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

After teaching some naval officers and soldiers how to use the projection equipment over two consecutive days, Zhao Ping'an prepared to leave Qingdao.

Because the province had already arranged its own visit to offer condolences, if Zhao Ping'an hadn't come to Qingdao to receive the warships at the last minute, he probably would have already passed Lanzhou by now.

"Comrade Ping An, go to Xinjiang with peace of mind. Our navy will definitely handle things well here."

"You've given us such advanced warships, and if you're expected to handle the training, I might as well quit my job as naval commander."

Commander Xiao escorted Zhao Ping to the station, patting his chest and guaranteeing...

After more than two days of familiarization, Commander Xiao had gained a rough understanding of the power of these ten frigates.

That's a powerful technological gap.

It's like the opponent is a warrior clad in heavy armor.

The contrast of suddenly pulling out a Barrett sniper rifle was striking.

A sense of superiority from taking down an aircraft carrier from a hundred miles away.

Commander Xiao was even confident that even if the US Navy were to be deployed two years later, they could keep the enemy outside their sea borders.

Zhao Ping'an nodded, shook hands with Commander Xiao, said no more, and got into the car.

Inside the carriage, Zhu Hui had already organized the documents and placed them on the small table.

"Minister Zhao, Comrade Liu Ying just sent a telegram saying that she will board the train at Tianshui Station."

Zhao Ping'an glanced at the map. Tianshui, past Xi'an and further west, is not far from Lanzhou.

"How many days until Chinese New Year?"

"It's the 26th of the twelfth lunar month, only four days left."

Zhao Ping'an nodded, leaned against the car window, and continued reviewing the revised version of the new year's industrial plan.

Zhou Ming, the secretary of the secretariat, was assigned to be on duty in the Beiping area and to visit and extend greetings to the staff of important research institutes.

Old Xu was assigned to the Northeast, while he went to the new province.

Zhu Hui and Liu Ying have been transferred to their respective secretariats.

They served as special secretaries for naval equipment coordination and Northwest scientific research coordination, respectively.

Having received the system's reward, Zhao Ping'an was unusually lost in thought.

I suddenly wonder if my older brother in Yunnan Province will really give me a nephew next year...

On the afternoon of January 19, the train made a temporary stop at Tianshui Station.

The soldiers and guards got out of the car to pick up Liu Ying.

Zhao Pingan leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest. Zhu Hui studied the lessons Zhao Pingan had arranged beside him.

Not long after, the carriage door was pushed open.

Zhao Pingan opened his eyes and saw a young woman standing at the door, wearing a cotton coat, carrying a small bundle in her hand, and looking tired from her journey.

Zhao Ping'an blurted out instinctively, "Comrade Liu Ying, welcome..."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized they were wrong.

This person's demeanor is off, and his clothes don't resemble Liu Ying's. Although the two look about 9% alike, Liu Ying wore a military uniform at the base, which gave her a slightly heroic air, while this person wore an ordinary cotton-padded jacket but had a scholarly air about him. He looked like a local educated youth.

The young woman was also stunned for a moment, standing at the door, somewhat at a loss.

Just then, a system notification sounded in Zhao Ping'an's mind.

[System notification: The host has encountered Ye Juan, the female protagonist of "Shorbulak," triggering related plot developments.]

Ye Juan, a Shanghai educated youth, went to Xinjiang to support its development.

[After becoming a secretary, you will receive a permanent 1% reduction in the price of all equipment and raw materials exchanged within the Xinjiang region.]

[For use in Xinjiang only.]

Now Zhao Ping'an understood.

He stood up, smiled, and said, "Comrade, please sit down. It seems our soldiers have mistaken you for someone else. Are you going to Xinjiang?"

Ye Juan snapped out of her daze and nodded: "Hello, sir. I'm Ye Juan from Shanghai. I'm reporting to the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps."

"Why are you all alone?"

"I signed up with a few classmates. They left first, but I arrived two days later by myself."

Zhao Pingan gestured for her to sit down:

"Please sit down. If you don't mind, you can come with us. My carriage is pretty empty anyway."

Ye Juan sat down opposite her, looking somewhat reserved.

Zhao Pingan casually asked a few questions—a Shanghai native who volunteered to come to Xinjiang. He looked quiet, but spoke crisply, and there was a stubborn streak in his eyes.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the carriage door was pushed open again.

This time, it was Liu Ying who came in, dressed in military uniform, looking travel-worn.

"Minister Zhao, I've arrived."

She saw Ye Juan and paused for a moment, then saw Zhu Hui and paused again.

At this moment, Zhu Hui and Ye Juan also realized that the three women in this carriage were surprisingly similar.

However, Liu Ying is spirited, Ye Juan is gentle, and Zhu Hui has the unique confidence of workers in this era.

Zhao Pingan spoke:

"This person was also going to Xinjiang. The soldier who was picking her up confused her with you and brought her here."

It's on my way, and besides, I feel the three of you really do look somewhat alike, so...

You must want to talk and get to know each other.

Liu Ying smiled and replied, "When I went to the station to ask, I heard that someone had just been picked up and brought onto a special train, so I knew there must have been a mistake."

Then Liu Ying nodded to Ye Juan: "Hello, my name is Liu Ying."

Ye Juan quickly stood up: "Hello, hello, my name is Ye Juan."

Zhu Hui from the other side also joined in.

Zhao Pingan waved his hand: "Sit down, everyone. Since we've run into each other, let's not make a fuss. Comrade Ye Juan, which part of Xinjiang are you going to?"

Ye Juan gave a place name, near Urumqi.

Zhao Ping'an said, "That's perfect, it's on the way. This train is going to Urumqi, so just come along. I'll have someone take you there when we get there."

Ye Juan was taken aback for a moment, then quickly thanked her.

Liu Ying sat down next to her, glanced at her with a smile, and said nothing.

The train started moving again, heading west.

As it was getting dark, the train made another temporary stop at a small station.

This time, it wasn't a woman who came up; it was a man in a suit.

Lou Bancheng.

He stood at the carriage door and bowed respectfully.

"Sir, excuse me for disturbing you."

Zhao Ping'an gestured for him to come in, and deliberately said, "Mr. Lou, please sit down. What brings you here?"

Lou Bancheng sat down opposite them, glanced at Zhu Hui, Liu Ying and Ye Juan beside him, and hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but didn't.

Zhao Pingan said, "It's okay, just say what you want to say."

Lou Bancheng nodded and lowered his voice.

"Sir, I've come to ask you for a favor."

Zhao Ping'an looked at him.

Lou Bancheng said, "There's a major cleanup going on in China right now. Some of my old friends, the ones who did business with me back then, are panicking. Some have come to me asking for a way to survive."

Lou Bancheng paused, his voice even lower.

"I don't dare to make decisions for them, I'm just asking if... we could give them a chance too?"

Zhao Ping'an remained silent for a few seconds.

"I can't protect those who have taken lives, have blood on their hands, or have a dark past."

Lou Bancheng nodded quickly: "I understand, I understand."

Zhao Pingan added, "But for some people, if they are just doing business and making money, and have never done anything immoral, then we can think of ways to help them."

Lou Bancheng's eyes lit up.

Zhao Pingan leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment.

"During the National Day holiday, we signed many cooperation projects with the Red Empire."

The Far East, Mongolia, and later Central Asia—all these places need people.

He glanced at Lou Bancheng.

"Let your old friends go over there and make use of their expertise."

Dealing with local police, military officers, and officials can be profitable, and if it also helps our former worker and farmer brothers get some preferential treatment, then it's a way of utilizing our expertise, isn't it? Their methods might not work domestically, but what about abroad? I welcome them using them…

Of course, if any of them could manage to secure a minor official position in the area, that would be an even greater bonus.

Lou Bancheng was stunned for a moment, then understood and made a finger-rubbing gesture.

"Sir, you mean... send them over there to do things for us? With the officials there...?"

Zhao Ping'an nodded.

"Make amends for your mistakes. If you do well, whether you come back or stay there, you'll have a way out. If you don't do well..."

He didn't go on.

Lou Bancheng quickly replied, "Understood, understood. I will make it clear to them that if they don't do a good job, they won't even be able to keep their current lives."

Lou Bancheng in Hong Kong has information channels, so he naturally knows about the current situation in Southeast Asia.

Zhao Baoguo, Liu Dazhu, and Lou Bancheng had all met him back then, so they naturally guessed what had happened.

After all, Zhao Ping'an wasn't really hiding anything; it's just that the Republic is much stronger now than it was at the same time in history.

Everyone's just pretending not to know or see it, just like in 2026...

Zhao Pingan hummed in agreement.

"Go back and make a list for me. I'll have someone review it first. If they meet the requirements, we can make arrangements."

Lou Bancheng stood up and bowed again.

"Thank you, sir. I will definitely tell them that as long as they do a similar job to me, they will not be treated unfairly."

Zhao Pingan waved his hand: "Go ahead. Be careful on the road."

Lou Bancheng got off at the next stop and returned to Beiping.

The train continued westward, and occasionally the lights of distant villages could be seen.

Liu Ying was organizing documents nearby, while Zhu Hui and Ye Juan were talking quietly. Ye Juan asked Zhu Hui about the factory, and Zhu Hui only said a few words about what he could say.

Zhao Ping'an was mentally calculating Ye Juan's arrangements.

After all, system tasks are not to be underestimated, even if it's just 1%. When it's in the hundreds of millions, that's a huge sum of money.

Ye Juan seems like a reliable young woman. There will be a lot going on in Xinjiang in the future—construction of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, equipment procurement, raw material distribution—and we'll need someone to handle all that. So, let's put her here to keep an eye on things.

Xinjiang is a vast region with a heavy construction workload. Every penny saved is precious if we transport all kinds of equipment and materials here in the future.

He glanced at the system notification that "prices in Xinjiang have decreased by 1%" and understood what was going on.

As for the group of people brought by Lou Bancheng—sending them to the Far East and Mongolia is a good way to make the most of them.

Those people may not be good at anything else, but they are skilled at scheming, networking, and pulling strings – that's their family's traditional craft.

Let them deal with the local police and officers, corrupt them, and try to secure some benefits for our workers and farmers. If anyone can infiltrate the local system, that would be even better.

As for the future—when the time is right, we'll pursue them westward and northward.

Anyway, that place is huge, there are plenty of places to go, and maybe this group of people can even become the "vanguard" for territorial expansion, just like the future American merchants in history.