Chapter 96 Some are money

Hu Chuyuan is indeed a very strange person. He has an attraction that makes people willing to work and rely on. Half of it is because of his money, and the other half is that his ideas are always surprising and completely feasible.

He is not only the richest man, but also has such a powerful mind that anyone can imagine how terrible his future is.

Now, he said that he would do a big job in Fuzhou, build Fuzhou Ship Administration into the first shipyard in Asia, and build Fujian Marine Division as the first ironclad fleet in Asia. Who dares to doubt or believe that all this will become a reality in his plan!

Although Min people are too xenophobic, Zhang Cheng, Ye Fu and Deng Shichang can't help but want to stay, at least around Hu Chuyuan.

If Hu Chuyuan is appointed by the imperial court to go to Jiangsu and Zhejiang to organize the Nanyang Marine Division, they will follow without hesitation.

In a word, although Hu Chuyuan is very young, he can do everything that others can't do.

Inviting everyone to come over this time, Hu Chuyuan actually wants to unify the idea of the whole ship's government, so that everyone should believe his plan and work together.

Everyone believed it. Hu Chuyuan discussed the follow-up with Wu Zhengbing, Zhang Cheng and others, finalized the trip to Europe to buy warships, and some plans to buy additional shipping facilities, including some personnel changes and institutional adjustments within the shipping administration.

Everything is evolving in accordance with Hu Chuyuan's prior plan. For the framework of the three divisions (General Affairs Department, Finance Department, Supervision and Review Department) and the Sixth Bureau (Ship Bureau, Machine and Wheel Bureau, Military Industry Bureau, Chemical Industry Bureau, Metallurgical Bureau, Technology Bureau) proposed by Hu Chuyuan, and the idea of reducing administrative officials and adding a large number of technical officials, Although the family is not sure about their own advantages and disadvantages, they dare not object.

As we were talking, Dai Hongci suddenly proposed, "Your Excellency, it's better to set up another Academic Affairs Bureau to manage the affairs of the Ship Administration School."

Zhang Baixi said, "Your Excellency, it seems that you can consider it. In addition, there is a very troublesome problem at present in the Ship Administration School, that is, the difficulty of enrollment. If you want to cultivate more talents, you must increase the number of students.

Hu Chuyuan pondered for a moment and said, "This idea is okay, but it can't set up a bureau, but a division. You should find that the three divisions I'm talking about actually correspond to the three major members of the transfer, the transfer and the director. In this way, the general teacher can also have jurisdiction over a division. In addition to the Ship Administration School, I want to set up free enlightenment schools in Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou and other places, from which the children of poor families will be selected to enter the Ship Politics School.

Zhang Baixi praised, "This method is good, which can fundamentally solve the problem of insufficient students."

Everyone talks about it in groups. It's strange to talk about a problem when you insert a problem temporarily. It's strange to talk about it. Almost all the people who have finally finalized a suitable method are Hu Chuyuan.

His whimsical ideas, his broad vision, his overall view and prudence in small things, his control of the government, his familiarity with funds and personnel... All of these are admired by Zhang Baixi, Wu Zhengbing, Ye Fu and others.

After such a long talk, everyone really understood why the major business gangs and foreign banks in the south of the Yangtze River were defeated by him.

When the banquet was over, Hu Chuyuan personally sent everyone away. He was about to go back to his room to rest, but Ye Fu came back with a lantern. As soon as he saw Hu Chuyuan, he said, "Your Excellency, I still have a few words to say today."

"Hmm!"

Hu Chuyuan knew that Ye Fu was the kind of person who thought a lot, and he was not surprised, so he invited him back to his study.

After Pan Limei filled the tea for them before leaving, Hu Chuyuancai and Ye Fu said, "Lord Ye, if you have anything to say, please say it directly. You can believe that I am a person who can hide my words!"

"I will understand at the end!" Ye Fu arched his hand and said, "The last general feels that Fujian is too exclusive. If the heavy responsibility of the imperial court's coastal defense is handed over to the Min people for a long time, I'm afraid that it will be difficult for the generals of other provinces to achieve something. In contrast, Guangdong is more open. Why don't you suggest that the court and Lord Shen move the Nanyang Marine Division to Guangdong and reopen the Guangzhou Ship Administration Office in Guangdong?

After a pause, he added, "The last general is by no means a Guangdong native to make such a suggestion. In recent years, the more I think about it, the more I feel that Guangdong must have a maritime division, otherwise I can't protect the territory of the South China Sea. How can the great rivers and mountains and thousands of miles of sea be given to foreigners?

Hu Chuyuan was slightly silent. He knew that what Ye Fu said was a fact, and it was a fact that could not be ignored.

However, China has no choice, and he has no choice. At present, China's coastal defense can only rely on Fujian people. He has no more than 13 years to set up a new ship administration school.

Unless those who are mainly from Guangdong nationality graduate in the United States successfully and have some internship and further study experience in the United States before returning to China.

After a moment of meditation, Hu Chuyuan said, "Lord Ye, to be honest, your idea is not completely impossible. Do you know why Nanyang sailors don't put them in Nanyang, but in Jiangsu and Zhejiang?

Ye Fu said, "Your Excellency has said it before, because of the two governors."

Hu Chuyuan sneered faintly and said, "That's just the words on the scene. The imperial court has always paid attention to a balanced strategy in the strength of the Xianghuai two systems. Zhili is dominated by the Huai system, and the two rivers are dominated by the Hunan system. The safety of the imperial court depends on these two forces, and we must also rely on them, and pay more attention to balance and balance between the two sides. If there is a Beiyang sailor in the Huai department, and there is no Nanyang sailor in the Xiang department, what do you think will happen? Even if the court decides to build the North Ocean first and then the South Ocean at present, the Hunan Department at least has its own sailor strength. In addition, the strength of the Yangtze River Division, which has been under the control of the Hunan Department for a long time, will continue to maintain its strength on the same line.

Ye Fu suddenly realized and said, "The last general understands. Thank you for your suggestion. But in this case, why don't you focus on building the Nanyang Marine Division?

Hu Chuyuan said, "Lord Ye, you like to think more about these aspects. I agree with you and appreciate it. As for why I must build the Fujian Marine Division, instead of the Yangtze River Marine Division and the Nanyang Marine Division controlled by Zuo Zhongtang, the reason is really not easy to say, but I can say that the political reasons account for the vast majority!"

"Oh!" Ye Fu bowed his hand apologetically and said, "That's the last general's presumptuous. In this case, the last general can't say anything more. The last general just felt that adults might as well collect some school students in Guangdong, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. I'm not saying that Fujian people are not good. Fujian people are united and willing to work hard. They are indeed the chosen talents to use military generals. However, everything always has advantages and disadvantages. It is appropriate to use its advantages and remove its disadvantages!"

Hu Chuyuan said, "Lord Ye, don't worry, I will make proper arrangements. However, you can tell me what you said to me today, please don't talk to the third person!"

Ye Fu said, "Your Excellency, don't worry, the last general has been hiding these words in his chest. Only if I say this to the adult once, I will never mention it again."

Hu Chuyuan believes that Ye Fu is more or less biased against Fujian people. For example, when the Ship Administration School sent international students to Europe, the Guangdong students did not get a single place, and all of them were from Fujian.

On the other hand, Ye Fu's consideration is indeed from a higher perspective, thinking about what a naval commander is thinking.

Hu Chuyuan thought for a moment and said to Ye Fu, "I don't think you and Deng Guandai need to be in a hurry to work for the imperial court. When I take you to Europe, I will find a way to recommend you to study in the British fleet."

Ye Fu said, "I'm old. It's better to leave the opportunity to Deng Shichang and Lv Han. These two of them are good sailor generals and are proficient in English. Deng Shichang wins with courage, Lv Han wins with talent, and they are both men with integrity and blood."

Hu Chuyuan smiled and said, "Then let's all go. Anyway, Liu Bu toad are coming back from Europe. When they come back, you happen to go there. Isn't it good for everyone to take turns to study abroad?"

Ye Fu also laughed and said, "Thank you for your support!"

At the beginning, in order to let Liu Bu toad and others go to the British fleet for an internship, Zuo Zongtang, Shen Baozhen and others took great painstaking effort to make sense to the British. Logically, this is indeed a very difficult thing.

But I don't know why, Ye Fu feels that as long as Hu Chuyuan is willing to do it, this matter will be much easier.

Ye Fu is really strange.

Hu Chuyuan became more and more appreciative, so he took the opportunity to ask, "Among the students of the first phase of the driving class of the Ship Administration School, who are you most optimistic about, and what are the characteristics and shortcomings?"

Ye Fu thought for a thought and said, "In terms of talent, Liu Buchan came first; in terms of roots, Lin Taizeng came first; in terms of bravery, Deng Shichang came first; in terms of knowledge, Lv Han came first; in terms of faith, Ye Zujiu came first. It is not easy to graduate from school. Everyone needs to go through several major examinations and more than a dozen minor examinations. The rest of the students can be worth reusing. But the five classmates I'm talking about are dragons and phoenixes among people. In addition, there are also a few special talents, but I don't think they are suitable to be generals.

Hu Chuyuan nodded slightly. He already knew who he wanted to leave behind.

Then he thought of another thing and asked Ye Fu, "Was Lin Tai a careless person?"

Ye Fu quietly raised his eyes and asked in surprise, "Who said that among the people I know, he is definitely a cautious and steady person."

"Oh...!" Hu Chuyuan was speechless for a moment. He thought that it seemed that Lin Tai had hit a reef outside Liugong Island in an accident, but it was a pity that it happened in a very inappropriate place.

Hu Chuyuan felt that Ye Fu was very eye-catching and had a deep understanding of the interior of the ship administration in Fuzhou, so he talked to him about sending him away in the early morning.

However, deep in Hu Chuyuan's heart, he also increasingly felt that the infighting between the Xianghuai series had a very bad impact on the domestic coastal defense.

After thinking deeply, he finally wrote a letter to Zuo Zongtang, suggesting that Zuo Zongtang should take the Fujian sailors and the Yangtze River sailors nominally on the second line, let the Nanyang sailors go south to Guangzhou, and the surnames were handed over to the Huai department to weigh them, and they concentrated on organizing the Fujian sailors, and then moved the old ship to the Yangtze River sailors.

At that time, no matter where the accident happens in Nanyang or Beiyang, it is Li Hongzhang's faults and faults, which have nothing to do with the Hunan system, and even more to do with Zuo Zongtang.

Properly handling of the personnel inside the Fuzhou Ship Administration Yamen also unified everyone's ideas. Hu Chuyuan basically controlled the whole Yamen. Immediately, he began to turn his energy to the technical transformation of the factories of the Yamen Bureau.

While he was focusing on the rectification of personnel, the technical team led by Hua Weifang, Feinz, Rawls and others also visited various factories under the government of the government and submitted a communique to him on the current situation of shipping facilities and crafts in Fuzhou.

Early in the morning, Hu Chuyuan read it carefully when he got the communique, and invited Hua Changfang, Feinz, Rawls and others to his study for an interview.

It has been 13 years since the construction of the shipping government office. Most of the equipment is built in ten years, mainly French facilities. Feinz and others believe that some of the basic equipment is relatively complete, but the overall process and products are too backward.

Of course, lathes, grinders and pliers are not a problem, but some hammocks and mills are relatively backward, and the artillery and steam engines produced are very backward. At present, they have been withdrawn from the market in Europe, the United States and other countries for many years.

From the beginning, the facilities and process drawings sold by the French to Fujian Ship Administration have lagged behind the times. After 13 years of development, the Ship Administration Government is still producing those things.

Take artillery as an example. At present, the world's mainstream powers have fully used back-suff guns. Only the United Kingdom is still considering some of the advantages of front-suff guns. On the basis of back-suff guns, Germany and France have developed brown gunpowder to increase the length of the barrel to increase the range of the artillery.

From the front gun to the back gun, from the back gun to brown gunpowder, this can basically be regarded as two generations.

Take the steel factory as an example. At present, Fuzhou Ship Administration can only produce cooked iron industrially, not steel. The required iron ore and coal mines should be purchased from foreign banks. The cooked iron produced is more expensive than other people's steel, and the output is very small.

After reading the communique with a thickness of more than 20 pages, Hu Chuyuan rubbed his eyebrows and thought about it in his heart.

Looking around the whole of China, the Fuzhou shipping administration is already very advanced, but compared with the military factories of the world's powers, the gap is too big.

He thought that if Shen Baozhen and Zuo Zongtang saw this communique, they would be worried and continue to vigorously update the facilities, re-hire foreign consultants, and produce within the shipping government... Of course, they must face a thorny problem, that is, where the money comes from. The money of the court is allocated year after year. It is not happy and can't To solve many problems at a time, you can only do it slowly.

He doesn't have to care about this. He has a lot of money, and there are enough ways for Fuzhou Ship Administration to get a large amount of financing loans.

Can this solve the problem?

Obviously, it can't. Treat the symptoms but not the root causes.

After thinking about it for a long time, he felt that efforts should be made to train local talents. On the other hand, he should also bypass the current method, invest in the military industry in the United States and Europe, and provide reliable internships and further training opportunities in China for a long time, and directly and effectively absorb the advanced technologies and workers of European and the United States through there. Art.

All of this requires money. Fortunately, what he has is money.