Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

The next morning, Zhao Ping'an was called to a meeting again.

When he entered the conference room, he noticed there were significantly more people than the day before. Besides several leaders, there were also several officials from the Ministry of Railways, the Ministry of Water Resources, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The brigade commander and Lao Xu were also present.

02 sat in the main seat, holding a document in his hand. When he saw Zhao Ping'an enter, he nodded.

"Comrade Ping An, please sit down. There are three things to discuss today."

Zhao Ping'an sat down next to the brigade commander, pondering to himself.

The first thing he understood was the moment 02 opened his mouth.

"The first thing concerns railway construction."

02 pushed the documents in his hand forward.

"Comrade Ping An previously submitted a plan proposing to merge the Ministry of Railways, the Railway Construction Bureau, and the Railway Corps Bureau to build a unified national railway system. The plan was to build 19,000 kilometers of railways in three and a half years."

He paused.

"We've studied this plan for a long time. Comrade Ping An has included all the railway sections that our country currently needs in the plan."

If completed, the country's railway mileage will increase from the current 7,500 kilometers to over 26,000 kilometers, a three-and-a-half-fold increase.

Everyone in the conference room gasped.

02 Continue:

"In Comrade Ping An's report, we can now manufacture engineering machinery and railway materials ourselves. With the help of this engineering machinery, our construction speed can be increased by more than five times."

After speaking, he looked at Zhao Ping'an.

"Comrade Ping An, how confident are you about this plan?"

Zhao Pingan stood up.

"Commander, I have cooperated with the Railway Corps in Northeast China many times, and I am familiar with the situation of the cadres there."

"As long as the personnel are in place and the supplies are sufficient, the task of 19,000 kilometers of railway can be completed in three and a half to four years."

02 nodded.

"Alright. This plan is approved."

He paused.

"Comrade Ping An, from this day forward, is appointed by the organization as Vice Minister of Railways. He will be responsible for coordinating the transfer of materials from the Northeast and the construction of the Lanzhou-Xinjiang section."

Zhao Pingan was stunned for a moment.

Another one?

But he quickly realized what was happening.

"Yes."

02 continued, "In the new province, 100,000 railway soldiers have just been allocated to you to join the agricultural reclamation corps."

If that's not enough, you can submit another report to request more.

You are familiar with the specific personnel in the Railway Corps, so you can select them yourself.

The rest is up to you.

Zhao Ping'an nodded and reiterated his assurance.

"Yes, mission accomplished."

Thinking of the railway corps cadres he had worked with in Northeast China, he already had someone in mind.

However, Zhao Ping'an suddenly realized that the reason he had added another position might be related to his habits.

The bigger the operation, the more you need to learn to let go.

As long as capable people are found, Zhao Ping'an will delegate authority, which will motivate everyone.

Those below work hard and diligently, and those above are even more reassured that Zhao Ping'an is not greedy for power and is wholeheartedly dedicated to the country's development.

This is one of the reasons why he was promoted so quickly.

Of course, there's another reason, which everyone knows.

With an exclusive supplier and technical experts, it's hard not to get promoted.

"The second matter concerns water conservancy construction."

02. Open another document.

"The plan is to build 15,000 reservoirs, dams and other water conservancy facilities across the country over five years."

Ensure water security in all regions.

He looked at the official in charge from the Ministry of Water Resources.

This matter was discussed very quickly.

Fifteen thousand reservoirs may sound like a lot, but when spread across the country, each county might only have a few.

Technically, there were no difficulties, and the materials were now available. After all, with the equipment in place, the cement plant was built very quickly.

In addition, there is sufficient construction machinery and manpower.

The key is water security.

Zhao Ping'an had witnessed the devastation of the drought.

He didn't want to see crops wither and die of thirst again. In addition, he had thought about natural disasters five years later, so he simply wrote a report and submitted it. He didn't expect it to be approved and implemented so quickly.

02. Close the file and look up.

"The third issue is the Khmer problem."

The atmosphere in the conference room changed slightly.

02 looked at the brigade commander, Zhao Ping'an, and Lao Xu sitting in the corner.

"You all know that Prince Siha arrived earlier. His meaning was very clear—he hopes for our support."

He paused.

"After the Northern War was over, our reputation in Southeast Asia was even greater than that of the Big Brother."

Prince Siha went to Moscow, but received no clear answer. So he came to Beiping.

He looked at the three of them.

"Now, Comrade Brigade Commander, Comrade Ping An, Comrade Lao Xu, you have three days to come up with a work plan. Write clearly how to help, what to help with, and to what extent."

The brigade commander nodded.

Zhao Ping'an and Lao Xu nodded and accepted the task.

After the meeting, the three of them found a small meeting room and closed the door.

The brigade commander spoke first: "What do you think?"

Zhao Ping'an spoke up: "I attended the meeting. Prince Siha's tone was practically asking us to send troops."

We definitely need to help, but we need to think carefully about how to help and to what extent.

The brigade commander nodded: "Back then, when we were supporting the Monkey Kingdom, Political Commissar Luo and I both went there."

The French army under Tassigny was defeated with our help. This time the situation is similar, but not entirely the same.

He looked at Zhao Ping'an first.

"Comrade Ping An, what are your thoughts?"

Zhao Ping'an remained silent for a few seconds.

He recalled some words written in that previous report.

He harbored hostility towards the Monkey Kingdom, and he knew better than anyone what the other side had done in history.

Although it hasn't happened yet, he keeps subtly mentioning the other party in his reports to his superiors.

One report, two reports, three reports... saying too much will inevitably have an impact.

Therefore, Zhao Ping'an wanted to test the higher-ups' thoughts on this plan.

"My thinking is very simple."

He spoke.

"First, we need to send troops. But the specific number of troops needs to be calculated by you, Brigade Commander."

Secondly, we provided the enemy with some weapons, such as the Type 38 rifles that our troops had phased out, which were given to the Khmer army. These were considered high-quality weapons; I felt they wouldn't be able to use anything too complicated.”

The brigade commander's eyes lit up.

"As for numbers, I remember that the French army in Cambodia and the nearby troops only numbered a few thousand. Based on their fighting strength in the monkey country, we don't need to send a large-scale force. A reinforced regiment of about two thousand men would be enough."

The primary role is military advisory and training, with the secondary function of protecting a few key targets. On the battlefield, these positions can act as strongholds to defeat the enemy.

"Two thousand men? Is that enough??" Zhao Ping'an was stunned by the number the brigade commander gave him. How bad must that place be? How bad must the French army be? Could 2000 Republican soldiers really make a country independent?

The brigade commander replied with a smile, "That's enough. I'm quite clear about the current level of the French army. After Marshal Tassini passed away, the French army's combat effectiveness was severely weakened."

"Any more, and I'm afraid it will cause other problems. Actually, if I weren't thinking about being safe, based on the configuration of the northern battlefield, I think a mechanized infantry regiment of 1000 men would be enough."

"Uh, okay, you're the expert in this area, Brigade Commander. Let's go with what you say for now." Zhao Ping'an, confirming the other party wasn't joking, continued the conversation.

"Thirdly? I decided to support their agriculture."

He took out a document.

"In Northeast China, with the use of high-quality seeds, fertilizers, and scientific planting methods, corn yields exceed 2000 jin per mu, and potatoes yields exceed 3000 jin per mu, allowing for two harvests a year."

In comparison, we are far ahead of Southeast Asia, where the yield is only a little over 100 jin per mu. Therefore, I plan to help them grow rice.

"We provide seeds, fertilizers, and technology to help them increase agricultural output. We buy their surplus grain. We sell them the basic industrial products they need."

Old Xu was stunned for a moment.

"Ping An, aren't you just like the French?"

Zhao Pingan interrupted him.

"Old Xu, let me finish."

Zhao Ping'an took out a map of resources and specialties, pointing to Southeast Asia on it.

"Southeast Asia is rich in resources, but their output is low due to technological limitations. However, these are all things that our domestic industrial development needs. For example, we need rubber, right? We need oil, right? We need tin ore, right? Southeast Asia has plenty of these things."

"I help them increase their yields with seeds and fertilizers, and I exchange industrial products for their resources."

They used technology and equipment to form joint ventures with their governments to mine various resources and to acquire those resources and provide them with funding.

Their living standards improved, and our industrial raw material needs were met. This is called mutual benefit and win-win.

Old Xu frowned.

"Ping An, what you're saying still sounds a lot like... a colonizer?"

Zhao Ping'an looked at him.

"Old Xu, let me ask you, did the colonists give them seeds and fertilizer? Did the colonists help them build roads? Did the colonists teach them how to farm?"

Old Xu didn't say anything.

Zhao Pingan continued:

"I give them seeds and let them grow their own. I buy any surplus grain so they can make money."

I sell them manufactured goods so they can use them themselves and improve their quality of life. Is that what you call colonization?

He paused.

"Besides, Prince Siha practically begged us to send troops at the meeting that day."

If I'm not helping them, then what am I?

The brigade commander, who was listening nearby, suddenly laughed.

"Comrade Ping An, you've got a lot of tricks up your sleeve."

Zhao Ping'an looked at him with a smile.

"Commander, we need rubber. Airplane tires need rubber, car tires need rubber, conveyor belts need rubber, everything needs rubber."

Without rubber, some industries cannot operate.

Although we have now made breakthroughs in synthetic rubber technology, sometimes natural is still better!

The brigade commander nodded.

"I know that."

Zhao Pingan said:

"Where does rubber come from now? Southeast Asia. If we don't help them, those rubber plantations will eventually fall into other people's hands."

"At that time, we'll have to pay a high price to buy it, and we might not even be able to get it."

The brigade commander remained silent for a few seconds.

"You make a good point."

Old Xu wanted to say something, but the brigade commander waved his hand.

"Old Xu, Ping An isn't wrong. Besides, we're just writing a plan, not actually executing it."

Whether the leaders approve it or not is another matter.

He looked at Zhao Ping'an.

"Okay, let's write it along your lines. Military aid plus economic cooperation, a win-win situation."

Old Xu sighed.

"Okay, it's just a plan anyway."

Zhao Ping'an smiled and said nothing more.

He recalled the documents about Southeast Asia and the events that followed.

Some things, if you don't do them now, it will be too late later.

The three of them talked until dark.

The general framework of the plan has been set:

Military component: A reinforced regiment of 2,000 men, primarily for military advisory and training purposes, and, when necessary, to participate in the defense of important targets.

The equipment is based on the latest equipment of the front-line mechanized regiment: Type 81 rifles, Type 85 sniper rifles, RPG-7s, BTR-86s, general-purpose machine guns, heavy machine guns, and mortars—the complete set.

Economic aspect: Agricultural technology cooperation, providing seeds, fertilizers, and agricultural machinery to help increase yields.

Purchase surplus grain and export basic industrial products. Jointly mine resources such as rubber, oil, and tin, prioritizing domestic supply.

In terms of technology, a number of technical personnel will be provided.

The brigade commander wrote the military section, Lao Xu wrote the economic and educational section, and Zhao Ping'an was in charge of finalizing the draft.

Halfway through writing, Zhao Ping'an suddenly asked a question.

"Do you think Prince Siha will think it's not enough if he knows we sent two thousand men?"

The brigade commander looked up at him.

"Two thousand men is too few? That's a reinforced regiment, a mechanized unit, not just any random troop."

Zhao Pingan said, "From what I could tell, he was practically saying, 'Please send troops.'"

Old Xu put down his pen.

"Ping An, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Zhao Pingan thought for a moment.

"What I'm trying to say is that our plan needs to leave room for maneuver. If he feels it's not enough, we need to be able to add more."

The brigade commander nodded.

"Okay, then let's write a flexible plan. Minimum two thousand, maximum... five thousand."

Old Xu looked at him, then at Zhao Ping'an.

"Five thousand? That's half a division."

Zhao Ping'an said, "So what if it's half a division? France is still a major European power, isn't it?"

Old Xu was speechless.

However, the brigade commander next to him unconsciously raised a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, as if he was trying hard not to laugh.