1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 195 Borneo, the foundation of the city of science
After Li Qiguo left, Li Qiwei stood up and turned around to look at the huge world map behind the desk.

He brought this back from England.

Although the map is extremely rough in details, after all, high-precision maps of this era are top secret and ordinary people cannot obtain them.

However, the general distribution of countries is almost the same as that of later maps.

Li Qiwei combined his previous knowledge with the help of maps and began to study the situation in Southeast Asia.

Gu Hongming, a famous figure in the late Qing Dynasty, once summarized himself like this: born in Southeast Asia, educated in the West, married in the East, and served in the Beiyang government.

Among them, the West represents European and American countries, and the East specifically refers to the Sakura Country, which is easier to understand.

Beiyang and Nanyang actually have two meanings.

The first level is from the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China period, when the country divided the coastal areas into the North and South Ocean regions.

The provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong south of Shandong were called Nanyang, and the provinces of Shandong, Hebei and Liaoning north of Jiangsu were called Beiyang.

Among them, Beiyang is the source of the name "Beiyang" in the later Beiyang Ministers and Beiyang New Army.

The second level, Nanyang refers to the Southeast Asian region, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, and the coastal areas of Indochina Peninsula.

Of course, at this point in time, these countries are not independent and are all colonies of Western countries.

Ridgwell's map clearly shows the division of Southeast Asia among Western powers.

Among the many places in Southeast Asia, there is one very special one. The Chinese call it Borneo, and Westerners call it Kalimantan. It is located in the center of Southeast Asia.

It is the third largest island in the world, with an area of ​​75 square kilometers, equivalent to the size of seven Jiangsu provinces.

In later generations, the entire Borneo was occupied by three countries: Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

Now, it is colonized by Britain and the Netherlands. There are dozens of indigenous forces of all sizes on the island, but they are not worth mentioning.

The British sphere of influence was roughly the territories of later Malaysia and Brunei, located in the north of Borneo, covering about 1/4 of the entire island's area.

Britain's colonies were divided into two places, Sarawak in the west and Sabah in the east, which also included Brunei.

This area was originally called "North Borneo".

The rest was all the Dutch sphere of influence, which was the territory of Indonesia in later generations, divided into five provinces: East, South, Central and West.

Borneo has a long history and has deep roots with China.

As early as hundreds of years ago, immigrants from China landed in Borneo.

The Lan Fang Kingdom where Li Qiguo once lived was the pinnacle of the development of overseas power of Chinese compatriots.

The predecessor of the Lan Fang Republic was the Lan Fang Company, which was founded by Luo Fangbo, the leader of the Chinese in West Borneo at that time.

He integrated the various forces of the Chinese in Borneo, emulated the Dutch East India Company, established the Lan Fang Company, and safeguarded the interests of the Chinese.

The Lan Fang Company continued to grow and, under the influence of various factors, eventually became the Lan Fang Republic in 1777.

It is also the first republic established by overseas Chinese.

At its peak, the territory of the Lan Fang Republic reached approximately 14 square kilometers and had a population of approximately 400 million.

Firmly occupying the western part of Borneo, it provides a strong support for all overseas Chinese.

Luo Fangbo served as the first president, also known as the General Minister of the Tang Dynasty. This name reflects his determination to submit to China.

However, the Qing rulers at that time did not care about this place and ignored Luo Fangbo.

Later, Western powers colonized Southeast Asia, and after fighting with the Netherlands for decades, the Lan Fang Republic was ultimately defeated and perished.

Finally, after various wars and games, the current situation of Britain and the Netherlands dividing Borneo was formed.

Li Qiwei looked at the map on the wall and rubbed his chin as he thought.

If Borneo is considered as the location of the future science city, it would be a good choice.

From a geographical point of view, it is located in the center of Southeast Asia, controlling the Strait of Malacca, and is the only way for the West to enter and exit Asia.

Moreover, it is very close to China. Starting from Guangzhou, taking the fastest ship, it only takes three or four days to reach Bandar Seri Bega Bay in the north of Borneo, which is the capital of Brunei in later generations.

In this way, it will be easier for the City of Science to attract domestic talents. After all, no one wants to be too far away from home.

If the address is chosen to be in the African continent, it will probably be difficult to recruit people.

Judging from the population resources, there were at least one million Chinese in Borneo at that time. Although their education level was not high, they could make up for it slowly.

Moreover, in the future, Li Qiwei will definitely occupy the entire Borneo, and large-scale construction will require countless laborers.

The Chinese people are born with a natural talent for construction and are the best farming nation in the world.

By then, it will not be difficult to build Borneo into a paradise.

In terms of natural resources, Borneo has huge mountains and virgin forests, which contain very rich plant resources, mineral resources, etc.

The land is suitable for growing rice, rubber, pepper, sago, coconut, etc.

Minerals include oil, natural gas, coal, copper, gold, silver, aluminum, magnesium, iron, quartz, and of course the most important uranium.

As long as it is developed properly, it can be completely self-sufficient.

Finally, from the perspective of the feasibility of the plan, nuclear explosion experiments can be carried out in Borneo.

Whether underwater or on land, Borneo's geographical environment is fully sufficient.

Li Qiwei was also able to conceal his experiments very well so that they would not be discovered by spies from various countries.

At this point, his science city plan finally took the first step.

Next, they would nibble away at the territory bit by bit under the pretext of building a university.

He planned to start from Kuching in the west of Sarawak, where there are excellent ports and large plains, which are very suitable for early development and construction. Kuching is the capital of Sarawak and the largest city in Borneo.

Moreover, that area also belonged to the former territory of the Lan Fang Republic, so Li Qiguo's family should have some influence.

The colonial rule of Western powers, in addition to controlling local rulers, was also about uniting with local big families and dividing the profits.

Cooperating with local bosses can save a lot of time and energy.

After thinking through these plans, Li Qiwei asked Yu Tianchi to call He Yujie and the other three, as well as Zhou Ziyu, as some things could be prepared now.

When Li Qiwei announced that a university would be established in Borneo, the expressions of several people varied.

He Yujie and the other two's faces suddenly flushed. Is the plan about to begin?
As Li Qiwei's core team, the three knew about the plans for the City of Science and the atomic bomb.

Now, Li Qiwei has begun to set his sights on Southeast Asia, and it is an area as big as Borneo. How can the three of them not be excited?

Xu Qitai couldn't help but ask: "President, is it based on the model of Huangpu Polytechnic University?"

Li Qiwei smiled and said, "I haven't thought it through yet, but my initial plan is to build a professional university."

"For example, the Petroleum University, the Mining University, etc., the details need to be determined after investigation."

“Those of this batch of graduates who are willing to go can also be transferred to Borneo to teach. After working for five years, they can be directly awarded the title of professor.”

The four of them gasped, this was too big a deal.

Zhou Ziyu listened quietly at the side.

He didn't understand why Xu Qitai and the other two were so excited just because they were building a university in Borneo, a place far away from home.

Of course, he knew that he was not a member of Li Qiwei's core circle, and there were some things he was not qualified to participate in.

Perhaps Li Qiwei is planning some huge goal.

At this moment, Li Qiwei suddenly looked at Zhou Ziyu and said, "Brother Ziyu, the Chinese in Southeast Asia have been away from enlightenment for a long time."

“I think we need not only science and engineering universities, but also liberal arts universities.”

"I wonder if you could give me a hand."

Zhou Ziyu thought for a moment and said, "Although I cannot go there for the time being, I will call on the education community, and I believe there will still be people willing to go."

"The Chinese are also a strong force in Southeast Asia. Compared with going to Europe and the United States, people are more willing to choose Southeast Asia."

Li Qiwei looked at him deeply, and then said seriously: "Now that the Qing Dynasty is on the decline, revolutionary parties are rising up everywhere."

"The recent bombing at the Beijing Railway Station was a trigger."

"I guess the Qing Dynasty will fall within six or seven years!"

boom!
At this moment, Zhou Ziyu's heart seemed to be hit hard by a hammer, and he couldn't stop shaking.

Especially when Li Qiwei talked about the Beijing explosion, his face was extremely moved and his expression was very painful.

He Yujie and the other two were confused, but Li Qiwei knew it very well, but he couldn't point it out.

"Qiwi, you. Do you really think so?"

Li Qiwei looked at his surprised expression and said calmly, "Brother Ziyu, don't be nervous. There are no outsiders here."

"You don't think we are sincerely working for the Qing Dynasty, do you?"

"All the people with lofty ideals in the world regard it as their responsibility to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. Although I am not talented, I have a pure heart."

Zhou Ziyu tried to calm down and said quickly: "Qiwei, I already knew what you were thinking."

"I'm just surprised you said it in public."

"That's not your usual cautious style."

Li Qiwei said: "Before, I was not sure, but now I am completely sure."

"But we also have to think about what happens after the Qing dynasty is overthrown?"

"Western powers will not watch us rise."

"They will definitely cause trouble. If my Huangpu Polytechnic University can no longer operate, I will have an alternative."

“And Nanyang is my goal.”

"There are tens of millions of people there, and I think there is a bright future there."

Zhou Ziyu was extremely shocked at this moment. He didn't expect that Li Qiwei had thought so deeply.

Everyone started thinking about what would happen after the fall of the Qing Dynasty.

He has a broad mind and a lofty ambition.

Li Qiwei continued, "Brother Ziyu, I know you have a high status in your circle."

"Maybe in the future you can become the head of the department."

After saying that, everyone laughed, because he was a high-ranking official.

Zhou Ziyu smiled bitterly and said, "Qiwei, you think too highly of me."

Li Qiwei said: "This is my intuition."

"In the future, domestic education will have you, and Nanyang education will have me."

"Together we can surely revitalize the country!"

The four of them felt their blood boiling after hearing this.

(End of this chapter)