The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 77 Southbound ([-])

Guangling is the second largest city in the northeastern region of Hanzhou after Weihai (now Cairns, Australia). It is also an important transportation hub connecting the coastal railway and the Northeast Railway (Gansu-Guangzhou Line), and is the most important trading port in the region.

Guangling City has many large-scale meat processing plants, large-scale copper smelting plants, sugar making, shipbuilding, steel, hardware products and other industries, with a population of more than 32 (1720 census data).

Among the more than 700 sugar factories in Qi, more than 500 are located in Guangling Prefecture, which is the largest sugar manufacturing center in Qi.Every year, Guangling, the capital city alone, crushes about 70 tons of sugar cane and produces [-] tons more finished sugar, which is more than [-] tons higher than the output of the entire America (South America) during this period.

After decades of development, Guangling has established many upstream and downstream factories around the cane sugar industry.They make bagasse, waste honey and filter mud into paper, fiberboard, particle board, feed, alcohol (raw material for mead), yeast, fertilizer, etc.The processed sugarcane shoots, sugarcane leaves, bagasse bran, waste molasses or alcohol waste liquid are processed into feed for ruminants such as cattle and sheep.The waste residue and waste liquid discharged from the sugar refinery are not ignored. After slight processing, they can be used as fertilizer in sugar cane fields.

It can be said that Qi State has utilized a sugar cane from beginning to end to the extreme. Coupled with large-scale machine crushing and production, the cost can beat all sugar factories in the world.

After the train arrives at Guangling, an important town in the Northeast, it needs to change trains here whether it is continuing south or north.The eastern region is the most densely populated and economically developed region in Qi.Therefore, there are many trains in Guangling. A train leaves the station almost every 10 minutes, transporting countless passengers and goods to all parts of the country.

Li Yanliang bought a ticket for 03:30 in the afternoon. Seeing that it was still early, he stored his luggage at the train station, got on a public carriage, and prepared to tour the city.

Like many industrial cities in China, this place does not leave a good first impression on visitors.The air in the city is filled with acrid smoke. There are tall and spectacular commercial buildings, as well as huge and heavy factories. Of course, there are also numerous chimneys that continuously spray out thick yellow or black smoke.

Guangling is located in the subtropical zone, with a hot and humid climate, and the streets are all the same, making it impossible for people to feel any novelty.However, the urban area has a river that runs through the entire city, a long coastline, and a large area of ​​green space, which makes it feel slightly more comfortable.

In the suburbs far away from the factories, you can see hundreds of beautiful villas, manors, and several green parks.The rich here, like everywhere else in Qi, also know how to enjoy the fresh air.

The river that runs through Guangling City has a small volume of water and can only carry small boats of dozens of tons. There are more than a dozen bridges built on the entire river, including concrete bow bridges, rough steel bridges, and wooden bridges only for pedestrians. , integrating the two urban areas along the river.

Guangling University, located in the west of the city, is the largest and most splendid building in the city. It covers an area of ​​more than 600 acres. It is said that there are more than 500 students inside, receiving top-level education in the country. education.

Guangling Grand Theater is a special building. Its grand auditorium can accommodate more than 4000 spectators. It often holds dramas, song and dance performances, circuses, and many large gatherings, and is famous.

In fact, Guangling not only has a large number of sugar, cotton spinning, food, wood and other light industries, but also has several steel plants with an annual output of [-] tons, as well as corresponding supporting upstream and downstream metal products industries.

The most well-known is Guangling Steel Spring Factory, which enjoys a high reputation in China and even around the world, and the steel springs it produces have a very broad market.In the past few hundred years, people have commonly used copper springs, so they are extremely expensive and rare.The first batch of steel springs were produced here in the 15th year of Hanxing (1685). At that time, each one was sold for about one yuan (equivalent to about 3.5 taels of silver).Later, after the Guangling Spring Factory continuously improved its technology and simplified the process, the price dropped rapidly, from eight cents per spring, then to fifty cents, and now to ten cents.

It is reported that this price reduction behavior started with the new machine invented and developed by Guangling Industrial Research Institute more than ten years ago.Each spring needs to go through dozens of processes, using machines to drill, separate, heat, test pressure, bend, heat again, cool, wipe, polish, clean and package.All processes have been mechanized and streamlined, making Guangling Spring Factory a leader in the country and even the world in this field.This factory produces more springs every year than all the countries in the world combined.

In addition to the Guangling Iron and Steel Factory and the Guangling Spring Factory, the "Ruifuxiang" glass products factory and the "Shengchangji" gold-plated and silver-plated products factory are also a major attraction in Guangling City.The two factory buildings look like palaces from the outside, and the exterior walls are inlaid with a large amount of glass and metal-plated materials, making them look magnificent.

The latter produced a variety of daily necessities and luxury products, from sewing needles for housewives to crystal crowns for the tombs of wealthy families, as well as luxurious gold basins and gold and silver tableware for the tables of princes and nobles.Except for a small number of these products used in the domestic market, most of them are exported to mainland Qin, Japan, North Korea, as well as India, Persia, Ottoman and Europe.

Li Yanliang walked around until two o'clock in the afternoon and had a simple but delicious lunch in the city. He then returned to the station and prepared to take the bus to continue southbound.

Calculating the journey, from Guangling to Daxing, it is about 20 kilometers. Including stops at stations along the way, the train will take more than [-] hours.In this way, when we arrive in Daxing, it will be almost four or five o'clock in the afternoon the next day, and we can still have dinner cooked by my mother when I get home.

At this thought, Li Yanliang couldn't help but feel excited in his heart.I haven’t seen her in nearly four years. I wonder if my mother is okay?
In the huge Hanzhou continent, the population of Qi is only over [-] million. Even the more densely populated eastern region is extremely sparsely populated, with large areas of barren land, mountains, forests and pastures everywhere.

Then, when I was at the train station, I saw a bustling crowd, crowded and pushed, with passengers everywhere.The long queue stretches from the ticket gate to the waiting room hall, giving people a scene of Qi's prosperous population.

Following the huge queue of people, Li Yanliang slowly passed the ticket gate and squeezed onto the train platform.When he saw the crowd in front of the carriage door, Li Yanliang stopped and put his luggage on the ground, not planning to fight with them to board the train.

"Du..., Du..."

The train made a loud whistle, and thick black smoke was emitted from the flue of the locomotive. The inspector checking the train safety also blew a sharp whistle to remind passengers who were still lingering on the platform to board quickly. car.

Guangling Station is a large station, and there are many passengers getting on the train. Not only are all the seats filled, but there are also many people standing at the junctions of the carriages and in the aisles.

It’s so evil. The railway company didn’t know how many station tickets it oversold!

Li Yanliang was carrying two pieces of luggage and squeezing forward in the aisle while secretly cursing in his heart.

There were only about twenty rows of seats, but he squeezed for two or three minutes before walking to the middle of the carriage and finding his seat.

A man who temporarily occupied his seat saw the real owner, who was also an officer. He hurriedly stood up and got out of the way, with a somewhat flattering smile on his face.

Call!After placing his luggage, Li Yanliang breathed a long sigh of relief.

Think about it, the environment of the first-class box is still comfortable!

"Brothers, just be okay and give us a seat. ... My wife is holding the baby, and she really can't stand for a long time."

The train had been running for more than ten minutes, and a few pleading words could be faintly heard from the row of seats behind him.

"Your wife can sit on the ground with her baby in her arms!... She can't stand for a long time, and my legs and feet are so sore that it's hard to stand! Just wait a little longer. When we arrived in Xiangjiang (now Rockhampton, Australia), I got off the car I will let you go later."

"But...but there are still more than ten hours to go to Xiangjiang, how can we wait? Your...seat is originally ours. We have tickets..."

"You have a ticket, but I still have a ticket!" "How is this possible? Our tickets are obviously for these two consecutive seats..."

"Hehe... maybe you, the Qin people, are new here and bought fake tickets."

"No, we bought the ticket at the station, how could it be a fake ticket? Then..., then..., can this big brother take out your ticket and take a look?"

"Hey, what's the matter, you still suspect that I don't have a ticket! Besides, what qualifications do you have to see my ticket?... Just stay aside! Don't pester us!"

"..."

Li Yanliang couldn't help but turn his head and look at the situation in the back row.

I saw a couple holding their children, standing pitifully on the edge of the row of seats, seeming to be begging the two passengers on the seats to give up their seats.

"It's probably because I bought a standing ticket for cheap, but took advantage of the fact that the person didn't show up to take the seat." A man next to Li Yanliang said in a low voice.

When Li Yanliang heard this, he glanced at him. He was about forty years old, with a chubby round face and tortoiseshell eyes, and a gentle appearance.He seemed to show a hint of dissatisfaction with the rear passenger occupying his seat, but he did not stand up and speak up for the couple.

"If you have a ticket, take it out and take a look. If you don't have a ticket, return the seat to someone else!" Li Yanliang stood up and stood next to the couple, staring coldly at the two men occupying the seats.

"...I have a ticket, I have a ticket." Suddenly seeing an officer standing in front of them with a majestic expression, the two men looked a little flustered.

In Qi State, the status of powerful departments such as the military, police and special forces still have a strong deterrent effect in society.Moreover, when Qi established itself as a country, it gave its soldiers a higher status. In addition, over the years, Qi's army and navy officers and soldiers have achieved a series of brilliant achievements in overseas campaigns, making soldiers generally respected by the people at home.

Frightened by Li Yanliang's status as an officer, and the disgusted looks cast by the surrounding passengers, the two men occupying seats eventually left angrily and gave up their seats.

This move made the couple rush to thank Li Yanliang for his generous actions.

After a few simple inquiries, it turned out that the couple were indeed immigrants from Qin and had been in Hanzhou for five years.This time, I took a train to Daxing and joined a fellow villager who had immigrated to Qi State earlier and created a career.It is said that this fellow is quite energetic and can not only provide them with a more lucrative job, but also help their family of three quickly become naturalized citizens of Qi and become real Qi people.

"Our Ministry of Immigration Affairs has a law that stipulates that all immigrants who spontaneously immigrate to the mainland and overseas territories and have lived there for more than three years can apply for naturalization to the local immigration department." Li Yanliang asked curiously: "Why do you You haven’t been naturalized in five years? Now, even your child is three years old, and you still have associate national status?”

"This officer doesn't know something." The Qin immigrant said with a wry smile: "To apply for naturalization to the local immigration department, you need someone from Qi to act as a guarantor. Moreover, the guarantor must also be from the place where the person applying for naturalization is located. The factory owner or the person in charge of the trading company shall issue documents proving relevant residence and work.”

"Then you stayed in Guangling for five years, why didn't the owner of your factory give you a guarantee?"

"They..., they want me to do it for a few more years..."

"Do it for a few more years? What does that mean?"

"The so-called "work for a few more years" means that the owner of his factory hopes to hire him long-term at a lower wage!" The man with a round face and a slightly plump face said: "You know, hiring immigrants like them who have not yet obtained national status, Not only are the wages paid much lower, but there is no need to pay social security contributions mandated by the government. This can save factory owners a lot of money over the course of the year."

"Is that right?"

The Qin immigrant nodded slightly, and then let out a long sigh.

"Actually, there are quite a few immigrants in his situation in Qi State." The round-faced and slightly fat man said sarcastically: "Many black-hearted factory owners and trading companies like to recruit newcomers like them. Immigrate to save so-called production costs. I even learned that many factory owners are colluding with some underground gangs and societies to organize ships to go to countries and regions such as Annan, Qin, North Korea, and Japan, under the guise of immigration. Under the guise of charging high immigration transshipment fees, and charging domestic factory owners and plantation owners labor ‘introduction fees’. Huh, these activities are said to have formed a stable and prosperous industrial chain!”

"Does the cabinet and local government not care about this kind of thing?"

"How to manage? It is said that the people will not be promoted and the officials will not be investigated. These new immigrants are not familiar with the place and do not know where the government office is. How can they report it? Besides, although they are among those black-hearted factory owners and plantations The wages received from the Lord are relatively small, but they are still much better than in their hometown. In addition, they are not familiar with the various laws and regulations of our country, and some have never read a book. How can they make appeals? Only Those immigrants who are reported to the local immigration department and have been uniformly arranged by the government will be naturalized in accordance with normal procedures and then registered."

"In this case, wouldn't there be a large number of immigrants who have not been formally naturalized in our country of Qi?"

"That's inevitable." The round-faced and slightly chubby man nodded and said: "Even if the number of people like them is small, there are at least hundreds of thousands. ... Well, it may reach 100 million. Although, our Qi country A census is conducted every ten years, but the final official figures definitely do not include these unregistered immigrants.”

"..." After hearing this, Li Yanliang was stunned for a while, speechless for a while.

Since the founding of our country, Qi State has been anxious about its insufficient population. As early as 30 years ago, it spared no effort to spend large sums of financial funds to immigrate on a large scale from mainland China, North Korea, Japan, Annan and other places. Filling the vast and empty territory.

Although later, due to the complete cessation of the war in Qin on the mainland, the country gradually stabilized, and the source of immigrants gradually shrank, the Qi government never completely stopped absorbing immigrants. It only changed from the large-scale immigration led by the previous government to increasing the number of immigrants. It greatly attracted spontaneous immigration from the people, and many regular ocean liners were opened at Qin's coastal ports to transport people who wanted to immigrate back to their homeland and overseas territories.

As for the large-scale refugee influx caused by natural disasters in the Qin State, the Qi State often exchanged food for people and carried out surprise "big" immigration operations.

According to Qi's current overseas expansion trend, the demand for immigrants should be inexhaustible and never-ending.In order to attract more immigrants from Qin State - based on Qi State's imperial-Han ideology, the majority of the nation should be Han people, and Qi State should be kind to those immigrants who have gone through great hardships to come to Hanzhou.Even if there are not as many preferential conditions as the distribution of land, houses, and wives decades ago, it should not be like the unscrupulous factory owners and plantation owners who wantonly squeeze and humiliate them, even to achieve the goal of long-term exploitation. For this purpose, they were not allowed to be naturalized as guarantee.

How is their despicable behavior different from the behavior of those powerful powerful families in ancient times who hid their populations?

"I feel that in future censuses hosted by the government, these unregistered immigrants should also be included in the statistics." Li Yanliang murmured: "They should also be part of our Qi country."

(End of this chapter)