As soon as the sun showed the horizon, the hustle and bustle on the construction site had already begun, in Tiandou Qizhou. The workers had already finished their breakfast, and under the leadership of the foremen, they entered the construction site and began construction as usual. There are not only a large number of people on the construction site, but also a large number of construction vehicles and construction machinery, most of which are imported American machinery, a few are domestic machinery, and even many steam engines purchased from foreign countries in the early Qing Dynasty. As for the rubber-wheeled wheelbarrows, there are even more, and the noise of various vehicles comes and goes, mixed with the sound of horns, rendering the construction site in full swing.

This is Shaanzhou, Henan, next to the Yellow River, on the south bank of the Yellow River, the west is Lingbao, the east is Mianchi, after the Yellow River to the north is the Pinglu of Shanxi, since ancient times, this Shaanzhou is the area of thoroughfare, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan Province junction, when it comes to humanities and commerce, although it is not as prosperous as Zhengzhou and Kaifeng. But in the northwest of Henan, it is also a leader.

Because it is close to the eastern edge of the northern Shaanxi Plateau, the topography of Shaanzhou is quite peculiar, and the channel of the Yellow River comes here, and there is a canyon area with dangerous terrain, the most famous is the three canyons, the so-called "human gate". Divine Gate Ghost Gate. These three canyons are also called "Sanmenxia" by these three canyons, the river becomes more turbulent here, and the river channel is narrow, if you want to build a dam, Sanmenxia is undoubtedly a more ideal place to build a dam.

Today, the Shaanzhou site is one of the construction sites for a dam, and although it is only auxiliary work, there are still more than 5,000 workers working here and hundreds of machinery. There is also an engineering and technical support team stationed at the construction site for a long time to guide the construction site at any time.

Construction of the Sanmenxia Dam began two years ago. This is the most important national project in China at present, and the central government has devoted all its efforts to this project. Although there is still some time before the completion of the project, it is undeniable that after the completion of this large dam that integrates flood storage, sediment discharge, electricity and irrigation functions, the flood control work of the Yellow River will become relatively easy. The power required for industrial exhibitions at the junction of Henan, Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces will also be fundamentally solved.

In order to ensure the smooth construction of the Sanmenxia Dam project, the center has mobilized a large number of technical forces, including engineering experts from foreign countries, as well as Chinese students who graduated from engineering and technical schools in Germany and the United States. In accordance with the requirements of the central government and the Water Resources Department, the dam uses the most reliable gravity dam structure, and the required concrete comes from a local cement plant. The steel bars came from Wuhan, and in order to facilitate the construction, a light railway was even built to connect the trunk railway from Henan to Shaanxi.

Most of the workers working on the construction site come from Henan, Shaanxi and Shanxi, and most of them will receive a land deed from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry after the completion of the project, in addition to receiving a meager cash salary from the Agency, and they will have their own farmland in Inner Mongolia and the three eastern provinces.

In the construction of this dam, the central government's position is very clear, no matter what, it must ensure that the dam is completed on time, and that there must be funds and talents, and once the project is completed. The Chinese technical group that led the project was not disbanded. Instead, they will continue to use their expertise to contribute to the construction of this country.

Since the construction of several small hydropower stations in the south has been completed, and a large number of technical backbones have joined the Sanmenxia dam project, the progress of the project has been accelerated a lot in recent times. Coupled with the adjustment of working hours and the improvement of the construction plan, according to the calculations of the engineering experts, if all goes well, the project will be completed six months ahead of schedule.

As usual, today's work started on time, and by nine o'clock in the morning, the construction site was already dusty and the motors were roaring.

At this time, a convoy quietly came to the construction site, waiting for the car to stop. Some big people walked down the car, and the one with the highest position and the most power was the head of the central government, President Zhao Bei.

Zhao Bei came to Shaanzhou by train from Beijing, and one of the purposes of this trip was to inspect the Sanmenxia Dam Project, according to the itinerary, after inspecting the Sanmenxia Dam Project, he would continue to take the train westward until Gansu, and then decide whether to continue westward according to the situation, after all. Now that the railway from Qihua to Lanzhou has been completed, if Zhao Bei has enough time, he can go to the foot of the Tianshan Mountains at any time.

This is Zhao Bei's second expedition this year, and the last inspection was at the beginning of the year. At that time, he went to the south, as far as Guangxi, and went around Zhennan Pass.

In addition to his wife Han Cuiyi, who accompanied Zhao Bei, he was accompanied by the deputy ministers of the cabinet, the senior members of the Henan provincial government, and the current director of the Water Resources Administration, Zhang Sai, who was once the vice president. I thought that the provincial government had sent someone to supervise the project again.

When the person in charge of the Agency learned that it was the President himself, he immediately led the engineering and technical experts to the President so that he could answer the President's construction questions at any time

In fact, Zhao Bei didn't ask any advanced questions. He is now most concerned about two issues: first, whether the project can be completed on time; Second. Whether the quality of the project can be guaranteed, and whether the problem of sediment accumulation in the reservoir can be solved once the dam is completed.

After all, this is a truly major project under the auspices of the central government, compared to the construction of railways. The construction of water conservancy has more stringent technical requirements. Although Zhao Bei can rely on historical experience to avoid detours to the greatest extent, as a layman, he really needs to listen to the opinions of professionals.

The engineering expert's answer made Zhao Bei more satisfied. Therefore, he quickly turned his attention to the issue of the treatment of the workers, and it was when Mr. President asked the foreman about the mood and enthusiasm of the workers. The president's wife and reporters have rushed to the workers' family area to ask for warmth, and according to the schedule. If only the president had plenty of time. He will then go to an elementary school on the site to sit in on a geography class with the president's wife. Free schooling for children is also a benefit for workers, even though it is required by law.

However, as a national governor with a lot of opportunities, Zhao Bei's schedule is being revised at any time. Just as he was inspecting the construction site. An adjutant of the chamberlain and a secretary of the Governor's Office arrived at the site on a tricycle.

"Mr. President, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has an urgent telegram. An hour earlier, the Japanese Minister to China had urgently called on the Minister General for Foreign Affairs and presented a diplomatic memorandum to the central government of our country

While reporting to the president, the secretary of the Governor's Office took out a copy of the telegram from his briefcase and presented it to Zhao Bei.

Zhao Bei took the transcript of the telegram, read it carefully, and then handed the telegram to Zhang Han, director of the Water Resources Administration, who was standing beside him.

"Ji Lao, look at it too, the Japanese are planning to pull us on the thief ship."

Zhang Zhai took the transcript of the telegram and read it carefully, and only then did he understand that the main purpose of the Japanese envoy to China to visit Tang Shaoyi was to discuss the dispute over the island of New Guinea, and the Japanese Government hoped that the central government of China would support Japan's claim on this issue, and that handing over a territory of about 50,000 square kilometers of the former German territory on the island of New Guinea to Japan for "trusteeship" would also be beneficial to the Japanese Government, promising that once the protection was established. Just give special treatment to Chinese enterprises locally, and Chinese can also easily invest and set up enterprises in the local area.

"Didn't the dispute between Britain and the island of New Guinea be settled through negotiations in London the other day? Why, is it that now the British government has changed its mind again? Or does the Australian government not listen to the British government? ”

Zhang Han was a little puzzled, he also knew some general information about the dispute on the island of New Guinea. So at this time, I can also discuss this topic with Zhao Bei.

"Judging by the report of the ambassador to the UK. The current dispute between Japan and Australia over New Guinea seems to have reached only a temporary compromise, and judging from the consistent self-interest of Western countries, the Australian government will certainly not be willing to see Japan build a forward base on its doorstep, and New Guinea is too close to the Australian mainland. For a modern fleet, it is almost an early day, and once Japan has gained a foothold in New Guinea, it will not be easy to drive Japan out again, and the Australian government can see it. Of course, they will not sit idly by and watch Japan run the colonies of New Guinea, which is not like those small islands in the Pacific Ocean, but a land parcel after all. Whether it's on defense or offense, it's an ideal strategic base. ”

Zhao Bei made an in-depth analysis. Then he took back the transcript of the telegram and read it carefully.

"So, what does the President think our country should do in this matter? Do you support the Japanese government, or do you support the Australian government? Zhang Han asked.

"This. The issue is more complicated, and I still need to think about it. ”

Zhao Bei said that although he said so, he had already made up his mind in his heart. On the issue of the dispute over the island of New Guinea, he will unreservedly support Japan's position. This is not for the sake of maintaining Sino-Japanese "friendship" but only to encourage the Japanese Government's ambition and to make Japan firm in its policy of expanding southward.

According to "historical experience", Zhao Bei is completely convinced. As long as the Japanese government and the Japanese people can taste the sweetness of southward expansion, Japan will definitely have a sister relationship with Britain and the United States because of the government's southward expansion policy. It is not his delusion that Japan will start another Pacific war.

What's more, now that the Russian Revolution broke out, once the military intervention of the Allied Ships in Russia began. The Japanese government may turn its attention to the Asian continent again because of this, and Zhao Bei wants to avoid this situation, so it is indeed necessary to find a way to divert the attention of the Japanese government in other directions, and the island of New Guinea is clearly the direction that Zhao Bei has chosen for the Japanese government. Moreover, if Japan falls out with Australia over the New Guinea issue, it will undoubtedly benefit China from it.