Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 411 Getting what you want

"Dad, Japan does not have the vast territory of the Qing Dynasty, nor the abundant resources of the Qing Dynasty, nor the strong financial resources of the Qing Dynasty.

But don't forget that their national conditions are different and they belong to a new system.

Moreover, the country is small, the nation is homogeneous, and the cohesion is strong.

Their people, from top to bottom, have the spirit of a gambler and are willing to risk everything to gamble.

Our Qing Dynasty seems to have been working hard to govern the country in recent years, and the Westernization Movement has been booming, but what is the reality?
How many outstanding talents have been cultivated? How many research results have been achieved?

The officials at the top are just busy buying and buying, and all the technology is controlled by foreigners, so they are unable to upgrade or make breakthroughs.

We may look like a giant, but in fact, we are vulnerable.

This war is not about whether they dare or not, but they have been planning it for a long time. "

Qu Shaoyang could only sigh. The Qing court today was just an empty shell, and it was rotten inside.

Now that the powerful countries are surrounding us, everyone sees the huge Qing Dynasty as a piece of fat meat. If they get the chance, who wouldn't want to take a big bite?
It was obviously the first time that Doctor Chen heard such remarks, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Shao Yang, don't dare to say that. If people find out, you'll lose your head."

Doctor Chen also wanted to do good for his son-in-law, so he hurriedly gave the instructions.

"Dad, I'm just chatting with you. I won't say a word outside."

Qu Shaoyang is not stupid, how could he not know the seriousness of the matter?

Doctor Chen was afraid that his son-in-law would say something inappropriate, so he stopped talking about the topic immediately.

As for Qu Shaoyang, he felt annoyed whenever he thought about the outcome of the war and was in no mood to say more.

Although the two countries declared war at this time, the war was basically overseas and had not yet involved the homeland.

Therefore, most people in the country shared the same idea as Doctor Chen and had great hopes for the Qing court. Even the international community was not very optimistic about Japan.

In the capital, civil and military officials are busy preparing for the Empress Dowager's sixtieth birthday, while the common people are still worried about their food and clothing for tomorrow.

Only those people with lofty ideals and aspirations who care about the world pay more attention to the progress of this war.

Maoer Mountain is located in a remote area with isolated information. Ordinary people have no source of information and have no idea what is happening in the outside world.

Only Qu Shaoyang secretly sent letters to Zhao Zhengguo, Zheng Tiezhu and others, asking them to hurry up and train the local militia and recruit as many people as possible.

In addition, Qu Shaoyang also instructed the patrol team to pay close attention to the situation on the other side of the river to prevent any Koreans from taking the opportunity to cross the border.

In the blink of an eye, July passed and it was August. Chen Xiuyun was nine months pregnant.

Her belly was so big that it looked like a pot was placed on it, which was extremely scary.

Seeing their daughter like this, Mrs. Li and Doctor Chen were very worried, so they simply decided not to go back home and stayed at Qu's house. Mrs. Li slept directly with their daughter.

Qu Shaoyang didn't dare to go too far away, so he lived in the west room.

In the middle of the night on the second day of August, Chen Xiuyun suddenly had a stomachache and then her amniotic fluid broke.

Fortunately, Li was right there, leading the maids to boil water and prepare things.

Qu Shaoyang was in the west room, and when he heard something strange happening he got up quickly.

"Mom, what happened to Xiuyun? Is she about to give birth?"

Qu Shaoyang rushed out of the west room wearing his clothes and slippers and asked hurriedly.

"Go call your father over quickly and ask him to prepare the medicine at any time."

Mrs. Li had delivered countless babies and was very experienced. She directed everyone calmly.

When Qu Shaoyang heard this, he immediately went to the east wing to call Doctor Chen, and asked someone to go to the east courtyard to call Chen to come over for help.

The lights were on, and maids and wives were coming in and out. How could the people in the mansion not understand what was going on? The lady must be giving birth.

The news spread quickly, and Meng Lanxin also got the news. She hurried over after settling her son down.

At the Liu family's side in the east courtyard, Liu Dongshan was at the gold mine and not at home. When Lin Ruolan heard the news, she hurriedly dressed and came over to help.

Only Yang Qionghua, whose second child is only six months old, has to breastfeed at night, so she really can't get away.

So he sent his little sister He Hua to the main courtyard to inquire about the news and see if he could help in any way.

This is Chen Xiuyun's third child. She is young and in good health, so she is not slow in giving birth.

It took less than two hours from the time the amniotic water broke to the time the baby's crying was heard in the house.

Doctor Chen and Qu Shaoyang were walking back and forth in the yard in a hurry when they suddenly heard a loud baby cry. The father-in-law and son-in-law looked at each other and couldn't help but be overjoyed.

"It's born, it's born, Xiuyun is born." The father-in-law and son-in-law shouted at the same time.

"Listen to the baby's cry, it's so loud, it must be a boy." Doctor Chen clapped his hands happily.

When Qu Shaoyang heard this, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. He still hadn't gotten this little girl yet.

At this moment, there was another cry in the room. Compared with the previous cry, this cry was obviously much smaller, like the cry of a kitten.

The hearts of the father-in-law and son-in-law outside suddenly rose to their throats.

"Why is there such a small noise? Dad, is this child too weak?"

Qu Shaoyang was a little worried because he had heard before that among twins, one is often strong while the other is weak.

The weaker one was robbed of nutrition in the mother's womb and was underweight after birth.

If the medical conditions are good, the patient can be placed in an incubator and carefully cared for and treated, and there is a chance that he or she may survive.

But the medical conditions are not there now. If one of them is too weak, I’m afraid we’ll be in trouble.

"What are you talking about? I think the noise is quite gentle, it should be a little girl.

Don't scare yourself here, think positively. " Doctor Chen glared at the son-in-law and scolded him.

Qu Shaoyang was scolded by his father-in-law, but he didn't dare to refute. He just stretched his neck and stared at the door, waiting for someone from inside to deliver a message.

Not long after, Meng Lanxin came out of the house.

"Shaoyang, my eldest sister gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, the boy weighed five kilograms and the girl weighed four kilograms and six ounces.

Both children are healthy, and the eldest sister is also doing well." Meng Lanxin reported happily.

With Meng Lanxin's voice, Doctor Chen and Qu Shaoyang finally felt relieved.

"Dad, Dad, did you hear me? I have a daughter now, and I have a little girl too."

Qu Shaoyang reacted and realized that he had finally gotten the little cotton-padded jacket he had been waiting for, so he shouted happily.

"Good, good, good, having both a son and a daughter, that's great." Doctor Chen also smiled happily, happy for his daughter.

In the yard, the father-in-law and son-in-law were so happy.

Inside the house, Li and Chen were busy wrapping the baby and cleaning the blood from Chen Xiuyun. By the time everything was ready, it was already the third day of the eighth lunar month at the hour of Chou.

Li invited Qu Shaoyang into the house and asked him to see Chen Xiuyun and the two children.

Chen Xiuyun had given birth to two children and was exhausted, so she lay on the kang, drowsy.

When she heard Qu Shaoyang coming in, she opened her eyes with difficulty and looked at her husband. "Shaoyang, we have a daughter. I gave birth to twins for you, a boy and a girl." Although Chen Xiuyun's tone was a little weak, it was full of joy.

The couple had been looking forward to having a daughter for a long time, and finally they got their wish. How could they not be happy?

"Wife, you have worked hard, you should take good care of yourself. You should also take a double confinement this time to take good care of your body.

Whether it's a girl or a boy, I like them all. Let's raise them well and train them to be useful people so that they can serve the country in the future."

Qu Shaoyang gently wiped the sweat from Chen Xiuyun's forehead, then held his wife's hand and spoke softly.

"Yeah, okay." Chen Xiuyun was really tired and didn't have much energy to chat with Qu Shaoyang, so she closed her eyes and rested.

On the other side, Li handed the earthenware jar containing the baby's placenta to Qu Shaoyang and asked him to find a place to bury it.

Chen Xiuyun gave birth safely to a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, at midnight on the third day of August.

The news spread after dawn. Many families who had a good relationship with the Qu family learned the news and were happy for Qu Shaoyang and his wife.

In the morning, Qu Shaoyang went to the Sandaogou gold field in person to report the good news.

Qu Laokouer and Qu Jiang were very happy when they heard the news.

However, the production of the gold mine was at a critical time and Qu Laokouer was reluctant to leave.

So Qu Laokou told his son that he would go home during the Mid-Autumn Festival and take the opportunity to see the child.

Qu Shaoyang knew his father's temper very well and didn't find it strange. After all, the child was still young and there was no need to rush in just one or two days.

So Qu Shaoyang bid farewell to his father and brother and went to the Mantianxing Gold Mine again, where Liu Dongshan was watching.

Liu Dongshan had heard before that Chen Xiuyun was very likely pregnant with two babies. Now that he learned that Chen Xiuyun had safely given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, he was relieved and happy for Qu Shaoyang.

"Shaoyang, you now have four sons and one daughter, that's great.

You, Xiuyun and Lanxin are all young, so you can have more children in the future.

I tell you, gold and silver are useless, the most important thing is people. Without people, what is the use of earning a mountain of gold and silver?
Your master's wife and I are like this. We are content with having Shuanzhu and Xiaofeng. You must have more children."

Liu Dongshan was genuinely concerned about his apprentice, and took the opportunity to persuade Qu Shaoyang to have more children.

"Master, our Qing Dynasty is at war with Japan.

The world is going to be in chaos. You are watching the gold field here, so you must be extra careful.

I will arrange some more people over later. If anything really happens, tell everyone to save the people first.

As for the gold mines and gold mining boats, we can buy those things later if they don’t work out. People are the most important thing.”

After talking about the happy event, Qu Shaoyang told Liu Dongshan the news that the Qing Dynasty had gone to war with Japan.

"What? The Japanese are going to fight us? What happened? How is the battle going now? Who is winning or losing?"

Liu Dongshan has been guarding the Mantianxing Gold Mine since the beginning of spring and seldom goes home. This place is even more remote than Maoer Mountain. How could he know this news?
"On the first day of July, the two countries declared war, and they should still be fighting in Goryeo.

The current situation is not very clear, and I was only able to find out a little bit through my eldest brother-in-law.

What I am most worried about right now is that the war will spread northward. Once it crosses the Yalu River and reaches the territory of our Qing Dynasty, the people will suffer. "

Qu Shaoyang briefly told Liu Dongshan the news he knew.

“Shaoyang, don’t have any extravagant expectations of the court, you should make preparations in advance.

Those officers and soldiers of the imperial court, no matter they are from the Eight Banners or the Green Camp, are all useless and cannot be relied upon at all.

We can only rely on ourselves now. When you go back, arrange people to build defenses along the Yalu River.

By the way, please also inform your two uncles to make preparations in advance, settle the house, and hide all the gold, silver, and treasures.

Especially Yunhan, Kuandian is right on the Yalu River and is more dangerous than Fengtian.

It's not that Master looks down on the Qing court, it's just that I know too well what kind of people they are. The chances of winning this battle are slim."

Liu Dongshan had participated in the Muba Uprising and knew the level of the Qing troops very well.

Those people were able to defeat the imperial soldiers, not to mention the regular Japanese troops.

He had heard Zhao Guangzhi and others talk about some international affairs before. Japan is developing very well now and cannot be compared with those rubbish in the Qing Dynasty.

Upon hearing this, Qu Shaoyang couldn't help but sigh at his master's sharpness. What Liu Dongshan said was absolutely right. The Qing Dynasty lost this battle miserably.

"Okay, I understand. Master, you should be careful here too. If you encounter any situation, leave this place and go home immediately."

The war could not spread to this side. Qu Shaoyang was just worried that someone would take advantage of the situation to cause trouble and occupy the gold mine.

The Mantianxing Gold Mine is different from the one on the other side of Sandaogou. It is right on the river, and the gold-mining ships are rumbling all day long. How could Goryeo on the other side of the river not know what is going on?

In case someone took the opportunity to cause trouble, this place was far away from Maoer Mountain, and Qu Shaoyang was afraid that he would not be able to take care of it, so he repeatedly reminded Liu Dongshan.

"Don't worry, Master knows what to do. You just need to take care of the family." Liu Dongshan patted Qu Shaoyang on the shoulder.

The good news was delivered and everything that needed to be said was said. Qu Shaoyang did not stay in the Mantianxing Gold Mine for long and set off to return to Maoer Mountain.

After returning to Maoer Mountain, Qu Shaoyang quickly arranged for people to send letters to Kuandian and Fengtian to report the good news.

Qu Shaoyang also expressed in the letter his and Liu Dongshan's views on the war and asked the Chen brothers to prepare in advance.

At the same time, Qu Shaoyang also sent people to send letters to Andong, Yingkou and other places.

Tell the owner of the shop over there to sell all the goods that can be sold and settle the accounts before October.

Then the shops were closed and everyone temporarily returned to the countryside or to Fengtian and other places for shelter.

In recent years, Qu Shaoyang and the Chen brothers have developed many industries in Andong, Fengtian, Yingkou and other places.

Warehouses, restaurants, grain warehouses, wineries, oil mills, trading companies, etc., these industries can make a lot of money in a year.

Once Andong and Yingkou were occupied by the Japanese, these industries would inevitably be destroyed.

Instead of doing this, it would be better to close the store proactively to reduce losses and make plans after the war subsides.

The messenger left Maoer Mountain on horseback and headed straight for Kuandian, Fengtian and other places.

At this time, Chen Yunzhe in Fengtian had already entered the venue to take part in this year's autumn examination, which is the provincial examination.

The provincial examination was held every three years, usually in August of the four years of Zi, Mao, Wu and You.

Because it is held in autumn, it is also called the Autumn Examination.

The provincial examination was presided over by the chief examiner appointed by the emperor. All students, tribute students, and supervisors from the province who passed the examination could participate.

Chen Yunzhe took part in the imperial examination last year and achieved excellent results, so he was selected to take part in the provincial examination.

The provincial examination usually consists of three sessions, most of which are held on the 9th, 12th and 15th of August. However, candidates must enter the examination room one day in advance and leave the examination room the next day after taking the test.

After nine consecutive days, the candidates felt like they had been skinned alive when they left the examination hall.

Many people fall asleep as soon as they get home, as if they have a serious illness, and can sleep for a long time.

The same thing happened to Chen Yunzhe. After leaving the examination hall on August 16, he staggered back home, ignored everything, and fell asleep on the kang.

(End of this chapter)