In late November, the north wind crossed the wide Yellow River channel and roared over the plains of the Kaifeng area. On the national highway, the motorized tricycle was covered with a rubber-coated canopy. Yang Xiangqian and Zhu Changlie, the director of the Zhuxian Town Office who came to welcome him, sat in the cab. Cold air constantly poured in through the gaps of the newly added cotton cloth 'doors' on both sides. But the gaps were not large, and both were wearing thick clothes, so they could withstand it completely.

Many such motorized tricycles ran on the national highway. The drivers all wore cotton coats and windproof goggles similar to those of pilots, as if everyone were a soldier.

Zhu Changlie, Director of the Zhuxian Town Office, asked Yang Xiangqian who was driving, "Mayor Yang, I heard from Brother Dao that the central government wants to reopen the Grand Canal. Is it true?"

Zhuxian Town is 50 li (25 km) southeast of Kaifeng. In the Warring States period, Lord Xinling "stole the tally to save Zhao". After the Wei army won, the State of Zhao thanked Lord Xinling and Zhu Hai with heavy gold. Later, Lord Xinling was appointed as Prime Minister by the King of Wei and given the seal of Prime Minister, and Zhu Hai was appointed as a General, with Zhuxian Town as Zhu Hai's fief (Tangmuyi).

The Ming and Qing dynasties were the heyday of Zhuxian Town. According to records, the urban area of Zhuxian Town connected Songzhai in the east, Doufudian in the west, and Yaopu Village in the south, covering an area of 50 square li. In 1862 (the first year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty), the city wall was changed from an earthen wall to a brick one. The Yunliang River passed through the city from north to south, dividing the town into east and west parts, connected by three bridges on the river in the town. Wharves stood in great numbers along both banks of the river, extending for 5 li. Ships could reach the city directly, with more than 200 ships coming and going daily. There were more than 300,000 residents in the city, mostly merchants and foreign merchants from all over the country, among whom Shanxi merchants were the most numerous, and a Shanxi Guild Hall was built in the city. Shops and business firms in the town were arranged in rows, gathering goods like mountains.

After the Jiaqing and Daoguang reigns of the Qing Dynasty, Zhuxian Town tended to decline due to the Yellow River overflowing into the Jialu River. In the 26th year of Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1900), the Jialu River was finally filled with sand, and boats were completely blocked. In addition, the Beijing-Hankou Railway and the Longhai Railway opened to traffic successively, causing a major shift in transportation routes, and Zhuxian Town's water transport advantage was no more.

By the beginning of the 20th century, it had degenerated into an extremely dilapidated market town. Not only did commerce shrink sharply and merchants scatter, but the former market town also became ruined walls due to floods, wind, and sand. By 1906, there were only more than 3,000 households and 15,000 people left in the town.

Even so, Zhuxian Town was still not a small town. The cadres of Zhuxian Town still believed that if the canal was restored, Zhuxian Town would have a chance to prosper again.

Yang Xiangqian could understand the feelings of Zhu Changlie, Director of the Zhuxian Town Office; who doesn't want the place where they are to prosper? But reopening the canal was a major national event, especially now that the Yellow River Affairs Administration had been established. With unified management from top to bottom, opening the canal in Zhuxian Town was a matter covering several provinces. Let alone participating, Yang Xiangqian didn't even have the qualification to say a word. So Yang Xiangqian told the truth.

Hearing this, Zhu Changlie sighed, "Sigh, Mayor Yang, I was just asking; I didn't mean to make it difficult for you."

"Director Zhu. What does the biggest enterprise in Zhuxian Town do now?" Yang Xiangqian asked.

"Zhuxian Town was originally about doing business; there are no enterprises. If we must speak of enterprises, only a few making supporting parts for bicycle factories look decent. Many of those doing business have gone to the city. By the way, if we must say there is any business of our own, it is making woodblock New Year prints. But the only one selling well recently is Chairman He's portrait. But Zhuxian Town's New Year prints are not as exquisite as those from the city's printing factories. The city even sent people to the town before, forbidding the town to print Chairman He's portraits."

Speaking of He Rui's portrait, Yang Xiangqian was speechless. When Yang Xiangqian said in Chenzhou, 'I am from the government', the masses were very vigilant. But when he said 'I was sent by Chairman He', the masses immediately felt intimacy. The reason was simple: after land reform, the masses knew Chairman He ordered land reform, and everyone got land. However, in local governance, the government requisitioned a large amount of labor, and the masses bore great pressure, so they naturally didn't like the government.

The portrait was the same. He Rui looked quite handsome and photogenic. Now if every household built a new house, they would invite a portrait of He Rui home to hang, hoping to ward off evil and stabilize fortune. The portraits produced by printing shops wanting to earn this money were crudely made, which worried local governments very much. They simply allowed only standard portraits from urban printing factories to be sold. So Zhuxian Town here, not to say they had opinions, at least couldn't quite accept it.

But these were small matters; Yang Xiangqian didn't care at all. He continued to ask, "Is there anything the town can do on its own?"

"The only thing we can do ourselves is farming. Also, it would be great if a bicycle factory could be set up in the town."

Zhuxian Town was not far. After Yang Xiangqian and his entourage arrived at Zhuxian Town and inspected it, they found the local economy was indeed very average. After the collapse of the commercial system that once served the canal, the few people left served the surrounding areas. If the consumption capacity of farmers hadn't improved after land reform, the situation would probably have been worse.

But Zhuxian Town was too close to Kaifeng City. Any capable merchants had gone to Kaifeng or even the capital; no one was willing to stay in Zhuxian Town to scrape a living.

In the following days, they went to other areas of Kaifeng, and the situation was the same. Railway transport had completely changed Kaifeng's economic structure. Coupled with the interruption of the canal, the traditional economic circle outside Kaifeng urban area was more miserable than Zhoukou. At least Zhoukou's water transport was still ongoing, while long-distance water transport around Kaifeng had been cut off.

The commercial areas around Kaifeng that gathered due to the once prosperous water transport system had reverted to true countryside. After the young and strong among the population in the Kaifeng area entered the industrial zone of Kaifeng, the rest were farmers.

In early December, after finishing half a month of field investigation, Yang Xiangqian returned to Kaifeng City and immediately reported to the Municipal Party Secretary and the Mayor. Hearing Yang Xiangqian's view that 'there is no need to consider restoring commerce in the short term', the Municipal Party Secretary and Mayor Huo Jun were not surprised. This reaction confirmed to Yang Xiangqian that these two had long made the same judgment.

Mayor Huo Jun asked, "Where does Mayor Yang think the future direction lies?"

"Since there are no opportunities outside Kaifeng urban area for the time being, I think we cannot fight against the current trend. Kaifeng still has to rely on agriculture in the first stage." Yang Xiangqian gave his judgment. Chenzhou (Zhoukou) had relatively sufficient water sources, and the promotion of double cropping was very smooth. Based on his experience in Chenzhou, Yang Xiangqian believed that at this time, they could only focus on increasing the promotion of improved agricultural seeds. Moreover, this promotion of improved seeds could only narrow the scope of seed domestication according to Kaifeng's relatively 'diverse' land situation.

Hearing this, Mayor Huo Jun looked seriously at the Municipal Party Secretary for a moment. The Secretary called the secretary and gave a few instructions. Mayor Huo Jun continued to chat with Yang Xiangqian about this matter. The office area in Kaifeng was quite concentrated at this time. Before long, Agriculture Bureau Director Ren Sihai pushed the door and entered.

Huo Jun then stopped talking and asked Ren Sihai to introduce the Agriculture Bureau's view. The Agriculture Bureau's view was surprisingly similar to Yang Xiangqian's; they both wanted to expand the number of seed stations. According to the previous model, there was one seed station per county. But Agriculture Bureau Director Ren Sihai believed that one seed station per township was not too many. According to the Chinese agricultural model, the previous improved seeds were whichever household in each village had good grain, the village would use that household's grain as seeds. Now letting a whole county plant the same kind of seed was not suitable for the current situation.

The current grain seed cultivation method is different from previous seeds. One town or one township using a certain kind of seed is the relatively suitable mode.

Yang Xiangqian had worked in Chenzhou, a major agricultural city, and had heard the term 'domestication'. The so-called domestication is not only whether a certain seed is suitable for various places. A big problem also lies in controlling seed germination so that seeds with the same growth cycle can germinate at the same time, ensuring simultaneous harvest. In this way, mechanized harvesting can be used extensively in plain areas, greatly improving harvesting efficiency and reducing risks.

With such basic common sense, the conversation between Yang Xiangqian and Director Ren Sihai was very smooth. Seeing such a situation, Mayor Huo Jun said, "Mayor Yang, this matter requires applying for funds from the Zhili Ministry. The Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government think you can undertake such work."

Mentioning applying for funds, Yang Xiangqian felt immense pressure. The country had only been stable for 3 years, and massive investment was needed in all aspects. Although the central government's revenue was large, expenditures were equally huge.

Previously, an article in the party journal *Weekly Talk* introduced the difference between the current central government revenue and expenditure and previous government revenue and expenditure. Previous governments, especially the Beiyang government, did not undertake the development obligations of grassroots governments. All taxes were to meet the needs of the central government, so the tax revenue of the He Rui government was 3-5 times that of the previous Beiyang government.

The Beiyang government did not have a true modern fiscal system, and the coverage of government expenditure was not large. Even in fields the government claimed to undertake, many were just talk, with actually little money invested. So Beiyang's infrastructure construction in the country was superficial work, mainly to fool the public.

Compared with the Beiyang government, the current government truly undertook government functions nationwide. The education and medical systems covering the whole country were completed by fiscal expenditure. Industrial and agricultural investments were also in place. Therefore, the current central government's fiscal expenditure was more than ten times that of the Beiyang government. The whole country needed funds, and it was not easy to increase extra funds. Mayor Huo Jun's request seemed like shirking, but it was actually out of necessity.

Besides realistic difficulties, Yang Xiangqian also felt Huo Jun was probably testing him. Everyone was an official; no one was stupid. Since sending someone, they naturally had to send someone with a high probability of success. Yang Xiangqian naturally knew that the main cadres of the municipal government would think Huo Jun was favored by the higher-ups. If Yang Xiangqian went to the Zhili Ministry in the capital, the probability of success would be higher. Of course, if the matter didn't succeed, it would also let the main leading cadres of the municipal government have their own views on Yang Xiangqian's weight.

Even so, Yang Xiangqian didn't refuse. He answered, "As long as it's the conclusion of the meeting, I'll go."

The Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government meeting reached a conclusion quickly. If one could get good work results by asking for money, who wouldn't like it? Although many borers (corrupt officials) had been caught in the past two years, government operation required a lot of funds. Even if the final result wasn't obvious, getting money was a good thing.

Yang Xiangqian didn't refuse either. He took the report and went to the capital with Agriculture Bureau Director Ren Sihai. Before getting on the train, Yang Xiangqian bought a copy of *National Daily* at the station. Agriculture Bureau Director Ren Sihai wanted to chat with Yang Xiangqian first, but seeing the train full of passengers, he dared not say anything. It was always inappropriate for their identities to be discovered.

He saw Yang Xiangqian reading the newspaper, frowning actually. Ren Sihai leaned over to look and saw the newspaper news read, 'British government awards medals to Chinese laborers...'

The internal combustion engine train took a little over an hour from Kaifeng to the capital. When they arrived at the Zhili Ministry guesthouse in the capital, Ren Sihai asked, "Did Mayor Yang see something?"

Yang Xiangqian was somewhat puzzled. "Recently, there have been many goodwill gestures from Europe towards China in the newspapers."

Ren Sihai had absolutely no good feelings for Britain and France, so he answered, "Could it be a weasel paying respects to a hen (harboring evil designs)?"

Yang Xiangqian didn't like Europe and America either. 10 years ago, admiring Zhao Tianlin's fame, he went from inside the pass to study at the Political Science and Law School in Siping. Although he didn't understand diplomacy, listening to Ren Sihai's question, Yang Xiangqian still felt something was wrong, so he asked, "Europe and America have never had good intentions. But why does our newspaper report this news?"

Ren Sihai was stunned, then shocked a moment later, "It shouldn't be. This is *National Daily*; are there people close to Europe and America inside?"

Yang Xiangqian waved his hand hurriedly, "Don't talk nonsense! How is that possible!"

Ren Sihai also thought it was impossible, but he could only think this much. At this time, there was a knock on the door of the residence. Yang Xiangqian stood up hurriedly and whispered, "We are here to apply for funds; focus on this matter."

Although Ren Sihai was somewhat concerned in his heart, thinking of those big shots in the central government, he felt nothing should go wrong.

At this time, the big shots in the central government received the latest news. The Chinese government had publicly praised Britain and France in newspapers for their friendly act of giving high honors to Chinese laborers during the Great War in Europe, and Chinese ambassadors to Britain and France attended the award ceremonies. After the ceremony ended, the French Foreign Minister and the British Foreign Secretary formally conveyed invitations from the French and British governments for He Rui to visit their countries to the Chinese ambassadors.

After the formal invitations were issued, it was equivalent to paving the way for He Rui to visit the two countries. He Rui could already decide whether to visit now or later.

Foreign Minister Yan Huiqing was waiting for He Rui to make a decision. Once He Rui decided to visit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be busy.

Premier Wu Youping already knew that He Rui actually decided to confirm China's diplomatic achievements in the past few years through visits, so he didn't say anything. Instead, Industry Minister Zhuang Jiaxiong put forward a view, "If the Chairman visits, can we promote scientific and technological exchanges between China and Europe? Push for the Shanghai Expo. Since the Chairman believes a major global economic crisis will occur within two years, at this stage we need a comprehensive enough understanding of European technological development."

Commerce Minister Li Chenggang felt Industry Minister Zhuang Jiaxiong was really a bit funny. Even if wanting to gain benefits from the possible future global economic crisis, it should be the Ministry of Commerce coming forward. But Li Chenggang said nothing because once He Rui visited, Li Chenggang would definitely accompany him. Now he just needed to listen to the comrades' requests and prepare well.

He Rui nodded. "We also have a large number of goods to sell to France. Minister Zhuang, the Ministry of Industry should also prepare."

Zhuang Jiaxiong was pleasantly surprised. Selling industrial products to the old industrial country France, Zhuang Jiaxiong was indeed not fully mentally prepared yet.