1905: Beer Hall Speaker

Page 125

If the image were replaced with that of Lao Tzu, then would reciting the Diamond Sutra be wrong? Or, if it were replaced with an image of God, would reciting the Diamond Sutra and the Tao Te Ching be wrong?

"As I've said before, everything is in constant motion, changing and developing in the process of change."

"I can't always be right, and I can't lead you all forever. There will be a day when I'm wrong, and there will be a day when I leave."

"What if you all only know how to recite my Diamond Sutra, but no one knows how to recite the Tao Te Ching, let alone any other scriptures? What should we do then?"

Chapter 208 A Bored and Crazy Day

When Zhang Mingqi left the Imperial Study, he felt dizzy and his head was itchy, as if his brain was about to grow.

After returning to his office in the Prime Minister's Office, Zhang Mingqi took out a copy of the Tao Te Ching and placed it in the most conspicuous position on his desk, instructing his secretary that the Tao Te Ching must always be kept there and must not be touched.

Zhang Mingqi used pen and paper to write down Zhao Yan's story and annotations in his autobiography, and he also wrote down the process and time in great detail.

Zhang Mingqi has no historians watching over him to record his life, but he will record it himself. Moreover, since taking office as the Premier of the State Council, he has been writing his autobiography. He plans to write it until the day he closes his eyes, so as to leave a footnote to his life.

The following day was Lunar New Year's Eve.

Zhao Yan was still working a miserable job as a corporate slave in the Imperial Study, but there were unusually few official documents on New Year's Eve, almost only one-fifth of the usual amount, which Zhao Yan found strange.

But he quickly realized that while he didn't take a holiday and worked year-round, others did. No matter how busy the government agencies were, they would still have a holiday on New Year's Eve. Apart from the staff on duty, there was basically no one else around, and most of the work would stop.

Even if Zhao Yan wanted to review more official documents to avoid being seen as foolish, no one would bring them to him anymore.

"Ah~ Chinese New Year is so great! If every day were Chinese New Year, that would be wonderful!" Zhao Yan put down the last official document, stretched lazily, grabbed a pillow and put it under his waist, leaning back on the kang (heated brick bed) without any regard for his image.

If someone finally gets a day off, they will definitely leave their workstation and the company, the farther the better, to go out and wander around, to see the scenery or eat some delicious food.

Zhao Yan, however, didn't want to go anywhere. He stayed on the kang (a heated brick bed) in a lazy, sullen manner, obediently staying in the imperial study.

Zhao Yan's workstation is too big, covering the entire capital city, and the company he works for is too big, covering the whole of China. So no matter where he goes, he can never escape his workplace.

Moreover, there's nowhere for him to relax. Whenever he leaves the presidential palace, going anywhere is not considered relaxing or tourism, but rather an inspection!

Wandering around the Forbidden City would frighten those unfortunate souls left behind in other departments. These people are already struggling to celebrate the New Year, and Zhao Yan going to scare them is really not fair.

Moreover, Zhao Yan himself was reluctant to give out red envelopes. During the New Year, he had to give red envelopes to everyone he met. Theoretically, no one was entitled to give Zhao Yan a red envelope, but Zhao Yan had an obligation to give red envelopes to every staff member he saw, otherwise people would call him a stingy leader who only drank cold water.

If it were to leave the Forbidden City and wander outside, it would be even more troublesome. The presidential palace would definitely have to prepare various security measures in a chaotic manner, plan routes, and arrange various emergency plans. By the time everything was done, the New Year's Eve dinner would probably be completely cold.

If they were to leave the capital and travel to the wider world, the entire 1st SS Division would probably have to be mobilized, and all the provinces and regions along the way would have to make preparations. With tens of thousands of people traveling and eating and sleeping wherever they go, the cost of food, drink, and shelter alone would be a huge drain on the finances of the places they pass through.

Zhao Yan had thought many times about going out to see what it was like down there, but when he thought about how much trouble it would cause for so many people, he eventually gave up the idea and decided to leave it for later.

The head of state is theoretically the freest person in the country, able to go wherever he wants, even to the most confidential locations. There is no place in the entire country that he cannot go.

In reality, the Führer was also the least free person. He couldn't go anywhere; the leash of power kept him firmly tied to his bed!

Stopping his work and emptying his mind, Zhao Yan sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) like a madman. He took out the familiar suitcase from the cabinet at the head of the kang, then took out a stack of banknotes and counted them over and over.

These are all the fruits of his crimes. Zhao Yan imagined that he had successfully defrauded 400 million Chinese people, become the head of state, and then swindled the wages earned by the taxes of 400 million Chinese people. The money in his hands was the symbol of his success.

While counting the money, Zhao Yan took out a mirror and said to himself, "You truly deserve to be called the most successful fraudster of this century. You managed to swindle over 400 million yuan in one go. You're amazing!"

"What's wrong with you now? What's wrong with your brain?" Wu Xia, who was carrying a bathtub, saw her husband talking to himself in front of the mirror and walked closer.

Upon seeing the bills in Zhao Yan's hand, Wu Xia immediately raised her voice: "When did you start hiding so much money? Huh!"

"Wait till I finish bathing the child, then I'll teach you a lesson!"

Zhao Yan's hard-earned money, which he had just been holding onto, was confiscated by his wife on the spot as if it were his secret stash of money. At the same time, his fantasy of being the most successful fraudster of this century was ruthlessly shattered by reality.

For the first time, Zhao Yan regretted getting married. Indeed, marriage is the grave that buries a man's ideals.

Bored, Zhao Yan flipped through the photos for a while. They were mostly photos of him and his disciples, as well as some group photos of him and his soldiers during battles. Zhao Yan suddenly realized that he was very tense in every photo, either maintaining the image of a master or the dignity of a commander.

In short, there isn't a single solo photo of me relaxed, nor is there a single photo of me smiling; all of them show me with a serious expression.

"Damn it, I'm not watching anymore! When I have time, I'm definitely going to take a solo photo of myself laughing the most, hide it, and only look at it by myself!"

The historian in the corner watched Zhao Yan's erratic behavior silently, not saying a word, but his pen kept writing.

Zhao Yan was completely dumbfounded: "Get lost! I'm on holiday today, it's Chinese New Year, bro! Can you let me off the hook? I'll give you a holiday, I'll order you to go home for the New Year!"

The historian remained silent and continued to record the events as they were.

Zhao Yan was completely convinced, so he simply lay down on his side with his back to the historian, leaning against the pillow, and continued his erratic behavior.

Zhao Yan stretched out his hand towards the wall, then imagined he had a mobile phone in his hand, and opened a short video. One after another, alluring married women with long legs, black stockings, wasp waists, and large breasts appeared on the screen.

Zhao Yan bent his thumb and kept flipping it up and down in the air, occasionally using his other hand to like and follow.

Zhao Yan spent the entire afternoon lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) "playing on his phone," and didn't even notice when Wu Xia came in.

Wu Xia almost called the imperial physician over. Her husband, Zhao Yan, huddled on the kang (a heated brick bed), his thumb flying up and down with one hand, while his index finger made a virtual thumbs-up gesture with the other, muttering something about the benefits of black stockings and the grace bestowed by a female bodhisattva.

Wu Xia felt that calling the imperial physician was useless and that she had to ask a Taoist priest to come and perform an exorcism. Her husband was completely possessed by a ghost, and he was looking at the wall with a lecherous gaze!

It wasn't until Wu Xia started swearing that Zhao Yan snapped back to normal, even pretending to put the non-existent phone back into his pocket.

"Have you gone mad from reviewing all those memorials? Should we get some Taoist priests or monks to take a look at you?"

"Women shouldn't ask about men's affairs! What do you, a mere woman, know?"

"It's Chinese New Year today, so I won't hold it against you. I'm too lazy to even mention the matter of you hiding money. Hurry up and change your clothes, wash your face, and get ready for New Year's Eve dinner!"

"I won't eat. What good food is there for a stranger in a strange land?"

"What did you say? Say it again?!" Wu Xia was furious. She didn't understand what was wrong with her husband. He was alone in a strange land, and he treated his wife and children like decorations.

"I told you I'd be dressed and ready in ten minutes, and you and the kids wait for me!"

"That sounds like human language!"

Zhao Yan was truly terrified of this woman, and even wanted to find a Taoist priest or monk to take a look at him? If the Taoist priests and monks of the Republic saw him, they would probably instantly transform from sorcerers into assassins!

After changing into new clothes, Zhao Yan washed his face, calmed his wandering thoughts, and pulled himself back to the present era, becoming normal again.

The dining area was not far away. After leaving the Imperial Study, a group of guards followed, protecting Zhao Yan from both sides. Even if it was only a hundred meters or so, they had to escort him the whole way.

Zhao Yan pulled out the red envelopes he had prepared from his pocket with a pained expression: "It's already New Year's Eve, why are there still so many people? Don't you all celebrate the New Year? Or are you here specifically to scam me out of red envelopes?"

The guard captain accepted the red envelope while scratching his head sheepishly: "The division commander instructed that everything should proceed as usual during the New Year, and the number of people should remain the same."

At this moment, the usually unnoticed historian suddenly appeared, extending his hand and saying, "Your Majesty, what about mine?"

Zhao Yan gritted his teeth and handed over the red envelope: "You only know to shut up when you see a red envelope?"

The red envelopes Zhao Yan gave out only contained one cent each, but no one cared about the money inside, let alone opened them. Instead, they kept them carefully close to their bodies, which was more precious than amulets blessed in temples.

Upon arriving at her restaurant, Wu Xia was already sitting around the table with her three children. The two younger ones were in high chairs and had quite good appetites. Before Zhao Yan even arrived, they were each holding a lion's head meatball and gnawing on it, but unfortunately, their teeth weren't good enough to chew it properly.

Wu Zijian was very well-behaved, sitting upright at the dining table. When he saw Zhao Yan arrive, he immediately stood up to greet him.

Zhao Yan smiled, patted the child's head, and then gave him a large red envelope.

"Oh right, there's another one who hasn't come out yet, she gets one too!" Zhao Yan took a red envelope and stuck it on Wu Xia's big belly.

Wu Xia was also in a great mood and pressed on, "What about mine?"

Zhao Yan was in a bad mood: "You stole your afternoon all by yourself, you stole the most!"

Scammers are most afraid of encountering robbers, and if the robber is also an inside man, then there's even less they can do anything about it.

The whole family was present except for Wu Zifu. Zhao Yan's beloved eldest disciple and stepson was still in Tibet, dealing with the aftermath, or rather, he was deliberately avoiding Zhao Yan.

But Zhao Yan didn't forget him. He took out a photo of Wu Zifu's upper body from his pocket, placed it on the table, and thoughtfully poured him a glass of wine, saying, "Zifu, it's New Year's Eve today, so make sure you eat and drink well!"

Wu Xia wanted to hit someone, but she held back. Men, after all, have those few days every month.

The New Year's Eve dinner featured eighteen dishes, each a delicacy, including everything from fish to birds, animals, and plants.

The wines on the table were all aged, the bowls and plates were all imperial porcelain, the kind that would fetch at least several million at auction decades later, and even the chopsticks were ivory.

To accommodate the two little ones with weak teeth, the dishes undergo repeated special processing to ensure they are all soft and chewy, so even if they can't bite into them, they won't get stuck in their throats.

Zhao Yan's monthly food expenses and meal allowances are very high, but the vast majority of them end up in the stomachs of pregnant women and children. These are professional nutritional meal plans designed for special groups. For ordinary people, this is something they can only access decades later, but for Zhao Yan, it's something he can have anytime. The people in the imperial kitchen can do everything, except make the elixir of immortality.

Zhao Yan enjoyed his New Year's Eve dinner very much; at least he had a big smile on his face.

At midnight, Zhao Yan and his family stood in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony to watch the fireworks. A row of specially made fireworks was set up in the square in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony and set off by soldiers of the Presidential Guard.

Until the dazzling fireworks pierced the sky, blooming into cool, colorful sparks in the night.

Zhao Yan welcomed the new year, bid farewell to the past year, and ended another neurotic day.

Chapter 209 Industrial Development

February 18, 1910, the first month of the lunar calendar.

The entrance to the Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant in Hubei Province.

A speeding carriage was brought to a stop in front of the gate. Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, the door was opened.

"The damp cold in the south is really unbearable!" Lieutenant Colonel Liu Ting, director of the Technical Equipment Bureau of the Joint Logistics Department, quickly stepped off the carriage and hurried toward the steel plant personnel who had come to greet him.

The miserable Liu Ting spent the entire Spring Festival on the train. Before the Spring Festival, he received a last-minute notice that he should skip the holiday and work overtime on a business trip to the south to Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant to resolve some equipment quality defects.

Recently, the Northwest Anti-Rebellion Army Command reported to the Ministry of National Defense in Beijing that the latest batch of Type 02 rifles had frequent problems and were highly unreliable in combat, resulting in the deaths of many soldiers.

The Ministry of National Defense forwarded the complaint to the Joint Logistics Command, which then went to the Hanyang Arsenal to argue, because the Hanyang Arsenal is currently the main supplier of light weapons to the National Defense Forces and the main manufacturer of the latest Type 02 rifle.

The Hanyang Arsenal took a hard line, stating that there were no problems with the design and manufacturing; the issue lay with the raw materials, specifically the steel. They had already informed the Joint Logistics Command, but the Command ignored them, refusing to budge or offer additional funding. The factory was determined not to lose money, so they used cheaper raw steel in the manufacturing process.

The latest batch of rifles received in the Northwest had many problems with their magazine feeding systems. In critical moments, bullets wouldn't be fed, leaving them with no choice but to fight desperately with bayonets.

But the bayonet fell off during the fight. After the bayonet and the bayonet were thrown out, one piece remained on the other's body, leaving only a bewildered soldier watching the enemy run away with his bayonet and rifle parts stuck in his body, while the soldier stood in the wind, utterly confused.

After such incidents occurred frequently, Wang Dingyun, the top leader in the Northwest, could no longer hold back. The reliability of the new rifle was even worse than that of the Hanyang rifle. This was outrageous. It was one thing for the ammunition feeding system to malfunction, but the bayonet could only be inserted but could not be pulled out. What kind of situation was this?

The Joint Logistics Command was under immense pressure. Everyone suspected that Dai Mingde was embezzling money and then neglecting his duties. Dai Mingde couldn't sit still any longer and had no choice but to send Lieutenant Colonel Liu Ting to Hubei to resolve the issue.

"Director Liu, you've had a long journey. The factory manager has prepared a banquet to welcome you back!" The steel plant's receptionist greeted Liu Ting with a broad smile.

Liu Ting pulled his wool overcoat tighter around himself, his expression and tone unfriendly: "There's no need for a welcome dinner. Have the technicians show me around the production workshop. I'm here to solve problems, not to eat and drink."

Liu Ting was very unhappy after being crammed on the train for more than a week. He was already upset about having his holiday canceled, but after leaving the capital, he encountered the Spring Festival travel rush. The train was packed with people, and the driver had to keep braking and picking people up along the way.

People kept falling off the tracks along the way, and the train had to stop to pick them up. At each station, the train had to wait for the tracks to become available before it could continue. It took a full eight days to travel from Beijing to Wuhan.

Now Liu Ting doesn't want to think about anything else; he just wants to solve the problem as soon as possible and then go home to make up for his lost vacation.

The factory didn't say much when they heard Liu Ting's request, and readily agreed, sending technicians to accompany Liu Ting on the inspection.

Both sides went straight to the source of production, looking for the root of the problem.

Because all the problems stemmed from the steel raw materials, while the design and manufacturing process of the new rifle were flawless, the first batch of rifles supplied to the troops received a very positive response.

After arriving at the smelting workshop, Liu Ting looked at the magnificent and massive steelmaking workshop, as well as the huge converters and blast furnaces, and watched as molten steel was continuously refined and fed into the next processing step on the production line.

Liu Ting was very confused. Given the current strength and scale of Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant, how could such a basic problem occur?

Hanyang Iron and Steel Plant is currently the leading steel manufacturing enterprise in China, with an annual output exceeding one million tons, producing 340,000 tons of steel, 670,000 tons of pig iron and wrought iron, and more than 28,000 tons of special steel annually.

"Director Liu, the factory has received an inquiry letter from the Ministry of National Defense, and we are well aware of the reason for the military's visit."

"I heard that Director Liu studied in the United States and is a technically savvy person?"

The workshop engineer got straight to the point.

Liu Ting nodded: "That's right. I don't like talking about irrelevant things, and I especially dislike beating around the bush. I prefer to get straight to the point and find a solution."

The engineer nodded and then said, "Then I'll be frank. We've received samples of the military's weapons, and through our research, we've discovered that it's not a quality issue, but a cost issue."

“We have contacted you about this matter many times, but you will not listen to our explanation and instead believe that we are selling inferior goods.”

"It's a very simple cost issue, but you insist on nitpicking other things. I've really had enough of that."

Liu Ting said in a deep voice, "Be more specific and explain it clearly. Don't be afraid of making it complicated; I can understand!"

The engineer pointed to the busy workers and the equipment that never stopped running in the workshop and began his explanation, starting directly from the very beginning of production.

After all, many officials in the central government, whether civil or military, do not understand how steel raw materials are transformed from ore into steel, nor do they understand the differences between different types of steel.

Many officials and generals can distinguish that steel and iron are two different materials, which is quite remarkable. However, they are completely ignorant of the specific subdivisions, such as alloy steel, ordinary steel, and the yield strength, toughness, hardness, and other properties of steel.

They only know that steel is steel, and all steel is the same.

"The core of steelmaking is temperature; Director Liu should understand that, right?"

"Of course I understand. I graduated from MIT. Don't insult me. Keep talking. I'll write down everything you say."

"Great, it's awesome to be technically savvy!"

The engineer continued, "The biggest difference between humans and animals is that humans have mastered fire and know how to use energy to generate heat, and then process the materials and tools they need."

"The core of steel smelting is temperature and materials. Ordinary firewood can burn at a temperature of 600 to 700 degrees Celsius, which can be used for cooking and heating. Temperatures above 800 degrees Celsius can be used to fire pottery and bricks for building houses."