Finally, the three of them caught up with the steel-shelled passenger ship heading to Guangzhou. This is an iron-clad ship full of iron-clad ship that can accommodate more than 1,500 people. It is said that it was born from the General Administration of Machinery Manufacturing of Jiangnan. The hull is made of steel and the outside is painted with black paint. The deck is made of wood.

When he got on the boat, Zhong Yang also looked at the name of the ship - Piaoxu, which was quite poetic. But what Zhong Yang was more concerned about was that China could build its own ship. Unlike the history he had seen before, China in this era seemed not as weak as he imagined.

Take the Jiangnan Manufacturing Machinery Administration as an example. Its abbreviation is Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau or Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, also known as the Shanghai Machinery Administration. It was a military production institution established during the Westernization Movement of the Qing Dynasty. It was the most important military factory in China in the late Qing Dynasty. It was the largest modern military enterprise opened by the Westernization faction of the Qing government. It is also one of the earliest new-style factories in modern times in the early factory buildings of the Jiangnan Machinery Administration.

The institution was established in Shanghai on September 20, 1865. It was planned by Zeng Guofan and later actually under the responsibility of Li Hongzhang. It was the largest Westernization enterprise founded by Li Hongzhang in Shanghai. It has been expanding continuously, and has built more than a dozen branches, employed 2,800 engineers, and was able to manufacture guns, ammunition, ships, machines. It also has cultural and educational institutions such as translation halls and Guangfang dialect halls. However, it still has a strong habit of yamen in management.

The initial construction of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau was established by purchasing machinery factories and docks from the American company Qiji Iron Factory in the Shanghai Concession. In the same year, the Suzhou Foreign Artillery Bureau and the machinery and equipment purchased by Yung Wing from the United States were merged into the city. By 1905, the shipbuilding department of the Manufacturing Bureau was called Jiangnan Dock, and the Xinhai Revolution was also renamed Jiangnan Shipbuilding Station. The Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau itself was also renamed Shanghai Arsenal in 1917.

In 1866, when the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau moved to Miao Town, Gaochang, it purchased more than 70 mu of residential land, built a factory building, and built a mud dock and a riverside wharf. In 1891, the factory area expanded to 246,000 square meters, and it has developed into a modern industrial enterprise with 13 factories and 1 engineering office. It has 662 large and small machine tools, 361 steam power machines, and a total horsepower of 4,521 horsepower; 31 steam furnaces, and a total horsepower of 6,316 horsepower.

In 1905, the main fixed assets of the Jiangnan Dock were: about 60 mud dock foundation; 1 mud dock, 99.06 meters long; 1 machine factory, with a total of 98 large and small factories; 1 boiler factory, with 48 large and small houses, with 2 60 horsepower total steam furnaces, 40 horsepower, 1 30 horsepower steam engine, and 18 other machine tools such as shear, drill, and planer; 1 shell factory, with more than 100 new and old factory houses, including copper-plated factories, sand-turning factories, etc., and there are 30 horsepower steam engines, and 64 large and small lathes in the factory; 1 mine factory, with 19 houses, which were abandoned for a long time, were later changed to a material storage house; 14 Chinese and Western-style housing; 2 dredgers, 3 mud barges, and 1 small steamer. According to the price estimate at that time, the above assets were worth 773,000 taels of silver.

After the branch of the bureau, the original mud dock was converted into a wooden dry dock, and the length was expanded and widened, the wooden piles at the bottom of the dock were deepened, and water pumps were added. The rebuilt dry dock had a length of 375 feet, a width of 75 feet, and a width of 60 feet, which could meet the needs of repairing ships with docking in 4,000 to 5,000 tons. In the 5th year of the Republic of China (1916), the Jiangnan Shipbuilding Station continued to lengthen the docking body, making its total length of 556 feet and a depth of 20 feet, and could accommodate more than 10,000 tons of ships with docking in repairing, and was one of the largest docks in China at that time.

From these data, we can see that China's technological productivity at that time was not much behind the world, at least not as much as described in history books.

In Zhong Yang's view, what really troubles China's independence and prosperity is the number of skilled workers and the overall business atmosphere. But unfortunately, no politician cares about these two things. They only care about the population and how much strategic capital can money and grain provide them. No one is really seeking a path for China's industrial process, and there are many people who shout slogans and brag. When it comes time to take practical actions, they start to raise difficulties.

Before the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the great powers once thought that the Qing government was stronger than Japan, but in fact, it was indeed the case based on data analysis. However, the power of dispersed and infighted China, led by the incompetent Jiannu, lost to the Japanese who blocked the national destiny and became one-straight.

Ignoring these troubled historical entanglements, Zhong Yang now has to face the real problem: Chen Ze is seasick. He has never gone abroad, as a genuine northern landslide, his face has not been very good after getting on the boat. Now, he is even more waxy and sick, standing on the deck and vomiting constantly at the sea. Liu Jinyang took a towel and clear water to take care of Chen Ze.

Zhong Yang also had to take care of his luggage in the room because their cabin was shared by every four guests. There was also a tenant living with the three of them, a very sharp young man. His eyebrows and handsome eyes and a little yellow hair gathered towards the middle, protruding slightly forward. It made people feel that this person was very oppressive and aggressive at first sight. However, there were surprising things that didn't make people feel annoying, but instead thought that it was the true nature.

"Hello, my name is Yi Zhongming. I just came back from studying abroad. Please give me some advice."

The dark-skinned face was filled with a sincere smile. The first one was Yi Zhongming, who was in the same room as Zhong Yang and the others, an international student who had just returned from Germany. Because he had just returned, he was not very familiar with the current situation in China. Yi Zhongming himself was also a very cheerful person, and he greeted Zhong Yang enthusiastically.

Although Zhong Yang was still vigilant in his heart for other people's kindness, he still smiled and said, "Hello, my name is Zhong Yang. I am also an international student who has just returned to China."

Yi Zhongming was very excited about Zhong Yang's answer. After all, as an international student, he must have many common topics. Being able to meet a person in a similar situation in an unfamiliar environment will always make people happy. Yi Zhongming smiled cheerfully: "Haha, I didn't expect you are also an international student. Where did you go to college?"

"I was studying in the United States, and it was not a great university, so I was not ugly."

Zhong Yang didn't dare to say the actual name, and he might be in trouble. Moreover, there were very many things in studying abroad in this era. Although others may not check it carefully, it is always better to be careful.

Yi Zhongming was not angry about Zhong Yang's slightly concealed answer, but continued to smile and said to Zhong Yang: "I am a student who graduated from the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy at the University of Freiburg, Germany. What major do you study?"

Zhong Yang smiled: "Nothing special, it's a foreign language translator."

Looking at Zhong Yang's bright clothes, Yi Zhongming thought he was a rich young man. In this era, there were also many rich children who had diplomas abroad, but Yi Zhongming was not. He was originally able to study abroad with the support of a manager in a foreign company with excellent grades, but he had just returned to Tianjin and had just started his work for a few days, and he was tragically unemployed with the person who appreciated him. In desperation, Yi Zhongming had to think about going to Guangzhou to see what good jobs there were.

Seeing Zhong Yang and the other three on the boat, Yi Zhongming also wanted to make friends. It was not just that he wanted to hold on, but just that he wanted to get an opportunity to display his talents. After all, the work he was engaged in was not something that ordinary people could provide. In order to realize his dream, Yi Zhongming refused a high-paid employment from a private chemical factory in Germany. But unexpectedly, he was fired because of personnel changes as soon as he returned to China. It was really a mess of things that made people happen, and he was helpless.

Moreover, in order to find a job before spending all the money, Yi Zhongming even had to buy this high-priced ship ticket to Guangzhou. So when he met Zhong Yang and the others again, he guessed whether there was any chance.

"Oh, you are studying chemistry." Zhong Yang expressed his interest in Yi Zhongming's major. After all, if you want to gradually become a scientific research team in the future, it is not possible to have no technical talent. So after asking about some of Yi Zhongming's situation, Zhong Yang also intends to hire the other party.

"Yes, my professional direction is the industrial extraction research of some commonly used chemical agents." When talking about this professional expertise, Yi Zhongming fell into a state of fanaticism, talking endlessly about the technical points, demonstrating his solid foundation in chemistry.

Zhong Yang didn't understand much about what Yi Zhongming talked about. After all, he didn't study chemistry or even science. But he did not choose to interrupt the other party, but seemed to listen carefully. This was a basic etiquette and respect. For a person who pursued and persisted, Zhong Yang has always been unscathing for his etiquette.

"Oh, are you sure you're working first?"

Of course, Zhong Yang could not take the liberty to recruit him. If someone else had a job intention, it would be embarrassing. So in order to avoid this embarrassment, Zhong Yang decided to ask about the other party’s current situation first.

Faced with Zhong Yang's problem, Yi Zhongming smiled helplessly: "I still had it a few days ago, but now I'm not going to go to Guangzhou to join relatives and friends."

There is not much money left on him, and Yi Zhongming is even worried about life. This is the sorrow of many returning students in this era. They return to their motherland with passion, but in many cases it is difficult to show what they have learned in their hearts. Faced with this cruel social reality and those large and small political groups that do not value technical talents at all, they have no place to use it.

How many people have wasted their time as time goes by and left with regrets. Zhong Yang does not want Yi Zhongming to become one of those people. Although Yi Zhongming is not an amazing talent, he has not made much achievements in chemistry, but only has a solid knowledge base. But for Zhong Yang now, talents of this level are just right, both of which have important help and obviously a role that can be controlled. As for talents, they can be cultivated slowly by spending time.

"Oh, my two other friends and I just happened to be thinking about setting up some factories related to chemicals. I wonder if you are interested?"

Regarding Yi Zhongming, Zhong Yang extended an olive branch. The other party gave him a good feeling. Although he was not necessarily an honest person, he was at least a talented person. Zhong Yang had decided to recruit more people and work together for his dreams.

{Piaotian Literature www.piaotian.net Thank you for your support, your support is our greatest motivation}
Chapter completed!