A Man of Science and Engineering in Troubled Times Wandering in the Late Qing Dynasty

Chapter 597 Persuasion
While Li Yu and Zhang Jian were chatting, someone knocked on the door and entered: "Chief, the preliminary list of people attending the Panama International Exposition has been compiled."

"It's hard work," Zhang Jian said, and then introduced to Li Yu, "This Mr. Chen Qi is the general supervisor of this World Exposition. The president attaches great importance to the Expo and requires all provinces to put forward exhibits, which must be far better than the previous ones. It is held The place is still in the United States, and you are more familiar with Shucai."

Chen Qi said: "It's such an honor to meet Mr. Li Yu."

"Nice to meet you!" Li Yu shook hands with him. "This time coincides with the European War. European countries will not exhibit many products at the exhibition, but the demand is strong. Making good use of the expo can greatly increase our exports."

Zhang Jian has always been pro-American and anti-Japanese, and said, "I also have such thoughts."

Li Yu suddenly asked out of curiosity: "Are there a lot of liquors on the list?"

"How do you know, sir?" Chen Qi asked.

"Just ask." Li Yu said.

Chen Qidao: "This exhibition is very large in scale and has many categories, including a lot of liquor products."

Due to World War I, the Panama International Exposition almost became a China-Japan-US Exposition, with exhibits from the three countries accounting for more than half.

Before Li Yu traveled through time, advertisements from various wine companies were overwhelmingly promoting that they had won the 1915 Panama International Exposition. Over time, many people became aware of the expo, but knew very little about the specific details.

For example, many people may think that the event is held in Panama, but it is actually in San Francisco.

The United States gave this name to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal. For many years thereafter, Panama was shrouded in American influence.

The other is the widely circulated story of "Chinese representatives threw Moutai in anger, shattering the country's prestige."

Generally speaking, the Moutai wine exhibited was served in clay pots, but no one cared about it because of its unattractive appearance. Seeing that the exhibition was coming to an end, the representative acted in a hurry and pretended to accidentally break a bottle of Moutai. The aroma of the wine immediately overflowed, attracting all the judges. After tasting and evaluating, the judges unanimously determined that "Moutai" is one of the best liquors in the world. As a result, the conference executive awarded China Moutai a gold medal.

In that poverty-stricken era, this kind of story greatly boosted the aspirations of the Chinese people, so it was widely circulated.

But there are two big mistakes in this story.

The first is the term "gold medal."

According to the setting of the Panama International Exposition, product awards are divided into six levels, which are: medal, honorary medal, gold medal, silver medal, bronze medal, and citation (no medal).

The highest level award is the medal, not the gold medal, which ranks only third.

Secondly, what Moutai received that year was only the fourth-class silver medal.

The reason why it was rumored to be a gold medal was because later the organizers of the expo had all the first four levels of medals plated with gold.

It’s not that Moutai was incompetent, the main reason was that at that time it was still divided into Wangmao and Huamao, and Guizhou’s information and transportation were relatively poor. The two wineries didn’t know about the World Expo, so they handed over the liquor casually according to the official tasks.

Moreover, their wine was not placed in the industrial and commercial hall after the expo, but was placed in the agricultural and forestry hall where few people saw it, which was a hidden disadvantage.

But there are baijiu that have won the top medal: Fenjiu from Shanxi, Laobaigan from Hengshui in Hebei and Baofeng from Henan.

In addition, during the Republic of China, rice wine was still the mainstream of the upper class.

Rice wine has a long history. It is neither strong nor light, and conforms to the "golden mean" of being mellow and simple. Literati, elegant guests and wealthy people drank rice wine. During the Republic of China, rice wine was also used to entertain foreign guests.

Lu Xun also drank rice wine with dried fish and fennel beans.

Liquor is mainly consumed by ordinary people.

Liquor became mainstream only after the founding of the People's Republic of China, in order to save food. By then, the domestic wine industry center will also shift from the Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai regions, which mainly produce rice wine, to the Sichuan and Guizhou regions, where liquor is more powerful.

Chen Qi said: "Chief, the first batch arranged to be shipped to San Francisco is raw silk, tea and porcelain, which are all our advantageous products."

"Very good," Zhang Jian said, "After the opening of the Panama Canal, it will be very beneficial to us. The United States is a transit station, and they have begun to increase their efforts to purchase raw materials. With this canal, it is much more convenient to transfer goods to Europe."

"It would have been better if this canal had been opened a few years earlier." Chen Qi said.

"It's fast enough for such a big project." Zhang Jian said.

Chen Qi said: "When we dug the Grand Canal, we didn't have machinery. Wouldn't it be faster?"

Zhang Jian was questioned and said to Li Yu: "Shu Cai has been to the United States many times. Please tell him."

Li Yu said: "It may be because there are too few people in Panama, there are many tropical rainforests, and the living conditions are too poor."

"Isn't it a good thing to have more trees?" Chen Qi continued to ask.

"Tropical rainforests are different," Li Yu said. "Only sedimentary soil has fertility. There is too much rain in tropical rainforests, and due to severe leaching, soil fertility is very poor."

Chen Qi said with admiration: "Thank you, Mr. Academician, for your advice."

What Li Yu said was just some middle school geography knowledge, but not many people knew it at this time.

Zhang Jian said: "I thought the tropics could have three crops of rice a year, because there were so many people."

Li Yu said: "There were no cereals in the tropics in the past. The fifty or sixty major cereals in the world all come from temperate zones. Because plants in temperate zones need to store energy for winter, tropical plants do not have this need and naturally cannot be cultivated into food."

Even in the twenty-first century, even if there is arable land in the tropics, it will not have too great an advantage.

Summer sunshine in temperate zones is long and breathing time is short at night, making it easy to accumulate organic matter. Otherwise, the Northeast could become a super granary.

Zhang Jian said: "Shu Cai is talking about the theory of evolution?"

"It's a bit far-fetched, but you can think of it that way," Li Yu said. "In addition, animals in temperate zones also have to survive the winter and need leadership. Falling behind means death. This makes animals in temperate zones easier to domesticate and keep in captivity. And animals in the tropics Animals are generally ill-tempered. Horses in temperate zones can be tamed, but no one can control zebras in the tropics."

Zhang Jian smiled and said: "I heard someone mention that zebras look good, but they are too wild."

Li Yu said: "So we are in a good location."

Zhang Jian said: "I have studied the theory of evolution, but my knowledge is far behind me."

Li Yudao: "What is popular now is the shallow and biased theory of evolution and social Darwin, which is very dangerous."

Zhang Jian doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with “survival of the fittest”. “Ren Gong (Liang Qichao) also supports social Darwinism to a certain extent.”

This kind of thinking was so destructive that Li Yu even wanted to engage in biology to build up his prestige and reverse the momentum.

It's a pity that Li Yu's understanding of biology is limited to high school biology (although it is also very powerful), but more importantly, some people accept Social Darwin not because they really believe in the theory of evolution, but just to make use of it.

Chen Qi didn't think too much and praised again: "Mr. Academician is truly knowledgeable in science!"

Li Yu said: "In the future, new schools will be slowly built and teachers will be improved, and everyone will know this knowledge."

"I hope so," Chen Qi said longingly, "then everyone wouldn't have to study abroad."

Zhang Jian then told Li Yu: "At the expo, raw silk and other products will definitely receive attention, and the demand in the United States is extremely large. Fortunately, Shucai entrusted the Rong family in Shanghai to build a silk factory in advance, otherwise these orders would have been wasted." Li Yu He said: "Work hard with all your strength and earn as much as you can. This is a rare opportunity."

Zhang Jian told Chen Qi: "Get enough popularity in the United States as much as possible. The president has specially approved 300,000 yuan for the construction of the venue."

Chen Qi solemnly said: "We will fulfill our mission!"

At this expo, our country won quite a few medals and gained a lot.

Exports to the United States have become very large in recent years, with hundreds of millions of dollars every year—a few hundred million dollars at the beginning of the twentieth century was not a small amount.

As Minister of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce, Zhang Jian put in a lot of effort. Unfortunately, when Yuan Shikai became emperor, Zhang Jian completely broke with him and resigned and returned to his hometown.

-

Zhang Jian's prediction was accurate and he was calm for a few days. When Li Yu went to Peking University to give a lecture, he received a letter from Yuan Shikai urging him to join.

Not only Li Yu received it, but also Professors such as Hu Renyuan, the president of Peking University.

Hu Renyuan angrily said to Li Yu: "The president wants to award me the Jiahe Medal again, and at the same time, he also wants to make me a 'Central Doctor', as long as I agree to persuade the emperor to join the imperial system."

Li Yu said: "In the letter you gave me, you also promised to go to the doctor."

"What's the trick, retro?" Hu Renyuan said.

Yuan Shikai had just reformed the official system and divided the official ranks into nine levels: Shangqing, Zhongqing, Shaoqing, Shangdafu, Zhongdafu, Shaodafu, Shangshi, Sergeant, and Shaoshi.

The name sounds weird.

Before they could object, Yuan Keding came to Peking University in person.

"Professors, Keding is polite." Yuan Keding said with a smile.

Hu Renyuan said angrily: "What's the matter?"

Yuan Keding said: "The message should be conveyed in place. I hope that professors will provide theoretical support for persuading students to advance academically. This is very important."

Hu Renyuan said: "Master Yuan, where are you in the university? Do you want to put pressure on us?"

"Pressure?" Yuan Keding said calmly, "This is the general trend. Those who understand the current affairs are heroes. You are knowledgeable, can you not see the situation clearly?"

Li Yu asked back: "Master, who is it that can't see the situation clearly?"

Yuan Keding had studied with Li Yu and said politely: "Emperor Master, don't you think this title is very good? Don't you want to keep it forever?"

Li Yu said calmly: "I have never liked the title of Imperial Master, and I have never boasted about it. It is always called me by others."

Yuan Keding continued to smile: "The American consultants theoretically agreed with the imperial system, and oh, there are also Japanese consultants. You don't know about my father's abilities. Besides him, who else can boost the world?"

Li Yu said: "The president's ability to govern the country is indeed strong, but the imperial system goes against the will of the people."

Yuan Keding said: "Hundreds of local officials have already submitted letters of persuasion. Isn't this what the people want?"

Li Yu asked: "Have you forgotten the probability theory I taught you and Ke Wen?"

"What does it have to do with mathematics?" Yuan Keding was stunned.

"I have said many times that we need to draw inferences from one instance. Mathematics is everywhere in the world," Li Yu said. "How many people can one or two hundred letters represent? In addition, you two have studied rudimentary game theory, so you should understand that the opponents will What kind of response is there?”

Yuan Keding was full of confidence: "All the military power in the world is in Beiyang. The local governors who were dissatisfied, such as Cai E and Yin Changheng, were all put under house arrest in the capital. What can they use to argue?"

General Yin Changheng made great contributions to stabilizing Tibet in the early years of the Republic of China. However, like Zhang Taiyan, he was too harsh and almost cursed Yuan Shikai on the head, and was imprisoned.

Fortunately, Cai E is not so stubborn and has been keeping a low profile.

Li Yu sighed: "You still haven't studied hard."

Yuan Keding said: "There is no rush in learning. Master, I hope your Beijing Observatory will issue an authoritative document. You know how important celestial phenomena are."

Li Yu's eyebrows narrowed: "Why, do you understand the theory of relativity and want me to tell you how light is bent by massive celestial bodies? Gravity is actually a depression in space?"

Yuan Keding was confused: "What, what?"

Li Yu said: "What the president must want is the most advanced astronomy, right? This is it!"

Yuan Keding scratched his head: "Is this astronomy? Shouldn't it be calculated astronomical phenomena and then predicted good or bad luck?"

"That set is already behind the times," Li Yu said. "Anyway, I can produce a report and calculation book on astronomical observations. As for how you want to interpret it, that's your business."

Yuan Keding didn't know what to say: "It's easy to say, as long as you can come up with it."

Li Yu said coldly: "Okay!"

Even if they are exhausted, they will not be able to understand the complex formula derivation, and will just throw it aside as a bible.

Yuan Keding thought Li Yu agreed, and said happily: "Master is indeed a hero!"

Hu Renyuan understood what Li Yu meant and secretly admired this "advanced black" trick.

Yuan Keding asked Hu Renyuan again: "Principal, what do you say?"

Hu Renyuan said: "I study mathematics, that is, the probability theory and game theory mentioned by Mr. Li Yu just now. The eldest son must give me academic advice, so I can only do my best in mathematics and analyze the game theory model. "

Li Yu was delighted that Hu Renyuan learned very quickly.

Yuan Keding clasped his fists and said: "Great, Keding will wait for everyone's advice to write the book."

Before leaving, he thought to himself: I thought scholars had such hard bones, but that’s it!
When Yuan Keding left Peking University, Hu Renyuan finally couldn't help laughing: "Mr. Academician is so smart! Even if you send the eldest son away, you can still humiliate them with astronomy and mathematics. This is much smarter than just swearing!" "

Li Yu also smiled and said: "If you express your disagreement directly, they will definitely continue to put pressure over and over again, which will be very annoying. It is better to give them a result that they cannot understand."

Hu Renyuan said: "Confucius taught what he taught and put it into practice, and he did it to the extreme. If Yuan Shikai wants to restore the monarchy, Peking University will definitely not support it!"

"I definitely don't agree with it," Li Yu said helplessly, "It's just a pity for a strong man who had the most hope."

It is okay to say that Yuan Shikai betrayed the country and stole the fruits of victory, but it cannot be said that he was incompetent. We can even directly say that he was the most capable politician in the early years of the Republic of China.

Otherwise, Yan Fu, Zhang Jian, Yang Du, Liang Qichao and other big names would not have such great expectations for him, because apart from him, there is really no one else.

If Yuan Shikai had not established an imperial system and relied on diplomatic power to slowly dismantle the Twenty-One Rules, he would have truly been a hero.

(End of this chapter)