RPAGF Chapter 66: The Manuscript Appears
Chapter 66: The Manuscript Appears
Chen Feng listened to Zheng Mingsong's undisguised sarcasm without getting angry. He just smiled faintly, picked up the top page of the manuscript and handed it over: "Take a look first, don't rush to conclusions."
Zheng Mingsong took the manuscript with some skepticism, his fingertips touching the rough paper, a mocking smile still lingering on his face.
But when his gaze swept over the first few lines, the smile instantly froze on his face, as if it had been frozen.
The more he read, the more his brows furrowed, his fingers unconsciously tightened their grip on the paper, and he even softened his breathing, as if afraid of disturbing the universe between the lines.
"World history is a grand and sweeping history, with the rise and fall of great powers forming important chapters... Since the 15th century, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, England, and other countries have risen one after another, either dominating through maritime power or establishing themselves through their systems..."
Each line of text gets straight to the point, without any obscure or empty talk. It is a precise analysis of Portugal's rise, relying on a unified monarchy and breakthroughs in navigation technology, taking advantage of its geographical disadvantages to explore the ocean, monopolizing the spice and gold trade, seizing shipping lanes and strongholds, and using the strength of a small country to start the Age of Exploration and become the first maritime hegemon.
The text is rich in historical depth and also reflects the contemporary aspirations of Chinese people to survive and thrive, with every sentence hitting the nail on the head.
Zheng Mingsong grew increasingly alarmed as he read. When he came across the passage about Portugal expanding its territory through navigation and enriching its national treasury through trade, he suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief: "This...this really was written by you?"
"Otherwise what?"
Chen Feng raised an eyebrow, reached out and took back the manuscript paper. "Although I haven't read many classic texts, the history books I've read and the current affairs I've observed over the years, which are far more useful than just studying books."
He paused, a hint of amusement in his voice, "What, does Young Master Zheng still think I'm not qualified to publish a book?"
Zheng Mingsong's face flushed red instantly. His previous mockery vanished, leaving only genuine shock and guilt.
He swallowed hard, pointed at the manuscript, and said urgently, "Brother Chen, this book must be published!"
And it should be a big, high-profile event!
"Forget about getting in touch with the *Shen Bao* newspaper; I'll take the book to my father right now and have him use all the connections in the Zheng family to contact every bookstore and newspaper in Shanghai and Guangzhou to print a million copies and spread them throughout the entire Chinese-speaking world!"
Chen Feng looked at his impatient appearance and a smile flashed in his eyes.
Previously, he was hesitant to invest, and even scoffed at the draft paper when he first saw it. Now, he's rushing to push it forward. This is quite a slap in the face.
He handed the entire stack of manuscript paper to Zheng Mingsong, his tone solemn: "I'm entrusting the publication of this book to you, Brother Zheng!"
"Don't worry! Leave it to me, there won't be any problems!"
Zheng Mingsong hurriedly took out the oiled paper he had prepared beforehand from his pocket and carefully wrapped the manuscript paper layer by layer, afraid that it would get wet even a little bit. He then asked, "Brother Chen, this is only the Portugal chapter. Where are the chapters about the major powers like Spain and England? Why can't I see them?"
"I haven't written it yet." Chen Feng hesitated for a moment, then pondered, "I don't know if this book will be popular. Let's publish this chapter first and see how the readers react."
"How could it not be popular?"
Zheng Mingsong waved his hand anxiously: "Brother Chen, I studied at the University of Madrid! This book's analysis of Portugal's rise is so accurate that it's astonishing. Even I, who studied Western history, am ashamed of my own in comparison!"
The country is currently embroiled in heated debate over reform, with everyone searching for a path to national strength. Once your book is published, it will undoubtedly become a bestseller, with everyone vying to read it, and it might even influence government decisions!
"Is this written in vernacular Chinese?" Chen Feng added.
"What's wrong with vernacular Chinese?"
Zheng Mingsong disagreed, waving his hand dismissively, "As long as it has substance and addresses current issues, who cares about classical or vernacular language? I'll send the manuscript back to China by telegram as soon as I get back!"
As he spoke, he tucked the manuscript wrapped in oiled paper tightly into his chest, making sure it was completely sealed, as if it were not a stack of paper, but a rare treasure.
"telegraph?"
Chen Feng raised an eyebrow upon hearing those two words.
Manila has an undersea cable connecting to Hong Kong, but after the Battle of Manila, the cable was firmly controlled by the US military, and ordinary merchants and forces had no right to use it, let alone send long telegrams of more than 30,000 words.
The depth of cooperation between the Zheng family and the US military was actually deeper than anyone had guessed.
Seeing his unusual expression, Zheng Mingsong assumed he was worried about the cost and immediately waved his hand, saying, "Brother Chen, rest assured. Although the price of telegrams has skyrocketed since they were taken over by the US military, and they need to be transferred through Hong Kong before reaching Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing, this book, with over 30,000 words, will cost three to four thousand US dollars in total. But your book is absolutely worth the price! All expenses will be covered by my Zheng family in advance. My father will certainly not have a single objection after reading the manuscript."
"Okay." Chen Feng nodded in agreement.
Three or four thousand US dollars is enough to pay the entire battalion's wages for three or four months. Since the Zheng family is willing to pay this amount, he naturally has no reason to refuse.
"Then I'll go first!" Zheng Mingsong couldn't wait to fly back to Ganila, eager to make this masterpiece public as soon as possible.
"Don't rush off yet."
Chen Feng raised his hand to stop him, and asked solemnly, "You just said you studied at the Central University of Madrid, so are you acquainted with Antonio Luna?"
You mean him?
Zheng Mingsong stopped and slowly said, "He's about my age, but he's a natural scholar. He got into the Central University of Madrid at sixteen, two years ahead of me. While I was still an undergraduate, he had already earned his doctorate. We didn't really interact much. But I've heard that he's a man of few words, with a very deep mind, and is a rare all-rounder in the Independent Army."
He paused here, pondered for a moment, and then continued, "I also heard that the independence army plans to issue the Luzon Declaration of Independence on June 12, and it seems they intend to invite you as well, but it's hard to tell if that's true or not."
"Did they invite the Zheng family?" Chen Feng immediately asked.
Zheng Mingsong nodded: "My father was invited, but he certainly won't go in person. As for whether he will send someone else, I don't know yet."
Chen Feng chuckled lightly: "It seems your Zheng family hasn't made up your mind to abandon this wrecked ship, Spain."
Zheng Mingsong sighed helplessly: "My Zheng family is large and powerful, with deep roots in Manila. We cannot afford the slightest risk! Moreover, Manila is still under the control of the Spanish colonial authorities. If we rashly choose sides, the consequences will be unimaginable."
"understand!"
Chen Feng nodded slightly.
Large families are known for their ability to make multiple bets, and as long as they don't go too far, the Spanish colonial government won't pursue the matter too much.
However, if the head of the family were to personally attend the independence army's declaration of independence, it would be a blatant betrayal, and the Spanish would never let it go.
Zheng Mingsong walked to the door of the stone house and suddenly turned back: "By the way, Brother Chen, I've found out about the timber merchant Yang Boqing that you asked me to inquire about. The Japanese Chamber of Commerce set a trap to make him incur debts in order to force him to help smuggle arms. When he was unable to repay, they imprisoned him to blackmail him."
Chen Feng had previously asked intelligence personnel in Manila to inquire about this matter, but the Japanese Chamber of Commerce was extremely xenophobic and kept information tightly under wraps, so they had not been able to find out the specific reason.
Therefore, he didn't dare to bring it up rashly when Aoki Nobuyuki visited last time. Now that he learned it was just a debt dispute, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Brother Zheng, how much does my Uncle Yang owe the Japanese Chamber of Commerce?"
"Not much, just a thousand dollars."
Upon hearing this, Chen Feng looked at the gold brick wrapped in rags in Zheng Mingsong's hand: "You just said that this gold brick is worth more than six thousand US dollars. In addition to the previous five thousand US dollars, you still need to give me more than a thousand US dollars! I'll trouble Brother Zheng to help me redeem Uncle Yang with this money."
"It's no big deal!"
Zheng Mingsong waved the gold brick wrapped in rag in his hand, strode out of the stone house, and his figure quickly disappeared into the rain.
He didn't want to waste a single moment; he just wanted to bring his masterpiece to the world as soon as possible.