Maple leaves, daisies, roses and irises

I love mercy, not sacrifice.

The weather was a bit cold, the cold current blew in from the unclosed windows, the crimson curtains were swayed, and the golden tassels fluttered with the wind.Matthew Williams stepped forward, pulled the wind-blown curtain to the right of the window, and carefully tied it with tassels.It was gray outside the window, and the whole city was eerily quiet. The gray buildings stood tall under the black sky, which made people feel depressing.

Matthew struggled to close the window, which had rusted on its hinges, to keep the cold draft out of the room.The crackling flames in the fireplace warmed the cold air in the house, and the candles on the table illuminated the bible in the hand of the English gentleman with a faint light.

Arthur Kirkland was leaning in the chair in casual clothes, with his head tilted on the back of the chair, lazily flipping through the books in his hand.Matthew Williams turned around to look at the other party, pursed his lips, and said cautiously in a very low voice: "Mr. England, I think it's better for you to rest your eyes..."

The blond gentleman looked up.

"You are so troublesome, Williams. I used to read like this when I was alone, and I didn't see anything wrong with my eyes. The light in London is much darker than here, and the streets are full of people. Dust..." Arthur Kirkland said this, but still closed the Bible.He rested his chin on his hand and smiled at Matthew Williams who was walking toward him—he looked like he was sneering.

"Don't talk about it, Williams." The British gentleman put the book on the table and stood up, "I didn't come here to listen to your family chat. It's been a few days? The weapon I want is still there. Is there no ①?"

"Ah, if it's a weapon, it should be given to you today or tomorrow..." Matthew said respectfully, "Please wait a little longer, it will be ready soon..."

"It doesn't matter. The time I originally set was four days later. This speed has exceeded my expectations. I'm not in a hurry." Arthur Kirkland waved his hand, "You are... unexpectedly serious."

"Thank you, Mr. England."

Matthew Williams looked at the upright figure of the blond man with mixed feelings in his heart.

"What a great opportunity! God-given opportunity!" Matthew remembers the green-eyed gentleman saying that day, "That man doesn't pay attention to the trade between our countries and them, so be prepared to be taught a lesson! "

When he said this, the other party had a look of fanaticism, fanaticism for the upcoming wealth of the East——

Matthew remembered the triangle trade.Whenever Western European countries stand on the pier, they watch countless black-skinned slaves with their upper bodies bare, carrying heavy cargo under the scorching sun, and filling the huge ships with gold, silver, tobacco and cash crops step by step. When he was talking, the eyes were the same as Kirkland's eyes when he mentioned the East. It not only contained the obsession with the things in front of him, but also the desire to conquer more wealth, which was so bright that it almost shone.

Sadly, the ancient oriental country that is about to be destroyed...

"Williams, how many times have I said, don't be in a daze in front of me, why can't you remember?"

Matthew snapped back to his senses.The blond British gentleman had already turned around, his brows were slightly wrinkled, and his delicate face was shaded by the dim light.

"Ah! Yes, I'm sorry...Mr. England..." Matthew blushed and lowered his head angrily, "I, I won't do it next time..."

"Oh, shut up, you. You said the same thing last time, is it useful?" Arthur Kirkland snorted coldly, stretched out his hand and scratched his hair irritably, "Forget it... Anyway, you don't care what to think about it." No matter what, the final result will not change."

No matter what the colonies are thinking, Great Britain will not care, because the other party is destined not to escape its palm.

Matthew was taken aback by the extremely confident arrogance in Arthur's tone.He looked up at Kirkland who was standing by the window looking at the street view. Whether it was blond hair, green eyes, white shirt, brown trousers or thick-soled military boots, they were all impossibly clean.Even though the country of pirates hundreds of years ago had shed the skin of the Vikings and put on the appearance of a polite gentleman, it was still arrogant in its bones.

The other party does have the arrogance of capital, as can be seen from the wealth in his hands and the large amount of land he plundered.Arthur Kirkland was almost never defeated - only by Matthew's twin brother.The British/English gentleman regarded this as his greatest humiliation, and he would even feel unwell when he mentioned it, and even vomited blood in serious cases②.But other than that, the glorious deeds of the other party can be regarded as a model. Although for many countries, the glory of England/England means their sorrow, but it is undeniable that England/England is the hegemon of the world today .

And now, he is about to start his road of conquest again——

—

In June 1840, the Opium War broke out.

When the war began, Matthew Williams was sleeping in his house, and everything that happened outside had nothing to do with him.In his west, a thousand-year-old country is gradually falling under the gunfire of the new empire, and its splendid culture is reduced to ashes, but what does it have to do with him?

Canada lives quietly in its own little house.The servant in charge of the room would have told him about the progress of the war, but he said to the servant: "No more, thank you. I want to be quiet for a while."

He didn't want to say that the other party was noisy, but he didn't want to let himself think about anything, let go of his emotions, and live quietly until England returned victorious.

Two years is just a moment for them, not to mention that Matthew's life is muddled every day, and the same life day after day makes him even less aware of the passage of time.When Arthur Kirkland returned, he brought treasures beyond count.

——and a poker-faced oriental boy.

Matthew was wearing a simple shirt and trousers, his glasses were a little askew, and his light-brown hair was matted past his ears.He stared blankly at the young boy in front of him. He was wearing a neat little black suit and a red bow tie around his neck. He looked at him indifferently without saying a word.

The British gentleman who returned from victory seemed to like this boy very much. He patted the boy on the shoulder affectionately and said something in broken Chinese in a soft voice, as if he was introducing Matthew to him.After listening, the young man nodded coldly, then bowed respectfully and coldly to Matthew, as if greeting him in Chinese.

Matthew Williams looked at Arthur Kirkland in bewilderment, not knowing how to respond - he couldn't understand a word!

Arthur Kirkland supported the boy's shoulders, and introduced to the flustered Matthew: "This is a newcomer from Hong Kong, named Wang—Jia—Long—" After reading the boy's name in Chinese, He looked at the boy uneasily, asked his own pronunciation with his eyes, and felt relieved after getting the confirmation from the other party, "He was originally Daqing's younger brother, but this time he was given to me by Daqing. Matthew, I might I'm very busy, you have to take good care of him when I'm not around, understand?"

Matthew finds it incredible that England's tone of voice now.

——How could he speak in such a low voice?The empire on which the sun never sets?

After thinking about it, he nodded seriously: "Understood, Mr. England."

Mr. England showed a smile, then leaned down and talked to the young man named Hong Kong in a low voice in Chinese, then patted him and signaled him to go to Matthew.Hong Kong looked up at England, then turned his head, walked up to Matthew, and said indifferently: "HELLO, Mr. Williams."

It can be heard that this should be one of the few English words he knows, because he can't even speak two short words very awkwardly.Matthew nodded as a response, but was still embarrassed by the other party's aura that turned everyone away, so he could only look to Kirkland for help again.

Arthur Kirkland apparently received Matthew's call for help.He laughed and said a few words about Hong Kong.

The indifferent boy nodded, and then Arthur called his servants to arrange rooms for the new members.After sending Hong Kong/Hong Kong away, Matthew couldn't wait to ask: "Mr. England, that boy, do you value him very much?"

Speaking of Hong Kong, the British gentleman's eyes softened, "You can't say that, Williams. He is my trophy, the proof of my victory over the Qing—" He stared straight at Matthew's Eyes, "And he is very useful, the location is very good, if it is well cultivated, it will definitely become a big treasury."

"Beyond that, what else...?"

"Other than that? What else? What else?" The gentleness in the blond gentleman's eyes gradually receded, replaced by a thick sarcasm, he sneered, "What else do you want from me? Don't be too naive , Williams!"

"..."

Even though that's the case... But your eyes obviously don't say that...

Facing the blunt English gentleman, Matthew Williams felt a deep powerlessness.

...Forget it...the other party can't do anything without telling him...

Therefore, the breakthrough lies in this boy.

Matthew looked seriously at the silent boy in front of him.Wang Jialong didn't bring any luggage, and he was wearing the white suit that Arthur gave him. His dark brown eyes looked forward indifferently and dully. His deep eyes seemed to penetrate the town, the country and the ocean, all the way to the country in the west of Canada.

Matthew quietly opened his door, stood outside the door, and looked at each other quietly.But his small movements were still discovered. Wang Jialong turned his head, looked at Matthew with empty eyes, opened his mouth and said in a rigid voice: "HELLO, Mr. Williams."

... It's still the same sentence.

Now that he had been discovered, Matthew simply walked in.The room that England gave Wang Jialong was very good, the windows faced the sun, soft light came in from the windows, the sky blue screens rippled slightly, and all the furniture in the room was of top grade.Matthew walked to the side of the bed, sat next to the young man, thought for a while, and asked as simple as possible (I can't use all English == so everyone knows that it is English~): "You, will, how much?" English?"

The other party glanced at him and replied coldly: "More than you think."

--Huh?Just say that sentence, but it's not because you only know that sentence?It should be because you are not good at communicating with others, so you start with "HELLO, Mr. Williams"?

Apart from the unbelievably awkward accent, Hong Kong's English seems to be surprisingly good?

Now that the language barrier has passed, it is easier for Matthew to communicate. "Why did Mr. England bring you back instead of the other brothers and sisters of the Qing Dynasty?" he asked carefully, "Mr. England, when he brought you back...did you say anything?" ?”

The brown-haired, brown-eyed boy glanced at him, "No. He didn't say anything."

"But...why is it you?"

Matthew swore he didn't mean any harm when he said it, but the other person didn't seem to think so.Wang Jialong frowned, "What do you mean, Mr. Williams?"

"No, no, really nothing else..."

Matthew hurriedly waved his hands and explained hastily.But the boy refused to believe him at all, and the dissatisfaction in his eyes became more and more serious.

"Are you trying to say that I deserve to be brought to this kind of place?" Wang Jialong said in a quiet but angry voice, gritting his teeth word by word, "You want to say that I deserve to be abandoned by my elder brother, I deserve to be turned into an imperialist Is it a humble colony under my command? Am I just such a weak region that is completely ignored by the big brother, has no sense of existence, and should be insulted by birth?"

"Wait, I really didn't mean that... Calm down—" Big Brother was referring to Daqing...?

Matthew felt that he was being treated as a punching bag, and Wang Jialong vented all the grievances and anger he had received on him, which made him feel very embarrassed, but he couldn't bear to make any complaints to the boy in front of him—he was The other party's eyes saw the fear and despair of subjugation and genocide, which reminded him of his twin brothers.Before Alfred was crushed intolerable by England, his blue eyes were always full of anger and fear, just like the boy from the East at this moment.

"That's enough! You Europeans are always like this! ('Actually, I'm an American...' Matthew thinks like this) all of you have a hypocritical face, and your bones are all black!" Wang Jialong's eyes are so bright that it seems that at any time Will cry, he pursed his mouth stubbornly, "You too, and so does that British guy! Why are they all so disgusting..."

As if he remembered some scene that he couldn't remember, his emotions that he had endured for a long time finally broke down.Wang Jialong raised his sleeve to cover his face so violently that he almost knocked off Matthew's glasses, "Go away, you disgusting bastard—!"

There was a cry in the other party's voice, even though it was suppressed to the extreme, Matthew keenly noticed it.The oriental boy in the white suit just covered his face motionlessly, not even trembling. He was astonishingly stubborn, but Matthew could completely imagine his tearful face hidden under his sleeve.

It's really... the resemblance is astonishing...

"Matthew, why do you think those Europeans are so disgusting? A bunch of bastards...!" A long, long time ago, a blue-eyed boy choked out, "Will I die, will I die?" Will disappear? Matthew! Help me..."

Even if the beautiful blue eyes are flickering with tears, they will not let them fall. Even if the danger of national subjugation and genocide is in front of them, they will not give in. No matter how hard and tired they are, they decide to carry everything alone.

— the same stubbornness.

Since I have already discovered it, then that person must have discovered it too, right?That's why he brought this oriental boy back...?

After getting the answer, Matthew stood up silently, without saying goodbye, because he knew that the other party didn't need it.

The moment the door was closed, he seemed to hear a sob that had been suppressed for a long time.

Matthew paused, then left.

Note ①: Continuing the original setting, Xinsi/Koshe was originally a place to provide military supplies to the British/country, and it was not allowed to test during the Opium/Pian War, but there is no reason to run to Matthew if you don’t write like this ==… ...Don't care about these details~

Note ②: The setting of the main family, it has been mentioned in the fifth season, I am afraid of being forgotten, so I will explain it here.

The author has something to say: Lao Wang’s modern history has begun = w = Gangzai has also appeared~ By the way, I recently fell in love with Gangyao, so I have been vacillating between Juyao and Gangyao...

The next chapter is Yaojun’s first np in modern times (wait)~~~ I’m so happy to say (cover my face