As time entered July, Dong Shuheng walked around Sanchuan and felt the unique charm of the Land of Abundance.
Sanchuan was very large at this time because western Sichuan included the eastern part of the plateau.
This was already set up during the Manchu and Qing Dynasties. Although the Manchu and Qing Dynasties had many shortcomings, they had their own uniqueness in dealing with nomads.
At least those nomadic tribes were kept in submission. Regional division played a big role in this.
The area in western Sichuan was forcibly separated from the plateau. It has been changing its land and returning it to its current state. Through this area in western Sichuan, Sanchuan became the bridgehead for controlling the plateau.
Dong Shuheng walked all the way to western Sichuan, took a look at the road being built to the plateau, and expressed condolences to the engineering soldiers who were building the road.
Most of these people were recruited by the Renaissance Army in western Sichuan. They used to be serfs, but after becoming engineering soldiers, they broke away from their original identities and became free people.
Not only that, they also received pay and silver like Han soldiers, and their families were also allocated land.
They were grateful to the Renaissance Army from the bottom of their hearts. Even though they caused a lot of damage during road construction, there was not a single deserter.
Now they are not afraid even if they go to the battlefield to fight, let alone just building roads.
How many casualties could there be if the road construction casualties were just accidents? These people are all natives of the plateau and do not suffer from altitude sickness.
If Han people were used to build this road, the damage would be even greater.
Dong Shuheng's arrival boosted their morale. After all, in their eyes, Dong Shuheng was like an emperor. Some people even prostrated on the ground and did not dare to look directly at Dong Shuheng.
Not only that, Dong Shuheng also met with several local living Buddhas and talked about Buddhism.
He stayed in Sanchuan for nearly a month. This forced Dong Shuheng to speed up his next trip.
Looking back, Dong Shuheng returned along the Yangtze River. A major thing the Renaissance Army did in the past two days was to dredge the water channels of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River.
Thanks to high-performance explosives and high-horsepower steamers, the Renaissance Army's ability to blow up rocks and dredge waterways has improved compared to before.
Even with the arrival of the railway, Dong Shuheng still attached great importance to this golden waterway connecting the east and west.
There are many rivers in the world, but not many are as long and navigable as the Yangtze River.
Moreover, there are many mountains blocking the upper and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
Relying on the miraculous workmanship of nature, the Yangtze River has helped us split these natural chasms.
As descendants of China, we naturally have to make good use of God’s gifts.
Dong Shuheng left Jinguan City, returned to the Yangtze River Basin, and then followed the waterway down the river, finally feeling the speed of returning thousands of miles to Jiangling in one day.
But he stopped when he reached the mouth of Dongting Lake and did not continue to return eastward.
Instead, the fleet entered Dongting, eight hundred miles away. Then the fleet went directly upstream along the Xiangjiang River to Changsha Prefecture.
At Yuelu Academy, Zeng Disheng was still reading and writing in the chief's room. This was his main pastime besides lecturing.
Ever since he gave up politics and entered Yuelu Academy, Zeng Disheng rarely saw outsiders, especially his former subordinates, who had always been turned away.
Unless some old friends came to visit him, he would only meet them.
Now Zeng Disheng's younger brother Zeng Laojiu was assigned to the Far North Province and became a Han officer in the advance team.
It is said that he is doing well there and has a group of Fuso warriors and forest hunters under him.
In the secret contest with the Tsarist Russian hunters, Zeng Laojiu made many meritorious deeds. Logically speaking, this was enough to redeem himself.
But that guy seemed to like the life of ice and fire there very much.
He actually transferred his household registration. He even married a side wife there and started to spread his business.
Zeng Disheng didn't ask much about this. His younger brother, Zeng Laojiu, was rough by nature, so he might be more suitable to work in such a bitter and cold place to let go of his inner wildness.
His eldest son died young, and his second son was practicing in the Lifan Academy and went abroad with Liu Qingbei for a visit, which was pretty good.
There is also a young son at home who is always with him. Zeng Disheng seems to enjoy such a comfortable life.
In fact, only those closest to him knew that Zeng Disheng was extremely concerned about the development of China.
The first thing he does after dinner every morning is to read newspapers. Whether it is a government-run newspaper or a privately-run newspaper that specializes in introducing international affairs, as long as it is related to politics, he reads almost all newspapers.
He also has a habit of writing a diary every day, but no one can see it. In fact, he has written down some of his views on current affairs.
"Zi Qian, is the academy ready?" Zeng Disheng asked nonchalantly, still holding the book in his hand.
The man he was questioning was named Xu Geng, also known as Ziqian. He was Zeng Guofan's favorite student. After graduation, he stayed in the academy to teach and usually assisted Zeng Disheng in managing school affairs.
This man is probably in his twenties, has a fair appearance, has a Han Chinese bun, and is wearing a blue gown. He is dressed like a typical scholar.
The Renaissance Army does not force ordinary people to cut their hair short. However, with the publicity in recent years, almost everyone has abandoned braids.
Most people have short hair that is both energetic and convenient. Because Dong Shuheng himself also has short hair, all officials and soldiers also have short hair.
However, there is still a retro movement in some readings. It has become a genre.
They wear ancient costumes, and there are people who have gone through ancient books and ancient paintings and calligraphy to study these costumes.
But it is also mainly concentrated in some circles of scholars.
Xu Geng was one of them, and Zeng Disheng was a great Confucian of the Tongcheng School, which respected ancient Chinese literature.
Xu Geng's style of work is consistent with the direction of his research.
This young man is addicted to ancient literature and does not seek fame or fortune.
In Yuelu Academy, which has a relatively strong political atmosphere, it can be considered an outlier.
"When I get back to the chief, everything is ready. The Changsha Prefecture government sent people to arrange it together with the people from the Presidential Palace. We just need to cooperate. There is no need to make any preparations at all." Xu Geng said in a tone of voice.
Still a little unconvinced.
It seems that he can't stand this kind of behavior.
It seems that in his impression, when a superior comes down, he should pay private visits incognito. Only in this way can he be close to the people.
As everyone knows, those emperors' private visits in private were just fabricated by some literati in order to please the emperor.
"Zi Qian, when I was the governor of southern Hunan, I never dared to go out alone for fear of being stabbed by others. People who do great things will always offend others. People who do great things must cherish their lives, otherwise they will die.
It’s all gone, so what big deal can we do?” Zeng Disheng raised his head and looked at Xu Geng and said.
This student of mine is good at studying knowledge, but is not suitable for entering officialdom.
Zeng Disheng kept him in the first place out of good intentions.
"Student understands." Xu Geng wanted to say something about the ancient wise king, but he still held back.
Yuelu Academy is on the west bank of the Xiangjiang River. There is a dedicated wharf on the side facing the Xiangjiang River, which is also the ferry connecting Changsha Fucheng.
Dong Shuheng got off the warship and looked around. On the mountain ahead, he could vaguely see some buildings hidden by trees.
At this time, the shore was already crowded with people welcoming him.
The Praetorian Guards automatically formed a separation line among the crowd.
In fact, these people were also selected, and most of them were staff from various government offices in Changsha and student representatives from various colleges.
Dong Shuheng waved to the crowd. He was wearing a single-breasted, stand-up-collar Fuxing Army work uniform. He had a short beard on his fair face, his eyes were bright and alert, and he looked very capable.
The main officials of Xiangnan and Changsha Prefecture came forward and shook hands with him.
Immediately, Dong Shuheng gave a simple speech to the crowd and then started his journey to visit wise people.
After leaving the pier to enter Yuelu Academy, you can only walk.
Because the academy is built on a mountain, there is only a stone path to go up.
Dong Shuheng was not so pretentious as to ask someone to carry him on a shoulder cart.
He walked alone in front, followed by Wei Yuxiang carrying a bag.
Today we are looking for an elder, and it is not a good idea to take Du Ji there, so Dong Shuheng only asked Wei Yuxiang to accompany him.
It just so happens that Wei Yuxiang is also from southern Hunan and a local here.
After passing through the narrow mountain road shaded by green trees, Dong Shuheng finally arrived at the entrance of Yuelu Academy.
He saw an old man with a thin body, a slight stoop in his back, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on his nose.
The people around this person consciously lag behind him.
Dong Shuheng had naturally guessed who this person was.
Historically, this person has been both criticized and praised, but Dong Shuheng felt that to evaluate a person without the historical reality at that time was to act like a hooligan.
He pulled the hem of his coat with his hand, and then walked forward quickly.
He always had that friendly smile on his face.
Zeng Disheng, who was standing in front of the mountain gate, was also looking at this young man.
This is the young man who once defeated himself and the entire empire.
This is the unique young man who holds great power but is unwilling to call himself emperor!
This young man is handsome, but he doesn't look like a man of power.
On the contrary, the smile on his face is very friendly, and people can't help but want to get close to him. I really don't know how such a young man can lead such a tiger and wolf army.
"Mr. Disheng, it is the happiest thing for me today to see you in such good health." Dong Shuheng still had a smile on his face, and he said it before Zeng Disheng and others saluted.
Zeng Disheng was stunned after hearing Dong Shuheng's words. This young man's way of greeting was really different from ordinary people.
The worship ceremony that was originally prepared could not be performed for a while.
"Well, thank you very much, President, for your concern. Although the old man's bones are old, he is still strong. I also want to thank the President for helping me hire a famous doctor to cure my eye disease. Also, these glasses are really a wonderful thing. Otherwise, I would have become blind a long time ago.
I'm blind." Zeng Disheng could only change his lines temporarily.
Dong Shuheng knew that Zeng Disheng was in poor health, especially because of his severe eye disease, which made him almost unable to see. This was an extremely painful thing for a scholar.
When Zeng Laojiu and Peng Yulin went to Yangzhou, Dong Shuheng gave Zeng Disheng a pair of glasses, but this could not solve the fundamental problem.
Later, after Zeng Disheng surrendered, Dong Shuheng returned the favor and sent several doctors specializing in eye diseases to treat him.
When it comes to medical conditions, the Renaissance Army ranks second, and no one dares to say first.
The current treatment of doctors by the Fuxing Army may be considered the best in the world.
Dong Shuheng also tailored a grade system for the original doctors, which corresponded to the grade of officials in the government.
This greatly improved the status of the doctors.
But now most people are accustomed to calling a doctor a doctor.
Originally, China has had the word "doctor" since the Tang Dynasty, which means a medical student, that is, a medical student.
But now the word doctor in everyone's mouth means doctor or doctor.
Because Dong Shuheng wrote a sentence for Huaihai Medical College called "Doctors are kind-hearted, they save lives and save lives." So everyone is now accustomed to using the title "doctor".
Originally, in this era, China had the richest reserve of doctors.
Chinese literati have the habit of being a good doctor instead of a good appearance.
In other words, most scholars will learn some medicine, because Chinese medicine has a complete medical book inheritance. This is much more developed than in Europe at this time.
After studying, not everyone can become an official. Many people who cannot become officials will switch to medicine.
From the time when the Huaihai Navy was first established, Dong Shuheng ordered people to search for good doctors everywhere.
In addition, there were already several famous doctors in the Fuxing Association, so Dong Shuheng quickly formed a powerful medical team.
These people used to practice medicine alone and lacked communication with each other. Many people would not tell others about any good experiences they had in practicing medicine, and regarded them as heirlooms of their own families.
But after Dong Shuheng brought these people together, he allowed them to communicate with each other, study together, and make progress together.
At this point, progress is immediate.
Medicine is a science that relies heavily on experience. When people go to hospitals, they are more willing to trust older doctors, and they also like to go to big hospitals.
It’s not just because big hospitals have many patients, the experienced doctors who work here have seen many patients and have sufficient experience.
If the experience of these people can be brought together, it will naturally greatly promote the advancement of medical standards.
In the past few years, the Fuxing Army's medical undertakings have developed rapidly. Local hospitals have been established in administrative units at the county level and above, and health clinics have been established in towns and villages.
Ten medical schools were also established, which trained not many medical students, but trained an astonishing number of barefoot doctors.
"Haha, you should. If you are healthy, you can also cultivate more talents for our country to govern the country." Dong Shuheng said with a smile.
"Invite the president inside, I'm rude." Zeng Disheng was so troubled by Dong Shuheng's chatting style that he suddenly forgot to invite Dong Shuheng in. At this time, he realized what he was doing and apologized quickly.
The two of them started chatting in front of the mountain gate.
Dong Shuheng walked towards the mountain gate under the guidance of Zeng Disheng.
This is a very simple academy. It does not have the high-end atmosphere like Huaihai Academy.
But every house and every tree here seems to contain a strong historical atmosphere.
Dong Shuheng took a deep breath, filled with the smell of vicissitudes of life.
He carefully avoided the moss between the stone slabs under his feet. To him, the moss seemed to be carefully planted bonsai.
Magnify those tiny moss ten times, and their stretched leaves look like green feathers.
"Dong Disheng, Yuelu Academy is the only one of the four major academies that is still alive, right?" Dong Shuheng asked suddenly.
"Yes, every time the Central Plains is baptized by war, it is a huge damage to cultural heritage." Zeng Disheng said.
"Yes, Mr. Disheng, it is difficult for a civilization to be passed down forever, but it is easy to destroy it. Qin Shihuang burned books and harassed Confucians, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty only respected Confucianism, and this is even more true with the invasion of foreign races. Can our Chinese civilization survive?
It’s getting frustrating.”
"President, do you know what I admire most about you? It is that you overthrew the Manchus and did not bring any kind of destruction."
"Most of the Han ministers are like Di Shenggong who can give up their own affairs for the benefit of the country and the nation. Shu Heng does not dare to bow. And my teacher has always been committed to protecting the inheritance of Chinese civilization and taking the rejuvenation of China as his own responsibility."
…
Zeng Disheng took Dong Shuheng around Yuelu Academy and told him about the allusions of each place and the historical celebrities who came out of the academy.
After a lap, Zeng Disheng was obviously out of breath.
"Mr. Disheng, can I go to your study and have a chat?" Dong Shuheng seemed to notice that Zeng Disheng was a little weak, so he deliberately tried to smooth things over.
Dong Shuheng came here originally because he wanted to talk to Zeng Disheng.
People in later generations said that if you want to be an official, you should learn from this man. It can be seen that this Duke Di Sheng studied officialdom very thoroughly.
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