Chapter Thirty Betrayal

  According to Lao Taitai's evaluation standards, Liang Dingfen naturally belongs to the category of intelligent people. After all, at this time, advocating for reform was unheard of, and at most, it was only a call to learn from the West. As for the call for reform, it didn't start until after the defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War; as for abolishing the imperial examination system, that had been going on for a long time... Who would have thought that China would undergo such great changes after the First Sino-Japanese War? Tan Yanke thought to himself.

  On such a sensitive topic, Tan Sitong devoted a lot of effort in "Exhortation to Study", mainly introducing the Meiji Restoration of Japan in detail in terms of reform, and when it comes to domestic comments, it is based on the unchanged ethics, holy way, and heart technique, drawing lessons from the legal system, instruments, and craftsmanship of Western powers. This has a big difference with the traditional reform. Anyway, the Westernization Group has been doing this for so many years, and now throwing out such things will only emphasize "the fundamentals do not change, the branches and leaves do", which will not cause too much controversy.

  As for the abolition of the imperial examination system, Tan Sitong did not dare to say more in "Exhortation to Study". After all, he is now on this path himself. If he rashly proposed the abolition of the imperial examination system, it would be tantamount to cutting off the ladder to heaven for tens of thousands of scholars across the country, and the consequences are self-evident. Even Empress Dowager Cixi might not dare say such a thing! However, in "Exhortation to Study", he made a detailed introduction to the modern Western education system, in order to complement the establishment of Western-style industries, it was necessary to introduce the modern Western education system into China as a beneficial supplement to traditional Chinese learning.

  "In the present day, Western powers are dominating the world with their powerful ships and cannons, establishing colonies everywhere. The East is the focal point of their contention, and the several wars that have occurred in recent decades all originated from this point. After Japan's Meiji Restoration, its national strength has been growing daily, especially in terms of naval expansion, which has reached a scale that threatens our Qing dynasty's Beiyang Fleet. This is all due to Japan's domestic reforms, showing that learning from the West and developing industry has become the mainstream path to becoming a strong and rich country.

  China and Japan are still very different, with a large population, vast territory, and diverse customs and practices across different regions. To implement reforms like Japan's within our own country, one misstep could lead to a disaster like the Xining Reforms of a thousand years ago. I am not knowledgeable enough to make judgments on this issue, but as for the imperial examination system... haha, you are all scholars and must be well aware of its problems. The court will certainly need to make some improvements, but whether or not it should be abolished is another matter altogether. After all, the livelihoods of tens of thousands of students depend on it, and one move can affect the entire situation!" Tan Yanke smiled slightly as he spoke.

  As governor, Zhang Zhidong had to consider the political implications of his actions more often, while his core staff would worry about this issue, and the rest were thinking about how to do a good job in foreign affairs and industry. The two sides have different perspectives on problem-solving. It's rare for Zhang Zhidong to gather so many talents to promote foreign affairs, and the team of dozens of staff members in the Huguang Governor's Office raised various questions, mainly revolving around "Exhortation to Study". Zhang Zhidong had ordered all staff members in the Guangyi Hall of the Governor's Office to read "Exhortation to Study", so they were very familiar with this book. When the author of the book arrived at Guangyi Hall, it was natural that they would ask questions. Fortunately, Tan Yankai had a solid foundation and could decide which articles on "Strong Learning Digest" could be published and which couldn't. He also had broad knowledge and answered the staff's questions one by one. As for whether they were satisfied or not, at least the atmosphere in Guangyi Hall was still quite warm.

  Just as everyone was talking happily, a servant-like person walked up to Liang Dingfen and whispered a few words in his ear. Liang Dingfen stood up and walked over to Tan Yanke, clasping his hands together apologetically and saying: "Zong An, I'm really sorry, but just this morning two foreign engineers who were sent to Ma'anshan to survey the coal mines were beaten by local villagers. One of the foreigners and a translator were seriously injured... This matter is extremely tricky, and Commander Xiang must handle it personally. Tonight, Commander Xiang may not be able to see you!

  Tan Yanqian stood up with a faint smile and said, "Governor Zhang is the governor of Huguang, handling countless matters every day. When encountering unexpected events, it's also an unavoidable move, after all, national affairs are important."

  Liáng Dǐngfēn said apologetically: "It's rare for Zǔ ān to be so understanding, I, Liáng, thank him on behalf of Xiāng Huì. Tāng Shēng, please see Zǔ ān off!"

  There was no meeting with Zhang Zhidong, and Tan Yankai still felt a bit awkward in his heart. However, he also understood that for a governor to get things done, the workload is extremely heavy, especially when encountering the incident of beating foreigners, which made Zhang Zhidong probably absent-minded even if he saw him. In this era, beating foreigners was extremely vicious, and most of the reasons were due to the arrogance and unreasonableness of foreign missionaries or other foreigners in China at that time, especially since the number of religious cases had begun to increase. This time, the foreigners were beaten because the foreign technical personnel went to measure the coal mine in Ma'anshan under the order of the Governor's Office, which made the local residents unreasonable first. If not handled properly, it could lead to a certain diplomatic storm.

  Tan Yanqing knew that this matter had come out, and Zhang Zhidong couldn't solve it in ten days or half a month. On the second day, he learned that the foreigner who was beaten by the villagers and the Chinese translator had been sent to a Western hospital in Hankou for treatment. As for the other foreign technician, he was lucky to see the villagers coming up with killing intent, so he immediately dropped his equipment and ran down the mountain.

  "This is not a lesson plan, but it's not that easy to solve either. Zhang Zhidong will have to break out his wallet!" Tan Yankai thought to himself after understanding the ins and outs of the event.

  Tan Yanqian felt that he had been in Wuchang for over a dozen days just to see Zhang Zhidong, which was not worth it. He thought of taking a boat along the river to Shanghai to see how it had changed, and then take another boat back to Fuzhou. After all, his older brother had made a mistake by coming to him to demand silver for the Jianmin Pharmaceutical industry, but Tan Yanqian had also been excessive in handling the situation by smashing his brother's stove. Although he was not afraid of his brother reporting him to their father, Tan Yanqian still thought it best to return to Fuzhou and take control of the situation himself. His older brother would not be willing to travel so far, and if Tan Yanqian could persuade their father, the matter would be settled. Moreover, this time he had obtained not only the title of Juren but also that of Jiayuan, which was currently what his father valued most. Among the Tan family sons, Tan Yanqian was the most promising, so even if his father was angry, he might not actually punish him.

  The next afternoon, Tan Yanqing came to the telegraph office set up in Wuchang City and sent a telegram to Fuzhou. This telegraph office was also seen by him a few days ago when he was wandering around Wuchang City. Of course, seeing the telegraph office made Tan Yanqing think of the wealthy Shen Xuanhuai, who is now the master of China's telegraph industry. Apart from the shipping business of the China Merchants' Steam Navigation Company, this telegraph industry is obviously Shen Xuanhuai's second largest source of income.

  At that time, the cost of sending a telegram was very expensive, and apart from local government offices and merchants, it was rare for individuals to use telegrams. Of course, this telegram fee was difficult for an ordinary family to afford, but for Tan Yanqing, who is now worth millions, it was nothing. In the telegram, Tan Yanqing briefly explained that he had been surrounded by foreign technicians and had sought to see Zhang Zhidong in vain, and planned to set off immediately back to Fuzhou, and also respectfully asked if the old man had any other instructions for him.

  Tan Yanqing was a medical doctor in his previous life. He studied science in high school and almost got full marks in physics during the college entrance examination. The basic principles of telegraphy were very clear to him, and at that time, telegraphy was still at the level of relying on wire transmission, and wireless telegraphy would not appear until several years later. It is feasible to develop wireless telegraphy based on high school physics in this era, but related equipment still needs to be introduced from abroad. When writing telegrams at the telegraph office, Tan Yanqing had thought about developing wireless telegraphy himself, taking away Marconi's rice bowl - this patent for wireless telegraphy is also a super golden rice bowl! If he registers this patent in those powerful countries, the income generated will be much more than what the Type 93 rifle brought him.

  After sending the telegram, Tan Yankai continued to wander around Wuchang, taking a closer look at the various foreign affairs industries presided over by Zhang Zhidong, especially the Hubei Weaving Bureau. Tan Yankai also had a mind for foreign affairs and industry, knowing that in this era, apart from entering officialdom through dark means to seek private gain for the country, developing foreign affairs industries was probably the fastest way to make money. The steel factory was an industry with high technical content and huge investment, which he couldn't play with at will, but he was still very interested in the textile industry, especially Japan's foreign trade export pillar silk industry, which he wouldn't let go of. Now, while people were still waiting for telegrams in Wuchang, it wasn't bad to take a closer look at the Hubei Weaving Bureau. With Gu Hongming available for summons, entering the weaving bureau for detailed inspection was naturally not a problem.

  "Zu Anwu'er: Your telegram has been received. There is no need to stay in Wuchang for long, you can return to Fuzhou first. However, I heard that the official Xu Zhi-xiang from the capital impeached Zhao Mao-chang, a subordinate of Zhang Xiang-tao, and Wang Zhi-chun, the governor of Guangdong, for corruption and malfeasance. Zhang Xiang-tao is being held responsible for his subordinates' crimes. The capital has already sent people to secretly investigate this matter in both Guangdong and Hubei. If you have a good impression of Zhang Xiang-tao's actions, you can consider warning him so that he can be prepared..."

  Tan Yanqing held the telegram in his hand - this was an old man's telegram, and the old man had been at the Hanlin Academy for a long time. He had also heard the old man mention Xu Zhiyang, but only briefly. Xu Zhiyang entered the Hanlin Academy later than him, and the saying "fearing that the railroad would damage the feng shui" came from Xu Zhiyang, so he still had some impression of it. Given the old man's relationship with the Hanlin Academy, this was absolutely not something that Xu Zhiyang told the old man. It probably had a deep connection to Weng Tonghe, which is why there were the two words "to consider". After all, Weng Tonghe and the old man's relationship was out in the open, whereas Zhang Zhidong and the old man didn't have much interaction!

  "The local governor wants to sit firmly, and whether or not to handle foreign affairs has little to do with it. This official only looks at ethics and morality, handling foreign affairs will inevitably offend the officials who speak out, so the local governor must grasp the situation in Beijing clearly..." Tan Zhonglin's seemingly unintentional but deeply meaningful words echoed again in Tan Yanke's ears.

  "Looks like the old man has someone keeping an eye on him in the capital!" It was only then that Tan Yanqing understood why, despite being under the same Empress Dowager Cixi, Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong had so many medals on their chests. Li Hongzhang's target was too big, the Huai Army had entered Tianjin, even the old lady was a bit wary of him, getting criticized was to be expected; Zhang Zhidong was probably really arrogant, offending people was just part of his nature. Li Hongzhang could rely on geography and the military power of the Beiyang behind him as a shield to protect his position, but Zhang Zhidong was worth considering. As for the old man, disregarding the risk of offending Empress Dowager Cixi, he still wanted to get rid of Wu Tang's sprouts, this kind of thing was what the Qingliu liked to see most, using the Qingliu to boost his own prestige and establish a solid reputation, then use Empress Dowager Cixi's name to secure his position in officialdom. This skill of turning everything to one's advantage left Tan Yanqing sighing in admiration.

  "Xiang Shuai's loyalty to the country is well-known to all, but Xu Zhi-xiang's memorial is simply absurd! However, I've also heard that Wang Fan-tai is too cunning and has invited slander; as for Zhao Wen-an, I've heard he was involved with a gambling den owner in Guangdong... so, in my humble opinion, we can't underestimate the importance of Xu Zhi-xiang's memorial!" said Liang Ding-fen.

  The thin, white-bearded old man sitting opposite him was Zhang Zhidong, the famous figure of Huguang. This old man who used to be considered as strong as an ox by his subordinates now looked rather poor in spirit. The events of the past few days had consumed a lot of his energy, and upon receiving this news, he felt utterly exhausted.

  "Has he left?!" Zhang Zhidong did not respond to Liang Dingfen's words, and asked somewhat absent-mindedly.

  "This morning when I saw Tan Zhongyan, he had already booked a boat to Shanghai for this afternoon and has gone a long way now." Liang Dingfen knew who Zhang Zhidong was asking about, so she told the truth.

  Tan Yankai finally decided to tell Zhang Zhidong the news, for no other reason than that Weng Tonghe would inevitably fall in the political struggle between Cixi and the Emperor, while Zhang Zhidong was relatively far from the center of the political storm, and the Hundred Days' Reform would not affect him. This late Qing minister would go even further in the future. From a personal emotional point of view, in Tan Yankai's eyes, Zhang Zhidong was a practical person, while Weng Tonghe was just a talker. Moreover, since the Emperor was far away, offending Weng Tonghe might not lead to revenge, and besides, Weng Tonghe had already been dismissed by Cixi five or six years ago, so it was another matter whether he would find out or not.

  Tan Yanqing didn't know much about Zhang Zhidong's political career, but one thing he was certain of was that Old Zhang had been the Governor-General of Huguang for a long time. If this impeachment of Zhang Zhidong was an unknown historical event to him, then in the end, Zhang would also turn danger into safety and sell him a favor, which would be more beneficial to his future development in Hunan. Moreover, he still had his eyes on Old Zhang's steel factory, so it was necessary to establish a good relationship with him in advance, and this time was a great opportunity.

  Tan Yanqing himself did not know that this was the beginning of the "Xu Zhiyang's big impeachment case" in history. This big impeachment case was indeed a dangerous situation for Zhang Zhidong, but because of Tan Yanqing's involvement, Zhang Zhidong could learn about someone trying to cause him trouble at the same time as he received the imperial edict from the court. At this point, taking action ahead of time would greatly reduce the risk for Zhang Zhidong. Of course, Tan Yanqing's association with Zhang Zhidong also had a good start from this. Although he did not see Zhang Zhidong in person during his trip to Hubei, this act of informing him made their relationship closer.

  "Jie An, have you seen Tan Zong'an's two sides? What impression do you have of him?" Zhang Zhidong was not very concerned about being impeached, but he was extremely interested in opposing Tan Yankai.

  "Tan Zu'an, although young, is a rare mature youth who handles things steadily. He only knew about this matter after receiving Tan Du's telegram. The original text of the telegram was also seen by Wang Sheng, and Tan Du meant that Tan Zu'an could decide for himself. However, Tan Zu'an still chose to stand on our side. After Wang Sheng saw the telegram, he burned it and said it was received from the telegraph office, asking Wang Sheng to handle it for him. He then sent Wang Sheng out of the inn," said Liang Dingfen.

  "What a fine young man!" Zhang Zhidong sat in the cowhide Taishiya for half a day and said, "Tan Wenqing has given birth to a good son. I think Tan Wenqing must have put in a lot of effort on him, he won't not understand the connotation of this telegram. It is said that when Tan Wenqing was the Minister of War in Beijing, Weng Shuping went to his mansion every day to play chess and discuss literature. With Tan Wenqing's old ways, it is impossible for him not to know about the grudges between me and Weng Shuping. At this time, he still sent a telegram to Tan Zu'an, which is really strange! Jieyuan, Tan Wenqing and his son are taking risks in this matter. Since Tan Zu'an has brought up that telegram, you must handle it properly!"

  Liáng Dǐngfēn said: "General Xiang, please rest assured, I have already taken care of the telegraph office. The draft has been burned and a considerable amount of silver was given to the telegraph operator on duty. He should know how to keep his mouth shut. What's uncertain is what Tan Wengui will do."

  "This is a matter of leaking secrets, and if it's light, you'll be exempt from office, but if it's serious, you'll be imprisoned by imperial decree! Tan Wenqing is an old and cunning man. If he can't even handle this, then his many years as governor will have been in vain. As long as we don't make any mistakes here, Tan Wenqing will take care of things over there." Zhang Zhidong said coldly.