Beiyang Dream

Chapter 98 Old Li, don't lie flat, get up and work your steely days!

On the fifth day of the fourth month of the seventeenth year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign, at noon, the Zhili Governor-General's office was bustling with people.

Chang Desheng only returned to Tianjin yesterday evening and stayed overnight in the large mansion he had just acquired. It wasn't until dawn that he accompanied Yuan Shikai to the Governor-General's office to report to Li Dazhongtang on the events surrounding his trip to Beijing to meet Empress Dowager Cixi.

As soon as the two stepped into Li Hongzhang's signing room, they saw that it was already full of people, all of whom were Li Hongzhang's core team. Li Hongzhang himself naturally sat at the head of the table. In addition, Sheng Xuanhuai, the Beiyang financial official who had discussed matters with him, Luo Xinglan, Natalie, and Yuan Shikai for two hours in Hexiwu a few days ago, was also there. Also present were Zhang Peilun, Li Hongzhang's son-in-law who had been convicted of a crime, his trusted advisor Zhou Fu, and Yu, the clerk who had followed Li for many years. Everyone was there.

Chang Desheng couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Old Li has summoned all his most trusted advisors. It seems Sheng Xuanhuai has already spoken to him about something; today they're here to review his new Westernization plan, which aims to surpass steel production standards.

"Your Excellency." Yuan Shikai stepped forward first, his posture upright, and gave a crisp salute.

Chang Desheng quickly followed, curtsying respectfully without daring to show the slightest disrespect.

"Weiting and Zhenbang are both here." Li Hongzhang put down his teacup, his voice low and sounding somewhat tired. "Please sit down."

The two of them sat on the chairs at the lower end, only half of their buttocks touching the chair.

"Zhenbang," Li Hongzhang looked up at Chang Desheng, "I heard from Xingsun that you answered the Empress Dowager quite well the other day." "It was all thanks to Brother Weiting's guidance. I was just answering truthfully." As Chang Desheng spoke, he added in his mind: It's still 1891. In front of that old hag Cixi, who would dare to be improper?

"Tell me," Li Hongzhang said, picking up his teacup and taking another sip. "What did the Empress Dowager say?"

Chang Desheng picked up the conversation and recounted the important events at the Summer Palace. When he mentioned the Empress Dowager's instruction to "go ahead and do it" and to establish businesses in Korea, he paused deliberately and glanced at Li Hongzhang.

Li Hongzhang's face remained expressionless, as if he hadn't heard this at all.

After Chang Desheng finished speaking, the room fell silent for a few moments.

"Go ahead and do it..." Li Hongzhang slowly repeated these four words, then suddenly smiled, "Does the Empress Dowager mean... that our Beiyang Army isn't being more flexible in Korea?"

That's a tricky question.

Yuan Shikai, who was standing nearby, quickly said, "Your Excellency, in my humble opinion, the Empress Dowager is... showing compassion for the difficulties faced by the Beiyang Army in Korea."

Li Hongzhang gave a noncommittal "hmm," not continuing the conversation. Instead, he changed the subject, his tone becoming somewhat serious: "Then you all think about it, of all the old lady's moves... which one had the biggest impact on our Beiyang Army?"

Chang Desheng's heart skipped a beat. Here it comes, the crucial moment has arrived! Without thinking, he blurted out, "Your Excellency, in my humble opinion, we should support Zhang Xiangshuai and Liu Yanshuai to form a rival force with our Beiyang Army."

In truth, he had no objection to Empress Dowager Cixi's support of Zhang Zhidong and Liu Kunyi... It was simply a matter of expanding the Huguang New Army further, increasing it from the original 10,000-plus to 30,000. Could a 30,000-strong Huguang New Army maintain Qing rule? No, it would only double the size of the Wuchang Uprising!

However, he now needs to find an aggressive competitor for Li Hongzhang and the entire Beiyang Group!

If no one pushes them, Old Li and Beiyang will be backing down. But now is not the time to back down; we have to get moving! Old Li and Old Zhang, you two have to compete, compete, and even race each other in steelmaking!

"Oh?" Li Hongzhang looked up at him. "Tell me."

Chang Desheng sat up straight, his expression becoming more serious: "Your Excellency, have you ever heard a proverb by the great German industrialist Krupp?" Li Hongzhang shook his head: "No, I haven't."

If you haven't heard of it, that makes things easier...

Chang Desheng said in a serious tone: "Mr. Krupp said that steel is the backbone of industry. Only by competing in steelmaking can industry prosper. Only with the prosperity of industry can we have strong soldiers, powerful ships, and powerful cannons! And Your Excellency naturally knows which Western-style steel plant is currently under construction in the Great Qing Dynasty."

"Hanyang Ironworks," Li Hongzhang said calmly.

"That's right!" Chang Desheng slapped his thigh. "This is the biggest, most significant threat to our Beiyang Army right now!" Upon hearing this, Zhou Fu, who was standing next to him, laughed first: "Zhenbang, you're exaggerating. Commander Zhang is in Hubei, and Commander Liu is in Nanjing, both far from Zhili. Besides, the Hanyang ironworks is still in its infancy. I heard Xingsun say that the ironworks' location is problematic; it's 300 li (150 kilometers) by land and water from the Daye Iron Mine, and even further from the coal mines. This business is probably destined to lose money."

Chang Desheng cursed inwardly. "Why are you contradicting me?! Let's all get involved! Where would that multi-million dollar project come from if we didn't get involved?"

He looked at Li Hongzhang. Li Hongzhang didn't speak, but simply picked up his teacup and took another sip.

Zhang Peilun, standing next to Old Li, said in a sinister tone, "If you ask me, the one we should be most wary of is the Manchu new army that the old lady wants to train. That's her real son."

Chang Desheng was shocked when he heard this—this guy really dares to say such things!

By the way, that old lady is really unfair. She's still holding him hostage, calling him a "traitor" and refusing to reinstate him! He's already Li Hongzhang's son-in-law... and this old lady still won't pardon his defeat in battle. Doesn't she worry about him and Li Hongzhang's daughter ending up in the imperial court together? However, although Li Hongzhang didn't have any intention of being crowned emperor, he must have been quite opposed to the idea of ​​the Manchus establishing a new army.

Without the new army, the Manchus couldn't touch the Beiyang Army; but with the new army... well, that's another story.

No, we have to change the "biggest threat" in Old Li's mind.

Otherwise, this steelmaking project will be delayed! It will probably be sixty or seventy years before we can pick it up again... By then, the grass on my grave will be three feet tall!

Without a large and powerful steel mill, a nation cannot become a strong nation in the future, and it may not even be able to protect itself. "You are mistaken," Chang Desheng took a deep breath, knowing that drastic measures were needed. "The Manchu New Army must be guarded against, but that's a matter for later. The immediate crisis is that once the Hanyang Ironworks is completed, Commander Zhang will have another trump card!"

Although the Hanyang Ironworks might not have made much money due to its location, the key question isn't whether it would make money or not. The key question is: who exactly was the first person in charge of Westernization in our Qing Dynasty?

As for the inherent weaknesses of the Hanyang Depot, as long as Xiang Shuai receives the full support of the imperial court and pours money into it, it will surely succeed. At that time, the upright officials in the court will say this.”

He paused, cleared his throat, and adopted that "patriotic and concerned" tone:

"Li Hefei has been involved in Westernization for thirty years, but all he has relied on is purchasing warships and cannons. This is putting the cart before the horse! Now, Marshal Zhang is building an ironworks in Hanyang, which is the right way to cultivate the foundation of the nation and revitalize industry! In the future, all the guns, cannons and ships of our Great Qing can be made from domestically produced steel, and we will not have to rely on foreigners. This is Marshal Zhang's foresight, which is beyond Li Hefei's reach!"

The room fell silent after he said that.

Zhang Peilun's expression changed. He came from a family of upright officials and knew all too well what kind of people those were.

Zhou Fu frowned.

Even Sheng Xuanhuai, who was standing to the side, showed some righteous indignation.

The weariness on Li Hongzhang's face gradually disappeared, replaced by contemplation, and perhaps a little worry about the future.

The Beiyang government today appears prosperous and vibrant, but in reality... it faces numerous internal troubles and even greater external threats. "By then," Chang Desheng pressed, lowering his voice, "the Grand Secretary won't be the number one figure in the Qing Dynasty's Westernization Movement anymore. Zhang Xiangshuai will be! What is his status? A leader of the Qingliu faction, a Hanlin scholar, and if he becomes the benchmark for Westernization, he'll have established the reputation of being the leader of both! Moreover, the court now finds the Beiyang government too powerful and wants to support Xiangshuai... If Xiangshuai really accomplishes something, if Hanyang produces good steel, even if it's expensive, that's a significant achievement..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but he conveyed the meaning.

The room fell silent again, and the air felt a little oppressive.

After a long pause, Li Hongzhang finally spoke slowly, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger: "Then tell me, what should we do?"

Chang Desheng knew that the time was almost right.

"Our Beiyang," he said, emphasizing each word, "must build a larger, better, and more economical steel mill! Our Beiyang must compete in steelmaking!"

These words resonated deeply.

At this moment, Sheng Xuanhuai spoke up for Chang Desheng, saying, "Zhenbang, this idea is good. But where will the money come from? Two million taels have been invested in Hanyang and there's still no progress. We want to build something even bigger; without three to five million taels, I'm afraid we won't be able to come up with the funds, will we?"

That's a very good question.

Chang Desheng pulled out the rolled-up map of Luanzhou from his pocket, walked to the octagonal table, and spread it out. His Tianjin accent betrayed his calculation: "Lord Sheng, that's a good question. Our factory doesn't need a single tael of silver from the imperial court!"

"Without using the imperial court's money?" Zhou Fu frowned. "Then will it fall from the sky?"

"Pretty much, it's 'borrowed' from the ground." Chang Desheng pointed to the map, "Luanzhou, Sijiaying Iron Mine. It's less than thirty li from Linxi Mine of Kaiping Coal Mine, and the two places are flat plains connected by a canal, making transportation very convenient. In addition, the Tangjin Railway was built from Tianjin to Kaiping Mine, making it very easy to transport machinery and equipment in. You see, the coal is readily available. The iron is right under our feet. The road is already built. So this land is naturally suited for building an ironworks!"

He spoke faster and faster, gesturing on the map with his finger: "Such a good business, we won't have to worry about a lack of investment. We can have it 'government-supervised, merchant-operated.' Let those wealthy guys from Southeast Asia put in the money—the Luo, Zhang, and Huang families. They've already invested in the Kaiping coal mine and the China Merchants Group, and they've tasted success. We'll paint them an even bigger picture: the coal from the expanded Kaiping plant will be used to make coke for the ironworks; the steel from the ironworks will be used to build ironworks… The Guandong Railway and the Beijing-Tianjin Railway are about to undergo major construction, so there's no shortage of steel to sell! I've calculated it; in five years, if we can achieve annual sales of 500,000 tons of coal and 50,000 tons of steel, the annual profit will be at least one million taels!" Sheng Xuanhuai's eyes lit up: "One million taels…"

"Yes! At least a million!" Chang Desheng continued, "Besides, the Germans, Krupp wants to invest in a model factory in the Far East. Mrs. Bülow hinted to me that they can contribute their technology as equity, providing engineers, blueprints, and key equipment! We have resources and a market, the Germans have the technology, and Southeast Asia has the money... With these four things combined, it'll be hard for this factory not to succeed!"

This statement is well-organized and the benefits are particularly tempting.

Most importantly, it doesn't require the Beiyang government to pay for it.

What's there to say if they don't spend money to build an ironworks?

Zhang Peilun pondered for a moment and said, "It sounds like... a good idea. But how do we silence the Qingliu faction in the imperial court? Our 'government-supervised, merchant-operated' model also involves introducing foreign technology shares. In their eyes, we're probably selling out the country again."

"Lord Zhang," Yuan Shikai began, his Henan accent deep and steady, "the Qingliu faction can criticize us however they want. But if our Luanzhou Steel Plant is truly built, truly produces steel, and truly earns money... no matter how fiercely they criticize, the money won't be reduced by a single penny. Then, who 'abandoned the fundamental for the trivial' and who 'cultivated the foundation of the nation' will be judged by the people. Moreover, the money earned from Luanzhou steel, the railways built with Luanzhou steel, the ships and guns manufactured with Luanzhou steel—all these represent the strength of the Beiyang Army!"

That's very true.

Strength is everything!

Li Hongzhang remained silent, listening attentively. Only after everyone had finished speaking did he scan the crowd with his gaze, finally settling on Chang Desheng's face. "Chang Zhenbang."

"The students are here."

"How confident are you about your Luanzhou Ironworks?"

Chang Desheng met his gaze without flinching: "Technology, resources, and markets—I'm 90% confident. The remaining 10% is…" "Is it the political situation?" Li Hongzhang interrupted for him.

"Yes." Chang Desheng nodded. Actually, that one-tenth was the war situation! It was the Japanese who entered Luanzhou and dismantled the ironworks! But it's not appropriate to say that now, but we must be wary of it in the future.

Li Hongzhang fell silent again, this time for an even longer period.

Just as Chang Desheng's heart began to pound, Li Hongzhang finally spoke.

"Apricot blossom".

"Yes," Sheng Xuanhuai quickly replied.

"Take 50,000 taels from the China Merchants Bureau's account for preliminary surveying and mapping." Li Hongzhang's decision-making was quite efficient; once he made up his mind, he immediately carried it out. "As for the remaining funds, raise them from Southeast Asian merchants, as you suggested. As for the Germans... we can make contact, but the terms must be clearly agreed upon and signed in black and white."

"yes!"

"Weiting".

"The students are here."

"As for North Korea... you'd better figure it out yourselves. If things go wrong, you'll have to clean up the mess yourself."

"I understand!" Yuan Shikai replied solemnly.

"Changde wins."

"The students are here."

"Is this Luanzhou Ironworks project something the Zhang and Luo families wanted to get involved in?"

"Your Excellency is wise," Chang Desheng said bluntly. "The Luanzhou Ironworks is indeed a rare and excellent business, a sure-fire way to make money. There are wealthy merchants willing to invest. The principal is three million taels, plus a loan of two or three million. The Southeast Asian side can handle it all, so Your Excellency can rest assured." "Since that's the case..." Li Hongzhang paused, looking at him, "Then let's do it this way... Someone provides the money, someone provides the technology, and I'm getting a ready-made solution. Is there any reason for me not to do it? Don't worry about the political situation; I still have some face to lose."

Li Hongzhang waved his hand, a hint of weariness on his face: "Go ahead and get busy, I'm tired."

The group bowed and withdrew.

Stepping into the courtyard, the sun was blazing.

Sheng Xuanhuai patted Chang Desheng on the shoulder and smiled, "Brother Zhenbang, you are a promising young man... A deal worth millions! Come on, let's go to my place and call Lord Luo over as well, and we'll settle this 'steelmaking competition' account properly."

Chang Desheng smiled and agreed.

He knew that this "competition to forge steel" meant he had passed the first hurdle.

Next, it's time to work hard and quickly... Time waits for no one. The steel plant in Luanzhou must, no matter what, produce the first batch of molten steel before the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895.

Unlike the money-burning Hanyang Ironworks run by Zhang Zhidong, Tangshan Steel was destined to make money; an annual income of millions was not a dream! With such a promising profit outlook, why worry about attracting capital from Southeast Asia to pour in? As long as Tangshan Steel could be successfully established, the foundation of China's industrialization would be solidly laid...

So these three years are crucial!

Chang Desheng walked out of the governor's office and looked up at the sky.

The sun was blazing, making people's foreheads feel hot.

He squinted, gazing towards Luanzhou in the north, and a slow smile crept onto his lips.

Old Li, Old Li, at least you didn't give up.

Now it's our turn.