"Mr. Dachao, you have aged a lot in the past few years, Mr. Hard Work!"
As soon as Zhan Tianyou returned to Chengdu from Wanxian, Qiao Yu immediately invited Zhan Tianyou to Fuzhong. The Sichuan-Hankou Railway has been under construction for three years. The Chengdu-Chongqing section has been opened to traffic, and the section from Chongqing to Wanxian and from Yichang to Wuhan will soon be opened.
To be opened to traffic, the final step is the most difficult section of Yiwan, which has to pass through high mountains and ridges. The engineering difficulty is very huge, and it is also the section that consumes the most effort for Zhan Tianyou.
"Qiao Shuai, if we can build the railway, the hard work will be nothing. Along the way, I also discovered that Sichuan's industry is developing very rapidly, and transportation has become the biggest constraint. If the Sichuan-Han Road can be built as soon as possible, it will not only achieve the goals of the people of Sichuan
The dream is also a huge boost to China’s economy, and it’s worth it even if I’m exhausted!”
"Mr. Dachao, please don't say that. China still has thousands of miles of railways for you to build. You must take care of yourself!"
"Qiao Shuai, I'm not too young anymore. Although I don't have any major health problems, I really have one request, which is to have a university to cultivate successors. During the construction of the Sichuan-Hankow Railway, not all the young students showed their talents.
Many functions, the Chinese are not stupid, as long as they are given a certain amount of education, the Chinese will be able to achieve great results!"
"Mr. Dachao, don't worry. Sichuan's money bag has been bulging since the beginning of Europe. What I will mainly do next is repair roads and develop education. This is my duty!"
Zhan Tianyou was also full of emotions: "Qiao Shuai, if China had more officials like you who could support development, I'm afraid China would have developed long ago. After those people got the money, they would know how to put it into their own pockets. If
Soldiers know how to expand their power desperately. Let’s not talk about the distance, let’s talk about the railway from Yichang to Wuhan. The entire railway is within Hubei, but it was built with money from Sichuan. After it is completed, it will be good for them. Who would have thought that these people would
We regard railway construction as a piece of fat, and everyone wants to reach out. The cost of building this railway is much higher than that in Sichuan!"
"Mr. Dachao, the national conditions are such that I can only control Sichuan. I wonder how long it will take for the Sichuan-Hankou Road to be built?"
"Several major problems have been solved. As long as there are sufficient funds, I think it will be possible within this year, and at the latest it will be early next year. However, Marshal, what we are building now is a narrow-gauge railway. It is easy to build, but the transportation capacity is very limited. I suggest
It’s better to change it to standard rail!”
Of course, Qiao Yu is very aware of the problem Zhan Tianyou mentioned. When he was considering building the railway, Qiao Yu actually planned to build the standard gauge in one go. The standard gauge is wider than the narrow gauge, can run larger trains, and can load goods farther.
It is better than narrow gauge, but the difficulty and cost are far higher than narrow gauge.
After much consideration, Qiao Yu chose to build a narrow-gauge railway, which would allow it to be completed quickly and train skilled workers, who would then be converted to standard gauge when they were more mature.
"Mr. Dachao's proposal is very good, but the key for us now is to seize time. The European War will last for several years, but it is difficult to delay it too long. We must fully enjoy the dividends of the war now, so it is best before the war ends.
It can be used, so for the time being, we still need to build narrow gauge, and when the time is right, all of them will be replaced with standard gauge. The reason I invited Mr. here this time is to ask him to help plan the Chengdu-Kunming Railway. I have already persuaded Tang Jiyao, and soon this
The railway construction is about to start, and I’m afraid I’ll have to make a long trip, sir!”
Qiao Yu had already mentioned the Chengdu-Kunming Railway to Zhan Tianyou. Zhan Tianyou originally thought that this railway was full of obstacles, and adding the Sichuan-Hankou Road would exhaust Sichuan's finances. It would probably take a long time to build the Chengdu-Kunming Railway.
That's it. I didn't expect it to be fulfilled so soon. Zhan Tianyou was also very excited.
"Don't worry, Qiao Shuai, I will definitely fulfill my mission!"….
After sending Zhan Tianyou away, Qiao Yu began to write a new bill, mainly to carry out literacy campaigns in Sichuan and strive to reduce the illiteracy rate to less than 50% within fifteen years. This speed cannot be considered
Soon, however, Qiao Yu's literacy requirements are much higher. The standard standard is to be able to write more than a thousand words, to be able to read newspapers proficiently, and to be able to express his opinions clearly.
The core of national competition in the industrial age is the competition of skilled workers. As long as it can have enough workers, it can produce high-quality and large quantities of goods and gain an advantage in the world. During World War I, Germany was able to overpower France, even if it
The last one in the UK didn't help. To a large extent, Germany's population exceeds those two countries, and Germany's domestic industrial system is healthier and stronger.
Of course, when it comes to human resources, no country can compare with China. What China has to do now is to develop these potential labor forces. In addition to providing them for use in Sichuan, it also needs to organize the export of personnel to Europe. This has been discussed for a long time.
Okay.
Sichuan has prepared 15 million special funds for large-scale literacy. This kind of generosity may even be envied by President Yuan Shikai. This can be seen from Yang Du who once again entered the land of Sichuan.
I understand very well that every time I come to Sichuan, things are completely different.
Especially when Yang Du entered Sichuan this time, there were tall chimneys everywhere, busy people everywhere, buildings under construction, streets after streets being expanded, businessmen from all over the place, and even many foreigners coming and going.
They are all full of them and appear full of vitality. In comparison, although Beijing is the imperial city, it is far inferior. The two are simply a comparison of two civilizations.
Sichuan already has the feeling of a great power and is the prototype of an industrial society, while Beijing is a typical capital of the agricultural era. The two give people completely different feelings. Yang Du knows that his long-standing worries have been fulfilled. Sichuan is now
It definitely has the ability to compete with the central government.
What's even worse is that Yuan Shikai can only watch without any solution. Sichuan's cooperation with the Allied Powers is too in-depth, so that the Allied Powers will never allow any changes in Sichuan. Only when Sichuan stabilizes can it provide them with enough
The supplies were left to them to squander freely. If Sichuan was handed over to big men like Beiyang, they would definitely not have Qiao Yu's vision, insight, or means, and they would not be worthy of cooperating with them.
Yang Du was sitting on the train from Chongqing to Chengdu, and his mood became more and more turbulent with the ups and downs of the train. In Yang Du's heart, Yuan Shikai had always been his true destiny, and only Yuan Shikai could make Yang Du realize it.
The dream of reviving China, but Yuan Shikai's luck has not been very good. Sun Wen and his gang have been entangled for more than two years, which consumed a lot of Yuan Shikai's energy. After finally driving these people away, the White Wolf started to make trouble, and then Shandong
The problem broke out again, and it was as messy as a mess. It had already made Yang Du a little exhausted mentally and physically, let alone Yuan Shikai.
This time Yang Du went to Sichuan to further test Qiao Yu's tone and see if Qiao Yu was willing to support Yuan Shikai.
"Mr. Xizi, you are such a rare guest, please come in quickly!"
Qiao Yu let Yang Du into the reception room. Yang Du stared at Qiao Yu for a long time, and then said: "Qiao Yu, the central government is strictly neutral towards both sides in the European War, but you openly violated the central government's opinions and fully surrendered to the Allied Powers.
The Allies provided a large amount of supplies. Have you ever thought that once Germany wins, will China be able to withstand Germany's anger?"
"Mr. Yang is a great scholar. He doesn't understand the principle that people die for money and birds die for food. Of course I am afraid of Germany's anger, but the profits are too huge. The transaction volume between Sichuan and the Allied Powers has reached 1
billion pounds, and this amount will increase even more!”….
Yang Du was drinking tea, but he was immediately shocked by this horrifying figure. He choked on a mouthful of water and kept coughing, "Qiao Shuai, is it really so much?"
Looking at Yang Du who looked incredulous, Qiao Yu smiled slightly: "The actual number is probably more, but most of what Sichuan sells now are primary products, and the profit is not too much. Like the United States, which sells arms, merchant ships, and automobiles,
Things like airplanes and oil are called huge profits!"
"Inspector, if you tell me this, aren't you afraid that the central government will immediately increase Sichuan's taxes?"
"Haha, when Britain and France paid for goods, many of them used Sichuan's arrears of loans, and even included the Sichuan part of the Boxer Indemnity. If the president wants to collect taxes, I'm afraid he has to go through the British and French hurdles!"
Regarding Qiao Yu's method of coercing foreigners' self-respect, Yang Du also seemed very helpless, "Qiao Shuai, you stick to your word in Sichuan, and all of Sichuan can obey your orders, but do you know how difficult it is for President Yuan!"
"The president rules the world, what else is there to be embarrassed about?"
"Qiao Shuai, don't pretend to be confused. President Yuan has worked hard, but he is hampered by all kinds of constraints. Two years ago, the central government asked Sichuan to follow the salt policy reform, but now the salt price is getting higher and higher, but the tax is getting smaller and smaller.
, I just hate that the president cannot base the power of the world on one person!"
Qiao Yu asked casually and calmly: "What do you think, sir?"
"Of course I advocate increasing the power of the president and unifying the world's political decrees!" Yang Du sighed: "The president has the aspirations of the Qin Emperor and the Han Dynasty, but he does not have the power to dominate himself. What, what!"
Qiao Yu knew very well that Yang Du was secretly testing his views on the imperial system. In fact, Qiao Yu disdained the practice of increasing power through fame. Although the emperor was noble, there were not many puppet emperors in history. The president
Although there are constraints, there is no need for someone who can speak his mind and have real power comparable to the emperor. The key to everything still depends on the individual's ability and the situation of the times, but there is really no need for Qiao Yu to point out these things to Yang Du.
"What Mr. Yang said makes sense, and I strongly agree with it. It should increase the authority of the central government. However, our constitution already stipulates federalism, and each region has its own autonomy!"
At this time, Qiao Yu kicked the ball back, undoubtedly seeking power.
"Qiao Shuai, you should actually rest assured. You are only in your early twenties. You and the President are destined to be two generations apart. The President appreciates your ability and has repeatedly hoped that you can join the Central Committee to assist the President. I can assure you,
No matter where the president goes, the glory and wealth of the Qiao family will not be diminished at all!"