1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 199: Investigating Borneo and fooling the British

On August 1906, 8, Li Qiwei, along with He Yujie, Xia Yuancong and Xu Qitai, boarded a British merchant ship and headed for Borneo under the escort of Li San.

Now that it is summer vacation, Li Qiwei is thinking of going to Borneo for an investigation and relaxing his tense nerves.

He contacted Li Qiguo in advance, and the two agreed to meet in Kuching, Sarawak in northern Borneo on August 8 in the name of an education inspection team.

The high-speed ship, with a speed of 25 knots, is speeding across the boundless South China Sea.

The scenery here is completely different from the North Sea in Europe, which makes Li Qiwei and others feel relaxed and happy while also giving them a sense of familiarity.

He was explaining the current situation in Borneo to a few people to facilitate their future development here.

Although Sarawak and Sabah in northern Borneo were British colonies, Britain did not send people to directly govern them.

Both places are controlled by two forces related to Britain.

In 1881, British businessman Dent established the British North Borneo Provisional Association Limited in Sabah.

After more than 20 years of development, it completely occupied the current Sabah area.

In 1888, Sabah officially became a British protectorate until today.

Sarawak once belonged to Brunei in history.

In 1841, the British man Brooke was appointed Governor of Sarawak for assisting the Sultan of Brunei in suppressing the rebellion.

As a result, in the second year, Brooke declared Sarawak independent from Brunei and became the Brooke Dynasty, which was also recognized by Britain and the United States.

Brooke himself became the first prince. As a British, he certainly did not dare to call himself king, otherwise it would be disrespectful to Britain.

This is also due to his British identity. If the Chinese did this, the British would have sent warships to suppress them long ago.

Later, with the help of Britain, the territory of the Brooke dynasty expanded rapidly, forming today's Sarawak.

The current second Prince of Brooke is Brooke's nephew, Charles, who succeeded to the throne in 1868.

Brunei also became a British colony. Although it was still a sultanate in name, the country's internal affairs, foreign affairs, and national defense were all in the hands of the British.

The area has also changed from originally owning the entire Borneo to only 5000 square kilometers, which is the territory of Brunei in later generations.

The southern part of Borneo, which is now a Dutch colony, is mainly composed of mountains and virgin forests, which is not suitable for large-scale human habitation.

The people living there are all from primitive tribes and have not yet been civilized.

Therefore, the south is far less prosperous than the north, which is also where the largest number of Chinese people gather.

After Li Qiwei finished introducing the history of Borneo, He Yujie and others were filled with admiration.

Whether it is the Lan Fang Republic or Brunei, they have proved one thing: backwardness will lead to beatings and weak countries have no dignity.

At the peak of its power, Lan Fang occupied one-fifth of Borneo, and at the peak of its power, Brunei occupied almost the entire Borneo.

But now, of the two countries, one has perished, and the other is left with only a palm-sized area, and has become a colony of other countries.

The word "miserable" is simply not enough to describe it.

On August 8, the ship carrying Li Qiwei and his companions arrived safely in Kuching, and they successfully entered the city under the reception of Li Qiguo.

Kuching is the oldest city in Sarawak. It is located in the west of Sarawak, only 35 kilometers away from the coastline and is known as the "Water City".

The Sarawak River, which leads directly to the South China Sea, runs through the city, dividing Kuching into two parts, north and south.

The south is the center of Kuching, where various buildings built by British colonists are located. It is also the political, commercial and cultural center of Kuching.

Kuching currently has a population of about 20, of which 5 are Chinese alone, making them a force that cannot be ignored.

The current prince, Charles, once publicly stated in the Sarawak Gazette: "Without these Chinese, we can do nothing."

During his tenure as prince, Charles witnessed firsthand the Chinese people's business capabilities and their hard-working spirit in reclaiming wasteland.

Compared with the Chinese, the local natives are as stupid as monkeys.

Charles deeply realized that in order to make the kingdom prosperous, it was necessary to introduce a large number of Chinese to develop agriculture and commerce.

To this end, he published news of Chinese immigration in the Sarawak Gazette in 1874:

“There is no doubt that Borneo’s future development can only rely on the Chinese.”

"Because their love of trade is the most precious resource a country can develop."

Soon after, the Brooke dynasty introduced various policies to attract Chinese immigrants.

For example, the state reimbursed the shipping fees for all bosses and coolies coming to Kuching, and gave pioneers a 99-year lease on land use rights.

Charles also signed a contract with Kuching's richest man at the time, Teochew Liu Jianfa, to bring farmers from the Chaoshan area to Sarawak to cultivate sugar cane and pepper.

Therefore, in 1871, there were only more than 3000 Chinese in Kuching, but by 1900, the number had reached 45000.

Today, the number exceeds 5.

However, even with so many Chinese people, there is not even a decent Chinese school in the whole of Kuching.

Although there had been one or two in the past, they had disappeared for various reasons.

On the one hand, most of the Chinese who come to Kuching at this time are farmers, and they do not attach importance to the education of the next generation.

Who would have the mind to go to school when they haven’t even solved the problem of food and clothing?

On the other hand, at that time, let alone Kuching, even the Qing Dynasty had not yet popularized education. How could such a barren land be better?

Moreover, the British colonists were not kind people who would teach the Chinese knowledge for free.

What they are thinking about is how to exploit the wealth of the Chinese. Now that everyone has been enlightened through education, how can they cheat them?

This results in the fact that although there are many Chinese people in Kuching, there is not even a primary school, let alone a university.

Everything had to wait until the success of the Xinhai Revolution before the situation gradually improved, and various new-style schools began to be established in Nanyang.

When Li Qiguo told them this information, He Yujie and the other two felt disappointed.

What happened to the millions of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia who were promised to become hungry students as long as they raised their hands?

The psychological gap is too big.

Any county in the Qing Dynasty was probably a hundred times better than Kuching.

Li Qiguo was also helpless: "This is why I want to ask Principal Li to help."

“It is impossible for ordinary people to have the ability to run a good education in Kuching.”

“But we can’t not do it.”

"Are we going to just sit there and watch those teenagers spend their entire lives growing peppers and working as laborers for foreigners?"

"There is not a single decent school in the entire Nanyang, let alone a famous university."

“My father’s goal was to develop education with Borneo as the core.”

"Because King Charles of Sarawak is considered a foreigner who is relatively friendly to the Chinese."

"By running an education business here, we will encounter the least resistance and have the best chance of success."

"Give hope to the millions of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, and give hope to the children."

Li Qiguo spoke with such deep emotion that even Li Qiwei was deeply moved.

Given the other party's family background, there is absolutely no need to do such a thankless task.

However, Li Qiguo's father and himself did just that.

Li Qiwei knew that the father and son had absolutely no selfish motives and just held very simple values: they wanted the Chinese in Southeast Asia to live a better life.

Therefore, no matter how difficult the conditions are, Li Qiwei is not afraid.

What countless Chinese people lack is not money or people, but the right direction.

As long as there is one person taking the lead, with the hardworking and enterprising spirit of overseas Chinese, Li Qiwei believes that he will be able to lead everyone and create a miracle.

"Everyone, don't be discouraged or disappointed."

"A towering building rises from the ground."

“Although the road is long, if you keep walking you will reach your destination.” “In my dictionary, there is no word like difficulty.”

"I will let all the Chinese in Southeast Asia know that we Chinese can accomplish anything!"

Li Qiwei's powerful words shocked Li Qiguo, He Yujie and others, and they were infected by his spirit.

Suddenly it seemed like no big deal.

If there is no school, build one; if there are no teachers, hire teachers.

Li Qiguo said excitedly: "Principal Li, you are truly a great hero to all overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia."

"No, no, no!" Li Qiwei quickly denied it three times.

Li Qiguo is good in every way except that his compliments on others are too corny. Maybe this is the secret of his success.

“We must have confidence, but we must also face up to difficulties.”

“Brother Li, I want to tell you in advance that building a school in Kuching cannot be done overnight. We need to plan for the long term.”

Li Qiguo nodded quickly, "That's for sure, I understand."

"The Chinese in Southeast Asia have survived for hundreds of years, so they don't care about these few years."

So, under the leadership of Li Qiguo, the local boss, Li Qiwei and his companions visited various areas of Kuching.

The city of Kuching is crisscrossed with canals and green waters, and various small boats shuttle through it, carrying rubber, coconuts, special fruits, etc.

Li Qiwei and others took a small boat to tour the entire city.

At this time, Li Qiwei suddenly pointed to a place on the other side of the river and said, "What is that place?"

Li Qiguo and others looked in the direction he pointed. It was a hillside with beautiful environment, from which they could overlook the Royal Palace on the other side of the Sarawak River.

“That’s the Fengshan Temple, which was built by the Fujian Gang from Sarawak more than a decade ago.”

"The Fujianese here are very united and are a considerable force," Li Qiguo explained.

Li Qiwei nodded. He liked the place very much and might consider building a school there in the future.

After the tour, Li Qiguo brought a few people to the King's Palace to meet with Prince Charles.

This is the advantage of having a local boss. Otherwise, if Li Qiwei relied on himself, it would take him a lot of effort to figure out the situation here.

As the ruler of Sarawak, Charles has been the King of Sarawak for nearly 40 years. Here, his word is law.

Of course, everything depended on the support of Britain behind him, otherwise he would have been overthrown eight hundred times already.

Therefore, Charles, the King of Sarawak, is actually equivalent to a governor, but for political considerations, Britain agreed to give him a throne.

The King's Palace is a typical British-style building located in the heart of Kuching. It is the most imposing building in Kuching.

Moreover, this place is close to the river. If something uncontrollable happens, Charles can just take a boat and leave, which is both offensive and defensive.

Li Qiwei's arrival was welcomed by Charles.

Charles, 63 years old this year, looks old at all and is in good spirits.

He was not arrogant, but very friendly. He smiled and said, "Hello, Dr. Bruce."

"I have heard of your name."

"I was very surprised when my good friends in the UK told me your information."

"When did a genius like you appear in Qing Dynasty?"

Li Qiwei also smiled and replied: "Hello, His Majesty Charles."

"Thank you for your compliment."

His address made Charles very happy, and his attitude became better.

"Bruce, Lee has already told me everything about your purpose."

“To be honest, I’m very supportive.”

"My country doesn't even have a decent school. As a king, this is a great dereliction of duty."

"The Chinese are the most outstanding race here. For the development of the kingdom, I need Chinese of higher quality, so education is a must."

Li Qiguo, He Yujie and others were very excited. This old king was so easy to talk to.

It seems that their next work will go smoothly.

However, Li Qiwei was calm and composed. He didn't believe that Charles would be so kind.

It is better to expect the colonists to perish tomorrow than to expect them to be kind.

Sure enough, Charles suddenly changed his tone and said, "But, as you know, Sarawak is a small country with scarce resources."

“The country can no longer afford to spend too much on education.”

“Even if you raise funds to build a school, it still requires various supporting facilities, land, administrative management, infrastructure, etc.”

“That’s a lot of money.”

“I am also worried about this.”

"Bruce, you are from the Qing Dynasty, so you must know the situation in Asia. Do you have any good ideas for this?"

Good guy, I'm waiting here.

Not to mention Li Qiwei, even He Yujie understood that this was just paying protection money.
It sounds so nice and there is also supporting infrastructure.

Europeans are really good at stealing money.

However, Li Qiwei smiled, thinking that it was just like sending a pillow when one was sleepy.

"Your Majesty, Charles, you are absolutely right."

"I happen to have some companies and businesses in the country."

“I think Sarawak is a very good place with a beautiful environment, clean politics and abundant labor force.”

“I plan to move all my domestic companies here.”

“I also want to contribute to Sarawak.”

At this point, Charles could no longer sit still. He originally just wanted to make a fortune, but now it was different.

If the other party moves their company here, wouldn't that be a steady source of tax revenue?

Compared with this, building schools is a trivial matter. You can build as many schools as you like.

Next, the two sides discussed the tax standards.

One is a king and the other is a great scientist.

The two of them were just like the uncles in the vegetable market, bargaining non-stop. Business is so simple and unpretentious.

In the end, Li Qiwei agreed to a very harsh condition.

That is, his company needs to pay a minimum tax, even if the company goes bankrupt.

However, if the company is making normal profits, it will pay taxes according to the normal proportion.

Li Qiwei pretended to accept the condition with a painful look, making Charles think he had gotten a great deal.

Charles had a hold on Li Qiwei and knew that the other party really wanted to build a school here.

He thought he was standing on the second floor, but little did he know that Li Qiwei was standing in the atmosphere.

Now Li Qiwei can naturally move all domestic industries to Borneo.

Before, there were various constraints in the country, but here, companies can work freely.

As for taxes and such, Li Qiwei looked at Charles and sneered in his heart: "I just want to see how many years your Brooke Dynasty can last."

"When the time comes, you must return the principal and interest to me. That is the wealth of my City of Science."

(End of this chapter)