Chapter 42 I became the Governor of Shanxi Province

  After receiving Kang Fan's telegram, more than a dozen intelligence personnel arrived in the capital that night by train to meet with Kang Fan. Kang Fan had two considerations for doing so: Firstly, he was worried that Japanese spies would target He Shui Xiu, so he dispatched intelligence personnel to secretly protect him; Secondly, he took this opportunity to establish his own permanent intelligence agency in the capital, always grasping the abnormal movements of the imperial court and the embassies of various countries stationed in Beijing. The headquarters of the intelligence agency was located in the backyard of a large commercial building in Beijing, which was very secluded. This shop was founded by He's family in the previous generation in Beijing and had been existing in Beijing for many years, widely known to the people of Beijing, and also had several smaller branches scattered throughout the city, making it an ideal ready-made location.

  Kang Fan arranged for these intelligence personnel to be embedded in various shops in the capital, each with their own public identity. While participating in the daily business activities of the shops, they collected and gathered intelligence from all sides. After making these arrangements, Kang Fan entered the palace to meet Empress Dowager Cixi. The street shooting of a Japanese spy had once again shocked the capital, and Empress Dowager Cixi sent several waves of people to notify Kang Fan to enter the palace for an audience, but Kang Fan was busy secretly arranging for these intelligence personnel and kept delaying.

  You have clashed with the Japanese pirates several times, killing their people and robbing their money. Everyone in our court knows about this. How could the Japanese pirates not know? The Japanese pirates have always been arrogant, but this time they underestimated you and suffered a defeat, adding to the humiliation they received from you. I'm sure they won't let it go easily. Although you managed to escape this time, it's absolutely not safe for you to stay in Beijing for long. For your own safety, hurry back to Shanxi! said Empress Dowager Cixi.

  Kong Fan bowed his head in gratitude: "Your subordinate will set out for Jin immediately, please don't worry, Your Majesty."

  Cixi said with a solemn expression: When your army is strong and prosperous in the future, it will be the time when the Japanese pirates are destroyed. Since ancient times, heroes have emerged in their youth, you should do your best to help our great Qing dynasty to turn the tide, don't be lazy for a moment!

  Kang Fan bowed and thanked her, then pulled Mei Xiang out of the Empress Dowager's palace. As they walked, Mei Xiang carefully examined Kang Fan, only relaxing when she saw that he was not seriously injured. She then gave him a punch, hitting exactly where it hurt, causing Kang Fan to yelp in pain.

  Auntie, aren't you satisfied with how badly I'm hurt yet? Kang Fan shouted.

  Mei Xiang pulled him back beside her again, just to stir up more trouble! Can't you just calm down for a bit? There are so many Japanese people, can you take them all on by yourself?

  Kang Fan didn't dare to speak anymore and followed quietly. He had originally planned to go say goodbye to He Shui, but seeing Mei Xiang's urgent expression, he dispelled the thought. Moreover, Kang Fan also understood that his escape from the Japanese agent's gunfire was purely coincidental. During this time, Beijing was under martial law, and the police station and garrison were strictly checking people entering and leaving the city, making it impossible for these Japanese agents to bring in larger rifles, so they could only use handguns, which had to be disassembled and carried secretly, then reassembled after entering the city. However, handguns were not powerful enough and could only be used at close range, putting them at a disadvantage against Kang Fan and his companions, who were skilled marksmen and hand-to-hand combatants, making their failure inevitable.

  Under Meixiang's urging, Kang Fan and his entourage rushed back to Ningwu, whereupon Kang Fan immediately took up the post of Shanxi Governor, sitting in the Shanxi Governor's office, overseeing all military and administrative affairs in Shanxi.

  Shanxi Province is nearly 300 kilometers wide from east to west and nearly 600 kilometers long from north to south, with a variety of landforms including mountains, hills, plateaus, basins, and terraces. It is a plateau region sandwiched between the middle reaches of the Yellow River valley and the Taihang Mountains, belonging to the temperate continental monsoon climate. The major cities in the province are all located in various intermountain basins, such as the provincial capital Taiyuan City, which is situated in the Jinzhong Basin.

  Taiyuan City, as the capital of Shanxi Province, has been the largest city and political, economic, and cultural center in Shanxi since ancient times, famous for its long history, brilliant culture, and rich resources. The jurisdiction of Taiyuan Prefecture covers an area of over 10,000 square kilometers, including the Jinzhong Basin, encompassing the entire Fenhe River Valley, which has always been the most developed region in Shanxi's agriculture, industry, and commerce. The Beijing-Taiyuan and Jinzhang railways intersect here, connecting several major basins within the province, making this place a transportation and communication hub, further highlighting its importance. Controlling Taiyuan Prefecture means controlling the entire Shanxi Province, and Kang Fan, who was promoted to Governor of Shanxi, was well aware of this point. Therefore, as soon as he took office, he began planning and constructing the jurisdiction of Taiyuan Prefecture in a tight and secretive manner.

  Ningwu Prefecture, as the place where Kangfan and others rose to prominence, has completed its historical mission for this stage, but it remains the cradle of development for the entire Shanxi Province. The successful experiences gained here will be applied in Taiyuan Prefecture or promoted throughout the province. As an important industrial base within Shanxi Province, Ningwu Prefecture will continue to play a crucial role. The factories here will produce brand-new, state-of-the-art equipment for the planned Taiyuan industrial and agricultural system, relying on its superior geographical advantages. The new Taiyuan Prefecture administrative region will be a larger-scale, more comprehensive modernization center with stronger economic, political, and cultural power, forming a strong complementary relationship with Ningwu Prefecture.

  While making great efforts to build and improve the basic industries, manufacturing is still the focus of industrial construction in Taiyuan Prefecture: a new enterprise will be built in Taiyuan with the main business of researching and producing various gasoline and diesel engines. The Taiyuan Internal Combustion Engine Manufacturing Enterprise, the Taiyuan Automobile Manufacturing Enterprise, which specializes in researching and producing various automobiles, tractors, engineering machinery, and the Taiyuan Aircraft Manufacturing Factory, which specializes in researching and producing aircraft. These factories were built on the basis of the internal combustion engine, power machinery, aircraft manufacturing and other departments that were separated from the Ningwu Prefecture Machinery Joint Enterprise. The Ningwu Prefecture Machinery Joint Enterprise will mainly shift to the research and production of steam locomotives and railway equipment as well as various machine tools, each with its own emphasis. In addition, a large-scale enterprise specializing in researching and producing various electronic, electrical and optical precision instruments will be built in Taiyuan Prefecture.

  Ningwu University and Ningwu Professional Technical School were relocated to Taiyuan City and renamed Taiyuan University and Taiyuan Professional Technical College, with a larger scale, more perfect system and facilities, and stronger faculty. The new Taiyuan Hospital built on the basis of Ningwu Hospital became the largest and best-equipped official hospital in the province and even nationwide. Other important institutions such as aviation bases were also relocated to Taiyuan Prefecture and expanded in scale, improved in system and facilities, except for Qing Shengying which was not included in the relocation plan. With sx2300 bicycles, it is convenient to travel between Taiyuan Governor's Office and Ningwu Qing Shengying. After the official road that runs through the province from south to north is transformed into a cement highway, driving will be even more comfortable.

  Located in the heart of Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, the Shanxi Governor's Mansion covers an area of nearly 50 hectares, with a grand and majestic scale. In front of the mansion, there is a screen wall, a pair of stone lions, and three gateways, including the East Gate, West Gate, and Central Gate, which are arranged from east to west. The three gateways are named "Fu Su Quan Jin", "Ti Du San Guan" and "Wen Wu Wei Xian". Inside the mansion, there are numerous houses, courtyards, halls, pavilions, corridors, gardens, and artificial hills, with ancient trees, blooming flowers, flowing water, and birdsong, creating a paradise-like atmosphere. The artificial hill on the north side of the mansion is nearly 30 meters high and over 100 meters long from south to north, built during the tenure of former Shanxi Governor Zhang Zhidong. The hill features caves, pavilions, flowers, grass, and trees, each with its own unique characteristics. It is the highest point in the mansion, offering a panoramic view of the entire complex.

  After the modernization renovation, the front yard of the Governor's Mansion was all kinds of administrative offices, and the backyard was where Kang Fan and Mei Xiang, Zhong Hanqiang and Mei Xiang's classmates lived. The Governor's Mansion was much larger than the Ningwu County Government, everyone had their own independent residence, and daily life was taken care of by the staff in the mansion, so they didn't have to worry about food or clothing, and could see each other every day, it was very comfortable. As for safety, all the officers and soldiers of the Guard Battalion had moved into the military camp in the Governor's Mansion, plus the security personnel from other departments, so there was no need to worry. Only then did Kang Fan truly put his mind at ease.

  The autumn dusk is the most lingering, and every time this happens, everyone has already finished work and returned here, it's just a leisurely time. The two gardens in the mansion became a gathering place for everyone. Classmates strolled around in twos and threes, some playing with fish by the pond, some admiring flowers, some studying academic problems under the trees, some gazing out at the distance on the fake hills, and there were also couples leaning against the beautifully carved corridors, or nestled in the lush green grass, or hiding in the pavilions painted with dragons and phoenixes, whispering to each other. Adolph didn't understand romance and ran around disturbing everyone, even driving out the various birds that were hiding, chirping and tweeting in dissatisfaction... Mei Xiang was so excited that she had Kang Fan carry her on his back as they strolled through the garden.

  Before long, Zhong Hanqiang walked towards them. Mei Xiang knew he had something important to say, so she jumped down from Kang Fan's back. The three of them sat down on the wooden chairs beside the gravel path.

  Zhong Hanqiang said: At present, the gentry and merchants in various parts of Shanxi have responded to Mr. Hu's call and sent a large amount of money they collected to me. In addition, they all expressed their full support for the development plan of the new government led by you and will do their best to assist. The situation is very good.

  Kang Fanxi was overjoyed: It seems that Hu Pingzi had made a good arrangement for himself before his retirement, and he could easily get through this unstable period of power transition.

  Mr. Hu made great contributions in promoting new education, developing local industry and commerce, and improving people's livelihood during his tenure in Shanxi. It is regrettable that he was dismissed from office this time for advocating the reform movement.

  Three people fell silent for a while, and Zhong Hanqiang said: The money collected was exchanged one-to-one for the new government bonds issued by our Ministry of Finance. After maturity, both principal and interest will be returned to them.

  Kong Fan laughed and said: "Old Zhong, you're a businessman, you're more professional at this than I am. You handle it yourself. What I want to remind you is that the scale of the Jin army is expanding day by day, and the construction of military infrastructure across the country has also been fully rolled out. The military expenditure required will be more and more. When I come to ask for money from you later, if you can't take it out, see how I deal with you!"

  Zhong Hanqiang smiled and said: Judging from the current situation, I estimate that you won't have the chance to catch up with me.

  Mei Xiang was displeased again, and it was the army!

  Zhong Hanqiang stood up, holding Kang Fan with one hand and Mei Xiang with the other, saying "Let's go to my place. We won't eat at the cafeteria today, I'll personally cook a good meal for you two."

  Plum fragrance cheers and jumps happily.

  After dinner, when they came out of Zhong Hanqiang's house, the sky had already darkened. Kang Fan and Mei Xiang walked shoulder to shoulder towards their residence. The newly installed street lamps in the mansion were all lit up, and the lights from each room shone through the windows, filling the courtyard with a warm glow. As the evening breeze blew, the shadows of the plants on the ground swayed back and forth. The sound of cicadas and frogs filled the air, and the fragrance of flowers, grass, and trees wafted over. Looking up, one could see the silhouettes of the guards from the night watch battalion standing on the watchtowers on the distant wall of the courtyard, their bayonets glinting in the light.

  The residence belonging to the two of them was located between the East and West Gardens, on a slightly higher terrain north of the mansion, in a separate small courtyard adjacent to everyone else's residence. The main house had one hall and four rooms, very spacious, with exquisite furnishings, and there were two side houses on both sides. Adolf and Chitose each had their own specially renovated houses. The ground in the courtyard was paved with long strips of bluestone, and in the center, there was a stone-carved lotus pond. The bright moonlight flashed along with the ripples of the water, and several pink lotus flowers were blooming brightly. A group of fish swam back and forth among them. Several weeping willows were scattered around the edge of the pond, with thick trunks, dense branches, and lush leaves, which seemed to be quite old at first glance.

  At this moment, Adou and Chitu were still strolling in the yard. Seeing the two return, Adou and Chitu both walked over and rubbed against Kang Fan. Kang Fan stroked them one by one, with infinite tenderness in his eyes.

  I feel like you're more intimate with them than with me! Mei Xiang said.

  Kang Fan deliberately teased her, laughing: "They have four legs and you only have two."

  Mei Xiang's eyes widened, and she swung her hand to hit. Kang Fan ran around the lotus pond, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, teasing Mei Xiang. Mei Xiang chased after him for a while before panting and stomping her feet in frustration, then sat down by the lotus pond to rest.

  Kang Fan, I'm exhausted from chasing you. Just let me hit you a few times, okay? If I don't get to hit you, I definitely won't be able to sleep tonight. Think about it, if I don't sleep well, will you be able to have a good time? Mei Xiang is starting to act spoiled.

  Since everyone moved here to live, the only one who frequently travels between Taiyuan and Ningwu is Kang Fan. Because Kang Fan is reorganizing the armed forces throughout Shanxi Province, Qing Shengying's home is still where Kang Fan usually lives. After work, Mei Xiang spends most of her time with Adolf and Chi Tu in the Provincial Governor's Mansion, often riding around with Adolf. Although Zhong Hanqiang and his classmates will occasionally come to visit after work, without Kang Fan by her side, Mei Xiang always feels a bit wronged. Kang Fan is apologetic, but with military duties at hand, he can't help it.

  Then come and hit me. Kang Fan said nothing after that, just smiled hehedly, with a look of being at someone's mercy.

  Plum fragrance struck a few times and turned into a gentle caress full of tender feelings.

  Tonight, the bright moon is in the sky, and the bright moonlight shines down. The white jade mandarin ducks on the flower wall in the house are shining brightly. The two had just taken a bath in the bathroom and were now lying quietly in bed thinking about their respective work matters. The moonlight that entered the room through the window screens and glass along with the cool night breeze gently enveloped the two like thin gauze.

  Mei Xiang suddenly pointed at the pair of white jade mandarin ducks and said: Empress Dowager Cixi told me that the one with flapping wings, singing loudly, and full feathers is you, while the one hiding its head, lowering its neck, and being humble is me.

  Kang Fan smiled and said: Cixi was wrong. In front of you, I only have the part of being humble and obedient.

  Mei Xiang smiled contentedly, resting her head on Kang Fan's arm, closing her eyes. Kang Fan stroked her long hair with one hand while gazing at her lovely sleeping posture, smelling the warmth of her body fragrance, feeling happiness surrounding him, his heart full to the brim.