Chapter Thirty I Failed to Persuade Hu Pingzhong
Half a year after the completion of the Jinzhu Railway, the railway connecting Beijing and Taiyuan, the provincial capital, was also officially opened to traffic, named Jingtai Line. The Jingtai Line starts from Taiyuan, the provincial capital of Shanxi Province, and connects with Tianjin, passing through most sections in Hebei Province. Through this railway, industrial products from Ningwu Prefecture can be exported in large quantities, and relying on Tianjin Port, these products can be transported by sea to all parts of the country or even exported abroad. At the same time, materials imported from all over the country or from abroad can also be input into Shanxi in large quantities. This closely connects Taiyuan, Beijing, Tianjin, and the entire Hebei Province, replacing traditional horse-drawn transportation and carrier pigeon messaging with steam locomotives and telegraphs/telephones, providing a precious modern logistics artery for Shanxi. The importance of Tianjin Port is thus further highlighted. Moreover, Hebei Province has always been one of the most developed regions in China's industry and agriculture, with several major cities having relatively good foundations for modern industry and commerce. Ningwu Prefecture can also exchange its industrial products for wheat, cotton, hemp, sugar beets, fruits, sea salt, seafood, various minerals, and other industrial products from Hebei Province, forming a complementary relationship. As the center of imperial power, Hebei Province's economic interests are also conducive to Shanxi's development.
Taiyuan, as the starting point of the Beijing-Taiyuan Railway, is a hub for the collection and distribution of industrial and agricultural products from Ningwu Prefecture. The city has large-scale cargo storage facilities, warehouses, and transportation equipment, making it a key commodity transfer station. As the transportation center connecting Shanxi Province to other provinces, Taiyuan Railway Station is also a focal point for passenger traffic. With its well-developed telegraph, telephone, and postal networks, Taiyuan has the conditions to develop into a modern commercial center. However, the province's material circulation still relies on horse-drawn carts with extremely low transportation efficiency, severely limiting the total volume of goods transported. This must be changed. Therefore, Kang Fan and Hu Pinzhi decided to build another main railway line within Shanxi Province, centered in Taiyuan and running north-south through the province. Hu Pinzhi named this railway the Jin Xing Line. Based on the Jin Xing Line, they planned to extend branch lines east-west, aiming to complete a provincial railway network covering all major cities and important raw material supply bases within five years. Ningwu County is strategically located between Datong, an important raw material supply base in the north, and Taiyuan, the economically most developed city in the province. Once the Jin Xing Line is completed, it will accelerate the development of Shanxi's economy under the driving force of Ningwu Prefecture, further expanding the scale of railway industry workers, with extraordinary significance.
The Jin-Xing Railway runs from Datong, a major city in northern Shanxi Province, to Fenglingdu, a famous Yellow River crossing point in southern Shanxi Province, with a total length of 865 kilometers and 108 stations along the way. After consulting with everyone, Kang Fan decided to concentrate all resources within Shanxi Province and use local forces to build the railway on its own. Hu Pingzhi was responsible for raising funds for the construction, which were allocated proportionally by the province, prefecture, county, and township governments. Ningwu Prefecture was not included in this allocation but was fully responsible for the railway construction project. The plan was to build a railway hub at Ningwu County Station and transport steam locomotives, passenger cars, steel rails, sleepers, electrical equipment, and other railway equipment produced by the industrial system of Ningwu Prefecture, as well as steel materials, cement, bricks, glass, and other necessary materials for the project through trains to various construction sites along the Jin-Xing Railway. At the same time, power transmission lines and telegraph and telephone lines were set up along the railway line to improve the power supply and communication systems, gradually building a network of railway transportation, power transmission, and postal and telecommunications services within the province. If this network could be built, its economic and military significance would be immense. The project was indeed arduous, but it also provided a valuable opportunity for various industries in Ningwu Prefecture to hone their skills.
Kang Fan specially set up a working group for this purpose, which is responsible for the planning, coordination and implementation of the entire railway project. The preliminary preparation work started immediately.
Hu Pingzhi brought 50,000 troops from various parts of Shanxi to Ningwu Prefecture for railway construction. Kang Fan also gathered more than 20,000 soldiers from the already formed Jin Army's standing army and internal guard units to rush to various construction sites along the railway line. In addition to the front-line troops undertaking ordinary construction tasks, the auxiliary troops such as engineering, medical, transportation, communication, and logistics were assigned multiple tasks including surveying, transportation, construction, disease prevention and treatment, logistical support, and communication liaison to gain practical experience and accumulate experience. As a result, nearly 80,000 strong soldiers became the main force for railway construction. The Jin Army's general staff was responsible for the daily management and logistical support of each unit, temporarily under the command of the work group.
The entire Ningwu Prefecture government departments, factories, mines, hospitals and other units immediately entered a state of intense work. A large number of laborers from all over the country rushed to this place, finding their suitable positions in various industries. The industrial sector of Ningwu Prefecture received a large number of urgently needed experienced workers, management personnel, and engineering technicians, greatly improving the human resources situation. The research center's Mei Xiang and his fellow students led the vast number of scientific and technological workers in their tireless efforts, batch after batch of technical achievements were turned into real products in various enterprises, continuously produced. Everywhere was filled with Chinese people with black hair and yellow skin, making meticulous contributions with their talents and strength!
Let those foreigners see the power of us Chinese people! Kang Fan said excitedly.
Hu Pinzhi heard it beside, looked at Kang Fan with a relieved face, and said: "The young man is really impressive! In my old age of 60 years, I can work together with my wise nephew to develop Shanxi's great cause, this life is not in vain!"
Kang Fan felt a warmth in his heart as he heard Hu Pingzi call him "Xianzhi", and he felt closer to him. However, when he thought about how Hu Pingzi would be dismissed by Empress Dowager Cixi after the failure of the Hundred Days' Reform due to his strong advocacy for reform, Kang Fan's heart sank. It was currently 1897, how could Hu Pingzi know what would happen to him next year? Kang Fan didn't know what to say either.
Hu Ping saw his unusual expression and said kindly: "Young Master has something to say, just speak freely."
Kong Fan hesitated for a long time before saying: Your Excellency, I think that although the reformists in the court have gained the emperor's support, it is still not ripe to push forward with the reform movement. If we rush into it, there may be great changes. Your Excellency has been strongly advocating for reform, but if the reform fails, you will inevitably be implicated and the consequences are unbearable. I hope Your Excellency will think thrice about this.
Hu Pingyi was taken aback, stroking his beard and asking: "What's your view on this, my virtuous nephew?"
Kong Fan said: "In my humble opinion, as long as we give it time, Shanxi's prosperity is already a foregone conclusion. However, at this critical juncture of development, it is necessary for Your Excellency to take control of the overall situation. Why not prioritize Shanxi's development and temporarily put aside the affairs of the imperial court, and retire completely?"
Hu Pingzhi smiled, the five continents and countries, the reformers are thriving, while those who follow the old ways are in danger. Japan is a clear example. The Qing dynasty is weak and its people are poor, suffering from the carving up by various powers. Should it not implement reforms and instead wait for its demise? As an elder statesman, how can I ignore the affairs of the state? My worthy nephew has spoken well.
Kang Fan advised him with a bitter mouth and a kind heart, but Hu Ping's attitude was resolute and unmoved. Kang Fan wasted his words.
Some things can't be changed just because you want them to, Kong Fan. You're not a god. Mei Xiang advised.
Kang Fan is now gloomy, the most important thing at present is to take advantage of this rare development opportunity to first strengthen the comprehensive strength of Ningwu Prefecture, establish its technical advantages, and then use these advantages to gradually expand throughout the province, producing a ripple effect. As for things like the Wu Xu reforms that are currently beyond one's control, they can only be listened to and followed.
After the industrial system of Ningwu Prefecture was established, Mei Xiang's classmates had digested and absorbed the advanced industrial technology brought by the four cars, combining their own knowledge. They developed a batch of new materials, new processes, new technologies, new equipment, and new power sources in the research center, which were applied to local industrial and agricultural production one after another, immediately presenting a scene of blooming everywhere: After the development of industries such as metallurgy, chemical industry, electrical appliances, and optics, they could provide various materials and equipment needed for the machinery manufacturing industry. With the support of these industries, the machinery manufacturing industry could produce all kinds of machine tools and mechanical products, such as internal combustion engines, generators, electric motors, and even cars, trains, ships, airplanes, etc., and of course, it could also produce guns, ammunition, and other weapons equipment. Since the machinery manufacturing industry is the department that best represents the overall strength of the industry, Kang Fan put it in the most priority development position, and Mei Xiang's classmates were also very clear about this point, and they actively worked hard for it.
The Jingtao Railway was completed and opened to traffic in July 1897. At first, it used the old, small, and outdated steam trains allocated by the imperial court. These imported European and American trains were very primitive, with low power, low efficiency, and frequent malfunctions, and their performance was really not commendable. Later, several classmates and workers of Mei Xiang from the Mechanical United Enterprise Steam Locomotive Factory worked together to design and manufacture a new type of steam locomotive: each new locomotive had an output power of over 3,000 horsepower, with a maximum speed of 150 km/h during testing, and could haul over 2,000 tons of cargo at one time, far exceeding the performance of Western powers' products at that time. The new locomotive was tall and majestic in appearance, and when it ran, it emitted clouds of smoke and mist, making it a symbol of the courage to pioneer and progress in the industrial sector of Ningwu Prefecture. It was named "Yongjin" (Brave Progress) steam locomotive. After the new Yongjin steam locomotive was put into use in the spring of 1898, although the output was not large, it gradually replaced the original imported old trains, and finally took over all the traction tasks on the railway line. Kang Fan then seized the opportunity to repay the loan borrowed from Britain for the construction of the road through Hu Pingzhi's memorial to Emperor Guangxu, and obtained the right to the entire railway, grasping this lifeline in his own hands.
Mei Xiang's classmates designed and developed a 120-horsepower gasoline engine based on the one used in Zhong Hanqiang's van. Next, a tractor using this engine and equipped with synthetic rubber high-pattern low-pressure tires was developed. After being fueled with gasoline produced through coal liquefaction technology, it successfully underwent testing at He Jia's fields, roaring loudly as it worked. Due to its small size and great power, it was named "甲虫" (Kǎi Chóng). By the spring of 1898, the first batch of six 甲虫 tractors, hastily manufactured by Mei Xiang's classmates, were driven personally by them at a large official farm in Shenchi County. Although these tractors were still quite crude, they were truly powered agricultural machinery: as they spewed out smoke and roared with their engines, the fertile black soil was turned over rapidly from the plow, moving instantly from one end of the field to the other. It seemed that a single one of these machines could do the work of 100 oxen! Hu Pingzhi, Yu Hǎo, He Shuichang and others were all left staring in amazement at the scene before them! Although as early as 1889, the Chada Engine Company in Chicago had manufactured the world's first agricultural tractor powered by a gasoline internal combustion engine, such a monster had never been seen in China before. How could people not be astonished?
Based on the technology of sx2300 off-road vehicles, the plan to develop transport trucks, high-power tractors, bulldozers, excavators and other equipment is being implemented intensively. Based on the technology of large buses and van-type cargo vehicles, the plan to develop passenger cars and light trucks is also being implemented intensively. Needless to say, from now on, the mechanical manufacturing industry in Ningwu Prefecture will bring shock after shock to the world!
