C254 Freelancer Leo (1/2)
In an alleyway near the north coast of Elbe River, in the attic of an old three-storey building, a crazy middle-aged man was scribbling on a piece of paper with half a bottle of whiskey in his hands.
There was only a wooden bed and a table in the triangular attic. On the floor, on the sheets, and on the table, there were words written everywhere. The thick English books were also filled with black and white photos, and dirty clothes were strewn all over the floor.
It was a bachelor's apartment, and it was impossible for a man without a woman to get in touch with cleanliness and order. It was rare for a small attic to have no rats.
”The hamburger is a free city of the Germany, but the Prussian government put pressure on us to increase the tax revenue by 15%. This is a challenge to the free city... ”No, no, no, this kind of news is not interesting at all. The citizens of the hamburger have long chosen the Prussian Kingdom, they will not complain about it …”
”Within two months, the number of training camp s in the new army increased by another thirty thousand, and the training intensity increased by a full two folds … ”This won't do. Although this news was read, this photo is too ugly. It can't even be published …”
The man with the high glasses kept mumbling, rapidly writing with a pen in his hand, matching his photos from time to time. When he got excited, he raised his hand and took a sip of whiskey, as if he was a man without wine.
He was a freelance writer active in Europe, and his job was to go anywhere and find the best news available to the mainstream European media at the time, such as the British Thames, the French Figaro, and even the American Baltimore Sun.
It was because of his seniority that his demands were stricter, that one news item after another was turned down in his mutterings, and that he was looking for the most explosive news item, the kind that would make his position even higher.
The notebook on the cover of the little sheepskin recorded the latest information that he had gotten from all over the streets. After going over it again and again, he finally found a piece of news that was very attractive to the readers.
”In the middle of Hamburg citizen, there was a mysterious rumor circulating. It was said that a group of troops with eastern faces appeared in the camp, and they even brought an endless amount of silver coins … Now that the Hamburg recruit Camp has reached the highest alert level, no one is allowed to go near the core area … ”
”Not bad, not bad at all. The Prussian New barracks, along with the mysterious army in the east and even countless silver coins, can arouse the curiosity of the European people with each key word. This is a top news, but unfortunately, there are no pictures …”
Just as he was mumbling to himself, a voice suddenly came from behind him. ”The photos are very easy to handle. You can take them later …”
The bespectacled man was so shocked that he almost fell off his chair. When he turned around to look, he saw his old acquaintance Jonas standing at the door with two Asian s wearing suits.
”Oh god, Jonas, this is too surprising to me. Didn't you go to the far east? When did you come back, these two? ”
Jonas laughed and hugged his old friend, ”Let me introduce to you, these two Chinese guests, one is General Xiao Hexin, the other is General Sima Yun, they are Chinese, but their current ranks are bestowed by the Ryukyu Kingdom … This slovenly gentleman with a face full of steel pens is my good friend, freelance writer Lei Ao! ”
”Oh, God! Was it really Chinese? The rumors were actually true, these Chinese were brought over by you, Jonas? ” Lei Ao hurriedly wiped his hands on the hem of his clothes and shook hands with the two passionately. He ignored the ink and rubbed it onto the back of Sima Yun's hand.
After a few simple words of greeting, Jonas revealed their purpose for coming here. ”Lei Ao, what's next is the core secret of the Prussian Kingdom. I hope that you remember your race and do not reveal these things to the public.
Lei Ao had never seen his old friend being so serious before, so he hurriedly nodded his head and said, ”I'm a freelance writer, but I'm a Prussian first, I won't harm Home Country …”
Without waiting for Jonas to speak, Xiao Hexin began to stutter with German and English mixed together to describe his plan. He did not expect Xiao Hexin's language talent to be so good, and he actually expressed it very clearly.
”We came from the distant east, and escorted the Prime Minister of Ryukyu to borrow money for the war. A total of 1.35 million silver coins …” Xiao Hexin slowly explained the cause and effect of their visit to the hamburger bit by bit. In the end, Lei Ao excitedly finished off the last bit of the whiskey, and excitedly slammed her hand on the table.
”China, it's actually China! That miraculous ancient Eastern Kingdom, that civilized nation that dates back to the ancient Egypt of the ancient Greece, actually took the initiative to build a relationship with us, Prussia? This was a treatment that not even British French people could get. This was the first time that country had ever tried diplomacy … ”Alright, you've already touched me. Now tell me, why are you looking for me?”
Sima Yun continued, ”We want to hire you throughout the process, yes, you did not hear wrongly, as long as our army is in Germany, you will be a professional journalist that we hire …”
”We need to record our lives, our training and even our wars. We want you to eat with us, to go deep into our lives to learn about us. We need your camera even more. Your writing allows Europe to see what we Chinese really are like …”