Chapter 3 The Qing Aristocrat with a Deep Blood Feud

  As he walked on, Li Mingfeng gradually recovered from the shock of crossing over, and his mind became clearer.

  If this was really in Hong Kong at the end of 1857, why were there large numbers of British troops stationed here? Although Hong Kong was ceded to Britain after the First Opium War, it was not necessary for the British army to station such a large force on this small island, and why were French troops also present?

  The term Anglo-French army immediately comes out.

  Li Mingfeng's historical knowledge is quite good, after all, he is a tour guide at the National Museum, and without some level of historical knowledge, how can one introduce cultural relics? In 1857, the Anglo-French coalition army, it seems that the Second Opium War was about to break out. In his own memory, in 1860, the coalition army entered the Yuanmingyuan Garden, and then signed a series of treaties, ceding territory, paying indemnities, and opening the prelude to China becoming a semi-colony.

  "We're here, Li, and just ahead is our camp." Palando's voice broke into Li Mingfeng's reverie.

  What appeared before Li Mingfeng's eyes was a large military camp, with several soldiers wearing red uniforms and white helmets standing guard outside the camp with rifles.

  "Hey Andrew Adams come over and help!" Palandre, who was already half dead with fatigue, hailed his comrades on sentry duty.

  "Shh, keep your voice down, you idiot. Do you want everyone to know that we're sneaking food? Hmm, who is this Mr...?" The British soldier, called Andrew, looked at Li Mingfeng's attire and his tone became much softer, it seemed that a simple suit in this era had brought Li Mingfeng enough respect.

  "This gentleman is a friendly Chinaman; he's a regular sport, and I couldn't have pulled off this blasted bet without his help."

  "Gentlemen from the UK, my name is Li Mingfeng, you can just call me Li. " Li Mingfeng put on his professional smile again, slightly leaning forward, a must-have gesture for tour guides, especially those who deal with Westerners every day and need to understand basic Western etiquette.

  "Oh, God, Lee actually understands English, it's truly unbelievable." Andrew exclaimed.

  "What's that? Lee also speaks French, you know? French" Palando said with some boastfulness, as if speaking French was his own specialty.

  "Oh God, I thought all Chinese were some unsophisticated natives who had never seen a city before." Andrew shouted again.

  The other British soldiers on guard were no better than Andrew, all agape and invoking God.

  Until Palande shouted again, Andrew and Adams took over the food box and brought Li Mingfeng into the camp. Apart from those on guard duty, Palande also invited other soldiers in the company to gather for dinner.

  Inside the tent, a small table was filled with these delicious foods. A moment later, soldiers brought by Palando arrived, and when they saw Li Mingfeng, this almost completely Westernized Oriental person, they were all a bit stunned, but the delicious meat dishes immediately made their brains start working again.

  Li Mingfeng, who is fluent in English, quickly got along with the soldiers and extracted all the information he needed. It seems that counter-espionage work in this era is still not doing enough.

  Palmer and Andrew, among others, were part of the army under Lord Elgin, Governor General of Canada for the British Empire. Andrew was Palmer's cousin and also the captain of this regiment. This time they had been ordered by the Queen to come to Hong Kong for garrison duty. It was said that a certain ship had been detained by the Qing government and that the soldiers of the Qing had insulted the Imperial flag on board. However, Palmer and others who had been in the army for over ten years knew that this was just an excuse, as the Empire had used many such excuses before.

  Unfortunately, all these demands were rejected by the Qing government. As a result, the vast military power of the British Empire now had a new mission.

  After arriving at the military camp, Li Mingfeng already knew that he must have returned to the late Qing dynasty. Even if someone wanted to play a joke on him or pull off an evil prank, it would be impossible to hire thousands of British people and buy several thousand guns and dozens of heavy artillery pieces.

  When the fact of crossing was confirmed, Li Mingfeng felt an unprecedented confusion. Where should he go and where should he come from?

  He is not that kind of young man who spends all day on forums, coming to the late Qing dynasty and wanting China to rise up, fight Britain and France, contend with America and Russia, and dominate the world.

  He, who had some knowledge of history, knew that in the real situation, this technically backward feudal empire could not rise rapidly in a short period. The most fatal thing was that almost all Chinese people were unaware of their backwardness, which directly led to China's lagging behind the world for the next 150 years.

  Li Mingfeng couldn't help but chuckle lightly. He didn't expect himself to be thinking about these things, considering that his former classmates and friends had said before that if Li Mingfeng were living during the Anti-Japanese War, he would definitely be a traitor. This statement actually has some truth to it. Today, seeing the British army who are about to invade the Qing Dynasty discussing the greatness of the British Empire, he didn't feel any anger at all, but instead felt a kind of excitement as if he was about to witness the course of history.

  "Attention!" Just as Li Mingfeng was planning his own future, a command came through.

  Andrew and others who were gathered at the table enjoying their food immediately stood up with a "whoosh" upon hearing the command, like fighting cocks shaking out their spirits, chest out, head held high, eyes fixed on the front. If it weren't for the oil stains affecting their image, these soldiers could really be called a majestic and powerful army.

  A military officer in his fifties, surrounded by a group of soldiers wearing the same red uniforms, walked in. The entire tent, which was only a few dozen square meters in size, was packed with twenty or thirty British soldiers in bright red uniforms, making Li Mingfeng, who was dressed in a black suit, stand out like a crane among chickens.

  "An Oriental?" The leading officer asked with a hint of puzzlement.

  Andrew stepped forward and replied: "Yes sir, this is our regiment's soldier Parand who found the translator outside. He is a Qing dynasty nobleman who understands English."

  "Chinese who speak English?" The old officer was also astonished.

  After a moment's thought, Li Mingfeng opened his mouth and fabricated a story: "My father was a famous rich merchant in Qing Dynasty, he sent me to Oxford University some years ago, I learned English there, so I'm half British."

  Li Mingfeng knew that in the Qing Dynasty, being a merchant was a despised profession, but it wasn't like that in capitalist Britain, where wealthy merchants held extremely high social status. Fabricating a good family background would be beneficial when interacting with these guys who valued bloodline above all else. As for Oxford University, this group of people from Canada wouldn't have returned to the British mainland even after ten years, so how could they possibly know whether Oxford had accepted an Oriental student?

  "Why are you here." The officer was shocked at Li Mingfeng's English level, but as the commander of the troops, he would not allow a mysterious enemy to be in his own troops.

  "Hmm, I..." Li Mingfeng was trying to come up with a more logical explanation for this story, but he couldn't think of a reasonable reason why a rich young man like himself would be alone in a place like this. As he saw the officer's eyes fill with suspicion, Li Mingfeng's forehead began to sweat profusely.

  "Ah, ah, ah..." Li Mingfeng hastily began to spin a melodramatic tale: "General, my family was originally a wealthy household in the Qing dynasty, but we were framed by corrupt officials and ultimately met with disaster. Fortunately, I was studying abroad in England and escaped their evil clutches. A few days ago, I arrived in Hong Kong on a merchant ship, planning to return to the Qing dynasty and seek revenge for my family. However, my enemies are too powerful, and if I were to return home, I would likely be caught by them. Just as I was at a loss for what to do, I heard that the Imperial Army is about to attack the Qing dynasty. Today, I have come specifically to offer my services to you, General, to help your army achieve victory and destroy the Qing dynasty, avenging my parents' deaths."

  The officer, upon hearing Li Mingfeng's words, still had some doubts but couldn't find any flaws. Since he had come to surrender, they couldn't just ignore him: "Alright then, you're a Qing national and familiar with the situation in Qing. I'll appoint you as the interpreter for the British Empire's Eastern Expeditionary Force. Although we have missionaries who can speak Chinese, the way Qing officials talk is too peculiar, and it's always unclear what they're saying."

  Li Mingfeng heard the officer say this, and immediately put on a grateful and tearful appearance: "Thank you, General, thank you, General. May God bless you forever. May the British Empire's flag always be victorious."