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Volume 4 Leviathan Chapter 52 Official Stock

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    Kunming, Yunnan-Guizhou Jiedushi Residence.  There was silence in the study room. A wisp of green smoke was flowing out from the antique bronze animal head incense burner, slowly floating upward, forming a light blue smoke column. An old man in his sixties, dressed in casual clothes, stood in front of the desk.  After concentrating on writing, Chen Zaixing stood half a step behind the old man, holding his breath, slightly hunched over, watching the old man write.  The old man used a wolf hair pen. Because the hair of wolf hair is thick and hard, it is usually used for drawing and less writing. Even when writing, it is usually with a rough font.  But this old man was copying the "Nanhua Sutra" in small regular script. There was a layer of sweat on his forehead. It was obvious that he had consumed a lot of energy, but his right hand holding the pen was as solid as a rock. What he wrote was:  The small regular script characters penetrated the back of the paper, as if they were carved with a knife.  I don¡¯t know how much time passed, but the old man finally put down the wolf hair in his hand, and Chen Zaixing on the side quickly presented the hot tea that had been prepared.  "Teacher, please use tea!" The old man didn't say anything. He took a sip of the tea and moistened his throat. He then carefully looked at his homework for the day. He held the teacup with his right hand and passed it to the side. Chen Zaixing hurriedly stepped forward to take it.  Pass and set aside.  The old man looked at it for a while, then returned to the seat in the middle and sat down. Chen Zaixing quickly stood aside and bowed his head.  "Fu Sheng, tell me what happened to you this time, why did you resign?" The old man was Chen Zaixing's mentor, Wu Hanmin, the military governor of Yunnan and Guizhou. He had eyebrows raised and eyes bulging out from under his two white eyebrows.  When the two rays of light came, they didn't look like the pure and honest scholars they had just now.  "Teacher Qi, the boy's resignation this time is not due to phlegm. There is a reason!" "The reason? I want to hear it! Last time it was for that Jiang Qingyue, what about this time? What's the reason?  " "Teacher, when you were a student who was a Jinshi, you once said this: 'If you live and die for the benefit of the country, how can you avoid it because of misfortunes and fortunes?' This sentence has always been kept in mind by students. I am not studying to become an official.  The key to the country's prosperity and the well-being of the people is not the court, so I resigned!" Wu Hanmin couldn't help but sneered when he heard this: "Oh?  , where are you? You have been struggling in Myanmar for a long time. In addition to making yourself rich, can you also benefit the country?  Come to think of it, I will kick you out and pretend that you are no longer a student!" His eyebrows were swollen and his hands and feet were trembling slightly. It was obvious that he was extremely angry.  "Teacher, please calm down and please listen to the students! Why do we read the books of sages? It is just to educate the people, correct customs, and clarify the principles of the court. But now the country is in chaos and the invasion of foreign barbarians cannot be solved by the court."  Wu Hanmin snorted coldly and asked: "How do you say this!" "Students dare to ask the teacher, why is the Queen Mother waiting for the master?" Wu Hanmin pondered for a moment and replied: "Although the Queen Mother is not as intelligent as the average person, she is very open-minded.  He is good at words and is not extravagant. Since the death of the late emperor, he has not built palaces. Whenever there is a flood or drought, he makes private wealth to help the victims. He is a rare and kind master!  "Wu Hanmin frowned. He still had some grudges against this competitor in the political arena, but he was unwilling to speak against his conscience in front of the students: "Since Wang Pingzhang took office, he has been brave enough to do things, although he is not selfless.  , But he is not a sage, but he still manages to do his best in his position. Among all the ministers in our dynasty, he is at least the best!" "What the teacher said is true, but the Queen Mother is a benevolent person, and Wang Xianggong is.  Xian Xiang, the Marquis Zao and Marquis Gao in the border areas are also rare and good ministers. However, in recent years, there have been more and more chaos in the border areas, and the Western Yi have become more and more rampant. What is going on?  " Wu Hanmin was silent. A high-ranking official like him naturally knew that what his disciples told was the truth. He was familiar with history books and had long felt that the Western barbarians he faced were completely different from the barbarians recorded in past history books.  of enemies.  For thousands of years, facing the surrounding barbarians, the Han nation has always had a unique sense of pride: "If people from afar are dissatisfied, then cultivate virtue and virtue in those who come here!" This teaching of Confucius is not an empty talk. In ancient East Asia,  Civilization is almost the same as Chineseization. Barbarians may be able to temporarily win on the battlefield, but if they want to get rid of their status as barbarians and live a civilized life, the only way is to become Chinese. And who is willing to do so forever?  What about being a savage?  These Western barbarians who came by boat from thousands of miles away not only possessed powerful military force, but their civilization was no less than that of the ancient Chinese civilization, and in some aspects was even better.  The old methods were completely useless, which sometimes made the old man feel panic.  "Then what do you think?" "The ancients said, 'Those who study literary affairs must be armed.?¡¯ The treatment of Westerners is the same. What they respect is nothing more than strong ships and cannons. Although our generation has a machine bureau and a shipbuilding bureau, compared with other countries, the quantity is small and the quality is poor.  For example, last year's Burma War was just an Indian colony in England. It was able to bring out more than 5,000 rifles and dozens of artillery pieces to support the puppet king Meng Ji. I heard that these were only five or six days' worth of weapons from the London Arsenal Arsenal.  It takes four or five months for our Dashun Tianjin and Hanking machine bureaus to produce it, not to mention the quality gap. With such a gap, how can Xiyi not covet it?  What about invading my vassal?  " "Then how do you deal with it?  " "Reward large-scale private industrial and commercial enterprises, especially steel, mining, machinery, shipbuilding and other enterprises!  "Chen Zaixing replied decisively: "Guns, warships and other military weapons are based on these industries. If there are a large number of these enterprises among the people, the imperial court will not need to rely on those several machine bureaus to manufacture ordnance.  There is no need to spend a lot of money from abroad to purchase various machines and equipment every year, which is really a great thing that benefits the country and the people!  "    "well said!  "When Wu Hanmin heard this, he couldn't hold it back anymore and clapped his hands in agreement: "Then Fu Sheng, you came to Yunnan this time just to set up a business?  "Yes, although the British invasion was repelled this time, the Western Yi are greedy people. As long as they have the opportunity, they will definitely cause trouble again."  According to the peace treaty, I, Dashun, can only station no more than 1,500 soldiers in the Kingdom of Burma. I am afraid that relief will not be available in a hurry, so the students plan to build a railway between Kunming and Mandalay. In this way,  In peacetime, the products of the two countries can flow to each other, but in wartime, tens of thousands of troops can directly enter Burma in a few days. Naturally, the British do not dare to do so!  " "Build a railway?  "Wu Hanmin's face showed a look of surprise: "This costs a lot. Even in the mainland, only a few have been built. The roads between Yunnan and Myanmar are rugged and the transportation is inconvenient. I'm afraid it will cost more. How can you get so much money?  To build a railway?  " "Teacher, do you remember that I have obtained the monopoly right to trade with Myanmar this time?  I plan to use this income to build the railway, and raise private equity from the mainland for the remaining part. Once the railway is completed, the income will be considerable.  When Chen Zaixing said this, his voice suddenly became softer: "But before that, the students plan to build a steel plant in Kunming first and solve the problem of the railway tracks first!"  "    "Steel Plant?  Wu Hanmin was a little confused by Chen Zaixing's jumping topic, and couldn't help but ask: "How long will it take to wait?"  Why not buy from outside?  " "Teacher, the British have coveted Burma for many years, and they are most afraid of me building the Burma Railway. If I buy railway tracks from outside, they will definitely block it.  Besides, this railway consumes a lot of rails. If you buy it, the cost will inevitably increase. It¡¯s better to control it yourself!  " "What you said makes sense!  Wu Hanmin nodded: "You must have come to see me this time about the steel plant. Since you are doing it for the national economy and people's livelihood, how can I not support you? Come on, where do you want to requisition the land? I will write  Write a letter and inform the local county magistrate!  " "Thank you teacher!  " Chen Zaixing was overjoyed when he heard this. He quickly bowed down and stood up. He smiled and said, "I have one more thing to ask the teacher for. It will cost a lot to build a steel plant.  Although I have raised funds from various sources, I am afraid that there are still some gaps, and I would like to ask the teacher to provide some money from the vassal treasury!  ¡± It turns out that at the time of Dashun, in addition to part of the tax revenue of each province being transferred to the central government, a considerable part was retained in the provincial capital for the expenditure of local heads. Especially in border provinces, because there were foreign enemies or local ethnic minorities to be on guard against, local governments  A larger proportion of the fiscal revenue will remain in the vassal treasury. This is the case in Yunnan and Guizhou. It has been accumulated over the years and is a quite large amount. ¡°How can this be done!  Wu Hanmin immediately rejected Chen Zaixing's request: "This is the money and food used by the country to prepare for war. How can it be spent casually?"  Do you think the imperial law does not exist?  " Chen Zaixing rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "Teacher, I didn't take it privately. You can use this money to buy shares in the steel factory!  Think about it, Yunnan and Guizhou are important border defense areas, and weapons are all imported from the mainland, which costs a lot of money. If we can build a railway from Chengdu to Kunming, wouldn't it be a legacy for future generations?  It is also your achievement to build a steel plant first!  "    "this?  Hearing what Chen Zaixing said, Wu Hanmin couldn't help but ponder. At his age, he has already become a highly respected minister, and all he cares about is his achievements and reputation for future generations. What Chen Zaixing just said really scratched his itch.  Thinking of this, Wu Hanmin coughed: "This matter is of great importance, and it has to be reported to the court, so it cannot be done overnight!  " Chen Zaixing was secretly happy when he saw that the other party was relieved. On the surface, he said respectfully: "What the teacher said is true. It's getting late, so the students left first. Tomorrow I will bring the land patterns needed to open the mining plant.  Come, ask the teacher to take a look!  "
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