"Can I despise you?" Lawrence held out a middle finger. He couldn't beat Liu Zhensheng, so he had to find a little psychological comfort.

"Absolutely." Liu Zhensheng replied innocently.

"Okay. Dear Hu, you can do whatever you want with me, but please do it quickly. Lawrence said.

"Disposition? Why should I dispose of you? You are still our middleman in the arms purchase. How could I possibly dispose of you. And we're still friends, aren't we? Hu Xiaoyan smiled.

"Friends?" Lawrence smiled self-deprecatingly and didn't reply. He won't believe the words of a politician. In his eyes, Hu Xiaoyan is a more difficult politician than Napoleon.

After arriving in Tianjin, everyone rested for one night.

On the 28th, Tang Shaoyi drove to Beijing again, while Liang Qichao, Cai Yuanpei and Zhang Binglin took Hu Xiaoyan's handwritten letter back to Shanghai.

The others rushed to Lutai with Hu Xiaoyan. finally met the famous Wu Yijun. Then they were all blocked by the gatekeepers.

Wu Yijun's Chinese army camp was really deep and strict, after reporting the names of Cai Yuanpei and Liang Qichao.

Everyone was pressed into Nie Shicheng's headquarters by a kind of soldier.

"Mr. Liang Qichao doesn't seem to be here!" Nie Shicheng squinted his eyes.

"Of course not, otherwise how can we meet the face of the handsome? Again, let's introduce it. Under Li Yan. Hu Xiaoyan sat in a wheelchair and saluted. Turning around and beckoning, Liu Min cleverly gave a gift: a new edition of "The Rise of Great Powers".

Nie Shicheng accepted the gift with a big grudge, and he was not afraid of Liu Min's gift at all. But also, in Nie Shicheng's eyes. Among the crowd, Huo Yuanjia and Liu Zhensheng were just a little oppressive.

Nie Shicheng frowned when he looked at the cover, and began to flip through it. The speed of flipping through is very slow.

"Dashuai, please see the name of the author on the cover." Hu Xiaoyan was very impatient. Because he still has a lot of things to do, and time is tight.

"Oh, Li Yan." Nie Shicheng said slowly, and then continued to read slowly.

"Li Yan is just below." Hu Xiaoyan had to remind.

Only then did Nie Shicheng stand up: "Oh, it turned out to be Mr. Li in person." I don't know what to tell me, sir? ”

Although he had only read a few pages on the rise of great powers, Nie Shicheng immediately knew that this book was definitely not simple. He would never believe that Mr. Li Yan, who wrote this book, came to see him with so many people just to visit.

Hu Xiaoyan turned around: "Lawrence, Liu Min stays, and the others withdraw." ”

Hu Xiaoyan looked at Nie Shicheng after speaking.

Nie Shicheng understood. With a wave of his hand, let all his men exit the room.

After the door closed, Hu Xiaoyan turned to Lawrence: "I'm not very familiar with armaments, Lawrence, please help me and Nie Dashuai introduce you." Nie Dashuai, this is an elite intelligence officer in England, specializing in collecting military intelligence from Russia and Japan. ”

After hearing this, Nie Shicheng looked at Lawrence in surprise but did not speak, but his expression was very serious, his hands were already clenched into fists, and he was ready to attack at any time.

Lawrence smiled bitterly: "Mosinagan M1891 rifle, standard equipment of the Russian Army." The propellant is smokeless gunpowder with an effective range of 400 meters. It is a rotary rear pull bolt with a magazine feed. Cheap, simple, and reliable, ideal for under-literate and poorly trained armies. The quantity is 10,000. ”

"The cannon really doesn't work, it's too heavy, it's strictly guarded, and there's no way to get it. All I can say is luck, luck, there will be. If you're unlucky, you don't. Twenty water-cooled Maxine machine guns are included. Rifle ammunition is 200 rounds per gun. Maxine had a million rounds. Lawrence looked back at Hu Xiaoyan: "Price: 700,000 taels of silver." Couldn't be less. Otherwise, the transaction can only be canceled. ”

Lawrence scolded his mother in his heart. This price is very expensive for China. But it is very cheap for the Russian army. You must know that there are still many Russian troops equipped with cold weapons and ** rifles.

The Russian army has more than 10 million troops, but Russia, like China, is now a small-scale peasant economy, where is the money to make 10 million rifles. Even if the price of the rifle is only 50 silver dollars, the cost of 10 million pieces is 500 million taels of silver. Plus bullets and artillery. If the Russian army is to be fully equipped with troops. Before he could fight, his economy collapsed. Weapons can be made with patience. But after that, the salaries of these 10 million troops could not be paid. So the Russian army in 1898 was in fact not as strong as imagined. It's just that there are too many gray animals in Russia. That's 10 million grey cattle in peacetime! In the event of war, the tsar can organize more than 20 million reserves again at any time! Therefore, a continental war with Russia in the era when there were no strategic missiles would be tragic for any country. Both Napoleon and the mustache proved this with facts.

Russian gray cattle are worthless, wow!

Hu Xiaoyan was very dissatisfied with Lawrence's attitude, but there was no way. Now I was begging him.

"Great. These weapons are included with you. Do you need it? ”

"What?" Nie Shicheng was stunned on the spot, as if he had been hit by a stuffy stick. This is when a man sits at home, and only then does he come from heaven.

"10,000 Mosinagan rifles and 20 maxines all for me?" Nie Shicheng couldn't believe it.

Hu Xiaoyan nodded and took out two bills of exchange from his arms. 400,000 taels each. He handed Lawrence one.

"This is a deposit, Nie Dashuai will send someone to fetch the rifle with you. After Nie Dashuai confirms that the goods are correct, you will come and get the remaining 300,000 taels. No problem? Hu Xiaoyan asked Lawrence calmly.

Lawrence nodded helplessly. The action has been reported. At this point, it must not be canceled. And the money wasn't for Lawrence or England either. He believed that Hu Xiaoyan would not repay his debts, but he did not believe that Hu Xiaoyan would let him go.

Hu Xiaoyan turned his head to look at Nie Shicheng: "Dashuai, you arrange for someone to go and pick up the goods with this Lawrence." Make sure you still remember to come back and tell me so I can pay the balance. I'll wait for you in Beijing then. ”

Nie Shicheng walked around excitedly: "Why is this?" ”

Hu Xiaoyan smiled and shook his head and said, "No why, this batch of equipment is for the Huai Army." And I'm from Huizhou. Also, remember that the new weapon must not be seen by anyone who cannot be trusted before and after it is retrieved. Once the training of new weapons begins, the entire barracks must be cordoned off and no one will be allowed to know this news. Especially the Russians. ”

Nie Shicheng stopped: "Is the war coming?" "Unless there is a war, Hu Xiaoyan will never ask for absolute secrecy.

Hu Xiaoyan neither nodded nor shook his head. He just pointed at Lawrence: "Now send someone to pick up the goods with him." I'm going to Beijing first. ”

Nie Shicheng didn't dare to force him to stay, so he wrote two posts and handed them to Hu Xiaoyan according to Hu Xiaoyan's request. And he took people out of the camp.

Hu Xiaoyan just nodded at Lawrence and disappeared into the vast road.

Lawrence was a little hard to believe. That demon let himself go so easily? Didn't you send that hateful Zhao to keep an eye on him? He had the urge to run away with a silver ticket. But reason stopped him. He's here with some sort of mission in mind. So not only could he not run, but he had to do his best to complete the business. And then you have to get the rest of the silver smoothly. Originally, the price was even more expensive than this, but Lawrence calculated that Hu Xiaoyan now only has a total of 800,000 taels of silver. And Hu Xiaoyan will definitely not take out all 800,000 taels. So the only one who suffers is himself.

"We're going to let him go?" Tao Chengzhang was very dissatisfied with this. He didn't expect Lawrence to be a spy, no wonder Lawrence knew so much. No wonder. Tao Chengzhang said, but he breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately, not every foreigner is as well-informed as Lawrence.

Hu Xiaoyan said depressedly: "What if you don't let it go? Kill him? Then how do you get that batch of arms? ”

"By the way, why did you send arms to Nie Dashuai? You don't seem to have any friendship with him, do you? Tao Chengzhang was very surprised by this. And if the private acceptance of weapons is exposed, you and Nie Dashuai will be annoyed. ”

"Annoying?" Hu Xiaoyan smiled: "Nie Shicheng is Huaijun, and Huaijun is Li Hongzhang's descendant." Cixi dares to move Nie Shicheng? No kidding. ”

"What about you?" Tao Chengzhang still felt sorry for the 700,000 taels of silver.

"Don't feel sorry, we've picked up a bargain. If it was a normal time, I wouldn't be able to buy 700,000 taels of silver if I wanted to. Russia will not sell. Hu Xiaoyan had a little guess in his heart.

"And me? I am from Anhui, and now I am an overseas student who went to seek refuge with Li Hongzhang, and I gave him 10,000 rifles as soon as I made a move, and if he didn't protect me. Who else will die for him? ”

Hu Xiaoyan is not worried about his safety at all, provided that he does not go against Li Hongzhang.

What will I do against Li Hongzhang. Of course not. This time I went to Beijing, but I went specifically to work. A copy of "The Rise of Great Powers" plus the cost of 10,000 rifles. Besides, he is an Anhui person. How could Li Hongzhang possibly deal with him. It may be true that he is afraid and guarded against him.

But what Hu Xiaoyan lacks is the identity that Li Hongzhang tacitly assumes. If Li Hongzhang really wants to use himself, it will really be a troublesome thing. Li Hongzhang was willing to be a pasteur in the Manchu Dynasty. I, Hu Xiaoyan, don't want to.

After having such an identity, whether it is dealing with Prince Qing or Li Lianying, it will become very easy, at least it will not be sold by these two people. These two people can not agree to things, but they will definitely do things after receiving money, and they will definitely not dare to accept Li Hongzhang's people before they do things. That's the benefit of having a back office.

Hu Xiaoyan raised his head and looked at the sky: "What we have to do now is the second step." We must first have a base for developing our own talent. Zhensheng, you take my and Nie Dashuai's posts and invite Mr. Sun Lutang and Mr. Li Shuwen to come to Beijing with their disciples to meet each other. I have something important to entrust them. ”

Liu Zhensheng responded in a muffled voice, but did not answer the post.

Hu Xiaoyan turned around and smiled at Huo Yuanjia. Huo Yuanjia smiled awkwardly and slapped Liu Zhensheng on the head. Liu Zhensheng reluctantly answered the post.

"Mr. Sun Lutang, I might as well too." Huo Yuanjia's expression darkened.

"Not necessarily." Although Hu Xiaoyan doesn't know martial arts, he understands that these two are the top masters in the world and a generation of grandmasters. If you want to say who is inferior to whom, it is really not necessarily a thing.

Huo Yuanjia was very happy, but still shook his head: "It's really not as good as Mr. Sun, this is determined by the innate physique." It's not something that can be made up for the day after tomorrow. It turned out that Huo Yuanjia was weak when he was young, and his father was afraid that he would hurt his body and shorten his life after learning martial arts, so he did not teach martial arts in the early days. You must know that unless it is the three major internal fists, the early foundation building kung fu is very blood-consuming. A person who is weak may not have laid a good foundation, and he will fall ill first.

It wasn't until later that Huo Yuanjia secretly learned martial arts and was discovered by his father. His father didn't know Huo Yuanjia's amazing talent in martial arts, so he taught him everything, but Huo Yuanjia was at an advanced age to practice martial arts after all, and his congenital physique was weak. Thanks to Huo Yuanjia, Huo Jiaquan has pushed the old and new to a new height, otherwise it would not be surprising that he would die halfway.