According to history, the Imperial University did not re-enroll students until 1902.
Moreover, Zhang Baixi carried out reforms, established two accelerated courses and preparatory courses, established an official school and a normal school, and clearly stated that the purpose of running the school is "to inspire loyalty, open up wisdom, and revitalize industry."
Even if Lu Shi wrote "The Fifteenth Year of Wanli", it would not be immediately available as a teaching material.
After all, this is the history of the Ming Dynasty. Even if the Qing court opened history as a subject, it would still have to be controlled.
Good things take a while.
Zheng Guanying grabbed Gu Hongming and
"Hong Ming, don't scare Mr. Xiao Lu."
Just now he was "Mr. Lu", but now he is "Mr. Xiao Lu", and the relationship has become much closer.
Lu Shi asked curiously: "Manager Zheng, why are you here in London?"
He believed that Zheng Guanying's visit to him must have been an unexpected incident, and his real intention must have been official business, maybe related to the Steamship Merchants Company.
Zheng Guanying looked at Natsume Soseki,
The latter understood immediately,
"I'll take us out for a walk."
After saying that, he took the cat leash and took me away who was meowing.
There were only three Chinese people left in the house.
Zheng Guanying said: "Mr. Xiao Lu doesn't know that I have many identities now. I am not only the manager of the Steamship Investment Promotion Bureau, but also the general office of the Hanyang Iron Works, and also the general director of the Guangdong-Hankou Railway."
The content of these words seems to be showing off;
However, Zheng Guanying had a forced smile on his face.
Lu Shi was puzzled.
"Are these jobs stressful?"
Zheng Guanying shook his head,
"It's not overwhelming, it's just...well...I came to London because of the Guangdong-Hankou Railway."
After speaking, he began to introduce the basic situation,
The railway starts from Panyu County and ends in Wuchang County. In the 22nd year of Guangxu (1896), Zhang Zhidong proposed the construction of the Luhan Railway when he supervised it.
Lu Shi used the geographical knowledge of later generations to sketch a map in his mind, and then suddenly realized,
The Guangdong-Hankong Railway should be part of the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway.
He said: "Isn't building railways a good thing? If you want to be rich, build roads first~"
This was the first time Zheng Guanying heard this.
"Is this a jingle?"
Lu Shi said: "It's a jingle. Improving transportation will speed up the allocation of resources between regions and drive economic development."
Zheng Guanying nodded his head, thinking that he was worthy of being the author of "Guns, Germs and Steel".
Many ignorant people regard the railway as a monster.
"Building railways is certainly a good thing, but the problem is money," he said.
After that, I continued to introduce the background.
In the 24th year of Guangxu (1898), the Guangdong-Hankou Railway began to recruit merchant stocks, but it was often insufficient.
Taking this opportunity, the American China Development Company actively operated and obtained the right to build the railway on the condition of capital supply.
But the problem is that this company was newly established by a former U.S. senator after hearing about China’s large-scale railway development, and it has no relevant experience.
They promised to build 840 miles of railway within five years, but after three years, not a single hair was left.
Modern Chinese people cannot understand this kind of thing.
840 miles, for a country with big infrastructure, is simply child’s play.
But at this moment, Zheng Guanying was so worried that he was almost bald.
He said depressedly: "Hexing Company did not plan for all the main lines, but started with the branch lines first. The fortifications were slow and criticisms were already everywhere."
"well……"
This sigh sounded miserable.
Lu Shi asked: "Then why did you come to England?"
Zheng Guanying said: "I have visited not only the UK, but also other countries in Europe, or are planning to do so."
He suddenly lowered his voice and said,
"Hexing Company could not build the railway, so Britain and France sent people to come forward and wanted to buy railway stocks."
"Tsk..."
Lu Shi was speechless.
Gu Hongming on the side asked: "How does Zhengxiang feel about Britain?"
Zheng Guanying said: "Not very good."
Gu Hongming asked again: "What about France?"
Zheng Guanying said: "It's also very bad."
Gu Hongming couldn't help laughing,
"You, you...I think you are biased against Britain and France."
During the Qing-France War, Zheng Guanying went to Siam, Saigon, Singapore and other places to investigate and understand the enemy's situation. Later, he was detained by the British Swire Shipping Company on the pretext of seeking "reparations". He was released after many years.
It’s strange that he has a favorable impression of England and France.
The most amazing thing is that Zheng Guanying also worked as a comprador in Swire Shipping Company.
After that incident, he had a complete understanding of the great powers.
White people are ruthless and arrogant people. In their eyes, the Chinese can never be "one of their own."
After this, Zheng Guanying wrote the book "Warning Statements in the Prosperous Age".
Lu Shi was curious,
"What does Mr. Zheng mean?"
Zheng Guanying said: "Even if I have my own ideas, it doesn't mean anything... Because of the Boxer Rebellion, companies from many countries are worried about the Guangdong-Hankou Railway. There are only a few companies willing to take over, and the options are pitifully small."
He came to various European countries to prepare for a rainy day.
If Hexing Company really can't handle it, it will have to choose a new partner.
Lu Shi asked: "Do you have any intention?"
Zheng Guanying replied: "IWC may be a good choice."
Lu Shi knew that the other party was probably talking about a company in Belgium with a royal background - IWC.
He frowned and said, "Aren't you afraid of making the same mistake as the Lu-Han Railway?"
The Lu-Han Railway is the Beijing-Han Railway.
At that time, as soon as the news of borrowing money for road construction came out, representatives from companies from the United States, Britain, France, Belgium and other countries swarmed in, vying for offers.
The Qing court believed that other countries had too much appetite, but Belgium was a small country with rich steel resources and mature railway technology. The most important thing was that they had "no ambitions in China", which was more reassuring.
The final result is clearly written in history textbooks.
But at this moment, the Beijing-Hankou Railway has not yet been repaired, and the Qing court's greed for Belgium is still unconscious.
Zheng Guanying asked in confusion: "What mistake?"
Lu Shi sighed,
"I borrowed money from IWC, and for thirty years, all traffic management rights were under its control. Is this reasonable?"
Zheng Guanying was still a little confused.
After thinking for a while, he showed a look of realization and said, "Mr. Xiao Lu, is he resentful of the country because of the invasion of China by the coalition forces?"
Lu Shi asked in surprise: "What's the matter?"
Zheng Guanying was confused again.
"You don't know? The Boxers attacked the Lu-Han Railway and killed six Belgian workers. Belgium used this to demand compensation."
Lu Shi was speechless.
For the great powers, don’t they just find excuses for war?
Now he feels that it would have been better if Natsume Soseki had not left.
Japan has been ravaged by the United Kingdom and the United States in modern times. It is aware of the methods of the great powers, and it is not impossible to fail to see Belgium's tricks.
Lu Shi said: "General Manager Zheng, if the management rights belong to the Belgians, do we still have railway sovereignty? Besides, the financial losses are much greater than those borrowings! To put it nicely, they are borrowings. To put it bluntly, it’s robbery!”
Gu Hongming on the side frowned and thought,
After a long while, he said: "The loan is only 4.5 million pounds, and the annual interest is only 5%. Isn't it appropriate?"
Hearing these words, Lu Shi almost vomited blood.
Zheng Guanying came to his senses.
He said silently: "On paper, the money is indeed not much, but..."
The next words were not finished, but they were said.
Lu Shi continued: "Moreover, we have given the Belgians a lot of convenience. As for the materials for railway construction, except for those provided by the Hanyang Iron Works, the rest are undertaken by Belgian companies and enjoy tax-free treatment. This is not right either. .”
Duty-free steel enters the country in a big way, can there be less tricks in it?
Zheng Guanying looked at Lu Shi and sighed again,
Young talents.
In fact, the adults in the court had foreseen Lu Shi's worries.
Many people think that although Belgium is a small country, it always wears the same pants as France, and France has close relations with the Russian bears in the north.
There are so many threads and entangled interests here that it is impossible to separate them clearly.
But the railway must be repaired anyway.
You can only choose the lesser of two evils.
Zheng Guanying asked: "Will Mr. Xiao Lu take the problem too seriously?"
Lu Shi waved his hand,
"Actually, I don't need to tell you that in a few years, when the railway is repaired, you will also regard Belgium as a thorn in your side and a thorn in your side."
Zheng Guanying asked curiously: "Are you so sure?"
This is how history develops,
How could Lu Shi not be sure?
He said: "Originally, Belgium was just a small player following behind Britain and France, but now it is using the railway as a starting point, coupled with the offensive of the financial industry, it has an appetite for soup, which is helpless... …”
Gu Hongming and Zheng Guanying remained silent.
Of course, this was just calm on the surface, and both of them had actually been convinced in their hearts.
They were shocked by Lu Shi's insight.
Gu Hongming said: "Zhengxiang, do you still remember what I told you? Lu Shi is a prophet who follows his words."
Zheng Guanying was stunned for a moment, and then he remembered the reason why the other party said that.
Gu Hongming told him that Lu Shi had accurately predicted that the Queen Mother would kidnap the Emperor and "hunt to the west". After returning to Beijing, the Queen Mother ordered the Emperor to prepare his throne and accompany the court to deceive the world.
If Lu Shi was at the center of power, it would not be unusual for him to have this opinion.
But he is just an ordinary foreign student with no foundation in the court, but he can rely on news in newspapers and rely on analysis to see the situation so thoroughly, which is really rare.
Great talents are hidden in the wild, this is the kind of person they are talking about.
Zheng Guanying originally just wanted to pour out his bitterness.
Now, he couldn't help but want to ask for advice, so he said: "Mr. Xiao Lu, is there anything you can do?"
Lu Shi replied: "What else can I do? Just redeem it~"
This is said easily.
Zheng Guanying said helplessly: "How to redeem it? The contract is signed there, in black and white. If you tear up the contract, you will be punished...ahem..."
He wanted to say "beaten" but felt it was inappropriate and coughed to cover it up.
Lu Shi chuckled,
"Aren't you coming to Europe to prepare for breaking the contract?"
Zheng Guanying picked up the tea cup, took a sip of English black tea, and then muttered "a waste of natural resources" before saying: "It's not me who wants to tear up the contract, but the Americans. They promised to repair the Guangdong-Hankou Railway within five years, but now? "
Lu Shi said: "Belgians may have similar problems."
Zheng Guanying shook his head,
"No, the workers from Belgium are reliable. The Lu-Han Railway will definitely be completed and opened to traffic within the stipulated time."
According to history, on April 1, 1906, the entire Beijing-Hankou Railway was officially opened to traffic.
This date does not exceed the provisions of the "Detailed Contract for the Renewal of Lu-Han Railway's National Loan" and the "Lu-Han Railway Operation Contract".
Lu Shi said: “We don’t necessarily have to make a fuss about the construction period.”
Zheng Guanying put down his tea cup and sat upright.
"how do I say this?"
Lu Shiti pointed out: "Just now, didn't we talk about steel supply?"
Zheng Guanying was the agent of Hanyang Iron Works. Of course he knew the details of the matter. He nodded and said, "Most of the rails on the Lu-Han Railway are made by Hanyang Iron Works. What's the problem?"
Lu Shi said: "Most railway bridges are steel structures, but the types are complex and the load levels are inconsistent. Based on this premise, part of the steel comes from Hanyang Iron Works and the other part comes from imports. Is it really no problem if they are so inconsistent?"
Suddenly, Zheng Guanying's eyes lit up,
He seemed to be touched,
"It's not just steel. In order to reduce the investment burden and speed up the construction progress, the foundation piles in Belgium are not deep enough. There are occasional cases of bridge piers being washed away by floods during construction. In this case, the warranty period of the railway built under such circumstances will inevitably not meet the standards. Floods in the past years have I’m afraid a lot of rocks will also need to be thrown..."
Zheng Guanying became more and more excited as he talked.
But soon, this excitement was extinguished,
He said: "It's all trivial matters. Why should we find fault with the Chinese!"
The Qing government was weak;
Even if the railway built by the Belgian company did not comply with the contract, no one could speak out.
In the era of global colonization, dignity is only as good as the edge of the sword.
Lu Shi said: "Behind Belgium is France. Now that France is taking action, will the British sit still and wait for death?"
Zheng Guanying said: "You mean to use the British company as the referee during the acceptance inspection? Hiss... this trick is possible."
Daying,
It may not be enough to succeed, but it will definitely be enough to fail.
Highlight a shit-stirring characteristic.
The more Zheng Guanying thought about it, the more he felt it could be done, but he sighed and said, "There is another important point for redemption, and that is money."
Lu Shi spread his hands,
"I have no choice but to borrow money from the UK using tax as a guarantee."
Zheng Guanying felt that Lu Shi was joking.
Secured by taxes?
Absolutely impossible!
However, in fact, the redemption of the Guangdong-Hankong railway construction rights was to borrow 1.1 million pounds from the United Kingdom with the tax revenue from Guangdong, Hunan, and Hubei as security, which completely stopped the Belgians from thinking about it and forced IWC to sell its shares.
It was also after this incident that campaigns to reclaim railway rights of way began in various places.
So, it’s still the same sentence: “The British shit-stirring stick, whoever uses it will know.”
Lu Shi waved his hand,
"I'm just talking on paper. You can just think of it as a junior's fantasy."
Zheng Guanying said: "It is indeed some wild ideas, but it also has merits. If the young people in our dynasty can be like you, why worry about being confused about the future?"
Gu Hongming nodded,
"I think so."
Just now, he thought Lu Shi should write textbooks for literature, history, geography and other subjects.
But after the discussion just now, he felt that there was no problem for Lu Shi to write political and business textbooks. Whether it was business law, administration, or business geography, Lu Shi should be quite good at it.
Gu Hongming said: "Lu Shi, when are you going to write the textbook?"
Lu Shi scratched his head,
"This... let's wait and see. Classes at the Capital University have not resumed yet. Even if I finish writing, what's the use?"
Gu Hongming stood up,
"In any case, on behalf of the young people, I want to thank you for your generosity."
With that said, he bowed deeply to Lu Shi.
(End of chapter)
