Chapter 310: The organization has decided that you will be in charge...(7.2K)
"You want a promise?"
Inside the office.
Looking at Xu Yun with a solemn expression.
William Whewell couldn't help but frown slightly.
There was a flash of surprise.
He really didn't expect that Xu Yun would actually make such a request.
Mentioned earlier.
As one of the two most famous colleges in the UK, the feud between Cambridge and Oxford can be traced back to more than 600 years ago - and this is a number relative to 1850.
That was a snowfall in 1209, which came earlier than 1208.
An Oxford University student accidentally killed a woman while practicing archery and then ran away, intensifying the conflict with Oxford citizens.
Then Oxford citizens rushed into the school and hanged the student and several of his roommates without consulting the church.
This incident directly detonated the powder keg on both sides, triggering violent conflicts between schools and citizens, with the total number of casualties reaching three digits.
In conflict.
Some Oxford teachers and students fled north to the town of Cambridge, where they began to devote themselves to cultural and academic research with the support of the local church.
Over time.
Eventually the current University of Cambridge was formed.
Those students and teachers who stayed in Oxford thought that these teachers and students who fled had brought shame to Oxford.
They should be nailed to the pillar of shame forever, and this matter was once brought to the attention of the King of England.
Therefore, the two schools had a lot of grievances from the beginning, and the school emblems of both sides were even opposite:
Both the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford have a book on their emblems, but the Cambridge one is closed, while the Oxford one is open.
During the English Civil War.
Oxford was the headquarters of Charles I and the Royalists, while Cambridge was the base of the Parliamentary Army, and they became politically antagonistic.
Another example is Mavericks' teacher Barrow. The core reason for the conflict between him and Hooker actually stems from the grudges between the two universities.
So for the University of Cambridge.
The University of Manchester, University College London, University of Leeds, etc. can all be ignored. It doesn’t matter whether the sky in Manchester is blue or red, or whether we will be playing in the Champions League or the English Championship next year.
But only one thing must be true:
That is to say, you will never be surpassed by Oxford University until you die.
Not long ago.
Cambridge University’s spies lurking in Oxford sent news:
After receiving notification from the royal family, Oxford University will release a variety of heavyweight industrial equipment at this World Exposition to show off its presence.
For example, among the equipment they plan to release is a set of instruments called the "Wind and Rain Forecaster."
It is said that it can use leeches raised in rainwater to predict whether the weather will be cloudy or sunny with a very high accuracy.
Today, Britain is about to expand its territory. If this instrument can be used in actual combat, its value will be inestimable.
Another example is an instrument that can transmit information over long distances. It seems that it can transfer information onto paper and receive it. It looks simply miraculous.
In addition, there are optimized revolvers, carefully crafted sculptures, agricultural machinery, etc...
This is only the information known to Cambridge University. It is said that Oxford also has some highly confidential super killer weapons.
Facing the menacing Oxford University, Cambridge University does not have many cards in hand:
The teaching power of the University of Cambridge is extremely dispersed among various colleges. Although the highly autonomous teaching model is academically flourishing, it also makes it difficult for some technologies that require collective investment to pass school discussions.
At the same time.
The University of Cambridge is also an institution with a strong theological flavor, and theology has a very special status in the school.
Therefore, the University of Cambridge has always respected classical education, which has also restricted the development of some industrial technologies. This situation will not change until Wheat establishes the Cavendish Laboratory.
In this case, the front just seems unbeatable.
And just when the school directors were almost losing their hair, someone suddenly thought of Babbage's Analytical Engine:
This thing attracted the British government to invest a small amount of 20,000 pounds in research and development more than 20 years ago. Its significance naturally needs no explanation.
Just like the virtual reality technology of later generations.
Whether it can be done is one thing, but the value of the technology itself is another.
Although Babbage is not very reliable, but now with the help of Xu Yun, the "descendant of fat fish", we can still look forward to it.
If only it could have appeared at the end of the expo...
So, be it a revolver or a "storm forecaster".
In the face of analytical machines that have transcended generations, these devices are all just plugging in and selling out.
In a sense.
Today's Cambridge governor is actually very similar to William Whewell at the opening ceremony - the situation is irreversible, and the Analytical Engine is the only turnaround point at present.
With it, you can win, but without it, you will definitely have to send it.
And since they wanted to persuade Xu Yun to speed up the completion of the analytical engine, the school director was naturally prepared for Xu Yun's possible request.
It’s just based on the board’s previous estimates.
Xu Yun is 80% likely to make financial demands:
For example, he directly asks for a certain amount of pounds, or he hopes that the school will clear his IOU.
The remaining 20% probability is related to the destination after graduation, such as requesting a guarantee of a certain position, or a house, etc...
But I didn't expect it.
Xu Yun didn't ask for money or other substantial rewards, but just wanted a promise?
To know.
Promising something like this is like adding an update to the author, and in many cases it cannot be taken back.
If you meet a diligent and trustworthy author like Xu Yun, it will be okay, but if you meet a pigeon like Golden Jasmine, then basically there will be no follow-up.
Think of this.
William Whewell couldn't help but glance at Xu Yun, with a little curiosity and inquiry on his face, and asked:
"Classmate Luo Feng, what kind of promise do you want?"
Xu Yun thought for a while and did not give a direct answer. Instead, he asked:
"Dean Whewell, in your capacity, you should know the empire's current attitude towards the East, right?"
William Whewell was a well-known philosopher in the world. Being able to serve as the dean of Trinity College also meant that he was a direct descendant of Prince Albert, so he was naturally very clear about some of the policies of the top management.
He hesitated for a moment, then nodded sharply:
"Well, as far as I know, the empire should be prepared to launch a round of... well, force deterrence against the East in the name of safeguarding the tobacco trade."
"Although the House of Commons has not passed a vote to activate the motion so far, the opposition party obviously cannot hold on for long..."
While speaking, William Whewell suddenly thought of something, blinked, and tentatively said to Xu Yun:
"Student Luo Feng, if you want Cambridge to make a promise to convince His Majesty not to start a war, then I'm afraid you are wasting your efforts. This is absolutely impossible..."
Before Whewell finished speaking, Xu Yun shook his head and decisively denied:
"Don't worry, Dean Whewell, I won't make such unrealistic demands."
William Whewell was slightly relieved.
Then Xu Yun paused, raised two fingers, and said to him:
"Dean Whewell, let me be blunt. The commitment I require is divided into two points."
William Whewell straightened his body and made a listening gesture:
"Oh? I'd like to hear the details."
Xu Yun took a deep breath, organized some words, and said seriously:
"First of all, I demand that when the House of Commons votes on the start of the war, all non-Whig MPs from Cambridge University must vote against it."
William Whewell was stunned and said in surprise:
"Non-Whig MP? No vote?"
I saw him thinking seriously for a moment, and then said slowly:
"If the scope you are talking about does not include Whig MPs, then this matter is not difficult. After all, the Tories themselves hold anti-war opinions..."
"But classmate Luo Feng..."
"Even if all the other members of the Cambridge University faction vote against it, at most the start of the war will be postponed for a few days. It is impossible not to start the war anyway..."
Xu Yun listened with a solemn expression and said nothing.
He actually wanted to tell William Whewell that his purpose was just to delay time.
He knows one thing better than anyone:
A crow is bound to break out, this is a historical trend.
If it doesn't happen, history will be nothing, and there will be no chance of rescue. It will be 404 directly.
The starting timeline of nothingness in modern history is not 1937, but 1840. (I can’t help but complain. After doing so many things, some people say that the protagonist is timid and timid. I really don’t understand. If this is not called making trouble, I
I don’t know what trouble means. Do you want me to write 404 to be satisfied?)
In addition, it has been said countless times that neither the founding father nor the subsequent boat will be the dawn that will appear after Nirvana.
Therefore, Xu Yun’s goal was clear from the beginning:
He won't stop the outbreak of a crow, but at least he can make it happen as late as possible.
If the outbreak of Yicrow could coincide with the most intense period of the Crimean War...
So if the situation is involved, maybe some innocent civilians on the mainland can be spared.
be honest.
Xu Yun is not a strategist and has never studied battlefield command, so he doesn't have much confidence that he can accomplish this kind of thing.
But whether it can be done is one thing, and whether it can be done is another.
Under the current situation, he can at least try as much as he can.
It doesn’t cost any money anyway, just give it a try.
There are currently about 40 members of the Cambridge faction in the House of Commons, 40% of whom are Whigs...that is, war faction members.
The Labor Party has not yet emerged these days, so the remaining 60% basically belong to the Tories.
That is, the Conservative Party in later generations.
Although in 2022, a blond fool will appear in the Conservative Party and do some very stupid things.
But at least at this point in 1850, the Tories were indeed an anti-war party.
Mentioned before.
On April 7, 1840 in local history, the British House of Representatives held a vote to start the war.
In the end, the cabinet's proposal was approved with a difference of 9 votes, 271 votes in favor and 262 votes against, and a crowd broke out.
These 262 negative votes were basically handed down by the Tories.
Of course.
The Tories were anti-war not because they were peace-loving, but because they did not expect that the Qing Dynasty would be so weak:
156n.
What they were afraid of was that the Qing would be able to hold the pass, while at the same time closing the trade with Britain and handing it over to other European countries, so they voted against it.
all in all.
Regardless of their starting point.
At least in terms of anti-war demands, the Tories and Xu Yun have the same position.
It was not very difficult for William Whewell...or the University of Cambridge to persuade non-Whig MPs to vote against it.
Therefore, although he didn’t quite understand Xu Yun’s thoughts, William Whewell still nodded simply:
"No problem, classmate Luo Feng, I can promise you this now."
"Today, there are a total of 42 members of the House of Commons from the Cambridge family. Excluding the Whig party, the number of Tories is probably more than 20 and close to 30."
"Let's do this. I'll give you a round number, 30 votes."
"That is, the Cambridge department can cast at least 30 negative votes. If it is not enough, I will find someone to make up for it."
William Whewell's last words were very domineering, and he seemed to have the attitude of the wealthy people of later generations footing the bill.
However, with his status and connections, he is indeed qualified to say this - not to mention, Whewell himself has trained four or five members of the House of Commons.
Seeing that William Whewell not only accepted his request, but also added a little extra, Xu Yun couldn't help but feel relieved.
The second point he wants to mention next is very difficult, and even Xu Yun himself is not sure that he can achieve it.
So in a sense.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Whewell agreed to the first request, and his purpose this time has almost been achieved.
After all, the price he paid was just to speed up the completion of the analytical engine.
Then he adjusted his breathing again and said to William Whewell:
"As for the second point..."
"Dean Whewell, I hope that if the war starts, Trinity College - I mean Trinity College, not Cambridge University, can collect the treasures looted by the empire into the Trinity College museum as much as possible, and
..."
"After one hundred and fifty years, try to return these treasures to the East."
The British had a looting style as early as the colonial period in India and America. Therefore, William Whewell did not think about clearing ground for the British army, but focused on specific conditions:
"Huh? One hundred and fifty years?"
"Classmate Luo Feng, this...how can I guarantee you this?"
"One hundred and fifty years from now, you and I will have turned into ashes. All the promises will be nothing but empty talk. Who knows what the younger generations will do?"
Xu Yun smiled freely when he heard this, waved his hand towards him, and patiently explained:
"So I said try your best. I hope you can at least agree to collect the treasures."
Xu Yun said this very calmly, because he really didn't expect the second half of his words to come true.
Let alone one hundred and fifty years, some promises may not still be valid after fifteen years.
It’s just that there is an old Chinese saying that goes well.
If you hit three shots with or without dates, you won't lose if you can't hit them. If you can hit them, you'll make a profit.
As for the previous sentence...
It can be regarded as stopping the loss as much as possible.
After the Qing Dynasty became a colony, a large number of cultural relics from the East were lost overseas. The collection in the British Museum is probably less than one-fifth of the total.
In the later generations that Xu Yun traveled through, there are still quite a few cultural relics missing.
The most famous one is the animal head from Yuanmingyuan.
As of 2022, 4 of the 12 beast heads are still missing.
Let alone recovering the relics, you don't even know where to find them.
This is the price paid for the ignorance of this decadent dynasty, but those cultural relics are innocent, and many are even leftovers from ancestors from more ancient times.
Xu Yun was unable to go against the general trend, but he also wanted to do something for those innocent Chinese cultural relics.
At least the wealth left by some ancestors will not be locked up in a collector's dark secret room, and even the sound of crying cannot be heard.
be honest.
Even if William Whewell made a promise to return the cultural relics a hundred years later, there is a high probability that his successor would not recognize it.
Didn’t you see that I have agreed to return to a certain place at the expiration date, but at this time, there are still countless monsters acting like monsters?
But as long as those cultural relics can lie in the museum of Trinity College, even if they cannot come back for the time being, it is many times better than being locked up in a caisson.
The descendants of the East can at least have a goal, and they will not be confused about who to collect debts from.
Again.
What Xu Yun paid was only some knowledge, knowledge that was not even a "price".
The disapproval votes for the first request alone are enough, and he will make money every time he completes the second request.
His eyes returned to the office.
Looking at Xu Yun with a solemn expression, William Whewell couldn't help but touch his chin and said thoughtfully:
"Classmate Luo Feng, I am somewhat certain that I can fulfill the first half of your request. After all, no matter how much the war is postponed, I will obviously be able to see the results while I am alive - I'm sorry, but saying this may make you a little uncomfortable.
.....”
Xu Yun shook his head and said it didn't matter.
This is to clear the debt owed. If you fall behind, you will be beaten. There is nothing to say.
Moreover, although William Whewell himself had a somewhat selfish personality, he was also a resolute anti-war faction in history.
He resolutely voted against him in all four rounds of voting. No matter how much Xu Yun vented his anger, he would not vent it on him.
Seeing that Xu Yun's expression was normal, William Whewell continued:
"So classmate Luo Feng, I can promise you that once the empire really robs certain treasures, I will definitely try my best to keep them in the museum on campus - the reason is that they are the wealth of Mr. Fat Fish's hometown.
Trinity College should display Sir Newton’s relics with the same standards. I guess the problem is not that big.”
"It's just a promise to return the cultural relics after 150 years... I can write you a letter of promise, but people in the future may not recognize it..."
"It's enough that you can write a letter of commitment."
Xu Yun quickly accepted his words and said:
"What will happen a hundred years from now...who knows what will happen?"
"At least if you agree to this, I will definitely complete the analytical engine on time. That's enough, isn't it?"
William Whewell was stunned for a moment, then smiled:
"That's right. In that case, classmate Luo Feng, let's make an agreement."
"The day the Analytical Engine comes out is when I hand over my letter of commitment. What do you think?"
Xu Yun nodded without hesitation:
"no problem."
Looking at the relieved Xu Yun in front of him, William Whewell also felt the pressure on his shoulders lighten.
If he had worries about Xu Yun three months ago.
Well, with the occurrence of several major events, he no longer has any doubts about Xu Yun's ability.
Analytical engine...
Then he suddenly thought of something again, patted his forehead lightly, and said to Xu Yun:
"Oh, by the way, classmate Luo Feng, there is one more thing I want to tell you."
Xu Yun sat upright:
"What's up?"
William Whewell picked up the coffee, took a sip, and said to him:
"The organization has decided that you will be responsible for the reception of the Eastern delegation."
.......
Note:
Are there any book friends from Sichuan? I heard that there was a large-scale power outage in Sichuan. Let me know...