Chapter 351 Dean of the Professor Department
"Military schools are different from ordinary schools. They involve many sensitive matters. It is not appropriate for an outsider like me to get involved." Zhang Xingjiu declined immediately. "I can bring some students to teach them. Forget about the school preparations. Besides, there are many things to do at National Guangdong University. I am really too busy to participate too much."
The military academy must first unify its thoughts, but this cannot be achieved, let alone other matters; even the principal was planning to quit. Zheng Sanfazi felt that the position of principal was too low and was unwilling to take the position. It was only after being persuaded by others and realizing the importance of this position that he took the position.
Yixian also knew this, but the preparations for the military academy were indeed not going as planned, and Zhang Xingjiu's help was really needed, so he immediately promised him, "Zhou Ping, you only need to connect with me, don't care about other people, and don't get involved in other disputes. Just be responsible for making the plan better."
After he told Yixian the truth again and again, Zhang Xingjiu finally agreed and told him a piece of good news. "A few years ago, you told me that you wanted to set up a military academy, so I asked some friends in Europe and America for help and recommended several students to study in military academies in Europe and America, mainly the Saint-Cyr Military Academy in France, the United States Military Academy at West Point, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom. They specialize in civil engineering, artillery command and other technical subjects. Now that they have just graduated, it is a good opportunity for them to come back and take up their posts."
Although the Republic of China had fought wars for so many years, the technical content was not high. The Beiyang army was able to become the strongest army in the country by relying on its old foundation learned from German instructors. However, they did not realize that their tactics had long been outdated, let alone other armies.
Now Zhang Xingjiu arranges his students to learn advanced technology from European and American countries, and then pass it on to these military academy students, which will be of some use when the Japanese invade in the future.
Yixian was delighted when he heard this. "These are all world-class military academies. They must have learned a lot of advanced military technology to graduate from these schools. It's just right for them to serve as instructors."
He then quickly asked for the names and resumes of these students, and asked someone to reserve a few instructor positions so that he could talk to each of them one by one after they returned home in a few days to determine their final positions.
Zhang Xingjiu also quickly sent a telegram to these students, telling them that time was urgent and asking them to take a boat directly to Guangzhou to meet up. While on the boat, they could also think carefully about what to teach these students.
The next day, Zhang Xingjiu brought some people to Cheung Chau Island in the middle of the Pearl River. It is far away from the city and surrounded by water, which is perfect for students to study with peace of mind.
The construction of the school building is in full swing on the island. When Zheng Sanfazi saw Zhang Xingjiu, he greeted him repeatedly, "When I was in Shanghai, I had heard of Mr. Zhang's name for a long time, but unfortunately I didn't have the chance to meet him. Now that the military academy can get your help, it is really a great help. There is no need to worry about not being able to accomplish great things."
Zhang Xingjiu responded while muttering to himself that he heard that my reputation was probably not about academics, nor about education, but a legend in the stock market.
Zhang Xingjiu made a lot of money in the Shanghai stock market in recent years, which strongly supported the construction of Aurora University. Zheng Sanfazi also lost a lot of money in the Shanghai stock market and almost jumped into the Huangpu River.
Several people visited the island together. Zhang Xingjiu was very cautious in his attitude. He only talked about professional matters and did not participate in other things. After some discussion, he reluctantly came up with a plan that could speed up the preparation progress of the school.
Upon hearing that Zhang Xingjiu was coming to teach the cadets, Zheng Sanfazi immediately expressed his willingness to step down. In fact, he knew that Zhang Xingjiu would never accept it. He said this just to leave a good impression in front of Yixian and to show his magnanimity to others.
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Xingjiu shook his head again and again, "The military academy is different from other schools. I have never had any military experience, so it is definitely not appropriate for me to be the principal. I'd better just teach the students some math and physics knowledge."
The more he refused, the more Zheng Sanfazi invited him. He failed to be the full-time president, so he changed to honorary president. In the end, it was Yixian who made the decision, "Zhou Ping still has to serve as the president of National Guangdong University. He really doesn't have time to stay in the military academy, so forget about the president! We can only let Zhou Ping serve as the director of the professorial department, responsible for managing professional courses."
Everyone was happy, and then he asked about the people in the professorial department. Yixian told him that the original director was Wang Bailing, who had studied in Jiangsu Army Primary School, Baoding Beiyang Army Speed Training School, Japan Zhenwu School, and Japan Army Officer School, and the deputy director was Ye Cangbai, who graduated from Yunnan Military Academy. Now Zhang Xingjiu and Wang Bailing are both directors, each responsible for a piece of work.
The former was fine, as he was fired not long after taking office because of his dissolute lifestyle. The latter was a well-known figure, but Zhang Xingjiu had met Chen Zhonghong and others before, so he was not uncomfortable meeting this person again.
This time Zhang Xingjiu did not refuse. Seeing this, Zheng Sanfazi made a new suggestion, "All directors and instructors in the military academy have military ranks. Wang Bailing was awarded the rank of major general. Does Mr. Zhang have the same rank?"
Zhang Xingjiu waved his hands repeatedly, "That's not necessary. Military ranks should not be abused. I have never been a soldier, so I shouldn't be awarded a rank, so as not to break the rules."
With the help of Zhang Xingjiu's team, the preparation progress of the military academy was greatly accelerated. When the school building was completed, the instructors who had studied in foreign military academies also came back. Yixian and Zheng Sanfazi were very satisfied with their professional knowledge and immediately entrusted them with important tasks, allowing them to serve as instructors of many important subjects.
At the same time, the school's enrollment work was also carried out in full swing. When representatives from various places came to Guangzhou for a meeting, Yixian asked them to recommend students. After returning to their hometowns, these people immediately actively mobilized and recommended outstanding young people to come to Guangzhou to apply for the exam.
In April, the military academy organized a unified entrance examination and ultimately admitted 470 students, including 350 regular students and 120 reserve students, who were divided into four battalions.
In June, the military academy officially opened. Sun Yat-sen gave a speech to encourage the students, "If we want to make the revolution a success, we must set a goal from today on, never have the mentality of getting promoted or getting rich, and only know how to do the cause of saving the country and the people... Only then can we achieve the goal of the revolution."
Most of these students were passionate young people with revolutionary ideas. They were immediately excited when they heard these words. They wished they could complete their studies immediately, lead the army to wipe out the corrupt Beiyang warlords, and build a brand new country.
After the school started, Zhang Xingjiu walked into the classroom as promised and gave them professional courses. He walked to the podium, looked at the curious students and asked, "Are you wondering why the military academy wants me to teach you?"
(End of this chapter)
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