The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 581: The Beginning of World War Zero

"In Zhili, you must start selecting athletes as soon as possible, starting with the military."

Teng Yuzao looked at Yang Shixiang and said, "Lianfu, we in Zhili cannot fall behind, you have to hurry up on this matter."

He turned around and looked at Wei Jinghai and a group of generals, as well as Ye Zugui, Sa Zhenbing and others.

"Establishing an Olympic team is a great thing to win glory for China. All your troops must actively cooperate. No matter who is selected, you must release them unconditionally."

Teng Yuzao looked at Huang Kaijia and Zhong Wenyao again, "Among the 17 events in this Olympics, many cannot be mastered in a short period of time. We should not participate in all of them. Why not just participate in eight events: archery, track and field, football, swimming, rowing, tug-of-war, weightlifting, and wrestling? Concentrate our efforts and strive to win medals."

"I won't go into details about archery, track and field, swimming, rowing, tug-of-war, weightlifting, and wrestling. These sports all have a certain foundation in China. Instead of training them from scratch, we can first select young people who have a certain foundation in these areas."

"Of course, if there are older people who are particularly outstanding in these aspects, they can also be specially selected."

"Among these events, I would like to focus on football. In this Olympics, football is still a demonstration event, not a formal competition event, but we still have to pay great attention to it."

Teng Yuzao said with some emotion, "Although it seems that football is a foreign thing introduced to China by the British, in fact, it has already existed in our country for a long time."

"Regarding the origin of Cuju, there is evidence that Cuju was already a sport during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period at the latest. Linzi, the capital of Qi at that time, is considered to be the birthplace of Cuju."

"During the Han Dynasty, the sport of Cuju reached a climax in China. It was not only popular among the people, but also used in military training."

"During the Tang and Song dynasties, Cuju was very popular. I'm sure you all know Gao Qiu, who loved playing football. That was Cuju, the ancestor of football, or the prototype of football."

"Football is not only a highly competitive sport, but also a good sport for strengthening the body and discipline. It should be promoted in China. I hope to take this opportunity of the Olympics to promote football in China."

"Of course, the two easiest places to promote it are the military and schools."

Teng Yuzao put away his smile and said, "Although modern football was introduced to our country from Britain, we learned this sport very quickly. Not only did the Tianjin football team often beat the foreign sailors in the concession, but the teams in Shanghai and Beijing were also not inferior to the foreigners."

There is a reason why Teng Yuzao said this.

At this time, not only do Shanghai's St. John's College and the Shanghai Nanyang Public School, which will be established next year, have two high-level football teams, but the church universities in the capital have also started playing football, and Union College is one of the best.

The first school to develop football was the Tianjin Naval Academy. Twenty years ago, the Tianjin Naval Academy listed football as a formal course, and Tianjin's football was also the strongest in the country at that time.

Until the 1930s, domestic football was the strongest in Asia, and whenever there was a match, it would sweep all the Asian countries.

Moreover, in football, foreigners did not have much advantage over Chinese people at that time. Historically, a few years later, the capital would host an international football match with eight countries participating, including the strong football powers Britain, Germany, France and Italy. The two domestic teams won the second and third place.

"If our domestic football team can win a place this time, we can promote football in the country more smoothly."

Teng Yuzao continued, "We can hold a domestic football competition, select outstanding players from the competition, and form a team to participate in the competition. If necessary, I will come forward to negotiate with Liu Kunyi and Tao Mo."

Teng Yuzao said to Sun Shijun, "Ziming, we also need to form a football team in the army. This task is left to you."

Sun Shijun stood up excitedly and said, "Marshal, don't worry, I will definitely get this done."

Sun Shijun is from Tianjin and knows a lot about football.

"besides."

Teng Yuzao looked at his watch and continued, "There was a cycling competition at the last Olympics held in Paris. According to Conger, the Americans are going to cancel the cycling event this time."

"I have told Conger to help us convince St. Louis to resume the bicycle race. In exchange, we can provide 50,000 taels of silver worth of free drinks for this Olympics."

I heard that Teng Yuzao would have to pay the Americans 50,000 taels of silver to participate in this Olympic Games organized by the Americans. Liu Shijiu couldn't help but say this with dissatisfaction.

"They invited us to go, why do we have to give them money? Fifty thousand taels of silver, how much can we do with it? If that's the case, we might as well not go."

Although many people still don’t understand why Teng Yuzao would spend so much money just to add a competition event.

Zhou Xuexi had already understood what Teng Yuzhao meant and asked anxiously.

"Does the Marshal want to let the foreign devils see our bicycles and open up the market for our bicycles in the foreign powers as soon as possible?"

Teng Yuzao nodded and said, "That's right. You should all know about advertising in newspapers. This is also a form of advertising for us. Including the beverages we brought out, they are also produced in Zhili. They are all products of the Aurora Industrial Development Company."

"Teng Yuzao smiled and said to Zhou Xuexi, "This money has to be paid by the Aurora Industrial Development Company."

Teng Yuzao waved his hand and said, "Today's joint military and political meeting ends here. The purpose of today is to give all of you a comprehensive understanding of our Beiyang's military, economy, civil affairs, education, and the promotion of Westernization."

"Not only do we need to understand the current development situation, but we also need to know the future development direction, such as the construction of the navy. In order to deepen your understanding of the development of our Zhili foreign affairs, I will let Jizhi take us all to see the good things that our Zhili can show off now. Those things are all prepared to be taken to the United States for exhibition."

Teng Yuzao said with some pride, "We don't produce tea in Zhili. Shandong does have tea, but it can't compare to the good tea in the south and Sichuan."

"We don't have top-grade silk, let alone famous porcelain. But even though we don't have these things, our Westernization has produced a lot of good things. Not to mention that China doesn't have them, some of them are not even available to foreigners. And even if foreigners have them, what we bring to the exhibition is far better than theirs." Teng Yuzao smiled and said, "After you've seen Jizhi's good things, go take a walk on the street. Some of you haven't seen the new department store built by the Aurora Minsheng Industrial Development Company yet, especially those of you who have just returned from other places, go and have a look at Xuanqing, Kangnian, Ruiguang, Ziyu, and Mingguang."

"Some of our dears who have stayed in the United States have just arrived in Zhili. You can all go and have a look. I have prepared 200 silver dollars for each of you to use."

When they heard that they would give each of them 200 dollars, the generals didn't show any reaction, but the young children studying in the United States immediately showed joy on their faces.

Yang Shixiang smiled and said, "This money is not from the Governor's Office. It is paid out of the Marshal's own pocket. Even if the Marshal is treating everyone to a banquet tonight, the Marshal hopes that everyone will return to their respective posts and continue to work hard."
-
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye it is already the 30th year of the Guangxu period.

Early morning of the 22nd day of the first lunar month, at the Laolongtou Railway Station in Tianjin New Town.

Although it was already early in the morning, the platform of Laolongtou Railway Station was still brightly lit. Passengers wearing bulky cotton-padded clothes were getting on and off the train and were walking around the platform, calling their friends.

Although there were no military police on the platform, careful people still found that the number of patrol police had increased significantly. These additional patrol police were not ordinary patrol police who only carried batons, but most of them were members of the patrol corps carrying rifles and Mauser pistols.

In addition, on the cold platform, in every corner and among the crowd, there were many young people who were not wearing cotton clothes and had empty hands. Their sharp eyes kept scanning the passengers getting on and off the train.

Although these young people were dressed differently, some wore Western clothes, while others wore black sheepskin jackets which were quite popular in Zhili recently, they all had one thing in common, that is, they all wore black top hats and opened their coats.

As a whistle sounded in the distance, several train station staff on the platform suddenly blew sharp whistles and shouted loudly to drive away the passengers who were waiting to get on the train at the platform.

The patrolmen and the young men wearing black hats in the corners and in the crowd suddenly became nervous. Dozens of strong soldiers wearing iron-gray Zhijun uniforms and holding rifles with bayonets ran out of the western-style building where the station staff were located.

These soldiers ran to the platform, which was about the length of two carriages and had been forcibly cleared by several station staff and young men in plain clothes wearing black top hats, and stood on the left and right sides.

Following the command, the two rows of soldiers all turned around, stood with their backs facing each other, and their faces facing outwards with guns in hand. The sharp bayonets on their rifles flashed coldly under the lights on the platform.

Then a dozen soldiers with pistols on their waists came over and entered the empty platform that had just been guarded by the two rows of Zhi troops.

This series of actions made the passengers on the platform, who were originally noisy, suddenly stop talking, because they knew that some important person must be about to get off here.

But today's scene seemed a little unusual. Although the princes and ministers in the capital, especially Prince Duan Zai Yi, often came to Xincheng over the past year, there had never been such a big scene!
Could it be that someone nobler than those princes and ministers dared to come to the new city? And there seemed to be only one person in the capital who was nobler than those princes and ministers.
This thought instantly lingered in the minds of the travelers, and everyone was looking forward to it, wanting to see if it was the old lady who had gone to the trouble to come to the new city at this time.

The mystery was soon solved. As a train slowly stopped on the platform, a dozen elite soldiers with pistols quickly got off a carriage that was parked at the platform cordoned off by soldiers. Then a familiar figure in a gray military uniform without rank appeared in front of everyone.

"It's Commander Teng!"

Among the crowd of onlookers, someone recognized Teng Yuzhao, who had just gotten off the train and looked tired.

Following this exclamation, the crowd burst into cheers after a very brief silence.

"Hello, Commander Teng!"

"Greetings to the commander!"

Greetings with a certain accent instantly filled the entire platform.

Especially the businessmen who came from other provinces to Zhili to invest and set up factories, they all felt proud. As long as they did not evade taxes and abided by the rules when doing business here, not only would no one pay attention to them, they would even be protected by patrol police. Those bullies and scoundrels who used to harass and cause trouble no longer dared to do evil.

You know, as long as these people dare to do evil, they will be sent to build railways without hesitation like those Russian prisoners of war. There is endless work there and they are in need of people.

As for ordinary people, they were extremely grateful to Teng Yuzhao.

Especially for the people in the old city of Tianjin, not only in the new city, but also they can enjoy interest-free loans from Aurora Bank, which allows them to buy their own discounted houses at a price much lower than that of outsiders.

If the title deed could be produced, the price would be even less worth mentioning. All those who could work would have jobs with good income. Now they could not only have enough food and warm clothes, they could also eat well and dress well!
With such a life, how could they not be grateful to Teng Yuzhao.

Amid the cheers of the people, an officer trotted up to Teng Yuzhao, who was frowning slightly, and seemed to say something.

After listening to the young officer's words, Teng Yuzhao nodded, seemed to take a deep breath of the cool air, then reached out and took off his military cap without a badge and waved it to the crowd, which immediately attracted even more enthusiastic cheers.

The crowd had already begun to surge towards Teng Yuzhao, which made the two rows of soldiers on guard suddenly nervous. At the command, they all raised their rifles and pointed their gleaming bayonets at the surging crowd, which calmed the restless people on the platform.

Teng Yuzao shouted loudly, "My fellow villagers, I am sorry for causing trouble to you all today! I, Teng Yuzao, am sorry for all of you!"

"However, I also ask the elders and fellow villagers to forgive my men. They had to do this for my safety."

"I can tell you one thing right now. Today, our Zhijun Tian Security Department uncovered an assassination attempt against me by the Russians. A group of Russian soldiers from outside the Great Wall in the concession are planning to attack my convoy on my way back to the Governor's Mansion in a while, intending to assassinate me!"

Teng Yuzao's words immediately attracted a burst of angry roars and curses, and Teng Yuzao shouted.

"Fortunately, the security department discovered it in time and has captured all the assassins."

(End of this chapter)