Chapter 215 Thousands of miles of rivers and mountains 19
[215] Tens of thousands of miles of rivers and mountains to open up a new face (19)
Zuo Zongtang put down the letter and frowned.
Liu Jintang pointed to a pile of books on the table and said, "Your excellency, Yao Fan ordered Shanxi merchants to send so many books all the way to make a waste? Now that Beijing has fallen, Shaanxi and Gansu people are floating, and it is extremely difficult to raise grain from the grain platform. Yao Fan sent 100,000 silver dollars and a pile of gunpowder and guns, and asked us to continue to help him work, but did not give him food! He also wants to collect the 25th Battalion of our Hunan Army in Shaanxi-Gansu Xinjiang. What a lion's mouth.
Zuo Zongtang said: "Now that the world has changed dramatically, the magnificent Qing Dynasty collapsed overnight. The capital of the emperor fell into the hands of Yao Fan. The emperor and princes are all under his control. In less than a year, Li Hongzhang, who had enough soldiers, was beaten by him to discard his armor and collapse. Now it's ridiculous that Li Hongzhang couldn't beat him. He simply changed his master and defected to Yao Fan. In this way, Yao Fan is afraid that he will win the world sooner or later.
Liu Jintang said, "Is the world so good? Even if Li Hongzhang wants to be Wu Sangui, Yao Fan is not afraid that Li Hongzhang will be difficult to clean up in the future?
Zuo Zongtang said, "At present, I heard that Li Hongzhang has already lost a single soldier. The CPPCC is full of civil servants and does not hold military power. I can see Yao Fan's path clearly. He only held the barrel of the gun tightly, but he was generous in the civilian title.
Liu Jintang sat in a chair and thought for a long time and said, "Your Excellency, if we hand over the military power, I think Yao Fan will be overjoyed and will not embarras us. But as a yellow-mouthed child, how can he calm down the chaos in the northwest? At that time, I'm afraid that the Russians will take advantage of it. I, Liu Jintang, have long wanted to go back to my hometown to live a peaceful life, but this mess in Xinjiang is related to the decent state!"
Zuo Zongtang said, "He Yao Fan's tone is very big and said that he wants to give some color to the British. For the time being, we will reclaim the wasteland, slow down the army, and settle the war in Xinjiang. In the future, if Yao Fan doesn't do anything, we can also leave some foundation for the country in the northwest after pacping Xinjiang. If he really sweeps the whole country, collects the hearts of the people, changes the dynasty and implements the new policy, I, Zuo Zongtang, am not a person who is attached to the position of power, but only entrusts the whole northwest to him.
Liu Jintang said, "I think Yao Fan is a general person. The guns sent this time are 32,000 rounds, and a thousand Lei Ming Dun foreign guns used by the Huai Army are all * Chengxin, and * 3,000 catties, 300 shells, and silver. He is not afraid that we will take his ammunition to hit him in turn."
Zuo Zongtang said, "I think this man's poetry can be said to swallow mountains and rivers. I think he is the talent of the hero. Today, looking at his action, it is really magnificent.
Jintang, I'm old, and things in the court are also light-down. Li Hongzhang is used to seeing the wind and steering the rudder. Since he turned to Yao Fan before me, he can't tolerate me to intervene. Now the war in the northwest mainly depends on you. If you can fight well, you will also make progress in the future.
Liu Jintang said, "Your Excellency, Yao Fan may not be willing to see Li Hongzhang's uniqueness. If he works, he must want to use our Hunan system to balance the Huai system."
Zuo Zongtang said, "Don't be obsessed. Yao Fan started from Shandong. Now the Lu system is the main body. Li Hongzhang is an exquisite person. How can't you see these? If the Xiang system is forcibly involved, I'm afraid he will be used by him and die in the future."
Liu Jintang hesitated and said, "So let's deal with it first?"
Zuo Zongtang said, "What should I deal with? Fight! My son Sanxiang always wants to make a world in the northwest and tell him that Yao Fan can't underestimate us! It also leaves a capital for the children to enter in the future.
In addition, I wrote to tell Yao Fan that there is a Hunan army in the northwest, and he doesn't need to send a soldier. Just deal with the British carefully. Don't let foreigners rush into Beijing. Otherwise, I, Zuo Zongtang, will never be the same as Li Hongzhang.
Also, tell him that Yao Fan's just food and fodder. Now that the world is in chaos, I can't count on the salaries of the provinces. This year, at least 500,000 taels of silver salaries are needed in the northwest. In addition to military salaries, the people of all ethnic groups in the northwest also need financial assistance. The 100,000 taels he sent is far from enough, so I asked him to take care of it.
In addition, there are many deaths, injuries and deaths in the Xiang camp in the northwest. It was supposed to transfer 1,300 strong men from Hunan. Now all provinces have passed the hurries, and Hunan does not send the strong. You tell Yao Fan that if he is willing, he can send 1,000 Shandong soldiers to join the Hunan army or become his own army, but he must listen to my orders. "
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Because the letters needed to be transmitted quickly, the demise of the Qing government led to the large-scale collapse of the post station. Many officials who managed the post along the way ran away, and the people below also stole the post horses one after another. Zuo Zongtang's letter had to be handed over to the merchants and brought back to Beijing.
The land reform in the liberated area is progressing smoothly, and the work of comprehensively banning smokehouses and brothels is also flourishing. The actions to suppress corrupt officials and public security measures to crack down on bandits and ruffians are also being implemented. These policies continue to provide Yao Fan with a large number of free labor, and the total number of laborers involved in the construction of railways has reached With 100,000 people, a double-track railway connecting Beijing, Tianjin, Cangzhou, Dezhou, Jinan, Zibo, Weifang and Qingdao is under construction in full swing.
Yao Fan handed over the position of Minister of Railways to Xu Shou, who had just arrived in Beijing by boat from the translation office of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau in Shanghai. Xu Shou was used by Yao Fan by name, so Li Hongzhang wrote a letter to call him to Beijing.
Yao Fan met Xu Shou in the Summer Hall in Zhongnanhai, accompanied by Li Hongzhang.
"I am relieved that Mr. Xu can serve as the Minister of Railways. In terms of today's Chinese scientists and engineers, he is really only a handful of famous, and more are unknown technicians in various factories engaged in foreign affairs. Mr. Xu once single-handedly made China's first steam engine-driven steamboat, which is bound to go down in history. The credit of the book.
When Xu Shou saw that Yao Fan was approachable, he praised himself greatly when he met him, and he was also proud.
"Chairman Yao is flattered. Over the years, I always feel that my health is getting worse, and the energy of running around the machine in the past is not enough. Then I resigned from the practice of the ordnance institute and went to work in a translation hall, hoping to transmit Western science to China for more than a lifetime. During this period, although many court officials invited me to go out of the mountain to run factories and mines for them, I also refused.
However, I received a letter from Lord Li the day before yesterday and read about the democratic regime established by the chairman and the chairman's governing philosophy. Although I am old, I also feel that this is an unprecedented blessing in China for 5,000 years. I also sent the bibliography issued by the chairman. Only then did I know that the books I translated have Chinese translations, and even more scientific top-secret versions, which really makes me feel like a well frog.
Since the translation of books is of little use, I have made up my mind and am willing to do what I can for the start of the new Chinese industry.
Looking at the white-haired old man in front of him, Yao Fan's respect for him was really more than Li Hongzhang. Xu Shou was born in a dilapidate landlord family. He has lived a hard life since childhood. He is diligent and thrifty. He does not love imperial examinations. He likes science alone and has been pursuing to make up for the gap between modern Chinese science and the world all his life. Since he withdrew from industrial practice and began to translate books, by his death in 1884, he had translated 105 scientific and technological books, such as Chemical Identification, Chemical Quality Seeking, Heat Change of Objects, The Beginning of Steam Machines, etc. It is no exaggeration to say that it has given the broken scientific backbone for the Chinese nation in a timely manner.
Yao Fan sincerely said, "Mr. Xu is not only familiar with machinery, but also knows everything in mathematics, chemistry, physics and other disciplines. As the Minister of Railways alone, he is really a little talented, so I hope you can also serve as the president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. I don't know if you agree?"
Xu Shou kindly looked at the extraordinary young man in the chair in front of him and said, "Building a long-line railway and building a small railway in a coal mine are two different things. Although I have never built a long-line railway, I also know that this is a hard job, line survey, the design and construction of bridge tunnels, excavation and piles of roadbeds, these workers I haven't been in contact with it before. I don't have time to manage any academies.
Li Hongzhang sat next to him and said, "You can hire foreign engineers to take charge of the railway construction, and Mr. Xu can be in the center of the summary. You don't have to be too rigid in practice." He actually learned from Yao Fan and also called Xu Shou as Xu Lao.
Yao Fan said: "In terms of the line, I have specific detailed drawings, which are not bad. There should be no problem. In terms of bridges, I have dozens of sets of bridge drawings to choose from. In terms of human resources, we can mobilize as many people as we need for the project.
The work of the Ministry of Railways is not only to build railways, but also to be responsible for the construction of railway locomotive factories and equipment factories, and even railway staff schools. However, these matters require a leader who is proficient in science and technology. Mr. Xu is definitely the best choice.
As for the establishment of the Academy of Sciences, there is no hurry at present. After all, there are very few scientists in our country. You can let go of this matter first, and then ask Mr. Xu to take charge of it when it is established in the future.
Xu Shou asked with a clear eye, "Foreigners are never willing to teach these confidential technologies, even Western missionaries don't know anything about it. Does Chairman Yao have this kind of technology?"
Yao Fan said, "All technical documents are available, as well as the most advanced production equipment. In terms of locomotives, I have several secretly designed mature models that can be adopted."
Xu Shouxi said, "It's so good. I don't think this matter should be delayed. We need to start preparing as soon as possible. The railway is a national important weapon in the new world. If you don't build a railway, you can't be a strong country!"
Next, Yao Fan talked with Xu Shou for a long time. Yao Fan praised Xu Shou's son Xu Jianyin, called him the pillar of the country, and told Xu Shou that the government would appoint his son Xu Jianyin as the minister of light industry.
Xu Shou also recommended his good friend Hua Weifang. Yao Fan knew that Hua Weifang was a mathematician who developed steamboats with Xu Shou, so he readily agreed to appoint Hua Weifang as the Minister of Iron and Steel Industry.
Li Hongzhang listened and was very touched. These people who used to be valued in the foreign affairs faction but could only be technical officials were actually appointed as the heads of Yao Fan. Li Hongzhang knew that these so-called ministers were put in the past. It's Shangshu!
Yao Fan's next sentence impressed Li Hongzhang and Xu Shou: "Science and technology is the first productivity."
Li Hongzhang completely understood that Yao Fan was a person who had no good impression of the traditional eight-part imperial examination.
"Is it that the people he will use in the future all scientists like Xu Shou?" Li Hongzhang frowned secretly.