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

After finalizing the details with the French ambassador in Hong Kong, Lou Bancheng advised Zhao Ping'an.

"Mr. Zhao, the Hong Kong Royal Chamber of Commerce is very interested in you. The Governor also wants to expand imports. Do you have time to meet with him?"

Zhao Pingan thought about it and politely declined.

France is something that can be won over.

Dai Ying? Even more than 70 years later, he's still a villain with festering sores on his feet and a livid head, a member of the Iron Gang's anti-Dongda faction.

So it's not worth the effort at all.

Upon returning to Beiping, Zhao Ping'an decided to focus his work on the construction of railways and highways.

The idea that "to get rich, build roads first" is still correct.

Zhao Ping'an rushed into the office.

The documents on the desk were piled up like a mountain. Railway planning, highway planning, bridge site selection, tunnel surveying...

He had to review and sign off on every single item.

Fortunately, Zhao Ping'an had access to a large number of planning and construction documents, plans, and project plans that he had exchanged within the system; otherwise, he would have been unable to accomplish this task.

As expected, an accident occurred.

That day, Zhao Ping'an was reviewing and revising the construction project plan against the system, as usual.

The secretary came and went, and telegrams came and went.

Comrade Chen came to visit.

As soon as he entered, he slammed a document on the table.

"Comrade Ping An, these makeshift roads you approved will need to be rebuilt in five years. Isn't that a waste?"

Zhao Ping'an raised his head and looked at him.

"Comrade Chen, please sit down and talk."

Comrade Chen sat down, but his expression was still not good.

"The roads built in the Northeast are at least four lanes in both directions, with asphalt surfaces, and can last for twenty years."

The roads built in the south, especially the cement roads, deteriorate after five years. It's the same money and manpower, so why can't they be built better?

Zhao Ping'an did not rush to answer.

He stood up, walked to the window, opened it, and let the cold wind blow in.

"Comrade Chen, first of all, I would like to express my strong agreement with your idea."

I also wish that the whole country could be built with the kind of good roads with four, six, or eight lanes in both directions that are being built in Northeast China now.

But I'm lacking things right now—technicians, designers, high-grade cement, building materials, everything.

The production capacity in Northeast China is limited; the new factory is not yet completed, and the new equipment has not yet been debugged.

The new technicians haven't been properly trained yet.

Zhao Pingan took a deep breath and continued speaking.

"Comrade Chen, do you know what those villages in the south are like now?"

Comrade Chen did not speak.

Zhao Pingan said, "On my way back from Hong Kong this time, I took a short walk around and looked around."

I didn't go deep into the area; I only visited a few villages near the towns.

Thus, many areas are mountain valleys with no roads, and it takes a whole day to get out of the village.

The day I mentioned refers to the day it takes to get to town.

It can take several days or even half a month to get to the city.

The produce we grow can't be sold, and goods from outside can't get in.

Government orders? They stop being relayed at the township level; after that, they rely entirely on word-of-mouth from the village chiefs.

Zhao Pingan turned around.

"Many of our farmers there have never seen a car in their entire lives, nor have they ever left the mountains."

They didn't know what paved roads were; they only knew that when they went out in the rain, their feet would be covered in mud.

Comrade Chen remained silent for a while.

"But we can't use a makeshift road that breaks down after five years..."

Zhao Pingan interrupted him.

"Comrade Chen, I have a question for you."

Which would you choose: a village with no roads, or a road that breaks down every five years?

Comrade Chen was taken aback for a moment.

Zhao Pingan said:

"It will break down in five years, but within those five years, cars can go in and people can come out."

Grain can be transported out to be sold, and fertilizer can be transported in for use.

Children can go to school, and adults can go to work.

If the road breaks down in five years, we can just build another one.

He walked back to the table and sat down.

"Our problem now is not what kind of road to build, but to build the road first."

I don't even need a technician to repair the worst cement road.

With just a few bricklayers, a two-week training period is enough to make them skilled workers.

Divide the paved ground into squares that are two meters wide and three meters long.

The four sides were covered with wooden boards to form a basin shape. Several bags of cement were mixed, poured into the basin, and the top was smoothed.

After a few days of drying, it will become a cement road, although it may break down after a few years or even just a few months.

However, it's easy for a bricklayer to smooth it out with some cement and make repairs.

It's just a matter of a few bags of ordinary cement.

In so many places in the south, and so many villages in the mountains, ten years have passed by the time we finished repairing the roads one by one.

What happened to those villages over the past ten years? What happened to our farmers?

Comrade Chen remained silent.

Zhao Pingan continued, "There's something else, more important than the road."

This is also why I have always emphasized building roads first and then improving their condition.

Comrade Chen looked at him.

"Can our Party members and cadres now enter those villages at any time?"

Comrade Chen was stunned.

Zhao Pingan said, "There's no road; they can't get in. Or rather, it would take them ten days to half a month to get in."

Those villages are still the same as before.

The village chief has the final say, the major clans have the final say, and the old patriarch has the final say. What's the difference between them and the old-fashioned gentry?

He paused.

"It's just that the local gentry have changed their names now; they're called village chiefs or clan elders."

Comrade Chen's expression changed.

Zhao Pingan said, "Road construction is not for making it easier for cars to run."

It's so that people can get in, so that government orders can be implemented effectively, so that those villages can truly become our villages, and so that the farmers in those villages can benefit.

Comrade Chen remained silent for a long time.

Then he suddenly stood up.

"Comrade Ping An, you're right."

"There's enough food in Northeast China, right?"

Zhao Ping'an nodded.

"The plan is to produce more than 90 billion catties annually, enough to feed one-third of the nation's population."

Moreover, this is the second year that potatoes and sweet potatoes have been promoted in North and Central China.

The first year of promoting corn cultivation should see a bumper harvest.

Theoretically, even without considering the grain production in Northeast China, the national average grain consumption per capita could exceed 300 jin (150 catties).

As long as the supplies can be transported in, it can be guaranteed that people won't starve.

This is also why I hope to build these suggested village roads.

Comrade Chen said, "Then we should suggest to the leadership that the railway corps be expanded on a large scale."

Build roads, build bridges, build railways.

Comrade Ping An, didn't you promote advanced agricultural technology and think that using machinery would create a large surplus of labor in rural areas?

"We need to free up the surplus rural labor force to do these things."

He looked at Zhao Ping'an.

"First, we need to solve the employment problem; second, as you mentioned, we need to strengthen communication and management, and we'll build roads for their village."

Hiring some local laborers would reduce the need for large-scale personnel mobilization.

Secondly, the labor force in these villages can help us coordinate village affairs during road construction.

To expedite the process, once the road construction is completed, they can be assigned to nearby factories or participate in construction projects in adjacent areas.

"That way, communication will be established. When our cadres go down to the countryside, they'll naturally have familiar faces to guide them, making everything much easier."

Zhao Pingan smiled.

"Comrade Chen, you're thinking even more boldly than I am."

Comrade Chen also smiled.

"I learned it from you."

A few days later, a new plan was presented to the leadership.

The original plan to build 1.9 kilometers of railway remains unchanged.

An additional 40 kilometers of roads will be added to the original 30-kilometer road plan, bringing the total to 70 kilometers.

And most importantly—98 kilometers of village roads.

The plan concludes with the following line:

"Estimated workforce: 2000 million. Construction period: 4 years."

The leaders looked at it for a long time.

Someone asked, "2000 million people, one-tenth of the national workforce, is it possible to spare them?"

Zhao Ping'an was prepared.

"High-yield crops have been promoted, fertilizer plants have started production, and agricultural machinery is available. We don't need so many people in the fields."

Another question was asked: "Can 700,000 kilometers of highways and 980,000 kilometers of village roads be completed in four years?"

Zhao Pingan said:

"Experience in Northeast and North China has shown that mechanized construction is ten or even dozens of times more efficient than manual construction."

If we have enough equipment, we have enough people.

Moreover, our standards for village roads are very low.

An ordinary bricklayer can become a skilled worker after receiving half a month of training and internship.

This can greatly alleviate our shortage of technical personnel and skilled workers.

The meeting room was quiet for a moment.

Finally, the leader made the final decision.

"Execute this plan."

"But it's not for road construction. As Comrade Ping An said in his report, it's for the farmers in the village."

"First, we must comprehensively promote advanced agriculture to liberate rural labor and improve living standards."

"Secondly, the large-scale infrastructure project will rehearse the mobilization and deployment capabilities of tens of millions of people, laying the foundation for the next stage of basic industrialization."

This also serves as a drill in case of future imperialist invasions.

"Third, by improving village roads and strengthening grassroots management, we can bring education and healthcare to the villages."

To solve the urgent problems faced by our farmers.

The leader looked at Zhao Ping'an.

"Comrade Ping An, this is no small responsibility."

Zhao Pingan stood up.

"Yes, we will complete the mission without hesitation."

In the days that followed, Zhao Ping'an was extremely busy.

Orders were sent out one after another. The railway corps and the engineering corps were expanded, and civilian laborers were organized and began to assemble in various places.

The General Staff transferred several column commanders, along with their respective staff teams, to help plan routes and assign tasks.

The map covered the entire room.

The red and blue lines are densely packed, like a giant net covering the entire map of the republic.

Zhao Ping'an only sleeps four or five hours a day. When he is awake, he looks at maps, approves documents, attends meetings, and makes phone calls.

Guard Zhang Dashan brought in the food, but it had gone cold and he didn't have time to eat it.

But at that moment,

In mid-March 1954, another major event broke out in the Annam region—the Battle of Dien Bien Phu began!