Chancheng has been a famous town in the world since the founding of the Qing Dynasty. In the late Qing Dynasty, when the country was bombarded by foreign guns and artillery, it was also a front-line town with prosperous commerce and contact with foreigners from all over the world.
Lei Hu followed Qin Bao to Chancheng early in the morning. The two of them left the village in a hurry yesterday evening and rushed to the town to stay overnight. They got up at dawn in the morning and rushed to Chancheng when the sun rose.
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As you enter, you will see a constant stream of people coming and going, the shouts of vendors on the street are continuous, and the shops and restaurants on both sides are bustling with business.
However, from time to time, there are public servants with arrogant faces asking for money, and tall foreigners are running rampant. The streets are filled with poor people in ragged clothes, and there are extremely miserable beggars, which makes the bustling market
There was a little more confusion and restlessness.
This is Chan City, and it is also a reflection of the urban life of coastal towns in the late Qing Dynasty.
I casually found a roadside stall in the outer city and ordered two bowls of wontons. Lei Hu could not take his eyes off to experience the unique urban customs of Chan City in the late Qing Dynasty. He had a strong sense of being in a late Qing Dynasty film and television drama.
Bang bang bang...
At this moment, a burst of uniform shouts came into my ears, followed closely by the sound of dense footsteps. Looking in the direction of the sound, I happened to see a group of soldiers running past in formation.
The powerful aura of war hit his face, and Lei Hu's heart trembled and he couldn't help but ask: "Where are the officers and soldiers here? It's not simple!"
Qin Bao ate the steaming wontons in one gulp, wiped his mouth casually, followed Lei Hu's gaze, and looked at the group of officers and soldiers who had gone far away and were still powerful, with admiration in his eyes, and he laughed loudly; "They
They are men of the Black Flag Army. If you encounter me in the future, please don't provoke me. Be careful!"
Black Flag Army?
Although his face remained calm, Lei Hu's heart was filled with turmoil.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived in Chancheng, they saw a group of black flag soldiers and horses. It was indeed a powerful army rarely seen in the late Qing Dynasty. Just the suffocating and sturdy aura on their body showed that they were not a good type.
Throughout the entire history of the late Qing Dynasty, the only highlight of the Manchu Qing Dynasty's foreign wars was the Sino-French War that ended not long ago. Both Zhennanguan Feng Zicai and the Black Flag Army performed brilliantly in the war against France.
The killing of a senior French general left the so-called largest army power in Europe in a state of embarrassment, but it was a pity that the Qing government was so cowardly that it won on the battlefield but lost at the negotiation table. It was simply speechless.
Let’s not talk about it aside, let’s just say that the Black Flag Army is definitely a rare strong force in the whole of China at this time. No wonder a mere group of brave soldiers can have such great majesty and evil aura.
No matter what, they were able to defeat the French army on the frontal battlefield. One can imagine the high morale of the army!
"Brother Bao is joking, how could I possibly have a conflict with the Black Flag Army?"
Lei Hu smiled and shook his head, and said with a disapproving smile: "I don't know what will happen next!"
"Since Ahu, you have nowhere to go for the time being, why not follow me first?"
Qin Bao's eyes flashed, he put his head in front of Lei Hu and said with a smile, "As long as I have something to eat, Ahu, your share is absolutely indispensable!"
"By the way, Brother Bao, I still don't know what you do!"
Lei Hu did not answer in a hurry. He glanced at this guy and said with a smile: "As promised in advance, I will not do anything harmful to nature!"
He is not a fool. How could he not notice Qin Bao's heavy "social atmosphere"? He just doesn't know what kind of path this guy is in.
Qin Bao's face changed slightly, and he forced a smile and said: "Ahu is joking, how could I do something that is harmful to nature? It's just to collect some protection fees and watch the show for others. Ahu won't be disgusted by these things, right?"
After saying that, a pair of eyes stared directly at Lei Hu's face, trying to see clearly what was in his mind.
It's a pity that Lei Hu's expression was calm as usual, and he didn't feel any strangeness at all because of his words. He just pondered for a moment and said directly: "Can you make it more clear, for example, Brother Bao, which force is behind you, and who are you among them?"
I hope to know everything about my identity, how I usually behave, etc.!"
Qin Bao's eyes flashed with joy. He was very optimistic about Lei Hu's determination and intelligence. When he was handling the funeral of his third uncle, he found that this guy was a rare fine person. He had already planned to win over Lei Hu. Now he was naturally very happy to see Lei Hu's attitude.
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Without any hesitation, he told the truth about his situation, hoping to draw Lei Hu under his command to increase his strength, so that he could become more comfortable in the gang, and even get greater benefits.
The gang that Qin Bao belongs to is called Zhongyi Tang, which has a loud name, but it is just one of the many small gangs in Chan City, and its territory is only two streets that are not prosperous.
Fortunately, Chancheng's business was prosperous, so Zhongyi Tang was able to make ends meet through the two streets it controlled, which was much better than the country bumpkins.
Qin Bao is a small leader of the Zhongyi Hall. He has more than a dozen brothers who manage half of the street. He is considered the backbone of the Zhongyi Hall. He is able to get by with his determination to fight hard and his good mind. However, Zen
There are many gangs in the city and competition is fierce. If he wants to 'make a difference', he has too much power.
After the introduction, he couldn't help but smile bitterly and said: "I know that most decent people don't look down on people in gangs, but Zhongyi Hall is facing great difficulties at the moment, and there are too few confidants that I can trust. Ahu, you are both wise and brave.
He is the best helper that my brother urgently needs!"
As he said this, he looked over with bright eyes, fearing that Lei Hu would refuse directly.
Refuse to do what?
There was a slight smile on Lei Hu's lips, and he had already made a decision in his heart. He didn't have much reaction to the quality of his reputation. The biggest problem before him was how to survive in this era.
He didn't have many coins in his pocket at this time, and it had to be said that weddings and funerals cost the most money. Uncle Qin's funeral affairs consumed a lot of money in his hands. At present, it is not so easy to make a living in Chancheng.
Easy, even if he is a time traveler, he has no clue.
Lei Hu is a gangster who does not have a formal household registration. No matter what business he does, as long as it attracts the attention of the government or outsiders, it will make him miserable. As for the definition of the so-called time traveler, he must be able to live well, at least at this time, he
It doesn't apply at all.
You can't expect to be a serious person. On the contrary, joining a gang is a good choice. At least it can temporarily solve the problem of food and accommodation. As for how to choose the future path, we will talk about it later.
Seeing Qin Bao's expectant face, Lei Hu smiled and said: "It's no problem to follow Brother Bao!"
Seeing the unconcealed joy on Qin Bao's face, he changed the topic and said in a deep voice: "But I have a condition, I hope Brother Bao can agree!"
"What conditions?"
Qin Bao raised his eyebrows, but he didn't do anything casually, he just asked curiously.
"It's okay to hang out with Brother Bao, but I don't want to formally join Zhongyi Tang from Baixiangtang!"
Lei Hu smiled softly and said some conditions that made Qin Bao look hesitant...