Great time travel

Chapter 199: The Unexpected Visitor in the Desert

The ruins of "Song City", the "capital of the old Australian Song Empire" in northwestern Australia
If you stand here and look around, you will be surrounded by a hot and dry desolate desert: there is a long scalding yellow sand under your feet, a poisonous bright fireball in the sky, and in the distance are reddish-brown rocky mountains exposed to the scorching sun and rough rocks covered with gravel. and the turbulent blue sea.

—Despite the proximity to the ocean, the air is so dry that there is hardly a trace of moisture.

The scorching sun that seems to be able to melt metal is projected on the endless Gobi Desert. The scorching sand and gravel have turned the air into a churning heat wave. As a result, the scenery in the field of vision shakes and distorts, even the distant horizon , It also seems to have become an undulating river.

In a more distant view, the gust of wind swept across this barren land from time to time, setting off wave after wave of gorgeous golden waves that never stopped.On the horizon slightly distorted by the scorching air, a lifeless white salt lake can still be vaguely seen, reflecting the dazzling light under the scorching sun.

It was clear that this was a harsh world ruled by heat and dryness - desolate, barren, and barren.

Only in the shadow of rocks, sand dunes or building debris, can occasionally see a few clumps of tough drought-tolerant plants, deeply rooted among the sand and gravel, swaying with the wind, embellishing this monotonous and dead desolate world. A touch of precious green.

Under such a harsh natural background, although the ruins of the "Song City" on the edge of the desert are actually less than a year away from completion, it is equivalent to a state of "wet paint".But in the eyes of outsiders who don't know the inside story, it is particularly full of historical vicissitudes.

"...An ancient city buried in the desert...Is this the hometown of Australians? It really looks like the ruins of the ancient Roman Empire in North Africa!"

The envoy of the Dutch East India Company, Admiral Anthony Van Diemen, wearing a light straw sun hat and a pair of strong and wear-resistant boots, walked slowly on the empty streets of the ruins of "Song City", looking around Those ruined walls, stone pillars and steps that are still majestic despite being covered with thick gravel, as well as the giant manually carved statue of Yue Fei on the bare rocky mountains in the distance, couldn't help feeling sincerely.

——It is a pity that although I am gladly invited to participate in this trip, and I have the intention to take the opportunity to spy more on the Australians during the trip.But Anthony Van Diemen Admiral still failed to achieve his wish after all.Because the Australians arranged for him to board a steam ship at the capital's port pier, and then drove directly to the "Ruins of the Old Capital of the Ausong Empire" in the desert by the sea, without stopping a single time along the way.So along the way, apart from the blue sky and the sea, Admiral Anthony Van Diemen failed to see any features of this mysterious country.

However, to be able to witness such a magnificent "ancient relic" on the other side of the earth seems to be a worthwhile trip to Admiral Anthony Van Diemen.Not to mention that he also found several interesting souvenirs on this vast ruined street... The admiral rubbed a rusty copper piece that had just been pulled out of the wall in his hand. The Transformers doll, while carefully looking at the street and rubble piles under its feet, poked it with the scabbard of the saber from time to time, as if trying to find more gadgets.

"...This place is indeed magnificent, but it is just a ruin that records the glory of the past. It is a pity that although the glory and greatness of this empire have passed away with the wind under the cover of sand and dust, the glory of the Australians But it's just started..."

The senior businessman of the Dutch East India Company standing not far behind the admiral also wore a big straw hat, and imitated the way Arabs wrapped their face towels to prevent sand and dust.De Lantron said, licking his chapped lips, while looking at an exquisite mausoleum in front of him.Let Van.De Lantron was amazed at the distinctly Christian features of the mausoleum—marble Christian angels, bas-relief panels with a holy face of the Virgin Mary, bronze crucifixes, and fine stone shrines...especially In the very center of the cemetery stands a majestic marble statue of a Western European knight in military uniform!And on the cloak of the stone statue, there is a very familiar pattern - the octagonal cross emblem of the Knights Hospitaller!
"...The most devout Christian, from the tomb of the paladin Levi in ​​France? Could it be the member of the Knights Hospitaller who spread the gospel of the Lord to Australia?! This can really be called a saint." Fan.Delantron stroked the inscription on the tombstone and exclaimed in amazement, but there was no trace of reverence in his actions. Instead, he immediately searched around the tomb, trying to find some valuable gadgets, but unfortunately found nothing.

"...Ahem, don't bother, this tomb has obviously been stolen! Look at the big hole over there!"

Admiral Anthony Van Diemen coughed a few times deliberately, and reminded, "...and, please be more decent, don't forget that we are on the territory of the Australians! If you rashly offend this place Master, it is of no benefit to us or the company!"

"...you're quite right, General. I was too rash. But...should we go back and rest for a while and have a drink?"

The senior businessman replied resentfully, giving up the plan to knock a small piece of relief board from the mausoleum, and at the same time wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking back at the verdant green at the end of his field of vision, "... This damn weather is really too hot..."

"...That's okay, I've seen almost everything I need to see." The admiral was silent for a moment, raised his head and squinted at the increasingly vicious sun, finally nodded in agreement, and at the same time reluctantly looked around the place for the last time. Looking at the ruins, it seems that countless ancient people live here, live here, hustle and bustle, and fight in blood... Then all the glory and brilliance are gradually buried by the yellow sand, and a new reincarnation begins in the endless years.

——Although all these imaginary prosperous scenes are pure illusions made up by the brain, they have never appeared in this ancient and desolate desert...

In short, in this era when archeology has not yet been born, this "false historical relic" created by the time-consuming and labor-intensive travelers has indeed successfully confused the eyes of foreign visitors and created a huge historical deception... …

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Just like most scenic tourist areas, there will be hotels and dining areas serving tourists.When building this "Song City Ruins", the traversers also considered in advance the needs of receiving visitors from all walks of life in the future.For this reason, a deep well was deliberately drilled on the seashore near this man-made ruin to draw out underground spring water, and then a large number of drought-tolerant plants were planted, thus creating a large desert oasis.

All the sweaty Dutchmen turned around and walked out of the "Ruins of Song City". Soon, the ground under your feet changed from a piece of hot yellow sand mixed with rocks and thorns to dense grass and clusters of bright green shrubs here and there, and then a tree. Proudly standing, leafy palms and poplars.

Behind this dense woods, you can vaguely see a pool of clear spring water, which looks clear and transparent, full of green eyes, sparkling in the scorching sun, making people feel cool all over. , Refreshing and refreshing... What a paradise in the Gobi Desert!
Behind the clear water pool is a colorful checkerboard-shaped field planted with drought-tolerant crops such as barley, corn, and alfalfa, as well as fruits and vegetables such as grapes, watermelons, pomegranates, walnuts, and radishes.Beside the neatly planned field ridges, the gurgling springs from the deep underground flow happily in countless small ditches, nourishing this dry and barren land, allowing all kinds of crops here to grow and harvest.

On the other side of this clear spring pool, there is a miniature European-style palace with white marble floors and Roman-style courtyard columns. It is hidden under the shade of palm trees. With charming charm.

——This desert oasis and the palace manor in the oasis are the supporting service area of ​​the "Songcheng Ruins", designed and built at the same time as this fake ruins.On the other side of the oasis, there is also a small cement pier for ships to dock directly.

After everything was completed, the Chinese League authorities managed to relocate several reliable naturalized families who were veterans from the East Coast Republic of South America, and traveled thousands of miles to settle in this desert oasis.The government gives them full tax exemption and a small monthly stipend.Usually let them be responsible for maintaining the palace and oasis, and at the same time cultivate crops to be self-sufficient.When guests come, these people can be put in charge of hospitality.

At this time, all the officials of the Chinese League who came to "visit the relics of the ancestors", as well as the foreign envoys who came with them, all stayed in this small palace.When the Dutch returned from trekking all the way in the desert, they saw Xu Xiake excitedly holding a basket of freshly picked bright red fruits, inviting everyone who was drinking tea and chatting on the lawn in front of the house to try something new, "...Everyone! Everyone, The fruit in this desert tastes really good, come and taste it!"

"... Mmm... It's really sweet, and it has a refreshing fragrance."

Seeing this, Fang Yizhi, the envoy of the Yonghe court in Shanghai in the Southern Ming Dynasty, curiously picked up a fruit first. Following Xu Xiake's instructions, he took out a knife and peeled off the outer skin, and then dug a piece with a spoon and put it in his mouth. What is it? Is it easy to grow?"

"...This fruit is called dragon fruit. I heard that it is easy to grow. You can cast seeds and take root, and the branches will live." Xu Xiake explained enthusiastically, "...This fruit grows prosperously, has a sweet flavor, and its name is auspicious. There are many more children, which is just a backdrop for the wedding. Eh? You just came back from the desert now? You must be thirsty, come and eat some!" Seeing a group of Dutch people walking into the courtyard, he did the same Greeted warmly.

——Dragon fruit, a tropical fruit popular among modern people, is actually a kind of cactus, native to the Mexican wasteland in Central America, but it has not been artificially cultivated into fruit in the seventeenth century.Because this thing is a cactus, it is drought-tolerant and easy to live. Under the promotion of the traversers, some farmers in the coastal sandy and dry land in the control area of ​​this space-time Huameng, especially in Western Australia, where the climate is dry and suitable for the growth of cactus, have gradually learned Propagate this dragon fruit by cuttings and use it as your own fence.Although compared with other cacti, the thorns of the dragon fruit are not too big, but if you want to pass through the densely planted dragon fruit bushes unscathed, it is still not something that ordinary humans can accomplish.

However, since the promotion of planting has just started for less than two years, the scale of dragon fruit planting in various places in this time and space is not large, and the output is very limited.So after seeing it in this desert oasis, Xu Xiake and others will feel quite fresh.

On the other side, seeing Xu Xiake coming out with a basket of dragon fruits, the hot and thirsty Dutch rushed up in a panic, one by one and two of them, scrambling for it all in the blink of an eye, and then eagerly peeled it off. Open the skin and moisten your throat that is about to smoke with sweet juice.

After eating the fruit, each of them drank several cups of herbal tea, and lay down or sat in the shade for a while, then they stood up lazily, or talked to the envoys from East Asian countries on the lawn through translators. Chatting; or taking out ink bottles, quill pens and notebooks, concentrating on writing and recording what they just saw; some people set up easels, trying to paint a long-term picture of the "Song City Remains" from this perspective... ...Because the western painting technique is different from the oriental ink painting, it also attracted the envoys from East Asian countries to watch and point their fingers...

In short, the atmosphere of this "visiting ancient times" seems to be harmonious and leisurely.

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"...It seems that the forged ruins in this desert seem to have really fooled these ancient people."

On the edge of the desert oasis, next to a tall palm tree, Wang Qiu, Li Wei and Wen Desi, wearing sunglasses and sun hats, are sitting around a small round table under a sun umbrella, drinking Chilling drinks while chatting casually.

"...Of course, I didn't see that I was peeled by the sun several times in order to carry out this project in the desert!"

The French paladin who built himself a tomb of the living dead in the desert, Comrade Li Wei, the "Song City Ruins Engineering Director", muttered, "...But it's really strange to say, those Jiangnan scholars from the Ming Dynasty Mission , they are all well-reviewed celebrities in history, logically speaking, they wouldn’t be too stupid! They have already fallen into such a field, and they have seen our strength with their own eyes. What about arrogance? Even those guys with braids in the late Qing Dynasty who experienced literary inquisition knew that they should 'learn skills from barbarians to control barbarians'?"

Listening to what Li Wei said, Wang Qiu was also deeply confused. According to the description in modern Chinese history, even though Zhuan Yu was as stubborn as the Qing Dynasty, after he was beaten by foreigners and realized that his ancestors' bow horse riding and archery were outdated , and also know that they want to engage in the Westernization Movement.However, the Chinese cultural circle at the end of the Ming Dynasty is claimed to be active and open in history books, and it is said that there are still germinations of primitive democratic ideas. How come these Ming Dynasty scholar-bureaucrats did not say that their ideas were reactionary, and they were even influenced by "Australia" Song" is so difficult to exist?

However, on this issue, Chairman Wen Desi, who has dealt with the people of the Ming Dynasty for many years, has some unique insights.

"...This... It's actually very simple to put it bluntly. Their heads are no more stupid than the scholar-bureaucrats in the late Qing Dynasty. The problem is that the world is changing too fast for them, and the time to adapt to the changes is too short. Think about it. It just can't be turned around."

"...this world is changing too fast for them?" Wang Qiu blinked, "...can you explain in detail?"

"...It's very simple. Just do the math, let alone the two groups of people who traveled to North and South America. On the mainland of the Ming Dynasty, since we landed on Hainan Island, for the first time, there was a large-scale group of traversers and people from the Ming Dynasty. It has only been seven short years since contact. Considering the speed of information circulation and the amount of information that can be disseminated in ancient times, as well as our previous low-key policy of pretending to be pigs and eating tigers, in this time and space, until three years ago, absolutely Most of the intellectuals of the Ming Dynasty, at most, only vaguely heard the rumors of the 'South China Sea Kun Bandit', and hardly felt our existence."

Wen Desi said so eloquently, "...the understanding of society in our human minds always lags behind the real social reality for a long time. In the modern history of China, from the outbreak of the Opium War, It took 30 years to start the Westernization Movement in the Manchu Qing Dynasty! In this way, when the first batch of Manchu Qing envoys stationed abroad were ordered to go abroad, there were still countless conservatives in the court who obstructed them in every possible way. The Westernization faction even It has not yet involved political reform, but just arranged for some young people to learn foreign languages, and they were all criticized. If it is the Reform Movement of [-], half a century has passed since the Opium War, but the Qing court’s perception of overseas is still wrong Even when the Eight-Power Allied Forces entered Beijing, there were still quite a few wizards and witches in the countryside of North China claiming that foreigners were transformed from demons and goblins, and many people would believe it!"

"...Uh...it seems to be true!" Hearing these words, Wang Qiu couldn't help clapping his hands suddenly, and suddenly realized: he always felt that these time travelers like himself had already stayed in time and space at the end of Ming Dynasty. For a long time.But I didn't expect that in fact, it was only more than three years since the traversers began to interfere in the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty on a large scale, and had close contact with the scholar-officials of the Ming Dynasty.

In comparison, what was the situation of the Manchu and Qing dynasty three years after the end of the Opium War?I'm afraid there is no deep feeling at all, right?
"...Compared to the modern Manchu Qing court, the scholar-bureaucrats of the Ming Dynasty were willing to leave the country and go overseas after only a few years of contact with us. It is already considered enlightened! However, there is no egg Use..." At this point, Wen Desi shook his head, and took another gulp of beer, "...Ahem, this place is really real, the wine has sand in it!" He frowned and muttered.

Hearing this, Wang Qiu couldn't help but lowered his head to observe his own cup, and immediately saw many unknown suspended objects in the cup.

——The wind just started to blow in the oasis at this time.But under the scorching desert sun, the wind is like the heat of a stove, and it can't reduce the excruciating high temperature at all.And the dust carried by the wind covered everything around with a thin layer of orange-yellow sand.

He sighed, pushed away the cup that had fallen into the dust, and looked out of the oasis. It was already sunset, and on the endless desert, there were endless undulating sand dunes. Under the last ray of light, it reflected a faint golden light...

Um?Behind the sand dunes in the distance, something seems to be moving?
A moment later, while Wang Qiu and the others were stunned, a dusty large off-road vehicle roared out from behind the sand dunes, bouncing all the way around the undulating and rugged Gobi Desert, and then honked its horn several times, straight galloping towards this oasis.

Then, the off-road vehicle made an emergency stop not far from Wang Qiu and the others. A young girl in sportswear with a bright expression jumped out of the passenger seat and greeted her with a smile in very standard Mandarin:
"...Sorry, excuse me. We are Beijing college students who drove to Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring for a self-driving tour. We accidentally lost our way just now. Where is this? How to get to Crescent Moon Spring? By the way, you guys What kind of scenic spot is there? There are also antique costumes for rent to take pictures?"

She pointed to the "Song City Ruins" not far away, asked Wang Qiu and others, and at the same time looked curiously at Xu Xiake and other Ming Dynasty people in the oasis.

Facing this group of unexpected visitors who seemed to have fallen from the sky, Wang Qiu and the others glanced at each other for a while, and then exchanged a meaningful look.

——Could it be that... another newcomer accidentally crossed over without the approval of the state? !
Next, they saw even more horrifyingly that a jet Boeing passenger plane roared over the sky, and finally crashed into the distant sea...

Now, the trouble seems to be getting bigger...