The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

After finishing the newspaper and magazine work, a new batch of comrades were assigned to the training school. In his spare time from teaching, Zhang Yinghao went to Chen Yiwei's workplace. After all, this was Zhang Yinghao's primary concern. After all, for a country to truly stand up, steel, as its backbone, was indispensable.

Along the way, Zhang Yinghao discovered that the road leading to the steel mill had been paved. The rubber-wheeled carts on the road were likely purchased specifically for transporting machinery, some requiring several oxen to pull. Of course, many people were awed and amazed by the loads being pulled by such large carts.

Zhang Yinghao saw the large carts pulling the equipment, and the panting oxen, and could only smile bitterly. With oxcarts and horse-drawn carriages still needed within the base area, Zhang Yinghao had no choice but to make do. While others might think transporting so many machines was a difficult task, Zhang Yinghao saw it as a simple matter of a tractor and a forklift.

This is the most direct manifestation of the power of industrial and agricultural nations: countless manpower and material resources are consumed on the road. How much labor and material costs does a single truck save? How much consumption is reduced? These are things that cannot be simply measured with numbers.

Zhang Yinghao finally met Chen Yiwei at the construction site. He was no longer the suit-wearing Chen Yiwei he once was. He wore a linen shirt and a simple hard hat. His face and arms were tanned. A distinct sun mark appeared at his collar, and a layer of salt stains formed on his back.

Zhang Yinghao scooped half a bucket of water and walked over to hand it to Chen Yiwei. Chen Yiwei turned around and saw that it was Zhang Yinghao. He smiled and took the water from Zhang Yinghao.

"Chairman, you're here!"

"Drink water first."

Seeing Chen Yiwei indeed lower his head to drink, Zhang Yinghao didn't rush, turning around to survey the surroundings. He saw construction going on everywhere, though many areas had only just begun. Among the people coming and going, it seemed many were simply idling. Of course, Zhang Yinghao didn't know what to do, so he quietly waited for Chen Yiwei to finish his drink before taking the scoop.

"How long will it take to build our factory?"

"It will take several months. After installation, it still needs debugging and so on. It can't be done quickly."

Chapter 148:

Zhang Yinghao knew these things couldn't be done quickly, but a few months felt a bit too long. There was a shortage of steel and iron everywhere, and it was impossible to wait until everything was ready before starting production.

"As soon as possible, we can use the machine as soon as it's ready. There's no need to wait until everything is debugged before we start working. The most important thing is to train the workers first. We'd rather have people wait for the machine than have the machine wait for people. That would be troublesome."

"These have all been arranged, and training has already begun. If the auxiliary equipment is installed first, it can be used first. Some equipment cannot be used, and it is very troublesome to stop it after starting it."

"Well, there's also the safety issue that must be properly trained. You can't relax when dealing with steel, and you have to be even more cautious when dealing with molten steel or molten iron."

In his previous life, Zhang Yinghao worked in a trolley manufacturing plant that made auto parts. He knew how dangerous working with steel was. Bumps on exposed parts like hands and feet would cause blood to flow. Welders often had blemishes and blackheads on their faces, the result of burns from high temperatures. This was even more dangerous for those working with molten steel and iron.

"Well, everyone knows this. There will be special training."

"Also, once you're on the construction site, you absolutely cannot take off your safety helmet. You must supervise closely, and never take it off, no matter how hot it is. Also, remember to add some salt to the water you drink, and make some cold tea or sour plum water at noon to prevent heatstroke."

"Chairman, would you like to sit inside?"

"No, I just came to take a look. Look at your back, there's already a layer of salt. Remember to drink more salt water to replenish your salt intake. No matter how difficult our situation is, we'll still have this little bit of salt."

"Okay, Chairman, is there anything you want to tell me?"

"I'm just here to help you. Look at our current base. Can we buy some more machines?"

"Chairman, when we came to the United States this time, the overseas Chinese donated a lot of money to us, otherwise we would not have been able to buy so many machines this time.

There are still comrades out there buying machines. If you need any, you can tell them. But I have also learned about the situation in the base area during this period.

But I think it is enough for now. Even if I buy another 9, I am afraid that I don’t have enough workers. And the problem of food is also a problem.

The big problem is that there are fewer people farming, and I'm worried there won't be enough food to eat."

Zhang Yinghao was not unaware of the current situation within the base, but he had no intention of giving up. He knew even more that if he invested even a penny now, he would reap tenfold, a hundredfold, of the rewards in the future. If he gritted his teeth and persevered now, the days ahead would be much easier.

"Yiwei, do you think we need to calculate the cost when developing industry?"

Chen Yiwei was surprised when he heard Zhang Yinghao ask this, and immediately replied: "Well, of course we have to calculate the cost."

Zhang Yinghao smiled and said, "Yiwei, you're wrong. We're not considering costs when developing industry right now. Of course, that doesn't mean we're not considering them, but we're not considering them for now. We must first resolve the issue of whether or not we have them. No matter how high the cost, we must grit our teeth and develop industry, especially heavy industry. Do you know why I've kept wages so low? It's to prepare for the future, regardless of cost, of developing industry."

In a previous life, Zhang Yinghao had seen an example where workers were given high wages, which gave them money to spend. This spending drove continued factory production, thus forming a virtuous cycle. While this example might seem reasonable on the surface, it actually presented several unresolved problems.

There is only so much wealth in society. If workers in places with factories have high wages, what will happen to places without factories? They will only become poorer and poorer.

If people don't produce surplus value, and all their labor is paid out as wages, how can factories upgrade and transform? How can they achieve sustainable development? Without a sufficient industrial foundation, if capital is rashly unleashed, all the money will flow into high-profit sectors like finance and real estate. The ultimate result will be a country without enough jobs, mired in poverty, and with an uncontrollable wealth gap. Ultimately, the situation will become irreversible, culminating in a complete economic crisis.

So when Zhang Yinghao saw many novels about palm-sized territories, he dared to open up the financial industry, establish bonded areas, and economic development zones, thinking that since they had been successful in their previous lives, they were successful experiences and could just use them directly. This was simply courting death. In the past life, the development of China's coastal economy was a comprehensive

The support of the country, and finally the return of the support, will help China's Red River to recover the land. If there is no national support, how can there be the so-called economy in the future?

Miracle.

Therefore, it's impossible to build a skyscraper on a piece of paper. Any approach that ignores the basics is a mistake. Before reform and opening up, workers' wages generally amounted to only a few dozen or a few hundred yuan, and the state appropriated a significant portion of their surplus value to develop productivity. Without the millions of skilled workers trained during the New China era, without decades of accumulation, without the sacrifices of hundreds of millions of farmers and migrant workers, there wouldn't have been sufficient accumulation, and the subsequent transition from manufacturing to creation wouldn't have been possible. The technological breakthroughs that allowed China to become a nation mastering high-tech wouldn't have been possible.

After hearing what Zhang Yinghao said, Chen Yiwei asked directly: "But how do we solve the workers' problems?"

"Yiwei, do you know how ants carry a huge piece of food back to their nest?"

Without waiting for Chen Yiwei to reply, Zhang Yinghao spoke directly, "Each ant carries a little bit, and over time, quantitative change leads to qualitative change. Actually, I've already found a solution to the most difficult problem of insufficient workers. This problem is actually not difficult to solve."

When Chen Yiwei heard Zhang Yinghao say this, he hurriedly asked: "How to solve it?"

Zhang Yinghao smiled and said, "On the one hand, we buy old, outdated machines; new ones are hard to come by. These old machines don't actually require high-quality workers, and many can be put to work after a short training period. On the other hand, we can encourage a large number of overseas Chinese to return to China to help build the nation. Western countries also have unemployed workers, so we can hire some of them back. Even hiring some skilled workers to serve as masters shouldn't be too difficult."

In addition, I have developed a method that can transform a reasonably intelligent illiterate person into a skilled operator within one to two years. If someone has a junior high school education or above, or is intelligent and eager to learn, they only need a bit of training and can start working directly. This method has proven effective over the past few months."

The method Zhang Yinghao mentioned was the key to the establishment of the People's Republic of China in just a few years after the establishment of the Soviet Union.

Most of the factories are brand new, and often only have hardware equipment, while the level of operators is terrible. Not to mention senior technicians, there are often not even ordinary technicians. The technical workers trained in China are actually

There is no technical skills at all, and they are all at the level of high school graduates.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for a factory like this to go into production without training Soviet experts for several to more than ten years. So what was done then? The national task of building a factory was more important than anything else, and it could be described as a race against time. The number of Soviet experts and their time were very limited. The Chinese solution was to subcontract! The teaching content was completely broken down, with more than a dozen groups assigned to one person's course. During class, each group only listened to a small part of the content. The same was true during internships.

In this way, in less than a year, each group mastered the skills within the scope of the task, and then they were combined and trained for a short period of time.

The entire factory has to meet the necessary software requirements for production.

This is the principle of giving ordinary workers the job of skilled workers. Thanks to this clever method, similar to the ant colony effect, New China trained millions of highly skilled workers within a few years. After the Soviet Union withdrew, although the industry experienced some pain, it quickly recovered and flourished.

China's industrialization relies on a massive human wave strategy. While it's true that training a single high-level technician takes over a decade, developing a team of skilled technicians with all their capabilities only takes a few years, or even months. Of course, this comes at the cost of skyrocketing labor costs, but the hallmark of New China is its relentless pursuit of industrialization. As long as there's food to eat, money is the only thing that matters.

Of course, these skilled workers, lacking systematic training, only have a limited understanding of the underlying scientific knowledge, making future upgrades difficult. However, this at least addresses the question of whether or not the technology exists. As for whether or not it's effective, that's a task that will be left to the next generation, who have received systematic training. Each generation has its own responsibilities; we can't expect the older generation to shoulder the responsibilities of the younger generation, allowing Kou Junpeng 11 to rest on their laurels.

The immediate goal of the base's industrial development was to support future wars, not economic development. This was a wartime economy, a kind of industrialization at all costs. Therefore, Zhang Yinghao immediately deployed this unique tactic, with astonishing results. In just one garment manufacturing factory, each female worker could produce a large quantity of ready-made garments with just a few simple movements.

Moreover, it is only 1901 now. The global technological level is a world apart from that of the 50s. The requirements for workers are also relatively much lower, so the training speed is naturally faster! If there are a large number of factories and machines, Zhang Yinghao would not hesitate to run dozens or even hundreds of technical schools in a short period of time.

The school only offers basic junior high school courses such as politics, Chinese, mathematics, physics, chemistry, English, and professional courses that need to be taught, such as mechanical engineering.

Department of Chemical Engineering, Department of Mining and Metallurgy, Department of Water Conservancy, etc.

Moreover, those excellent workers can be further trained and educated in different categories. For example, special technicians are technicians with deep knowledge and good skills, with a training period of three years; general technicians are general technicians with lower levels, with a training period of two years; and fast-training technicians are technicians who specialize in a skill for urgent application.

The training period is one year. This way, the factory can be put into operation in a short period of time and achieve sustainable development.

"Chairman, this is a good idea. But even if this is the case, we still don't have enough territory."

"Of course, but we have just liberated three prefectures and obtained a large amount of gold and silver. If we don't spend this money, will it just get moldy in the warehouse? Also, I can

I heard that the US is in economic crisis right now, isn't this a good opportunity for us to pick up some bargains?"

Zhang Yinghao did not know that this was an economic crisis at first, but when Zhang Yinghao extended his tentacles to foreign countries, he realized that this was the time when the whole world was in crisis.

The global economic crisis. This economic crisis started in Russia in 1899 and then spread to France, Germany, Belgium, and then the United Kingdom.

An economic crisis occurred in 1900. In the same year, production in the United States began to decline, market confidence began to destabilize, and stock prices plummeted in May of this year.

Zhang Yinghao couldn't have a clear memory of every economic crisis, but he did know that the relentless global economic crises that preceded World War I had crippled economies around the world, creating a desperate need for markets to address overcapacity. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been much motivation for war. The Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China at that time also reflected the powers' need to further expand into the Chinese market and address the economic crisis. Therefore, this was a prime opportunity to snag a bargain, so naturally, buy whatever you could. Didn't the Soviet Union thrive by exploiting economic crises?

After hearing what Zhang Yinghao said, Chen Yiwei knew what to do, but he was really too busy right now. So he said, "Okay, Chairman, we will hold a meeting and make plans right away, and start purchasing machinery and equipment and factories right away."

Zhang Yinghao nodded and said, "Our base doesn't need much gold and silver for now. We have open supply. We'll buy as much as we can this time. We can also purchase it in Germany or through foreign companies. As for the issue of the base being small enough, do you think that if the Qing Dynasty were defeated, given their nature, they would not sign an unequal treaty?"

"What does the Chairman mean?"

"The news that the Qing Dynasty signed an unequal treaty marked the beginning of the legitimate expansion of our base."

Chapter 149:

On his way back from the construction site, Zhang Yinghao continued to ponder how to solve the problem of workers. Although Zhang Yinghao's explanation to Chen Yiwei was simple, he knew that while it was easy to train peasants into ordinary laborers, it was extremely difficult to train them into skilled workers, and nearly impossible to train them into highly skilled technicians. Training ordinary laborers was easy, just like the workers on the assembly line in later generations—few people couldn't do the work. Just like the garment factory Zhang Yinghao had designed, each person performed a few simple movements, and along the assembly line, shirts and pants were churned out piece by piece. But Zhang Yinghao lacked the ability to design an automated assembly line. He even said the base lacked a decent power plant.

Zhang Yinghao's eyes suddenly darkened as he thought of this. He turned and carefully examined the map hanging behind him. Zhang Yinghao was ambitious this time, intending to pull off a massive operation. He needed to plan carefully. If he had a base in the entire Sichuan region, he could do whatever he wanted. With ample resources, he would have no constraints.

By this time, several batches of trainees had already completed their training, and the troops had gradually completed their uniform changes and conducted some adaptive training. Zhang Yinghao felt that it was still possible to launch a sudden attack before the Boxer Rebellion and the Red Lantern Cult could cause the devastation of Sichuan and completely stabilize the situation in Sichuan in a short period of time.

Eliminating the Qing forces in Sichuan was easy, but there was another issue that was extremely difficult for Zhang Yinghao to handle. After a year of understanding, Zhang Yinghao had come to understand the extent of the Qing debt owed for water conservancy and other infrastructure. The Qing was so lazy that they didn't even bother to properly organize the people to rest and repair the famous Dujiangyan Irrigation System. One could imagine how corrupt the Qing Dynasty was.

Zhang Yinghao knew that in the late Qing Dynasty, natural disasters were rampant across China. This was primarily due to the Qing Dynasty's enormous debts, which had accumulated over centuries and were on the verge of a major explosion. This situation would not ease, but would only grow more severe with each passing year. The most important thing was to strike now, as they could profit greatly from the landlords. The grain that had just been stored in the granaries and in the fields would become the property of the revolutionary government, and once harvested, the food crisis would be completely resolved.

Zhang Yinghao didn't know the exact date of the signing of the Boxer Protocol at this point, but he knew it was wise to be prepared. He immediately began to thoroughly understand the military situation, including visiting the logistics department to learn about the army's logistics. The principle of "food and fodder must be sent before troops move" is an ancient and unchanging principle. Since no one in the base area had experience in conducting long-distance raids or province-wide operations, even though he had several operational plans for the entire Sichuan region, Zhang Yinghao still felt unprepared.

Zhang Yinghao knew that it was inevitable that he would feel unprepared for any military campaign. However, this time, he wanted to pull off a swift and decisive attack, demanding both suddenness and secrecy. He had no intention of engaging in a seesaw battle with Kui Jun. Instead, he planned a long-distance assault on Chengdu, a direct assault on Huanglong.

Zhang Yinghao already knew that the staff and logistics department had prepared multiple plans for the march. Simply put, they considered how many days it would take to march from Guang'an to Chengdu, what obstacles would be encountered, how much ammunition would be needed, and how much food and drinking water would be needed. They also knew which sections of the route would receive what supplies. All of this needed to be clearly identified and planned in advance.

The "Art of War" by Sun Tzu says in the chapter on military struggle: ... Therefore, roll up your armor and march, do not stop day or night, double your speed and march at the same time. If you fight for advantage within a hundred miles, you will capture three generals, the strong ones first, the tired ones last. The rule is that eleven will arrive; if you fight for advantage within fifty miles, you will defeat the top general, the rule is that half will arrive; if you fight for advantage within thirty miles, two-thirds will arrive. Group number: 775111838

Therefore, an army without baggage and supplies will perish; without food and provisions, it will perish; without stores and stores, it will perish. Therefore, those who do not know the plans of the princes cannot make alliances in advance; those who do not know the terrain of mountains, forests, dangerous obstacles, and swamps cannot march; those who do not use local guides cannot take advantage of the terrain...

The more Zhang Yinghao read this passage, the more he appreciated its subtlety. Now that Zhang Yinghao was about to embark on a military campaign, the more he read it, the more he felt that this was exactly how it should be. Learning should be applied. I've taught these courses myself before, but now, when I revisit them, I still feel so much more rewarding. Truly, learning and applying what you learn is a joy.

Over the past year, the intelligence department and related departments have already figured out the relevant routes clearly. Zhang Yinghao read several sets of military plans.

After reading it several times, I felt that my level was just like this. Although there was nothing eye-catching in the plan, I still managed to do it in a standard way.

Just like what is said in the military struggle, if the army has no baggage, it will perish; if it has no food, it will perish; if it has no reserves, it will perish... The content here has been made clear.

I think the map information in Zhang Yinghao's hand is definitely more detailed than the map information of the Qing Dynasty. Think about the Japanese geographical survey of China in the past, which was more familiar to the Chinese than the local area, even down to the water flow of the wells and the cross-sections and firing holes of the city walls. Zhang Yinghao always believed that as long as he adhered to a scientific attitude, these things could be summarized. He would also be able to

Build a powerful revolutionary army from scratch.

Zhang Yinghao hadn't forgotten that the landlords and gentry were still training to attack him, so after reading the military plan, he had a clear idea. He then went to the intelligence department to inquire about the training locations. This was information Zhang Yinghao had already instructed the intelligence department to collect. However, Zhang Yinghao believed that even if he didn't ask them to, the intelligence department would have collected this information and provided it to the military.

After reviewing this intelligence, Zhang Yinghao realized that although he had overestimated the capabilities of these landlords and gentry, he still underestimated their appeal and their financial and material resources. In less than a month, these people had gathered at least 5,000 people for training.

Intelligence indicates that these militias are commanded by the sons of the landlords and gentry, who keep them firmly in control. Furthermore, the militias are composed mainly of the landlords' retainers, tenant farmers, and the poor. Given sufficient training time, their combat effectiveness is considerable. However, Zhang Yinghao will not give these militias time to develop, as he will not cause any trouble for himself.

Fortunately, these militias are still relatively scattered, with the largest group only having about a thousand people. Zhang Yinghao put all the military plans and other

After going through all the information in my mind, I wrote it down on paper. After finishing, I took a deep breath and thought quietly.

Come.

Zhang Yinghao knew a saying from Sun Tzu's Art of War: "A lord should not raise an army out of anger, and a general should not go to war out of resentment." He certainly couldn't just say "start fighting" and start. He rehearsed the entire process in his head several times, looking for any gaps.

Zhang Yinghao deduced the changes in the war situation in his mind and recorded these things in his notebook from time to time. For Zhang Yinghao, the Qing Dynasty was not the problem, but the imperialists were the problem, and trade was the real problem. What if the Qing Dynasty directly blocked the Yangtze River waterway after his revolution?

What attitude would the great powers adopt towards him? He thought about it so much that his head started to hurt. Patting his head, he stood up and returned home with his notebook, intending to lie down in bed and think about it slowly.

When he got home, he saw Xueer sitting beside the table with her hands on her stomach. When Zhang Yinghao saw Xueer, he immediately rubbed his waist and counted with his fingers. He knew why Xueer had a stomachache.

"Xue'er, does your stomach hurt?"

Xue'er nodded obediently, and Zhang Yinghao felt warm in his heart. He thought that it was because he had been single for too long in his previous life, and he wanted to eat more "meat" in this life.

Zhang Yinghao walked over, took Xue'er's hand, and walked into the bedroom. After letting Xue'er lie down on the bed, he covered her belly with a thin blanket and said, "Lie down on the bed and rest for a while. I'll make you some brown sugar water."

Zhang Yinghao went out to find some brown sugar, sliced ​​some ginger, and chopped a few red dates. He put the red dates and ginger slices into the water, then lit a fire and brought the water to a boil. He then cracked an egg into the pot, added a few crushed wolfberries, and poured in the brown sugar. After the water boiled for a few minutes, he turned off the heat, picked up a spoonful, and took a sip. It was sweet and tasted quite good.

Zhang Yinghao entered the room carrying a bowl of brown sugar water. Seeing Xue'er's pale face, he quickly helped Xue'er up and half-sat, scooped up some brown sugar water with a spoon, blew it cool, and then put it into Xue'er's mouth.

When they were almost done drinking, Zhang Yinghao asked, "Do you want more?" "No, I don't really want to drink."

Zhang Yinghao placed the bowl on the bedside cabinet and blew air into his hands, rubbing them together. Feeling the warmth, he placed his hands on Xue'er's lower abdomen and gently rubbed it. Then he felt that Xue'er was padding underneath a small cotton bag filled with wood ash. Suddenly, Zhang Yinghao realized that he had forgotten about this money-making invention.

Zhang Yinghao gently rubbed Xue'er's belly until she fell asleep. Then he left the bedroom, picked up his notebook, and drew a white devil on it. Zhang Yinghao still remembers this short joke.

Once there lived an angel and a demon.

The devil said to the angel: I don’t want to be a devil anymore, I want to be an angel. The angel said: Sure!

The devil said: I want a pair of wings and a long white body. The angel said: Sure!

The devil said: I also want to suck blood, is that okay? The angel said: Of course!

The devil laughed happily, haha... I can finally be an angel! So the angel turned the devil into a sanitary napkin.

Zhang Yinghao drew a rough sketch and then took it to the design institute for finalization and production. He wouldn't be involved in the subsequent work, as he simply didn't have the time or energy to dwell on it. He simply instructed that the product must be strictly sterilized and sealed, and that the manufacturing workshop must be dust-free.

Just one day later, Zhang Yinghao received a package of samples. He took one out and saw it was pure white. He bent down and sniffed it gently. It only smelled like cotton, without any other odors. He was quite satisfied.

Zhang Yinghao looked up and asked, "How did you disinfect this?" "Chairman, we use high-temperature alcohol steam to sterilize and then dry it at high temperature before packaging."

Zhang Yinghao didn't know what methods were used for disinfection in later generations, so he didn't care. As long as high-temperature steam disinfection could be achieved, it would not be easy.

"You all know that this is used on private parts, so safety issues must be carefully considered and there must be no room for negligence."

"Don't worry, Chairman. We all know this. We plan to have all the production done by women, and they will use it themselves. We will definitely ensure the quality."

"That's fine, then. We're producing this to sell, so you should give it a name, right? We want to create a brand so it can still make money in the future. Well, no, we should produce at least two models for competition. As you know, as long as humanity survives extinction, there will be a market for this thing, and it will continue to make money."

Zhang Yinghao suddenly remembered that many companies in his past life were like this, like Procter & Gamble. Their shampoo brands included Pantene, Rejoice, Head & Shoulders, and others. While they didn't have a monopoly, they had built a strong competitive advantage. If other shampoo companies wanted to enter the market, they would have to face competition from so many brands. This just goes to show how powerful Procter & Gamble was.