? Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Guang Qiong 13" was the largest ship among the latest batch of ships. It was a steam-powered ship with iron ribs and a wooden hull. Its normal displacement was more than 400 tons. The normal displacement was calculated by adding half of the fuel oil, lubricating oil, and reserve boiler water. It was mainly the state it was in when it left the factory for sailing tests.
The Liberation Army did not have the spare capacity to carry out a long sea test. After leaving the water, it would be tested while sailing. Among the nearly 100 sailors on the ship, more than a dozen were shipyard technicians. The content of the test was also quite "low-level." It was mainly to see if the hull was leaking, seams, and various iron parts were deformed or damaged. It was too much to expect the shipyard of the Liberation Army to be able to mass produce high-quality ships. The Liberation Army had also recruited shipbuilders from Guangdong, but they paid more attention to training their own shipbuilders. It would take at least a few years for them to become technicians for steam-powered ships.
Even so, Luo Dagang, the commander of the Jingzhou military, was still standing happily at the bow of the ship. The slightly salty sea breeze blew, and the red military flag on the mast fluttered in the wind. The navy was very close-fitting, and it would not flutter in the wind. However, it was Luo Dagang's first time riding such a huge steam-powered ship.
Luo Dagang had seen steam-powered ships when he was in Hong Kong. He did not expect that in just a few years, the Liberation Army would be able to produce their own steam-powered ships. In terms of appearance, China's steam-powered ships were not much different from those of the foreign devils. Luo Dagang believed that in a few years, the Liberation Army would definitely be able to produce ships that were not inferior to those of the foreign devils.
Of course, Luo Dagang was not immersed in his vision of the future. He had not seen his wife and child for more than a year. What did his son look like? Was his wife, Su Sanniang, well? All of these made this man in his fifties very concerned. And when he returned to Guangdong to report on his work, what should he say to Governor Vézé? It was easy to attack Jingzhou, but it was very difficult to govern it. As the commander of the Jingzhou military, Luo Dagang felt that he had too much to say, but he felt that there were too many things to do. He really could not sort them out.
"Commander, the northern winds are strong. Why don't you return to the cabin first?" Luo Dagang's guard asked. March and April were the northerly wind season. At this time, traditional sailing ships were all heading south. Only steam-powered ships would sail from south to north. The wind was strong and chilly. After blowing on the bow for a while, the guard felt that he had to persuade Luo Dagang, who was standing at the bow.
"Okay." Luo Dagang returned to the cabin with the guards. There were many documents in the cabin, both military and administrative. This was what the comrades from both the military and political sides of Qiongzhou had taken out before this trip. The content was varied, but to sum it up in one sentence, it was "Please give me money!" Luo Dagang rushed to Mount Buddha with everyone's trust, his own expectations, and some doubts.
On March 1st, Luo Dagang arrived at his destination. Luo Dagang's wife, Su Sanniang, welcomed him at the pier of Foshan. Su Sanniang was carrying a one-year-old child in her arms. Luo Dagang's gaze was completely attracted by this little thing. This was his son, the continuation of his life in this world. What official duties and ideals? At this moment, everything had flown beyond the highest heavens. Luo Dagang went straight to his wife and son and hugged them in his arms. Although Su Sanniang was also a heroine, she could not help but burst into tears at this moment of family reunion. She grabbed Luo Dagang's shoulders and sobbed.
"Don't cry!" Luo Dagang reprimanded her softly, a little embarrassed. Crying in public seemed to have damaged Luo Dagang's reputation as a tough guy.
"What's wrong? I haven't seen you for so long. Your wife can't stop crying." Vézé came out from behind.
"Commander-in-chief!" Luo Dagang was shocked. He did not expect Vézé to personally welcome him.
Vézé laughed and went forward to shake Luo Dagang's hand. "Don't worry, I'm not dragging you to talk about official matters. I'm just here to see that you arrived safely. Hurry home and take a look at the new house that was assigned to you. "
"This …" Luo Dagang felt warm after hearing this, but he also felt that he should focus on official matters.
"If you want to talk about official matters, we can do it tomorrow. Don't worry, I said that I'll give you half a day off." Vézé comforted Luo Dagang.
"Thank you, Commander-in-chief!" Luo Dagang was not someone who did not know what was good for him. He naturally appreciated Vézé's attitude.
After parting ways with Vézé at the pier, Luo Dagang returned to his home. This was a unified military residential area. It was a small three-story building. Luo Dagang lived on the second floor, which had two bedrooms, one living room, one toilet, and one bathroom. Su Sanniang led Luo Dagang to wash his hands. He watched as Su Sanniang rotated the iron plate on an oddly shaped bent iron pipe. Water flowed out from the bottom of the pipe. This gave Luo Dagang a fright.
"What … what is this?" Luo Dagang asked quickly.
"To wash your hands!" Su Sanniang replied.
"This is called washing hands?" Luo Dagang did not understand why a strange iron pipe was called "washing hands".
"Put your hands in the water to wash them!" Su Sanniang complained.
"Oh? … Oh! "Luo Dagang quickly put his hands in and found that the water was actually hot.
After washing his hands, Luo Dagang imitated Su Sanniang and twisted the iron plate, only to find that it was something that could be easily twisted. And the more he twisted, the more water there was.
"Haha! Why don't you twist it back! "Su Sanniang looked at Luo Dagang's clumsy appearance and could not help but laugh.
It took almost an hour for Luo Dagang to get used to the glass windows and cloth curtains. Especially the running water and the shower. Because every building had a solar water heater, there was hot water available during the day. Luo Dagang also liked the brown mattress on the bed. This thing was softer than wood and harder than straw. It was covered with a rattan mat and bedding. At least for Luo Dagang, it was very comfortable.
The house was not luxurious, and it was even a little weird. But overall, the house's pursuit of comfort was far beyond Luo Dagang's imagination. Luo Dagang naturally could not be completely interested in these things. Most of his attention was on his son. This cute little thing brought Luo Dagang joy from the bottom of his heart.
The little thing was tired from playing with his parents and was sleepy during dinner. Su Sanniang bathed her son and put him on the bed. The couple watched him for a while before falling asleep. The two went to take a bath. After Luo Dagang learned how to use the toilet, they lay on the bed and talked about their experiences in the past year.
"Husband, I want to be transferred to Jingzhou," Su Sanniang said gently.
"This … Will the commander-in-chief agree?" Luo Dagang was not very confident. The families of the generals usually lived in the capital, and Su Sanniang was the same. Luo Dagang could understand this. It was a kind of show of loyalty.
"As long as the organization department approves, I can go," Su Sanniang answered. She had been in the central government for a long time and naturally knew about the Liberation Army's personnel arrangement model. "I can be transferred to an administrative unit. What we lack the most now is a person in charge of women's work. The organization department has talked to me several times, hoping that I will consider a transfer. There is definitely no one in Jingzhou who is in charge of women's work. If I go to Jingzhou, it should be fine. "
"Women's work?" Luo Dagang did not understand this new term.
"Equality between men and women. Women's liberation. The commander-in-chief mentioned a while ago that women can hold up half the sky! It seems that he is determined to liberate women, "Su Sanniang said with a little excitement.
Women in Guangdong and Guangxi generally had to do manual labor, especially in areas like Guangxi. They could not walk in the mountainous areas if their feet were bound. During the Taiping Rebellion, women's liberation was not only a slogan but also a policy. It was even more so in the Liberation Army. It was not uncommon for women to work, join the army, and enter the leadership ranks.
"I will ask the commander-in-chief tomorrow." Luo Dagang listened to his wife's explanation and felt a little more confident.
The next day, Luo Dagang went to report. The person in charge was not Vézé, but someone from the organization department. After the report, Luo Dagang thought that he would be able to see Vézé directly, but he was brought to the political department. The deputy director of the political department met Luo Dagang personally. "Comrade Luo Dagang, this is Comrade Lin Mengchu. She will be in charge of political work in Jingzhou. You will be working together in the future. For now, you can have a chat and get to know each other better. "
Luo Dagang had a slight impression of Lin Mengchu's name. It was said that this person had done well in the local area, but this was the first time he had met Lin Mengchu in person. The two of them started chatting.
Lin Mengchu was in his twenties. He was tall and thin, and his skin was quite tanned. He smiled and said, "Commander Luo, the commander-in-chief has recently instructed that the Liberation Army's current policy is iron and blood. Iron refers to the production of steel. You should have received the order to open up the Shilu iron mine in Jingzhou, right? "
Luo Dagang replied, "The commander-in-chief has already sent people to explore the mine. It is said that there are results. I don't care about this matter. I only heard that the road is being planned. "
"The commander-in-chief is very concerned about the Shilu iron mine. In the future development plan of Jingzhou, the Shilu iron mine is the most important. Therefore, we will have to transport coal from Vietnam. A portion of the iron mine in Jingzhou will be transported back to Guangdong for smelting iron and steel, while the rest will be smelted locally in Jingzhou. It is the same for Vietnam's coal. A portion will be transported back to Guangdong, while the rest will be used in Jingzhou. This is the part related to iron in Jingzhou in the future. "Lin Mengchu was obviously well prepared, so he was very clear in his speech.
"As for blood, it is the politics of the vanguard army. It is not easy for us to fully mobilize the masses, and even if we can mobilize the masses, they need to know what to do. A new way of life that can be used as a model will naturally be built by our Liberation Army. Commander Luo has already lived in a new house, right? That new house is not just for the officers and officials. In the future, all the commoners will be able to live in such a house. "Lin Mengchu continued to explain the future development.
Luo Dagang had come back with many questions, the most important of which was the future development of Jingzhou. After listening to Lin Mengchu's explanation, he realized that the central government of the Liberation Army already had an idea about this. And Lin Mengchu was undoubtedly the person in charge of this work. At least, Lin Mengchu knew about the central government's plan before Luo Dagang did.
Although he did not understand the overall thinking of the central government, Luo Dagang actually felt his heart settle down.
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