fighting against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The reason why they did not come to the capital to protect the palace was largely because they believed that the peace negotiations would be successful, and the foreigners would not cause fatal damage to their capital. ”

"But the emperor made a mistake and must be punished......"

"The Forbidden City is not just a palace, in fact, it is a symbol of the entire nation and the center of gravity of this ancient civilization." Guan Zhuofan carefully chose the words, "If you just want to punish the emperor and the government, you will definitely find a more suitable target." But if you destroy the Forbidden City, then Britain will become the eternal enemy of this Eastern civilization. I don't think that's in the interests of the UK. ”

British interests? Grant began to listen intently, silent.

"Mr. Grant, I think your queen and parliament do not intend to expand the war indefinitely, nor do they intend to overthrow this court, and you have also sent representatives to negotiate peace with the court? You only wanted a few trees, but now you're ready to burn the entire forest? ”

This sentence moved Grant! The interpreter's insight far exceeded his estimates.

"Grant," also said Mentoban, who was sitting on the side, "in fact, I think this man has a point. ”

Grant gradually calmed down from the feverish urge for revenge. He had to admit that what Guan Zhuofan said was to the point. As a professional soldier, he must carefully assess whether his actions exceeded the authority of Queen Bixia, who apparently would not agree to him "burning down the entire forest".

Grant nodded slowly and turned his gaze to Mengtoban: "So...... Maintain the original proposal? ”

"Maintain the original proposal." Meng Toban stood up, "The Old Summer Palace is just a private garden of the emperor, and ...... It is also said to be rich in treasures. ”

Both laughed. Grant turned to Guan Zhuofan again and patted him on the shoulder again.

", you're excellent."

I'll be better when I fuck your sister. Guan Zhuofan looked at these two bandit leaders and remembered them deeply.

"There is no need to write a letter, according to this draft, change the Forbidden City to the Old Summer Palace, write a few notices, and I will send someone to post them inside the city and outside the Old Summer Palace."

In the afternoon of the same day, tall billboards were erected in several places in Beijing and outside the Old Summer Palace, on which were written in black and white, with a notice from the headquarters of the British and French forces to the people of the capital. This notice, with its clumsy penmanship, sparse tone, and many typos, was despised by historians at that time and later generations, but they didn't know that this notice was actually from Guan Zhuofan's hand.

"Any person in the universe, no matter how noble as the emperor, commits the crime of hypocrisy and fraud, that is, he cannot escape his due responsibility and punishment, and the Qing emperor cannot keep the previous covenant, but violates the peace treaty, and is hereby scheduled to destroy his summer palace Yuanmingyuan on the fifth day of the ninth month as a punishment, and it has nothing to do with the people."

Every word was like a nail in his own heart.

*

*

On the fifth day of the ninth month, the catastrophe is heavy, the day is heavy, it is advisable to travel, break ground, dismantle, avoid marriage, and burial.

British and French soldiers entered the park from the east and south of the Old Summer Palace. By the time Guan Zhuofan arrived with the follow-up personnel of the British army headquarters, the frenzied looting had come to an end. A large number of items were piled up on an empty platform in the garden, organized by Grant's secretary.

"Hey,! Why are you here now? Grant's secretary stopped him with great interest and pointed to the distance, "Mr. Gong came early in the morning and took a whole cart of good things!" ”

In the distance, it was the Chinese in a white suit, escorting a car, pushed by three people, walking out of the park.

Mr. Gong ...... Gong Xiaogong! Guan Zhuofan muttered to himself, "I wish you no children and grandchildren." ”

Only then did he wake up to the fact that this person was the big traitor recorded in the history books, Gong Xiaogong, who personally led foreign soldiers into the Old Summer Palace. A scholar ran away to become a big traitor, which is strange enough, and what is even stranger is that he is actually the son of the famous Gong Zizhen.

"There's going to be an auction soon," Grant said, interrupting his thoughts, "come too, and be assured of many treasures that you haven't even seen!" ”

Kwan knew about the auction. Many of the treasures looted by the British and French soldiers here were to be sold at auction. The highest bidder gets the treasure, and the money from the sale is divided equally among each coalition soldier.

Guan Zhuofan hesitated for a moment, and quickly made up his mind.

weishenme: No? He groped for his purse, where he was paid twelve gold pounds by the Englishmen for the past few days. If you can use this money to photograph a few things, it can be regarded as being able to leave these "cultural relics" that were supposed to fly across the sea to future generations.

The auction, presided over by Grant's secretary, was surrounded by hundreds of wealthier officers and soldiers.

Every item that is put on the auction table causes a commotion, and then it is often sold after only two or three simple bids - there are so many things that no one will pay a particularly high price for a single item.

A hollowed-out white jade Ruyi was sold for two pounds.

A piece of green jade inkstone costs only one pound and sixty shillings.

Two dragon robes, sold for five pounds, caused a burst of exclamations.

Guan Zhuofan used one pound to buy a pair of silk "Pounding Exercises", and for fifty shillings, he bought a pair of Liang Kai's "Six Ancestors Cutting Bamboo".

This is really a fantastic price, Guan Zhuofan thought to himself. If it is placed in the afterlife, then I will not be able to laugh.

On the auction table now are four bronze animal heads, which can be seen from the fracture that the sappers cut them down with large axes.

Snake head, sheep head, chicken head, dog head.

"Four together, just a pound!" The secretary was tired and shouted weakly.

Guan Zhuofan raised his hand.

"It's a pound now, has anyone given a pound and a half?"

A French lieutenant sitting not far from Guan Zhuofan raised his hand.

"Two pounds." Guan Zhuofan didn't wait for the secretary to speak, and quoted the price himself.

The lieutenant pouted and gave up. Guan Zhuofan heard the soldiers behind him muttering to each other: "It's just a few taps." This strange Chinese, who does not buy pearls and gems, always buys some broken paper and garbage. ”

The auction was very efficient, and with the reduction of the number of lots in the auction, the auction was nearing its end. The presiding secretary looked at a pile of books, calligraphy and paintings in the corner, raised his head, and shouted to Guan Zhuofan: "!" This pile of things," he pointed with his finger and drew a circle, "ten pounds, will you give it all?" You like it anyway. ”

It's good, but it's ......

"I don't have enough money," he said, checking his purse, "and I only have eight pounds." ”

"Eight pounds, deal!" The secretary laughed, "But I want to make it clear to you, a lot of it is damaged or dirty. ”

Guan Zhuofan nodded, and the foreign soldiers around him burst into laughter-this guy bought another batch of broken paper.