Into Unscientific

Chapter 324 The Qing Delegation (6.8K)

1851.

June 5th.

London.

In June, Britain has already shed its snow-covered clothes and officially entered summer.

There was no wind flowing in the slightly hot air, and a scorching sun above the head was like a stove, making the ground hot and sticky.

Another direct change brought about by the increase in temperature is

The smell in the whole city of London is getting worse and worse.

The smell of industrial exhaust, sweat, spoiled food, and all kinds of excrement permeated every corner of London, sour and smelly.

Although I have seen descriptions of similar situations in "Oliver Twist".

But after experiencing this kind of environment with his own eyes or personally, Xu Yun couldn't help but feel puzzled:

Why are these Brits able to make London like this?

To know.

As a time traveler, Xu Yun has never seen an ancient city with millions of people - he just spent a year in Bianjing in 1100 in his last copy.

During the heyday of Bianjing, there were about 130,000 households in the city, and the total population steadily exceeded one million. It is undoubtedly a huge city.

At that time, Bianjing was not to mention how clean it was, at least within the Suzaku Gate, the hygienic conditions were definitely up to standard.

In the mansion of an official like Lao Su, even the courtyard of the servants has no peculiar smell.

And London is more than 700 years later than Bianjing, and its productivity and technological level are more than one level better. Why is it still so stinky?

At the same time, mixed with this smell, there is also a very strange style of painting:

For example right now.

On Xu Yun's right is a slum area full of rubbish, dirty and smelly.

There is a cat food store on his left, and a lady is buying cat food at this time.

That's right.

The cat food store is still the one with shearing and bathing services.

That is to say, since 1850, the British have begun to pay attention to the diet and hygiene of pets.

But they care about cats but not people. Isn't that strange?

London was able to grow from a wasteland to the center of the world in 1850. To say that the British lack intelligence may be arrogant and biased, which is not a good mentality.

But all along, the environment in London is indeed a problem that has been criticized for a long time.

Think here.

Xu Yun couldn't help shaking his head.

I don't understand, I don't understand

Then he pulled his mind back to reality, glanced at the pergola he was in, and turned to someone and asked:

"Mr. Ace, what time is it?"

The full name of Ace in Xu Yun's mouth is Big Ace. He is a middle-aged man with a kind face. His hair is slightly thinning, but his big eyes are piercing.

Hear Xu Yun's question.

Big Ace shook his neckline to dissipate heat, and took a look at his pocket watch:

"It's ten past seven in the morning."

Xu Yun nodded slightly.

More than a month ago, Xu Yun's "long-awaited" Crimean War officially started.

Same as in history.

The British and French fleets still entered the battlefield from the Black Sea and landed at Gallipoli.

In order to ensure victory, Britain dispatched a full 60,000 soldiers and a large number of warships in this first battle, which can be called an all-out attack.

The results at the beginning were quite gratifying, and they took down the Sri Cha Fortress in less than two weeks.

At that time, Xu Yun had just met Big Ace from the reception group. This middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and big eyes also said something:

"Oh my god, the coalition forces will definitely win a big victory with a crushing momentum. If I were the Russians, I would raise the white flag now."

Then

From the second day on, the coalition forces of Britain, France, and Turkey encountered difficulties.

First came syphilis and cholera.

Wine and women in the Crimea region are very cheap. In terms of purchasing power, it is equivalent to the price of a meal of braised chicken in later generations.

Coupled with the logistics and hygiene of the coalition forces, syphilis and cholera suddenly began to spread in the barracks.

These two rounds of diseases directly caused more than 500 soldiers to be infected, plus 16,000 pairs of boots and 150 tons of biscuits were burned. At the same time, they also greatly affected the morale of the soldiers-think about it in another way, if you live in a dormitory with you If your roommate gets some kind of disease, you will probably be terrified.

Secondly.

It was the coalition forces that encountered strong resistance in the Sevastopol fortress.

According to the news from Lao Tang.

At present, more than 2,300 soldiers and more than 40 officers have been killed in Britain, and the situation is quite anxious.

in this case.

The atmosphere in London can't help being a little delicate, and even the World Expo has been postponed:

Originally, Prince Albert wanted to have a double happiness. He unveiled the exposition with the good news of breaking the Sevastopol fortress.

As a result, the war was dragged back and forth, and the war fell into a quagmire instead.

Seeing that there is no hope of victory in a short period of time, Prince Albert resolutely gave up the idea of ​​having both, and announced last week that the World Expo will officially open on June 13.

Of course.

The opening date of the expo has little impact on Xu Yun, because Cambridge University is scheduled to appear at the end of October or even the beginning of November.

What really caused him to appear here today is another thing:

The exhibiting delegation of the Qing Dynasty landed in Portsmouth four days ago and is expected to arrive in London this morning.

Although Britain is now planning to invade the East, after all, the war has not yet started, and the etiquette on the surface still needs to be done.

Therefore, the British side still sent a reception team of 15 people to welcome these guests.

The general person in charge of the reception team is a member of the House of Commons named Radjo Kaplan, accompanied by a number of political officials - Big Ace, who answered Xu Yun's question before, is one of them.

In addition is

Xu Yun glanced to the right and locked on a table not far away.

Sitting at this table were four black-haired and yellow-skinned Orientals, three of whom were about the same age as Xu Yun, and they were all arranged to serve as translators.

William Whewell had mentioned this at the beginning, so Xu Yun didn't pay much attention to it. He simply gave his name and didn't say much.

Among the four people, the one who really caught Xu Yun's attention was a middle-aged man sitting in the farthest seat.

He was of medium height, dressed in an English gentleman's suit, with a pair of glasses with very small lenses on the bridge of his nose, and his face had extremely high cheekbones.

His countenance looked harsh with a hint of refinement.

More critically.

The other party did not wear braids.

According to Big Ace.

This person is called Tian Caiming, whose name is Bolun, and his parents are businessmen doing business in Europe.

He grew up in Rochester, and was admitted to Strathclyde University, the seventh oldest university in the UK, with honors.

After graduating, Tian Caiming entered the British political arena and was a rising star in the advanced Chinese community in the UK.

Although he is not yet eligible to enter the House of Commons, he became a member of the Rochester City Council last year, and the future is promising.

The city council is part of the system of regional councils in the UK. The highest is the Greater London City Council, followed by a single city council, city council, county council and so on.

Even in Xu Yun's later generations, there are not many examples of Chinese being able to enter the British city council.

There are just a few scattered people.

So it's obvious.

Tian Caiming was able to enter the Rochester City Council must be because he hugged the thigh of a certain faction.

Either as a white glove, or as a spokesperson or a sounding board.

This time, Tian Caiming's position in the reception team was a consultant, which was much more formal than that of Xu Yun, an outsourcer.

Not only can he communicate directly with the general manager Radjo Kaplan, but he can even make some suggestions.

Another thing that impresses Xu Yun deeply is that when all the members meet, the other party seems to look at him in a somewhat unkind way.

Of course.

The 'unkindness' here naturally does not mean recognizing one's own identity, but carries a sense of scrutiny and oppression.

It can be seen that the other party does not seem to welcome his appearance.

Maybe it's because I'm worried that I'm using the excuse of being an oriental to lick my face to make connections?

After all, his current popularity is only limited to the scientific research circle of Cambridge University. In the eyes of people like Tian Caiming who follow the political line, he is basically the same as wearing a whiteboard.

And just as Xu Yun made up his mind.

Do not know why.

Suddenly there were some whispers in the originally quiet pergola, and the atmosphere gradually became active.

Then soon.

Big Ace pointed in a certain direction and said to him:

"Mr. Luo Feng, look quickly, your fellow villagers have arrived."

Xu Yun was taken aback when he heard the words, and then quickly looked in that direction after recovering.

The location of the reception group's pergola is located near the later Tower Bridge in London, adjacent to the Thames River, and the width of the river is 229 meters.

Only at this moment.

At the entrance to the south of the river, there is a three-masted wooden sailing ship with a somewhat different shape from the European ships, slowly approaching.

The ship is nearly 50 meters long, about 15 meters wide, and has a draft of about five or six meters.

A yellow flag hung at the front of the hull, with a letter written:

clear.

Students who have served in the Beiyang Navy in their previous lives should know.

The first "military flag" of the navy of the Qing Dynasty was called the blue dragon playing with red beads on a yellow background, but it was not selected as the military flag of the Beiyang Navy until 1888.

In the international arena these days, the appearance of the Qing Dynasty is generally somewhat ordinary.

That's exactly what Xu Yun saw, a yellow flag with the word 'Qing' engraved on it, hanging on the bow of the boat and swaying in the wind.

Simple, nothing attractive.

Of course.

No matter how ordinary the logo is, it still represents a state power after all.

So after seeing the convoy of the Qing Dynasty delegation appear, everyone including Radjo Kaplan stood up.

Those who should wear hats should wear hats, and those who should wear coats should wear coats, waiting for the arrival of the other party.

About twenty minutes passed.

The three-masted wooden sailboat pulled aside smoothly, and nine middle-aged men in Qing Dynasty official uniforms with long braids walked out of the cabin under the guidance of three British crew members.

As the pinnacle representative of the feudal dynasty, the imperial palace and capital of the Qing Dynasty are undoubtedly prosperous, but that kind of prosperity belongs to the standard Chinese classical beauty.

Comparing the architectural style of the Qing Dynasty with that of London in 1850, the painting styles of the two are quite different.

Therefore, when they suddenly saw such an unusual scene in London, these officials of the Qing Dynasty who were not of high official rank were shocked.

But at the same time, they still uphold the "pride" unique to the Qing Dynasty.

All of them had tense faces, but kept looking out, looking a little funny.

Not far from them.

Xu Yun's eyes lingered on the braids behind these people for a while, feeling a little complicated.

This was the first time that Xu Yun saw an official of the Qing Dynasty with his own eyes since he activated Halo Time Traveling.

It is these people and the regime behind them that personally 'written' the most humiliating chapter in China's modern history.

It's a pity that I couldn't see that Li Fuxiang, otherwise Xu Yun really wanted to have a good chat with him for a while-chat here is not a derogatory term, and I really want to know what is going on in his mind.

Unfortunately, due to some will, such an opportunity is obviously impossible.

After the nine Qing Dynasty officials disembarked.

Radho Kaplan walked up to them with Tian Caiming, and bowed his hands slightly unfamiliarly:

"Guests from the East, welcome to London. I am Radjo Kaplan, Member of the House of Commons."

The leading official of the Qing Dynasty was a thin old man. He still had a straight face at this time, and he looked a bit pedantic.

Xu Yun once saw his photo on the list given to him by William Whewell. The name of this person is Ran Hongfu, and his official rank is unknown but not too high.

Tian Caiming translated these words into Chinese, and introduced his name and characters by the way.

Ran Hongfu pondered for a while when he heard the words, and did not reply directly, but asked Tian Caiming:

"Brother Bo Lun, may I ask how high is this person in the British Empire?"

Tian Caiming was taken aback for a moment, and after recovering, he quickly glanced at Radjo Kaplan, thinking:

"About. From the seventh grade."

The House of Lords in the United Kingdom belongs to the aristocratic parliament, and the speaker of the House of Commons is probably treated at the ministerial level today, which is equivalent to the ancient minister.

Shangshu was the third grade in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the second grade in the Ming Dynasty, and the first grade in the Qing Dynasty.

Below the speaker are the deputy speakers and councilors, who will be assigned different political tasks according to their status.

Radjo Kaplan just entered the House of Commons this year, and he is a newly promoted member, which is equivalent to the situation of a Jinshi and a post-graduate just assigned to an official position.

Either from Qipin Hanlin, or become a Qipin county magistrate.

Therefore, what Tian Caiming said is basically reasonable.

As for Ran Hongfu's official position?

It is the seventh grade.

"From the seventh grade?"

Knowing that Radho Kaplan's official position is lower than his own, Ran Hongfu's expression became serious again, and he nodded faintly:

"The Dian Ke Department of Honglu Temple in the Qing Dynasty, Ran Hongfu, thank you for your welcome." without the Codex Department)

Seeing Ran Hongfu's demeanor, Radho Kaplan couldn't help but frowned, feeling dissatisfied and even more doubtful:

Isn't this man sick?

In state-to-state diplomacy, if one of the countries is powerful, the representatives of that country may appear cold and arrogant when they meet.

But the current UK doesn't look like a low-ranking party from any angle, so who is this person showing his confidence?

However, no matter how dissatisfied he was, Radho Kaplan was only a newly promoted member of parliament after all, and he did not yet have the qualifications and confidence to raise his hand in diplomatic matters.

Therefore, he could only force himself to ignore Ran Hongfu's arrogance, and continued according to the prepared procedure:

"Mr. Ran, according to our agreement in advance, including the ship 'Qiying', all the objects you brought this time will be exhibited.

"Next, please unload the exhibited goods, and I will arrange a carriage to take them to the Crystal Palace where the expo opens."

"According to the prior plan, the Eastern exhibition area is located in the west of the Crystal Palace, adjacent to the Belgium and Asan exhibition areas."

"Mr. Ran, what do you think?"

After quietly listening to Tian Caiming's translation, Ran Hongfu frowned, and was about to say something when Tian Caiming coughed heavily.

So his expression froze, and he nodded after a few seconds of silence:

"Your side has an arrangement, and I have no objection."

Seeing that the most critical handover matter has passed, Radjo Kaplan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

As long as one's own task is completed, as for how this oriental person will cause headaches to the congressman in charge of the exhibition, it is none of his own business.

Then he waved to Big Ace and told him:

"Ace, go and call those young people from the East who are in charge of translation, now you can start loading and unloading the goods."

Big Ace said yes, turned around and came to where Xu Yun was, and said to Xu Yun and the other three young men from the East:

"Students, it's time for you translation consultants to play next."

Xu Yun and the other three had understood their mission a long time ago, and they all nodded after hearing the words:

"clear."

The expressions of the other three were a little excited, probably because their school promised some reward.

Then Big Ace led the four of them to Ran Hongfu, and not long after, other officials stepped forward to pick things up.

The first person to step forward was the fat little old man who was ranked second on the list. Xu Yun remembered that this person was called Qu Zhongxing, and he should be the deputy of the delegation.

I saw him hastily glanced at the four of Xu Yun, then casually clicked on a boy next to Xu Yun:

"It's just you."

Before Xu Yun could look away from Qu Zhongxing, another voice came from his ear:

"The little brother on the second right, can you come to the old man and be an interpreter?"

There were only four "interpreters" present, so everyone was very clear about their position - the one who ranked second from the right was none other than Xu Yun himself.

Xu Yun followed the trend and looked.

It was found that the person who made the sound was a dark-complexioned, fifty-year-old man wearing a Liuhe hat with extremely obvious nasolabial folds.

mentioned earlier.

Xu Yun's understanding of the World Expo is not that deep, he only knows some basic information, for example, Dongfang did send people to participate in the exhibition.

And it's a coincidence.

The person who spoke was one of the few people Xu Yun knew and had seen his face on the commemorative coins specially released for him in the UK.

'Master Cantonese', Xi Sheng.