The excerpt that invited him to return to Beijing was finally approved. The person who drafted the decree on the military plane wrote a long paragraph freely, but Guan Zhuofan knew that in the hands of the Empress Dowager Cixi, it was nothing more than a mark gently pinched out with a jade-colored nail.

The request to bring Wall and Forrest to Beijing has also been granted. However, although these two "foreign devils" are now naturalized Chinese, if they want to meet the two palaces, it is still absolutely impossible, and it is already the greatest honor to be rewarded by the king of parliament.

Guan Zhuofan counted the days, and before returning to Beijing, there were only more than ten days to go, and there were still some things that had to be done quickly.

In the past few days, Guan Zhuofan began to entertain consuls of various countries continuously, and after a few days, he drank all kinds of foreign wines -- with the British consul Ali Guo, drank Irish whiskey, drank cognac with the French consul Aitang, drank cognac, and drank vodka with the Russian consul Potorovsky. After a few days, a person who drinks as much as Guan Zhuofan can't help but feel dizzy.

However, the most special thing was the dinner with Charles, the American consul. Since Guan Zhuofan generously donated money to the US government last year, the relationship between the two sides has become quite harmonious, and after that, the US Navy allowed more than 100 members of Ding Ruchang's crew to go on the ship for "internships." This can be regarded as a friendly move to repay the favor.

So, for the first time, I had dinner with Charles three times in a row, and for three consecutive days, I didn't drink a drop of wine, and the conversation was extremely hot. In addition to Libin's constant attendance, on the first day, he was accompanied by Kim Nenghyung, and on the second day, he was accompanied by the Admiral of the United States Navy, that Singerton, and Wall. By the third day. There are only two about Zhuo Fan and Charles. Talk behind closed doors.

"It's been a good relief for three days." After sending Charles to the sedan chair, Guan Zhuofan and Libin returned to the study and said with a smile, "Otherwise, if you drink it like that every day, I'm afraid you won't be able to stand it - the amount of alcohol that Russian devil drank a few days ago is really not covered!" ”

Libin was not as relaxed as him, but there was an inexplicable sense of awe in his eyes.

"Yixuan. Are you sure about this? Libin asked in a low voice.

"Who knows? It's just man-made. Guan Zhuofan smiled slightly, "Everything has to wait for me to go to Beijing before I can have an accurate number." ”

Libin nodded slowly: "You do things, elusive, always unexpected." Anyway, I told Sandos to do what he said haode, but fortunately, now the telegraph from the United States to Hong Kong is connected, and everything is convenient. ”

"Charles will leave tomorrow. Go to Beijing to meet their minister, this side of the matter. Even if it comes to an end. I talked to the Prussian consul, that ...... Lyman, the day after tomorrow? ”

"Yes, I don't know if I'll have a little opinion on him in Zuihou."

"Britain, France, Russia, the United States and Pu, I only invited five of them this time, shouldn't he feel honored to be on a par with Britain, France, Russia and the United States?" Guan Zhuofan made a joke, then groaned for a while, and said, "You prepare a gift of seven or eight hundred taels of silver for me, and bring him another sentence, don't they have a Western proverb, zuihou is the most haode, I have always had special respect for Prussia." ”

"Okay." Libin also smiled, "By the way, the Qiji Iron Works is going to choose a new site, I went to a few places with Rong Chunfu, and the sketch of the drawing, you can take a look, circle one and settle it, and we can get started." ”

The American Cole's Qiji Iron Factory, which was brought forward by Zhao Jingxian's feudal division, was finally sold at a price of 35,000 taels. However, because it is located within the concession, not only is the lot narrow, but it is also inconvenient to enter and exit, Yung Hong suggested that he should find a new site to relocate outside the concession.

"Well, you don't have to look at it much." Guan Zhuofan casually flipped through a stack of sketches handed over by Libin, put them aside and kept them, "Since his dock is in Gaochang Temple, let's draw a piece of land in Gaochang Temple." ”

"Done! Rong Chunfu also said, since the iron factory has been bought, do you please come up with a new name? The so-called name is right, and the word is ......"

"Oh, this," Guan Zhuofan paused for a moment, and he hadn't thought about the name yet, "This is not in a hurry, but it is the affairs of the iron factory, please invite him over tomorrow to discuss it together." ”

I didn't think about it because I already had a preconceived impression in my mind. Although we have not yet thought about what name this Qiji Iron Works will change to now, it will have a rather resounding name in later generations.

Jiangnan Manufacturing Administration.

*

*

When Libin left, Guan Zhuofan was not tired at all. He returned to the backyard and saw a small table in the open space outside the main wing hall. The moonlight was bright, Hu Qingqing and Wan'er sat on the edge of a few children, and one of them took a group fan and chatted to enjoy the coolness.

"Oh, light Luo little fan fluttering fireflies." This scene made Guan Zhuofan quite excited. Because of the hot weather, two beauties, one big and one small, are only wearing the half-cut shirts and pants that Jiangnan daughters often wear in the inner house, and their skin is generally snow-white. Let's not talk about the figure, just talk about the slender hands and jade feet, you can feast your eyes.

What do you think? Guan Zhuofan muttered to himself in his heart, Wan'er was only fifteen years old.

"The master is back." Both of them stood up, and Hu Qingqing said with a smile, "Fluttering fireflies, mosquito fluttering is almost the same." A learned person speaks differently. ”

"Thanks for the compliment, it's a pity that I haven't even won a show, and I don't expect it in this life." Guan Zhuofan didn't dare to look at Wan'er more, shook his head and said, "It's hot this day, so I'll change my clothes first." ”

Hu Qingqing accompanied him into the main compartment, waited for him to change into his clothes, and then came out to sit in the hall. After a while, Wan'er came in with a plate of killing haode watermelon: "My sister has been taking well water to town, sir, you eat." ”

That's good stuff! Guan Zhuofan was unceremonious, ate four pieces in a row, and then wiped his mouth with a wet hand towel, and said, "Yes, if you eat again, something should go wrong." Wan'er, Xiexie, go and rest. ”

The cold and sweet watermelon seems to drive away the heat all at once. He got up for a moment, sat down at the table, and asked Hu Qingqing to take out the pen, ink and paper.

"Why don't you write in the study?" Hu Qingqing asked while making a difference for him, "It's rare for you to write in this room." ”

What she said was the truth, in the past, at this time, Guan Daren was busy with other things.

"These days when socializing with foreigners, there are some things that have to be remembered." Guan Zhuofan said casually, "When it's written, you can lock it in the safe for me when I go back." ”

Hu Qingqing listened to it and knew that it was an important business, so she specially added an extra candle, did not speak, sat next to him, and quietly played a fan for him.

By the time he was about to put pen to paper, Guan Zhuofan had already become focused, and his face was very solemn, because this piece of paper meant many things.

I'm Shijie History Graduate Student, Guan Zhuofan.

It was the hardest exam of my life.

He first wrote down the words "June of the second year of Tongzhi", and then wrote "1863" in Arabic numerals.

What follows is the great secret he brought back across time and space, and it is an unparalleled great prophecy for this era.

"With Prussia-Bismarck as chancellor, the process of German reunification will begin, and Germany will eventually emerge."

"Russia - abolished serfdom and is following in the footsteps of the first industrial revolution. A year later, 440,000 square kilometers of China's land will be ceded off in the "Sino-Russian Treaty on the Survey and Demarcation of the Northwest Boundary." Two years later, Russia will enter Xinjiang and occupy Ili. ”

"The American-Civil War is in a stalemate, and in two years' time it will end with a victory for the North."

"The Japanese-Tokugawa shogunate announced that it was about to be attacked by the Western powers. Five years later, Japan was successfully overthrown, and the era name was changed to 'Meiji', which was the beginning of the Meiji Restoration, and Japan would begin its rise. ”

"France - has just completed the occupation of South Vietnam and Cambodia, and in seven years, the Franco-Prussian War will begin."

As for England, he didn't know what to write about for a while. This empire, which is still in full swing, the Shijie factory, and the behemoth that produces more than half of the steel of Shijie, seem too powerful even for the future self.

After thinking about it for a while, he only wrote down two silently.

"Britain's position depended on its vast overseas colonies."

"Britain is about to enter a period of 'glorious isolation' in diplomacy."

There is one thing that Zuihou has to write down.

"In seven years, the second industrial revolution will begin, electricity will be widely used, the internal combustion engine will be invented, the automobile will appear, wireless telegraphy will be invented, and the status of the chemical industry will be confirmed."

"In later countries, under certain conditions, two industrial revolutions may occur at the same time."

He put down his pen, and by candlelight, read it again.

"Oh my God!" He sighed in his heart.

I really need time.

And money.

*

(Xiexie new helm master xuechao)

*(To be continued......)