"Achoo …" Qi Rui sneezed, rubbed his nose, and then said to the military postman who delivered the letter, "Thank you!"
The postman saw Qi Rui sign his name on the receipt and the date of November 13, 1889. He put away the receipt and said, "Goodbye," then hurried to the next office to deliver the letter. Qi Rui rubbed his nose again and rubbed his hands. Portland was still considered a Mediterranean climate. It was hot in summer and warm and humid in winter. However, compared to Nanjing, it was not warm enough.
After entering November, it had been raining in the Portland area. This place was one or two months away from China, and there was still a long way to go before it reached the general level of China's cities. For example, Qi Rui had not used the heating in his father Vézé's house for several years. It was raining outside, but the heating in the house emitted heat without the smell of burning coal or firewood. He still missed that kind of thing.
In front of Qi Rui were two pieces of mail, a telegram and a letter. The telegram was sent by his mother. Qi Rui opened it and saw six words written on it. Second brother went to work in East Africa. Civilian telegrams were like this. They were paid by the number of words, and there was a limit to the number of words. The education department of the Min dynasty added a telegram writing course in junior high and senior high schools. The wisdom of the people was infinite. The popularization of the telegram gave birth to the most famous joke, "Rich people come quickly."
Of course, Qi Rui knew that his mother was not a joker. Second brother went to work in East Africa. On the surface, it seemed to be a normal introduction to the family changes, but in fact, it was a warning to Qi Rui. Qi Rui was born on January 1, 1862, and he would be 28 years old in a little more than a month. Qi Rui was very clear about what his mother, Qi Hongyi, was worried about. Qi Rui was very clear about what his mother, Qi Hongyi, wanted to express. Therefore, Qi Rui only felt a little bored.
In Qi Rui's eyes, his father Vézé was a person who could distinguish right from wrong. If Wei Kun went to work in East Africa, then he would be above Qi Rui, Qi Rui would feel extremely funny. Too many official duties annoyed Qi Rui, so Qi Rui threw his mother's telegram aside. He really did not want to add meaningless troubles to himself. The sender of the unopened envelope was Chu Xue. Qi Rui's finger pressed on the unopened envelope, and he was somewhat hesitant.
Every time he read Chu Xue's letter, Qi Rui would feel an indescribable emotion. Every time he read the contents of the letter, he felt a certain connection with Chu Xue. He felt very comfortable. Every time he read Chu Xue's letter, Qi Rui would feel an indescribable emotion. Reading the contents of the letter word by word, he felt some kind of communication with Chu Xue, and he felt very comfortable. When reading the letter, Qi Rui's mood was very good. Every time he finished reading the letter, Qi Rui would clearly understand the fact that he could not be together with Chu Xue.
At this time, Qi Rui would clearly remember his father, Vézé's words. As your father, I am willing to help you. I can go to his house to propose marriage. Not to mention that Chu Xue is not married yet, even if she has a marriage certificate, I can still change this fact. As long as you sincerely make this request to me, I will help you. "
Qi Rui used to think that his father's way of doing this was a rude interference to love, and even a blasphemy to love. Now, Qi Rui often couldn't help but think, how good it would have been if he had lowered his head and begged his father honestly. This time was no exception. The regret of the past made Qi Rui's heart go through another round of reflection and regret. Then, Qi Rui smiled bitterly. He realized that he had really changed.
It seems that I am old! Qi Rui's mind was filled with the thoughts of a young man. In other words, he didn't believe it himself, but he couldn't help but use this reason to explain the problem he was facing. When the thought of "I love you" was replaced by the wish of "I want to be with you", Qi Rui, who had little experience in love, didn't know what to do.
And a very real thing was placed in front of Qi Rui. After reading Chu Xue's letter, Qi Rui would feel unhappy in his heart. Qi Rui's tolerance for this kind of unhappiness was getting lower and lower. So, his fingers gently slid along the edge of the envelope, but he didn't tear it open. Then, Qi Rui's eyes fell on his mother's telegram, and his thoughts involuntarily turned to the content of this telegram.
His mother, Qi Hongyi, was worried that Qi Rui's "inheritance advantage" would be taken away by Qi Rui's half-brother, Wei Kun. Qi Rui was very curious about why his father, Vézé, didn't let his wife understand that he didn't want to inherit the bloodline after so many years. And Qi Rui, who was in his twenties, already understood this matter. If there were two qualified people, his father, Vézé, would definitely choose his son, Qi Rui. But if Qi Rui was incompetent, then he should never covet the peak of power.
The country handed the heavy responsibility of training motorized infantry to Qi Rui, which was a heavy and troublesome job. It could even be said that it was a job that exceeded Qi Rui's ability. Qi Rui was very clear that the knowledge he showed now was borrowed from his father, Vézé. And there were so many outstanding people working with Qi Rui. Many of them were unattractive and didn't seem to have any style, but they showed admirable abilities at work. This kind of ability made Qi Rui feel ashamed. Therefore, Qi Rui's arrogance was dispelled. The heavy work and outstanding colleagues forced Qi Rui to learn how to communicate, cooperate, and share with people comprehensively.
With this understanding, Qi Rui no longer thought that his younger brother, Wei Kun, was inferior to him in terms of intelligence. Qi Rui believed that the biggest difference between him and Wei Kun was that Qi Rui already had his own position. He was serving the system and the country. Similarly, after this kind of service was completed at the strategic level, it would become a high position and generous rewards. If he had to describe it, Qi Rui floated with his own sweat, while his younger brother, Wei Kun, even if he could soar, it was because of the balloons that others inflated.
Therefore, Qi Rui's competition wasn't his younger brother, but the outstanding young people around him. Qi Rui found that he didn't even need to think about how to complete the construction of motorized infantry for the entire army. If he could complete the training course for the troops currently assembled in Portland, it would already be a great achievement for Qi Rui.
Thinking of this, Qi Rui felt a sense of urgency in his heart. He put away the telegraph and wanted to put away the letter. But in his heart, he couldn't let go of the contents of the letter.
"Maybe Chu Xue has something she needs my help with?" After finding an excuse for himself, Qi Rui finally opened the letter in a relatively calm state of mind and began to read it.
"… A few days ago, I went to the rooftop restaurant to eat, and I thought of you …" Just reading this sentence, Qi Rui felt sad in his heart. More than a year ago, after that meal, Qi Rui learned that Chu Xue was about to get married.
"… I didn't expect the supervisor of the restaurant to still remember you. He even remembered that I ate with you at that time …" Qi Rui felt a burst of melancholy in his heart. I have always remembered you.
"… The supervisor brought the newspaper over and asked if you were the one who came last time. Only then did I know that you were promoted to major general. For so many years, I felt that you could always do what you wanted to do. You were admitted to the Nanjing Army Academy, made contributions in the war, and continued to be promoted. Qi Rui, every time I see you, I feel that what you need is a very stable and relaxed life, but you have always been diligently pursuing those very difficult to achieve goals. I can't understand what goals you want to achieve. These goals that I don't even dare to think about were achieved by you one by one. I think you are very amazing. And after the supervisor confirmed that the person on the newspaper was indeed you, he gave me a discount, letting me bask in your glory … "
Looking at it, Qi Rui suddenly laughed, then he quickly took out a handkerchief and wiped his eyes. While he was amused by Chu Xue's "discount", Qi Rui couldn't stop the tears from rolling down from his eyes. It was more than a small discount. Qi Rui really wanted to hold Chu Xue's hand and say that he wanted to share his life with Chu Xue. It was not only the life of a lieutenant colonel more than a year ago, but also the life of a colonel, senior colonel, and now a major general. There was also the future lieutenant general, general, general, and even the possibility of being a marshal. And Qi Rui was constantly moving forward and had the opportunity to reach the pinnacle of power in the Min dynasty. What Qi Rui wanted to share with Chu Xue was life, a common future for both of them …
The sweet and bitter feeling surged up at the same time, making Qi Rui unable to continue reading. He put the letter away and was unwilling to read it again. Experience told Qi Rui that if he continued to read, especially after reading all the content, he would irreversibly enter a state of heartache. It was better to stop reading in such a relaxed and joyful department, and wait until his mood was very low and he needed comfort before reading the letter.
In addition to these psychological factors, Qi Rui was about to go to class, so he had to put down the letter at this time. Qi Rui put the letter back into the envelope and carefully put it in the corner of a drawer. He got up and wiped his face a little, then went to the teaching building. Therefore, Qi Rui did not see the words on the last page of the letter. "… Qi Rui, after thinking about it, I still want a child. So you have to take care of yourself. When you come back safely, you will probably see that I have become a mother … "
Qi Rui did not read the letter after class. After class, he was immediately called to a meeting by the person in charge here, the vice principal of the Xinxiang Army Academy. The referendum in California had entered a critical moment, and the UA suddenly sent a considerable number of cavalry into California. It seemed that they had plans to disrupt the California referendum, so some of the motorized troops had to go south. The North American Theater of Operations Command issued an order, and Qi Rui himself had to go south with this part of the troops. Even if it was a war, he could not slack off in the slightest.
Therefore, Qi Rui returned to the dormitory to grab some clothes and spent a lot of effort to sort out the various textbooks that he wanted to take away. It was not until he jumped onto a truck at the port, arrived at the port, and boarded the ship that he remembered that he had not finished reading the letter. However, Qi Rui felt relaxed. This operation was a "temporary business trip" for Qi Rui. The dormitory and office were reserved for him, and no one would touch them. It was good not to read the letter now. If he read it again in a few months, he would probably feel differently.
The political commissar of the North American Command, Shen Xin, was relieved when he heard the news that the troops had successfully gone south. North America in the winter was not suitable for large-scale war. The mountains could not allow large troops to pass through, and the thick snow in the Great Lakes region made it difficult for even motorized troops to move, let alone people or horses. The war in 1889 had actually ended. Next year, in 1890, the war would break out even more fiercely. The command hoped to be able to legally establish the West Coast as China's territory before the war next year. In 1890, they would annex the area west of the Mississippi River. In 1891, they would seize all areas west of the Alabama Mountains. Therefore, a thorough cleansing of California was a very important task.
Shen Xin's eyes fell on the map of North America. The Liberation Army completed the campaign goal of destroying Chicago in 1889, and in 1890, the Liberation Army had another extremely important campaign goal, which was Pittsburgh. About half of the steel in the entire United States was produced in Pittsburgh, and a large part of the machinery in the United States was also manufactured in Pittsburgh. Destroying Pittsburgh was equivalent to destroying the industrial capacity of the United States, and the possibility of a comeback was lost. If the Americans were willing to fight the Liberation Army with European-made rifles and cannons, then so be it. The motorized infantry of the Liberation Army in 1890 was destined to be stronger than that of 1889. Let the Americans prove this with their lives.
Just as Qi Rui boarded the ship heading south, Wei Kun also boarded the ship heading to East Africa at the port of Nanjing. The two brothers did not know each other's itinerary, and they did not think of each other too much. Their hearts and minds were filled with the problems they were about to face and the predicament they were about to face. Both of them believed that they could solve the problem and win.
The father of the two brothers, Vézé, still had a calm expression, making it difficult to easily judge the leader's plans. Of course, according to the system, the Min dynasty did not engage in any secret politics. Vézé directly told his comrades his plan.
"In 1889, the preliminary work for moving the capital was completed. In 1890, the capital move officially began. I will lead a part of the units to Beijing in 1890. Twenty years have passed, and even if the arrogance in Beijing has not been completely eradicated, there is probably not much left. Being the capital has probably reached the minimum. What I want to tell my comrades is that the central government has not given up the Yangtze River basin, let alone the Pearl River basin and the South China Sea. Moving the capital means that the central government will not relax on the Pearl River and the Yangtze River, but will also focus on the development of the Yellow River basin. The north will also enter a comprehensive planning and rapid development stage! This is a more difficult work. Don't relax, and don't think that you can be a sheep herder! … "
"… As for our war in North America, this is related to the future of China for hundreds or even thousands of years. We must go into the war with the confidence of victory and win the war. At that time, in addition to celebrating, we are also likely to get a reward. That is, the Chinese army will no longer have to go abroad to fight in the future. We will only fight to defend our country! … "
Since the Min dynasty did not engage in secret politics, this kind of government report was naturally open to the public. Foreign journalists began to pass the document to Europe as soon as they got it. Ten hours later, The Times published the full text of the first edition of the translation. Within twenty hours, the dignitaries of various countries began to read The Times, or received the full text of The Times translated into their own language.
John Farrell, Minister of Industry and Commerce of the Kingdom of Portugal. Farrell was sitting in the living room of his fiancée's house, holding a copy of The Times and reading carefully. His fiancée was the daughter of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, so she kept quiet politely and did not simply and rudely interrupt the Minister of Industry and Commerce's reading. The Minister of Foreign Affairs watched his prospective son-in-law once again use the skill of "reading under the gaze of a beauty as if there was no one else around", and his heart was really unhappy. The wife of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the future mother-in-law of the Minister of Industry and Commerce, watched the Minister of Industry and Commerce's reading work with an expression of "the more a mother-in-law looks at her son-in-law, the more she likes him".
Fortunately, the Minister of Industry and Commerce John Farrell read quickly. Ferrell read quickly, and before the Foreign Affairs Minister could interrupt, he had already raised his head. The document was placed on the folder, so the price of the newspaper did not increase. This was also a manifestation of the Times's sincerity in doing business.
"The Chinese didn't mention a word about war," John Farrell said. "We have to be careful. If the British are defeated, I'm afraid Angola will be in danger."
"They will attack us after defeating the British?" The Minister of Foreign Affairs frowned and expressed his opinion. This made the Minister of Industry and Commerce John Farrell very unhappy. The Minister of Foreign Affairs showed the average level of government officials in the entire Kingdom of Portugal.
"They only need to send troops to wipe out our armed forces in the colony. As for declaring war, they won't do that. They would prefer that Portugal declare war on them first. By then, China will be able to take over Angola. " Farrell explained.
The Foreign Affairs Minister did not seem to understand at the moment. “”
John, Minister of Industry and Commerce of the Kingdom of Portugal Farrell was currently sitting in the living room of his fiancée's house, reading a copy of The Times. His fiancée was the daughter of the Foreign Affairs Minister, so she kept quiet politely and did not interrupt the minister's reading. As for the Foreign Affairs Minister, he was displeased to see his future son-in-law once again using the skill of 'reading a book under the gaze of a beautiful woman'. The wife of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the future mother-in-law of the Minister of Industry and Commerce, watched the Minister of Industry and Commerce's reading work with an expression that said, "The more she looked at her son-in-law, the more she liked him."
Fortunately, the Minister for Industry and Commerce, John F. Ferrell read quickly, and before the Foreign Affairs Minister could interrupt, he had already raised his head. The document was on a folder, so the price of the newspaper did not increase. This was also a sign that the Times was doing business well.
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