Winter passes and spring comes, and the flowers bloom again.
A sweet New Year's Eve passed by in such an inadvertent way.
According to the imperial system, all public officials will have a long holiday here, that is, they will rest on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month and officially open their offices on the 16th of the first lunar month.
Qi Yu was no exception. During this period, he enjoyed his first vacation since moving south.
Overall, this is a peaceful and warm New Year.
You see, the family was not only reunited, but also moved into their new home as they wished, and everything was filled with joy.
The good times are always so short, disappearing in the blink of an eye. A sudden gong sound on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month brought Qi Dalang, who was immersed in joy, back to reality: Damn it, it’s time to go to work!
Alas, the days when I don’t have to work are so comfortable that I miss them a little bit.
The first day at the Yamen was not a big deal, it was basically just to warm up to work.
After the meeting, Qi Yu specially kept the manager of the workshop, Ren Yu, to urge him on the construction progress of the 'Qiongzhou Hospital'.
Master Ren replied that the foundation of the fortification has been laid down, and the next step is to build a large wall layer by layer.
Oh, if that's the case, the speed should be quite fast.
After Ren Yu left, Zhang Li flashed in again and reported a big event.
What's going on?
It is said that a wave of French people came from the Tianzhu colony and strongly requested to see Mr. Qi, the governor of Qiongzhou. The purpose was to discuss the unconditional release of the hostages captured in the Tuen Mun naval battle.
Zhang Li also emphasized that the attitude of these people seems to be very tough and they seem to be very difficult to mess with.
What?
Tough? Not easy to mess with?
Bah! Am I, Qi Dalang, just easy to mess with?
If you want me to release him unconditionally, there is no way!
Niang Xipi, if you don't take advantage of him, how can you afford the food wasted by raising these stupid pigs?
"Master Qi, do you want to see these people?" Zhang Li asked, seeing that his expression was a little strange.
"Of course I have to meet you!" After saying that, Qi Yu suddenly smiled and said: "However, we have to let them go for three days, and only after their anger has subsided can we discuss the matter calmly."
The implication of the words is: Aren't you arrogant? Then I will dampen your spirit.
Zhang Li seemed a little worried: "Sir, these foreigners don't seem to be good people. I'm worried that they will be dissatisfied and gather in groups to cause trouble."
Qi Yu snorted lightly and said with a bit of gangster tone: "Oh! On our one-third of an acre of land, there is still a reason for them to act recklessly? Whoever dares to mess up will have to pay the corresponding price! Zhang
Sir, do you still remember how the person who caused the trouble died?"
After saying that, he did not hide it and directly made a shooting gesture to express his attitude.
Zhang Li was startled when he heard this, shook his head and sighed: "Master Qi, if we do this, it is likely to have serious adverse effects, which will lead to bad relations between the two countries, or even war. This situation will have a negative impact on you.
If your career will be disadvantageous, please be careful!"
"Enmity? Haha, is the relationship between the two countries easy?"
"this……"
Qi Yu put away his smile and said solemnly: "Don't look at those foreign devils who are so arrogant and dragging them like those two to five to eighty thousand, but in fact, they are all bullies who bully the weak and fear the strong. The weaker you are,
The more they like to bully you. If you want to suppress them, you have to be more domineering and domineering than them, otherwise, these people will not be afraid of you. This principle also applies to the national level, weak countries have no diplomacy.
"
Zhang Li hurriedly said: "Sir, I don't know much about national affairs. I'm just worried that it will be detrimental to your career..."
Qi Yu sighed sadly and said: "In the face of national justice, what does a mere official career mean? I, Qi Yu, can kneel down for the people, but I will never bow to foreign countries. This is the most basic principle and is not negotiable!"
"
All right!
Seeing that Zhang Li could not persuade him to stop, he had no choice but to give up. However, he still felt puzzled in his heart.
Mr. Qi is the Dingjia Tanhua of our dynasty, and he must be a person who is familiar with the books of sages. Didn’t the sages say that if people from afar are dissatisfied, then they should cultivate literature and virtue? Why did it come to his mouth, and it became the same as before?
Violence fights violence?
There were rumors before that the master's temperament has changed drastically, and he feels more and more like a military commander. Looking at it now, this is indeed true.
As for Qi Yu, he was not very sure about the idea of using the foreigners imprisoned in the cell in exchange for ransom. It was a matter of time and again whether it would work.
I remember that during the Battle of Tuen Mun, all these foreign devils were hiding in the dark. Even when the city was in danger, they never participated in the battle with guns. At first glance, they were very afraid of death.
So, who is most afraid of death?
Naturally, he is a rich noble.
Qi Yu relied on this as a reference, combined with the unique temperament of the prisoners, and finally concluded that they were all nobles.
If so, wouldn’t it be possible to exchange money?
We have raised them for so long in vain, how can we not recoup some of the cost?
…
Three days later.
In the hall of Shi's wine shop, Qi Yu received a delegation of French people headed by Andre. Also present with him were Zhang Li, the director of the torture chamber, Sun Bao, the chief professor of Fu Xue, oh no
, his famous name is Sun Yue Gong.
Some people may have asked why this old Sun came here to join in the fun if he didn't just stay and teach in the government school.
In fact, Mr. Qi specially invited him here.
Uh...what's the reason?
Mr. Qi has said that he hopes Sun Bao can record everything that happened today in detail, and then write it into a beautiful article for the students of Fu Xue to observe and interpret.
The purpose of this move is to allow more people to recognize the true face of foreigners, and to cultivate the students' most basic feelings about home and country.
Of course, this depends on how provocative Jinxiu's article is, whether it can achieve a blood-heating effect, and all this depends on the author's writing style.
Looking at the current Qiongzhou, Sun Bao was the only one who was an outstanding imperial examination scholar and a well-educated Confucian scholar. So Qi Yu took the opportunity to invite him over.
In fact, Mr. Qi could also write the book himself, but that would be a burden to himself.
Since there are horsemen available, why do you need to go out on your own?
Is this true?
The book returns to its true story.
As far as the current atmosphere is concerned, it is relatively harmonious and there is no tense situation.
Let’s see:
Qi Yu kept a kind smile and sat high on the Taishi chair at the top of the hall, looking down as if a high-ranking official from a large country would treat guests from a small country.
Looking at Andre again, he was squatting on the small bench at the bottom of the table very aggrievedly, forced to make a gesture of looking up to the superior.
As for the other ghost guys, they didn't even spread out their little horses and could only stand on the sides and stare.
Some people may have asked, doesn’t the Qiongzhou government office have a reception hall for guests? Why not use it?
Master Qi told the people in the reception room who looked confused that his son Qi Xiao was busy doing homework at home. If something happened to startle him, wouldn't it delay his studies?
All right.
Perhaps because it was his first time meeting foreign guests, Mr. Qi seemed a little inexperienced and his official accent was not very smooth.
But it didn't matter, with the help of the interpreter and smoothing things over, he still completed his first show well.
Qi Yu first expressed a warm welcome to Andre and his delegation. Then, he enthusiastically introduced the customs and customs of Qiongzhou to the guests from afar, etc.
However, he kept silent for a long time and did not mention the release of the prisoners.
"Mr. An, please have some tea!"
"Uh...thank you!"
Finally, Andre couldn't sit still any longer. He raised his voice appropriately and said, "Master Qi, I heard that you captured some people from our country of Franconia during the Battle of Tuen Mun. Do you have any such information?"
What's going on?"
"This is true, but your statement seems to be slanderous."
"Oh? Where did I slander you?"
"Actually, I didn't capture them, but rescued them from water and fire." Qi Yu smiled faintly, and then said: "I heard someone say before that your compatriots were enslaved and trampled by the evil king, and they lived a miserable life.
They live a life inferior to that of cattle and horses. They have no clothes to wear and no food to eat. It is really miserable. I think I am a righteous person who has read the books of sages. How can I tolerate such a tragic thing happening? So, I
He showed great mercy and rescued them in one fell swoop."
What?
Can you still lie like this?
The angry Andre grinded his teeth for a while before finally calming down.
Alas, forget it, saving people is more important, don't worry about him so much, let's just ask about the result.
"Master Qi, can you release them now? I want to take them to the colony in Tianzhu for physical recuperation."
"Haha, of course!" Qi Yu nodded happily, but then he added: "However, in order to rescue them, I also paid a huge price, almost everything I had. In the Tuen Mun naval battle, I
Not only did we spend tens of thousands of kilograms of gunpowder and shells, we also lost thousands of elite troops. You should compensate me for these basic expenses, right?"
This... is blackmail?
When Andre heard this, he couldn't help but get furious, and his face suddenly turned cold.