Chapter Forty-Four: Water Fog

  After Tan Yanqian returned from the rural trial, he began to strengthen the scientific knowledge of the guard team. However, unlike German, these things require time to accumulate, and two or three months are far from enough. Moreover, it is not easy for this era's China to find a suitable mathematics teacher for them. For the time being, Tan Yanqian and Friedrich are still responsible for teaching these soldiers some basic mathematical knowledge. Of course, in order to encourage the learning atmosphere of these soldiers, Tan Yanqian also gave appropriate economic incentives, taking out 20 taels of silver each time to reward those who scored well in the exams.

  Although these small measures also mobilized the soldiers' enthusiasm, after all, it's still early days and their foundation is far from sufficient. At present, Tan Yanqing's life is constantly being interrupted by other things, disrupting his original plan in his heart. To avoid the "emotional debt" in front of him, he had to escape north for a while, also because of the approaching First Sino-Japanese War, it was good to go to Beijing to do some preparatory work. However, these soldiers are his future foundation, and he must make proper preparations before leaving.

  Tan Yanqing brought Shen Jing, Chen Fei and other staff members to meet with three team leaders of the guard corps, Xiao Xuan, Liu Yu and Yang Chao, in the barracks. The expenses of the Governor's Guard Corps had always been controlled by Tan Yanqing alone, which came from the detoxification pills and "Strong Learning Digest". However, due to the wool textile factory, Tan Yanqing now had more funds at his disposal, and even if he sent 20 soldiers to study in Germany at the same time, it would not be a burden for him economically.

  Shen Jing and Chen Fei are Tan Yanqing's most reliable subordinates in the Mufangtang, Kou Qingyuan went to Europe to handle patent transactions and Mauser gun manufacturing plants for him, so he couldn't rush back. As for Xiao Xuan, Liu Yu and Yang Chao, they were the three people who performed best in the guard team. These six people can be considered Tan Yanqing's main literary and martial arts team at present.

  "In a few days, a batch of books will arrive in Hong Kong, which were collected by Kou Qing from Europe. Our business partner, Mauser Weapons Factory, obtained all the required textbooks for German military schools, and of course, there are also many books from other powerful countries' military schools. These are prepared for you! I have already heard Friedrich's report, and with your current level, it shouldn't be too difficult to understand these books. Of course, some English and French books will be translated by Wen Yuan and Yu Sheng brothers... Now your most important task is to strengthen training and intensify learning. In six months, I will let Friedrich arrange a comprehensive examination for you. This exam will determine the first batch of people going to study at German military schools. The German side has already made preparations, as long as you can reach the level required by the instructor, I will fulfill my promise to sponsor all your expenses to study in Germany..." Tan Yanqian said slowly.

  Guangdong is currently one of the most open regions in China, and due to its early opening, people's ideas and concepts are completely different from those in other regions. This is not only reflected in the way people interact with each other and do business, but also in the fact that this region is at the forefront of thought in this era. However, Tan Yanqing has concerns about this - this is also the region where revolutionary party activities are most frequent. Thinking about the revolutionaries' special affection for Guangdong, if he's not mistaken, Sun Yat-sen might have been active in Hong Kong and Macau. He doesn't want his small armed force to enter the vision of the revolutionary parties, and if he's away for a long time, this armed force will likely be dismantled by the revolutionaries, and his hard work will be in vain.

  Tan Yanqing sent his best military talents to Germany, not only because he thought the German army was the best in the world, but also to let them learn Western military ideas. Of course, at that time, the German army did not have such prestige, and although the French were defeated by the Germans, they were still the strongest land power in Europe. However, Tan Yanqing knew that the French had been badly beaten by the Germans in both World War I and II. The Germans, despite fighting on two fronts, were still able to defeat the French, and in World War II, they even destroyed France. A military power like this, with a rotten interior beneath its glittering exterior, was not where Tan Yanqing would send his talented people for further study. Moreover, according to Tan Yanqing's understanding, those sent to France were trained to be revolutionaries, and the atmosphere there might be particularly conducive to cultivating revolutionaries. He had previously discovered an interesting differentiation among late Qing dynasty students sent abroad - those who went to France often ended up on the revolutionary path after returning home, while those who went to America mostly became scientists. If not for his admiration for the German army, he would not even want his people to set foot in Europe - military men were just that, and if they dominated politics, solutions to various differences would become military confrontations rather than negotiations, which was a terrible starting point and a huge threat to the country and nation!

  Xiao Xuan and others were thrilled when they heard that Tang Yanqi promised to select excellent military talents to study in Germany after half a year. They had long been looking forward to studying military affairs in a world power like Germany. In the Imperial Guard, news was not closed off, and the Westernization Group not only valued attempts in industry and commerce but also placed more emphasis on cultivating military talent. In fact, early Westernization practices were all serving the military. They also knew that China's best army school was the Tianjin Beiyang Military Academy, and originally, studying abroad in Germany was still a luxury for them. If they could enter the Beiyang Military Academy to study, it would be very acceptable to them.

  Xiao Xuan and the other two stood up and said: "Don't worry, young master. We will supervise their studies and training, striving to meet the standards for studying abroad!"

  Tang Yanqi waved his hand to signal them to sit down, then said: "The national situation is declining day by day. Those troops that adopted the old methods of training were barely able to cope with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in their heyday, but after several decades, I'm afraid they have all become opium addicts and are no longer reliable. The nation has no future relying on these people! Originally, given my relationship with the Beiyang government, it wouldn't be difficult to send you to the Beiyang Military Academy for training. However, the inertia of the Huai Army has become too entrenched, and I'm afraid that sending you there would harm you. After careful consideration, I have decided to send you to Germany instead, where you will receive the strictest military training and be cultivated into qualified military officers. When you return home in the future, you can serve the nation!"

  Tan Yanqing deliberately used the word "nation" instead of "state". Now, the Qing dynasty is still prosperous and peaceful, but people all over the country know that Empress Dowager Cixi has been embezzling state funds to prepare for her 60th birthday, which has already begun to provoke public outrage. The rest is just waiting for the defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, and then the contradictions will concentrate and erupt.

  There is no way, Tan Yanqing cannot be a revolutionary himself now, his foundation and identity have determined that he will take the road of revolution, and what he needs is a very united foundation. In this case, he not only cannot instill revolutionary ideas in these people but also has to prevent such ideas from infiltrating his foundation. By comparison, he is even less willing to be a filial son and grandson of the Manchu people, leaving him with no choice but to take the "national route", using national righteousness to unite more people, especially this tiny military force led by Xiao Xuan and three others.

  "I'm afraid I won't be able to return for a short period of time, so everything here will have to rely on all of you to manage. You absolutely cannot mess things up... Brother Wenyuan, Brother Yusheng, even if Zhongqing goes to Europe for a short time, he won't be able to come back, so this 'Strong Learning Digest' will have to rely on the two of you to manage. As for my father's place, he will give you convenience, but the commentary section of 'Strong Learning Digest' must be handled with extreme caution, absolutely cannot criticize a certain high-ranking official, of course if some officials are corrupt and exposed by the imperial court, you can ask my father for guidance, I will also write some comments in the north and send them back to you to handle..." Tan Yankai said seriously.

  Qiangxue Wenzhai is still similar to a newspaper, but because its influence has been intentionally promoted by local powers and has gradually expanded, it has gained fame, but its goals have become too obvious. To prevent some people from suppressing it, Tang Yanke had to impose certain restrictions on the content of Qiangxue Wenzhai - since the commentary section came out, it is no longer just a translation of foreign newspapers, but also comments on domestic events. However, considering the signs of the First Sino-Japanese War, Qiangxue Wenzhai must not be the first to stick its head out, otherwise, even with the old master as a backer, it would still be subject to the misfortune of being suppressed. It is said that due to the old master's character, the first person to shut down Qiangxue Wenzhai would be the old master himself.

  Shen Jing and Chen Fei were receptive to Tan Yanqing's words, after all they weren't just hot-blooded bookworms, they had both spent some time "mixing" in society, especially in a place like the Governor's Office as staff members. They understood some things about officialdom. In this regard, Shen Jing was much more mature than Chen Fei, after all he had originally studied to enter officialdom, unfortunately the imperial examination didn't go smoothly so he ended up on this path. Although Tan Yanqing didn't explicitly say it, Shen Jing's position in the translation department was higher than others, especially when handling affairs related to government administration. If Tan Yanqing wasn't around, then he would take charge. Shen Jing's down-to-earth and cautious style also earned the old man's appreciation, handing these matters over to him to preside over, made Tan Yanqing feel more at ease.

  Although he left suddenly and had many things to hand over, there would eventually be a time when everything was settled - that is to say, Tan Yanqin would still have to meet the person who made him most embarrassed at this moment - his wife, Fang Rongqing. Although they didn't get along well, but in Tan Yanqin's opinion, the girl in front of him, who was busy arranging tea sets, still gave him a good impression: elegant, quiet, and composed... This girl was concentrating on arranging the tea set in front of her when Tan Yanqin returned, performing each step of the tea ceremony with great skill. When Tan Yanqin came in, she just looked up at him with her bright eyes and said, "It'll be ready in a while, please sit down first!"

  For a moment, Tan Yan felt that when the two of them were together, she was the elder, while he himself seemed like a younger generation. He involuntarily shook his head, as if to drive out this absurd illusion. However, he still sat obediently across from Fang Ouyang, watching this girl who exuded an aura of spirituality perform her tea art.

  In the misty water vapor rising from the hot water, this girl in front of him seemed so at ease in Tan Yanqin's eyes, her every move was so natural, and before he knew it, a pair of delicate hands had placed a cup of clear tea in front of him. The word "lady" suddenly popped into Tan Yanqin's mind. In his previous life, the "wild girlfriend" was rampant, and the two words "lady" were just a concept for him. Moreover, he rarely came into contact with the opposite sex and was busy studying, so this word was even more distant from the opposite sex he had come into contact with. He didn't expect to see such a temperament in this girl, which made him quite heartbroken.

  Tan Yanqin drained the clear tea from the purple sand cup in one gulp, the temperature of the tea was perfectly controlled. He didn't know how to drink tea, but after drinking this cup, it refreshed his heart and spleen, making him feel particularly comfortable. For a moment, his body, which had been rushing around all day, leaned back against the chair, feeling exceptionally relaxed from head to toe.

  "Have you finished dealing with everything outside? What time are we leaving tomorrow?"

  "That's enough, the rest is up to them, I'm not their nanny, worrying about everything, that would be exhausting even if I were dead! Tomorrow morning I have to take a boat..." Tan Yanqin said unconsciously with his eyes closed and leaning on the chair, but he suddenly stopped himself halfway through, looking at his wife in front of him with some surprise.

  Fang Zhongqin was holding a small purple sand cup in his hand, lightly sipping tea water. When Tan Yanqing stopped talking halfway through, he gently put down the teacup and his bright eyes fell on Tan Yanqing's body. He smiled slightly and said: "At noon, Master said you are going to go out for a long time and may not return before the trial. You're so busy leaving, I've prepared everything for you, but your study is too messy, the things inside might be very important, so I didn't touch them, you come and sort it out yourself..."

  Tan Yanqin's mouth seemed to have an egg stuffed into it, and after a long time, he finally squeezed out a "thank you......", but then thought again that it wasn't right. Wanting to take it back, he saw the wife opposite him with a sly smile at the corner of her mouth, his heart became a tangled mess once more...

  Fang Rongyi found it quite interesting to watch Tan Yanqing, and the sight of her helpless husband seemed to bring a strange sense of relief to her heart. Having grown up in the inner courtyard of a large mansion, she had hardly ever seen any men of her own age except for her half-brothers, but thanks to her father's doting love and Zhao Hengjun's protection, she often went out to take a look at the outside world. Last year, when Tan Yanqing went to Hunan to take part in the imperial examination, although they were only a few feet apart, she still hid herself away to observe her future husband, wondering if he was indeed as "lucky" as her mother had said all men were.

  But Tan Yanqin, who was in the open, did not know that there were a pair of eyes watching herself elsewhere. Her life, which had been following the rules and conventions, had completely lost its interest - if this man hadn't arranged his marriage early on, he probably wouldn't have gone looking for a woman to be his wife for his whole life. It was simply a fantasy to expect him to be unfaithful. However, on the day of their wedding, Tan Yanqin avoided her like the plague, even running away to the north and refusing to be with her. This had hurt Fang Cong's feelings somewhat, but now that she saw Tan Yanqin at a loss for what to do, she couldn't help but laugh, and finally felt some relief.

  It was as if to break the silence between them, Fang Qiuqin took out a list from beside her and smiled slightly: "The old master said that this time at our wedding, some people's gifts were too heavy, and someone has been sent to make a list, saying whether these congratulatory gifts are accepted or not depends on your will..."

  Tan Yanqun's gaze shifted from the teacup in his hand to the list handed over to him, and he took a look at the names and gifts listed on it, all written in elegant small characters with a brush pen. He knew without asking that this was written by Fang Rongqing. In the two years since he had been in the Governor's Mansion, none of his staff could write such beautiful small characters. What surprised him even more was the gifts he received, some people wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of the Governor's son's grand wedding to curry favor with him. He naturally understood this in his heart, but the "weight" of the gifts listed on the list still shocked him: the first one was Tang Bowen, with a face value of 40,000 taels of steamship company stocks and orders for spindles from Huasheng Textile Factory within a year after its completion...

  Tang Tingshu's foray into the business world was a "test of the waters". During this time, he spent no less effort to understand the top tycoons in China's current business world. The first on the list is the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company. The face value of its stock is 100 taels, but its actual value is hard to say. In the previous two years, due to competition with Jardine Matheson and Swire, the three parties were embroiled in a fierce battle, competing to lower prices to as low as one-tenth of their original value to compete for the shipping market. Sheng Xuanhuai and Zheng Guanying fought to the end, at which point the 100-tael face-value stock of China Merchants Steam Navigation Company plummeted to only 40 taels, with an annual profit of less than 20,000 taels. This was the first large-scale commercial war between Chinese and foreign companies in the business world. In fact, since the establishment of China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, it had been competing with Jardine Matheson and Swire, but this time was the most brutal.

  Tan Yankai understood that the reason for this trade war was also because of a famous case cited by the directors at the board meeting of the wool textile mill, but the China Merchants Steamship Company still won the final victory, retaining its shipping market and successfully signing an equal price contract with Jardine Matheson and Swire for the third time.