The small steamer gradually approached the Fuzhou wharf, and the wharf was very empty from a distance, but Hu Xueyan's figure was very eye-catching. "Isn't that Mr. Hu, he personally came to the dock to pick us up." Wan'er said excitedly. Deng Zixuan didn't squeak, and there was a sense of urgency in his heart.

In just four years, 10 warships have been launched, which shows that Shen Baozhen has made great contributions. However, due to the lack of stamina, Mawei Shipyard struggled. Deng Zixuan recruited Hu Xueyan to produce civilian ships and took the lead in paying silver taels, which was undoubtedly a relief in the snow, so the construction of private steam engine cargo ships began in the second half of this year.

“haha！ Brother Zixuan, I'm looking forward to it! I've finally looked forward to you! Hu Xueyan was full of spring breeze, and his words were full of joy. Brother Hu! I'm also very busy, and I'm here as soon as I have time! "Brother Zixuan, I heard that some time ago you helped Sheng Huaxuan prepare to build a machine factory, can you do something?" A shadow appeared on Hu Xueyan's face, and a pair of sharp eyes shot straight through.

Deng Zixuan didn't hide it: "Could it be that Brother Hu is spying on me?" That's the case, Sheng Huaixuan is my brother-in-law's cousin, and since I know foreign Chinese, he hired me to be a translator and that's it. I thought about it again and again, and I felt that it was all for the court to deal with foreigners, so as not to be deceived by foreigners. Hu Xueyan said suspiciously: "Brother! You know that I am Lord Zuo's person, Sheng Huaixuan is Lord Li's henchman, you can't sway from side to side! ”

Deng Zixuan said: "Brother Hu, you and I are both businessmen, and it is our nature to pursue profits. That's exactly why I didn't choose to enter officialdom in the first place. Brother Hu rest assured that I will not participate in the officialdom gladiatorial fight, I think that when Brother Hu was in trouble, Brother Hu must have known the danger at that time, and now the two camps are nothing more than political discord, I will not go to the guillotine! Besides, you all need me, don't you? ”

Hu Xueyan shook his head and sighed: "Brother Zixuan, although you haven't dried up your milk, you are so old and embarrassed for your brother. As long as you do things sincerely, you have to open up for your brother. However, don't make a big deal of it when you are in the company of Sheng Huaixuan, and the cooperation between you and me should also be low-key, so as not to give others the truth, and being a brother is for your good! After all, Hu Xueyan is a shrewd businessman, and after weighing the pros and cons, he acquiesced in Deng Zixuan's practice of stepping on two boats.

"Brother Hu! Don't worry! I won't do anything that damages the interests of both parties, and I will continue to do it in the future, as long as my eldest brother tells me to be on call. As he spoke, everyone got into the carriage and went straight to the shipmaster's mansion. Needless to say, Deng Zixuan observed the strong man in front of him, and silently remembered in his heart that this gentleman was a rare talent in the late Qing Dynasty. He was a meritorious man in the creation of China's first navy and played a role in laying the cornerstone for the construction of China's navy. Deng Zixuan said silently, now that I am here, the Nanyang Navy you built will never be buried in the sea again, the Mawei Shipyard will not be destroyed in one fell swoop, and the original history will not be repeated.

Next year, the Japanese troops will harass Taiwan in an attempt to keep an eye on Taiwan and use the wild land as an excuse to steal it for themselves. At that time, Shen Baozhen will lead the fleet and the Huai army to land in Taiwan as the minister of the Qincha, and make great contributions to ensuring that Taiwan is not lost and smoothly returns to the embrace of the motherland. The Japanese invaded Taiwan, which induced a sense of crisis in the imperial court, and made the imperial court soberly aware of the security of the frontier and coastal defense, and then the imperial court urged Li Hongzhang to send the minister of Beiyang to supervise the coastal defense affairs, and Shen Baozhen served as the governor of Jiangxi and concurrently served as the minister of Nanyang and supervised the coastal defense affairs, thus opening the curtain on the construction of China's modern navy.

How to plot the Nanyang Navy in the future is an important part of Deng Zixuan. How to achieve this goal, Lord Shen in front of him is the top priority. The year after tomorrow, Shen Baozhen wanted to open a ship master school, that is, a quasi-naval school, and this great opportunity must be taken advantage of, Deng Zixuan was thinking about Ruo Feifei.

“haha！ It's not easy to be a young man! It can really be said that the back waves of the Yangtze River push the front waves, and heroes have been teenagers since ancient times. Deng Gongzi is so young and rich, the old man didn't expect it. What the old man didn't expect was Deng Gongzi's clever plan and practice, like sending charcoal in the snow. I'm afraid Brother Xueyan will have to bow down! Shen Baozhen's voice was loud, and her hearty face revealed a sense of intimacy.

"My lord! It's a shame to say it, Brother Zixuan has extraordinary strategies, and his future is immeasurable, and he will be above me! Hu Xueyan agreed. Deng Zixuan seemed to wake up like a dream: "Lord Shen, the grass people are also serving the imperial court. Now the adults are responsible for the coastal defense of the Qing Dynasty, and in the future, our Qing Invincible Armada will gallop across the ocean, and it will shock the Quartet. At such a difficult time, the adults formed the Qing Navy to protect the safety of China's thousands of miles of sea and frontier, and the well-being of hundreds of millions of Li people. ”

“haha！ Deng Gongzi is really good at talking, although he is suspected of slapping the horse, but the old man is willing to listen. Deng Gongzi booked ten steam freighters, and I decided to produce them all within two years. Deng Gongzi's dual-use proposal has greatly promoted my subsequent production of warships, and there are already merchants who have ordered cargo ships one after another, and this year I will launch two more docks to specialize in the production of civilian cargo ships. Shen Baozhen was in a good mood. Deng Zixuan knew that at this moment, the historical trajectory of Mawei Shipyard had changed, and at least the difficult situation in later generations had been greatly alleviated, and its significance was immeasurable.

At this time, Wan'er had already gone to the back hall to mingle with the female dependents, and Wan'er gave the special supply of palace fragrant pancreas to Shen Baozhen's wife and aunt, which immediately caused a sensation. Deng Zixuan knows that women are in contact with each other, and they will achieve twice the result with half the effort. Shen Baozhen warmly entertained Deng Zixuan and his wife, and fulfilled the friendship of the landlord.

During the banquet, Deng Zixuan took advantage of Shen Baozhen's good mood and suggested: "My lord, I heard that our Mawei shipyard can produce steam engines!" ”“haha！ This is the old man's happiest thing, at the moment the Mawei Machine Factory can produce 400 horsepower steam engines, even the British praise our production of steam engines is no worse than the British local production of steam engines. Deng Zixuan was secretly surprised when he heard this, the steam engine meant weishenme? It was the cornerstone of modern industry, and if it weren't for the incompetence of the Manchu Dynasty to promote and develop the steam engine industry, what would the history of later generations look like?

Deng Zixuan said: "My lord, at present, the imperial court encourages the operation of industry, and the demand for industrial equipment is growing day by day, especially the demand for steam engines. Western countries relied on the steam engine to usher in the industrial age, and our immediate neighbor Japan is also making a big splash with the steam engine, and soon the Japanese will surpass us. Shen Baozhen sat up straight and said, "Deng Gongzi, how do you know about these situations?" ”

"My lord! The Westerners described the situation in Japan in great detail, and now the Japanese emperor has issued a decree of restoration, learning from the West in all aspects, and is engaged in industrialization on a large scale. Therefore, I suggest that the steam engine produced by the Mawei shipyard should be put on the market. In order to expand sales, we can engage in large, medium and small models of different types of steam engines, and produce different types of steam engines according to the requirements of merchants, so that Mawei Shipyard can obtain a large number of financial resources, killing two birds with one stone! ”

Shen Baozhen's eyes lit up when he heard this, and said, "It's incredible that the small country of Pu'er actually walked in front of us. How are steam engines sold? Are you sure? Hu Xueyan interjected: "My lord, at present, the merchants are very envious of the machine weaving of foreigners, if there is a steam engine, the merchant will run a yarn factory, a weaving factory, and there should be no problem with the sales of the steam engine." ”

Deng Zixuan continued to inspire: "My lord! I don't know if you've ever heard of a steam locomotive running on railroad tracks by foreigners? "The old man has heard of it, as if a steam engine is running on wheels on rails." Deng Zixuan was overjoyed and said: "My lord is exactly what you described!" Then Deng Zixuan took out a dozen pieces of paper from his arms and handed it to Shen Baozhen and said, "My lord, please take a look, I put together the foreigners' steam locomotives into a picture, which is basically like this." ”

Shen Baozhen took the drawings and looked them up, and Hu Xueyan also came over with a little interest. Deng Zixuan patiently explained how the steam engine traveled on the rails, and said about the carriage part Deng Zixuan: "My lord, using a horse-drawn carriage to transport goods from Shanghai to Fuzhou, and pretending to be 10 horse-drawn carriages to set off from Shanghai, it will take at least 5 days, not including camping in the middle. And the cargo carried is only 5 tons at best. If we ・・・・・・. ”