"Sir," the attendant came from the road ahead and reported: "A group of monks from Thailand came from the official road in Zhangjiakou. We interrogated and said that they were going to Lizhuang to win."

Zhang Han said: "Since you have met this by chance, bring them over for a question."

The guards and cavalry dispersed on the avenue, guarding the pedestrians, and there might be assassins among the pedestrians. However, Zhang Han himself didn't care. He found a tea shed. The weather gradually warmed up, and more and more people were setting up tea stalls on both sides of the road. When the boss of the tea stall saw Zhang Han sit down, he quickly made a bowl of tea in a copper pot and delivered it to him.

Jiang Yi came over to taste the tea, and Zhang Han waved his hand and said, "He is not a god. I know that I have lived here today. This boss has set up a tea stall here for 30 years. When I was young, I went out to play in the fort and drank tea here for so many times."

The owner of the tea stall was moved when he heard this and said with a smile: "Mr. Zhang loved to eat tea and snacks from me when he was young, and he loved fried mohua the most."

Zhang Han smiled and lowered his head to drink tea. Others had changed their personalities, but their memories remained unchanged. Sure enough, the tea still tasted like the same as when I was young... it was as unpalatable.

Soon after, a group of more than ten Thais were brought over.

These people did not have mules and horses, nor did they take a car. When the guards had questioned them, they had to walk or take a car all the way, and the journey from the capital was not very far. They had been there for seven or eight days.

Of course, these people also want to preach all the way, but the effect will definitely not be very good.

Shanxi from Xuanfu is an inland place. The people have little knowledge and low information. Local officials do not know much about the Thais. There are many military forts along the way. These people were even locked up as spies for half a day. Fortunately, Johnson Chan opened the road in the capital according to the rules, otherwise the trouble would be great.

When they arrived at Xinpingbao, Joshua Chan and others felt tired and a little disappointed. They felt that this place was not suitable for missionary work, and at the same time they felt that Li Zhuang might not be as developed and advanced as Kong Minxing and others said.

When he met Zhang Han halfway, Tang Ruowang said to everyone: "If that Lord Zhang is different from what we have heard before, we can only turn around on the spot, which will save some roads."

Frederick said: "We come to China thousands of miles away and cannot give up because of a small setback."

When Chau Wang heard this, he smiled. Like him and his predecessors, he had this spirit when he was young, otherwise he would not have done anything.

Many missionaries actually came from middle-class families with wealth, of course, the most were the poor, and a few missionaries were from nobles. They joined the Jesu Society entirely because of their ideal of mission.

Although the Catholic Church in this era had lost the power of theocracy that was greater than royal power in the Middle Ages, as a religion, it still had considerable appeal and cohesion, traveling all over the world, even to South America and Africa to preach, preaching the glory of the Lord, and leading the lost Lamb. The Jesu Society was mainly pure missionaries, and there were also those who wanted to make a living, but there were not many in the Jesu Society.

A group of missionaries were led to Zhang Han, and everyone wanted to bow and bow according to the etiquette of the Ming Dynasty.

"No need to be polite, please sit down." Zhang Han sat on the stool and looked at the priests with interest.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, a large number of priests entered China, and some were real monks. They not only preached, but also established good churches, raised abandoned babies, established hospitals, saved the poor, established schools, and hosted the children of the poor to school. These priests were undestroyed. However, during the Qing dynasty, China's national strength was weak,

(This chapter is not finished, please turn the page) Some priests also acted as a mighty man in China, looting China's wealth, antiques, and serving the Chinese like slaves. In order to develop the religious crowd, believers were overwhelmed by ordinary people, causing local conflicts. During the Boxer Rebellion in the late Qing Dynasty, many missionaries were killed, and many of them were killed in Shanxi, which was very miserable.

At this time, the Ming Dynasty was still strong, at least far stronger than the forces of European countries in Asia, Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands were defeated by tentative attacks. The Ming Dynasty's southern governor could solve the malicious invaders. After several small-scale wars, Europeans had to admit that the Ming Dynasty was also a powerful and civilized country. Many missionaries wrote articles that highly praised China, and the attitudes of these missionaries in front of them were very respectful.

After thanking the crowd, Chau Wang and others sat down, so that they could see the senior military officer of the giant businessman and Ming Dynasty in front of them.

Zhang Han did not wear a military officer's robe. Like his subordinates, he wore a hat like Fan Yang's hat with a big brim, which could block the fire door and fuses for the fuse soldiers on rainy days. Now, although almost all the entire army has changed the fuselock rifle, the fuselock rifle also needs to be blocked. He usually wears a big hat and an iron helmet in wartime. He has a gray knee-length gray robe, two rows of copper buckles on his chest, a belt around his waist, a wide helmet, his trousers in style, and his feet are wearing leather boots.

The difference between ordinary soldiers is that Zhang Han does not have a military rank and a chest mark, which is the only difference.

Tang Ruowang found that Zhang Han was very tall, which was very common among the Ming people in the north. He immediately noticed that Zhang Han was young, probably only in his early twenties. There were many nobles of the Ming Kingdom at this age. Some dukes, marquises or senior military officers at the level of the governor, and many of them were of this age. However, they were hereditary nobles. Although they had titles, they were not in charge of affairs. Zhang Han in front of him was not only a high-ranking official, but also a great merchant. Tang Ruowang knew that everything was done by this young man himself. Before, he did not pay much attention to Zhang Han's age when he heard about Zhang Han's deeds. At this time, Tang Ruowang realized that the noble man in the Ming Kingdom was a little unremarkable.

In terms of temperament, he looked straight and his eyes were bright, but he was not oppressive, nor did he pretend to be majestic like the officials of Ming Dynasty. On the contrary, Zhang Han's smile was very easy-going, and his tone was very light when he spoke just now, which invisibly relieved the tension of the missionaries.

"I would like to ask you all your surnames and names."

Zhang Han asked about his name first, but when he heard Tang Ruowang's name, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

This missionary is very legendary. During the Wanli period, he came to China and traveled all over the country. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, he experienced Li Zicheng and the Eight Banners' entry into Beijing one after another. He clearly recorded the situation when the Eight Banners soldiers entered the city in his notes. Then, during the Shunzhi period, he was later imprisoned because the Rabbit Emperor liked the astronomical calendar and was trusted to the peak of his life. He was indeed a legendary figure.

Zhang Han had never heard of the rest, but his attitude was the same as that of Johnson Chan.

After asking about his name, Zhang Han said: "Everyone comes to my Lizhuang. Do you want to preach or do things?"

Chau Wang pondered for a moment and said frankly: "They have no place to settle down now. They mainly want to find something to do. Only by gaining income can they gain a foothold in the Ming Dynasty for a long time, and they will also do missionary work. Then when the Nanjing church is restored, they may return to the south to continue their missionary work."

"You can preach, you have to abide by the rules, and you can do things here. I need talents very much." Zhang Han said: "The salary is eight taels per month.

(This chapter is not finished, please turn the page).”

Johnson Chan didn't expect things to go so well. The monthly payment of eight taels of silver was relatively high. You should know that although Europe in this era had already had the dividends of great navigation, the income of various countries was still generally not high. At this time, the British government's income was about 2 million to 3 million pounds a year, and the silver was about 10 million taels, which was about the same as the income of the Ming Dynasty's treasury during the Tianqi period. Of course, the Ming Dynasty still had 20 million stones of grain in a year, and there were also a large amount of physical taxes such as silk, silk, and cloth. Some people also had taxes such as taxes. In terms of national strength, they still left Britain far behind. However, at this time, the UK was already ten.

In an efficient capitalist country, the use of fiscal revenue has left the Ming Dynasty more than ten streets, but the national income of the British people is not rich. The so-called gentleman class generally has a minimum annual income of fifty to one hundred pounds, which is almost the same as the annual income of small and medium-sized landlords with hundreds of acres of land in the Ming Dynasty. Ordinary workers and peasants, as well as priests, have an annual income ranging from a few pounds to a dozen pounds. If the missionaries in front of Zhang Han were not in China, in the United Kingdom or the Principality of Prussia, their income would be only a few dozen taels of silver a year.

"Thank you, Lord Zhang." Johnson Chan said happily: "With these incomes, they can deliver the Lord's gospel more easily."

A group of priests showed happy expressions on their faces. They knew that the Chinese used silver ingots or broken silver, and there were also a small amount of copper coins. The main currency was the silver standard, not the gold standard, and there were no gold coins or silver coins. However, the gold-silver price ratio in China was very low. If you got silver, you could exchange it for gold. When you returned to Europe, the gold coins would appreciate greatly and you could make another profit invisibly.

Of course, when thinking about this, the priests were still quite condemned...

"By the way..." Chau Wang said cautiously: "Do they have the obligation to go to the battlefield? On the way we came, we have heard that there is a fierce battle against the barbarians in the north here..."

"You are civilians hired, of course you have no obligation to go to the battlefield." Zhang Han said: "For example, I will go to the battlefield now and go to a military fortress on the northern border, but I will not ask you to go together. If someone goes there voluntarily, I will only accept personnel who can use cannons."

When Tang Ruowang showed a reassurance expression on his face, Zhang Han suddenly said: "If any of you are excellent gunners, skilled in calculating ballistics, can be an instructor and actually operate artillery on the battlefield, then he can win twenty taels of silver a month on the battlefield."

A group of missionaries, including Johnson Chan, opened their mouths in an instant.

...

"This is the first pier in the north."

Coming out of Xinping Castle, riding a horse about five miles ahead, on the green grassland like the sea, a small black dot appeared in front of everyone, and running not far ahead, a complete pier appeared in front of everyone.

This pier is more than four meters high and has a slump-shaped appearance. This is also the standard appearance of the Huoludun, the Ming army border town. In Xuanfu and Datong, this pier is everywhere, usually one for three or five miles, or one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for one for the most part of the pier, platform, fort, chaser, and town. The defensive system of the pier, platform, fort, ward, and town is still very effective.

(End of this chapter)
Chapter completed!