Father of France

Chapter 186 Coman Must Come Out of retirement
After wasting several days acquiring land in Central, Ava Gardner hesitated again after learning that Hong Kong only had 600,000 people, feeling that investing in land in Hong Kong was not a good idea.

"Don't think about anything right now, just answer one question for me first." Koeman chuckled, telling Ava Gardner to calm down, and then asked, "What do you think of the British?"

“The British are the worst,” Ava Gardner replied without hesitation.

Britain has long been a global superpower that has suppressed the United States, and there are many negative voices against Britain within the United States. Although the United States has begun to replace Britain's pre-war position, the voices that Ava Gardner has long been subjected to still make her have little affection for Britain.

"That's right. That's why Britain won't expand the area of ​​land development. Only by keeping the land within a certain limit can they ensure that they get the maximum return with the minimum investment."

Koeman explained in detail, "The country to the north of Hong Kong is the most populous in the world, and there is no shortage of people coming in to take over. If Britain needs to, it can relax border patrols; if it can't absorb them, it can control the border. The initiative is in the British hands."

Hong Kong Island is not large, but the New Territories have a considerable amount of land, so theoretically, the distorted real estate market that later emerged should never have occurred.

However, during the period when the Hong Kong British government existed, the British hoarded excess land and did not develop it, thus controlling the development area of ​​Hong Kong and causing Hong Kong's housing prices to remain high.

Without the influx of people from outside Hong Kong, this model simply wouldn't find enough people to take over. But Hong Kong is, after all, the only channel for the great Eastern power to enter the world for the next thirty years, and its role is irreplaceable.

To illustrate, consider the future influx of foreigners into Hong Kong as firewood, and the land for development in Hong Kong as a pot of suitable size. Britain doesn't want to build a bigger pot, since the firewood is plentiful and there's no need to worry about running out. Building a bigger pot would require more investment, so maintaining the status quo maximizes Britain's interests.

Britain could do nothing and easily reap huge profits from Hong Kong by leveraging its unique status and foreign population.

After explaining the intricacies of the situation, Koeman turned to Ava Gardner and asked, "Perhaps the British themselves don't realize this yet, but they will sooner or later. Do you think there's potential for real estate development here?"

This is a special time. The British themselves have no clue about the development of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong is not that important anymore.

For Western countries, with so many excellent ports under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek, what competitive advantage does Hong Kong have?

Hong Kong was most competitive precisely after 1949, transforming itself from one of the masses into something unique.

At that time, Hong Kong did not have a unique status, which is why Governor MacDougall attached great importance to Ava Gardner's land investment. In his view, Americans could invest directly in Shanghai and did not need to come to a poor and remote place like Hong Kong to do land transactions.

Nobody knew that Hong Kong would become a hot commodity because of Chiang Kai-shek's defeat. Only Coman knew that this was the lowest point for land prices in Hong Kong, and that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Ava Gardner looked at Coman with a meaningful gaze, as if struck by a sudden realization, and said, "Darling, you seem to know all the tricks of the trade in England."

“Of course, I’m French,” Coleman said, head held high. “In this world, the French are the ones who understand the British’s underhanded tactics best.”

Having reached a consensus on the value of Hong Kong land, Coman didn't rush to inquire about Wu Tingyan's progress. Instead, he and Ava Gardner enjoyed some alone time at the hotel, where the view of Victoria Harbour was quite nice.

Ava Gardner stood by the window, gazing at the harbor at night. She turned back to look at the hardworking man with a resentful expression, her voice rising and falling in a soft, broken whisper, "You're so awful, you had to push me over there after your shower..."

“I saw you were very interested,” Koeman replied, leaning forward and resting his chin on Ava Gardner’s shoulder. “They say young people should be willing to try new things.”

In fact, Koman was not very optimistic about Wu Tingyan's advice. The reason was perhaps unconvincing: he felt that Wu Tingyan had not participated in the imperial examinations and that her education had resulted in her lack of ability.

Vietnam also had the imperial examination system, which it learned from its northern neighbor. Vietnam is actually very good at learning, but it only learned a little bit of everything.

The imperial examination system in this great Eastern country also went through different stages, which were closely related to the social atmosphere at the time.

The imperial examination system in the Northern Song Dynasty was different from that in the Tang Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, poetry could be a way to gain fame and officialdom, but in the Northern Song Dynasty, it was basically an advantage for scholars.

While it might add points for an official, it wouldn't guarantee a secure future. Essentially, the Northern Song Dynasty was far more pragmatic than the Tang Dynasty, and its civil service examination system became much more realistic.

The Northern Song Dynasty actually looked down on the Tang Dynasty, believing that its own dynasty far surpassed the Tang. This was mainly due to the reactionary influence of the regional warlordism that plagued the late Tang Dynasty.

The period from the late Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was the most inhumane time for this great Eastern power. The destruction of humanity far surpassed any period before or after it, not even the Sixteen Kingdoms period. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, killing people for military rations became a common practice; a quick glance at the records of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms reveals that several regimes did this. Even the newly established Northern Song army would kill civilians to satisfy their hunger before going to war, and it took many years for the Northern Song army to change this habit.

After the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the Northern Song Dynasty became much more conservative, which also changed the literary atmosphere, and the imperial examination system became very pragmatic.

From the perspective of civil administration, this change was not necessarily a bad thing. The civil officials in the Northern Song Dynasty were of a significantly higher caliber, and the pinnacle of ancient mathematics also appeared in the Song Dynasty.

The consequence was that the Song Dynasty's military prowess was truly lacking, which later dynasties considered a failure of the Song Dynasty.

The imperial examination system continued to evolve after the Song Dynasty, and by the time of the Hongwu Emperor, the eight-legged essay had emerged.

The eight-legged essay is merely a format for writing; it is not inherently wrong, but the fact that it draws its questions from the Four Books and Five Classics greatly reduces the range of choices available.

Other fields also don't have exams, so naturally no one studies them, and from then on, the ancient Eastern power never produced any noteworthy achievements in mathematics again.

Vietnam's civil service examination system likely remained at the level of the Song Dynasty, lacking the rigid format of the eight-legged essay and with less emphasis on essay questions. However, the eight-legged essay, a type of political essay addressing current affairs, was still present in the Vietnamese civil service examinations.

Political essays are the core of the eight-legged essay. The eight-legged essay is just a format for writing articles. Those who like to discuss politics like to discuss politics, but they just dislike the format of the eight-legged essay, simply because they are not good at writing and cannot write it.

If Ngo Dinh Diem had truly experienced Vietnam's civil service examination system, he would certainly have been an official who spent a long time in a politically active environment, and he wouldn't have done so many things that surprised our friendly nations.

It was precisely Wu Tingyan's study of Western jurisprudence that turned him into a traditional litigious lawyer, leading to his downfall and the resulting public outcry.

Even so, Koeman still hoped that Ngo Dinh Diem would not allow him to intervene, as he did not want to get involved in something similar to the Japanese sending someone to seduce Puyi.

Koman's prayers were unsuccessful. The day after Ava Gardner and the Hong Kong British government signed the land sale agreement, Ng Ting Yan, who had been trying to persuade Emperor Bao Dai to come out of seclusion, appeared and informed Koman that Emperor Bao Dai was unwilling to come out of seclusion.

"Does he like living a life of leisure?" Coman didn't say anything because Ngo Dinh Diem hadn't completed the task. It was simply because Emperor Bao Dai thought France wasn't sincere about Vietnamese independence and wanted to set a price.

Wu Tingyan is incompetent, so Coman must step in. "Mr. Wu, take me to Repulse Bay tomorrow to meet His Majesty. France is willing to discuss practical issues with His Majesty."

The black Citroën of the French Consulate in Hong Kong, carrying Corman and Ng Ting-yin, departed on time. Emperor Baodai, on the balcony of his villa in Jardine's Lookout, always used binoculars to watch the flights taking off and landing at Kai Tak Airport—those silver wings might be carrying secret envoys from Paris or advocates for the advancement of Saigon.

Today, Emperor Baodai clearly saw the Citroën approaching from the road. As the French Citroën drew closer, he knew he was about to receive another real guest.

The Citroën stopped in front of the villa. Wu Tingyan got out first, followed by Koman and two consulate officials. Wu Tingyan pointed to the villa and said, "Judge Koman, this is it."

"His Majesty's life is still not a cause for concern." Koman glanced at the exterior of the villa, smiled, and walked inside.

Emperor Bao Dai was already waiting, and he was not surprised even when he saw Koman's face, maintaining the demeanor of a monarch: "I have no influence over the political situation in Vietnam anymore."

“Your Majesty is far too modest,” Koman retorted after understanding the meaning through the translator. “Does Your Majesty mean to say that some Vietnamese politicians are willing to exchange three tons of Mekong Delta cinnamon for a single condemnation of the Ho Chi Minh government by the former monarch?”

After making a pointless joke, Koeman didn't forget his mission and got straight to the point: "Compared to the Viet Minh's tight organization, the various sectors of Vietnamese society now determined to liberate the country from the Viet Minh lack a leader in a real sense. No one but His Majesty has the ability to be that leader."

"France has absolutely no sincerity in pursuing Vietnamese independence; that's the fundamental problem," Emperor Bao Dai replied slowly. "What's the point of me going back if this problem isn't resolved?"

“The meaning is to take action. Simply thinking is useless. Your Majesty should also express your response to the supporters from all walks of life in Vietnam through action.”

Koeman disagreed, saying, "If France weren't currently suppressing the Viet Minh, His Majesty's return would be pointless. So this isn't a problem between France and Vietnam, or between you and me. We should unite to solve the problem together. Besides, France isn't against Vietnam's independence, but rather wants to guarantee the independence of Cambodia and Laos, which the Viet Minh clearly doesn't want to do."

(End of this chapter)