Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 133: Using Western Methods for Chinese Purposes
In the afternoon, Chief of Staff Li Hezhang came to the residence with more than ten staff members including Zheng Jialiang and Li Jingji.

The purpose of this trip is to hand over the numerous fields, shops, property deeds held on behalf of the general, as well as some undeveloped land and properties in Jinling City, all to the madam's personal control.

For this purpose, a new West Office was established in the General's Mansion.

Li Jingji, who came from the Li family in northern Anhui, became the first director, taking over the daily management of the general's private property, collecting small rents and interest to supplement the general's household expenses.

The annual income from this huge fortune should be more than 30 taels of silver.

Aide Zheng Jialiang, according to his own wishes, handed over the relevant matters and was then sent to Chongming Island to manage all the miscellaneous affairs on the island.

Since Li Hezhang had come, after handling the relevant matters, Zheng Guohui invited him to stay and have a family dinner together at home in the evening.

Seeing that it was still early, he led the guest into the study to receive him.

"Uncle San, please sit down and try this bowl of bird's nest, white fungus and pineapple soup. Is it to your liking?" Zheng Guohui gestured.

Ruqin presented two bowls of soup, bowed deeply, and then quietly left.

Li Hezhang behaved in a measured manner. He ate without saying a word and his movements were very elegant.

After finishing his meal, he put down his bowl and commented, "A bowl of soup is worth several gold coins. Although it is delicious, one should not have too much. One should be frugal and manage the household well. This is the way to long-term prosperity."

Although these words may sound preachy, they are full of concern when they come out of his mouth.

"Third uncle's words are all valuable advice. Jinghai has learned a lot."

Zheng Guohui put the finished bowl aside. At this time, Ruqin appeared at the right time with a hot towel on the tray. After wiping Li Hezhang and Zheng Guohui respectively, she cleaned up the dishes and quietly left.

In the study

The atmosphere of the conversation between the uncle and nephew was very harmonious. Zheng Guohui pointed to the pineapple chunks in the fruit bowl and asked with a smile, "Uncle San, do you know the production volume of this fruit in tropical regions?"

"I'm not sure about that. I'd be all ears." Li Hezhang asked with interest.

Zheng Guohui has done his homework on this and can talk about it with ease.

"This plant is also known as pineapple. It was introduced to Guangdong and Guangxi by Westerners over a hundred years ago and is called "Pandanus." It grows in the wild and its fruit is like a radish.

The leaves grow in clusters on the top, with long, pointed and deep teeth. They have excellent taste, color and fragrance. They are also called Fanlouzi, where "Fan" means they were introduced from the West.

It is shaped like an orchid, with densely grown leaves, stems and fruit-bearing branches. The leaves are peeled and the tendons remain, which is the same as ramie.

Tropical fruits and vegetables are suitable for growing in Mindanao, and pineapples are suitable for dense planting, with only a fist distance between two plants, and they can still grow well.

Its growth period is 4 years, and the yield per mu can reach up to 2 catties. It is easy to plant and grow, and has a very high yield.

Li Hezhang was calm at first, but when he heard that the maximum yield per mu could be 2 jin, his expression suddenly changed and his eyes widened in surprise.

He asked hurriedly, "Are you serious about what Jinghai said? The yield per mu of this plant can reach 2 catties?"

"Exactly. This is top secret, known only to heaven and earth. You and I know it, and it cannot be passed on to anyone else."

"Nothing in the world is more wonderful than this!" After hearing this, Li Hezhang was shocked for a long time.

In this era, there are already many high-yield agricultural products, such as watermelons, sweet potatoes, etc. (note: without the use of chemical fertilizers), and the yield per mu often reaches hundreds or thousands of kilograms, which is already very high.

With such high production, why are you selling it so expensive?
Isn't this just robbing money?
Li Hezhang reacted at this time, glared at him with a look of both anger and amusement, and then he and Zheng Guohui burst into laughter.

Li Hezhang shook his head and smiled bitterly, saying, "It's really hard to imagine that these South Sea Islands can produce copper and iron, and even grow such exotic fruits. They are truly a treasure island."

"Uncle San is absolutely right. In June, the trade goods I agreed with the Wan Guo Tong Bao Trading Company will arrive one after another. They include a large number of sailing ships and industrial equipment. A series of factories will be built to enhance industrial capacity." Zheng Guohui said with a serious expression.

He tapped his fingers lightly on the chair handle, his face full of thought as he said in consideration;

"Recently, I received a confirmation letter from the US side that the large number of ordered goods to be delivered this time include four ironclad ships, which will be a huge boost to our maritime strength.

The United States will hire a group of retired naval officers to operate ironclad ships and train our personnel, so we must be prepared in advance.

I plan to select 200 young junior officers, mainly from the first and second training phases, and send them to Chongming Island at the end of this month, and then to Southeast Asia.

Once the ironclad ships and large sailing ships delivered by the United States arrive, training can be started on site under the guidance of instructors.

The immigrants arranged in the near future will mainly be those with a certain skill. Blacksmiths, carpenters, and bricklayers are all needed, and the construction of Nanyang requires even more skilled craftsmen.

Oh, and some midwives, too.

Seeing that the island is about to welcome a large wave of baby births, midwives and doctors are indispensable. More couples can be arranged to go to the island so that women can learn how to deliver babies.

Wan Guo Tong Bao also has a bank in Shanghai, which is a newly established institution. The silver that is withdrawn can be deposited into an account.

If this transaction goes smoothly

We will still have a long time to deal with the United States in the future, and we will still import a large number of industrial equipment and ships. This line must be maintained more diligently so that both sides can benefit.

Most of the future machinery and equipment will be made by..."

Li Hezhang recorded everything Zheng Guohui said.

After the conversation ended, he asked, "General, I have heard that Commander-in-Chief Zuo is planning to establish the Mawei Shipyard in Fujian Province. He has received approval from the imperial court to allocate 400,000 taels of silver to import factory equipment from England. Why don't we deal with the English?"

"Although the British equipment is good, it's too expensive." Zheng Guohui shook his head, a look of regret on his face. "The same set of shipyard equipment is much cheaper if bought from a bankrupt American manufacturer, only one-tenth or one-twelfth of the price. It's no different from scrap metal.

40 taels of silver could only buy two ironclad ships in England.

同样的银子在美利坚，可购入包含4艘铁甲舰及载运量800~1000吨的9艘风帆大船，加上20多艘双桅风帆大船在内的一整支舰队。

Now that the American Civil War has just ended, a large number of weapons and equipment are being sold at low prices. Countless factories have been affected, and hundreds or even thousands of them have closed down and gone bankrupt.

This is a great opportunity to grab a bargain, but it will be gone in a flash."

Li Hezhang was shocked again and said, "It's hard to believe that American industry is so powerful."

Zheng Guohui smiled and decided to give this uncle a little more credit, so he introduced him.

The American Civil War lasted four years, with over four million participants on both sides and over one million casualties.

There were more than 10 ships alone, and more than artillery pieces used by the army and navy. The fighting was unprecedentedly brutal, and there are only a few such battles in the history of European and American wars.

The United States of America occupies the North American continent alone. Its territory is as vast as that of our dynasty, and it also has thousands of miles of black soil located on the endless plains.

The land is fertile and the grain yield is high.

There are tens of millions of bison herds alone, like a moving torrent. It is truly a fertile land chosen by God, with plenty of sunshine and abundant rainfall. The natural conditions are not inferior to those in the south of the Yangtze River.

The world is so big, there are so many strange things."

Li Hezhang was so fascinated by this description that he put down his pen and pondered for a long time.

He was a capable bureaucrat who was good at managing affairs, and he had a real understanding of what Zheng Guohui said about "more than 5,000 warships and more than 100,000 artillery pieces."

In the Hunan Army, Li Hezhang once supervised the construction of boats, homemade cannons, and portable guns as offensive firearms. He was well aware of the difficulty involved, which could not be described in a few words.

after a long time
Li Hezhang sighed with emotion;
"It is a pity that our great Chinese nation was complacent and unwilling to develop, and was eventually forced to open its doors to the British and French powers with their guns and cannons. This is a national shame and a national tragedy.

It's a pity that so many people are still indulging in petty intrigues and have no intention of catching up. It's really heartbreaking!
It is imperative to open our eyes to the world. Zuo Gong's idea of ​​"making foreign things serve China" resonates deeply with me and I will definitely emulate it."

Zheng Guohui didn't expect to be invited to such a long speech. His blood was boiling with excitement. He stood up and walked a few steps in the study.

He paused and said, "Uncle San is right. We should follow Zuo Gong's example, but with some differences.

Zuo Gong was determined to establish foreign schools, educate the people, and help them open their eyes to the world.

Introducing Western machinery and equipment, revitalizing domestic products, and strengthening national strength are all pragmatic and pragmatic moves. While the aspirations are commendable, this is a path that is bound to be tortuous and difficult.

Here..."

Zheng Guohui shook his head as he spoke, and his meaning was self-evident, causing Li Hezhang's face, which had just seemed excited, to dim again.

Who said no?
There are a lot of stale Manchu and Han officials in the court. They cling to the laws of their ancestors and human ethics and desires in their heads. They are as rigid as a block of wood and will never make any changes.

In particular, the diehards in the court, such as Wuqigeli Woren, frantically suppressed the ministers of the Westernization Movement, using all kinds of slander and despicable means, and vowed to put them to death.

Even Prince Gong Yixin suffered a severe setback, let alone others?

"Jinghai...are you talking about the path we are taking now?"

"Uncle San is right, that's right."

Zheng Guohui was confident at this time, and said in the study room with great confidence;
"The barbarians of Southeast Asia are ignorant of etiquette and culture, and are only slightly better than those who eat raw meat and drink blood. They are crude and uncouth, like savages.

But they occupied thousands of miles of fertile land, which was absolutely unreasonable.

I led the army to march south to conquer the barbarians, spread the splendid civilization of China, educate the people, and expand the living space of the Han and Tang Chinese.

Achievements in the contemporary era, benefits in the future.

This is like painting on a blank sheet of paper, without suppression from officials in the court, without pulling in colleagues, and without having to explain the truth to anyone.

If you have ambitions in your heart, you can go ahead and realize them.

If Zuo Gong is traveling on a rugged mountain road, then we are on a broad thoroughfare where we can gallop on horseback.

Which is better and which is worse can be seen at a glance?"

These words stirred Li Hezhang's blood to a boil. He stood up suddenly, clapping his hands and laughing, saying, "Hahahaha... the truth is not clear until it is explained. Jinghai is not alone in this path. Fellow immortals, please follow my lead."

"Third Uncle, you and I have long been in close cooperation, inseparable." Zheng Guohui said with a smile, then changed the subject and said, "Years ago in Beijing, I asked Second Uncle for help. We were really short of manpower, but to this day, there has been no news..."

"Don't worry, Jinghai. Wait for the immortal to send a letter to you, brother. I will explain the reason and clarify the situation. The difficulties you encounter will be easily resolved."

"In that case, I would like to thank Uncle San here."

"Your Excellency, there is no need to be so. In life, one should do what is right and not what is wrong. As long as it can be of some benefit, it is what the immortals wish for."

At this point, the two looked at each other and laughed. A common sense of mission tied them together tightly, and they devoted themselves to this great cause of moving south.

(End of this chapter)