Chapter Twelve: Going Home

  When it comes to history, every country and every nation has its own stories that are too numerous to mention.

  The British can talk about the glorious history of their territory being forever under the sun, Americans can say how their country rose to become the world's number one power, Germans can proudly say how strong their country is and how it single-handedly challenged the whole world twice, Japanese people can also talk about how flexible and adaptable their country is, rising again soon after defeat. But for Chinese people, modern history has to mention two-and-a-half words: semi-colonial and semi-feudal social structure.

  China's semi-colonial and semi-feudal society was the result of modern China being invaded by foreign capitalist forces and the stubborn and barbaric rule of domestic feudal forces.

  The Western powers originally intended to turn the vast land of China into their own colony, but what they didn't expect was that China had always been a unified country with a long history, and its people were not willing to become slaves to others. This included the Qing government and local warlords who did not want their interests to be taken away, so they resisted strongly. Additionally, the various powers had different opinions on how to divide up China, which made it impossible for them to work together to do so. As a result, they came up with an excellent plan.

  Ruling China through finding agents is their best thinking result.

  Imperialism and feudal forces, comprador bourgeoisie colluded to jointly oppress and divide the Chinese people, so China maintained an independent national government with a bit of sovereignty. In fact, it had essentially become a China composed of fragmented forces vying for power, with complete sovereignty having been swallowed up by various imperialist powers. The only victims, who suffered the deepest wounds, were the Chinese people. Their lives under the exploitation and oppression of imperialism and various forces cannot be expressed in words. Even though the so-called national unified government had changed from the Qing dynasty to the Republic, the effect remained the same.

  "So, you've made a decision?" Zhang Yu was still busy with new things and new toys in his laboratory that had just been completed not long ago. A sudden urgent phone call quickly made him rush back to the headquarters office building. As soon as he entered the door, he asked without even taking off the white lab coat that was specifically for the laboratory.

  "That's right, it was Guangxi." Zhang Yusheng replied firmly to his younger brother's question. "Apart from the assessment team's suggestions, there are actually many other reasons." Zhang Yusheng said, pointing to the historical materials he had found in his library.

  "After my very detailed research and comparison, I found that apart from geography, human resources, mineral reserves, transportation and other aspects are all very suitable for industrial development. In fact, the current situation in Guangxi is also particularly suitable for our settlement." After finishing speaking, Zhang Yu Sheng moved a chair over to let his younger brother sit down before continuing.

  In another time and space, the southwest was considered the last place to be liberated in China. Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Guizhou and other provinces were notorious for their warlord separatism. The Yunnan clique and Guangxi clique, which became famous later on, were formed during the Xinhai Revolution period. The two large-scale civil wars of "Protecting the Law" and "Protecting the Nation" led to the expansion and deepening of their territories until the Liberation War.

  "In terms of social status, the entire southwestern provinces of China, including Guangxi, are still in the agricultural society stage. The development of capitalism is not even worth mentioning, let alone any power. There are almost no factories with original motive power, but private handicraft workshops are not uncommon. From this, it can be seen that the national capitalism in Guangxi is extremely weak and vulnerable, and they have to show their weakness and compromise in politics and economy, so much so that the revolutionary elements in Guangxi dare not challenge the feudal forces, and can only surrender or cooperate. Therefore, the feudal bureaucrats and the gentry class became the main body of the Guangxi warlords."

  Zhang Yu-sheng paused, collected his thoughts and continued: "After the Wuchang Uprising, the provinces that declared independence set off a wave of 'local people governing their own province' fervor. This kind of regional concept from feudal forces surprisingly gained support and approval from many people in China, even the scarce revolutionaries in Guangxi applauded in agreement. So on the day of Guangxi's independence, the original governor of Guangxi and members of the Guangxi Tongmenghui were pushed to become the head of the Guangxi government, with Wang Zhi-xiang and Lu Rong-ting becoming deputy heads. Originally, Lu Rong-ting was only the third most important person in Guangxi, but heaven gave him the opportunity to become a big warlord. On the third day after Guangxi's independence, the Guilin military mutiny, originally a farce by Wang Zhi-xiang to drive away the governor, resulted in those provincial assemblymen and local forces in Guilin being dissatisfied with Wang Zhi-xiang's tyranny, and Lu Rong-ting muddled his way into becoming the governor-general."

  "What kind of thing is Lu Rongting? He was a major executioner in the Qing dynasty's suppression of the southwestern revolutionary forces. Because he controlled the military power, everyone had to yield to him and let him become a revolutionary leader after killing people. Having never had such good luck before, he was unexpectedly hit by a pie that fell from the sky, resulting in his carefully arranged allocation plan, where both the revolutionaries and the constitutionalists were allocated seats. These people were all manipulated by him, and as soon as he took office, the focus of his political activities was to shout that the revolutionary goals had been achieved, and to massacre the Hui party's military and civilians. Being extremely cruel and loving money, he turned the entire Guangxi into his own 'imperial' territory. Therefore, as long as one gets along with him or eliminates him, the whole of Guangxi will be a loose sand."

  "And there's another point?" Zhang Yu on the side was really bewildered, bewildered by how his own knowledge of history wasn't so rich.

  "There is another point, that is the natural advantage of Guangxi, these advantages are very easy for us to use. Our career cannot be separated from armed struggle, which requires a source of soldiers, but which province in China has the most powerful Chinese soldiers? During the Anti-Japanese War, General Stilwell, the chief of staff of the China Theater, said that Guangxi soldiers are the best soldiers in the world. Marshal Zhu also said that Hunan people are the most overbearing, and Guangxi people are the most brutal. It is said that "Liangguang is one family", but in fact, due to the huge differences in environment and economy, the personalities of Guangxi people and Guangdong people are simply worlds apart. Guangdong people are relatively cold to others, and another point is that they lack some bloodiness; while most Guangxi people are very generous and hospitable, with strong personalities."

  "They are born warriors, the title of 'Guangxi Wolf Troops, the best in the world' during the Ming Dynasty. The Ningyuan War defeated the Qing army's Eight Banners, and the foundation of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was based on 30,000 Guangxi soldiers. Later, Feng Zicai's victory at the Battle of Guangxi Town used Guangxi soldiers. In the Guilin-Tang War, the Hunan Army, known for its bravery, with tens of thousands of soldiers, was defeated and incorporated by the Guilin Army with only a few thousand soldiers. During the Anti-Japanese War, the Japanese evaluated the Guilin Army and Guangxi militia as 'a miscellaneous army that can be compared to the most elite troops of the Central Army in terms of combat effectiveness'. These soldiers have almost fought invincibly all over the world."

  "Guizhou and Yunnan armies are two sheep, Hunan army is a wolf; Guangxi monkeys are the Guangxi army, fierce as tigers and cruel as wolves. This tongue twister is really true!!" Zhang Yu couldn't help but recite a tongue twister.

  "How did you know this tongue twister? This is Peng Laozong's invention, could it be that your Guangxi troops were still the best in the world back then?"

  "No, back then we didn't differentiate that finely. As long as people knew you were Chinese when you went out, nobody would ask which province or city you were from. How boring."

  "Oh, never mind him, anyway this is a great reason to choose Guangxi. The rest is just the natural resource advantages of Guangxi. All the inspection teams said they had no objections and it's worth developing. As for Hainan? That place is still a subordinate region of Guangdong Province until now, also known as Qiongya Dao. Not many people have realized its rich resources, so it's even easier to develop and utilize." Zhang Yusheng finished speaking and lay down on the sofa, enjoying himself comfortably.

  "After returning to the country, there is definitely no such comfortable thing, and there are no such good conditions. You and Tang Guixin, who is already in Liuzhou, will have to suffer a bit, but it won't take long before I come back and share the hardships with you."

  "What are you talking about sharing the bitterness and sweetness? Then why are you still occupying the whole sofa, not letting me enjoy it a bit more? When I go back, I'll be grateful to have a place to sit on my butt. Now you're not even letting me enjoy it a bit more!" After finishing speaking, Zhang Yu pushed his older brother aside and lay down comfortably on the sofa. When he goes back, he will only have the privilege of sleeping on a steel board bed, where can he still lie on the sofa?

  On June 17, 1912, the Ya Mei Group's industrial inspection team returned home and began a formal investigation of each target, completing all survey tasks thirty-five days ahead of schedule. After returning to headquarters, they began preliminary development design for the targets. The US side, after some preparation and arrangement, formally ordered the materials stored in San Francisco to be loaded onto ships on August 24. Only fifty members of the "Security Team" were left to guard the industrial park and train a second batch of troops. Three days earlier, they had boarded a fast ship returning home, accompanied by some construction personnel and secret supplies. After nearly half a month of turbulent navigation, the high-priced fast ship finally arrived at Guangzhou Port, then transferred to small steamboats and sailed upriver, finally completing the unloading of all cargo carried by the fast ship in Liuzhou on September 14.

  At this time, the second batch of ships arriving at Guangzhou Port began to transport machinery and equipment, raw materials, blast furnaces, etc. to Liuzhou, Fangchenggang, Guangxi, and Changhua, Qiongya Dao. According to the plan approved by Guangxi Governor Lu Rongting and the Guangdong government, the Asia-America Group can establish various factories and mines in both places. Therefore, the Asia-America Group plans to build a medium-sized steel plant in Fangchenggang area and expand port facilities, including expanding the port capacity, deepening the sea navigation channel, etc. Of course, as an automobile city planned by the Asia-America Group, Liuzhou needs not only to expand its port capacity and build steel plants, cement plants, etc., but also to develop other industries. As a major mineral energy provider, Changhua Iron Mine in Qiongya Dao will also establish a large-scale mining development company. However, as one of the best ports in Guangdong, Zhanjiang, and the first port in Guangxi, Qinzhou Port will not be neglected either.

  "How can they welcome us so warmly? Don't they know we're back to take their lives?" Zhang Yu had just gotten off the first steamship that arrived at Liuzhou Port, and he was immediately welcomed by a large crowd. Except for the Nanjing National Government, which didn't send anyone, the entire Guangxi Military Government had turned out in force, led by Lu Rongting, to welcome back the overseas Chinese who were returning to participate in national construction. Zhang Yu felt like he had become a god or something, and as soon as he had a chance, he went to find Tang Guixin, who was busy planning to use the newly arrived materials to build a new steel mill.

  "This is a long story, but one thing is that Lu Rongting is greedy, not just ordinary greed. We are sending wealth to his doorstep, how can he not be happy?" Tang Guixin said, and immediately handed over an urgent document to Zhang Yu. "This is a telegram from the Hainan side, saying that you need to go there in person to inspect and guide, the Shilu Iron Mine Development Company is about to start large-scale construction, you need to go there to supervise so as not to affect the progress of the Fangchenggang Steel Plant!"

  "Alright, I'll trouble you to take care of things here in Liuzhou. Although Liuzhou has iron ore, the steel mill that needs to be built and put into production urgently is not Liugang but the one in Fangchenggang. Without it, how can we build the railway from Liuzhou to Fangchenggang? In the future, when the automobile factory is completed, won't it still have to rely on the railway for transportation?"

  Zhang Yu said, took the urgent letter and was about to leave, but suddenly slammed on the brakes, turned his head and said: "Actually, the people in Lao Tang's place are very good. Letting them do more work at the port is also a move for us to get closer to the villagers. The treatment doesn't matter, just give it as you see fit. Take those engineering vehicles that have been vacated and put them into places where they are needed more." Only then did Zhang Yu leave Liuzhou with peace of mind and board the ship going to Qiongya Island.

  After nearly two days of tossing, Zhang Yu arrived at Baishu Port and saw the team building port facilities in a big way. Just when he felt relatively satisfied, he was pulled by several people who came to receive the ship to the Shilong Mine. After another bumpy ride on the heavy truck, he finally arrived at the surprising mine. The whole mine is a large mountain, and the miners' houses at the foot of the mountain are really like giants compared to the small toes.

  "This mine is a polymetallic and non-metallic mineralized zone, with large reserves of high-grade iron ore. The mining area has 28 primary iron ore bodies and 6 slope-accumulated iron ore bodies. The total iron ore reserve is estimated to be 214 million tons. Assay results show that the average grade of iron ore is 49.15%, with a maximum grade of 64.36%. Although these numbers have some errors, they already indicate the value of this mine. In addition, there are also 4 oxidized copper ore bodies, 6 cobalt sulfide ore bodies, and other mineral resources such as limestone, with cobalt reserves of nearly 3 million tons."

  Jefferson, the temporary head of the technical department of Shi Lu Iron Mine Development Company, was extremely excited to tell Zhang Yu that he had signed a three-year contract with Asia. Within these three years, he must obey the group's arrangement and work schedule. Apart from the generous returns on the contract itself, the group also promised to give rewards after the completion of the contract, which means Jefferson is receiving an extremely high salary and has discovered rich iron ore that can make him famous. All this made him forget the hardships of his location and became even more excited with the arrival of the group's second-in-command.

  "It seems that the ore produced in this mine must be of exceptionally high quality?" Zhang Yu looked around at the construction site, which was constantly being built up, with trucks coming and going to transport materials, excavators building foundations for houses and factories, and road rollers paving the transportation roads. The entire bustling scene was both exciting and heart-wrenching. It was exciting to see these expensive machines finally demonstrating their massive productivity, but it was also heartbreaking to think of the large quantities of fuel that had been transported from far-off America. However, this excitement was only temporary, and ultimately it was completely overshadowed by a sense of unease.

  "It is indeed the case that high-quality iron ore with good physical properties is not only easy to smelt but also beneficial for extending the life of blast furnace linings. Moreover, it has a certain special effect during the blast furnace smelting process. The composition of lump ore is stable, the particle size is uniform, and the physical properties are good. If we have high-iron low-silica high-basicity sintered ore, we can add the necessary amount of Hainan powder ore to form a liquid phase for bonding, which is also suitable for producing ductile iron."

  Jefferson's confidence was overwhelming, and his words were powerful, making Zhang Yu feel like his eardrums were throbbing. "When can those factories be built?" Thinking of the purpose of his visit, Zhang Yu decided to endure the noise for a while and complete his mission.

  "Oh, according to the company's plan. We will build dozens of new factories and several major units, with open-pit mining departments and ore dressing plants being prioritized for construction, expected to be officially put into operation within a month or even faster. And power plants, repair shops, equipment maintenance factories, automobile repair factories, mechanical power stations, material supply stations, etc., logistics service departments will be slower. Of course, if the highway and railway can be repaired in time to reach the port, I believe that as long as the steel mill needs it, we have enough mineral supplies here."

  In the following days, Zhang Yu stayed here to monitor various construction progress, coordinating and organizing all kinds of materials and equipment transported from Guangzhou Port, until the main framework of Shilu Iron Mine Development Company was completed, with enough manpower and supervision institutions, Zhang Yu set off for the next destination Fangchenggang.

  The domestic development and construction plan of the Asia-America Group involves a wide range, large funds, and a large scale of construction materials and personnel mobilization, which is the largest investment action since the establishment of the group. Dozens of major projects are launched simultaneously, bringing unprecedented impact to Guangxi and even the entire southeastern China. The hot construction boom swept across the two provinces like a raging storm, and people thought it was the greatest change brought about by the Republic of China. However, once the cargo carried by dozens of ships arriving at Liuzhou Port is opened, it will quickly prove that all this is just the initiative of Asia-America Group itself, and not the charm of the Republic of China.

  "Be careful with your movements, don't be too stiff! Hurry up!!" Just after disembarking, the security team was preparing to board the closed truck that had come to pick them up. Five of the twenty trucks were covered with thick rain covers, and the crowd quickly boarded the trucks to rest. The dockworkers at the port where Ah Mei belonged also quickly used cranes to lift the large metal boxes from the ship onto the trucks. This was the first time standard containers were used domestically, but their appearance not only made transportation more convenient, it also provided a closed space for the goods inside, so outsiders had no idea what was being transported, just like before - all construction materials.

  The rumbling trucks started up quickly, and on the way they slowly transported ordinary goods as usual until they arrived at the temporary construction site. At that time, it was different from transporting materials. The trucks all drove into a closed steel frame warehouse one by one, and no one saw what these cars were carrying from start to finish.

  "The goods have been received!" Zhang Yusheng, who was in the US, was just about to get out of bed when he received this telegram. Since New York is nearly a dozen hours behind China, it was still daytime there and he hadn't even gotten up yet. "Everything is going according to plan, but the third batch of ships has two additional cargo ships carrying grain, with a reserve of 6,000 tons of grain and equivalent rain tarpaulins for emergency use." Considering that many workers would be returning home, this would have a significant impact on local food consumption. To avoid some minor issues affecting the group's progress, Zhang Yusheng had to try his best to eliminate these small problems while in the US. After writing this telegram, he immediately sent it back.

  The long-planned return to China and construction plan has finally begun. If everything goes according to plan, the AsiaMe Group will soon become the world's largest enterprise. As for how big it will be, we'll have to wait and see if the entire project is completed smoothly.