Liu Ziguang rarely traveled by land. He traveled either by water, speedboat or airship in the sky. But this time he chose the land route because Shandong was his base camp and needed a good inspection. Three hundred cavalry escorted him from Qingdao all the way.
Look westward.
Shandong used to be a Manchu-controlled area, so it was a power vacuum zone. After Yuan Chonghuan's Xuzhou Army occupied Shandong, it formed an unviable military government in a short period of time. However, because of Yuan Chonghuan's transfer, the Xuzhou Army lacked speakers with sufficient prestige, so this
The military government was soon replaced by civilian officials sent by the imperial court. Now in Shandong Province, the Chief Secretary, the Inspector General, the Commander-in-Chief, the General Secretary, the General Secretary, and the Three Divisions are all in place. Civil servants in all prefectures and counties are basically in place. Shandong has become the southern Zhili
, outside Zhejiang, the most comprehensive province controlled by the imperial court.
Although most of the battles were fought by the Xuzhou Army, the people still attributed the credit to Liu Ziguang. Information these days is passed on by word of mouth. Liu Ziguang killed Fan Wencheng, captured Dorgon, and defended Jinan in a bloody battle. He did a wonderful job.
There are too many, far more famous than Yuan Chonghuan, not to mention generals such as Zu Dashou and Man Gui. In addition, he has made great achievements since entering Beijing and was promoted quickly. The local government does not dare to face this view of the common people.
After correcting it, it was allowed to develop like this, eventually leading to Liu Ziguang's status as a demigod.
In Shandong, if there is no memorial tablet dedicated to Liu Ziguang, it is very embarrassing to see people. If the artist who tells quick stories cannot say eighteen paragraphs about Liu Ziguang in one breath, he is not qualified to enter the teahouse to do business.
Yes, any prefecture or county has not built a shrine to Liu Ziguang, so the local officials feel very out of date. Liu Ziguang has many industries in Shandong, such as the oil fields in Dongying, the coal mines in Yanzhou, the big hotels in Jinan, and the farms everywhere.
He hired a lot of local workers, and he instructed the managers below not to subordinate people. The salary of those who work for him is at least 20% higher than that of those in the same industry. There are also a large number of Shandong young men who serve in the red shirt regiment.
, the money sent home by military mail every month is enough for the whole family to survive for several months, and this year the emperor also exempted all taxes and corvees in Shandong Province. It is said that this is what Liu Ziguang said for everyone. Anyway, Liu Ziguang is in Shandong
In people's eyes, he is the Martial Saint. His status is second only to Kong Saint, but he has replaced the original Martial Saint Guan Erye.
Liu Ziguang traveled all the way to the west, and all the states and counties along the way treated him with care. He was a first-class marquis, an important minister with many positions, and the emperor's brother-in-law. How could he not be fawning over him at this time, but Liu Ziguang was very disgusted with such high-level treatment.
Reception, he would always think of the scene in later generations when officials went to the countryside to inspect, police cars cleared the way, sirens blared, and the people all gave way.
The banquets arranged by various prefectures and counties made him even more angry. Shandong was severely damaged by the Manchu liquidation, and the local economy had not yet recovered. These big fish and meat cost a lot, which not only wasted people and money, but also damaged his own image. However, he did not do anything.
After all, this is the trend of this era. Isn't it okay for the local magistrate to entertain him, a powerful official, with simple meals? So he took a gentle approach, not only paying for all the meals, but also paying for the meals.
Wine and meat were distributed to the poor local people, and finally they had to have a long talk with the local officials to educate them not to waste the people and money and fish for the sake of fishing. The patient and meticulous education of Zhenwu Marquis made these local officials burst into tears, and he said on the spot that he had listened to Hou
The master's teachings suddenly enlightened him, and he would devote himself to the great work of serving the people in the future. The local people were even more moved. They thought it was a matter of course to contribute their precious chickens, ducks, and fish to entertain the Marquis. However, the Marquis
It was a great kindness for the Lord to use the food that he should have enjoyed to help the poor. Many people spontaneously took to the streets and held incense burners around the residence of Zhenwu Hou to pray for him. However, they were surprised to find that Hou
I have left quietly.
Liu Ziguang did not want to disturb the people, let alone spend money to entertain him. There was only one official in the entire Shandong Province who had the same idea as him, and that was Shi Kefa, the prefect of Qingzhou. To say that Shi Kefa's identity was embarrassing, he was from the standard Donglin Party.
He had been an official in the Ministry of Personnel and was considered a direct descendant of Qian Qianyi, but he sided with Liu Ziguang during the turmoil of the eldest princess's marriage. This was in sharp contrast to Sun Qichao, who was supposed to belong to Liu Ziguang's camp but sided with Donglin. For this
Liu Ziguang, a famous loyal minister in history, was very fond of him, so he came to help when the Donglin Party was about to punish him and promoted him to Shandong as the prefect.
Qingzhou Prefecture under Shi Kefa's rule was far more vibrant than other prefectures and counties. The people had rosy faces, the streets were neat and clean, and the goods in the shops were rich. Liu Ziguang couldn't help but marveled when he saw it. Shi Kefa was really a capable person.
When people entered Qingzhou Mansion, the only person who came to receive them was the chief clerk. The chief clerk was very embarrassed and said that the magistrate had gone to the countryside to preside over wheat harvesting activities. He should take advantage of the fine weather these days to harvest the wheat in the field quickly, otherwise
When it rained, this year's harvest was completely ruined. Liu Ziguang not only did not blame him, but also secretly lamented that Shi Kefa loved the people like a son. If the Ming Dynasty had more such officials, why not restore the glory of the country?
Shi Kefa came back that night and held a banquet in honor of Liu Ziguang. When everyone saw it, it was scallions and soybean paste, pancakes and tofu, and a pot of turbid wine, which was standard farm food. At that time, several people's expressions changed. The Marquis was so close to the people.
, no matter how simple it is, it can't be fooled like this, but Liu Ziguang didn't take it seriously. He picked up the scallions and dipped them in miso, rolled them up with pancakes, and ate them with gusto. While eating, he said it tasted good.
When Liu Ziguang behaved like this, his subordinates couldn't say anything and could only accompany him to eat obediently. Seeing that Liu Ziguang didn't look like a fake, Shi Kefa couldn't help being secretly surprised and got to know him better.
After the meal, Liu Ziguang and Shi Kefa talked for a long time. This was the first face-to-face communication between the two. Liu Ziguang found that this thin man in his early thirties had a lot of ambitions. He had profound insights in both civil and military economics. He was that kind of person.
Comprehensive talents who can manage the army on horseback and manage the people on horseback. If such talents are used for oneself, they will definitely be the right-hand man.
Liu Ziguang's conversation also made Shi Kefa admire him very much. This grassroots prince was not only a brave general who could fight, but also talked about industry and commerce very well. He proposed to rejuvenate the country through industry and commerce, which was indeed a feasible way. There was also Liu Ziguang's attitude towards the people.
That was really touching and not something a hypocrite could do.
Since he had to rush on the next day, Liu Ziguang had to interrupt the conversation and leave at midnight. Looking at his retreating back, Shi Kefa secretly sighed in his heart: What is this mysterious man thinking in his heart?
After leaving Qingzhou Prefecture, Liu Ziguang arrived in Jinan, where he had been away for a long time. The whole city of Jinan was buzzing with crowds of people coming to greet Zhenwuhou. The current prefect was Liu Ziguang’s confidant Lu Chengfeng. He personally organized various welcome activities. The new Shandong governor sent by the imperial court
The governor was a mediocre person with no real skills, but he was quite capable of collecting people's wealth. He put the money and treasures he collected into a box and placed it in a house that Liu Ziguang had built a long time ago and had never lived in. He also attached a letter.
He asked Marquis Zhenwu to take care of him. Liu Ziguang hated corrupt officials the most. He put the treasures and letters away, called Lu Chengfeng and asked about the governor's actions. He immediately made up his mind to take it down and replace it when he returned to Beijing.
Shi Kefa became governor of Shandong.
Jinan is Liu Ziguang's second hometown, so he was inevitably delayed for two more days. Finally, he left with a lot of local gifts from his fellow villagers and got on the train to start his journey back to Beijing.
The railway between Jinan and Xuzhou is not fully open. This section is mostly plain terrain, and it is an important project strongly supported by the imperial court. A large number of civilian workers worked overtime on the construction, so that except for the Wen River, the railway bridges on the canal were not closed.
In addition, most of the projects have entered the final stage. After some setbacks, Liu Ziguang's 300 troops finally arrived at Xuzhou Prefecture by land.
Returning to the Liguo Iron Works, Liu Ziguang was filled with emotion. Things had changed here. The old factory owner had passed away, and the two ladies also lived in Nanjing. However, the scale of the factory was larger than before, and the industries it engaged in were wider.
The unrefined fierce crude oil transported from Dongying and the high-quality coal transported from Yanzhou are further processed here. The original steel smelting has not been left behind. The manufacturing of swords and armor has been outsourced to other manufacturers. The iron factory mainly produces secret grade comparisons.
High artillery, muskets and other advanced weapons.
The sky at Liguo Iron Works was gray, and there were shirtless Manchu prisoners of war and slaves everywhere. Seeing them, Liu Ziguang thought of himself. It had been four years since he came to this world, and he had been deeply integrated into this specious ancient Chinese world.
In the world, my longing for my loved ones gradually fades away as the number of loved ones in this world increases. After all, I am about to become a father.
The current director of the iron factory is Hu Xie, the former Iron Guard general. He prepared an advanced machine speedboat for Liu Ziguang and headed south along the canal to the capital. Along with it, he brought a boatload of advanced munitions. Liu Ziguang led his men.
Following this road that led to success two years ago, I went to Beijing with high spirits again.