Chapter Thirty-Five: The Paging Signal is in Demand, Zhang Zhimu Goes West

Zhang Zhimu knew that Ouyang Hegen was concerned about the construction of the canal road in the west because it was related to the transportation problem when a major war broke out in the west. The Western Front is so far that transportation can be said to be a lifeline. As long as the western route can be guaranteed, there are no major worries.

"Is the new data finished?" Zhang Zhimu asked.

"The test is finished, this time it was Mr. Lu Bingyi's students who led the team to measure!" Ouyang He said, "Now it seems that the water surface of Lake Balkhash is about 300 meters higher than the surface of the salty sea. The Aral Sea is 60 meters above the Caspian Sea. The Black Sea is more than thirty meters higher than the Caspian Sea. Even in the future, the Caspian and Black Seas will be dug up, and the surface of the Aral Sea will be 30 meters higher than the Caspian Sea. In other places, it's nothing, but Lake Balkhash is much higher than the Aral Sea! ”

"It's a bit of a gap! The canal can be artesian. Zhang Zhimu said, "It seems that Lake Balkhash is much higher than the Aral Sea, but the distance between the two points is 1,000 kilometers, and the average steep drop is 3/10,000, which is nothing at all." If the river drops steeply to 2 thousandths, it will be a good channel. ”

Chen Yufeng said: "I think there are several lakes to the east of Lake Balkhash, and they can all be connected by rivers, and with a place for shipping, transportation costs can be greatly reduced." Another thing, no matter how remote, if there is a river that can transport running boats, both sides will naturally be inhabited. ”

"With the captives, more than half a million people over there took part in digging the canal, from Lake Balkhash to the Syr Darya, more than 800 kilometers, an average of more than 600 people per kilometer. The number of people is not large, but fortunately, there are many tractors, excavators, automobiles and other construction machinery participating in the project over there. The whole line is excavated, and I think it won't take too long for this section of the canal to be dug through! The river of the Syr Darya River is also assembling boats to clear sand. "However, the sediment content of the Syr Darya River, which enters the Aral Sea, is also very high. Every year, a large piece of land is piled up in the Aral Sea. ”

"I have to study this matter with Mr. Lu and Tang Jingyao, whether it is also possible to build a sinking sand lake like in the Kaifeng to Huai'an Canal, otherwise a flood will fill the river with a lot of sand." Zhang Zhimu said.

Ouyang He said: "This matter really needs to be studied carefully. This is a major event related to the long-term peace and stability of our western front, and if this canal is opened, the western front can be said to be basically worry-free. East-west transportation was unimpeded, and soon the canal would prosper along the canal. ”

After finishing the business, Zhang Zhimu said: "Hey! Let's talk about it lightly! At the end of the month, the Lanzhou Yellow River Bridge was opened to traffic, and the emperor was going to attend the ceremony, so he asked me to go with him. Why don't you two go over and have a look? ”

Ouyang He smiled and said, "Hehe! Mr. Chen, I really should take a look at this matter. The Yellow River Bridge is a road and railway bridge, so you can take a train from us to Hami and the Irtysh River. ”

Liu Yun interjected: "It has been a long time to build from Hami to the west. To the west is all the way to Lake Balkhash! ”

"Good! Let's go to the border and have a look! Chen Yufeng said, "When I was young, I really wanted to go to Jiayuguan to have a look, and now I really have the opportunity." ”

"It's no longer a border pass, it's our hinterland, it's the rear of the border pass." Zhang Zhimu said, "I think there are conditions, and we should organize our students to go over there to have a look." ”

"Hey! Isn't it, it's no longer a worrying border gate. Chen Yufeng sighed and said, "Our border is still far from here!" ”

Ouyang He said: "Leave the matter here to Liu Yun, let's all go out and have a good look!" ”

"Okay!" Liu Yun said, "Li Jing is not at home, let Yang Jing go with you!" ”

"I'll see it!" Chen Yufeng said, "Leave the affairs (safety) of the family to Li Zhi!" ”

"I don't think there's much of a problem with safety," Zhang Zhimu said, "The emperor can also follow the princes." ”

In order to appease the families of the dead officials, Emperor Chongzhen knocked Zhang Zhimu another sum of silver. For this matter, the emperor invited Zhang Zhimu over.

When he saw Emperor Zhang Zhimu, he said: "These people are handled well!" Many people have seen what is going on, and it is also a lesson for everyone! ”

"Yes! In doing so, greater turbulence can also be reduced. After all, there are a lot of people involved in this. Zhang Zhimu said.

"Alas! In order to appease this man's family, I spent all the money. Emperor Chongzhen cheekily said that now Emperor Chongzhen especially thinks that silver is easy to use. In the past, there was too much silver used at the border gates, and the pressure was there. I have never experienced the pleasure of spending money.

Zhang Zhimu smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty! These people deserve death, and will it take a lot of silver to appease them? Besides, before the half year has passed, your silver has been spent, what should I do in the second half of the year? Aren't you bullying? ”

"Haha!" Emperor Chongzhen couldn't stop laughing, and said, "When you go to Yaogang, you live in the kiln and use silver everywhere!" Tell me, I don't know where the money went! ”

"Come on, Your Majesty! From water, electricity, gas, gas, gasoline for going out, and food, we are all responsible for everything. Zhang Zhimu said, "If you are in the Forbidden City in Beijing, you will still pay for yourself." Do you also say that it costs a lot in the kiln? ”

"Oops! It is to go out in the kiln and spend a lot! Emperor Chongzhen said, "Besides, I am no longer in Beijing, and the expenses in the Forbidden City cannot be less!" ”

"Come on!" Zhang Zhimu said, "I won't tell you about this. But the emperor must remember, I just lent you the silver in the shares. Also, the cost of the army on your side has been much smaller, why is there still a shortage of silver? ”

"Hey!" Emperor Chongzhen deliberately said with a bitter face, "All the adults who follow me in this kiln gang will have to increase some expenses. To be honest, their expenses in Yaogang are much higher than in Beijing. Let's just talk about this scholar Liu Jiantai, I told me yesterday that many relatives and friends know that he lives in Yaogang now, and they have come from all over the country to Yaogang, you say, can he entertain him well? The good things in the kiln gang are what you want, but you need silver. As soon as these adults have a good face, they will not have enough money. I have to look for an opportunity to give them some reward. ”

"We also gave them appropriate subsidies on a per capita basis, knowing that they did not earn much. There are also subsidies for the New Year's holidays, so you should be able to get by, right? ”

"Hey! They still have to save the face of the ministers of the court! Emperor Chongzhen said, "In fact, compared to silver, they shouldn't come to the kiln." I felt as if all the rich people from all over the world had come to the kiln. I heard from a son that many people who come to the kiln do not look at the price at all. What is expensive to buy! ”

"Huh!" Zhang Zhimu said, "Those people don't live in the kiln, but the rich people from other places come to the kiln to spend money." The people of Yaogang know what to buy in what season. However, it is true that the emperor said that many people with silver came to the kiln. This brings a problem, housing prices are too high, and it is difficult for ordinary people working in kilns to afford houses. It's also a hard problem to solve! ”

"I said that you don't care about Zhang Dongjia's matter, can't you?" Emperor Chongzhen said, "If they can't afford to buy a house, they can rent a house, and if they can't afford to rent it, they can go elsewhere to make a living." ”

"So what if we don't have workers in so many enterprises? Let's say it lightly! Zhang Zhimu said.

"That is, your company can't afford to pay workers high wages, so your company can't do it here!" Emperor Chongzhen saw it very clearly.

"Hmmm! Market regulation is also a solution! Zhang Zhimu felt that what Emperor Chongzhen said was really reasonable. If you reluctantly want to solve it against the laws of the market, you can actually consider leaving it to the market to adjust.

However, many things that the kiln gang has done now have long exceeded the natural development process, and many things still need to be artificially interfered with.

went to Lanzhou to participate in the ceremony of the Yellow River Bridge, and before leaving, Zhang Zhimu found Lu Chengxiang and explained to him that he would build cold storage in various cities. This is of great importance to improve the living standards of the people, and immediately after the start of large-scale fishing, it is necessary to build a cold chain and a cold storage network. It is the aquatic products in various large lakes, and if you want to produce them on a large scale, you also need a cold chain to ensure it. In particular, primary school students need cold storage to ensure a stable supply of meat for nutritious lunches. This also requires the manufacture of many refrigerated train cars, as well as the manufacture of refrigerated cars.

When Lu Chengxiang heard this, he smiled and said, "Hehe! Mr. Zhang, this is also a loss-making business that needs to be lost in a few years! ”

"Do it at a loss!" Zhang Zhimu said, "I went to Lanzhou to attend the opening ceremony of the Yellow River Bridge this time, and I also had to take the train west to the end to have a look." If time permits, I'd like to see Lake Balkhash. It is said that there is an abundance of aquatic products, and if a large cold storage could be built there, Lake Balkhash would be a cornucopia! ”

"Hmmm! Mr. Zhang thinks long-term, but it's a pity that I can't leave with too many things, otherwise I should really take a look with you! Lu Chengxiang said, "Hui businessmen and Zhejiang businessmen want to come over and talk to us about the cooperation of ticket numbers." We can't wait for them, and ah! Our first pager is about to start auctioning numbers. I'm going to watch! ”

"yes, you really should come with us to Semyeon to have a good look!" Zhang Zhimu said, "You can go over and see for yourself, or you will find any business opportunities!" ”

"Hey! If only the train could go through! I'm going to check it out when I have time! Lu Chengxiang said.

At dinner, Zhang Zhimu saw that Xiaoqing and Xiaohu seemed to have something on their minds, "What's the matter, when you two eat, your mood is not high?" ”

Xiaoqing was a little embarrassed and said, "No! We are happy every day, what is not happy! ”

My cousin said: "No, like Xiaoqing's age, if before, I would have to live at home, and now I still don't want to study, what else can I worry about?" ”

Xiaoqing and Xiaohu obviously didn't want to listen to their cousin's nagging, so they didn't make a sound.

But after eating, the two children surrounded Zhang Zhimu, watching TV, and talked about school for a while, but they didn't write homework according to their previous habits, Zhang Zhimu knew that the two of them must have something, "You two must have something to ask me, right?" Well? ”

Xiaohu said embarrassedly: "Uncle, do you want to help me get a number?" ”

"What do you want? What number? Zhang Zhimu didn't understand.

"Oops! It's been in the newspapers, on the radio, on TV for a long time, don't you really know? Xiaoqing said dissatisfied.

"Hmmm! Are you talking about that pager number? Zhang Zhimu understood, today Lu Chengxiang also said that he wanted to auction numbers.

"No, Mom, Aunt, and Aunt Hongyu all have numbers. We want to get one too! Xiaoqing said, "Now the students in the school are talking about it!" ”

"That's not right!" Zhang Zhimu said, "Today I heard Mr. Lu say that the auction hasn't started yet, how can someone have a number first!" ”

At this time, Yang Yulin came over with the child in her arms, and Zhang Zhimu asked, "Hey! Yulin, do you have a pager? ”

"There you have it!" Yang Yulin said, "Do you want one too?" ”

"That's not right! The auction hasn't started yet, so how do you have numbers? Zhang Zhimu said, "If this is the case, those who participate in the auction will easily have opinions!" ”

"Humph! Who dares to come to me with an opinion! Yang Yulin said politely.

"Ouch! Why didn't Mr. Lu tell me about this today? Zhang Zhimu was a little dissatisfied!

"Come on! This is something I studied with Mr. Lu," Yang Yulin said, "In order to keep in touch at any time, many of us need to wear a pager at our company headquarters and the heads of various departments." It's a job need. We decided to set aside a number segment to be retained by the company. These are all preceded by the word '6'. The other numbers are open to auction! I knew that Xiaoqing and Xiaohu both wanted a number, but the number retained by the company was not suitable for them, so I didn't dare to agree! ”

"You guys are really good!" Zhang Zhimu said, "Isn't the auction affected? ”

"This matter, Mr. Lu said that it is also good for the auction. He said that outsiders know that many leaders of our company carry this thing, which is a sign of status. This time, only more than 2,000 were sold to the outside. It must be in short supply. After a month, another 2,000 will be released, and then the supply will be even more scarce! ”

"Huh! No one can compare to Mr. Lu in this whole matter. Zhang Zhimu said, "However, the matter of Xiaoqing and Xiaohu is difficult to do." The company's number is really not suitable for them. But Mr. Lu, the number they want to auction can't be taken out without auction, otherwise the bidders will not do it! ”

"Who said it wasn't," Ms. Yang said, "and it worries me." I can't tell Mr. Lu about it. Isn't that a problem for Mr. Lu? ”

"Oops! It's such a difficult thing, forget it! Xiaoqing said a little embarrassed.

However, Zhang Zhimu can understand the desire of the two little guys for pagers very well, this is the most fashionable thing in this era, I don't know how many big families will send people to participate in the auction, to buy a good number at a high price to come back.

"How many numbers are you using now?" Zhang Zhimu asked.

"The newspaper said that it was a six-digit number!" Xiaohu said. Zhang Zhimu saw that hearing Zhang Zhimu ask like this, Xiaohu's eyes flashed with hope.

"So be it!" Zhang Zhimu said, "If you two want to get a particularly good number, such as five consecutive numbers, six consecutive numbers and other special numbers, you really want to participate in the auction, and your mother must agree to take the silver!" ”

Xiaoqing and Xiaohu, hearing Zhang Zhimu say this, stuck out their tongues at the same time. That means, it is impossible to get my mother to take such silver. Zhang Zhimu would not agree to such a thing. It's not that you can't afford it, it's that you won't allow it to be spent.

"If this road doesn't work, then you have to wait for me to come back from the west, and then I'll find a way for you! What do you think? Zhang Zhimu said.

"Good! Deal! Xiaoqing and Xiaohu said it almost at the same time. They knew that Zhang Zhimu agreed to this and it was done.

The two children went upstairs, and Yang Yulin said, "Oops! I regretted getting this batch of numbers, and I don't know how many people come to me every day to ask for numbers. I've really offended a lot of people again! ”

"Is this so fascinating?" Zhang Zhimu asked.

"Huh! Lo and behold! This auction is probably even more competitive than the last auction! Mr. Lu has already made many people's eyes burn one by one, and they don't know what it will be like to fight for the city? Yang Yulin said, "This is the biggest thing in the kiln now, and it is more attractive than fighting outside!" ”

"Huh! We can't see the auction anymore! Zhang Zhimu said.

"I can come back and watch the TV recordings, and the auction will be live. This is a reason why those who want to show their faces are desperate. A large part of Mr. Lu's reason is that he didn't go with us on this matter. Hehe! I can imagine what Mr. Lu's round face would be smiling like at the scene! Yang Yulin said.

This time Yang Yulin wanted to follow in Lanzhou, and everyone had no objection, because Yang Yulin had just made a great contribution, and she was responsible for Zhang Zhimu's safety, and no one would have objections.

This time, Emperor Chongzhen brought several ministers, as well as Empress Zhou. He was accompanied by the elders of the Senate who did not end the ceremony, as well as some Mongolian princes and others. Zhang Zhimu and his entourage, in addition to Chen Yufeng and Ouyang He, there are also Yan Boju and Yang Jing. Mr. Lu Bingyi, Tang Jingyao, and Duan Jingzhong had already arrived in Lanzhou ahead of schedule. Everyone else was too busy to leave.

The special train started at night, but when the train started, everyone didn't feel sleepy all of a sudden, and they all came to the dining car to drink tea and chat.

Drinking tea, Zhang Zhimu soon talked about the topic to Emperor Chongzhen's joint-stock company, "Your Majesty, I suggest that you should build a hotel in Lanzhou, if you don't build it, I will let Mr. Lu arrange this!" ”

Ouyang He said: "Yes! With the location of Lanzhou, after the opening of the Yellow River Bridge, it is the throat of the east-west exchange! Past merchants are indispensable! ”

Some people disagreed, saying, "The merchants in the past couldn't afford to live in a hotel at all, and the rich merchants with silver didn't go so far at all!" No one lives in a hotel! ”

Everyone, you and I are arguing about where to invest in building a hotel to make money, and everyone has a reason, which makes the self-righteous and smart emperor confused!

At this time, Yang Jing came to the dining car with a telegram and quietly handed the telegram to Ouyang He. Ouyang He glanced at the telegram, handed it to Zhang Zhimu beside him and said, "Li Jing's telegram!" ”