Old Li was a man of action. He quickly took some dry food and travel expenses, and carried his big gift on his back before setting off. He inquired that the Grand Marshal might be in Jinzhou, so he went out early in the morning and decided to walk a few hundred miles under the morning sun to catch up. But he didn't go out for more than two miles …
"Old man, where are you going?" There was a daily passenger carriage passing by the farm, and the driver was also selling tickets. He saw an old man carrying a bag walking on the side of the road, so he immediately slowed down to attract business.
Old Li grinned and said calmly, "I plan to go to Jinzhou to give a gift to the Grand Marshal."
When the driver pulled the reins and shouted, he thought to himself, "I don't care where you go, old man. I'm going to earn a few cents of your travel expenses. " But when the other person said he was going to 'give a gift to the Grand Marshal', his hand that was pulling the reins paused. He didn't hear it clearly, so he asked again, "For whom?"
"To give a gift to the Grand Marshal." Old Li chuckled.
The driver was stunned. Other people go out early in the morning to see a happy event, but I go out early in the morning to drive a carriage and meet a silly old man.
But …
"Old man, you're going to Jinzhou, it's really a few hundred miles. You can take my carriage. It's only eight cents, and I'll send you fifty miles, then tell you how to transfer to Jinzhou. "The driver thought to himself, 'I have to earn money from this silly old man.'
Old Li laughed and shook his head. "I can't afford it, I can't afford it. I'd better walk there."
"Old man, you don't know how to calculate. If you walk there, fifty miles is enough for you to walk for a day. I'll send you there for two hours at most. It seems like I've spent money on travel expenses, but in fact, I've saved money on dry food and accommodation. Walking back and forth for a few hundred miles, the wind and sun will be very tiring. Besides, do you have enough dry food? "
Old Li really didn't know how to calculate this problem. But as long as the reason was clear, he could still calculate the account. Taking a car seemed to be cheaper and less troublesome. At least he wouldn't have to give up halfway on this gift-giving trip.
Seeing that the other party was tempted, the coachman hurriedly shouted, "Old Master, you want to see the Grand Marshal? Our passenger carriage was arranged by the Grand Marshal. It can pass through the entire Liaonan Four Prefectures, so it's convenient to go anywhere. Hurry up and get in my car. I guarantee you'll be able to see Grand Marshal. "
It was rare for Old Li to travel far in his life, and the last time he did, he was fleeing from a disaster. He had never heard of a passenger carriage before, but this was undoubtedly the work of the Grand Marshal. After all, the Grand Marshal loved to build roads and transport vehicles, constantly promoting the flow of people and resources. Therefore, he pondered for a while and really got on the car.
Old Li paid the fare of eight percent and got into the car. He found that there were many people in the carriage who were going on a long journey. Many of them were small merchants, and there were also some young people who wanted to go out and find work. The Revolutionary Army allowed people to move freely, and there were no deliberate restrictions.
Everyone in the carriage heard the conversation between the coachman and Old Li, and they were very curious about the old man who 'gave gifts to the Grand Marshal'. Someone asked what he gave to the Grand Marshal, but he was embarrassed and perfunctory, saying that it was the grain grown in his own field.
When it came to grain, everyone in the carriage began to talk. The merchants said that this year's harvest in the whole of Liaonan was good, and almost every farm was jubilant. Even if some people were not good at farm work, they could simply start a small business and make a lot of money.
There were men and women in the carriage, but they all hoped to go to the city to work in the factory. They all said that farm work was easy now, and there was no need for so many people. It was better to work in the factory, and it would be more promising if they could see the market.
Old Li just listened to them happily and didn't say much. He always felt that farming was the only job that ordinary people could do, but he didn't expect to find that there were more and more jobs for people as soon as he went out.
In the morning, the carriage traveled 50 kilometers. They passed through more than a dozen farms on the road, and there were dozens of people on and off. Old Li met more people in the morning than he had met in the past half a year, and the news of different places poured into his mind one after another. For someone like him who had no concept of geography, the rumors he heard today were too rich.
When they reached the end, Old Li got off the carriage with his' big gift 'on his back. The coachman saw that he was old, and asked doubtfully, "Old Master, are you really going to Jinzhou to see the Grand Marshal?"
"Yes. This year's harvest is good, and we don't have to pay taxes. We gave enough money and grain, and the business is fair. Life at home is much better. I just want to thank the Grand Marshal, and thank him for his kindness, "Old Li said with a smile.
The coachman was moved. "Old Master, you're really considerate. If you see the Grand Marshal, please greet him on my behalf and kowtow to him. Just say that Dong Gezhuang has a coachman, thanks to his kindness, the whole family, old and young, are living very well. "Finished speaking, the coachman first kowtowed to the ground, and then returned Old Li's fare to him, refusing to accept money no matter what.
Old Li didn't expect that there would be such a thing, and he couldn't refuse it, so he agreed. He changed to another carriage and continued on his way to Jinzhou. When the next carriage found out that this unremarkable old man was actually going to 'give a gift to the Grand Marshal', he was also stunned for a long time, but he didn't accept his money either.
Along the way, he changed carriages, and the people along the way gradually learned that there was an old man in the east of Fuzhou who, in order to thank the Grand Marshal for his kindness in the past year, was going to Jinzhou to give a gift to the Grand Marshal. Every time he went to a place, there would be a continuous stream of people looking for him, asking him for help, and kowtowing to the Grand Marshal. When he stayed on the way, people treated him with good food and drinks, and didn't charge him a single cent.
"Old Master, this is the gold that my family dug up. I've earned a lot more this year than in the past, please help me give this gold to the Grand Marshal. "
"Old Master, this is a hundred-year-old ginseng that has been passed down in my family. When I was fleeing, I always brought it with me, please help me give it to the Grand Marshal. "
"Old Master, I don't have anything to give you. I'll kowtow to you, just help me say hello to the Grand Marshal. "
Old Li had been gone for two days, but not only did his rations and travel expenses not decrease, but they had also increased. Everyone came to him with red eyes, and they told him about their life in the past year with mixed feelings of tears and laughter. On the third day, someone directly drove him to Jinzhou, so he didn't have to go back and forth between the various farms.
When he arrived outside Jinzhou, the scene was very different. A row of factories on the side of the road had more than a dozen smoking chimneys. This spectacle made Old Li dumbfounded. The coachman said happily, "Old Master, you've never seen such a big factory before, right? Our Grand Marshal's power is something that outsiders can't even imagine. "
"What are those smoking things?" Old Li didn't understand, he didn't imagine such things at all. Not to mention, there were loud noises coming from the direction of those chimneys from time to time, the clanging sounds were very frightening.
The coachman also couldn't explain clearly, but the people who had traveled all over the country were more knowledgeable. "It's said that these are very powerful machines, they can be used to smelt steel and iron, and they can also be used to forge swords, spears, and halberds. The carriage we're sitting in now, the hoe we use for farming, and the iron pot we use for steaming, are all made in these factories. Look, look, that should be the iron smelting site. They hung a banner. "
The two people in the carriage passed by the side of the road and saw a red banner hanging on the steel factory's gate. Although they couldn't read, they could see that the people who hung the banner were all happy. The coachman stuck his head out and asked loudly, "What are you doing? What's written on it? "
The people who hung the banner at the gate of the factory replied loudly, "The first phase of our steel factory's transformation has been completed. We installed a 100 horsepower blower, and we also used the coke from the coking plant and the iron ore from North Korea. The steel refined is much better than before. We are celebrating that the monthly crude steel production of the whole factory has exceeded 500 tons. "
I don't understand …
The carriage continued to roll past, Old Li and the coachman didn't know what the people who hung the banner were talking about. But looking at the cheerfulness of the other party, it must be a good thing. The coachman praised, "Amazing, amazing, it sounds like a lot of steel was refined. In the past, it was very expensive to buy a kitchen knife at home, but now it's much cheaper. "
In fact, the iron products sold by the 'Revolutionary Army' weren't cheap, a large amount of steel production capacity was used for military equipment and self-upgrade. But after eradicating the bloodsucking class of the officials and gentry, the income of the people at the bottom of the class rose sharply. After the officials and gentry met their living needs, they stored their money in the cellar or used it to buy land. And when the money reached the hands of the people, it flowed back to the market through consumption.
Old Li's income was high, so he naturally felt that the iron pots and kitchen knives that he couldn't afford in the past were cheap. Understanding the benefits brought by these factories, he immediately felt that the big chimney that was emitting black smoke had become beautiful. Because under the black smoke was the rolling molten iron that was turning into a weapon of war and used by the people.
The carriage continued to move forward, and there was another factory with a banner hanging at the door. This time, there were no people hanging the banner, but there were people going in and out of the factory. The coachman slowed down to avoid the pedestrians, and at the same time said to Old Li, "See, these are the craftsmen who are changing shifts. It is said that this is some kind of machinery factory, and it is heavily guarded, outsiders are not allowed to enter. I heard that they caught a lot of spies who came to steal things. "
"There are people who dare to steal the Grand Marshal's things?" Old Li asked in shock. He was puzzled by the endless stream of people outside the factory, and there were too many craftsmen changing shifts here.
"The Tartars in the north especially like to send people to spy, and now even the people from the Ming court want to know why our Grand Marshal is so powerful. It's just that these people can't hide at all, and as long as they ask about something, it will definitely be found out by us commoners. " The coachman said proudly, "My second aunt's brother-in-law's mother caught a spy personally, and even got a reward of ten yuan."
The banner at the steel factory just now opened Old Li's eyes. Hearing the mysterious words of the coachman, he couldn't help but ask the craftsmen who were changing shifts by the roadside, "Brother, what is written on the banner hanging at the door?"
The craftsmen who were changing shifts had probably just finished their day shift, and said with some tiredness, "Hey, it's something about a steam engine with 250 horsepower. It is said that they changed to some kind of high-pressure boiler, and used some kind of heat insulation technology. It is small, light, and saves coal. Isn't this a review? Many of the craftsmen have worked for a year, and their skills have become proficient, so they can get a higher position and get more pay. "
"Oh, oh, oh …" Old Li listened and nodded repeatedly, with an expression that he didn't understand. He saw that all the craftsmen were wearing the same clothes. Some looked relaxed, some frowned, some were happy, and some were silent.
Outside the factory, there was a wave of craftsmen's family members who came to pick them up. Several craftsmen in wrinkled clothes with curly hair and stubble were happily shouting to their family members, "We have been working on the problem for three months, and finally forged the keel for a large tonnage ship in one go. The factory gave each of us three days off, and also gave us a reward of 100 yuan. "
Cheers and laughter rang in his ears, and the carriage passed by the crowd like a flickering light. Old Li leaned against the window and looked around. He had never seen all these strange things. He touched the gift beside him, and suddenly felt that his gift was too small. Would the Grand Marshal look down on it at all?
When they set off, Old Li was full of pride, feeling that he was sincere, and the Grand Marshal would never treat him as an outsider. But now that they had arrived at Jinzhou City and were about to see the Grand Marshal, he began to worry about gains and losses, fearing that his rash behavior would be blamed by the Grand Marshal.
But when they entered Jinzhou City and asked …
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