Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 743 Parting and Death
Because of his high status, Jia Lian did not want to disturb the locals, so he did not need the carriage prepared by the railway bureau after arriving in Luoyang, and instead took an ordinary carriage.

Accompanied by two attendants, Jia Lian dressed like an ordinary gentry and traveled by carriage from Luoyang to Chang'an.

After spending several days exploring the ancient city, Jia Lian sent back a thick stack of travelogues before setting off again.

The original plan was to travel at a leisurely pace, but I underestimated the hardships of this era. So I decided to travel along the railway, stopping to visit the larger state capitals along the way.

After leaving Beijing, I could clearly feel the change in the pace of life. When I was in Beijing, everyone was rushing around.

Luoyang and Chang'an now have a more leisurely atmosphere.

Jia Lian, acting on a whim, decided to turn south and head to Sichuan.

The problem is that Sichuan's railway is not yet open. There is one railway line within the province, the Chengdu-Chongqing Railway, but the only railway line into Sichuan goes through Kunming and connects to Annam.

It's not that we don't want to build a railway from Chang'an to Chengdu, but the current technology is really difficult and it would take a very long time.

The railway bureau has been planning this for many years, and construction started last year. It will take at least ten years to complete.

Jia Lian had no choice but to travel to Sichuan by horse-drawn carriage to experience firsthand the difficulty of the Shu Road.

When we passed Jiange, we got off the carriage and looked up. The mountain really looked like a sword piercing the sky.

After entering Sichuan, Jia Lian saw that everything was different. It seemed that the winds of industrialization had not blown over the Qinling Mountains, and everything here seemed to remain the same.

It wasn't until the Chengdu-Chongqing Railway was seen that there were some traces of industrialization. But that was all; tall chimneys were almost nowhere to be seen in Chengdu.

After nightfall, only a few electric lights remained in Jincheng, very few at all. It seems that opening a lighting company here would be difficult to make money, at least not now.

Since ancient times, Sichuan has been prone to the formation of separatist regimes. Jia Lian never understood how Zhang Xianzhong conquered Sichuan and how he lost it.

Given this terrain, back in the late Ming Dynasty, if there were no internal problems, holding out for three to five years wouldn't have been a problem, right?

Ultimately, it comes down to a matter of human nature.

Any regime that cannot maintain its power without the support of the people cannot last long.

After wandering around for two months, Jia Lian finally felt tired and decided to take a break. Just then, he received a telegram, which was personally delivered by the prefect of Yuzhou.

"My lord, I shouldn't be bothering you, but I couldn't resist the urgent telegram from your home."

Jia Lian thanked the prefect of Yuzhou, whom he had never met before. Many officials wanted to curry favor with him; he'd seen plenty of people approaching him along the way. This one, however, was quite interesting. He'd been in Yuzhou for ten days, and this was the first time he'd met him.

Jia Lian served in the court for so long that he inadvertently left his mark on the entire bureaucratic system.

This prefect of Yuzhou was actually an outstanding graduate of an engineering college. It was no easy feat for him to rise from an eighth-rank official to a fifth-rank official.

There was a phenomenon that even Jia Lian was unaware of: during his tenure as Grand Secretary, the promotions of top students who had started their careers in technical school all accelerated.

These people started as technocrats, but after achieving results, a significant number of them stepped out of the technical system and became bureaucrats in the true sense.

To put it bluntly, during Jia Lian's reign, excluding those in Anxi and Southeast Asia, at least half of the domestic officials had connections to him. These officials were mostly the so-called backbone of the government, forming a significant force within the court. These people shared a common characteristic: they revered Jia Lian. Wherever they went, they were followers and disciples of the pragmatic school of thought. This trend is even more pronounced now; now, if you don't understand pragmatic learning, you can forget about becoming an official.

That's just too much.

Jia Lian can proudly say that he changed this era.

He took the telegram and glanced at it; it read "Return immediately."

Jia Lian sighed. It certainly wasn't to save money, but rather because he was afraid that explaining things clearly would make him worry on the way. Little did they know, this only made Jia Lian more worried.

Jia Lian commissioned the prefect of Yuzhou to rent a small steamboat. He sailed downstream to Wuchang, then crossed to Hankou. Seeing that there was no bridge across the river, Jia Lian was very disappointed.

When will we see this impassable barrier transformed into a thoroughfare? I hope we can see it in twenty years, but I don't know if I'll be alive by then.

The railway bureau immediately arranged a special train for Jia Lian to return to Beijing, and Jia Lian accepted this kindness. People don't need to be so stubborn.

Upon arriving home in the capital, he learned that Wang Xifeng was seriously ill and had not passed away after three days in bed. The doctor advised preparing for her funeral. Only then did the family urgently send a telegram to Jia Lian to return home. Fortunately, Jia Lian would send a telegram home from wherever he went, otherwise they would have been unable to reach him.

Wang Xifeng lay on the bed, her face pale and wrinkled. A maid whispered that Jia Lian had returned, and her eyes suddenly opened.

Jia Lian sat on the edge of the bed, holding Wang Xifeng's thin hand and said, "I'm back. If you're sick, we'll get treatment. Don't overthink things."

Wang Xifeng's face had lost its former charm; she blinked a few times and a few murky tears fell.

"Do you remember your first spring outing outside the city? I thought then that when I grew old, I could only close my eyes in my brother's arms."

Wang Xifeng's unexpected return to speech was not a good sign; Jia Lian knew it was a final burst of energy before death.

Silently sitting to one side, Jia Lian helped Wang Xifeng sit up and lean her against him, saying in a low voice, "How could I not remember! In March, when the peach blossoms were in full bloom, you made sure they were three parts less beautiful."

Wang Xifeng didn't speak, but slowly closed her eyes, a smile appearing on her lips.

After a while, Daiyu and Baochai, who had been waiting outside, came in, glanced at her, and said, "Sister is gone!"

Jia Lian said softly, "I know, let her lean on it a little longer!"

Everyone will experience life and death. When someone unrelated passes away, we generally remain bystanders, at most sighing and wondering what this person was like in life.

For Jia Lian, his feelings for Wang Xifeng were truly deep and sincere. Perhaps there wasn't much affection at first, but after deliberately cultivating it for a period of time, he fell in love with her.

No one could persuade him otherwise, and Jia Lian remained seated like that for several hours. Then Daiyu came in and said, "I want to do this too from now on! I'm just afraid that my brother will walk ahead of me."

A single sentence pulled Jia Lian back to reality; he realized he had been lost in memories. Memories of the past flooded his mind; though they were gone, they had been truly beautiful.

Jia Lian gently got up, helped Wang Xifeng lie down properly, and took one last deep look at her.

Baochai also whispered, "Sister is seventy years old, this is a joyous funeral!"

Jia Lian couldn't express his true feelings. From initially viewing her as a passerby to later becoming a powerful figure in this era, Wang Xifeng had always been by his side. She was truly the most important person to Jia Lian in this era. Despite her personality flaws, they were insignificant.

Daiyu's eyes were full of envy, while Baochai was filled with jealousy. The others were not qualified to come forward and could only stand quietly to the side and watch.

Perhaps it was only at this point that Jia Lian realized how deep his feelings for Wang Xifeng were, and that after she left, there was truly an emptiness in his heart.

People often take what's right in front of them for granted, only realizing the pain when they lose it.

Jia Lian probably understands the feeling of living a long life the most.

After seeing Wang Xifeng off, Jia Lian gave up the idea of ​​continuing his journey. The rest of the family members were also getting old, and in this day and age, one of them could pass away at any time.

Two months later, Madam You from the East Mansion also left, and within the next month, the You sisters also left one after another.

That year, Jia Lian spent his time seeing off the people around him.

Jia Lian felt he still had a responsibility, so he began to stay at home and write something to leave for posterity.

The change in his state of mind happened so suddenly. Jia Lian never felt that he was seventy or eighty years old, but the people around him kept passing away, and he would be sad for several days each time.

Jia Lian, who stayed at home, mainly focused on compiling textbooks. He didn't do it alone; he teamed up with some university professors to co-author introductory textbooks to replace the relatively rigid ones of the past.

After having something to do, Jia Lian felt much better.

At the age of eighty, Jia Lian had not changed much. His hair was completely white, but his face was still rosy and healthy. He truly had the appearance of a child with white hair.

For his 80th birthday, everyone said it should be a grand celebration, but Jia Lian said it wasn't necessary; he would just have his family and wouldn't accept any outside guests.

The only gift they accepted was sent by the emperor.

At the age of eighty-one, Daiyu passed away contentedly, nestled in Jia Lian's arms. Two months later, Baochai also passed away, again nestled in Jia Lian's arms.

Before this, Xiangling, Xiren, Yuanyang, and others who were by her side had all passed away. After she turned seventy, she continued to give away people.

After Baochai left, Jia Lian found himself with no ties left, but his health remained good. On a whim, he decided to go to Donghua.

Just as the first large passenger ship was being launched for trial voyages, Jia Lian decided to take the ship to see how Donghua was doing now.

The decision was sudden, and Jia Quan couldn't stop him, so he had to personally see him off onto the ship. Jia Quan was now the Minister of the Navy, but, well, he looked older than Jia Lian.

Perhaps because it has been exposed to the wind at sea for a long time, it looks a bit older.

To demonstrate the importance attached to this new passenger ship, the Navy decided to dispatch two cruisers to escort it free of charge.

These two warships are not the wooden-hulled ships of the past, but true ironclad warships. They have only been in service for about six months.

In the present world, the navy has entered an era of big guns and big ships. Before leaving, Jia Lian called Jia Quan to his study and talked about the future development trend of the navy.

"The range of cannons is limited, but the principle of naval warfare remains unchanged. That is, to detect the enemy first and annihilate them first." Jia Lian spoke with a strong voice. Jia Quan, who was opposite him, no longer had his usual smile. He frowned and looked at the cigarette in Jia Lian's hand, saying, "Father's reasoning is correct, but now the range of cannons is directly proportional to the size of warships."

Jia Lian smiled slightly and said, "What about airplanes? Have you considered sending airplanes aboard warships to take advantage of their range and strike the enemy first?"

Jia Quan pondered for a moment before saying, "Airplanes? Those things are difficult to carry even one person, let alone bombs. But they could be used for reconnaissance, which is a good option. Seaplanes!"

Jia Lian smiled again: "Aircraft can be improved. In the future, the navy should increase its focus and investment in aircraft. Just think about it, current cannons can only fire at a range of ten kilometers or so, while aircraft can drop bombs and torpedoes on enemy warships from a hundred kilometers away. What a scene that would be!"

Jia Quan shrugged helplessly, a habit he inherited from Jia Lian: "Father, I'll be retiring in a few years."

Jia Lian paused for a moment before saying, "Yes, retired people who still point fingers are disliked."

Jia Quan panicked: "Father, that's not what I meant."

Jia Lian laughed and said, "I know! It's just a feeling. People who come later always look down on their predecessors. They think they can do better. That's human nature."

Jia Quan said, "I will convey your words to everyone at the meeting."

Jia Lian nodded and added, "And then there are submarines. That's how warfare works; you have to hide yourself to strike the enemy more effectively, especially their sea lanes. We mustn't let our guard down in the current international situation. While relations between European countries seem tense, they will unite when necessary. After all, we are the odd ones out for them!"

Jia Quan said, "You should say this to His Majesty and to the cabinet ministers. Right now, those people in the cabinet are busy doing business with Europeans; they want to sell everything for money."

Jia Lian frowned slightly and said, "Is that so? Wasn't the principle before that we would only sell to Europe if they could manufacture it themselves? Actually, there's no need to worry too much. Even if Europe can manufacture it themselves, they can't compete with us on price. In terms of diligence and intelligence, we are the most outstanding nation in the world."

Jia Quan said, "It's been a while since you've paid attention to the domestic situation. The current cabinet is focused on economic indicators all day long, and doesn't pay any attention to technical secrecy. Especially some of the sons of powerful and wealthy people, they have close ties with Europeans, and they accept invitations, money, and women."

Jia Lian's expression turned serious: "What about the military?"

Jia Quan said, "The military is somewhat better, but the officials are really incompetent. The Imperial Guards haven't handled a major case in years. Unlike you back then, who arrested a governor every year?"

Jia Lian fell silent. This was still the emperor's problem. Or rather, even the best system depends on who implements it.

"Just do your own thing!" Jia Lian didn't intend to say anything more.

After the father and son finished their conversation, Jia Lian left Beijing the next day and went to Tianjin, where he boarded the new luxury passenger ship, the Dong Sheng.

The massive ship, as large as a mountain, was designed with the risks of seafaring in mind, and the number of lifeboats ensured that everyone could be taken care of.

After Jia Lian went to sea, a memorial was handed to the emperor by Jia Quan. The emperor, who was not young either, read the memorial and sat for a long time without saying a word.

The next day, the emperor summoned the crown prince and handed him the memorial, saying, "Take a close look at Grand Secretary Jia's memorial."

After carefully reading each word, the Crown Prince managed to suppress his astonishment: "So serious?"

Li Wan said, "A thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant hole. Prime Minister Jia is not exaggerating. I am old and do not want to cause trouble. As the Crown Prince, you should do something and establish your authority. Therefore, start by rectifying the administration!"

(End of this chapter)