The New Year in Shanghai is still as lively as ever, even in the carriage, the noisy voices on the street outside, the shouts of various hawkers in various accents, the intermittent firecrackers and children's laughter, and the electric bells of the newly opened trams, these seven-seven-eighty-eight sounds came in from outside the carriage like a tide, making Yang Rui, who was already irritable by the stop-and-go carriage, frown even deeper. Looking at Yang Rui's tense face, Cheng Ying took out his warm jade-like hand and only stroked his face, and said softly: "It's coming soon, see you're in a hurry!" ”

The woman's voice was very pleasant, but Yang Rui was no longer in the mood to laugh with her. When the mail ship passed through Nanjing, the local workstation sent a stack of newspapers, all of which were news related to the Renaissance Society, and he carefully read all the newspapers, among these newspapers, the official and the newspapers affiliated with the League were the most fierce, but if you want to say that the materials are detailed, you still have to count the Japanese Han newspapers.

They even knew that Fuxing would privately make the size of the dragon robe, so it was inferred that it was impossible for Yang Jingcheng to be the emperor, because the dragon robe was obviously for children. The most likely thing for the Fuxing Society is to launch a child with the blood of the former Ming clan as the emperor, as for the authenticity of the child's bloodline, it is very likely to be true according to the handling of the Revival Society, although the clan of the former Ming Dynasty basically escaped at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, and it is not impossible to find someone with the blood of the former Ming royal family for hundreds of years. The newspaper counted all the twenty-six sons of Zhu Yuanzhang in the former Ming Dynasty, and even more gossip about the ending of each vassal king, and finally deduced that the descendants of those vassal kings may survive, the first of which is the crown prince Zhu Biao, and there is King Min behind.

The background of Han Bao is actually the official Japanese government. Sotaro Kogata had been in Hankow for many years, and he was a newspaper that served the Japanese government entirely as a newspaper. For such a thing as a revival meeting, the newspaper has nothing but digging deep into the information. The comment is completely flattering, and the fact that China became an empire rather than a republic after the revolution is fully in line with the mainstream values of the Japanese government. The Japanese officials praised the Japanese ronin who were concerned about the Chinese revolution in the opposition and scolded them, and these marginal elements, who did not gain much from the Meiji Restoration, pointed out in the Minbao newspaper that the Renaissance Society was a fake revolution and a real autocracy, just like the people of the League.

The Japanese kicked it out, and the more neutral declarations and news newspapers in Shanghai were only analyzing the authenticity of the matter. and began to deduce what China would look like if it was really against the Qing Dynasty and the restoration of the Ming Dynasty; In Shanghai, Ta Kung Pao, which was run by the heroes of the northern people, wrote an article spitting that the Fuxing Society was a relic of the former Ming Dynasty, and that its revolution was fundamentally a disaster to the country and the people. Just for the sake of the mourning of one surname, he basically returned the words of the revolutionary party scolding the Manchus as intact, but the words were more elegant.

After reading the Chinese-language newspapers, the English-language newspapers didn't seem to take this matter very seriously. Yang Rui only saw the article on the second page of the Beijing-Tianjin Times. The foreigners obviously did not know much about the history of the Ming Dynasty, but briefly said that the revolutionaries wanted to restore the previous dynasty, and analyzed that once China revolutionized, the existing achievements of civilization would be buried; At the same time, Western countries do not want to see any kind of revolution in China. The people who wrote this article still believe that even if there is a change of dynasty, China is still so ignorant and backward, and what they want to do is not revolution, but to open up in an all-round way, and then learn from the West. That's all the public opinion caused by the leak. Within the Renaissance Association, several base areas are controlled by the press. So there is no reaction from there. It was a small number of high-level members abroad, such as Xie Jintai and Qiu Jin, who sent telegrams to inquire about it.

Qiu Jin is just a student, and the content of Qian Shao's telegram is extremely short, only six words: Jun Xian Yang or Min Xian? On the other hand, Xie Jintai's telegram was longer, and he did not ask whether the matter was true or false, but only roughly analyzed the pros and cons of the revolution after the former Ming dynasty came out, and his view was that the British constitutional monarchy was more in line with the reality of today's China.

As soon as Zhu Kuansu appeared, Jun Xian and Minxian had to make a choice, this choice had already been decided, but things had changed a few times, such as Yu Zixun simply admitted the matter in the telegram, and now began to promote Zhu Kuansu, Wang Jitong even confessed some of his thoughts in the telegram, and Zhong Guanguan and Xu Huafeng also agreed with the disclosure of this matter now, although they did not explicitly choose Jun Xian, but now Zhu Kuansu is building momentum, I don't know what the intention is?

The congested streets finally gave way to the shouting of the grooms, and after passing through the British Concession, the French Concession looked deserted. After Yang Rui asked Cheng Ying to go home first, he intuitively went to Zhang Taiyan's place, he wanted to hear his opinion.

In the Guoqu Newspaper, Zhang Taiyan was reading out a long telegram sent by Wang Jitong from the United States at this time, in which Wang Jitong frankly stated his thoughts, that is, Yang Rui's current power is too great, and he wants one person to check and balance.

Wang Jitong said from the bottom of his heart, and Zhang Taiyan only frowned silently after reading it. Zhang Taiyanzhi believes that if China wants to be rejuvenated, it must have a great hero. This is also the first time he met Sun Wen, and the reason why he said that he "has the meaning of bloodshed, which can be described as insightful." It's a pity that his people flickering constantly, not practical, and the cover can't be Zhang Jiao and Wang Xianzhi. It is to see that Sun Wen is not a hard stubble, with a big tone, soft bones, and his kung fu is very commonplace, while Yang Rui is the opposite, although he was gentle and submissive to the revolution when he was in the Patriotic Society, but once he started, he was stubborn to the end and had a far-reaching layout. Now that the hero is out, he wants to weave a rope to tie him, and everyone really wants to do anything.

"Qiu Mei, what do you think this Xiao Xu means?" Zhang Taiyan handed the telegram to Deng Shi, and after Liu Shipei went, Deng Shi was the only one left with Zhang Taiyan in the former national quintessence newspaper, and the two were close friends academically, and they also had many exchanges on some things in the revolution. And this Deng Shi is the disciple of the famous scholar Jian Chaoliang, the descendant of Zhu Ciqi of the Lingnan School, and Zhang Taiyan is the disciple of Yu Yue and the descendant of Dai Zhen of the Anhui School; The previous Liu Shipei was the great-grandson of Liu Wenqi of the Yangzhou School.

Deng Shi is an old man of the Fuxing Society, and he has been studying the quintessence of the country, although he doesn't know whether the Fuxing Society has a private dragon robe to hide the prince, but from the perspective of revolutionary theory, he knows exactly what this is, he only said: "What Xiao Xu thinks." It's not a struggle for power and profit, it's just a matter of thinking from the perspective of the people or the country. From the perspective of the people. Although a weak monarch cannot strengthen the country, it is enough to protect the country, and in the future, it will be like a Western-style republican system, and the elected monarch will be replaced, and the people will not suffer from it, but they may not be blessed by it; From the perspective of the country, it is necessary to have a strong monarch to revitalize our China. Not only to protect the country, but also to expand the land, although the country can benefit. But the people have also suffered from it, and the poison of autocracy has been even more harmful for a hundred years, and I am afraid that in the end, it will be a post-Qing Dynasty. ”

"Houqing?" Zhang Taiyan stood up and opened the white folding fan and fanned himself, "Even the Later Qing Dynasty is better than the Manchu Qing Dynasty." ”

"Uncle Mei. There will always be winners and losers. If the land is not expanded, the land is lost, so what? On such a cold day, Deng Shi saw Zhang Taiyan fanning, so he had to take a few steps back. In fact, he didn't have an opinion on Junxian and Minxian, but simply debated with Zhang Taiyan.

"If you decide with the vision of success, even if you can't expand the land, you won't lose the land, right?" Deng Shi got to the point, and Zhang Taiyan also stopped when he heard the fan and asked.

"A kingdom shall be prospered by one man, and that kingdom shall perish; Governing the country as one party. The country will not be long. Regular activity keeps things in good shape. Uncle Mei, this is a foregone conclusion. Deng Shi said again, not only let Zhang Taiyan stop the fan, but also let him sit down.

Seeing this, Deng Shi said again: "If you take the constitution, China will be a republic, and the Revival Society will only be a party in the court, even if it controls the government, once it is defeated, it will be expelled from the court; And taking the people's constitution, which seems to be a republic, is actually autocratic, not to mention whether it can open up the territory, that is, after opening up the territory, the people also suffer deeply. Looking at Japan, what is the benefit of a war with Russia? ”

"Then Japan is just unevenly distributed." Zhang Taiyan's fan fanned again, he had been to Tokyo, and he felt that the people in the Japanese capital were poorer than those in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the taxes were heavier than those in China, not to mention the Russo-Japanese War, and the earlier First Sino-Japanese War, the real benefits of the people were not much. But even so, if he has a choice, he is willing to be a citizen of a strong country like Japan, and does not want to be a citizen of a weak country like China.

"If Japan is not evenly distributed, how can China distribute equally?" Deng Shi said with a smile.

"Cheng Cheng said that after the founding of the country, the industry, mining, roads and soil will either be nationalized, or the state will be managed, since the state is owned and managed, how can it be distributed unevenly?" Zhang Taiyan said.

"But it was the same in Japan at the time." Deng Shidao, he listened to Zhang Taiyan's words, and still smiled, "But in the end, those industrial and mining roads are the same as those roads and mining bureaus run by the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Either they were sold or contracted, and it was even said that 'the company is smart as soon as it is packaged', and the burden is light as soon as it is sold', and those chaebols who took over laid off most of the original workers. In this way, how can it be evenly distributed? ”

"But this is also a management problem, if the company is well managed and can make money, how can it be sold?" Zhang Taiyan said.

Deng Shi laughed, "A few of those companies are really losing money, and they are all officials and businessmen, and they are just fish and meat." A state-owned company is more like a yamen, and it is actually said that this yamen-like company cannot be run, even if it can be run well, it must also be run badly under the collusion of officials and businessmen, so that it can be sold at a low price. Uncle Mei, I don't understand economics, so let's not talk about it. It's just that this monarch and the people's constitution have their own advantages and disadvantages, and this matter is now seen as small, but in fact it has a big stake, and China's national fortunes for hundreds of years are in the second election. ”

As soon as Zhang Taiyan and Deng Shi finished talking, Zhang Taiyan's secretary outside said that Yang Rui had arrived, and he didn't wait to talk to Deng Shi more, and when he went out, he saw Yang Rui throw a telegram over, and only said: "Uncle Mei, look at what Xiao Xu said?" If he doesn't believe in me, the president, he will be a good one, and what checks and balances he will say, it's really inexplicable! ”

Zhang Taiyan was shocked when he heard this, and when he took the telegram, he saw that the content on it was the same as that sent to him by Wang Jitong, and his face suddenly sank, and he said, "Actually, I also have such a telegram here." Although I don't know what Xiao Xu thinks, although the words are harsh, they are not for the sake of power. ”

Of course, Yang Rui knows that Wang Jitong is not fighting for power and profit, he firmly believes in Buddhism, and rarely has a utilitarian heart, and it is precisely because of this that Yang Rui feels that it is not suitable for him to manage internal affairs in Shanghai, and such a character is still good for research and development. didn't know that although he had gone far, he was now making such a check and balance in the matter of Zhu Kuanji. He is so upright and frank, but it makes Yang Rui difficult to deal with. This is exactly what the conspiracy is terrible, but what is more terrible than the conspiracy is the yang conspiracy, and now Wang Jitong is clearly trying to balance himself with Zhu Kuanji, Yang Rui really has no reason to oppose it.

"I see. I'm better off quitting! Then he was completely relieved. Yang Rui was holding back the fire when he saw the telegram, but now that he was persuaded by Zhang Taiyan, he was even more angry.

"Don't be angry. Even if you quit your job. It will not help in this matter. In my opinion, it is better to consult the opinions of the various standing committee members on this matter, and if this is not possible, we can expand the scope of the matter, and the 21 committee members will all share their thoughts on this matter. After such a resolution, what Xiao Xu has to think, it can only be put in his heart. Zhang Taiyan saw that Yang Rui was annoyed, and wanted to persuade him, but he also knew that this matter was important. I had to push the matter to the committee.

"Uncle Mei, don't forget it, we agreed that we could only be constitutional, not constitutional. Even if it's Junxian. It's just a claim to the outside world, just to bluff the people. Seeing Zhang Taiyan doing this, Yang Rui was only afraid that things would slide to the other side, so he had to reiterate the previous resolution.

"It did. Now we still advocate the constitution of the people. No one wants a monarch. Even Xiao Xu just wanted to start building momentum for Zhu Kuansu now, so that his reputation could not be lower than yours, this was the check and balance he wanted. Seeing that Yang Rui was a little anxious, Zhang Taiyan smiled bitterly.

"What does Xiao Xu mean exactly? What the hell is he going to do? Yang Rui pinched Wang Jitong's telegram and only looked up at the ceiling.

"It's not what Xiao Xu wants to do, it's done, you have to ask yourself. What are you doing? Xiao Xu doesn't think that you are unqualified as the president, he sees that you are too qualified. That's why I'm worried. He wants to elevate Zhu Kuansu now, because he wants you to be under one person and above ten thousand, but he doesn't want you to be called an emperor, better than an emperor. Seeing Yang Rui pondering, Zhang Taiyan laughed happily, and said, "Our revival will really be anyone." There are you, who pull the car with all your might, who is chaotic, who is chaotic, and me, who is enjoying the success, and Xiao Xu, who is the brake. Actually, don't be angry, Xiao Xu's discussion, there is not much difference from what we talked about before, but in the past, we valued the ability of the imperial power to call on the people, and now he found that the imperial power can be used to check and balance the Fuxing Society, and he put you in the list of checks and balances. ”

Zhang Taiyan's sentence "What do you want to do" only made Yang Rui not listen to his words at all, what he said was not unreasonable, and he still had to think about what he wanted. But what do you want to do? That is to rejuvenate China, rebuild China, and think more about shaping a new national character. The meaning of Zhu Kuansu, the former Ming clan, has been changing, first thinking that it can call on the party and the people to support the revolution, and when the time comes, under the banner of opposing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty, it can respond to every call; Later, he believed that its real role was to stabilize the people's hearts and unite the people after the founding of the country, and to rebuild the former tributary system, connecting the whole of Asia, and even eastern Africa, with this ancient system, and laying the pretext for China's expansion power.

The original intention of the revival association was that the party power controlled the imperial power, and the power of the imperial power controlled China, and the people in the countryside did not know what the revolution was called and what the government was, but if the signboard of the imperial power was displayed, they would have to fall down in fear. But now Wang Jitong wants to subvert such a design, and he doesn't want the party power to control the imperial power, but wants the party power to borrow the imperial power. In this way, not only can we restrain ourselves, but once the revival group of people pass away, it is very likely that the revival will be out of the political arena. After all, the imperial power is the greatest, and no matter how meritorious the revival will be, it is only one party, and if the party members behind are corrupt and autocratic, they will eventually be expelled by the people through the imperial power.

Wang Jitong didn't think about it unreasonably, but when he thought that he was going to be restrained by the imperial power, Yang Rui felt unhappy for a while. He is no longer as desperate as before, although he doesn't want to establish any Yang dynasty, but he doesn't want a child who can only eat dry rice to be a head taller than himself. In the propaganda of the Renaissance Society, the interests of the individual and the state are always higher than the state, but in the hearts of those in power, how much is the national interest worth? Even if it is sold at a discount, it is not painful.

"On the matter of Zhu Kuanji, let's first seek the opinions of the committee members. But what I mean is that the blood of the revolutionary army cannot be shed in vain, and it was the Revival Society that found Zhu Kuansu, not Zhu Kuansu who funded the Renaissance Society. Yang Rui said a high-sounding excuse, which was very serious, "Besides, it is propaganda, and it can't be now, it can only be publicized when it is close to the uprising." ”

Seeing that Yang Rui finally spoke, Zhang Taiyan closed the fan and kept knocking on his left hand, and he said: "Since this is the case, then I will send a telegram to Xiao Xu, warning him to obey the overall situation and put the revolution first." ”

Seeing that Zhang Taiyan was obviously on his side, only Wang Jitong and Yu Zixun were not of the same heart in the committee. Yang Rui was a little satisfied in his heart, and when he was about to say goodbye and go back, Zhang Taiyan said: "In the last ten days or so that you came back from outside, two things happened, and I still told you in detail. Zhang Taiyan smiled and turned on the light in the room, and then said, "The incandescent lamp you have been talking about has been made." ”

The light of the electric lamp was only dim during the day, and Yang Rui looked at the bulb and said, "That filament is made of tungsten filament?" ”

"It's tungsten." Zhang Taiyan said, "I can't imagine that Xian Feng didn't think of a way, or our side thought of a way." I really didn't expect it. ”

Tungsten filament for incandescent lamps is a concept known to everyone in later generations, but few people know how the tungsten filament of incandescent lamps is refined. This kind of metal with a melting point of more than 3,000 degrees cannot be smelted by ordinary methods, so although Yang Rui knows what it is made of, he does not know how it is made. Since the establishment of the project by the Metallurgical Office, there has been no progress for several years, but I don't want to produce results now.

"How is this done? Who made it? Yang Rui looked at the familiar light and asked with a sigh.

"It was made by a student named Zhou Ren in Tongji University, and he still majored in mechanical engineering." Zhang Taiyan said very proudly, he knew that this filament was much better than the bamboo charcoal filament of foreigners, "I heard that he first made tungsten oxide into tungsten powder with hydrogen, but it was not smelted in a furnace, but like porcelain, first extruded into a blank, and then sintered with electricity in a chlor-alkali factory, and finally this tungsten strip became an iron bar, which can be stretched and forged at will, and it can be used to make lamps on a large scale." ”

Zhang Taiyan seems to really value this thing, and inquired about the process so carefully, although he said it simply, but this method should actually be called powder metallurgy in later generations, and many hard steels are not smelted in the furnace, but sintered like ceramics. Tungsten wire can be burned, then tungsten carbide and other alloys can be sintered in the same way, and the tool steel produced in this way is more than 100 times stronger than the high-speed steel made by the Americans.

Yang Rui does not understand the significance of powder metallurgy, but he knows that the tungsten filament used in incandescent lamps is being developed all over the world. He then said, "How many people know about this?" Is the secrecy strict? ”

"With me, as well as the people in the real yàn room and the chlor-alkali factory, there will be no more than ten, except for this Zhou Ren, who is not a member, the others are all members. However, he is also a member of the Youth League. After Zhang Taiyan finished speaking, he pointed at the light bulb with a fan and said, "Actually, is this thing to be kept secret and not allowed to be seen by others?" ”

"Don't! The Americans also made tungsten lamps, but there was a problem with mass production, and we now have a patent for the Edison incandescent lamp, and we should immediately mass-produce this bulb, the sooner the better. Yang Rui stood up, walked a few steps in the room, and asked Chen Guangshou to arrange the matter. After that, he asked again: "What did Zhou Ren say, according to the regulations, he could choose one of the thirty thousand taels of silver and five percent of the patent income in return." ”

"This man is still young, money is not what he wants, he just wants to be able to build a metallurgical room, which is specially used to burn things." Zhang Taiyan didn't understand business matters, and only routinely reported things.

"That's a man of good ambition, too." Yang Rui said, "If I'm not busy one day, I'm going to meet him." ”

Hearing that Yang Rui was going to see Zhou Ren, Zhang Taiyan hurriedly said: "Don't see Zhou Ren first, there is still someone who has always wanted to see you, and he has never wanted to leave after living in the Dragon Gate Inn." ”

Hearing that there are still such people, Yang Ruiqi said: "Who? Why not drive away? ”

"Yang Du!" Zhang Taiyan said: "This person can't be driven away. (To be continued......)