Zhenbeicheng.

This city is Volgograd in later generations. Since the 16th century, a castle was established here. It was the Russians who were guarding against the grassland nomads. During King Yu's expedition, the empire seized the city and established Zhenbei City, becoming a military frontier fortress against Russia.

Zhenbeicheng is also the garrison of the general's mansion in the far-reaching Krai region. This empire border region includes the area between the Volga and Ural Rivers in later generations and the entire Kazakh prairie.

There were four border areas under the rule of the Imperial Lifanyuan, namely the Far Gang, the Western Gang, the Northern Gang and the Inner Gang. The Western Gang included four Stans in the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains and later Central Asia, except for Kazakhs. The Northern Gang included the entire Siberia, and the Inner Gang were dominated by the Mongolian grasslands, the desert south and the northeast, and the outside northeast. The difference was that there were no guard generals in the inner Gang because their military affairs were managed by the president of the Lifanyuan who was stationed in Beijing.

On the contrary, there are two ministers stationed in Xinjiang in the inner Xinjiang region, located in Yunzhong and Jilin respectively.

Although the current remote Xinjiang region is located in Zhenbeicheng, the garrison general is named General Jingyuan. Instead, the garrison general in the Northern Xinjiang region is called General Zhenbei.

The garrison general in the Far Gangland region was Ata, Li Junwei's old subordinate. He had been guarding the Far Gangland region for five years. He was the garrison general who came to replace Wu Yifeng. Ata was able to serve as the garrison general because of his strong relationship, loyalty, and little to do with ability.

But Ata has a high prestige in military affairs, especially among the vassal army. More importantly, the empire and Russia have had a ceasefire for more than 20 years, and the military needs are relatively weak. The far-reaching areas need a minister stationed in Xinjiang who understands the economy. Under the rule of the Lifanyuan, this is indeed a problem.

Because the garrison general is responsible for the general of the border areas, he is responsible for military affairs and is also responsible for economic and civil affairs. On the contrary, the ministers stationed in Xinjiang have nothing to do with military command. Therefore, in the three border areas, there are always disputes between the ministers stationed in Xinjiang and the generals stationed in Xinjiang. In the appeasement zone, the appeasement general also has disputes with the counselor.

Ata is more suitable for dealing with this situation because he does not understand the economy at all, so he naturally will not interfere in these situations. On the contrary, in previous overseas operations, Xijin and South Africa were the main places to send troops. In addition to the Marines, the troops in Xijin have to rely on the vassal army. Xijin is close to Xijin, which is also the easiest to send troops. Xijiang also shares defense against Russia with the Northern Kerby region, and the military pressure is the heaviest. It is very suitable for such a garrison general who can train troops and does not rub the sand in his eyes.

The minister stationed in western Xinjiang was Shen Changhe. Unlike most military and political officials under the rule of the Lifanyuan, who were appointed as emperors, attendants of King Yu, and guards, Shen Changhe was the secretary of Pei Yuanqi and was a good at local governance. Before presiding over the affairs of Western Xinjiang, he served as the chief executive in Shanyang, and was also the deputy of Pei Yuanqi, and presided over the affairs of Xijin Province. His identity as the minister stationed in Xinjiang was personally selected by the emperor.

As we headed northeast, rows of factory buildings and towering chimneys appeared on the ground, and between the two were sparkling canals and busy construction sites.

The railway station in Zhenbeicheng is so big, but this is Zhenbeicheng.

In the northwestern Krainian region of the empire, Xijin is undoubtedly the locomotive of the economy. All railways start from Xijin and extend towards the inland region. The most important one is to lead to the Ural direction, where there are the core cities of the Northern Krainian region, the city with the most investment under the rule of Lifanyuan, the industrial center of the empire in the northwestern Krainian region, Wucheng.

Zhenbeicheng happens to be between Wucheng and Xijin, and the Don River and Volga River two rivers flowing from Russia gather here. The railway leads south to Baku City along the Caspian Sea coast. To the southeast, the railway is still extending, and it will eventually stop when it reaches the middle of the river.

When the river transportation and railway meet here, Zhenbeicheng will inevitably become the local economic center.

"Your Majesty, I'm really sorry. The railway station has recently expanded its storage area. It hasn't rained for more than a month. There is too much dust." Chen Changhe protected Li Junwei, who was coughing, and got on the carriage and closed the window. Li Junwei immediately said: "Let's go, don't wait, find a place that doesn't choke first."

There are two gas-powered sedans on the Yu King's special train, which is Li Junwei's favorite. Obviously, he can't wait to ride that car now, so he can only use a carriage to make do with it.

Zhenbei City was full of smoke and dust, which made people feel uncomfortable. After walking for a while, even the car windows were covered with dust. Li Junwei said: "This is not possible. Whether it is construction site smoke or industrial smoke, you have to find out. People have to live in this situation for a long time, but their health is bad..."

"It's mainly because of the climate, it's not like this on weekdays," Chen Changhe explained.

"Is that so? I heard that there have been too many steel mills in Beijing over the years, and the city is covered with dust and the air is extremely poor. As a minister in Xinjiang, you have to learn from your mistakes." Li Junwei wiped it with a wet cloth before he opened his eyes.

Chen Changhe said yes, when he arrived in the city, the dust was over. Only then did Li Junwei enter the general's mansion, and then he remembered that the owner of the office should be Ata, and said, "Where is Ata?"

"General Ata went to the East Kazakh Appeasement Zone to inspect the winter storage work. This morning, we received a telegram from you and had notified the general. Because there was no train, I am afraid it would be..." Chen Changhe said.

"Work is important, he doesn't have to accompany me anymore. I'll be fine if I come back before August. I'll go to Wucheng with him. But I'm idle when I inspected the winter storage so early?" Li Junwei asked.

Chen Changhe said: "It's better to go in and report to you again," he said.

"If you don't go, don't go, let's go to your Office of the Ministers in Xinjiang. I don't know yet. He is so stingy and doesn't understand life. He will definitely not find good tea in him." Li Junwei did not enter the general's mansion, but got into the car and went to the Office of the Ministers in Xinjiang. On the way, Chen Changhe reported on the situation of the winter storage.

Last year, blizzards fell on the Kazakh grassland, freezing a lot of livestock. Because there were few blizzards in recent years, and the scale of livestock breeding on the grassland expanded, resulting in a lot of losses among herders. In some remote flag servants, there were also cases of freezing and starving people to death. If it was just a loss of livestock, it would be fine, but it would be a big deal. Therefore, after the spring training of the vassal army was completed, Ata immediately went to various appeasement zones for inspection. With his style of doing things, there were no unlucky this time.

"Ata, I know that I have followed me in the early years, being honest and not afraid of offending others. No matter how human nature is, in his eyes, he is not aware of the world. As his partner, you should remind me more and be more tolerant."

Chen Changhe laughed when he heard this. In fact, he was still very satisfied with the team with Ata because he was relatively free to do things and did not have to be restrained everywhere.

When he arrived at the Office of the Ministers stationed in Xinjiang and drank incense tea, Li Junwei asked about the situation in Zhenbeicheng. He said: "Actually, I came to inspect this time, not counting as a toll. I will go back to Beijing about next year. After I go back, the emperor must ask. I will take a look first. If I can't say anything at that time, don't be nervous. I'm not here to pick on it."

"I am so humble, I still want to give more advice to the prince." Chen Changhe is a secretary and speaks very appropriately.

"I don't understand these economic and livelihood issues. I can help solve any difficulties you have," Li Junwei said casually.

"Okay, that's the man who is not good at reporting to you first..." Chen Changhe opened the folder and sat opposite Li Junwei.

Li Junwei waved his hand: "Eat first, after dinner, let's go and take a look. Just listen to your report. What's the point of it?"

After having dinner at the office, Li Junwei did not let any move. He just took a few servants with Shen Changhe. The main location was the Vehicle Industrial Zone located on the west bank of the Volga River and the south. This was the most capable political achievement since Chen Changhe took over the Western Xinjiang.

Zhenbeicheng is located on the border, between Xijin and Wucheng, so it naturally has its own regional advantages. At first, the city's economy was restricted from developing because it was on the Russian border. Later, as the situation eased, the economy began to take off.

In terms of industry, the earliest development was wood processing, because early urban construction required a large amount of wood, and the Russian wood from the upper reaches of the Don and Volga Rivers was large and cheap. Since then, grain processing and wool processing have been developed.

The processed wool is transported to Xijin, which is considered to be the supporting facilities of Xijin's textile industry, while the grain processing and utilization is the grain planting industry in Russia and nearby, which is mainly transported to Wucheng.

Until Chen Changhe took office, he established the vehicle industry as a leading enterprise, driving the development of the entire city.

The reason is very simple. With the popularity of railways in the northwest border of the empire, the demand for trains is very high, but Zhenbeicheng has no steam power industry at all. Not to mention Zhenbeicheng, Wucheng and Xijin have only begun to get involved in the production of locomotives in recent years. However, Zhenbeicheng's location advantage is that it is particularly suitable for the production of train cars.

Steel and steel products from Wucheng, precision instruments from Xijin and local wood processing, together, are all needed for train cars. The production of passenger cars and freight cars has become the first advantageous industry for the rise of Zhenbeicheng. Soon, with the emergence of train cars, the production of other vehicles was driven, such as horse-drawn carriages. Whether it is herders from the empire's huge border areas or Russia, shabby roads are the mainstream, and horse-drawn carriage transportation is the mainstream.

And this year, new industries have emerged again, that is, bicycle production, and it is the production of various large and small vehicles that have created this industrial area in the south of Zhenbeicheng that focuses on vehicle production.

"Let's go to the bicycle factory to check it out." Li Junwei was intrigued and said.

When we arrived at the factory gate, Chen Changhe stepped forward. I don’t know what it issued, but soon the manager in the factory came to entertain him.

"Changhe, do you know the people here?" Li Junwei asked.

Chen Changhe nodded: "The manager Mao here comes from the Golden Horse Factory. I don't know him, but he must know me, haha."

"What kind of factory is Golden Horse Factory?" Li Junwei was puzzled.

After Chen Changhe explained a few words, Li Junwei understood that the Jinma Factory was actually a local state-owned enterprise and the first bicycle manufacturer in Zhenbeicheng. Its investment, workers and even factories all came from state-owned enterprises that produced train cars. This was the inevitable path for the early development of Zhenbeicheng. Without funds, investment could only be raised by the Office of the Ministers in Xinjiang.

Originally, Chen Changhe thought that the Golden Horse Factory, which produced bicycles, and the Golden Horse Factory, which produced horse carriages, would be as popular as the Train Carriage Factory. It was indeed the case at the beginning. The bicycles produced in Zhenbeicheng were sold in Xijin and Wucheng, but it was soon discovered that some privately invested bicycle factories were also established, and their efficiency was much higher than that of the Golden Horse Factory. The Golden Horse Factory could not survive in just two years.

The reason is actually very simple. The processing technology required for producing train cars is relatively high and the investment is large, so it is difficult to handle privately. Moreover, even if it is done, train cars are sold to railway companies. Railway companies are state-owned in Western Xinjiang, so it is difficult to grab food from local state-owned enterprises in Western Xinjiang.

Bicycle factories are completely different. The axles, brake devices and other parts come from Xijin, and steel products such as frames come from Wucheng. Locally, only riveting and assembly are required, and there is almost no technical content. In addition, the industrial development in the Western Xinjiang region in recent years has created many technical workers. Therefore, the entry threshold for the bicycle industry is very low, and the same is true for vehicle manufacturers such as horse and carriages.

So two years ago, Chen Changhe carried out reforms, directly reorganizing all bicycle factories and most vehicle factories into private enterprises, and only factories producing special vehicles such as cannon trucks and load-carrying vehicles were retained.

The manager of this factory was his own factory that was independently run after the restructuring two years ago.

"When I was a child, the old man asked someone to make a bicycle for me with wood. I may be the first person in the empire to ride a bicycle." Li Junwei rode a bicycle around the factory, telling the story of his youth to Shen Changhe.

At this time, Manager Mao came over. He didn't know Li Junwei's identity. He thought that the friend Chen Changhe brought, and asked, "Mr. Shen, what are you giving me some advice?"

Chen Changhe didn't say anything, but Li Junwei asked: "Manager Mao, do you have women's bicycles here?"

"Women's bicycle? What is a female bicycle?" Manager Mao was stunned when asked and shook his head.

Li Junwei smiled and said, "Bicycles also need to be divided into men and women. Your car is black, and women definitely don't like it. It can be made into pink, yellow, etc., especially the beam in the middle. It is strong, but when you get on the car, you have to swing your legs high. You can imagine that a woman wearing a skirt and swaying her legs will not be exposed."

"What you said makes sense, but we don't have it here, so I'm afraid there is no one in Zhenbeicheng."
Chapter completed!