Before dawn the next day, Governor Bao Ling, who was staying in Guangzhou, received news from Davis that the crusade he had organized had completely failed.

Davis didn't expect to have to travel the same road twice in just ten days. As soon as he returned to Hong Kong Island, General Spintozi ordered him to go to Canton to deliver a letter, and he took two guards with him, and the three of them galloped all the way, and after dark, they lit torches and continued on their way, and finally arrived at Canton at two o'clock in the middle of the night.

Bao Ling was very annoyed by letting people wake up from bed in the middle of the night, and he was even more annoyed when he heard the news from David, what he was most worried about these days had happened. His Excellency the Governor, who had a headache, walked back and forth in the study with his hands behind his back, rubbing his throbbing temples from time to time. Originally, it was thought that it was just a police operation, but it turned out to be completely annihilated, and the direct consequence was the emptiness of Guangzhou's defense forces, which made Bao Ling, who lacked military experience, lose his square inch all of a sudden, and now he doesn't even have anyone to talk to.

"Colonel Ramsay, how are they doing?" After calming down for more than ten minutes, Bao Ling stabilized his mood a little, and then began to think about countermeasures.

"Judging by his good looks, he shouldn't have been abused." Davis replied, "He has something for me to convey to Your Excellency." ”

"What is it?"

"The Colonel has asked me to convey to Your Excellency and General Spintozi that the forces of the Liberation Army are stronger than we think, and that peace cannot be achieved by your strength alone. It is better to wait for the Earl to come back and let the Earl deal with it himself. Davis reminisced as he slowly repeated the Colonel's words.

Bao Ling savored the meaning of Ramsay's words, and it was clear that Ramsay was warning him not to take any further action until the army from the north returned. Although Bao Ling knew that the colonel's words were reasonable, he could not do nothing, and if he allowed hundreds of British soldiers to be captured and ignored by himself, the government and the two houses would not agree. Something had to be done before James Bruce returned.

"Your Excellency, there is one more thing." Davis remembered another request from the colonel. "The Colonel asks you to send him some money, at least two hundred pounds."

"Money? Is it the ransom demanded by the Chinese? ”

"I don't know." Davis was embarrassed and said, "The colonel didn't say what the money was for. ”

Bao Ling thought for a while and came up with an idea. So he told his secretary, "Go and ask Pastor Hopkins to come here!" ”

After a while, an obese middle-aged man in his forties followed the secretary into the study. It was the Anglican missionary Hopkins, and although it was not a pleasant experience to be woken up in the middle of the night, he also understood that His Excellency the Governor would not have been in such a hurry unless he had an urgent matter. Fortunately, he also lives in the Fuxun Yamen, so he can come so quickly. "Your Excellency, may I ask you what you are looking for me?" Upon entering, the missionary asked the anxious governor.

"Sorry to bother you so late! Priest. Bao Ling invited the guests to sit down, and after the secretary brought coffee, he told the latter the news of the defeat of the crusading army. Hopkins was equally surprised after listening to Bao Ling's account, but the identity and indifference of the religious figure kept him quiet. "Your Excellency, is there anything I need to do?" The priest didn't think that the governor had invited him in the middle of the night just for coffee, so he asked.

Before the priest came, Bao Ling had already thought of the wording, and he said straight to the point: "This time, nearly 800 British soldiers have been taken prisoner by the Liberation Army, and I am very worried about their situation. You know that the Chinese have a tradition of abusing and killing prisoners, so I now need you as my messenger to go to the prisoner camp of the Guangfu Army to observe the lives of our compatriots nearby, and if the Guangfu Army abuses our compatriots, please make representations to them and strive to ensure the lives of the warriors of these kingdoms. In addition, I would like to ask you to soothe their souls and convince them that the Motherland has not abandoned them. ”

Hopkins has not heard that "the heavens will descend on man, and he must first suffer his mind, strain his muscles and bones, starve his body and skin, empty his body, and act disorderly, so he is tempted to endure and benefit what he cannot." But he knew that the path of serving God must be full of thorns, and people need God's guidance even more when they are helpless. The priest did not hesitate to accede to the Governor's request, and he clutched the cross on his chest and said, "Your Excellency, it is my duty as a priest to save these lost lambs, and I will do it for the sake of God and the Queen. Don't worry, I will set off after dawn tomorrow, and I will definitely live up to your mission. ”

For the first time in days, a smile appeared on Bao Ling's face, and he bowed to the priest in thanks. "On behalf of the Royal Government and Her Majesty the Queen, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for your selfless dedication!" Then he introduced Davis to the pastor. "This is Lieutenant Davis, and he will accompany you to the area controlled by the Chinese."

Hopkins paused, then got up to leave, he still had some preparations.

Two hours later, the sky was white, and the priest and lieutenant boarded a Chinese sailing boat that had been rented overnight and headed for the mouth of the Pearl River.

The Chinese sailing ship was slow, which also gave the priest plenty of time to get the situation from Davis. In the low cabin, the two sat on the floor, engaged in an open and honest conversation. "Mr. Lieutenant, can you tell me about the situation of the Liberation Army?"

"Okay." Davis is now the only Englishman who has dealt with the Restoration Army and still retains his personal freedom, and he is also the Englishman who knows the Liberation Army best. "First of all, I want to explain that the Guangfu Army is all Chinese, but they are different from the Chinese we know. There were about a thousand of them, and they were generally tall and able-bodied, not inferior to us Caucasians; And they should all be well-educated and know a lot about natural sciences; In addition, there are many people who understand English and can communicate with me normally; Most importantly, they are confident in their mental state, without the blind arrogance of Chinese officials or the timidity and humility of ordinary Chinese people. In short, they are completely different from other Chinese except for their appearance, and are closer to Westerners in terms of words, deeds and logic. ”

"Westernized Chinese!?" Hopkins muttered, "So are they religious?" Or what is their religion? "The missionary's occupational disease began to flap again, and it was the duty of the first missionary to increase believers for God.

"I didn't see that, I only had contact with them twice, and I didn't tell their religious beliefs from their words and deeds." After all, the lieutenant is not a spy and has no habit of spying on intelligence. "But since they are called the Guangfu Army, they must have a tradition of ancestor worship. The name Guangfu Army has the meaning of restoring the glory of their ancestors, and their political slogan is also to overthrow the rule of the Tatars and restore the rule of the Han Chinese. ”

"So they want to regain their sight?" Hopkins has been in China for five years, and the Heaven and Earth Society still knows.

"I don't know very much about that." The lieutenant's knowledge was also limited, and the enemy's religion was not the focus of his concern.

"What is their attitude towards diplomats and religious people? It won't hurt us or arrest us, will it? After learning about the basic situation of the Liberation Army, the pastor began to worry about his personal safety again. After all, in his experience, a "foreign monk" like himself is a monster with red eyebrows and green eyes in the eyes of most Chinese. Moreover, there is a lesson from the experience of the French "peers", and he cannot afford not to worry.

"You don't have to worry about that, priest." Davis said lightly, taking out his cigarette and signaling to the priest first, before the latter turned down and lit one himself. "Through the two negotiations, I found that the Liberation Army behaved in the same way as us Westerners, was basically a civilized person, familiar with various international conventions and international law, had never killed prisoners who had laid down their arms, and returned the bodies of our compatriots who had died in battle to us. So you don't have to worry about putting your life in danger, what happened to Father Marais in France won't happen to you. ”

"Oh, God forbid!" The priest sighed with relief. When the conversation was over, the priest got up and walked out of the cabin, having been in such a small place for a long time, and needed to move his hands and feet. At this time, it was already evening, and the wind on the river was very strong, and with the wind came the fishy smell of seawater. Fishing boats passed by from time to time on the river, and there was no sign of war at all. Hopkins did a few chest expansion exercises, then asked the ship's general. "Where are you now?"

The general replied respectfully: "It's almost time to reach Humen." ”

As soon as the tiger gate passed, the sailboat entered the Lingding Ocean, and the water suddenly became wider, and flocks of seagulls circled around the mast of the sailboat and chirped. Davis also came out of the cabin, looking at the ruined battery on the shore, and sighed in his heart. He joined the army after hearing about the great achievements of the British army eighteen years ago, and the Order of the Garter won by the cadet in the Crimean War made him very envious, but why did such a powerful enemy appear when he made great achievements? What a bad luck!

Before you know it, the sailboat has passed Xiaosho Island, and the sun is gradually sinking in the west. The captain of the boat suggested that the boat be docked near shore and wait until dawn the next day before leaving. In fact, this is not far from the county seat of Xin'an, and Davis can go ashore in Qianwan and go to Liyumen in Xin'an City by land. However, for the sake of safety, the lieutenant still decided to sail directly to the Shenzhen Bay Wharf, the main base of the Guangfu Army, so as not to cause misunderstanding among the Guangfu Army, so he agreed to the proposal of the ship boss. The captain, who was familiar with the environment, found a sheltered cove and dropped anchor, and soon smoke was billowing from the boat.

After dinner, the lieutenant and the priest sat outside the cabin and continued the topic of the Liberation Army. By this time, it was completely dark, and all that could be heard was the sound of the waves crashing against the reef. The conversation was lighthearted, and the pastor was confident in his mission. Suddenly, the pitch-black sky lit up, and a dazzling light made several people on the ship unable to open their eyes at all, and the instant stimulation made people feel as if their eyeballs were about to explode, and tears couldn't stop flowing.

After a brief period of blindness, Davis slowly adapted to the sudden brightening of the environment, and with tears in his eyes, he discovered the source of the light. Not far away in the sea, a circular lamp emitted a straight pillar of light that shone on their ship. The lieutenant blocked the light with his hand, trying to see more clearly. At this time, a huge voice came from the light source, and someone shouted in English: "This is the Navy of the Chinese Liberation Army?, everyone is honestly staying on the deck, waiting for us to check!" If you resist, we will not guarantee your life! ”