Training the Heavens

Chapter 304 Discussions from all parties
"Haha, Zhou Ping has spread China's reputation overseas today. It is really worth celebrating! It's a pity that Zhou Ping and A Zhang are not in Shaoxing, otherwise we would definitely have a few drinks." Xu Xilin, who is now teaching classics and mathematics at Shaoxing Prefecture School, rushed into Wang Ziyu's house with a newspaper.

"Oh? Bo Sun, show me quickly, what is going on." Wang Ziyu quickly grabbed the newspaper and read it quickly. After reading it, he said he was very happy. He immediately took out the wine and pulled Xu Xilin to drink.

Shou Pengfei also received the news and immediately returned to Sanwei Bookstore to tell Shou Jingwu. The old man was delighted but couldn't help but frown. "The foreigners already have strong ships and powerful artillery, and now they are spending a lot of money to encourage people to study science. On the other hand, our Qing Dynasty is still conservative. What will happen in the future?"

"Yes, two hundred and seventy thousand taels of silver, such a huge sum of money, who wouldn't be jealous?" Shou Pengfei also felt sympathetic, and then he admired Zhang Xingjiu even more. "Zhou Ping was able to donate all of it to build a school, which is really rare."

"I have educated countless people, and Zhou Ping is the most outstanding one. However, what he is famous for now is not the knowledge I taught him." For a moment, Shou Jingwu didn't know how to comment.

Shou Pengfei quickly consoled him, "Although Zhou Ping has switched to modern learning, his principles in life were taught by you, father. His willingness to donate 270,000 taels of silver to support education must have been influenced by you. With a disciple like him, what else could you be dissatisfied with?"

Zhang has been studying at the Mining and Railway School attached to the Jiangnan Army Normal School for more than two years. According to his current progress, he will graduate in a few months. He was very excited when he saw the news in the newspaper that Zhang Xingjiu won the Nobel Prize.

Zhang's major was mining, which has always been inseparable from explosives. Learning about explosives cannot be done without the Nobel Prize, so he has a deeper understanding of the award than others.

"Zhou Ping is really amazing!" he praised sincerely.

If it were someone else, if their childhood friend achieved such success, they would either be jealous or become depressed, thinking that they would never be able to catch up with the other person. But Ah Zhang was not like that.

He swore in his heart again that Ah Tu had made such great achievements, and he could not fall behind him. After graduating from the Mining and Railway School, he would fulfill his previous promise and go to study abroad in Japan. After returning to China, he would fight for the rise of China like Ah Tu.

After saying that, he quickly took out the letter paper and wrote a letter to Zhang Xingjiu, praising his achievements and telling him about his plans.

After writing it, Xiang Xiang wrote another letter to Qian Junfu. They often exchanged future plans through letters. Qian Junfu was also very interested in studying abroad in Japan, so he agreed with him to go to Hongwen College to study Japanese together to prepare for studying abroad in the future.

In Hangzhou, upon receiving the news, Qian Junfu immediately gathered Li Suizhi, Jiang Baili, Shi Chengzhi, and other students from Qiushi Academy. Holding newspapers, he loudly announced the good news, then echoed Zhang's sentiments. "Mr. Zhang is about our age, yet he's already accomplished so much. Compared to him, we're really wasting our time. So, I'm planning to enroll at Hongwen Academy to study Japanese in preparation for my future study abroad in Japan. Who among you wants to come with me?"

"Let's go together!" Li Suizhi, Jiang Baili, Shi Chengzhi and others responded.

In Tianjin, at the Kaiping Mining Bureau, General Manager Yan Fu saw the news in the newspaper and couldn't help but laugh. "Ma Xiangbo really found a good son-in-law! It's a pity that I met Zhou Ping too late, otherwise I would have competed with him for one!"

"However, it's a pity that such a talent as Zhou Ping remains confined to Shanghai!" He had recently received numerous letters from the capital, informing him that the court was preparing to reopen the Imperial University of Peking, and that many friends had invited him to take up important positions there. Yan Fu felt that inviting Zhang Xingjiu north to teach science would greatly improve the university's teaching standards, so he quickly picked up pen and paper and wrote to Ma Xiangbo and Zhang Xingjiu.

At Shaanxi Middle School in Xi'an, Yu Boxun saw the news in the newspaper and excitedly slammed his desk. "A few days ago, I saw in the newspaper that Aurora College was recruiting students, so I wanted to go to Shanghai to apply. However, the journey from Xi'an to Shanghai is too long, and even if I went, it would be too late! I didn't expect to miss such a big event!"

"Why don't I just go to Shanghai now and live there for a few months while I wait for Aurora College to start recruiting students again? That way, I'll definitely be able to catch up with next year's exams, and maybe even meet Mr. Zhang!"

Yu Boxun acted decisively and immediately found the school teacher to request to drop out of school. When the teacher saw that it was him, he approved it without saying a word.

This was a very daring fellow. Last year, when Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu went on a hunting expedition to Chang'an, the school was turned into a temporary palace and classes were suspended. Students and citizens were ordered to kneel in welcome. Yu Boxun angrily wrote to the Shaanxi Governor Cen Chunxuan, asking him to "kill the Empress Dowager Cixi with his own hands and implement new policies again." Fortunately, he was stopped by his classmate Wang Bingling and was spared from disaster.

Although the matter was suppressed, the teachers still vaguely heard some rumors. Who wouldn't be worried about such a bombshell? Now that he wants to drop out of school, it's simply what he wants. Who would stop him?

In Chengdu, Wuhan, Changsha and Qingdao, many young students who were worried about the future of the country also had the same idea as Yu Boxun. They left their hometowns and went to Shanghai to prepare to apply for Aurora University.

In Tokyo, Japan, Sun Yat-sen was leaving his hotel, about to meet a friend. Just as he was leaving, he heard a newsboy on the street shout, "Mr. Zhang Xingjiu of the Qing Dynasty has won the world's highest scientific award—the Nobel Prize in Physics. Mr. Zhang is the pride of Asia."

"Give me a newspaper!" Sun Yat-sen immediately stopped the newsboy, took the newspaper and saw that it was indeed the Zhang Xingjiu he knew.

Reading the main text again, Sun Yat-sen was even happier. Zhang Xingjiu's winning of the award was indeed an honor for all Chinese people, and even all yellow people. No wonder even Japanese newspapers praised him as the light of Asia.

Reading further, Sun Yat-sen's expression became subtle, because the newspaper also truthfully reported that Zhang Xingjiu donated all of his 250,000 kronor prize money.

This made him admire her but also feel a little distressed. With so much money, how great would it be if even one tenth of it could be used to fund the revolution?
After some thought, he went to the post office and sent a telegram to Zhang Xingjiu. He congratulated him on the award at the beginning, and only wrote the English letter C at the end.

Zhang Xingjiu did not hesitate much after receiving the telegram and remitted 30,000 silver dollars to him as promised.

I returned home, packed up, and boarded a passenger ship to Europe the next day to go to Stockholm to receive the award.

(End of this chapter)