Chapter 14: Betting on Heads

  Zhou Xuanzhang looked bewildered, although he had knelt down, but he still couldn't figure out what crime he had committed.

  "That's it, I'll make an exception for you since you're young and ignorant. Listen carefully to my explanation and remember every word I say, don't waste the lesson I'm about to give you. Our great Qing dynasty is a country that values etiquette and propriety, with strict rules governing superior and inferior relationships, which are the foundation of our nation! As an official who loves his people like his own children and has clean hands, when I ask you to kneel down and kowtow, it's not for me to gain from your bowing, but to uphold the fundamental principles of our great Qing dynasty! Do you understand?"

  Zhou Xuan Zhang was still bewildered, Ai De quietly kicked him and Zhou Xuan Zhang hastily nodded: "Understood understood."

  "Understood what to do?"

  "Follow the teachings of one's elders, when meeting an elder, one should kneel down and kowtow." Zhou Xianzhang was a good fellow who didn't take advantage of others, so he agreed first before speaking.

  "That's right!" Jin said, letting out a long breath: "You're a teachable child! Today, this official won't pursue the crime of forgetting to discuss state affairs and showing contempt for superiors. You'd better hurry up and leave the school."

  "Leaving school, where am I going? Didn't Teacher Feng say I should be a student?"

  "Be a student? Impossible!" Jin rebuked: "Where did you come from and where are you going, this school does not welcome you!"

  Actually, Yehe Nara Jin is not a bad official, on the contrary, as he himself said, he is indeed an official who loves his people like his own children. It's just that after being in the Qing dynasty's officialdom for so long, he has gotten used to speaking officialese and especially gotten used to readily "beheading" people; in reality, not to mention human heads, even chicken heads he cannot bring himself to chop off.

  That Jin was a pedantic scholar, well-read in the classics, but unable to put them into practice. He deeply believed in the traditional moral code and was an ultimate defender of orthodoxy. If someone violated this code, Jin would feel unbearable heartache, as if someone had carved out his heart with a knife. However, he had a soft heart and couldn't bear to kill anyone. So, Jin came up with two desperate moves.

  The first move is to loudly shout "beheading", with a stern tone and expression, intimidating the opponent. The subjects of the Qing Dynasty are generally timid, and once they hear the word "beheading", they often surrender.

  The second move, if you encounter someone who is not afraid of death, the "beheading" threat will not work. Then, take a tragic route: cry, make a scene, and hang yourself. People's hearts are made of flesh, so when Zhang appears to be seeking death with all his heart, it often makes even the toughest men unbearable.

  These two tricks are 100% effective in front of Chinese people, but they don't work at all in front of foreigners. When Ed first arrived, he refused to kneel down to Jin, so Jin used these two tricks and ended up losing badly.

  Until now, Ai De had never kowtowed to him. Jin concluded that Westerners were useless, and none of them were human!

  It's precisely because of this that the Qing viewed Westerners with deep-seated hatred, regarding them as the arch-enemy of the Great Qing. This is because Westerners not only bullied Chinese people but also sought to destroy China's traditional values and moral principles! As for Easterners, their culture was in line with that of the Qing, so there was no need to worry about them.

  Zhou Xuan Zhang repeatedly said that the enemy of the Qing Dynasty is the Easterners, not the Westerners. This view is completely different from that of Na Jin. Even if Zhou Xuan Zhang was an active military officer, Na Jin would not accept him, let alone he being a mud-legged (low-ranking) soldier.

  Feng Guozhang saw that Jin was about to drive Zhou Xuanzhang away, and hastily said: "Your Excellency, Zhou Xuanzhang has already repented of his past mistakes and kowtowed to you. Although this person is not a soldier of our great Qing dynasty, he is indeed a rare military talent. I humbly request that Your Excellency make an exception and recruit him into the academy."

  Jin shook his head: "Feng's teaching is not good enough. Although Zhou Xuanzhang has changed his ways on the surface, he has just received education and his thinking is still immature, and his politics are still unsteady! The Tianjin Military Academy is the highest military academy in our Qing Dynasty, and all students are carefully selected, they must be absolutely loyal to our Qing Dynasty. This Zhou Xuanzhang just offended me, offending me is a great disrespect to the imperial court, his loyalty is worrying!"

  "Your Honor, all talented individuals have some arrogance due to their abilities, and Zhou Xuan Zhang is no exception. He dares to offend Your Honor, which precisely shows that he has talent!"

  "Is this what you call talented? Just look at how he's dressed!" Jin shook his head.

  Zhou Xuanzhang had just crawled out of the pile of dead bodies in the canal, his clothes were tattered and smelly, extremely dirty.

  "This clearly shows that Zhou Xuan Zhang is not only talented, but also a great talent! Letting his body wander freely, just like the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove!" Feng Guozhang argued strongly.

  "What a big talent!" Jin shouted: "Just because of his views on the East, it shows that he is short-sighted! Everyone in the world knows that our great Qing's enemy is the West, and the East is our ally! He is so hostile to the East, how can the school tolerate him? Mr. Feng, I order you to expel this Zhou Xuan Zhang from the school immediately! Don't let me see him again!"

  Feng Guozhang was in a great hurry and had to use all his strength to persuade Zhou Xuanzhang to join the army and enter the school, but Jin was about to drive him away with just one word! Feng Guozhang could no longer care about the distinction between superior and inferior, and he grabbed Jin's sleeve, shouting: "Sir, that's not what Zhou Xuanzhang said, it's my humble opinion!"

  "Feng Guozhang!" Jin Burbao was furious: "You, as a teacher of the school, have thoughts that are not highly consistent with those of the imperial court! This is a serious offense against authority!"

  "Sir, the Easterners are really the enemies of our Great Qing!" Feng Guozhang argued strongly: "In the previous dynasty, Toyotomi Hideyoshi attempted to use Korea as a stepping stone to invade China and suffered a disastrous defeat. For 400 years, Japan's ambition to invade China has not died, but unfortunately, its national strength was weak, so they have been seeking opportunities. Now, Emperor Meiji of Japan is governing the country with diligence, and with the assistance of reform ministers such as Ito Hirobumi, the country's military power has increased significantly..."

  That Jin burst out laughing: "Japan is just a small country, its national power and military strength have increased significantly, it's possible, but compared to the vast territory of my great Qing dynasty, that little national power and military strength are not worth mentioning."

  "The adults, Japan has annexed Ryukyu and is secretly infiltrating Korea, Korea is a vassal state of our Great Qing..."

  "Ryukyu is a small and remote overseas country, unable to defend itself, so it's no wonder that Japan picked up the sesame seeds. As for Korea, it is separated from Japan by sea, and exchanges between the two countries are also common. Moreover, our great Qing dynasty has troops stationed in Korea, and Yuan Shikai is garrisoned in Korea, so the Japanese can't stir up any big waves."

  "Your Excellency, the Japanese Navy is developing at a tremendous pace. They have also purchased several cruisers from Britain and Germany! The spearhead is pointing directly at our Great Qing!"

  "Japan is an island nation, and its defense relies on the sea. The Japanese have suffered at the hands of Westerners with their sturdy ships and powerful cannons, so it's reasonable for them to develop their navy for self-protection. Moreover, our Great Qing Empire has the number one navy in Asia, with three great fleets dominating the continent. Just the Beiyang Fleet alone is enough to subdue Japan's combined fleet. Would the Japanese dare to make a reckless move?"

  "Your Excellency, I predict that China and Japan will eventually go to war!"

  "Preposterous!" Jin shouted: "Feng Guozhang, this idea of yours is very dangerous!"

  "It's not just me who has this idea, Mr. Ai also has this idea." Feng Guozhang pulled out Ai De.

  "Eh?" said Adie hastily: "Will be done, sir! My German colleague and I both think that the Japanese aim at China!"

  "Mr. Ed! Forgive me for speaking bluntly, but you and your German colleagues are just like the British, French, Russians, and Americans - you all hope that China and Japan will fight each other so that you can reap the benefits as onlookers! My great Qing Empire won't fall into your Western trap! I think the wise men of Japan also won't fall for your trick!"

  "Feng Guozhang shouted: 'Sir, I'd like to make a bet with you!'"

  "What's the bet?"

  "In two years' time, if China and Japan are at peace with no incident, I beg of you, sir, to behead me!"

  Naruhito burst out laughing: "Alright, I'll make a bet with you. If there's a big war between China and Japan within two years, you can behead me!" Naruhito was quite bold and didn't want to take advantage of the situation at all.

  "I dare not take your lordship's head!" Feng Guozhang hastily said.

  "Nonsense! I am not that kind of corrupt official who bullies the weak. If I lose, you can behead me right away!" Jin shouted.

  Ai De sneered coldly on the side: "It's settled then, if Master Feng beheads you, the imperial court will behead his entire family!"

  Ai De is right, Zhen is either a fourth-rank official or a banner man! Feng Guozhang is an insignificant minor official. Even if Feng Guozhang beheaded Zhen, it would be considered a life-and-death vendetta between the two men, and even if Zhen acknowledged defeat, the Qing court would not recognize it and would surely execute Feng Guozhang's entire family! This is the law of the Qing dynasty! It is also the moral code of the Qing state! Zhen himself cannot change this.

  Jin furrowed his brow and said, "What to do? This official values benevolence and righteousness, how can I take advantage of my subordinate? You quickly think of a solution for this official, it must make this official's bet consistent with Teacher Feng's bet!"

  Feng Guozhang said: "Then please, sir, take Zhou Xuanzhang into custody immediately."

  "Accepting the constitution next week? This isn't equal either! You're betting on people's lives!" Jin shook his head.

  Feng Guozhang said: "Your Excellency, you are the co-founder of the Tianjin Military Academy. If Zhou Xuanzhang is admitted, he will be your disciple. Once Your Excellency loses the bet, I would not dare to cut off your head, but I can cut off the head of your disciple instead! This way, Your Excellency can fulfill his promise and I won't break the imperial rules either. It's a win-win situation."

  "Good, this is a good idea!" Jin was overjoyed.

  Zhou Xuan Zhang was shocked and lost his color, although his historical knowledge was limited, but the Sino-Japanese War he always knew that the Qing Dynasty would eventually go to war with Japan, which means that Jin would inevitably lose! Zhou Xuan Zhang's head would not be spared!