The British expedition in the Wakhan Valley came from Rawalpindi, a military center in the Anglo-Indian Punjab region, a key defense point in northwest India, and a bridgehead for infiltration into Afghanistan and the Western Regions, with more than 1,000 British soldiers and thousands of Indian mercenaries stationed.

However, the adventurous spirit of the British made a large number of British merchants and adventurers unable to appreciate the pressure felt by the British and Indian colonial officials, and they continued to explore the unknown as in the past, hoping to find their own "golden land".

In the last year, Rawalpindi has been connected to Karachi, the most important port in the Arabian Sea, which has further strengthened the strategic advantage of the British in Afghanistan, and more and more adventurers have ventured into the Afghan border region.

The adventurer who came to the Wakhan Valley was called Blair, a bankrupt British merchant, who, together with his two nephews, hired a dozen Indian soldiers, and embarked on an expedition, in this era, there were no boundary rivers or mountains, the borders had always been extremely blurred, Blair was a liberal, and did not think that the peoples of the East [***] could bring happiness to the people, and only the British Empire could save them.

Blair's target is Rangal, a town of thousands of people, with whom Blair hopes to establish trade relations and earn a lot of gold for himself.

Watching several Indian mercenaries beat up the old Tajik man who refused to be a guide, Blair walked aside comfortably, the methods of inferior nations to treat inferior nations are really nothing to look at.

A few sheep are housed in a lonely wood-fenced yurt, and the cliffs on the side block the bitter mountain wind, the snow in this area has melted early, and the trees beside the creek have spit out green shoots.

Just when Blair felt a crumpled cigarette, he suddenly heard exclamations and muffled sounds behind him, and when he turned around, he saw several Indian soldiers who had raised their hands high, and more than a dozen soldiers in camouflage military uniforms poured out from behind the trees, rocks and yurts, and the muzzles of the black holes were aimed at the British and Indian uninvited guests, and the swords on the brim of berets and the unique dark gold military emblems of the moon and stars clearly indicated their identities, the Chinese royal infantry.

The Indian soldiers who were searching the yurt also walked out with their hands raised one by one, and in the distance, there was the sound of gunshots, and after a while, Blair saw several Indian mercenaries and his little nephew raised their hands and were escorted over, several Chinese soldiers walked behind with rifles, and finally, the bloody body of his older nephew was dragged out.

The platoon commander of the second platoon quickly ran to Liu Buyun's side and saluted and reported loudly: "Report to the company commander!" There are seven bandits in the woods [***]! Six prisoners! Kill one! Report complete! ”

Looking at his nephew's body, Blair's mind was blank, he suddenly screamed, he wanted to pounce and fight with the Chinese, and then the back of his head was hit by a heavy butt, his eyes were black, and he fell to the ground.

…… When Blair woke up again, he was already in Lianyun Castle, having been woken up with cold water.

Lianyunbao is an Islamic-style castle with Islamic buildings with round towers everywhere, and the population is mainly Pashtun, but there are also a small number of Tajiks.

Today's Kingdom of Afghanistan is actually almost the same as the political form of the Bukhara Khanate, in a feudal system, such as the Bukhara Khanate, that is, the emir system, the monarch is called the Khan, under the rule of the Khan, and the feudal territories of all sizes are divided, the title of the lord is "Amir", for their vassal Khan they are princes, for the people of the territory they are naturally princes.

But the current king of the Bukhara Khanate, Muzaffardin? Bahadur proclaimed himself emir and centralized power, but the invasion of Tsarist Russia interrupted the process of political reform, and after the Sino-Russian war, he gradually became a vassal of China.

The Kingdom of Afghanistan was a state of local tribal separation, and the influence of the central government on the local government was extremely weak, and each tribe had its own calculations, such as in the southern border of Afghanistan, where several tribes, large and small, maintained an ambiguous relationship with the Anglo-Indian authorities.

In the Lianyunbao area, the actual ruler is also a tribal chieftain, a branch of the Pashtun Kallanli tribe, the chief Hakim is an old man with a thick white beard under his chin, but the fierceness and aggressiveness of his eyes are obvious. The Pashtuns are an aggressive people, belonging to the customs of tribal society, but also an important part of their national identity, the Pashtuns love weapons, almost everyone carries a long knife or a dagger, and the customs of revenge, frequent weapon fights and protection for guests have remained unchanged.

In the council hall next to a Muslim church in Lianyunbao, Liu Buyun met with Hakim, a local tribal leader.

In fact, outside the chamber, a large number of Pashtuns, old and children, gathered, and some Pashtuns were full of questions in their eyes, wondering what the Chinese were doing here. A dozen heavily armed Chinese soldiers watched them warily.

In fact, Liu Buyun only led one infantry platoon to escort Blair into the city, and for safety reasons, the other two infantry platoons and firepower platoons stayed outside the city with the exploration team.

The interpreter that Liu Buyun brought with him was actually a Persian translator, but he could barely communicate with the Pashtuns.

After offering the local cheese tea, looking at Liu Buchan, Hakim said straightforwardly: "Dear Chinese guests, we have lived in Langar for thousands of years, we have our own beliefs and ways of life, I hope you can convey your Shangguan and convey our goodwill, we will pay tribute on time, but I hope you and your Shangguan will respect our faith and life, and do not send officials to Langar to avoid unpleasant conflicts." Please don't misunderstand, we are humble and have deep respect for the Central Plains Empire, and I am not resisting the Central Plains Empire's rule over us. ”

Liu Buyun nodded slightly, obviously this old chief had already received the information from the elders of the clan and knew the situation his tribe was facing now.

"Chief Hakim, please rest assured, the management of Lianyunbao will have officials who are familiar with the affairs of your tribe to negotiate with you, my task is only to survey and map the southern border, and I have also received a strict order, without your permission, my soldiers and I are not allowed to step into Lianyunbao for half a step, and there will be no unpleasant conflicts with your tribe."

Hakim looked relieved and said: "I see, Allah will thank you." ”

Liu Buyun pondered and said: "There is a sentence I don't know whether to say or not, you and your clan will become one of the citizens of the empire from now on, you will be protected by the empire, and your life will get better and better, under the premise of abiding by the laws and regulations of the empire, the empire will never interfere with your beliefs and living customs, Elder Hakim, I think you will be proud of your choice in the future." ”

Hakim stroked his chest and bowed slightly: "Thank you for your kind words, and I am also looking forward to becoming a subject of your country." "That's right, but in the western regions of the Central Plains Empire, the north is a gathering area for Tajiks, and there are already contradictions with his tribe over pastures and so on, so I am afraid that I will suffer even more in the future.

Liu Buyun knew that he was not good at appeasing the aliens, so he immediately said to Hakim: "I hope to use your house to interrogate the British who invaded the valley, and I also hope that you can be a witness on the side. ”

Hakim's eyes flashed, slightly bowed, obviously, he was also curious about the relationship between the Chinese and the British, and wanted to see how the Chinese treated the British invaders, in fact, last year, a British expedition came to Langal, clashed with his tribe and was driven away in embarrassment, but in this conflict, more than a dozen brave young men of his tribe paid the price with their lives.

Liu Buyun made a gesture, and after a while, Blair was pushed in, and the interpreter was a young student from the survey team, who spoke English roughly.

Blair was beaten again in his struggle, and he still maintained a haughty posture when he was fully conscious, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth, but his eyes were full of contempt.

"You will pay for the brutality!" Facing Liu Buyun, he raised his head proudly.

Liu Buyun personally executed the rioting Russian prisoners, and he had no curiosity about the Semu people, motioned to Blair to sit, saw Blair's arrogant appearance, and patiently explained: "I deeply regret your nephew's accident, but you invaded the territory of our country, your nephew resisted with arms, and my [***] people's reaction was completely in accordance with our country's laws and military regulations, so I don't think my [***] court will accept your complaint." ”

Blair was almost blown out of his lungs, and the official words of [***] were polite, but the arrogance between the lines was very clear, he abided by Chinese laws and military codes, as long as he did not violate Chinese laws, no one could help him.

Liu Buyun continued: "As for you and your subordinates, we will send them to the Immigration Department of the Green Ridge, and the Court of Immigration will determine the responsibility, during this period, we will give you the rights you deserve in accordance with the laws of the Empire, and at the same time, we will also inform the consulate of your country of your recent situation, if the consulate of your country cannot provide a lawyer, the immigration office of our country will appoint a lawyer for you, of course, the lawyer will pay for his own expenses." Personally, I think you will be charged with illegal armed border crossings, assault and kidnapping of Imperial citizens, etc., and if convicted, you should be sentenced to serve a prison sentence within the Empire. ”

Blair's face was blue, not because of the arrogance of the Chinese, but because of the English gentleman who had always considered himself the center of the civilized world, but in the East he could not refute a word that seemed to be dazzling but formal.

"You guys, you have to know the consequences of shooting British citizens and imprisoning them!" Blair shouted angrily.

Liu Buyun said: "Mr. Blair, obviously you don't know that dozens of British [***] people have been killed by my [***] people in India, so instead of being hysterical about your British citizenship, it is better to think about how to exonerate yourself in the court trial." ”

Blair really didn't know that there had been a skirmish between China and Britain in India, which involved the intricacies of the face of the British Empire and international politics, and that even the highest levels of the military were secretive, and that he, a bankrupt businessman, would not know about it.

Blair's face turned pale, but he didn't admit defeat, stared at Liu Buyun and said, "I really hope that we will meet again one day." ”

Liu Buyun waved his hand and motioned for the soldiers to push him out.

From beginning to end, the Persian translator translated the dialogue between the two to Hakim, and the shock caused to Hakim in just a few words of dialogue can be imagined, not because of the toughness of the Chinese, but the confidence of giving the other party full rights in the toughness, which is a kind of civilized confidence, a kind of confidence in the national system, which made Hakim, who only knows that blood revenge maintains "justice" through vendetta, was shocked like never before.

Talking to Liu Buchan again, Hakim didn't know why, suddenly his heart was weak, and his posture softened a lot, perhaps, it was a kind of barbarian tribe's true respect for the Heavenly Empire, and it began to sprout unconsciously.

…… Blair's case quickly became another sensitive topic of Sino-British diplomacy, and the Chinese handled it very low-key, but the British embassy held talks with the Chinese foreign ministry five times in a week, and the news still spread.

Ye Zhao couldn't help but talk about this matter when he was in the residence of the Lan nobles.

The Langui residence on the top floor of the Equality Life Building is resplendent with gold, and the gorgeous chandelier in the living room is bright and bright, and the interior is even more magnificent.

Ye Zhao sat on the milky white sofa, and behind him, Jin Feng, who was wearing a pink dress with a sense of surname, exposed snow-white stockings and calves, thin black high-heeled leather shoes, and a pink skirt with a sense of surname, was gently pinching Ye Zhao's head.

When he came to the mansion of the nobles in Lan, Ye Zhao would always walk with his concubine, because there were often noble ladies who came to visit the Empress Dowager Longxian, and if Ye Zhao came alone, he was afraid of rumors.

Sure enough, there are guests today, in fact, they are also old acquaintances, General Mutern's daughter-in-law, Guerjia, who managed the Guangzhou Hotel for the General's Chambers in her early years, and is now the deputy director of the General Office of the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the only female official with the rank of department head in the various ministries of the Government Council.

In the imperial newspapers and magazines, she naturally became the representative of the new female surname self-reliance, and sometimes Ye Zhao could only sigh at the mystery of propaganda.

Guerjia and Jin Feng have also known each other for more than ten years, and she is also very loved by Jin Feng who is accustomed to observing words and feelings.

Lan Guiren, who wore a long and bewitching gilt finger sleeve, tasted tea with a dignified temperament, and asked Jin Feng lightly: "Are you in the capital this month?" ”

Jin Feng said respectfully: "Yes, if you go back to the Queen Mother, I will be in Beijing this month." Although it has been more than ten years since she was named a concubine, in the face of Rong'er's sister, the former queen, and the current queen mother, Jin Feng still has some inferiority complex in her heart.

Lan Guidao: "I told you a long time ago, it's okay to call me the imperial sister-in-law, and it's okay to call my sister-in-law." ”

Ye Zhao smiled: "Yes, call sister, Jin Feng should also be relaxed, I told you a while ago that I am tired of running outside, just right, isn't this pregnant?" ”

Jin Fengqiao's face flushed slightly, but when the imperial doctor's diagnosis was confirmed, she cried bitterly for a whole night, Ye Zhao also accompanied her for a whole night, and kept comforting her in a low voice, her worries, grievances, caution and the strong expectation that she never showed but was pregnant Ye Zhao understood, and even she secretly swore in front of the Bodhisattva that she was willing to sacrifice her life in exchange for her and Ye Zhao's bloodline, Ye Zhao knew.

Hearing the word "pregnant", Jin Feng couldn't help but look down at her flat lower abdomen, the joy and happiness in her heart were indescribable, this was the blood of her and Ye Zhao, and the crystallization of Ye Zhao's pampering of her, she hoped that the dragon in her belly was not a prince, but a little princess, so that she would not be involved in the turmoil in the palace, and she could be spoiled by Ye Zhao.

Lan Guiren asked Ye Zhao again: "How is Yao Xun's studies?" She attaches great importance to the identity of the prince born to her sister, and she may care a lot more than Rong'er.

Ye Zhao bowed slightly: "It's okay, bring him to kowtow to the imperial sister-in-law another day." ”

Guerjia suddenly saw that the concubine and the queen mother had a delicate little gold watch on their wrists, which were more and more lined with Hao's wrists like snow and delicate jade hands, she suddenly thought of something, her heart skipped a beat, and she was too busy to look at it again.

Ye Zhao looked at her, and under the blazing gaze of the Great Emperor, the Guerjia clan was even more flustered in his heart.

"What do you ministry officials say, Blair's case." Ye Zhao asked the Guerjia clan with a smile.

Guerjia's back was already soaked with sweat, and he stabilized his mind and said, "Your Majesty has its own decisions, and they don't have any ideas. ”

Ye Zhao laughed: "So, the officials of your Ministry of Foreign Affairs are all unassertive echo worms?" ”

The Guerjia clan was taken aback, and hurriedly said: "No, minion, minion doesn't mean that. ”

Ye Zhao looked at Lan Guiren and said: "In fact, it is nothing to sentence or not, I am ready to take this opportunity to draw rules with the British in the Western Regions, and let the British go north in the Western Regions." "In the past, Britain and Russia played a game in Central Asia, and finally signed the London Protocol, Afghanistan became a buffer zone between the two sides, the Russians no longer went south, the British no longer went north, and now, Central Asia has become a wrestling field between China and Britain.

Ye Zhao now likes to talk to Lan Guiren about these international matters, not to listen to Lan Guiren's opinions, but to faintly feel that Lan Guiren has suffered from the foreign devils, and there is a lot of dirty water on his body.

Lan Guiren's eyes flickered, in fact, every time Ye Zhao talked to her about these topics, she thought that Ye Zhao was testing herself, no matter how close the relationship between the two was sometimes, but it was extremely difficult to really achieve no barriers at all.

The telephone rang suddenly, and the maid went over to answer it, but it was looking for Guerga.

Guerjia chatted a few words on the phone, and then Ying Ying came to say goodbye: "Holy Lord, there is something in the slave's family. ”

Ye Zhao bowed slightly, and the Guerjia clan knelt down to the queen mother and the concubine Niangniang, and then walked away.

When Lan Guiren got up to clean his hands, Jin Feng whispered in Ye Zhao's ear: "Long live Lord, it turns out that you and Guerjia have nothing to do, I thought you were ...... a few years ago."

Ye Zhao glared at Jin Feng and said, "My mind is full of dirty thoughts!" ”

Jin Feng chuckled, suddenly frowned, covered his stomach and said, "Master, my stomach hurts a little, you sit, I'll go back and rest for a while." ”

Ye Zhao was startled and said, "What's wrong?" "But I saw that Jin Feng was in a hurry, where did he look like he was sick? was stunned, and then understood her careful thoughts, this third aunt, but her whole body is full of heart, when did she guess about her own affairs with Lan Guiren?

(To be continued)