British writer

To create "The Rise of Great Powers", Lu Shi stayed in Paris for another week.

Of course, during this period, he did not dare to give a lecture at the University of Paris again, for fear of being offended by those aggressive young men.

This lasted until mid-January, when the first issue was released.

…

Paris train station.

Dirty dirty——

The train whistle sounded.

Lu Shi was carrying his luggage and saying goodbye to a group of French friends.

Beside him, Gu Hongming was also there.

As for Cai Yuanpei and Jiang Guoliang,

The two of them have returned to China first with the Chinese version of "The Rise of Great Powers".

According to the original history, they would take the lead in establishing the China Education Association in Shanghai this year.

Cai Yuanpei serves as president,

Jiang Guoliang is the director of the Patriotic Girls' School.

But because he was inspired by "The Rise of the Great Powers", Jiang Guoliang decided to go straight to RB, participate in the editing work of "Xinmin Congbao", and try to write to criticize the current ills.

Before leaving, he also said that he already had a draft and even thought of a name——

"On the Rise and Fall of China".

This is true in history, but it was brought forward.

Because "Xinmin Congbao" was founded by Liang Qichao in RB Yokohama in February 1902, Jiang Guoliang was originally the editor-in-chief.

Now in the past, he actually became one of the founders.

Lu Shi said goodbye to everyone,

"Everyone, don't send any more."

My friends were a little reluctant to leave.

Especially Dumas,

"Professor Lu, do you really not think about it anymore? It would be great to stay in Paris..."

Lu Shi shook his head desperately,

"No, no, no."

"well……"

Dumas sighed gloomily.

Although he regrets it, he also understands the difference between Paris and London.

The University of Paris is really awesome.

But is it any better than Cambridge and Oxford?

When both universities invited Lu, wouldn't it be the fate of being severely rejected?

"It's a pity," Dumas said.

Poincaré thought for a while and asked: "Professor Lu, in that case, will you serve as a corresponding academician of the Collège de France? You don't have to stay permanently, just exchange letters and telegrams."

The value of being a communications academician is not low at all.

It was not until 1997 that the Académie Française had its first Chinese academician, which shows how difficult it is to get one.

Lu Shi nodded,

"That's no problem."

Poincaré was delighted;

"The recruitment of academicians is in December every year, and we will notify you in advance then."

Lu Shi saluted.

"Thank you."

Poincaré was slightly embarrassed.

In his heart, he felt that the person who should really say thank you was the French Academy.

Recruiting Lu Shi was actually suspected of raking in traffic.

Of course, this is not a bad idea.

From the Nobel Prize in Literature to the Jules Verne Prize, everyone does this.

You have to rub it.

Of course Lu Shi also understood the secret and tacitly understood it.

He changed the subject,

"Regarding "The Rise of the Great Powers", Mr. Hetzel and I predicted that the sales volume would not be high, and it would not be able to sell 50,000 copies within a year."

Several French people couldn't help but look at each other.

Listen!

Is this human language?

If annual sales of 50,000 copies are not high, then other writers simply don’t have to live anymore.

In fact, "The Rise of Great Powers" is a relatively easy-to-sell historical book.

It is both popular and professional:

People who don’t study history can still gain something by buying the right to join in the fun;

Historians can treat it as a monograph.

But after all, it is a historical book, so it is normal that the novel cannot sell well.

Lu Shi is not obsessed with sales either.

"It doesn't matter, anyway, my main source of income now is not from royalties."

This is even less human-like.

Everyone present felt that he was in Versailles.

Verne waved his hand,

"Okay, you should leave quickly! If you don't leave, we writers will be humiliated to the point of shame."

As soon as he finished speaking,

"Hahahahahaha!"

The rest laughed.

Laughter echoed all around,

Even the snow on the branches was affected and fell down,

Under the sun, the snow shone softly, and pedestrians stepped on it, making a creaking sound under their feet.

Their attention was attracted by the laughter, and they looked curiously,

Soon, someone recognized Lu Shi,

"Is it Lu?"

"I want his autograph."

"Ah, when you said that, I also..."

…

Pedestrians are ready to move.

Verne winked at Lu Shi and joked: "Look, I'll tell you it's time to leave, right?"

Lu Shi was also afraid of being mobbed by fans and missing the train.

"Then, everyone, just say goodbye."

After saying that, he picked up his luggage and walked into the station gate with Gu Hongming.

Unexpectedly, Clemenceau followed,

He looked very hesitant as he hesitated to speak.

Lu Shi chuckled,

"Mr. Clemenceau, just now I saw that you were a little distracted. Do you have something to communicate with me? It doesn't matter. If you have anything to say, just say it. I will tell you everything I know."

Clemenceau no longer hesitated and asked: "Lu, regarding "The Rise of Great Powers", are everything in it true?"

Lu Shi was a little surprised,

"Why do you ask that?"

Clemenceau sighed deeply and said: "Regarding "America", when I saw the section about the westward expansion, I broke out in a cold sweat."

Westward Expansion, GOLD RUSH, GOLD RUSH.

On the surface, it is a spontaneous act among the people.

After gold mining pioneer John Sutter discovered gold, companies in California began exchanging gold sand for goods with customers and capturing business opportunities.

But the real driving force is the US government.

Its ultimate goal is to completely digest the "barbaric" rampant California after the rise of the gold rush.

In order to achieve this goal, the U.S. government allowed the cowboys to head west through support and guidance, and even implemented a certain degree of planned economy to try to adjust and coordinate the supply of goods when California was short of goods.

Of course, there is an upper limit to this method.

Countless people still die on the road or fall into bankruptcy.

Lu Shi was puzzled.

“What’s wrong with the westward expansion?”

Clemenceau was helpless;

"In the process of gold mining, countless people died without dignity. Is this inevitable for the rise of a great country?"

Lu Shi:? ? ?

I complained in my heart,

This guy is also interesting,

Why not talk about the slaves in the cotton fields?

It's obviously even less dignified!

Perhaps aware of Lu Shi's thoughts, Clemenceau said: "I mean, does the rise of a country really require the use of ordinary people as cannon fodder?"

"Tsk..."

Lu Shi was speechless.

The other party is worthy of being a left-wing member of the old revolutionary base. He is indeed far-sighted and his thoughts are a very popular topic even in modern times.

Lu Shi pondered: "The two are not antagonistic, they are just very difficult."

"yes……"

Clemenceau sighed.

In "The Rise of Great Powers", Lu Shi said:

"

'Wealth comes in like a tide and recedes like a tide. The squandering of the nobles has not brought any benefit to the ordinary people. ’

"

Counting its colonies, Britain is undoubtedly the largest country in human history. It can be called a "big country".

However, it is not difficult to know from the numerous literary works and historical materials that when Britain was rising, the working environment and living conditions of workers were extremely poor.

Needless to say, Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish.

However, Germany and Japan are still practicing feudalism and have the seeds of Songun politics.

Lu Shi’s evaluation of this type of country in his book is:

"Its rise is rapid, and its demise is sudden."

Clemenceau fell into deep thought,

"Perhaps France can be regarded as the only beacon of humanity..."

Lu Shi interrupted: "Mr. Clemenceau, let's not put gold on our face. France does promote freedom, equality, and fraternity, but it also likes to jump over and over again. Just like Maximilian Robert When Speer was in power.”

One sentence left Clemenceau speechless.

Robespierre was a politician during the French Revolution and the actual supreme leader during the Jacobin dictatorship.

What Paris citizens were most worried about at that time was whether they would be able to see the sun the next day.

Clemenceau spread his hands,

"I originally thought everyone was comparing themselves to good ones. Unexpectedly, they were actually comparing themselves to worse ones."

Lu Shi laughed,

"Not to the point~ not to the point~"

It can only be said that Clemenceau has never seen a real comparison, and at the same time he knows nothing about comparison.

He took a slow breath,

"Professor Lu, I want to thank you for your guidance."

"Ah this..."

Lu Shi rubbed his eyebrows,

"I didn't say anything."

Clemenceau said: "You didn't say anything, but you said everything! I understand!"

Lu Shi: "..."

What on earth does this guy know! ?

He is very worried now,

When Clemenceau comes to power, will he introduce some extreme left-wing policies and then blame the blame, saying that he was inspired by Professor Lu?

"hiss……"

Lu Shi had one head and two heads.

"Mr. Clemenceau, I really don't..."

Before he finished speaking, Clemenceau interrupted directly: "Professor Lu, there is no need to be humble! I understand! I understand everything!"

Saying that, he came up and patted Lu Shi on the shoulder.

"Thank you."

He saluted Lu Shi, then showed a determined expression and said, "I will carry it out to the end."

After saying that, he left directly.

Lu Shi was left alone and messy in the wind.

Gu Hongming came up and whispered: "Lu Shi, I can understand every French word in the conversation between the two of you, but I don't understand them all together. What exactly does Mr. Clemenceau understand?"

Lu Shi: "..."

"how could I know?"

What else would Gu Hongming say?

suddenly,

Dirty dirty——

The train whistle sounded for the second time.

There are less than fifteen minutes left before departure.

In the waiting hall, the crowd was bustling and noisy.

Lu Shi said, "Get in the car and chat."

Then they picked up their suitcases.

At this time, someone suddenly shouted at the gate: "Mr. Hu! Mr. Hu!"

Obviously calling Gu Hongming.

He immediately turned back,

I saw the waiter from the Ritz Hotel running over and handing over a telegram out of breath.

Gu Hongming glanced at it with a look of astonishment on his face.

"So fast?"

Lu Shi asked, "What's wrong?"

Gu Hongming handed over the telegram,

"See for yourself."

The telegram was in English,

Lu Shi read it ten lines at a time.

It turned out that the Qing court had ordered the restoration of the Capital University and appointed Zhang Baixi, the Minister of Personnel, as the Minister of Management and Education.

Zhang Baixi is lively and flexible.

In response to the current situation, he decided to start an accelerated course, establish an official school and a normal school, and start recruiting students as soon as possible, striving to reopen the university within the year.

Gu Hongming couldn't help but smile bitterly,

"It seems that we are going to part ways in Calais. You will go to London and I will go to Foshan. I just don't know if I can pay my salary this time when the university reopens."

The Qing government was corrupt and did not fully invest in the university.

Lu Shi smiled and said,

"Tighten your belt and live a good life~"

Gu Hongming was helpless,

"The main reason is that the lack of money will affect the enthusiasm of new teachers, but those old scholars who study the classics and history do not mind money. As a result, the university hall is as messy as the Imperial College, which is really annoying."

Lu Shi smiled and said nothing.

Historically, the Imperial College was abolished in 1905, and the imperial examination system was also swept into the trash can.

The University Hall has since become the official highest institution of learning.

Whether in terms of function or academic tradition, the inheritance relationship between the Great University Hall and the Imperial College is traceable. Therefore, many people believe that the Great University Hall is the orthodox successor of Taixue.

Lu Shi comforted the other party: "In a few years, maybe there will be no Imperial College~"

Gu Hongming stroked his beard,

"That's possible."

The two of them were chatting while entering the station,

He continued: "My old bones can't stand being on the ship for more than thirty days. It's better to go to London. Counting the one night in Calais, it's only two days. It's a pity that I have to go back. "

…

Two days later, early in the morning.

Russia, Saint Petersburg,

Catherine Palace, master bedroom.

The curtains were closed tightly, and the sun couldn't shine into the house at all.

The gorgeous chandelier hangs from the ceiling and casts soft light, adding a mysterious atmosphere to the entire room.

In the middle of the bedroom is a spacious bed with balls made of quilts piled on it.

suddenly,

brush--

The quilt was lifted,

The slightly haggard face of Nicholas II was revealed inside.

His eyes were bloodshot, and it looked like he hadn't slept well.

The maid approaches,

"His Majesty?"

Nicholas II weakly said "hmm", looked around, and asked, "Why did the fire in the fireplace go out?"

The palace maid bowed slightly,

"The room is a bit stuffy, so I don't dare to use it for a long time."

In fact, it doesn't matter whether there is an open fire or not.

Peter the Great was extremely extravagant and considered various circumstances when building this palace for Catherine.

In the palace, there are dense fire channels under the floor tiles of each main room. As long as the palace owner puts firewood or charcoal into the furnace cavity through the outdoor operating port, the heat source generated by the charcoal fire will spread along the fire channels and be discharged from the underground smoke outlet.

Nicholas II stretched himself,

His eyes fell on a book placed on the bedside table——

"hunting".

That's the French version.

The novel is extremely exciting and makes people want to put it down.

The only downside is that I can't fall asleep easily after reading it. After I go to bed, I can't help but think about the plot over and over again, and I can stay up all night just thinking about it.

Next to "Hunting", there is also a complete set of books from the time of landing,

There are even two board games, "Lord of the Rings" and "Monopoly."

The Chinese said:

"Know yourself and your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger."

Nicholas II determined that if he wanted to deal with Lu Shi, he must thoroughly study all Lu Shi's works.

As a result, he just read books day and night.

Next to the books and board games there is a notebook, open,

There are several lines of Russian written on it,

"Is it me that Animal Farm reflects?"

"Is it me that Animal Farm reflects?"

"Is it me that Animal Farm reflects?"

…

The content is the same.

Moreover, each stroke was obviously written with great effort, especially at the corners of the letters. The depth of the strokes seemed to penetrate the back of the paper.

Just by looking at these words, you can guess how the writer was gnashing his teeth at that time.

Nicholas II muttered:

"Is it me who is being mapped..."

It's been such a long time, I just can't figure it out.

He looked away and said to the palace maid: "Bring me a glass of water, don't make it too hot."

However, the palace maid did not respond;

"..."

His Majesty the Tsar could not help but frown and look over.

Who would have thought that the palace maid was also looking at the bedside table, staring intently at the notebook, her eyes were dull, and she even opened her mouth in surprise.

Nicholas II wanted to scold his mother.

He cleared his throat,

"Cough cough cough..."

The palace maid finally came to her senses and knelt down on her knees in a panic.

"His Majesty."

Nicholas II waved his hand,

"Go and get me a glass of warm water."

The palace maid quickly stood up and poured a glass of water on the table next to her.

I don’t know if it’s an illusion,

Since the events of "Animal Farm", His Majesty the Tsar seems to have become less irritable and irritable, and his attitude towards his servants has changed a lot.

The palace maid was thinking about all this, when someone outside suddenly announced: "Your Majesty, Lord Witte wants to see you."

Nicholas II said: "Let him in."

The door opens,

Sergey Witte pushed the door open and bowed,

"Your Majesty, Lu Shi has a new book."

Nicholas II was instantly excited,

"Is... is it? Quick! Bring it to me! Let me read his new... ahem... I mean, let me see what other ridiculous things his leaky little brain can do. Here comes the trick.”

Werther walked to the bed and handed over "The Rise of the Great Powers".

Also in French.

Tsarism is the most famous autocratic system in Europe.

But when it comes to teacher-to-teacher inheritance, many czars would humbly say: “We all learned from the Bourbons.”

So, the tsars all knew French,

So did their German and English counterparts,

Who makes the Sun King the idol of all European emperors?

Nicholas II opened the book,

"'English Chapter'? Hehe hehe... Britain is considered a big country, I accept it for now. It seems that this Lu Shi is not completely talking nonsense..."

Werther glanced at the complete set of works on the bedside table and almost laughed out loud.

He quickly looked away and tried to hold it in.

Nicholas II read voraciously,

Battle of Greyland,

Glorious Revolution,

Industrial Revolution,

triangular trade,

…

Famous historical terms are displayed in front of you, and they are explained very thoroughly.

I do not know how long it has been,

"Huh~"

Nicholas II squinted his eyes and let out a long breath,

"It's really well written... Although it's rubbish, it does have some insight. It seems that Britain's dominance is no accident."

Witte said respectfully: "What does your Majesty think is the main reason for Britain's success?"

Nicholas II fell into deep thought,

After a long while, he said: "Of course it's colonization and trade. It's written very clearly on this."

He read:

"

'The plains of North America and Russia are our cornfields; Chicago and Odessa are our granaries; Canada and the Baltic Sea are our forest farms; Australia and Western Asia have our sheep lands; Argentina and the western grasslands of North America have our cattle ;Peru brings its silver...'

"

As he read, Nicholas II sneered,

"Global trade is really exciting."

Witte continued to ask: "Why did your Majesty say that?"

Nicholas II sighed and showed an expression that said, "You can't teach a child."

"You've heard of penguins, right?"

"Ah this..."

Werther was a little confused;

"Those Norwegians claimed to have seen strange animals in the southernmost continent, but it's hard to say whether they are true or not."

Nicholas II spread his hands,

"Suppose the penguins are real. At this time, a French businessman wants to sell wine. He will definitely not make money by selling it from Notre Dame to the Louvre. But if he sells the wine to the penguins, the penguins who have never drunk the wine will definitely pay a large sum of money. Money. The businessman put the penguin’s money in his pocket, then took the drunk penguin back to Paris and sold it to the zoo, and he made another Parisian money.”

Witte:? ? ?

I was confused.

It took him half a minute to realize that His Majesty the Tsar was implying triangular trade.

"Your Majesty, this sarcasm is... advanced! Your Majesty's sarcasm and humor have reached a level that is difficult for ordinary people to reach."

Nicholas II looked proud,

"No need to flatter!"

This is what it says,

But anyone can see that His Majesty the Tsar is very susceptible to flattery and has almost no immunity.

Unconsciously, he glanced at the book "Chao Wen Dao" from the corner of his eye.

In fact, I learned satire from "Animal Farm".

Witte asked cautiously: "Your Majesty, you said before that Lu Shi's book must be sent to you for review before it can be determined for publication. Is this "The Rise of the Great Powers" OK?"

Nicholas II spread his hands,

"Wait, I haven't finished reading yet~"

He was curious about what Lu Shi said about Russia, so he skipped the previous chapter and went straight to the back.

After France, none;

After Spain, none;

After Germany, still not.

Even the United States and RB were introduced in great detail, but there was no Russia.

Nicholas II was a little confused and turned over it again.

Of course the result is no!

There is not even a word about Russia in "The Rise of the Great Powers"...

It’s not that it wasn’t mentioned, it just served as a backdrop in stories about the rise of other countries.

All in all, there is no separate chapter on Russia in the book.

What does this mean?

Is Russia not considered a big country?

Or has Russia not risen?

Nicholas II's face was extremely ugly,

"Lu Shi, you bastard! How dare you take revenge!"

"Gu..."

Werther swallowed.

Before sending the book, he had actually read through it and knew that there was no "Russia" in it.

But at this time, you must not add fuel to the fire.

He could only pretend to be confused and asked: "Your Majesty, what did Lu Shi say about our country in the book?"

Nicholas II said angrily: "He said nothing. But it is precisely because he said nothing that he said everything! No, this book must be sealed now, immediately, immediately... Well... "

Before he finished saying the word "ban", he suddenly paused.

After a while, he put on a smile,

"It is said that Tolstoy has a very good relationship with Lu Shi. Can you ask him to write to Lu Shi and ask Lu Shi to add "Russia" to "The Rise of the Great Powers"?"

After the "Chao Wen Dao" incident, His Majesty the Tsar finally had a long memory.