Passing through a big front yard, he saw Li Hongzhang in civilian clothes standing at the gate of the front hall waiting from a distance, Wang Bo couldn't help but be stunned, according to Chinese customs, like him, a white body without power and power, it is not worth Li Hongzhang, a big official who is above 10,000 people under one person, to go out to greet him personally.

This move is undoubtedly on the surface Li Hongzhang attaches great importance to himself, he is a little puzzled, he and Li Hongzhang have only met once, and the conversation is only a few words, what is worthy of Li Hongzhang's attention?

The host's family is so hospitable, as a guest, you should also respond with courtesy.

Wang Bo stepped forward quickly, clasped his fists and saluted, "I've seen Master Li." ”

Li Hongzhang said with a smile: "No need to be polite, you just came back from abroad, and you don't understand a lot of aspects of China, so let's use foreign etiquette as a meeting gift!" As he spoke, he held out a hand.

Wang Bo was stunned again, this strange move was too much, right? Li Hongzhang is also a Manchu official, and the ideological education he received is also feudal and conservative, even if you are one of the main leaders of the Westernization Movement, you shouldn't be so enthusiastic? Also offered to use foreign etiquette as a greeting gift?

As the saying goes, if something goes wrong, there must be a demon!

You have to be cautious and cautious, otherwise, you have to say thank you if you are sold!

He stretched out his hand to hold it, and said: "We have a book of "Lao Tzu" in Huaxia, which says that if you don't come out of the house, you can know the world. Master Li is really knowledgeable, and everything is in the middle of strategizing! ”

Li Hongzhang smiled faintly, let go of his hand, and said, "You grew up in a foreign country, and you are also interested in ancient Chinese literature?" Do you remember how many chapters this sentence is from, and what is the rest of the full text? ”

Wang Bo said: "Although I grew up abroad, my family has never forgotten to educate me about Chinese culture. This sentence comes from the forty-seventh chapter of "Lao Tzu", and the full text is: not out of the household, to know the world; Don't peep into the door, to know the way of heaven. Its emergence is also far away, and its knowledge is small. It is based on the fact that the saint does not know it, and it is not seen and understood, and it is made by Buddha. ”

The meaning of the full text is that without leaving the portal, you can deduce the affairs of the world; Without looking out the window, you can understand the natural laws of the movement of the sun, moon and stars. The farther you go, the less you will know the truth, so a saint with a path can deduce the truth without traveling far, understand the way of heaven without seeing it yourself, and achieve something without insisting on acting rashly. ”

Li Hongzhang nodded and said, "Well, your family deserves respect!" ”

Wang Bo understood the meaning of his words, he was respectful of his fictitious and fabricated family members who did not forget Huaxia even though they were abroad, and immediately bowed and said, "Your Excellency has praised it." ”

Li Hongzhang smiled and said, "Come, let's go in and sit down and talk in detail." ”

The two walked into the hall, sat down separately, and after the servant served tea and took a seat, Li Hongzhang said: "The explanation you just made is very good, a saint with a way can deduce the truth without traveling far, understand the way of heaven without seeing it in person, and achieve something without insisting on acting recklessly......

Speaking of this, he paused, as if he was out of his mind at this moment, and then he continued: "It is easy to say that you don't go out of the house, and know the world, but how many people can really do it? Scholars all over the world often say that if you don't go out, you will know the world. It is said that they can understand the world by reading books, and they can know what is happening outside without going out. ”

"I thought so when I was younger, but when I actually went out of the house, I found that things in the world were not the same as I imagined. I knew it was wrong! That's just wishful thinking, behind closed doors, and not everyone can become a saint with a way! ”

Wang Bo listened quietly, he could see Li Hongzhang's emotion at the moment, but he couldn't understand why Li Hongzhang would say such heartfelt words to such a stranger like him, he couldn't figure out what kind of medicine was sold in the other party's gourd?

Li Hongzhang smiled and said, "When I'm older, I just like to sigh." Tell me about you! You say you are from the United States. Jianhe. Where do you live when the nations have returned? Can you tell me a little bit about the situation in the United States of America? ”

Wang Bo's heart moved, and the flickering magic skill was immediately activated, nodded, and said: "The place where I live is a coastal city. Jianhe. In the northwestern part of the country, in the province of California, a city called San Francisco. The city was originally a colonial stronghold in the Western Strip Country, then taken over by the Mexicane Kingdom, occupied by the American army during the Mexican-American War, and gradually developed through the gold rush of decades ago, many of whom were sold here as coolies to dig gold and build railroads, and then these Chinese settled here, and they called the city San Francisco. ”

"Murray. Jianhe. Originally, the kingdom was just a settlement place for foreigners from all over the world, and before it arrived, this vast land about the same size as our Chinese territory was controlled by the local Indian aborigines. Later, more and more immigrants from various countries came in, and finally there were many wars with the Indians, and those Indians were outdated in weapons, using a small number of feather arrows and iron tools, and most of them only used some weapons made of stones, where could they beat the foreign foreigners who used advanced muskets and artillery. ”

In the end, tens of millions of Indians were slaughtered to the point that only a hundred thousand remained, and even became slaves, and all the land was usurped by foreigners from all over the world. Among them, there were territorial wars between the foreigners of these countries, and the English Empire won the greatest victory. Later, these immigrants lived abroad and did not want to be ruled by their mother country, so the War of Independence broke out, and after the victory, they became an independent country. ”

"More than twenty years ago, a civil war broke out in the north and south of the newly created country. It was the bourgeoisie that led the war in the north, and the fighting forces were the broad masses of workers, peasants and blacks. In the South, it was only the plantation slave owners who insisted on the war, and they waged the war with the aim of extending slavery to the whole country, while the North aimed at defeating the South and restoring national unity. ”

"The north has a large population, with more than 20 million people, and has a well-developed industry, a well-connected railway network, and abundant grain, while the south has only more than 9 million people, and most of them are still black slaves, with almost no industry, and there are few railways, but they are fully prepared for military affairs, and have a relatively well-equipped and well-trained army."

"This civil war lasted for four years, during which the northern government adopted a series of reform measures and policies, and with the emergence of the law abolishing slavery, it successfully won the recognition of many black slaves.

"After the War of Unification, the United States. The United States actively developed its economy and industry, shifted its focus from the main rural market to the urbanized and industrialized economic system, rapidly created cheap and high-quality textiles, clocks, guns and other goods, and gradually became the world's factory (almost the same as China's economic development now, it can be said that China is now following the development path that the United States once walked), and in just over 20 years, it has developed into a rich country and a strong people, and the world economy has jumped to the fourth place. At this time, they are actively developing their military strength with the backing of their strong economic and industrial strength, and their naval combat effectiveness is becoming stronger day by day, and it is believed that within 10 years, their naval combat strength will be among the top five in the world. ”

Wang Bo put the United States. The history of the development of the United States was briefly stated, and Li Hongzhang listened to it and fell into deep thought, and only after a long time did he say: "Your last sentence specifically mentions the United States. Jianhe. What are you alluding to when countries use their strong economic and industrial strength to develop their navies? ”

Wang Bo said solemnly: "My lord, my Chinese territory is close to the ocean, and it is one of the world's maritime powers. The imperialist powers relied on muskets and artillery, relying on strong ships and huge ships, to enter the seas of China, and to take the seas of China as a foothold to enter the hinterland of the mainland of China. ”

"Our China has such a large ocean but it can't resist foreign aggression, so that foreign aggression continues to break in from the sea, causing countless disasters and humiliations in our China, all of which are the great shame of my China."

"Our China faces the ocean on the north, east and south, and the coastline is more than 10,000 kilometers long. It can be said that the ocean is the gateway of my China, and by guarding the gateway of the ocean, my China can enjoy peace. Therefore, economically, I can learn beauty in Huaxia. Lijian. The United States has adopted the best of the United States and eliminated the dross, and has chosen various economic reform measures that suit China's national conditions to develop the economy and enhance its national strength. ”

"Militarily, our China should develop towards the sea, build a solid defense line in the ocean, vigorously develop the navy, make all preparations to defend the enemy outside the country, and even turn passive defense into active attack, so that China can stand on top of the world and restore the majesty of the Han and Tang Dynasties."

Li Hongzhang looked at Wang Bo's eyes with burning eyes, and after a while, he smiled, and said: "You said that since your great-grandfather, you have traveled across the ocean to Meili. Jianhe. All countries work hard to live, so say that your Wang family has grown up abroad for three generations since your great-grandfather, and all the ideas of foreigners are accepted, which country do you say you are from now? ”

Wang Bo was stunned for a moment, then made a solemn gesture, and said sonorously: "I said before, although I grew up abroad, my roots are in China, and what I have left on my body is always Chinese blood, I am proud to be a Chinese person, born a Chinese person, and died a Chinese ghost!" ”

Li Hongzhang nodded, with an appreciative look in his eyes, and said with a smile: "Let's just talk casually, don't be so serious, but it's a good thing not to forget." Okay, I'm inviting you here today to thank you for your rescue last night, come, come, I've ordered the feast to be done, and we'll talk while eating. Only talk about Fengyue, don't talk about state affairs. (To be continued.) )