Chapter 45 4. Here comes a genius proficient in ten languages

Zhang Zhidong hurried back to Guangzhou, instead of going back to the yamen, he went straight to Zhang Shusheng's apartment in Zaisui on Gaolong Street.It is already white flowers like snow, and the banners are like forests.The elegiac couplets sent by Li Hongzhang were pasted on Zhangba white silk and hung high on the pillars on both sides of the main gate of the mourning hall.They picked out the best words in the dictionary, and they did not hesitate to go beyond the rules to praise the strong Liang in northern Anhui who had worked with them and now has no official or job title.At the moment when he stepped into Zhang's mansion, Zhang Zhidong had an intuition that this was deliberately done by the Huai Army Group stationed in Guangdong.They are currently threatening the Cantonese army in Guangdong, and they are putting pressure on the imperial court far away. Their intention is obvious: the Huai army is united and powerful, and should not be underestimated.

Zhang Zhidong, who was born in Qingliu, instinctively felt an indescribable sense of depression.Zhang Shusheng's eldest son, Zhang Huakui, was very upset when he saw Zhang Zhidong's normal attire, and he didn't see the ceremonies.Seeing that Zhang Zhidong hadn't entered the house, Zhang Huakui came to mourn his father, and was moved again.He hastened to receive him on his knees as a filial son, and led Zhang Zhidong to Zhang Shusheng's coffin. Zhang Zhidong was meditating on the spirit card.Thinking about how majestic and majestic the commander of the Huai army was when he commanded thousands of troops and fought on the battlefield, but now he just leaves, and he can't take the military exploits and robes of his life with him.He has been a commander in chief, a governor, and a governor, but in the end, he has no official position, and the title on the spirit card is empty.Although the sacrificial hall at this moment is lively and lively, the state of mind of the long-sleeping man must be desolate and lonely, with unspeakable suffering.Thinking of these, a sigh of impermanence in life involuntarily surged in Zhang Zhidong's mind.He knelt in front of Zhang Shusheng's coffin and kowtowed three times in compassion.

Zhang Huakui respectfully helped Zhang Zhidong up, took him to the study and sat down, then took out Zhang Shusheng's legacy, and asked Zhang Zhidong to play the imperial court on his behalf.Zhang Zhidong opened the legacy of the former governor and looked at it seriously.The previous paragraph is still defending himself, but the tone is lower than before. At the end of the remnant, Zhang Shusheng, as a well-benefited old minister of the three dynasties, solemnly urges the court to reform and strengthen itself: "The essence of the Western people's nation-building is to cultivate talents in the school, discuss politics in the parliament, ships, cannons, wires, and railways are all used. China leaves its body and seeks its use. It is often irrelevant. Even if iron ships line up and railroads extend everywhere, it is still not enough. Rely on it. It is advisable to adopt the body of the Westerners to make use of it, and it will build a long-term career for the country."

Although Zhang Zhidong couldn't fully agree with this opinion, Zhang Shusheng's obsession with the country's loyalty before his death strongly shocked him.What's more, the flames of war have already been ignited at this moment, and the fight is imminent. Taking advantage of Zhang Shusheng's death to appease the Huai army and let the three armies of Hunan, Huai and Guangdong be united and united is the top priority right now.Zhang Zhidong stood up, and said sincerely to Zhang Huakui: "Don't worry, my lord, the governor will personally prepare a shirt for Xuan Shuai."

The next day, Zhang Zhidong tried his best to draft a letter of invitation for Zhang Shusheng. As his successor, he described Zhang Shusheng's political achievements in Guangdong and Guangxi, and once again washed Zhang Shusheng away from the accusations he had received in the past few years.He also recalled Zhang's military exploits for more than 30 years, and asked the imperial court to expel him from his tenure.Putting on plain clothes again, he brought a group of high-ranking officials to the memorial ceremony in person again, and read out the invitation letter in front of Zhang Shusheng's spirit, asking the former governor to rest in peace in the spirit of heaven.Zhang Huakui and the soldiers of the Huai army guarding the spirit were all grateful, and solemnly stated: The imperial court has issued an order to declare war on France.

After finishing the funeral of the former governor, Zhang Zhidong went all out to handle another important matter: raising wages. The most urgent task at the moment is to come up with a large amount of silver. The main uses of this batch of silver are: first, to buy 20 Krupp steel guns and 10,000 shells from foreign arms dealers; As well as the payment of salaries to the soldiers Feng Zicai is about to recruit, the third is the urgent military supplies and reward silver that the three armies of Hunan, Huaihe and Guangdong must add to prepare for the war. The sum of these items will be about one million taels.

This is a huge sum of money. If it was in Shanxi before, it would be like picking up the stars and the moon from the sky. It would be unthinkable. Guangdong is rich, and maybe it can be moved around and squeezed together to collect this million silver.He brought governor Ni Wenwei, political envoy Gong Yitu, procuratorate envoy Shen Rongjing and others to discuss with them. Unexpectedly, these people who were familiar with the details of money and food would be very troubled after hearing this.Ni Wenwei told Zhang Zhidong that as early as last year, Zhang Shusheng had to ask the imperial court for permission to borrow two million taels of high-interest silver from Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, and withdraw one million taels in August last year. In the next month, due to the shortage of funds in the treasury, one million was withdrawn, and the two million silver borrowed from HSBC had been fully withdrawn.

Zhang Zhidong didn't know about this incident yet, and he became anxious, and suddenly felt a feeling of "empty ambitions but no way to spread them out".He remembered what Hu Linyi had said to him twenty years ago. It was in the Yamen of Futai, Wuchang. Zeng Guofan, the leader of the Hunan Army in front of Anhui, sent an urgent letter to Hu Linyi.There were only a few words written in the letter: Please raise 80,000 taels of silver quickly within ten days, otherwise the hearts of the people will be broken and cannot be maintained.Hu Linyi took this letter and said to Zhang Zhidong, who was standing beside him: "It's the time of spring famine. Hubei farmers beg and gnaw tree bark to overcome the famine. There are only refugees on the road. There are no merchants. Lika cannot receive lijin, and the market is depressed. , and can’t collect taxes, and letters asking for money and food keep coming from everywhere. How can you expect them to fight, this is also the truth, it's really difficult!"

Seeing his mentor's worried and helpless face, Zhang Zhidong also felt at a loss.He racked his brains, trying to share his teacher's worries: "How about asking the imperial court to ask the Ministry of Households to transfer the silver taels?" Hu Linyi shook his head and said: "The imperial court has been at the end of its rope all these years. It has no way out, so the provinces have to raise their own money. Asking the imperial court for money is empty talk. Besides, even if you can give you a little money, you will not be able to reach Anhui within ten days."

"Can I ask Jiangsu, Henan, and Shandong to help me?" "Don't save money?" Hu Linyi sneered, "Who will help you? Don't say that they can't afford money either, but if they can, he will use money to make you successful and make you shine? That's me, Hu Linyi , Cai and Zeng Di have shared weal and woe through thick and thin, and he is in a hurry, and other provinces wish that your Hunan army would be wiped out, and he is watching the flames from the sidelines!" Hearing this, Zhang Zhidong was startled and said, "Could it be that this country belongs to the Hunan Army and has nothing to do with them? The officials in all provinces originally had such intentions. No wonder Chang Mao succeeded."

"Xiangtao," Hu Linyi sighed, and said to him earnestly, "it is easy to read and make a fuss after all. The real hard work in governing the world lies in the word economy. Whether you are a minister of the country or not depends on the economy." How are you doing? As for economics, financial management is the first item, and you need to accumulate some practical knowledge in this area in the future. Only when you know financial management can you talk about your career.” Zhang Zhidong nodded heavily, keeping these words of his mentor firmly in his heart. A few years ago in Shanxi, because there was too little time to start a big business, the issue of money was not too prominent. Now that the important issue of millions of silver is firmly in front of him, Zhang Zhidong seems to have suddenly understood the teaching of his teacher 20 years ago: economics, financial management , is really the first major event in governing the world. He frowned and asked Gong Yitu, "How much money can you squeeze out?" The chief envoy wept bitterly, rubbed his head and thought for a long time, and said, "At most 200,000, you have to take the risk and be prepared to be scolded." Zhang Zhidong was very upset when he heard this: "The dignified Guangdong Province treasury is so embarrassed! How do you say this?" Gong Yitu explained: "There is some money on the books of the treasury, but there are arrangements for each item, and it cannot be moved. The money that can be moved has been used in the spring of this year. Now it can only be deducted from the money turned over to the court. Take risks. If you impose higher taxes on Guangzhou businessmen, you have to be prepared to be scolded." Two hundred thousand taels can't solve the big problem, so what should I do?Zhang Zhidong looked at the crowd: "Is there no other way?" Gong Yitu bit his lip and said, "There is only one way, and that is to borrow a commercial bank from HSBC Hong Kong." Yes, Zhang Shusheng can borrow it, why can't I borrow it!Zhang Zhidong immediately made a decision: "According to Gong Fangbo's opinion, I will borrow another two million taels from HSBC." "Too much, too much!" The old governor hurriedly waved his hands, "Master Zhang, you don't know that the British are too heavy, we can't afford it." "How much interest?" This was the first time dealing with foreign businessmen, and Zhang Zhidong didn't know the market conditions of foreigners. "Fifty-five percent interest." Ni Wenwei's expression was very indignant. "Xuan Shuai borrowed two million in August last year, and the IOU was written to repay the interest at 50-50%. By August this year, we will have to repay the interest of 110,000. We have not yet repaid the interest. If we pay it back in August next year, the interest It’s not just 220,000 if the rebirth pays interest. If we borrow another 2 million, the interest will drag us down!” If the owner of a bank in Shanxi pays a quarter of the interest rate, he will be scolded as black-hearted.Foreigners actually charge five-fifths of interest, isn't it too greedy! "Can't it be lower?" Zhang Zhidong asked Governor Ni. "Foreigners never bargain." Gong Yitu is like a veteran in dealing with foreigners. "Then borrow one and a half million!" "Master Zhang, I think we should borrow one million first." Ni Wenwei said, "We will figure out how to use the money in the future and get over this difficulty first." "Okay, according to Ni Futai's opinion, first borrow one million." Zhang Zhidong thought for a while: Yes, the interest is too heavy, so borrow as little as you can. He turned to Gong Yitu and asked, "Who did Xuan Shuai use to deal with HSBC for the money last time?" Gong Yitu replied: "Xuan Shuai asked Sheng Xuanhuai's friend Zheng Guanying to do it." "Does Mr. Zhang know Zheng Guanying?" Shen Rongjing interjected. Zhang Zhidong shook his head. "Zheng Guanying wrote a book called "Words of a Prosperous Age", which talks about what China should learn from the West. Zhang Xuanshuai's half-hearted words about running a school and opening a parliament were inspired by Zheng Guanying. Peng Da Sima also I value this book very much, and even wrote a preface for it myself.” Peng Yulin is willing to write a preface for it, which shows that this "Prosperous Words of Danger" is not ordinary.Zhang Zhidong asked the director: "Can you find one for me to see?" "I already have one at home, and I will show it to you tomorrow." Zhang Zhidong asked again: "Where is Zheng Guanying? Can I see him?" Gong Yitu said: "He is doing business in Nanyang, and he won't be able to come back for a while." "Oh." Zhang Zhidong nodded slightly. "Then who will be called to deal with HSBC this time?" After a moment of silence, Ni Wenwei said: "Two days ago, Zhao Maochang, the patrolman in my yamen, told me: Liu Yushu brought back a strange man from Hong Kong, who was fluent in English and could speak German, French, and Russian languages, and was in Hong Kong again. Lived for three or four years. If this person is asked to handle the loan, he should not be under Zheng Guanying." Can you speak the foreign dialects of these countries?Some doubts arose in Zhang Zhidong's heart, and he asked: "Who is Liu Yushu? Didn't he bring back a liar from Hong Kong?" Ni Wenwei said: "Liu Yushu is an alternate magistrate who was sent to Guangdong in the early years. He is from Fujian. He is very interested in Westernization and can speak a few English. He is from Fujian, so he was sent to Fujian to investigate the situation and report the military situation at any time. He returned to Guangzhou via Hong Kong last month. I have never seen this person brought by Liu Yushu. I don’t know if he is a liar. If Mr. Zhang is interested in this person, I will ask Zhao Maochang to bring Liu Yushu to see you tomorrow." Zhao Maochang is a literary inspector from the governor's office in Guangdong. He is from Wujin, Jiangsu.At the age of fifteen, he was an apprentice in a bank, and at the age of twenty, he was donated as a miscellaneous official.The governor's yamen has official documents to be reported to the governor's yamen, and Ni Wenwei often sends Zhao Maochang to deliver them in person.Zhao Maochang was also enthusiastic about this matter, and he was very diligent in running to the governor's office, and he was especially attentive to Zhang Zhidong.Zhang Zhidong also had a good impression of him.This time, the strange man Liu Yushu brought back from Hong Kong was first told to Zhao Maochang, and then Zhao Maochang told Ni Wenwei. "Okay, call Zhao Maochang and Liu Yushu to meet me tomorrow." The next morning, Zhang Zhidong met Zhao Maochang and Liu Yushu in the signing room without any pleasantries. After the two sat down, he asked Liu Yushu straight to the point: "I heard from Ni Zhongcheng that you brought back from Hong Kong a foreigner who can speak a few countries. Talking person. Tell me about this person’s situation in detail.” Liu Yushu met Zhang Zhidong for the first time.When he saw this famous governor, with big eyes, big nose and big beard, without a smile on his face, and a solemn and majestic look, he couldn't help feeling a little timid.Seeing this, Zhao Maochang smiled and cheered Liu Yushu up: "Don't be nervous, Mr. Zhang is the most easy-going and easy-going, you speak slowly. Anyway, you have already told me, if there is something missing, I will help you make up." After Zhao Maochang's enlightenment, the alternate magistrate calmed down and reported to Zhang Zhidong: "Last month, I finished my errand in Fujian and took a boat from Xiamen to Hong Kong to return to Guangzhou. In the restaurant on the boat, I saw a young The Chinese were chatting enthusiastically with an Englishman. I also knew a little bit of English, but I didn’t dare to talk directly to foreigners. This young man could speak fluent English, and I was very envious of him. He listened carefully to their conversation while eating. I can't understand a lot of words, but I can roughly hear them talking about Shakespeare's plays, Dickens' novels, and occasionally Newton and Faraday. I have awe for this young man." Shakespeare, Dickens, Newton, these names, Zhang Zhidong heard for the first time, he did not know who they were.Since Liu Yushu heard these names mentioned by others, he was in awe. It seems that they are all great figures in Britain.If it was a familiar staff member, Zhang Zhidong would definitely ask what happened.But Zhang Zhidong didn't want to be ashamed to ask this candidate magistrate when he met for the first time, he just nodded casually, expressing that he was listening seriously. "In the evening, when I went to the restaurant for dinner, I saw this young man talking loudly with two other foreigners. This time, I couldn't understand a word. I don't know what they said. I saw this young man talking non-stop. , while dancing, the two foreigners nodded frequently and smiled knowingly from time to time. It could be seen that the two foreigners admired this person very much. I was puzzled when I saw a waiter coming, I quietly pointed at the Two foreigners asked him. The waiter told Beizhi that these were two Germans. Beizhi was surprised. Could it be that this young man was speaking German with two Germans. No wonder I couldn’t understand a word, this person is not simple , I want to talk to him." Zhang Zhidong was gently stroking his long beard with one hand, with a slight smile on his face. Obviously, he was also attracted by this young man who could talk to both the British and the Germans. "I was eating slowly while looking at the table opposite. When I saw the three of them walking out of the dining room, I followed. On the deck, two foreigners shook hands with the young man to say goodbye. I quickly took a step and rushed Looking at the man's back, he said, Hey! Young man, please sit in my room? The young man turned his head, smiled and nodded at me. At this moment, I saw clearly that the young man had a high bridge of nose and deep-set eyes. He was sunken, his eyes were gray and blue. He was suddenly startled: Could it be that he is not Chinese, but a foreigner? If you look closely, he has yellowish skin, black braids, and golden flowers on a blue background. Ning silk gowns are covered with a fine black fine wool mandarin jacket. He is a Chinese!" Zhao Maochang burst out laughing, and Zhang Zhidong also found it interesting, and couldn't help interjecting: "Is this person Chinese?" "Good question, my lord! As soon as I arrived in the room, I asked him the first sentence, are you Chinese or a foreigner? The man laughed loudly, showing a mouthful of white and beautiful teeth, and said in a non-standard Fujian dialect, I He is Chinese, not a foreigner. Humble staff tentatively asked, are you from Fujian? He replied, I am from Fujian. Hearing this, he was amused, so we are from the same hometown. Young man, what is your name? Said that my surname is Gu, my name is Hongming, and my name is Tang Sheng. Beizhi also told him his name. Beizhi praised him for speaking English and German well, which is great. He smiled and said, not only can I speak English and German, but I I can also speak French, Russian, Portuguese, Latin, Italian, Greek, Malay, and my mother tongue, Chinese. I know ten languages. Humble staff thought, this is really a rare genius, so I asked him, you How can he speak so many foreign dialects. He then told me that he was born in Penang Island, Nanyang. His father is Chinese and his mother is Portuguese. His adoptive parents are British. He went to England with them when he was ten years old. He finished university in England. Later, I went to Germany to study engineering, and then to France to study abroad, so I can speak so many foreign languages." Zhang Zhidong said with a smile: "So, I understand, he turned out to be a mixed race, a Chinese and a foreigner." "Your Excellency is absolutely right." Zhao Maochang quickly complimented. "Liu Yushu also said that he had personally heard a joke about Gu Hongming. From this joke, I know that Gu Hongming is a very smart and funny person." "What joke? Tell me." Zhang Zhidong asked with great interest. "Liu Yushu and Gu Hongming came to Guangzhou by boat from Hong Kong. Gu Hongming had a heated conversation with an old French lady on board in French. The old French lady said, I am not in good health, and the doctor suggested finding a good place to recuperate for a period of time. I heard that Xiamen is a good place I don’t know if it’s the most suitable place for recuperation. Gu Hongming said, yes, Xiamen is really a good place. When I first arrived in Xiamen, I couldn’t stand up, so I could only crawl on the ground, sleep on the bed all day, and shit. I can’t control my urine. After living in Xiamen for two years, not only can I walk, but I can also run. Running around all day, defecating and urinating, it’s all normal. The old French lady was very happy when she heard this, and said, Mr. The serious illness is cured, and I will definitely go. When Gu Hongming told Liu Yushu about his conversation with the old lady, Liu Yushu asked him, how can Xiamen be so good? Aren’t you lying to others? Gu Hongming said, I didn’t lie to her When I was one year old, my parents took me to live in Xiamen for two years. Of course, a one-year-old child can't walk, he can only crawl, and he has no restraint in defecating and peeing. When he is three years old, he will naturally walk and run. I don't shit and pee casually anymore. How can I lie to her?" "Hahaha," Zhang Zhidong couldn't help laughing, "This mixed race is so interesting. Take him to the Yamen this afternoon, and I'll meet him. If it's suitable, let him work here. I really don't have one by my side." Such a person!" At noon, Zhang Zhidong told Sang Zhiping about Gu Hongming's situation, and asked him to find two foreign books, one in French and one in Russian, and bring these two foreign books to meet Gu Hongming with him in the afternoon.When Sang Zhiping heard that there was such a talent in the world, he was both surprised and happy, and he agreed. At four o'clock in the afternoon, Zhang Zhidong finished his business and brought in Gu Hongming who had been waiting in the reception room for an hour, and Zhao Maochang and Liu Yushu who accompanied him. When Gu Hongming stepped into the door of the signing room, Zhang Zhidong raised his head and examined him carefully.Indeed, as Liu Yushu said, this man is Long Zhun with blue eyes, yellow skin and black hair, with a mixed appearance of Chinese and Yi.He is tall and tall, wearing a fine tweed suit with blue background stripes, a pair of shiny black leather shoes on his feet, and short western-style hair with parting on his head. He exudes a majestic and tall spirit.Seeing it, Sang Zhiping thought to himself, Gu Hongming's style is closer to that of a foreigner, and with his high nose and gray blue eyes, he can really be said to be 30% Chinese and 70% foreign. "Are you Gu Hongming?" After everyone sat down, Zhang Zhidong asked directly. Gu Hongming also took a serious look at Zhang Zhidong, and replied in a sonorous voice: "Yes, my name is Gu Hongming, and my name is Tang Sheng." Although the pronunciation is not very accurate, both Zhang Zhidong and Sang Zhiping can understand it. "Are you from Fujian?" "My ancestral home is Tong'an, Fujian, and belongs to Quanzhou Prefecture." "I heard that you were born in Penang, Malaya. From what generation did your family leave home?" "Grandfather Wei Tinggong traveled across the sea to Malaya to work in agriculture at the age of fifteen. Because of his hard work, his family was prosperous in middle age. Therefore, his great-grandfather Li Huan was elected as the leader of the Chinese people in Penang, and his ancestor Longchi Gong has been serving in the local government. In public office, my late father Ziyun presided over a rubber plantation in Penang. In my generation, the Koo family is the fifth generation in Malaya.” Zhang Zhidong was quite satisfied with Gu Hongming's thoughtless response: he grew up overseas but did not forget his ancestral roots. He is a true Chinese. "I heard that you have been in Taixi for many years. Why did you come to Hong Kong instead of staying in Taixi to work in the university you studied there? This time you are willing to follow Liu Yushu back to China? Tell me about your process!" Zhang Zhidong brushed his long beard habitually, and stared at the half-Huayi man sitting across from him with slightly smiling eyes. After thinking for a while, Gu Hongming said in four uncoordinated Fujian mandarins: "When I was ten years old in Penang, my adoptive father, Mr. Brown, wanted to go back to his homeland, England. Mr. Brown liked me and asked my father to take me with me. I went to England to study. Because I have an older brother in Penang, my parents agreed. Before leaving, my father asked me to kowtow three times on the tablet of my ancestors, and told me that no matter where I go, no matter how long I live in Taixi, We must always remember that we are Chinese and our roots are in Tong’an, Fujian.” Zhang Zhidong and Sang Zhiping were moved when they heard this sentence.It was never imagined that a Chinese who has lived overseas for four or five generations would have such a deep family-country bond.The weight of the young mixed-race child in front of them obviously increased in their hearts. "After I arrived in England, Mr. Brown arranged for me to study in middle school, reading Latin, Greek, French and German. Later, I entered the Faculty of Arts at the University of Edinburgh. After graduation, I went to the University of Leipzig in Germany to study civil engineering. I came out of Germany. , Mr. Browne took me to Paris to live as my neighbor with a very beautiful and rich whore." "Live with a rich prostitute?" Zhao Maochang couldn't help interjecting, Brown's arrangement for Gu Hongming made him too envious. Although Zhang Zhidong and the others didn't interrupt, this sentence greatly increased their excitement. "I didn't want to at first. Mr. Brown said to me seriously, you are young, I asked you to be her neighbor, do I want you to be a prostitute? Don't underestimate her. Although she is a prostitute, she is a prostitute." A very capable and intelligent person. Her guests are all the top figures in the French high society. You can meet many people here, and you can see what the French high society is like. This prostitute has great influence on China. Very strong interest, you can tell her about China, and she will tell you about her guests. You can learn a lot of knowledge from her that you can’t learn elsewhere. I am really cultivating you. You live here, It’s like going to another university.” Treating the residence of a prostitute as a university is like treating the Bada Hutong of the capital as the Imperial Academy. Using this method to cultivate one's adopted son is really incredible.Zhang Zhidong stopped stroking his beard with his right finger, and listened attentively to what the mixed-race boy said. "I've lived here for half a year, and I've seen with my own eyes quite a few ministers, councilors, and generals of France. One by one they came in well-dressed, and they went out in style, while in that woman's house they were doing absurd and obscene things. That whore She told me many abject and shameful stories about the stupid greed and vileness of these people. She completely disappointed and disgusted me with the upper class of Paris." Sang Zhiping pondered.He remembered that when he traveled around the world in the past, he had been everywhere, but he had never been to a brothel, thinking that it was a lowly and dirty place, not a place for a gentleman to go to.Listening to what Gu Hongming said now, he really gave up a place where he could have the most insight into the officialdom.In the Eight Great Alleys of the Beijing Normal University, there should be many high-ranking officials in disguise frequenting every night.If you have a friend who is a famous prostitute in Bada Hutong, she will definitely be able to provide you with many of the most secret and reliable court truths.Alas, it is impossible to make up for this opportunity! "I went back to Scotland and talked to Mr. Brown about my feelings in Paris. Mr. Brown told me that not only Paris, but also London and Berlin are the same. France, Germany and our UK are all powerful countries in the world, and the world doesn't know what's inside. , I thought everything was fine. In fact, the high-level officialdom has been corrupted, and one day the country will collapse. Later, I went to visit my teacher, Carlyle, the former headmaster of the University of Edinburgh. After listening to my story, Carlyle said He sighed and said, son, you are Chinese, you should go back to your country! Your country has thousands of years of ancient civilization and is one of the most amazing countries in the world. I have always respected Haig Er, I admire his philosophical concepts. Later, I read a pamphlet introducing your oldest scriptures in China, and then I realized that Hegel’s set was learned from Chinese books. But Hegel did not explain , Isn’t this deceiving the world? Hegel is a very learned professor, but he still can’t be completely honest. It can be seen that the word honesty is difficult. After reading the book introducing China, I realized that as early as Hundreds of years ago, Chinese scholars were doing their best to study the big topics of 'sincerity' and 'non-deception'. An effective method of self-cultivation. This is many times better than our western scholars!" It has always been just foreigners who look down on China, saying that China has no railways, ships, and machine gunboats. Although these words are arrogant and rude, it is uncomfortable to hear, but I have to bear it, because China does not have these things; as for saying that China has no academics and no civilization. , which is annoying.Now it’s the first time I heard that there are some great scholars in Thailand and the West who praised the ancient Chinese academics, and they praised the authentic Chinese Confucianism. How can this not please the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi who regards academics as his life!Sitting in front of him, this half-breed child deeply steeped in Thai-Western culture immediately became kind in his eyes. Sang Zhiping interjected: "Did you come back to the East after listening to this teacher?" "Yes." Gu Hongming looked at Sang Zhiping and nodded. He didn't know the identity of the person sitting next to the governor. "I left Scotland four years ago." "Then why didn't you return to China soon?" Sang Zhiping asked again. "That's right." Gu Hongming straightened the light-colored silk tie around his neck and replied, "After I left Scotland, my first wish was to go back to Penang to visit my mother. My father passed away on the eve of my graduation from university. He didn’t wait for the day when I returned from my studies. Before I had lived at home for a month, the British colonial government in Malaya learned of my study abroad situation and appointed me a public post, asking me to take up the post in Singapore immediately, because there There is a great need for someone like me who knows multiple languages ​​to be a secretary. My mother said that I should work for the government, so I accepted this position. While I was in Singapore handling official duties, I took advantage of Singapore’s favorable conditions to practice Chinese and read Chinese books and newspapers. Half a year After that, my Chinese level improved rapidly. On this day, a person suddenly came to Singapore, because of him, I finally made up my mind to resign from the public office and return to China quickly.” What kind of person is this, with such persuasive power, that Gu Hongming can run back to his own country regardless of his mother's life and the government's appointment? "This person has just returned from studying in France and passed through Singapore. His name is Ma Jianzhong." Zhang Zhidong didn't know who Ma Jianzhong was.He asked Sang Zhiping: "Do you know this person?" Sang Zhiping thought for a while and asked Gu Hongming: "Is he from Jiangsu?" "Yes. He told me that he is from Dantu, Jiangsu Province. He has two elder brothers. The elder brother's name is Ma Jianxun, and the second brother's name is Ma Xiangbo." "I just thought that he might be Ma Jianxun's brother." Sang Zhiping said, "Ma Jianxun, I met once. He was working as a food platform for the Huai Army in Haozhou at that time. Ma Xiangbo is now working in Beiyang Yamen in Tianjin. The three brothers of the Ma family live in Jiangsu. It was regarded as the five permanent members of the Ma family." Zhang Zhidong nodded, thinking in his heart: As soon as Ma Jianzhong returned to China, Li Hongzhang recruited him through his brother's old relationship.This is where Li Hongzhang excels.Li Hongzhang can do this, and I, Zhang Zhidong, are also the governor of one party now, why can't I do this?He, Li Hongzhang, can rely on the real power of the governor to recruit talents from all walks of life, and I should do the same in the future.Accepting Gu Hongming and recruiting a group of overseas talents through his relationship, it seems that in the future, we will rely more on scholars who have returned from the West.A desire to keep Gu Hongming arose spontaneously in Zhang Zhidong's heart. A look of kindness appeared on Zhang Zhidong's face, and he asked Gu Hongming: "What did Ma Jianzhong tell you?" "Ma Jianzhong told me that China is a country with a 5,000-year-old civilization. When China was already highly developed, these European countries were still in the process of ignorance. China's four great inventions have benefited the whole world. Without China The four great inventions of human beings, Europe is by no means as developed and powerful as it is today. I asked him what are the four great inventions. Ma Jianzhong told me that the four great inventions are papermaking, printing, compass carts, and gunpowder. With the technology of papermaking and printing, there are European books and newspapers, with the guide car, there is the European ship navigation industry, and with gunpowder, there are European cannons and machine guns. Things turned out to be based on the inventions of our ancestors, and I immediately felt a sense of elation." Zhang Zhidong said: "We Chinese are benevolent. We invented the guide car. We did not build ships to cross the sea to invade others, but to benefit those who travel far away from getting lost. We invented gunpowder not to make bullets to kill people, but to make firecrackers to make New Year's Day Lively and cheerful." Sang Zhihu, Zhao Maochang, and Liu Yushu all laughed.Zhao Maochang said: "Master Zhang said it very well. We Chinese are gentlemen, and foreigners are villains." "Ma Jianzhong also told me," Gu Hongming continued, "there are many kinds of culture in China. Two thousand years ago, there was a debate among a hundred schools of thought. Everyone opened up their hearts and showed their intelligence. He told me that Confucianism teaches people how to cultivate one's morality, Taoism teaches people how to cultivate mental fitness, Mohism teaches people how to be hardworking and loving, Strategists teach people how to engage in diplomacy, as for Yinyang School and Miscellaneous School, there are many mysterious knowledge. It can only be unfathomable and deep, but cannot pry into its mysteries. To understand these, you have to go back to China and live in the water and soil there, so as to understand the essence of the water and soil there.” Zhang Zhidong suddenly laughed and said: "This Ma Jianzhong can really talk, he should go to the General Administration to do things." "After hearing Ma Jianzhong's words, I decided to leave Singapore immediately and return to China. I asked him who would be the best teacher for me after returning to China. Ma Jianzhong thought for a while and said, if there are thousands of teachers in China who impart knowledge, then There are hundreds of famous teachers; but in my opinion, there is no need to visit or seek refuge. The biggest problem in China now is the country’s decline. Whoever has the ability to save China from the decline will be China today. The greatest scholar. I am very happy to say that my thoughts are the same as yours. After returning to China, I have to devote myself to China’s practice, and I can use the spare time to browse the theories of various schools and schools.” Zhang Zhidong thought that he should also be regarded as a university student who saved China from its downfall, but wondered if this overseas student had himself in mind. "Ma Jianzhong told me that if you returned to China more than ten years ago, you could go to Mr. Zeng Wenzheng, who is recognized as the number one man with real talent and learning in China. I laughed, more than ten years ago, I was a child , he will not accept me. Ma Jianzhong smiled and said, yes, but he has passed away now, and you will not see him when you return to China. However, he has a true student named Li Hongzhang, who is currently recognized in China The No. 1 university questioner. You can find him after you return to China, and if necessary, I can write a recommendation letter for you. I said, okay, I will go to him. " Zhang Zhidong's face immediately sank.He also knew that Li Hongzhang was far above him in both prestige and strength, but he still felt extremely uncomfortable when an overseas student praised Li Hongzhang in front of him without mentioning him at all.Zhao Maochang saw the change in Zhang Zhidong's face, and thought about saying a few words at the right time. "I left Singapore and returned to Penang. I told my mother about this idea, and she supported me. At this time, there happened to be a British expedition going to China, and I set off with them. When we crossed the Yunnan-Myanmar border, we met到了许多险恶，我意识到随时都有生命的危险。我志不在探险，如果死在那里，将大为不值，我于是离开探险队来到香港。在香港遇到一个人，他告诉我，要到中国去投李鸿章，你这点学问远远不够。不如在香港住几年，多读点中国书。我听信了他的话，一住三年。上个月，我偶然遇到了刘玉澍先生。他对我谈起了您，我在香港的报纸上也看过关于您的介绍，于是就随他来到广州，希望见到您。” 听到这里，张之洞才舒服过来，看来海外还没有无视我张某人。张之洞脸上变化的这一小细节，又被赵茂昌看在眼里。他赶紧对张之洞说：“这几天，我和辜先生谈了几次话。我告诉他，马建忠的话说得不准确，当今天下第一大学问家不是李中堂，而是我们张制台。” 张之洞听了这话很高兴，满脸堆上笑容，和气地对辜鸿铭说：“你就在我这里住下来，不要到别的地方去啦。我以后常给你讲中国学问，中国最大的学问在我的肚子里。” 辜鸿铭认真地问：“请问张大人，你肚子里的这门学问叫什么？” “这门学问叫什么？”张之洞哈哈笑起来，“它叫天人合一之学，是天底下最高最深的莫大学问。我今后慢慢地传授给你吧！” 桑治平想起张之洞要他找的两本书，连忙拿出来，走到辜鸿铭的面前说：“这是一个朋友送我的两本书，可惜我不懂洋文，你能帮我看看吗？” 辜鸿铭接过来，看了看上面一本的封面，又翻了翻，说：“这是笛卡儿的《哲学原理》，此人已死去二百多年，是法国很有名的哲学家、科学家。他写了很多书，这本《哲学原理》是他的代表作，这是法文原版。因为讲的道理太深奥不好读，我在巴黎时用了整整一个星期才读完。” 辜鸿铭把《哲学原理》还给桑治平，将手中的另一本封面瞄了一眼，说：“这是一本俄文小说，书名叫，作者是俄国著名作家屠格涅夫。这本书别看它厚，很好读，作者才华过人，语言优美。我在爱丁堡大学读书时，一天就把它读完了。” 这番话使在座的两个中国读书人听了目瞪口呆，做声不得。 张之洞深感当今中国，正缺少也正需要的就是这种人，不管他提出什么要求，要多高的薪水，也要把他留在两广总督的幕府里。 张之洞满是关爱地对辜鸿铭说：“辜先生在海外十多年，积累了丰富的西方学问，又学过泰西语言，国家正要的是你这种人才。我想请你留在广州，跟我一道做一些对国家和百姓有用的实事。至于薪水和待遇，我都会从优考虑。你愿不愿意留下，有什么要求吗？” “我愿意。”辜鸿铭爽快地回答，“我现在也提不出什么要求，以后我想起什么，再给大人提出。” “好。”张之洞满意地点点头，将辜鸿铭从头到脚又重新打量了一番，说：“你不向我提要求，我要向你提一个要求。” 辜鸿铭有点紧张，不知这位自己国家的大官员会提出什么要求来。 “辜先生，你既然已回到中国来，就要做一个完全的中国人。今后在我的衙门里做事，不要穿这身西装，明天赵茂昌带你到城里裁缝店去做三套衣服，冬天一套，夏天一套，春秋一套，就算是我送给你的礼物。另外，你的头上没有辫子，要把辫子留下来，一时长不出，先去买条假辫子来。对朝廷来说，这有没有辫子，不是一个留头发的问题，而是忠不忠的大事。这里面的缘故，叫刘玉澍告诉你吧！” “我知道。”辜鸿铭说，“我第一次离家到英国去的时候，父亲就对我说，今后不管遇到什么情况，你头上这条辫子一定要留下来，这是中国人的标记。” “那后来为什么没有了呢？”桑治平望着辜鸿铭头上梳得很好的西式分头，饶有兴趣地发问。 辜鸿铭笑了笑说：“我刚到英国时，学校里的同学都笑我脑后的辫子，说它是猪尾巴。我记着父亲的叮嘱，不管别人如何取笑，我一直不剪。一直到十七岁那年，我进了爱丁堡大学，我的一个同班女同学对我说，你的这条辫子真可爱，乌黑油亮，好玩极了，你送给我吧。我很喜欢这个美丽的英国姑娘，心里犹豫好长一会，最后还是下了决心，当即拿剪子剪了辫子，对那姑娘说，你喜欢它，就送给你吧。那姑娘很感动地收下了。” 满屋子人都笑了起来，桑治平笑道：“原来辜先生是个多情的男儿，祖宗传下来的辫子为一个姑娘而剪了。” 张之洞关心地问：“后来那个姑娘嫁给了你吗？” “没有。”辜鸿铭似乎并不把它当作一回事，“毕业后她去维也纳学音乐，我去莱比锡学工程，就那样分了手，再没见面。” 赵茂昌忙问：“你后来娶的哪国女子？” “我至今未成家。”辜鸿铭说，“马建忠对我说，中国古代男子是三十而授室，我还只有二十八岁，不急。” “好！”张之洞说，“到时我来给你找一个好姑娘！” 辜鸿铭笑了笑，没做声。 张之洞也起身说：“眼下就有一件紧要的事要你来办。你带着两广总督衙门的公文到香港去，找到汇丰银行的老板，为两广借一百万两银子。具体如何办理，过会儿桑先生再给你详细交代。” 辜鸿铭等人刚出门，巡捕便进来报告：“粤海关道黄万全求见。”张之洞叫巡捕带他进来。