The day after Luo Bingzhang committed suicide, the Manchu Qing government of Chengdu opened the city gates and surrendered. Each and every one of the officials, who wore different flower feathers on their heads, knelt at the city gate while trembling. The Rehabilitation Army, who were dressed in green military uniforms, sang military songs as they passed through the city gate in a grandiose manner and entered the beautiful city of Chengdu.
Luo Bingzhang's head was chopped off in public, the surrendered Han officials were pardoned, and the Bannermen and their families were gathered and dragged out to be publicly executed. Within a month, the cities in Sichuan surrendered one after another. The Liberation Army completely occupied half of the south.
On March 5th, 1867, Zuo Zongtang followed Vézé down the river from Nanjing to Wuchang. At this time, Wuchang was decorated with lanterns and banners everywhere, "Congratulations on the opening of the Yue-Han Railway." The railway from Wuchang to Guangdong was finally completed. From 1857, the Liberation Army began to hire engineers to start surveying work, and in 1859, the construction of the Guangdong section of the railway began.
After the liberation of Jiangnan, the Yue-Han Railway was listed as a key national project and entered a period of comprehensive acceleration. From the beginning of planning to completion, it took a full ten years.
Surrounded by people, they cut the ribbon and took a group photo. Vézé and the others took a special train from Wuchang to Guangzhou. This was not the first time Zuo Zongtang took a train. The railway from Nanjing to Jiujiang had already been completed, and he specially took a leave of absence to take his family to take the train. The scenery speeding past made Zuo Zongtang feel like he was in a dream. After taking the train, Zuo Zongtang formally applied to Vézé to join the Restoration Party. The impact of this modern technology made Zuo Zongtang completely lose interest in the old era.
The psychological impact of taking a train from Wuchang to Guangzhou was far greater than the actual distance. A journey that would have taken months in the past could now be completed in a few days. Walking required an indescribable amount of physical strength, and one had to face the scorching sun, torrential rain, strong winds, and diseases. Now, all one had to do was sit in a carriage that could shelter them from the wind and rain and leisurely wait for such a long steel dragon to arrive at their destination. Even though he was experiencing it himself, Zuo Zongtang still found it hard to believe.
News from all over the world was nothing new to China. Zuo Zongtang had seen an exhibition organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Britain, France, the United States, Prussia, and other powerful European countries all had their own railway systems. After looking at a large number of photos, Zuo Zongtang understood why the British were able to defeat the Manchu Qing imperial court even though they had traveled thousands of miles to China's doorstep. Why was the Liberation Army now invincible? Wherever the vanguard went, the enemy would surrender at the mere sight of it? Great powers had their own strength, and this wasn't something an "agricultural country" could resist.
Zuo Zongtang had strong expectations for the destination of this trip, Guangzhou. He had long heard that Guangzhou City, which was planned by Wei Ze, was already an indescribably advanced city. However, he had only heard about how advanced and magnificent the city was. To be able to take the train to the legendary city was undoubtedly a fantastic journey.
This was not a simple trip. There were several important officials in the same carriage as Vézé. In addition to Shen Xin, who stayed in Nanjing to look after the military commission, the 6th Army, the Navy Commander, and the Political Commissar were also with them. Premier Bi Qingshan was also with them. It could be said that the core representatives of the new government were on this train.
"Dad, brother bullied me!" Vézé's daughter, Wei Wensu, ran into Vézé's arms and complained to her dear father about her brother. Wei Wenrui, who rushed in with his sister, immediately defended himself, "Dad, my sister insisted on climbing to the window. I told her not to, but she didn't listen!"
Vézé hugged his daughter and said, "Good girl, it's dangerous to climb to the window. If you get hurt, your brother will be sad, dad will be sad, and mom will be sad. You don't want us to be sad. "
"Well … But do I want to see it?" Wei Wensu whined.
"If you want to see it, tell your brother that I want to see it. Can you help me move a stool? If you are afraid that I will be in danger, can you hold me? Good girl, go and tell your brother now. "Vézé educated his daughter.
Wei Wensu hummed for a moment, then suddenly ran to her brother and repeated her father's words with the cheerfulness of a child. Wei Wenrui also said to his sister with a childlike attitude, "Dad said you can't stick your head out. I will hold you, so you can't stick your head out. Do you hear me?"
"Okay!" Wei Wensu answered very quickly.
"But you can't cry!" Wei Wenrui continued to talk to his sister.
"Okay!" Wei Wensu replied loudly.
"Then let's go." Wei Wenrui held his sister's hand and the two ran.
The commander of the Sixth Army, Hu Chenghe, smiled and said, "Wenrui speaks clearly. He really has the talent to be a soldier."
"Your daughter is much better at raising her younger brother and sister than my son. I think she's much better than my son." Vézé also said the words that parents should say.
The group of fathers exchanged their experiences in raising children and then changed the topic back to the business that they were most used to.
The noise of the Northern Expedition was unexpectedly not that loud. The Manchu Qing had owed too many debts related to infrastructure over the past hundred years. Embankments, roads, irrigation, education — the Manchu Qing Dynasty only persisted in the policy of treating headaches and headaches. When there were no accidents, they turned a blind eye to all the dangers, and when there were accidents, they "mobilized the gentry" to provide disaster relief. The Manchu Qing government did not lead any large-scale national construction activities. In order to maintain the Manchu rule, they never cared about the deaths of the people or the safety of the country.
This was the situation that the Liberation Army faced. Other than the various national tax systems that focused on plunder, the Liberation Army really could not find any national production system that could take over. These had to be established and perfected by the Liberation Army themselves. The army was now the largest state-owned force. They had to build roads, open mines, build docks, and suppress illegal activities. Any place could not do without the army.
This was not the 21st century. In the 21st century, the northeast and the Huanghuai region were the main grain producing areas. In 1867, the main grain producing area in China was the Yangtze River basin. This area had all fallen into the hands of the Liberation Army. In order to restore and improve the production here, the new government had used all the labor they could use at this stage.
After all, soldiers were soldiers. They thought that since there was no resistance to the Northern Expedition, they might as well take over Hebei, Henan, Shandong, and Shanxi. After all, these four provinces were the elite areas. After taking them over, it would still be good for the new government.
The opposition was from Prime Minister Bi Qingshan. He felt that in two years, there would be new breakthroughs in railways and shipping. At that time, it would not only be these four provinces, but also the areas outside the Great Wall.
Zuo Zongtang had slowly gotten used to the Liberation Army's way of thinking. It was to create wealth for the country, lay a solid foundation for the country, and let this wealth benefit the people. In fact, Bi Qingshan did not have any new ideas. He had been implementing the development of plantations, national immigration, and the country's basic grain and oil supply. At most, he had added the railway construction, port construction, and increased investment in infrastructure construction that Vézé had been implementing.
When these policies that sounded simple were actually implemented, the new government immediately appeared to be full of energy. Zuo Zongtang took a train to Jiujiang. It was said that after the Xiang Army captured Jiujiang, they slaughtered everyone in Jiujiang City. The Jiujiang City that Zuo Zongtang saw was stable and had a large population. It was not an exaggeration to say that people lived and worked in peace and contentment. If it were not for the fact that he was a secretary at the top, Zuo Zongtang could not even feel the fierce and cruel war that was going on outside the liberated areas. Inside the liberated areas was a peaceful world.
"I think it is not without benefits to conquer the four provinces now." Vézé finally spoke, and his words made Bi Qingshan's face a little ugly.
Vézé said slowly, "In the end, we still have to completely solve the problem of Manchu Qing, and this solution includes the elimination of the Communist Party. Russia in the north is eyeing the land of China covetously, and we will deal with them sooner or later. At this time, it is not a bad idea to drive Manchu Qing out of the Great Wall. After a few years, when we come out of the Great Wall, we will not only solve the problem of Manchu Qing, but also solve the problem of the border. "
"War with Russia?" Not only was Bi Qingshan surprised, but the members of the Military Commission were also shocked.
Vézé frowned and said, "War with Russia is inevitable. We are not very willing to go north because the north is too bitter and cold. But that bitter and cold place is warmer south for Russia. Russia is a country on the ice sheet, and their desire for warm land is beyond our imagination. This is a very difficult thing to do. "
"No matter how difficult it is, we are willing to serve our country!" The members of the Military Commission were naturally happy to have a war to fight.
"Will the budget not be able to bear it? Our investment in the south is too big." Bi Qingshan immediately put forward his opinion.
Vézé comforted him, "Don't worry about the budget. In any case, our war with Russia will not start immediately. Let's liberate the four provinces first. "
Everyone was a senior official, and they started with the military strength and budget. In two days, there was a result. At this time, the train finally entered Guangzhou Station.
In Vézé's view, Guangzhou had the atmosphere of the 80's. There were six or seven storey buildings everywhere. Whether it was the exterior or the interior, it was the uniform taste of a big industrial city. There was no eye-catching design, and there was no unique sense of beauty. All of these were designed in order to be able to be mass-produced.
But in the eyes of Zuo Zongtang and the others, it was completely different. Buildings more than 20 meters tall were not common in China in 1867. But in Guangzhou, such buildings were built one after another. There were also tall water towers that appeared from time to time. When they looked up, even the sky was covered by them.
What shocked Zuo Zongtang the most was a tower in the distance. The tower looked like it was hollowed out, and you could see the blue sky and white clouds behind it through the gaps. A six or seven storey building was very tall, but compared to the iron tower, it seemed insignificant. Not only was Zuo Zongtang surprised, but Vézé's entourage was also very surprised.
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