In fact, the alliance with the Qianguo is now the consensus of the French government and the opposition, and the former imperial prime minister and veteran statesman Viscount Thiers once pointed out in a speech in parliament: "The Great Qian's empire is the only great power that can pose a threat to Russia in the East, and it is very important to France, especially when Germany unites Austria and Russia to isolate France." "Although there are many factions in the French parliament, neither the royalists nor the republicans have any differences on this point, and they both believe that they should maintain good relations and maintain friendship with the cadres, and some parliamentarians have even proposed that the two countries should sign a formal alliance.www.biquge.info The current Imperial Prime Minister Jouferi also attaches great importance to relations with Qianguo, and when talking with Lin Yiqing, he even repeatedly and explicitly stated that "even if France gives up the whole of Vietnam, it will not consider giving up its great friendship with Qianguo." ”

During the talks between Lin Yiqing and Napoleon IV, Napoleon IV also made it clear that he would "continue to maintain the traditional friendship between the two countries" and hoped that "this friendship can be further deepened", that is, to formally conclude a covenant, of course, this covenant can be secret and does not need to be made public, and Lin Yiqing readily agreed. Napoleon IV then authorized the Imperial Prime Minister Jouferi to draw up a draft covenant and discuss specific matters with Lin Yiqing and Hong Yun, the minister of the Qianguo State in France.

Although the draft of the covenant is still being discussed, both sides have a strong desire to conclude an alliance, and it can be said that it is only a matter of time before the alliance is formed. Even the Count Alfonso of the Rothchild family was looking forward to this.

"France has been isolated in Europe, and now the only people who can be counted on are Britain and Qianguo." Alfonso continued, "I've heard that there is a lot of isolationism in the country, is that right? ”

"Yes, but this is also normal, the conservative diehards of the Qianguo always have to oppose everything foreign and new." Lin Yiqing said, "However, I can assure you that their opposition will not have any effect, and the Great Qian Empire and the French Empire will become allies, which can be expected and certain." ”

Before he came to Europe, in view of the great threat posed by the alliance between Japan and Russia, some scholars and doctors in the Qianguo country demanded that the imperial court "adopt the policy of combining vertical and horizontal, long-distance friendship and close attack" and "linking up with the Taixi powers to provide Austrian aid." Naturally, the first choice was France, which has a long-term friendly and cooperative relationship with the Qianguo. This argument brought different voices to the originally conservative "Qing Discussion", and the conservative scholars naturally opposed it, but because they could not come up with an effective strategy to deal with the threat of Japan and Russia, they just shouted something "Ligan Yilu", which was naturally not welcomed by the imperial court, although the imperial court did not express its position in the end, but after discussing with Prince Jing and Prince Chun, the Empress Dowager Renxi believed that the matter of "distant friendship and close attack" should still be done, and it was to instruct Lin Yiqing to "go with the camera, if the legal person has the intention of making an alliance, it may as well make a secret agreement to link it" , Lin Yiqing naturally understands this, not to mention that this is actually his own idea.

Otherwise, he would not have taken such pains to encourage Bismarck to engage in the German-Austrian-Russian "Three Emperors Alliance."

If the German-Austro-Russian alliance is formed, then the Anglo-French alliance will naturally not be far off......

In fact, France's move closer to Britain was already doomed from the day Queen Victoria married her most beloved youngest daughter, Princess Beatrice, to Napoleon IV.

At this time, Lin Yiqing was full of confidence in the future, but he did not know that in distant Beijing, a conspiracy against himself was quietly unfolding.

The thick clouds suddenly cracked a narrow slit, and the golden sunlight flashed in, quietly pouring on the wet earth tossed by the rainy season. Although it is as thin as the porridge water sold by the innkeeper with a black heart, it still makes people feel a little cheerful and excited because of the weather.

The streets of the small town suddenly became lively, and at first there were a few sporadic passers-by, but after a while, they converged into a bustling flow of people. The gravel road is lined with stalls of all kinds, and nine out of ten are merchants. The markets in the north of the city have always been the most crowded places, and the horse markets here are famous, and the blacksmith shops, armor shops, and tailor shops often gather large numbers of customers.

Since the rainy season, it is the first time that so many people have gathered at Lao Yangtou's stall. He had already washed all kinds of good horses, waiting to sell them for a good price. When he was young, Lao Yang Tou was also a cavalryman, although his fighting skills were ordinary, his equestrian skills were first-class. Like a Kazakh horse, the hips are long and the legs are crossed, and the running speed is extremely fast; Mongolian horses are short in stature and good at negative forces; And those crossbred tall horses are often useless.

The two brothers of the Jiang family watched around a brown Kazakh horse for a long time, and when they heard the offer of twenty silver dollars, they hesitated suddenly. "Twenty silver dollars is really expensive, does Lao Yang want to rob the name of those guys in the Black Heart Inn." The people around laughed. The big fat man who spoke was Wei Che, the owner of the "Xiangruihe" restaurant, who patted the horse's buttocks hard, and his white and fat fingers were covered with gemstone rings. "Although he is also a good horse, he is not young and has a poor coat color, so he is still a mare. I think it's worth fifteen silver dollars at most. ”

The owner of the horse shop smiled and did not say anything. Wei Che said, "Well, twenty silver dollars is not a lot, but you have to give me that horse." Everyone followed Wei Che's fingers, and then they found a dry and thin white horse in the corner of the stable, with chains between the front and back legs for some reason. Old Yang narrowed his eyes and shook his head. The innkeeper was a little impatient, "Alright, twenty-two silver dollars for two horses, don't expect me to add an extra one." ”

Someone laughed out loud. The fat boss looked for prestige angrily, and the man dressed as a man and a woman, dressed in the gray cloth clothes that dart masters usually wear, did not look very strong, but his eyes were blazing, and he carried a long heavy sword behind him. The woman with long black hair beside him was full of wildness, and she had a two-handed scimitar at her waist that even men rarely used. Someone noticed the black heavy sword on the man's back and whispered about it.

Erjin took out the money bag from his arms and threw it to Lao Yang Tou refreshingly. "It's thirty silver dollars, and there's no more, I want that white horse." Everyone shouted in surprise, and Wei Che shouted angrily, "Are you crazy? Thirty silver dollars for such a broken horse. ”

Orjin ignored him and walked straight to the white horse. When the white horse saw the living approaching, he immediately kicked his legs angrily, but he was tied to the chain. Orjin stood still in front of the white horse and stared at it for a long time. I thought it was a hybrid horse after the mating of the Three Hippos and the Yanqiliang Horse, but after careful observation, I found that it was a purebred rare northern snow hippopotamus, Orjin gently pressed his finger on the horse's forehead, and recited silently in the secret language that his mother had taught. The white horse suddenly calmed down and slowly lowered his head.

The purebred snow hippopotamus is far more than thirty silver dollars, Erjin looked back at Lu Mingyun, Lu Mingyun shook his head, thirty silver dollars were almost all the money on the two of them. Erjin stroked the white horse's back with some regret. "And then." Orjin grabbed the thing thrown back by Lao Yangtou in his hand, and was surprised to find that it was not his money bag but a key. "Don't forget to give it back to me when the chains on the horse's legs are opened, there will always be someone who needs it."

Lu Mingyun noticed the resentful gaze that the fat buyer cast on Erjin, and didn't pay much attention to it. As long as Orjin is happy, even if the family doesn't give him money, the military salary of the Jianrui battalion is huge, and he can save it by gritting his teeth. Orjin happily led the white horse and beckoned him away, for the power of the secret words alone might not be able to subdue such a fierce horse that dared to fight with the leopards and wolves in the mountains, and it would take some effort to harness it.

Turning the corner, someone behind him took a few steps and chased after him. This is a short man in gray, whose facial features are squeezed into a flat and narrow face, giving people an obscene feeling. The stranger said in a hoarse voice, "Someone wants to see you." Lu Mingyun and Orjin didn't answer him, and walked forward by themselves. The man stretched out his hand and stopped them in front of them, "I said, someone wants to see you." ”

Erjin raised his eyebrows and was about to get angry, when a hand stretched out next to him and slapped the man's face, who flipped over several times and fell to the side of the road. "Useless guys." A middle-aged man in fancy clothes who looked like a businessman cursed fiercely, then turned to them, and said with a smile: "Don't be like a minion. I would like to introduce you to two people to buy and sell. ”

"We're not available." Erjin said coldly, his dislike for this merchant in his heart was worse than that ugly and rude slave just now.

"Twenty silver dollars, just one trip." The other party probably regarded the two of them as dart masters, and they looked very confident.

"Please go away."

The other party showed a look of astonishment at this time, but quickly calmed down, and said in a sincere tone: "Please delay a little time to meet a friend with me, and it is not too late to make a decision after we meet." ”

After knowing Orjin for so long, Lu Mingyun felt that her curiosity had not diminished in the slightest, and was even better than the arrogant and enthusiastic Bo eldest lady before she entered the Jianrui camp. However, Lu Mingyun himself was also a little surprised by the words of this middle-aged businessman, the meaning of the other party's words was that he should be meeting someone he knew or even familiar with, and who would be with this middle-aged businessman?

The three of them walked around the alley, and the white horse seemed to be dissatisfied with the deep and narrow alleyway, and from time to time let out a heavy snort. The middle-aged merchant stopped in front of a doorway and pushed the door open. Erjin did not hesitate at all, leading the horse and following behind. Lu Mingyun, who was still outside the door, heard her exclamation and rushed into the door. In a small courtyard, Orjin was staring at a slightly shorter sturdy man in front of him and covered his mouth.

"Miss, it's really you!"

"Uncle Liu...... You...... Didn't you go to the South Seas? ”

The middle-aged businessman stood alone and looked at them, nodding slightly, as if to say that this should be the person we need.

When he heard that Uncle Liu asked them to help send things to Beijing, Orjin didn't think about it, so he agreed to it.

"Originally, this Beijing city was already in front of me, but my old problem of leg pain was committed again, I couldn't ride a horse, I couldn't hurry, I was worried, but I happened to meet you...... Take the twenty silver dollars first, and when the things are delivered, I will be rewarded......"

"Come on! Uncle Liu, it's just a trip to help your old man, how can I still ask for your money? Erjin was dissatisfied and pushed away the money bag handed over by Uncle Liu.

"You take the money first." Uncle Liu insisted, "Do you know that this is what Zeng Jiushuai, the head of the military department in Beijing, wanted," he whispered, and looked around, "I brought it all the way from the south, it is very important, and there must be no mistakes...... You have to take this money, as long as the things are delivered, I will be very grateful, what is this money......"

Seeing that what Uncle Liu said solemnly was that it was an important thing for the bigwigs in Beijing, Orjin nodded, took the money bag, and then threw it to Lu Mingyun.

Uncle Liu immediately handed over an inconspicuous-looking green cloth burden to Erjin, and gave her a letter, instructing her to hand over the letter and burden to the steward of Zeng's mansion, Orjin agreed, and hurriedly went on the road with Lu Mingyun.

Seeing the figures of the two disappear at the door, Uncle Liu turned his head to the middle-aged businessman and asked, "Why...... My lord ordered us to find someone here to send us, and we were not allowed to enter Beijing? ”

"Adults are afraid that once something happens on the road, if we track it down, we won't be able to find our heads, and it will have nothing to do with adults." The middle-aged merchant frowned and replied.

Uncle Liu knew that he had asked too much, so he quickly closed his mouth.

In the distance, the two horses were already running out of sight.

Beijing, Zengfu.

"Lin Yiqing, where did you go?"

"Back to the lord's words, according to our people's inquiry, that Lin Yiqing is still in France, and after his visit to the head of the law, he just went to visit the La Sena shipyard, and was invited by the Rothschild clan to visit the Schneider gun factory to discuss the purchase of ship guns."

"He's a guy who likes to make a show, and I heard that the Spanish lord died of illness, didn't he go to the funeral? When his brother was buried, a lot of Westerners came to talk about it. ”

"Back to the lord's words, Lin Yiqing did not go to Spain, I remember that Lin Wen was ...... When Lin Yizhe was buried, Spain did not send an envoy, but he returned to heaven as the lord of Spain, and he did not go to the funeral. Now that the funeral period of the Spanish lord has passed, he thinks he will not go. By the way, when the Spanish lord died, his wife had not yet given birth, and the little one saw the newsprint yesterday, and his posthumous son had been born a few days ago. ”

"I need to inquire about this matter, I want to know if he left France, when he left, and where he went next."

"Yes, yes."

After the master left, Zeng Boheng came to a world map, looked at the location of European countries, and nodded slightly.

"As long as you leave the country of France, you will not spoil the affairs of the court...... As soon as that thing arrives, your death date, I'm afraid it's coming, hum! ”

In the woods, Orjin looked at the green cloth burden that had been deflated with some annoyance, and couldn't help sighing.

She never imagined that the snow hippopotamus would suddenly go berserk after entering the forest and seeing a wild wolf, jumping and rushing to fight the wolf, almost knocking her off the horse.

She didn't fall off, but the burden on her body fell out and hit a big rock.

Although she didn't open the baggage, she could tell from the sound and the appearance of the baggage that it must have been broken.

Looking at Erjin's annoyed appearance, Lu Mingyun behaved very calmly.

"Open it and see what it is, maybe you can fix it."

"How do you know you can fix it? Besides, can you look at the owner's things casually? Do you understand the rules of the road? Erjin's eyes widened, and he wanted to be angry at him.

"I heard a sound just now, it looks like a metal box, I have repaired swords, ornaments, swords, and utensils, this kind of box utensils, it's not a problem." Lu Mingyun said the reason without hesitation, "If it can be repaired to the original state, it doesn't hurt to take a look." ”

"Good! If you can't fix it, see how I clean you up! Erjin snorted and opened the baggage.

Sure enough, as Lu Mingyun said, there was a black and shiny silver box in the baggage.

It's just that the lid of the box has been deformed because of the impact, and the small silver lock on it has also been opened.

"Unexpectedly...... It's an antique ......" Looking at the Western-style four-leaf clover pattern on the box, Lu Mingyun couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

"The boxes have all been smashed like this, alas...... I'm really sorry Uncle Liu......" Erjin said, opening the lid of the box.

Lu Mingyun couldn't help but be stunned when he saw the things inside.

Inside is a few vague cowhides with red and green lanes and weird characters.

"It's ...... Map? Orjin immediately recognized what it was.

Ever since she joined the camp, she has become familiar with things like maps.

Lu Mingyun opened a map and looked at it for a while, but he didn't understand what it meant, but from some tongue twisters-like formulas written on it, he guessed that it should be a treasure map.

Orjin stretched out her hand to take the cowhide map below, and found that the cowhide seemed to be wrapped in something, she opened it and looked at it, and her eyes couldn't help but light up.

It was a beautiful silver-shelled pocket watch in the Western style.

Orjin looked at the enamel pattern on the case of the pocket watch and was amazed.

Lu Mingyun leaned his head over, and after seeing the pattern, he was also amazed.

It was a ******** avatar.

Somehow, this ******** gave Lu Mingyun a sense of déjà vu.

"Open it and see if there are any words in it." Lu Mingyun became curious and said.

Orjin opened the pocket watch and revealed the dial inside, and Lu Mingyun's eyes suddenly saw a line of small English letters engraved on the case.

Before Lu Mingyun entered the Jianrui camp, he didn't know foreign language, but he only learned some after entering the camp, at that time he just thought that Lin Yiqing wanted them to learn foreign language in order to understand the words on the foreign gun so that they could operate it, but he didn't expect that this foreign language would be useful in the future.

It was a nice foreign woman's name: "Melissa".

Orjin saw that Lu Mingyun could see it, and his naughty heart rose, and he closed the watch cover at once. But Lu Mingyun's eyes did not leave, but stared at the portrait of the beautiful foreign woman on the watch cover. (To be continued.) )