The moon turns and the stars move, the season does not stay, and in the blink of an eye, summer goes to autumn, and the sky in Beijing has less white clouds and more gray clouds.

The Imperial Daily reported the news of the emperor's tour of Europe one after another, but not many people really cared about nonsense such as where the emperor went, who he met, what wine he drank, and his own life was always the subject of ordinary people. In the second year of the land reform imposed by the imperial government, the former large landowners poured into the county seats, provincial capitals, capitals, and port cities in droves, and began to try to invest in new forms of industry and commerce, followed by former tenant farmers who gathered like ants and bees, and began to work for the former landlords again, as workers at the machine, men in shops, and servants in mansions. At a time when not many people were willing to pay attention to the working hours, labor intensity, wages, and health care and unemployment insurance of workers, and the vast majority of investors tried to keep their labor expenses down to get the most bang for on, so that the 12 to 14 hours of intensive labor a day became common in the new factories, and the average wage of an adult male worker in 1897 was only one imperial silver dollar a month, which could buy eighty catties of rice, barely supporting his family, and the wages of female and child laborers were even more meager. The wealthy new business class tried their best to make profits at the same time, but also made a great contribution to the empire's tax revenue, many of the rich were awarded the merchant medal and knighthood by the imperial government because of the huge amount of tax paid, the imperial government did not forget to give their children the best education in the new era, some of the new universities with expensive tuition, such as the Imperial University in Beijing and the Imperial Feifeng Women's College, were super luxury schools where the children of the old and new nobles gathered from the beginning, The absolute first-class teaching facilities and faculty are beyond the reach of ordinary universities in various provinces and cities.

On this day, Wen Yi, the Imperial Prime Minister and Duke of Zhide, accompanied by the Minister of Culture and Education Tan Sitong, inspected the Imperial University in Haidian District, Beijing.

"Over there is the School of Physics, and the Imperial Institute of Industrial Physics is located at the back of the Academy building, and the current dean is ......."

"This is the School of Biochemistry, which has a close cooperation with the Imperial Institute of Microbiology and the Imperial Institute of Industrial Chemistry, and last year provided more than 50 junior college students for the above two institutes, and now the undergraduate students of the college have to do internships in the institute every semester, and the foreign faculty members of the college are from ......."

"This is the Chinese College, in the past two years, this college has produced a lot of new literary writers, and several new literary magazines run by the college have strong influence in major provincial cities, such as ......"

Under the red walls and blue tiles of the School of History, the Imperial Prime Minister, wearing a black top hat and a black tuxedo, stopped by the willow green pool and asked the president, Yang Cihu, "I heard that the tuition fees of this university are much more expensive than ordinary universities. ”

Principal Chen, who is in his early forties, nodded and replied, "Yes, the annual tuition fee for four-year undergraduate students is thirty-eight imperial silver dollars, and room and board are additional, and ordinary workers and peasants cannot afford to send their children to study in this school. ”

Wen Yi sighed, remembering that when he was in college, his family was not well-off, his father was a low-level civil servant in a poor county, and his mother was a kindergarten teacher in the county. As soon as he entered the third year of high school, his parents began to worry about the tuition fees of the university and raised money everywhere, but fortunately, his grandfather had a savings saved by frugality, and he was the only grandson who was by his grandfather's side, so he was able to solve the problem. In order to reduce the burden on his family, when he filled in the volunteer before the college entrance examination, he chose the normal major with the lowest tuition fee, and then entered the history department of the provincial normal university. In his own time, both public and private schools, as long as they had sufficient resources, were crazy to increase the fees of various projects under the banner of education marketization, and the education industry ranked among the top ten profiteering industries, and it was difficult for the children of poor families to pay expensive tuition fees even if they were admitted to prestigious schools, although the government said that it would nominally provide student loans, in fact, it was difficult for one out of ten applicants to be approved.

"Your Excellency?" Chen Cihu saw that Wen Yi was in a daze, and couldn't help but remind him.

"Oh," Wen Yi put away his thoughts slightly, sorted out his expression and continued the topic just now, "Is there a way to lower the tuition?" ”

Chen Cihu looked embarrassed: "The government subsidy of this school is very limited, and it is not enough to maintain high-level teaching facilities and hire first-class teachers at home and abroad with high salaries. ”

"Thank you for your bluntness, but it is really a pity for the empire that the highest level of learning in the empire has turned away a large number of potential first-class talents because of the problem of tuition fees. In this case, you can truthfully report the expenditure status and development plan of the Imperial University and submit it to the Ministry of Education of Tan University, and I will take care of it in the budget, and in addition, for the candidates who are at the top of the entrance examination, they should be treated with tuition reduction. ”

"Yes, the contemptible will do it immediately."

Wen Yi glanced at him, and then looked at the colorful fine carvings under the eaves of the School of History: "Go to the School of History, I want to talk to the students, is it in class?" ”

"That's true."

"Then excuse me."

"The Prime Minister is too humble, and it is a great blessing for all the teachers and students of the school to come to our school, and the courtyard is full ......of brilliance."

"Let's go inside." Wen Yi said coldly.

Chen Cihu closed his mouth knowingly, and Tan Sitong quickly leaned into his ear: "Your Excellency Prime Minister hates to listen to nonsense, and besides, I mentioned in the document I issued that Your Excellency advocates inclusiveness in education and pays attention to cultivating students with self-thinking ability. ”

"What Master Tan said, contemptible people never dare to forget, the students of this school, all according to the Prime Minister's thoughts, will never dare to act arbitrarily."

"That's good, keep up with the Prime Minister."

The two-story wooden building of the School of History is actually a courtyard with a cloister on all sides, and there is a small pool in the middle, which houses Suzhou-style rockeries and plants, Wen Yi walked into a classroom on the east side of the pool nearby, and the teacher who was in class saw so many big people coming in, panicked, and was at a loss, Chen Cihu stepped forward and whispered to him, and the teacher announced to the students: "The Imperial Prime Minister Lord Wen has come to inspect, and everyone stands up and applauds to welcome." ”

Wen Yi only waved at the door, but did not go up to the podium, only called the teacher and asked him what class he was taking.

"Master Yu, I'm teaching modern Western history."

"I know it." After Wen Yi finished speaking, he walked towards the students.

Although the propaganda of equality between men and women has been going on for many years, and the Western way of life has gradually spread among the upper echelons of the empire, there are still deep remnants of the traditional concept that men and women are not close to each other, so for the time being, the imperial university only accepts male students, and women have to go to the highest level of higher education, so they have to apply for the Feifeng Women's University.

So, in front of Wen Yi, there were all boys, all wearing pure black Western-style school uniforms, long hems, high necklines, and silver-white Yunlong Tengkong metal school emblems inlaid on the left chest, most of them had short hair in the middle or part, and a few people had long shawl hair in the same style as Tan Si, and two or three tied in ponytails.

Wen Yi walked up to a student with a ponytail and a spinning pen on his fingers: "What's your name?" ”

"Huang Hao."

"What major?"

"Western History, Class 95."

"Where did you just go?"

"American Civil War."

"Which part?"

"The Battle of Gettysburg, the defeat of the Southern Army, has been in a slump ever since."

Wen Yi was very satisfied with Huang Hao's concise answer, and then asked: "So, what do you think of the American Civil War?" ”

"The fundamental cause of the war lies in the conflict between the centralization of power and the interests and rights of the state, which is the result of the contradiction between centralization and decentralization, and in terms of the motives of both sides to participate in the war, they are basically for the fate and future of the country, and the difference is only in the direction of the road, and there is no justice or injustice. The result of the war was a compromise between the two sides, the expansion of the powers of the central government, and a certain guarantee of state autonomy......"

"Was it taught by a teacher?" Wen Yi interjected.

"Your own ideas may not be comprehensive ......"

"Very good, being able to think for yourself is the most valuable thing in the learning process, especially for liberal arts students, most of what you see from books are original materials, you have to use your own brain to analyze, to think, to come up with your own opinions, teachers and books can teach you the most ways to analyze and think. If you can only repeat teachers and books, then you are not a real college student, and there is no fundamental difference from a parrot. ”

Wen Yi asked again: "How old are you?" Where are the people? ”

"I am nineteen years old this year, and I am from Guilin, Guangxi."

The teacher leaned over and said, "Your Excellency, I am the second son of Huang Linhong, Speaker of the Guangxi Provincial Assembly, in this life. ”

"Zhilu said," Wen Yi didn't care about this, and reached out and patted Huang Hao's shoulder, "Great future, great future, the empire's plan, education-oriented, talent-oriented, both arts and sciences, science students operate science and technology, liberal arts students operate political and legal culture, the latter is more needed for the country." Science and technology are easy to learn, people's hearts are difficult to cultivate, our country is deeply affected by the old pseudo-Confucianism, and now it is opening up a new Confucianism, with the concept of inclusiveness, blending ancient and modern Chinese and foreign ideas and cultures that are in line with the trend of the world, cultivating a new generation of intellectual class with independent thinking, fundamentally changing the vulgar habits and pedantic old knowledge of the Chinese people, and reviving the style of civilization and enlightenment of the Tang Dynasty. ”

Wen Yi was about to have a casual conversation with a few more students, but an attendant hurriedly walked in from outside the door and whispered in Wen Yi's ear: "My lord, the Japanese ambassador asked for a meeting, saying that there is a special urgent matter and must be discussed with the adults in person. ”

"I know it." Wen Yi felt very disappointed, but he was helpless, so he had to tell Tan Sitong the truth, let him continue to inspect alone, and rushed back to the Prime Minister's Office first to meet the newly sent Japanese ambassador at the end of last year, named Hayada Shisheng or something.

Chen Cihu saw that the prime minister said goodbye so quickly, and his heart was uneasy, and when the prime minister was far away, he quietly asked Tan Sitong: "Lord Tan, is the prime minister's lord dissatisfied?" The student's answer seemed inappropriate......"

"Don't worry, Your Excellency is very satisfied, I can see it." Tan Sitong said, raising his chin and signaling Chen Cihu to continue to lead the way for the officials.

※※※

In the living room of the Prime Minister's Office, Wen Yi changed into a long-hemmed suit in a millet color, shook hands with Ambassador Hayata, and sat down on a sharkskin sofa next to a crystal coffee table.

"Your Excellency, Your Majesty the Emperor of our country greets Your Majesty the Emperor of your country."

"Our Emperor is visiting Europe, and I will not be able to greet His Majesty the Emperor of your country on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor of our country, and please allow me to greet His Majesty the Emperor of your country in my capacity as Prime Minister of the Empire." Although Wen Yi hates nonsense such as politeness, in terms of diplomatic etiquette, he still has to follow international conventions, and he can't do whatever he wants, and the prime minister can't get tired of official business.

After three or two diplomatic remarks, Ambassador Hayada explained his intentions: "At the request of Prime Minister Ito, this ambassador urgently requested to meet with the Prime Minister for the sake of Hokkaido. ”

"As for Hokkaido, hasn't Russia withdrawn most of its troops since last summer? Didn't Britain, France, Germany, and the United States form a mediation committee to mediate and organize negotiations? ”

"Negotiations have been going on for almost a year without being able to achieve substantive results. Recently, Britain, France, and Germany have put forward a plan in favor of Russia, allowing Russia to choose one or two ports in the Hokkaido islands to build a military port, and in the vicinity of the military port a fortress can be built, and an army force of less than 10,000 people can be stationed near the fortress, and the administrative power of the rest of Hokkaido will be returned to Japan, but Japan will not be allowed to station any standing army troops throughout Hokkaido, and the treaty will be valid for 50 years. Russia expressed its complete agreement with the plan, and Britain, France, and Germany coerced China to sign a peace treaty with Russia on the basis of the draft. The Emperor, the Cabinet, and the Diet were unable to accept the proposal, but all of the proposals put forward by our side were rejected by Russia, and the mediation committee accused them of being insincere, and for the time being, they were unable to completely reject the proposal. In view of this critical situation, Prime Minister Ito is keen to know what the attitude of the Great Chinese Empire, as an ally, towards Russia is, and whether it can provide effective military support for our country. ”

Wen Yi took a sip of tea and replied unhurriedly: "China's attitude toward Russia is adjusted according to Russia's attitude toward China, and as long as Russia has not endangered China's basic interests, China will not take any unfriendly actions against Russia. As for the military support for your country, it is clearly stipulated in the treaty of alliance that in the event of an invasion by a third country, the other party shall support it with all its might. In the event of a further attack by Russia, for example, if the Russian army invades Honshu, or any territory of your country outside the Hokkaido region, we will immediately mobilize to support your country militarily and economically against Russia. Apart from that, we will not make any commitments beyond the provisions of the Treaty. ”

"Understood, does your country not support our country's efforts to recover Hokkaido?"

"For the time being, we can only guarantee your country according to the existing treaties, unless a new agreement or treaty can be signed, but my Government believes that the existing treaties will be able to solve all the problems between the Sino-Japanese alliance in the next six to eight years."

"Prime Minister Ito believes that as long as your country provides maritime support, Japan can conduct all land operations independently."

"I don't think there's an essential difference between providing support at sea and getting involved in a war in full. Please inform Prime Minister Ito on my behalf that healing the wounds of war is the most pressing issue for your country at present, and that it is not an unwise strategy to exchange a small part of sovereignty for the sake of time for economic construction, and that this small amount of sovereignty can certainly be restored in the future, and that our Great Chinese Empire will not tolerate the continued occupation of its own territory by foreign countries, nor will it agree to the same fate of its allies. ”

"Yes, I will convey this to Prime Minister Ito, and by the way, Prime Minister Ito has asked me to convey his deep respect for you."

"Please also convey my respect to Prime Minister Ito."

The meeting lasted less than thirty minutes, and Wen Yi thought that he had solved one more matter, but habit drove him to call an attendant officer: "Call the General Staff and ask if Duke Wu Wei is there?" If not, ask where he went? ”

A few minutes later, the attendant officer came in and said, "Your Excellency, I have asked, Duke Wuwei is not at the General Staff, he has gone to the Imperial Army University to inspect." ”

"Zhilu Dao, go down."

Wen Yi picked up the teacup full of low-grade green tea, smiled unconsciously, and said to himself: "He also went to inspect the university?" What a coincidence. ”

※※※

Gaobeidian on the outskirts of Beijing, where the Imperial Army University is located.

Marshal Liu Yun, Chief of the Imperial General Staff and Duke of Wuwei, wore a high-barrel marshal hat decorated with pure white feathers on this day, and wore a navy blue long hem and a high-necked tweed dress, with a gold dragon ornament inlaid with two-color gems on the neckline, and the epaulettes were gold dragon patterns surrounded by a six-pointed star in white gold, and a yellow tassel hung down on the side, and the belt buckle of the platinum unicorn inlaid with rubies on the waist was shining, which was even more eye-catching against the background of the black military uniform. A dark blue ribbon with a large red piping is draped diagonally from left to right, and a triple knot is tied under the right waist, and a white gold buckle is hung out of it, which is connected to the black cowhide belt, and a Western sword with a silver sheath is fastened, and the top of the hilt is inlaid with a deep blue oval gem.

On the right were General Hu Ke, director of the Operations Division of the General Staff, and Lieutenant General Liang Tianhe, director of the Training Division, on the left were General Zhong Xiahuo, commander of the Praetorian Guards, General Wang Zhi, president of the Imperial Army University, and behind him a large group of attachés, guards, school administrators, and teaching staff.

The cadets in navy blue uniforms were neatly arranged in a square line, distributed on both sides of the avenue, and at the command of the leading students, the students in the square team raised their Mauser rifles with bayonets on them to greet Marshal Liu Yun.

In great glory, Liu Yun solemnly walked to the podium under the white marble Korean War relief wall, which was equipped with a high-level loudspeaker that was still rare in the empire at that time. Nearly 1,000 teachers and students gathered in the audience, lined up like a chessboard, standing solemnly like a pine forest, holding their breath, showing that this empire's No. 1 military school has its natural level.

Zhong Xiahuo, the commander of the Praetorian Guard, who was fortunate to share the glory with Liu Yun, was wearing the uniform of a German general of the Praetorian Guard in all black at this time, standing on the left side of the podium, listening to Liu Yun's speech full of bloody words, with a serious expression and a complicated mood. He remembered Ding Jieyun's short, thin and sturdy appearance, since the farewell to the imperial banquet in March last year, it turned out to be a permanent secret, it was too sudden. Although he hated Ding Jieyun to the top, he never had the idea of putting him to death (maybe he wanted him to live rather than die), after hearing the news that Ding Jieyun's party had been wiped out in May of this year, not only was he not happy, but he added infinite fear, for fear that he would also be suspected and follow in his footsteps. When he first received the notice to enter Beijing to serve as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, Zhong Xiahuo had three mixed thoughts: first, he felt Liu Yun's kindness and consciously gained trust; Second, he thought that the Northeast Military Region would definitely be in the direction of a big battle in the future, and he was a little attached to the position of commander of this military region; The third is that he is afraid that Liu Yun will transfer the tiger from the mountain, and he will be disposed of after he is recalled to the Beijing Division. In a situation where he had no choice, Zhong Xiahuo returned to Jingshi half-joyed and half-worried, stayed for three or four months, and saw that everything was peaceful, so he settled down. Thinking that he had a clear conscience when he did things, but he was afraid of being like this, it can be seen that he did not trust Liu Yun enough, which is a sign of disloyalty, and he should reflect on it. However, Ding Jieyun's matter involved so many people, and there were as many as eight generals who were executed and murdered, which seems to be very strange, what is the truth? Will he be listed as an assassination target by Ding Jieyun's remnants? The more Zhong Xiahuo thought about it, the more chaotic he became, so he simply sealed his mind and listened carefully to Liu Yun's speech.

“…… I think that a soldier should have seven virtues, loyalty, bravery, benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and faith, loyalty to oneself does not have to be too much, loyalty to the empire, loyalty to the emperor, loyalty to the people of the empire. Courage is brave and fearless. Benevolence means that the common people of the enemy country should be merciful and should not be tyrannical and indiscriminate. Righteousness is to understand the righteousness of the country, cherish the honor of soldiers, life and death are small, and the loss of festival is big, if necessary, we must sacrifice our lives to take righteousness! Etiquette is the etiquette that a soldier should have, the courtesy to the top, the salute to the bottom, the courtesy to the army, the courtesy to the people, and the courtesy to the officer, all of which should follow the outline of the military salute and remember not to forget. Wisdom means that as a soldier, you must not be brutal and hard-working, you need to use your brains in everything, you need to make good use of the method of mobilizing troops to fight, and you need to make good use of the art of management and control, which is especially important for you, the future officer. Faith means that soldiers must trust each other like life and death, and they must not be suspicious and pour out each other......"

"Life and death depend on each other, is that really the case?" Zhong Xiahuo said in his heart.

The gray clouds dispersed, and the soft autumn sun gently fell.

This article was first published in Mingyang Pin Library: www.pinshu.com, please indicate the author and source for reprinting.