While Wang Yuanfang and the others were still waiting for the arrival of the Thunder God on Flower and Bird Island, Zhao Xin and Liu Sheng had already taken Fang Hua, Lao You and other nine people on a plane to a certain country in the north. After a nearly six-hour flight
Finally, the exhausted Fang Hua, Lao You and others waited at the airport for another two hours before boarding a medium-sized van bound for the Freezing Port.
After they experienced various emergencies such as the water tank boiling, the cylinder gasket rupturing, and waiting for rescue, a group of 11 people who were supposed to arrive in the afternoon finally arrived at Zhao Xin's small farm at 9 p.m. Wu Siyu arrived one day in advance.
He personally made a fragrant hot noodle soup meal for the nine physically and mentally exhausted people. During the meal, Zhao Xin told Fang Hua and others that he would take everyone to school tomorrow.
After everyone had a hasty meal, they yawned and went back to their rooms to sleep. No one noticed that Zhao Xin and Liu Sheng ran to a corner of the farm and vomited loudly.
So, when Fang Hua, Lao You and others woke up the next morning, they found that everything was different.
"Xiao Fang, did we sleep in this room last night?" After Lao You opened his eyes and sat up, looking at the unfamiliar things around him, he asked Fang Hua, who was sitting on the bed in a daze, with some confusion.
"I'm confused too, it doesn't seem to be the case."
"It's broken! Can you see if our luggage is still there?"
"They're all here." Fang Hua pointed with his hand, and their luggage was placed at a table in the room.
"I mean, check if the things inside are still there!" Lao You opened the quilt and jumped out of bed. Regardless of the cold on the ground, he stepped on the wooden floor with bare feet and opened his luggage. After careful inspection, he found everything
They are all there; including the foreign currency exchanged before, two large packages of instant noodles, and a bag of pickles.
Fang Hua asked casually: "Old You, why did you bring this here?"
While closing the suitcase, Lao You explained: "I can't get used to big food. I checked online before and found that the Chinese food in the supermarket here is too expensive."
However, when Lao You felt the need to urinate and wanted to go to the bathroom, he realized something was wrong. There was no toilet at all in this room, and there was only a toilet in the corner that looked like the toilet he used when he was a child.
Lao You anxiously asked Fanghua: "Where is the toilet?"
"I didn't find it either."
"I'll go! Then how did you get there?"
"That's the bucket." Fang Hua pointed to the wooden bucket in the corner.
At this time, Lao You suddenly felt that his bladder was tightening. He didn't bother to ask anymore, and hurriedly walked over and took off the lid. With a weak trickle, he finally felt relaxed physically and mentally.
"What the hell is this! There's not even a bathroom in the house. How can I brush my teeth and wash my face?!" Lao You muttered a few words while holding up his pants after solving his personal problem. He walked back to the table and was about to take out the bag from his bag.
I was grabbing my toothbrush and towel when I was suddenly stunned.
"That's not right!" Lao You clearly remembered that he came to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face before going to bed yesterday. With a solemn look on his face, he hurriedly put on his pants and clothes, ready to go out for a look. But as soon as he reached the door, "Squeak"
"Yeah!" With a sound, the door was opened from the outside.
"Sorry to bother you! We have brought you water." After the two young women in aprons opened the door, they were startled when they saw Lao You standing at the door. They quickly bowed and apologized.
Lao You at the door and Fang Hua sitting on the bed were both stunned. They looked stupidly at the woman who came in and put two basins of wash water on the table. Then, a woman brought in two more kettles from outside the door.
.
"The red pot is hot water, and the blue pot is cold water. The cold water is for you two to brush your teeth." Another woman finished stumblingly, as if remembering something, and took something out of the front pocket of her apron.
He took out a tube of toothpaste and two unopened new toothbrushes and placed them on the table. He explained: "These are for you two. They are both new. We will send breakfast over in a moment."
Lao You and Fang Hua felt as if they had seen a ghost. It was not until the two women bowed to them again at the door and went out to close the door that he turned to look at Fang Hua.
"Aren't we dreaming?" Lao You stretched out his hand and twisted his arm. "Ouch~" The force was too great, and he gritted his teeth in pain.
Fang Hua suddenly stood up, walked to the window, and opened the two-story windows.
On the grass outside the door, there were four or five oriental faces standing about one and a half meters tall, carrying a rifle on their thin shoulders.
Lao You had joined the militia before, and he recognized at a glance that these people were carrying what looked like five-six-and-a-half bags, and they all looked real; especially the silvery-white bayonets under the muzzles of the guns.
Not far away, a series of wooden-carved houses are neatly arranged in an orderly manner. The paths between the houses are paved with a layer of fine sand and gravel.
Is this still the same city we came to yesterday?
"Good morning, gentlemen! Are you hungry? Breakfast will be brought to you soon."
Seeing that the gentlemen brought by Zhao Xin all got up, Yajiro, who had been waiting outside the door for a long time, bowed to them with a smile and greeted them warmly.
But when Lao You saw the pistol holster on Yajiro's waist, the corners of his eyes twitched.
"Where's Mr. Zhao?" Fang Hua asked the little man with a sweet smile in front of him.
"Are you asking my lord? He gave the order this morning and specifically asked me to serve you. I'm so sorry!"
"Sir?" Fang Huaxin said, what kind of name is this? Why don't you call me "Master"?
"Who are you?" Suddenly, the window of the room next door was opened. Fang Hua took a look and saw that it was another teacher who was traveling with him. His surname seemed to be Li, and he used to teach physics.
"Let me introduce myself. This is the police officer of Beihai Town Police Station, Yajiro." Yajiro's Mandarin skills are average, so when he introduced his name, he used the pronunciation of the island country.
"What?! Tell me again what's your name?" Lao You's eyes suddenly widened.
When Yajiro repeated his name again, Lao You suddenly said: "Baga!"
After hearing this, Yajiro was not angry but happy. He changed to the island country and asked: "So you are also from the island country? I am from the Mutsu Hirosaki Domain. Who are you?"
"Oh my god!" Lao You slapped his forehead, completely dizzy.
At this time, near the mouth of the Furjaha River, thirty-five miles northwest of Beihai Town, a dozen Hezhefiyak people leading horses came out of the woods.
"This is it." The leader of the guide said to the people behind him.
The dozen or so people behind him all walked out of the forest at this time. They were all a little surprised when they saw the road heading east that suddenly appeared in front of them.
"How far is it from here?" The leader, a strong man wearing a silk robe, asked the two guides.
"It's almost thirty miles away. Do you think we should take a break before leaving?"
This group of people set out from the upper reaches of the Furjaha River before dawn, and by now they had walked fifty miles of mountainous roads.
The strong man turned his head and glanced at the dozens of horses in the team, nodded and said: "Give the horses water and food, and rest for a while before leaving."
After hearing this, everyone camped and rested by the woods. Everyone first took off the goods carried on the horses, and then a few people led them to the river to drink the horses. Others sat on the grass and took out dry food.
and a kettle to replenish your energy.
At this time, a young man in the crowd walked up to the strong man and asked respectfully: "Hojihon, do you think we can see those people this time?"
The strong man known as "Hojihon" shook his head and said, "It's hard to say."
The young man asked unwillingly: "What if we unite people from more than a dozen villages to launch a sneak attack?"
The strong man glanced at the young man and said with a serious face: "Tak Tiyin, don't mention this again. The imperial court can't defeat thousands of troops. With just our few people, we can't compare to those in the capital."
In my words, it’s just a dish!”
"Dish?" Tak Tiyin looked confused, but didn't dare to ask anymore.
Everyone rested for a while, and the horses were fed. They were about to put the goods back on the horses and prepare to set off. A long black arrow was shot from the hillside thirty steps away to the north. With a "duh!" sound, the nail was nailed.
It entered the thick trunk of a birch tree. The arrow came with ferocity and full force. After being nailed into the trunk, the red tail feathers were still shaking.
"Don't move! If you go further, you won't be shooting at the tree!" A man's voice came from the hillside, speaking Manchu.
These Hezhefiyaka people were shocked. Just as they were about to take off their bows and arrows from their horses, two more long black arrows were nailed to the surrounding birch trees.
The voice on the hillside continued to shout: "If you move again, I will shoot you!"
"Don't move! Put your hands up!" Suddenly, seven or eight people covered in branches and weeds appeared from behind the Feyaka people, pointing their weapons at them.
The strong man had been to the capital, seen some markets, and understood the official dialect. He hurriedly ordered his subordinates: "Don't move! They are holding muskets!"
After all the bows, arrows, daggers and other weapons of these Feyaka people were confiscated, Serdan, wearing camouflage clothes and camouflage paint on his face, led a soldier and walked out from behind a big tree on the hillside.
He walked up to the prisoners, looked at them a few times, and asked in Manchu: "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"We don't have any ill intentions, we are here to do business." The strong man put down his raised hand and explained with a kind face.
"Open your eyes and see clearly, this is Hojihon from Uktun." The young man named Taktiyin shouted angrily.
Serdan was stunned when he heard this, and suddenly asked the strong man: "Are you Huo Jihun?"
Hojihon means "son-in-law" in Manchu. In the early and mid-Qing Dynasty, it specifically refers to people from the northeastern frontier group who brought a large number of furs to the capital and successfully proposed to marry Eight Banner women.
The Qing court had very detailed regulations on the type, quality and amount of furs that border residents needed to pay tribute when seeking marriage. The total value was approximately more than 800 taels of silver.
In order to manage the border residents in the outer northeast, the Qing government divided them into four classes: surname chiefs, township chiefs, children, and white people. Among them, the surname chiefs were the highest-level officials, and the township chiefs were the next-level officials.
In principle, border residents of whatever status they belong to can come to Beijing to seek marriage. Anyone who successfully seeks to marry an Eight Banners woman is called "Huo Jihun." A person who becomes a Huo Jihun, whether a village head, a son, or a white man, depends on his status.
And the status will be raised to the same level as the surname chief; and the status of the Eight Banners woman married will be higher than the surname chief. She is called "Sarhan Cone".
Precisely because marrying a banner woman can improve your social status, even if a large amount of furs are required as tribute and a large amount of travel expenses will be incurred, there are still many border residents who have gone through hardships and traveled from the distant outer northeastern region.
Seeking marriage in Beijing.
When a border citizen proposes marriage, the minister in charge of the bodyguard will usually introduce the proposed border resident to the emperor. After the emperor personally inquires, the marriage can be granted, and peacock feathers and other objects will be awarded to show his identity. Afterwards, the officials of the Ministry of Rites will host a banquet. During the introduction,
During the banquet, the Qing government could learn all kinds of border news from Huo Jihun, and if necessary, would appoint Huo Jihun to handle related matters.
The Huo Jihun in front of Serdan was entrusted by Jilin General Duerjia. In addition to finding out what was going on in Beihai Town, his most important task was to retrieve Hailancha's body.
After Fukang'an went south and returned to Beijing, Jilin General Duerjia sent several groups of spies to the Fuljiaha River and Xila River area. In addition to the Feyaka people, there were also many Manchus among these people. But all of them
The people sent out would not come back alive as long as they came within five miles of Beihai Town. This gave Duerjia a headache. Especially after Fukang'an recovered, he sent several letters to inquire. But he couldn't even figure out the truth of the other party.
How to fight next?
At this time, Saimar from Qihechen Township brought three black fox skins with pearl fur and a hundred mink skins to Beijing to ask for his hand in marriage. He met him when passing by Jilin City. During the conversation, Saimar volunteered to ask for help from Durga.
He led his people to negotiate with the E people. Duerjia was overjoyed when he heard this and rewarded him with a lot of grain and silk cloth. He also said that when the matter was completed, he would report it to the imperial court and give him another reward.
But now, this Saimar has become Serdan's prisoner.
Serdan looked at the strong man in front of him and said disdainfully: "You are the son-in-law of the Manchus, and we are dedicated to fighting the Manchus!"
Saimar was shocked, but his face was calm and he said with a smile: "I can see that you were also a border resident before, right? We are really here to do business. You see, our horses are loaded with fur goods.
and satin.”
Serdan shook his head and said, "You go back. We don't need any satin or leather goods."
"Captain, this is yours." Saimar was about to continue explaining when a soldier with leaves and weeds stuck in his head came over and handed the three long arrows in his hand to Serdan.
When Serdan turned around to catch the arrow, Saimar was surprised to find that the opponent was carrying a bow he had never seen before. The bow was pitch black and it was impossible to tell what material it was made of.
There is also a black branch at the front end.
At the same time, he noticed that the three long arrows held by Serdan were very different from the arrows he usually saw. They were black hollow arrows and the edges looked very sharp.
"Brother, can I see your bow?" Saimar asked with a smile.
"No, this bow is too expensive and can be easily broken by someone who doesn't know how to use it."
"It's just a bow, how expensive can it be?" Tak Tiyin said disdainfully.
Serdan opened his mouth to say fifty taels of silver, but then he thought: "Why should I tell you?" So he ignored it.
Saimal saw that the man in front of him was not good at anything, so he became heartbroken and said: "Brother, in addition to doing business with you this time, we want to ask you for help with something."
"Say it, I'm listening."
"The imperial court asked us to take Lord Hailancha's body back."
Serdan laughed and said, "What did I think it was? Come with me." After saying that, he turned around and left.
After a group of escorted Feyaka people followed Serdan over a hillside, Serdan pointed downwards with his hand: "Here are the Qing troops who were killed by us. The person you are looking for is there."
"
Saimar and others couldn't help but gasp when they saw several huge mounds of soil at the foot of the hillside.