Chapter 69

  Qin Tongren had a queue, and the comrades at the Tianjin Machinery Bureau also had queues. Chen Ke dared not ask a question: is it safe to operate a lathe with a queue?

  Chen Ke grew up in the diesel engine factory's residential area, and the female workers in the metalworking workshop all had braids. Long hair was not allowed to operate a lathe. At that time, boys' short hair like scattered hair was not popular, so the female workers at that time also felt very embarrassed. If their hair couldn't be tied up, the strands would often fall in front of their eyes and hinder their work. Hair that was too long was also troublesome to tie up. Because of the workshop regulations, during work hours, long hair had to be tucked into the work uniform. There were examples of female workers' long hair getting caught in machinery, resulting in terrible workplace injuries, which were really heartbreaking. But Qin Tongren and other workers kept their braids, Chen Ke felt it was very unreasonable. What should they do during work?

  It's clear that Chen Ke overthought things. When making the design drawings, the workers were divided into two groups, one group designing and the other following Chen Ke to make furnace tiles. Making furnace tiles was not a big deal, as there was a brick kiln near the factory, and several sets of furnace tiles were quickly fired in batches. These tasks did not have high requirements for braids.

  When it was time to start work, everyone had skillfully coiled their queues around their necks and secured the ends with hairpins. Chen Ke's attempt to persuade them to cut off their queues had fallen through. Moreover, the comrades worked efficiently and basically completed the equipment in just four days. The steel frame had been replaced by a wooden one, which was much larger in size. The multi-holed steel hammer had become an iron-encased wooden mallet weighted with stones. Chen Ke was speechless as he watched his fellow workers transform their original design into a new one full of Chinese flavor.

  These days, Chen Ke organized the lives of his comrades according to the new era's factory management model. That is to say, getting up at 7:30 in the morning, doing collective exercises for ten minutes, and then washing together. There was no toothpaste this year, so brushing teeth was done with a cloth. After the beehive coal stove in the factory was repaired, it was much more convenient to boil water. Every day, everyone took turns cooking three meals. In the morning, on odd-numbered days, they had noodle soup and steamed buns with salted vegetables. On even-numbered days, they had millet porridge, salted vegetables, and steamed buns. At noon, they had steamed buns with stir-fried vegetables, four dishes and one soup, and there must be a dish of meat. In the evening, it was just reheating the lunch dishes and boiling another soup.

  After having breakfast, we start work at 8:30 sharp. Before starting work, we sing "We Workers Have Power" twice. When teaching this song, everyone felt embarrassed. However, after learning the song, comrades immediately fell in love with it. At first, it was sung before starting work, and by the second day, people began to sing during breaks at work. Three days later, when there was nothing to do in the evening, everyone started singing. "We workers have power! Hey! We workers have power! Every day is busy with work! Hey! Every day is busy with work..."

  Listening to the song echoing in the dormitory, Chen Ke believed a sentence: "People need some spirit." These comrades with braids are enough to prove this.

  It's pointless to even mention it, but if you really ask a young man in the 21st century a question - "Do you like the Qing Dynasty?" I estimate that more than 95% of people will clearly express their dislike. This dynasty, which rose to power through slaughter and surrendered to foreign countries with humility, was destroyed without a sound. Even the extremely few remaining old Manchu aristocrats lamented that when the Ming Dynasty fell, it was like a raging fire, but when the Qing Dynasty fell, it was like dust. The officials, army, and gentry who were once the pillars of this country all abandoned the Qing Dynasty. If it were the Communist Party, an organization as powerful as can be, that destroyed the Qing Dynasty, perhaps they would have left some dignity for the Qing. But the Xinhai Revolution, those who launched the Wuchang Uprising were just a few unknown people, and these people did not become famous afterwards either. The extremely few people who launched it triggered the collapse of the Qing Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty was thrown into the dustbin of history like dog shit.

  Chen Ke sighed with regret over the fall of the Ming Dynasty, but he felt a sense of joy when it came to the fall of the Qing Dynasty. Under this mood, the officials and backbone of the Qing Dynasty were also despised by Chen Ke. Sometimes Chen Ke would think that anyone who had a queue on their head was not worthy of admiration. Sacrificing one's life for a garbage regime was really not worth affirming. However, when it came to Qin Tongren, Chen Ke couldn't help but feel a sense of respect. The same went for the comrades at the Tianjin Machinery Bureau.

  These comrades are really good people, they love their work, love their country, and have fought against foreign invaders. If they were not Qing dynasty people but citizens of the Republic, they would absolutely be heroes.

  Maybe my understanding of the world is wrong. In every era, people should be pursuing "equality and happiness" in life, which should be exactly the same. The only difference lies in the difference of the times themselves. Maybe this is the real reason why Chen Ke has been feeling that everything is not going smoothly these days.

  It was as if to verify Chen Ke's self-criticism. After the equipment was basically set up, Qin Tongren suddenly asked Chen Ke to go with him to pick up a machine. It was an old-fashioned steam engine that had been transported by train. Apart from the knowledge of steam engines learned in textbooks, Chen Ke had no practical understanding of steam engines. His only experience was when he was young and sat on the locomotive with his father, learning how to shovel coal into the boiler. Since childhood, Chen Ke had followed his old man on trips south and north, and he had also paid a small fee for this coal-shoveling game.

  Looking at this steam engine that can almost be described as old and worn out, Chen Ke didn't know whether to ask "Can this machine be used?" or "Mr. Qin, what is the reason for such a waste of money."

  "I didn't spend a lot of money on it," Qin Tongren said calmly. "This machine has been out of order for more than two years, and I only spent a few dozen taels of silver when I bought it."

  "Is it convenient to repair?" Chen Ke had a thousand thoughts in his mind, but in the end, he only managed to squeeze out this one sentence.

  Qin Tongren didn't say anything else, and he instructed the men to load the machine onto a specially made heavy-duty ox cart. More than 20 strong young men first tied the machine with ropes and then lifted it up layer by layer using poles, shouting in unison as they exerted their strength together, and incredibly, they were able to lift the several-ton steam engine. Of course, even if there were more than 20 young men, it would still be impossible for them to transport the steam engine from the train station to the factory on foot. Not far away, a widened and thickened four-wheeled ox cart was parked there.

  Other ox carts are powered by one or two oxen, but this cart has two rows of oxen, with two in each row. It's actually powered by four oxen. The body is all reinforced, more than twice as thick as a normal cart. The whole thing is coated in black oil to prevent the wood from rotting, and you can tell just by looking at it that it's incredibly heavy. The wheels are over a meter high and extremely sturdy. Instead of rubber tires, they're wrapped in iron plates. Just one look and you can tell it's no ordinary cart.

  Chen Ke was stunned by this ox cart. Such a powerful ox cart, if it were in the 21st century, might not be cheaper than a small truck. But in the 21st century, even a dilapidated small truck can transport this steam engine. Chen Ke finally understood the significance of steel to a country. A broken-down small truck is thousands of times better than such a heavily loaded ox cart. The power of industry has made Chen Ke feel awe-inspired. The broken-down small truck wins completely.

  Moreover, it's only in Beijing that there are such heavy-duty vehicles, if it were somewhere else, no matter how much money you spend, you can't find this kind of vehicle that can transport steam engines. Industrialization must be achieved, Chen Ke shouted in his heart.

  Although it was early winter, the young men were not wearing cotton-padded jackets, presumably because they were afraid of damaging them. They wore sleeveless shirts, with muscles bulging on their shoulders, and strained every nerve to move the steam engine out, then walked up the earthen slope on both sides of the large cart and unloaded the steam engine onto it. The carter, in his thirties, looked sharp and capable. He was also very proud of himself for being able to drive this magnificent heavy-loaded ox cart. First, he jumped lightly onto the driver's seat, and with a practiced swing of his long whip, the tip of the whip cracked sharply in the air. With a shout, the carter began to urge the four oxen at the front of the cart forward.

  Along the way, there were also other ox carts, and compared to this one, they looked like toys. Passersby on the side of the road couldn't help but stare, admiring the majestic sight. Qin Tongren and Chen Ke followed behind the cart, and looking at Chen Ke's bewildered expression, Qin Tongren asked: "Mr. Chen, aren't you wondering why I'm doing this? You must think I have ulterior motives."

  "That's right." Chen Ke didn't say anything nonsense either.

  "When I first met you, Wen Qing, do you still remember what you said about the significance of beehive coal?" Qin Tongren said. This was the first time he had addressed Chen Ke by his courtesy name.

  Chen Ke certainly remembered that he had said it many times and even wrote a draft to elaborate on it. When he spoke, his tone was vivid and his words were substantial, probably comparable to the propaganda of multi-level marketing. The first time I saw Qin Tongren, Chen Ke was even more convincing when he spoke to boost everyone's morale. The use of honeycomb coal can greatly save fuel and drive the operation of an entire industrial chain. It is a project with no harm at all. To emphasize the significance of honeycomb coal, Chen Ke even used phrases like "benefiting the country and the people".

  Looking back at that time, the reactions of colleagues were not bad. It's just that at that time Qin Tongren didn't have any special performance, and I didn't expect him to be so concerned about this matter in his heart.

  "He Daren wrote to me specially before, saying that Mr. Chen is a rare talent and asked me to come and help you. He Daren's father took good care of me back then, otherwise I wouldn't have come to this small factory for no reason." Qin Tongren's tone had a hint of arrogance, but Chen Ke didn't feel offended by it.

  "After I returned from Germany, I have always hoped to start large-scale mechanical production. Not this kind of manual workshop-like production. Although we had no choice but to modify Mr. Chen's design, the more I think about it, the more I feel that Mr. Chen's design was ingenious. The fully automatic coal powder filling and automatic coal discharge system, I really haven't seen such a clever design concept anywhere else."

  Chen Ke grew up in a diesel engine factory from a young age. At the age of 10, he began learning to operate machine tools and play with micrometers. He had been to every workshop. Later on, one of his hobbies became learning drafting. Compared to steam-powered coal machines, diesel engines were not particularly difficult to design; it was simply a matter of combined production. In Chen Ke's future designs, CNC machining production lines would be the ultimate industrial solution. However, from another perspective, in 1905 China, this design was already quite ingenious.

  "Mr. Chen is not only skilled in mechanics, but also has a unique insight into the industry. I came to our factory, and it's really not just for the sake of making money. Just listening to Mr. Chen's brilliant discussion on establishing national industrial channels, I was truly enlightened. Before, I always thought that doing big things was the way to save the country and develop industry. I didn't expect that such a small thing like this beehive coal could achieve such a purpose. I really admire him. So I want to see what this beehive coal factory can do."

  Chen Ke smiled, Qin Tongren's enthusiasm was really beyond his expectations. It turned out that he also had a "turtle spirit". Chen Ke thought to himself. From the beginning, he didn't have any good intentions when planning this factory, just wanting to pull these people in as partners, and after the industry failed, he could get a batch of urgently needed engineering technical personnel from among them. However, after getting along with these friends, Chen Ke began to feel that what he was doing was not very righteous, but he didn't expect that he would actually move Qin Tongren, who came from a deputy chief engineer background.

  "It's easy to say, but hard to do." Chen Ke said with some embarrassment, "I pulled Qin into this hole, and as a clever person, he must have had some awareness."

  "Perception... haha." Qin Tongren suddenly laughed, "Wen Qing must know about officialdom, I also know some. If this beehive coal factory didn't make much money, it's not a big deal, but if it really made money as Wen Qing said, then that might not necessarily be a good thing."

  "That's right." Chen Ke felt that this was the normal Qin Tongren. Someone who could become a deputy chief engineer was certainly not an incompetent bookworm.

  "I don't lack this amount of money, and I never thought about making a lot of money. To be honest, I'd rather the honeycomb coal factory makes a fortune and then gets into trouble."

  Chen Ke was shocked by these words. "I'm telling you, Qin, even the public vehicle petition didn't yield any good results. If you're making a fuss over such a trivial matter, no one will support you."

  "The country has come to this point, and it's not possible to not make a fuss." Qin Tongren seemed to have a bit of an "I'll go with the flow" attitude.

  Chen Ke was about to dissuade him, but then he thought better of it and asked: "I wonder, in your opinion, Brother Qin, where do the calamities of this world come from?"

  "Europe's industry is too strong. When I studied in Germany, even during holidays, all I saw were mines and factories everywhere, and railways everywhere. To others, many factories mean power, but to me, the industrial system that operates behind them is truly remarkable."

  Chen Ke is not opposed to this. In the 21st century, when European industry was in decline, Germany still maintained a strong industrial sector, which speaks to its strength.

  "If China can't build such a system, it will inevitably perish. So I fully support Wen Qing, because Wen Qing's words are reasonable, and a small piece of honeycomb coal can be linked to the rise and fall of many industries. Such reasoning, I have never heard anyone else say before. Such a project, I want to make it happen."

  "Brother Qin seems to advocate for industry saving the country."

  "Without industry, China will perish."

  Chen Ke met a genuine industrialist for the first time and found it quite interesting. He smiled and said, "The fall of the Qing dynasty is only the fall of the Manchu people, but China will not perish. With brothers like Qin, China will not be destroyed. If only the Qing dynasty falls, it may not be a bad thing."

  "Hmph, still that revolutionary party's rhetoric. If it weren't for Wén Qīng being so honest and hardworking these days, I'd think Wén Qīng was a revolutionary party member."

  This remark made Chen Ke feel like crying and laughing at the same time. He, a genuine revolutionary party member, was not considered a revolutionary party member by Qin Tongren. Moreover, the specific reason was surprisingly "honest and hardworking".

  "Should a revolutionary party just stop doing practical work? Relying solely on opening their mouths, isn't this what street beggars do?"

  "The literati's words are indeed obscure." Qin Tongren couldn't help but laugh.

  Chen Ke originally wanted to persuade Qin Tongren again, hoping to pull him onto a path close to the revolution, but felt that this entry point was not right, so he didn't speak again.

  The steam engine was extremely heavy, and it took a lot of effort to transport it to the factory. The comrades from the factory came out one after another to watch, but the steam engine wasn't that surprising to these people; it was this ox cart that made everyone exclaim in admiration. With ropes and poles still in place, the workers were well-organized and disciplined, and under Chen Ke's command, they finally managed to unload the steam engine from the cart after several attempts and transport it into the courtyard.

  The smokeless coal had been purchased a long time ago, and Qin Tongren simply repaired the steam engine before letting it run on trial. After filling in the coal, the steam engine surprisingly started working soon after. Chen Ke secretly asked Qin Tongren, "Brother Tongren, didn't you say this steam engine was broken?"

  "When I bought it, it was indeed bad." Qin Tongren gave Chen Ke such an answer.

  It turned out you had already fixed it, Chen Ke thought. "Then let's start installing and debugging."

  The debugging process is long and arduous, and any design takes a process to become a reality. In this process, it's not just the equipment that needs to be debugged, but even the design itself needs to be modified. The larger the device, the more so, and it's not uncommon for the final result to be completely different from the original design.

  Just two days after the start of debugging, on November 1st, Qin Tongren told Chen Ke that a friend would come to visit at noon. At half past ten, the friend arrived on time. Qin Tongren's introduction was simple: this gentleman was a juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examination). His surname was Shang, his name was Yuan, and his courtesy name was Wangshan. It was surprising that someone like him would come to this beehive coal factory. In those days, passing the imperial examination as a juren meant entering the bureaucratic ranks. Normally, jinshi (successful candidates in the highest level of the imperial examination) were already absolute officials. However, there were not enough jinshi. Many county officials came from the ranks of juren, and it was possible to become a county official if one was willing to spend money. Juren were the true source of grassroots officials.

  Chen Ke didn't know much about the Qing dynasty's system of governance, nor did he want to spend too much effort understanding it. However, he also knew one thing: the officials and clerks of the Qing dynasty were not part of the same system. Unlike the new China where officials and clerks are integrated, Qing officials were selected through imperial examinations, while clerks came from various miscellaneous channels. Holders of the juren degree could directly become officials, while minor clerks would remain so for their entire lives unless they encountered some special opportunity.

  Qin Tongren actually found a juren to come to the beehive coal factory, this is really an extremely strange thing.

  Shangyuan was slender and tall, in his thirties, with a long face, high forehead, high nose bridge, slightly triangular eyes, calm gaze, and a very composed expression. He looked like a noble gentleman at first glance. After exchanging names politely with Chen Ke, Shangyuan fell silent again, and Chen Ke didn't know what to say to this noble gentleman either, so the atmosphere quickly became awkward.

  Hua Xiong Mao was also a juren, but he was a wu juren. With Hua Xiong Mao's passionate personality, Chen Ke would only jokingly call him "Hua Juren" when they were having fun. Hua Xiong Mao never minded this either. When facing Shang Yuan and Shang Juren, Chen Ke wouldn't be foolish enough to make jokes randomly. As the middleman, Qin Tongren led the two of them to their dormitory. That place was quiet enough for a conversation.

  Shangyuan didn't like to talk, but he loved to observe. Chen Ke saw that Shangyuan had naturally looked at all the places he could see, but didn't say a word. Moreover, when Qin Tongren introduced the situation of the beehive coal factory and the significance of beehive coal, Shangyuan just listened and didn't make any move to express his own opinion.

  Apart from work, Qin Tongren rarely speaks. This Shang Junren seems even more silent than Qin Tongren. Chen Kegang gave Shang Yuan a definition, and then heard Shang Yuan speak up in a Shangqiu accent.

  Shangyuan didn't have a very optimistic view of the future of the beehive coke factory, and he directly expressed his opinions. In Chen Ke's impression formed by reading books, these high-level intellectuals did not like to express their views so directly. They either spoke in a roundabout way, citing classics and being vague, or they hesitated and refused to state their own viewpoints. Shangyuan thoroughly subverted Chen Ke's stereotype.

  "This beehive coal factory can't be done!" Shang Yuan expressed his attitude straightforwardly.

  Article 69