At the beginning of September, Ouyang Jian's work in Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningbo came to an end and he was ready to return to Jiangxi. What needs to be done has already been done, and in view of the expected plan of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Border Region, it will be quite good to be able to complete 70 percent in the next three years. According to the overall strategic plan, he was to cross the Qinling Mountains through Xi'an into Sichuan. I plan to meet with the Sichuan warlord Liu Xiang, and now is the time to talk about Sichuan. Passing through Xi'an again, the situation has changed greatly, so Ouyang Jian wants to stay in Xi'an for a while, and he wants to help Zhang Yang put the plan of the northwest strategic base in place.

Under the personal integration of Lao Jiang, the changes in the northwest blossomed, everything was done at the pace of Ouyang Jian, and his trip to the west was completed because of the merits and completion of a major mission. According to the plan, Guo Mei was supposed to return in late August, but by early September, Guo Mei had not been heard from, and several batches of recruited military cadets had returned. Ouyang Jian knew in his heart that she was deliberately avoiding herself. Ouyang Jian left the sedan sent by Zhang Xueliang in Yan'an, because the road conditions were very bad, it was better to ride a war horse comfortably and comfortably.

Ouyang Jian and the others bid farewell to the solemn send-off crowd, and just after Luochuan entered Zhang Xueliang's territory, Zhang Yang received a report. Zhang Xueliang did not dare to slack off and ordered the northern guard troops to safely deliver the guests to Xi'an. The changes in the northwest are completely Ouyang Jian's doing, and Zhang Yang and the others have already regarded Ouyang Jian as a "wise man" who can change their fate, so they naturally dare not slack off. Out of gratitude, Zhang Yang and the others personally went to the city gate to greet them. Ouyang Jian's return to Xi'an is not the same, Zhang Xueliang's official residence is full of friends, and he is happy. Zhang Xueliang is full of spring breeze and full of energy. Now Lao Jiang is abnormal, and he takes himself so seriously, it's like a dream. And all this is completely thanks to Ouyang Jian.

Everyone present unanimously reached an agreement that Ouyang Jian had made great contributions to such a good situation in the northwest. At the reception banquet, Zhang Xueliang said piously: "General Ouyang, I won't say words of thanks, a glass of water and wine represents my heart, and I will do it first!" Yang Hucheng said: "General Ouyang, the political situation in the northwest has never been so good. Yan Xishan and Ningxia Erma have expressed their full cooperation in building a strategic base in the northwest, and all this is due to you, please accept my respect! Yang Hucheng also did it first as a respect.

"The two generals have talked too much, I just took advantage of the situation to put forward some suggestions, and it is the two of you who really create the situation in the northwest, and you are the real heroes!" "General Ouyang's modest virtue is praised, what is extraordinary, it is none other than General Ouyang." The guests present echoed one after another, and Ouyang Jian had no choice but to exchange courtesies. The wine has passed three rounds, and the dishes have five flavors. The flattery on the scene came to an end. Zhang Xueliang said happily: "General Ouyang, the soldiers are very fast, my 7th and 10th cavalry divisions have taken the lead in entering Xinjiang. ”

Then the 67th Army will enter Xinjiang one after another. In addition, I will also tell you a good news, the Ministry of Communications of the Republic of China has decided to lay the Western Railway in accordance with the president's instructions. At present, the Ministry of Finance has allocated the first tranche of funds. My people have been stationed in Chagan Salt Lake, and at present, the private transport caravan has also been registered, and the next step is to start exploration in the Yumen Oilfield. General Ouyang, you promised to buy drilling equipment, but you can't lose your word, I made a package ticket to the president. ”

"General Zhang, I also have good news for you. The drilling equipment purchased in the United States in mid-August, including the foreign engineers hired, has been put on board the ship, and it is estimated that it will arrive at the Nanjing terminal in mid-October. "Haha, General Ouyang really has you, I admire it with all my heart." "General Zhang, the ugly words have to be told in front, I will pay the money first, and you will have to repay it in the future." "There's no problem, I'll add 20% more to all the expenses, and I can't let you suffer." In fact, the purchased drilling equipment is the price of scrap iron, and it is shipped back together with scrap steel, and the freight is not high. As a finished product, Ouyang Jian can earn at least 4 times the profit.

"General Zhang, a gentleman is hard to chase after a gentleman, although I am not a gentleman, but I must keep my word. Okay, I'm obligated to buy drilling equipment, you just need to give me the cost, I don't make a penny. It is our duty to contribute to the development of the Northwest. "General Ouyang's high wind and bright festival is amazing, please rest assured that I promised you the conditions, and I will fulfill them from January next year. In addition, if your party does business, runs factories, and does business in Xi'an, I will give the green light and vigorously support it. At this time, a subordinate came in and muttered a few words in Zhang Xueliang's ear, and Zhang Xueliang said with a refreshed expression: "Haha, the efficiency of the president's personal supervision is high." ”

Zhang Xueliang deliberately played a dumb riddle and continued: "Bring the guests in immediately!" "A few moments later, a middle-aged man in a riding coat and about 40 years old entered." Everybody! Let me introduce you, this is Mr. Shi Jie, the chief engineer of the Western Railway, who was once a student of Zhan Tianyou and participated in the construction of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway. Mr. Shi Jie was appointed by the government of the Republic of China as the chief engineer and commander-in-chief of road construction! The atmosphere suddenly became lively, and Ouyang Jian walked up to Shi Jie and said, "Mr. Shi, the Beijing-Zhang Railway built by Mr. Zhan Tianyou has greatly boosted the morale of the Chinese, and you, as Mr. Zhan's protégé, believe that the Western Railway will definitely be born in your hands." ”

"General Ouyang, it's been a long time. It is a great honour to meet His Excellency the General today. Now that the national crisis is at hand, the contemptible people will exhaust their last blood to build the Western Railway, and never disappoint everyone's hopes. Starting tomorrow, our survey team will survey the route, and we will race against time. Ouyang Jian said: "Mr. Shi, with all due respect, extraordinary actions are made in extraordinary times, and the main artery of the western railway is related to the issue of building a strategic rear in the western region.

"May I ask General Ouyang has a clever plan?" Shi Jie was a little unimpressed. "Mr. Shi, there is a good saying, there is no road in the world, and the more people walk, the road will be formed. The ancestors also have a saying that there is nothing difficult in the world, as long as you are willing to climb. At present, the western railway will be completed one day earlier, and our strategic rear will be stabilized for one day. Therefore, we must do extraordinary things and mobilize all our forces to lay the railway. If war breaks out, the Western Railroad will be our lifeline. ”

Everyone listened to the following with serious expressions, and Ouyang Jian continued: "In order to speed up the process of road construction, I propose to build the roadbed while exploring. Adopt multi-point development. There are no big rivers in the west, and there are no high mountains and mountains, and the difficulty in building roads lies in bridges and culverts. The conditions in the western part are very good, and road construction can be accelerated, and construction at multiple points can be done at the same time, and it can go hand in hand at both ends, with flowers blooming in the middle. In addition, the construction of bridges was carried out at the same time. Shi Jie shook his head and said, "General Ouyang, this suggestion is good, but how many construction teams do we need?" ”

"Mr. Shi, this problem is easy to solve. The technology of building roadbeds is not very complicated, and I have discussed with General Zhang and General Yang that prison inmates can be used to build roads, and all sentenced persons will be reformed through labor. The prisoners were not paid, and they just had to eat their stomachs. "It's unethical, I'm afraid it won't work." "Mr. Shi, compared to the peril of the Chinese nation, this is nothing. I believe people will understand that there is a right and wrong of its own. Shi Jie's eyes lit up thoughtfully.

"Mr. Shi, in order to support the construction of roads in the west, I have decided to give strong support. At present, I am doing business with the Americans, and I can buy scrap steel rails from the United States at a low price to fully support the construction of the Western Railroad. "Mr. Shi, in order to prevent the prisoners from escaping, I will send troops to strictly guard the prisoners, please rest assured." Zhang Xueliang assured. Shi Jie stood up and said a little excitedly: "Generals, it seems that you have already made a plan. Since Shi devoted himself to railway construction, he has never encountered such strong support. In particular, I think the rationalization proposal put forward by General Ouyang is feasible, but it needs to be carefully planned. ”

"Report, Nanjing called, representatives of the British, French and American consortium will arrive in Xi'an tomorrow by special plane to inspect Chagan Salt Lake." "Inspect Chagan Salt Lake?" Zhang Xueliang was confused. Ouyang Jian said: "Two generals, this is very easy to explain, the British, French and American consortium inspected the Chagan Salt Lake, because the Nationalist Government was ready to borrow from the British, French and American banks, and used the Chagan Salt Lake as collateral financing. Finance Minister Song is very smart. I'm sure that as long as the British-French-American consortium finishes inspecting the Chagan Salt Lake, the loan will come down. Mr. Shi, with abundant funds, is like plugging in the wings of flying, like a tiger with wings. ”

Everyone was even happier when they heard this, and the road construction funds had eyebrows, which meant that the western railway had eyebrows. As the initiator, Zhang Xueliang hoped that Ouyang Jian would last for a few days. Ouyang Jian naturally had no objections. I didn't expect Lao Jiang to be so eager for the Western Railway, presumably he realized the great value of this railway, so that there was high efficiency. Duty-bound, Ouyang Jian decided to stay in Xi'an until the end of the month and help Zhang Yang plan carefully.

The next day, the British, French and American consortium arrived in Xi'an as scheduled, and Ouyang Jian accompanied Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng to greet them. During the meeting between the two sides, Ouyang Jian once again showed extraordinary, and his fluent English not only amazed the consortium inspectors, but also shocked Zhang Yang. Not only that, under Ouyang Jian's vivid description, the colorful colors and huge value of the Chagan Salt Lake are presented in front of foreigners, which arouses their appetite more and more. The British, French, and American consortium was attracted by the huge wealth of Chagan Salt Lake, and after only a day in Xi'an, they rushed to Qinghai.

With the heat wave of the Western Railway, Ouyang Jian has become a hot figure again. A few days later, in the headquarters of the Western Road Construction Special Administration, Ouyang Jian pointed and continued to give full play to his strengths. "Mr. Shi, using prisoners to build roads has saved a lot of labor costs. In order to speed up the process of road construction, I suggest that the stone used in road construction along the line can be handed over to the private sector and give full play to the power of the private sector. As long as it is profitable, the role of the people cannot be ignored, and this is also to benefit the people. "General Ouyang, what you said makes sense, I will immediately tell General Yang to handle this matter."

Since then, Ouyang Jian's ideas have emerged one after another, which has played a role in promoting Shi Jie's construction of the railway. Later, when Shi Jie encountered a problem, he quickly sent a report to Ouyang Jian, and invisibly, Ouyang Jian became a senior consultant of the Western Railway.

At the end of September, Ouyang Jian ended his "busyness" in Xi'an and left Xi'an City for Sichuan. The flowers of the west are about to bloom, and the magnificent scene of purple and red is about to appear, and it will inevitably bear fruitful results in the future. The group climbed the Qinling Mountains and looked back, and the ancient capital of Xi'an was left behind. Ouyang Jian knew in his heart that with the development of the western region, a new history of the Great Northwest began. He firmly believes that the future Northwest Base will certainly play a huge role in the anti-aggression war, and this is also the result he wants the most.