Zhang Boling was indeed a sports enthusiast and found some footballs for Li Yu that day.
When Li Yugang saw it, he thought Zhang Boling was holding a volleyball because they looked so similar.
You must have seen the footballs of later generations, which are usually mainly white, supplemented by other colors or patterns, and the designs are very exquisite.
But the football in front of me in the early 20th century is really strange. It looks exactly like a volleyball, the color is dark brown, and it doesn't feel as smooth as modern football.
Fortunately, the overall weight is close to that of modern football, about 450 grams.
Li Yu put it under his feet and dribbled a few times. It felt a bit heavy, but overall it was fine. It almost reached 80% of the standards of modern football, which was unexpected.
It's just that this spherical surface material should be relatively absorbent. If you play a game of football, it will probably increase its weight by dozens of grams.
Zhang Boling was even more surprised when she discovered that Li Yu could actually play football: "It's hard to believe, have you ever played football before?"
Li Yu tipped the ball lightly with his toes and said: "I have had a little contact with it. After all, we need quality education. How can sports be indispensable? Football is my favorite sport."
Zhang Boling gave him a thumbs up: "Awesome! Sir, he is really good at both civil and military skills. His scientific skills are so amazing, and he never thought he could also play football."
Li Yu laughed and said: "We can't really let foreigners think that we are all the sick men of East Asia."
"Sir, what you said makes so much sense!" Zhang Boling said, "The importance of sports is really difficult to emphasize more now. But now in the entire Zhili region, only people in Tianjin know about this sport, but I am very optimistic about it.
It can exercise your body and bring everyone together as one."
In the past, opium was so poisonous to the Chinese people that even in the West, until a few decades later, the impression of the Chinese people was that they had rat tails and beards and smoked big cigarettes.
Alas, although there is Western arrogance in this, the first impression remains and it is really difficult to change.
As a time traveler, Li Yu certainly knows how great the subsequent development of football will be, and said: "Of course, it will be the world's number one sport in the future after all."
"Oh?" Zhang Boling asked in surprise, "Sir, are you so optimistic about football?"
Li Yu said: "As you said, there are many benefits, but it's a pity that our football level is really poor."
What Li Yu meant was how disappointing the Chinese men's football team would be in later generations, but Zhang Boling thought he was talking about the present, so she said: "There is no way, after all, we developed late. But it's just a sport, and I don't think the level is important."
FIFA will not be established until next year, that is, in 1904. Although there is already a first division league in the UK, it does not have much influence in the international arena. It is mainly played between clubs.
If the national team appeared, it would be the 1908 Olympic Games.
So, there is no Chinese men’s football team yet…
There are no top teams like England, Brazil, Germany or Argentina.
Therefore, it was impossible to defeat the Chinese men's football team before 1908!
"Indeed, exercising is the most important thing." Li Yu also treats it purely as a hobby. He can't think about winning or losing every day. Winning or losing is something that professional players should consider more.
Zhang Boling said: "I plan to introduce football as a subject in my private middle school to inherit Mr. Yan's spirit."
"Mr. Yan?" Li Yu asked, "Which Mr. Yan?"
"Of course it's Mr. Yan Fu," Zhang Boling said. "Don't you know, when he was at the Beiyang Naval Academy, he included football as a subject of 'practice' in the curriculum early, and he also invited British people to be football instructors.
."
Li Yu praised: "Mr. Yan is indeed one of the first people to open his eyes to see the world. His eyes have even caught sight of football. It's not easy."
Zhang Boling said: "Of course, without Mr. Yan, there would be no football trend in Tianjin, and I would not know this sport."
Tianjin is the first city in the whole north to be exposed to football. It is the absolute bud of football and echoes Shanghai in the south.
Later generations of Tianjin football also created a very glorious history in the Chinese professional football league.
This is all a story for later.
Li Yu now has something he can play with. After all, he is young and full of energy. He has nowhere to vent his energy and must find a place to vent it.
Zhang Boling was overjoyed to see that Li Yu liked football very much and said with a smile: "In the future, I will find a way to establish a football league between schools, just like Nanyang Public School and St. John's University in Shanghai. It can also be regarded as a kind of promotion. If you are interested, sir."
, you can also come and participate.”
Li Yu asked: "Shanghai already has a football team?"
"Yes," Zhang Boling said, "as far as I know, these two schools have played many games, and they both take football very seriously. It is said that Cai Yuanpei, the head teacher of Nanyang Public School's economics special subject, even attends every football match in person.
Supervise the battle."
"Who are you talking about, Cai Yuanpei, which Cai Yuanpei?" Li Yu asked in surprise.
"Are there many Cai Yuanpei?" Zhang Boling wondered, "His name is Heqing and he is from Zhejiang."
Good guy, that was the Cai Yuanpei that Li Yu had in mind, who later became the president of Peking University!
"It's really him." Li Yu murmured.
"What? Do you know him?" Zhang Boling asked again.
"Of course I know him, he is very famous." Li Yu said.
Zhang Boling nodded, "Indeed, he is a Jinshi after all."
Li Yu didn't expect that Cai Yuanpei could be brought up when talking about football, and he said: "Shanghai football has a long history."
Naturally, Zhang Boling didn’t know that Li Yu actually said this from the perspective of a time traveler, so he just replied: “Beiyang Naval Academy was severely damaged during the Gengzi Incident. Fortunately, some students from Beiyang University Academy evacuated to Nanyang.
I studied in a public school, and now that school has started again, it just happens to bring back football."
Li Yu nodded and said: "I didn't expect that Shanghai football was born so early, and there is already a derby match."
"What does the derby mean?" Zhang Boling asked.
Li Yu explained: "It is a competition between two teams of similar level in a city."
Zhang Boling asked: "Is it from English?"
Li Yu said: "Yes, English."
Zhang Boling said: "No wonder I haven't heard of it."
Li Yu laughed and said: "The British really love football, they love it to the point of hooligans."
The next day, when Li Yu was about to return to the capital, Zhang Boling brought him a manuscript: "This is the relevant regulations on the establishment of sports written by me. The Capital University can refer to them."
Li Yu said gratefully: "Thank you, sir! I've kept the lecture notes at home and will send them over after I get them transcribed."
Zhang Boling cupped her hands and said with a smile: "Isn't this just reciprocity!"
After returning to the capital, Li Yu showed Zhang Baixi the charter and the football, and even briefly demonstrated how to play football.
Zhang Baixi was very surprised by this: "It turns out that this is football. It doesn't seem to be a popular thing, but it can indeed be promoted."
Li Yu said: "Of course, the sport of football itself is very good. As for the incident involving Gao Qiu, it can only be said to be a human problem, not a ball problem."
Zhang Baixi felt that it made sense, and looked at the charter and said: "The suggestions in it are also very good, and I will implement them as appropriate."
Li Yu was very happy. From now on, in addition to board games, the Capital University Hall would have a new entertainment activity.
All these have truly enriched the extracurricular life of the students at Capital University.
Li Yu was very happy for his "initiative", but not long after he was proud, he was called over by Gu Hongming.
The reason, of course, is because Li Yu failed the classics subject again in the mid-term exam...
Gu Hongming looked at the test paper in his hand and said: "Although you got first place in the exam again, and your scores in other subjects are very good, and there are even two additional high-scoring subjects in foreign language, Mr. Ding can easily handle the additional difficult Western questions."
.But the articles on Confucian classics are really unsightly, so I won’t mention them if they don’t make sense, and the calligraphy is also so bad.”
Li Yu said awkwardly: "As you know, human energy is limited after all, and scientific methods do take too much time."
Gu Hongming said: "I can understand this, but failing is really unjustifiable. Today, among our students, there are many students who fail in various science subjects, but you are the only one who failed in Confucian classics. It is so eye-catching."
After all, Gu Hongming was the vice-president of Chinese language at the Capital University. Although his level of Chinese studies was only halfway through becoming a monk, he was still several steps ahead of Li Yu.
Li Yu said: "This... really shouldn't be done."
Gu Hongming picked up some manuscripts from the table: "This is an article about 'Chinese Studies' that I have written in the "Zi Lin Xi Bao" in the past twenty years. Although it is all in English, I think you should be able to understand it."
Li Yu was relieved, and it turned out that Gu Hongming was trying to find a solution for himself.
Gu Hongming's level of Chinese studies is indeed much lower than that of Zhang Taiyan and other big names, but what he writes is really easy to understand, and it is good as an introduction to Chinese studies.
Li Yu said: "Thank you sir."
Gu Hongming added: "No matter what, I am still in a teaching position. Although I am not as good as the sages and saints, I still understand the principles of being a teacher and an example to others. I should also follow Confucius as an example."
Li Yu had really looked down on him before, but what Gu Hongming said actually touched him a little.
In fact, now that Li Yu has gained the status of imperial master, Gu Hongming has taken a higher regard for Li Yugao and has shown more concern for him.
Gu Hongming took out another pile of manuscript paper: "There are also these, which are the "Notes on China" written by me, but they are not finished yet. They are only part of them. You should take them and read them first."
Li Yu took it solemnly, "I will study hard."
It would be a big headache for Li Yu to read the Chinese studies monographs by Wu Rulun, Zhang Taiyan and others. But those who have read Gu Hongming's works will find that it is indeed very easy to understand, which is just right for Li Yu.
Of course, to put it bluntly, Li Yu’s level of Chinese classics is really amazing!
It’s truly unsightly!
Come to think of it, when he was in college, he was not allowed to fail.
Li Yu really started to read Gu Hongming's articles carefully in the past few days. He read them very quickly, so he just wanted to mention his weak level of Chinese studies.
Not long after, Li Yu received another letter from Wuhan. Looking at the size of the letter, he knew it was extraordinary. The person signed was the Governor of Huguang.
Oh my God, Zhang Zhidong!
After reading the letter, Zhang Zhidong's meaning was quite simple: "I have recently heard that Li Yu of the Capital has published a wide range of articles, which has alarmed the West and shocked China and foreign countries with his scientific approach. I hope that Mr. Zhang will come to Wuhan to take a closer look at the construction of the Western Industry and Mining Industry.
"
Zhang Zhidong had served as the governor of Huguang for many years. Li Yu certainly knew that the industrial and mining industries mentioned were Hanyang Iron Works and Daye Mining Works.
Moreover, the Hanyang Iron Works is very famous, and Li Yu once knew about it. It is definitely considered a huge project nowadays.
The construction of Hanyang Iron Works began more than ten years ago, and many losses were suffered during the construction process.
Although everyone now knows that you can't let people who don't understand command people who understand, when Zhang Zhidong built the Hanyang Iron Works, there were no people who knew anything, and there was no precedent for building an iron plant in the country. It was all about feeling the stones.
river.
So it’s not surprising to suffer some losses.
Of course, later generations will know that the composition of ores is very different. The British people at that time were naturally aware of this problem. When Zhang Zhidong purchased machine furnaces for the steelmaking plant, the British mentioned: "If you want to build a steel plant, you must first
All iron, stone, coal, and coke are sent to the factory for testing, and then the texture of the coal and iron is known, and what kind of steel can be made, that is, what kind of furnace is used. The slightest difference is a thousand miles, so don't do it rashly."
But such detailed issues are completely meaningless to the leaders.
Zhang Zhidong believes that China has a vast land and abundant resources. What kind of coal does it not have? What kind of ore does not have it? Let the British side purchase whatever they need!
The result turned out to be that the machine furnace was located in Hanyang, but the iron used was Daye Iron Mine, and the coal used was Ma'anshan Coal.
Perhaps this kind of thing is nothing in modern times, after all, logistics is developed, but at the beginning of the 20th century, there was no such strong transportation capacity. There were only a few railways, let alone roads.
In addition, after the trial production started, it was discovered that the coal in Maanshan was not suitable, and thousands of tons of coke was imported from Germany.
Anyway, starting from 1890, it took five or six years, but no steel was produced yet, and more than 5.6 million taels of silver were spent.
Even if coal from Pingxiang, Jiangxi Province was later switched to, the steel produced was still too brittle and cracked easily, making it completely unusable.
In short, after taking many detours and spending a lot of money, Zhang Zhidong realized that the model of the furnace purchased was wrong and could not remove the phosphorus in the steel, thus causing the steel to be too brittle.
Then he borrowed 3 million from Japan and changed the previous acidic furnace to an alkaline configuration, and then successfully produced qualified steel.
All I can say is that this is tuition! Anyone who doesn’t understand anything is an unavoidable detour.
But it certainly cannot be said that Zhang Zhidong is lagging behind, because in horizontal comparison, Hanyang Iron Works is the first large-scale steelmaking plant in Asia. Even in Japan, the construction of steel plants is several years later.
Through these things, Zhang Zhidong fully understood the importance of science and technology. You can't just do it if you want to do it. You must understand it, and you need people who understand it.
Unfortunately, few people really understood it, so they also built education, which gave rise to the self-improvement college, the predecessor of Wuhan University.
In fact, Zhang Zhidong served as the governor of Liangjiang for a short period during his tenure, and founded Sanjiang Normal University during his tenure. This school is quite impressive, including Nanjing University, Southeast University, Nanjing Normal University, Hohai University, Nanjing University of Technology, and Nanjing Agricultural University.
, Nanjing Forestry University, Jiangsu University, Jiangnan University and other nine universities all regard Sanjiang Normal School, founded in 1902, as the source of their school history.
Unbelievable!
Now that a person who understands science has finally come out in China, Zhang Zhidong certainly wants to find him and get to know him, and Li Yu also understands upstream mathematical sciences, which is even more rare.
Zhang Zhidong had already recruited many people who understood Western science before this, but Li Yu really seemed too dazzling.
Seeing Zhang Zhidong's invitation, of course Li Yu would not refuse. Among the core officials of the late Qing Dynasty, there were not many people who could support him, and only Zhang Zhidong and Yuan Shikai could enter the center of power.
The other ministers of the royal family are not worth mentioning at all, they are basically high-level gangsters.
Li Yu immediately wrote back: "I am honored to receive the invitation from Mr. Taiwan Maker. I will leave for Wuhan in the near future."
In fact, this trip is not just to Wuhan. Li Yu plans to take the sea route through Shanghai first, then go to Huzhou to see the Lu family's Gaosong Tower, and then go up the river to Wuhan.
There is no way to go this way. Neither the Beijing-Hankou Railway nor the Beijing-Shanghai Railway is fully open to traffic, so we can only walk part of the way. There is nothing we can do when we encounter the natural gorges of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River.
Li Yu even ordered the banknote in advance. This trip to Huzhou may cost a lot of money.
Embarrassing, the next chapter is under review. Friends, you can read it after ten o'clock tomorrow...