The world of film and television begins with the God of Medicine.

Chapter 1654 Let's kill one first and see the effect

Legend has it that there is a county called Huoshan in the Dabie Mountains of southern Anhui.

There are factories there, more advanced than those of foreigners, capable of producing better guns and cannons, and many new things. The people there live like human beings; there is no poll tax, but rather houses are built for them, they are given jobs, they are given money, they are taught to read and write, they are given books, and they are encouraged to study.

Everyone here has a future. As long as you work hard, you can become rich and live a good life. Even women, as long as they are willing to learn and improve, can become managers, accountants, or manage others.

Here, even the lowest-ranking person has dignity, and no one dares to bully others at will. Here, those who harm others will be held accountable, and the greedy will be punished.

There's no inexhaustible food here, but people live like human beings, they have hope, and each day gets better than the last...

"King, you are plagiarizing and falsifying our doctrines! You shameless thief! You should go to hell to see Satan! Oh no, even Satan won't forgive you!"

Bishop Roman Baird slammed his fist on the table in anger, condemning Wang Yan's malicious act of spreading the Gospel of Hoshan.

The study, after several renovations, has transformed from Wang Yan's personal reading and working space into the central hub of his entire power.

The study was divided according to the provinces, with three officials from each province responsible for coordinating and handling various matters. Rows upon rows of towering bookshelves required ladders to reach the top.

In addition, there was a real study where all kinds of books collected by the staff were sent over, categorized and organized for people to borrow and study on a daily basis.

The space between the study and the office was where Wang Yan's office used to be. The study wasn't exactly tidy either, with bookshelves densely packed with various documents. There were also some calligraphy and paintings by famous people for Wang Yan to appreciate.

It was morning, and sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the spacious and bright study.

Wang Yan sat behind the table, the sunlight stopping in front of him, dust motes dancing like sprites before his eyes, while he hid in the shadows of the room, quietly watching the angry bishop.

Beside the eloquent bishop were three men in religious robes and four Westerners in Western suits. Behind the bishop stood a young Chinese man with a shaved head and glasses.

As the bishop's spittle danced with dust, the bald, bespectacled young man, drenched in sweat, began to speak.

“Sir, the bishop said that you should not presumptuously borrow their doctrines and incite the people to come to Mount Hormuz, and mistakenly believe that the doctrines of the Kingdom of Heaven are the same as theirs. He said that you should stop your dangerous actions.”

The translator spoke haltingly, uttering "uh-huhs" and "ahs." A fierce storm raged in his clever mind as he pondered how to choose words to convey the foreigner's meaning without angering the notorious, seemingly non-rebellious traitor before him, thus preserving his own safety.

This was a well-paying job, because few people understood foreign languages, but those who needed foreign translators were often people facing danger, as foreigners held high status and had contact with the ruling elite of China at the time. The danger he faced was, of course, considerable, considering he was merely a lowly translator…

The incessantly chattering bishop finally stopped his nonsense, and Wang Yan's gaze fell on the translator: "What's your name?"

"In reply to you, sir, my name is Shen Jitong. I am from the capital and have been assigned by the imperial court to work as a translator for foreigners."

"Translator Shen," Wang Yan nodded with a smile, "please tell me, this foreign devil babbled on and on, spewing out two pounds of saliva and banging on the table, yet he spoke so gently?"

"Uh..." Translator Shen was a little confused, wondering how to get through this.

Wang Yan waved his hand and said, "Stop making things up. Just translate whatever the foreigners say. I'll leave it at that. I'm a kind-hearted person. Even though you may look down on us Chinese, I'll still leave you some food. You know how to get a haircut, so you're quite clever."

"Thank you, Uncle!" Translator Shen said sincerely, as if he had seen a savior.

Tell him that he doesn't respect me.

Upon hearing the translator's words, Bishop Baird frowned, his expression displeased and puzzled: "What did you say? I don't respect you?"

Wang Yan reached out, took a rifle from the shelf beside him, cocked it with a click, and then fired it with a bang, hitting the ground at the bishop's feet.

The bullet shattered the bricks on the ground, sending fragments flying, which then bounced and tumbled outwards, embedding themselves in the beams and pillars behind.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy?" the bishop shouted. Shen, the translator, translated in a trembling voice.

boom……

Another shot.

This time, the bishop remained silent, simply sitting there watching Wang Yan. The other foreigners who had been cursing and shouting gradually fell silent as well. The study fell silent.

Wang Yan pulled back the bolt, caught the bullets that flew out, and then loaded three more. He then placed the gun on the rack, picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip, and watched the guard who ran in close the door and leave.

He didn't say anything, just kept drinking tea from the covered bowl, his posture perfectly poised.

The silence in the study turned into a stifling atmosphere. Perhaps because the underfloor heating was working so well, fine beads of sweat appeared on Shen's forehead, and the foreigners' breathing gradually became a little rapid.

The only sound was Wang Yan slowly sipping his tea.

A moment later, with a crisp click of porcelain colliding, Wang Yan put down the covered bowl and looked at Bishop Baird with a leisurely air.

"Congratulations, Bishop, you've finally learned what respect is."

"Thank you for your guidance," Baird said, almost through gritted teeth.

"I'd like to know, did you speak to the Heavenly King in the same way when you were in Tianjing?"

"I'm sorry, it was a cardinal who met the Heavenly King. I was only dressed in purple. I was sitting behind the cardinal and didn't say much."

Wang Yan shook his head, seemingly disappointed: "Then you're even less respectful of me, you son of a bitch. Am I inferior to the Heavenly King? You see him as a cardinal, but I'm a purple-robed cardinal? And you're talking to me about plagiarism? What does that have to do with you? The people are spreading the word that Huoshan is developing well, that it allows them to live, and that it's a place they yearn for. What's wrong with that? Is it your place to interrogate me?"

"Your Majesty, do not argue. You know that by doing this you are offending the Kingdom of Heaven and the King of Heaven."

"Then why doesn't he send troops to attack me? I've heard you've been making a lot of moves in the south lately, trying to force the Qing court to change the treaty. I've also offended you, so why don't you send troops to attack me?"

"Your Majesty, this is a provocation!" "I know what you want to do. It hasn't been long since I banned the opium trade in Sichuan and Guanzhong. You went through all the trouble of crossing the war zone to get here, and now you're spouting nonsense about doctrines to me."

Bishop, the Lord taught you to guide people towards goodness and spread love and peace. I slapped you, and you should have offered me the other half to slap. And what have you done? You're advocating for opium? Dedicated to harming others? What gives you bastards the confidence to come before me and point fingers?
Damn it, translate that clearly.

Meeting Wang Yan's indifferent gaze, Translator Shen's Adam's apple bobbed as he stammered out his translation. Wang Yan heard it clearly; Translator Shen had very vividly translated the three words "dog's ass," implying both "dog" and "human."

A merchant behind him stood up and asked, "Your Majesty, are you sure you want to start a war?"

"It seems the weak Qing Dynasty has made you think that's what Chinese people are like, that you can ride roughshod over all of us. Actually, I don't want war; only peace allows me to make money. But I can't ignore such a blatant threat. How about this: I'll kill one of you first and see if you really come to fight me. Guards!"

As Shen was translating, the study door was pushed open.

Wang Yan pointed at the foreigner who had stood up: "Behead him! Right here!"

Shi Jinbiao drew his knife from his waist and, without saying a word, began to slash.

When he drew his knife, the translator only managed to get to "kill one first." The translation couldn't continue because blood had already spurted out, spraying onto the foreigners who had arrived from overseas.

The turn of events was sudden; they didn't even have time to react at first. They all fell silent, watching as a large gash was ripped open in their companion's neck, blood spurting out. They watched as Shi Jinbiao cursed, then struck a second time, finally severing his head completely.

Shi Jinbiao licked his lips and said with a sinister gaze sweeping over the others, "Grandpa, this foreigner's blood tastes the same as ours, and their heads aren't that hard; they're not unbreakable. Oh, look, Grandpa, they're scared. They weren't like this when they first came; they were all swaggering around, looking down on everyone."

Shi Jinbiao is
Wang Yan laughed and then looked at the translator: "Translator Shen, what are you standing there for? Have you finished translating what was just said? Also, translate what I, the captain of the guard, said to them as well."

Seeing the trembling foreigners, Shen, the translator, was actually much better. Although her voice was still trembling, she spoke much more fluently...

"Your Majesty, are you going to kill us all?" the bishop asked, his voice trembling with fear.

"Then why are you still here talking to me? I told you, it's because he threatened to start a war, so I killed him first to see if you really dared to attack me. It's fine along the coast; you have strong ships and powerful cannons, so we can't do anything about it. But if it's inland, I want to see what your small force can do once a war starts."
"Get them rags, watch them clean the floor, then send them back with this man's body and tell their army to come and fight me."

After saying this, Wang Yan got up and left.

Jiang Wuyang followed behind: "Big brother, didn't you say it's best if we don't directly participate in the war? Isn't it wrong to fight foreigners like this?"

"You're not as good as the second son in this respect; he doesn't care about right or wrong."

"So, is it good or not, brother?"

……

"Okay."

Whether in the capital or Tianjing, whether it was Emperor Xianfeng or the Heavenly King, whether it was any other military or prince, everyone applauded and cheered when they heard Wang Yan's seemingly insane actions.

Even those in the Qing court who made money selling opium were applauding it amidst their cursing. It was true that Wang Yan's words had affected their business, and it was also because they couldn't stand the foreigners.

As for the positions of both sides, although they both cooperated with foreigners, it was a choice they had no other option but to make. If they had simply given up and let themselves be, what would have been the point of pursuing Westernization, reform, or learning from the barbarians to control them?

Furthermore, neither the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom nor the Qing Dynasty could command Wang Yan, and they had even begun to dislike him. Therefore, Wang Yan's killing of the foreigners seemed to have nothing to do with them; they had no choice but to applaud him to vent their anger…

Wang Yan may seem to have been very calm in the past two years, but in fact he has been making big moves.

He was actively infiltrating the Sichuan and Guanzhong regions, and the result of this infiltration was that foreigners came directly to his door this time.

He wanted to ban opium, and he succeeded, which fully reflects the support and affirmation he received from both regions.

This disgusted the Qing dynasty, because their decrees could still be passed down, and even if taxes were lower, they were still being paid, and requests could be fulfilled with discounts. Everything seemed the same as before, but the success of the opium ban in a very short time clearly demonstrated that the Qing court had lost control of these two regions.

Wang Yan, who caused all of this, still sports a shaved head and, when negotiating and doing business, always refers to himself as the Jianwei General of the Imperial Court and the Commander of the Anhui Army.

Even though a considerable number of Wang Yan's men had already shaved their heads like Shen the translator because of their business dealings with the Qing and Taiping territories.

Even so, these people would still keep their heads shaved in heaven, while in the Qing Dynasty they would wear fake queues on their heads. Everyone knew that Wang Yan was just putting on an act. The assassins from Shunfeng Escort Agency who traveled around liked to pretend to accidentally drop their hair when they were in front of the city's guards or when they happened to encounter some official's entourage.

Whenever they see someone pretending to be dead and not seeing anything, they chuckle loudly, letting everyone know they're laughing.

Clearly, the soldiers had a certain understanding of their own strength, and they longed to earn merit, make more money, and rise to higher positions.

Yes, it's about money.

This was another reason why Wang Yan made enemies. He had already issued currency in Sichuan, Guanzhong, and Huoshan, and opened banks to handle various businesses. He didn't use silver or banknotes; to avoid bank runs, he used credit as an anchor.

To facilitate the issuance of currency, he directly ordered the construction of various projects across the country, issuing paper money that he had printed. Anyone who did not accept the money was confiscated, their property seized, and their silver confiscated.

Of course, this is the time to start large-scale distribution. Before that, they printed money for their partners, and as long as they did business with their forces, they would accept the money. The escort agency had many partners, and it was only after the money had been distributed for some time that they began to promote it on a large scale.

Most wealthy households were able to recognize reality, only a few who felt they had the power to resist were courting death, and the vast majority of ordinary people, of course, had no choice; Wang Yan had already forcefully given them the choice.

They work, they earn money, and they can spend it just like copper coins and silver in the past. If anyone disagrees, they can simply go to the Shunfeng Escort Agency. They've long since run out of silver, so safety isn't a concern anymore; just surviving is their safety...

Pang Qingyun thought so too...

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　　(End of this chapter)