Chapter 28: You and I Go on a Spring Outing

  After the construction project started, Kang Fan was ready to inspect each site one by one. This is the most critical year for the development of Ningwu Prefecture, and everyone must work hard. Therefore, this trip will not be short in time. Kang Fan assigned 12 original Blue Demon team members from the cavalry regiment as his guards, while the remaining original Blue Demon team members stayed behind to take charge of county defense, public security, establish an internal guard corps, train and manage garrison troops, and work on intelligence. Mei Xiang also took this opportunity to recruit capable personnel from the county hospital to form a medical service team, preparing to follow Kang Fan to each site for free medical consultations. The current county hospital has sufficient staff, and the workload is no longer as overwhelming as before.

  Kang Fan and the guards were all on horseback, with only three new-style carts loaded with logistical supplies. The medical service team had more carts, five four-horse carts and even more two-horse carts, most of which were loaded with medical equipment and medicine, while the rest were used to transport people and logistical supplies. The team marched forward in a grand manner, wherever Kang Fan went, Mei Xiang's medical service team would follow. As a result, Mei Xiang's special cart became Kang Fan's most coveted place, for there was always delicious food, fragrant hot tea, clean and comfortable bedding, and the gentle and sweet Mei Xiang waiting for him.

  Zhong Hanqiang and the students, He brothers, Donovan, Yu Hao and others were all busy with their respective work. Donovan was the busiest, he had to be responsible for all industrial engineering projects in the Ningwu Prefecture's planned construction, including the railway and telegraph, telephone lines and other related supporting projects that he had previously entrusted to several American companies to build together, connecting Beijing and Taiyuan City, and also served as a contact person between students and various European contractors, project guide, translator, surgeon and even continued to act as a priest. He drove his own carriage almost all over the Ningwu Prefecture and the province's north and south, with his brown beard growing very long. When Kang Fan saw him at a sulfur mine under construction near Pian County Town, he didn't recognize him at all. Because now there were too many foreigners like him with blue eyes, blond hair and yellow beards in Ningwu Prefecture, and Donovan used to trim his beard into a neat "person" shape, with distinct features, but now it had grown into this messy state, showing how busy he was.

  This time's industrial engineering construction is carried out in a unified and coordinated manner, with each project being strictly controlled in scale and construction time limited to 6-10 months. That is to say, all projects must be completed and put into production before the Spring Festival this year. The bidding work for the project alone was enough to make Duonowan and the students drink a pot of wine, and the subsequent site selection, surveying, scheme determination, feasibility demonstration, technical services, engineering operation, equipment installation, logistics supply, personnel management, and fund settlement were even more arduous. Fortunately, the preparation work for the project has been carried out for two years, with the participation of Zhong Hanqiang, He Jia brothers, and students, especially these spirited students, who have demonstrated remarkable wisdom and diligence, sharing a huge workload with Duonowan.

  You've turned this young priest into a busy old Santa Claus. Kong Fan laughed and said.

  Duonowan was excitedly panting with a smile all over his face. This is what it means to work! Work should be like this!

  Kang Fan and he solemnly shook hands, pulling him into Mei Xiang's carriage to drink tea. Donovon knew that Mei Xiang loved cleanliness, so before getting on the carriage, he carefully dusted off his body and took off his long tube boots outside. When Kang Fan was preparing hot tea for him, Donovon fell fast asleep in the carriage. Kang Fan couldn't bear to wake him up, so he started drinking with the guards instead. A few guards who didn't drink tea went into the distant mountain forest and brought back some wild game, roasting it until it was crispy and fragrant. Donovon smelled it, jumped down from the carriage, and tore off a piece of roasted meat to devour.

  Kang Fan handed him a cup of hot red tea with sugar and milk. Donovan didn't even have time to say thank you, he took it and sucked it down nonstop, with the oil from the roasted meat dripping from the corner of his mouth.

  Father can pay attention to his own image! Kang Fan laughed and said.

  Duonowan glared at Kangfan, swallowed a mouthful of meat and said: I don't have time to argue with you, this afternoon I still have to go to a limestone mine. You do what you should do, don't bother me here!

  Kang Fan lost interest, scratched his head, sat back in his original position, and drank tea.

  After eating and drinking enough, Duonowan patted Kangfan's shoulder from behind, "Kang sir, the red tea you brewed is very flavorful, much better than my Spanish wife."

  Kang Fan smiled but didn't turn around. After a while, the sound of Duonuo urging his horse forward came from behind him.

  Mei Xiang and the medical team have been treating the sick Chinese and foreign workers. The antibiotics and traditional Chinese and Western medicines are a novelty to these people, while the considerate service and high professional skills of the male and female medical staff in white coats and hats leave a deep impression on them.

  According to Zhong Hanqiang's statistics, there were at least 1,000 foreigners who came to work in Ningwu Prefecture this time. Adding the locally and externally employed workers, the number of people directly involved in the construction project was no less than 30,000, which is equivalent to one-tenth of the total population of Ningwu Prefecture. This group, apart from having a huge demand for daily necessities, had high expectations for medical care. Mei Xiang's voluntary medical consultation initiative greatly enhanced the reputation of the county hospital and effectively promoted the new and efficient medicines produced in Ningwu Prefecture. The golden age of pharmaceutical development has arrived, and those precious antibiotics will bring enormous profits to Ningwu Prefecture! Furthermore, after the completion of the new industrial development plan, some advanced medical equipment will be produced, which, combined with the existing ones, will enable people to enjoy the medical technology that is over a hundred years ahead. With the establishment of a complete industrial system, Kang Fan's dream of owning various metals and non-metals, chemical products, machinery, electrical, optical instruments, and equipment will soon become a reality, which is truly exciting!

  What are you smiling at here? Mei Xiang ran over, saying as she snatched the teacup from Kang Fan's hand and took a few big gulps. Is there something exciting you want to tell me?

  Kang Fan's face still had the happy smile from just now, and he looked up at Mei Xiang with deep affection.

  Mei Xiang closed her eyes and raised her head, gently patting her chest, unable to bear your gaze!

  "What's wrong?" Kang Fan asked with a smile.

  Mei Xiang leaned forward and whispered in Kang Fan's ear: As soon as I see this look in your eyes, my legs go weak.

  Kang Fan laughed and said: "The mother hen has seen the tom cat, right?"

  You burst out laughing and said, "You're really disgusting, ruining such a wonderful thing like this!"

  Kang Fan handed a roasted quail with crispy skin to Mei Xiang, eating this leg would make it hard.

  You're tough, I'd better be gentle instead. There's still milk and cake in my car, said Mei Xiang.

  The guards surrounding them suddenly burst into loud laughter! Kang Fan also laughed so hard that he was doubled over. Mei Xiang only then realized she had misspoken, and jumped up with a red face to chase after the laughing guards. The medical personnel at the construction site in the distance were attracted by the commotion here, and they all threw down their work and ran over. Seeing the wild game cooking on the fire and the fragrant hot tea, they rushed forward and snatched everything away.

  At this time, the county magistrate learned that the prefectural governor was coming to inspect the local area and organized the county government personnel to come and pay their respects. They also brought a lot of food and cooked it on the construction site, treating everyone. Kang Fan was delighted and had originally planned to go hunting with the guards again, but now there was no need for that.

  After receiving Kang Fan's order, the county magistrates of each county have all started to make arrangements for various matters in their respective counties. For this impoverished mountainous region, the grand blueprint depicted by Kang Fan is like a stimulant, inspiring them to work hard and strive for a better life. With the added deterrent of Kang Fan's reputation, they are working very diligently. On one hand, the enterprises located within each county can bring tangible benefits to the local area; on the other hand, it is also a political achievement that improves people's livelihoods, so why not do their best? Moreover, the three counties of Pingguo, Wuzhai, and Shenchi, as well as enterprises in other parts of the province, are all low-end industries such as mining, building materials, and handicrafts, which are relatively easy to operate. The raw materials produced by these enterprises will be supplied to manufacturing enterprises concentrated in Ningwu County. In Ningwu County, a metallurgical joint enterprise, a chemical joint enterprise, a mechanical joint enterprise, and an electrical/optical equipment joint enterprise will be established. Other light industries such as papermaking, leather, textiles, clothing, hats, stationery, daily necessities, and food processing will also be expanded, renovated or newly built, but on a relatively small scale. The reason for not establishing specialized military enterprises is in line with Kang Fan's intention: to set up military departments within each civilian enterprise, hiding military industry within civilian industry, which can both conceal from the public eye and effectively utilize existing resources, achieving common development between military and civilian industries.

  The industrial enterprises within Ningwu County are the main stage for students to show their talents, and they are also the core of forming the future manufacturing industry in Ningwu Prefecture. The enterprises in the Ma Fang Township Industrial Park will be merged into these newly established enterprises, retaining only the living facilities and the research center, which will be improved to continue scientific research activities.

  The advanced industrial equipment assembled by the research center will be provided to various industrial enterprises within Ningwu County for use, and will work together with some imported industrial equipment. The students' goal is to prepare to independently develop and produce industrial equipment that meets requirements in the shortest time possible, gradually replacing imported equipment and achieving autonomous upgrading.

  In comparison, the low-end industries established in other counties of Ningwu Prefecture and provinces are one level lower in importance. First, it's a question of whether they exist or not, then it's a question of speed, and finally, it's a question of quality. Therefore, they directly use imported technology and equipment, with relatively short construction periods and faster production startup times.

  The first batch of building materials enterprises that were established earlier have entered a busy production period due to the large demand for cement, glass, bricks, and other materials from various construction sites in the region. Both their production scale and operating efficiency are rapidly increasing, and all counties have begun to taste the sweetness of success.

  Unlike Pingguo County, the three counties of Ningwu, Shenchi and Wuzhai have a relatively good agricultural foundation, especially in the Shenchi area, where the total arable land is more than the sum of the other three counties, making it the most concentrated planting industry. The Ningwu and Wuzhai areas are rich in pasture and forestry resources, and are also concentrated areas for animal husbandry, breeding, and forestry industries. Under the demonstration and driving force of various state-run farms, the development momentum of private agriculture in these areas is good. Therefore, the construction focus in Shenchi and Wuzhai counties is on agricultural infrastructure such as farmland water conservancy, grain depots, and processing of agricultural by-products. After Kang Fan and his party arrived in Shenchi County, they met with He Shui.

  He Shuichang was in charge of Ningwu Prefecture's agricultural construction, and with the help of Zhong Hanqiang, he felt a great deal of strength. However, after the spring, Zhong Hanqiang became busy with industrial construction and left He Shuichang to handle everything alone. Although he was extremely busy, the measures that had been tried out the previous year were now mature and could be implemented in an orderly manner.

  He Shuichang and Zhong Hanqiang had started a policy from the previous year to encourage new land reclamation and purchase of land from private owners for the official farms. These lands were then contracted out to farmers who did not own any land through public bidding, with only a nominal fee being charged. The government also purchased farm products at stable and preferential prices.

  As a result, many tenant farmers and long-term laborers who had been serving local landlords were attracted to work on the official farms. At the same time, the construction of water conservancy facilities for the official farms was scientifically planned and implemented, providing free new seeds such as wheat, corn, cotton, sesame, sugar beets, and various vegetables to farmers.

  Professional technical personnel provided guidance, and new fertilizers and pesticides were sold at very low prices. This brought great benefits to the farmers working on the official farms. On the other hand, some large landlords who held a lot of land but could not hire enough laborers were forced to leave their land idle and eventually sell it.

  As a result, a large amount of private land was purchased by the government and converted into official farms, which in turn allowed more farmers to be settled. By this year, the total area of arable land in Ningwu Prefecture's official farms had exceeded that of private land, and the output of farm products from the official farms was several times higher than that of private land.

  Mei Xiang didn't understand and asked: With this development, won't the local landlords disappear soon? Wasn't He Dage's land also sold to the government?

  He Shui shook his head with a smile and looked at Kang Fan.

  Kang Fan took over the topic and said: Let me tell you, Mei Xiang, He Dage's land is the first official farm, including our Fenhe camp.

  Plum fragrance is astonished.

  He Shuichang said: "All that Brother Kang has done is for the country and the people, without seeking personal gain. The He family should donate their own land to make a humble contribution to the local community. Little sister Meixiang doesn't have to be surprised."

  Mei Xiang gave a thumbs up and praised: He Da Ge is indeed a famous scholar.

  Kang Fan continued: As for other landlords, first, they can cooperate with the government, rent out their land that they don't want to sell to the government, and enjoy the benefits; second, they can hire enough labor from outside to serve them. Because currently, the government-run farms will only grant land operation rights to local farmers, and outsiders have not yet enjoyed this treatment. Moreover, it is impossible for locals to provide sufficient arable land for all local farmers or migrant workers, and a large number of laborers will still be left over. And we are also developing animal husbandry, pastoral industry, forestry, etc., which need them. And when our industry develops, various industries will follow suit, and job opportunities will only increase.

  Everyone is delighted. Mei Xiang smiled and said.

  Animal husbandry, aquaculture and forestry have also received preferential policies from the government and strong administrative intervention, developing faster than planting industry, forming a considerable scale, and is expected to grow significantly this year. On the basis of producing large quantities of meat, dairy products, eggs, fruits and other non-staple foods, it has also provided a large amount of raw materials for local industries, such as wool, leather, timber, etc. Several important mining points and horse breeding farms outside Ningwu Prefecture have made smooth progress under Hu Ping's personal intervention, and there is no problem in completing the plan on schedule. Therefore, after finishing this "spring tour" activity that Mei Xiang was delighted to call, Kang Fan should go back to govern and rectify the officialdom.