The sun never sets

Viewed from another perspective, this world is a game that cannot be saved or restarted. Thinking of this, Lin Yongchang feels that all the inconveniences are not so unbearable.

chapter eight

With the money in hand, Lin Yongchang thought about buying something. Money is only money when it is in circulation. If it is not moving, it is just a number. Capitalism has developed into financial capital. Everything can be packaged into assets, and it can be exaggerated to the point where it can be idling without physical objects. However, capitalism is not without its merits. In this era, capitalism is still an advanced trend of thought. At least

It is much superior to the serfdom and feudal systems.

After coming out of the opium den, Lin Yongchang searched for a long time before he found a teahouse with newspapers. He spent a dollar to buy dozens of outdated newspapers. He was now wearing a fur robe given by the Dalai Lama and had a crew cut. He looked like a lama, only a little taller and whiter.

Teahouses are not only places for drinking tea, but also sell beef, mutton, rice and other food. The boss asked the waiter to bring out all the newspapers from the past month, and then asked, "Master, do you want to eat something?"

"something delicious?"

The boss perked up and said, "We just killed a camel. Do you want to test its hump?"

Lin Yongchang originally wanted to eat some beef and mutton from the grassland, but he didn't expect there was camel meat. He couldn't help but be curious, "Why did you kill the camel?"

The boss casually said, "It broke its front leg on the way back from Guihua City. It couldn't be healed, so the caravan sold it to the restaurant."

"............." Lin Yongchang shook his head and said, "Give me two pounds of beef. Do you have rice?"

"I didn't steam rice today, would you like some steamed buns?"

"Four, please."

"Okay, wait a moment, I'll bring it to you right away."

There were some bad smells in the restaurant, but it was clean and the temperature was low, so there were no flies or mosquitoes. Soon, the sliced braised beef was served, along with two large steamed buns and soup, which was a delicious meal.

Lin Yongchang found that his appetite had increased a lot. He had originally planned to eat half of the food and pack up the rest to take home, but he didn't expect to finish it all in one go. It seemed like he could have eaten another two kilograms?

After patting his stomach and eating until he was about 70% full, Lin Yongchang slowly walked along the dirt road back to the Lama Temple. When he was ready to go to bed at night, the Dalai Lama appeared at the door with a tired face.

"Living Buddha, you have worked hard all day. Why don't you go and rest first? We can talk about it tomorrow. How do you think?"

The Dalai Lama pondered for a moment and said, "I have things to do tomorrow, so I'd better talk about it first."

"Well, go ahead."

The Dalai Lama had a lot to say, but now he felt that it was not that important. He was silent again, and after a long while he asked, "What do you think is Buddhism?"

"Buddhism?" Lin Yongchang was a little surprised, but only a little. He didn't know much about Buddhism. "Not too much."

The great lama spoke eloquently, "The Gelug sect was founded in the early Ming Dynasty. In the seventh year of the Yongle reign, we built the first temple of our sect, the Ganden Monastery. From the seventh year of the Yongle reign to today, it has been more than 530 years."

"Oh."

Lin Yongchang didn't feel anything about this. Humans' joys and sorrows are not the same. He knew what the great lama meant by these words. He just wanted to recruit more people. The Dalai Lama was eloquent, but Lin Yongchang didn't want to become a follower of Tibetan Buddhism. It wasn't that he had any opinions about Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism. It was simply because there were too few benefits. Tibetan Buddhism was now spreading in remote areas such as Tibet and Mongolia. Unless he wanted to be a Mongolian Khan, there would be more troubles than benefits in believing in Tibetan Buddhism.

As a Paradox player, they only care about the benefits and nothing else. Going against the tide is common, jumping back and forth, righteous backstabbing... As long as there is benefit, as long as it can expand the territory, they can do anything. [Europa Universalis] is one of Paradox's signature games. When playing [Europa Universalis], players have no sense of morality and bottom line.

Tibetan Buddhism can bring too few benefits, so Lin Yongchang does not intend to believe in it, but now that the game has just started, it is still necessary to build a good relationship with the Lama who came. The main reason is that there is a task of [Debate Master], which requires a good impression of 150 points with any faction.

"If the Living Buddha has any instructions, just tell me. As long as I can do it, I will definitely not refuse."

Seeing that he had changed the subject, the Dalai Lama showed a disappointed expression on his face, but then he cheered up again, "I have sent people to the capital, but the court may not agree to send troops to the plateau to resist the English."

Lin Yongchang smiled and said, "They will definitely not agree. The imperial court is now terribly afraid of foreigners."

The great lama said, "So I would like to ask the donor, is there any room for easing this matter?"

"It's impossible to ask the court to send troops, but the British army can dominate the world because of its strong armor and powerful weapons. As long as we have equally powerful foreign guns, we can stop the British. The Living Buddha wants the court to send troops, but the court dares not to send troops, so why can't the Living Buddha train a strong army himself?"

The Dalai Lama was very interested and asked, "Can I also train a strong army?"

"Of course you can!" Lin Yongchang said firmly: "Buy more foreign guns and cannons, and hire a few military instructors. Isn't that what the Japanese...the Japanese did? In just a few years, they defeated all the imperial officers and soldiers!"

The Dalai Lama usually preaches in Tibet or in Mongolia. It was only in recent years that he began to get involved in military issues, but he had no professional military training. He figured out some things on his own, but they were not systematic and the effect was not good. The most important thing was that his equipment was poor. After all, swords could not beat foreign guns and cannons.

Lin Yongchang continued: "It is not possible to ask the court to send troops, but it is possible to

The court allocated some military pay and some guns. The Living Buddha took the money and guns back to form an army, recruit a group of instructors, spend a few months training the army, and then he can go out to fight. Even if he can't match the British army, it shouldn't be a problem to hold on thanks to the terrain. "

The Dalai Lama was no longer sleepy. "The imperial court's guns and cannons don't work well. Why not ask for more silver and buy guns and cannons from foreigners?"

Lin Yongchang clapped his hands and smiled, "This is better."

"But...will the court be willing to allocate the money?"

"I just happen to have something to report to the Living Buddha."

Lin Yongchang then told Li Wenyong about what happened during the day, and then said: "It is well known that Prince Qing loves money, but he will really do things for money. As long as we give him more money, the court will allocate some money, and maybe we can even send some officers to Tibet."

Chapter nine

The Dalai Lama came here to ask the court for military funds, but before he saw the funds, he had to give away a large sum of silver? But that's how the world works. If you want money, you have to give it first. When the British army invaded the border, the Dalai Lama sent people to the capital at full speed, hoping that the court would send reinforcements, and preferably give more silver.

But no, nothing. No reinforcements, no military funds, the court just said to be patient and not to provoke friendly countries. The British are coming with foreign guns and cannons, how can we be patient and not to provoke friendly countries? Should we stick our necks out for the foreigners to kill?

So the Dalai Lama turned around and wanted to cling to the Russians. The problem was that the Russians were not so easy to cling to. After a year in Kulun, the Dalai Lama saw clearly that the Russians' ambitions and appetites were several times stronger than their strength. They only wanted benefits and didn't want to put in any effort.

This time, the Dalai Lama had no other choice but to come here in person to ask for help. He also knew that the imperial court was unreliable, but who else could he rely on besides the imperial court? Lin Yongchang's words sounded very nice, and the great lama was quite tempted, but the Dalai Lama wanted to wait a little longer. Maybe the imperial court would suddenly change its mind?

Lin Yongchang said he was willing to go to the capital with Li Wenyong to show his power to Prince Qing, which was actually just a gift of money. The Dalai Lama agreed, but told him not to rush and wait until the envoy returned.

The great lama was really sleepy. He could still hold on when he was excited just now, but now that he had made the decision, he yawned several times. He wanted to teach Buddhism to Lin Yongchang, but his body couldn't take it anymore. He could only go back and rest first, and talk about it in a few days.

After the lama left, Lin Yongchang checked the relationship with Tibet and found that it had increased to +14.

Europa Universalis is a strategy game, it only shows the relationship with a country, not the favorability with a person. But a country is also made up of people, after talking so much with the Dalai Lama, and even coming up with a good idea, the relationship has risen. If you think about it carefully, some of his words are not so rigorous, nor so correct, but the Dalai Lama doesn't know, so the favorability has increased.

In the next few days, Lin Yongchang either wandered around the city or practiced riding. He originally wanted to buy a war horse, but he couldn't afford it. An ordinary draft horse costs 15 taels of silver, a war horse costs 30 taels, and a good war horse is even more expensive. One tael of silver is worth three or four hundred yuan, an ordinary horse costs four or five thousand, and a war horse costs tens of thousands. It's not expensive, but Lin Yongchang only has twenty or so dollars left, enough to buy a big animal, but that would leave him with little money.

In Zhangbei County, the prices of cattle and horses are very cheap, only half to one-third of those in the capital, but still expensive.

So he prepared to buy a mule.........Mules were expensive, so what about donkeys? Donkeys were cheap, but he was too heavy for the donkey to carry. A child couldn't drive a cart, and a donkey couldn't carry him, Lin Yongchang.

So, in the end, he could only borrow a horse from the Dalai Lama's entourage to practice. Everyone saw the Dalai Lama's attitude towards him, and he also bought braised beef and wine to treat the guests, so the entourage agreed to his request.

Due to environmental, religious, and traditional factors, Mongolians and Tibetans have a long history of alcoholism. Several drunk followers sat under the eaves and watched Lin Yongchang carefully riding on the horse, and laughed happily. They knew that Lin Yongchang was not an ordinary person, but they had never seen such poor riding skills. If he was really that bad, he would not make a fool of himself in public.

Lin Yongchang didn't care what others thought. No matter what time it was, running fast was a very important part. Two legs couldn't outrun four legs after all. He could drive a car before, but cars in China were rarer than pandas these days, so he could only practice riding. He didn't need to become a fierce general who could kill people on horseback. His temporary goal was to be able to maneuver on horseback, or to make strategic turns.

Riding a horse is not something that can be mastered in a day or two. The Mongolians have lived on horseback since childhood, but Lin Yongchang is not like that. He rode on the horse carefully to get his body familiar with the feeling and use his brain to summarize his riding experience. Of course, there are scientific training methods for riding. For most things, the training time can be shortened through learning.

There are many skills and knowledge in the [Emperor's Sun Never Sets] system, and [Riding Skills] is also available, but the problem always comes back to the first one - being poor! All skills require points, and Lin Yongchang has no points at the moment. Looking at those skills, he can only swallow his saliva and continue to ride carefully.

Horse Tours.

The followers drank up all the wine and ate all the braised beef, then went to sleep. In the afternoon, when the followers got up from the bed yawning, they saw Lin Yongchang still riding on the horse carefully. Some people rubbed their eyes, wondering if they had only slept for a short while, but looking at the sun in the sky, they knew that was not the case.

Could it be that this tender-skinned fellow had been riding all day?

Perhaps, but even if they rode for a whole day, it wouldn't be a big deal. The followers were all very good riders, whether they were Mongolians or Tibetans, it was common for them to stay on horseback for a day or two without getting off the ground. The best ones could stay on horseback for three days and three nights, eating, drinking, defecating and urinating on horseback.

The followers gathered in twos and threes and continued to laugh at Lin Yongchang's riding skills. Lin Yongchang didn't care and continued to carefully climb on the horse, fearing that he would fall off. By the evening, the insides of his thighs were red and burning with pain.

The Dalai Lama did not come that night, nor the next day. By the third day, Lin Yongchang was able to sit on the horse and let the horse walk slowly, but the price was that the skin on the inside of his thigh was rubbed and bleeding a lot. In the past three days, he had to ride for ten hours every day and fell several times to achieve the current results.

On the third night, the Dalai Lama came to Lin Yongchang again to discuss the world situation.

These days, Lin Yongchang did not just practice riding. He also bought some paper and ink, and asked someone for a dozen goose feathers. He wrote some things, mainly introducing the rise of Britain and its process of dominating the world over the past few hundred years, as well as the problems and difficulties Britain is facing now.

Is the British Empire strong? Of course it is! The number one hegemon, the world's number one power, the true empire on which the sun never sets. Let's put it this way, as long as the British want, they can defeat any country. But the British have more than one opponent, but all countries except the Commonwealth. The Anglo-Saxons can defeat any power, but the price is to lose the throne of world hegemony, which is something no one would ever do.

The current world situation is like the early Warring States period. No country has the strength to unify the world, and even the idea of unifying the world has not yet emerged.

chapter Ten

The Dalai Lama picked up Lin Yongchang's manuscript and read it. The handwriting was very neat, but it was obvious that it was not well written. The traces between the horizontal, vertical, left and right strokes were too deliberate. There was no way. Lin Yongchang had never practiced calligraphy before, and writing with a goose feather pen was not very smooth. He had never written traditional Chinese characters before, but he wrote them by imitating what he read in the newspaper these days. The fact that there were no typos was a result of his hard work and carefulness.

Compared to the insignificant handwriting, the content of the manuscript is very wonderful. It is not to say that the article is written in a gorgeous and literary style. When Lin Yongchang wrote it, he tried to make it as straightforward as possible. He wanted to write it for most people to read, to popularize science, not to write a beautiful article.

Well, when I think about it this way, wouldn’t I become a public intellectual, or a public intellectual?

Lin Yongchang thought of something interesting and smiled. The Dalai Lama looked more and more serious in the bright candlelight. Lin Yongchang wrote these articles to be submitted to the newspaper to enhance his reputation and to establish a good relationship with the Dalai Lama. Therefore, he focused on the British expansion experience and the military force they could deploy, pointing out that the British army was now deeply involved in the Boer War, but as soon as the Boer War ended, they would definitely attack Tibet again.

From the newspapers he collected, Lin Yongchang had determined that the Second Boer War had broken out. Although the British naively believed that the resistance of the South African Boers was just a minor issue and could be easily suppressed, things were not that simple. If it was just the Boers and the British fighting, the British army would indeed be able to win easily, but there were more than just Britain and the Boers in the world.

Britain is the world's number one hegemon, and it seems to be powerful and invincible, but other powers have not been defeated by the British, nor do they want to be forever under the shadow of the British. They are all thinking about how to pull Britain down from the throne of hegemony. Who of the other powers, France, Russia, the United States, Germany, the Ottoman Empire, etc., has not fought with the British? Who has no disputes with Britain?

The situation in Europe was very tense. There were conflicts in the Balkans almost every year. Everyone was dissatisfied with the British. Now the Boers stood up to fight the British army. The powerful countries provided money and manpower to arm the Boers, hoping to make the British bleed more. The Germans, in particular, not only provided a large number of guns and cannons, but also sent many military instructors to help the Boers resist the evil British.

The British newspapers downplayed the re-emergence of the Boer War, as if it was not worth mentioning, but newspapers in countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands were loudly calling for assistance to the Transvaal, that is, to the Boers. It is true that the British are the world hegemon, so they are hated by most people.

The Western world launched a movement of sympathy and solidarity with the Boer Republic in 1899. The Netherlands and Belgium formed numerous non-governmental organizations, solicited donations, published articles, established foundations, and donated wartime mobile hospitals and medical equipment to Transvaal. Thousands of people from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, the United States, Russia, Ireland, Italy, and Scandinavian countries donated medical equipment to the Transvaal.

Volunteers traveled across the ocean to Transvaal, ready to fight alongside the Boers.

Although the Western world would not personally go to war with Britain, and no major power would be a match for the British if a war really broke out, they still had the ability to provide the Boers with guns and funds.

So the Boer War was not simply a war between a small South African country and a world hegemon, but a war between the British and the Boers and the powers behind them. The powers and Britain wrestled with the Boers as a battlefield, and the war would inevitably become long and bloody. It would not end until the blood of the Boers was dried up.

Or drain the blood of the British? That is impossible. The British crown was obtained by relying on India. India's manpower is almost endless. The British will not surrender until the last Indian is dead.

"It's very well written." The Dalai Lama read it quickly. He put down the thick stack of manuscripts and said again: "It's very well written."

The manuscript was well written, but the Dalai Lama still had some doubts in his heart. Would things really develop as written in the manuscript? The Dalai Lama was not sure. As a religious and political leader, the Dalai Lama had met many people, and had also met many who boasted. Lin Yongchang seemed to be very capable, but we still had to wait and see how good he was.

If the English were to get into a long war with the Boers, Tibet would have a few years to prepare. If the English were to defeat the Boers quickly, the British would attack Tibet again.

The great lama pondered for a moment and asked, "Did the English really betray their loyalty and kill the envoy?"

"A lot. Not just the British, but other powers have done it, too."

Lin Yongchang reminded: "When we fight the British in the future, don't believe their lies, especially when the two armies are at a stalemate."

In another time and space, the British pretended to negotiate with the Tibetan army, tricked them down from the mountain, and then launched a surprise attack with Maxim machine guns and cannons, destroying the elite troops of the Tibetan army and opening the road to Lhasa.

"You are a gifted man, it is a great waste of your talent to be confined to this place."

After reading the manuscript, the Dalai Lama raised his opinion of Lin Yongchang again, and his words became more polite. Even if it turns out that this man's prediction of the Boer War was wrong in the future, he had never seen or even heard of anyone who could analyze the relationship between the powers so thoroughly. "If you need anything, just ask."

Lin Yongchang would not be polite to the great lama. "If I really need you, could you lend me two of your followers? They must be good at riding."

The Dalai Lama heard about Lin Yongchang's horse riding practice these days. Although he didn't understand why such a great talent would practice horse riding, it didn't reduce Lin Yongchang's status in his heart. Two followers were nothing. There were many people willing to serve as followers for the Dalai Lama. If there was enough money, the Dalai Lama could easily recruit thousands of people.

"Just pick two. Is there anything else?"

"Also, I want to do some business here, which may be a bit troublesome sometimes."

The Dalai Lama was a little curious. "Oh, what kind of business are you planning to start? Selling horses? I can ask someone to tell you about it, but at most I can only sell a few hundred horses a year."

There wasn't much else on the grassland, except for the cattle, sheep and horses. The horses sold from Zhangbei to Hebei and Shanxi could be resold several times the profit. However, all the businesses that could make a lot of money were occupied by others, whether it was selling horses, cattle and sheep, or opening an opium den, or a casino or brothel, there had to be someone behind the scenes. If you rashly intervened, the government would come to your door.

Lin Yongchang originally wanted to do other business, but it was good to be able to sell horses. Even if there were only a hundred horses, he could earn thousands of taels of silver a year. It wasn't much, but it was not a small amount for an individual. Now was the time to start his career, and it was good to earn a little more.

Chapter 11

Originally, Lin Yongchang was going to Beijing to develop his career, where there were many people, so he could display his eloquence, but now he had a mission to do, so he decided to stay in Zhangbei County for a few more days. It would be good to make more preparations, as sharpening the knife does not delay the chopping of wood. He was now mainly practicing horse riding in Zhangbei, and more importantly, writing articles and doing business.

Riding is practiced to prepare for emergencies. At critical moments, riding skills may become a matter of life and death. Writing articles is to help the people broaden their horizons and to improve his reputation. Doing business is, of course, to make money. If business is not for making money, is it for public welfare? Only people like President Ma can openly say such nonsense as "business is the greatest public welfare".

Because of the Dalai Lama's matchmaking, Lin Yongchang temporarily gave up his previous plan and turned to the business of selling cattle, sheep and horses. There was a great demand for horses in Hebei and Shandong, and an even greater demand for beef and mutton in Beijing. Under normal circumstances, driving cattle and sheep from Zhangbei County could earn several times the profit.

However, it is not so easy to make money. First of all, you have to travel hundreds of miles. On the way, you may encounter any problems. The livestock may get sick, lose weight, or encounter government robbers or something. You may lose everything. Even if you bring the livestock to the capital, you still need to find buyers. It is common for novices to be killed. The guilds and gangs there will not be very friendly to those who squeeze in to do business, and they may do something bad.

.

For example, they could work together with local merchants to lower prices. Livestock need to eat a lot every day. When they arrive in the capital, the price of cattle, sheep and horses has increased several times, and the price of feed has also risen rapidly. If a large number of livestock are left in hand for a few months, all the capital will be lost.

Or he might bribe some gangsters, thugs, and thugs to do poisoning, theft, and the like. A strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake. Even if Lin Yongchang can beat ten of them, he can't do anything about those local thugs. There are only thieves who can steal for a thousand days, but there is no one who can guard against thieves for a thousand days.

So, being a businessman is not an easy job.

But Lin Yongchang still went to discuss the purchase of livestock with the herders with great enthusiasm. No matter what the matter is, it is not so simple and you may encounter many troubles. But as long as you do it, you will have the opportunity to solve the troubles one by one. If you don't do it, the troubles and problems will always be there.

Just like what is said in the Chinese textbook, "If you do it, the difficult things will become easy. If you don't do it, the easy things will become difficult."

He practiced riding for a few days and could now sit on the horse and let the horse walk slowly. So he took two followers, the two given to him by the Dalai Lama, and strolled around outside the city. When he saw a large number of livestock, he went up to bargain with the people. However, most of the livestock here were Mongolians. Many Mongolians could speak a few words of Chinese, but they were not very proficient. Lin Yongchang could speak Chinese, English, and understand some Japanese. He had never been exposed to Mongolian before, and he only learned a few words in the past few days. But he still communicated with the herdsmen by gestures.

The way to communicate is to first serve a pot of muddy wine, then take out a few pieces of braised beef, and then the rest will be easy. It doesn't matter if both parties are not very proficient in each other's language, because wine and meat are the best language. Gestures, tone of voice, and eye contact can all be used for communication, and it is not necessary to fully understand.

Every time Lin Yongchang took out the wine jug, the herdsmen drank it at a very fast speed. Judging from what Lin Yongchang encountered, there was not a single Mongolian who was not an alcoholic. Well, to be more precise, the Mongolian men he met were all alcoholics, and the women were all big and strong, doing all kinds of heavy work.

The Mongolian Plateau used to be a place full of martial virtues. After the rise of Temujin and Borjigin, the Mongols first destroyed the Western Xia, then Khwarazm and the Central Asian countries, and then destroyed the Jin Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty. The Mongolian cavalry traveled thousands of miles and was famous. But since the Ming Dynasty, the Mongols have begun to decline. Even in the late Ming Dynasty, the Mongols were just a supporting role, not the main force on the battlefield. Whether it was the Later Jin soldiers, the Ming army, or the peasant uprising army, they could all beat the so-called Mongolian cavalry.

Decades ago, Senggelinqin's Mongolian cavalry was beaten to a pulp by the British and French allied forces, and he himself was killed by the mule cavalry of the Nian Army. The Mongolian military force was almost completely destroyed. The reason for this was not only the problem of alcoholism, but also religious and political factors.