It is certainly unrealistic to come to see the governor rashly.
So after much thought along the way, Zhao Tianfeng made up his mind to use "reporting military intelligence" as a stepping stone.
Don't tell me, this brick is really useful.
After being led into the large lottery hall by the guards, Zhao Tianfeng looked at Governor Li sitting in the hall, Zhao Tianfeng bowed solemnly in front of him, and introduced himself in a neither humble nor overbearing manner:
"Late student Zhao Tianfeng pays homage to the Governor."
"This is Zhao Tianfeng? Do you have any confidential military information to report?"
Governor Li looked at Zhao Tianfeng carefully. He looked about thirty years old, of medium height, with a broad and long face. He was wearing a black dress, a black hat, and Western-style leather shoes.
This man is completely dressed in foreign clothes.
"Your Majesty the Governor, Zhao Tianfeng, late-born, named Ziqing, was born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. He was favored by the imperial court and was selected as a vice-president. He was supposed to serve the imperial court and benefit the people, but he never thought that he would be robbed by bandits and sold overseas..."
Zhao Tianfeng then recounted his experience of being sold to Nanhua and later studying in the United States.
He actually lived abroad and studied in a Western university!
What a talent!
Governor Li immediately liked him. After Zhao Tianfeng introduced his situation, he said to him affectionately:
"Oh, Ziqing, although you are in a foreign land, you have never forgotten to serve the imperial court. I really admire you! No need to be formal, please take a seat quickly."
The word "admiration" he used was not a polite word for ordinary literati to meet. He really felt that this man was loyal and commendable.
After Zhao Tianfeng sat down generously, Governor Li asked:
"I heard what you said before, you studied in a university in the United States, but I don't know what you studied in university!"
Governor Li didn't ask anything about Nanhua at all.
In fact, Governor Li was no stranger to Nanhua. Notices for recruitment of workers in Nanhua had long been posted all over the three provinces under his rule. Every year, hundreds of thousands of workers went to sea from Lianyun and other places.
As for the annexation of Chile by the American Company, I have heard about it. After all, as the Minister of Commerce of the North Sea, it is his duty to handle diplomacy. Moreover, the boss of the American Company is also married to the niece of the French emperor, but for the American Company,
Understood, that’s all.
As for whether Zhu Xianhai's name matched that of the previous dynasty, Governor Li just pretended not to know, not because the man had never declared his identity to the outside world, but because South America was really a bit far away, and there was no need for overseas matters.
Let the Queen Mother and the Prince worry about it.
The Governor seems to have no interest in Nanhua?
Zhao Tianfeng frowned, feeling a little confused in his heart.
In fact, he didn't know that this matter was a bit delicate for Governor Li.
Where is the subtlety?
He has done business with Liu Kunpeng of the American Company a lot over the years. Not to mention him, he also bought his mentor's four armored ships in Wuchang and the cannons for the forts along the river from Liu Kunpeng.
Bought through America.
It would not be good if we were to pursue it!
So just like in the past, Governor Li would rather pretend not to know and naturally changed the subject.
But Zhao Tianfeng didn't quite understand, so he still asked.
"Then Nanhua..."
Before he could finish speaking, Governor Li interrupted him directly.
"Hey, now the affairs of the Qing Dynasty are enough for the Emperor and the Queen Mother to worry about. There is no need to distract the Emperor and the Queen Mother about trivial matters tens of thousands of miles away. Let's settle the affairs of the Qing Dynasty.
That’s it.”
When he said these words, Governor Li looked completely loyal and sharing his worries.
It was indeed for the good of the Qing Dynasty. Xiangsi was afraid that the other party would not understand why he did this, so he explained.
"Think about it, the emperor and the queen mother are the backbone of our Qing Dynasty. If they worry about the country and the people all day long, if their bodies collapse, it will not be a blessing to the world. What will happen if we take the orange medicine? It should be
Let the Emperor and Queen Mother know what things they should not worry about. There is no need to bother them with things like this. After all, it is not our Qing Dynasty’s business, don’t you think so?”
"What your lord said is true!"
Isn't this just deceiving the superiors and concealing the truth from the inferiors? How can things be done like this?
However, I thought that the Qing Dynasty had its own national conditions. Even though he was a little confused in his heart, Zhao Tianfeng also understood what it means to not be in his position and not to pursue his political affairs, so he could only pretend to be ignorant and answered.
"Sir, I was born late in 1861, which was the eleventh year of Xianfeng's reign. I left Nanhua to study in the United States. After arriving in the United States, I first studied language in New York, then studied in a local middle school. Five years ago, I was admitted to the Brooklyn Polytechnic to study mechanics.
He also dabbled in various other sciences and engineering. After graduating from school, he worked as an intern at a machine factory, an ironworks plant, a railway company and other enterprises. In the United States, he learned that the Governor-General was stationed in Xuzhou, where he defeated the giant invaders and relieved the people, so he was not afraid of being ignored.
I am of low rank and come here to serve you."
Since I have come to seek refuge with the Governor, I always have to say something high-sounding. After all, everyone likes to hear these scenes.
"Well, not bad, not bad..."
Although Rong Hong was not around, I could see that the man in front of me was talking well. I thought that since this man dared to recommend himself, he must have some talent, so he smiled and said:
"Well, you came just in time. Ever since I was appointed as the governor of Zhili under the orders of the imperial court, I have tried my best to put down the bandit rebellion. However, the bandits colluded with unscrupulous foreign businessmen and exchanged lake silk and people for foreign guns and cannons.
, it can be said that the army is strong and the horse is strong. If you want to quell the bandits, you must train your troops and promote foreign affairs. I am ordered by the imperial court to manage foreign affairs in Xuzhou and other places. Since you have learned something in the West, there will definitely be a place for you to use your skills in the future. When you wait
When you succeed, I will definitely report to the imperial court and ask for an official position for you."
The Governor's words made Zhao Tianfeng feel secretly happy. What did he come here to do? Isn't it just to seek an official position? Now that his wish had been fulfilled, he quickly stood up, bowed and said:
"Oh, Wan Sheng thanks you for your support!"
"By the way, since you said you are good at machinery, can you also make weapons?"
Governor Li asked.
"I know a thing or two about making weapons..."
After a deep breath, Zhao Tianfeng knew that now was his opportunity, so he continued.
"But from Wan Sheng's point of view, if you want to quell the chaos, your top priority should be to build the railway."
"Build railways? Put down chaos?"
Li Hongzhang pondered.
"You mean transporting troops? Railways are much more convenient for transporting troops. Trains can travel thousands of miles in a day. You don't know something. In the past two years, some people have been urging me to build railways from Lianyun to Xuzhou and other places. However, building railways is time-consuming.
Although there is a lot of money, it is really difficult to raise this money now that the country is in turmoil."
"Your Majesty, you don't know. What impressed me the most during my several years in the United States was the convenience of railways. These railways can not only transport troops, but also fight wars. Do you know that in foreign countries, in addition to armored warships, there are also armored trains!"
"What? Ironclad train?"
Governor Li said in surprise.
"What is this?"
"Sir, an armored train is a train with iron armor on the outside and cannons inside the carriages. In the United States, there is a term "land cruiser". I heard that someone once installed a ten-inch cannon on the train to attack fortresses...
"
Zhao Tianfeng is no stranger to armored trains. After all, both the North and the South used armored trains during the Civil War, and there were similar news in newspapers.
"If you build a railway and equip it with an armored train, the ten-inch heavy cannon can destroy the city and destroy the land. Even if you send out bandit troops and strong horses, how can you withstand the power of the armored train?"
"The armored train...is it really that powerful?"
Governor Li said doubtfully.
"How powerful do you think the ten-inch cannon is?"
"Ten-inch cannons are naturally amazingly powerful. When bandits ravaged the river, they relied on the ten-inch cannons on several armored ships. However, the cannons weighed tens of thousands of kilograms and could only be used on ships. If the armored vehicles could attack such
The artillery is sent to the land, and it is no problem to attack the city, but..."
After thinking about it, Governor Li asked.
"Trains can only go along the railway. What if there is no railway?"
"The natural thing is to build railways. During the American Civil War, we basically built railways as far as the war started. You can build the railway from Lianyun to Xuzhou first, then build it south to Anhui, and finally cross the Huaihe River to attack all the way.
Just seize the land from the city. Even if it is not possible to build across the Huaihe River for the time being, with this railway, not only will it be convenient to dispatch troops, but it can also be built all the way west to Hubei. In this way, rice and grain from Hubei, Sichuan and other places can be directly passed through
Railway, it is transported to Lianyun, and from Lianyun it is transported by sea to the north to support the capital..."