"Huh?", a middle-aged coachman in a white short shirt sat in front of the carriage, took a long and thick rein in his hand, and stopped the carriage steadily outside Guanghua Gate.
"Gentlemen, we have arrived at Chang'an City, entered Guanghua Gate, and walked three to five miles north to reach the Forbidden City of the Imperial Palace."
The middle-aged coachman turned around and said with a smile, "Large tricycles are prohibited from traveling in Chang'an City, so we can only send three people to Guanghua Gate today. Gentlemen, please bear with me."
"The distance to the city is not far, so it doesn't matter if we get off the car and walk there."
The car curtain was opened, and Tang Jingsong and two men in their twenties stepped out of the car. He then took out a few banknotes from his body and said: "The fare for three people is one yuan and fifty cents. Master, please keep it."
"Hey, thank you gentlemen, here is your change."
The wrinkles on the coachman's face were squeezed together. He took out two one-cent banknotes from the bag wrapped around his waist and said with a smile: "No more, no less, there are exactly two pieces of change. Please keep them."
"There's no need for change. The master's driving skills are pretty good. He didn't let the three of us endure the bumps along the way. Just keep the two cents."
"Thank you sir."
Seeing that the three people opposite were all well-dressed and not like people who were short of money, the middle-aged coachman happily put the two pieces of change back into the bag, with a smile on his face.
"I'm not afraid of the jokes of these three gentlemen. I have been in South America for seven or eight years. At the beginning, I worked in a state-owned farm. After four years of establishment, my two-year compulsory labor period expired, and I became familiar with more than 20 workers.
They came to Chang'an City and started driving cars for a living. Four or five years after arriving in Chang'an City, the old guys found ways to make a living one after another and switched to other businesses. They were still driving cars back and forth within a hundred miles of Chang'an City.
, I am the only one left.
Alas, I didn’t learn how to stay close to myself when I was young. As I approach middle age, I’m still driving a carriage back and forth just like I was a dozen years ago.”
"Driving a carriage is also a craft. I see that the master's driving skills are superb. With this craft, it is not easy to become rich and wealthy, but it is not difficult to make a living in the prosperous place of the capital."
Tang Jingsong had nothing to do, so he simply said a few words to the other party.
"It's not difficult to make money for food, but if you want to save money, it's much more difficult to find a matchmaker and find a wife."
The driver shook his head with a look of shame on his face
"After the Spring Festival, when I turned thirty, my family's total money was only three to four hundred Chinese yuan, which was still far behind the expenses of marrying a wife.
The bus driving business is getting worse and worse. I was lucky today. I met three gentlemen to take care of me and opened a big order. However, after the Spring Festival, the number of people traveling to and from the capital has returned to the usual level. At that time, if you want to make money, you can
Difficult."
"Why is this? According to my observation, the wheels of the carriages traveling to and from Chang'an City are all replaced with rubber pneumatic tires. With these pneumatic tires, the carriage will be less bumpy and travel faster when driving. Compared with the previous wooden wheels
Shouldn’t horse-drawn carriages and pneumatic-tire horse-drawn carriages be more popular? Why is the business of driving carriages so difficult?”
A young man next to Tang Jingsong asked.
"What this young gentleman said is right. Since the replacement of rubber pneumatic tires, driving a car has indeed become much more convenient and faster than before. However, because the threshold of the driving industry is low and does not require proficient skills, there are hundreds of thousands of new drivers every year.
Immigrants entered the driver industry. They had just arrived in the mainland. They were accustomed to living a hard life in the Far East. They were able to endure hardships and were willing to work hard to attract customers. Therefore, compared with them, the experienced driver who had stayed in the mainland for seven or eight years or four or five years,
Because the family has some savings and less energy to make money, it is difficult to compete with the new immigrants when soliciting customers.”……
After finishing the conversation with the coachman, Tang Jingsong led the two young men and first booked a banquet at an inn in the city. Then the three of them sat together and discussed what they had seen along the way while eating.
"Jifu, Linshu, how do you feel after walking along the way?"
Tang Jingsong sat at the top and asked with a smile.
"The country is peaceful and the people are safe, and the people are prosperous. Compared with the miserable life of the people in the Central Plains, the South American country of Han can be called a paradise on earth."
Qiu Fengjia's face was full of surprise and envy. After praising the South American Han country, he also expressed his own opinion: "Just through chatting with the coachman outside Chang'an City, I think that the South American Han country will be rich if it is rich.
But the people live a worry-free life. Food and meat are cheap, and they can have a meal of meat every three to five days without spending much energy. Such an overly comfortable life may lead to the people being lazy and unthinking.
Being aggressive will be detrimental to the future development of the country and the imperial court."
"According to Jifu's opinion, what is the most appropriate way to govern?"
“I believe that the Han Kingdom in South America should follow the example of the Lucian Empire and let the government take over all the land left behind by the Argentinian whites as well as the uncultivated fertile land. Then, according to the merits of the officials and generals in previous wars,
Depending on the size, different areas of land are given.
For ordinary overseas immigrants, the government can take the form of leasing, leasing unowned land and uncultivated land to overseas immigrants at low prices, and at the same time collecting a certain amount of land rent and food tax every year. In this way, the new immigrants
Through labor, we can get enough food, and the central and local governments can also collect a large amount of land tax revenue from overseas immigrants, which benefits both the country and the people."
"Jifu's ideas are exactly the same as the reforms carried out by the Lucia Empire. I believe you have learned a lot of information related to Lucia's reforms recently."
Thinking of the land system reform carried out by Tsarist Russia, Tang Jingsong guessed.
"Lucia is the largest country in the Europa continent. I believe that the Lucia Empire's reforms have many things to learn from, especially the land system reform, which is very consistent with the current situation of Han in South America."
"Has Jifu ever considered, if the new immigrants never have their own land, and if the country is in turmoil a few decades or a hundred years later, what will these landless people do?"
"As long as the number of immigrants is restricted, the South American country of Han is vast and sparsely populated, and the people do not worry about starvation, then no people will risk beheading and rise up in rebellion."
"Haha, Jifu, your idea would have been the most effective way to concentrate resources to develop the country twenty years ago, but it is no longer appropriate now."
Sitting aside, He Ziyuan, who rarely spoke, drank a glass of strong wine and said excitedly: "Industry, industry is the only truth for national peace and national prosperity! Any conservative, stubborn and backward ruling class will be vulnerable to big industry.
!
Brother Jifu! Do you know the fatal flaw in the Lucia reforms you endorse?"
"Please give me some advice from Brother Linshu."
"Industry is the only way for a country to become rich and powerful, and education is the foundation for developing industry. In order to raise government funds, the Lucian Empire held the land that should have been distributed to the people, and then leased the land to extract money from the farmers at the bottom.
Benefit.
I do not deny that the reform of the Lucia Empire is the simplest and fastest way to accumulate original capital, but it is also the stupidest way. People are not cattle and sheep. The Lucia government can now sacrifice the people at the bottom for industrial development.
In the future, the officials who rely on squeezing the interests of the people will intensify, forcing the people at the bottom to a desperate situation. The huge power exploded in despair will blow the entire Lucia Empire to pieces!
I have never believed that officials with scholarly backgrounds would have the integrity of saints. As long as they are given a chance, they will always find ways to extract benefits from the people. In the Lucia Empire's reform and reform system, landless people have no chance.
Is there any way to protect one's own interests? No, not at all!
The only thing that can protect people's own interests is that farmers have their own land, have the power to control the land themselves, and have the power to speak out to the central government and fight back against corrupt local officials!"
He Ziyuan's young face showed a rare enthusiasm in this era: "It is completely impossible to expect those Eight Banners dignitaries in the Forbidden City to understand these principles. Only in Han State, South America, an emerging industrial country, can it be possible to realize the Han nation
Revival again!"
"Linshu, you are still the same as you were a few years ago, and your temperament has not changed."
He Ziyuan was a young talent that Tang Jingsong was very fond of. Even before he left for Annan, he admired his talent and knowledge. Therefore, Tang Jingsong specially entrusted someone to invite He Ziyuan and Qiu Fengjia, another highly admired imperial examination junior.
He went to Han in South America and planned to recommend the two of them to Emperor Li Mingyuan. However, seeing that He Ziyuan was as enthusiastic about the so-called big industry and national rejuvenation many years ago, Tang Jingsong couldn't help but have doubts and invited He Ziyuan to South America.
, is it right or wrong?
Different from the radical and idealistic He Ziyuan, Tang Jingsong not only had the enthusiasm to serve his country, but also had a smooth and flexible character. Under the influence of this character, after entering the officialdom of Han Dynasty in South America, Tang Jingsong's official career became smoother and smoother.
A small bureau-level official in 1882 gradually rose to deputy ministerial level and held the important position of deputy minister of foreign affairs. Moreover, because the foreign minister Hu Yaqi is too old and will retire next year, Tang Jingsong is likely to
In the competition for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, he defeated many competitors and won the high position of Minister.
Inviting young and promising talents to serve the country is a way for Tang Jingsong to strengthen his status in Li Mingyuan's heart. However, it is difficult for him to predict whether a group of idealistic young people will encounter setbacks in the officialdom after taking power, which will then affect
to his own official career?
People change with time. He Ziyuan did not realize that the former idol who abandoned his official position and ran away from Annan in anger would become sophisticated and smooth. Tang Jingsong also did not expect that his seemingly ordinary
One recommendation,
It changed the historical trajectory of a passionate young man and allowed him to achieve greater achievements in another land.
He Ziyuan was born on January 23, 1865, in Shunyulu, Xingwozi, Shima Town, Xingning City, Guangdong Province. In 1881, at the age of sixteen, he took part in the Jiaying Prefecture College Examination and won the first place in Class A.
He was admitted as a Linsheng and immediately went to Xingning County Yamen to take up his duties. In 1883, because of his "mature youth, fair handling of affairs, and excellent articles and morals", he was promoted to the position of school inspector, full-time supervising the county's education work. In March 1884, He Ziyuan set out from Guangzhou at his own expense.
Traveled to the United States by freighter to inspect basic education and the tea trade. At that time, the anti-Chinese movement was at its peak. 300,000 Chinese and their families were taken back to their homeland by the Han Dynasty. The 40,000 to 50,000 Chinese who chose to stay suffered from the oppression of white people in the United States.
Being humiliated and witnessing the humble status of the Chinese overseas, He Ziyuan came up with the idea of renovating education and saving the country.
In August of the same year, He Ziyuan returned to China by boat. The following year, he founded the first Western-style six-year "Yunandong Primary School" in his hometown. He served as the principal and personally taught students, including Chinese, arithmetic, history, geography,
Drawing, singing, gymnastics, labor and other courses.
In February 1888, Tongren School was founded. In May 1888, Tongren School was reported to teach rebellious ideas and was closed down by the Qing government.
In June, He Ziyuan felt deeply that the country's power was declining and the government was corrupt, so he contacted the anti-Qing organization in Guangzhou. In October, through the intelligence base established by the Han State in the mainland, He Ziyuan and his friend Qiu Fengjia took a boat to South America and defected to the Han government.
Tang Jingsong, who served in the middle school.
After entering the Han Kingdom in South America, although the life affluence of the local people was completely different from that in the Central Plains, what concerned He Ziyuan the most was the impact of Han Dynasty's industrialization on life.
Pneumatic tires used on bicycles and horse-drawn carriages, Chinese-made film, cameras, and soda ash that are famous in the Western world, as well as three state-owned shipyards on the Atlantic coast that can build giant iron-clad ships on their own.
Witnessing the earth-shaking changes in society and people's lives due to industrialization, He Ziyuan regretted more and more why he still had illusions about the Qing court and wasted his precious time on the nobles of the Eight Banners of the Qing court. Looking back now, at that time,
The idea is really childish and ridiculous.
Seeing the great achievements of industrialization, we also see the side effects of industrialization. For example, low-tech industries such as horse-drawn carriage drivers are gradually being replaced. Coachmen and dock coolies cannot read a word and lack competitiveness, so they can only be replaced by newcomers.
Immigrants take away job opportunities, etc.
Although various phenomena have caused some social problems, these problems are within controllable limits, have little impact on the overall development of the country's industrialization, and will not lead to drastic changes in society.