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Zheng Xuan and his group fled to Shandong overnight. The incident in Tianjin was quite serious. Song Jin'ao killed nearly thirty foreign devils in the church, including a strong person like Richard.

The French consulate, of course, could not let the matter rest and lodged a strong diplomatic protest with the French government.

Meanwhile, in Dajing, Magistrate Liu Jie directly submitted evidence to the imperial court, including the church's child trafficking and the discovery of a large number of Chinese corpses in the Haihe River behind the church, all of which had been subjected to experimental torture.

Even more ruthless, these radicals from the Baoguo Association went so far as to find a reporter from the Shenbao newspaper and extensively report on the matter.

The Shen Bao was probably one of the most influential newspapers of this period. More importantly, it was not a newspaper run by Chinese people, but was founded by the British, and it had a great influence throughout China.

You should know that the officials of the Great Jing Dynasty have many ways to suppress local newspapers. If they say you can't publish, then you can't publish.

But the newspaper doesn't care about any of that. Do you think you, the officials of Dajing, can control us free citizens of England?

Therefore, the Shenbao newspaper reported this matter on its front page.

As for why the British would help the Baoguo Association, the reason is quite simple. In recent years, everyone has said that foreigners have joined forces to invade Dajing and divide up concessions, and they have imagined that the foreigners are all one big country.

Actually, that's not the case; foreigners also engage in open and covert struggles.

The corrupt Great Jing Dynasty was like a huge piece of fat meat, and all the hunting dogs wanted to take a bite. But who could take the biggest bite and who could take the smallest bite? Even the hunting dogs had to fight openly and secretly.

For example, England and France, these two great empires, were constantly engaged in open and covert struggles.

The main conflicts of interest were concentrated on the rights to build railways and mines. For example, France wanted to build the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, while Britain wanted to build the Yunnan-Burma Railway. The two sides had long disliked each other because of these two railways.

Regarding minerals, for example, when France discovered iron ore in Yunnan, Britain strongly demanded that the Qing government grant them equal mining rights.

In fact, there were also great internal conflicts among the great powers.

As members of the Protectorate Society, some of them had studied abroad and keenly identified the problem, so they directly reported the Tianjin situation to the British.

The British were angry with the French, and when they saw this good opportunity, they decided to support France, no matter who was leading the delegation.

Thus, the front page headline of the *Shenbao* newspaper read: "The Tianjin Massacre: Were they French? Or were they beasts!"

Below is a large photo, taken by someone, showing corpses floating everywhere on the Haihe River.

Once the newspaper "Shen Bao" was published, public opinion was instantly out of control. Chinese people across the country were in an uproar, all clamoring for severe punishment of the French devil. Meanwhile, in the imperial court, the core members of the Preservation Society and the reformists of the Imperial Party began to frantically submit petitions, demanding that the foundation of the country be restored and that the hearts of the people not be chilled.

The conservative members of the party were afraid of offending France and making a scene, which would be difficult for them to handle, so they wanted to settle things quietly.

The two sides began to engage in a power struggle in the imperial court.

Under the influence of the Shen Bao newspaper, the public's outcry, and the prevailing trend, the French Concession Party had no choice but to back down. When the French Consul General in China, Lupin, saw that things had escalated and that people were reporting that many Chinese had begun to march in the French Concession, they were told that even when the French Consul General went to the streets to drive them away, they would not leave.

They dared not fire, as that could easily escalate the situation.

They, the French, came to Dajing to make a fortune, not to show off and offend the Chinese. When it comes to profit, everything must give way.

After a series of discussions, the court and France reached a reconciliation agreement, consisting of three points:

First: Father David André of the French Catholic Church should be immediately expelled from the country.

Second: Da Jing shall compensate the church for its losses and pay 100,000 silver dollars.

Third: China should cooperate with France to quell the matter and ensure that it does not affect France's interests in China.

When these conditions were put forward, the members of the Protectorate naturally objected. However, faced with the powerful Empress Dowager Cixi, the members of the Protectorate felt a deep sense of powerlessness and could only acquiesce to the treaty's entry into force.

"Disgrace, disgrace!"

With a thud, Song Jin'ao slammed his hand on the stone table. In his hand was a secret letter from Tianjin, sent by Liu Jie, the magistrate of Nan Tianjin.

It has been a month since the incident. During this month, Zheng Xuan, Song Jin'ao, and Li Jitong have been living in Weihai, Shandong. Li Jitong's serum poison has not yet been cured. According to Wen Mofang, it will take at least a year to completely remove the poison. It is a slow and meticulous process.

"What's wrong, Uncle-Master?"

Seeing Song Jin'ao's reaction, Zheng Xuan asked him a question. Upon hearing this, Song Jin'ao handed the note to Zheng Xuan.

Zheng Xuan glanced at it, his brows furrowed, and a fire burning in his heart. Andrei had harmed so many people, and the final punishment was deportation. Moreover, Dajing had to pay 100,000 silver dollars for repairs. This was essentially paying Andrei to leave the country.

With the nation so disappointing, what is Zheng Xuan supposed to do? At this moment, he gritted his teeth and said, "A bunch of incompetent officials who hold positions without doing their jobs are a disgrace to China."

Upon hearing this, Song Jin'ao sighed and said, "The court is in such a state, and we are powerless to change it. Only by strengthening ourselves can we possibly save this country."

"Every citizen has a responsibility for the rise and fall of their nation!"

As Song Jin'ao spoke, he immediately added, "By the way, Ah Xuan, our matter has been settled. Magistrate Liu told me we can go back to Tianjin. I'm going back tomorrow. Are you coming back with me?"

Zheng Xuan said, "I need to ask my master."

Li Jitong replied to Zheng Xuan's words, "Go back! What are you doing here if you don't go back? The old man is in good health now and doesn't need anyone to accompany him. You should go back and learn martial arts from Jin'ao. That's the real deal. Don't waste your youth."

Zhou Xun then looked at Zheng Xuan and said, "Ah Xuan, you should go back with Uncle Song. I'll stay with Master, so don't worry."

At the urging of the two, Zheng Xuan and Song Jin'ao left Weihai. Before leaving, Li Jitong found Song Jin'ao and said, "You've come all the way to Weihai, aren't you going to visit Guoping?"

Song Jin'ao shook his head and said, "Forget it. He doesn't want to see me, and I don't want to see him either. It's better to never see each other again."

With that, Song Jin'ao turned and left. Watching him go, Zheng Xuan asked Li Jitong, "Master, who is this Guoping you were talking about?"

Li Jitong said, "Meng Guoping, the captain of Zhenhai Guard, is Jin Ao's junior brother..."

The next morning, Zheng Xuan, Song Jin'ao, Yu Niang, and A Bei embarked on their return journey. They traveled in silence and arrived safely in Tianjin. Song Jin'ao looked at Zheng Xuan and said, "Now that you're back, you should learn martial arts from me properly. Come to my house tomorrow. Although I've filled all my spots as a personal disciple and can't teach you the fighting techniques and killing moves of my sect, the ordinary moves will be enough for you to learn."

"Tomorrow at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), don't be late."

"Yes." Zheng Xuan clasped his hands in a fist salute.