Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 312 Planning Industry
On September 28th, after Xuan Chong destroyed the Ork ironworks, he followed the river downstream and quickly found the Ork coal mines to the north. In these mines, the Ork had dug numerous tunnels. These tunnels were interconnected, and the Ork had installed a large number of mushroom traps and sophisticated ventilation systems within them.

However, the Hanlong Group is now full of talented people, including experts who specialize in controlling the movement of explosive dust and gas in confined tunnels.

After confirming that all tunnel entrances and exits were sealed, Xuan Chong used a blower to simultaneously inject flammable water gas into the reserved wellhead, and then ignited it. With a loud bang, like a mischievous child throwing a firecracker into a sewer, the drilled well spewed flames, which continuously ignited the coal mine, putting the Ork hiding inside into a charcoal roasting mode.

After the fire reached a certain point, Xuanchong blasted the mine shafts shut, sealing off all the entrances. Tens of thousands of Ork were trapped and perished in the scorching gas. Perhaps future excavation will release spores, allowing some Orks to regrow.

But now, the Orks of the northern desert have lost all the iron they accumulated in the mine over the past few months, and they won't be able to obtain any more iron for the next year.

Before the winter of 2111, the troops in Xuanchong withdrew. The entire campaign lasted no more than two months and ended as soon as it was over.

While the Ork leaders on the Xiongnu Plateau were preparing to launch an attack on Xijing Pass, Meng Pijing rode his iron barrel chariots back to the northern desert. However, the Ork, rushing back like they were going to a concert, failed to catch up with Xuan Chong's troops.

What angered the Orks most was the arrogant response that seemed to come from the North China Sea coastline: "You! Come here!"

The Orks weren't angry about the losses to their own base, but rather about "not being invited to the party."

Thus, the Ork people, having lost their minds, once again began their death march in the face of a powerful enemy. However, because Xuan Chong could hear the Ork people's "waaagh!", he launched an ambush at Corpse Hu Ridge.

As armored chariots, carrying firepower, maneuvered across various mountain plateaus, the 20,000-strong Orc army fell in the icy wilderness. Their green muscles twisted from the cold, while the Great Eibal wolves on the snowfield grew plump and strong, far exceeding the size of their normal counterparts, and their population began to increase dramatically. Some wolf leaders appeared pure white under the moonlight, their forms eerily strange.

The loss of 20,000 Orks may not seem like much, and it wouldn't be a big deal for the Greenskins, but what's truly critical is the Greenskins' lack of supplies.

These 20,000 Orks were collected from a year's worth of supplies before heading north for a high-quality "waaagh!", just like a simp saving up for half a year to go all in on a blind date, looking for Xuan Chong, this big waaagh! guy, to have a showdown.

In this battle, Xuan Chong deployed 1,300 guided artillery shells equipped with "controllable wings" to destroy high-value targets among the Ork, such as vehicles, Tech-Master repair points, and fuel depots. He then launched an infantry assault.

The battle results were reported back to Yandu ten hours later. Because of this wave of orcs surging towards the northern front, the pressure on the southern front this year was only one-third of that at the same time last year.

The emperor picked up the strategic report that Xuan Chong had submitted a few months ago and carefully studied the strategy of "not being too hasty, nor not being too slow."

Xuanchong's strategy is to build up production and organization along the Beihuahai line, using natural mountains as walls, and launching attacks on Orke's key nodes such as "iron" and "fuel" from time to time.

The Ministry of War concluded that it was indeed much more cost-effective for Xuan Chong to wear down the Orks along the Shihu Ridge line than to do so along the Great Wall line.

Although building the Beihuahai production line requires a large investment, Xuanchong has achieved a material consumption ratio of over 1:30, which is much higher than that of the Great Wall line.

The emperor presented a second memorial, which was Xuan Chong's three-step plan for the "Dongtu Island" to be developed into a prefecture-county.

Xuan Chong: The Eastern Map must be integrated with the Han territory. It can no longer be the "two systems" of the past vassal states and the inner territory. It should be written in the same language and follow the same rules.

The emperor was helpless in the face of Xuan Chong's "pragmatic" behavior. Undoubtedly, Xuan Chong was loyal to the court; however, he himself had become a force to be reckoned with, joining the court as a rising power.

If it were an old minister doing this, it wouldn't be so bad, but Liu Xuan is too young. Now, by removing the tributary nature of Dongtu, he has gained the status of a leader of the scholar-officials. And to achieve this at such a young age, if he were allowed to remain in power for decades, would create a "rule-breaking" image within the Han court.

…the actions of powerful ministers…

Xuan Chong returned to his defensive position and began inspecting the railway construction along the Beihuahai line. The conflict between the Protectorate and the Orks was only in its early stages; right now, the primary concern was ensuring his own survival.

The work of the Hanbei Protectorate this year went quite smoothly. They successfully resolved the issue of accommodation for the workers at various construction sites before winter, and eight large warehouses for storing hay and fodder have been completed.

The coastal coalfields have been discovered. After drilling, coal was transported to heating plants in inland settlements to provide heat, reducing the losses required to transport coal from the Dongtu Island area.

As for the iron ore area in the mountain range northwest of Tartary Bay, exploration has been completed, and it is expected that the ore will be exported next year and delivered to the designated steel production site.

Before winter, the infrastructure for supplying steam to the wells within the vegetable greenhouses was completed, ensuring a stable vegetable supply. The immigrants achieved basic self-sufficiency in material conditions. Even the housing facilities were designed with future educational needs in mind, considering the future education of their children five years later.

Xuanchong did not innovate; it adopted a crude Russian-style planned economy model, involving comprehensive construction of public canteens, public bathhouses, and public housing. So far, it has adapted very well.

…Things are flourishing, but we must consider the hidden dangers…

Xuan Chong silently made a note: High-latitude cultures are very susceptible to "extravagance," and in such a northern cultural context, seeking "special treatment" is often more fatal than in the south.

Learning from history, when the Jin dynasty initially conquered the Liao dynasty, Aguda's generation discussed military matters while getting baths in public. Similarly, when someone slaughtered a chicken, they would decide on the division of resources in the tribe's rear while enjoying a meal. Because there was no special treatment, the entire Jin upper class was aware of the Meng'an-Muke system. However, once they adopted the Han system and lost understanding of the Meng'an-Muke system, the conflicts between the upper and lower classes suddenly escalated to an uncontrollable level.

Ancient and modern are similar.

The red-haired bear, which ruled for 69 years, rose rapidly in its early stages of development, but its later specialization led to a sudden and astonishing collapse.

Its rise was swift, and its fall was sudden!

Xuan Chong looked at the railway, the factory buildings, and the fishing grounds at sea, lost in thought.

Although the idea of ​​"lasting for thousands of generations" is a joke, once one becomes a modern Han Chinese, one has no choice but to try to challenge the cyclical laws and attempt to create a long-term, stable, and benevolent rule.

…Entering the country is not allowed…

In the same year, as the North China Sea front played a significant role, the imperial court's policies further shifted resources towards the Arctic Circle.

Now, Dongtu's various economic data are growing wildly, like grass in summer, which is attracting banks from all over the north and south to bring funds and further expand production.

In particular, after Su Ming submitted a perfect policy essay and was named a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), forty or fifty other Juren (successful candidates in the provincial imperial examinations) came here to try their luck in obtaining official titles.

Shipbuilding, petrochemicals and other industrial chains began to be completed. Even some cutting-edge machinery manufacturing industries were set up in the Dongtu factory for production. The tractors produced, along with the oil processed, were transported to the Great Plains area via the Heiqiu River to replace more manpower.

Just like the economic development process that the Hanjiang River region experienced forty years ago, as agricultural mechanization penetrated into all rural areas, a large number of laborers were forced to "liberate" themselves and then seek suitable large cities to make a living (work).

Su Ming's government building didn't have enough office space, but Dongtu Wang Liu Dangzhen was very sensible and rented his own mansion building to Su Ming as an office building.

This is because it is a "critical moment for strategic transformation" for Dongtu. Since Xuan Chong, the heir of Dongtu, is also a scholar, when he proposed the "critical moment," although no one in Dongtu understood why it was "critical," everyone silently obeyed.

The old nobles of the Eastern Library were all transferred to the Arctic region, leaving everything to the gentry from the south who came from elsewhere to coordinate the construction of the new industrial city.

As for the development dividends? Xuan Chong: I will make arrangements for everyone.

For example, some new buildings in the city with good school districts in the new industrial city are reserved for these people by Xuan Chong. The extra points and preferential treatment for future duty in the cold and frigid areas of the Arctic Ocean are also recorded for the nobles who are willing to go to the north now.

…Breakthrough, upgrade, opportunity…

Xuan Chong, a time traveler from an era of peak industrial mobilization, believes that for a nation, "improving agricultural production efficiency" and the corresponding "expanding industrial production" must proceed simultaneously; if they cannot be synchronized, then the agricultural production system should be "temporarily slowed down." This is because the strategic opportunity for "transforming agriculture into industry" only comes once.

Because "increased agricultural production efficiency" has led to a large influx of people into cities, if cities cannot simultaneously carry out "production and manufacturing" to accommodate the labor force, and instead use the tertiary sector to absorb so many people.
The flourishing of the tertiary sector will, in turn, squeeze out urban industrial development in terms of cultural atmosphere.

A great Confucian scholar of the Han Dynasty said: "If rulers are all focused on cloth and silk, they will certainly overlook the rice seedlings in the mud. Because the mud from the rice seedlings will stain the cloth they wear."

Xuan Chong: Tourist destinations generally don't have very good manufacturing and economic development.

Lacking an "industrial culture," it's virtually impossible to convert the service sector workforce into an "industrialized" one. The United States, in its later years, tried for decades to regain its former glory, but to no avail. Many countries trapped in the "middle-income trap" in the past faced this problem; as agricultural machinery became readily available, and water conservancy improved, people migrated to cities, creating a series of "mega-cities."

However, none of the megacities in these late-developing countries have been able to secure components for emerging industries such as "artificial intelligence," "new energy," and "drones."

For a long time, it was the small but sophisticated cities like Silicon Valley and Eindhoven (the lithography machine) that, at the beginning of the new millennium, showed a leading role in the advancement of human technology.

This phenomenon once led some scholars to advocate for a "unique" spirit of innovation, and at one point it was elevated to factors such as "race" and "system".

It's as if the efficiency advantage of "big cities" has disappeared.

Then, twenty years into the new millennium, when the "large city clusters" that could truly take over new industries emerged.

In such mega-city clusters, research departments for electric vehicles and photovoltaics can easily recruit hundreds of thousands of people to tackle key technologies, and millions of people can enter factories to generate economies of scale.

Previously, those innovative companies that led the world with their "small but sophisticated" and "unique" features all encountered the crusher of "developed countries".

During the era of the one-child generation, the country only appropriately liberated rural labor and entered urbanization after it had acquired enough intellectual property rights. At that time, industrialization was used to steadily contain the population moving to cities.

The industrial output of each city is expanding like an inflating balloon. New industries can not only absorb this growth, but also leverage the efficiency advantages of large urban clusters to minimize costs.

The arrogant head of the lithography machine company went from saying, "Even if I give you the blueprints, you still won't be able to build it," to saying, "There are no barriers to chip production."

Xuan Chong only realized how cleverly simplistic this "general industrial strategy" was after he came of age. — If the population release had happened a decade earlier, when the city's industries had become primarily service-oriented like those in Kowloon Walled City, the subsequent industrialization would not have been so smooth.

In their joint policy proposal, Xuan Chong and Su Ming emphasized that the "improved agricultural efficiency" in Heiqiujiang and the "rise of industry and society" in Dongtu were complementary and must be coordinated and implemented simultaneously in order to reduce the hostility during the reform process!

Twenty years later, Dongtu became a unique gem in the north, and related articles elevated Xuan Chong and Su Ming to the status of "great Confucian scholars".

…working diligently at the Eastern Library…

In November of the 2111th year of the Han calendar, the tractor factory began production, with wide-track models adapted to the muddy terrain of North Asia selling particularly well. At the same time, some small, hand-held tillage machines also opened up external markets.

For example, Japan needs agricultural machinery and vehicles suitable for rice production in their region.

The Dongtu Library specially sent someone to receive this group of merchants with strange accents.

This scene was witnessed by someone who remarked, "I heard that the heir apparent is in charge of the Dongtu family?"

After his friend confirmed it, he exclaimed, "This man is definitely not one to simply inherit the family business; he has the ability to start a business."

After Xuan Chong hurriedly returned from the Beihuahai area, he received a letter from Wang Juren. As scholars, they all kept in touch with each other.

In this letter, Wang Juren addressed Xuan Chong directly, saying he wanted to recommend a talented person for him. Xuan Chong paused for a moment, then immediately smiled and half-jokingly said, "I have high hopes for the talent you recommend, Brother."

Scholar Wang: "Not at all, as long as you can give us some face, that's enough."

Xuan Chong quickly exchanged pleasantries, but inwardly he was overjoyed. He had worked himself to the bone to pass the imperial examinations, largely for the sake of this circle.

It is said that nobles were also part of a circle, but no circle of nobles was as valuable as the circle of scholars.

Xuan Chong does not deny that he only studied hard after his predecessor failed to make it in aristocratic circles.

In my past life, the company CEO always liked to tell new employees, "Your academic qualifications aren't important"; but he himself was extremely envious of academic qualifications and would have loved to pay money for a spot. Exams may not be able to attract all talent, but they do select a very high density of talented individuals.

The person recommended by Wang Juren was named He Cunzhao—he had already arrived at the East Library and was staying at the hotel. He had observed the East Library's economic conference.

Six months ago, He Cunzhao, through a fellowship with his classmates and through Wang Juren, found Xuan Chong's side.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Library is also reviewing the new characters in the "card pool." He Cunzhao is also a scholar who passed the imperial examination—but he has a dark past.

…became famous among the feudal lords…

In his office, Xuan Chong quickly learned about He Cunzhao's situation through intelligence from the Lin Group.

However, after reviewing He Cunzhao's information, Xuan Chong concluded that it was less about his personal dark history and more about the dark history of the North. —It was precisely because the Lin Group understood the situation in the North that they were able to uncover He Cunzhao's background.

Xuan Chong's alleged dark history includes: drinking leading to mistakes, embezzlement and bribery, and a lack of discipline in his lifestyle. These are all moral failings, and his mistakes should be prevented from recurring when assigning him a position.

Those who are fond of drinking should not be allowed to manage factors of production, but rather to engage in business public relations.

If you can't control the acceptance of bribes, you can't let them control the finances; you should assign a strict deputy to keep them in check.

As for those with an unprofessional lifestyle, they should not be allowed to oversee work in public to prevent negative impacts on the organization.

He Cunzhao had none of these. His dark history was simply that he was too "naive" and once submitted a policy essay with a zero score. He originally had the opportunity to become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

As a poor scholar from Jizhou, he participated in the first-class imperial examination, but the powerful and wealthy in Yandu occupied too many places in the second and third-class examinations for the Imperial Academy. Then, the indignant He Cunzhao spoke out, claiming that the court's selection of non-first-class candidates was too lenient, and that those admitted were "outwardly impressive but inwardly lacking in knowledge," which was not conducive to the Han dynasty's overseas strategy.

As a result, the nobles of Yandu, unable to solve the problem, dealt with the people who raised it.

Xuan Chong slapped his thigh and laughed: "What a wonderful person! I'm actually looking for someone like him."

Historically, the Liao Dynasty's transition from a nomadic to a proper feudal system was indeed facilitated by the arrival of cynical scholars from the Yan and Ji regions.

…adaptability to the times…

Looking at Xuan Chong's policy essay from the south, Xu Xi compared it with that of the person from Longzhou and exclaimed, "No wonder he was born during the First Red Dynasty's industrial mobilization period."

Xu Xi could understand Xuan Chong's policy essays, but understanding them was one thing, but putting them into practice often resulted in a generation gap.

After all, Xu Xi was the inheritor of that period of history. Xuan Chong, on the other hand, was a "participant in history," which is why both Xuan Chong and Xie Ming had an extremely high sensitivity to industry.

Xu Xi's perspective is more about looking at that period of history that he did not experience from the viewpoint of "historical vicissitudes".

Xuan Chong explained his strategic goal as follows: without entering the pass, to transform Dongtu, a region spanning the Tartary Sea and the Whale Sea, into an important economic belt.

Xu Xi, unable to keep up with the train of thought, offered a metaphysical description: (Xuan Chong) extracted a section of the dragon vein, which was recognized by the people of Heiqiu River, and placed it on Dongtu Island. Puhai was originally a county of Su Prefecture, and the area where the Pearl River flows into the sea was full of small fishing villages. Eventually, with the spread of industrial manufacturing, this place became the center, and this is how the "dragon vein" originated.

Because the Xu Xi era was already the maritime era, and because cities at sea were reorganized every few decades, unlike land-based cities which were more enduring…

Consequently, the people of the Second Red Dynasty often used fortune-telling methods to judge "cities." When explaining the rise of cities in history, they often used personified descriptions from the perspectives of "feng shui" and "human character."

As for Qin Tianyi, she took the orchestra with her. She was going to marry Xuan Chong (in this world), and her current task was to create a system of ritual music for that land and its mountains and seas.

(End of this chapter)