The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 616: From extreme involution to struggle for survival and then to revolution.
1857 12 Month 21 Day.

The cotton fields on the south bank of the Wei River were covered with a thin layer of frost. Tenant farmer Wang Laoliu, who had just turned the soil of his family's few acres of thin fields with his two half-grown children, was squatting on the ground, scratching numbers on the frozen soil with a branch: "Master Yao reduced the rent by 20%, but it rained for ten consecutive days in September last year, and only 30 kilograms of lint were harvested from one acre of land. Based on 50 kilograms, I paid 30% rent, and in the end there were only 15 kilograms of lint left to sell, but..."

Moore could not quite understand the language of the old farmer from Shaanxi. Fortunately, there was a young man from Yao Baiwan's (Yao Chongjing) family who was translating nearby. Although it was only translated into Chinese, Moore could fully understand it.

When the young man heard Wang Laoliu complaining about the high rent and low cotton prices, he smiled bitterly and took out the shriveled cotton bolls and said, "Hey, foreign sir, please look, this is the cotton grown by Wang Laoliu."

Friedrich was an expert. He took the cotton boll and twisted the black fibers inside: "This cotton is of too low quality. It can't even be made into rags in Europe."

"That's right!" The young man from the Yao family glared at Wang Laoliu, "It's good enough that my family can accept your cotton fur!"

Wang Laoliu wiped his tears and said: "I know Mr. Yao is kind-hearted, but it's really not enough to eat. If, if..."

Moore, who understood the word "if", looked at the old farmer expectantly, but the old farmer said, "It would be great if we could conquer all the land in Weibei."

This idea is a bit too backward!
Moore was a little disappointed, but Friedrich shook his head and said, "It's useless. Shandong and Northern Zhili will soon introduce high-quality sea island cotton or American lint cotton. The Textile Bureau in Tianjin also has the most advanced steam looms. The production efficiency is dozens of times higher than the hand-made looms in Weinan City, and the product quality is good. Once..."

There was a sound of horse hooves, and Yao Chongjing and Wen Xian rode up together. His big golden teeth gleamed in the morning light: "The two foreign gentlemen are really visiting the poor and inquiring about their hardships. How is this place? It can be considered a good place in Guanzhong, right?"

Friedrich stepped on the frozen soil and said, "Mr. Yao, your land rent is already the lowest in Guanzhong, but the farmers still can't survive."

"Can't survive?" Yao Chongjing sneered, "You have to go to Henan to see! The number of people starving to death there is piled up like a mountain! In Weinan, at least I let them wear cotton clothes and eat steamed bread!"

Wang Laoliu nodded in agreement: "Master Yao is right! It would be great if we could conquer Weibei."

Yao Chongjing laughed loudly: "We can defeat them. We have an iron factory and can make foreign guns!"

Suddenly, the sound of musketry was heard in the distance. Yao Chongjing's personal soldiers rode over and said, "The white hats are robbing the coal truck again!"

"You're looking for death!" Yao Chongjing sneered, "All men, grab your weapons!"

The ridge of the field was suddenly empty, except for Moore and Friedrich.

摩尔望着远去人们的背影，而弗里德里希则在笔记本上做算术——上面写着：8亩×15斤=120斤×100文=12000÷4=3000文/年。

"According to the silver price in Guanzhong, which is less than one and a half Taiping silver dollars, it can only buy 100 kilograms of wheat." Friedrich shook his head repeatedly, "It's not enough to live on!"

Moore took out his pipe, lit it, and took a puff of smoke. "Even if we don't pay any rent, it's hard to survive!" He pondered for a while, "Friedrich, what do you think is the point of revolution in such a living environment?"

"This," Friedrich thought for a moment, "when survival becomes a struggle, revolution becomes a means of survival. Its significance lies in the fact that the party that completes the revolution first can have a stronger productivity, and productivity is the means of struggle. If the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had not intervened, the people of Weinan would have used their little bit of industrialization to win the survival that came from the struggle."

Moore nodded: "And then?"

"And then?" Friedrich sighed. "Hasn't European history demonstrated this? Those who survive through struggle always win over those who have abundant resources and don't need to struggle to survive."

Weinan Textile Factory.

The factory was deserted because the Wei River was frozen and the turbines could not be used to drive the Jenny spinning machines. More than a thousand spinning machines were all shut down, and tens of thousands of people in the entire industry chain were laid off without pay.

"Even if there is a steam engine, it is useless," Engineer Henry took Moore and Friedrich to wander around the empty textile factory, "because there is not enough cotton. All the land in Weinan that can be planted is planted with cotton. There is no vacant land."

"So that's why Mr. Yao wants to attack Weibei?" Moore asked.

Henry shook his head: "It's useless to conquer it. People always need to eat. The land in Weinan is planted with cotton, and he can buy grain from Weibei. If Weibei is also full of cotton fields, what will people eat? Do you want to transport grain from Henan? Impossible, the cost is too high. It's more cost-effective to transport cotton cloth in."

"Then why does he always talk about attacking Weibei?" asked Friedrich.

Moore said, "It's nothing more than a slogan to rally people's hearts." He paused, "I think the upper echelons in Weibei will say the same thing, right?"

Henry smiled wryly and nodded.

Wen Xian's face gradually turned ugly: "Isn't the whole of China just a large Weinan? Where can they go?"

Frenchman Henry knew the plan of Mathilde and Li Hongzhang, but he would not tell Wen Xian. Instead, he changed the subject and said, "I will take you to Weibei to have a look tomorrow."

"Weibei? Isn't that the territory of Shisanfang Temple?" Moore was stunned.

"That's also Qing territory," Henry said, "at least it is now! And Weibei and Weinan are one family. There are many Han villages in the north. In addition, there is Mr. Yao's coal mine in the north, which is worth a visit."

Weibei, Chengcheng. A church cross flag was flying at the entrance of a coal mine, and miners wearing white hats stained black by coal dust entered in a line, carrying coal baskets on their backs.

Yao Chongjing, who had come all the way north with Moore, Friedrich, Bonham, Henry and others, whipped the supervisor on the back with a horsewhip: "Why are there still these people digging coal?"

"They have all converted to Heavenly Father God," said the overseer.

"That won't work either!" Yao Chongjing's face darkened.

The supervisor smiled flatteringly and handed over the account book: "Their wages are 30% lower than those of the Han people!"

"That's more like it." Yao Chongjing finally smiled. "What about the Han people working in the mine? Can their wages be reduced a little?"

The supervisor nodded immediately: "Yes, yes, definitely!"

At this time, several miners climbed out of the mine with coal on their backs. Henry picked up a piece of coal and smiled bitterly: "The calorific value is less than half of British anthracite, and the iron smelting furnace needs to burn twice as much. But it doesn't matter now. If the Xuzhou steel plant can really produce hundreds of tons of steel a day, then..."

Yao Chongjing grabbed the coal and threw it at the cross flag: "Damn the long-haired people! They really don't give us a way to live!" He turned to Moore and gritted his teeth: "Foreign sir, do you think this is fair? The coal, cotton and ore here are not good enough, and we don't have the machines like England. I have tried my best. But those long-haired people..."

Moore said calmly: "There is no fairness in the face of survival."

Yao Chongjing sighed, waved his hand and said, "Go back, go back, it makes me upset just looking at it."

Weinan City.

Inside the accounting office of the Yao residence, twenty accountants were using abacus to calculate non-stop - it was already the end of the year, so it was time to calculate how much money the Yao family had earned last year.

Friedrich was also flipping through the account book. He suddenly looked up and said, "Each acre of cotton field requires three dan of manure. The price of manure in Weinan has risen to 40 wen per dan."

"The price of feces?" Yao Chongjing sighed, "Even the price of human feces is going up!"

Wen Xian pointed to the map of Weibei and interjected: "If we take over the 300,000 mu of land in Shisanfang Temple, the cotton production can increase fivefold."

"Take a shit!" Yao Chongjing took a puff of his pipe, "Sir Wen, didn't you see those cross flags in Weibei? Those crusaders claim to believe in French Catholicism, but in fact, they all worship God the Father!"

Wen Xian was shocked: "The Qing court doesn't care?"

"Who cares? Li Hongzhang's Ma is protecting her. Who dares to care?" Yao Chongjing lowered his voice. "My Lord, I am not so hostile to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The land outside Weinan City can be divided, but once the cotton cloth from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom arrives, it will not only be me who will suffer, but also those old farmers who grow cotton!"

Moore whispered: "When the struggle for survival reaches its limit, revolution is the only way out."

"Revolution?" Yao Chongjing was stunned. "What happens after the revolution?"

Moore said, "Master Li may have thought about it?"

In the Han villages of Weibei, the cross flags fluttered in the cold wind. The True Yue priest stood on the earthen platform and preached: "May the Heavenly Father and God bless us. Those who believe in the Heavenly Father will get the land!"

Hundreds of peasants were kneeling in the audience, with copper and wooden crosses hanging on their chests. An old man raised his hand tremblingly: "Pastor, we can really get the land."

"Of course!" The pastor waved the True Testament. "When the Taiping Army comes, everyone will have land to farm!"

Suddenly, there was the sound of horse hooves. A group of Hunan troops suddenly rushed into the village, torches illuminating the cross flag: "Catch the long-haired spies!"

A fight broke out instantly, blood splattered on the cross flag. The priest raised the True Covenant and screamed: "Kill the demons and go to heaven!"

In Xi'an Prefecture, inside the Qing Imperial Palace, candlelight flickered.

Empress Dowager Cixi, the Holy Mother of the Qing Dynasty, sat upright on the kang. She first looked at her sister Wanzhen who was sitting opposite her, then looked at Bai Siwen who was dressed in a Western dress. Finally, she sighed: "You came to see the Qing Dynasty for the last time. Now you have seen it, so leave quickly! If you don't leave now, I'm afraid you won't be able to leave."

Wanzhen suddenly said, "You can get away. You can definitely get away! Sister, I came all the way here just so you and the Khan of the Later Jin Dynasty can get away from Xi'an."

Cixi was stunned: "Wanzhen, where can I go now?" She smiled bitterly, "I will wait to go down and apologize to the late emperor."

"He really managed to get away!" Wanzhen took out an envelope, "King Wu said that he had made an appointment with Mathilde."

(End of this chapter)