Globe Trekker

Chapter 59

In the sound of gurgling water, a passenger ship goes upstream along the Qiantang River from east to west.

As twilight slowly fell, the ships passing by on the river were lit with lights, and the night lights on the top of the westward passenger ship fully illuminated a group of men drinking tea and chatting on the top deck.After talking about what happened in Hangzhou, under Wu Ming's ingenious guidance, the topic unknowingly turned to ships and shipping that Boss Zhong and the others were very familiar with and proud of.

Wu Ming soon learned a lot of information about the hydrology of the Qiantang River Basin, dangerous waters, and checkpoints and wharfs from everyone's narratives. The more they talked, the more speculative they became.At this time, the topic was getting farther and farther away. Boss Zhong and the others actually sighed for the situation in the Northeast and the large-scale war against communism in Jiangxi.

Ye Hang had to put all his energy into it, and the few men who were still unsatisfied needed to return to their jobs to drive the ship, so they had to leave. Only Zhong Changqing was in a good mood. He asked two apprentices to arrange for Mrs. Fang's family and Wu Ming's two apprentices. For dinner, I personally went down to bring three dishes of special appetizers and a jar of wine, so I had to continue drinking and chatting with Wu Ming, who had a bad temper.

Halfway through the drink, Wu Ming learned more about Quzhou's industrial and commercial conditions, so he took this opportunity to ask for clarification: "Brother Zhong, speaking of it, the few hardware processing factories and two small shipyards in Quzhou are having a hard time. !"

"is not that right!"

Zhong Changqing raised his single arm and wiped the oily beard on his mouth: "To tell you the truth, the largest 'Zhong's Iron Works' in the north of the city was run by my cousin. By the year before last, there were already nine imported processing machines and nearly a hundred masters and workers. They could not only produce standard bolts and nuts, loom accessories and carriage axles, but also cast iron lions and large bronze bells used in temples. , is the most famous iron factory in Quzhou. But who would have thought... oh..."

Zhong Changqing shook his head sadly, sighed, and continued: "In the past two years or so, imported goods from the East and the West have poured in overwhelmingly. The business of the factory is worsening day by day, if it is not possible to cast some plowshares and maintain some kitchen knives, hatchets, etc., I am afraid it will be closed a long time ago!"

"Poor my cousin, his heart is higher than the sky, and his life is thinner than paper. Two years ago, he confidently spent a lot of money and took the lead in setting up the 'Quzhou Industrial College', patting his chest to train Quzhou. Industrial talents, but now that the trees are falling and the monkeys are scattered, it is too late to regret it!"

After hearing this, Wu Ming's mind turned quickly, thinking of the imported machine tools in Fang Youchun's military supply warehouse, he quickly picked up the wine jar and poured wine for Zhong Changqing: "Brother Zhong, how many teachers and students are there in Quzhou Industrial College? Are they still there?" ?”

Zhong Changqing clinked glasses with Wu Ming, took a big gulp of wine and sighed: "A total of two hundred young people are gone! All the gentlemen hired with high salaries have left, and some of the students have gone back to do some work with relatives and friends. Small business, some can only go back to their hometown to farm, the best is to be a blacksmith... My eldest son also studied there for a year and a half, I let him go to the shop to help his mother do odd jobs, the city There are more than a dozen young people like this, from good families who spend their days idle around all day, and those from poor families who go to work as coolies on the wharf.”

Wu Ming pondered for a moment: "Brother Zhong, how much is your cousin's hardware factory worth?"

"Now all that's left are some old machines, plus the land is worth [-] yuan." Zhong Changqing quickly realized, staring at Wu Ming in surprise: "Brother Wu, what do you mean? Do you want to get a piece of hardware?" factory?"

Wu Ming didn't hide it either: "I have this plan, but I haven't thought it through yet."

Zhong Changqing waved his hands again and again: "You can't do it, you can't do it! No matter what you do, you can't do foreign goods! My brother, my brother advises you to give up this idea and work hard with Chief Fang... I can see that Fang The officer thinks highly of you, and this time the officer is reinstated, he will definitely keep you by his side, with my brother's full of talent and good looks, he can at least get a lieutenant and adjutant when he enters, work slowly, and there are plenty of opportunities to make a fortune."

Wu Ming thanked him sincerely, and then seriously asked for opinions: "You also know that those imported machine tools thrown in the military supply warehouse have always been a pain in my elder brother's heart. Start the ordnance repair shop! I can't help him with the military, but I should be able to contribute to these things, so I would like to ask Brother Zhong, can we call back the students from the original Quzhou Industrial College?"

Zhong Changqing's eyes lit up, and then he became worried again: "It's ok, as long as the announcement is made, at least half of them can be called back. After all, most of these students are children from ordinary families. It's just that people are killed everywhere these days. As long as life is good , no one wants to be a soldier!"

"What if I don't ask them to serve as soldiers?" Wu Ming asked.

"That's no problem, but how dare you let them repair their guns if they don't serve as soldiers?" Zhong Changqing was curious.

Wu Ming nodded: "Brother Zhong, please tell your cousin when you go back. If he is interested, I would like to meet him. I am sure to bring his factory back to life. Also, remember what you promised me As soon as possible, go to Mrs. Sister-in-law's hometown to bring back fifty honest young men, and then I will pay off the settling-in expenses all at once, and I will train an elite army for Big Brother Fang, please!"

After Wu Ming finished speaking, he looked up to see that it was getting dark, stood up, cupped his hands, and went back to the cabin to rest.

Zhong Changqing stared blankly at Wu Ming's back. After thinking about it, apart from admiration, he felt that his brain was not enough.

# # # # # #
Just after three o'clock in the afternoon the next day, the familiar Quzhou Wharf was in sight.

Fang Youchun, who had been talking with Wu Ming on the top deck for most of the day, stopped talking. When he saw the scene on the pier clearly, his expression became ugly instantly, and he returned to the cabin without looking back.

Wu Ming looked curiously at the pier and found more than [-] security officers on the pier waiting eagerly. He immediately understood why Fang Youchun had such a big reaction. Went to the first deck, found Zhong Changqing to discuss carefully, Zhong Changqing had a lot of emotion, but still agreed.

Saying goodbye to Zhong Changqing, Wu Ming quickly boarded the cabin on the second floor, ignoring Fang Youchun who was sitting on the bunk with a livid face, and went directly to Sister Fang to whisper.

Sister-in-law Fang looked helplessly at her stubborn husband, nodded and agreed to mediate, and would not embarrass the group of military officers who came to greet her, otherwise Fang Youchun would have no benefit in the future.

The passenger ship docked, and the passengers left cleanly. Fang Youchun asked two old subordinates on the ship to help him wrap the steamer and return directly to his hometown in Changshan. After finishing, he still sat on the bunk and smoked silently.

Wu Ming had no choice but to sit down and accompany him: "Brother, your attitude is inappropriate now. How can you say that the officers from the headquarters are here to welcome you? You are a villain who has made trouble, but today is not what it used to be, and in the end you won, and they were scared, so you should show some demeanor!"

"As the old saying goes, the tolerance of all rivers is great! For a long time to come, you will still have to rely on this group of people to work for you. Take a step back and say, there are a few old subordinates who have a good relationship with you, right? To put it bluntly If it’s a little bit, it’s not worth the loss if you make people feel resentful for a moment of anger!”

Fang Youchun was finally moved by Wu Ming's sincere persuasion, and stood up with a long sigh: "Okay! I'll go down and meet them...Little brother, thank you for your honest advice!"

Zhong Changqing and Mrs. Fang were still greeting the officers on the pier. Fang Youchun had already strode off the boat, with a faint smile on his thin face. After standing still, he bowed his hands to the former subordinates who surrounded him:

"Everyone welcomes you, and Fang is grateful. However, Fang is only recovering his reputation and military status. What to do is yet to be ordered by the top, so it is inconvenient to stay in Quzhou. I can only say thank you! Fang left home It's been a long time, the parents at home are looking forward to it, and Fang is so anxious that he will return home, please forgive me!"

The officers were quite surprised, some were surprised, some regretted, some were happy, some were apprehensive, but in a blink of an eye, all of them had respectful smiles on their faces, expressing their congratulations and understanding in one go. Wu Ming in the back sighed.

The small diesel boat invited by the two old brothers docked quickly, and the steps for getting on the boat had already been set up. Wu Ming and the two curious apprentices moved all the luggage onto the boat. When they turned around and disembarked, they saw Zhong Changqing leading a A stocky officer in his early thirties stood in front.

Without waiting for Wu Ming to send a gift, Zhong Changqing immediately introduced warmly: "Brother Wu, this is Ma Zhizhai, Section Chief of the Operations Section of the headquarters. He graduated from the eighth phase of the Baoding Military Academy. brother."

Wu Ming hurriedly saluted: "Hello, Chief Ma!"

"Don't dare! Ma should thank brother Wu on behalf of his brothers in the army, haha!" Ma Zhizhai clasped his fists in return, and was very polite to the gentle and kind Wu Ming. It seemed that he had a certain understanding of Wu Ming from Zhong Changqing.

Wu Ming asked politely, "Is Chief Ma the Hui nationality?"

Ma Zhizhai said with a hearty smile: "Ma's ancestral home is in Shaanxi. His father was originally in charge of the horse army in Zhejiang Green Camp during the Guangxu period. After [-], he retired and returned to the field. The family has settled in Quzhou for three generations."

Wu Ming suddenly had a good impression and showed a rare smile. Zhong Changqing was very happy and asked the two to get closer in the future. Then they went to welcome Fang Youchun, who was bidding farewell to everyone, into the boat. Under the watchful eyes of the officers and hundreds of people on the pier Leave slowly.

(End of this chapter)