British writer

November 1, 1902

halloween,

early morning.

Under the hazy rain curtain, the temperature in London dropped significantly.

Citizens chose warmer coats and wore waterproof boots, stepping through small puddles formed by rain.

Lu Shi's official residence was as warm as spring.

He woke up naturally as soon as he slept, yawned and rolled out of bed.

Next to the fish tank, we were playing with Xiaolan,

I hold down the little lazy turtle shell,

The little lazy limbs tugged randomly for a while, but when he couldn't break free, he shrank back.

One cat and one turtle are very harmonious.

After Lu Shi washed up, he went to the kitchen, sipping corn soup and reading the book review page of today's "Mirror".

The article is called:

"Shock! Doyle is Lu's student? 》

"puff!"

Lu Shi sprayed directly,

"What the hell is this made up by some bastard who doesn't mind the excitement!?"

He looked at the author column,

Unexpectedly, it was written there:

Arthur Conan Doyle.

After reading this, Lu Shi couldn't help but have black lines all over his head.

￣□￣｜｜

The author turned out to be Doyle himself.

He briefly read the article and found that although Doyle used shock style when naming it, the content was still relatively orthodox, focusing on analyzing how to construct the core trick of a mystery novel.

The article states that "Gradient" has learned from "Roger Mystery" in many ways.

That attitude is really like that of a student towards a teacher.

At the end of the article, Doyle devoted a whole paragraph to expressing his gratitude to Lu.

"Lu is the beacon on my writing path."

"Without Lu, there would be no Sherlock Holmes today."

"I will always admire Lu."

…

All kinds of disgusting words came to my face.

Lu Shi was speechless,

It’s true that “Gradient” sold like crazy;

But the main credit here should still be given to Doyle.

After all, he is the main writer.

But that's not what Doyle thinks.

He feels that mystery novels should focus on conspiracy.

If the plot is not exciting enough, no matter how wonderful the writing is, the novel is just an embroidered pillow, and it is a waste of time to read it.

Lu Shi put the Mirror aside and continued to eat.

At this time, the maid sent news that Wodehouse had arrived and was waiting in the hall.

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"Invite John to the living room."

He finished his breakfast in a few mouthfuls and headed to the living room.

Because it was raining outside, Wodehouse looked a little embarrassed. The cuffs of his long-sleeved shirt were soaked and stuck to his wrists, looking a little sloppy.

Lu Shi asked the maid to pour him a cup of hot tea.

"John, why are you here?"

The two had just met before because of the publication of "Gradient".

Wodehouse took a sip of tea and took out the documents from his briefcase.

"Look."

Lu Shi took a glance,

"Is this... bilingual in English and Japanese?"

He picked up the document and found that it was Japan's application for a supplementary treaty to the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. He couldn't help laughing, pushed the document back, and said, "Show me this, it's inappropriate."

Wodehouse waved his hand.

"There's nothing inappropriate about it. Arthur didn't want to agree anyway."

This "Arthur" is not Arthur. He is not talking about Dr. Doyle, but Prime Minister Balfour.

Lu Shi nodded,

"This is not unexpected."

Wodehouse wondered,

"Why do you say that?"

Lu Shi replied: "I analyzed in "Guns, Germs and Steel" that Europe is a small space, but many great powers were born. We are not ready to fight life and death for the time being, so what will happen to the next stage of international relations among the great powers? The driving force must come from outside Europe."

Wodehouse looked at Lu Shi deeply,

"You said, 'You are not prepared to fight life and death for the time being'?"

The implication is that there will be a fight later.

Lu Shi shrugged.

"Who knows about this kind of thing?"

He returned to the subject,

"Russia's expansion of influence in the Far East will inevitably make people panic. However, Britain found that Russia and its ally France were too powerful, so it could only try to recruit a little brother in Asia."

This is the background of the Anglo-Japanese alliance.

Wodehouse had seen Lu Shi's thorough approach to international issues before.

But even so, every time I listen to his analysis live, I can't help but be shocked.

Lu Shi continued,

"But the problem now is that the Tsar didn't know which bottle of medicine he took and slowed down his pace in the Far East."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wodehouse laughed and said: "What else could it be? Of course it's a combination of "Animal Farm" + "The Rise of the Great Powers" ~ Of course, the two articles can only be regarded as triggers. The main reason is At the Admonition of Sergei Witte.”

He lowered his voice,

"I heard that Werther supported the eastward march."

Lu Shi said "hmm" and replied: "His eastward policy is relatively moderate and he supports the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. He is half a good person."

Wodehouse nodded,

In his mind, Russia was in danger of turning around.

The current slowdown in expansion is just accidental and will definitely remain unchanged in the future.

However, all countries are currently living a miserable life, and they can only live one day at a time.

Isn't it possible to actually fight?

Now that Russia has put away its fangs for the time being, Britain can naturally put Japan to dry.

Lu Shi continued: "Let's talk about France. Although the French people's anti-British mentality became increasingly acute during the Boer War, the gentlemen in the Parliament are not stupid and know that issues outside Europe are secondary. Relations between the two sides will improve. "

Wodehouse took up the conversation,

"You are also responsible for this."

Lu Shi laughed,

"Your statement makes me look like a peace envoy. In short, the situation is now that Britain, France, and Russia are at odds with each other, and Japan has naturally fallen into the ditch."

Wodehouse nodded secretly,

Thought,

Sure enough, Lu was no ordinary writer, and his views were exactly the same as Winston's.

Lu Shi glanced at the documents again.

Looking at it now, I am just copying books, and it may have some impact on history.

But the impact is limited.

What is supposed to happen will still happen, but details such as the time node will shift.

The question is, what if similar offsets accumulate enough?

This can only be done step by step.

Lu Shi pushed the document back,

"John, why are you looking for me just for this matter?"

Wodehouse said: "University College London has asked me to invite you... As you know, I am the honorary chancellor of the University of London Union, and theoretically, the University of London is also responsible for me."

He cleared his throat and said solemnly: "The University of London, together with other allies, wants to establish a liberal arts college."

Lu Shi:? ? ?

"Why do I feel like you are talking about something from a century ago? Isn't the University of London the first university in the UK to offer an English literature major?"

Wodehouse nodded,

"That's right, the first one. The ancestors of London were also wealthy. But now they are incomparable with Oxford and Cambridge."

That's really incomparable,

Even in modern times, when American higher education is in full bloom, the history, literature, and philosophy of Ox and Sword are still far ahead, with Harvard and Yale falling behind.

This shows that Niu and Jian schools are strong in liberal arts.

Lu Shi said: "John, I put forward a point when I was working on the Global University Rankings - higher education needs to be supported by scale. This is why the University of Paris and various American universities are ranked high. "

Wodehouse was helpless;

"yes."

The School of Humanities and Arts at the University of London is only a quarter of the size of Oxford University.

Therefore, Oxford has the manpower and material resources to compile the "Oxford Dictionary", while the professors at the University of London can only stare.

After all, compiling a dictionary not only requires literary theory, but also requires someone to organize documents, search for information, and write example sentences.

If the number of PhDs is not enough, we will definitely not be able to carry out a big project like a dictionary.

But there is nothing we can do about it.

Every inch of land in London is precious, and the University of London is no match for them on the territory. How can they recruit so many horses and horses... where are the coolies?

Lu Shi spread his hands,

"Instead of considering those that are available and not available, it is better to acquire more land to build dormitories for the London University Alliance. What kind of environment do Oxford students live in? What kind of environment do University of London students live in? There is not good food and housing. Attractiveness naturally lags behind.”

This is extremely righteous,

In Wodehouse's eyes, Lu Shi seemed to sparkle.

He coughed lightly and said nonchalantly: "You are right. However, the food in Britain is not good."

Lu Shi: "..."

Unable to refute.

Wodehouse added: "Besides, it's not like we haven't applied for school land, but we couldn't get it approved at all!"

Lu Shi patted the other party's shoulder,

"I understand. Otherwise, you wouldn't want to fight as a group army and create a London University Alliance."

What's outrageous is that the combined area of ​​several schools in the alliance is still smaller than that of Niu and Jian.

This is very helpless.

But Wodehouse didn't want to follow others and eat dust.

"So, we have to find another way to let the University of London take the lead in establishing a new School of Liberal Arts. To be precise, it should be to transform the School of Humanities and Arts."

He looked at Lu Shi eagerly,

"I've thought about it carefully, you should be the dean!"

See you in the picture!

The so-called "finding another way" is to use Lu Shi's reputation to establish a liberal arts college, thereby attracting professors and expanding enrollment.

Moreover, Lu Shi is the KBE of Daying, so there is no problem with his identity.

Lu Shi couldn't help but feel dizzy.

Updating "Harry Potter" by myself is like giving birth to a child.

Being the dean of a college and doing so much administrative work can be exhausting just thinking about it.

Wodehouse said to himself: "We have fully discussed it, and it will be called Lu Shiwen College. His Majesty the King also agrees."

"etc!"

Lu Shi interrupted the other party,

"Wait a minute!"

He swallowed hard and said, "Brother, I'm still alive and well~ According to the rules, the academy and awards are named after someone, not to commemorate the person's achievements in the field. Did he make a great contribution? I am still alive and do not need to commemorate him."

Wodehouse waved his hand.

"I can give you a counterexample right now."

He thought for a while,

"The Jules Verne Prize for Science Fiction Literature. Is Mr. Verne alive?"

Lu Shi: "..."

Wodehouse continued: "The Pulitzer Prize."

Lu Shi quickly said: "This award is only in the plan and is not ready to be implemented yet!"

Wodehouse asked: "Isn't it next year? Columbia University has already made it public that as long as the School of Journalism is completed and starts recruiting students, the Pulitzer Prize will be held every year. Unless there is a problem with Columbia University's recruitment... then it shouldn't be Ah. Didn’t you give a speech to help Columbia University recruit students?”

Lu Shi: "..."

I couldn't say a word for a long time.

He thought for a while and then said: "Compared to me, there are many people suitable to be named, right? For example, Master Bentham."

Jeremy Bentham, British jurist, philosopher, and economist.

He plays an important role in the history of University College London and is recognized as the "spiritual father" of University College London.

In accordance with his wishes, his body is displayed in the northern cloister of the main building of the University of London and is open to the public.

Lu Shi said: "Bentham College of Literature, what a great name."

Wodehouse pondered for a moment;

"Lu, do you know the school where Master Bentham graduated? You know, when the University of London was founded, Master Bentham was almost eighty years old."

Lu Shi was startled, then his face turned dark.

Bentham graduated from Oxford!

grass!

In my heart, ten thousand horses of grass and mud were galloping past.

He continued: "However, this kind of thing doesn't matter. Master Bentham is recorded in the history of the University of London as a founding project of the school, but in fact, he himself did not actually participate in it. To put it bluntly, this is also taking advantage of others' reputation. ah."

"this……"

Wodehouse was speechless.

Thought,

It was true, but I definitely can’t admit it.

He said: "Master Bentham was a strong advocate of the theory of widespread promotion of higher education. It was under his influence that the University of London became what it is now, so it is no problem to say that he participated in the construction."

He broke it off abruptly.

Wodehouse continued: “When considering renovating the School of Liberal Arts, the main reason is that the influence of literature is large enough.”

His eyes fell on the English-Japanese bilingual document.

"This is the perfect example."

This is not a compliment.

Lu Shi's works have indeed influenced many people in a profound or superficial way.

Nicholas II,

William II,

Prime Minister Balfour,

…

And that's just Europe.

Even the old Roosevelt on the other side of the ocean made slight adjustments to the tax law because of Lu Shi's work. While splitting up trusts, he also allowed charitable and educational donations to be exempted from part of the tax.

"in addition,"

Wodehouse continued: "Lu, you don't have to worry about insufficient prestige."

He pointed to today's "Mirror\

,""Have you read the book review page?"

Lu Shi nodded,

"Looked at it."

Wodehouse continued: "Dr. Doyle is your direct competitor. As a result, you can convince others with your virtue. In this case, who will disobey you? Don't worry. If anyone really disobeys you, I will beat him A meal.”

What a person who "converses people with virtue\

,"Lu Shi had nothing to say.

Wodehouse laughed,

"Now that you have become the dean, your teaching tasks are easy. You can just discuss with everyone how to write a book. Just like when you were in London Political Economics."

Lu Shi complained: "Can that be the same? In LSE, I just need to fool...ahem...educate the students."

Wodehouse waved his hand.

"Where is cheating not cheating? It's all the same!"

This guy really tells the truth.

He added: "Besides, aren't you also the dean of the Columbia University School of Journalism?"

Lu Shi explained: "That's just in name. I don't participate in specific work. I only need to give lectures occasionally, even not once a year."

Wodehouse frowned and thought,

After a long while, he said: "Then it's the same here. Lu Shi, the dean of Lu Shiwen College, doesn't have to work!"

This sounds awkward.

Lu Shi confirmed,

"So, I just want to talk about literature..."

Before he finished speaking, Wodehouse interrupted: "It's better not to talk about literature. You want to talk about some real technical stuff, just talk about how to write novels and how to write academic works."

"Tsk..."

Lu Shi was slightly speechless,

I always feel that the job I took is a bit like a modern composition tutoring class or an academic writing course.

This kind of thing is easier to talk about than literature.

Lu Shi nodded,

"Can."

Wodehouse was instantly excited;

"Then it's settled! I'll go back to make plans right away, and the lecture will probably start soon."

He stood up suddenly,

Without saying goodbye, he rushed out of the door.