Europeans have long had a vision of the mysterious Oriental country, the powerful countries in Marco Polo's narrative are full of gold, Europeans come from far and wide for spices, tea, silk and porcelain, Voltaire's Chinese are philosophical, rational and full of etiquette, the king is wise, and the people are rich. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

After this complex appeared in a country called Datang, it was pushed to a higher level. It seems that everything in the world can be produced, those machines and products contain endless wisdom, powerful armies are invincible, and people who have been to that country are all envious of the lives of its inhabitants. The plebeians of Europe had heard that everyone was equal, that there was no need to salute the nobility, and that everyone could even participate in such important matters as politics. Merchants heard that there were many business opportunities there, and that they could get rich if they worked hard. Scholars have heard that there are all kinds of knowledge taught in the schools there, and they want to explore the mysteries of nature and man, and this is the best place to do so.

In those days, Europeans were terribly racist, they looked down on Middle Easterners, and even more so on blacks and Indians, but they couldn't stand up to a nation. This nation has a very high degree of civilization, from the weapons that destroy the world to the daily cooking and eating, all of which have extremely high attainments. This nation is the Chinese nation.

Macartney was a man with a strong interest in Chinese culture and had worked in the Orient for a long time. He has also seen a lot of Tang people, and it is undeniable that most of the Tang people he has seen are very good, with an extremely special temperament. The roots of the Tang people are in the Qing Dynasty, and Europeans have always rumored that the Tang people are actually the people of the Ming Dynasty who were destroyed by the Tatars, and they are unwilling to go abroad with the Tatars. Macartney was also very curious, he wanted to see what this country was like that was the same as the Tang Dynasty, not to mention that he still had the mission of the future national fortune of Britain on his shoulders.

It's just that after Macartney came to the Qing Kingdom. What he saw and heard seemed very different from what he had imagined.

The British were consciously searching for all kinds of information, so they proposed that the government provide guidance under the pretext that they wanted to see and purchase. Contrary to what the British thought, the Qing government did not use the method of paid employment, but directly sent officers and soldiers to the streets to pick up people. When the poor fellows were caught, they fell to their knees tremblingly. There are various reasons for prevarication, but as soon as the officials threaten, they compromise.

These Qing people, who have dishes and have a lewd image, are very different from the Tang people that the British have ever seen. They are obviously of the same race, but they still make people feel very different.

Macartney saw another miracle on this day, when an official ordered a civilian boat to help transport things by a small river near the sea, but the water level dropped. The ship is not moving. This caused the officer to lose his temper and ordered his men to strip the captain and crew of their shirts and beat them with whips.

Similar scenes, on the way from Qingdao to Beijing, Macartney has seen a lot. Most Qing officials were not so easy to talk to, they had a full sense of authority, and it was difficult for them to accept any provocations. And they get civilians to kneel for them at every turn, and they are used to punishing others with violence.

But. By the time the British boarded the train, the situation changed a little. The Qing officials who were originally arrogant outside. got on the train, but for no reason, became a lot more honest. Macartney saw that an official was clearly facing an ordinary civilian, and the official's eyes were full of disdain and contempt, but he didn't let the civilian change his seat, or continue to kneel for him or anything.

He wouldn't ask the officials such a question, and when he went to the bathroom, he saw the civilian. Then ask the civilian in Chinese, who is not fluent in a little tongue.

The civilians, who were also surprised to see the foreigners, heard Macartney's question, with some mockery on their faces, replied: "Why don't you dare to run rampant in the car?" This is not simple, although this railway company has shares in the imperial court. But the manager is a Tang person, and it was not an official who did not have a rampant man on the car before, and he was directly taken away by the Tang people's railway police, who cares what kind of official you are. There were many troubles like this in the imperial court, and the emperor was impatient, reprimanded those officials, and did several things. From then on, no matter how horizontal the place is, as long as you get on this train, you have to be honest and obedient, otherwise you will have to carry the consequences yourself. ”

Macartney was a little surprised, and muttered to himself, "Is it actually because of the Tang people?" ”

Even though many boundaries have been broken in these years, and travel has been abolished with road guides and the like, and there are fewer checkpoints, in fact, most people try to avoid going out, and people who take trains are always people with a little money, and Macartney also found that most of the people on the train are actually businessmen, and there are relatively few people who are really ordinary.

Barrow, the treasurer of the mission, saw Macartney back in his seat and said to him: "This train is much more comfortable than our English trains." ”

Macartney touched the sponge cushion under his buttocks, nodded as well, and said, "It's fast, too." ”

Barrow said with some indignation: "The technology of our domestic trains also comes from the Tang people, but obviously the trains they sell to the Qing Kingdom are better than the ones they sell to us." ”

Macartney took this for granted, saying: "Because the railway company that operates this railway has a large number of Tang shares, which means that the Tang people make money from this railway, then they are naturally willing to come up with better things." The railways in Britain were basically built by the royal family and nobles alone, and the Tang people didn't get much benefit, so they just dealt with it. ”

When the train arrived at Jinan Station, Macartney and the others got off the train and prepared to go to the post station to rest for the night. At the station, they saw a few people who seemed to be different from the bustling crowd, they were supposed to be merchants, dressed neatly, carrying briefcases, wearing top hats, like European gentlemen, and those Qing officials did not seem to be very willing to provoke them, and avoided them a little.

Barrow looked at the group of people and said: "It should be the Tang people, the Tang people's infiltration and control of this country is really too powerful, although the Qing country is not a colony of the Tang people, but I think it is almost like a colony." ”

Macartney looked at the Tang people, but he didn't think about it, he was looking for the difference between these Tang people and the Qing people around him. Soon he seemed to find the biggest difference - the back of the Tang people was straight, and the Qing people were curved. (To be continued.) )

ps: The number of chapters is auspicious, and auspicious has to make people vote, isn't it (shameless $-$.)