Respectfully

In the sixth year of the Republic of China, January 1914, 1 in the Gregorian calendar, the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month in the lunar calendar

Early in the morning, several bustling streets in Guanbei City became lively.

This year is a good year, and there are many people buying new year's goods. Not to mention the workers in and out of the city, even the farmers who used to break a copper coin now have a lot of spare money in their hands. They want to buy more food and give The family pulled up some fabrics, bought two firecrackers, and asked the gentleman on the street to write a couplet with a few blessings and paste it on the doors and windows to have a good year.I also want to ask my ancestors to bless me so that I can have such a good year next year.The blessing of the ancestors alone is not enough. The young commander Lou has been in charge of the six northern provinces, and those foreigners dare not show it. Only with Li Sanshao, the God of Wealth, can everyone continue to live a good life.

It is said that Li Sanshao raised a lot of big white pigs that were big and fast growing in the farm outside the city, and invited those students who had returned from overseas and experienced old farmers to study high-yielding grain together. There are discounts for farmers and farmers to buy piglets and grain seeds.

People in Guanbei don't know whether the seeds are high-yielding, but the piglets grow fast and are big, which is obvious to all.Although this kind of pork is not as chewy as black pork, but it can't hold up to a lot of meat. Apart from eating it at home, you can also sell some.

Most of the pigs raised on the farm are sold to canning factories. Three canning factories have opened outside the city. Li Jinyan’s factory now not only produces all kinds of canned food, but also has several workshops specializing in sausages, bacon, and smoked chicken.Many bosses from other provinces also came to Guanbei City to buy goods, and the business of the two newly opened canning factories was booming.

Last month, Lou's Canned Food Factory officially changed its name to Lou's Food Factory. The scale of the factory expanded and a group of workers were recruited.

The owner of the store stood behind the counter with his arms folded, seeing the waiter greet a few big men in leather jackets and cotton hats to come in, he hurriedly said with a smile: "Happy New Year, wish you an early year, what are you looking for? "

These guys are all from Fengcheng. Ever since Marshal Lou’s army drove the Japanese away, the life of Fengcheng people has become better day by day. Last year, the government planned to build a heavy industrial zone in Benxi, Anshan, and many Fengcheng people went there to find Work, these guys have found jobs on the construction site, and they can earn nine yuan a month with a guaranteed minimum. After the year, they can double their wages when they go to the mine with experienced miners.

Years ago, the mine manager told them that from the [-]th day of the twelfth lunar month to the fifth day of the first lunar month, the mines were on holiday, and anyone who had worked in the mine for three months would be given five catties of pork and two bottles of soju.There must be someone on duty in the mine these days, and the person on duty can receive double the wages.

When distributing things, the eyes of these people who worked in the mines were all wide-eyed, pork and soju were given to them for free?Do you get double the wages just for being on duty?Many people were moved, but in the end, only a few local people signed up in front of the steward, and the rest chose to go home for the New Year.

They work hard, isn't it just so that the family can spend a good year together?

These men settled their wages with the steward on the 22nd of the twelfth lunar month. They were not regular workers at all, they only worked on the construction site. Now that the ground is frozen hard, the construction site has been closed early, so it is better to go home earlier.

Before returning to Fengcheng, several people discussed it and asked two people to go back first with the things from the mine, and the others went to Guanbei City to buy some new year's goods.They have heard for a long time that the goods sold in the shops in Guanbei City are not only good but also cheap, and they may not be able to buy them in other places if they have money.

After getting off the train, a few people got into a carriage. The owner of the carriage heard that they were here to buy new year's goods, so he dragged them directly to Changning Street.Before the twelfth lunar month, many people came to Guanbei City to do New Year's goods, and even more people entered the twelfth lunar month.In addition to the locals, there are also many people from other places. He also picked up the bosses who came from other places a few times. The momentum of shopping made him really wish that all the shops in the city would be emptied.

But it's not surprising that Chinese people nowadays value tradition, and New Year's Eve is the most important festival of the year.Many foreigners in Guanbei City have begun to celebrate the Chinese New Year.You can often see Europa people with high noses and deep eyes wearing cotton-padded jackets and long gowns, leather hats, and hands in their sleeves, saying "Happy New Year" to friends they know in proper northern dialect.Li Jinyan had met him before, and it was Father Rasputin who preached to Marshal Lou several times before.

Although he is still tirelessly trying to develop the rulers of the six northern provinces into Orthodox Christians, unconsciously, he has been deeply attracted by China's thousand-year-old culture.

A few men bought two boxes of canned food in this shop, as well as a lot of dried sausages and a few smoked chickens. The shop owner told them that there was a shop for renting tricycles and trolleys next door, which cost ten to fifteen copper coins. I can help them send their shopping outside the city. If it is delivered directly to the train station, the price will be higher.

When these men from Fengcheng came to Guanbei City for the first time, they thought it was good to see everything. Those who had children at home even bought a lot of bags of hard candy and milk candy from the candy and snack shop.The pastry shops opened by the two foreigners are also much better than before. The cakes of different styles they put in the window have attracted the attention of many people.

At noon, there are more and more people on Changning Street. Many people don't care about eating. They just want to enter one more shop and buy more things before leaving. It's like not spending the last copper coin in their pockets. Like giving up.

Hong Leong Street was also bustling, with long queues forming in restaurants, bun shops, sesame seed shops, and street stalls.Many people who have just arrived in Guanbei City are more interested in these snacks than restaurants. After eating them, they think they taste good, and then turn around and buy a copy, wanting to bring them back to their families to taste.Although it is definitely not delicious when it is cold, at least it can taste fresh.

Dingshun Tea House also opened a branch on Honglong Street. Li Jinyan would come here to sit and sit occasionally. Looking at the current Guanbei City, thinking of when he first came to this world, he really felt like a world away.

As the new year approached, the military government was no longer as busy as before, and fewer and fewer government documents were sent to Marshal Lou's desk, but the military had more affairs, especially the frontier troops in Manchuria.

Tsarist Russian diplomats protested to the Chinese government several times because of the footed boundary marker on the west bank of the Ergun River. Kuppensky came angrily every time, and left even more angrily.

Only then did he really understand why Kusowitz told him before leaving office that dealing with Chinese people was by no means an easy task.

"Don't underestimate them now, they are completely different from the Manchu Tatars."

Kuppenszky used his personal experience to verify Kusovitz's words. Before he took office, he once laughed at Kusowitz's incompetence in dealing with the Chinese government. He failed again and again, just like an incompetent as a coward.Now that it's him, he knows what this bitter fruit tastes like.

Negotiations were fruitless, and Kuppenschi could only truthfully inform the country of the actual situation, but St. Petersburg never gave him any new instructions. Kuppenschi waited and sent two more telegrams before receiving a reply from the Foreign Minister. , after stripping out useless social rhetoric, the telegram has only one central idea: continue to protest.

Just protest, no military action, no deterrence of force?Shouldn't the great Tsarist Russia teach these yellow-skinned monkeys a lesson with artillery? !

Kuppensch took the telegram and suspected that he had read it wrong, but the telegram was indeed signed by the Foreign Secretary himself.

In fact, St. Petersburg has no choice but to make this decision.

The rebellion that took place in East Siberia has spread to Central Siberia and West Siberia, and Kirov's name has spread throughout the Far East.Andrei is the commander of the Eastern Siberian Border Army appointed by His Majesty the Tsar himself. His original intention was to reconcile the conflicts between Empress Alexandra and the Empress Dowager. He did not expect him to poke such a big basket .

Tsarist Russia did exercise high-handed rule over other ethnic minorities other than Russians, but there must be a limit to high-pressure, too much pressure will cause problems.

Where there is oppression, there is resistance.

The previous resistance activities were all under control, but Kirov and his group crossed the line and became a thorn in the Tsar's heart. The instigator was the army commander appointed by him himself!

Empress Alexandra wisely kept silent, and the Empress Dowager also remained silent.Although the Tsar was an indecisive fellow, he still carried the generosity of the Nicholas family in his blood.At this time, you should definitely not try to challenge his authority and expose his scars.

The women in the court are very smart.

Under such circumstances, the tsar issued a stern order to the governor of the Far East, which must eliminate the armed force led by Kirov!All the members were killed, leaving no one behind!

In addition to East Siberia, the Central Siberian and West Siberian border troops will dispatch at least one regiment to encircle and suppress this group of people!

The governor of the Far East was severely reprimanded by the tsar, and he held back his anger. He turned around and scolded Andre for causing all these troubles. He warned Andre that if he could not eliminate the Kirov group this time, his The position of commander-in-chief of the border army will definitely be lost.

He had said the same thing before, but it didn't come true, but this time, the governor made up his mind, the tsar was already in a rage, and if he didn't want to burn himself, he had to find a scapegoat. Andrei was the best candidate, not to mention He himself is not innocent.

Tsarist Russia's borders with Europe have also begun to become unstable, especially in the Balkans.The power of Ottoman Turkey has basically been driven out of Europe. The Ottoman Empire has lost its former majesty. The territory under the rule of the Sudan continues to shrink. The countries in the Balkan Peninsula have become independent one after another. Tsarist Russia has been secretly supporting Serbia, trying to expand its sphere of influence But they met their opponents, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, or rather the German Empire standing behind the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

This is a struggle between powerful countries. Compared with the struggle in Europe and the pacification of resistance activities in Siberia, the issue of the boundary marker in China can only be resolved later.Of course, this does not mean that St. Petersburg will ignore this matter. When Tsarist Russia solves the problems in Europe and Siberia, it is time to turn around and "negotiate" with China.

Nicholas II made a decision, but still ordered the East Siberian border army to put on a tyrannical look, at least to give the Chinese people a warning, not to go too far.

Liao Xiwu, who led the army stationed in Manchuria, didn't know that these old men had a lot of fun. After receiving the information that the East Siberian border army had begun to assemble and move, he immediately ordered the Manchuria garrison to enter a state of emergency alert.The last time we fought against Lao Maozi, almost all the brothers in the regiment were wiped out. He and the rest of the brothers held their breath, always remembering what the young marshal said to him back then: "Cut their heads off!"

"Damn it, come on, I've been waiting for this day for a long time!"

Liao Xiwu gritted his teeth fiercely, and ordered a company of infantry to set off immediately to move the boundary marker one or two kilometers further west.

"Traveler, should I report to the young marshal first?"

"Yes, I have to report to the young marshal." Liao Xiwu nodded, "If I send a telegram to the young marshal, it would be embarrassing to move it a kilometer or two. Tell them to move me at least three kilometers!"

Staff officer of the brigade: "..."

Li Jinyan also has free time recently, and often visits the second wife.

A new movie theater opened in Guanbei City, and the second wife would occasionally go to see one.Li Jinyan went there twice with the second wife, but he lost interest again.On the contrary, the second wife watched it with gusto every time, and even Zhi'er was also fascinated by the movie. Li Jinyan once saw her imitate the plots in the movie at home, not to mention the vividness, which made the second wife laugh and clap her hands.

This reminded Li Jinyan of the entertainment industry that he originally wanted to hand over to Mr. Li San.The material culture of the six northern provinces has been greatly enriched, so spiritual and cultural life cannot be left behind, right?Besides, if the entertainment industry is well managed, it will definitely be one of the fastest-paying professions.

Li Jinyan would never get involved in those harmful businesses, no matter how profitable they are, people always have their own bottom line.As for the other things... Li Jinyan has to think about how to plan and who will take care of the business.

After returning to the Marshal's Mansion from the second wife's residence, Li Jinyan went straight to the study to find the Marshal Lou. He hadn't forgotten that industries such as film companies, dance halls and nightclubs were places where intelligence personnel were active. Hitler's favorite movie girl The actor is a Soviet spy, and Mata Hari, who once fascinated the whole of France, is also said to be a double agent.The status of stars makes them public figures, and it is also convenient for them to make friends with targets and obtain intelligence.

If he wants to start this kind of business, he'd better talk to Young Marshal Lou.

Young Marshal Lou was looking through several telegrams when he saw Li Jinyan open the door and said to him, "Father and mother will stay in the capital for the New Year."

"Didn't you say you came back a few days ago?" Li Jinyan walked to the table and took the telegram that Marshal Lou handed him, "Did something happen?"

"The British government promised to return part of the Boxer indemnity, and follow the example of France and the United States, and build a school in China." Young Marshal Lou leaned back in his chair, brushing his hair on his forehead with his fingers, "The location was chosen in the British Concession in Hankou. The school was built in After that, part of the indemnity will be refunded one after another, which will be used for Huaxia's education and public infrastructure construction, and my father stayed in the capital mainly for this matter."

Hankou British Concession?public infrastructure?

For some reason, Li Jinyan suddenly thought of the Hankou Japanese Concession, which was taken over by the Chinese army not long ago. It seems that the two concessions are not far apart.What is the idea of ​​the British?

Marshal Lou handed Li Jinyan another telegram, which was sent back by the intelligence personnel lurking in the British Legation in Dongjiaomin Lane. The wording was very simple and secretive, and only very few people could understand what was written on it.Li Jinyan had learned a little from Xiao Youde, and he could barely tell that what was written in the telegram was that the return of Boxer indemnity was strongly advocated by the British Minister to China Zhu Erdian. At the same time, he also suggested that the British government could properly support Japan.

"Young commander, what does this Englishman mean?"

On the one hand, he refunded the Gengzi indemnity and made good relations with China, and on the other hand, he supported Japan to add obstacles to China. Uncle Sam actually learned this from John Bull, right?

"They're worried."

Marshal Lou pulled Li Jinyan to his side, took out another document from the drawer, and motioned him to read it.

Li Jinyan hesitated for a moment. In the past few months, he has been sorting out documents in his study, knowing what this document represents.

This is top secret.

Occasionally he was curious, but never actually opened the file bag.

Seeing that Li Jin didn't move, Young Marshal Lou simply opened the file bag and pulled out the paper inside, on which was written "British-Japanese Alliance Treaty".

The language on the document was very difficult, and Li Jinyan had to read and guess at the same time to understand what was written on it.This kind of alliance treaty is a secret to Britain and Japan, and should not have appeared in the drawer of Young Marshal Lou.After reading both alliance treaties, Li Jinyan couldn't help but wonder, could there really be spies from the six northern provinces beside the Japanese emperor?

"It's not Japan." Looking at Li Jinyan's expression, Young Marshal Lou could guess what he was thinking, "It's England, Zhu Erdian has a father by his side."

"President?"

"En." Lou Xiao nodded, didn't continue, and Li Jinyan didn't ask. To get such a confidential thing, it can be seen that this intelligence officer has been lurking by Zhu Erdian's side for a long time, and has gained the other party's trust.He was very curious about this man, quite curious.When it comes to lurking and planting spies, it is true that Chinese talents are the ancestors.

"By the way, I still have something to tell the young marshal."

"what?"

"I'm going to start a film company, and then a theater, and a dance hall."

"so?"

"I want to hand over the theater to my mother, let Xiao Youde take care of the ballroom, the movie company, is there any suitable young master?"

"Give the theater to mother-in-law?"

"Yes." Li Jinyan rolled his eyes, smiled, leaned over, and put his hands on the shoulders of Young Marshal Lou, "Young Marshal, are you interested in making movies?"

Young Marshal Lou: "..."