The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

Zhang Yinghao thought for a while, his mind turned several corners, and he didn't waste any words. Since feudal ethics is cannibalistic, as long as the people being eaten also eat people, he will be able to figure out many things. Fight poison with poison, and try everything.

Zhang Yinghao took two bowls and went to the neck of the man who had just been beheaded to catch the blood with the bowls. He raised his foot and stepped hard on the chest of the corpse. Seeing blood flowing from the neck of the corpse, he quickly caught it with the bowl, then scooped in some freshly boiled water and stirred it evenly.

Zhang Yinghao took the bowl filled with blood and brought it to the two women who had just attempted suicide. He shouted, "Come, drink this bandit's blood. I have avenged you. I will give you guns later. Practice well. There are so many women in this world waiting for you to save their lives. If anyone dares to bully you in the future, you can use the guns I give you to kill him! Come, drink it!"

Zhang Yinghao saw that the two people's eyes suddenly widened and looked straight at him. Zhang Yinghao knew that what he said was beyond their expectations, but it touched their hearts.

Zhang Yinghao looked them in the eye and said loudly, "Drink it! Give me the guns! Let me join the battle."

The two women quickly grabbed the bowls and drank them in one gulp. Then they quickly looked at Zhang Yinghao, who shouted, "Wang Daqiang, bring two guns over here."

Then he saw all the women standing up. Zhang Yinghao's scalp tingled and he immediately shouted, "Get five guns."

Wang Daqiang replied: "Battalion Commander, the captured guns are not enough!"

Zhang Yinghao shouted, "Give me my gun too."

Zhang Yinghao personally handed the gun he had used to fight to the woman closest to him. Later, Zhang Yinghao learned her name was Liu Erya. He named her Liu Erlan, meaning she wanted to be Hua Mulan's sister and join the army to fight. He then gave guns to the other female hostages one by one.

Zhang Yinghao's gun has been preserved in the memorial hall because of its special significance in representing women's liberation. It bears witness to the courage and strength of Chinese women, the surge of women's comrades striving to take charge, and the unyielding backbone of the Chinese nation.

After receiving their guns, some of the people burst into tears, while others fought back. Zhang Yinghao, also infected by the sentiment, suddenly burst into song: "Unity is strength, unity is strength... Fire at the oppressors and reactionaries, let all undemocratic systems perish, shine brightly towards the sun, towards freedom, towards liberation."

Hearing the singing, the soldiers quickly gathered around and sang the song twice more in unison. Seeing that the problem of women seeking suicide had been solved, Zhang Yinghao instructed Wang Daqiang to teach the women to sing, and then he continued to cook for them.

Zhang Yinghao knows that this kind of trauma is difficult to heal over time. Only through great love, and by allowing these women to participate in the action of saving more people, can they truly be liberated and all their trauma healed. Although he knows that only love can bring redemption to these women, Zhang Yinghao currently lacks such power. However, Zhang Yinghao knows that when they start saving people through their own actions, their trauma will become their driving force.

As for the two male hostages, seeing Zhang Yinghao and his men distributing guns and singing a song with a strange rhythm, they became very interested in him. Zhang Yinghao went over to ask about their family situation. They weren't from wealthy families, but were just kidnapped and taken to the mountains by chance. Zhang Yinghao thought about it and agreed. People say that ducks know when the river water warms in spring. These wealthy families have many connections, a wide network of contacts, and can sense the changes of the times. Moreover, in our Qing Dynasty, these people have no sense of security, so the wealthy families are better at protecting themselves. In this corner of the mountain, there are not many wealthy people to rely on. With the help of Liu Youcai and others, they can still survive, but the people in this bandit den may be kept here by someone.

After dinner, Zhang Yinghao and his men moved away everything they could, leaving behind an empty stronghold. Zhang Yinghao originally wanted to set a fire like in the novels, but when he saw the whole mountain was covered with withered and yellow leaves, he thought better of it. Perhaps this stronghold would be useful to him in the future, so he took the prisoners and went back.

Now the work in Zhangjiagou has begun to get on the right track, and many villagers vaguely know that Zhang Yinghao wants to do something, but Zhang Yinghao himself doesn't say it, and everyone pretends to be confused and just consciously safeguards the interests of the village.

At first, when people from Guang'anzhou City came, they were accepted. The only concern was that there were too few people, not too many. The relevant people took those who signed up to work. Later, when someone discovered that there were spies seeking information, they stopped bringing people into the village. Zhang Yinghao had already set up an office outside. People from outside were now prohibited from entering the village, and if they needed anything, they had to contact the people in the office. In fact, those who came here were either desperate and looking for food or seeking information. It was because of Zhang Yinghao's caution that he avoided a lot of trouble.

Those who worked were given a sign, inscribed with the local simplified Chinese characters and pinyin alphabet, so there was no need to worry about mass production. Only those who worked could enter the village to eat; those outside could only get soup and porridge to barely keep them alive. Those who joined were quickly organized into teams to work, and even brought their signs with them to lecture in the evenings. Zhang Yinghao had no idea how he had just happened to have avoided a disaster of confiscation and extermination.

This time, Zhang Yinghao returned with several captured bandits and several female soldiers. The bandit captives were assigned to the engineering team for labor reform, while the female soldiers were placed under the supervision of the female students for a few days. Zhang Yinghao also sent twelve students to learn at the iron smelting furnace and recruited more than twenty people to dig coal and iron ore.

Chapter 22: Training, Education, and Reproduction

3833 words

When the light of glory envelops you, you should immediately hide in the darkness and think quietly. — Quotes from Zhang Yinghao

After defeating another landlord and earning a large sum of money, Zhang Yinghao began to think about doing something else. Now Zhang Yinghao was short of a large amount of paper and printing equipment. It was not realistic to buy all these things by himself. The best option was to make them by himself.

After much searching, Zhang Yinghao finally found a private papermaking and printing workshop in Yuechi. Acting like a bandit, Zhang Yinghao, adhering to the principle of self-reliance, took a small team and seized the papermaking and printing workshops by force.

With the backing of force, those businessmen dared not speak out. Zhang Yinghao just said one sentence: "Confiscate or invest." No one dared to be stubborn, and things went smoothly.

After Zhang Yinghao returned, one of the trainees brought back the first group of people Luo Zelin had recruited. There weren't many, just a dozen or so. Zhang Yinghao knew there weren't many decent factories in Chongqing right now, so he didn't expect them to be skilled workers. He asked them what they'd done before, and as he'd expected, many of them were laborers by birth, not high-level professionals. Assigning them jobs was straightforward, and they were assigned immediately.

Zhang Yinghao's top priority now was building the armed forces. He didn't have any political cadres, and while these students might be useful in the future, the time was too short for them to make a significant difference. Zhang Yinghao began to think outside the box again. Since discipline was paramount right now, he needed to enforce it. Political education could be introduced after the Party was established.

Since it is a matter of implementing discipline, this group of female soldiers should be able to temporarily accept this difficult task. With them watching over the team's discipline, I should be able to rest assured.

So, after Zhang Yinghao finished his work at the paper mill and printing factory, he returned to Zhangjiagou and immediately gathered all the female soldiers. There were quite a few female soldiers now, including Zhang Chunsheng's cousins. They couldn't really be considered female soldiers. Although they received a lot of training, Zhang Yinghao never considered them soldiers, especially the older ones. He only considered them medical personnel, or at most, policewomen.

Zhang Yinghao explained clearly that the goal of organizing these women was to facilitate their learning. Some of these women studied very diligently and worked very hard, far outperforming many of the men. Zhang Yinghao also explained that he wanted some of the women to serve as instructors, meaning they would be temporarily assigned to the male troops as a unit, with their primary responsibility being to enforce discipline.

"Don't worry, I'll train you and explain the specific jobs. I'm here to see if anyone is willing to sign up."

These women were all nervous about interacting with gay men, but under Zhang Yinghao's encouragement, as expected, the two women he had rescued were the first to step forward. Then, more than a dozen others stepped forward one after another.

Zhang Yinghao didn't care whether they passed or not for now. He'd just give them some initial training. Maybe they'd pass? Even if they didn't, they'd still learn something. Zhang Yinghao first spent a few days teaching them the drill rules. He then gave them paper documents to read, memorize, and explain to each other, allowing them to learn from each other. He then took them through several rounds of basic training, briefly explaining the "three-three system" and infantry squad and platoon tactics. Finally, he covered discipline and hygiene.

According to Zhang Yinghao's requirements, these female soldiers were not allowed to have long hair, but had short hair that reached their shoulders or ears, similar to Audrey Hepburn's style. Although the military's housekeeping regulations had not yet been fully standardized, the braids at the back of the male soldiers' necks were cut. If they didn't, they wouldn't be allowed to join the army. This was a mandatory requirement, and it was time to emphasize it now, otherwise it would be even more troublesome as the army grew. Discipline was Zhang Yinghao's top priority. Since the army was small, it was relatively easy to establish discipline and form a tradition, so that future soldiers would have a set of rules to follow.

Zhang Yinghao's team now consisted of a battalion, three platoons, nine squads, plus security, logistics, and communications personnel, totaling five to six hundred men. This was Zhang Yinghao's greatest asset, but it wasn't yet fully organized, as the platoon and squad leaders were acting. They were all farmers, putting down their hoes and participating in simple training. There was no formal training, and even now, only half a day was allowed at most. There was no off-the-job training, and there wasn't much actual combat training.

Zhang Yinghao knew that a strong army could not be built without the test of blood and fire, and his several actions were characterized by two key words: surprise attack. If they really were to fight face to face, Zhang Yinghao felt that grass would start to grow on his grave.

Finally, Zhang Yinghao formed a medical team with the remaining female soldiers. Zhang Yinghao himself didn't know any medical skills, but he knew that bacteria and viruses existed in this world. Some simple preventative measures could save a life. For example, if gauze was not boiled, sterilized, and dried, it would inevitably become infected if used on the wounded. Infection in that era could be fatal, so Zhang Yinghao taught these simple things.

Of course, even simple explanations of human anatomy require a cadaver instructor. In this era, Zhang Yinghao sentenced habitual rapists, opium traffickers, and thieves to death, leaving them to be hacked and used as cadaver instructors for students. Regarding theft, Zhang Yinghao's approach was simple: if someone committed theft once or twice, he could use reeducation through labor, but if they refused to change, he would leave them alone.

So in that era, specimens for the human specimen class were still easy to obtain, and Zhang Yinghao was no longer interested in corpses. He gathered the female soldiers and some of the people assigned to medical studies and began to explain the anatomy. After dissecting the male corpse, he would explain the female corpse. That was it, nothing mysterious or embarrassing.

After hearing this, Zhang Feng also suggested that all soldiers should attend the class. Zhang Yinghao immediately understood and agreed. However, Zhang Yinghao suggested that the class could be taught by female instructors. This would help cultivate the authority of the female soldiers and strengthen their knowledge and professionalism. Furthermore, if the soldiers understood the internal structure of the human body, they would know where to strike the most effectively in a bayonet fight.

Later, Zhang Yinghao realized that these farmers were actually not unfamiliar with corpses and the contents inside them. They just didn't understand the specific location and structure of human internal organs. They could understand it by comparing it with the internal organs of a pig. However, they were more uncomfortable seeing their own corpses being cut and sawed like this. That was all.

No one seems to be impressed by Zhang Yinghao's decision to appoint female soldiers as company instructors. Zhang Yinghao now holds his own authority, and even some opposition is futile. Furthermore, Zhang Feng and the others still don't understand the significance of Zhang Yinghao appointing instructors.

Although China has been a patriarchal society for the past few thousand years and women have traditionally been looked down upon, women have always been active in the center of political power. In ancient times, there were Empress Lü and Empress Wu Zetian, and now Empress Dowager Cixi is the supreme ruler of the Qing Empire.

Zhang Feng and the others all thought it was just a woman, no big deal. But soon, some soldiers began to secretly complain. The mere presence of a female soldier instilled inexplicable excitement. During drills, for example, the soldiers ran faster and faster, and their physical fitness scores were immediately boosted by the presence of a female instructor.

Two female soldiers per squad gave each other some companionship. As the saying goes, a man and a woman working together makes work less tiring. Of course, the soldiers Zhang Yinghao recruited were almost all from respectable families, and their hearts would flutter at the sight of a female instructor. Some even started to make noises at the arrival of a female soldier. Zhang Yinghao instructed Zhang Feng, Ouyang Jun, and the others to give those who were making noises a good lesson, and things gradually changed.

Of course, female soldiers also need to receive training, and every night these female soldiers have to hold a summary meeting to report on the situation and shortcomings, summarize experiences and lessons, etc.

Of course, during drills and other exercises, the female soldiers might quickly fall behind, but that wasn't a big deal. The male soldiers didn't mind it, as everyone knew women weren't as physically strong as men. As long as the female instructors could enforce discipline, that was all that mattered. Seeing that the team wasn't so averse to the instructors, and that the female soldiers were able to keep up with the team's training, and even making rapid progress, Zhang Yinghao let them go again.

After Zhang Yinghao came back from the mountain, he has been busy non-stop. During this period of time, he first killed the landlord Zhang, then organized the construction of the reservoir, and also wiped out Liu Youcai and a group of bandits. But in such a short time, he already had a battalion of troops. This is the rhythm of cheating. This reminded Zhang Yinghao of the Taiping Rebellion led by Hong Xiuquan. They started their army in Guangxi and fought to Nanjing in a short time. The core of the troops was only a few people, and then several forces joined together to gather more than 20,000 people. They were immediately unstoppable and almost swept across half of the country, far exceeding the rhythm of Li Zicheng and Li Chuangwang. This is also a life of cheating.

Zhang Yinghao thought of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and immediately realized why it initially grew so rapidly. It was because they had an army of tens of thousands of believers from the very beginning. Their goal of a small kingdom attracted people to join them without hesitation. And Li Zicheng's rise to power was due to his slogans like "no grain tax."

Zhang Yinghao wasn't too concerned about food these days. In those days, every landlord had three years' worth of food. If they ran out of food, they could just go and get rid of the landlords. But meat was a big problem. One of the pigs seized from Landlord Zhang's house had piglets, but it took quite a while for a pig to grow from birth to dinner. Even in modern times, it took six months to feed it, and now it would take at least eight or nine months.

Hunting alone wouldn't be enough meat for so many people! After arriving in the late Qing Dynasty, Zhang Yinghao still found meat delicious. So, Zhang Yinghao remembered his once-abandoned earthworm farm. It seemed he couldn't give up on this one. Not only could he not give it up, but he should improve it. This was a killer weapon; he'd rely on it to eat chickens and ducks in the future.

With this in mind, Zhang Yinghao immediately led several of his comrades in charge of earthworm farming, hoes in hand, to dig the soil in the worm field. Upon reaching the field, he immediately smiled, for he had instructed his mother to tend to the worm field. Months had passed, and instead of abandoning it, his mother had meticulously cared for it. Now, the mud in the worm field had turned a deep black, a testament to its fertility.

Zhang Yinghao immediately ordered the digging of earthworms. He returned to the village and called a few soldiers to carry dung buckets to the temporary toilets at the entrance of the village to collect feces, and then carried them to the earthworm field to spread them.

The earthworms that are dug up can be picked up in a dung bucket, then killed and sterilized with boiling water before being used to feed chickens and ducks. If used to feed pigs, do not put too many earthworms at one time to avoid waste due to indigestion and absorption. Simply boil a small amount of earthworms and泔水 for better absorption.

After Zhang Yinghao and the comrades in charge of earthworm breeding practiced it once, he explained it again and arranged for them to take turns collecting feces and urine every day, and dig up some earthworms along the way. They didn't need to dig too many at a time. Then he asked them to turn over the entire field and use it all for earthworm breeding, turning it into an earthworm breeding field.

But distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. If you want to eat meat, you still have to rely on yourself. Zhang Yinghao quickly arranged for Zhang Feng and others to lead some people to the mountains for training and to be responsible for hunting, so as to ensure that there would be some oil and water every day.

Zhang Yinghao also gradually summed up some of his own leadership experience from these actions. As long as he could find a way to organize the relevant people, many things could be done well, and many problems were not problems and could be easily solved.

Chapter 23: Gathering talents and making assignments

3910 words

When you revolve around things, everyone involved will revolve around you! — Quotes from Zhang Yinghao

Zhang Yinghao suddenly thought of the story of the Tower of Babel in the Bible. When humans work together, the accumulated strength and wisdom are infinite. The castles they built are prosperous and beautiful, and the towers they built reach the sky, as if to compete with the heavens.

God was frightened when he saw how united and powerful mankind was, so he quietly left Heaven and came to Earth, confusing their languages ​​and scattering them everywhere. The tower was thus abandoned halfway.

As the old Chinese saying goes, "Brothers united are stronger than metal." This demonstrates the immense power of a group of people united in purpose and shared a common goal. However, unity is difficult to achieve. Reality demands support, but what motivates us? Fame or wealth. There are also those who are unmoved by fame or wealth, or who have no desires or simply live for their ideals.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yinghao suddenly thought about why there is a group of Taoist-like people in Chinese history who are always active in history books, and why are they so powerful?

Now Zhang Yinghao had a glimmer of understanding. It wasn't about these people's high IQs, but rather their genuine transcendence. Transcendence here didn't mean they were immortal, but rather that they no longer cared about their own gains and losses. Wisdom arises from indifference, and wisdom arises from outside circumstances. Chinese Taoists pursue the Tao. The Tao Te Ching also discusses how to be a sage. If some of these Taoists pursue the realm of a sage, disregarding personal gains and losses, abandoning self-interest and focusing solely on the underlying reality, studying the laws of how things unfold, they will be able to return to the essence of things amidst the complexities of appearances, without distorting the truth. This is what Taizu advocated: "seeking truth from facts." Ultimately, they will be able to act impartially, peacefully, and impartially, thus assisting their ruler in achieving great achievements.

Zhang Yinghao now had more people under his command, and more things to do. He had small coal mines and iron ore mines, but there was one crucial thing he lacked: cement. Building houses required cement, and so did roads. "If you want to get rich, build roads first." This wasn't just a slogan, it was a fact. In New China, connecting every village with a road was no joke. Unless it was a sparsely populated area, every village in the corner had a road.

Moreover, it was already past October, and Zhang Yinghao planned to organize people to build houses and level roads after finishing the reservoir canal, all of which required cement. The cement used in the reservoir outlet was still purchased, and it was extremely expensive.

Zhang Yinghao knew he couldn't build a skyscraper, and he couldn't produce high-quality cement. All he needed was cement that wouldn't crack easily for road construction. With the lack of large trucks, there was no need for high-quality roads. So, Zhang Yinghao gathered together those who knew how to make lime to experiment with making cement. He knew cement was made of limestone, iron ore, clay, and other ingredients, but he didn't know the specifics of how to process it or what the proper mix was. He needed these experts to conduct experiments and compile data.

Zhang Yinghao informed these masters and two iron smelting masters to experiment together. These masters would later experiment with firing large quantities of red bricks and tiles. Zhang Yinghao also planned to build a sawmill, so he needed to buy and prepare everything he needed.

Zhang Yinghao has now figured it out. The people under him may have little experience, but they are not stupid. As long as he explains clearly when doing things, they can still complete the tasks. Some jobs cannot be completed by one person, but as long as two or more people are arranged to discuss with each other, they can usually be done.

At this time, Zhang Yinghao was stationed in Zhangjiagou, directing the personnel and arranging the work. Although Zhang Yinghao sometimes felt that his work wasn't good enough, he knew no one could do it better. With so many people struggling to make ends meet, there was no need to worry about people not doing the work. China was also home to many people skilled in traditional craftsmanship. If they could be organized, they could accomplish the task. High-precision equipment wasn't necessary yet.

Later generations of China have always talked about low labor costs. Now Zhang Yinghao finally understands what low labor costs mean. As long as they are fed, there will be no shortage of workers. There is no work-related injury insurance, no money is paid, only food and accommodation are provided, and some technicians are given a little grain per day as wages.

Zhang Yinghao has now gathered a group of master craftsmen, each of whom has his own unique skills. However, when these masters teach, many of them insist on keeping some skills to themselves. These skills are passed down from their ancestors, and they are their livelihood, so they are not easily passed on.

Zhang Yinghao had no choice but to focus on the traditional crafts that were still popular in the 21st century and were very valuable. Therefore, when training these craftsmen, Zhang Yinghao could only focus on what he knew.

When giving lectures, Zhang Yinghao often wondered if the education system in New China was prepared for the end of the world. With its rigid basic model and exam-oriented education, everyone has a very solid foundation. What everyone learns before college is almost the same. It is truly a jack of all trades and a jack of all trades.

Zhang Yinghao shared his knowledge with these veterans, explaining the underlying scientific principles. He then assigned them tasks and responsibilities, pushing them to become researchers. For simple tasks like firing red bricks or cement, if they struggled, he would assign someone else to handle the task, assigning two students to follow up and record the progress. He also required these individuals to hold meetings to discuss any issues. Sometimes, Zhang Yinghao would also consult with the veterans.

Zhang Yinghao led a busy life. During this time, some of the recruits he had sent to Wuhan returned, and he held them in high regard. After all, they worked at the Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant in Wuhan, encompassing six major plants: the Pig Iron Works, the Beise Ma Steel Works, the Siemens Steel Works, the Rail Works, the Iron Goods Works, and the Wrought Iron Works, as well as four smaller plants: the Machine Works, the Iron Foundry, the Ironworks, and the Fish Hook and Nail Factory. They had seen and experienced the world of heavy industry, and they knew a great deal.

Zhang Yinghao is now eager to recruit talented people, otherwise he would not have worked so hard to train a group of old masters. Now he also understands the urgent feeling of Zhou Gong spitting out food to feed his guests.

Zhang Yinghao now values ​​technical talent above all else. Skilled workers, skilled laborers, those who are essential to the industrial foundation. If anyone were to promote literary masters to him, Zhang Yinghao would spit in their face. With the country in ruins, why would anyone focus on literature and becoming a master instead of striving for development? Is that even remotely interesting? The illiteracy rate in the late Qing Dynasty was appallingly high, and the urbanization rate was a mere 5-6%. In rural areas, only the descendants of clan leaders in larger villages, or those whose families inherited a tradition of poetry and literature, could read. Ordinary families struggled year-round, and children had to work from the moment they were old enough to understand. Without tuition, they couldn't go to school, and even if they wanted to, there were no teachers.

"Comrade Zhang Kai, how did you manage to recruit so many people?"

"Platoon Leader, what a coincidence! When I arrived in Wuhan, I saw the Wuhan Iron and Steel Plant was hiring. I applied straight away and unexpectedly ended up working there. Hehe, I spent quite a bit of time there and made friends with the workers. I learned that they came here because they were dissatisfied with the Japanese's brutal interference in the factory and the cruel exploitation of their supervisors."

"So what's going on inside the factory?"

"It was miserable. The factory was divided into many small factories and departments, but the technology was controlled by foreigners. There were thousands of Chinese workers, but the factory management was completely bureaucratic. A bunch of idle personnel were just playing around all day, doing nothing. As a result, the Hanyang Iron Works suffered huge losses soon after its opening, and had to borrow heavily. I heard that even Zhang Zhidong was extremely anxious about it. Therefore, capable people are dissatisfied with the status quo but have no chance to move up. Even if they do move up, they can't achieve anything, even with foreigners around. Incompetent people fill management positions and compete with others. I made some connections within the factory, and these people just left with me. They might be even happier if I took them away!"

Although Zhang Yinghao didn't know Hanyang Iron and Steel's current operating conditions, he knew without a doubt that it was not doing well. With the Japanese watching and sabotaging it from behind, wouldn't it be a pipe dream to expect it to develop? How could such a large factory, without a talent development system, allow illiterate or semi-literate people to successfully run a heavy industry?

"Well, Zhang Kai, you've made a great contribution this time. But Hanyang is our talent base, so we need to recruit more people from there to work here."

"I know. I left a comrade there to continue scouting for personnel!"

"Well, I'm at ease with you doing the job!"

Zhang Yinghao would not make random arrangements for the technical personnel he brought back this time. After all, these people had seen the world, and Zhang Yinghao himself did not understand or even hear of many professional things, so he had to rely on them. Zhang Yinghao immediately invited these workers to his office. He did not make jokes about these workers and always knew what they knew.

"Hello, friends. My name is Zhang Yinghao. You can call me Captain Zhang or Comrade Zhang Yinghao. Welcome to Guang'an. What do you do in Wuhan?"

"I came from the machine factory."

"From the steel mill."

"I work in the wrought iron factory."

"I'm at the gunpowder factory."

......

Zhang Yinghao looked at them and just wanted to laugh. After a moment's thought, he said, "Everyone has come all the way here to do something big, right?"

Seeing everyone nodding, Zhang Yinghao smiled and said, "I really need your help. I'm short of people of all kinds here right now. As long as you want to do something and have real skills, we will build a stage for you. Even if there is no stage for you now, we will soon buy machines from abroad, and you will still have a place to use your skills. But before that, you still have to teach us more students, otherwise you won't be able to run the machine on your own. Is that okay?"

"no problem."

“It would be nice to have a job.”

......

Everyone went on to discuss their responsibilities and teachings, but Zhang Yinghao didn't quite understand. He now had a sense of realization: leaving professional matters to professionals is the right path. As for what might happen if an amateur were to give orders to a professional, Zhang Yinghao, coming from a modern era, knew the consequences of such things simply by watching television.

Zhang Yinghao had never worked in a heavy industry factory and had no idea what this was all about. He didn't care and said, "I don't understand what you're talking about. Take a look at this."

After saying this, Zhang Yinghao took out a piece of paper that had been written long ago. On it were written some of the workshops and factories that Zhang Yinghao currently controlled: three salt wells, a gunpowder factory, an ironworks, a steelworks, a brick factory, a tile kiln factory, a coal mine, an iron mine, a printing factory, a paper mill, an ink factory...

After everyone had looked through the papers, Zhang Yinghao said, "Please consider where you can best utilize your abilities. The conditions here are such that we all need to work together. You have all worked at the Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant. You have all seen modern industry and should all know that our future must be industrialized. I am very grateful that you have come to this remote place. Please discuss your salary with our logistics department. I am currently designing and building a large ironmaking furnace. Since you are from a regular factory, you must take on the corresponding work. I need a large amount of steel and iron."

First, find a job that suits you. I'm going to build more and bigger factories here. Those of you who understand things, I hope you'll take the initiative and take on the work. You can work here for a while, and if you're not satisfied, you can leave at any time. You'll also teach students. I hope you'll all work hard, happily, and do a good job. Our temple is so small right now, and we need a lot of things. If we don't have enough, we can hardly buy what we need, so we have to make it ourselves. As long as you can do a job independently or start your own factory, I'll support you. I'll provide you with the people and money you need. You can also write to your colleagues and friends and ask them to come work here too. We need a living here."

These people didn't know what to say. After all, they were not familiar with this place. They really couldn't stand the idleness of people in the flesh-and-blood factories like Hanyang, and they also wanted to make some changes and build a career, so Zhang Kai brought them here.

Chapter 24: Talking about building arms and expanding strength

3856 words

Luck is a kind of strength, but you must have the foundation to try your luck. — Quotes from Zhang Yinghao

After Zhang Yinghao asked Bao Shilin to take these workers out, he had to work hard to convince the next person. This person was a firearms expert that Zhang Kai and his team had gone to great lengths to get through threats and kidnapping.

"Battalion Commander, this next guy is a real talent. He is the last disciple of Yu Qingao, the general manager of the Hubei Gun and Ammunition Factory. He has inherited Yu Qingao's true teachings."