500,000 francs, equivalent to 100,000 US dollars and 25,000 pounds sterling, the purchasing power is equivalent to 25 million yuan in later generations.

As an earl, this is not a lot of money.

In this era, although the old European aristocracy was declining, France as a whole was still a relatively wealthy country.

The average annual income of an average employee in an eastern U.S. city was around $300, but has fallen to $250 due to the turmoil of the war.

In France, the average employee earns about 2,000 francs a year, which is equivalent to $400.

In contrast, the per capita income of Daming citizens just reached 180 last year.

Although the standard of living of Ming citizens is not inferior at all, and even far exceeds that of Paris and New Yorkers, at least on paper, these old Western countries are still very rich.

Such a rich man actually gave such a ransom, and in this regard, Xi Yada, who received the emperor's order to collect the ransom, was very angry.

Even if the Canesta family had no money, wouldn't they go and borrow money from the industrious and simple people of Paris?

The people of Paris have no money, and there is no money for the Suez Canal project?

Won't you embezzle?

You can't even be corrupt, what kind of nobleman should you be?

The Metropolitan Protector of Xi Ya personally went to the prison and cut off two leather whips, but he still did not ask for a blood letter from the "Count of Casane" to collect money from the family.

You must know that most of Xi Yadu's height is eight feet, and his waist circumference is also eight feet, and he is powerful, and he is known as the devil's muscleman.

He didn't have to pay a penny more to go out in person, which shows that this Count Canesta is indeed very backbone.

So the honest and honest Xi Ya Dadu Protector hired a clever Japanese doctor, cut off a little finger from the hand of the "Earl", pickled it in lime and sent it to the ransom giver to roll back to Europe.

Finally, after another three months, the second ransom finally arrived.

The total amount was doubled to a total of 1 million francs.

Da Ming finally released the French nobleman with satisfaction and threw him on the broken ship running for freedom.

·

After such a terrible war, and in the end only lost a little finger, McCann had nothing but gratitude in his heart.

After all, when the real Earl Canesta and dozens of others were beheaded, McCann was close at hand, and the blood of the major arteries sprayed his face.

Although it is necessary to watch the beheading if you want to impersonate a Frenchman, and McCann has been on the battlefield many times, facing death at such a close distance still caused a lot of psychological shock.

A little thumb is really nothing in comparison.

On the contrary, it is a symbol of one's own honor and bravery!

And the loss of this little finger, it is only natural that Count Canesta's handwriting has changed in the future.

The conscience of heaven and earth, McCann was not a strong man who did not write letters to the French, but he could not imitate the handwriting of Count Canesta at all!

McCann had already thought about it, and as soon as he arrived in Saigon, he immediately wrote a letter to His Majesty the Emperor of Nasan, saying that he would stay in the Far East and make meritorious contributions, and he would never return to France as soon as he was ashamed, so that he would always wait and see as Canest.

McCann felt that there was a good chance that this would succeed.

Because most of the French soldiers and officers who arrived in the Far East with Canesta have been turned into corpses.

A small number of those who also paid the ransom have long since left the Far East.

With the exception of a small group of French instructors on the island of Phi Island, it can be said that no one in the Far East is familiar with the real Canesta.

·

Upon arrival in Saigon, the Saigon Governor's Palace provided McCann with favorable conditions sufficient to maintain the dignity of the nobility.

But McCann is essentially just a rude Yankee, a descendant of a peasant, who knows what aristocratic etiquette is.

He also learned French from his grandparents in Quebec and knew nothing about the real French high culture.

In order to avoid goofs, McCann refused the hospitality of the Governor's Palace, and under the pretext of ascetic Mingzhi, he ran to a temple, where he lived in the temple.

The reason for choosing Kyaw Ling Monastery is that apart from the French governor's palace and barracks, Saigon is the temple with the best living conditions and is very obedient to the colonial authorities.

Second, it was naturally because McCann had to find a way to solve his hairstyle problem once and for all.

Of course, he didn't want to shave his head and become a monk.

As a Frenchman, of course, you can't believe in Buddhism, it's a matter of nationality.

But there is something good about Buddhism, to be exact, in Chinese Buddhism, and McCann feels that it is very suitable for him.

There are many schools of Buddhism, and there are many ways to classify them, such as Mahayana and Hinayana, Han and Tibetan, and so on.

Among them, there is a special product of Chinese Buddhism called ring scar.

It is said that it was because the Mongols did not kill monks back then, and there were many people in Han who disguised themselves as monks.

Later, the Mengyuan authorities came up with a way to distinguish between true and false monks, the monk has no hair, then burns the ring scar on the head, and the real monk has a ring scar, but the hair can no longer grow after burning the ring scar, and it also saves the monk from the trouble of shaving his head.

Whether this legend is true or not is impossible to verify, but the ring scar is indeed unique to Chinese Buddhism.

And Vietnam, as one of the most wasteful in the Confucian civilization circle, is also a small overlord in Southeast Asia.

Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and Laos are all Theravada Buddhism, while Vietnam is Han Buddhism.

Han Buddhism is good!

McCann had long felt an itchy scalp and had trouble shaving his scalp every few days.

After all, Count Carnest is a thorn, which is a well-known trait, and it would be bad if he didn't pay attention to the hair that grew out one day.

So McCann decided not to do it again and again, and put a ring scar on the top of his head.

When the monk in the temple heard this foreigner ask him to put sixty-six or thirty-six ring scars on the top of his head, the whole person was stupid.

The high monks of the Celestial Empire in the north will also burn twelve ring scars, and you, a foreigner, will burn thirty-six?

Are you a toad?

But it can't be helped, what McCann wants is a foolproof effect.

So, after a heart-rending howl, a believer of God with a moon generation head, a number of heavenly ring scars on his head, and a cross on his chest was born in Juelin Temple.

Fortunately, in this era, Britain and France both had colonies in India, and they had already seen even more strange Indian ascetics.

The French in Saigon simply thought that the Count Canesta might have been tormented mad by the Ming.

But at least it looks a little more normal than those Indian odds.

And for the Indian servant army in Saigon, this Count Canesta is not crazy, not crazy, this looks like a cultivated boss!

This dignity, this appearance, is somewhat like a high monk like Bodhidharma, coupled with his fair skin, it is obviously a brahmin of brahmins!

Many of the three soldiers saw McCann's eyes straight, prostrate on the ground, and did not dare to move.

They even take pride in kissing the land that McCann walks, believing that it is close to the gods.

If you can lick a bite of McCann's boots, you won't rinse your mouth for three days and three nights, and you will continue to taste the aftertaste.

After all, until the twenty-first century, India's magic stick could still make a state police chief kiss his feet, isn't the nine-fingered priest Count Carnest enough to drive them crazy?

In the expressions of all the French, as well as McCann himself, the black question mark, he inexplicably became the unshakable spiritual leader of the Indian soldiers in the French army in Vietnam.

Even the governor of Saigon found that the lazy white-headed Ah San, who had no red head and no bravery at all, had actually become much more active in training and doing things after McCann came.

That's all good!

Therefore, the Governor of Saigon also sent a letter to the authorities of Napoleon III, demanding that Count Canesta, who was able to fight well and had a charismatic personality, be left in Saigon.

I believe that the previous defeat was mainly due to the shameless sneak attack of Akito, and with preparation, His Excellency Canest Dazuo will definitely be able to prove his bravery.

Three months later, directives and letters from the French government, as well as His Majesty's latest publication of the 32 volumes of Napoleon's Letters, arrived at the Palais de la West.

In order to cover up the defeat of the Far Eastern War and maintain his rule, His Majesty Napoleon III actually had a good understanding during this time, and like His Majesty Zhu Fugui, he was engaged in cultural construction.

He encouraged the staging of plays about Napoleon, and ordered the compilation and publication of 32 volumes of the Collected Letters of Napoleon, which proclaimed his admiration for Napoleon.

As the easternmost point of the empire, the Governor's Mansion of the West Palace naturally had to learn and comprehend the advanced ideas of Napoleon the Great.

Therefore, His Majesty sent them spiritual food from thousands of miles away.

But as soon as he turned his head, he was taken by the Governor to pad the table legs.

Compared to boring garbage literature, commands and secret letters are the key.

In the letter, the French government also believed that the reason for the defeat of the French army in Japan was that it underestimated the enemy, and asked Caneste to stay in Saigon and continue to assist the Saigon Governor's Office in preparing for the encirclement and suppression of the evil Ming Empire.

At the same time, His Majesty's secret letter, which only the Governor of Saigon and the Count of Canest, could see, brought shocking news.

Due to the defeat in the Far East, His Majesty Napoleon III decided to follow the example of his uncle and teach the foolish Ming people an unforgettable lesson.

Of course, this time the battlefield will not be in the Far East.

After all, the Far East is the home of these Orientals, and it is not conducive to giving full play to the invincible army strength of France.

Therefore, His Majesty Napoleon III decided to place the battlefield in Mexico.

As long as Mexico is dealt with, they can attack the Ming Kingdom from the land, and let them taste the power of the magic chicken.

In fact, the invasion of Mexico was originally Napoleon III's planned plan, and he was ready to do so even without the Ming Dynasty.

But now with the variable of Da Ming, he has one more reason to invade Mexico.

"We're just going to Mexico City for a military walk!"

In the letter, Napoleon III uttered his famous flag before the attack on Prussia 4 years in advance.

And he added: "I'm already thinking about my next opponent." ”

·

The reason why Napoleon III wanted to tell this important news to the two important ministers in Saigon was naturally to ask them to be prepared to take action in the Far East to put pressure on the Ming Kingdom to cooperate with the Empire's actions in North America.

Looking at the arrogant attitude of His Majesty Napoleon III in the letter, McCann's right eyelid somehow began to pop again.

Why is this feeling so familiar to him?

This big France, is it not a pill?

Not really, right?

Regardless, McCann didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Details of His Majesty's plans to invade Mexico were not yet available, and McCann felt that it was not appropriate to say anything more.

Let's wait until the details come out.

After all, Napoleon III is also Napoleon, this French emperor should still be brave and good at fighting, right?

Probably......