In just a few years, Tianhu City has been built into a good city, the Central Plains style houses are lined up one after another, spacious streets, rows of trees, and there are a large number of two-story residential buildings with extremely simple architectural style, basically, every soldier who is willing to live in the building can be divided into "two rooms", pay rent on a monthly basis, in today's time, naturally do not feel anything, and many immigrants prefer to live in a miscellaneous courtyard or even a wooden house, the second floor of the building can not be connected to the ground, and live on the first floor and be pressed by others, but it is not a fragrant bait, of course, Whether it is a large mansion or a simple residential building, it is inevitable that several households will share kitchens and bathrooms.

The rise of a large number of two-story residential buildings has saved space for this immigrant city, and the perimeter has been fortified with walls and turrets, which are extremely well guarded.

Most of these building materials are not connected to the railway when the carriage is carried by a car, the hardships of entrepreneurship do not need to mention, when the train is just opened, a large number of materials arrive every day, and now there are buildings under construction in the city, every jingle operation.

In addition to the state-owned shops that dominated the city for a period of time at the beginning of the opening of the port, most of the needs of the residents in the city today are provided by private merchants.

This is also related to the imperial policy, Ye Zhao does not want the empire to form state-owned enterprises in all walks of life, and the control of state-owned assets is still very strict.

Although in recent years, domestic businessmen have changed their concepts, and they all know that the immigrant cities are undeveloped commercial treasures, and they all flock to the construction of immigrant cities, but it is an indisputable fact that state-owned shops are common in the immigrant cities.

A few years ago, the state-owned stores in these border cities were integrated into the "Imperial Department Store" and handed over to private enterprises to operate on their behalf, paying a proportional dividend to the financial department, and this part of the income was used for the construction of the border cities.

This is also the case with some other state-owned assets in the border cities, such as the rent of the imperial real estate and some of the enterprises built by the empire, which are integrated according to industries and entrusted to private companies to operate, and the proceeds are used for public expenditure.

This is completely different from the contracting model, with the imperial compound multi-department audit system, the deterrent surname law with extremely high crime costs, and the contractor is not affected by the local political axe, and it is difficult to find any shelter in the background, after all, there is no competent leadership, you only need to operate according to business behavior, and there are few and few business people who dare to cheat and profit from it.

The government offices of the immigrant cities are not in charge of state-owned enterprises, and in the first place, the chief officers of these construction corps are already powerful, and if you let him touch the management rights of enterprises that can build small treasuries, then what can be repaid?

It is strange that the original clean officials, under such a system, slowly do not become corrupt officials, and not restricting the power of "good people" is tantamount to luring good people to commit crimes.

Tianhu City is a fortress-style building, at the forefront of the Sino-Russian frontier, with a population of more than 10,000 in the city, and the rest of the immigrants from the corps, scattered in the colony strongholds and villages scattered in the south of the city.

There are not many hotels in Tianhu City, except for a state-run hotel, which is a restaurant and a courtyard-like inn, and there are also some commercial houses that will vacate rooms for tourists to rent temporarily.

When Ye Zhao arrived in Tianhu City, it was unfortunate that the state-owned hotel was full, and the tavern courtyard was relatively dirty, so Han Yihai came forward and found two neighboring commercial houses to borrow with the help of the General Military Mansion.

Ye Zhao and Han Yihai lived in the "Fa Ji Department Store", which, as the name suggests, is a shop that sells department stores.

Ye Zhao didn't explain to Han Yihai that Zheng Aqiao brought six thunder cannons, there was nothing to explain. Han Yihai didn't ask, but Zheng Aqiao privately told Han Yihai that he was a member of a certain dart bureau and was hired by the old man of Mr. Wen's family to accompany Mr. Wen to the Western Regions to protect Mr. Wen's safety. As for whether Han Yihai believes it or not, it doesn't matter.

Fa Ji Department Store is a two-story attic structure, Ye Zhao and Han Yihai and Zheng Aqiao all live on the second floor, the room is tidy and tidy, Ye Zhao and Zheng Aqiao occupy the master room, Zheng Aqiao sleeps in Ye Zhao's room on the floor. It seems that the owner of the house was also a member of the new class of small merchants in the empire, and he scraped together all his savings to work hard in the "gold field", hoping to return home one day.

As for the two-storey attic, like many shops, it was state property and leased to merchants. In early immigrant cities such as Boli in the Heilongjiang area, small merchants have gradually emerged to make enough money to redeem their shops as their own private property.

In short, Ye Zhao is still quite satisfied with the overall development of the immigrant city.

In the past two days, Ye Zhao went to the surrounding area of Tianhu City to collect soil, and after coming back to send notes, he took out microscopes, acid and alkali reagents, etc. for analysis.

The conclusion also came out quickly, basically, this area belongs to the slightly acidic sandy loam soil, and it is advisable to need a fertilizer with a relatively high potassium content.

Taking off his glasses, Ye Zhao rubbed his glasses, the current microscope is much worse than that of later generations, and it is really difficult to observe small particles.

"Master, you can be elegant with glasses." Zheng Aqiao joked beside him.

Ye Zhao smiled: "Really? He took the gold-rimmed glasses and put them on, and said, "That's like a professor!" ”

Zheng Aqiao took out his pocket watch and looked at it, and said, "I'll go get the telegram." ”

Ye Zhao did not alarm Fan Gengji, the chief military officer of Tianhu City, in fact, since he did not bring the guard camp this time, it is naturally the less people who know, the better, if he and Zheng Aqiao come to Tianhu City, it is safe, but the guard office will not rest assured, so it is inevitable to choose more than 20 guards to accompany them, and now these guards are used as the emperor's secret envoys to spread the holy words, and they all live in the barracks. The telegram exchange between Ye Zhao and the capital was transmitted by the intelligence officers of the internal affairs system, of course, these intelligence officers did not know that they were sending and receiving secret messages for the emperor.

Tianhu City has an intelligence station of the internal affairs system, which is under the jurisdiction of the Dihua Internal Affairs Bureau.

Zheng Aqiao went for a while, then turned around, took out the code book, and went to the dresser to translate word by word.

This master's room is fully furnished, and the popular chaise longue bed (similar to Simmons) in the Central Plains is also comfortable to sleep on, and it seems that the owner of the commercial bank also knows how to enjoy it.

Ye Zhao lit a cigar from the Americas, threw another one to Zheng Aqiao, and said, "Refresh yourself." ”

Ye Zhao rarely slept in the same room with the eldest lords, and it was extremely rare that there were no maids around him to serve. But these days, but I feel quite comfortable, every day brocade clothes and jade food and beautiful women around, walking accidentally crooked down the body n many palace maids frightened to change color, it is really helpless, occasionally live some civilian life but feel the sea and the sky are free.

Taking a puff of his cigar and looking at Zheng Aqiao, Ye Zhao began to ponder about Europe.

On the day he arrived at Tianhu City, he received a secret telegram from Prussia from the capital, in which Bismarck hinted that war would be declared on France and asked the Chinese emperor to deprive the French of their interests in the East.

It looks like the Franco-Prussian war is imminent.

Originally, the Prussians hoped to restrain France by supporting Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, to succeed to the throne in Spain, but Napoleon III apparently maintained a considerable degree of restraint and only exerted pressure through diplomatic means, and the Spanish royalists were also opposed to Prince Leopold's coronation as King of Spain, so the Prussians had to give up.

Now that the struggle between the two sides was back to square one, Prussia wanted to unify the four autonomous states of southern Germany, and the four southern states, backed by the French, refused to unify them.

Unlike history, it seems that the war was most likely declared by Prussia on France and not by France, and the outcome of the war is also very unpredictable.

Prussia's military strength was naturally stronger than France's, but there were many factors that affected the war, and I wonder if Bismarck could succeed in limiting the war that changed the political power structure in Europe to France and Prussia.

Although the French offended the British because of Napoleon III's misjudgment in promoting hegemony everywhere, for example, when the Suez Canal was opened, the opening ceremony of the Suez Canal attended by the French Empress Eugenie was regarded by the British as a great challenge to British interests in the Near East. But international politics, which has always had its own accidental surname, is to share interests with China in the Far East and gradually lose the Pan-China Sea, and it is difficult to say what new changes will be made in domestic policy towards the Franco-Prussian war.

The outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War was when Ye Zhao hoped to settle all grievances and grievances with the Russians, and the great changes in the European continent would naturally attract most of the attention of Europeans, and it was the best time to take this opportunity to solve the huge threat of eastward expansion in the north.

As for the influence of the Americans on Eurasia, it is completely negligible.

The key point of the war with the Russians, like Bismarck, was that Ye Zhao hoped that the war would be limited to the two countries, and in any case would not give European countries an excuse to intervene.

Among the European powers, the contradictions between Britain and Russia are very deep, and the contradictions in the Balkans are almost irreconcilable; Austria-Hungary was also extremely wary of the Russians' attempts to dismember the Turkish Ottoman Empire in the Balkans, and European countries would probably be happy to see a war break out between China and the Russians.

The British, who could decide the outcome of the war, were unlikely to intervene, and if the Russians could be induced to declare war first, the chances of the British intervening would be zero.

Now it's time to think about the war with the Russians and act on it.

"Master, this is a secret telegram from Warsaw, Russia, forwarded by the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs." Zheng Aqiao presented the translated paper with both hands.

Ye Zhao picked up the telegram and asked, "Hasn't Istanbul heard back yet?" ”

Zheng Aqiao nodded slightly.

Ye Zhao silently looked at the telegram, but in his heart, for the first time, he was uneasy, dueling with polar bears, fighting for dominance on land, this tragic contest will change the future Eurasian pattern of the contest, China, can you have the last laugh?

…… When the limping Boss Qiu came to call Ye Zhao to eat, Zheng Aqiao had already forwarded the telegram prepared by Ye Zhao to the intelligence agent who was pretending to be a customer. In the secret telegram sent to the capital, Ye Zhao asked the matchmaker to transfer troops and horses to Tianhu City, and at the same time selected a capable general to serve as the commander of the Eastern Turkic bandits.

Admiral Ye Zhao already has a candidate in his mind, that is, Lei Chong, who was once Ye Zhao's cavalry commander of the Yulin Praetorian Guard, and is now the deputy chief of the General Staff.

After all, this position is not only to suppress bandits, but to stimulate the nerves of the Russians, to enter the territory of Russia to suppress bandits, and to be reasonable, evidence-based and restrained in dealing with the Russians.

At the same time, in Ye Zhao's secret telegram to the matchmaker, there are a number of secret military deployments, and the clouds of a war are gradually shrouded in the Sino-Russian border. Perhaps, when the telegram arrives in the capital, many generals will be enthusiastic, but Ye Zhao does not have the slightest excitement in his heart to collide with a powerful opponent, the first generation of imperial people, for the revival of the Central Plains, sacrificed too much.

Even before entering the restaurant, Zheng Aqiao whispered: "Master, it's a coincidence, I heard that Lord Guli of Lai Ning City is also in Tianhu City", Ye Zhao just asked casually: "Who?" "Didn't react at all.

Immediately, I knew that it was Gu Li Xiayier, the deputy minister of Laining City, thinking of this barbarian girl, Ye Zhao's mood was finally a little happier, and said with a smile: "But it can be regarded as fate, isn't it?" ”

Zheng Aqiao's eyes flickered immediately, and Ye Zhao waved his hand and said, "If you have fate, you will naturally meet again, and you don't have to arrange it." But she, why did she come to Lai Ning City? ”

Zheng Aqiao said: "I heard that it was a fur that was presented to the tribes of the Western Turks. ”

Ye Zhao bowed slightly, although the distance between Laining City and Laining City is extremely long, but sending taxes and property here is equivalent to sending them to the Central Plains, which is naturally much faster than going to southern Xinjiang, and she must have other things, otherwise it is impossible to personally escort the taxes, after all, it is a vehicle change and a hurry, and it will take two or three months to walk.

"It seems that one train a month is not enough!" In fact, since Ye Zhaomi's telegram was sent and various military deployments began, the railway line from Dihua to Tianhu City was afraid that it would not be able to rest, and even the railway from Anxi to Uriya Sutai would also run at high speed.

In the restaurant, Han Yihai was already sitting at the dining table, saying that it was a restaurant, but it was actually a utility room on the second floor.

Han Yihai and Boss Qiu agreed that the three tenants would rent a master room and a guest room on the second floor for fifteen days, including dinner, a total of fifteen silver dollars, that is, one hundred and fifty yuan. Because Han Yihai heard that the next train will arrive in half a month.

And one hundred and fifty yuan, excluding seventy or eighty yuan for food, is also worth Boss Qiu's income for a month.

Nowadays, more and more paper money is in circulation, the use of paper money has become the norm, and the Central Bank of the Empire has also accelerated the recycling of silver dollars as a reserve for precious metals.

This can be seen from the conversation between Han Yihai and Boss Qiu, when asked about Boss Qiu's business, Boss Qiu said with a Shandong accent: "Business is not easy to do, so-so, you can drop three or four hundred yuan a year, a few are big doctors, big intellectuals, which is like me, a penny to break eight petals." ”

Han Yihai said: "Can you save three or four hundred yuan?" That's pretty good. "My heart said that I can feed a large family, and I can't save this amount in a year. Han Yihai belongs to logistics, and his income is more than twice as bad as that of lecturers such as Zhang and Wang, and it seems that Boss Qiu will do business and save money, but I am afraid that he will still report the imaginary number and earn more.

Boss Qiu grinned, obviously a little complacent, but no, if he was a businessman with a bit of family background ten years ago, it would be extremely difficult to fall thirty or forty silver dollars a year, not to mention that he was just an oil seller. Although the price level of the empire is much higher than ten years ago, because of the abundance of industrial products and consumer goods, and the price reduction, it is not possible to feel the high price of bicycles, such as bicycles, which are falling in price all the way, if Boss Qiu wants to buy them, he can afford them, of course, no one will use their savings for a year or two to buy a bicycle, so bicycles are still something that only a few people can consume.

Consumer goods such as alabaster for women, also because of the progress of chemical technology, cost reduction, production efficiency, and basic price maintenance, have gradually become consumer goods for ordinary people.

There are many examples of all this, and the overall quality of life of the people has been greatly improved.

chatting casually, Ye Zhao took a sip of wine with Han Yihai, the food was meat and vegetarian, Boss Qiu was very sincere, and the quality of the food was completely according to the agreement with Han Yihai earlier.

After tasting the wine, Ye Zhao said with a smile: "Boss Qiu is quite good at enjoying it, the concubine mattress is rare in Tianhu City, right?" "No matter how you look at it, the chaise longue doesn't match Boss Qiu's style.

Boss Qiu's old face turned red and he didn't squeak.

Zheng Aqiao is a clear door, thinking that the intelligence officers will check Boss Qiu's bottom, and when he went out after dinner, Zheng Aqiao snickered and said: "Master, you don't know, Lao Qiu Chun's heart is moved, the mattress was bought from the proprietress next door, and the bunk next door was also rented by Lao Qiu for Zhang Luo, and he also helped the proprietress pay the rent." Because Han Yihai is also there, Zheng Aqiao doesn't need to be called the master. He also said: "The proprietress of the main house rented by the two professors Zhang and Wang next door, her husband gambled and owed a lot of debts, patted her ass and ran back to the Central Plains, the proprietress had no choice, she sold her net worth, Lao Qiu and his two sons are fellow villagers, and they came to Tianhu City together, can't you help them?" I thought he was righteous, but looking at the appearance of Lao Qiu when you asked him just now, I knew that I was moved by Chunxin. ”

Han Yihai frowned and said, "Male thieves and female prostitutes!" ”

Ye Zhao originally wanted to say "a good story", but he had to swallow it back. The value system of the empire is actually very conservative, for example, for divorce, public opinion is critical, although the law stipulates divorce, but no matter which of the men and women is at fault, they will be pointed out by thousands of husbands, if it is a woman who has a bad reputation, it is not to mention.

Ye Zhao liked this atmosphere very much, but he felt that it would be nothing if the pair of Boss Qiu and the boss lady became a couple in the end, but Han Yihai was obviously extremely conservative, and he despised it when he heard that the married woman was ambiguously entangled with others.

Ye Zhao had no choice but to hold back his words, in fact, this kind of fun has not been enjoyed for a long time, in the palace, it has always been him who expresses his opinions and others follow.

Leaning against the wall of the Fa Kee shop, there is an old shaver in his fifties who sets up a stall, which is also a new thing in the empire.

Out of the hair, Ye Zhao said to Zheng Aqiao: "It's okay in the afternoon, let's take a turn." As he was speaking, Han Yihai chased him out and shouted to Ye Zhao: "Professor Wen, Master Fan invited you and me to a banquet in the evening, don't forget." ”

Ye Zhao waved his hand and headed west.

Walking on the long street of Tianhu City, looking at the rows of shop signs, Ye Zhao was thinking about the use of troops against Russia, and when Lei Chong arrived, he wanted to tell him.

In terms of population ratio, the shops in Tianhu City are much less than those in the Central Plains Town, because the income of the soldiers is not high, and about half of their grain has to be handed over free of charge, which is used as military rations for garrisons in various parts of the Western Regions, and the rest of the grain is deducted from the rations, and then sold to merchants or the treasury at a bargaining price. However, most of the immigrants are displaced people from the Central Plains or unemployed farmers, and it is difficult to fill their stomachs, and life today is a paradise compared to before.

Zheng Aqiao walked beside Ye Zhao, looking around vigilantly, and didn't dare to interrupt Ye Zhao's train of thought.

Walking through a street corner, Ye Zhao said with a smile: "This Fan Gengji is also an outlier among military attachés, and he has a great grace for a banquet for university lecturers." Although education is now attached, and the social status of the "masters" in the university is also extremely high, Ye Zhao and the others are lecturers after all, and Fan Gengji is an official to the general army and a major general of the Imperial Army, and he invited a few lecturers, which can indeed be said to be quite affectionate, but it is normal for these martial artists to not know the difference between lecturers and professors.

Zheng Aqiao hesitated for a moment, but endured not speaking.

Seeing his expression, Ye Zhao said lightly: "You say." "I asked him to find out about Fan Gengji's personality, but he didn't see a reply, and he thought he hadn't found out anything.

Zheng Aqiao didn't dare to hide it, and said in a low voice: "Yes, I heard from the intelligence station of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that Fan Gengji was suspected of being a cool official, and treated the soldiers as slaves. ”

Ye Zhao frowned and said, "Does the Supervision Office know about this?" ”

Zheng Aqiao said: "Most people don't know, right? And when Bao inquired about this, he didn't necessarily have to do it seriously, it was just hearsay. ”

Ye Zhao didn't squeak, walked a few steps, and said, "Fan Gengji, remember that it was Han Jinchun who raised it, right?" ”

"This ......, the slave doesn't know ......" Zheng Aqiao really didn't dare to speak, when it came to Han Jinchun, the governor of Vladivostok, he naturally didn't dare to say much.

Ye Zhao shook his head and said, "I, Brother Han, still have the ability to know people, I want to see what kind of person this Fan Gengji is." ”

Zheng Aqiao saw that Ye Zhao's face was kind, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

(To be continued)