Chapter 73 5. The Russian crown prince will visit the Hanyang Iron Works, which is a great event to raise the country's prestige

The incident Zhang Zhidong mentioned was the visit of the Russian crown prince to China that Gu Hongming read from the British "The Times" last year.The General Administration has officially notified in a letter that the Russian Crown Prince Nicholas will come to Wuhan to visit the Hanyang Iron Works in October this year.Ten days ago, Yang Rui sent a secret letter from Beijing.Yang Rui wrote in the letter: The imperial court attaches great importance to the Russian crown prince's visit to China.This is not only because the Russian emperor is old and the crown prince will soon ascend the throne, but also because the crown prince is more friendly to China.Russia is a military power, but also an ambitious and greedy country. He has always coveted the vast territory bordering on the northeast and northwest of our country, and tried every means to occupy it for himself, which is the greatest threat to China.It is rare to have such a prince who is friendly to China. If we establish a friendship with him, it will undoubtedly reduce the territorial threat from the northeast and northwest.Therefore, the imperial court prepared to take advantage of the opportunity of the Russian crown prince's visit to China to accept him wholeheartedly.The Russian crown prince has long known that an iron factory is being built in Wuhan, and he wants to come and see it for himself.Yang Rui said that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for both the mentor himself and the Westernization of Hubei. For example, he can take this opportunity to ask for more money from the Ministry of Households, ensure that the iron factory will be completed on time, and so on. There are many benefits.

After Zhang Zhidong received the letter, he immediately replied to Yang Rui, telling him that in the future, if he knows about the visit of the Russian crown prince to China, he will report it in detail as much as possible; Wuhan will make full preparations to send the crown prince to China. Good reception. The Russian Crown Prince came to Wuhan to visit the Hanyang Iron Works. For Zhang Zhidong, this was a rare blessing.Regardless of whether you are in the country or yourself, you must firmly seize this opportunity to make this article round and round, full of flowers and flowers. As for the country of Russia, Zhang Zhidong had done in-depth research on it because of the Yili negotiations when he was building Xima Xiaogong in the capital. The more he studied, the more he remembered what Lin Zexu said when he was exiled in Xinjiang: heartache.What Lin Zexu said was the most profound and pertinent.Defense against Russia is a long-term national policy that should be passed on to future generations.Although Japan also has territorial ambitions for my country, especially the Kanto area, but after all, the country is small and not strong, and it is separated by the ocean. Unlike Russia, it is terrible to let its iron cavalry drive straight in on the border of thousands of miles.As for countries such as Britain, the United States, Germany, and France, Zhang Zhidong knew in his heart that their harm to China was mainly reflected in the unfair exchange in the business field, and there was no territorial claim. The fact of the retreat is the best illustration.From then on, the diplomatic strategy of taking advantage of Britain, the United States, Germany, and France to guard against Russia was formed in Zhang Zhidong's mind.In fact, this is the application of the traditional Chinese diplomatic strategy of "distance and near attack" under the new situation.Zhang Zhidong thinks this is a very simple and clear truth, but those in charge often don't see clearly.The dispute between coastal defense and fortress defense exposed this problem.Li Hongzhang was in charge of coastal defense, focusing on defense against Japan, while Zuo Zongtang was in charge of fortress defense, focusing on defense against Russia.In Zhang Zhidong's view, there is no need to argue at all. Whether it is coastal defense or fortified defense, they are all important, and they must be developed simultaneously. It needs to be taken seriously, it's just a matter of when and which point should be emphasized.

If more than ten years ago, although Zhang Zhidong saw things clearly but had no power and position, he was not enough to influence the country's diplomatic strategy, then today, as the governor of Huguang, a rising star in Westernization, he must actively participate in this important Chinese diplomacy Activities, determined to use their own strength to influence Sino-Russian relations. Different from Yang Rui's idea, Zhang Zhidong's first reaction to the Russian crown prince's visit to the iron factory was to use the iron factory to show off our country's prestige.Whether it is Russia or other western powers, they have been showing off their power in front of us for decades because of their strong national strength and sophisticated weapons. If we can show our strength in this respect, we will definitely be able to kill their prestige .The iron and steel industry is the leader of Western industrial circles and an important foundation for their strong national power, but China is precisely blank in this area.The construction of Hanyang Iron Works not only filled this gap, but also aimed at the world's first-class scale, and it is a giant steel plant.While showing the potential of China's development, it will also clearly tell foreigners with this huge existence that China has laid a solid foundation for its own industry, and it will not be long before it can catch up with the Western powers.

Zhang Zhidong also thought that it is not enough to have an iron factory, and the gun factory under construction must be speeded up, and it will be completed and put into operation before the Russian crown prince comes to Han, so that the future Russian emperor can see our Qing Empire itself with his own eyes. The guns and bullets produced, from now on, don't regenerate right and wrong on the border, and live in peace honestly. In the West, Russia is a large empire with a vast territory and has always been in a very important position. The iron factory and gun factory that the Russian crown prince saw will definitely be spread to the world through various channels through himself and his entourage. Western countries.It is much better for them to say than we say, and it can add more weight.In this way, the Hanyang Iron Works and the Gun Factory became important weapons to deter foreigners, and became gods to protect the country and defend the Qing Dynasty.As the founder of the iron factory and the gun factory, I, Zhang, have become a big figure who foreigners pay attention to, and a hero of the Qing Dynasty. From now on, everything in foreign affairs and internal affairs will be easy to handle.

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhidong was extremely excited.In the evening, he specially invited Sang Zhiping to his home for a drink, and talked about this matter and his own thoughts to his friends.Sang Zhiping was equally delighted. He seemed to see that the ideal he had been fighting for half his life would be realized through the hands of this friend.I think of the first acquaintance between Xianliang Temple and Zhang Zhidong, I think of Gubeikou’s promise to go out of the mountain, I think of the past ten years of planning and planning, and traveling north and south. Fight against lost ambitions.what!What a gratifying thing this is: After more than ten years of hard work, I finally see the day when it bears fruit.

Sang Zhiping suggested that Zhang Zhidong mobilize all forces to ensure that before the Russian crown prince came to Han, the iron factory would produce iron, the gun factory would produce guns, and it would be better than tens of millions of words to put out the iron guy in front of them. diplomatic language!At the same time, I accepted Yang Rui's suggestion and immediately sent a report to the General Administration, asking for their strong support and allocating one million taels of silver.Zhang Zhidong readily accepted these two suggestions from Sang Zhiping. On the third day, the iron bureau came forward to hold a high-level meeting of the iron factory, the gun factory, the coal mine bureau, and the iron mine bureau. Zhang Zhidong delivered an important speech at the meeting.In his capacity as governor and supervisor of Hubei Westernization Affairs, he asked all senior managers to work hard together with all craftsmen and workers to ensure that the iron and gun were released before the Russian crown prince came to Han.As if the commander-in-chief of the three armed forces issued an order to conquer the soldiers, Zhang Zhidong talked about the significance of this early release of iron and guns from the aspects of promoting the country's prestige, cheering up the people, and showing my talents. Even if there are great difficulties, we must overcome them , sinking the boat and smashing the pot, fighting with the last stand.Zhang Zhidong's speech was forceful and impassioned, and he burst into tears when he talked about emotion.The Governor's impressive mobilization order infected all the participants.

As soon as he finished speaking, there was thunderous applause in the great hall. , the first to stand up, expressed full support and resolutely follow through with extremely enthusiastic emotions, and the iron and guns will be realized in advance, that is Li Dianxian, co-organizer of the Railway Political Bureau and director of the logistics department of the iron factory.His emotions seem to be more excited than the Governor's, and his patriotism seems to be stronger than the Governor's. On behalf of all the staff in the logistics department, he assured the Superintendent's Office that starting tomorrow, he will work overtime, work hard day and night, and work hard to win glory for the country and for Zhang My lord strives.Zhang Zhidong was very satisfied with Li Dianxian, and frequently gave him approving glances, thinking to himself: Li Dianxian is really a good official, even though he made mistakes in normal times, he stood up to take care of the overall situation at critical moments, which is commendable.After Li Dian finished speaking first, Zhang Zhidong took the lead in applauding for him!

Li Dian received this honor first, his face was flushed and beaming.Next up is Monceau, head of income and expenditure.His high-profile statement also won Zhang Zhidong's lead applause.Seeing this scene, the leaders of other units stood up one after another, expressing their full support and resolutely obeying.Zhang Zhidong all took the lead in applauding for them.However, none of the leaders of the technology department, the key department that was put into production ahead of schedule, stood up and responded.In addition, there is another most important person—Cai Xiyong, the real soul of the Iron Political Bureau and Iron Works, who has kept his lips tightly shut.He has a serious expression and listens carefully to everyone's speech, but there is no trace of excitement on his face, and he has no urge to speak in his heart.Liang Dunyan, the assistant chief copywriter, was a little anxious seeing this scene. He didn't dare to disturb Cai Xiyong, so he went straight to Chen Nianchu, the co-organizer of the Railway Political Bureau and the director of the technical department of the iron factory, and quietly said to him: "Stand up and say something, Zhang Your Excellency would love to hear from your technical department."

Chen Nianfeng has been in a state of contradiction.From the very beginning of listening to Zhang Zhidong's speech, he felt his heart pounding.Later, seeing the leaders of the various departments stand up to speak one by one, and won applause after another, the eighteen-year-old Chen Nianfeng was restless.He wanted to stand up and say something too.He has a lot to say about how he personally felt the discrimination against China by Americans when he was studying in the United States, how he set up the ambition to learn skills to serve the country because of this, how he suddenly interrupted his studies, was forcibly recalled by the court, and after returning to China How heavy is the anguish of having nowhere to serve the country when the knowledge you have learned is useless when you live in a job in the countryside; since you met Mr. Zhang and participated in Mr. Zhang’s great cause of Westernization, how hard you have worked hard these years, especially the iron The opening of the factory will lay a grand stage for him to display his talents. Whether it is working hard for the country or repaying Mr. Zhang for his kindness, he should devote all his efforts to promote the smooth implementation of the goal of early production.He believes that his heartfelt words will be more emotional and exciting than other speakers, and will win the encouragement of Mr. Zhang and warm applause from the whole hall.The real feelings and the passion of the young people stirred up each other, making Chen Nianfeng flushed and hot and restless. He wanted to stand up several times and turned his face to look at Cai Xiyong, but he lost the courage again.First of all, he felt that although he was the host of the technical department, the person in charge of the technical department was Mr. Cai.Secondly, as an engineer and technician who has received strict scientific training, Chen Niandou also felt that early production was not something that could be done just by bragging.Many specific difficulties have to be solved on a down-to-earth basis. He is not sure whether it can be put into production ahead of schedule.

Now, the assistant chief copywriter came to urge him, and said that Mr. Zhang wanted to hear the opinions of the technical department. A sense of honor and trust inspired Chen Nianfeng. He suddenly had the courage to stand up from his seat excitedly. Said: "Master Zhang said just now that we will set up iron factories, gun factories, iron and coal mines, and various factories of weaving and spinning in the future. Enriching the people is our main goal, but strengthening the country is even more important. I fully support Mr. Zhang’s speech. He said it to my heart, Chen Nianfeng. I studied in the United States for eight years. I think the Russian Crown Prince is coming to Wuhan to visit the iron and gun factory. The visit is just a cover. His real purpose is to check it out. See if we really have such a factory, or whether it is a rumor. Foreigners look down on China, and he has something for us in his heart. If you don’t have the ability to run steel and military industry, you are skeptical. Second, look at the scale of the factory and whether it is enough to pose a threat to them. I know very well to foreigners that they have always bullied the weak and feared the strong, and valued strength without showing affection. The factory is now It is already under construction, and we are not afraid of him seeing it. The problem is to expand the scale and actually produce products, so as to subdue them. Therefore, we must follow Master Zhang's will, no matter how difficult it is, we must also rush to Russia. Before the crown prince came, build up the scale and produce the products. This is not just a matter of putting into production, but also a feat to promote our country's prestige and ambition!"

"Well said!" As soon as Chen Nianfeng finished speaking, Zhang Zhidong couldn't help shouting.This abnormal behavior of the governor surprised everyone.In fact, this is Zhang Zhidong's true nature.When he was in Qingliu more than ten years ago, he and his friends used to be self-willed in this way, shouting loudly, and expressing their attitude without concealment. The reserved and stable senior official came.Today he saw that this young man understood his feelings so well and cooperated with him so sincerely. When everyone came back to their senses, there was a storm of applause in the auditorium.Chen Nianfeng was very excited, his face was full of spirits.When he sat down, he took a special look at Cai Xiyong, but he saw that Supervisor Cai was still expressionless, with both hands drooping stiffly, without a single slap.Chen Nianfeng's heart suddenly turned cold. After the meeting ended, he was called aside by Cai Xiyong.Cai Xiyong reprimanded softly but severely: "What are you talking about? Mr. Zhang is the governor, so he naturally wants to talk about his prestige and ambition. Those people in logistics and finance are ignorant and incompetent. They invite favors and glory. The method is to please the boss. As for whether it can be done, they don’t even think about it; they don’t understand technology, and it has nothing to do with them. You are a person who has received rigorous scientific training, why are you like this? No brains! Counting from now until the arrival of the Russian crown prince in Han Dynasty, there are only three months. Isn’t this burning and talking? You are the organizer of the technical department, and others have no responsibility. You are a heavy burden On the body, if you didn’t fulfill it by then, let’s see how you explain it? Thousands of people will accuse you of dying! Nian Reng, Nian Reng, you are too ignorant!” After Cai Xiyong finished speaking, he shook his hands angrily and left.Here Chen Nianfeng stood there blankly for a long time, unable to recover his breath! The iron political bureau and the iron factory are like the front battlefield. The front battlefield cannot be won without the support of the rear warehouse. The key to the rear warehouse is held in the hands of the governor Tan Jixun, the feudal secretary Wang Zhichun, and the governor Chen Baozhen. The next day, Zhang Zhidong held a grand meeting in the meeting hall of the Huguang yamen, inviting Tan Jixun, Wang Zhichun, Chen Baozhen, Yan Fadao, Liang Dao, Bingbei Dao, Han Huang Dedao, Hanyang Magistrate, Wuchang prefect and others.He repeated yesterday's speech today, because the audience were high and middle-level officials with political skills, Zhang Zhidong's expression was not as excited as yesterday, and the response in the meeting hall was far less enthusiastic than yesterday's auditorium.The main content of Zhang Zhidong's speech is two words: fundraising.The money from the Ministry of Accounts will not arrive in half a month or 20 days, and the production will be imminent without a day's delay. Hubei Province must tighten all expenses, raise one million silver within ten days, and return the money after the Ministry of Accounts arrives.Except for Wang Zhichun and Chen Baozhen who expressed their efforts to find ways and actively raise funds, there was no third speaker at the meeting.All the Daoist houses stared at each other with wide eyes, big and small eyes all looked at the governor.Since the Ma'anshan coal mine incident, the 70-year-old Tan Jixun has added a layer of fear to the Westernization issue on top of his original "coldness".Now he is afraid of Westernization, and when he hears his son praise the iron factory, he also wonders if he is too old to keep up with the trend?Sometimes he even had the idea of ​​resigning from his post and returning to his hometown, but because of the firm opposition of his three concubines, Lu, Wang, and Wei, he dared not say such things as disarming and returning to the land.He has not been in good health recently, and his mind is lazy, and he has no interest in Zhang Zhidong's set. Whether the Russian crown prince comes to Han, or whether the iron factory and gun factory are completed and put into operation, it seems that he has nothing to do with him.As for silver, he has a rule that he cannot give it to Zhang Zhidong casually.Those black machines of foreigners are like bottomless black holes in his eyes, no matter how much money you have, they will not be enough to fill them up, and there will be no echo at all.After coming to the Superintendent's Office, he learned of the Governor's intentions, and he set a goal: not to speak hard words, and not to express a hard attitude. Everyone stopped talking, and the scene was rather embarrassing.Zhang Zhidong forced a smile and said to Tan Jixun: "Master Tan, do you think there is any way to get together a hundred thousand taels of silver?" After a long while, Tan Jixun said: "Hubei has always been short of money, and you are very clear about this, Mr. Zhang. In the past ten and a half months, let alone raising a million taels of silver, even two or three hundred thousand is very difficult." !" Zhang Zhidong's face sank, and he said with great displeasure: "Master Tan, you are the master of Hubei. Whether it is the iron factory or the gun factory, they are all located in Hubei. It is not just me who will complete the construction and start production as soon as possible." The matter of Mr. Zhang alone is also a matter of putting gold on the face of Mr. Tan for the sake of Hubei. Don’t refuse, you have to raise millions of silver no matter what, and when the money arrives from the household department, it will be returned in full." Tan Jixun sneered in his heart and said: The money of the Ministry of Finance is still a bird flying in the sky, so you can treat it as a bowl of food on the table!If there is no money at that time, I in Hubei have lost a million in vain?But looking at Zhang Zhidong's stern face and listening to his barbed words, he knew that he must not say these words, otherwise he would really make this wayward celebrity leader really ashamed and angry.He suppressed his unhappiness and acted with his usual tact. "Your Excellency's factory is located in Hubei, which really puts gold on Hubei's face. Mr. Tan should support him, but he wants to get one million at a time, which is really difficult for him. Hubei's money and food are all in the hands of Fang Bo Juetang. Holding it in his hands, he is full of enthusiasm and is willing to do his best. You can leave this matter to Mr. Juetang Fangbo. As long as he can get it, Tan will never make it difficult for him, and just borrow it from your lord. However, Fang Bo Juetang is also responsible for Hubei, so I ask the Tiezheng Bureau to present an IOU, and this IOU can be deposited in the Fantai Yamen!" Tan Jixun played a trick of shrinking his head and left the pick to Wang Zhichun.Of course Wang Zhichun also knew that it was impossible for Hubei to raise millions of silver in a short period of time, but what he said just now was firm and he unreservedly supported the decision of the supervisory office, so how could he change his words now?Wang Zhichun is a smart man. He has already seen that Westernization will soon be the most fashionable thing in China, and China can only have a future if it learns all the skills of foreigners. In terms of personal relationship, he and Zhang Zhidong also have a deep relationship.Regardless of whether it is public or private, he must stand firmly on Zhang Zhidong's side. Even if he can't raise a million, he must bite the bullet and do his best to raise four to five million yuan.At that moment, Wang Zhichun said with a smile: "Since Mr. Tan believes in me so much, I will try my best to do it! I also hope that all Taoists will support me." Seeing that Tan Jixun had spoken, and Wang Zhichun took over the challenge, all the Taoists present said, "It's easy to say, easy to say," but they were all thinking in their hearts: Our little silver and gold are very expensive, how can we go to waste in your iron factory? ?Beating dogs with fleshy bones is something that never comes back, so let's do it like you, Wang Juetang! Although Cai Xiyong, the supervisor of the Iron and Steel Bureau, was not sure about this grand decision, the iron factory and the gun factory have set off a huge upsurge of construction. Factory buildings are being built day and night, and chimneys are being raised every day. Machines are being quickly installed, and boats of coal and iron are constantly being brought in. The two adjacent factory sites are full of excitement and buzzing with people. Although Tan Jixun, the top official in Hubei Province, and most of the Taoist government are passive, Wang Zhichun and Chen Baozhen have strong support.Wang Zhichun was in charge of the money treasury, and Chen Baozhen controlled the gangsters, and there were ways to make money. They raised 550,000 silver in half a month, ensuring that the construction would not be interrupted.However, there was no movement from the household department. It turned out that the attitude of the Ministry of Finance was exactly as Tan Jixun expected: he didn't take Zhang Zhidong's idea seriously at all.The Hubu is now ruled by Weng Tonghe, and Man Shangshu Xijing is just a false name.Putting aside Weng Tonghe's prejudice against Zhang Zhidong, the Ministry of Household Affairs has been living in a dire situation for many years, and the revenue of the treasury has been decreasing year by year. Expenses increase every year.Although Cixi lived in the Summer Palace for three or four years, the garden workers did not stop for a day, and the huge expenses often made the bookish Zhuangyuan feel distressed.Even if he, Weng Tonghe, has a bit of iron and gold skills, he can't cope with the daily demands and reports and the huge expenses in all directions! Seeing the Huguang Memorial with the "Houbu Yue" Zhu's approval transferred from the foreign affairs office, Weng Tonghe just smiled lightly, and said to the officer beside him that it was worth it for a Russian crown prince to visit the iron factory by the way. Do you make a fuss out of a molehill and mobilize the crowd?Zhang Xiangtao has been a governor for more than ten years, and if he still doesn't change his old habit of showing off, there is really nothing he can do!After finishing speaking, put it in the cabinet, and there is no more to say. It had been a month, and the approval document from the Ministry of Household Affairs had not yet come down. Zhang Zhidong was so anxious that he sent an express letter four hundred miles away to Yang Rui, asking him to inquire about the news from the Ministry of Household Affairs.Yang Rui learned from a friend who was Yuanwailang in the household department that the memorial was flooded in the household department.After receiving Yang Rui's reply, Zhang Zhidong cursed angrily: "Weng Tonghe is a power minister who harms the country!" The road to the Ministry of Households is blocked, so we have to try to get some money.borrow!In desperation, there is only one way.Who should I borrow from?My brother-in-law Lu Chuanlin has already borrowed it once, so I am too embarrassed to speak again. Sang Zhiping told him that Ma Piyao, the magistrate of Taiyuan he promoted back then, had been promoted to governor of Guangxi, and he could ask the horse gang for help.Zhang Zhidong thought about it too, but Guangxi is a poor province, not much better than Shanxi, so we can't make it difficult for others.So he wrote a letter to Ma Piyao, asking him to lend him 150,000 yuan.Even if Ma Piyao agreed to borrow, there is still a big gap.Looking at all the provinces in the country, there is no governor who has a special friendship with him in the past. Wang Zhichun said: "If you can't borrow official bank, you might as well borrow private bank." Zhang Zhidong said: "Are you talking about borrowing from the ticket office? It is inappropriate for the governor's office to borrow money from the ticket office. If word spreads, it will become the talk of the common people." "Don't borrow from the bank, but from private individuals." "The businessman's money is in the process of turnover, so I'm afraid it's impossible to ask him to take out hundreds of thousands immediately." Wang Zhichun laughed and said, "I don't want to borrow money from those merchants either. They have no ambitions and are short-sighted. Even if they can get it out once, they won't lend it to you. They are afraid that you won't pay it back. When you are the governor, he will I dare not go to court with you, it is better not to borrow now than to suffer in the future." Zhang Zhidong shook his head and said, "Juetang, I don't know this. It's not a bank or a merchant. Who else has hundreds of thousands of taels of silver waiting for you to borrow?" Wang Zhichun still smiled and said: "There is a man who combines Chinese and Western cultures, is both an official and a businessman, and is a talented and strange person in the country. I think if Xiangshuai borrows from him, he will definitely not run into a wall." "Who is this person?" Zhang Zhidong thought while stroking his beard. "Did you mean Sheng Xuanhuai?" "It's him." Wang Zhichun laughed, "Didn't Xiangshuai say that when you came to Wuchang from Guangzhou and passed Shanghai, he came from Tianjin to talk to you about the coal and iron deposits in Hubei? Is it? Now that Hubei Coal and Iron is in trouble, I don’t think he will stand by and watch, so you might as well try.” "Ask him to borrow 300,000, can he afford it?" "I think he can." "Okay, let's try it." Zhang Zhidong said, "This is the only way left now." "There is still a way to go." Wang Zhichun said confidently, "In addition to official bank and private bank, there is still foreign bank to borrow." "Ah, yes, you reminded me." Zhang Zhidong's mood brightened. "If Ma Piyao and Sheng Xuanhuai can't borrow, we will borrow from HSBC in Hong Kong. It's just that Hubei's tariff income is not as good as Guangdong's, and the guarantee conditions are not hard." "We have a very hard condition!" Zhang Zhidong was overjoyed: "What are you talking about?" "Xiang Shuai," Wang Zhichun's eyes sparkled, "We can guarantee it with the steel we will refine in the future!" "Juetang, you really have a way." Zhang Zhidong patted Wang Zhichun on the shoulder and laughed happily, thinking: This person is really quick-witted. Unfortunately, there are too few officials in Lianghu who can do things like this! Not long after, Ma Piyao wrote back a letter: "The loan slip of 150,000 taels should be obeyed, but Guangxi is really poor and tried every possible means to get out only 90,000 taels, and the remaining 60,000 taels will be raised in two months. Thank you Forgive me." Zhang Zhidong knew that Ma Piyao was a sincere gentleman, so he wrote back saying that he was very grateful for the 90,000 yuan, and Guangxi was poor, so he didn't need to worry about the remaining 60,000 yuan. As for the creditor recommended by Wang Zhichun, his personality is far more complicated than that of Ma Piyao.Sheng Xuanhuai, who lives in Tianjin, has been promoted to the supervision of Tianjin Customs Daojianjin Customs, the supervision of the China Telegraph Administration, and the supervision of the Shipping Merchants Bureau.He was favored by Li Hongzhang, and supported by a group of talents including Zheng Guanying. He was shrewd and capable, and he was good at dancing with long sleeves.In terms of personal wealth, it is not too much to say that he is the richest in the world.As early as more than 20 years ago, he took a fancy to Hubei's coal and iron, knowing that they are good things that can make a fortune.That year, he made a special trip to Shanghai to visit Zhang Zhidong, who was on his way to his post. It was for those black golds. If Zhang Zhidong agreed, it would be better to let him do it. Even if he disagreed, he would file a case for Zhang Zhidong.So when Zhang Zhidong declined his request later, he did not regret this trip.Over the past few years, he has been following the iron factory at the foot of Guishan Mountain with great interest, and has lamented more than once that Zhang Zhidong's knowledge and courage are not only far above ordinary governors, but also go straight to Li Hongzhang.Zhang Zhidong was more than 20 years younger than Li Hongzhang. From this point of view, isn't it this rising star who will be the leader of the governor and lead the political scene in the future?How much Sheng Xuanhuai wanted to get closer to Zhang Zhidong, but unlike Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhidong was aloof and conceited, and it was difficult to get close. After Zheng Guanying accompanied Zhang Jian back to Shanghai from Wuhan last year, he went to Tianjin again and talked to Sheng Xuanhuai about the situation of the iron factory.The author of "Words of a Prosperous Age" has a sharper and higher vision than the world. Just as he can see the potential huge crisis behind the prosperity in the eyes of ordinary people, he also sees many disadvantages behind the superficially beautiful iron factory: Faction, no one is really responsible, overstaffed, serious extravagance and waste, lack of skilled craftsmen, lax management, the whole iron factory is like a fake tiger with tiger skin but no flesh and blood.Zheng Guanying predicted that it would be very difficult for this iron factory to succeed. In the future, it would either be heavily in debt or die halfway, and there would be no other good way out.Although Sheng Xuanhuai did not go to see it himself, he believed that Zheng Guanying's analysis was good.This was exactly what he had foreseen.Sheng Xuanhuai has been running Westernization for more than 20 years, and has deep friendship with many foreign entrepreneurs. He has accumulated his own experience and other people's research. If we only know how to transfer machines and technology from foreigners, but do not transfer the successful management measures of foreigners, the so-called Westernization will only have a shell but no inner substance, only a skin but no soul.Zhang Zhidong built the Iron Works into what it is today precisely because he didn't understand this truth and followed the officialdom. Of course, the ironworks have not yet been completed and put into production, and these disadvantages are not yet a major obstacle, and only people like Zheng Guanying can see them.Zhang Zhidong, who was in high spirits, might not be able to find it at all. Even if he saw something, he probably wouldn't pay much attention to it.Once he had a brief talk with Li Hongzhang.Li Hongzhang sneered and said, Zhang Xiangtao has always been deceiving the world with big words, he runs an iron factory, whether or not the steel can be smelted is secondary. Sheng Xuanhuai knew that Li and Zhang had deep prejudices, and what Li Hongzhang said was sarcastic.Even if the iron factory is not successful in the future, Zhang Zhidong's courage is still commendable.Sheng Xuanhuai still paid a lot of attention to Zhang Zhidong's Westernization Bureau factory in Hubei. Now the governor of Huguang, who is known as an expert in financial management, came to borrow money from him because of his financial difficulties.Normally people would have a headache when facing borrowing money, but Sheng Xuanhuai was very happy about Zhang Zhidong's borrowing money.This is not mainly because Zhang Zhidong will replace Li Hongzhang in the future, but because he is sure that Hanyang Iron Works will be a huge existence no matter whether it succeeds or fails.He was happy to step in. When he received Zhang Zhidong's loan letter, his first reaction was to simply give him 300,000 taels instead of paying it back.But then I thought again, was he too ingratiating? What would Li Hongzhang think of himself when he found out?Such a gift is like a donation. Don't you become a philanthropist?There are tens of thousands of people looking forward to donations in the world, how will you deal with it in the future?Or, don't want Zhang Zhidong's interest?Thinking about it, I feel wrong. Interest-free loans are used to help the poor abroad, and building iron factories does not fall into this category.In the end, Sheng Xuanhuai decided to lend 300,000 silver to Hubei at half the interest on the ticket number.This is the category of low-interest loans, showing friendship without hurting self-esteem. After receiving Sheng Xuanhuai's letter, Zhang Zhidong was really very happy. After more than two months of rush construction, two main factories: the pig iron smelting plant and the wrought iron smelting plant have been preliminarily built. The pig iron smelting plant has installed two blast furnaces purchased from Belgium, and the wrought iron smelting plant has also been installed. It is best to buy a set of four mixing furnaces from the UK.Others, such as the machine factory, fish fillet hook and nail factory, iron goods factory, and steel rail rolling factory, have been basically completed, and eight chimneys have been erected high. Six hills rose.It is also equipped with forty-five large and small bucket trucks, forty large flatbed trucks of various materials, and four heavy-duty cranes.Zhang Zhidong would personally visit the ironworks every eight or nine days, and he was very satisfied with the progress of the factory.Every time he came, he would praise Cai Xiyong and encourage him to make persistent efforts.Although Cai Xiyong had some untimely words in his stomach, he had no choice but to hide them in his stomach and not say them in the face of the enthusiastic governor.Seeing that it was only one month away from the scheduled date, Cai Xiyong couldn't help but talk, because many problems he faced had to be solved by the governor himself. After another inspection, Cai Xiyong invited Zhang Zhidong to the supervisor's office and said anxiously: "Xiang Shuai, there are a few important matters, I must ask you to make a decision." "What's the matter, tell me!" Zhang Zhidong said while shaking his fan. "This is a matter of urgency." Cai Xiyong wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel, and said, "The biggest are the two blast furnaces of the steel plant. Due to the typhoon, they have been parked in Hong Kong for half a month, and it will be tomorrow." It will take 20 days for Qihang to arrive in Hanyang. The two blast furnaces cannot be installed well. Without blast furnaces and all other auxiliary machinery installed, it cannot be called a steelmaking plant; Steel is made." In fact, the steelmaking plant is the real core of the entire ironworks.The two blast furnaces parked in Hong Kong are Bessemer converters specially designed and built by Liverpool Machine Works for Hanyang Iron Works.It took the factory a year to manufacture these two furnaces. When they learned that the Russian crown prince would come to Hanyang, the Iron and Steel Bureau immediately sent a telegram to the British embassy, ​​which then telegraphed that Liverpool must arrive in mid-September. Wuhan.The factory worked overtime day and night to transport the two blast furnaces onto the ship as scheduled and sailed out of the Irish Sea. It was expected to arrive at Guishan in two months, but it was blocked by a typhoon. If God doesn't cooperate, Zhang Zhidong really has nothing to do.After pondering for a long time, he said, "I'll put the steelworks on hold in advance, what about the other things?" "Iron-making uses coke, and coal cannot be burned directly. We tested the coke produced from Ma'anshan coal the day before yesterday, and the results proved to be unqualified, and the coal from Ma'anshan cannot be used." This is really a big deal.The hard-earned Ma'anshan coal could not be used, and Zhang Zhidong became annoyed when he didn't realize it until this time: "At the beginning, everyone said it could be used, why can't it be used now?" Looking at Zhang Zhidong's stern gaze, Cai Xiyong, as the highest technical decision-maker, felt that he had an inescapable responsibility.He said in a heavy tone: "This is a humble job. The coal used in the test was the coal stored by the British miner in the early years, and several major indicators were barely qualified. A large amount of coal this year came from other coal mines. Well, there is no difference on the outside, I thought it could be used, and I didn’t test it in advance, this is my negligence.” This is a big problem.The coal in Ma'anshan can't be used, what should we do in the future, and where should we use the coal?Zhang Zhidong's heart immediately became heavy.Summing up the lessons, finding a way out is a matter for the future, and the most urgent task is to deal with the Russian prince. "Is there a remedy?" "Yes." Cai Xiyong replied affirmatively. "I have visited 5,000 tons of German Westphalian coke stored on the Shanghai wharf. This is the best coke in the world, and the best coal in the Kaiping Coal Mine cannot produce such coke." "Then hurry up and buy them all!" Zhang Zhidong decided decisively. "It's just that the price is a bit expensive." Cai Xiyong mumbled a little. "What kind of expensive method?" "A ton of coke costs twenty taels of silver, which is the same price as buying a ton of pig iron."张之洞吃了一惊，如此说来，我还开什么铁厂炼什么铁，不如拿银子直接去买铁好了，今后若长期用二十两银子一吨的德国焦炭来炼铁，岂不是白白地将朝廷银子化为水，给天下人一个大笑话！这种事决不能长期做，但眼下救燃眉之急也只得这样了。 “那就先买一千吨吧，对付过这一次，以后再说。” 燃料的事算是解决了，蔡锡勇略微松一口气。 “还有一件事，炼生铁厂的高炉昨天检查时，发现有一座炉子的炉底风口至炉身中部有一道半寸宽的裂缝。这道裂缝若不堵死，则不能使用。” “有办法可以堵死吗？” “有是有，但我们这里不行，一是没有这个技术，二是缺堵缝的材料。用电报与停泊在香港的利物浦厂运炉子的船联系，船上说他们有办法。技师和材料都有，但至少要二十天后才能到达，不知来不来得及。” 张之洞说：“这不要紧，若来得及更好，来不及我就用一个炉子。有一个炉子出铁，我也是竣工投产了。” 到底是总督，魄力宏阔，不像自己这样拘泥，蔡锡勇放心了。 “香帅，这两个月来卑职全副精力都用在铁厂上，昨天陈念扔才告诉我，枪炮厂无论如何不能投产。” “为什么？”张之洞又是一惊。 “江南制造局不愿卖机器给我们，说多余的机器一个都没有。” “这一定是李少荃在刁难！”张之洞愤愤地说。 枪炮厂本是订的德国克虏伯厂的机器，但要明年春天才能交货，赶不上迎接俄皇太子，于是张之洞临时决定就近去上海，从江南制造局里转买。江南制造局是李鸿章在同治四年署理两江总督时，在上海创办的一家机器厂，后来逐步发展成为中国最大、设备最为齐全的军工厂，专造枪炮子弹，厂里的所有设备都是从英、美、德等国家买来的。张之洞估计匀一点出来给湖北没问题。谁知他想得简单了，机器是可以匀得出的，但他们不愿意匀，因为他们不希望看到今后有一个强大的对手出来，与他们竞争，这正好比同市之贾一样的心态。江南厂虽然一直与李鸿章关系密切，但这事他们并没有请示李鸿章，由督办本人作的决定。张之洞因为跟李鸿章不和，便怀疑他在作梗，其实错怪了李鸿章。 “怎么办呢？”不管是谁在刁难，反正机器落空了，铁政局的督办很为此事心焦。 张之洞一时也没办法，说：“炼钢厂的事，枪炮厂的事，这两件事你就别操心了，我来处理。你现在赶紧买一千吨德国焦炭回来，再精选几千吨好铁矿，先在生铁厂试炼两次，只要生铁厂能流出铁水来，就算大成绩了。” “您说得对，是得先试验试验，这是顶重要的。” “还有，”张之洞想起了一件事，“你安排栗殿先他们去做一件事，把铁厂和枪炮厂的环境好好布置一下，路要拓宽铺平，买一些花草树木来栽上。几个主要的工厂厂房都要用石灰粉刷好，尤其是你们督办、主办那座楼更要装饰好。此外还要布置好一间宽大的接待室，以供客人休息谈话，这问房子要豪华气派些。” “好。”蔡锡勇说着，正要起身，张之洞又想起一件事，说：“给铁厂枪炮厂的所有员工每人做一件新褂子，到那一天都穿上。” “需要这样吗？”蔡锡勇神色迟疑。“这要花一笔额外开支的。” “多花点钱不要紧，显示我们湖北铁政局的气概是最重要的。”张之洞拍了拍蔡锡勇的肩膀，得意地笑起来。