Bus > Fantasy Magic > Republic of China Speculator > Chapter 1 Registration

  Guangzhou, the southern gate of China, is the economic and political center of Lingnan. Guangzhou is also one of the cities with the highest frequency of appearance in modern Chinese history. The Opium War, the 72 Martyrs of Huanghuagang, the Northern Expedition, and at the end of 1927, young people held their last large-scale urban riot here, this city recorded its glory and pride with blood.

  After the War of Protection, Guangzhou became the base for Sun Yat-sen to lead China's revolution and this situation continued until the victory of the Northern Expedition. In 1924, Guangzhou took on the hopes of all aspiring Chinese people, countless young people rushed to Guangzhou from all over China, and our protagonist was also one of them.

  Zhuang Jihua arrived two days before the registration deadline. Unlike others, he came alone, while everyone else came in groups. This was because they had all passed the preliminary examination and came together, but Zhuang did not participate in any preliminary examination because he did not know where to take it. He later regretted this, as the person presiding over the Shanghai preliminary examination at that time was a future great leader. Although meeting once might not lead to anything, at least he could have become familiar with him.

  That night, after returning home, he told his parents about his idea. His parents were very surprised and initially thought he was dissatisfied with their poverty. After repeated explanations, although they understood, they still disagreed. The traditional notion that "good iron is not made into nails" and "a good man does not become a soldier" had taken root in the honest parents' minds. Zhuang Lai Shun felt that after returning from America, finding a stable job in Shanghai should be no problem, and with those few hundred dollars, they could buy several more acres of farmland, raise two head of cattle, repair the house, and hurry to find him a wife - he was not young anymore, and people his age in the village already had several children. These words made Zhuang Ji Hua feel a mix of emotions: sadness for his parents' narrow-mindedness and admiration for their simplicity. Fortunately, the next day his father agreed, and that night, when no one was paying attention, he heard his mother crying and blaming his father, who simply said that this child had high aspirations and thought differently from others. This made him feel extremely moved; if he had previously felt a sense of gratitude towards his parents, now this old house truly began to give him a feeling of home.

  He was so moved that he didn't leave the next day, thinking of helping out at home, but ended up causing trouble. Because in rural areas, he couldn't do anything, such as chopping firewood, plowing fields, cooking meals, and everything else, he was completely useless. The only thing he did well was carrying a jar of water, while others took two trips, he took five, and the old couple felt somewhat comforted seeing him like this, although in the end they still had to do the main things themselves.

  After leaving his parents, he first rushed to Shanghai. Along the way, he got a glimpse of Chinese society at that time. Jiangsu and Zhejiang are known as the land of fish and rice, but along the way, he saw not a few beggars and people selling their children.

  Shanghai, the most prosperous city in China in the 1920s, was also the place he was most familiar with. After returning to his hometown later on, he worked here for several years. He stopped and tried to find the familiarity in his mind, but after eighty years of changes, only the clock tower and the famous iron bridge over the Suzhou River could be recognized. Warships shuttled back and forth on the river, these warships flew different national flags, but none of them flew the five-color flag of the Beiyang government, nor did they fly the blue sky with a white sun and red earth.

  Crossing the iron bridge is the legendary concession, as a later generation has only seen it in books and TV dramas. Now that the opportunity has arrived, with the intention of touring around, he strolled around the concession, trying to enter the Huangpu Park when an Indian policeman stopped him, roughly driving him away, during his loud protest (in English), the dark and sturdy Indian man with a cloth strip wrapped around his head pointed to the sign next to him, asking him to show proof that he was not Chinese. Looking at the sign, "Chinese and dogs are not allowed in", blood rushed to his forehead, his face turned bright red with shame, he slowly turned around and left with deep shame.

  "Haha, haha, high theory, high theory, it seems I've lived longer than all of you." Liao Zhongkai walked in from behind with a smile. He had heard the commotion outside while on his way back to his office and thought something was wrong, so he rushed out to take a look. As it happened, he caught Zhuang Jihua's "high theory". He too was a short man. Several military officers hurriedly saluted him, and he looked at Hu Zongnan before saying to Zhuang Jihua, "I've long heard that you have sharp eyesight and unique insights. Today, I see that it's indeed true." After finishing speaking, he gave him a meaningful look, and only then did Zhuang Jihua understand why Liao Zhongkai had personally come to see him earlier. He couldn't help but regret his earlier impulsive behavior.

  Liao Zhongkai also said to the military officers, "I think this comrade is fine except for being a bit short. The revolution urgently needs large numbers of talented individuals. As long as one is healthy and has good grades, they can participate in the examination. I approve." After finishing speaking, he wrote a note and handed it to Hu Zongnan, "In the future, if someone says you're short, just give them this note."

  Liao Zhongkai's demeanor left everyone present convinced, but Zhuang Jihua was deep in thought: How did Liao Zhongkai die? ***, if only I had memorized the history of the Republic of China earlier, now it's too late and I regret not knowing more.

  He easily passed the physical examination, to be honest his physique is better than most young people in this era. Why? Because of different nutrition, he eats and drinks well every day in the future, more luxurious than most landlords and capitalists in this era. Plus, he exercises regularly, even though he has been bedridden for dozens of days in this era, he is still stronger than most examinees. The physical examination is not a problem for him at all.

  However, after this incident, Zhuang Jihua became somewhat famous among the candidates. By the time they arrived at Huangpu Island, most of them had heard about this "sharp-eyed" or "glib-tongued" Zhuang Jihua, which was something he hadn't anticipated.

  Another result of "offering a helping hand" was that his physical examination also passed ahead of schedule. Hu Zongnan was very grateful to this "righteous" man, and after chatting with him, he found out that they were both from Zhejiang Province. Hu Zongnan was overjoyed and took him to meet their fellow Zhejiang native together.

  What kind of people do Chinese people most easily gather together with in a strange place? They are fellow townspeople. Generally, when going out on a long trip, they also invite fellow townspeople to go together. It's rare to see someone like Zhuang Jihua who comes alone, but considering he grew up in the US, it's not surprising. Zhuang Jihua, out of respect for Huangpu, also wanted to meet these "fellow townspeople", mainly to improve his relationship with the number one general under the future chairman, so they naturally went to a teahouse.

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