Chapter 6 (Continued) Those Years (Double Update Tomorrow)
"Only China's Daoqiao can turn a sky-high barrier into a flat road." Apart from the autonomous region's railway and hydroelectric construction, which will not stop, the pace of highway construction in the autonomous region has also never stopped. Especially after the expansion of the autonomous region, how could the vast fields lack highways that lead to all directions?
For the autonomous region, if we say that the third construction company of China Highway Bridge in Guangxi Southwest coastal area built a high-speed road network is a great attempt, it has improved the logistics and transportation speed of the province's economic development by one level, making people realize the significance of the high-speed road network, which is an extremely significant attempt.
The strategic highway planned by the Ministry of Transport, in addition to being strongly supported by China's three major bridge construction companies, also "arbitrarily" added many more sections, jointly forming a historic and unprecedented strategic highway. Starting from Beihai, an important port city in Guangxi, after getting on the highway, you can head north to reach Yulin, an important fuel-powered industrial city, and Wuzhou, another important port city, then pass through Hezhou and turn towards Liuzhou, the most important industrial city in the autonomous region; or start from Beihai, go north through Nanning, then pass through Laibin to reach Liuzhou.
That is to say, due to this strategic highway, most areas of Guangxi Province have the ability to interconnect with highways, and no matter where you go, you can reach the important city of Liuzhou. Continuing on, from Liuzhou heading west, after passing through the important industrial city for electrical equipment Hechi, enter Guizhou province, pass through the provincial capital Guiyang and the important regional city Zunyi, cross the Yangtze River to arrive at the important industrial city along the river Chongqing, then head northwest, the highway passes through the important industrial cities Neijiang and Zigong before arriving in Chengdu.
After arriving in Chengdu, the "capital" of Sichuan Province, head northeast and pass through Deyang and Mianyang to Guangyuan, then enter Shaanxi Province and arrive at Hanzhong. Continue northeast to reach the terminal point of the strategic highway, which is Xi'an, the ancient capital of China and also the provincial capital of Shaanxi Province.
The highway that passes through so many important cities has undoubtedly brought unprecedented opportunities for the development of various regions. The cumbersome railway transportation no longer restricts the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, and they can use heavy trucks to transport goods on highways, thus achieving economic circulation in the autonomous region. The advantages of highway transportation, such as being small, fast, and flexible, are fully embodied through the highway, which can be said to have driven the surrounding development with an effect that is even stronger than that of railways, especially for enterprises with a small scale of development and high business requirements. Their goods' speed to market and supply costs in various regions are directly related to the enterprise's efficiency. With the emergence of highways with reasonable tolls and convenient and fast services, choosing highway transportation can actually improve overall efficiency. Of course, highways cannot replace railway transportation, and the significance and importance of both have no need for comparison, but they have coexisting value.
The highway with good benefits and significance has received praise, which in turn gave the three major companies more confidence. Their goal is more grandiose than the four major railway construction projects. The First Construction Company hopes to open up highways to Urumqi and Baotou as soon as possible. With the massive logistics transportation demand of private enterprises in these regions, it's worth noting that agricultural products from these areas are excellent industrial raw materials. If the highway can reach these areas, it will bring better economic benefits to the development of agriculture along the way. More companies will enter these areas to purchase agricultural products, making it cheaper for people on Hainan Island to enjoy Xinjiang grapes and authentic Mongolian mutton. This will attract more people to taste these delicacies, and naturally, there will be a steady stream of cars on this highway. Therefore, the idea that highways can make big money is not a dream.
And the second construction company's dream is more realistic, after experiencing the test of building bridges and roads on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, they are naturally more stable and mature. The principle of "picking soft persimmons" is understood by everyone, but not everyone understands it. As the province with the strongest development momentum in Sichuan, there are countless logistics demands within the province, and repairing the highway network within Sichuan Province is like the third construction company firmly establishing itself in Guangxi Province. Cities such as Chengdu, Chongqing, Neijiang, Nanchong, Luzhou, etc. are all transportation hubs, and the highway network that connects them will surely reap a rich harvest. Of course, the most coveted project is to build the Sichuan-Hubei Highway from Chongqing to Wuhan, which will also be a huge potential investment project. According to the development trend of the autonomous region, newly incorporated areas will all be key development areas, and the two lakes region will surely have super-strong development potential. Therefore, after repeated consideration, under the government's special "guidance", they chose potential investment.
Like the second company, when the third construction company was almost done with Guangxi Province, it suddenly realized that in the future road construction market, there were already companies from Northwest China and Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan areas. In order to develop well, they had to quickly find a large market with potential. Hunan, as a province with a large population and newly incorporated into the autonomous region, must have untapped potential. The logistics brought by various infrastructure constructions in the future autonomous region would be enough for them to earn back the cost of highway construction, not to mention those private enterprises rushing into new areas for development. Apart from the huge population resources, cheap labor, and a large number of preferential policies to promote regional development, these are what small and medium-sized private enterprises are after.
Private enterprises have established themselves, stabilized their footing, and the third construction company's highway has been built for them, allowing them to achieve perfect interconnection with the old district. The products and markets of enterprises have been expanded, and naturally, this toll is enough to make a profit. Therefore, the area where the third construction company entered was Hunan, and the first target was Guilin, passing through Yongzhou, Hengyang, Changsha, and Yueyang before crossing the Yangtze River and arriving directly at Wuhan, an important city in Hubei Province. This is roughly the same as the plan of the second construction company, as both targets are directed at Wuhan. However, it is clear that the second company will complete its project first due to its shorter route and better foundation. Nevertheless, the vast human resources within Hunan province should not be underestimated.
Many construction companies are working hard to develop various projects, completing the government's plans while also bringing endless benefits to their own enterprises, but ultimately benefiting the people, and of course, the government is also gaining a lot from this.
"A merger move, unexpectedly brought such a big change to the autonomous region. The entire autonomous region, regardless of the size and nature of the company, was mobilized by the joining of two provinces, this bustling scene of industry and commerce reminds me of those days during World War I, it seems like they came again overnight."
Zhang Yu was initially reminded to prepare for the domestic reshuffle, and opportunities are only given to those who are prepared. Therefore, the People's Army took down two provinces with large populations and agricultural resources without any sacrifice. With the addition of these two provinces, combined with the rebound in international financial trends, the autonomous region's industry and commerce ushered in a great opportunity. The entire economic development trend is almost judged to be overheating.
"Hunan has a population of over 298.5 million, and Hubei has a population of over 253 million. Adding the territories we occupy from Long Jiguang and Chen Jiongming, the area of the two provinces is not just 210,000 and 180,000 square kilometers. With these two resource-rich and populous provinces joining in, both of which are in a state of no industrial development, how can this huge original market not drive companies from the old districts crazy? I estimate that it won't take long for our large enterprises to stir up too. Moreover, we are also carrying out massive infrastructure construction projects in the two provinces, building railways and highways, isn't this stimulating industrial development? Small and medium-sized enterprises are swarming in, how can they not be restless?"
Zhang Yu took over the document handed over by his brother, which was about the reasonable development opinions on the two lakes region. The General Affairs Court's instructions would often be glanced at by Zhang Yu, after all, sometimes he could also come up with some reasonable opinions, although not as good as three cobblers, but the conspiracy of the two traversers couldn't go wrong by much.
"In such a lively scene, it even made me think of going to open a factory." Zhang Yu saw that the guidance opinion of the General Office pointed out that the two provinces of Hubei and Hunan, which had just been perfected, must pay attention to the implementation of land policies, attach importance to infrastructure construction, and emphasize the rationality and necessity of introducing investment. Of course, more importantly, they cannot engage in vicious competition with Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia provinces in terms of introducing investment. Next is the development intention of some enterprises directly under the government. The settlement of these large enterprises is undoubtedly a super good news for the development of Hubei and Hunan provinces. Of course, seeing this, Zhang Yu's doubts grew even more."
"Head, Hunan and Hubei are indeed very important, but do they have to develop in a way that's as rapid as taking a giant leap to the sky? In Hunan, there are Changsha, Xiangtan, Zhuzhou, and Hengyang; in Hubei, there are Wuhan, Huangshi, Jingzhou, and Shiyan. You're planning to build eight key industrial cities all at once - aren't you afraid of taking too much in one bite and choking to death?"
Zhang Yu said, standing up and unfolding a map to point at the big brother sitting across from him. "Don't you see where I'm pointing? In the southwest of Sichuan, we're building a large steel city in Panzhihua, and those vanadium-titanium alloys are very important for both civilian and military use. And in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, we're also planning to build a steel city, and the rare earth metals there are crucial. You think you can just casually build two steel cities in Wuhan and Huangshi? Do you think this is like growing crops that you can just store in a warehouse when you have too much?"
"I don't mind setting up a mechanical industry in Xiangtan, Hunan. Apart from Liuzhou, we only have Chengdu and Kunming. With Xiangtan, the development of the mechanical industry will be more advantageous. Of course, building an auto city in Zhuzhou, Hunan and Shiyan, Hubei is also good. Our four major automobile manufacturing enterprises should also develop outside Guangxi Province. Sichuan has Chongqing and Ziyang, which are not enough. Adding Zhuzhou and Shiyan will be more beneficial for development. But I just can't understand why we need to build the Gezhouba Hydroelectric Power Station? Now, apart from the first group in Panzhihua, all three major hydroelectric groups have fallen in love with small hydropower construction. The second and third groups are developing well in Yunnan and Guizhou. We don't lack electricity. Building a hydroelectric power station on the Yangtze River can only serve to prevent powerful warships from entering the Yangtze waterway, or for flood control. I really can't think of any other reason why we must build that thing."
"Last year, the Yangtze River flood disaster was rampant, and the two lakes region suffered severe losses. But this year, another warlord conflict broke out, and the People's Army finally won control of the two regions at a tiny cost, and will soon make them a focal point for development in our autonomous region. With their development and utilization, our economic growth will reach a new level. We have the strength to do it, why not? I'm just offering an opinion, from planning to on-site research to completion of the power plant, who knows how many years it'll take, you're clear about that. I'm just looking for a market for heavy industry in the two provinces, like a newborn baby needs nutrition."
"In your view, the heavy industries in the northwest and southwest regions are marketable, and the vast western region has countless projects to be constructed, which will have a huge market waiting for them to integrate and grow. With old areas leading new ones, generation after generation, we will eventually have very strong comprehensive strength, rather than only starting large-scale construction after unification, with high efficiency but slow results. Your approach allows us to develop both industry and economy while continuing to unify, at the cost of timely expanding new areas and finding a foothold for new industrial layout."
Zhang Yu quickly analyzed the idea of his brother, every time the People's Army fought, it would trigger an economic development boom. The government merely directed a few large-scale infrastructure construction groups to build basic infrastructure in newly incorporated areas. Although this largely drove employment in new areas and industrial development in old districts, in reality, the real protagonists were still those private enterprises that opened up markets for industrial products and brought prosperity to the economy of new areas.
Since then, the autonomous region has maintained a high speed of development from its establishment to the present. When the development slows down or encounters an unfavorable international trade export situation, apart from deeply expanding the internal market of the autonomous region, increasing people's consumption power and desire, driving economic development, the role of economic penetration affecting surrounding provinces is very limited. The most effective means is to let the People's Army launch a war and enter new areas and markets, bringing fresh blood to economic development, and then letting the economy continue to soar.
This approach has been adopted three times. The first time, the autonomous region was expanded to include Yunnan and Guizhou provinces in addition to Guangxi; the second time, it was merged with Shaanxi and Gansu provinces; and the third time, in 1926, Hunan and Hubei were incorporated. Due to the increasing population and expanding territory of the incorporated provinces, after the second expansion, the autonomous region's rapid economic growth could not quickly satisfy the needs of Shaanxi and Gansu, resulting in stagnation until around 1935. Following this logic, with Hunan and Hubei having even larger populations and deeper markets, it is estimated that the autonomous region will need more time to fully absorb them, and the next expansion will not occur for at least five years.
However, Zhang Yu is a bit worried that: once a day when the whole country is unified, the domestic economy is too prosperous and the industrial strength is too large, in order to sustain economic development, it must need a larger and better market. If overseas expansion fails, will the People's Army also have to use force to solve it? North Korea, Vietnam, Russia, Japan and other surrounding countries, who will be the first country to be economically invaded? When can such an expansion end... The road to revival is originally to cut through thorns and thistles. Which great power has risen without expanding its territory? Otherwise, how could there be capital and strength for its rise? And China's revival cannot be an exception.
"Resources" and "markets" are the foundation and essential nutrients for the growth of an industrial power, losing them would mean losing life. The autonomous region's current actions are still relatively small in scale, but as one round follows another, like a snowball rolling down a hill, its strength will eventually swell to the point where it can no longer be satisfied by China alone, and the whole world will enter its expanding field of vision. However, there are other countries on this earth that are also expanding or dreaming of expansion, and for "resources" and "markets", the pure pursuit of profit is not only at the center of human activity, but also a recurring theme in the grudges between nations.
"The strong will get stronger, the weak will get weaker. Imperialist powers are expanding into China, our vast population and rich resources are what they covet, but why do we need them to exploit us? We Chinese ourselves are not yet satisfied with our own rise! If we want to truly revive, expanding against them is an inevitable task that must be done sooner or later." Zhang Yu Sheng said this after taking back his report, and he was not speaking alarmist words, this is the unspoken truth behind national interests, in a world where the law of the jungle prevails, can there be true brotherly love between nations?
"You're more capable than me, I really can't understand those calculations of yours. Nothing's wrong, I'll head back to the base, the Tai Shan plan is proceeding like wildfire, it's all for China's future expansion capital, you just don't bother me when there's nothing going on. Next time we expand, just come call me out of retirement!"
"By the way, I haven't told you yet! With you keeping an eye on me, I feel at ease with this Tai Shan plan. However, according to intelligence from the Security Department, it's estimated that the grudges between the Zhili clique and the Fengtian clique will be difficult to resolve, and a battle will have to be fought to determine who is the boss and who is the subordinate. As for the Guangzhou Military Government, after Chen Jiongming takes office, he will definitely burn some new official fires. He's an active anti-party element, and I estimate that the party called Guo... Party will strongly oppose his dictatorial rule and will be slaughtered. I'm worried that some of their escaped members might infiltrate our camp and cause trouble. Apart from alerting the Security Department, you should also be on guard. In short, military matters are still your domain, but political intrigue is my territory. On my territory, you have to listen to me..."
"Damn it!" Zhang Yu cursed, and then quickly bid farewell to Zhang Yusheng and rushed straight into the Jiawang Mountains. That's where the rising and expanding capital is located. From 1923 to the end of 1926, this achievement was quite impressive, and it's absolutely possible to complete the Taishan plan ahead of schedule. Maybe Zhang Yu should consider adding some dishes, but for now, the most important thing is to remind himself of the military defense deployment, and then delve into the mountains to discuss with the scientific researchers. After all, who else would be called the "Genius Commander-in-Chief"?
In short, a reshuffle of the domestic warlord forces has brought different reactions from various quarters, and it is unclear who will ultimately benefit. However, one thing is certain: such struggles will become fewer and farther between until one day they cease to fight for power and profit. Nevertheless, as for the autonomous region, although the People's Army took Hunan and Hubei with ease, actually controlling them might be a bit more difficult...
