Chapter Five Rebirth

  "Develop high-tech, achieve industrialization." Zhang Yusheng got a thick report and opened it without starting to browse, but was stunned by the quote at the beginning. "I feel this sentence is particularly familiar, I'm sure my teacher taught me before in history class, but I don't remember which great leader said it about what thing, but it makes sense."

  "Yes! It was said by some great leader, but we can't see them anymore. Those who studied at the Normal University in Hunan and followed Sun Yat-sen, you bastards have eliminated all of them, what do they want to say? We really can't hear it anymore."

  Zhang Yu has been busy with a big project, exhausted to the point of being half-dead. Seeing his older brother spend all day leisurely receiving labor representatives and industry elites, drinking tea, bragging, and chatting idly, Zhang Yu thinks that politics is just about socializing over food and drink, which is worlds apart from the actual work he does. After completing his task, Zhang Yu naturally thinks of revenge, crazy revenge, even if it's just getting an advantage by talking back.

  "What's with the dirty mouth? You're almost old enough to be a grandfather, and you still don't have any decorum. Zhang Yu just about threw the report at Zhang Yu's head, gesturing for him to sit down before saying: "I knew it was a hassle to let you do this plan, but don't keep bringing up past grievances! If we don't eliminate threats, do you like seeing chaos everywhere? We need to strangle potential problems in the cradle. You agreed to that, didn't you? From now on, you're not allowed to mention those things again. Anyway, there's no use regretting it now; what's done is done. The world has already turned upside down, and our historical knowledge doesn't apply anymore. Also, we received news from the Guangzhou military government that Old Sun is seriously ill. If he dies, Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Fujian will erupt into chaos. And it seems like the Zhili and Fengtian cliques are also getting restless; I estimate they'll need to fight it out before things settle down. The domestic peace has lasted long enough; we won't get involved, but you still need to make preparations..."

  "What's the point of not mixing in? What's the use of our hard work in expanding the military? Let the navy play around in the North Sea Bay, and don't even take the air force out for a spin?" Zhang Yu didn't plan to let his brother off the hook that easily. Why did he have to come up with a ten-year plan, which had kept him awake for over two months? "I'm telling you, what's there to fear about Mo Rongxin, Chen Jiongming, and Long Jiguang? Add Wu Peifu and Sun Chuanfang to that, and call in Duan Qirui and Zhang Zuolin together. I'm not afraid of these guys!"

  "A hero doesn't ask about the way out, a rogue doesn't care about age. You're not afraid, why should I be? I just think we should get our teeth in order before eating fruit, otherwise, the taste won't be good and our teeth will fall out."

  Zhang Yusheng looked at the plan for a while and felt it was quite good, but since he wasn't from a science background, there were some things he couldn't understand. After asking Zhang Yu to sit down, he said: "Two months to complete such a plan, honestly, how much did you plagiarize? No need to answer, I can tell from your expression that there's something fishy going on behind the scenes of completing it so quickly and with high quality. But since we've got the advantage, let's just use it!"

  "You finally told the truth for once, in this era and century, basically all the high-tech, high-technology, and good experiences were not created by us Chinese people ourselves. To put it bluntly, the scientific achievements and contributions of those foreigners are countless. Fortunately, after the 20th century, we Chinese people have caught up, and there are more and more high-tech things, but now we can't use them, and all we do is copy from foreign countries, which reminds me of something!"

  "What's up?" Zhang Yusheng continued to look at the file and casually responded with a sentence.

  "You don't understand my bitterness, you know more about history than I do, so let me tell you. Our Chinese ancestors invented gunpowder and the compass, but after they were transmitted to the West, it didn't take many years for those guys to use their guns and cannons to blast open our country's gates, and several thousand years of glory withered away. A diagram of the I Ching drawn by Shao Yong of the Song Dynasty was transmitted to the West, where Leibniz discovered the flavor of the eight trigrams, and after taking a closer look at each hexagram, he discovered the arrangement and combination of yin and yang, which led to the development of binary mathematics in computers. Later on, there was the information age, with the West leading China, from operating systems to application software... our lagging behind is not just by a little bit..."

  "That makes sense, it's particularly brilliant!" Zhang Yusheng put down the document and said with a smile: "So you're planning to take revenge? I asked you to come up with a ten-year science and technology development plan, and you actually did it? You even included high-performance computers, on purpose?"

  Zhang Yu awkwardly smiled and said, "Aren't you asking me to narrow the scope down to within the 20th century? This thing is the most representative. Besides, can you ask for nuclear physics to be added in, but I can't make a high-speed computer? As long as I get this thing done, it will also benefit your old man. Who knows, maybe I'll even give you digital communication and space exploration ahead of time! And besides, my previous words weren't finished yet! If those foreigners can use China's invention of gunpowder to beat us up, we can also borrow technology from another timeline to come here and mess with them, until it's even!"

  "As long as Westerners do not abandon the 'Yellow Peril' ideology, there will be no lasting peace between East and West," Zhang Yu-sheng said. He also made another very pertinent remark, just like he often told Zhang Yu - before exporting its own values to other countries, China cannot claim to be a great power."

  "That makes sense, it's particularly well said."

  The two of them exchanged a glance, and both smiled wryly. Zhang Yu didn't disturb Zhang Yusheng's review of the documents again. After all, this thing was related to the future ten-year scientific and technological development strategy of the autonomous region, involving several key universities, more than a dozen key laboratories, the youth of tens of thousands of talents, and billions of research funds invested each time, as well as the follow-up cooperation of dozens of large enterprises and thousands of factory units. Any slight mistake would be intolerable.

  The plan was led by Zhang Yu, who mobilized his own brainpower and concentrated the elite forces of seven major departments, including the Ministry of Industry, Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and Technology, National Defense Science and Technology Commission, Ministry of Finance, and People's Bank. The plan conducted assessments on established universities such as China Industrial University, Air Force Engineering University, Naval University, Sichuan University, Yunnan University, and Guizhou University, and made capability forecasts for the soon-to-be-established National Defense University and National Defense Science and Technology University. In addition to doing a lot of detailed work, the plan also included an investigation, evaluation, and calculation by the Audit Office and People's Bank on the autonomous region's future economic sustainability. This influential plan was completed in just over two months, demonstrating the government's emphasis and high efficiency, as it is called the "Taishan" plan.

  The Tai Shan Plan is a ten-year scientific development plan based on the current comprehensive strength of the autonomous region in science, industry, education and economy. According to the plan, many research institutions were established to study a series of high-tech and strategic industries. Research will be conducted on biotechnology, aviation and even space technology, information and automation technology, new materials, etc. In simple terms, it is hoped that after ten years, we can master things or technologies such as computers using integrated circuits, advanced industrial processing and manufacturing equipment such as CNC machine tools, biotech pharmaceuticals, intercontinental aviation and space exploration, high-tech synthetic materials, etc. If the plan is completed smoothly, there may be even larger plans to follow, otherwise it will take longer to overcome.

  In fact, with a very complete technical data and financial budget as the foundation, this plan should be easy to complete, and it is also possible to complete ahead of schedule. However, this world does not allow perfect things to exist, and even the almost flawless Tai Mountain Plan has its shortcomings and restrictive conditions. The bottleneck that restricts this plan is only two, one is the lack of sufficient scientific research personnel, and the other is the lack of continuous funding.

  To prepare sufficient talent, the autonomous government has been implementing a "lavish" universal compulsory education system since 1915, and successively establishing corresponding higher education institutions and scientific laboratories. Due to the limited number of people entering universities for higher education, the high-quality talents in the autonomous region have only increased by about 3,000 people per year since 1921. After more higher education institutions were established, the annual growth rate of high-quality talents in the autonomous region will accelerate.

  That is to say, the plan started in mid-1923 with only six higher education institutions and 14 research institutes, with a total of approximately 4,100 people. In the first four years of the plan, the number of scientific researchers increased by about 3,000 each year. By around 1927, there will be nearly 20,000 people, and then the autonomous region will usher in the first batch of university graduates after the implementation of universal compulsory education. There will be hundreds of thousands of university students graduating from universities to accept selection, and a large number of talents can be selected. This is also the second half of the plan's implementation, which is also the most critical remaining six years. Calculated in this way, the entire plan will exceed the designed talent mobilization quantity, with a scale of 150,000 people being sufficient. Moreover, the Ministry of Education has not said that it will no longer build higher education institutions after ten years, and strive to have one or even two universities in each province, and implement compulsory education at the stage of higher education. This is the goal set by the Ministry of Education itself, which is very beneficial to the Tai Shan plan.

  However, another bottleneck is the "lack of funds to continue", and this problem can only threaten the continuation of the plan under certain conditions. Since the People's Government has made up its mind to make achievements in this plan, there is no reason to give up halfway, and for a long time, the autonomous region has been accustomed to the endless practical benefits brought by industrial leadership, pulling away from the gap between science and technology with powerful countries is a good thing. The results of scientific research ultimately serve the purpose of turning into practical benefits, and in the process of research, they also play a driving role in the overall development, so whether the plan is mainly for military or civilian use, the Revival Party and the People's Government will not stop this plan unless it has reached a critical point.

  "The Taishan Plan is unmatched by any other infrastructure project in terms of its vast scope, large number of personnel and funds involved, and long duration. This requires a highly effective leadership organization to unify coordination and management, as well as an institution to evaluate the success or failure of research results. In my opinion..."

  "A dog's mouth has never produced ivory, so if you have something to say, just say it. I'm already your servant, Zhang Dage, so do with me as you please." Zhang Yu played with the cigarette box in his hand, but he didn't have a smoking habit, and after Lei Xiaorong got pregnant, he rarely smoked anyway. Fiddling with the cigarette box was just a way to pass the time, especially during this dull waiting period. "Are you going to review it one word at a time? The plans we gave you before were not big enough, and the strategic reserves and military reforms are all very important, but you approved them quickly. Can't you speed up this time, buddy?"

  After a long period of urging, Zhang Yu finally signed his name on the plan, and a plan to build an eastern technological power was officially launched. However, there was not a hint of joy on Zhang Yu's face. "Zhang Yu, I have approved this plan, and I will soon set up the leadership working group and expert review group for the Taishan Plan. Your task is far from over..."

  "What? Won't work, will it? My Fourth Army is still asking me to watch their armored joint exercise, can you show some mercy and give me a ten-day or half-month vacation? Besides, I'm the number one person in the autonomous region, don't make me look like Old Two, even though I am originally Old Two." Zhang Yu thought that with Zhang Yu Sheng's name on the file, this matter was already under the jurisdiction of the General Affairs Court, and he had handed over the Ministry of Industry to Wang Zhuo for management. All that was left was the military aspect, which he was in charge of as the big boss. Even after the military reform, Zhang Yu didn't need to be busy to the point of exhaustion like these days.

  "I don't feel like we're short-handed, and you're a very capable person. As the saying goes, 'the capable bear the burden.' You're already a member of the Tai Shan plan leadership group, and others don't need to bother with it. However, that expert group... I'm really not familiar with these technical aspects, and assigning it to just one department head doesn't seem quite right either. So, you'll be in charge of determining the composition of the expert group. After all, who has real skills in this autonomous region? You know better than anyone else.

  Of course, building this team is your responsibility. Zhang Yusheng said with a smile, taking out a special reward from his drawer - just a report - and handing it to Zhang Yu, adding: "The plan's data is very rich and practical, and the completion is quite good. This is a reward for your hard work over the past two months. Don't be modest!"

  Zhang Yu glanced at the sun outside the window, and the early morning sun was hanging in the east, proving that the sun did not rise from the west. "A visible sword is easy to dodge, but a hidden one is hard to defend against. Your smile with a hidden knife makes me feel a wave of chilliness..." Zhang Yu carefully looked at his brother's expression, then nervously opened the sealed document, pulled out what was inside and took a look, and soon revealed a satisfied smile. This special "reward" made him feel comfortable.

  "This proposal was tailored specifically for the military by me personally. You didn't even ask for anything, and I took the initiative to help you start planning. The draft of the proposal has already been shown to you in advance, how is it? My care for the military is qualified enough, don't say I'm heartless in the future."

  Zhang Yu's silence actually represented his satisfaction with this return, to know that he did not make any special military requests to the General Affairs Court, and the military reform was an internal reform of the People's Army, which did not involve other departments or units. However, the General Affairs Court took into account that the People's Army is different from what it used to be, and the comprehensive strength of the autonomous region is also different from eight years ago, so they proactively proposed a new set of military personnel benefit guarantee laws, although still in the planning stage, already made Zhang Yu feel the weight of this gift, the reward is not small.

  "I'd like to thank you on behalf of the over 200,000 soldiers from the army, navy and air force!" Zhang Yu immediately stood up and gave Zhang Yusheng a standard military salute, then turned to leave. However, when he opened the door and was about to walk out of the room, he suddenly remembered something and turned back with a smile, saying: "I'll complete the expert group's task very soon. Before April 15th, I also hope to see your payment materialize."

  June 1, 1923 was a sunny and breezy day. On this day, more than one million children in the autonomous region welcomed their own festival - Children's Day. However, since the autonomous region implemented compulsory education for all citizens, students would spend eight springs or eight semesters in primary school. In most areas, a semester lasted ten months, starting from March 1st of the new year and ending on January 1st of the following year. This meant that many holidays were spent in school with classmates. Especially on Labor Day and Children's Day, schools would place great emphasis on students' happiness, with many student-led performances or team games organized under the guidance of teachers. The joyful atmosphere of the festival would often linger for several days.

  However, for this region, this year's Children's Day is somewhat unusual. Last December 15th, the Haiyuan earthquake occurred, although no students were injured or killed, but the strong shaking brought a sense of shock to every student, leaving a significant impact on each one, some can be said to be a shadow. More seriously, the earthquake caused 8759 deaths and missing persons, among whom there are children's relatives, many children became orphans overnight, when the second or third Children's Day arrives, behind the happiness, there is still untold pain, the happy collective life will make children forget the pain of losing their loved ones, but even if they read until university graduation, eventually, there will be an end to collective life one day, whether the shadow in their heart is still there at that time is no longer important, what's important is this year's Children's Day, they need happiness.

  The golden sunshine quietly spills over the vast land, and more than half a year has passed since the earthquake in the sea of ??origin. The wounds and pains brought by the earthquake have all become memories of yesterday, and only warmth is left in my heart. The collapsed houses had been cleared away long ago, and the blue tents at the rescue points had turned into mobile board houses one after another. The streets around the board house area had begun to be repaired and homes rebuilt. The planes flying overhead were no longer as numerous as they used to be. The two major highways from Lanzhou to Guyuan and from Pingliang to Yinchuan, which passed through the northeastern part of Gansu Province, or the earthquake zone, had resumed traffic. More and more materials and building materials were transported into the disaster area by highway, and those private infrastructure companies that had obtained special loans began to repair the highways again. This time they would build real cement roads, one after another, until the disaster area was truly integrated into the autonomous region.

  A gentle breeze blows, and the air is still filled with a hint of disinfectant. After the earthquake, the air force sprayed an unknown amount of disinfectant in the disaster area, and the rescue team also made significant contributions. As a result, the air in the disaster area still has a chemical smell that cannot be forgotten.

  In the center of Haiyuan County, a central garden is almost complete. The garden is simple, with a large circular green space surrounded by flowers, grass, and trees. In the future, it will become a lush green landscape in the county. However, what catches people's attention are three stone monuments, each 10 meters wide and 20 meters high, standing in a row in the center of the garden. The front of each monument is black, with the names of the deceased and missing persons engraved in bold font.

  In front of the three monuments stands an "inverted" clock, its hands frozen at 8:05:53. Of course, there is also the future greenery that will surround this place, where the departed will be remembered and witness the beginning of a new life in the disaster area.

  Golden sunshine shines brightly on the earth, the rebuilt construction site is rumbling with machinery, children are happily playing games in school, and cars are speeding by on the highway... all together playing a new symphony of rebirth in the disaster area. Meanwhile, in another part of the autonomous region, at the People's Hall of Liuzhou City, under the witness of hundreds of participants, the "Tai Shan" plan, which will last for ten years, is officially launched...