Chapter Seventeen: Array

  How big can a camp of sixty people be? The conversation between Tan Yanqian and Yang Chao had already fallen into the ears of some soldiers around them. When Tan Yanqian mentioned that they might send some excellent talents to study abroad in the future, everyone gathered together, chiming in with seven mouths and eight tongues.

  Tang Yanqi stood up, clapped his hands to signal everyone to quiet down, and said: "As long as you are willing to work hard and make progress, if you meet my requirements, sending you abroad to study military affairs is absolutely no problem. However, your current level is still far from enough, not even mastering the language of others. In the future, even if I am willing to send you out, when you arrive at someone else's territory, you won't even understand what they are saying, how can you learn military affairs? I, Tang Yanqi, keep my promises here. As long as your German level is qualified and your military quality is excellent, I will definitely send you out. Don't worry about the cost of studying, I have plenty of silver here, just worry that you won't be qualified for me to spend it!"

  What Tan Yanqian said made the soldiers laugh, but it was also a very real problem in front of them - the treatment of the Governor's Guard was extremely high, and these soldiers were very satisfied. However, who wants to have a better future? Tan Yanqian's words undoubtedly pointed out a brighter future for them, but wanting to own this future is not an easy thing, at least German is a fatal obstacle for them.

  The soldiers' topic quickly shifted to how to learn German, they all knew that Tang Jiyao's German was particularly fluent, and no one could understand the conversation between Friedrich and him, even the teachers who taught them German said that San Gongzi's German level was above theirs, if not for several years of hard work, it would be impossible to reach his level, but it was heard that San Gongzi had only been learning German for a few months, and being able to reach this level was already beyond what the words "prodigy" could describe.

  "Now teaching these soldiers German is just a matter of three staff members in the Mufu Hall who are fluent in German doing it casually, which seems to be far from enough. They must be given better conditions, and perhaps some of them will not follow the predetermined path as I have arranged, but it can be certain that most of them will embark on the path of professional soldiers. In the future, they will become a system, a group, like the Japanese military officers, and will have a certain impact on China's history. As for the direction of this influence, at least He Yanqing can exert some influence, and to a large extent, it will represent his own will."

  "Or should they instill some revolutionary ideas in them?!" Tan Yanqin thought to himself, but this idea only flashed through his mind for a moment - Tan Zhonglin was very concerned about Tan Yanqin's direction, if he had revolutionary tendencies, he would undoubtedly face Tan Zhonglin's pressure, and might even be imprisoned. Besides, it wasn't the time to make revolution now, everything had to develop slowly, he just waited quietly, and didn't want to push for its arrival with great effort.

  Tan Yanqing's entourage finally arrived in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. Here he would meet his future father-in-law, Fang Ruyi, the Governor of Jiangxi Province. His father-in-law had served as the Taotai of Dengzhou and Supervisor of Donghai Customs for eight years due to his outstanding performance, before being appointed as the Procurator of Gansu Province until two years ago when he was promoted to Governor of Jiangxi Province. However, when Tan Zhonglin introduced his father-in-law's official career, he also mentioned an important figure that Tan Yanqing had heard of in his previous life - Sheng Xuanhuai, who succeeded as the Taotai of Dengzhou after his father-in-law. The reason for mentioning Sheng Xuanhuai was also because there was a decree from the imperial court recently, which included an appointment order - Li Zhengrong succeeded Sheng Xuanhuai as the Taotai of Dengzhou, and Sheng Xuanhuai was appointed as the Tianjin Customs Supervisor.

  Tan Yanqing attaches great importance to various official documents of the Qing court. In these documents, he has seen many impressive names of historical figures. His understanding of late Qing history is limited to his middle school history textbooks, supplemented by some anecdotes about famous people he read online later. His understanding of Sheng Xuanhuai is that he was extremely wealthy. If there were a Forbes global rich list in this era, he would definitely be among the top ten richest men in China, as his family property was said to be twice as much as Li Hongzhang's legacy of 10 million taels of silver. This is only what is known on the surface, and of course, Sheng Xuanhuai does not have that much money now, but he left it behind when he passed away. Still, this kid is considered a rich man now.

  Of course, this is just a joke. Tan Yanqing's understanding of Sheng Xuanhuai's history is already quite good. This former number one official merchant who had defeated the wealthy Hu Xueyan was still attached to Li Hongzhang, but because of his money bag function, he was given the side-eye by Tan Zhonglin. Tan Zhonglin had mentioned several important figures under Zhang Zhidong and Li Hongzhang to Tan Yanqing before, and Sheng Xuanhuai was one of the key people that the old master paid attention to, with a very high evaluation.

  When Tan Yanxin saw the high city wall of Nanchang Prefecture, he thought to himself: "An ugly daughter-in-law also wants to meet her parents-in-law", and this clumsy son-in-law meeting his father-in-law is unavoidable. However, the most important person this time is to take a good look at his future wife, so as not to mistake someone when entering the bridal chamber!

  Thinking of this, Tan Yanqin's mouth slightly revealed a wry smile. For now, he could only take things one step at a time. Since he couldn't control his own marriage, he might as well prepare to accept it! Thinking back on his past experiences in history, he almost became the son-in-law of the Song family, but in the end, Guang Tou classmate benefited from it instead.

  As they approached Nanchang Prefecture, Tan Yanxing ordered his entire bodyguard to change into the military uniforms he had designed for them, and each person was to present their most spirited side. The soldiers in the bodyguard knew that this time Tan Yanxing came to Jiangxi Wuchang was to meet his future father-in-law, so they naturally understood why Tan Yanxing gave this order, even Friedrich took out his German military uniform to wear.

  It can be imagined that when such a group of people entered Nanchang Prefecture, what kind of effect it would have - when they arrived at the gate of Nanchang Prefecture, they were stopped by the gatekeepers because their attire was indeed not passable and had to be checked clearly.

  When Tan Yanxin heard the gatekeeper's questioning, he secretly scolded in his heart: "You bunch of mobs, the revolutionary party has risen up so many times without success, it's really unreasonable. Your own people are carrying guns and walking to the city gate with big strides, and you're just thinking of checking now. If I were to rebel, this Nanchang Prefecture would have to change its surname to Tan!"

  Fortunately, Tan Zhonglin had long anticipated that Tan Yanxin would bring out the guards and they would definitely be questioned by others. So he had prepared documents with the official seal of the Fujian-Zhejiang Governor's Office in advance. Otherwise, when they were killing people indiscriminately in the mountains of Fujian, the local officials didn't even dare to make a sound. The old man's position was at stake, and if the Governor's Office wanted to eliminate the bandits, who would dare to intervene? If they ran into this ruthless little king, they might end up getting themselves implicated too, which would be a loss!

  The Qing dynasty set up the position of governor-general with great power, also known as "Fengjiang Dali", and the provincial governors were already very obedient to the governor in peacetime. The governor-general and the governor differed by one rank in their duties, but they did not belong to each other, and in normal times, they treated each other with courtesy as equals. However, the governor-general controlled the overall power of two or even three provinces, so he was naturally superior to the governor. Unless it was a foolish governor, the governor-general had an absolute psychological advantage over the governor.

  Tan Zhonglin, who served as the governor-general of Fujian and Zhejiang, did not use his authority to intimidate the governors because they had all been operating in Fujian for many years and were colluding with each other. When they united, Tan naturally chose to avoid confrontation. However, this was also because Tan was old and had no competitive spirit. If he were twenty years younger, he would have dealt with their minor issues every few days, and as long as they did not have a strong backing, he would have handled them within three to five days.

  Even so, Tan Zhonglin would not let them ride on his head, the detoxification disk mouth incident was just a warning to them. Now that Tan Yanqian had Ahuo's small tail in his hand, Tan Zhonglin had full confidence. The memorial had already been sent halfway to Beijing, and he brought evidence all the way north back to Hunan, where it was relatively safe, and then took other routes to escort him back to Fujian for trial - this time Tan Zhonglin was not just a warning, but wanted to thoroughly destroy He Yin!

  When Tan Yanxin handed over the official document to the gatekeeper, the city gate of Nanchang Prefecture was completely opened to them. The gatekeeper saw the red silk ribbons tied on the carriage and understood that the son-in-law of the governor had arrived. Although it was not a formal wedding, at least they could set a date for the engagement. Such an important person would naturally be treated with courtesy, so he quickly sent someone to report to the governor's mansion and also dispatched a team to escort Tan Yanxin. When Tan Yanxin's carriage followed the guards of Nanchang Prefecture through the main streets of the city and arrived at his father-in-law's mansion, the grand gate of the mansion was wide open, and a man in his 40s wearing a brocade robe stood at the entrance, apparently waiting for their arrival.

  Tan Yanqian had met his future father-in-law Fang Ruyi, but this middle-aged man, although dressed in finery, was absolutely not the father-in-law. Just as he was still pondering, the middle-aged man walked up: "Is this gentleman the third son of Governor Tan of Fujian and Zhejiang, Tan Zu'an?!"

  "I am, and you are...?"

  A middle-aged man clasped his hands together in a fist and said, "I am Liu Renxi, the chief writer of the Governor's Office!"

  "Ah, so he's the chief aide of my father-in-law!" Tan Yanqing thought to himself. However, his father-in-law had introduced him before - this aide had been following his father-in-law for almost ten years and was a capable man from Yantai. When his father-in-law was serving as the Daotai of Dengzhou, it was Liu Renxi who managed the customs in an orderly manner, making great contributions to his father-in-law's promotion to Provincial Governor. Afterwards, he followed his father-in-law on official business trips and unexpectedly became the leader of the Muyoutang.

  "Are you the renowned Mr. Liu Jiean?!" Tan Yanjin also made a fist and returned the courtesy with excitement, saying: "My father has mentioned Mr. Jiean to me many times, calling him one of the few masters who have mastered both Chinese and Western learning, and his poetry is also highly praised, unparalleled in the world!"

  Tan Yanxin immediately flattered Liu Renxi, saying that his poem was great. Tan Zhonglin had also mentioned it before, but Tan Yanxin hadn't even read one of his poems. Since the old man said it was good, he might as well flatter him some more to upgrade himself. This "unparalleled in the world" was obviously an overstatement - who knows if the old man would beat him up if he found out?

  Liu Renxi was of course very pleased to hear this, and Tan Zhonglin is also one of the few clean and noble officials in the officialdom. Although his learning can't compare with that of Zeng Guofan in the past or Zhang Zhidong who is now at the height of his power, he is also a well-known scholar in the imperial court. Being able to receive such praise, how could he not be pleased? The only thing is that it's unknown whether Tan Zhonglin will expose Tan Yanqing's flattery when they meet again in the future. However, considering the possibility of Liu Renxi and the old man meeting again is almost zero, so Tan Yanqing can continue to flatter him without any worries. After all, would you, Liu Renxi, dare to verify it?!

  Liu Renxi smiled and said, "My poetry can't compare to your essays. As soon as 'Encouraging Learning' was published, all the scholars in the world were ashamed. The officials in our provincial government office almost wore out your 'Encouraging Learning' from reading it so much, which made the provincial governor furious. Your writing is truly unparalleled in the world and unmatched within the four seas!"

  "I thought I was shameless enough, but this guy in front of me has a thicker skin than mine. He doesn't even need to draft his boasts, and he's giving me 'unparalleled under the heavens' for free, plus an extra 'unmatched within the four seas' as interest!" Tan Yanqian thought to himself with a bad taste in his mouth. However, he bowed deeply to Liu Renxi with a smile and said: "Mr. Jie'an is overpraising me!"

  Liu Renxi quickly helped him up with both hands and smiled at Tan Yanqing, saying: "Let's go in, I'll take you to see the governor!"

  Both of them laughed happily, and they both had a feeling of being old friends or having a similar smell. Anyway, Tan Yanqian's first impression on Liu Renxi was very good. As Fang Ruyi's first assistant, he participated in many welcoming and sending-off events, and he could still distinguish the boastful part of his words. However, Tan Yanqian's flattery made him feel extremely comfortable, which also gave him a deeper understanding of Tan Yanqian - it seemed that the rumor about Tan Zhonglin's third son being able to dominate the Fujian-Zhejiang Governor's Office and act as half a governor was true!

  When Tang Yan arrived at the mansion of the governor, from the main gate to the reception hall and then to the second conference hall, the long corridor on both sides was already lined with fully armed guards. These soldiers held red-tasseled spears and stood spiritedly. When they saw him step onto the corridor, the leading captain shouted loudly: "Mr. Tang has arrived!" Instantly, the words "Mr. Tang has arrived!" were relayed from soldier to soldier until they reached the conference hall.

  Tan Yanqing naturally knew that his father-in-law was using the formal welcoming ceremony for officials to welcome him. He had arranged this several times at the Fujian-Zhejiang Governor's Mansion, where different levels of officials received different treatment. However, when Officer He Jiong visited last time without wearing official uniform and it was a private visit in the middle of the night, so he didn't put on this show. Looking at the soldiers on both sides, Tan Yanqing couldn't help but think that his own guard team was much stronger and more practical. If these soldiers were sent to the battlefield to face modernized weapons, they would probably only end up retreating in defeat.

  Tan Yanqing, who was used to seeing big scenes, walked onto the corridor and saw this scene without surprise. He calmly followed Liu Renxi, slightly behind him, as he entered the council chamber. However, Liu Renxi's evaluation of Tan Yanqing rose to another level - since he followed Fang Ruzhong, especially after Fang Ruzhong became the Governor-General, there had never been such a formal welcome for an official. Although Tan Yanqing was his future son-in-law and held significant authority in the Fujian-Zhejiang Governor-General's office, he was not an official. Liu Renxi saw Tan Yanqing walking confidently on the corridor and was full of praise - "This man's appearance and demeanor are all top-notch, absolutely not comparable to those spoiled sons of aristocratic families! The Governor-General indeed has good taste, choosing such a great son-in-law!"

  Upon entering the reception hall, it was filled with officials from the provincial government and attendants from the governor's office. They were all vying to catch a glimpse of the third young master, who was known as "half a governor-general". He was surprisingly so young, about the same age as their own children, yet he had written "On Encouraging Learning" at such a tender age and received praise from both the empress dowager and the emperor. His essay was even distributed to every province for study by officials.

  These people are also quick-witted and sharp-eyed, Jiangxi and Fujian being so close, the deeds of the third son of the Zhejiang-Fujian Governor's Office had long been transmitted to Jiangxi, and in Hunan it caused a sensation. A young man who could receive imperial praise from the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, and who was simultaneously praised by Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong, was already a legend in his own right. However, the atmosphere of this era was not yet open-minded, Tan Yankai's "Exhortation to Study" had far more influence on people's minds than his anti-opium pills, and in their eyes, this young man's rapid rise to prominence was only a matter of time. What they envied even more was Tan Zhonglin - this official who had some integrity before he became Governor-General, but afterwards became a silent and unobtrusive high-ranking official, yet had such a son! It seemed that the other family had put all their energy into educating their child, why didn't they have this good fortune themselves?!

  Tan Yanqun walked calmly through the crowd's envious gaze, "These people are just NPCs without a name in history, while I at least left my mark on this era with 'Qu Xue Pian' and the detox pill. Compared to them, they're nothing special!" Tan Yanqun had such an uncontrollable thought rising up in his heart, but he quickly dispelled this slightly arrogant idea and continued walking calmly.