Hidden Dragon in Qing Dynasty

In an alleyway near the north coast of Elbe River, in the attic of an old three-storey building, a crazy middle-aged man was scribbling on a piece of paper with half a bottle of whiskey in his hands.

There was only a wooden bed and a table in the triangular attic. On the floor, on the sheets, and on the table, there were words written everywhere. The thick English books were also filled with black and white photos, and dirty clothes were strewn all over the floor.

It was a bachelor's apartment, and it was impossible for a man without a woman to get in touch with cleanliness and order. It was rare for a small attic to have no rats.

"The hamburger is a free city of the Germany, but the Prussian government put pressure on us to increase the tax revenue by 15%. This is a challenge to the free city... "No, no, no, this kind of news is not interesting at all. The citizens of the hamburger have long chosen the Prussian Kingdom, they will not complain about it …"

"Within two months, the number of training camp s in the new army increased by another thirty thousand, and the training intensity increased by a full two folds … "This won't do. Although this news was read, this photo is too ugly. It can't even be published …"

The man with the high glasses kept mumbling, rapidly writing with a pen in his hand, matching his photos from time to time. When he got excited, he raised his hand and took a sip of whiskey, as if he was a man without wine.

He was a freelance writer active in Europe, and his job was to go anywhere and find the best news available to the mainstream European media at the time, such as the British Thames, the French Figaro, and even the American Baltimore Sun.

It was because of his seniority that his demands were stricter, that one news item after another was turned down in his mutterings, and that he was looking for the most explosive news item, the kind that would make his position even higher.

The notebook on the cover of the little sheepskin recorded the latest information that he had gotten from all over the streets. After going over it again and again, he finally found a piece of news that was very attractive to the readers.

"In the middle of Hamburg citizen, there was a mysterious rumor circulating. It was said that a group of troops with eastern faces appeared in the camp, and they even brought an endless amount of silver coins … Now that the Hamburg recruit Camp has reached the highest alert level, no one is allowed to go near the core area … "

"Not bad, not bad at all. The Prussian New barracks, along with the mysterious army in the east and even countless silver coins, can arouse the curiosity of the European people with each key word. This is a top news, but unfortunately, there are no pictures …"

Just as he was mumbling to himself, a voice suddenly came from behind him. "The photos are very easy to handle. You can take them later …"

The bespectacled man was so shocked that he almost fell off his chair. When he turned around to look, he saw his old acquaintance Jonas standing at the door with two Asian s wearing suits.

"Oh god, Jonas, this is too surprising to me. Didn't you go to the far east? When did you come back, these two? "

Jonas laughed and hugged his old friend, "Let me introduce to you, these two Chinese guests, one is General Xiao Hexin, the other is General Sima Yun, they are Chinese, but their current ranks are bestowed by the Ryukyu Kingdom … This slovenly gentleman with a face full of steel pens is my good friend, freelance writer Lei Ao! "

"Oh, God! Was it really Chinese? The rumors were actually true, these Chinese were brought over by you, Jonas? " Lei Ao hurriedly wiped his hands on the hem of his clothes and shook hands with the two passionately. He ignored the ink and rubbed it onto the back of Sima Yun's hand.

After a few simple words of greeting, Jonas revealed their purpose for coming here. "Lei Ao, what's next is the core secret of the Prussian Kingdom. I hope that you remember your race and do not reveal these things to the public.

Lei Ao had never seen his old friend being so serious before, so he hurriedly nodded his head and said, "I'm a freelance writer, but I'm a Prussian first, I won't harm Home Country …"

Without waiting for Jonas to speak, Xiao Hexin began to stutter with German and English mixed together to describe his plan. He did not expect Xiao Hexin's language talent to be so good, and he actually expressed it very clearly.

"We came from the distant east, and escorted the Prime Minister of Ryukyu to borrow money for the war. A total of 1.35 million silver coins …" Xiao Hexin slowly explained the cause and effect of their visit to the hamburger bit by bit. In the end, Lei Ao excitedly finished off the last bit of the whiskey, and excitedly slammed her hand on the table.

"China, it's actually China! That miraculous ancient Eastern Kingdom, that civilized nation that dates back to the ancient Egypt of the ancient Greece, actually took the initiative to build a relationship with us, Prussia? This was a treatment that not even British French people could get. This was the first time that country had ever tried diplomacy … "Alright, you've already touched me. Now tell me, why are you looking for me?"

Sima Yun continued, "We want to hire you throughout the process, yes, you did not hear wrongly, as long as our army is in Germany, you will be a professional journalist that we hire …"

"We need to record our lives, our training and even our wars. We want you to eat with us, to go deep into our lives to learn about us. We need your camera even more. Your writing allows Europe to see what we Chinese really are like …"

"Yes, you did not guess wrong, this is a trip for us Chinese to seek justice, we will do everything we can to join the European war as mercenaries, we will make the whole Europe look up to us, we will tear apart the English and French's lies … We Chinese are not sheep, we are a group of true warriors! "

Reo finally understood that they were going to hire him as a mouthpiece and set off a war of opinion in the European media. The Chinese were going to reconstruct their national image.

"Oh, my God, let me drink to calm my nerves!" Leo fished another bottle of wine out from under the bed. This time he didn't forget to give his guest a glass.

"Oh my god, this can't be considered news anymore. This can already be considered a long topic. The mysterious Eastern Army's expedition to Europe, just the title alone is enough to attract the attention of the Western world. This is my dream!"

"But you should know that this kind of topic is very time-consuming, and requires a large amount of photographic equipment. I don't know if your funds can …"

Before he finished speaking, Jonas spoke out, "You don't have to worry about the funds. Prime Minister Bismark has already secretly established a foundation with a capital of 1.35 million silver coins, and the funds are directly withdrawn from here. Just tell me how much monthly salary you want."

Leo rubbed his nose, a little embarrassed. "As a professional writer, I can earn at least 12 Taller silver coins per month …" Oh, don't not believe me, I am a veteran who worked in the Thames for three years, I am not an unorthodox person … "

Xiao Hexin laughed and nodded, saying, "I don't know how many Mexican eagle can be exchanged with 12 of them, but I can give you double the commission, what do you think about the monthly salary of 30 Mexican eagle? And all the expenses will be reported as actual sales. "

With a loud bang, everyone heard Lei Ao swallow his saliva. Usually, he only earned 10 taels of silver a month's worth of income. But today, he had not earned double the income. It was a full 3 times higher salary.

"Well, I've done it. From today on, you will have the best pens and the best news brains in Europe. I can even make you into a god! "Alright, let me write a few letters to my old friends. I want them to prepare themselves and leave the largest page for me. I want to become the number one writer in Europe!"

Leo was crazy. Ignoring the astonished stares of his guests, he opened his pen and began to write a letter. He was going to grab the news section for the whole topic, and he was going to use all his contacts to create momentum for these Chinese.

In mid-century leaf, although human society already had news media, it was only a few newspapers that did not have much circulation. It was far from the power of the media during the information explosion of the later generations. During this period, people were still unaware of the power of the public opinion war. The so-called truth and justice were all in the hands of those media people.

Xiao Letian would never forget this powerful force. The battle for publicity and publicity in his heart were even more important than battleships and cannons. Xiao Letian had already boarded the Italian merchant ship that had docked at the port of Sai, and was setting sail for the famous French port of Marseille.

"Dragon Lord, we will be safe once we reach the Marseille. We'll take a boat north along the Rhone River and the Suo En River, pass Lyon and Dijon, then we'll take a horse carriage north. We'll be safe once we enter the borders of the German Federation …"

The Dragon Lord said with a bitter face, "If only it was that easy. You also said that France and Prussia are at odds, would they agree to let us go into France? "Right now, I'm getting closer and closer to the place where the powerful ones live. My heart is beating like crazy and I feel like something bad is going to happen …"

Xiao Letian patted Dragon Lord's shoulder and said openly, "It doesn't matter, who am I? I am, after all, the Prime Minister of the Ryukyu, and I am protected by the Universal Law. I have diplomatic immunity, so even if I enter the heart of Europe without being informed, they will still have to be polite with me … "

"Moreover, I've already contacted the German intelligence officer staff at the port of Ce yesterday. When we arrive at the Marseille, there will be Prussian intelligence officer to support us, so you can rest assured …"

As the two of them were chatting, Winged King Shida Kai walked out from the cabin and said angrily, "Since ancient times, a gentleman does not stand on the wall of danger. You are Ryukyu's prime minister, and are also the backbone of our brothers. "You are being irresponsible …"

Xiao Letian stuck out his tongue and quickly tried to persuade his: "I know, I know everything Your Highness said, but please think carefully, since Europe is like a dragon's lagoon and tiger's lair, then I really need to personally come and give it a try. Letting Xiao Hexin and the others take care of me is really a little worrying …"

"Right now, the situation between the and our nation is at a delicate balance. We have fought three or four times over the past year, and none of us have completely won, nor have we completely lost. Now, everyone is gasping for breath and accumulating strength, even if I had to leave for a year or so, it would not be a problem."

"Your Highness, this world has really changed. Without external assistance, just relying on ourselves is no longer enough. Not only have we fallen behind the whole era, but the most important thing is that as soon as our national destiny starts to ascend, those powerful people will definitely think of ways to restrict us, or even directly suppress us. "Tell me, do you think we don't have many allies that are good enough?"

Xiao Letian looked at the bow of the ship, and said with a deep blue voice. "For matters like strategic alliances, I cannot not take action myself …"