novelonline Chapter 1248 Township
Chapter 1248 Township
Chapter 1248 Returning Hometown
Three years passed in the blink of an eye, and it was the midsummer of 1921.
Qin Hao and Lu Zhaopeng successfully graduated from Guanzhong University. On the day of the graduation ceremony, the sun was shining brightly, and the ginkgo leaves on the campus rustled, as if applauding their future.
Lu Zhaopeng, wearing a brand new student uniform with the school badge on his chest, said to Qin Hao in high spirits, "Brother Hao, Professor Chen has agreed to let me continue to study for a master's degree with him. You should stay here too! Why go back to that remote place?"
Qin Hao smiled slightly, but his eyes went beyond the school wall. He gently patted Lu Zhaopeng on the shoulder and said, "Zhaopeng, you have your way to go, and I have my things to do."
Lu Zhaopeng was anxious and grabbed Qin Hao's arm. "Brother Hao, you are confused! With your talent, you can do great things in Xi'an. What can you achieve in a poor and remote place like Bailuyuan? Do you want to stay there for the rest of your life?"
Qin Hao's eyes were firm and calm: "Zhao Peng, for you, Bailu Village is a shackle and a burden, but for me it is my roots and my family."
Lu Zhaopeng stood there blankly. Just as Qin Hao said, he had always regarded his hometown as a scourge. The people there were feudal and ignorant. They were completely different from what he had encountered in Xi'an. He had finally seen the dawn of a new world, so how could he be willing to go back to that quagmire?
Qin Hao patted Lu Zhaopeng on the shoulder and said, "Everyone has their own aspirations. We will meet again in the future."
The day we returned to Bailuyuan, there was a drizzle in the sky.
Bai Jiaxuan had been waiting at the entrance of the village with his family. When he saw Qin Hao and his family of three getting off the carriage, Bai Jiaxuan smiled. He quickly stepped forward, took the child from Leng Qiuyue's arms, and looked at him carefully: "Good, good, the blood of my Bai family will definitely have a great future!"
Xiancao wiped her tears and held Leng Qiuyue's hand to ask about her well-being. The family returned to the Bai family compound happily. Xiancao had already prepared a table of sumptuous dishes and cooked a pot of fragrant oil-splashed noodles. The aroma aroused Qin Hao's appetite and he ate two large bowls.
"Aunt, your oil-splashed noodles are so authentic. Every time I'm in Xi'an, I think of your bowl of oil-splashed noodles."
Xiancao smiled happily: "If you like it, auntie will make it for you every day in the future."
"Grandma, I want a bowl too." Bai Jichuan, who was just three years old, also stretched out his pink little hand and handed the bowl to Xiancao.
"Okay, I'll serve you the milk right away."
In the evening, Bai Jiaxuan called Qin Hao to the study and said earnestly, "Hao'er, I'm very happy that you can come back. I've already made up my mind. In a few years, I will pass the position of clan leader to you."
Qin Hao smiled and shook his head: "Da, you are still strong, you should be the clan leader. I am not coming back to inherit my father's business."
Bai Jiaxuan was stunned: "So you want to..."
"I plan to build a factory on Bailuyuan."
Bai Jiaxuan's eyes widened, and the pipe in his hand almost fell to the ground: "Build a factory? Are you crazy? How much money will it cost? Besides, our ancestors have been farmers for generations, who would want to be a worker?"
Qin Hao said seriously: "Da, times are changing. We can't just live on that one acre of land. Building a factory will not only make money, but also give the villagers more opportunities."
Bai Jiaxuan was silent for a long time, and finally sighed: "Forget it, since you have made up your mind, I will not stop you. But do everything within your ability, don't lose all your family assets."
The next morning, Qin Hao rang the big bell in the ancestral hall.
The deep sound of the bell echoed over Bailuyuan, and the villagers put down their work and gathered in the open space in front of the ancestral hall. Everyone whispered to each other, not knowing what had happened.
Bai Jiaxuan stood on the steps in front of the ancestral hall, glanced at everyone, and said loudly: "Fellow villagers, I called you all here today because I have something to discuss with you."
The villagers fell silent and looked at him curiously.
Bai Jiaxuan stood aside, and Qin Hao walked up to him and said loudly: "I plan to build a few factories in Bailuyuan, and I need to recruit a group of workers. Anyone who is willing to work in the factory can come to me to sign up."
"Factory? Workers?" The villagers looked at each other, obviously unfamiliar with these new terms.
Bai Xinger squeezed to the front, scratched his head and asked, "Brother Hao, what does this worker do?"
Qin Hao explained: "In short, it is to work with the machine."
Someone asked: "Do you pay for your work?"
Qin Hao was happy: "Of course I will, and it is definitely much higher than your income from farming."
When they heard that the money was high, the crowd immediately became agitated. Someone shouted loudly: "Hao, I sign up! I'm willing to do it!"
However, Qin Hao's next words made many people back off: "Before you can officially start working, you need to undergo a period of training to learn how to operate the machine."
"Training? That would be just work in vain," someone muttered.
"Yeah, who knows if they will still want us after the training?" another person echoed.
The villagers, who were originally enthusiastic, suddenly hesitated. Although farming was hard work, at least they could see and touch the work, while the so-called "workers" sounded illusory.
Qin Hao did not force it. He had no intention of turning all the villagers in Bailu Village into workers. If no one cultivated the land, the first person to object would probably be his father, Bai Jiaxuan, the clan leader. His target of recruitment was the young people in the village.
On the one hand, young people are quick to accept new things. On the other hand, he has been running a school in the village for three years. The young people in the village have received some science education and can learn technology much faster than those middle-aged people.
Just as Qin Hao expected, the able-bodied laborers in the village all shook their heads and left. Only more than 20 young people stayed and expressed their willingness to give it a try.
In the following days, Qin Hao began to prepare for the construction of the factory.
He first led the twenty or so young people to build a few simple sheds in the open space outside the village as a temporary training venue. He also brought a few simple machines from Xi'an and taught everyone how to operate them step by step.
At first, the villagers were very afraid of these iron lumps, fearing that they would be broken by accident.
But under the patient guidance of the experienced technicians Qin Hao invited, they gradually mastered the basic operating skills.
At the same time, Qin Hao also began to plan the site selection and construction plan of the factory. He personally drew the blueprints and sent people to the county to purchase building materials.
The construction team is ready, the security team is composed entirely of strong laborers, and they also have some experience in building hospitals before.
Heiwa followed behind Qin Hao, looking at the endless mountains in the distance, frowning: "Brother Hao, why don't we build the factory directly in the village? Instead, we have to build it in the mountains. There is not even a road here, and it is hard to transport materials and equipment."
Qin Hao praised: "Not bad, you can read blueprints now. It seems that you have read all the books I sent you in the past few years."
Hei Wa scratched his head a little embarrassedly: "It was Xiao E who urged me to study. She said that Hao Ge'er is such a learned man, the books he asked me to read will definitely be useful."
Qin Hao patted Heiwa's shoulder and said seriously, "Heiwa, do you know what our factory makes?"
Heiwa shook his head.
Qin Hao lowered his voice and said, "Make ammunition."
Heiwa was shocked when he heard this.
"Why don't you ask me why I built these?"
Hei Wa kept shaking his head: "Anyway, Hao Ge'er will definitely not harm me."
Qin Hao said seriously: "If this goes wrong, it could cost you your life. Aren't you afraid of being implicated?"
"I am where I am today thanks to you, Brother Hao. Even if I lose my life, my life will not be lived in vain." Heiwa said with a serious face.
Qin Hao looked at the green mountains in the distance and said with emotion: "The mountains and rivers are about to be shattered, time is running out."
The reason why he chose to make ammunition instead of directly making guns and cannons was mainly because the production of guns and cannons had extremely high requirements for steel. Bailu Village had limited resources, and it was impossible for him to build a steel plant here. As for directly purchasing finished steel, that was even more impossible. Currently, there were only a few steel plants in the country that were capable of making seamless steel pipes, and they were all controlled by warlords in various places. Even if he had money, he couldn't buy them.
The technical and material requirements for manufacturing ammunition are much lower, and guns and artillery can be seized on the battlefield, but the gap in ammunition is huge and there is definitely a shortage of supply.
In the following days, Qin Hao began to prepare for the construction of the ammunition factory. He first called the members of the security team and announced the plan to build a road. This road will lead directly from the mountain to Bailu Village, facilitating the subsequent transportation of equipment and materials.
"Repair the road?" The members of the security team looked at each other in bewilderment. "Brother Hao, how much time will it take?"
Qin Hao smiled and said, "The wages will be paid as usual, and the food will be provided. Do you want to work?"
When they heard that there would be wages, everyone immediately became excited: "Let's do it! We'll do whatever Hao Ge'er says!"
The road construction project was soon underway. Qin Hao led the team personally, directing them to dig rocks during the day and drawing the factory layout by oil lamp at night. Leng Qiuyue felt sorry for her husband, and every night she would boil a bowl of ginger soup and send it to the study, gently advising him: "Don't get too tired, your health is important."
Qin Hao held her hand and said softly, "Don't worry, I know what's going on."
Three months later, a winding mountain road was finally built. Although the road was not wide, it was wide enough for horse-drawn carriages and mule-drawn carts to pass. Qin Hao stood at the intersection, looking at the vaguely visible factory site in the distance, and a sense of accomplishment surged in his heart.
"The next step is to build a factory." He said to Heiwa beside him.
The construction of a factory is more complicated than building a road. Qin Hao invited several experienced craftsmen from Xi'an to build the factory with the young people in the village. In order to keep it secret, the factory was located deep in the valley, surrounded by dense forests, and there was almost no trace of it from the outside.
"Brother Hao, this place is really secluded." Heiwa looked around and marveled.
Qin Hao looked at the rock walls around him and nodded with satisfaction. Although the Japanese invaders had never captured Xi'an, their aircraft bombings could directly pass over Xi'an.
While the factory was being built, the experienced technicians Qin Hao had hired were also training the young people in the village, starting with the simplest bullet manufacturing. On the one hand, this was to allow the workers to practice, and on the other hand it was also for safety reasons - grenades and mortar shells were too powerful, and once an operational error caused an explosion, the consequences would be disastrous.
"Making a bullet consists of several steps: shell molding, powder loading, primer pressing, and assembly." The old technician stood on a makeshift podium, holding a bullet sample in his hand, and patiently explained, "Every step must be strictly followed according to the regulations, and no carelessness is allowed."
The young people in the village listened carefully, but they still made mistakes when actually operating. Some people pressed the shell crookedly, some loaded the wrong amount of powder, and some even accidentally installed the primer upside down. The old technicians were not in a hurry, but repeatedly emphasized safety first and personally demonstrated the correct operation method.
"Don't rush, take your time," he encouraged. "Practice makes perfect."
Half a year later, the workers' skills gradually became more proficient, and the factory's equipment was all in place. Qin Hao chose an auspicious day to announce the official opening of the factory.
After the factory went into production, the first batch of bullets rolled off the production line quickly. Qin Hao carefully checked the quality of each bullet and only allowed it to be packed after confirming that it was correct.
"Brother Hao, who are we going to sell these bullets to?" Heiwa asked in a low voice.
Qin Hao smiled and said, "I have my own buyer."
When he was in Xi'an, he contacted several warlords near Xi'an. These armed forces were short of guns and bullets, and had a great demand for ammunition. Qin Hao's bullets were reasonably priced and of reliable quality, and soon opened up sales.
As orders increased, the scale of the factory gradually expanded. Qin Hao recruited another group of workers, half of whom were skilled workers recruited from outside, and half were young people from various villages on Bailuyuan. After hearing that the young people in Bailu Village had made money in Qin Hao's factory, the heads of various families came to him to ask for favors.
Considering that the security team existed in every village, Qin Hao agreed. However, he still made it clear in advance that they had to obey orders in all actions while working in the factory, and anyone who disobeyed would be dismissed immediately.
The village chiefs all agreed and even threatened: "If anyone disobeys, send him back and I will break his legs."
In the winter of 1922, Qin Hao received more orders, and some warlords were not satisfied with bullets and asked Qin Hao if he had grenades and artillery shells.
Qin Hao consulted the old technicians in the factory, and after learning that the workers' skills were sufficient to support the production of artillery shells, he began to try to produce grenades and mortar shells. This time, he was more cautious and personally supervised every process to ensure that there were no mistakes.
"Brother Hao, are we...getting bigger and bigger?" Heiwa's voice trembled as he looked at the batches of grenades and mortar shells in the warehouse.
Qin Hao looked at the busy factory and said softly, "The situation outside is already a mess, and the situation in Xi'an is not stable either. We have to make plans early. We have guns in our hands so we don't panic. We don't bully others, and we can't let others bully us!"
Hei Wa nodded heavily: "I understand!"
When he returned home from the factory, he heard Bai Ling's crying in the yard before he even entered the house. As soon as Qin Hao opened the door, Bai Ling shouted at him, "Brother, save me."
"What's going on?" Qin Hao asked puzzledly.
Leng Qiuyue and Xiancao remained silent. Bai Zhao said with a dark face, "Don't worry about it. How can a girl this old not have her feet bound?"