Training the Heavens

Chapter 351 Director of the Professor Department

"Military academies are different from ordinary schools. They involve many sensitive matters. It's not appropriate for an outsider like me to get involved rashly." Zhang Xingjiu immediately declined. "I can bring some students to teach them. Forget about the school preparations. Besides, there are a lot of things going on at National Guangdong University. I'm really too busy to get involved too much."

The military academy must first unify its thoughts, but this cannot be achieved, let alone other matters; even the principal is planning to quit. Zheng Sanfazi felt that the position of principal was too low and was unwilling to take the position. It was only after being persuaded by others and realizing the importance of this position that he came to take the position.

Yixian also knew this, but the preparations for the military academy were indeed not progressing as expected, and Zhang Xingjiu's help was greatly needed. He immediately promised him, "Zhou Ping, you only need to liaise with me. Don't pay attention to other people, and don't get involved in other disputes. Just focus on making the plan better."

After repeated truthfulness, Zhang Xingjiu finally agreed and told Yixian the good news. "A few years ago, you told me you wanted to set up a military academy. I asked some friends in Europe and America for help and recommended several students to study at military academies in Europe and America, mainly the École Militaire Saint-Cyr in France, the United States Military Academy at West Point, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom. They specialized in technical subjects like civil engineering and artillery command. Now that they have graduated, it's a good time for them to return to serve."

Although the Republic of China had fought wars for so many years, its technological content was not high. The Beiyang army was able to become the strongest army in the country by relying on its old foundation learned from German instructors. However, they did not realize that their tactics had long been outdated, let alone other armies.

Now Zhang Xingjiu arranges his students to learn advanced technology from European and American countries, and then pass it on to these military academy students, which will be of some use when the Japanese invade in the future.

Yixian was delighted when he heard this. "These are all world-class military academies. They must have learned a lot of advanced military technology to graduate from these schools. It's perfect for them to serve as instructors."

He then quickly asked for the names and resumes of these students, and asked someone to reserve a few instructor positions so that he could talk to each of them one by one after they returned home in a few days to determine the final positions.

Zhang Xingjiu also quickly sent a telegram to these students, telling them that time was urgent and asking them to take a boat directly to Guangzhou to meet up. While on the boat, they could also think carefully about what to teach these students.

The next day, Zhang Xingjiu brought some people to Cheung Chau Island in the middle of the Pearl River. It was far away from the city and surrounded by water, making it a perfect place for students to study with peace of mind.

Construction of the school building was currently underway on the island. Zheng Sanfazi greeted Zhang Xingjiu repeatedly upon seeing him. "I've heard of Mr. Zhang's great name since I was in Shanghai, but unfortunately, I never had the chance to meet him. Now that the military academy has your help, it's truly a great addition. We're sure to achieve great things."

Zhang Xingjiu responded while muttering to himself that he had heard that my reputation was probably not about academics, nor about education, but a legend in the stock market.

Zhang Xingjiu made a lot of money in the Shanghai stock market in recent years, which strongly supported the construction of Aurora University. Zheng Sanfazi lost a lot of money in the Shanghai stock market and almost jumped into the Huangpu River.

Several people visited the island together. Zhang Xingjiu was very cautious in his attitude. He only talked about professional matters and did not participate in other things. After some discussion, he reluctantly came up with a plan that could speed up the preparation progress of the school.

Upon hearing that Zhang Xingjiu would be teaching the cadets, Zheng Sanfazi immediately expressed his willingness to step down. He knew Zhang Xingjiu wouldn't accept it, but he was just saying this to impress Yixian and demonstrate his magnanimity. As expected, Zhang Xingjiu shook his head repeatedly as he finished speaking. "The military academy is different from other schools. I've never had any military experience, so being a principal is definitely not appropriate for me. I'd rather just teach the cadets math and physics."

The more he declined, the more Zheng Sanfazi invited him. When the full-time president position failed, he was offered the honorary president position. Finally, it was Yixian who made the decision. "Zhou Ping still has to serve as the president of National Guangdong University, so he really doesn't have time to stay at the military academy. So forget about the president position! We can only let Zhou Ping serve as the director of the faculty department, specifically responsible for managing professional courses."

Everyone was happy, and then they asked about the people in the professorial department. Yixian told him that the original director was Wang Bailing, who had studied in Jiangsu Army Primary School, Baoding Beiyang Army Speed ​​​​Training School, Japan Zhenwu School, and Japan Army Officer School, and the deputy director was Ye Cangbai, who graduated from Yunnan Military Academy; now Zhang Xingjiu and Wang Bailing are both directors, each responsible for a piece of work.

The former was fine, as he was fired shortly after taking office because of his dissolute lifestyle. The latter was a well-known figure, but Zhang Xingjiu had met Chen Zhonghong and others before, so he was not uncomfortable meeting this person again.

This time, Zhang Xingjiu didn't refuse. Seeing this, Zheng Sanfazi made a new suggestion, "All directors and instructors in the military academy have military ranks. Wang Bailing was awarded the rank of major general. Should Mr. Zhang also have the same rank?"

Zhang Xingjiu waved his hands repeatedly, "That's not necessary. Military ranks should not be abused. I have never been a soldier, so I shouldn't be awarded a rank, so as not to break the rules."

With the help of Zhang Xingjiu's team, the preparation progress of the military academy suddenly became much faster. When the school building was completed, the instructors who had studied in foreign military academies also came back. Yixian and Zheng Sanfazi were very satisfied with their professional knowledge and immediately entrusted them with important tasks, allowing them to serve as instructors of many important subjects.

At the same time, the school's enrollment work was also carried out in full swing. When representatives from various places came to Guangzhou for a meeting, Yixian asked them to recommend students. After returning to their hometowns, these people immediately actively mobilized and recommended outstanding young people to come to Guangzhou to apply for the exam.

In April, the military academy organized a unified entrance examination and finally admitted 470 students, including 350 regular students and 120 reserve students, divided into four battalions.

In June, the military academy officially opened. Yat-sen gave a speech encouraging the students, "If we want to make the revolution a success, we must make a resolution from today onwards to never pursue official positions or wealth for the rest of our lives, but to dedicate ourselves solely to the cause of saving the country and the people... Only then can we achieve the goal of the revolution."

Most of these students were passionate young people with revolutionary ideas. They were immediately excited when they heard these words. They couldn't wait to complete their studies and lead the army to wipe out the corrupt Beiyang warlords and build a brand new country.

After school started, Zhang Xingjiu walked into the classroom as promised and taught them a professional course. He walked up to the podium, looked at the curious students below, and asked, "Are you wondering why the military academy wants me to teach you?"

(End of this chapter)