Training the Heavens

Chapter 318 Aurora University
"Student Li Siguang greets Mr. Zhang!" A boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old immediately bowed respectfully when he saw Zhang Xingjiu.

Zhang Hongzhao, who transferred from Nanyang Public School to Aurora University last year, explained, "Siguang's original name was Zhongkui, also known as Zhonggong. He was from Huanggang, Hubei. Last year, he went to Wuchang to apply for the Higher Primary School. When filling out the application form, he mistakenly wrote down 'fourteen' for his age, then realized it was wrong. On a sudden inspiration, he changed 'ten' to 'Li' and added 'Guang' at the end. From then on, he was called Li Siguang."

Zhang Hongzhao was also from Zhejiang and had the same surname as Zhang Xingjiu. He spoke without the restraint of the others. "Shortly after Siguang entered the elementary school, he passed the exam to study abroad in Japan at public expense. He came to Shanghai now, firstly to wait for the opportunity to study in Japan, and secondly to learn Japanese in advance. It just so happened that Aurora College had a crash course in Japanese, so he signed up and became good friends with the student right away."

"Si Guang has admired you for a long time. Today, I heard that Mr. Zhang would be coming, so I came to visit you."

Zhang Xingjiu couldn't help feeling a little proud when he heard this. All his hard work over the past few years had finally paid off. He had finally gained some fame. Zhu Kezhen had just come to ask for advice, and now Li Siguang was coming to visit him again. If he could help him achieve greater achievements than in the original history, that would be a good thing.

"Zhonggong, there's no need to be so polite. It's not easy for you to be admitted as a government-funded overseas student at such a young age. I wonder what subjects you are going to take when you go to Japan?" Zhang Xingjiu returned the greeting, and at the same time muttered to himself, "Your name is quite good."

"I have long harbored the ideal of 'saving the country through science'. Now our country is poor and weak, and is constantly invaded by foreign powers. This is all because the country does not have a strong army, especially a navy to defend against the enemy outside the country. So I decided to go to Japan to study shipbuilding machinery, and after completing my studies, I will return to China to build a powerful armored fleet for the country." Li Siguang said in a firm tone.

Recalling his later experiences, Zhang Xingjiu couldn't help but think of A Zhang. A Zhang was also planning to join the navy, so he entered the Jiangnan Naval Academy to study. However, after studying for a while, he found that to build a navy, he must first have steel, and to have steel, he had to learn to mine, so he transferred to the Mining Academy to study.

Li Siguang, who had studied shipbuilding machinery in Japan for a period of time, also discovered the same problem. He realized that in order to change the country's current situation of poverty and weakness, it was necessary to strengthen the exploration and development of natural resources. So he went to the University of Birmingham in the UK to study further, specializing in geology. In this way, he became one of the founders of Chinese geological science.

The patriotism of this generation is truly touching. Zhang Xingjiu encouraged him and left him his contact information, telling him that he could ask for help if he encountered any trouble in Japan. If he couldn't find a good place to go when he returned to China in the future, he could also come to Aurora University to teach.

Two months later, when Li Siguang was about to leave, Zhang Xingjiu held a farewell banquet for him and gave him some gifts he would need while studying abroad. He also asked him to help deliver letters and gifts to Ah Zhang, Li Shouzhi, Qian Junfu, and others. "We are all studying in Japan together. Getting to know each other will help us look after each other in the future. Besides, they have also studied at Hongwen College and can share their experiences with you, so you can avoid some detours."

"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Zhang. I will definitely help bring it to you." Li Siguang was a little worried about his study abroad life. Now that he heard that there were acquaintances there to help take care of him, he finally felt a lot more relieved.

Watching the passenger ship that Li Siguang was on slowly sail out of the port and disappear below the sea level, Zhang Xingjiu couldn't help but feel emotional. Since the Opium War, countless aspiring young people have boarded ships like him, bravely traveling to other countries without fear of risks, determined to find a new way out for China. Although this road is extremely difficult, there are always people who continue to move forward.

Perhaps it is precisely because of this spirit that China has been able to achieve rebirth after a century of humiliation and once again stand at the top of the world's nations.

Shortly after Li Siguang's departure, the MSG production equipment ordered from abroad arrived. This time, Zhang Xingjiu chose American products. Europe still had a stronger chemical industry, but the US was developing rapidly, and their products offered comparable performance at lower prices than those in Europe. After careful consideration, Zhang Xingjiu ultimately placed the order with the American manufacturer. Leveraging his connections with financial groups like Morgan and Mellon, and capitalizing on the eagerness of American companies to expand into the Chinese market, Zhang Xingjiu secured a significant discount for the Lotus MSG Factory.

The American technician who arrived in Shanghai on the ship quickly led the workers to install the equipment. He then took charge of the technical work of the MSG factory while training students from Aurora University. After he completed the training, he could return to the United States, and these students would take over his technical management of the MSG factory.

Zhang Xingjiu had high expectations for these students. Before the training class began, he called them over and reminded them, "You must not only learn how to operate and repair these devices, but also understand their operating principles. We can't keep importing equipment from the United States or other countries. Sooner or later, we will have to produce equipment of the same level or even better. Whether we can do so depends on you."

These words gave the students a lot of pressure, but more importantly, they were motivated. They all said, "We will definitely live up to the trust of our teachers."

They said it and did it. They got up early every day to follow the American technicians in class and practice. After class, they gathered together to review and discuss the day's learning results. It only took a few months for them to fully master these equipment.

After MSG was put on the market, it was immediately welcomed. Not only did restaurants and hotels in Shanghai rush to buy it, but many foreign businessmen also came to wholesale it and bring it back for local sales. As a result, Aurora College also had a relatively stable source of funds.

With the departure of the American technicians, Aurora University also ushered in summer vacation. Students could go home and rest for a while, but Zhang Xingjiu, Ma Xiangbo and others became even busier.

Because the annual enrollment season is here again, they placed advertisements in local newspapers in advance, attracting many aspiring young people to apply. The number of applicants increased by a zero compared to the first year, and the quality is getting higher and higher.

After the exam, the number of qualified students was counted and it was found that nearly a thousand people met the admission criteria, and a similar number of students were admitted to the preparatory classes.

Ma Xiangbo, Zhang Xingjiu and the others were overjoyed and at the same time felt very fortunate. "Fortunately, the school had expanded before, otherwise it really wouldn't be able to accommodate so many students."

At this time, Zhang Xingjiu made a suggestion, "Now that the school is on the right track, can we change the college into a university?"

(End of this chapter)