As soon as he talked about what Song Yingxing was best at, he immediately became energetic. "I didn't expect General Gao to be so interested in equipment." Song Yingxing said.
Gao Heng said: "These things were regarded as strange techniques and tricks in the Ming Dynasty, and many things in Western learning were even regarded as heresies. This is essentially wrong. As long as it can promote social progress, it is a good thing. For example, the steam engine that Mr. Wang envisioned. You must know that foreigners are also researching this thing. Whoever researches it first in the East or the West will have rapid advancement in productivity. The one that lags behind will fall even further behind in the future. Every step is slow, step by step, and the lag behind will be inevitable. Get beaten."
The more the two chatted, the more they became more and more congenial. Song Yingxing had lived for almost sixty years, and this was the first time he met someone who recognized his ideas so much. Although Gao Heng is young, he is still a lord in Annan. According to Sun Heding, he already has tens of thousands of people under his command and is still expanding. It is rare to see such a powerful young man.
"Okay, this is the imperial government office, not a workshop where you discuss machinery." Song Yingsheng said dissatisfied. "Besides, you haven't made it clear about Sun and Ding. I am an official of the imperial court. I can't just watch you take away prisoners of the imperial court."
Gao Heng immediately raised his hands and said: "Master Song, I can understand what you said. This moment is not the other moment. When China is in danger, more people will stand up to protect China. Mr. Sun is willing to stand up and protect China." The character of doing your best to benefit one is admirable. I came here this time just to invite Mr. Song to come and have a look at our place. If Mr. Song thinks it will work, he will stay with us. If it doesn't work, Mr. Song can come and go freely. , I will naturally send someone to take Mr. Song back to Guangzhou."
Song Yingsheng was about to retort, although of course he turned a blind eye to Sun Heding's matter in his heart. After all, Sun Yuanhua was also his old friend, and everyone knew about Sun Yuanhua's matter. Although everyone in the officialdom did not say it, they all understood it. Even if he didn't declare it, everyone knew that he was wronged.
But Gao Heng really went too far. Even if he rescued the three Sun brothers from Hainan, he actually asked his own brother to follow him. Isn't this a joke? Although Song Yingxing is younger than him, he is still almost 60 years old. Of course it is no problem to have him take care of him in Guangzhou. But when he went to Annan, the acclimatization there was unaccustomed. What if something happened to him?
But Song Yingxing showed interest in becoming a career. People who are not recognized for their talents are basically the same. The biggest tragedy is that they have nowhere to put their talents and knowledge to use. Seeing Gao Heng's invitation and his willingness to provide funds and equipment for his research, this But Song Yingxing had never enjoyed treatment in Ming Dynasty, and Song Yingxing was very moved.
"I'm willing to go and have a look with you." Song Yingxing suddenly said.
"Chang Geng! You can't go. What kind of place is that? The environment is humid and full of miasma. If you go, we two brothers will suffer." Song Yingsheng said. Song Yingsheng still took great care of his younger brother, not just in life. Song Yingsheng was recommended by many people in his official career, but Song Yingxing was not very interested in official career, so he always resigned. So Song Yingsheng couldn't accept his brother's decision for a while. Could it be that the Ming Dynasty couldn't accommodate Song Yingxing? He had to go to that ghost place in Annan.
"Sir, if you have time and opportunity, please come to Lang Son and have a look. It is true that we have only occupied it for a few months, but I am confident that with the efforts of all the soldiers of the Xinghua Army and tens of thousands of people, In less than a year, we will be able to build Lang Son into a paradise." Gao Heng said with confidence.
Then Sun Heding added: "Sir, the Ming Dynasty is in danger, but General Gao has the intention to take charge of a piece of land in Annan. To be honest, no one can predict the future situation. One more help means one more road, as General Gao said , Lang Son Prefecture are all expatriates, and they are all people of the Ming Dynasty. If General Gao can make a difference in Lang Son Prefecture, it might be another way. Mr. Song went there, and it might be safer."
"This." Song Yingsheng didn't know what to say. In fact, he also understood that what Sun Heding said made sense. The current situation is that if the situation is not secured, the bandits will invade Guangdong and Guangdong one day. Huguang has fallen and all the governors have been killed. If Li Zicheng sends his troops south, he does not think that Guangdong and Guangxi can resist for too long, but Li Zicheng's army is now targeting the capital. , I can’t take care of Guangdong and Guangxi for the time being. What if, if, if the capital falls, wouldn't Guangdong and Guangxi be the same?
Gao Heng looked at Song Yingsheng. At this time, the people of the Ming Dynasty had never thought that the Qing Dynasty would eventually take over the Central Plains. From our point of view, no matter how hard the Manchu and Qing Dynasties tried, they would always be a force outside the customs. From ancient times to the present, Today, the forces outside the customs basically come to the Central Plains to burn, kill, loot and harvest grass and grain. Except for the Yuan Dynasty, no one seriously established a political power in the Central Plains. Even though the Yuan Dynasty was so powerful, it was a short-lived dynasty and could not stand at all in the Central Plains. Therefore, the Manchu Qing Dynasty did not have the conditions to rule the Ming Dynasty.
But Li Zicheng is different. Zhu Yuanzhang also made his fortune from the Red Scarf Army. Who can say that Li Zicheng cannot become the second Zhu Yuanzhang? Time has entered the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, and many local officials are no longer fighting against the bandits as hard as before. After Li Zicheng established the regime in Huguang, countless civil servants and generals have surrendered.
Song Yingsheng knew in his heart that if Li Zicheng captured the capital, the world would change dynasties, but as a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty, he would never surrender to the bandits and survive in the world. It doesn't matter if he dies, but what about Song Yingxing? He can die, but he doesn't want Song Yingxing to die too. From this point of view, going to Annan is a good choice.
Gao Heng suppressed the thought of telling Song Yingsheng everything in his heart, because he knew that even if he told it, others would think that he had a mental problem. If he were told that two years later, the Qing army would sweep across the Central Plains, and three years later, , Song Yingsheng would commit suicide and die for his country in the battle against the Qing army. They would definitely think that they were crazy, because no one expected that the small court of Nanming would perish so quickly.
"Okay, if you insist on going, I won't stop you, but there is one thing. Please take good care of Chang Geng, General Gao. He is not too young." Song Yingsheng sighed and cupped his hands to Gao Henggong.
Gao Heng was beaming with joy. This was the best physicist in the late Ming Dynasty. As long as he could invite Song Yingxing, Bu Mige, Nan Huairen and other missionaries, as well as the help of the three Sun brothers, this team of scientists could be It was established.
Gao Heng said: "Then please ask Mr. Song to clean up. We will set off tomorrow morning."
Song Yingsheng said: "I won't keep you here, and I have never seen Sun Heding."
Gao Heng and others knew that Song Yingsheng was determined to let them go. Gao Heng immediately held up his hands and said, "Thank you for your sympathy."
In early March of the 16th year of Chongzhen, Gao Heng and his party finally returned to Xin'an Port on the Hope. A little over a month has passed since they set off for the round trip. Xin'an Port has undergone many changes in this month. When Gao Heng got off the ship, the first thing he felt was that the population had increased.
Cheng Zilong and others have been waiting at the port for a long time. As soon as Gao Heng got off the boat, Cheng Zilong came up to greet him and said, "Thank you for your hard work, general."
"Why, it's the military advisor who works hard. I've been away for such a long time. The burden on the military advisor's shoulders is very heavy. It's a lot of work and energy." Gao Heng said, holding his fists.
"This is what I should do. I guess this is Mr. Song, and this is Mr. Sun and Dingsun." Cheng Zilong greeted the people behind Gao Heng.
Sun Hedou and Sun Hejing also came to the dock to greet their brother. So Cheng Zilong naturally saw who Sun Heding was at a glance. Everyone greeted each other as if they knew each other. Gao Heng immediately asked: "Military advisor, in just over a month, why do you feel that the population of Xin'an Port has increased a lot and is more prosperous than when I left."
Cheng Zilong chuckled, and Jing Zhao next to him said impatiently: "General, you don't know something. The first batch of 30,000 people has entered Lang Son Palace. Our population has expanded to nearly 90,000 people, and the military advisor has even made a special trip. I went to Guangxi and reached some agreements with local officials, so the enthusiasm of Guangxi local governments to transport refugees is very high. There may be more than the original three batches of immigrants, and tens of thousands of people will arrive later."
"Oh?" Gao Heng said a little surprised.
Cheng Zilong quickly explained: "Thousands of people came to Xin'an Port voluntarily. It is said that it is a port city and has more development opportunities, so the scale of Xin'an Port has been expanded a lot than before. Look at the many small merchants, hawkers, laborers, etc. at this pier. Wait, they are all transferred people, and the situation is better than expected. They quickly adapted to the environment here. As for what Jing Zhao said just now, in fact, in order to mobilize the enthusiasm of the local people in Guangxi, they were given a capitation fee. "
"Capitation fee?" Gao Heng said. Then he realized, good guy, Jackie Chan must have given them money, bribed them, transported a citizen, and given an extra sum of money to the local magistrate.
"Yes, this is my own decision. The general is overseas, and we can't ask for instructions, so I'll kill it first and then report it. For a head fee of two taels of silver per person, for example, if a county helps transfer a thousand refugees, the county magistrate will get additional The benefit fee of two thousand taels has become a tacit practice in the provinces where the refugees pass through, so the transportation speed is greatly accelerated. It is estimated that by the end of the year, our total population will reach 180,000 to 200,000." Cheng Zilong said .
A population of 200,000 is an incredible number. With a population of 200,000, Lang Son Province can do a lot of things.
Gao Heng immediately said: "Since the military advisor has mentioned this, the general also announced an order. If the general is not here in the future, the military advisor is the supreme leader of Lang Son Prefecture and has the right to kill first and report later."
Cheng Zilong was extremely moved, which showed Gao Heng's unparalleled trust in him. Cheng Zilong bowed and said: "Thank you, general, for your trust. I will serve the Xinghua Army and die for the thousands of people."
"The military advisor's words are serious. You don't have to live or die at all times. We are not so particular." Gao Heng said with a smile.
Gao Heng took Song Yingxing and others for a brief visit to Xin'an Port. To be honest, Song Yingxing and others had spent a lot of time in Guangzhou and were already used to the bustling big wharf. For a small place like Xin'an Port, Song Yingxing didn't have much interest in visiting, but it didn't matter. He didn't come to travel to relax, but wanted to do something. After taking a quick look around, everyone rushed to Lang Son House to discuss the next step.
In fact, on the way back from Guangzhou, Gao Heng already had a rough plan for the future in his mind.
I have recruited a large group of scientific and technical talents headed by Song Yingxing, and of course I must organize them systematically. The territory of Lang Son Province had just been acquired and the Hsing Hua Army had just been established. To be honest, although he was very reluctant, there was no other way under the circumstances. Gao Heng could only adopt the management methods of later generations, first of all, the centralized distribution system; In fact, it is a planning system, whether it is money, food or various materials, all are uniformly allocated by the military government.
Not only that, in order to maintain the operation of the army and the security of Lang Son Province, the Songun system must be implemented, and all supplies must be given priority to the army. Similarly, talented people like Song Yingxing and the craftsmen currently owned by Lang Son House must all be gathered together and arranged by the military government.
After entering the Xing Hua Army Office in Lang Son Prefecture, everyone had no time to rest. Gao Heng said: "Everyone, I'm sorry. I know everyone is tired from the journey, but we still have to settle the following matters before taking a rest. After all, we don't have much time."
Gao Heng couldn't explain it in detail to them. Seeing everyone's confused expressions, it was understandable that they probably didn't know what Gao Heng meant when he meant that time was running out. In fact, if we follow the development of history, the Ming Dynasty does not have much time left, including several small courts in Nanming. The political power is just a corner, and the territory it controls is such a small area, it cannot be called orthodox.
As for how much impact the Qing army's large-scale invasion of China will have on the subsequent situation, Gao Heng is not sure. Although they are now in northern Annan, they are bordering Guangxi after all. When will the Qing army invade Guangxi in the future? I don’t know that I have to plan ahead and prepare in advance.
Song Yingxing cupped his hands and said: "General Gao, if you have anything to say, just say it. We are not tired either. To be honest, I haven't felt like this for a long time. It seems that the blood in my body is boiling and my body is full of energy. Endless energy.”
This is true. When he heard that Gao Heng would fully support his research work, Song Yingxing was so happy that he wished he could give him money to start a workshop now.
Gao Heng nodded and said: "You are all talents that Lang Son Prefecture urgently needs. First of all, I want to thank you for coming. Today's topic is to establish Xinghua Manufacturing Bureau to manage production work."
