"Every day, Princeton University is becoming less of an academic playground and more of a military school. Hundreds of students dressed in uniform and trained in military training have been given way to regular teaching classes every week, turning the schoolyard into a barracks with loud bugles.

G, you know how much I want to come to China to talk to you about mathematics and talk about mathematical problems, I really envy you at this moment, and you can still swim freely in the sea of mathematics, may God let this damn war end as soon as possible......"

On the cruise ship to Europe, Cheng Nuo did not only focus on Germany, but also included the United Kingdom, France and other countries, especially the United States, which he is more familiar with at the moment, and was within the scope of Cheng Nuo's investigation.

In the middle, he also specially instructed his classmates in the United States to focus on the current situation in the United States and study actively.

Cheng Nuo still remembers his past life, and there was a joke circulating on the Internet in the early years, saying that the United States was very confused every autumn, saying that China quickly mobilized and increased troops, and then disappeared quickly after a month, very puzzled, and only later did I know that this is our unique military training.

However, when it comes to military training in the strict sense, the United States also started very early, and even more specialized.

At present, 525 colleges and universities in the United States have set up student military training camps, accounting for 94 percent of the country's colleges and universities, and about 165,000 male students have been conscripted into student military training camps in various schools, accounting for 74 percent of the total number of college students in the country.

At the same time, the "Student Army Training Camp" project was launched, which recruited student soldiers on campus, opened war-related courses, and comprehensively carried out military education.

Cheng Nuo did not pay much attention to the military training courses and military theories in the specific courses, but the applied courses related to war that were simultaneously carried out by these universities made him pay more attention.

Not because of it, but because these courses include automobile driving and repair, electronic communications, electrician, forging and cast iron, gasoline mechanic, mechanic, sheet metal worker, etc., all of which are urgently needed and coveted by Chengnuo's development industry.

So Cheng Nuo also wanted to see if he could lure some professionals to come over through his compatriots in the United States.

Even if you can't find talent, get back some teaching materials or equipment, it's pretty good.

After all, no matter how powerful Cheng Nuo is, it is impossible to cover all industrial classifications.

"In this way, Ren Gong will trouble you to send another telegram to the American Student Union, to the effect that we don't need to think about saving money at the moment, as long as it is useful to us and conducive to development, we must not refuse to come, the more the better, if you miss this village, there will be no such store."

Liang Qichao hesitated and asked, "Is it the same for the military?" ”

Without waiting for Cheng Nuo to answer, Jiang Baili on the side took the lead in speaking out: "It's definitely not enough to just be a rich man, we must learn to arm ourselves, teacher, you also said that it is the duty of the strong to exterminate the weak, and it is necessary for the evolution of the world." Without the ability to prevent it, the wealth that has been accumulated so hard in the end will inevitably be snatched away. ”

As a military layman, Cheng Nuo took Jiang Baili with him, not only because he was a student of Liang Qichao, but also wanted to see if he could let his subordinates, the only military talent, come to the battlefield of World War I to learn something, and come back to carry out his own militarized education.

Now seeing Jiang Baili take the initiative to speak out, not only did he not feel very abrupt, but he was relieved: "Military and science are not separated, and if you want to develop military capabilities, the level of science and technology should not be bad. ”

After pacing in place for a while, Cheng Nuo raised his head and said seriously: "For example, military optics, ordnance, topographic survey, food preservation, lethal gas, dyes, explosives, smoke screens, substitute fuels, submarine detection, etc., these are very useful to us, and they are also good at the United States, so I recommend that students pay attention to them." ”

Although he didn't understand the specific meaning, Liang Qichao still nodded: "Okay, I'll do it." ”

Looking at Liang Qichao's distant back, Jiang Baili wanted to speak again and again, but finally forcibly held back and sighed.

Cheng Nuo knew this: "Don't blame your teacher, he was also very appreciative of natural science at the beginning, and said that he would import the world's theories as much as possible. ”

Jiang Baili lamented slightly: "The teacher's idea is still too naïve, and the international status is not obtained through negotiation, but ...... Alas. ”

Cheng Nuo waved his hand generously: "So what, at least Mr. Ren Gong is still actively contacting his friends in North America to help us do these things." Although the United States is looking at the full mobilization of troops at the moment, it looks much more advanced than us, but this also means that we can fish in troubled waters and quietly transfer some technology. ”

However, thinking of the history of American universities, Cheng Nuo's sense of urgency came to his heart again.

It is precisely because of the active participation of American universities during World War I that their universities have largely shifted to the track of war in the three aspects of teaching, scientific research and service, rather than being confined to pure academic concepts.

University teachers and students have also formed an "intellectual army" to serve the country, rather than pedants and scholars in ivory towers.

And this impact was not limited to the wartime, but also further affected the development of higher education in the United States after the war, and its positive performance also reversed the long-standing anti-intellectual prejudice of the American public that despised universities as "useless".

With the great improvement of the public impression and social status of universities, American higher education has ushered in an era of unprecedented prosperity, which is known as the "golden decade" of American university enrollment expansion and development, which can be called the first era of mass higher education in American history.

If he does not seize this opportunity to complete the industrial base at home and do not take advantage of this precious window of time to develop university education, then the higher education between the two countries will be further and further apart for the remaining half century, until it is beyond reach.

And this negative impact will also become more and more prominent when Cheng Nuo develops high-tech industrial technology.

"It's a pity, there is only one in the Southwest Associated University, it's too short, too small, and too weak!"

It is rare to encounter fire clouds, the sea and sky are the same color, and the eyes are all fiery red.

Perhaps because of the surging excitement of being infected by the environment, Cheng Nuo suddenly turned to Jiang Baili and said solemnly: "Brother Baili, can you help me do one more thing?" ”

Jiang Baili said cautiously: "I don't know what Zhiyuan entrusts?" ”

Cheng Nuo said seriously: "When I go back, I plan to set up a scientific research and development committee, focusing on military heavy industry, which is specifically responsible for signing scientific research contracts with universities and providing scientific research funds to the latter, and adjusting the original industry-university-research complex to a 'military-industrial-academic complex'." ”

Jiang Baili frowned and thought about it, feeling that there was a certain possibility, and then asked: "I am good at military affairs, you are good at industry, what about academics...... In other words, is the academic aspect taken care of by other branches within our Academy of Sciences? ”

Cheng Nuo smiled dumbly, and then shook his head: "It is difficult to make a forest alone, the ancients have long understood the truth, and I will naturally not forget it." ”

Jiang Baili's eyes gradually welled up, and he said in disbelief: "Could it be that we want to take the order outside the academy and use our money to subsidize other schools?" ”

Cheng Nuo said with a smile: "Why not, as long as these schools are willing to build or organize various military or industrial science laboratories on campus, we are willing to place orders for them, and even pay relevant funds in advance to support the construction of their laboratories." ”

Although he was more excited about Cheng Nuo's decision, as a member of the Academy of Sciences, Jiang Baili couldn't help but worry about it: "In this way, the pressure on scientific research funding is bound to be not small, and we will be burdened with huge pressure, which ...... Is it really worth it? ”

Cheng Nuo smiled and said: "Worth, of course it's worth, even if our Academy of Sciences fails in the end, as long as a relatively perfect higher education and scientific research system is formed in China, it will be of great benefit to the country and the people, and it can't be better." ”

As the sun sets, the moon begins to take over the sky.

"The so-called standing on the edge of the bright moon does not weaken the momentum of the starlight."

……

One of the destinations of this trip, Britain and France, is currently distributed with more than 100,000 Chinese workers.

In a dormitory at a construction site, Cai Da opened the curtain and broke in reluctantly, without taking off his shoes, and lay back on his bed.

Maybe it's because I'm too angry, whether it's lying on my back or on my side, I can't find a comfortable position.

The dormitory was already in tatters, and the upper and lower double beds inside naturally wouldn't be much better, but now after Cai Da tossed it like this, the whole bed squeaked in pain, and it was expected to disintegrate and fall apart in the next second.

Cai Gui, a fellow villager who slept on the top bunk, was unhappy, poked down a head and scolded: "I said, Cai Da, what kind of crazy are you smoking today, what's the matter, you can't exhaust your strength, you have the ability to beat the foreigner?" ”

Cai Da was originally unhappy, but now that he was provoked like this, his anger immediately burned again, and he raised his foot to the upper bunk bed board, and almost kicked Cai Gui above: "I can't beat foreigners, I can't beat you?" ”

Cai Gui's temper on the top bunk is not much better, and now that he is being bullied, he jumped down directly from above, knocked the stool, and took off a stool foot to theorize: "I don't dare to say anything else, I have to cure your foul mouth today." ”

Cai Da scurried up and said in a rough voice: "Come on, who is afraid of who is the grandson." ”

Seeing that the two were about to fight, the rest of the dormitory hurriedly stood up to persuade them and asked the reason.

It took a long time to find out that the problem was the language barrier.

Most of the workers recruited by Britain and France in China are leaving the country for the first time. When they first arrived in Europe, they encountered many difficulties, the first of which was the communication barrier.

Because the managers of the Chinese Troupe were all British and French officers, and there was a shortage of high-level translators at that time, the communication between the two sides was extremely poor, which often led to misunderstandings and contradictions.

The reason why Cai Da is angry at the moment is precisely because the British say "go", which they regard as an abusive "dog", and they are quite angry and refuse to cooperate with the work.

Under the confrontation between the two sides, he was reprimanded just now, and when he was angry, Cai Da was punished even more heavily.

After asking the reason, several Chinese workers in the dormitory suddenly felt bitter, mixed with a little powerlessness, and the atmosphere in the room was both depressing and heavy.

After Cai Da calmed down, he began to feel a faint sense of guilt in his heart, and tried his best to ease the atmosphere, but unfortunately this was really difficult for him, after trying a few times, the atmosphere became more and more strange, and finally accidentally glanced at the newspaper on the table, and excitedly held it in his hand, wanting to read the news.

But after getting the newspaper, he suddenly remembered that he would write a name, and he didn't know the meaning of the whole order.

In the end, Cai Gui took the newspaper, took the newspaper and said seriously: "It's not easy for everyone in a foreign country, so let's come." ”

After reading the newspaper, they found that the newspaper "Huagong Magazine" was full of introductions to Cheng Nuo, in addition to describing his personal achievements, but also crowned with the pride of the Chinese, indicating that this talented person would come to Britain and France to express condolences to the local Chinese workers.

This is good, and the atmosphere in the room is completely warm.

In fact, Cheng Nuo didn't know about the reported incident, and these were all arranged by Cai Yuanpei.

It turned out that this "Huagong Magazine" was also in charge of the Huafa Education Association, and although the founder was Qi Yunqing, Cai Yuanpei wrote a lot of articles for the magazine, and had a very good relationship with it.

It aims to popularize knowledge and teach language to Chinese workers. The miscellaneous was written only in the vernacular, which greatly facilitated the laborers

Although the overall literacy rate of Chinese workers is not high, and those who are illiterate are "nine times out of ten", they can also gather and listen to people read the newspaper, so the influence of the "Chinese Workers Magazine" is very high, and it is one of the main reading materials of Chinese workers in this period.

Before leaving, Cheng Nuo said to Cai Yuanpei, saying that he could consider enlisting the support of these 140,000 Chinese workers.

At that time, Cheng Nuo only thought it was a joke, but he didn't expect Cai Yuanpei to really do it in advance.

At the outbreak of World War I, China adhered to a neutral stance, but later chose to fight on the side of the Allies as the situation changed. However, due to the limitations of factors such as economic backwardness and insufficient national strength, the Beiyang government finally did not directly send troops to participate in the war, but fulfilled its obligation to participate in the war by "replacing war with work".

In a sense, this policy also balances deep domestic contradictions.

These Chinese workers made great contributions to the First World War, during which they were attacked by German submarines on the way to France, and were killed by mines, bombs, and diseases after the war, and suffered many casualties.

It is disappointing that despite the fact that so many Chinese workers were buried in their homeland and could not return to their hometowns, the Allies still erased China's achievements after the end of World War I, completely denying the sacrifices and contributions of Chinese workers.

On this trip, Cheng Nuo contacted the Chinese workers, condoled with these hard-working people, preached our merits, and finally helped these people return to China.

If possible, it can also be introduced into your own plant.

Now that I have received the care of the big scientists in my hometown, my heart can't stop beating wildly.

"Tell me, what else is there?"