Chapter 4: Yang Du (Additional update today!)

  “…From the age of 15, I have been living independently without any support. I don’t have any siblings or other relatives. At a very young age, I left China and even now I don’t have any impression of it...I am like a rootless grass that drifts with the wind…”

  On the spotless deck, Li Zichen and Mu Xiangyu walked side by side. When Mu Xiangyu asked about her own life experience, Li Zichen said half-truthfully, while Mu Xiangyu listened quietly.

  "So why do you want to go back to your country?"

  "Because I am Chinese, this is something that can never be changed!"

  Mu Xiangyue smiled and nodded in agreement.

  "Although I wear Western clothes on my body, my heart is still a Chinese heart. My ancestors have already branded everything about me with the mark of China..."

  Muttering to himself, Li Zichen stopped in his tracks and walked to the side of the ship, gazing out at the vast Yellow River. This was China's ocean! In less than three days' time, he would set foot on Chinese soil - 1912 China!

  What was China like in 1912?

  One poor and two whites, national weakness and poverty, military weakness and decline! This is the China that will soon face itself!

  "From San Francisco till now, many people have asked me why I returned to China, but why didn't I return to China?"

  Leaning against the ship's rail, Li Zichen cast his gaze out to sea, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes. Why not return to China? Now that China was so weak, wasn't it precisely the time for him to strive and struggle? If he didn't take action, he might regret it for the rest of his life, living forever in endless remorse.

  "Nowadays, many people in China think you're a monk meat..."

  Looking at Li Zichen, Mu Xiangyue couldn't help but let out a sigh.

  Where is Yang Du?

  Guo Zhenming walked up to the first-class deck and looked around, but he couldn't find his shadow.

  "......China wishes to be strong, must first develop industry!"

  At this moment, a voice suddenly came over, and upon hearing the words, Guan Zhenming, who was originally searching for someone, immediately praised in his heart.

  "There are still people with insight!"

  With a sigh, Guan Zhenming began to look for the source of the sound. He walked in the direction of the sound and saw two people standing at the bow.

  "...It is often said that a country becomes strong only when it becomes rich, for decades, we, the enlightened people of this nation, have all been striving to find the way to "enrich the country and strengthen its military", but who would have thought that from the very beginning, everyone was wrong, the real path to strengthening the country is actually "enriching the people and strengthening the country", only when the people are rich can the country be strong!"

  Looking out at the vast ocean, Li Zichen turned to Mu Xiangyue beside him and said.

  Although she had already been convinced by Li Zicheng's "Iron Empire" dream, otherwise she would not have temporarily dropped out of school to follow Li Zicheng from the United States, Mu Xiangyue still had some doubts in her heart.

  "Zhiyuan, why did you choose to set up a factory there!"

  There...

  Li Zichen's eyes looked towards the other side of the sea, where was a place called Baotou, his former workplace.

  "There's iron ore there!"

  After a moment of contemplation, Li Zichen began to explain the meaning behind his choice.

  "Lotus initially, half a month ago, Yuan Shikai had already taken office as the Grand President. Although the area of Guiyang is located outside the pass, it is not considered far from the capital, so overall, it is still relatively stable, and its resources are much more abundant than you and I imagine."

  When it comes to the mineral resources of Baotou and its surrounding areas, Li Zicheng's expression becomes excited. It was his experience working in Baotou that made him more aware than anyone else in this time and space of just how rich the underground resources are from the north bank of the Yellow River at Baiyun Ebo to the south bank at Ordos. The region of several tens of thousands of square kilometers is almost entirely covered with minerals, with rich underground mineral resources, many varieties, widespread distribution, large reserves, high grade and easy to exploit.

  Iron ore, oil, coal, and natural salt are not large-scale mining areas, with extremely rich reserves. What is even more rare is that there are various colored metals in the northern region, including chromium, copper, lead zinc gold, bismuth, tungsten trioxide, tin, and nickel, which can be said to be a very complete variety.

  More importantly, the proven reserves of coal in Ordos can reach tens of billions of tons. Most of the coal resources are low-ash, low-sulfur and low-phosphorus superior coal, which is high-quality power coal and chemical coal, fundamentally solving the problem of fuel and power for factories.

  "The iron ore in the north solved the raw material problem for the steel mill, and the coal mine in the south solved the fuel problem. We can choose a location between the two places as the site of the factory, using the Yellow River to solve the water source problem. Moreover, the future development of the factory can rely on the rich and diverse mineral resources in the local area for further development."

  When he was close to the source of the matter, Li Zichen fell silent for a moment, his voice becoming somewhat helpless.

  "What's most important is that both you and I understand, the powerful nations have already divided up spheres of influence in our country. Southern Manchuria belongs to Japan, Northern Manchuria belongs to Russia, Shandong belongs to Germany, the Yangtze River belongs to England and America, Yunnan and Guangdong belong to France, and the area around Guiyang is barely within Russia's sphere of influence, but Russian influence only extends as far as Mongolia. By comparison, the area around Guiyang has relatively little foreign influence, so establishing a large industrial union there would be quite suitable."

  Leaning against the ship's side, Li Zicheng's eyes gazed out at the undulating sea. In fact, over the past month, he had been thinking about where to go. The saddle-shaped mountain along the river might be the most suitable place, with convenient transportation and China's largest iron mine in Anshan. Tangshan and Qian'an were also good options, but after considering various domestic and international factors, he finally chose Baotou. On one hand, he was more familiar with the place; on the other hand, it was far away from foreign powers' influence and even military interference.

  "Ten years! At most ten years people will only need to mention the place and they will know, just like when you mention Germany you think of Ruhr, that there is an industrial city built on a wasteland in China."

  Everyone has their own ambitions and dreams. For Li Zicheng, perhaps his greatest ambition now is to build Baotou into China's Ruhr in ten years.

  "Lotus initial, perhaps you and I, as well as many insightful people in the country, in order to save the nation, will take the path of industrial salvation. However, in the end, if they do not seize the opportunity, everything will return to its original point, because from the beginning, the path they chose was not the path of national salvation, but the path of enriching oneself through light industry. Only heavy industry can strengthen a nation, and only heavy industry can revive a nation. This is the only way."

  Listening to this person's words, Guan Zhenming was in a state of shock. He had always adhered to the motto of "industry saves the country and enriches the people", but he was stunned by this lofty theory. Just then, through the porthole, he vaguely saw the appearance of that person. That person seemed to be very young. Could it be... him? He wasn't supposed to be on this ship, was he?

  "Reach for the horizon"

  Mu Xiangyue hesitated, but still raised a concern that he was most worried about now. On the train from New York to San Francisco, after Li Zichen first revealed his thoughts, he began collecting relevant information.

  "Now the Beijing-Zhangjiakou railway hasn't even reached Datong yet, if we want to build a factory in Baotou, then the transportation problem..."

  "Then we'll just build our own railway!"

  What a big tone!

  Zhiyuan! Li Zhiyuan! Li Zichen!

  That's right, it's him!

  Guan Zhenming immediately realized that the person standing at the bow was Li Zichen, who had gone ashore in Xia Wei's boat.

  Building a railway... Although he was surprised by Li Zichen's ambition, Guan Zhenming began to think deeply. He wanted to build a railway, and perhaps it would be an opportunity for himself!

  If oneself...

  With that in mind, Guan Zhenming lifted his leg and was about to walk towards Li Zichen, but just as he took two steps forward, a voice came from behind him.

  "Good!"

  The voice was not loud, and there was a hint of Hunan accent in his tone! As soon as he heard the voice, Guan Zhenming knew that the person speaking behind him was none other than Yang Du, the one he had been looking for. It seemed that he too had come to find Li Zhongyuan, perhaps even on the orders of the President himself!

  "Zhiyuan is indeed worthy of being the most outstanding young person this year! With just this kind of heart, even in a big country like China, it would be hard to find a second person like him!"

  Yang Du praised as he walked towards Li Zichen, if not for hearing this conversation, he might have walked around the ship again and still couldn't find the young man described in the telegram as "about six feet tall, fair complexion, looking 21 or 22 years old".

  "Who are you?"

  Listening to the praise, Li Zichen couldn't help but frown when he turned back. He had spent $1,000 in Hawaii to bribe the captain and pretend that he had already disembarked, just because he saw in the newspaper that before he even returned home, he had become a target of attention for all parties, this Tang Monk is not easy to play!

  What a handsome young man!

  It was almost as if Li Zichen had turned his face, and Yang Du couldn't help but praise him in his heart. He had seen many handsome young men, but none like him, with a scholarly elegance, fair skin, and slightly upturned lips that made him look still innocent and strong-willed.

  Moreover, on him can't see the kind of national characteristic posture that is either humble or arrogant, but only a calm and composed demeanor, if it were ten years ago...

  Yang Du sensed a look of doubt on Li Zichen's face and bowed with his fists clasped together.

  "Get down!"

  Wow!

  Upon hearing the name and associating it with that Hunan accent, Li Zicheng's eyes narrowed slightly - it was him! It was Yang Duan, who had "killed" Yuan Shikai together with others!

  Without waiting for Li Zichen to speak, Mu Xiangyue, who was standing beside him, heard Yang Du's great name and hastily paid a respectful courtesy.

  "So it was Mr. Xiaozi!"

  Mu Xiangyue's respect was quite pleasing to Yang Du, and when he looked at Li Zichen again, he saw that the latter still maintained his calm and composed demeanor.

  "Mr. Yang!"

  "This kid..."

  Looking from afar, Li Zhiyuan only slightly nodded to Yang Du, while Guan Zhenming admired his calm demeanor. Seeing the three of them seemingly wanting to talk, Guan Zhenming shifted his body and hid himself behind them.

  (I've updated again, everyone please see the effort I put into updating and encourage me with recommendation tickets and collections! Hehe! Thanks!)

  ||