Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Tang Tingshu was really shocked. He had just arrived in Shandong, and Liu Ye didn't even know him well, yet he dared to hand over all the daily affairs of Dengzhou Prefecture to him. This trust alone was something he had never encountered in his life!

Liu Ye's courage alone is something he has never encountered before. As the saying goes, "Don't employ a person you doubt, and trust a person you employ." This is what it means, right?

Tang Tingshu stood up, his face flushed, and whispered, "Your Excellency, as the saying goes, a man will die for his confidant, and a woman will dress up for the man she pleases. I am grateful that you think highly of me. Even if it means working hard for me, I will definitely complete the task you have assigned me!"

Liu Ye laughed and said, "Working hard? No! Brother Jianshi, those who achieve great things don't pay attention to trivial matters. They should treat important matters lightly. If you pay attention to every detail, I'm afraid it won't take long before you really work hard. Only health is the most important thing. Only when you are alive are you valuable. Once you die, it's all over. If you want to achieve more, you must have a balance between work and rest and take good care of yourself, haha..."

"Yeah……"

Tang Tingshu nodded repeatedly. Now Tang Tingshu's heart was full of the feeling of having met a wise leader. What Liu Ye said sounded reasonable to him.

Rong Hong, who was standing by, was quite young after all. Seeing that Tang Tingshu was given such an important position right from the start, he couldn't help but ask, "Your Excellency, I wonder what Mr. Lin Yi and I can do for you?"

Liu Ye smiled and said, "Of course there are more important things waiting for you, but they are not as conspicuous as Brother Jianshi's. I am afraid that I have wronged you."

Yung Wing said excitedly: "Your Excellency, what are you talking about? We came to Shandong to do things and realize our ambitions. As long as Your Excellency allows us to display our abilities, it doesn't matter what you ask us to do!"

Liu Ye said in a deep voice, "Since that's the case, Mr. Chunfu, you've studied abroad and are more knowledgeable about Western social economics and have a deeper understanding of foreign languages. I need to hand over the most important task I have, which is difficult for others to handle, to you."

"What business?"

Yung Wing asked.

"That's the Qilu Bank I founded!"

Liu Ye replied, "Brother Chunfu, the Qilu Bank is a combination of capital from eight large Shandong banks and the capital of Mr. Qiao Zhiyong, a wealthy Shaanxi businessman. Add to that my own investment and that of the Shandong Provincial Government, and the total capital has reached six million taels of silver. Furthermore, within six months, we've raised millions more from the public. Qilu Bank now has a capital of no less than twelve million taels. Even in America, this would be considered an upper-middle-sized bank. However, even though the bank is ready, we lack suitable managers and a suitable helmsman. Now, you're the only one in Shandong who can shoulder this important responsibility..."

Yung Wing was shocked. He had never expected that the Governor-General would hand over such a hot potato to him. The Qilu Bank involved a capital of tens of millions of taels, and it was handed over to him with just a few words. The pressure he felt could be imagined. After all, although he understood the West, he was not a talent in the banking field. He could only have a rough understanding of Western economics, but was far from being proficient in it!

Yung Wing hesitated for a moment and replied, "Your Excellency, this burden is indeed not light. I feel enormous pressure. After all, I..."

Hahaha……

Liu Ye laughed heartily and said, "Brother Chunfu, I know you didn't study Western finance, but do you think there's anyone else around me who can take on this important task? Only you can take on this important task. Of course, you're proficient in foreign languages, so foreign books won't be difficult for you. You can learn while you work. I think in a few years, you'll be able to become a figure on par with Western financial elites!"

Yung Wing smiled bitterly and said, "Your Excellency the Governor thinks highly of me. Although my abilities are limited, since you have shown me such a great favor, I will do my best to fulfill my duty and strive not to disappoint you..."

Liu Ye nodded and smiled, "Alright, Brother Chunfu, don't be so nervous. It's just a bank. I believe you won't let me down. However, in this case, you will have to go to Jinan to take charge, and you will be separated from the two gentlemen for a while..."

Feng Guifen was the oldest of the three and was known for her steadiness, so she remained silent.

Liu Ye looked at Feng Guilan and said, "Mr. Lin Yi, I've heard of you since I was a teenager. You're a master of both Chinese and Western learning, not only well-versed in Chinese culture, but also quite accomplished in Western studies. I've already prepared a great opportunity for you, Mr. Lin Yi, to realize your ambitions and leave your name in history!"

Feng Guifen raised her eyebrows and said calmly, "Haha, Your Excellency, I'm not like them. They're both practical and adept at governing and managing finances. I'm just a scholar who recites poems and writes couplets. I just want to have something to do and leave my name in history, but I don't have that extravagant hope..."

Liu Ye smiled and said, "Mr. Lin Yi, I plan to establish a university in Shandong. A university that will be no less worthy than Yale College, Brother Chunfu's alma mater, to educate people. In the future, if we want to enrich our country and strengthen our military, we need talents in this university. By then, Mr. Lin Yi will surely have many students all over the world. However, compared to his previous students, these students will be true students. Everyone who graduates from Qilu University will be an elite who is practical in their studies or who seeks knowledge through the study of things, rather than a corrupt scholar who picks out quotations from books!"

This!

Feng Guifen's heart was moved. Teaching and educating people has always been his profession. However, the teaching environment is different, and the sons educated here are also different. According to Liu Ye, the ones cultivated here are either practical talents who will govern a region in the future, or those who will study the world and gain knowledge, and explore the physics. These are the talents that this country really needs, and they are far from being comparable to those useless scholars!

Feng Guifen said in a deep voice, "Sir, please forgive my frankness, but building a university like this is not easy. China doesn't have that many practical talents, especially those who can stay in universities to apply their knowledge to society. They are even rarer. As for the pursuit of knowledge through the study of things, haha, there is even less of that. We can't compare with the West, and even compared with schools in Hong Kong, we are far behind!"

"Of course!"

Liu Ye replied, "If we follow the old methods, we might as well open a college. Why bother building a university? The reason for building a university is to introduce various Western disciplines and knowledge. In this university, all academics are equal, a hundred schools of thought contend, and there is no mutual oppression or coercion. That's why the position of president of this university has always been vacant. I have been waiting for such a person, and today I have finally come to Dengzhou. That person is you, Mr. Lin Yi. There are not many great scholars who have traveled all over China and have the broad mind to look at the world. Mr. Lin Yi, I think you are worthy of this position!"