Chapter 25 Chapter Twenty-Five

At this time, the bright candle in the house was blown out suddenly, and then several people jumped out. At this moment, Zhang San had floated to the ground, and shouted: "'Xiao Zhuangliang'! I am Zhang San." The strong man in front was exactly "Little braided beam" Liang Zhenpu, it turned out that after the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded and occupied Beijing, most of the officials in the Qing Dynasty fled for their lives.At this moment, he fled to the Yellow Tavern, and first reunited with his disciple Li Guotai and others.After hearing Liang Zhenpu's narration, Zhang San worried and said: "You can't stay in Beijing for a long time, you should go to the countryside to hide." Liang Zhenpu said: "We are discussing how to get out of the city. I want to go to my hometown in Ji County to live in seclusion." When it comes to the martyrdom of Cheng Yanhua and Wang Wu, everyone is sad.Liang Zhenpu asked someone to set up a banquet, and Zhang San was already hungry, smelling the delicious wine and dishes, he ate and drank hungrily.Liang Zhenpu said angrily: "I thought our Chinese local snakes were hateful, but I didn't expect those foreign soldiers and these local snakes to be even more hateful. They treat us Chinese as human beings." Li Guotai said: "I heard from a friend during the day that Cixi had sent Li Hongzhang and Yi He negotiated peace with foreigners and negotiated compensation. Empress Dowager Cixi also ordered the Boxers to be "strictly investigated and punished to the root". The Eight-Power Allied Forces and the Qing Army have begun to suppress the Boxers in Beijing and Tianjin. In the previous paragraph, I heard people say that Several hundred names and regiments captured Huairou County, occupied the county government, and killed the county magistrate." Zhang San slapped his thigh happily when he heard this, "It must have been done by Commander Zhang Decheng and the others." After talking for a while, Zhang San asked again Li Guotai told the whereabouts of the bastard who reported to the foreign soldiers that the bastard had been living in the Ganyu Building in Bada Hutong and had a heated fight with prostitutes.Zhang San was eager for revenge, he bid farewell to Liang Zhenpu and others, and came to Ganyulou alone.

It is already midnight, Beijing, this ancient city, is like a leaf of duckweed in the silver riverbed, drifting away, and there is some fishy smell in the night wind.Some snow-white paper money fluttered into the air, adding to the sad atmosphere in Beijing.When Zhang San came to Ganyu Tower in Bada Hutong, he saw that there was no one there.It turned out that after the Eight-Power Allied Forces entered Beijing, they killed prostitutes and captives everywhere, and the prostitutes were afraid of losing their lives, so they fled one after another.Zhang San was about to leave when he heard snoring coming from a room.He went in and saw the gangster sleeping with his arms around a prostitute.It turned out that the bustard of Ganyulou buried the money under a jar when she was leaving, and happened to be caught by this prostitute.After the Eight-Power Allied Forces entered Beijing, the prostitute was hiding in a relative's house. A group of Austrian soldiers rushed into the house like hungry wolves, killed the relative, gang-raped her, and stabbed her in the stomach before leaving.The prostitute endured the pain and entered Ganyu Tower, found some wound medicine by herself, and stole the money hidden by the bustard.Because she didn't know the situation outside, she didn't dare to act rashly, so she kept hiding in the backyard of Ganyu Tower.The gangster informed the German soldiers. After Wang Wu was arrested, he was always afraid of revenge from the Yuanshun Escort, so he took his money and went to Bada Hutong to find a prostitute for fun. Unexpectedly, he ran into this prostitute, and the two planned to escape together.But it's not appropriate to take a woman to the street, so I hide here for a living.But when Zhang San saw the bastard, he couldn't help being furious, pulled out the knife, chopped off the bastard's head, saw a piece of clothing wrapped around his shoulders, and walked out of Ganyu Tower.

Zhang San walked northwest and came to Xisanli Muslim Cemetery.On the side of the cemetery, he finally found Wang Wu's tomb; the tombstone was brand new, there were wreaths in front of the tomb, and remnants of incense.Zhang San threw the bastard's head in front of Wang Wu's tomb, knelt down, and cried: "Brother Zibin, Zhang San has come to pay homage to you, and I have eliminated the bastard who caused you! Brother Zibin, you are dead!" Hero, die a heroic death, die a glorious death! You are a model of martial arts, a teacher of martial arts circles and bodyguards! You can rest in peace under the Nine Fountains!..." As he spoke, he wept bitterly, and Night Breeze beat Zhang San's body His cries floated in all directions, and the rustling of the pine forest sounded like a soft sigh, and the night was getting deeper...

Because Zhang San missed Li Cunyi, he rushed to Baiyi Nunnery in Dongzongbu Hutong the next afternoon.Baiyi nunnery was built in the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, there was Huixian, the daughter of the Minister of the Ministry of Officials. She had read a lot of books since she was a child, and she especially loved Buddhist classics. She often went to Guanghua Temple in Beijing to burn incense and petition, and met many monks.After traveling around the world, I saw the beautiful scenery of Mount Naputuo, Mount Wutai, Mount Jiuhua, and Mount Emei, and the sound of Zen and Sanskrit. I was very envious, and I wanted to become a monk.Huixian first became a nun in Wutai Mountain, and then returned to Beijing because of missing his family.She first proposed and raised money from the officials, lamas, monks and nuns and believers at that time to build the Baiyi Nunnery. Since then, the incense has continued to this day.There are Daxiong Hall, Jialan Hall, Bell and Drum Tower, Yuntang, kitchen, huts, etc. in Baiyi Nunnery. There is a very precious mural behind the niche, which was painted by some famous painters in Ming Dynasty.In the front yard, there is a Shurangama scripture building erected by the eunuchs during the Jiazi Winter Solstice in the ninth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty. On the building, the titles of bricklayers, stonemasons, carvers, make-up and luan craftsmen, goldsmiths, kneading officials, and painting officials are recorded.In front of the Daxiong Hall, there is a big bronze bell six feet high with a dragon button. The lower half of the bell is engraved with the names of more than 500 nunnery helpers. The upper half of the bell and the inside of the bell are full of mantras.There is a Huixian Hall in the backyard, where the clay sculpture of the first abbot Huixian is enshrined.

Master Yuelang told Zhang San that Li Cunyi left the city safely last night and went to Cangzhou. The women in distress were still there, but the food was difficult, so he sent people to Zhihua Temple to collect food.Because Zhihua Temple is very close to Lumi Cang, before the Eight-Power Allied Forces entered Beijing, a large amount of grain in Lumi Cang was transferred to the cellar of Zhihua Temple to prevent being robbed by foreign soldiers.Zhang San asked again: "When I first entered the city, were the sisters in the nunnery not in danger?" Master Yuelang sighed: "All the valuables in the nunnery were robbed by foreign soldiers, and dozens of sisters hid in the nunnery." In the cellar, I was the only one watching the wind. When the foreign soldiers came in, they swarmed and surrounded me. Just as they were making moves, an officer walked in. This officer may be a bit of a Buddhist, and he stopped the foreign soldiers. disrespectful behavior."

Zhang San talked with Master Yuelang for a while, and then walked into the Daxiong Hall.The bright moonlight shines on the murals in the hall. There are three Bodhisattva statues of Avalokitesvara, Manjusri and Samantabhadra on the murals.The Shuiyue Guanyin in the middle is half naked, with a light gauze on her shoulders and a wreath on her chest. She has soft muscles and a gentle expression; she is sitting on a lotus flower seat with a smile, and the boy of good fortune stands behind her.Manjusri and Puxian Bodhisattvas are luxuriously dressed and graceful, Manjusri is riding a white elephant and holding a red brush; Puxian is holding a treasure item and riding a white deer.There are beautiful flying fairies floating in the sky, and peonies, roses, bodhi, plantains, etc. appear gracefully on the ground amidst the clouds and smoke.The picture is full of calm, auspicious clouds, and the wind blowing all over the wall, which is lifelike.

Zhang San was stunned, and reached out to touch the plantain on the painting... "Don't move around." With a yell, a young nun walked over slowly. "Yo, so it's Mr. Zhang!" Just as the voice fell, the "giggle" laughter broke out again, like a silver bell.Zhang San looked at this nun carefully, she was lively, with beautiful eyes, flying waves of hope, oval face, curved eyes, tender and greasy thin skin, and a hearty attitude. "Why, Mr. Zhang, it's true that noble people forget things a lot. Mr. Luo Ying's family recited poems to wine, have you forgotten?" Zhang San took a closer look, and it turned out to be Wang Jinting's daughter, Wang Yuanwen.

Zhang San opened his mouth wide in shock: "Why did you come here?" Wang Yuanwen glanced at her mouth and said playfully, "I am going to take shelter in a nunnery for a while. I am planning to slow down the army." It turned out that Wang Yuanwen had an aunt who lived nearby, eight countries After the coalition forces entered Beijing, she was at her aunt's house, and before she could run away with her father, she sneaked into Baiyi Nunnery and hid in the cellar.Just now he and the nun from Baiyi Nunnery went to Zhihua Temple to transport food, and found Zhang San after returning to the nunnery.

Wang Yuanwen said: "Master Zhang, you, Master Wan and others have rescued the imprisoned women in Xixiang Hutong. This incident has caused a sensation in the capital. But now there are still thousands of women imprisoned in the Temple of Heaven. What should we do about this matter?" Zhang Sandao: "There are a large number of American and British soldiers stationed in the Temple of Heaven, and there are also cannons. If there is no considerable force, it is impossible to rescue the sisters who are suffering there." Wang Yuanwen said: "I have an idea, just to see if the third master has the guts?"

Zhang San stared at Wang Yuanwen and said, "Do you have any good ideas?" "Wadexi, the commander of the coalition forces, has had a hot fight with the famous courtesan Sai Jinhua recently, and he is staying in the Yiluan Hall in Zhongnanhai, because that is where Vadersi's headquarters is. If you can persuade Sai Jinhua, persuade her to persuade her Wasn't it a great deed for Waldsi to release the Temple of Heaven and imprison Chinese women?" Zhang San thought for a while, and said: "I see that woman Sai Jinhua is very coquettish, so she may not be able to help you with this."

Wang Yuanwen smiled and said, "That depends on the methods of the third master." It was getting late, the night was sinking, and the city of Beijing was completely silent.It was already the beginning of spring at this time, and there was a drizzle in the sky, and the sky was suddenly clear and then falling, washing the air strangely cool.In the courtyards in Beijing, the peach blossoms are the first to bloom. The light pink sways in the wind and rain, making noises, like crying, sighing, and crying, like a weak little girl, dressed simply and delicately, full of grievances .In the streets and alleys, the soft willows are swaying like flying; the gray clouds are like a lazy woman's scarf, covering the bright moon.The winter snow has melted away long ago, and the bare, damp and warm land is exposed from under the snow clothes, full of hope.It rested for a whole winter, hoping to no longer see the fear in the world, full of longing for new life.But the sound of heavy leather boots made it tremble, as if it was stepping on its chest, and the rain, also known as its tears, dripped down from the eaves like bead curtains and knocked crisply on the ground. There was also such a sound in Zhongnanhai.In the Jin Dynasty, it was the West Garden of the Li Palace, called Xihuatan.After Yuan Shizu Kublai Khan moved his capital, he rebuilt the Zhongdu City into the Dadu City, which became the west of the imperial palace.Ming people changed it to Taiye Pool, also known as Jinhai.In the Qing Dynasty, the South China Sea, Zhonghai, and Beihai were collectively called Xihaizi and listed as forbidden gardens.Zhonghai and Beihai are bounded by Jinaoyu Bridge, and Zhonghai and Nanhai are bounded by Centipede Bridge.Cixi rebuilt Xiyuan and completed it, and Zhongnanhai became a place for her to listen to politics and play.The Hall of Yiluan is located in the west gate of Zhonghai. It was built in the Guangxu period and was the bedroom of Cixi.After the Eight-Power Allied Powers entered Beijing, the commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces, Vadsi, took this place as his headquarters.The owner of the evening reading hall once wrote a poem: "Ten years of Zimo chasing the fragrant dust, the scenery in my eyes is getting new day by day. A song of neon clothes makes me happy in the sky, and the harem is busy with white-headed people." It was very late when Zhang San bypassed the numerous outposts of foreign soldiers and arrived in front of Yiluan Hall.He leaned against the window and looked in, and saw Sai Jinhua wearing a thin lake blue cheongsam, reclined on the sofa, her face heavily smeared with makeup.On another sofa, a German general in his fifties was talking with her, smoking a cigarette.Zhang San thought: That German general must be Waldsee. Sai Jinhua flipped her legs frivolously, and said, "Mr. Vadsey, when we met in Europe, you talked endlessly, talking about the world's situation, and I was dumbfounded." Vadsi threw away the cigarette butts, picked up a bunch of fresh lychees, stuffed one into his mouth, and said: "I'm just making a fuss, I just want to please you, and I invite you, an oriental beauty, to dance. The time I spent with you is something I will never forget." Sai Jinhua smiled sweetly, and smoothed her hair with her slender hands: "Can't our time now make you lose your mind?" Wadesi said: "Stealing love in the flames of war, the mood is always restless. Don't look at the coalition forces domineering in Beijing, but when I see the eyes of you Chinese people full of hatred, I tremble from the bottom of my heart. I am a soldier who likes history. You know, there is no nation or country that can be conquered by force! I am far away from my hometown, relatives, and motherland. I came to the east to fight. I can see you again in Beijing. That day, the officer reported to me that he met a German-speaking Chinese lady in a small building. I was stunned for a moment. I didn’t expect it to be you. The name of Guo Sai Jinhua, I remember it was Fu Caiyun back then." Sai Jinhua giggled louder: "Cao Menglan, Fu Caiyun, Xiao Lanlan, Sai Jinhua, Sai Erye are all me. Let me ask you, you were just an ordinary officer at that time, how did you become a commander in chief?" Vadsi proudly took out a brocade box from a drawer, the brocade box was exquisite and beautiful.He opened the brocade box, and there was something inside, with the word "Shuaihu" engraved on it.Waldsee laughed and said, "It's not because of my ruthlessness, bravery in battle, and killing people like hemp, that the Kaiser bestowed this handsome wat on me." Sai Jinhua leaned forward, weighed the handsome wat in his hand, and exclaimed, "It's still gold." Waldesi put the handsome wat into a brocade box and put it in a drawer, and said with a smile: "It's getting late, let's sleep well on Cixi's dragon bed, and I will call a meeting of the coalition commanders tomorrow morning. Discuss about accepting Cixi's indemnity..." He said, holding Sai Jinhua's snow-lotus-like arms, and came to the bed. Sai Jinhua took off her lake-blue cheongsam, revealing her pink and crisp body. She twirled gracefully and said intoxicatedly: "The most outstanding officer like you is the one I love the most in my life. I The first time I saw you at the ball in Europe, my heart fluttered and I couldn't hold myself back, but fate made us separate right after we met, and I didn't expect to meet you again..." Hearing this, Vadesi was deeply moved, and his face was full of tears.As soon as he set foot on the land of China, his heart trembled. He was afraid that he would be buried in this ancient and strange country.Seeing the corpses killed by his soldiers, facing those eyes full of hatred, how much he needs the comfort of a woman who understands Western language and way of life at this moment!He opened his arms, hugged Sai Jinhua involuntarily, and twirled around the room excitedly.Suddenly, he threw her on the dragon bed like a chick, and then rushed up like a vicious eagle... At this time, Zhang San had come to a magic kitchen on the west side of the Yiluan Hall. He wanted to set fire to it and steal Shuaihu in order to save the women in the Temple of Heaven. Feiteng, someone set fire to it.The fire fights against the wind, and the wind helps the fire. After a while, half the sky is red.On the dragon bed in the Fuluan Hall, Wa Dexi and Sai Jinhua, who were having fun together, rolled out of the bed naked, ignoring their clothes.Vadsi picked up Sai Jinhua and jumped out of the window... At this time, groups of foreign soldiers came after hearing the news, some put out the fire, some rescued people.Wa Dexi hugged Sai Jinhua and hurriedly avoided to the nearby Ziguang Pavilion.Vadsi suddenly remembered Shuaihu, and hurriedly asked the foreign soldiers to grab it.The foreign soldiers ventured into the Hall of Yiluan and opened the drawer, but Shuaihu was gone.