Chapter 120 Covetousness and seeking all sides are sins
At a roadside tavern dozens of miles away from Jinmen, Lei Hu accidentally met the historical celebrity Tan Sitong.
Tan Sitong was very enthusiastic and took the initiative to make friends. Soon the two started chatting together and slowly talked about the current situation. Tan Sitong could not help but reveal his true purpose and thoughts.
As a result, Lei Hu was speechless and at a loss for words. To put it in a more modern and fashionable way, he now has some doubts about life.
Lei Hu's meaning was very clear. They, a group of scholars, relied on enthusiasm and almost no real power at hand, and they just wanted to take power and take over the government. They were simply seeking death.
If this was not the first time the two met, Tan Sitong was worried that Lei Hu would point at his nose and curse: He would act recklessly in a hot head!
"Brother Lei, you seem to be very familiar with Europa?"
In order to avoid embarrassment, Tan Sitong decisively changed the subject and asked curiously: "Can you tell me the details about Europa?"
"I was born in Chancheng. There are many foreigners there and there are a sufficient number of interpreters. It is quite easy to get the general situation on Europa!"
Lei Hu replied with a smile: "Let's not talk about Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary as major powers. Let's talk about other small European countries. It will be more useful for Brother Tan now!"
"No, it seems like there is Italy among the great powers, right?"
Tan Sitong asked: "Is it possible that Brother Lei has forgotten?"
"What did I forget? I didn't put Italy among the great powers at all!"
Lei Hu sneered and said disdainfully: "Brother Tan may not know that Italy invaded the African country Ethiopia in the past two years. Guess what happened?"
"What's wrong?"
Tan Sitong really didn't know. Although he came from a wealthy family, it would be difficult to know such information at the first time without deliberately collecting it.
"Italy was defeated. It sent out 17,000 troops. With an absolute advantage in firepower, 11,100 were killed and 4,000 were captured. The entire army was almost wiped out!"
Lei Hu sneered repeatedly and said disdainfully: "With such fighting power, if you still want to join the ranks of the great powers, aren't you putting a black mark on the faces of the great powers?"
Tan Siqing looked blank, could something like this happen?
"Brother Lei, what's the situation in that country like Ethiopia?"
What he was more curious about was that this country, which he had never heard of before, could actually defeat a great power like Italy in such a miserable state. It must not be easy.
Unexpectedly, Lei Hu's answer made him stunned again, and he couldn't help but feel a little more disdainful towards Italy.
"Hey, Ethiopia is far inferior to our Qing Dynasty. No matter in terms of army or population, their army still uses broadswords, spears and muskets from a backward era!"
Lei Hu chuckled and said: "So, they can still ride camels and beat up the Italian invading army. Tsk tsk, why do you think Italy is called a great power?"
Tan Sitong was surprised, but also a little angry.
The combat effectiveness of the Italian Army is so low, but in our Qing Dynasty, they still show off their power, and the court does not dare to do anything to them. Thinking about it, I feel very aggrieved.
"Since the Italian Army's combat power is so unbearable, I must report it to the Emperor when I arrive in Beijing, so that the imperial court can take special action!"
He has no good impression of foreigners, and he would be very happy if he could make foreigners lose face.
Lei Hu smiled lightly and said nothing. If the imperial court had such a vision, it would have divided and governed the foreigners long ago. How could the current bad situation be still there?
It is true that Tan Sitong came from a wealthy family, but he participated in the reform movement. Naturally, he had conflicts with the rear party members. Nothing he said would have any effect.
Unless he is in the province where I am in power, the words of his yamen have weight.
Next, he introduced the situation of small countries in Europe, such as the Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium and other countries. Finally, he said with emotion: "The largest of these small countries is only the size of my province, the Qing Dynasty, and the small ones are even the size of one city."
Earth, but their own strength cannot be underestimated!"
At this point, seeing Tan Sitong's thoughtful face, he said directly: "The situation in our Qing Dynasty is complicated now. It takes a lot of energy to straighten out local relations. It is better to learn from these small European countries and develop one or two provinces."
, with a basic military system and industrial system, we will have more confidence to fight against foreigners!"
"But wouldn't it be better if the whole country mobilized together?"
Tan Sitong nodded, but in a flash he changed the subject and said boldly: "We are competing with the European powers, not just the small European countries!"
Lei Hu was speechless. He spent so much time cooperating with him, but this is the final result?
Forget it, forget it. In a moment of passion, I got angry and said too many things that I shouldn't have said. Since Tan Sitong couldn't listen, forget it. From now on, we will walk on separate sides and there will basically be no intersections. Why bother?
Is this a lot of trouble?
Seeing that Lei Hu didn't speak, Tan Sitong was not angry, but said excitedly, "Brother Lei has such insight, why not join me in the reform movement? I think you will definitely achieve great things!"
"No, no, no, no, I'm just a fool, and I don't want to get involved in the important affairs of the court!"
Lei Hu quickly waved his hands and begged for mercy, and said with a wry smile: "Brother Tan, just think that what I just said is just nonsense, don't take it to heart, I can't bear it!"
"Why, Brother Lei doesn't recognize me as a friend?"
Tan Sitong frowned, and he naturally heard the unfamiliarity and coldness in Lei Hu's tone, and said dissatisfiedly: "No matter whether Brother Lei wants to participate in the reform or not, we are still friends, right?"
"Yes, yes, we are friends!"
Lei Hu laughed and waved his hands quickly: "As long as Brother Tan doesn't talk to me about any important court affairs, we will still be friends!"
Da da da……
The sky was getting darker and darker, and just as Tan Sitong and Lei Hu continued to laugh and talk about light topics, the sound of horse hooves galloped from far to near.
"Store, please prepare some food and wine for our brothers. If you are slow, be careful, we will demolish your shop!"
A loud and rough voice was so loud that it could still be heard clearly amidst the rumble of horse hooves. When he got closer, it shocked the eardrums of all the drinkers in the bar. They were surprised.
Accompanied by a burst of people shouting and neighing, the waiter and the owner of the store had already warmly welcomed him out, and then a group of tough, weathered men came in carrying knives and swords.
"Get out of the way and make room for the uncle. If you don't want to be beaten, just get out of the way!"
The leading man shouted at the top of his lungs, which was particularly scary considering the hideous scars on his face. Some timid guests got up and left one after another, not daring to stay any longer.
Soon, in the small lobby of the wild store, only Lei Hu and his entourage, together with Tan Si and his master and servant, were left, occupying a large space in the lobby and four or five tables.
"Who are you?"
Seeing the elite members of the militia sitting together, the visitor's arrogant face paused, and his voice softened and he asked.