Just as Liu Xian was receiving three Korean envoys in Tongzhou, a passenger ship from Nagasaki, Japan, slowly docked at the port of Tianjin. He Ruzhang, a 42-year-old former Manchu envoy to Japan, strolled off the boat, and Huang Zunxian, who was already waiting at the pier, hurriedly greeted him.

"Brother Zi'e, it's been hard all the way!"

Huang Zunxian was ten years old when He Ruzhang was the first minister to Japan three years ago, and Huang Zunxian was the then embassy counselor. The latter was only a meritorious person at that time, and it was a meritorious person after ranking more than 100 people. The reason why he can become a counselor of the embassy is inseparable from He Ruzhang's strong recommendation.

And Huang Zunxian's outstanding performance in Japan for the next two years is also the biggest reason why he became the director of the Department of Border and Maritime Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Daqin at a young age. It can be said that He Ruzhang's kindness to Huang Zunxian is as deep as the sea.

Both are Cantonese.

Huang Zunxian's father, Huang Hongzao, was still serving in the household department in Beijing, and Huang Zunxian went to Japan for only a year. Most of Huang Hongzao's family relatives are in their hometown, so they are not trusted by the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and they resigned and quit their careers after two years.

With an identity like the Huang family, they are always in the sight of Beijing Station. Huang Hongzao may not have much talent, but he is relatively incorruptible, and with this advantage, he is immediately designated as a target to be wooed. When I arrived at Beijing Station, I found the door. Huang Hongzao had completely lost confidence in the Manchu Qing Dynasty at that time, and the battlefield was the Qin army, which was also victorious, swallowing thousands of miles like a tiger! The two sides hit it off, and now Huang Hongzao is one of the many officials of the Qin Army's Ministry of Finance. After Huang Zunxian received Lao Tzu's summons, he had to say goodbye to He Ruzhang and change the court, which was also prosperous.

He Ruzhang is a native of Huliao, Dapu County, Guangdong. An outstanding diplomat in the early days of our country. He was also the target of Qin Jun's wooing, and Liu Xian was promised the position of vice minister of foreign affairs. It's just that He Ruzhang is a person on Li Hongzhang's line. I don't want to go away with Li Hongzhang. It was not until today that he officially returned from Japan, although his name had been changed to that of Daqin's minister to Japan. Coming back is also a debriefing, but after all, there is a big difference.

……

That night, in a small courtyard in Tianjin. Why is Huang Zunxian like Zhang? There are not many dishes on the banquet, and they are very exquisite, all of them are pure Cantonese cuisine.

He Ruzhang has been away from China for three years, and the cook he brought to Japan with him is also found in Beijing, and he is very good at cooking Shandong cuisine, but not Cantonese cuisine. Now hiding the taste of his hometown, he ate this meal very happily.

Dinner. Tea fruit was also presented, and two Kabuki presented by Huang Zunxian accompanied him and sang the order. He Ruzhang realized in a panic that he had really returned to China.

After a tiring journey, He Ruzhang got up late the next day and didn't get up until near noon. After lunch, I told the steward who came to serve that I wanted to go around the city of Tianjin, and by the way, I would go to the concession to visit the old people who lived in Tianjin. I just don't know if the ground is quiet here?

Not long ago, the Qin army took Tianjin. He Ruzhang felt that Tianjin would not be too peaceful. Q: How many people should I take out?

The steward replied with a smile. "Lord He, the ground in Tianjin is very quiet, so you can just rest assured." Talking about the busyness of calling people to prepare the car.

He Ruzhang rode in a four-wheeled carriage in Japan, thinking of the old-fashioned carriage he sat in when he was in Beijing. I felt a pang of tension in my heart. Yesterday they took a flexible rickshaw when they returned to Huangfu. Because Huangfu is not far from the wharf, and the road belongs to the prosperous stage of Tianjin, there are many people. Rickshaw trucks. It's even more convenient and fast. He Ruzhang has never been in the carriage of the Huang family. Glancing at his entourage, the entourage hurriedly rushed up and whispered a few words to the steward.

"Out of the way." Said the steward. "This is also a four-wheeled carriage, made in Guangxi. Much stronger than the little devils. Now the new dynasty is not happy to sit in a sedan chair, and the old men do this. ”

The carriage of the Huang family is the latest type of carriage produced by Guangxi Yongsheng Automobile Company, which not only increases the number of leaf springs, but also installs ball bearings on the axles, changes the wheels to solid rubber tires, and the interior of the carriage has also been improved. As for the appearance of the car, it is decorated by the skilled craftsmen found by the Huang family themselves, and it is generous and luxurious.

Because of the limited number of horses in the family, only two of these cars were sold, and they were not used on weekdays, only for protocol purposes.

"It's more comfortable than a Japanese carriage." He Ruzhang sat in the car, with a spring cushion under his buttocks, feeling the interior decoration and decoration of the car, and immediately recognized the good and bad.

Because it is summer, the interior of the car is mostly cool and smooth bamboo, rattan and yarn.

The windows are inlaid with glass and covered with green screen frames, and there are thin bamboo curtains for shading. In addition to the two rows of chairs sitting opposite each other, there are also low benches on the side. This is specially designed for the national conditions of the Ming Dynasty. The carriage is fast, and it is impossible for the little maid to follow on foot like a sedan chair, if it is the same car, how can the average old man and official be willing to let his subordinates sit side by side with him, so two low stools are specially designed.

One of He Ruzhang's entourages was now sitting on this low stool, and suddenly his eyes lit up: "Master, this car is really strange!" ”

As he spoke, he reached out and opened the secret cabinet on the wall of the car, and when he opened it, he saw that inside were two rattan shell bottles, which they had recognized in the room yesterday. This is a hot water bottle, another new invention developed under the guidance of Liu Xian. The boiling water is still hot when it is poured out overnight.

With this thing, people can take hot water wherever they go, anytime, anywhere. He Ruzhang likes to drink tea, and his entourage thinks that this thing is much more practical than glass things like mirrors.

One bottle was filled with boiling water, while the other was filled with crushed ice. In addition to hot water and ice, there are glasses, tea, red wine, brandy, etc.

Huang Zunxian works in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and his family has prepared a lot of foreign wine. Although he was in Tianjin, he himself had just transferred.

The carriage left Huang's house and went straight onto the road. The road is open and flat. He noticed this when he returned to Tianjin yesterday. Just talking about transportation, there is no trace of war at all. Moreover, I heard that the Qin army stipulated that the flow of people, horses and vehicles should drive on the right, and on the wide official roads and newly built roads, there will be sidewalks and roadways.

While the fine is controversial, the effect is clear.

Today's weather is very good, although the scorching sun is scorching, but the workers, traders, or people who carry the burden on foot and cart come and go, and there is an endless stream. The liveliness of Tianjin's city seems to be no less than before the war.

The car stopped after a short while, and the steward came down from the front position and said, "Lord He, you have arrived at the old ear gate." "This is a market center opened in the city after the Qin army entered Tianjin.

In fact, it was the General Logistics Department that colluded with merchants in Liangguang, Jiangnan, and other places, a place where the military used its power to make extra money.

Liu Xian turned a blind eye, as long as the General Logistics Department didn't go too far, he wouldn't care. And when he really has to take care of it, someone will lose his hat or even lose his head.

"Lord He, do you think you can get off the bus and walk here? Or drive the car straight to the market? ”

"Get off right here." He Ruzhang had already seen not far away, the place where the car was parked. I'm afraid there are hundreds of black presses. And He Ruzhang also saw some small foreign flags planted in front of the car. Such a carriage would only be a foreigner's car!

When I got out of the car, I saw a gray embankment across the river, which was the old ear gate at the confluence of the Xinkai River and the Ziya River. A short distance away, on the banks of the river was a large area of red houses, with only a circle of barbed wire surrounded by hastily.

At the same distance from the riverside wharf that He Ruzhang did not want, two steam cranes he was familiar with stood on the shore. In Japan, he has seen this kind of steam product more than once, and every time he looks at it, he feels that the ancient Tongcheng text he has learned cannot meet the needs of the changing times, and it is a pity that there are still so many people in the whole of China who are immersed in ancient books. Instead of actually looking up at the world!

"Lord He, please go inside."

The steward of the Huang Mansion is now the guide. Take He Ruzhang to see what changes have changed in Tianjin after the change of owner.

He Ruzhang looked at Tianjin with a little pickiness and resistance, which was also his attitude towards the new dynasty. Under the general trend, he didn't dare to disobey, but no one could control him what he thought in his heart.

However, the prosperity of the market center soon attracted He Ruzhang's attention. Of course, the prosperity here is not as good as that of Shanghai and Guangzhou. However, the neatness of the houses, the smoothness of the roads, and the cleanliness of hygiene have never been seen before. The weather in the market is more prosperous than his impression of Nagasaki, Japan.

The roads here are clean, not to mention garbage, not even fruit peels can be found, and there is no standing water on the streets. The street trees and canopies on both sides, although not wide, provide some shade.

And there are also high poles erected along the street. He Ruzhang had seen such a thing in Nagasaki and Tokyo, and knew that it was a street lamp. Unexpectedly, a goods trading place that Qin Jun seemed to have set up temporarily, was also equipped with these.

"Don't think it's a luxury. These street lamps and the corresponding lamp oil, labor and wear and tear are all the responsibility of the regulatory authority of this market. In this market, since the establishment of the place, I don't know how many goods to be traded every day, and the hands of the supervision bureau cashier are painful. What is the cost of street lights? There are also trees and shelters along the street, which is a piece of cake. ”

The steward's tone was really envious when he talked about this market. The street lamps were lined up along the street, and this kind of courage he had only heard of in the palace in the past - he had heard the eunuchs gossip when he was in Beijing, and there were hundreds of red lanterns in the palace every day, which were lit every night.

In fact, it was the eunuch who was bluffing the people outside.

He Ruzhang sighed psychologically. In such a market place, lighting street lamps is too luxurious. Even if the night market is thriving, the merchants will light up their own lights, so why bother. With this money, it is better to put it elsewhere and do some facts.

Whether it is coming out of the dock or coming all the way, He Ruzhang has also seen many homeless people. Fortunately, it's summer, and if it's winter, I don't know how many lives will be lost.

Walking on the street, there are many pedestrians on the road, some rich and poor, each running busy. Among them, there are both local merchants and foreign vendors, and you can tell by the accent that there are many well-dressed foreigners.

And these foreigners with eyes on their heads, arrogant and arrogant, and many lawless things in He Ruzhang's impression are now talking about business in a harmonious and formal manner. That ruthless and unreasonable look, He Ruzhang didn't see it all the way! (To be continued......)