Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 332 Weird Fire

From the beginning of November, as the Shimadzu family ran away to Ryukyu, the march of the Northern Navy and the Sendai Army in Southern Kyushu became like a carnival parade. All the villages and towns along the way welcomed the arrival of the Allied Forces with songs and dances. No one in the city resisted.

In view of this, the Beihai Navy divided its forces and went northward, taking down the three counties of Izumi, Izuo, and Lingkari in one fell swoop.Date Cun Chang and Tian Cun Cunzi were also so happy. With the help of the Northern Navy to defend the north, other feudal clans in Kyushu would not dare to move.

With the gold mine in hand, Zhao Xin ordered Jiuzang's third regiment and Huji's sixth regiment to station in the three counties, leaving behind a batch of supplies, and then he and Wang Yuanfang took Pan Xiucheng's regiment to Sendai by boat.

Before leaving, Zhao Xin asked Jiuzang and Huji to implement the annual tribute of "five public and five people" in the three counties.What is different from Yida Village is that Zhao Xin asked Jiuzang and Huji to form a working group based on platoons, and strive to visit every village in the three counties before the beginning of spring, and inform the villagers of the annual tribute policy, so as not to prevent those village chiefs and Businessman is playing tricks in the middle.

Whoever supports us, we will vigorously support; whoever merchants and vassals oppose us, then resolutely suppress them.Zhao Xin believed that within two or three years, the common people in these three counties would only know Beihai Town and not the Shogunate.

This place will be used as an enclave in the future, and it can also be regarded as a springboard to seize Ryukyu.

When Zhao Xin left Kyushu Island by boat, the news of the Battle of Ridang Mountain had spread all over the island country. The guys who fought for three hundred rounds in Beihai Town all died down.

Many insightful people in the various domains have seen that the 200-year peace era of the island country is over, and the world will fall into division again, and people are panicking for a while.

The Thunder God traveled eastward and north along the coastline on the south side of the island country. All the feudal clans along the way were on full alert. From top to bottom, they all raised their hearts to their throats, for fear that the Beihai Navy would clean them up when they came ashore.

In such an extremely tense situation, another piece of shocking news spread from Kyoto. The house of the current Sekibaitaka Shifuhei was caught in a fire in Kyoto, and his family was buried in the flames. Not even a dog escaped.

The fire started from the kitchen of Takashi's house, and soon spread to the entire house, and the surrounding houses had no time to rescue them.

The fire burned for two days.Except for Takashi's house, several surrounding houses were also turned into white ground. The town firefighters who finally put out the fire had no choice but to demolish the surrounding houses to stop the fire from spreading.

When such a strange thing happened, the court was shaken, and the whole world was shaken.

Toda Tadahiro, the deputy director of the Kyoto Office, immediately sent an urgent report to Edo, and at the same time visited the scene of the fire to investigate.Preliminary investigation results showed that all the dead in Yingsi's family were burnt to charcoal, and it was impossible to see how they died.

This is so weird too!

These days, the islanders are best at avoiding earthquakes and fires. With such a big family, no one escaped?And they were all burned like this?
In addition, there is one more thing, that is, the shogunate's offensive against the Sendai Fan stopped.

The cause of the incident was that the sailors of the Tokugawa family encountered storms and waves on their way north, and had no choice but to stop at the Mito Domain.As a result, after landing, the leader of the army, the third member Mizuno Tadatomo, heard the result of the battle of Ma Niushum, and immediately panicked.This guy thought about it all night, and then sent a letter to Matsudaira Dingxin, who was in the town of Edo.

Two days later, when Matsudaira Sadanobu received a letter from Mizuno Tadanobu, he also learned the result of the battle at Mayonuma.He opened the letter and took a look, okay!Mizuno Tadatomo thought of going with him.

withdraw troops!There is no way to fight this battle!
Sadanobu Matsudaira has already figured it out. The key to solving the Sendai Fan incident is Beihai Town. If you don't coax the big devil in Beihai Town, the Tokugawa family will end sooner or later, so the most important thing right now is how to get in direct contact with Beihai Town .

Although he gritted his teeth with hatred for Beihai Town, no matter what, let's send someone to the Beihai Town Shop in Shiqiubin to contact him first.

However, the speed of the Thunder God made it impossible for Matsudaira Sadanobu to react in time. When the Thunder God arrived at Ishinomaki Port, except for Katakura Murori who guarded Shiroishi Castle and the two people in Southern Kyushu, everyone in the Date family stayed behind in the feudal domain. All the retainers were present and greeted Zhao Wangdian with great gifts.

Zhao Xin stayed in Ishinomaki Port for three days without even disembarking the boat, and talked with Ishikawa Murakami and others about two things.

The first thing is that Ishikawa Murakami agreed to establish a standing army of 2000 people within the Sendai Domain, and the fourth regiment stationed in Aoba Castle will send a teaching team to conduct basic training for the standing army.

The second was the sale of 84 Type [-] revolvers and fifty muzzle-loading guns exported from Beihai Town to the Sendai Domain.

Zhao Xin directly rejected the request of Ishikawa Cunwen and others to purchase the standard rifle of the Beihai Navy, but he said that he could provide another lever rifle of the Beihai Navy, which can be loaded with ten rounds at a time.

Zhao Xin's idea is very simple. Instead of using any front-loading flintlock guns, it is better to let the dog legs use small-caliber lever rifles, so that the Sendai Fan can be controlled by bullets.If it is a front-loading flintlock gun, they can produce both bullets and gunpowder by themselves.

After finishing these things, Zhao Xincai finally embarked on the journey home.

The depths of winter in the Outer Northeast are upon us again.

The noisy crest of the Sila River in the past has disappeared, and a thin layer of ice has formed at the mouth of the sea. From here to the north, the river channel from the ferry to the mountain has been frozen into a hard and solid mirror.The peaks and peaks of the mountains have become bare, and the lush forests seem to be a little sparse at this moment.

Because the south is close to the sea, Beihai Town often starts every day from the misty morning, regardless of spring, summer, autumn and winter.Today's fog is also a bit heavy, and the air is cold. It wasn't until noon that the fog dissipated from Whale Bay to the surroundings, revealing the newly built docks, warehouses and the entire wooden house in the distance.

Different from the usual desertedness, around one o'clock in the noon, more than a dozen four-wheeled carriages drove up from the main road connecting Beihai Town, and did not stop until they reached the wharf of Whale Bay.

The workers on the wharf only looked at the size of the huge carriage and knew that it was a passenger carriage used in various places in Beihai Town. It could seat 16 people at a time, and it could be regarded as the first generation of public transportation in Beihai Town.

Speaking of four-wheeled carriages, the steering device that many people like to talk about is not a prerequisite for the existence of four-wheeled carriages. China already had four-wheeled and even eight-wheeled carriages during the Qin and Han Dynasties, just because of the legal upper limit of carrying weight and speed at that time. The upper limit (1.5 tons of load, 75 miles per day), makes the carrying efficiency of the four-wheel vehicle not so high.

In the Song and Ming Dynasties, due to the expansion of the city, four-wheeled vehicles also existed; in "Along the River During the Qingming Festival", there were, but they were pulled by two oxen, and the speed was slow, so the popularity was not high; Same.

The popularity and development of this thing is based on two things, the shock absorption method of the vehicle and the smoothness of the urban road.

Of course, the price of the horse is also a key factor.In ancient China, the price of horses remained high, which greatly restricted the development of horse-drawn carriages.During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the average price of each horse traded with the Mongols was more than 7 taels of silver, while in the interior, the price of private transactions tripled; It is 3~4 taels of silver per horse.

The road from Beihai Town to Whale Bay was only completed in the early winter of this year. The flat and wide cement road and rubber tires made the four-wheeled carriage a necessary means of transportation.

It does not mean that the most advanced must be the best, but the most suitable for use is the best.

In fact, behind the operation of the car, a lot of technology is needed as a support, and Beihai Town does not yet have the conditions to fully promote the car.

As the old saying goes, workers in skilled industries don't emerge out of thin air overnight, they need years of training.Therefore, the few car drivers trained by the technical school now have only one destination, the army.

Among the carriages parked at Whale Bay Wharf, two small carriages with two horses are particularly eye-catching.The carriage is fully enclosed, and the body line made of basswood boards is extremely beautiful and smooth. On the underside of the black door, the North Navy emblem painted with gold paint is eye-catching.

This is based on a video taken by a certain power plant traveler and saved in the mobile phone when he traveled to Europe. It is modeled after the British glass carriage. A total of four cars have been built; two cars have just been completed and will be driven out today.

According to the agreed date, Zhao Xin, Liu Sheng, Wu Siyu and Chen Qingsong will get married next year, and the glass carriage is built for these four.As for whether the car should be thrown into the warehouse to collect ashes after the wedding or what to do with it, we will talk about it at that time.

After more than a dozen carriages came to a stop, a group of people came down from those public carriages, including men, women and children.

"Woo~woo~"

At this time, two short whistles sounded from the northeast direction of Whale Bay Pier, the door of a glass carriage opened, and a man wearing a snow-white fine fur fox fur cloak and a white mink hat jumped out from inside. The little girl's lively and beautiful appearance was like a cheerful elf on a snowy field, which made everyone present stare at her.

"A Miao, don't worry, I haven't seen the shadow of the boat yet." In the carriage, Shen Xuan, who was sitting safely in the carriage, rolled down the glass window and said to A Miao.

"Sister Shen, hurry up! Honk the horn twice, which means turn left."

Shen Xuan shook her head helplessly, casually patted the big tabby cat on her knee a few times, and said to Erya Chen who was sitting opposite: "Go down and stay with her, don't run away."

Since Zhao Xin went to Fuldan City to investigate the murder case in the middle of the year, A Miao was taken over by Shen Xuan to live with her.A few years have passed, and Shen Xuan has always noticed A Miao's dependence on Zhao Xin.At the very least, Shen Xuan has Shen Jingdan's family to take care of her, while A Miao has only Zhao Xin.

By Zhao Xin's side, A Miao can be busy like a little maid; but when it comes to Shen's house, no one dares to use A Miao as a servant.

There are many Shen family members, not counting those who are far away. In Shen Jingdan's family alone, there are Shen Wu, Di Zhihu and the youngest son, as well as Shen Xuan's younger sister Ayu, three close maids, Guisheng's father Asi, and A cook.

Since A Miao came, the Shen family treated her like a half daughter because of Zhao Xin's relationship.Moreover, A Miao and Shen Jingdan's daughter, A Yu, are similar in age, and they soon got along very well, going to elementary school together every day.

The reason why these people came to Whale Bay today was because Zhao Xin was coming back, and there was also a regiment of the Beihai Navy on the same boat; those who came by public carriage were the family members of a regiment.

"Come here! Come!" As the huge hull of the Thor sailed into Whale Bay, the crowd waiting on the pier shouted excitedly.

A Miao's little face was flushed by the sea breeze, and she waved her arms vigorously towards the big boat, as if Zhao Xin could see her from the bow of the boat.Chen Erya on the side was also full of joy. Ever since Chen Jishan was transferred to be Zhao Xin's bodyguard, she hadn't seen her eldest brother for a long time.

On the deck of the Thunder God, the soldiers who were about to arrive home ignored the cold and stepped onto the deck one after another, waving and shouting at the crowd who greeted them on the shore.

In the cockpit, Wang Yuanfang ordered Pan Xiucheng: "After disembarking, go back to the barracks to report. After the weapons and ammunition are put into storage, take three days off and take a good rest."

"Yes!" Pan Xiucheng was alone, and when he was resting, he would either drink with Lu Shoushan or visit the two brothers from the Xu family.

Zhao Xin walked out of the cockpit and came to the compass deck. The cold air made him shrink his neck, and he quickly turned up the collar of his coat.He looked at the small town of Whale Bay not far away, thinking that this was already the fifth winter he had spent on this land.

When the Thunder God entered the berth and stopped to fasten the cable, Zhao Xin returned to the cockpit and said with emotion: "It's so fast! It's been five years in a blink of an eye."

Wang Yuanfang said: "That's right, when I think of the time I first arrived at Xiong Island, it still feels like yesterday."

Ding Guofeng said: "I've been exhausted for the past few months. I won't go anywhere this winter. I need to take a good rest."

Zhao Xin said with a smile: "Well, you can go and accompany the woman. Let Deng Fei go about sending people and supplies."

Wang Yuanfang asked Ding Guofeng, "You don't plan to get married next year?"

Ding Guofeng waved his hands and said, "We're not in a hurry, let them do it first."

"Okay, I won't talk to you anymore, I'll get off the boat first."

"Hurry up, I've seen your A Miao jumping around like a rabbit for a long time."

When Zhao Xin led Chen Jishan and Yin Bingwei down the gangway first, he saw A Miao and Shen Xuan standing behind her at a glance.Before he stepped forward, A Miao rushed over and hugged Zhao Xin's arm.

"Hehe, I haven't seen you for two months. It seems that I have grown taller again?" Zhao Xin compared. Before leaving, A Miao was not as tall as his chest, but now it seems to have surpassed it.

A Miao said dissatisfied: "It doesn't seem like, she just grew taller! It's not that I haven't seen you for two months, it's three months and seventeen days!"

The two walked up to Shen Xuan, and A Miao let go of her hand.Zhao Xin looked at those black eyes like autumn water with a smile, and said, "I'm back."

Shen Xuan looked at Zhao Xin, and the lovesickness of several months was conveyed in the eye contact.But right now there are people all around, and the reserve of a woman to be married prevents her from throwing herself into Zhao Xin's arms like A Miao.So she smiled and said, "Are you tired?"

When Zhao Xin saw the two carriages, he walked around the carriages first, and said with surprise on his face, "It really worked out!"

Shen Xuan said: "The paint was only dry a few days ago, so it can be used. If I came back a few days earlier, I'm afraid I still have to ride a horse."

"Okay! There are really two brushes!" Zhao Xin opened the car door, looked at the furnishings inside, and nodded in approval.

After everyone got into the carriage and the carriage was driving smoothly on the road, Shen Xuan leaned her head on Zhao Xin's shoulder and said with her mouth curled up, "If I don't come back again, I will take a boat to catch you."

"There are too many things, how can we go if we can't finish them?"

"Oh. I thought it was that Jackie who made someone so happy!"

Zhao Xin stretched out his hand to pinch his cheeks, and said with a smile, "Ah! I'm still jealous. Who told you that?"

"Hmph, anyway, I know. This is going to be the fifth one." Shen Xuan pouted and hugged Zhao Xin's arm tightly.

"Couldn't it be Liu Sheng who said it? Don't listen to him, I've already sent that girl back."

"Really?"

"The girl is only 12 years old, what a joke."

Shen Xuan was satisfied, and whispered: "It's not Brother Liu, it was Wu Xiha who told me."

"What Wu Xiha knows, it must be Liu Dasha."

The two chatted and laughed for a while, and then Shen Xuan started talking non-stop.

She first said that A Miao's white fox fur cloak and her own black one were gifts from Uxiha before she left, and then she said what she gave Uxiha, and then asked the Hezhen people what was the wedding pay attention to.
At first Zhao Xin answered a few sentences, but slowly, Shen Xuan heard a slight snore coming from her side.

White noise hypnosis.

(End of this chapter)