Two, two, three, the cuckoo sound in the twilight

A quarter of an hour later, Zhao Jingfan came to the office. No pop-up window is updated quickly // I saw that his face was pale, but his eyes were burning and shining, and his expression was sickly excited, obviously he had been deeply poisoned, and there was no cure.

Sun Yuanqi got straight to the point and asked, "Have you already thought about it?" ”

Zhao Jingfan nodded firmly: "Yes, sir, I've thought it all!" ”

"Then you decided to go religious?"

"Yes!" A hint of flushing appeared on Zhao Jingfan's face, "Mr. talked to me at the beginning of the year, which touched me a lot, and my belief was shaken for a while. But God is merciful and generous to the lost Lamb and shows great miracles that make me feel God's calling to me. ”

"Oh?" Sun Yuanqi was a little surprised. There are indeed a lot of amazing things in the world that cannot be explained with existing scientific knowledge. For example, is there really a so-called space-time tunnel? Or what believers call "miracles"?

Zhao Jingfan said: "It was the night of May 13, and I was still struggling in pain. After finishing his homework, he leaned against the wall and fell into deep thought, dazed, and found himself as if he had returned to the time when he fled ten years ago.

"It was a cold wilderness, with thousands of people moving slowly forward, and there was no living thing. Most of this large group of people I didn't know, but some I recognized, saw my parents, brothers, sisters, neighbors, and classmates in a trance...... The surroundings were pitch black, and the five fingers could not be seen, the north wind howled, and the ice and snow were mixed down. People were in rags, hungry, struggling in the cold, and some fell to the ground and died. I want to stop and make a fire to keep warm, but I can't find firewood; Strip off the clothes of the dead to make them kindle a fire, and whenever a fire is raised, it will be extinguished by the snow and ice.

"The living are tormented, and the souls of the dead are weeping. The higher the shout, the more unbearable it became. I want to save them, but how can I help them on my own? In my anxiety, I couldn't help but burst out with a prayer: 'Oh God! I would like to serve your mission and get your help to save these people who are struggling in hunger and cold! The voice fell, and I saw a white light falling from the sky, enveloping me, so that I did not feel a trace of cold, and the ground under my feet grew like green grass.

When they saw it, they also knelt down with me and prayed aloud. In an instant after the prayer, the cold wasteland turned into a paradise of spring at all times, the sun shone on the earth, the surrounding area was full of purple and red, and everyone was in front of them full of steamed buns, flatbread, roast chicken, and cooked meat. Everyone laughed and sang to their heart's content. Just as I was dancing happily, I kicked my foot against the wall and woke up. Sir, isn't this God's revelation to me? ”

Sun Yuanqi sneered in his heart: The fairy tale of Hans Christian Andersen that I told you when I was a child was actually turned into a miracle of God by you, you will learn and use it! Why don't you remember the ending where the little match girl froze to death?

God's revelation to you? Fart! I don't believe that I will throw you to the desolate South Pole now, and then call God to try and see if he can give you steamed buns, flatbreads, roast chicken, and cooked meat?

But these words are unspoken. Fanatical believers lose their ability to think critically, and any discussion involving idols will be seen as slanderous and disrespectful, and even those close to you will turn against you.

A little flush appeared on Zhao Jingfan's face: "After waking up, I was firm in my philosophy, but I didn't know if this concept was correct, so I had to pray to God." At this time, the Holy Spirit poured out on my head like water, filling my heart with joy. In this way, the Holy Spirit poured out on me again and again, like dozens of times, and finally made me pious and single-minded. ”

Sun Yuanqi wanted to tell him: Boy, that's because you didn't sleep well and caught a cold. The so-called outpouring of the Holy Spirit is that your mother and your sister are giving you a cold compress!

"So, I no longer have to worry about opposition, slander, verbal abuse, or even beatings from others, even my parents. I will continue to walk in God's direction until I receive God's inspiration in my life. Zhao Jingfan said with a resolute face.

Sun Yuanqi saw that he was already deeply indulgent, and he didn't bother to talk nonsense with him: "Since that's the case, then you go back and start preparing, I will send you to study abroad in the near future." Or do you want to study chemistry? ”

Zhao Jingfan hesitated for a moment before nodding: "Okay, just study chemistry." ”

"Since the school sent you to study abroad, then you should study hard and come back to serve the country in the future. Belief in God is a matter of your life, and I don't interfere, but I hope you don't bring it to your studies. If you give up your studies because of religion, then you will never set foot in the University of the World in your life, and you will not appear in front of me! Do you understand? In the end, Sun Yuanqi was already full of voice.

Zhao Jingfan rarely saw Mr. Sun's serious expression, and quickly nodded and replied, "Sir, I have written down all your words." ”

For the time being, let's ignore the trivial matter of Sun Yuanqi making cannons, Arthur's madness, and Zhao Jingfan's religious beliefs, let us move our eyes to the city of Beijing a little, because at this moment, a huge storm is brewing in the center of the Qing Dynasty.

At the Military Aircraft Department, Zhang Zhidong, a scholar of the Prince Taibao and Tirenge University, was taking a lunch break.

Zhang Zhidong was 15 years old and won the first place in the Shuntianfu Township Examination and became "Xie Yuan"; At the age of 26, he won the third place in the second year of Tongzhi and became a "Tanhua"; After becoming an official, he was called the "Four Advice of Hanlin" with Bao Ting, Zhang Peilun, and Huang Tifang, and was called the Qing School; When he became a local official, he threw himself into the arms of the Westernists and became a Western-style athlete, and was later known as the "father of China's modern heavy industry"; As a Han Chinese, he stayed in the position of governor of Huguang for nearly 20 years, which is a miracle...... All the praise has created this pure minister who supported the defeat of the late Qing Dynasty.

Strange people must have strange things, and Zhang Zhidong naturally has no shortage of strange things, the most talked about is that he never sleeps in bed, and when sleepiness rises, he lies on the desk and takes a nap, and wakes up in an hour or two at most. Even when chatting with guests, he doesn't care about lying down and sleeping, so his subordinates know about his strange habits.

Zhang Zhidong is 70 years old this year. Gu Lai said: "Seventy-three, eighty-four, the king of Hades does not know how to go by himself." At this threshold, Zhang Zhidong also began to learn to maintain health, and he was used to squinting in bed for a while at noon every day. Habit is habit, but I still feel uncomfortable sleeping in bed. Every time this time, he misses Zhao Fengchang even more.

The first time the two met was in the tenth year of Guangxu 4) When Zhang Zhidong was the governor of Liangguang, Zhao Fengchang was just a waiter. But Zhao Fengchang has an outstanding demeanor, handsome appearance, and a smart and well-behaved personality, and was soon appreciated by Zhang Zhidong and became inseparable. Whenever Zhang Zhidong was sleepy, Zhao Fengchang would walk over and hold his head with both hands, motionless, even for an hour or two.

Who knew that soon there were rumors that the two were "good friends, a quilt", and even had a couplet of "Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Liangguang, and Zhao Fengchang, the wife of Yipin". In the end, even the palace knew Zhao Fengchang's filthy name, Zhang Zhidong had no choice but to cut his love and put Zhao Fengchang back to the people and never use it.

"More than ten or twenty years have passed in a blink of an eye, and the people of the year should have become a bad old man in his forties and fifties now, right?" Zhang Zhidong sighed a little, and then returned to taste: "But back then, the people fell asleep with their heads in their hands, which was really a different taste!" ”

Just as he was tossing and turning, there was the sound of footsteps outside the door. Zhang Zhidong opened his eyes: "Is it Zhiying?" ”

Outside the door was Zhang Zhidong's staff member Wu Dianying, who replied: "Xiangshuai, it's me." Are you awake? ”

"Wake up early, come in." Zhang Zhidong slept in his clothes, got up and picked up the folded wet wipes from the desk, wiped his face, and said to Wu Dianying, who entered the door: "What happened?" ”

Wu Dianying handed over a piece of paper: "The palace issued an edict ordering the establishment of a military advisory office to assist the emperor in handling the affairs of the army and navy across the country. He also sent Baylor Zaitao and Yulang to manage the affairs of the Military Advisory Office, with Baylor Zaixun and Sa Zhenbing as the Minister of Navy. ”

Zhang Zhidong's face suddenly changed greatly, and he hurriedly took the edict, and after reading it, he slapped the table hard: "Nonsense!" What exactly are they trying to do? ”

Wu Dianying couldn't interject, so he had to bring the tea bowl with herbal tea to Zhang Zhidong's hand: "Xiangshuai, take a sip of tea!" ”

Zhang Zhidong was still puzzled: "A few days ago, the regent discussed secretly with all of you Beile and Beizi, and then bypassed the military aircraft department and announced that the emperor would be the generalissimo of the navy and army in command of the Qing Empire, and the regent would act as the agent before the emperor personally conquered everything. Now that this edict has suddenly been issued, do you think that the old man, the minister of military aircraft, is an ornament? ”

"The regent is afraid that the edict will come to the military plane, and Xiang Shuai will reason with him." Wu Dianying said cautiously.

"How can you not reason with him? Look at what these people are! Zhang Zhidong stamped the name on the paper, "The regent is now 27 years old, acting generalissimo of the navy and army, which is already criticized. It's just that he is the biological father of the current saint, and he is also a prisoner, so the old man can barely bear it. Look at these two people again: Xun Baylor, 25 years old this year, let him be the Minister of the Navy; Taubelle, 23 years old, is going to be the Minister of Military Affairs. Are they the material? ”

Wu Dianying said: "It is reported that Xun Beile has found the regent again and again and wants to manage the navy. The reason is that Prince Junxian has managed the navy, and he wants his son to inherit his father's will. The regent naturally knew that this brother was a complete layman, and he shirked everything, but he couldn't help but be so angry that he had to agree. ”

"Whew! He also wants his son to inherit his father's business? In front of his henchmen, Zhang Zhidong did not hide his contempt for Zaixun.

Wu Dianying said again: "Tao Beile saw that Xun Beile held the military power, and he was afraid that he would lose his power because of this, so he also ran to the regent to ask for power, and he had a great posture of disregarding. The regent was afraid that others would say that he favored one over the other, so he had to send Tauber to manage the military advisory office. ”

Zhang Zhidong had a bad temper, and he was even more angry at this time: "The Military Advisory Office is an organization that coordinates the affairs of the navy and army across the country, how can others grant it casually with one mouth?" Did the regent think that the courtiers were fighting and winning, and that they were prostitutes in the Eight Great Hutongs? Confused, really confused! ”

Wu Dianying said: "If you don't need Xun Beile and Tao Beile, who can the regent use?" Now the talents available in the imperial court, nine times out of ten, are Yuan Weiting's old age, where does the regent dare to use it? Speaking of which, his own brothers are reliable, no matter how much they fight for power and profit, after all, the meat is rotten in the pot. ”

Zhang Zhidong could only sigh.

When the Empress Dowager Cixi was alive, Zhang Zhidong married Cixi, and Yuan Shikai was handed over, and there was a foundation in Hubei. After the end of last year, everything changed, Cixi died, Yuan Shikai left office, Hubei was too far away from the capital, Zhang Zhidong was isolated in the court, quickly marginalized, and became a dispensable idler. Zaifeng felt that Zhang Zhidong could agree with him, so he sent the edict to the military aircraft and passed Zhang Zhidong's hand; If you think that Zhang Zhidong will object, you will directly bypass the military aircraft department, so that Zhang Zhidong will not be able to fight if he wants to. What can he do in Zhang Zhidong?

A mouthful of sulking breath was held in Zhang Zhidong's chest, making him feel depressed when he gasped.

At this moment, the pen from the Military Aircraft Department came and knocked on the door: "Lord Zhang, the Regent, Prince Qing and others are in the Military Aircraft Department, and I have something to discuss with you!" ”

Zhang Zhidong put on his eyes: "I'll go over now." ”