"Long Qian has seen Lord Futai." Seeing Zhou Fu again, Long Qian gritted his teeth and bowed.

"Don't dare, general, please." After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Fu put his hands down.

"Lord Xie Futai." Long Qian stood up and stood solemnly in front of several cases.

"General Long, do you know what happened when the old man sent someone to invite you?" Zhou Fu, who sat behind a few cases, played an official tone.

Because of the one hundred taels of silver ticket, the guy surnamed Bai said intentionally or unintentionally when he entered the governor's yamen, "Futai received an edict this morning. Long Qian heard the string song and knew the elegant meaning, this is a reminder to himself. I must have received an edict about myself! Why did the imperial court send an edict to Zhou Fu for himself? Long Qian's mind kept spinning in circles, could it be because he was dissatisfied with the siege of Yizhou and asked Zhou Fu to admonish himself?

"Back to the adult's words, I don't know the humble position." Long Qian said in a deep voice.

Zhou Fu didn't say a word, and carefully looked at Long Qian, who was looking at the ground with his hands hanging down, and he didn't look like a bulky man, "General Long, what are the troops?" ”

"My lord, the establishment of the imperial court for the headquarters is a wing of the new army, when there are more than 7,000 troops, there is currently a shortage of 2,000 people." He falsely reported 1,000 people, and the current strength of the Mengshan army is just over 4,000.

"What is the monthly salary?" Zhou Fu asked all the way.

Long Qian answered them one by one, asking questions quickly and answering them quickly.

"The imperial court has issued an edict for your ministry, ordering the two states of Yizhou and Yanzhou to support your ministry, do you think it can be done?" Finally got to the point.

I see.

"My lord, it depends on what the two states do." Think for a moment. Long Qian replied in a deep voice.

"What do you mean by how?"

"With the current situation in the two states, if we don't care about the lives and deaths of the people in the two states, even if the number of soldiers is doubled, we can afford to raise them."

"Oh? I would like to hear about it. Zhou Fu raised his eyebrows, obviously he noticed Long Qian's premise.

"My lord, Yizhou Yanzhou is located in a mountainous area, the land is barren and the people are poor, and the financial situation is difficult, if it is not reformed, it is really difficult to raise 7,000 new troops. The daily military salary and military expenses are still a small head. Armament replenishment is the big deal. So. He believes that it is necessary to adapt measures to local conditions, vigorously develop industry and commerce, and cultivate people's livelihood. in order to realize the will of the imperial court. ”

"That's right. But in the old man's opinion. It's just an empty phrase. How to adapt to local conditions? ”

"He has already exchanged views with the two prefects, Tang and Wu. Relevant social surveys have been launched, and when the results of the survey are available, we will have a relatively comprehensive understanding of the public opinion economy in the two states. On this basis, relevant measures can be developed. At present, what he is doing is to completely exterminate the bandits of different sizes entrenched in the Yimeng Mountains in accordance with the instructions of the Queen Mother, and return the people to a peaceful world. As for developing the economy and increasing the government's revenue, I think it is not enough to focus only on agricultural taxes. Lunan is rich in minerals, Yizhou has iron, Yanzhou has coal, you can do a few articles out. No work, no wealth, no business, no life, and the establishment of industry and commerce is the fundamental way out__"

Zhou Fu leaned forward unconsciously, "It's light!" How easy is it to set up a business? Let's talk about your military spending first, can Yizhou and Yanzhou alone support it? ”

"If the lord authorizes me, I can train a wing of elite soldiers for the imperial court without increasing taxes."

"Is that true?" Zhou Fu noticed the words "no tax increase" that Long Qian said.

"The humble post once promised the Queen Mother and her old man."

"Very good. The imperial court has made it clear that the province will only pay you 500,000 taels of military expenses every year, which will be counted as a supplement to your ministry. No matter how difficult it is in the province, these 500,000 taels will be squeezed out for you. Divide it twice a year, and this time you can take half of it back. But__"

"Thank you, sir! If there is any instruction, please also make it clear that you should obey it. Long Qian's face was calm, and he couldn't see any joy.

Zhou Fu's perception of Long Qian unconsciously changed, "Long Qian, the silver can be given, and the taxes of Yi and Yan can also be left behind to raise the soldiers, but an amount must be determined, and the place cannot be squeezed to the point that it cannot survive!" This is one of them. Second, your unit is stationed in Lunan, and you must strictly enforce military discipline and not harass the locality! And to exterminate the bandits within a time limit, I'll give you a year. If the official receives a complaint from the local government against Er, or if the bandits have not been exterminated after a year, the official will definitely participate in Er! Do you understand? ”

"Got it! The two prefectures of Yi and Yan are financially tight, and the army only needs to contribute 800,000 taels each year from the two prefectures, and I will find a way to find the rest. ”

"What? You only need 2,100,000 taels of military spending? Does this include the cost of the acquisition of ordnance? ”

"Naturally, it does." Long Qian paused, "For a period of two years, the humble post will definitely train a new army with neat equipment, please check it out at that time." ”

"There is no joke in the army." Zhou Fu stood up.

"Yes. Not only that, but after two years, the 500,000 allocated by the province was no longer needed. ”

"This__" Zhou Fu stared at Long Qian deadly, "General Long, what do you want from Ben Fu?" Come on, take a seat for General Long. ”

"Master Xie. Humble office does need the support of adults. Training soldiers for the imperial court is an errand that must be completed, and the key is money. The method is nothing more than two strategies to open up sources and reduce expenditure, and it is not worth mentioning to say it. It made the adults laugh. Speaking of this, Long Qian stopped and looked at Zhou Fu.

"Commonplace is always reasonable."

"Let's start with open source. It was decided to drastically reduce military expenditures within two years, first to let the army live a hard life, and to reduce all expenses to a minimum, except for the purchase of ordnance and training, and to spend the limited funds on the purchase of weapons. In terms of open source, the overall plan is to contact Chinese and foreign businesses to invest in the two states and vigorously set up industry and commerce, and after two years, it should have achieved initial results."

It is indeed a cliché, and Zhou Fu can't help but be disappointed. However, as a general, it is not easy to take the initiative to say that the army will live a hard life__

"General Long," Zhou Fu's tone was much more polite.

"In front of adults, I can't afford to be called a general__"

"Is there a table?"

"Retreat."

"Good. Ben Fu said that Er thought about it, "Zhou Fu changed his posture, "What Er said is it possible to contact Chinese and foreign businessmen to invest in the two states?" ”

"At present, there is a ticket number issued by Shanxi people, with an investment of 300,000 taels. It was reorganized in a joint venture with Zhongxing Coal Mine in Yixian County, established a new mining company, and built a small railway from Yixian County to Taierzhuang by the canal, with a total length of about 100 miles and a budget investment of less than 200,000 taels. This railway has been explored by Zhang Lianfen and Zhang in the early stage, and reported to the imperial court for approval.

"Zhang Yurui, this matter is known to the Tao__" Zhou Fu's eyes lit up, the significance of the railway to an official who has been immersed in foreign affairs for decades. No need to say more. What's more, his son Zhou Xuexi once presided over the affairs of Kaiping Coal Mine, "This is a good thing!" ”

"Your Excellency. He thought that it would not be possible to dig coal alone. It's good to be further processed__"

"Oh? Let's talk about it in detail. Zhou Fu heard the concept of "deep processing" for the first time.

"The plan is to build a thermal power plant in the area of Yi County. This is the basis for running a factory. Afterwards. There will be plans to build a number of factories related to people's livelihood, such as coking plants and coal washing plants. Western medicine factory, garment factory, match factory__" Long Qian threw out his own ideas, including widening the official road from Yizhou to Yixian County, and building a steel base in Yizhou.

Zhou Fu stared at Long Qian deadly. This person is not simple! By no means a simple martial artist! This is the conclusion reached by Zhou Fu. In response to this, he expressed his deep agreement with the idea of using the accumulation of light industry to promote the construction of heavy industry (military industry) with the easy ones and then the difficult ones. Weaving cloth, matches, soap, Western medicine and other things are urgently needed by the people. He thought for a while before saying, "How much do these cost, have you ever calculated?" How easy is it to talk about the Western pharmaceutical factory? Zhou Fu was immediately moved by Long Qian's grand plan, the conditions for running a power plant are there, there is coal in Yizhou, and there is water in the Grand Canal, so the significance goes without saying. Coking, road building, iron smelting, etc. are all reliable, which can be regarded as adapting measures to local conditions. What piqued his interest was the Jianxi Pharmaceutical Factory. Western medicine has penetrated deep into China, and Zhou Fu is well aware of the high cost and remarkable effect of Western medicine. If it is done, with the profits of Western medicine, Long Qian's preface said that there will be no need for the province to support military spending in two years, which is not a lie.

If a package of investments is realized in two years, no, three to four years, the situation in Lunan will change dramatically! What's more important is that if Lu Nan makes these famous halls, it will definitely attract the attention of the imperial court, and it will be in line with the purpose of the imperial court to run a new policy, and the credit will naturally be indispensable to Long Qian and Tang Wu, but the contribution of his own support will not be extinguished. I can't say that the governor of Shandong is not the last stop of his career.

"My lord, the Jinyuan ticket number has set up branches in Yizhou and Yixian. With the first one to enter, it will be easy to do later. As for the skill of the adult's concern, he rescued a young American from the hands of a boxer two years ago, and since then this person has been following the lowly job, and this spring he was persuaded by the lowly to return to China. His family started a pharmaceutical factory in the United States and promised to invest in Lunan. Therefore, the money and skills that adults are worried about are not a problem. Long Qian continued to flicker.

"Oh, there is such a thing? However, foreigners are cunning and difficult to guard. Zhou Fu remembered the Kaiping mine presided over by his son, because it was an industry invested by the British, and the control was completely in the hands of the British. ”

"It's easy to do." Long Qian smiled, "First, we will invest in it and control it, what we need is the technology and formula of the United States, and the funds are secondary." Take 10,000 steps back, the factory is built on our territory, even if it is dirty in the future, we will also learn the skills, and the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. ”

"Very good! If this matter is promoted, I should go to Lunan to cut the ribbon for it! Reflection, what do you want from Benfu? ”

"My lord, in my humble opinion, the most lacking thing in our industry is not technology, but management. Industry is different from the government, and if you run an enterprise according to the habits of the government, nine times out of ten you will lose money or even go bankrupt. Wenzhong has devoted himself to Westernization for decades, and has introduced a large number of modern enterprises to China, from railways, telegraphs to munitions, after the two failures of Jiawu and Gengzi, there are many criticisms and even criticisms of the Westernization Movement. However, most of these enterprises are government-run, and the benefits are difficult to understand. But the purpose of the enterprise is to make a profit, and the enterprise that is not profitable is a burden__"

Long Qian affirmed Li Hongzhang's merits in handling foreign affairs and immediately won Zhou Fu's favor. Because of the defeat of the First Sino-Japanese War, the government and the opposition have been accused of wasting national strength in the Westernization Movement. However, Long Qian pointed out that the "benefits of a series of factories sponsored by the imperial court are difficult to understand", but they directly hit the key point of the Westernization movement. Zhou Fujiu is in it, knowing the truth, not what is "difficult to understand", but the loss is quite serious, many enterprises with huge investment have become a bottomless pit, once the follow-up funds can not be invested, the factory immediately does not work. It is said that the Hanyang Iron Works run by Jang Zhidong, who is the only one in charge of foreign affairs in the country, is said to have reached the point of difficulty. What is the reason, Zhou Fu still wondered.

"Then what do you think the industry should do to make money?" Zhou Fu was completely inquisitive.

"It's actually simple. That is, the government should not get involved! Not long after returning to China, the government only cares about the government's affairs, such as issuing licenses, supervising the implementation of laws, and paying taxes on time. However, China's foreign affairs are all presided over by the government, and there are many drawbacks during this period, resulting in inflated costs and difficult operation. Therefore, what is required by the lowly position is that the government does not interfere in the commercial operation of Lunan. Everything is left to the merchants, and the government only provides a fair and peaceful business environment, and then sits and waits for the tax to be collected. ”

Zhou Fu pondered Long Qian's words, but it was difficult to accept. "The government only does the affairs of the government? Reflection, you said that you have not been back to China for a long time? What do you mean? Zhou Fu only heard that Long Qian was born in Lunan Xiangma, but he didn't know that this person was actually an overseas Chinese who had returned from overseas.

"Born in the United States, he was ordered to return to China in the twenty-fourth year of Guangxu__" Long Qian briefly talked about his situation after returning to China.

"No wonder! Come on, serve tea to General Long! By the way, go and call Xuexi! Unconsciously, Zhou Fu's attitude has undergone a fundamental change, and the middle-aged man surnamed Bai who came in to serve tea to Long Qian was deeply surprised, why did the attitude of the old man change so much after a while? Do you want to call Childe to come and accompany you?

"My lord, the second request of the humble post is the purchase of weapons and related equipment and the support of talents, and I hope that the provincial government will give it convenience."

"Oh? Let's hear it. ”

"The Humble Duty has contacted the German garrison in Qingdao to negotiate the purchase of weapons from the Germans. The first batch of firearms and ammunition will be shipped to Lunan, and I hope that the adults will allow the Ministry of Civilian Posts to escort them with arms. In order not to misunderstand, I hope that the adults will write to the state capital along the way and give them permission. The establishment of industries will lock in the United States and Germany, and a large number of machines will also cross the border. The last is talent. If there are talents in industry, I hope that adults will recommend them to Lunan and Lunan Prefectures. Lunan will always be the Lunan of Shandong, and only by gathering the strength of the whole province can it be effective. ”

"This shouldn't be a problem." Originally, Zhou Fu had some concerns about Long Qian's purchase of weapons from the Germans, but the situation in the whole country was such that the weapons of the new army were either purchased from Japan or Germany. The right wing of the Wasion Army is directly under the military headquarters, and it is not a dereliction of duty for him to ask. However, Long Qian took the initiative to ask to send cadres to Lunan to set up an industry, which made him happy, especially the sentence 'Lunan will always be the Lunan of Shandong', which dispelled his worries a lot.

"Well, you're here. Hurry up and see General Long. Zhou Fu saw his son Zhou Xuexi come in at a glance, "He is the dog Xuexi, who is the general office of Shandong University Hall." Oh, it's not too early, think about it, you can have a light meal here, and let's talk while eating. (To be continued......)