Yaozhou Station is special.

He is about 30 kilometers away from Haicheng Station in the north and Gaizhou Station in the south.

The reason for this proximity is that Yaozhou Station is a hub station, and in the master plan, the railway to western Liaoning will continue to be built to the west.

Why not Haizhou Station?

This has to do with the geography of the time.

To the north of Niuzhuang Station, there is a large area of Ze country, called Liaoze.

Not only is it very difficult to travel, but mosquitoes are abundant in the summer, and it is difficult to cultivate.

Although in the autumn, with the end of the rains, Liaoze would shrink to a certain extent, under the conditions of the time, it was clearly not suitable for the construction of a railway.

And you can't choose the hub in Gaizhou, which is too far south, so you have to choose Yaozhou.

Yang Chengying was at Yaozhou Station and received news from the south.

The Dutch governor in Chicken Coop Island, Hans Putmans, sent a delegation headed by Lyles to Port Arthur.

They obviously already knew that Yang Chengying was going to beat them, so they sent an embassy to negotiate peace.

After reading the Di newspaper, Yang Chengying smiled and said: "The other party is coming to quarrel." Well, I'm the least afraid of quarrels. ”

Shi Lang clenched his fists and shouted: "What nonsense to talk to them, just start fighting." Whoever has a hard fist makes sense. ”

This made everyone laugh.

Shi Lang blushed: "What, what I said is wrong?" ”

"You're right, it's okay to have a hard fist. If the fist is not hard, people will not send an embassy, but directly hit the door. ”

Yang Chengying suddenly sighed with emotion and said, "However, we also have to talk about the truth." These words are spoken to them as well as to oneself.

People who have no long-term worries must have near-term worries, only guarding their own one-third of an acre, and in the future, maybe even the guys who eat will be served in one pot. ”

Everyone felt justified and nodded their heads.

Speaking of this, Yang Chengying thought of one more thing, and couldn't help laughing: "It seems that we have to give the other party a small shock." ”

Shang Kexi and the others laughed.

"What shock?" Shi Lang asked innocently.

"Humph! You don't know, the Dutch mission must have thought we were going to arrive for days, but they didn't want us to spend the night in Port Arthur tonight! ”

Zheng Zhifeng explained with a slight mockery.

Shi Lang's expression was complicated.

From Shenyang to Port Arthur, the straight-line distance is more than 360 kilometers, and the total train mileage is 458 kilometers.

The Lion steam train, 58 kilometers per hour. After deducting the time of stopovers, you can arrive at Port Arthur from Shenyang in one day.

At the time, this was unthinkable.

The trip of the Dutch mission was not easy.

In the pavilion, Lyles, the three negotiators who accompanied him, and Mo Kui, who acted as an interpreter.

The military attache was to keep watch outside the door, and no one was allowed to approach.

Lyles stood in front of the window, thinking: "This place is amazing, very different from the oriental land I have seen. It is incredible that the Catholic Church and the Taoist temples and monasteries in the East are neighbors. ”

As a long-term Chinese affairs officer in Batavia, it was the first time to set foot in the relatively cold northern land.

However, the shock it brings is far more impressive than the cold winter.

Especially when devout Catholics see that their churches are next to Taoist temples and Buddhist temples, they are a little heartbroken.

Mo Kui said in Dutch: "Port Arthur is the largest port in eastern Liaodong, and the prince who manages this land is a person who puts pragmatism first.

The people here worship him as 'God' because he brings peace and endless wealth and keeps hunger away from the land. ”

"So, he's like Caesar?"

Lyles said in conclusion.

"Yes. His martial arts have reached the bitter cold in the north, the desert in the west, the sea in the south, and the Li Dynasty kingdom in the east. ”

"According to you, it's almost impossible for me to get anything out of my trip."

Lyles thought of one thing, and his face was a little uncomfortable.

"Don't worry, this prince will not kill the envoy, even if the next moment the war starts. Moreover, the Liaodong Army never killed prisoners unless they committed many crimes. ”

Mo Kui comforted him.

Lyles suddenly turned his head and frowned, "Putmans has a big problem for me, and he wants me to return to Geranza City with no success. ”

Everyone was stunned.

Mo Kui was about to comfort Lyles when footsteps were heard outside.

The person who came was the post keeper of the pavilion.

With Lyles' permission, Mokui opened the door.

Yi Cheng walked in, clenched his fists and said, "On the orders of the king, I invite Mr. Lyles and you to the banquet." ”

"What? Your king? Lyles was taken aback.

"Yes, my king has rushed from Shenyang to Port Arthur, and the palace where he is staying, has set up a sumptuous dinner to entertain Mr. Lyles."

"This is really shocking news." Lyles muttered quietly.

No matter how they got there, they had been officially invited anyway, and Lyles didn't dare not go.

He and his entourage dressed up, dressed in the most luxurious dresses, and rode to the palace.

Along the way, Lyles expected to receive a look of amazement.

However, people mostly glanced at it and went about their business.

Accustomed to it.

Lyles had a lost fall.

However, he was convinced that he could find a place at the banquet.

Riding a horse to the gate of the palace, stepping on the dismounting stone, getting off the horse gracefully, and taking off his hat to the little guy who came to lead the horse, in order to show his elegance.

The little guy is still polite, confident and calm.

Lyles was stunned for a moment, put on his hat, and walked into the palace.

Under the guidance of the palace attendants, he walked towards the palace living room.

When the attendant pushed the door open, Lyles was shocked.

It was completely different from what he had seen before.

In the depths of the living room, there is a small and small platform, on which stands musicians with Western instruments.

Under the stage, there are still musicians holding oriental instruments,

It seemed that they were ready to wait for the Western instruments to be played, and they came on stage.

There are several round tables in front of the table, on which there are both Eastern and Western delicacies, each forming a table.

A young man dressed in the prince's usual clothes walked towards him.

Mo Kui was on the side and reminded in a low voice: "He is Yang Chengying, the king of Zhou." ”

Lyles came back to his senses and greeted him with a smile.

Yang Chengying gave a slight salute and said: "Welcome guests from afar, I have set up a special dinner to welcome your guests." ”

As he spoke, Mokui translated it to Lyles.

Lyles listened and responded, "I never thought that an Oriental prince would arrange such a banquet. ”

"The East is a country of etiquette, and it is natural to treat other countries with courtesy."

After listening to his own translation, Yang Chengying said: "As for whether he is in harmony or fighting, it will not hinder our hospitality to distinguished guests. Unless, come with complete malice. ”

"I am here for peace between the two sides, how can I deliberately be hostile!"

Lyles immediately said that he was a messenger of peace.

Yang Cheng responded to this kind of rhetoric, of course, just laughing.

He invited, "Please take a seat, the concert is about to begin." ”

"Well, please first." Lyles didn't dare to really get ahead of the curve.