Chapter 072 Renew and Revolution

The four-way shop assistants are used to the local riches who made a special trip to Shanghai to open seafood. These local rich men are curious. When they enter the city, their two eyes are not enough, and they don't understand the worldly wisdom of Shanghai. They always ask some strange questions. The clerks have long been used to it. Therefore, Zhou Charter and Guo Erbar inquired about the news, and the shop assistants always answered their questions and were full of enthusiasm.

Shanghai is also the most developed area of modern media industry in the Qing Dynasty. There are not only newspapers and periodicals run by foreigners, but also many businessmen from the Qing Dynasty. There are a large number of newspapers and periodicals of various newspapers. In the Qing Dynasty, newspapers are a new thing. The main content of newspapers and periodicals is mostly lace news, mixed with a small amount of political speech, but the number is very small and there is no depth. Neither the government nor the people recognize the huge public opinion guiding role of newspapers, so the government does not prohibit newspapers.

Through newspapers and gossip, Zhou Charter gradually learned about the recent situation of his family and Zhang Jun's brothers.

The imperial court has held state funerals for Zhou Charter and Guo Erpole, which means that the two of them have become dead in the Qing Dynasty.

Zhao Qiaoer did not live in Beijing, but returned to her hometown Zhao's Temple with Mrs. Qin and Liu Yingshu, which was Zhang Zuolin's territory, protected by Zhang Zuolin, but it was also safe.

Zhou Charter secretly praised Zhao Qiaoer's insight. If she were an ordinary woman, she would often miss the good days in Beijing and unwilling to return to the poor village in Northeast China. Zhao Qiaoer not only left Beijing, but also did not even want her life and did not miss the wealth. Zhao Qiaoer is worthy of Zhou Charter's wife. She knows that there is no good fruit to stay in Beijing.

The other brothers of Zhang Jun also have their own futures. Empress Dowager Cixi is most afraid of Zhou Charter. As long as Zhou Charter dies, she will not embarras Brother Zhang Jun. Moreover, just after the battle, the Qing Dynasty was abandoned and waiting for prosperity. Emperor Guangxu was influenced by Kang Youwei and determined to change the law and renew the law. The brothers of Zhang Jun were all military talents, and Emperor Guangxu also needed these talents to help him complete the great cause of the innovation, so he tried his best to maintain it in all aspects.

Zhou Charter is most worried about Wu Peifu.

Wu Peifu is his life-and-death brother. At the beginning, when Empress Dowager Cixi ordered the destruction of Zhang Jun, she once said that all people in Zhang Jun could be pardoned, but only Zhou Charter, Nahawu and Wu Peifu were unforgivable. Later, when Ye Zhichao solved the Zhang army in North Korea, Wu Peifu led his troops to refuse to surrender and confront 50,000 Qing troops until the end of the war. Empress Dowager Cixi must hate Wu Peifu to the bone.

Nahawu is the emperor's uncle, and the emperor will certainly find ways to protect it. However, Wu Peifu is alone. According to the appointment of the imperial court, the vast majority of Zhang Jun's brothers stayed in the north, and only Wu Peifu was appointed as the commander-in-chief of Fuzhou by the imperial court, hanging alone in the remote Fujian area. The court's intention to isolate Wu Peifu was extremely obvious.

Sure enough, the news from all parties shows that Wu Peifu has worked with the court again.

According to the will of the court, Wu Peifu went to Fuzhou to take office alone. His more than 2,000 officers and soldiers were handed over to Ye Zhichao, the Prime Minister of North Korea, and Ye Zhichao was responsible for demobilization.

In the four regiments of Zhangjun and one direct battalion, the direct battalion passed the battle of Lushun and had few left. The remaining troops remained in Lushun and were incorporated into Li Guoge's troops, which did not pose a threat to the court. Part of the second regiment followed Lai Chuanwu to Fengtai Camp, and some followed Nahawu to Tianjin. Under the leadership of Zhang Xun, the whole regiment had braids, and the court was the most relieved. The fourth regiment are all North Koreans, and their stay in North Korea is not a threat to the Qing Dynasty. Only Wu Peifu's first regiment, the court was the most worried and ordered demobilization.

And Wu Peifu refused to carry out the order of the court and asked to take the troops to Fujian. The officers and soldiers of the first regiment were also worried about the court's accounts after the autumn and resolutely disagreed with the demobilization. Once dismissed by the court, the big guy can only wait to be slaughtered. This regiment is in Pingcheng, and it is at odds with Ye Zhichao's troops.

Finally, Liu Shengxiu, the commander of the Mingzi Army, came forward to say that the first regiment would not be demobilised, but divided into two parts. Wu Peifu took 800 troops from a battalion to Fuzhou to take office, and the rest remained in North Korea, merged with Park Yonglie's troops, stationed in Pingcheng, and stopped using Zhang Jun's number.

This compromise proposal was approved by both the court and Wu Peifu.

Zhou Charter was also greatly relieved to hear the news.

What he is most worried about is that Wu Peifu is disarmed. Now, Wu Peifu still has 800 people in his hand, which is enough to ensure his safety.

Now, Wu Peifu is reorganizing the team in North Korea. It will take about half a month. After the team is completed, it will leave for the Yalu River and march from the northeast to Fujian. There will be at least one month on the way. The time to arrive in Fuzhou should be a month and a half later.

Within a month and a half, Zhou Charter did not dare to act rashly and could only lie in Shanghai and wait for Wu Peifu to take office.

Fortunately, there is still some money in hand, and the two of them have no worries about food and clothing.

In a blink of an eye, 20 days have passed, and there is news that Wu Peifu has taken people to Henan. At this speed, there should be still half a month left to reach Fuzhou. Zhou Charter and Guo Erpaan began to prepare for departure and went to Fuzhou to meet Wu Peifu.

That night, Zhou Charter stayed alone in his room reading a book. Guo Er pole is still working part-time outside alone.

Shanghai is now an international metropolis, rich in foreign goods, from jewelry to daily necessities, and many shops. Zhou Charter is not interested in these things. He is only interested in one thing - foreign books.

At the end of the 19th century, some insightful people in the Qing Dynasty began to realize that the gap between China and Western powers was omnidirectional, not only in the technological gap, but also in ideology and value system. From the beginning of the Westernization Movement, some intellectuals began to consciously translate Western classics. Zeng Guofan opened the Jinling Translation Bureau and systematically introduced Western works. After the First Sino-Japanese War, people of insight in China set off the translation of Western works. Among them, the most abundant translation was Yan Fu, who was taught by Beiyang Military Academy at that time.

Because of the British concession, Shanghai has the highest degree of openness and the first atmosphere. Translation activities are the most prosperous. From novels and poems to economic and military, all kinds of Western books are the most abundant. Zhou Charter saw these translations, such as seeing treasures and buying them in large quantities. The books he bought were mainly in political and military economics, ranging from Huxne's Theory of Heaven and Rousseau's Theory of Wealth to the political science and military science written by various famous writers. His room has become a library. Zhou Charter reads eagerly all day long without leaving home.

The two of them were originally sitting on the mountain and eating, and the money to buy books became a huge burden. In more than a month, I have bought 200 yuan just by buying books, and there are few left to eat and drink, including staying in the store. Guo Erbao had no choice but to go out to pull the sloping car and write some pocket money to make up for his life. Guo Er pole also has a lot of strength, and this way of pulling the trolley is also very suitable for him. This hard work made him make the streets and alleys of Shanghai clear, as if he were a Shanghai Tong.

Guo Er worked hard to make money to supplement his life, which made Zhou Charter very sorry and wanted to go out for a job. However, he was stopped by Guo Erba. Guo Erba said that he told Zhou Charter that his identity was a young master. If he ran out to work hard, he would be seen as a flaw. If he leaked the wind, it would be very bad.

Zhou Charter had no choice but to pretend to be a young master in the inn.

During this period, Zhou Charter's ideological consciousness has changed greatly through reading. He began to realize that the backwardness of the country, the corruption of the imperial court, the weakness of the army, and the poverty of the economy are not a technical problem, but an institutional problem!

The imperial politics of the Qing Dynasty is no longer suitable for this era.

It is not feasible for Westerners to just want to get rid of poverty and backwardness by introducing advanced Western technology. The reform proposed by Kang Youwei and others seems to be a reasonable way out to try to change China through limited political system reform.

However, Zhou Charter has also vaguely heard that there are still some people who disagree with Kang Youwei's ideas. Their ideas are more radical, that is, to completely overthrow the imperial power, fundamentally change China's two thousand-year monarchy, and realize republic. These people claim to be the Revolutionary Party. One of them is Sun Wen! This person is not in China now, but in Honolulu in the United States.

The view of the Weixin faction is that imperial politics is abhorrent, but China's imperial politics lasted for two thousand years and suddenly interrupted. I'm afraid that the people and bureaucrats are unlikely to accept it. The country is likely to fall into chaos as a result, and the country and the people will pay an extremely heavy price for it, just like at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Smoke is murderous.

And the revolutionaries believe that there is nothing wrong with the chaos. Only after the chaos can there be great governance. China's two-year-old imperial power has accumulated for a long time, like a collapsing building. The foundation has completely decayed, and it is just a simple repair, which is useless. Only push it down and rebuild the building on the ruins.

These are two completely different ideas. Zhou Charter has no idea which one is better.

Zhou Charter was reading at night, and Guo Erli pushed the door in with a stinky sweat.

Zhou Charter picked up the pocket watch on the table and looked at it. It was given to him by Empress Zhenfei.

The pointer points to 2 a.m. On weekdays, Guo Erba stayed outside the Danglemen Ballroom at night. The ballroom ended at 10:30, and the dancers went home. Business was very good. After 12 o'clock and 11 o'clock, there was basically no business. Therefore, Guo Erpole usually returned to the inn around 12 o'clock.

And today, he is two hours late.

"Second shot, why is it so late today? Hurry up and eat something and rest early. Zhou Charter said. Guo Er pole came back late, and Zhou Charter didn't care too much, but he was afraid that he would be too tired.

Guo Er pole stood still.