Chapter 28: An Amusing Matter

  "It seems that Gu Hongming is not ignorant of himself after all, and his three languages are really not enough in other people's eyes. Next time I go back, I must learn some Italian to boost my image!" Tan Yanqian thought with a bit of shame. Because he was also proficient in only these three languages, if Gu Hongming were to switch to another language at this time, then he would be embarrassed, and earlier he had indeed been a bit too proud of himself.

  "Mr. Gu, just now was a small joke, but also because I have long admired you, sir, and heard many rumors about you elsewhere, so I made this little joke. In fact, I can barely use three languages, English, French, and German, compared to your great talent, my little skill is really nothing!" Tan Yankai walked up to Gu Hongming, bowed deeply and said with great sincerity.

  "Zong An must not belittle himself, in fact Hongming truly admires Zong An. I may be proficient in ten languages and do some writing work for Xiangshuai every day, translating foreign newspapers is also a must, but I have never thought of excerpting and translating the content of foreign newspapers to let more Chinese people understand the situation abroad. Zong An was able to think of it and do it, this is the real learning, Hongming admires!" Gu Hongming quickly stepped forward to support Tan Yankai, saying sincerely.

  "Zu An has learned, let's talk inside, Mr. Tang please!" Tan Yanqing said with a smile, making a gesture to invite him in, and Gu Hongming also didn't make much small talk before following Tan Yanqing into the living room.

  "When it comes to foreign languages, I recall a humorous anecdote about Mr. Gu: One day, while riding the tram in London, he was reading The Times. A group of British passengers found this amusing and began teasing him. Initially, Mr. Gu ignored them and simply turned the newspaper upside down to continue reading. This only fueled their ridicule, with one saying, 'Look at that Chinese kid, he can't even recognize letters, what's the point of reading a newspaper?' This finally got under Mr. Gu's skin, and in perfect, fluent English, he read out an entire article before remarking, 'Your alphabet has only 26 letters, it's far too simple; if I didn't read it upside down, there'd be no challenge at all!' The group of British onlookers was stunned into silence, quickly retreating with their tails between their legs.

  After inviting Mr. Gu to take a seat in the house, Tan Yankai began by sharing an anecdote he had heard about Mr. Gu's experiences abroad. Given that this was their first meeting and considering Mr. Gu's background of being born in Southeast Asia and educated in the West, which made his behavior and mannerisms quite different from those of most Chinese people at the time, Tan Yankai thought it wise to use a more unconventional approach to break the ice."

  As expected, Gu Hongming smiled and said: "These are all things that happened almost fifteen years ago. At that time, I was studying abroad in the West and didn't realize it's been almost fifteen years."

  Tan Yanxian could see from Gu Hongming's spirited expression that he was extremely pleased with himself: "Rumor has it that Gu Hongming had always been fond of scolding Westerners, but such an idea can only be understood by me now - this tearful performance is also out of national self-esteem..."

  In this era, there are still many open-minded people, even within the Qing government itself, there are many enlightened individuals. Although communication between China and foreign countries is not yet smooth, many people have already begun to open their eyes and look at the outside world through various channels. Among these "enlightened individuals" and those who have started to "open their eyes to see the world", a group of "sages" emerged after development, and they are also divided into different levels. Gu Hongming, due to his unique experiences, must be among the highest level of "sages". Tan Yankai, with his past life experience, naturally transcends this level.

  Whether it is Mingwu or Tan Yankai, they are both very clear about the future trend of China. The difference is that Tan Yankai is more affirmative about this trend. However, there is one thing in common - they are all sober-minded people. Who suffers the most in this era? Undoubtedly, it is the sober-minded people. Tan Yankai himself is a sober-minded person, and he has a very clear understanding of China's historical trajectory for the next few decades. However, due to his own weak power and because of his understanding of history, he is still extremely fearful in the face of reality.

  "The most painful thing in a mental hospital is the one who is awake - unfortunately, I am that awakened person!" Tan Yanqin thought of this sentence after facing some cruel realities of this era. He could understand some actions of Gu Hongming in history - he was also an awakened person, but he knew less than himself.

  "It's hard to say who is more unfortunate between the two of us. Kou Hongming has such enlightenment, but he is not very sure about the direction of historical development, while I am very clear about it. In a sense, I am even more unfortunate than him!" Tan Yanqian thought to himself secretly.

  With this very interesting opening, the conversation between Tan Yanqing and Gu Hongming became much more harmonious. Of course, when Tan Yanqing faced Gu Hongming, a visitor with a stronger "Western" flavor, he felt a sense of familiarity and was more adaptable, not having to speak in a tedious manner.

  Gu Hongming was very active, always gesticulating when speaking, with rich body language, which also made Tang Shaoyi feel that this person was very humorous. To be honest, the two of them had similar experiences - experience as a governor's staff member. However, due to Zhang Zhidong's personality, it was mostly because he had to deal with foreigners in order to promote foreign affairs and industries, and someone like Gu Hongming was inevitably used, although he was heavily relied upon but not among the core group of people closest to Zhang Zhidong. After all, the cultural gap between China and the West was there.

  Gu Hongming had studied abroad for a long time, while Tan Yankai had memories of his past life and also continuously read foreign newspapers after arriving in this space-time, so both of them could be considered to have a very clear understanding of the world's situation. When discussing global affairs, they felt that each other's opinions were extremely compatible, and because of Tan Yankai's past-life memories, he was able to explain the global situation even more clearly and confidently, which made Gu Hongming deeply convinced. Before long, the two men began addressing each other as brothers, and Gu Hongming, being a witty person by nature, didn't mind at all, but instead felt that they had become closer.

  "Tan Zong'an, although he is a recluse who seeks fame and fortune through his writing, has a level of insight that surpasses everyone else. Even I, who have studied in Western countries for so many years, am not on the same level as him. It's clear that there are no false pretenses behind his reputation - this man truly has it. No wonder he was able to write 'On Education', which even Xiang Shuai couldn't help but praise, and every official in the government has a copy." Gu Hongming thought to himself.

  From Gu Hongming, Tang Yankai learned that the mechanical production equipment ordered from Germany would arrive in Wuchang in half a month, as an important part of Hubei Gun Factory.

  "Tang Sheng, to be honest, I have been in Wuchang for some time now. These past few days, I've been traveling between Wuchang and Hanyang, mainly visiting the various foreign enterprises established by Governor Zhang. I had some thoughts on my mind, so I wrote an article. If I were to meet with Governor Zhang, I would like to present it to him, hoping it could be of some help. Since you've come to visit today, Tang Sheng, I won't hide it from you either. Please take a look first and see if there's anything lacking. Of course, feel free to speak your mind about the language used in the article; after all, I've been following my father since childhood and don't have much experience, so I'm afraid some of the words may be a bit too bold..." Tan Yanke said as he handed over the freshly written "On the Development of Hubei's Foreign Enterprises" to Gu Hongming across from him.

  "Ah? Zong'an has been looking at Xiang Shuai's foreign affairs industry? Brother, come and see what high insights Zong'an has!" Gu Hongming listened with excitement, took over the strategy, flipped through it while asking Tan Yanqing, and soon finished reading the article.

  "Tang Sheng, having been in the Xiang Wei's command center for many years, you should also know some of the rules of officialdom. In this article, apart from the flattering words to Xiang Wei which we can ignore, there are some key points that you and I don't need to be polite about, we can just throw them out and treat them as sharpening our skills!" Tan Yanqing said with a smile.

  "Zu An, don't be modest. From this article, I can see that I am really far inferior to you!" Gu Hongming said with a bitter smile: "In fact, not to mention other things, just the Hanyang Iron and Steel Factory alone has already exhausted us, the staff of the Hubei Governor's Office... We have spent all our energy on building this iron factory. Now part of the steel plant has started production, and the Governor's Office celebrated it recently. However, in my opinion, the problems existing in the steel plant are already hidden, and people like Zu An with keen eyes can naturally see them clearly! This article is really good, but unfortunately, the management issues raised in the article seem to be something that Zu An doesn't want to discuss..."

  "Tang Sheng is indeed a wise man. This management is really something I don't want to talk about!" Tan Yanqian said with a smile as he stood up.

  "As expected, he is a strong man with ten doctoral hats on his head. I just don't know if he has studied management, but he already feels that something is not right in the operation of the steel plant now..." Tan Yanqing thought to himself.

  "I am unwilling to talk more about management issues for a reason!"

  "I'd love to hear more about it!"

  "Firstly, as Brother Tang said, this steel plant has not been fully built and put into production. How many people can see the problems here? And how many are willing to speak out? Has Brother Tang ever mentioned it to Commander Xiang?"

  "At that time, many staff officers congratulated Xiang Shuai, and it was not good for me to say anything to dampen his enthusiasm." Gu Hongming said with some embarrassment.

  "My idea is the same as Brother Tang's. The problem hasn't shown its head, and Commander Xiang is now in high spirits. Even if we speak up, Commander Xiang may not listen. It's better to plant a seed here first and bring it up again when Commander Xiang has some awareness, it will be easier to accept!" Tan Yanqian said with a smile.

  "With Zhang's temperament, even if his eyebrows were on fire, he wouldn't necessarily accept it, otherwise, he wouldn't have let Sheng Xuanhuai take advantage of this opportunity! Moreover, what can I say? Is it official supervision and merchant management? In Zhang Zhidong's eyes, this is not considered at all. Only when the huge financial pressure becomes unbearable will Zhang Zhidong face reality and compromise. Otherwise, for someone with such a strong personality to accept an idea he doesn't agree with is simply impossible!" Tan Yankai thought to himself.

  Seeing Gu Hongming wanting to speak but hesitating, Tan Yanqing waved his hand and continued: "Brother Tang may still have some resentment in his heart, but the ancient saying 'retreat for progress' is also this truth. This is also a helpless choice, after all, it's better than angering General Xiang and going down a dead-end road! Besides, even if I saw this problem, the solution I proposed would not be accepted by General Xiang!"

  "What solution is there?!"

  "Now, it seems that the only solution is to adopt the 'official supervision and merchant management' approach. Do you think this is possible, Brother Tang? Let's not mention Governor Zhang's natural distrust of merchants as a traditional Confucian scholar. Even if he were willing, looking around China today, how many people would be able to afford the costs of an iron factory? And among those who could afford it, how many would be willing to take on this project? The financial resources! In my opinion, there are no more than five merchants in China today with such capabilities. I've heard that the expenses for the Hanyang Iron Factory are already unimaginable. These past few days, I've walked around and estimated that if the factory were really built, the total cost would be a staggering figure. Without 40 or 50 million taels of silver, how could such a large-scale iron factory be built? I'm afraid that even among these five individuals, their combined wealth wouldn't exceed this amount by much. And yet, taking on an iron factory project involves many political risks - who would dare take such a risk?" Tan Yankai said calmly.

  Gu Hongming listened and pondered for half a day, finally standing up and bowing his hands to say: "Zu An, you are indeed worthy of the title 'Young Governor', at first, friends had mentioned to me that the one who could take charge of the Fujian-Zhejiang Governor's Mansion was you Tan Zu'an, I didn't believe it then, but now I do!"

  Tan Yanxin listened and smiled bitterly, waving his hand: "These empty names are not needed, Tang Sheng brother, the current domestic environment is very unsuitable for someone like you. However, you can still stay here to serve the country, which is already the 'righteousness' and 'bravery' said by Confucianism. Yanxin actually really admires you!"

  "Group An Zan praised, where I am what 'righteousness' and 'bravery', but my father had said: 'No matter where you go, don't forget that you are a Chinese!' I just followed my father's will!" Gu Hongming said with a somewhat melancholy expression.

  "Tang Sheng, your father is truly a man worthy of respect!" Tan Yanqun said solemnly, although he had long known about Gu Hongming's past. These words were spoken by his father when Gu was studying in the West, and perhaps they wouldn't amount to much in later generations, but in this era when China was plagued by disasters and hardships, they truly inspired admiration!

  "Management problems are still relatively easy to solve, currently it seems that the only thing that can be done is to let Xiang Shuai realize the disadvantages of running a steel factory like a government office, but it's just fattening up some parasites. Once Xiang Shuai realizes this, he will naturally make them spit out what they swallowed! However, in my opinion, before this happens, Xiang Shuai made an even more fatal mistake when setting up the steel factory!" Tan Yanqi said.

  "After reading Guan's article, I also understood that what he meant to say was the coal and iron mines needed for this steel factory! After reading it, I also think that this is the biggest life gate. When studying in the West, I saw that the strong powers' large-scale steel enterprises all followed the principle of choosing a location close to coal or iron mines, taking into account both or prioritizing one first, unless the country itself did not have iron or coal mines and had to choose a place with convenient transportation. The Han Yang Steel Factory is considered convenient in terms of transportation, but the coal and iron mines are not nearby on either side, which is really a big problem. Xiang Shuai initially thought 'China is so vast, what doesn't it have', so he didn't take it seriously. I'm not an expert in this field, although I felt that something was not quite right, but I also couldn't say anything." Gu Hongming said with some depression.

  "Tang Sheng at least knows something about this, but I know nothing!" Tan Yanqian said with a smile: "Our family's ancestral home is in Hunan, and my father once told me that the coal and iron ore reserves in Hunan and Hubei are not very rich. After seeing the steel plant's situation, I also feel that the coal and iron ore reserves in the two provinces of Huguang may be difficult to meet the production needs of such a large steel enterprise. Coincidentally, a few months ago, when I passed through Jiangxi Pingxiang on my way to Hunan, I heard that there is a coal mine with very rich reserves there, so I wrote it down casually, without knowing whether Commander Xiang will use it or not. This is just for reference!"

  "I think Xiang Shuai has many problems when he started his business, this steel factory is just one of them, it's not that it can't be solved. The hardest thing is that Xiang Shuai's overall layout seems to have some problems." Tan Yanqian said after thinking for a moment.

  "Please enlighten me!" Now Gu Hongming, after this conversation, had already admired Tan Yankai very much. Unconsciously, he used respectful language in his speech, but in his heart, he felt that there was nothing wrong with it.

  "I don't dare to say that I'm teaching, but after taking a comprehensive look at Zhang Shousheng's modern industries, I have some doubts in my mind. Speaking out loud may also help Brother Tang to enlighten me... Looking at Zhang Shousheng's modern industries as a whole, we can see a relatively complete modern large-scale industrial system consisting of metallurgy, mining, military industry, and textile industry. This momentum is unprecedented in China! However, I think the order should be adjusted. In my humble opinion, the textile industry should come first, followed by mining, then metallurgy, and finally military industry after everything is ready. After all, this layered approach will make the textile industry the most effective, allowing us to quickly earn profits from foreign merchants and gain benefits that originally belonged to China. With this as our capital accumulation, we can then develop the mining industry, which is also lucrative. Only when our own funds are sufficient should we engage in metallurgy... Isn't Zhang Shousheng's layout too grand? This way, the financial pressure he will face will be unimaginable!" Tan Yankai asked.