The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

"Are there many street kids?"

"How should I put it? During the time you were away, you took in thousands of them. Some of them were because someone in their family had died from opium smoking, and the children had to beg on the streets. Some were simply abandoned by their families, and some were born to former prostitutes. In short, they were all young, and the proportion of girls far outnumbered boys."

"Haha, Xue'er must be the Guanyin Bodhisattva in the eyes of those kids now. Those people just now only told me good news and not bad news. Luckily you were here to give me a wake-up call."

Chapter 195: Thanks for the update!

Xue'er's eyes widened when she heard this and she asked, "Yinghao, how did you know that?"

"Haha, I just know it. We've taken in so many children, but our job is still not done well enough."

"Yinghao, I also know that you are now comprehensively banning drugs in Sichuan, shutting down brothels, and killing opium dealers everywhere. You have also done a lot of practical things for us ordinary people. But you don't have to blame yourself. That is a problem left by the Qing Dynasty. We ordinary people have suffered for too many years. Otherwise, who would be willing to abandon their own flesh and blood?"

Zhang Yinghao tightened Xue'er's hand and said, "Well, don't worry, everything will slowly get better."

Zhang Yinghao was also helpless, like someone in his previous life who went to buy a car and thought he had bought something special, but when he drove out, he found that the street was full of cars just like his. Xue'er gathered the homeless children together and saw a tragedy everywhere. This was true, but it was also not true. Her conclusion was one-sided.

Of course, what Xue'er said was true, but Zhang Yinghao knew that his time in power was too short and his power was too weak to reverse the situation in a short period of time. Now he could only try to minimize the occurrence of tragedies.

"I know."

Zhang Yinghao saw Xue'er's face, beaming with pride, and he really wanted to kiss her. After a moment's thought, he held back and said, "After Sichuan completely bans smoking, the number of opium smokers will be greatly reduced. Starting next year, or rather, this year, we will no longer be allowed to grow opium. If we catch those selling opium, we'll execute several batches of them. Then, the people of Sichuan will no longer be troubled by opium."

Xue'er looked at Zhang Yinghao, brimming with confidence, and felt that he truly was the hero the people had always called him. Her man truly possessed true talent. She stole a glance at the guards behind her, noticing their eyes also filled with admiration, which sweetened her heart. However, Xue'er subconsciously touched her belly, realizing she needed to work harder.

Opium was rampant in modern China, turning the Chinese into the sick man of East Asia. From the Qing imperial family to the common people, everyone was addicted. Riches and health vanished in the blink of an eye, a tragedy that inflicts deep sorrow on anyone who observes modern history.

Zhang Yinghao was ruthless towards opium traffickers, executing those who deserved it and imprisoning those who deserved it. He believed that the only way to deal with drug traffickers was with an iron fist and dictatorship. In 1901, Zhang Yinghao bought up all the opium and conducted secret research. Now, through a secret network facilitated by intelligence agencies, he has sold it to countries like Japan. Starting this year, all fields will no longer be planted with opium. Zhang Yinghao wants to see if opium can make a comeback.

However, Zhang Yinghao also understood that it wasn't just foreigners who were trafficking drugs in China. The majority were Chinese who, driven by profit, opened opium dens and poisoned the Chinese. Furthermore, countries like Japan were undoubtedly intent on exporting large quantities of drugs to China, poisoning the Chinese. Sichuan's neighboring provinces were also cultivating opium without restraint, making a complete ban impossible.

Zhang Yinghao, powerless to change this situation, could only fight poison with poison. Foreign countries sold opium to China, so Zhang Yinghao sold them drugs derived from it. In Sichuan, he would eliminate any drug dealers he found, and arrest any addicts he found and force them into rehabilitation. In Zhang Yinghao's plan, drugs would provide a perfect excuse to send troops to Yunnan, Guizhou, and Shaanxi.

Zhang Yinghao didn't want to discuss serious work matters with Xue'er anymore, so he asked, "What delicious food did you cook today? I haven't had your cooking in a long time."

"Haha, I heard you were back, so I bought you a chicken and a fish. I don't think there's anything else."

"Haha, that's great. As for me, after eating so many, I still think meat tastes the best. How long has it been since you last had meat?"

"It wasn't long before my mother would buy some for us to eat. She would even think about going back to Zhangjiagou, saying that the chickens there were enough for us to eat meat every day."

Still want to go back to Zhangjiagou? Alas, rural people just can't change their farming habits and always want to be self-sufficient.

Zhang Yinghao sighed and said, "It's not good to eat meat every day. You'll get tired of it if you eat too much. From a health perspective, fruits and vegetables are healthier."

Regardless of whether Xue'er believed it or not, Zhang Yinghao did. After all, in the future, people could choose whether to eat meat or not, and many people actually became vegetarians.

“There should be some vegetables, right?”

"During this season, there might be radishes and garlic leaves, but it's not certain whether there will be green vegetables. We'll know when we eat. But you have to buy me more meat recently!"

Xue'er blushed when she heard this and said in a long tone, "I know!"

After happily having a meal with his family, Zhang Yinghao returned to the house he lived in with Xueer. After absent-mindedly processing a few documents, he saw Xueer coming out of the shower. Zhang Yinghao quickly threw down his pen, washed himself in no time, and was ready to "sleep" with Xueer.

It had been such a long time since they had made love, and the two of them were like newlyweds, like dry wood meeting a raging fire. After Zhang Yinghao had used several positions in a row, he suddenly remembered what he had said today about Xue'er being Guanyin Bodhisattva, and immediately thought of Guanyin sitting on the lotus position. He immediately changed positions with Xue'er again. Xue'er shyly tucked her hair behind her ears, and slowly, up and down, left and right, began to shake it wherever needed. Group number: 775111838 Group number: 775111838

Zhang Yinghao was lying on the bed, looking at Xue'er's enjoyable expression, and suddenly laughed: "Xue'er, let me tell you a joke."

"Hmm~hmm, go ahead."

"Do you know how to write the word '奸' (traitor)?" "Oh, oh, well, let me think about it." "Don't stop."

"Okay, um~oh~I remember it. A female character next to it, and a dry character next to it."

"Yes, to fuck a woman is to rape her. Look at it now, fucking a woman is also to rape her."

"Hmm~ah, you're so dirty. Come on, please be harder. My legs and waist are sore and I can't "rape" anymore."

"Good, you've put your knowledge into practice. This will help strengthen your waist, so hold on a little longer."

"Hmm~Hmm, push harder, I'm coming, Yinghao, push harder, oh~oh..."

After Zhang Yinghao and Xue'er had fought several rounds of fierce fighting on the bed, the battlefield finally quieted down. Zhang Yinghao lay down for a while and saw that Xue'er was already fast asleep from exhaustion. Zhang Yinghao himself was surprisingly clear-headed. Since he didn't want to sleep, he quietly got up, put on his clothes and went to the door.

When the guard saw Zhang Yinghao coming out, he greeted him directly, saying, "Hello, Chairman."

Zhang Yinghao saw a guard he had never seen before and said, "Hello, you too. Where are you from?"

"Chairman, I am from Shunqing."

"Oh, fellow countryman, when did you join the army?" "About eight months."

"Yes, those who can come to our guard department are not ordinary people. How are their military skills?"

"It's okay, it's passable. I'm the best shooter." "Well, how long has it been since it rained here?"

"Chairman, we've had plenty of light rain, but no heavy rain. So, it's been a drought for quite some time."

"Yes, a prolonged drought will inevitably lead to disaster. In Sichuan, the longer the drought lasts, the more likely it will rain when it finally does."

Zhang Yinghao chatted with the guard for a while, then lit the oil lamp, rubbed his waist, and continued to review documents. Although Zhang Yinghao didn't know how long the drought in Sichuan would last or when it would rain, he knew that the late Qing Dynasty was full of disasters all over the country, so he had been preparing for this.

Zhang Yinghao watched for half an hour, and then Zhang Yinghao's mother came over.

"Mom, why are you here?"

"Haowazi, I couldn't sleep. I saw that the light was still on here, so I came over to talk to you."

"Okay, take a seat. I'm busy with work too, so I'll just finish a few documents and go to bed. Are you used to your work now?"

"I'm used to it. What's there to be uncomfortable with? My colleagues all take good care of me. You don't have to worry about me. The salary is more than enough for me to live on."

"That's good. If you're not happy with your job, you can change it."

"Haowa, I just want to ask if it's dangerous for you to do this now."

"hehe."

Zhang Yinghao smiled bitterly and said, "Is there anyone in this world who can survive? Danger or not is of no consequence to us revolutionaries. Revolutionaries must be prepared to face death at any moment. But don't worry, Mom. I'm still alive and well! With the protection of so many comrades, I shouldn't be in any danger."

Suddenly, Zhang Yinghao's mother asked seriously, "Yinghao, tell me the truth, do you want to be the emperor?"

Zhang Yinghao was stunned. He didn't know why his mother asked that.

"Haha, Mom, why are you asking? What's so good about being an emperor? Since ancient times, the royal family has never had a good ending. Look at the Emperor Guangxu now. He is still under house arrest by the Empress Dowager Cixi, like a caged bird. And with my current power, there are not many emperors who can compare to me. Mom, why are you asking?"

"Alas, isn't it said that you want to rebel and become emperor in the future? I'm just asking. But if you become emperor, it will bring honor to your family."

"Haha, Mom, I've already brought honor to our family. Regardless of whether our revolution succeeds or not, I'll leave a lasting mark in Chinese history. Your son's name will undoubtedly shine for centuries to come. Even if he lives on like Qin Shi Huang and Confucius, it's not impossible. Don't listen to other people's nonsense; just do your job. I've said before, this is a revolution, not a change of dynasty. If I become emperor, wouldn't that just be a rotation of power? Isn't that fun?"

"Hey, don't be angry. It's not true, so what? I just think you should put kindness first. That will be good for you."

"kindness?"

Zhang Yinghao was momentarily stunned. When had he started a killing spree? How come he didn't know about it?

"Mom, what do you mean by that? Kindness? What kindness? How can it benefit me?"

"Don't you know anything about being a mother? You've killed so many landlords now. This is a detrimental act. It's bad for you and Xue'er's future children. Have you ever thought about what will happen to you after you die?"

"Uh, Yin De? What is Yin De? It's something feudal superstition uses to intimidate the masses. As for the children, we'll live in a new society, and their future will only get better and better. As for what happens after I die, haha, why would I think so far ahead about things decades from now?"

"You're a mother and you don't know anything. You know Qin Shi Huang? He just killed a few scholars, and the crime of burning books and burying scholars was pinned on him. Two thousand years later, he's still being reviled! There was also someone named Wang Mang, and the Ming Dynasty Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. They didn't have a good reputation."

"Ha ha ha ha...…"

Zhang Yinghao burst into laughter after hearing this, and when he saw his mother's angry face, he laughed even harder. Although Zhang Yinghao knew that laughing like this was disrespectful to his mother, he couldn't help but laugh until tears came out. Suddenly, Zhang Yinghao realized that this might not be his biological mother, which was why he was acting like this. However, in his mother's eyes, he was indeed her son.

Zhang Yinghao stopped laughing and said cheerfully, "Mom, you're worrying too much. I also want to tell you that Qin Shi Huang's killing of a few Confucian scholars was nothing. Those Confucian scholars were just throwing some dirty water on Qin Shi Huang. Qin Shi Huang wouldn't care if he knew about it. He would just think the killing wasn't cruel enough. They're a bunch of people who don't produce anything and only know how to talk big. I'm going to uproot Confucianism. I want to see how they can throw dirty water on me."

"You know it's dirty water, yet you're still laughing. Once your reputation is ruined, you're done for, don't you? Don't you know that some people are already calling you a butcher? Many people are talking about you, saying you've massacred at least hundreds of thousands of people."

Chapter 196: Stocks can’t be checked!

Zhang Yinghao couldn't laugh anymore, not because he had killed hundreds of thousands of people, but because

It was his mother who had actually passed this news to him. Zhang Yinghao was silent for a long time before he said, "Mom, who told you this?"

"You, ah, you child, why are you so disobedient? Don't worry about this. You killed so many people, and some of the neighbors said you will be punished."

As she spoke, her mother's eyes turned red.

Zhang Yinghao was silent again. This time, he was a little angry. Someone actually came to his mother to gossip about her. If some concepts are not changed,

If so, my mother would not be able to live the rest of her life and would definitely live in fear and self-blame.

Zhang Yinghao thought for a while and said: "Mom, to tell you the truth, we killed

I don't actually know how many people there were, but saying hundreds of thousands is a bit of an exaggeration, but it should be around 100,000. But we killed people who were extremely unpopular in the local area and who had committed many crimes. Do you think they should be killed?"

"This~ is a death sentence."

"That's it, think about it, was it me who ordered those people to be killed?

Even if there are 100,000 heads, if I chop off one head per minute, it will take 100,000 minutes.

If it's 10,000 minutes, that means I don't sleep and I'm always drinking, which will take more than a month. Mom, do you think those people want to tire me to death?"

"Pfft. How can you talk like that, kid?"

Hearing Zhang Yinghao's witty remark, his mother laughed out loud.

Zhang Yinghao saw his mother smile and breathed a sigh of relief. He then said, "The people we killed were almost all publicly tried by the people. It's definitely the local people who wanted him dead, not me, Zhang Yinghao. He did so many things himself, why would the local people want him dead? Are the local people close to the local landlords or to a stranger like me? Isn't this...

It's obvious! Those who gossip about you are just talking nonsense. From now on, don't pay any attention to what they say."

"okay, I get it."

"As for your comment about Qin Shi Huang being reviled for two thousand years, that's nothing to me. Our current policy is to nationalize land, which is extremely cruel to the landlords and gentry. If our revolutionary army fails, then everything will be over. Our reputation will definitely be worse than that of Wang Mang, Li Zicheng, and Hong Xiuquan of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. But I'm dead, and it's no longer a matter of time.

Got it. If our revolution succeeds, history will be written by us. The victors are not condemned; history never condemns the victors.

"How can you talk like that, kid? You are in charge of so many people, don't swear at every turn. Alas, you are grown up, and I can't control you.

It is. ”

"What can't I do? You gave me a lot of advice today and taught me a lot. An old man in the family is like a treasure."

"You think I'm old too?" "Uh..."

Why does my mother care about my appearance? Do all women who no longer have to worry about food and clothing start to pay attention to this aspect? But no matter what, Zhang Yinghao immediately knew that he had said the wrong thing. He quickly slapped his mouth and said, "Not old, not old, very young."

Then Zhang Yinghao quickly changed the subject and said, "Mom, do you think those tenant farmers are human beings?"

"Of course it's a human being, how can it not be a human being?"

"Haha, don't worry. On my way back from Guang'an, I attended a class. The teacher asked the students what a person is. One student replied that a person is the earth.

Lord, they are just cattle and horses. His grandmother even told him that they are worse than cattle and horses. I have asked those coolies at the docks before, and their answer is that we are just cattle and horses.

"The fate of an ox is like that of a horse. Mom, do you think those people can be considered human beings?"

His mother fell silent. Seeing her silence, Zhang Yinghao continued, "I want to change their fate, and I need more comrades to work together. If we want to change the fate of these people, then no one will be able to be a landlord anymore. Do you think those landlords will give their land to us?"

"Of course they won't."

"Yes, they won't. My ambition is that all the suffering people in the world will be able to stand up and be liberated in the future, to become human beings, and that the working people in the world will be able to become the masters of the country. We also need to educate them. If we do this, how can the landlords survive? But as long as they hand over their land, we still give them a chance to survive. It's just that now these people are undergoing labor reform.

So, I, Zhang Yinghao, will be scolded, that's for sure. Those landlords wish they could eat my flesh and drink my blood! As long as there are landlords in the world, I will be scolded. Not only our Chinese landlords, but also foreign landlords will continue to scold me. When will they stop scolding me? The day when all the landlords in the world are eliminated will the scolding of me stop.

Mom, do you know how long that day will take? Maybe from the time of our land reform until the extinction of our species, we won't even see that day. So, I'm not itchy even if I have too many lice, and I'm not worried about my debts. You don't have to worry at all. So many people scold me, want to eat my flesh, and drink my blood, why am I still alive and well? Even those who used to work like cattle and horses wouldn't want me to die. They would protect me even if it meant sacrificing their own lives. It's easier to die first than later. If I really have to die, I'll just face it calmly. And mom, do you think I look like a short-lived ghost? Hehe!"

Zhang Yinghao pretended to be stupid and asked back, chuckled, and deliberately touched his head, pretending to be a rogue.

"Don't talk nonsense, kid. I can't control your affairs, and I don't want to. Just take care of yourself. Don't forget about Xue'er! Where's Xue'er? She's asleep now."

"I'm asleep, Mom. Don't worry. I'm safe."

"Hey, hey, you kid, you've worked so hard, pay more attention to rest, don't stay up late, I'm going to rest too."

"Okay, I'll be resting soon too. Guard, please take my mom home, thank you."

"Yes."

My mother stood up and walked out, saying to the guard as she walked, "Little comrade, thank you for your help."

"No trouble."

"Thank you for your hard work, standing guard so late at night." "It's not hard, it's my duty." "Where are you from, kid?"

"I......."

Zhang Yinghao listened to their conversation and smiled. Standing guard was indeed hard work, and he had more than one guard. Both visible and covert sentries were indispensable.