The railway is a paramilitary unit, and after the new officer of Senior Colonel Yan Fu took office, he did not come to the first three fires, but closed his mouth and went to the grassroots level to inspect it. "Li Zhongtang" did not accompany the inspection, perhaps because he thought that he had been respected by Wei Ze, Li Hongzhang said to the inspection team: "I can't see any new ways when I go, so it is better to let me stay in Seoul and deal with Goryeo officials." If the officials who work in the company can let them return to the Goryeo royal court as officials, they should not object. Let's do some foreshadowing. ”

This kind of traditional feudal power struggle work is Li Zhongtang's strength, Yan Fu, Yuan Weiting, Wang Shizhen are not very good at it, Yan Fu agreed to Li Hongzhang's request. When Yuan Weiting talked to Wang Shizhen about this matter in private, he was a little surprised by Li Hongzhang's choice, "Director Li, what's wrong?" If it had been before, he would have accompanied the leaders on the inspection. ”

Wang Shizhen's tone was still so flat, "The leaders inspected the grassroots level, and what was shown was the credit of you and me." Director Li went together, is that to grab credit? ”

The tone of these words was so calm, Yuan Weiting was not calm after hearing it. Credits are always the more things the better, and a guy like Yuan Weiting who has the courage and courage can make a difference as long as he is given the opportunity. However, in Yuan Weiting's eyes, Director Li's past credit is probably only for not adding to the chaos. Put the credit of the grassroots staff on him, and Director Li will take action when it is time to act. As an ambitious young man, Yuan Weiting can clearly feel the kind of dissatisfaction and resentment in Director Li. He hurriedly asked, "Can Director Li make meritorious contributions?" ”

"It's up to Director Li himself to do this. Let's do his business, we can't do him. We don't rely on going up to the top, we do it at the bottom. Wang Shizhen still calmly made an evaluation.

Yuan Weiting has always admired Wang Shizhen, and at any time Wang Shizhen can accurately find his position and know his responsibilities. Although Yuan Weiting is capable, he often indulges in rushing forward. Without Wang Shizhen as an anchor point, Yuan Weiting found that it was easy to lose his position. The sentence "We don't rely on going up, but doing it at the bottom" made Yuan Weiting clearly see his position.

Yan Fu didn't talk so much nonsense when he was inspecting, he listened a lot, but he didn't evaluate. After arriving in Pyongyang, Yan Fu looked at the Pyongyang railway station, which is not small, and asked a question, "Who owns these places?" ”

The ancient city of Pyongyang is an important town in northern Goryeo, and Chinese companies instinctively gather here. Seoul is considered the essence of Goryeo, and in the face of the royal court of Goryeo, some things may not be able to be carried out. In Pyongyang, the identity of the Chinese is already superior.

Yuan Weiting hurriedly said: "The Goryeo royal court is very strict with us buying land in Goryeo, and the locals are even more reluctant to sell the land when they see that there is a feng shui treasure near the railway station. The land belonged to dozens of landlords, which is why it was so confusing. ”

Yan Fu's calm expression couldn't see the meaning of the evaluation, Yuan Weiting hurriedly added, "But the biggest force near the train station is our railway police, no matter what the hearts of the Goryeo people think, I'll wait here to say it." ”

As Yuan Weiting said, the railway policemen were uniformed and carrying sticks and forks in their hands, patrolling neatly around the train station. If this is placed in China, it is called "increasing the rate of police sightings". It is only by showing power that the local community can know who is in charge here. Yan Fu had no intention of evaluating, he calmly looked at the queue at the train station. The Navy's daily patrols, like those of the railway police, have to be repeated in a certain area to prove their existence. This method is a bit clumsy, but it is straightforward and efficient, and it is a measure that must be taken.

So far, Yan Fu is very satisfied with the work of the railway and the telegraph company. In this foreign land, China has effectively built up its own strength. Yan Fu had no intention of continuing to speak, but Yuan Weiting followed up on this question, "Secretary Yan, we have also wanted to buy land for a long time, but the Koreans refused to agree. If it weren't for Zeng Guofan's Hunan army entering Goryeo and defeating the Goryeo army, we would have beaten the Hunan army to the ground. The Koreans knew they couldn't really annoy us, so they had to sign a treaty with us. Otherwise, the railroad will not be built. ”

After listening to Yuan Weiting's words, Yan Fu still didn't say a word. It's not that Yan Fu is pretending to be deep, he just adheres to his attitude towards doing things. Without investigation, there is no voice. At this time, he just arrived in Goryeo, no matter how much he heard and saw more, it was only a glimpse compared to the actual situation, and Yan Fu didn't want to point fingers at this time.

The inspection team stopped at the Pyongyang station for two days, first, because there were some Chinese companies in Pyongyang, and second, because Yuan Weiting wanted Yan Fu to see his achievements in Goryeo.

The Chinese New Year is approaching, and several trains carrying a lot of supplies have arrived at Pyongyang station. What was unloaded from the train was rice, white flour, some meat and some other New Year's goods. Nearly 1,000 Korean employees lined up in the freight yard and formed a large phalanx.

Someone in front of the policy shouted with a loudspeaker: "Is it to send you money? ”

"It's our railway!" The Goryeo employees shouted in unison. The Chinese dialect is a little weird, but when the same voice is shouted together, it is also earth-shattering.

"Who gave you the bread?" China's railway propaganda personnel continued to shout.

"It's our railway!" The Goryeo employees continued to yell.

"Who do you rely on for food?" The issue of standardization has been basically determined after several revisions.

"It's our railway!" The answers of the Korean employees were also unanimous and factually true.

"What are you going to do to our railroad?" The problem soon came to the end.

"Listen to the railway leaders! Follow the railway leaders! Whoever dares to think about our railway, we will never let them go! ”

This kind of scene of thousands of people may be shocking to the Korean people, but it is just a drizzle for Yan Fu. He once served on battleships, and the total number of officers and men on one battleship was nearly a thousand. The Navy's swearing-in meeting was easily attended by tens of thousands of officers and men, and the scene of these thousands of people was simply not enough to see.

The queue is uneven, the clothes are not neat, and Yan Fu can easily find a lot of faults from it. However, Yan Fu still didn't say a word, it was not easy to attract so many people, let alone so many Koreans who worked for China. Just looking at the spirit and spirit shown by these people, Yan Fu can judge that they probably can't fight a tough battle, and they can't fight a ruthless battle. However, ordinary low-intensity confrontation may be able to do the trick. Having participated in many battles, Yan Fu's experience and eyes have been opened, and from the outside, these people are no different from the colonial army under the command of the British. It's all the same ruthlessness on the face, and it's all the same focus on the queue. Overall, I guess it works.

After this part of the process was completed, the head of the armed forces section of the Pyongyang station stood up and shouted, "Last year, we cracked down on criminal activities against railways, and the overall work was relatively effective. In addition to knocking out the bad guys and gangs of bad guys on the outside, we also dug up the bad guys on the inside and knocked them out. The rapid decrease in thefts on the railroad is the result of everyone obeying orders and following orders......"

The section chief's words were in Chinese, and some Koreans translated these words into Korean and shouted at the employees. He emphasized discipline and told the Goryeo hired workers not to use their brains with the railway, and the railway would not treat them badly. The next step is to sound. Employees lined up to receive their year-end bonuses in front of a large line of accountants.

Some employees received thick red envelopes and corresponding vouchers and immediately rushed to the mountain of supplies. There is a rack car next to it, and several people can share one. The shelves were piled high with pockets, some pulled and some pushed, and the employees left the yard happily. Some just smiled and put the red envelope and voucher into their arms.

Yuan Weiting hurriedly explained: "Those who immediately moved things were the locals in Pyongyang. Most of those who didn't move immediately were out of town, and their credentials were stamped to pick up supplies at a station near their hometown. This saves you the hassle of running back and forth. All the credentials have to be summarized at the end, one radish and one pit, and after comparison, it is determined that there is no problem, and then archived and sealed. ”

Seeing that Yuan Weiting and others were so meticulous in their work, Yan Fu was very satisfied. He asked, "Will the profits from Goryeo's railways and telegraphs be enough for this?" ”

Yuan Weiting and Wang Shizhen exchanged glances, and then said: "Our business in Goryeo is not only railways and telegraphs, but also some new industries have been opened in the past year, and the profits are okay. Let's ask Director Yan to visit. ”

The purpose of this trip is not to the city, but to the mountains. There are quite a few checkpoints at the pass. Inside, Yan Fu saw the mine introduced by Yuan Weiting on the road. The train carried a lot of grain and meat. The pit was guarded mainly by Koreans.

"Most of these mines are managed by Korean foremen. How much ore miners dig out, how much we get paid. Yuan Weiting introduced the situation, "There are some mines, we completely leave them to the Koreans. We don't care how many people died in those mines, how many people were used. All we manage is how many mines the Goryeo foreman gives us, and we will follow the Goryeo foreman how much money. ”

Yan Fu is very smart, and enough information has been given to him in the simple narrative. He couldn't help frowning and asked, "Why?" ”

Yuan Weiting is also a smart person, of course he knows that Yan Fu is not asking about the normal operation of the mines, but about those that China does not care about at all. He didn't flinch in the slightest because this approach was a slight moral deficit, and looked directly at Yan Fu, Yuan Weiting replied: "These people say that they are foremen, and there are people behind them. Many of them were local magnates, and some were able to pull miners from Goryeo. Those who want to dig holes, it is naturally better to use experienced miners. In the event of an accident, the mine will lose too much. For open-pit mines, let them take care of it, and our costs are much lower. ”

After being silent for a while, Yan Fu said, "Take me to see." ”

Yuan Weiting has a cheerful temperament, and he thinks that it is better to see his in-laws sooner rather than later when his ugly daughter-in-law wants to see her in-laws after all. With a team of guards, Yuan Weiting led Yan Fu on the train and went straight to the mine managed by the Goryeo themselves. These mines were not acquired by Chinese companies from the Goryeo government, but were given to the Koreans by the Goryeo government after negotiations between the Goryeo government and Chinese companies. Yuan Weiting didn't want to clear himself in front of Yan Fu like this, and the entire ore of Goryeo was basically sold to the Chinese. In terms of cost, buying ore from the head of the Goryeo mine is even lower than that operated by the Chinese themselves. The reason why such a model was not implemented in all mines was that Yuan Weiting was unwilling to allow the Koreans to monopolize the pricing power of ore.

When you climb the pit, you can see the Goryeo private forces watching at gunpoint around the pit, and inside the pit are miners with baskets on their backs. In the winter, these people are dressed in tatters like Hanako. Many overseers were also in the pit, and when they saw that some miners were doing a little slower, they immediately went up to the club to educate. Not only was it the first time Yan Fu had seen such a scene, but Yuan Weiting himself was also the first time he had seen these on the spot. Although the distance is far away, Yuan Weiting can see clearly that many miners are actually wearing shackles.

"Is this a miner or a miner?" Yuan Weiting couldn't help but think in his heart. Thinking about it in his heart, Yuan Weiting didn't say anything. Even when he saw that Yan Fu's face was very ugly, Yuan Weiting did not make any excuses for himself.

Seeing such a performance, Wang Shizhen, who accompanied him, sighed in his heart. His family knows his own affairs, Wang Shizhen doesn't speak just because he is used to being silent, and Yuan Weiting is not a person who doesn't like to talk. In the face of the cold face of the superiors, in the face of such an inhumane scene, I am afraid that someone else will have to say something. Without Wang Shizhen's reminder, Yuan Weiting can say nothing, which is completely consistent with Yuan Weiting's usual daring style.

Like Yan Fu and Yuan Weiting, Wang Shizhen also saw this kind of scene for the first time, and he also didn't like what he saw. It really takes a lot of open-mindedness to be able to remain silent at this time and accept what happens and what is likely to happen, including the anger of your boss. For Yuan Weiting, who has such a heart, Wang Shizhen still admires it.

After watching silently for a while, he silently left the Goryeo mine. Yan Fu walked a long way, and only after getting on the train did he ask, "Can these mines be profitable?" ”

"Barely profitable." Yuan Weiting didn't brag either, "Not long after the investment in these mines, we bought a lot of equipment. The current situation can only have small profits. When we get the money back in the next year or two, we can start making a lot of money. Fortunately, the price of food in China is getting lower and lower, and transportation is much easier, which is enough to maintain the income of the Korean employees who follow us much higher than that of ordinary Koreans. ”

Wang Shizhen looked at Yan Fu with some nervousness in his heart, Yan Fu will inevitably make a statement at this time, what will be the content of his statement?

Yan Fu spoke, "Democracy has always been something that only exists within the same class, and there is no democracy between us and the Koreans. The two sides are not the same country at all, which makes it even more unlikely that they belong to the same class. This is a fact determined by interests. ”

Wang Shizhen's eyes lit up, and Yan Fu didn't seem to have the intention of accusing Yuan Weiting at all. Just as he landed on the ground, he heard Yan Fu continue: "Comrade Yuan Weiting, I think the comrades working in Goryeo have done a good job. ”