Chapter 3 On The Cruise Ship

  The "Oriental Hope" cruise ship, after leaving Tokyo Bay, entered the Pacific Ocean through the Tsugaru Strait and stopped in a storm. At this time, the cruise ship had been sailing for a long time, and after 20 days of sailing, it was about to leave Japan's territorial waters and enter China's Yellow Sea.

  At this time, the wind is calm and the vast expanse of the sea is like a mirror. Due to the good weather, the visibility can reach its limit. Looking far into the distance, all that can be seen is the endless blue waters and sky. It's already April, but there's no chill in the air on the Yellow Sea as there usually is at the beginning of spring. The warm sunshine makes people feel lazy and comfortable.

  On this luxurious liner of the American Pacific Mail Steamship Company, the differences between Asia and the West were fully revealed. The Japanese who looked down on Chinese with arrogance turned around to fawn all over Westerners, while the Chinese also fawned all over both Westerners and Japanese.

  Although Japan defeated Russia to gain the status of a strong country, in front of Westerners, they were still humble and submissive, let alone the Chinese on the ship... For decades, the failure of war after war made people's waists almost instinctively soften when facing foreigners.

  It was just past lunchtime, and the third-class deck was already packed with people. Europeans, Japanese, and Chinese were all taking advantage of the rare good weather in early spring to escape from the cold, damp cabins. Despite the Pacific Mail Steamship Company's claims that this liner was the most luxurious and comfortable on the entire Pacific, the third-class cabin, which had always been chosen only by Chinese and poor Europeans and Japanese, was no different from those of other countries.

  When the liner set sail from San Francisco, most of the third-class passengers were Westerners. But after the ship docked at Yokohama the day before, the third-class cabins were packed with Chinese and Japanese people. It was only natural that Japan, which had become a powerful nation overnight after defeating Russia, made all Chinese people feel that little Japan could defeat the old bear, unintentionally pointing out a new way for the Chinese people. This was why almost all Chinese people admired the development model of Japanese society; this sentiment spread far and wide, and in the eyes of the Chinese, it was truly admirable that the Japanese could become a modernized nation and a world power in an instant, making them eager to learn from Japan. Tens of thousands of students went to study in Japan, so most of the Chinese people on this ship were now returning Chinese students.

  Although April is not the graduation season for Japanese universities, two months ago the Republican Revolution succeeded and many overseas students who had gone to study in Japan returned home. Perhaps some of them wanted to return to their newly republican country to contribute to its development, while others may have only attended preparatory schools before rushing off to Japan to gain a veneer of sophistication, and then chose this most opportune moment to return home. After all, the republic is still young, and perhaps they can find official positions for themselves back home - there are too many "maybes" for these people.

  Among these students, there was a young man standing at the railing and chatting with others who stood out exceptionally, not only because of his height but also because of the occasional expression on his face. Guan Zhenming, standing at the railing, was one of the hundreds of overseas students packed into the third-class cabin, but his reason for returning home was quite different from the others; he had originally been a top student in the economics department of Tokyo Imperial University and after graduation had landed a job at a major Japanese company, even receiving repeated promotions.

  And now he returned to China, hoping to build China at the beginning of the Republic. Half a month ago, Yuan Shikai and Beiyang generals telegraphed their support for the Republic, and last month forced the Qing Emperor to abdicate. He will soon take office as the President, and the Chinese Republic has become inevitable. The opportunity to return home and engage in industry has also matured.

  "This time the North-South peace talks have been successful, and President Yuan has already taken office as the Grand President. The country is now a republic, and it's exactly the right time for us to make great use of our abilities!"

  "It's not that they didn't oppress us in the past, but now the Republic has been established and the country is on the verge of a great revival, it must be our turn to display what we have learned..."

  Listening to everyone talking about "the time of great use", thinking about what they are thinking, it's nothing more than relying on the Japanese gold plating, waiting for the opportunity to return home and get promoted and rich. Guan Zhenming couldn't help but sneer in his heart, these people were too naive, there were always fewer official positions, the southern provinces wanted to use official positions to reward the revolutionary party, and the president was going to use official positions to reward his followers, what they would get in the end was just some leftover soup.

  "You talk first, I'll go get some fresh air!"

  In his heart, Guan Zhenming was coldly ridiculing these classmates, but he didn't want to point this out, and instead felt even more stifled by their conversation. He apologized to the classmates around him and left the ship's rail.

  "What is he doing here?"

  Suddenly a person appeared in Guan Zhenming's line of sight, that person was on the first-class deck and third-class deck stairwell, negotiating with a foreign sailor.

  Yang Du! That's right! It's Yang Du, Mr. Yang! In the past at San Shu's mansion, Guan Zhenming had seen Yang Du, but how did Yang Du end up on the boat, he shouldn't...

  He pulled out a $50 bill, noticing the sailor's eyes gleaming with greed. Yang Du sneered inwardly - these foreigners were all money-grabbing lechers.

  "This is really putting me in a difficult position, sir!"

  The sailor said so with his mouth, but his eyes were staring at the $50 bill in Yang Du's hand, which had increased by one.

  One hundred dollars! The sailor looked around and then pulled open the chain while saying.

  "Alright! Sir, I think you are also a superior person and it's only natural that you wouldn't fit in with those people!"

  As the sailors were urging, Yang Du had already gone up the stairs and was walking on the first-class deck with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.

  Li Zichen is not on the boat? He got off at Xiaweiyang Wharf?

  This news can deceive the Japanese, but it cannot deceive him. Yang Du could almost imagine why Li Zichen would spread this message in Xia Weiyi. It was probably because he saw reports about himself in the newspaper there. As a Tang monk's meat, he naturally had the awareness of a Tang monk. That's why he spread this false news.

  Why did he get off at Xiaweiyu?

  Before boarding the ship in Yokohama, Yang Du had already asked the crew about the recent weather. Before and after entering Yokohama Port, they experienced three days of cloudy skies. Today's good weather made everyone come out of their cabins, and Li Zichen was no exception as he was on the ship.

  More than ten days ago, when the Grand President personally invited himself to come to Japan on a ship to persuade Li Zicheng to go to Beijing, Yang Du knew that this might be his most important opportunity. At first, he thought that as long as Yuan Shikai became president, he would also become a high-ranking official in the government. However, in the end, Tang Shaoyi and the Southern Special Envoy Group arrived in Nanjing together, and after being recognized by the Senate, they formally announced to the nation the new cabinet of North-South unity.

  Yang Du was greatly disappointed when he saw the list of cabinet members. Although Yuan Shikai explained to him and offered 400,000 yuan as compensation, he still felt unhappy in his heart. He had originally used 200,000 yuan to buy a luxurious villa built by foreigners in Qingdao, so he took his family there for a vacation.

  It was not until then that Li Zicheng appeared out of nowhere, young and promising, rich enough to rival a country. Just this last point alone made Yang Du smell something fishy. At the beginning of the Republic, what did the government lack most? It was silver. What about guns and knives? They were all supported by silver. Without silver, the Nanjing provisional government would have to give up the presidency to Yuan Shikai. Yuan Shikai had no silver, who knows what might happen...

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, it didn't take long for Yuan Shikai to send his eldest son, Yuan Keding, to Qingdao to visit him. He had only one purpose: to ask him to secretly go to Japan and persuade Li Zicheng to directly head to Beijing.

  This is an opportunity! Yang Du understood that if he could "bind" himself with Li Zicheng, the young man who was as rich as a country, all problems would be solved. Moreover, Yuan Keding promised that after the Tang government fell, he would arrange a important position for him in the government.

  Minister of Finance!

  Thinking that this might be the hottest potato of the Republican government, Yang Du understood that if he could tie himself to Li Zicheng, this hot potato would immediately become a lucrative position. For fear of being discovered by others, he even deliberately used an alias to buy a ticket to Japan and boarded the mail boat in third-class cabin instead of first-class cabin, all in order to cover up and avoid giving others an advantage.

  "Li Zhiyuan! Li Zhiyuan!"

  Thinking in his mind, he had already walked onto the first-class cabin deck and stood on the deck. Yang Du then looked for him on the deck which was full of passengers from various countries.

  When Yang Du was searching for people on the first-class deck, Guan Zhenming was smiling at the American sailor next to the ladder leading from the third-class deck to the first-class deck, but that smile was full of sarcasm.

  "What... what do you want to do?"

  The sailor, who had no confidence in the first place, looked at this person and felt a surge of courage. This person's eyes did not show the slightest sign of the usual servile attitude of an Easterner.

  "One hundred dollars! That's no small amount!"

  Guan Zhenming sneered coldly, his eyes full of disdain. He was afraid of foreigners, but he had never been afraid of greedy foreigners.

  "What? What did you say! This is no place for someone like you!"

  "Right! I don't have one hundred dollars!"

  "What did you say?"

  "What did I say? I think Captain should be very interested in this matter, don't you?"

  Guan Zhenming's eyebrows furrowed, his words full of threatening tone. From Yang Du's stay in the third-class cabin and deliberately spending $100 to board the first-class deck, he sensed a hint of conspiracy.

  Why is he doing these things? He must be up to something, but what is it that he's after?

  "Whoosh!"

  When the iron chain hanging in front of the escalator was removed, Guan Zhenming took out a 1-yuan bill from his pocket and stuffed it into the sailor's hand with a look of contempt. These foreigners, not one of them is not greedy for money.

  I'll update again tomorrow, please recommend and encourage me, thank you!