Into Unscientific

Because of the presence of Elva, a very important village elder, there.

Therefore, the replacement process of the carriage spindle was very smooth, and all the debugging was completed within half an hour.

Of course.

This also has a lot to do with Thomson's willingness to pay:

The original price of such a spindle was about a pound, but Thomson doubled it for him and bought it at a price of two pounds and one shilling.

To know.

In 1840, the income of ordinary British workers was about 15-20 shillings a week, and the monthly salary was almost just over three pounds.

As a carpenter, Sterling earned just over £4 in peak season, let alone the current off-season.

However, Thomson was not simply being taken advantage of - this time he left London with a mission, and the funds were naturally fully provided by Cambridge.

Not your own money.

It won't be so frivolous when it comes to speaking.

It's just a pity that they spent too much time on the way here, and it won't take long to enter Whitecomb Mountain at this time, and it is impossible to get out of the mountain before dark.

Therefore, Thomson and Xu Yun could only stay in Mendi Solo Village overnight, and then set off early tomorrow morning.

Fortunately, although Ebar looks short, he has inherited the boldness of the Celtics.

He specially arranged three guest rooms for Thomson and Xu Yun, which were fully equipped with futons and beds, as well as hot water and hot food.

Nothing to say all night.

Early the next morning.

The three of Xu Yun woke up as usual, packed their luggage and were ready to go.

At this time Evar was already waiting outside the door.

Seeing the arrival of Thomson and Xu Yun, he first asked someone to open the gate of the village and let the carriage drive out smoothly.

Then he walked up to Thomson and asked with a smile:

"Mr. Thomson, did you sleep all right yesterday?"

Thomson rubbed his neck, nodded heavily, and said:

"The room is very comfortable, thank you, Mr. Evar."

"It's just a little thing."

Evar waved his hand indifferently, a flash of memory flashed in his eyes, and he looked outside the village:

"Scotland is vast and sparsely populated. It is easy to get lost or encounter difficulties when going out alone. Especially in late autumn, the wild is even more dangerous."

"I was injured when I went hunting when I was young, and I only survived with the help of another village."

"So since then, if a traveler comes to ask for help, I will mostly help as much as I can."

Thomson nodded in agreement.

Although he was Irish, he moved to Scotland when he was seven years old.

In the crucial growth period of life, what I received was the baptism of Scottish culture, and now it has the shape of Scotland.

So he knows.

Although the Scots are fighting to the death with the English, the internal relationship is still very friendly.

Or it can be said that this is an instinct of human clustering.

Of course.

Except Xiaoxiba and Xiaobaga.

Then Elva raised his head and glanced at the sky.

Compared with yesterday's clear sky, today's weather is a bit gloomy, and the sky is gray.

In this kind of environment, it can be worth at least five points in reading comprehension in the Chinese test paper. Ask you about the role of weather description.

See this situation.

Evar couldn't help looking at Thomson, and said with a trace of concern:

"Mr. Thomson, the weather seems a bit bad today. Do you want to stay in the village for another day?"

Thomson was silent for a moment, then shook his head.

If there is no task, he may be willing to stay for a day or two, but now is obviously not a good time to make friends:

"Sorry, Mr. Evar, the few of us are running out of time, we have to go."

"When I come back from England, I will definitely come to see you again, and I will bring you a few bottles of good wine then!"

Evar didn't insist anymore, and gave Thomson and the others a few pots of wine and some air-dried meat strips, and waved goodbye after sending them several hundred meters away.

And just as Evar returned to the entrance of the village, he suddenly ran into a person head-on.

This is a big, stout man with a gray-brown scar on his forehead, which looks rather sinister.

The man's name is McCall, and his brother Kurtz is a well-known hunter in the village, who once hunted and killed grizzly bears.

But a few years ago, the two brothers disliked the unstable money from hunting, so they borrowed a lot of money to buy a batch of goods, and went to Glasgow to do fur business.

As a result, the local wool merchant made a mess, and the two brothers were cheated out of their money. Now they can only go back to their old business to pay off their debts.

Seeing McCall's anxious look, Evar quickly stopped him and asked:

"McCall, are you going out this early in the morning?"

Evar is a cadre elected by the village council and has the right to question people who enter and leave the village. McCall had no choice but to stop, raised the crossbow in his hand, and said:

"Well, I plan to go to the mountain to see if there is any prey."

"hunt?"

Erva repeated in surprise, then thought of something, and continued to ask:

"What about Kurtz? I remember seeing him at the gaming table at noon yesterday, and I couldn't find him in the afternoon."

McCall's face froze slightly when he heard the words, and he faltered and said:

"Brother went to the mountains yesterday to check out some spots. We made an appointment to meet in the morning. Don't talk about Father Elva. The time is almost up, so I'm leaving!"

After McCall left.

Evar glanced at the gray sky, and the doubt in his eyes became heavier.

Go hunting in this weather?

When did these two brothers work so hard?

And the other side.

Thomson and others who left Mendi Solo Village did not know about the conversation at the gate of the village, nor did they know that a person in the village had disappeared for most of the day.

At this time, they were heading towards Whitecombe Mountain at full speed according to the original plan.

Scotland. Or the British Isle where the United Kingdom is located is not small, but it still belongs to the category of 'island', so there are not many mountains in its territory.

For example, the highest mountain in the UK is Ben Nevis in Scotland.

The height of this mountain is only 4406 feet, which is more than 1300 meters.

However, the local mountains with an altitude of more than 1,500 meters have three digits. If Ben Nevis is sold in China, it may not even be considered a famous mountain if its marketing methods are mediocre.

The highest peak in England is like this, let alone Mount Whitecombe.

The highest peak of Whitecomb Mountain is about 570 meters above sea level, which is nearly half shorter than the highest peak of Xu Yun's hometown, Guya Mountain.

Even if you look from the ground, you can still see the top of the mountain at a glance. Ahem, you can see the top of the mountain at a glance.

But Whitecombe Mountain is short and short, and its area is not small at all.

It is like a high wall from west to east, spanning between Edinburgh and Dumfries.

If you want to penetrate the second brother, you must pass through this barrier.

If not.

Thomson had long chosen to take a detour.

More than an hour after starting from the village of Mendisolo, the carriage arrived at the foot of Mount Whitecombe.

Thomson identified the map, then pointed to a winding mountain road, and said:

"We enter the mountain from here. This is the shortest way to cross the mountain. You can reach the other side by climbing over two side peaks."

"Our goal today is to cross the Whitecomb Mountain, rest outside the mountain for one night, and arrive at the nearest outpost to Dumfries tomorrow."

The current location of Thomson and the others is rather delicate, right at the junction of England and Scotland, which belongs to an absolutely sensitive area.

Although the two sides have not officially broken their faces, the vigilance between each other has become much stricter these days.

The town of Dumfries at this time is actually somewhat similar to the "discussion field" in ancient China, and it is strictly an intermediate area.

Scotland therefore set up an outpost in the area between Dumfries Town and Whitecombe Hill, housing a squad of the Royal Scottish Frontier Battalion.

The team consists of fifty people, and is responsible for verifying the identities of business travelers.

corresponding.

In the area further south.

England also has a border patrol squad of 50 members of the 1st Battalion of Coldstream Guards.

These two outposts are somewhat similar to border checkpoints, forming a natural one-way passage with Waitcombe Mountain, which can only be avoided by detours of hundreds of miles-and in doing so, you may encounter other outpost.

Therefore, these two outposts are also the only gathering points that Thomson will pass through in his plan.

Follow his plan.

After passing through the Dumfries town post, he can put Xu Yun down and let him go along the road to Dumfries town.

As long as Xu Yun spends some money, he can find an English caravan in Dumfries Town and drop by - after all, the smuggling and investigation these days is for supplies, so a solo traveler can still pass by with money.

Actually.

in the original history.

Another three years.

At the camp of Dumfries Outpost, one of the largest military conflicts between Britain and the Soviet Union in the 19th century will erupt.

More than 500 people participated in the entire conflict, and the death toll was nearly 100.

Don't look at this number as if it is a bit small.

Students who are familiar with border conflicts should know that before the official war begins, firearms are not allowed in border fights.

Most of it is hand-to-hand combat, with wooden sticks, and most of them are equipped with crossbow arrows.

In short, no one would dare to fire the first shot in this kind of border conflict without breaking faces.

Whoever brings the firearms such as flintlock guns will bear the blame, and there is no exception in ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad.

Therefore, the death toll of 90 people is indeed not a small number.

But Xu Yun is not a student of history after all, so he doesn't know the stories that happened in this area in history.

At this time, he was sitting leisurely in the front room of the carriage, watching the horse who seemed to be possessed by the donkey brother pull the carriage forward step by step.

"Luo Feng."

After walking for a while.

Will glanced at the carriage lightly, turned sideways, and said in a low voice:

"I asked Mr. Thomson last night. It is true that the empire has not fought against the dynasties on the land of China, but..."

Xu Yun glanced at him and asked:

"But what?"

"However, it is said that the dynasty is very decadent. What does it seem to be called. Tartar invasion?"

Xu Yun was taken aback for a moment, and many thoughts flashed through his mind.

The Tartar invasion in Will's mouth is obviously the Qing Dynasty, but it sounds different because of the pronunciation problem.

However, the term Tatar invasion seems to be somewhat in line with historical facts unexpectedly?

That is to say

The world in the east should have developed as usual, and has not been affected by Mavericks' timeline, and it is even less likely to be related to the copy of the Northern Song Dynasty.

It's just that Europe seems to have slowed down the aggression that was supposed to happen for some reason?

Think here.

Xu Yun couldn't help shaking his head slightly.

If the current homeland is Daming Guozuo, it's okay to say, maybe he will think of a way to continue his life if he can't guarantee it.

But now that the Qing Dynasty is still in power, he completely gave up the idea of ​​saving it.

after all

It was an extremely corrupt alien dynasty.

If it does not fall, a single spark cannot burn.

Although I don't know why, in recent years, there have been more and more online articles about wearing and not rebelling.

But for Xu Yun personally, he has no urge to help that country.

Moreover, 1840 is considered a standard modern history. If you intervene rashly, it will easily trigger the great punishment of historical nihilism.

so.

The country in the East, let it develop as usual.

As the saying goes.

What can't be broken can't be built.

Anyway, no matter how strong the sea wind blowing from the west is, it will never blow away the sun.

Therefore, what he should consider now is not the East, but what to do to stay with Thomson.

Think here.

Xu Yun couldn't help touching the inner pocket of his chest, is it really necessary to use that trump card?

I'm a bit reluctant

The pulling force of the Sharma is as high as five tons, so even though the mountain road is a bit winding, the carriage is still moving forward at a very stable speed.

The carriage entered the mountain for the third hour.

Pass the first side peak.

Seventh hour.

Pass the second side peak.

It ended up being around 3:30 in the afternoon.

The carriage passed through Whitecombe Mountain smoothly.

Then Thomson and his party rested overnight in a remote place at the foot of the mountain, without encountering any harassment from poisonous snakes, grizzly bears, Nie Xiaoqian or vampires.

Early the next morning.

After the group washed up, they continued to set off.

Today's weather continues the gloom of yesterday, and it is even more depressing, as if a full ear is sitting towards you.

After the carriage had been driving for a little while, there was some movement beside the official road.

Swish——

A few Scottish soldiers suddenly appeared in the woods by the roadside, looking like they were possessed by the Viet Cong.

These soldiers held flintlock guns in their hands, wore black leather boots, all white inner clothes, and red coats on their upper bodies.

It is a very typical British military uniform. Historically, the British Army at this stage was called the Red Army.

Scotland is a member of the British regime. At this time, the army also continued the style of England in clothing, except for a slight difference in hats.

As for the famous kilt, it was still a cavalry uniform at this time, and it would not be popularized to the army until World War II—except for bagpipers and drummers.

Of course.

After a few years, the Boer War broke out, and the British would suffer a lot because of the red clothes:

In that war, the British army went into battle with a 5:1 advantage in strength, but it was too conspicuous in the jungle and was repeatedly attacked by unsubdued Boers.

The British who summed up their experience gave up the red military uniform they had worn for nearly 200 years and changed it to earth-colored jackets and trousers.

Incidentally.

Churchill was captured as a war correspondent in this war, and later he escaped successfully

The line of sight returns to the original place.

There were seven Scottish sergeants who stopped the carriage. Soon, one of the middle-aged officers who looked like a leader came to the carriage:

"Border inspection, gentlemen, where are you from?"

Thomson poked his head out of the carriage and said:

"Sir, we are from Edinburgh."

"Where are you going?"

"Stanford Bridge."

"Which way?"

"Sacred Flower Avenue."

"Stamford Bridge, is that in London?"

The middle-aged officer was slightly taken aback. He thought Thomson was a businessman who went to Dumfries Town to do business.

Going to the middle ground and going to England are two different concepts.

Knowing that the other party intends to go to London, his expression became more solemn, and he saluted again:

"Horse carriage crossing the border. Sir, do you carry any official documents across the border?"

Thomson nodded, took out a roll of kraft paper from his body, and handed it over.

Before the emergence of driver's licenses and passports, the management and registration of identity in Europe was actually very loose.

For a long time, the church was responsible for coordinating identities, so there were so many badges of those families.

The kraft paper in Thomson's hand was a commercial pass issued by the parliament, and the seal was authentic. The officer quickly returned it to Thomson:

"There is no problem with the official document."

Then he looked at Xu Yun on the groom's seat, his eyes stayed on his black hair for a few seconds, and he muttered:

"Why are you an Oriental again?"

The officer's voice was very low, and Thomson couldn't help blinking, and asked:

"Excuse me, Mr. Officer, what were you talking about just now? I didn't hear clearly."

The officer shook his head, saying it was nothing serious, and then said:

"Mr. Thomson, please go to the outpost with us now, and you can only go to the official road after getting the seal stamped."

Thomson nodded understandingly:

"No problem, by the way, Mr. Officer, I don't know your name yet"

The officer walked back without looking back, and Yoyo left a name in the air:

"Francis Mason Satoshi."

SA morality?

Hearing this surname, Xu Yun's eyes moved slightly.

This surname is rare, if memory serves me.

Like where have you heard it?

However, Xu Yun is not very familiar with the history of Europe. After thinking hard for a while, he still can't think of the corresponding characters, so he can only let it go.

Then, under the leadership of Sa Daoyi, the group quickly came to a post that looked like a military camp.

This military camp is backed by the foot of the mountain, surrounded by obstacles similar to horse refusal posts.

There are two towers at the entrance, and the interior is dominated by tents and attics. You can vaguely see many soldiers on duty.

After a while.

The carriage came to an open space outside the outpost,

At this time, dozens of people were gathered in this open space, their clothes and appearance looked very rich, and they were chatting non-stop.

Sa Daoyi took a wooden number plate from the soldiers on duty and handed it to Thomson:

"Mr. Thomson, you wait here. When the number plate is called, just go up and register and stamp it. After stamping, walk straight along the road and you will reach the small town of Dumfries."

"Businessmen can stay in Dumfries for seven days. If you want to go to London, you can just go through the town, but remember to register at the outpost in England."

Thomson thanked him, took the number plate, looked forward a few times, and frowned slightly:

"God. There are so many people."

Sa Daoyi shrugged his shoulders and said:

"No way, the situation on the border is tense, so the merchants rushed over to make a fortune - it is said that the current profit is more than three times the usual."

Thomson was slightly taken aback, looked up at the supplies in front of him, and said with difficulty:

"But Mr. Sa Daoyi, it's going to be winter now, even if we really want to fight, it's absolutely impossible to fight in this season, right?"

Sa Daoyi gave a cold snort, and moved his chin toward the merchant. It could be seen that he was indifferent to those people in front of him:

"Mr. Thomson, those businessmen know this better than you and I, but don't forget, the civilians in the rear can't grasp the movement of the front line."

"As long as they spread the word and build momentum, even if a small number of people still question it, the supplies will still be snatched up by blind followers."

Saying that, Sa Daoyi sighed, pointed to another camp not far away, and said:

"Forget it, don't talk about this."

"Mr. Thomson, there is only an hour or so left before dark, and you probably won't be able to make it to the road after the registration is completed. The camp over there is a rest area specially set up by the outpost for travelers."

"Although there are no tents or quilts, at least there are fences for protection, and there are other caravans for company."

"In addition, the camp of the outpost is also nearby, which is much safer than camping in the wild."

"Well, good luck to you, Mr. Thomson."

finished.

Sa Daoyi waved his hands and left the scene.

After he leaves.

Thomson flipped through the number plates in his hand, and then looked at the businessmen with big bellies in front of him.

He sighed heavily.

I don't know whether it is pity for the civilians in the rear, or worrying about spending another night at the gathering place.

In the 19th century, British border inspections were not as cumbersome as later generations. There were actually only two items that were strictly checked by outposts:

Gunfire and booze.

Needless to say the reason for the former, let's investigate the latter strictly

It was because of the high alcohol tax in Britain at this time.

Since the beginning of the 18th century, the British government has imposed high tariffs on alcohol.

Among them, in 1874, the highest tax rate even reached 240% of the prevailing price of drinks.

Scotland has long been an ideal place for illegal whiskey distillation because of its pure water, rich barley and abundant peat.

So throughout the 19th century.

The most smuggled goods in Scotland are not guns or wool, but whiskey.

Thomson's carriage was limited in size, with little room for stash of liquor or guns, so it was easy to check.

Two hours passed.

"Mr. Thomson, please keep the papers."

"Thank you, beautiful lady."

Thomson took the kraft paper from the sergeant who stamped the seal, and thanked him politely.

After leaving the inspection post.

Thomson glanced at the completely dark sky, shook his head, and completely gave up the idea of ​​continuing on the road.

Then he went back to the carriage, ate some dinner prepared by Xu Yun and Will, and then went back to the tent early to rest.

As for outside the tent.

Those merchants who were about to make huge profits were not in a hurry to rest, they were holding a bonfire dinner with great interest.

Darth Ma was a grain merchant and former cook from Inverness.

Inverness is the northernmost city in the UK, and this geographical advantage represents huge profits in trade.

Therefore, the income he can obtain this time is also one of the best among many caravans.

Under emotional excitement.

Darth Ma then drank several more glasses of barley beer.

And beer is a diuretic artifact, so after a while, Darth Ma felt a little bloated in his lower abdomen.

"belch--"

Darth Ma burped heavily, stood up with difficulty, and said:

"Sorry, I'm going to take a pee outside."

After speaking, he loosened his trouser belt with one hand, and walked crookedly towards the gate of the camp.

while walking.

Thinking of the huge profits he could make this time, a greedy smile appeared on Darth Ma's fat face, as if he would ascend to heaven:

"Take off"

The voice just fell.

call out--

There was only an undetectable sound of breaking through the air.

Darth Ma suddenly leaned back heavily, fell to the ground with a bang, and a cloud of smoke and dust was rolled up.

Seeing this, several other vendors not far away couldn't help laughing and mocking:

"Hey, Darth Mar, your drinking capacity is too bad!"

"You still boast that you are a gold medal chef!"

"Why don't we take him while it's hot."

at this moment.

A middle-aged businessman who looked more prestigious coughed lightly, stood up, took out a flashlight from his body, and said:

"Forget it, I'll go pay him the bill, what's going on?"

As the middle-aged businessman spoke, his face suddenly became frightened:

Only at this moment.

On the forehead of Darth Ma, who was more than 20 meters away from them, a .

arrow!

Perhaps it was because the light source of the flashlight was so conspicuous in the dark night.

next second.

call out--

There was another crackling sound,

"ah!"

The middle-aged businessman threw down the flashlight, covered his arm, and howled in pain.

I saw it on his arm.

At this time, a slender object was also inserted!

With the dim light of the flashlight, it can be seen that this thing is not an arrow, but a

crossbow!

After a while.

A burst of panic suddenly broke out:

"Enemy attack, there is enemy attack!!!!"