Yuan Weiting had already learned some information about Korea from Li Hongzhang when he was on the ship. After disembarking at Incheon port, Yuan Weiting followed Li Hongzhang to the China office in Korea and received the key to his new office. Then, Yuan Weiting said to Li Hongzhang, "Director Li, I'm going to visit Korea."
"Oh?" Li Hongzhang stared at Yuan Weiting with sharp eyes. There were two feelings in his heart at the same time. The first feeling was that Yuan Weiting had made progress after returning from the cadre school. Vézé emphasized various systems in the Restoration Party, one of which was "no right to speak without investigation." This was not only a theoretical statement, but also how to investigate in various situations. Those who had the ability to run around, those who didn't have the ability to run around, read documents, and listen to reports. How to carry out the investigation in these situations, and to what extent to be satisfied with the situation. The institutionalized content made intelligence reporting a science. With Yuan Weiting's rank, he could make a trip to Goryeo and learn more about Goryeo through on-the-spot investigation.
While sighing at Yuan Weiting's serious attitude, Li Hongzhang's second feeling was jealousy. These young cadres were so lucky. The party and the government taught them the understanding concepts and methods that only the top rich families had through study and discussion. In the Manchu Qing officialdom, no one would work hard to train people who were not part of their faction into qualified bureaucrats.
Li Hongzhang had a background, a teacher, and an opportunity to hone himself, so he had a deep understanding of the Restoration Party's cadre training system. Under such a system, as long as one was willing to learn and work hard, they could reach Li Hongzhang's current level. And a talented young man like Yuan Weiting, if everything went smoothly, could eventually achieve Li Hongzhang's achievements.
This kind of understanding was a very unpleasant experience for Li Hongzhang. Nowadays, there were more than a hundred times more people in China who could go to school than in the Manchurian Qing Dynasty. Those good-for-nothings were still good-for-nothings, but a large number of young people with potential had sprung up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. Li Hongzhang had been appointed by Vézé to write a report on the feudal system of Korea. It was clear to him, therefore, that while these vigorous young men could not entirely escape from the old fetters of "blood and faction," they were freed from the feudal obligation of carrying a stool to death. Relying on their own talents and abilities, outstanding young people could spread their wings and fly high to achieve their own ideals and ambitions.
Seeing that Yuan Weiting was eager to go down and do some research, all the thoughts in Li Hongzhang's mind condensed into one sentence, "I'm old!"
Of course, being old might not be an advantage. After approving Yuan Weiting's application to investigate for three weeks, Li Hongzhang went to see the Grand Master of Korea. The situation in Korea was already desolate. The Min Fei Group, which held great power, had power in the court and the public. Those who opposed the Min Fei Group needed a flag, and this flag was naturally the father of the current King of Korea, the Grand Master of Korea. Li Hongzhang felt that he was old. The Grand Master of Korea was three years older than Li Hongzhang. The feeling of entering the twilight years often made the old people who once stood in the center of power make more interesting choices.
Li Hongzhang was no longer fat, and the Grand Master of Korea was even thinner. As soon as the two sides talked, Li Hongzhang, who was already 61 years old, felt that he still had enough ability. If it was a young man like Yuan Weiting, it was easy for him to be straightforward when talking about politics. But compared with the Grand Master of Korea, an old fox who had been floating in the center of power for decades, it was easy for him to expose his bottom line. Of course, in the eyes of people like Yuan Weiting, as long as the interests were discussed early, the rest was to bargain. In the end, everyone still came together for the interests, so it could not be said that this approach was wrong. But as a person who grew up in the feudal era, Li Hongzhang still did not support this approach.
The two old men discussed the recent weather, then the railway passenger and freight transport, and then the issue of the railway staff's salary. The salary promised by the Korean court had not been paid for 12 consecutive months, and all the railway staff's salary was supported by the railway itself. Also, the training of the new Korean army was progressing slowly. On the contrary, the Min Fei Group took the opportunity to default on the salary of the old army, so the Military Guard Battalion and the Imperial Battalion had not been paid for 14 months.
Therefore, the Grand Master of Korea lamented that His Majesty Vézé was biased and did not care enough about Korea. Li Hongzhang thought that the young people of Korea were too playful, and the old and prudent people gave up too much on government affairs. The two old men in their sixties talked as if they were talking about family matters, gentle and elegant, without any anger. There was even a hint of helplessness in their tone.
Not to mention that the young people would not use this kind of method, even if they were to listen on the side, many young people would not understand what the old men were talking about.
Yuan Weiting, for example, immediately jumped on the train after he withdrew his travel expenses, and began his journey around Korea. On the train, Yuan Weiting carefully studied the data reports. Every time he arrived at a station, Yuan Weiting would get off the train for a meeting. The latest salary, personnel, and recruitment trends. Yuan Weiting's identity this time was the deputy secretary in charge of security at the Korean Railway and Telegraph Corporation. Based on this identity, Yuan Weiting gave instructions, "According to previous experience, we need to tighten security measures during the Spring Festival, so we need to set up a larger security team to ensure the safety of the Spring Festival and to do a good job on the railway."
"But we don't have enough manpower. If we transfer people to organize anti-pickpocketing and anti-theft, the normal transportation work will be affected." The station master and the person in charge of the freight department were somewhat puzzled.
Yuan Weiting sat up straight and said with a serious expression, "I think so. In recent years, the passengers on the railway have been robbed of their money, the goods at the railway stations have been stolen, and there are even criminal groups that specialize in stealing trains. If we can eliminate these rampant criminals, we can save enough losses to hire more security personnel. Indulging the criminals will only make more unruly people take risks out of desperation. Only by letting them know that the railway has enough ability to protect itself can we curb the recent increasingly rampant crimes against the railway! "
With this, the person in charge of the railway station felt that it was very reasonable. However, the railway personnel from China felt that Korea was not China after all, and the railway system had never been a law enforcement agency in China. According to Yuan Weiting's words, the Korean Railway and Telegraph Corporation seemed to have set up a private court.
Seeing the difficulties of the station personnel, Yuan Weiting said loudly, "The Korean Railway and Telegraph Corporation is a state-owned enterprise, and we also have to go to court in Korea. Also, our law enforcement scope is not that large, only at the station, the telegraph office, and along the railway line. Everyone, don't be afraid, this is a very normal request, and it should be approved after discussion. "
The railway personnel in charge, who were angry at the continuous theft of the local people, felt that this statement was very reasonable, and they also responded, "That's good! We'll do it! "
Along the way, they conducted research and encouraged propaganda. When they arrived at the Pyongyang Station, Wang Shizhen, the chief of the Pyongyang War Freight Station, came to greet them. Nowadays, various government departments were recruiting a large number of young people who had received education. Everyone was new, and their temperaments were impetuous. Wang Shizhen looked about the same age as Yuan Weiting, and his calm behavior did not seem like someone of his age at all. Moreover, Yuan Weiting felt something familiar. It was a feeling that could only be felt when one was young and had experienced hardships. Persistence, seriousness, and determination, if one did not have these qualities, it would be difficult to break free from that huge pressure.
When talking about his future work, Wang Shizhen did not have the kind of excitement of "should have done this long ago", nor did he have the kind of laziness that had nothing to do with him. Yuan Weiting felt that Wang Shizhen had listened to him and had his own thoughts. After the meeting, the railway personnel began to drink according to habit. Although Wang Shizhen drank until the glass was empty, he did not look drunk at all. This made Yuan Weiting admire him even more.
After the meeting, Yuan Weiting stayed at the railway hostel, and Wang Shizhen happened to send him there. Yuan Weiting seized the opportunity to ask Wang Shizhen, "Chief Wang, how many thieves have you encountered at the freight terminal recently?"
"Not many," Wang Shizhen replied.
Yuan Weiting smiled and said, "But I looked at your data, and it said that nothing has been stolen in the past six months. The other stations don't have this kind of record."
Wang Shizhen replied calmly, "As long as we keep a close eye on them, these problems are not impossible to solve. The key is to crack down on the local people. It's impossible to catch all of them at the station. "
Yuan Weiting agreed with this answer very much, and he asked Wang Shizhen about his work experience. Wang Shizhen didn't mince his words. He explained the Pyongyang Freight Station's procedures in an orderly manner. After listening to it, Yuan Weiting praised Wang Shizhen's method of work. After that, Yuan Weiting asked with some doubt, "Chief Wang, with your ability, you must have a better future in China. Why did you come to Korea?"
"My family is poor, and I lack money. In Korea, the salary is higher, and I can get promoted faster. I originally wanted to find a way to be transferred back to China after my rank was raised. "Wang Shizhen did not hide anything when he talked about his family's situation.
Yuan Weiting felt a lot of things from these words. Looking at Wang Shizhen's sharp eyes, Yuan Weiting tentatively said, "Chief Wang, what do you think about strengthening the railway safety?"
Wang Shizhen replied, "If the new department is set up, it won't just be in charge of the railway, right? If we also have the right to manage the railway, how wide is the width, and how much law enforcement power can we have? Can we deal with all kinds of criminals on our own, or do we have to hand over the criminals to the local administrative department of Korea? If we can't figure this out, there's nothing else to talk about. "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
