Chapter 659

In the early 20th century, it was not easy to study abroad. Not only was it expensive, the most important thing was the language barrier.

The prerequisite for studying abroad was to first learn a foreign language. Not only did they have to meet the requirements for oral communication, but they also had to be able to take the exam.

Apart from Japan's fly-by-night universities that were open to accepting students, all other universities had a threshold. Unless they paid a high sponsorship fee, they could only pass the entrance exam.

There was no standard for whether it was a written exam, an interview, or a recommendation.

To stand out, other than personal ability, it was more important to have connections.

This was also the main reason why students from the Far East went to Japan. After all, they could study there. If they went to study in other countries, they did not even know if they could get admission.

Nanyang University's enrollment was no exception. The entrance exam was limited to a few test sites in Nanyang. It was impossible to send people all over Asia to organize the exam.

The Ministry of Education had regulations that the exam syllabus must revolve around secondary school textbooks. For the same exam questions, overseas students who crammed hard at the last minute obviously could not compete with local students who had studied hard for more than a decade.

It seemed like there were more than a thousand students from all over Asia, but in fact, most of the students who could stand out in the written exam were from Nanyang.

If they could not pass the written exam, it meant that they were cut off from free education and could only pay to study.

Nanyang University had just been established, and William did not have much confidence, so the fees were still very fair.

Compared to the high tuition fees in China, the lowest fees in Nanyang University only cost 500 Divine Shields per year.

For international students with rich backgrounds, this was naturally not a problem. But for most students with average family backgrounds, this was a big problem.

Especially for traditional families that relied on farming and studying, it was an astronomical figure. Even if they had ten thousand acres of fertile land, the annual income was only about ten thousand taels of silver.

It seemed enough, but most families relied on this income to survive. At most, it could support one or two students.

Of course, the main reason was that there were only rumors of the abolition of the imperial examinations. It had not become a reality, so people were not very enthusiastic about studying abroad.

After the imperial examinations were abolished, when everyone realized that studying abroad was the only option left, that would be when the Far East students would be exported like crazy. At that time, they would be supported by the entire family.

"Bo An, don't joke around. It's fine for those who just came to Japan, but we have been studying for a few years and are about to finish our studies. If we go to Nanyang and start from scratch … "

Halfway through his sentence, Liu Renxin realized that he had said something wrong. There were not only old students present, but there were also many new students.

Perhaps the speaker didn't mean it, but the listener was interested! Even though it was inconvenient for him to flare up immediately due to his pride, the thorn in his heart was still buried.

If they were strangers, it would be fine. After the misunderstanding was resolved, they could still be friends. On the contrary, once such a misunderstanding appeared between friends, even if it was resolved, it would be difficult to return to the past. The world of adults was never simple.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, one of Liu Renxin's friends changed the topic and said, "Brother Liu, you don't have to be pessimistic. What we have learned in Japan is really limited. It's not a bad thing to have the opportunity to further our studies.

As far as I know, many Japanese students are also preparing for the exam, preparing to participate in Nanyang University's competition.

Now that the situation in Tokyo is unclear, we should also make plans early. Even if we can't get the first grade, we should at least get the admission qualification. "

This was a fact. At this moment, the Japanese people's yearning for the European world was the craziest. No one who was qualified to study in Europe would choose to stay in the mainland.

Although Nanyang University was not a European university, it was still very attractive to have a prince of Shinra as the principal.

After graduating from Nanyang University, it would be much easier for him to further his studies in Shinra.

The Japanese students were all preparing for the exam, and the impact on the international students was undoubtedly huge. Even if someone told them that Nanyang University was a diploma mill, no one would believe it.

The greater the attraction of Nanyang University, the greater the competition. When the time came, not only would they have to compete for the entrance exam, but they would also have to compete for the places to study at their own expense.

After all, a school was a school, and it could not be completely commercialized. Although the highest bidder could maximize the profits, Principal William could not afford to lose face!

Under such circumstances, they could only continue with the exam. However, to ensure the fairness of the educational resources, the Ministry of Education of Shinra had a rule that the number of self-funded students could not exceed five percent of the total.

Of course, international students were not included in the quota. In principle, as long as they could afford it and the school could accommodate them, the more the better.

Local universities did not have this problem. The high cost scared away 99 percent of international students. The real consideration was Nanyang University.

The tuition fee of 500 DND stopped some people, but it was not enough to deter others. There were still many people who met the requirements.

The first, second, and third grades were born under this background. The lower the grade, the higher the tuition fee. Those who could not even get a third grade were bad students. Nanyang University did not accept trash.

This was an awkward problem. There were many top students among the international students, but there were also many bad students. Most of them had one thing in common, and that was — they had no hope of entering the imperial examinations.

The main purpose of sending them out to study was to become officials. There was no need to talk about saving the country. That was just the students' personal thoughts. It did not represent the whole family behind them.

In a sense, it did not matter to them whether their results were good or bad. It was mainly for the sake of being gilded.

However, after studying abroad for a few years, they did not get a diploma from a Japanese school, and they could not even get a place at Nanyang University. They would not be able to explain it to their families.

"It's not long before Nanyang University's enrollment. If we want to improve our results in a short time, we can only raise funds to hire private tutors."

Seeing that no one responded, Li Boan took the initiative to break the ice. It was better to make a last-minute effort than not at all.

It was estimated that there was more than one person who had similar thoughts. However, everyone was used to boasting that they were geniuses and were embarrassed to admit that they were bad students.

Of course, it was a bit too much to say that they were bad students, but it was true that most people did not learn much when studying in Japan.

After all, Japan's educational resources were also scarce these days, especially higher education resources.

University teachers were mainly sent out to study abroad. Most of the students went to a diploma mill in Europe at the same time. After learning a little bit, they began to teach.

Most of the time, the teachers were organized to study first, and then they went back to teach the students. To be able to cultivate talents, the main reason was that everyone was willing to study.

At the University of Tokyo, it was common to see teachers and students studying a problem until late at night.

In comparison, a diploma mill was a completely different story. Many teachers had never been to university before. They would just read through the textbooks once and that would be considered as a lesson.

Except for a few students who could get into a formal university and learn knowledge, most of the students were just idling around.

…

The storm caused by Nanyang University had just begun, and it was quickly suppressed by a new hot topic.

On February 6, 1904, the Government of Japan suddenly announced that it had severed diplomatic relations with Russia, and the situation in the Far East suddenly became tense.

Everyone knew that war was coming. Only the Tsarist government was caught in a "blind spot" at the moment. Nicholas II also vowed to the people that the Government of Japan would not dare to make a move.

Well, in recent decades, the Government of Japan was indeed timid when facing the great powers. Whether it was the original Kurofune incident, or the Philippines War, or even the previous embassy case, as long as the great powers intervened, the Government of Japan was timid.

But the problem was that when the Government of Japan was timid, there was a common characteristic: the opponent was too strong, and they could not win.

Obviously, the situation was different now. Although the Russian Empire was strong, their power in the Far East was limited.

At least before the Siberian Railway was opened, the power of the Russian Empire in the Far East was no match for the Japanese.

Since they could win, why would the Government of Japan be timid?

In any case, a war between Japan and Russia was unavoidable. Taking advantage of this time to fight was much more likely than waiting for the Russians to prepare for war.

Of course, the most important thing was that Britannia and Shinra had officially severed relations. With the support of the British ally, it could offset the diplomatic pressure from Shinra.

…

In Vienna Palace, after receiving the news that Japan and Russia had severed diplomatic relations, Franz had to step out of his comfort zone and continue to fulfill his duties as a monarch.

Driven by the butterfly effect, the war between Japan and Russia had also undergone earth-shaking changes. At this moment, it was not only a war between Japan and Russia, but also a game between Shinra and Britannia.

It was true that Shinra wanted to cheat the Russians, but the outside world did not know about it! In the eyes of many people, the Russo-Austrian Alliance and Russia were still one in terms of strategy.

The current war between Japan and Russia was not only a struggle for hegemony in the Far East, but also a game between Britannia and Shinra for world hegemony.

The actors were already in place, and now they were waiting for the gongs and drums to sound to start the show. As the host, how could Franz be absent?

In theory, it was not a big problem to let his son host. But Franz was not at ease!

It was fine if there were mistakes during normal times, but at this time, any mistakes in the details could lead to the failure of the next plan.

It was fine if the plan failed, but he was afraid that not only did they not cheat the Russians, but they also exposed the plan in advance and pushed the Russians to the British side.

Although the Holy Roman Empire had the upper hand, and it was not impossible to win one against two, the risk was high!

Obtaining victory through strength and stability was true happiness. Obtaining victory through taking risks was a gamble. For a big country, gambling was undoubtedly a big taboo.

When it came to digging traps, Franz believed that he was better at it than his son, especially when it came to cheating the Russians.

Just look at the Tsarist government. They had been cheated many times, but they had never acted up. This was enough to explain the problem.

…

Franz said, "Japan and Russia have broken off diplomatic relations. It seems that war will break out in a few days. Frederick The Great, start taking action!

We must create a trade conflict with the British before the news of the outbreak of war between Japan and Russia spreads and inflate the prices in advance. "

There was no other way. The Russo-Austrian Alliance had an agreement that if a war broke out, the other party must provide support.

The most important one was that during the war, the price of strategic materials could not be increased. Simply put, the price of the first order was the same as the price of the subsequent orders.

This time was different. The Tsarist government did not believe that the Japanese would dare to make a move, so they did not order strategic materials in advance.

It just so happened that the outbreak of the Anglo-Austrian trade conflict provided the best excuse for the price increase. Franz naturally would not let go of this opportunity.

It was a purely commercial activity, so it was normal for the price to fluctuate. Even if the Tsarist government found out, they could not say anything.

"Father, this is not good, right? The Tsarist government has financial difficulties, and they can't even raise the war funds in a short time.

If there are no accidents, the Russians will have to borrow money from us in the end. If we inflate the prices now, it will only make the Russians go bankrupt in advance. "

It was not that Frederick The Great had high moral integrity, but mainly that the Russian Empire was too poor. After the outbreak of war, a large part of the expenses had to be paid by the Government of Vienna.

The higher the prices, the more money the Government of Vienna had to lend. With the financial situation of the Tsarist government, the repayment could be said to be far away.

As for the collateral taken out by the Russians, the symbolic significance was greater than the practical significance. If the collateral was really paid in kind, it was estimated that the relationship with the Russo-Austrian Alliance would come to an end.

Of course, there was an exception, and that was when the Tsarist government was forced to a dead end and could only sell off their assets to survive.

The specific example could be the Soviet Union after the collapse of the original time and space. As long as they could exchange it for money, they would sell whatever they had. If they didn't sell it, it must be because they didn't give enough money.

As long as they gave enough money, they could even sell nuclear bombs. If it weren't for the leak of information during the operation, the first nuclear bomb transaction in human history would have been completed.

It was obviously not an easy task to force the Russian Empire to a dead end. In the case that Shinra couldn't do it themselves, the Nihonese couldn't do it alone.

In this context, for the Government of Vienna, the more money they lent to the Russians, the more they would lose in the end.

Inflating the price of strategic materials, the cheap ones were the capitalists, even though many enterprises in Shinra were controlled by the government and the royal family.

Franz shook his head and said earnestly, "Frederick The Great, remember one thing: 'If you want to take, you must first give.'

If you don't lend more money, how can the Russians feel at ease? "

"The one who owes money is the boss." This theory was also applicable at the beginning of the 20th century. If they lent too much money, the creditor would also be held hostage by the debtor.

In the original time and space, the Americans lent too much money. In order to ensure that the money they lent didn't go to waste, they had to personally help the Allies after the surrender of Russia.

This was considered a positive example. There was also the negative example of Britain and France. Because the debtor, the Hairy Bear, was finished, it caused the debt to be lost, which directly affected the speed of domestic economic recovery after the war.

Now the Government of Vienna was facing the same situation. If the Russian Empire was finished, the financial system of Shinra would also be affected.

The size of the impact was ultimately determined by the amount of debt. It could be said that the more money they lent, the tighter the economic ties between Russia and Austria would be.

Franz naturally didn't do it because he was willing to help others. The most important thing was to make the Tsarist government feel at ease.

A debt of a few hundred million wouldn't be able to hold Shinra hostage, but a debt of more than a billion or even a few billion would really be impossible to get rid of.

In order to lure the Tsarist government, Franz was also prepared to pay a heavy price.

It was just "money." As long as he could become the final winner, it didn't matter if he printed a little more.

Even if it caused an economic and financial crisis, more than half of the world would share the loss. Franz could afford the loss.