The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

"Comrade, you are a guest. You are my guest today. What's wrong with giving a guest a meal? Who would say anything?"

"Well, thank you, grandma. Come, I'll add some firewood for you." "Comrade, you can do it too?"

"Haha, how could I not know this? There's a saying about adding firewood: Fire needs to be hollow, and people need to be smart. I'm from the countryside too, how could I not know this?"

"Okay, you come."

After saying that, the old lady went to wash rice. Zhang Yinghao turned around and asked, "Grandma, has your family received their share of land?"

"It's been distributed. Ah, you don't know. At first, the cadre who distributed the land said it would be divided according to the number of people, and everyone was very happy. Then another cadre came and said it would be divided according to labor force, and everyone was a little unhappy. Why can't the elderly and children get land? Comrade, don't you think this is the truth? Every family has elderly and children to support, and they also need to eat! How can there be no land?"

"Oh, there's this matter? How was it resolved? How was the land divided?"

"When the land was distributed based on labor, we old folks naturally refused. Later, it seemed like high-ranking officials came to investigate the situation, and they changed it to a per-person system. That's when I, an old man, got some land."

"Oh, that's good. Did the villagers say anything about this?"

"Why isn't there any discussion? There's been a lot of discussion. But there's no discussion now. Everyone's busy farming!"

"Then what about your land, grandma?"

"Hey, young comrade, to be honest, I'm worried about this, too! I can't cultivate all this land by myself, but I can't just leave it lying idle. I don't know what to do now."

"Your family should have joined the cooperative, right? What did they say?"

"Alas, we have joined, but everyone is busy, and so many young people have left. Now everyone can only help after they have finished cultivating their own land. There is no other way, but I don't know if it will delay the farming season."

"The revolutionary army should come down to the countryside and help us people cultivate the land, right?" "I heard they would. It would be great if that were true."

"Most definitely."

"Look, little comrade, the fire is smiling. It seems the fire knows there are guests coming today."

Zhang Yinghao took a look and saw that the fire had indeed rolled up a tail.

Zhang Yinghao laughed and said, "Grandma, this means that your life is getting better and better!"

"Yes, it's getting more prosperous. That's right."

Chapter 204:

While talking to the old lady, Zhang Yinghao broke the firewood and put it in front of the stove door.

After the old lady washed the rice and added water, she put the cooking pot on the stove and turned around to pick up the remaining piece of bacon hanging from the side to wash it.

Hao saw it but didn't say anything.

Zhang Yinghao found working with his grandmother very heartwarming, reminding him of his grandmother's love in his past life. He then recalled how his grandmother's biggest regret after her passing was that she didn't see him get married or have a great-grandchild. Tears welled up in Zhang Yinghao's eyes as he thought about this.

After Zhang Yinghao and the old lady finished a meal with bacon, he left some money on the table while the old lady was cleaning up the dishes, and hurriedly said goodbye to the old lady and left.

After returning to Chengdu, Zhang Yinghao immediately summoned the military commissar Yun to ask about his attitude. Zhang Yinghao said: "Comrades, it is already April, and we in Sichuan have already

It's spring plowing season, and our revolutionary soldiers, engineers, and government workers, whenever they have free time, are going to the countryside to help the locals cultivate the fields. They're prioritizing military families and widows and orphans."

Zhang Yinghao then recounted his conversation with the old lady, and then said: "Every army has its own soul, and that is the military spirit! What kind of soul should our army have? What is our military spirit? This requires us to cultivate it ourselves. Our army is the army of our Progressive Party and the army of the people. The purpose of our Progressive Party is to serve the people. So while our army protects the people, it should also serve the people.

So, helping the people with spring plowing is something we must do. But as for how much real impact it has, I think it's actually limited. But when the people see our troops working alongside them, and maintaining strict discipline, they'll realize that ours isn't just an old-fashioned army, but a truly trustworthy people's army. Only then will they believe our propaganda that ours is the people's army, our own people's army.

Zhang Yinghao spoke seriously, and the committee members listened intently. Although this wasn't the first time they'd heard Zhang Yinghao say such things, they were still quite shocked. Zhang Yinghao continued, "As the saying goes, 'A good man doesn't join the army, and good iron doesn't need to be twisted into nails.' If the people think our army is the same as the old-style army, who would dare to send their children to the army? Only when the people know that their children will not become bad after being sent to the army, but will learn something, become better, and become more capable, will those honest people dare to send their children to the army. Ladies and gentlemen, don't you want a military unit with children from good families?"

The revolutionary army was highly effective, requiring minimal training and diligently trained. A major reason for this was the lack of ruffians among its cadre and soldiers, and the fact that the vast majority of officers came from Sichuan peasant families. These men were composed, resolute, and obedient, a significant difference from those from less privileged backgrounds.

Zhang Yinghao's troops, however, focused not only on combat but also on morale. Those with bad character were executed or imprisoned without mercy. With a cadre of officers from respectable families as their foundation, the comrades present fully understood Zhang Yinghao's perspective.

Zhang Yinghao then issued orders to build a highway from Dujiangyan to Chengdu, and also a highway from Chengdu to Kangding. Zhang Yinghao did a quick calculation and realized that Sichuan and Chongqing would have to make way for these four major projects. The first was the Chengkang Highway, which was intended for the upcoming military deployment to Xizang. Furthermore, the Chengkang Highway would not end at Kangding; it would eventually extend to Lhasa and even Shigatse.

The second is the Dujiangyan to Chengdu highway, which is mainly used for transporting waterborne materials to Chengdu after unloading at Dujiangyan. Materials from Chengdu are then transported to various places by water after arriving at Dujiangyan.

The third and fourth projects are the Chengdu-Chongqing Highway and the Chengdu-Chongqing Railway. Building railways is a must. Building railways without building highways is a joke. With these four projects at the forefront, Sichuan will have plenty of time to spare in the coming years.

Zhang Yinghao plans to build a railway, but he doesn't even have a locomotive.

Yes. And in fact, the railway is not just about putting down sleepers and rails. Railway construction and transportation require the joint support and guarantee of various professional talents such as engineering technology, operation management and scientific research. Zhang Yinghao also learned that building a railway is not easy by reading relevant railway materials. Therefore, the training of railway talents is very important.

It is extremely critical and important to the development of the railway industry.

Looking back at the history of China's railways, we can see that as an important product and symbol of modern Western industrial civilization, the process of railways being introduced and rooted in China in the late Qing Dynasty was bumpy and tortuous. Subsequently, their construction and development were hindered or constrained by factors such as shortage of funds and lack of talent, forcing them to borrow foreign debt and hire foreigners.

In short, the railway education in my country in the late Qing Dynasty had a great impact on railway engineering and technical personnel.

The contribution of the training and development of the railway industry is undoubted, but it has not fundamentally changed the situation of my country's railway dependence on foreigners. This is also the traditional Chinese way to modern times.

An inevitable process of transformation!

After Zhang Yinghao understood the current situation of China's railways, he felt more urgent about the construction of railways. Zhang Yinghao knew only one person who built railways, and that was Zhan Tianyou, the famous person who built the zigzag railway in history books. As for other railway people, Zhang Yinghao knew nothing about them.

In reality, it was difficult to find anyone else in China capable of serving as chief engineer besides him. Zhang Yinghao had already mobilized his intelligence network to search for Zhan Tianyou, and his efforts paid off, eventually finding him. In reality, there weren't many people in China capable of overseeing railway construction, so finding a well-known figure wasn't difficult.

Zhang Yinghao learned from intelligence that Zhan Tianyou had been assigned to handle construction matters for the Pingli Railway after construction on the Guanwai Railway was halted. Knowing Zhan Tianyou's whereabouts, Zhang Yinghao was determined not to let such a talent slip away. Therefore, he promptly dispatched relevant comrades to "invite" Zhan Tianyou to Sichuan. Zhang Yinghao didn't care what would happen to the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway after the Qing lost Zhan Tianyou. He believed that as long as his own forces grew stronger, he could resolve those issues later. He felt no guilt about undermining the Qing.

However, building a railway wasn't something that could be accomplished by one person, so Zhang Yinghao searched far and wide for skilled railway builders. Anything they could use was brought to Sichuan first. At this point, the first mover would prevail; the one who got what they needed would be theirs. So, when Zhang Yinghao was planning to build the railway, he searched all over China, and even the world, for help. Furthermore, the base had a large number of overseas Chinese and their descendants, all of whom were familiar with railways. By this point, the base had barely managed to put together a railway construction team; what was lacking was someone who could oversee the overall situation.

Zhang Yinghao has already sent people to the United States to buy the locomotive and carriages, but there's no rush right now, as the terrain hasn't even been surveyed yet!

Soon after Zhang Yinghao sent engineers to repair the Dujiangyan, Zhan Tianyou was brought to Zhang Yinghao. Zhan Tianyou was only forty years old now, in the prime of his life, a person's true golden age.

They wouldn't be like Xu Shu entering Cao Cao's camp, saying nothing to these technicians. In fact, technical engineers like Zhan Tianyou possessed extensive knowledge and fully understood the current situation. Excessive nonsense with them would be counterproductive. They had "invited" him here specifically to build a railway for them, so they had to make this clear.

Seeing Zhan Tianyou being brought in, Zhang Yinghao quickly stood up, walked up to Zhan Tianyou, extended his hand and said, "Hello, Mr. Juancheng, I am very welcome to you. My name is Zhang Yinghao, the chief leader of the Sichuan Revolutionary Army."

"Hello."

Zhan Tianyou hesitated for a moment, then extended his hand and shook Zhang Yinghao's. Only then did Zhan Tianyou truly take in Zhang Yinghao, and the result surprised him greatly. Despite his youth, he was already the de facto ruler of an entire province. With short hair and piercing eyes, he exuded a sense of high spirits. While the events in Sichuan might seem like mere anecdotes to ordinary people, Zhan Tianyou saw them as earth-shattering events. Even these elites could already smell the stench of the Qing dynasty's corpse.

"Mr. Juancheng, we have come thousands of miles to ask Mr. Juancheng to come to Sichuan, but it is not easy."

"Haha, Mr. Zhang's way of inviting people is really unique."

"There's nothing I can do. Who made me bear the name of a traitor? If I hadn't used this method, why would Mr. Devotion City come to Sichuan?"

"Haha, it's such an honor."

"Come, Mr. Juancheng, please take a seat. How about a cup of tea, Mr. Juancheng?" "The guest should follow the host's wishes."

Hearing this, Zhang Yinghao pulled Zhan Tianyou to sit on a chair next to him, then turned around and made a cup of tea for Zhan Tianyou, brought it to him and said, "Mr. Juancheng, please have some tea."

"Oh, okay, thank you."

When Zhan Tianyou saw that Zhang Yinghao had personally made him tea, he immediately warmed to his heart. In that era, the distinction between superiors and inferiors was ingrained in people's bones, but as a young student studying in the United States, Zhan Tianyou had no idea of ​​the Qing Dynasty's decadent spirit or its rules, and suffering was a common occurrence. Zhan Tianyou simply positioned himself as a worker in the railway construction field. However, in Zhan Tianyou's view, Zhang Yinghao's willingness to personally make tea for him was already a sign of his respect for him.

Zhang Yinghao also took a sip of tea before saying, "Mr. Juancheng, let's be frank. I invited you here to build a Chengdu-Chongqing railway for Sichuan. The only Chinese person who can preside over this is Mr. Juancheng."

"You want to build a railway?"

Although Zhan Tianyou had already guessed roughly what was going on, he was still surprised to hear that Zhang Yinghao and his men were really planning to build a railway. Could these really be revolutionaries? They had already started large-scale construction?

"Mr. Juancheng, China's railway network will eventually be as extensive as America's. Do you think the Qing Dynasty can accomplish such a task?"

"Maybe not now, but maybe in the future."

"Haha, Mr. Juancheng, why do you have to deceive yourself? The foreign powers will only become stronger and stronger. They will definitely treat the Qing Dynasty like a tethered dog.

"It's dead. As for the Qing Dynasty, their capital was occupied by another country not long ago. Throughout Chinese history, no dynasty has ever been as humiliating as the Qing Dynasty. If the Qing Dynasty had a way out, sows would be able to climb trees."

“Is there hope for you here?”

"So, Mr. Devotion City, this requires the joint efforts of all of us. Relying on me alone? Definitely not. Relying on you? Not either. Only with the help of millions of ordinary people like us can it be done. Mr. Devotion City has built quite a few railways, right? What do you think is the difference between us Chinese and foreigners?"

Zhan Tianyou was stunned for a moment before he said: "Not bad."

"Haha, yes, not bad at all. We Chinese are one of the most hardworking peoples in the world. You should know from your time in America that many of the American railways were built by us Chinese. If you were to ask which nation in the world has created the most miracles, the Chinese nation is not far behind. The only thing we lost was the Qing Dynasty and a hundred years of time."

Zhan Tianyou, a man in his forties, was still deeply moved by Zhang Yinghao's words. He understood that the success of this young man was no accident. Perhaps this young man might one day overthrow the Qing Dynasty. This thought, combined with his own experiences since entering Sichuan, made him look at Zhang Yinghao with a different expression.

"Mr. Zhang, are you so sure that I will build a railway for you?"

"Mr. Juancheng, you're not building this railway for me. You're building it for Sichuan, for China. Why are you building it for me? Can I occupy this railway? We are just doing something for China."

"Mr. Zhang, you are traitors to the Qing Dynasty. Are you so sure that I won't sabotage you secretly?"

"Mr. Juancheng, I believe you are Chinese, a descendant of Yan and Huang. You are willing to work and contribute to this country. I think that is enough."

Chapter 205:

Zhan Tianyou instantly felt deeply moved. Only those who had truly lived abroad could understand the true meaning of being a Chinese and being descendants of Yan and Huang. If it weren't for his desire to contribute to his motherland, he would have lived well anywhere and there would have been no need to return to his country to suffer.

"Even if we were to build a railway, I alone wouldn't be enough!"

"Don't worry, Mr. Juancheng. I've already found a lot of relevant personnel. Now we're lacking someone to oversee the overall situation, and you're the perfect person. However, you'll be the one who suffers the most, as many people will need your training."

“Training is necessary.”

"However, in the early stages, we will conduct training while mapping out the route. When construction begins, I can provide you with 100,000 engineering troops. We will use all the resources of Sichuan to build this railway."

"One hundred thousand engineering troops?"

"Yes, this is a force I specially organized for construction. The Qing Dynasty owes too much debt, so we have to engage in construction. Now these people are scattered throughout Sichuan to build schools, roads, bridges, and reservoirs. If there is a need for railway construction in the future, even if it requires 200,000 or 300,000 people, I will provide them for Mr. Juancheng."

"Well, that's a big deal, very bold."

"I wonder if you need any tools? Or do you want to bring someone to Sichuan? We have already brought your wife here for you. Please forgive me, Mr. Juancheng."

Zhan Tianyou smiled bitterly and said, "You are so thoughtful."

"There's nothing we can do. Mr. Juancheng is now a national treasure.

We have some books on railway construction here, and we can also build a training school right away. For other matters, we can only ask the relatives for help.

Mr. Cheng."

"Sure, sure."

"In addition, we haven't spread the news of your arrival. The Qing Dynasty may be looking for you now. I think you could use an alias, which would be more convenient."

After saying this, Zhang Yinghao turned to the guard beside him and said, "Go and ask Comrade Lin Tianli to come over."

"Mr. Juancheng, Lin Tianli also returned from the United States a year ago and has been working for me ever since. He's pretty familiar with our place now, so I'll assign him as your liaison. If you need anything, just tell him. If it can be solved, I'll do it. If it can't, please report it to me. Let's all work together to find a solution."

At this time, Lin Tianli walked to the door and shouted loudly: "Report." "Come in."

After Lin Tianli came in, Zhang Yinghao said: "Comrade Lin Tianli, this must be Mr. Zhan Tianyou, the only one in China who is capable of independently building a railway.

"He is the engineer of the Chengdu-Chongqing Railway. We are now planning to build the Chengdu-Chongqing Railway and we are relying on him. Your task this time is to arrange Mr. Zhan Tianyou's life and serve as his liaison officer. If Mr. Zhan Tianyou has any questions or requests, you will be responsible for contacting him. If you still can't solve the problem, please report to me."

Lin Tianli immediately saluted and said: "Yes, I will complete the task.

Then he turned around and stretched out his hand to Zhan Tianyou and said: "Hello, I am Lin Tianli, please take care of me."

Zhan Tianyou also stood up, stretched out his hand, shook it, and said, "Hello."

Zhang Yinghao continued, "You two have both returned from the United States. We can talk later. Comrade Tianli, take Mr. Juancheng to select people from the railway talent we found earlier. As soon as possible, you can form a team. You can discuss how to proceed. As for money, if you need to use a large amount of silver to import machinery and equipment, please report it. I will first give you one million yuan in banknotes, 50,000 kilograms of rice, and 5,000 kilograms of salt as start-up capital."

You should first conduct surveying and mapping, and list the materials needed in detail. We will concentrate all of Sichuan's resources to build this railway. Everything else must take priority over the railway."

"Yes, Chairman."

Zhan Tianyou repeated the word "Chairman" twice in his mind, and then said, "Chairman Zhang, what is the track gauge we use?"

Zhang Yinghao knew that the track gauge Zhan Tianyou mentioned refers to the distance between two rails. He also knew that track widths are categorized into wide gauge, standard gauge, and narrow gauge (including meter gauge and inch gauge). Vehicle weights are categorized into light rail and heavy rail.

Track gauge is the distance between the two rails of a railway track (measured by the inside-out distance of the rails). In 1837, the International Railway Association established 1435mm as the standard gauge (equivalent to 4 feet 8.5 inches in the British system). Approximately 60% of the world's railways use this gauge. This gauge is also known as standard gauge or international gauge. A wider gauge than standard gauge is called broad gauge, while a narrower gauge is called narrow gauge. Dual-gauge or multi-gauge railways have three or four tracks, allowing trains of different gauges to travel.

There are historical reasons why 1435mm was chosen as the international standard track gauge. The world's first commercial railway, the Stockton-Darlington Railway in the UK, which opened in 1825, used a 1435mm track gauge.

In 1846, the British Parliament established this gauge as the standard, prohibiting the use of other gauges on new railway lines without special approval. Britain was a capitalist power, so it also promoted this standard in its colonies and sphere of influence.

The first railway appeared in the Qing Dynasty in 1865. In that year, a British businessman named Durand built a small railway outside the Xuanwu Gate in Beijing in order to promote railways and arouse the interest of Chinese people in railways. Although this small railway can also allow trains to run, it can only be regarded as an exhibition and not a real railway.

Railway. After that, most of the railways introduced by the Qing Dynasty used the standard gauge. Zhang Yinghao knew that Zhan Tianyou advocated the use of standard gauge, so Zhang Yinghao

Without thinking, Hao said, "Standard gauge."

"Do you have any other requests for the railway?"

"I need a single railway car to travel across the country without any problems. This means that in the future, all railway systems will have unified specifications."

Then Zhan Tianyou asked a lot of questions, and Zhang Yinghao also told him the ones he could solve.

Finally, Zhang Yinghao said: "We don't know when we will go to war with the Qing Dynasty, or when the Qing Dynasty will block the Yangtze River waterway. Therefore, your preliminary preparations should be carried out in secret, and don't make a big fuss.

Please list your needs as soon as possible, and we'll buy them as soon as we can. We must also be prepared for a British blockade of the Yangtze River. The longer it takes, the more uncertainties there will be. I hope you understand. Once we've acquired the locomotives, wagons, and supplies you need, we'll publicize the situation. If we don't, the people won't understand, and our work won't be easy. Also, Mr. Juancheng, it would be best if you could complete it before 1906. Five or six years should be enough."

Zhang Yinghao then took out a map of Sichuan and, following the approximate route of later generations, lightly drew a line on it. He then continued, "Mr. Juancheng, the purpose of railways is to facilitate the people's travel and the transportation of supplies. If it is possible to pass through these cities, then by all means do so. This line is approximately 500 kilometers long, for your reference. Of course, your measurements will be the standard. I simply hope it passes through these cities, but rest assured, I will never command experts without my expertise."