The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 770 Datong Society, Going to Europe (asking for monthly tickets)
The summer morning in Tianjing was still cool. Feng Yunshan's four-wheeled carriage once again rolled over the bluestone slabs and drove along the most urban streets along the Qinhuai River.

Although Feng Yunshan is the high and mighty "god" and the king above millions of people, his palace in Tianjing is extremely simple. It is nestled in the market beside the Qinhuai River. As soon as you walk out of the gate of the palace, you can see the prosperous flowers of Tianjing City.

There was no wind today, the flags of the shops along the street were hanging lazily, an old man selling water chestnuts squatted under the bridge pier, with freshly picked tender water chestnuts in his bamboo basket. A few boys wearing red headscarves ran to the school with cloth bags on their backs, their cloth shoes stepped on the puddles formed by last night's light rain, splashing water.

"Golden cakes—two cents and three pieces!"

The hawkers carrying loads on their shoulders wiped their sweat and shouted as golden rice cakes were piled on bamboo trays.

A clerk in a cloth shop was stacking rolls of particularly smooth and bright brocade on the counter. These were high-quality fabrics produced by machine silk weaving factories in Shanghai and Suzhou. From silkworm breeding and silk reeling to weaving fabrics, they all used the "science and technology" mentioned by King Luo Wu! With high output, low cost and good quality, they were extremely popular internationally and continued to sit firmly on the throne of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's export trump card product.

A similar situation also occurred in the cotton textile industry. After going through various hardships, the Tianjin cotton textile industry, which was started by Zuo Zongtang, is now finally on the right track. Relying on the textile machines imported from England and the high-quality cotton (American upland cotton) provided by the "Mountain and River Cotton Fields" supported by the farmers' associations in Northern Zhili, Shandong, and Henan, it can finally produce quite good cotton cloth. Although it is impossible to sell it all over the world like silk, it is enough to fight in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and it defeated the local cloth in various places.
In the pawnshop opposite the cloth shop, an old farmer with a sad face was huddled. He was holding a faded cotton jacket in his arms, which was washed very clean and the cuffs were carefully patched. He was trembling as he handed it to the counter. But the clerk in the pawnshop pushed it out. Nowadays, machine-made cloth is abundant and cheap. Although it has not completely replaced the local cloth, it has lowered the price of local cloth and made the market for old clothes of relatively poor quality disappear.

Feng Yunshan's eyes caught sight of the old farmer who was crying and holding his cotton-padded jacket as he walked out of the pawnshop. Then he saw a beggar curled up on the street corner. The man was missing a leg. On the straw mat was a chipped pottery bowl with a few copper coins lying at the bottom of the bowl. There were basically no young and strong beggars with intact hands and feet in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom now, but there were still beggars who were disabled for various reasons or old beggars who were not wanted by anyone in Southeast Asia or the United States. Fortunately, there were many porridge factories in big cities like Tianjing and Shanghai that provided relief, so they would not starve to death. But if they really had to beg on the streets, they would probably not have many days left.

"Godfather, there are too many people on the street today. Do you want us to clear the way?" Feng Xiuying rode her horse closer to the car window. She was wearing a gray military uniform with a belt tied tightly around her waist. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail and hung behind her head, making her look heroic.

"Don't disturb the people." Feng Yunshan waved his hand, and the carriage continued to move slowly.

Suddenly, the sound of a gong was heard from the front, and a team of "boy soldiers" carrying Tianli Year 3 rifles lined up from the direction of Jinlong City, singing the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's national anthem "A Man Should Be Self-reliant" as they marched.

Although these young soldiers were also called "boy soldiers", they were not poor children with nowhere to go, but the sons of nobles of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. They were not ordinary soldiers of the Heavenly Kingdom, but students of the Youth Military Academy.

The Junior Military Academy was equivalent to a military middle school. It enrolled a large number of children of nobles and was a school that provided excellent students for the more advanced Army and Navy Officer Schools. The Army and Navy Officer Schools could also be entered through the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's college entrance examination, but it was extremely difficult. It was easier for students at the Junior Military Academy to be admitted. Even if they failed, they could still start as non-commissioned officers and still have the opportunity to rise.

Such a future is still very attractive to the second generation of the Heavenly Kingdom who grew up listening to the heroic deeds of their fathers. After all, it is still the thirteenth year of the Tianli calendar, not the one hundred and thirty years of the Tianli calendar.

Even the number one "troublemaker" among the second generation of the Heavenly Kingdom, Prince of Yu Hu Wansheng, was a graduate of the third class of the Army Officers School and the first class of the Army University.

"Prince Yu is twenty-five this year, right?" Feng Yunshan suddenly asked.

Hu Wansheng was startled: "Reply to the Southern King, I am twenty-six years old."

"Your father passed away when you were in the second grade of the Army Academy," Feng Yunshan sighed, "before he died, he held my hand and said, 'Wansheng will become a pillar of society.'"

Hu Wansheng's throat choked. He remembered that in the sixth year of Tianli, when his father Hu Yihuang was seriously ill, he called him to his bedside, handed the seal of Prince Yu to him, and took Feng Yunshan's hand, saying: "Prince Nan, my son is stupid, please take good care of him." At that time, Feng Yunshan just nodded and said: "Brother Hu, don't worry, Wansheng and Xiuying are the same age, I treat them as my own children."

Now seven years have passed. Hu Wansheng inherited the title of king. After serving in the Heavenly Kingdom Army for a year, he studied in the Army University. He learned Napoleon's military science from the French brothers invited by King Luo Wu, and listened to Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng talk about the latest army science. He should have been a pillar of the Heavenly Kingdom, but he spent all day hanging out on the Qinhuai River. He really felt ashamed of his father's dying trust.

"The French instructor invited by King Luo Wu said that you ranked first in the tactics class. We all thought you would be the next King Shi Yi." Feng Yunshan said with some disappointment, "But now? The largest pleasure boat on the Qinhuai River is yours."

The carriage drove into the heavily guarded Jinlong City - it was originally the imperial city of the Ming Dynasty, the Manchu city of the Qing Dynasty, and later occupied by Hong Xiuquan to build his own imperial city "Jinlong City". Later, Jinlong City was transformed by Luo Yaoguo into the administrative center of Tianjing. "What the Southern King taught me is..." Hu Wansheng's forehead was sweating, and tears were shaking in his eyes. "Today I will ask King Luo Wu to fight in the northwest with King Shiyi."

"The war in the northwest is fake." Feng Yunshan suddenly lowered his voice, "King Luo Wu and Li Hongzhang have a tacit understanding to send him out of Yili and let him occupy a large piece of land in Central Asia as a buffer between our Heavenly Kingdom and the Russian Empire. If you really want to make achievements, you have to go to Europe."

Hu Wansheng was stunned. He recalled the sand table in the Army University - the Prussian iron-gray square formation and the French red cavalry. Shi Dakai pointed at the fragmented map of Europe with his teaching stick and said that the Vienna system had collapsed and there would be a war on the European continent!

"Master Karl is writing books in London, and his followers are all over the world." Feng Yunshan pulled out a translated copy of "Journey to the East" from his sleeve and handed it to Hu Wansheng. "King Luo Wu said that if France can be turned into a sea of ​​red flags, then our Taiping Heavenly Kingdom will have a chance to reach the top of the world!"

The carriage jolted violently, and Feng Xiuying lifted the curtain and poked her head out: "Foster father, we've arrived at Prince Wu's mansion."

Feng Yunshan held Hu Wansheng's shoulder and said, "Xiuying is the same age as you. The women's camp is trained in guns, artillery and horsemanship, but they are lacking someone they can entrust their services to." He suddenly showed his expectation for the younger generation, "If you don't mind her not liking women but military affairs, how about letting her be your second queen and you two go to Europe together?"

Hu Wansheng was struck by lightning. He stole a glance and saw Feng Xiuying standing next to the stone lion holding the reins. The morning breeze lifted the hem of her gray military uniform, revealing her long leather boots—with a dagger stuck in the boots.

In the deepest bamboo garden of the Prime Minister's Office, Luo Yaoguo was standing under the grape trellis listening to the cicadas chirping.

"Teacher, Prince Nan and Prince Yu have arrived." Ma Baocai's voice came from outside the moon cave gate.

The short man was still wearing a faded blue cloth robe, unkempt, with only a green scarf wrapped around his hair. He looked like a farmer rather than a high-ranking official of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Among the twelve disciples who followed Luo Yaoguo in Daozhou, he was the one who was the most steadfast and simple. And his simplicity was not fake, he was really not greedy - who was he? One of the twelve disciples, he was a member of the core group under Luo Yaoguo, he was the junior brother of Wang Yan, the Minister of the Navy, Zhu Ba, the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, and Zhang Bao's senior brother. He was highly trusted by Luo Yaoguo, and if he wanted to make some money, Luo Yaoguo would give him the opportunity to get money legally - Luo Yaoguo was a very good teacher and boss!
But he just doesn't want it!

Besides not wanting money, he is also not lustful. In this respect, he is better than his teacher Luo Yaoguo. He is simply a moral saint!
In addition, he has always stood on the side of poor farmers, and has been responsible for the distribution of land in several provinces. Now he has become the president of the National Farmers' Association. He has surpassed the Minister of the Navy Wang Yan and the Deputy Chief of Staff Zhu Ba, and has become Luo Yaoguo's most trusted disciple.

It's a pity that he is only a few years younger than Luo Yaoguo, otherwise he could have been the successor.
Luo Yaoguo turned around and waved to Feng Yunshan and Hu Wansheng: "Third brother, little Prince Yu, come in quickly. It's cool inside the house."

There were ice cubes in the room for cooling down, and it was indeed much cooler than outside.

Luo Yaoguo spread out a yellowed world map on the stone table and pointed his finger at London. "Master Karl sent a letter. He plans to establish the International Workingmen's Association with Master Friedrich and other European workers' leaders. He also invited the Datong Society."

Ma Baocai took out a thread-bound booklet from his bosom. On the cover was written "Notes on the Datong Society's European Trip": "People in Europe are very interested in our equal distribution of land, the establishment of factories operated by the Shengku, and the system of one share for one person."

"Is the young Prince of Yu willing to go?" Luo Yaoguo suddenly looked up at Hu Wansheng, who was almost ten years younger than him. "Baocai needs someone who understands military tactics - there will be great changes in the European continent. They lack guns and artillery, and they lack instructors who can fight."

Feng Yunshan coughed lightly. Hu Wansheng knew that this was the only chance Luo Yaoguo and Feng Yunshan gave him—a chance to win their trust, enter the meeting of kings, and become the core of the future Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

"Oh my god!" Hu Wansheng stood at attention and saluted Luo Yaoguo with a fiery look in his eyes. "Prime Minister, Wansheng has been waiting for this day for a long time!"

(End of this chapter)