British writer

According to history, the Peking University Hall did not re-enroll students until 1902.

Moreover, Zhang Baixi carried out reforms, set up two courses of fast-track and preparatory courses, established the official school and the teacher's school, and clearly stipulated that the purpose of running the school is to "inspire loyalty, enlighten wisdom, and revitalize industry".

Even if Lu Shi wrote "The Fifteen Years of Wanli", it could not be used as a teaching material immediately.

After all, it is the history of the Ming Dynasty, even if the schools of the Qing court opened history, it must be controlled.

Good things still need more work.

Zheng Guanying grabbed Gu Hongming,

"Hong Ming, don't scare Mr. Lu."

Just now it was "Mr. Lu", but now it has become "Mr. Xiao Lu", and the relationship has become much closer.

Lu Shi asked curiously, "Zheng Ban, why are you here in London?"

He thinks that Zheng Guanying's visit to him should be an emergency, and the real intention must be business, maybe it has something to do with China Merchants Steamship.

Zheng Guanying looked at Natsume Soseki,

The latter understood immediately,

"I'll take my generation out for a walk."

After finishing speaking, he took the cat walking rope and pulled away the meowing meow.

There were only three Chinese left in the house.

Zheng Guanying said: "Mr. Xiao Lu doesn't know something. I have many identities now. I am not only the manager of the Steamship Merchants Bureau, but also the general office of the Hanyang Iron Works. I also serve as the general manager of the Guangdong-Han Railway."

The content of these words seems to show off,

However, Zheng Guanying had a wry smile of exhaustion on his face.

Lu Shi was puzzled,

"Is this work very stressful?"

Zheng Guanying shook his head,

"It's not oppressive, it's just... well... I'm here in London because of the Cantonese-Han Railway."

After speaking, he began to introduce the basic situation,

The railway started from Panyu County and ended in Wuchang County. In the 22nd year of Guangxu (1896), it was proposed to be built when Zhang Zhidong supervised the Luhan Railway.

Lu Shi used the geographical knowledge of later generations to draw a map in his mind, and then suddenly realized,

The Guangdong-Han Railway should be part of the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway.

He said: "Isn't it good to build railways? If you want to get rich, build roads first~"

This is 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, which will drive economic development."

Zheng Guanying nodded his head, thinking that he is indeed the author of "Guns, Germs and Steel\

,"Many ignorant people regard railways as demons and ghosts.

He said: "Building the railway is certainly a good thing, but the problem is money."

After speaking, continue to introduce the background.

In the twenty-fourth year of Guangxu (1898), the Guangdong-Han Railway began to recruit commercial shares, but it was not enough many times.

Taking this opportunity, the American China Development Company (American China Development Company) actively operated and obtained the right to build the railway on the condition of the supply of funds.

But the problem is that this company is newly established by a former U.S. senator after hearing that China is building a railway, and has no relevant experience.

They promised to complete 840 miles of railways in five years, but after three years, there was not a single hair.

This kind of thing, the modern Chinese cannot understand,

840 miles, for a country with a large infrastructure, it is simply a child's play.

But at this moment, Zheng Guanying was so worried that his head was going bald.

He said depressedly: "Hexing Company did not plan for all the main lines, but started with the branch lines first. The fortifications are slow, and criticisms have already spread everywhere."

"well……"

That sigh sounded miserable.

Lu Shi asked, "Then why did you come to England?"

Zheng Guanying said: "I have been to not only the UK, but also various European countries, or they are in the plan."

He suddenly lowered his voice,

"Hop Hing Company couldn't repair the railway, so Britain and France sent people to come forward and wanted to buy the railway stock bid."

"Tsk..."

Lu Shi was speechless.

Gu Hongming who was on the side asked: "How does Zhengxiang feel about Britain?"

Zheng Guanying said: "It's 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-French War, Zheng Guanying went to Siam, Saigon, Singapore and other places to investigate and understand the enemy's situation, and was detained by the British Swire Shipping Company on the pretext of pursuing "indemnity". After years, he was released.

It is strange to have a good impression of Britain and France.

The most amazing thing is that Zheng Guanying also worked as a comprador in the Taikoo Shipping Company.

After that incident, let him see through the great powers completely,

White people are ruthless and arrogant, and in their eyes, the Chinese can never be "one of our own".

After that, Zheng Guanying wrote the book "Words of the Flourishing Age".

Lu Shi was curious,

"What does Mr. Zheng mean?"

Zheng Guanying said: "Even if I have my own ideas, it's meaningless... Because of the Boxers, companies from many countries have concerns about the Guangdong-Han Railway. There are only a few companies willing to take over, and the choice is pitifully small."

He has come to European countries to prepare for a rainy day,

If Hexing Company really can't handle it, it has to choose a partner again.

Lu Shi asked, "Do you have any intention?"

Zheng Guanying replied: "Wanguo Company may be a good choice."

Lu Shi knew that what the other party was talking about should be a Belgian company with a royal background - Wanguo Oriental Company,

He frowned and said, "Aren't you afraid of repeating the mistakes of the Luhan Railway?"

The Luhan Railway is the Beijing-Han Railway.

Back then, as soon as the news of borrowing money to build roads came out, representatives of companies from the United States, Britain, France, Belgium and other countries flocked to solicit.

The Qing court believed that other countries had too much appetite, while 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 the history textbook.

But at this moment, the Beijing-Hanzhou Railway has not yet been repaired, and the Qing court's greed for Belgium is still unconscious.

Zheng Guanying was puzzled and said, "What happened?"

Lu Shi sighed,

"Borrowed from Wanguo Company, for 30 years, all traffic management rights belong to it. Is this reasonable?"

Zheng Guanying was still a little confused,

After thinking about it for a while, he finally revealed an expression of enlightenment, and said, "Mr. Xiao Lu is resentful of the country because of the invasion of China by the coalition forces, right?"

Lu Shi asked in surprise, "What's the matter?"

Zheng Guanying was dumbfounded again,

"You don't know? The Boxers attacked the Luhan Railway and killed six Belgian workers. Belgian demanded compensation for this."

Lu Shi was speechless.

For the great powers, isn't it just an excuse for war?

He now feels that it would be great if Natsume Soseki hadn't left,

Japan was ravaged back and forth by the United Kingdom and the United States in modern times. It is aware of the methods of the great powers, so it is not impossible to fail to see the tricks of Belgium.

Lu Shi said: "Boss Zheng, the management right belongs to the Belgians, so do we still have railway sovereignty? Besides, the financial loss is much more than those loans! To put it bluntly, it is a loan. To put it bluntly, it is plundering!"

Gu Hongming on the side frowned and thought,

After a long time, he said: "The loan is only 4.5 million pounds, and the annual interest is only 5%, isn't it appropriate?"

Hearing this, Lu Shi almost vomited blood.

Zheng Guanying reacted,

He said silently: "On paper, the money is indeed not much, but..."

The following words are not finished, but it is equivalent to saying.

Lu Shi continued: "Besides, we have given too much convenience to the Belgians. Except for the materials for the construction of the railway, which can be supplied by Hanyang Iron Works, the rest are undertaken by Belgian companies and enjoy tax-free treatment. This is not right. .”

Duty-free steel swaggers into the border, can there be less tricks in it?

When Zheng Guanying looked at Lu Shi, he once again sighed in his heart,

Young talents.

In fact, the adults in the court also foresaw Lu Shi's worries.

Many people think that although Belgium is a small country, it has always worn the same trousers with France, and France has a close relationship with the Russian bear in the north.

There are so many threads and entanglements of interests that it is impossible to tell them apart.

But the railway needs to be repaired anyway,

We 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 say it. After a few years, when the railway is repaired, you will also regard Belgium as a thorn in your side and a thorn in your flesh."

Zheng Guanying asked curiously, "Are you so sure?"

That's how history develops,

How could Lu Shi not be sure?

He said: "Originally, Belgium was just a small player who followed Britain and France in a false prestige, but now with the railway as the starting point, coupled with the offensive of the financial industry, it has an appetite for soup on the table, which is helpless... ..."

Gu Hongming and Zheng Guanying were silent,

Of course, this is only superficial calm, and both of them have actually been persuaded in their hearts.

They were shocked by Lu Shi's little knowledge.

Gu Hongming said: "Zhengxiang, do you still remember what I told you? Lu Shi is a prophet who speaks without words."

Zheng Guanying was taken aback for a moment, then remembered why the other party said that,

Gu Hongming told him that Lu Shi had accurately predicted that the empress dowager would kidnap the emperor "Xishou" and return to the empress dowager Beijing.

If Lu Shi is in the center of power, it is not uncommon to have this opinion,

But he is just an ordinary foreign student with no foundation in the court, but he can rely on the news in the newspaper and rely on analysis to see the situation so thoroughly, which is really rare.

The talents of great sages are hidden in the wild, and this is the kind of person they are talking about.

Zheng Guanying originally just wanted to pour out the bitter water,

Now, he couldn't help but want to ask a policy, so he said, "Mr. Xiao Lu, what can I do?"

Lu Shi replied: "What else can I do? Redeem it~"

That's easy to say.

Zheng Guanying was quite helpless and said: "How to redeem it? The contract is signed there, in black and white. If you tear up the contract, you will suffer...cough cough..."

He wanted to say the word "beaten", but felt it was inappropriate and coughed to cover it up.

Lu Shi chuckled,

"You came to Europe, didn't you also prepare to tear up the contract?"

Zheng Guanying picked up his teacup, took a sip of English black tea, and then muttered "a waste of money", and then said: "It's not that I want to tear up the contract, but the Americans. They promised to repair the Canton-Han Railway within five years, but now? "

Lu Shi said, "The Belgians also have similar problems."

Zheng Guanying shook his head,

"No, the workers in Belgium are still reliable, and the Luhan Railway will definitely be completed and opened to traffic within the specified time."

According to history, on April 1, 1906, the Beijing-Hanzhou Railway was officially opened to traffic.

This date did not exceed the provisions of the "Detailed Contract for the Renewal of Luhan Railway's Belgian Loan" and the "Luhan Railway Operation Contract".

Lu Shi said: "It doesn't have to be a fuss about the construction period."

Zheng Guanying put down his teacup, sat up straight,

"how do I say this?"

Lu Shi pointed out: "Just now, didn't we talk about steel supply?"

Zheng Guanying is the charge d'affaires of the Hanyang Iron Works, of course he knew the details of the matter, nodded and said, "Most of the rails on the Luhan Railway are made by the 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 is imported. Such inconsistencies are really okay?"

Suddenly, Zheng Guanying's eyes lit up,

He seems to have been pointed out,

"It's not just steel. In order to reduce the investment burden and speed up the construction progress in Belgium, the depth of the foundation piles is not enough. During the construction period, bridge piers were occasionally destroyed by floods. In this case, the warranty period of the completed railway must not meet the standard. I'm afraid we'll need to throw a lot of rocks too..."

The more Zheng Guanying talked, the more excited he became,

But soon, the excitement was extinguished,

He said: "It's all trivial. Why should we pick the thorns of the Chinese people!"

The Qing government was weak,

Even if a Belgian company builds a railway that does not meet the contract, no one can speak up.

In the era of global colonization, dignity is only on the edge of the sword.

Lu Shi said: "Belgium is standing behind France. Since France makes a move, will the British sit still and wait for their death?"

Zheng Guanying said: "You mean to use the British company as the referee during the acceptance inspection? Hiss... But it is possible to implement this trick."

Great Britain,

Success is not necessarily enough, but failure must be more than enough,

Highlight the characteristics of a shit-stirring stick.

The more Zheng Guanying thought about it, the more he felt that it could be done, but he sighed again and said, "There is another important point in redemption, and that is money."

Lu Shi spread his hands,

"I can't do anything about it. It's really not possible. I will borrow money from the UK with the tax as a guarantee."

Zheng Guanying felt that Lu Shi was joking,

Guaranteed by taxes?

Impossible!

However, in fact, the redemption of the construction rights of the Guangdong-Han Railway was to borrow 1.1 million pounds from the UK with the taxation of Guangdong, Hunan, and Hubei as guarantees.

It was also after this incident that movements to recover railway rights of way were launched in various places.

So, the same sentence: "Daying shit stick, whoever uses it will know."

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"I'm just talking on paper. Just listen to it, and it's just the fantasy of the younger generation."

Zheng Guanying said: "It is indeed some wild fantasy, but there are merits. If all the young people in my dynasty can be like you, why worry about the confusion ahead?"

Gu Hongming nodded,

"I think so."

Just now, he thought that Lu Shi's textbooks should be literature, history, geography and other subjects.

But after the discussion just now, he felt that there was nothing wrong with Lu Shi's compilation of 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 textbooks?"

Lu Shi scratched his head,

"This... let's wait and see. The Capital University has not resumed classes yet, so what's the use even if I finish writing it?"

Gu Hongming stood up,

"In any case, on behalf of young people, I want to thank you for your generosity."

Saying that, he bowed deeply to Lu Shi.