In the lounge of the racecourse, Hervé Jacques Césaire, the consul general of Tianjin of France, was reading the newspaper, reading and laughing: "Marry, the Chinese you often mention does have a very deep insight into European history. www.biquge.info For this article on the rise and fall of Portugal, he was qualified enough to be a lecturer at the University of Paris. ”

"Is it just a lecturer? Why not a professor. Marion looked at her husband suspiciously.

"There is a wealth of research on the history of Portugal, and many of his views are not unusual, they are just erudition." Hervé explained.

Marion smiled, "That's because you haven't heard of his unique views on the Soviet Union." ”

"I'm looking forward to it." Herway smiled too.

He had just read the Beijing-Tianjin Times, which was founded in 1894 and changed from a weekly newspaper to a daily newspaper in 1902, in both English and Chinese. The original intention of the newspaper was to serve as the mouthpiece of the Bureau of the British Concession in Tianjin, and to speak specifically for the British.

Of course, for its own interests, Britain sometimes helps the Chinese speak through the Beijing-Tianjin Times. For example, it strongly opposes the "21 Articles" proposed by Japan and opposes the resolution of the "Paris Peace Conference" to transfer Shandong to Japan. The newspaper also strongly opposed the opium trade, the Anglo-Japanese alliance, arms smuggling, warlord secession, and human rights and dignity.

In general, this is a foreign newspaper with a crooked buttocks, but it still retains a little bottom line, and it has a great influence on foreigners in China and the upper echelons of China.

As for the Zilinxi Bao, which published "The Rise of Great Powers," it was a weekly newspaper headquartered in Shanghai, which has not yet been published, and its ass is even more crooked than that of the Beijing-Tianjin Times, and it often interferes in Chinese affairs.

Roger Powell Spencer, the British Consul General in Tianjin, got up with a smile and said, "The Chinese and their emperor are here." ”

Pu Yi and Wanrong always look affectionate in front of outsiders, holding their arms and smiling all the time.

When everyone met, Pu Yi was also very gentlemanly, kissing the two consuls' wives respectively, and then shaking hands with the other three men. The etiquette of grace is much more traditional, with both hands on the waist and a slight bend of the legs to make a blessing.

Marien enthusiastically introduced Zhou Hexuan: "Mr. Zhou, this is my husband Herway, this is the British Consul General in Tianjin, Roger, and this is the commander of the French garrison in Tianjin, Li Fusen. ”

"Hello!"

"Hello!"

After everyone shook hands, they went to the stables not far away. Marrien asked with concern, "Mr. Zhou, do you know how to ride a horse?" ”

"I know a little, but I'm not proficient," Zhou Hexuan replied with a smile, and said, "You still call me Charles." ”

"Very well," Marion smiled, "Charles, you can pick a docile mare." ”

Zhou Hexuan nodded and said, "Thank you for the suggestion." ”

With the help of the horse breeder, Zhou Hexuan quickly selected a pure black mare, black and shiny like silk, which was transported from Europe. This breed is a warm-blooded breed with good speed, stamina and agility, as well as a docile temperament, suitable for polo, three-day races and dressage.

As for British thoroughbreds, although they are very good at running sprint races, they are not suitable for playing polo, and it is easy to lose control and cause accidents.

Zhou Hexuan used to travel around the world, but it was not as simple as taking a plane or ship to a certain scenic spot. He would live there for a while, interacting with the locals as much as possible, having learned to ride horses when he was in Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

Turning over and sitting on the back of the horse cleanly, Zhou Hexuan found that his physical fitness was much stronger after crossing. He looked at the emperor's side, and saw Pu Yi holding her graceful waist to help her get on the horse, so expressed, no wonder the foreigners in the Tianjin concession said that Pu Yi had grace and connotation.

Hehe!

Zhou Hexuan lightly clamped the horse's belly, and the horse trotted towards the polo field very obediently, and the servants also ran after him with ball bags.

Polo is played against two teams of 4 players each.

In addition to Zhou Hexuan, Pu Yi and Wanrong, the strongest garrison commander Li Fusen was also assigned to their group, with Zhou Hexuan and Li Fusen as the forwards. On the opposite side were the British consul couple and the French consul couple, with the two consuls as the strikers and the two ladies as the rearguards.

After kicking off, soldier Li Fusen first touched the ball and flicked the polo in the direction of Zhou Hexuan with a stick. Although Zhou Hexuan had never played this sport before, it felt quite simple after understanding the rules, provided that you could ride a horse.

Just when Zhou Hexuan was about to hit the ball, the French consul Roger suddenly slashed out at a 40-degree angle, knocked the ball away with a stick, and the French consul Hervé easily received the ball and galloped towards the opponent's goal.

The two consul generals, who were also the chairmen of the Anglo-French Concession in Tianjin, were the top administrators of their respective concessions, but they did not have much to do in their day-to-day affairs. It's a pain to be idle all day, and I can only pass the time by engaging in these entertainment activities, and one can play more than the other.

"Defend, defend!" Li Fusen turned his horse's head and shouted.

Pu Yi and Wanrong, the two defenders, were obviously incompetent, and when they saw the other party killing, they only made a symbolic interception, and then were easily scored by the French consul.

In just seven minutes, the opposite side scored five points in a row, and General Li Fusen said that he really couldn't bring three rookies, and he was too lazy to fight anymore. Zhou Hexuan played more and more, his riding skills were no worse than the two consuls, and after gradually becoming familiar, he actually scored a goal unexpectedly in the second quarter.

"Yay!" Wanrong waved her bat excitedly and rushed up to actively scramble.

Although the technology is bad, the attitude is good.

Pu Yi has always been slow and methodical, still maintaining the aristocratic demeanor of his Laoshzi, and is completely unable to integrate into the collective activities.

After the whole game, the consul couple won by a big margin of 42:9, and those who didn't know thought they were playing a basketball game.

During the break, Li Fusen drank water and encouraged: "Charles, you are very talented in polo, you will be familiar with it after a few more games, and we can form a team next time." ”

"Really? Then you have to call me next time you play. "Zhou Hexuan's main purpose is to make friends with these foreign devils, especially the garrison commander who has soldiers in his hands.

In order to do what he liked, Zhou Hexuan took the initiative to talk about Napoleon and tried his best to praise His Majesty the Emperor's great military exploits. This was really very much the appetite of the French general, and soon the two began to talk and laugh, like old friends who had not seen each other for many years.

Pu Yi watched from afar, and felt that Zhou Hexuan was outstandingly talented, not only knowledgeable, but also so good at social skills.

After having lunch at the club, Pu Yi took advantage of Zhou Hexuan's toilet to immediately follow and pester, hoping that Zhou Hexuan could be loyal to assist him.

When the emperor is in this position, there is no one.

Pu Yi is now in short supply, and when he sees someone who has the ability, he wants to recruit him. Using the game "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" as a metaphor, Pu Yi is a bare-bones monarch, and Zhou Hexuan is a military general in the field with good attributes.

Zhou Hexuan didn't immediately agree to him, but smiled and asked, "Do you want to hear me tell the truth?" ”

"Please." Pu Yi nodded.

Zhou Hexuan said: "You are quite a re-emperor, and there are only the following three ways. ”

"Three of them?" Pu Yi was overjoyed.

Zhou Hexuan said: "First, find a place to train the troops and bring back the lost country." ”

Pu Yi was speechless for a moment, if he could train the army, would he still need to bear the current wretchedness?

Zhou Hexuan continued: "Second, take advantage of the contradictions of various forces to get the election of all warlords and be a puppet emperor with peace of mind. ”

This is what Kang Youwei is doing, but Pu Yi has been a puppet enough, and he asks expectantly, "What else?" ”

Zhou Hexuan said: "Third, put down the emperor's frame to enter politics, or join an organization with potential. For example, the Kuomintang Party, such as the Red Party, and even you can go south to take the Whampoa Military Academy and slowly get up step by step. With who you once was, you must be easily accepted. Although the abolished emperor is a abolished emperor, the influence is still there, and if you join any party, it will greatly increase the prestige of that force. ”

Pu Yi's brain was a little dizzy: "But ...... But they will guard against me, and it is impossible to give me real power. ”

Zhou Hexuan smiled: "It's better than your current situation." If you don't want to join any force, you'll always be alone. And after joining a potential emerging force, you can always slowly gain the recognition of some people around you. Although the hope of becoming an emperor is slim, it is not a problem to be a big official, and even after having enough qualifications, maybe he can become a big president. ”

Zhou Hexuan is not talking nonsense, as long as Pu Yi puts down his body and takes refuge, both the Kuomintang and the Communist Party will raise their hands to welcome him. It's just that the former will use him, and the latter will transform him, and the final outcome is only known to God.

Pu Yi seemed to have lost his soul, thinking about Zhou Hexuan's third proposal repeatedly, sometimes feeling very reasonable, sometimes feeling unreliable. Of course, his biggest doubt is still unwilling to let go of his identity as an emperor.

"Looks like I'll have to talk to Master Kang." When Pu Yi was at a loss, he couldn't help but think of Kang Youwei.

At this moment, with the publication of the "Beijing-Tianjin Times", Zhou Hexuan and his "Rise of Great Powers" finally entered the attention of some Chinese and foreign upper-class people and cultural scholars.