In the lounge of the racecourse, Hervé Jacques Césaire, the French Consul General in Tianjin, was reading a newspaper. As he read, he smiled and said: "Marie, the Chinese you often mentioned does have a very profound understanding of European history.
Insights. This article on the rise and fall of Portugal has qualified him to be a lecturer at the University of Paris."
"Is it just a lecturer? Why not a professor?" Marion looked at her husband doubtfully.
"There is a wealth of historical research on Portugal, and many of his views are not unusual, they are just erudition," Hervé explained.
Marion smiled and said: "That's because you haven't heard of his unique views on the Soviet Union."
"I'm looking forward to it." Hervé also smiled.
What he just read was the "Beijing-Tianjin Times". It was founded in 1894 and changed from a weekly newspaper to a daily newspaper in 1902. It has both English and Chinese versions. Its original intention was to serve as the mouthpiece of the British Concession Industry Bureau in Tianjin, specializing in
Speak for the British.
Of course, for its own benefit, Britain sometimes speaks for the Chinese through the Beijing-Tianjin Times. For example, it strongly opposes the "Twenty-One" proposed by Japan and the resolution of the "Paris Peace Conference" to transfer Shandong to Japan.
This newspaper also strongly opposed the opium trade, the Anglo-Japanese alliance, arms smuggling, warlord separatism, and safeguarded human rights and dignity.
In general, this is a foreign newspaper with a crooked butt, but it still retains some bottom line. It has a great influence on foreigners in China and the Chinese upper class.
As for the other "Zi Lin Xi Bao" that publishes "The Rise of Great Powers", it is a weekly newspaper headquartered in Shanghai. It has not been published yet, and its butt is more crooked than the "Beijing-Tianjin Times", and it often interferes in China's affairs.
accuse.
Roger Powell Spencer, the British Consul General in Tianjin, stood up with a smile and said: "The Chinese and their emperor are here."
Puyi and Wanrong always looked affectionate in front of outsiders, holding arms and smiling at all times.
When everyone met, Puyi was also very gentlemanly. He kissed the hands of the two consul wives respectively, and then shook hands with the other three men. Wanrong's etiquette was much more traditional, with his hands on his waist,
He slightly bent his legs and performed a blessing ceremony.
Marion enthusiastically introduced Zhou Hexuan: "Mr. Zhou, this is my husband Hervé, this is Roger, the British Consul General in Tianjin, and this is Li Fusen, the commander of the French garrison in Tianjin."
"Hello!"
"Hello!"
After everyone shook hands, they collectively headed to the stable not far away. Marion asked with concern: "Mr. Zhou, can you ride a horse?"
"I know a little bit, but I'm not proficient," Zhou Hexuan replied with a smile, and added, "You should call me Charles by my English name."
"Well," Marion also smiled, "Charles, you can choose a docile mare."
Zhou Hexuan nodded and said: "Thank you for the suggestion."
With the help of the horse breeder, Zhou Hexuan quickly selected a pure black mare. The whole body was as black and shiny as silk. It was a Helstein horse shipped from Europe. This kind of horse is a warm-blooded horse.
It has good speed, endurance and flexibility, and has a relatively docile temperament, suitable for playing polo, three-day events and dressage.
As for British thoroughbred horses, although they are very good at racing, they are not suitable for playing polo. They can easily lose control and cause accidents.
Zhou Hexuan used to travel around the world, and it was not as simple as taking a plane or ship to visit a certain scenic spot. He would live in the local area for a period of time and try to interact with the local people. He learned to ride horses when he was in Mongolia and Kazakhstan.
Turning over neatly and sitting on the horse, Zhou Hexuan found that his physical fitness was much stronger after traveling through time. He looked towards the emperor and saw Puyi holding Wanrong's waist to help her get on the horse. With such a performance, no wonder the foreigners in the Tianjin Concession said
Puyi has grace and connotation.
hehe!
Zhou Hexuan gently pinched the horse's belly, and the horse trotted towards the polo field very obediently. The servants also followed him carrying ball bags.
Polo matches are played between two teams, each with 4 players.
In addition to Zhou Hexuan, Puyi and Wanrong, the most powerful garrison commander Li Fusen was also assigned to their group, with Zhou Hexuan and Li Fusen as the forwards. On the opposite side were the British consul and his wife and the French consul and his wife. The two consuls were the forwards, and the two consuls were the forwards.
A lady acts as a defender.
After the kick-off, soldier Li Fusen touched the ball first and pushed the polo in the direction of Zhou Hexuan with a stick. Although Zhou Hexuan had never played this sport before, he found it quite simple after understanding the rules. The premise is that you must be able to ride a horse.
Just when Zhou Hexuan was about to hit the ball, the French Consul Roger suddenly came out at a 40-degree angle and knocked the ball away with a stick. The French Consul Hervé easily caught the ball and flew towards the opponent's goal.
The two consuls general are also the chairman of the British and French Concession in Tianjin, and are the top administrators of their respective concessions, but they really don't have much daily affairs. They are so idle all day long, and they can only do these entertainment activities to pass the time. One is more competitive than the other.
Can play.
"Defend, defend!" Li Fusen turned his horse's head and shouted.
The two defenders, Puyi and Wanrong, were obviously incompetent. When they saw the opponent coming, they only made a symbolic interception, and then the French Consul easily scored.
In just seven minutes, the opponent scored five points in a row. General Li Fusen said that he couldn't lead the three rookies and was too lazy to fight for it anymore. However, Zhou Hexuan became more and more excited as he played. His riding skills were no worse than those of the two consuls.
After gradually becoming familiar with it, he unexpectedly scored a goal in the second quarter.
"Yeah!" Wanrong excitedly waved the stick and rushed forward to actively fight for it.
Although the technology is bad, the attitude is good.
Puyi, however, was always slow and leisurely, still maintaining his noisy aristocratic demeanor, and was completely unable to integrate into group activities.
At the end of the game, the team of the Consul and his wife won with a huge advantage of 42:9. Those who didn’t know better might have thought they were playing a basketball game.
During the break, Li Fusen drank water and encouraged: "Charles, you are very talented in polo. You will get familiar with it after playing a few more games. We can form a team next time."
"Really? Then call me when you play next time." Zhou Hexuan's main purpose was to make friends with these foreign devils, especially the garrison commander who had soldiers at his disposal.
In order to please him, Zhou Hexuan took the initiative to talk about Napoleon and praised His Majesty the Emperor's illustrious military exploits. This was indeed very popular with the French general, and soon the two of them started chatting and laughing, like old friends they had not seen for many years.
Puyi watched from a distance and felt that Zhou Hexuan was extremely talented. Not only was he knowledgeable, but he also had excellent social skills.
After having lunch at the club, Puyi took advantage of Zhou Hexuan's opportunity to go to the toilet and immediately followed him to pester him, hoping that Zhou Hexuan would be loyal and assist him.
When the emperor takes this position, there is no one else.
Puyi is currently short of manpower, so he wants to recruit those who are capable. To use the game "Three Kingdoms" as an analogy, Puyi is a bare monarch, while Zhou Hexuan is an opposition general with pretty good attributes.
Zhou Hexuan did not agree to him immediately, but asked with a smile: "Do you want to hear the truth from me?"
"Please tell me." Pu Yi nodded.
Zhou Hexuan said: "You are quite new to the throne. There are only three ways to do it."
"There are three?" Puyi was overjoyed.
Zhou Hexuan said: "First, find a place to train troops and win back the lost country."
Puyi was immediately speechless. If he could train an army, would he still need to suffer from the cowardice now?
Zhou Hexuan continued: "Second, take advantage of the contradictions between the various forces, win the election of the warlords, and be a puppet emperor with peace of mind."
This is what Kang Youwei is doing, but Puyi has had enough of being a puppet. He asked expectantly: "What else?"
Zhou Hexuan said: "Third, put down the airs of the emperor and go into politics, or join an organization with potential. For example, the Kuomintang, the Red Party, or even go south to take the Whampoa Military Academy, and slowly get up step by step. With what you have done
His status must be easy to accept. Although the deposed emperor is a deposed emperor, his influence is still there. If you join any party, the prestige of that force will be greatly increased."
Pu Yi was a little dizzy: "But...but they will be on guard against me. There is no way they can give me real power."
Zhou Hexuan smiled and said: "It's better than your current situation. If you don't want to join any force, you will always be alone. But after joining an emerging force with potential, you can always slowly gain recognition from some people around you. When
Although the emperor's hope is slim, becoming a high official is not a problem, and he might even become a president if he has enough qualifications."
Zhou Hexuan is not just talking nonsense. As long as Puyi puts aside his status and surrenders, both the Kuomintang and the Communist Party will welcome him. However, the former will use him, while the latter will reform him. Only God knows the final outcome.
Puyi seemed to have lost his soul, thinking repeatedly about Zhou Hexuan's third proposal. Sometimes he felt it was reasonable, and sometimes he felt it was unreliable. Of course, his biggest doubt was that he still refused to let go of his identity as emperor.
"It seems that I have to discuss it with Master Kang." When Puyi was at a loss, he couldn't help but think of Kang Youwei.
At this moment, with the publication of the "Beijing-Tianjin Times", Zhou Hexuan and his "The Rise of the Great Powers" finally entered the attention of some Chinese and foreign upper-class people and cultural scholars.
