Chapter Thirty-One I built an airplane.

  Half a year after the completion of the Jinlu Railway, the railway connecting Beijing and Taiyuan, the provincial capital, was also officially opened, named Jingtai Line. The Jingtai Line starts from Taiyuan, the provincial capital of Shanxi Province, to Beijing, passing through Tianjin, with most sections located in Zhili 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 Zhili Province, replacing traditional horse-drawn transportation and carrier pigeon messaging with steam locomotives and telegraphs/telephones, providing Shanxi with a precious modern logistics artery. The importance of Tianjin Port is thus further highlighted. Moreover, Zhili 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 Zhili Province, forming a complementary relationship. As the center of imperial power, Zhili Province's economic interests are also conducive to Shanxi's development.

  Taiyuan, as the starting point of the Jingtao Railway, concentrates on the output of industrial and agricultural products from Ningwu Prefecture and the input of materials, which can then be circulated within the province. Taiyuan naturally becomes a commodity circulation station, with large-scale cargo storage yards, warehouses, and various lifting and transportation equipment. As the transportation hub connecting Shanxi Province to the outside world, Taiyuan Railway Station is also the most concentrated place for personnel flow. With its perfect telegraph, telephone, and postal network, it has initially possessed the conditions for developing into a modern commercial center. However, the material circulation within the province still uses horse-drawn carts with extremely low transportation efficiency, severely restricting the total logistics volume, which must be changed. Therefore, Kang Fan and Hu Pinzhi decided to build another provincial main railway line centered on Taiyuan, running north-south through Shanxi Province - Hu Pinzhi named this railway line Jin Xing Line. Then, based on the Jin Xing Line, they planned to extend the railway branch lines in the east-west direction, planning to use 5 years to build a provincial railway network covering the entire province, connecting major cities and important raw material supply bases within the province with Taiyuan. Ningwu County is located between Datong, an important raw material supply base in the north, and Taiyuan, the most economically developed city in the province, with a very superior geographical location. Once the Jin Xing Line is completed, under the drive of Ningwu Prefecture, it can accelerate the development pace of Shanxi Province's economy, further expand the scale of railway industry workers, and have extraordinary significance.

  The Jinxing 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 discussion 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 of the road, which were allocated proportionally by the province, prefecture, county, and township. Ningwu Prefecture was not included in this list, but was fully responsible for the railway construction project. The plan was to build Ningwu County Railway Station into a railway hub, and use it to transport steam locomotives, carriages, steel rails, sleepers, electrical equipment, and other railway equipment produced by the industrial system of Ningwu Prefecture, as well as steel, cement, bricks, glass, and other materials needed for the project. 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 in the province. If this network can be built, its economic and military significance will not be small. The project is arduous, but it also provides an opportunity for various industries in Ningwu Prefecture to temper themselves.

  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 fully 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 combat training 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 high tension. A large number of workers 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, and the human resources situation was greatly improved. The research center's Mei Xiang and his colleagues led the vast number of scientific and technological workers who worked tirelessly day and night, batch after batch of technical achievements were turned into real products in various enterprises, and were produced continuously. Everywhere, people with black hair and yellow skin, Chinese people, were contributing their intelligence and strength with meticulous care!

  "Let those foreigners see the power of us Chinese!" Kang Fan said excitedly.

  Hu Pinzhi heard this and looked at Kang Fan with a relieved expression, "The young generation is indeed formidable! As an old man in his sixties, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work together with my wise nephew on the grand project of developing Shanxi, it's not a waste of life!"

  Kang Fan felt a warmth in his heart as he was addressed as "Xian Zhu" by him, and he felt closer to him. However, when he thought of Hu Ping's enthusiastic support for the Reform Movement, which led to his dismissal by Empress Dowager Cixi after the failure of the Wuxu Reforms, his heart sank. This is a passage from Chapter 31 of "Rebirth in the Great Qing Empire". It was currently 1897, how could Hu Ping 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."

  Kang Youwei hesitated for a long time before saying: "Your Excellency, I believe that although the reformists in the court have gained the emperor's support, they are still not ready to implement the reform movement. If we rush into it, there may be great changes. Your Excellency is strongly advocating for reform, but if the reform fails, you will inevitably be implicated and the consequences will be unbearable. I hope Your Excellency will think thrice."

  Hu Pingyi was taken aback, stroking his beard and asking: "What's your view on this, Yixian?"

  Kong Fan said: "I think that as long as we give it time, Shanxi's prosperity is already a foregone conclusion. However, at present, it is precisely the critical period of development, and it needs your guidance to control the overall situation. Why not make Shanxi's development a priority, temporarily put aside the affairs of the court, and retire completely?"

  Hu Pingzu smiled, "The five continents and countries, the reformers are prosperous, and those who follow the old ways are in danger. Japan is a clear example. The Qing Dynasty is weak and poor, suffering from the carving up by various powers, not implementing reforms, waiting for the country to perish? As an important minister of the state, how can I ignore the affairs of the state? My virtuous nephew is joking."

  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. You're not a god, Kang Fan." 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, achieving 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. In the research center, they developed a batch of new materials, new processes, new technologies, new equipment, and new power sources, which were applied to local agricultural production one after another, immediately presenting a scene of blooming everywhere: After the development of industries such as metallurgy, chemical industry, electrical engineering, and optics, they could provide various materials and equipment for the machinery manufacturing industry. With these supports, 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 weapon 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. Mei Xiang's classmates were also very clear about this point and worked hard for it.

  The Jingtao Railway was completed and opened to traffic in July 1897, initially using old, small steam locomotives allocated by the imperial court. These imported European and American trains were very primitive, with low power, low efficiency, and frequent malfunctions, making them truly unimpressive. Later, a group of workers from the Mechanical Union Enterprise's Steam Locomotive Factory, including Mei Xiang and his colleagues, worked together to design and manufacture a new type of steam locomotive: each new locomotive had an output power of over 3,000 horsepower, reaching speeds of up to 150 kilometers per hour during testing, and could haul over 2,000 tons of cargo at once, far surpassing the performance of Western powers' products at the time. The new locomotives were majestic in appearance, emitting clouds of smoke and steam as they moved, becoming a symbol of the Ningwu Prefecture's industrial sector's courage to innovate and progress, and was named the "Yongjin" (Brave Advance) type steam locomotive. After the new "Yongjin" type steam locomotives were put into use in the spring of 1898, although production was not large, they gradually replaced the original imported old trains, eventually taking over all locomotive traction tasks on the railway line. Kang Fang then seized the opportunity to repay the loan borrowed from Britain for the construction of the railway through Hu Pingzhi's memorial to Emperor Guangxu, obtaining the right to operate the entire railway and grasping control of this vital transportation artery in his own hands.

  Mei Xiang's classmates designed and developed a 120-horsepower gasoline engine based on Zhong Hanqiang's van-type truck engine. Next, a tractor using this engine and equipped with synthetic rubber high-pattern low-pressure tires was developed. After injecting gasoline extracted from coal liquefaction technology, it successfully tested in He Jia's fields with a loud rumble. Due to its small size and great power, it was named "Jiabing" (甲虫). By the spring plowing season of 1898, the first batch of six "Jiabing" tractors, hastily manufactured by Mei Xiang's classmates, were driven personally by them in a large official farm in Shenchi County. Although these tractors were still very crude, they were truly powered agricultural machinery: as the engine roared and smoke spewed out, the fertile black soil was turned over from the plow, and in an instant, it had been plowed from one end of the field to the other. It seemed that one such machine was equivalent to a hundred oxen! Hu Pingzhi, Yu Hao, He Shuichang, and others were all stunned by what they saw! Although as early as 1889, the Chada Engine Company in Chicago, USA had manufactured the world's first "Baja" agricultural tractor using a gasoline internal combustion engine, such a monster had never appeared in China before. How could people not be surprised?

  Based on the technology of SX2300 off-road vehicles, the development of transport trucks, high-power tractors, bulldozers and excavators is underway. Plans to develop passenger cars and light trucks based on large buses and van-type cargo vehicles are also being implemented intensively. Needless to say, from now on, the mechanical manufacturing industry in Ningwu Prefecture will bring shockwaves to the world!