In later generations, transportation in the Yangtze River Delta region was very developed, and the slogan of free shipping in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai was not for nothing.
However, at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, there were no roads, no trains, and no high-speed airplanes or trains. Transportation mainly relied on waterways.
Shanghai's large-scale cross-city railway will not be completed until the Shanghai-Nanjing Railway, which is part of the Beijing-Shanghai Railway, a few years later.
Fortunately, the river system in the south of the Yangtze River is spread all over, and inland waterway shipping has always been very developed.
The most typical one is the Wusong River, which connects Suzhou and Shanghai, but after flowing to Shanghai, it is called Suzhou River.
Li Yu, Zhang Yuanji, and Li Shutong were riding a small ship of the China Merchants Inland Water Navigation Company.
China Merchants Inland Water Shipping Company has inland river terminals in Suzhou, Hangzhou, Huzhou, Jiaxing, Changzhou, Wuxi, Zhenjiang, Yangzhou, etc., which is quite convenient.
In fact, judging from the current situation, the traffic in this area is still one of the best in the country.
The three of them took a car and a small boat and arrived in Huzhou within a few days.
During the free time on the way, Li Yu had already started writing an introductory lecture on biology.
He also bought a few English biology books and started writing from memory. Although there would inevitably be some omissions, at least it would ensure accuracy and popularity.
Today’s elementary schools are said to be elementary schools, but in fact many of them are children in their teens.
Arriving at the inland terminal in Huzhou, the three of them went straight to Qianyuan where the Lu family was located.
I saw a lot of people selling writing brushes on the road. Li Shutong and Zhang Yuanji both received strict private education and couldn't put it down.
Huzhou is known as the "Chinese Calligraphy City" and "The Capital of Brushes". It has produced many great calligraphers in modern times.
In the early years of the Republic of China, the calligraphy community was known as "Southern Shen and Northern Yu", and the "Shen" among them was Shen Yimo, a native of Huzhou.
As for the four treasures of the study, pens, inks, paper and inkstones are all famously produced in Anhui: Hui ink is from Huizhou, Anhui, She inkstone is also from Huizhou, Anhui, rice paper is from Xuancheng, Anhui, and even the pen used to be a Xuan pen from Xuancheng, Anhui.
It was not until the Yuan Dynasty that Hubi in Huzhou stood up.
Zhang Yuanji and Li Shutong couldn't help but buy a few. They saw that Li Yu, as a cultural person, was indifferent to this, and they were curious: "What a good pen, why don't you buy some?"
Li Yu smiled bitterly and said, "I prefer to use a hard pen."
They seemed not to know how poor Li Yu's level of Chinese studies was.
Qianyuan is still very big. After all, the Lu family is a big family in Huzhou, but now Lu Shufan is really not doing well.
Originally, the Lu family had shops and pawnshops in Huzhou, as well as a silk factory and bank in Shanghai, and their income was very high.
However, during the Gengzi Incident, Lu Shufan heard that many fellow villagers in Beijing and Tianjin were suffering, so he organized a relief society, chartered two large ships, and went to Beijing and Tianjin twice, rescuing more than 6,000 people returning from the south and transporting back more than 200 coffins.
It was he who transported the body of Nie Shicheng, who died on the battlefield, back to his hometown for burial.
At the same time, relief grains were distributed and medical bureaus were opened, which incurred huge expenses.
Most of this money was provided by the Relief Society. The imperial court only allocated 2,000 taels of silver, and the remaining more than 70,000 taels were raised by the Relief Society.
Although the Lu family owed a lot of money because of this, it was not overwhelmed. After all, there was a relief society behind it.
Moreover, it was originally a sin caused by the Qing government, and it was unable to save the people, so it could only let the people help each other. Everyone had a good impression of the Lu family.
A year later, because the last disaster relief was very successful, Lu Shufan was given the title of "Huzhou Good Man", and Li Hongzhang arranged for him to provide disaster relief again.
But this time, for some unknown reason, Lu Shufan actually lent the money he raised to some private individuals, perhaps thinking that they would be successful in the future. Unexpectedly, they were a bunch of liars and the money would never be returned.
Once something like this happens, it will have a huge impact on fundraising.
Moreover, because they were worried about disaster relief, the Lu family's silk factory and bank in Shanghai were neglected and fell into trouble.
In short, a series of blows directly cut off the Lu family's money.
As for why he later sold the book collection to the Japanese, it was probably because he was disappointed with the Qing government. After all, he himself wanted to sell the book collection to the government.
But counting on the Qing government is nothing but haha.
The three of them knocked on the door of Qianyuan, and soon a famous housekeeper came to open the door. Li Yu sent a greeting card: "Li Yu from the capital, Zhang Yuanji from Shanghai, and Li Shutong would like to see the master of the Lu family."
The housekeeper glanced at the greeting card and then at the three of them. He seemed to be caught in an ideological struggle and didn't say anything for a while.
Li Yu asked again: "Butler?"
The housekeeper gritted his teeth and said, "Come in! But now there is a Japanese man in the house, Shimada Han, who is visiting the master. Hey, you go and have a look."
Li Yu didn't expect the Japanese to arrive so quickly, so he hurriedly asked: "Where are they now?"
The housekeeper said: "We are all in the Song Building. You can come with me."
Zhang Yuanji also said hurriedly: "Please lead the way!"
The name "Kan Song Tower" can be seen from the literal meaning. The two "hundreds" mean that there are two hundred Song edition books. This was the high praise of Lu Xinyuan, the head of the Lu family, for his collection.
After all, Song edition books are the most precious in the book collecting world.
By the way, in fact, most of the Song Dynasty books were engraving printing.
Block printing was invented in the Tang Dynasty and became widely used in the middle and late Tang Dynasty.
However, there are only a few engravings from the Tang and Five Dynasties that have been handed down.
Although movable type printing was introduced in the Song Dynasty, woodblock printing was still commonly used.
One more thing, what is interesting is that Koreans now always think that movable type printing belongs to them! Because the earliest book on movable type printing discovered so far is "Qingliang Tashunzong's Heart Essential Method" written by Goryeo in the late 13th century.
But anyone who understands knows that this is just an isolated piece of evidence from South Korea, and China has much more evidence that it can produce.
But the Koreans didn’t think so. They immediately felt that movable type printing was their own, and the earliest extant discovery was here! Then they regarded it as a national treasure and publicized it vigorously. They even made it a gold-letter signboard for the local tourism industry and built an ancient printing press.
museum.
It's also quite funny.
Anyway, Li Yu has long been used to this situation. The whole world belongs to Korea!
Talking about the Song version of the book, it is not only exquisite in knife skills and strong in fonts, but also carefully edited and has high academic value.
Therefore, the Song Dynasty blockbuster is said to be the best, but by the Qing Dynasty it was already rare.
For this reason, book collectors in the Qing Dynasty often showed off their collections of Song edition books.
During the Qianlong period, Huang Pilie, a famous bibliophile in Suzhou, once collected more than a hundred Song editions, so he named his library "One Hundred Song Editions" to boast to the world that he had a hundred Song editions.
As soon as they arrived at the downstairs of Kansong, they saw the head of the Lu family, Lu Shufan, and the Japanese Han Shimada walking out.
Although it was not the first time for Han Shimada to climb the stairs, it was not long ago, and it was so scary to see it. They are all good things!
Shimada Han said: "Mr. Lu, Lu, we, the Japanese, respect Sinology very much, ah, very much. We will definitely ensure that the Lu family's collection of books remains intact."
Shimada Han has a bit of a stutter, but he speaks Chinese quite well.
Lu Shufan was still a little hesitant, "I have never been to Japan. Does Japan really pay so much attention to Sinology?"
Shimada Han said: "Of course! Every Japanese who has read a book knows about Sinology."
Lu Shufan was surprised: "I didn't expect it to be like this!"
Shimada Han continued to attack: "The price we can offer will definitely satisfy you. Mr. Iwasaki is also the head of a large Japanese family, and I feel sorry for him."
Lu Shufan asked: "Mr. Iwasaki you are talking about also has an official status or fame?"
Shimada Han said: "Mr. Iwasaki is a businessman."
Lu Shufan frowned slightly, "It turns out he is a businessman."
Shimada Han said: "But Mr. Iwasaki is an incredible businessman, and he has the highest respect for Sinology in his heart."
Li Yu said loudly: "No matter how respectful you are, the roots of these things are also in the land of China."
Lu Shufan looked at Li Yu and the others: "Who are you?"
Li Yu cupped his hands and said, "I'm sorry, I'm from the capital. My name is Li Yu. This is Mr. Zhang Yuanji, and this is Li Shutong. We heard that Mr. Wang has something to ask for, so we came here to pay a visit."
Lu Shufan murmured: "Zhang Yuanji? I remember you were here."
Zhang Yuanji was actually a little angry when he saw that Lu Shufan actually brought Japanese people up the building, and he was rejected twice when he tried to go up the building. Isn't he worse than a Japanese? He said a little angrily: "I did come, but even the one from the Song Tower
I didn’t even go up the stairs.”
Lu Shufan's face turned a little red and he coughed: "This time, that time."
Li Yu said: "Do you really want to sell your collection of books? This is the precious hard work of the deceased master."
Lu Shufan sighed: "If I weren't forced into a desperate situation, I wouldn't want to."
Li Yu said: "Things are still negotiable and can be discussed. It is much better than selling to Japan."
Shimada Han didn't expect a few people to come out halfway, and said quickly: "With the current situation, we are the only ones in Japan who can completely preserve the Lu family's collection of books. Otherwise, these rare books may be lost to various places."
This is Lu Shufan's heart. Even if he sells it, he wants to sell it as completely as possible. Since he can no longer protect it, at least let them stay together.
Although Tian didn't feel bad for selling his son to his father, Lu Shufan was still a civil servant after all, and at least he still had a sense of honor and disgrace.
Shimada Han continued: "Even the majestic and royal Old Summer Palace was burned down by the fire. Can't you see the current situation?"
Li Yu directly refuted: "If you say so, doesn't Mr. Shimada know why the Lu family has reached this stage? If it weren't for the Eight-Nation Allied Forces, how could there be so many victims? If it wasn't for relieving the victims, how could the Lu family owe money?
So much money? And you, Japan, are also in the Eight-Nation Alliance Army! Why, you committed crimes and now you want to be a good person? "
"You, you, I..." Shimada Han stuttered and couldn't speak for a while.
Li Yu then said to Lu Shufan: "Master Lu, we can understand your mood, but I think the Lu family has not reached the end of the road yet, and it is only a day if it can be preserved. If we really want to sell it, our business consortium will also
Bought it in its entirety.”
Business Consortium is the temporary name that Li Yu decided to use after discussing with Zhang Yuanji.
In fact, it was sold all at once, and Lu Shufan was really reluctant to part with it. He really wanted to delay it for a while, so the topic changed: "I just asked Mr. Shimada to take a look at it and have some academic discussions with my Japanese friends."
Li Yu also gave him a step forward: "Of course it's worth discussing."
For a while, they couldn't raise so much money. Now Lu Shufan's psychological price is still around 250,000 silver yuan. For such a precious collection of books, it is already an extremely low price, and the actual value is far more than 250,000 yuan.
Lu Shufan said: "Everyone, please go upstairs and take a look."
They all saw Shimada Han entering Kansong Tower just now. It would be unreasonable if they were not invited to take a look.
When Zhang Yuanji heard that he could read so many Song-printed books, his mood immediately improved, and he quickly climbed up the stairs.
The Lu family protected these Song-printed books very well. Although Li Yu didn't know how to collect them, they contained a lot of atmosphere of the era at first glance. Any book would be a priceless treasure in later generations.
It is hard to imagine that in 1907, a small steamer towed three Wushan boats along the canal to take away so many precious books from Huzhou.
Moreover, the book sales were carried out in a very secretive manner at that time, and no one from all walks of life knew about it.
After these books left the Song Dynasty Building, they first arrived in Shanghai. The Lu family and the Jingjiatang library staff of the Japanese Iwasaki family counted them for twenty days. Then the two parties made the delivery. The Japanese paid 120,000 silver yuan, of which 2,000
Yuan is Shimada Han's errand fee.
It wasn't until these books arrived in Japan, and Han Shimada sent a long article on "The Origin of the Collection of Books in the Song Dynasty" to Dong Kang, a collector in Jiangsu, that everyone knew that the books were gone.
The whole country was in an uproar.
Li Yu didn't start to read it. He couldn't understand it anyway. He just looked at the binding and it was ink. He couldn't tell the other quality at all.
On the other hand, Li Shutong and Zhang Yuanji were always amazed, as if they had entered a big treasure house.
Zhang Yuanji also has a library, but he has not received many rare books so far.
Seeing their situation, Shimada Han finally managed to persuade Lu Shufan, but his mood seemed to have changed a bit.
The more he looked, the more anxious he became, so he said to Lu Shufan: "Mr. Lu, you can set a price. We can accept any price, as long as the delivery is made as soon as possible."
Li Yu laughed and said: "Why are you in such a hurry? You can't buy it by force."
After being exposed, Shimada Han could not confront Li Yu directly, but continued to Lu Shufan: "Japanese culture is ultimately Oriental culture, a continuation of Chinese culture, which has continued from ancient Chinese culture to the present. But now the core of Oriental culture has changed from
China in the Song and Yuan Dynasties reached Japan, so we are more qualified to purchase this batch of books."
Li Yu was almost amused, why did Naito Hunan's views come out? He said: "You don't need to say this, China is China, Japan is Japan, don't secretly change concepts and confuse them."
Naito Konan's "Cultural Center Movement Theory" is really ridiculous, but the Japanese really think so now.
Li Yu particularly disliked Naito's overly far-fetched knowledge. After reading some about Continental Drift, he said that it must be used in other places.
Including what Qian Qianyi said in the late Ming Dynasty: "There will be no China after Yashan, and there will be no China after the fall of the Ming Dynasty."
It's all nonsense. Qian Qianyi's words were clearly an excuse for surrendering to the Qing Dynasty. I didn't expect that many so-called "public intellectuals" in later generations would talk about it. They really had ulterior motives.
As for Shimada Han, there are many people who search for books in China. They regard acquiring precious documents in China as a matter of "building military merit" like the army. One is "martial arts" and the other is "literary merit."
Therefore, no matter what excuse Shimada Han gave, visiting books was not just a scholar’s demand for books or scholarship, but a cultural expansion and possessive demand in a special era.
Of course, the Japanese's modern visit to books was backed by their strong strength and combined with their war interests. To give a simple example, they could not enter the Shenyang Forbidden City in 1902, but they would be able to win the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. This is A fact.
Fortunately, the Russo-Japanese War has not yet started, and Japan has not expanded to that point. Otherwise, with its military power, it can become Han Shimada's weight.