Chapter 44

Descending the Yangtze River, as the longest and largest river in China, it has always been a natural barrier. Since the Three Kingdoms period, the Yangtze River has served as a shield, and the disputes over it continued until the first Yangtze River Bridge was built after the liberation. Before that, even China's railways were divided by the Yangtze River, with no bridges connecting the south and the north. It seemed that 50 years later, a bridge would appear here.

Opinions on this bridge have been mixed in later generations, mainly because it was too low, directly limiting the passage of ocean-going vessels over 5,000 tons. To some extent, this constrained the effectiveness of the Yangtze River as a golden waterway. Some people even proposed blowing up all the bridges on the Yangtze River, but this was rejected due to various reasons.

The Hankou wharf is one of the busiest, primarily for freight. Resources from the inland, such as coal and various handicrafts, are transported through Wuhan to Shanghai or Nanjing, and then shipped overseas to various parts of the world. Freight is almost always busy, and passenger traffic is not much less. Due to the attention of Britain and France, the entire Yangtze River basin has largely been under the influence of foreign powers. Under their focus, the Yangtze River basin became one of the fastest-growing economic regions in China, with various mineral resources, cotton textiles, cotton industry, tea, silk, porcelain, and pottery becoming the economic pillars of the region. Countless farmers, despite being in different families, created unimaginable industrial value in late Qing China, even though the country was technologically backward. Despite its backwardness and suffering, the Qing Dynasty remained an important part of the world economy.

Because they stayed in Wuhan for another day, they did not take the original ship but boarded another British steamship, the Jenny. The entire Yangtze River waterway is very busy, with not only British, French, German, and even Japanese shipping companies, but also many Chinese private shipping companies operating here, to some extent, dominating the Yangtze River waterway.

This is a thousand-ton ordinary steamship, looking somewhat old. As Yang Yuanzhao boarded the ship, the all-in-one machine scanned the steamship. Indeed, it was a 20-year-old ship model, modified four years ago for the Yangtze River waterway. This is a common practice among foreign powers; generally, the most advanced steamships are not placed in China but used for domestic routes or more important shipping areas.

A steam whistle sounded, separating those seeing off from those departing. Some relatives were still bidding farewell on the deck. Yang Yuanzhao stood on the ship, looking at the clearly different shores of the Yangtze River, sighed, and walked to the cabin.

The ships from Hankou to Shanghai are not very large, but fortunately, they are steamships, with relatively constant speed, designed to arrive in 2.5 days. This speed is considered fast for this era.

The thousand-ton steamship was packed with hundreds of people. Even the first-class cabin was not spacious, slightly worse than the second-class seats on a train. They booked a cabin with two bunk beds in a small room of only six to seven square meters. The smell and air were quite uncomfortable. This was still better than the second and third-class cabins, and the lowest level, which was even more crowded than the Spring Festival travel rush, with people packed tightly together and poor air quality.

On ships of this era, space is prioritized for more important areas. Because sailing is not safe, watertight compartments and functional cabins are set up to give the ship more leeway when encountering storms or disasters. Therefore, even ten-thousand-ton oil tankers have very few passenger cabins.

Yang Yue noticed Yang Yuanzhao's gaze and said with a smile, "Cruise ships are better, but there can't be any on the Yangtze River!"

Yang Yue was deeply moved. The two days of rest in Hanyang improved his appearance. Compared to the stable train, the ship seemed to sway more, making it hard to sleep for those not used to it.

"Yang Yue, did you return from America on a cruise ship?"

"No, it was a regular ship. From San Francisco, I bought a second-class ticket. It was a hellish journey!" Yang Yue's face changed as he spoke, clearly not a pleasant memory. Yang Yuanzhao laughed and was about to tease him when a commotion came from outside, even the sound of a woman's scream and cursing. Yang Yue and Yang Yuanzhao exchanged glances and almost simultaneously left the cabin. Ahead, a group of people were gathered, shouting, including their bodyguard, Zheng Daniu. Zheng Daniu was gripping the railing tightly, his large hands bulging with veins, clearly on the verge of exploding.

With so many people, Yang Yue couldn't see what was happening and asked, "Daniu, what's going on?"

Hearing Yang Yue's voice, Zheng Daniu turned his head, seeming to regain his composure, and said, "The foreigners sank a fisherman's boat!"

The news of the foreigners sinking a boat shocked Yang Yuanzhao. He looked at the river and saw a British-flagged warship slowly decelerating. Behind it, a wooden fishing boat was split in two, with various items scattered on the water. Among the chaos, a streak of blood was particularly noticeable. Several fishermen were struggling in the water, while the foreign soldiers on the warship laughed and some even urinated into the river. Clearly, they had not accidentally hit the fishing boat; it was intentional.

Anger surged in Yang Yuanzhao's head. History books have repeatedly documented the humiliation suffered by the Chinese in the late Qing and Republican eras, but reading about it and witnessing it firsthand are entirely different. This is Chinese territory, the Yangtze River waterway, yet it has become a place for foreigners to show off their power. They treat China like their own garden, considering themselves superior and free to trample on everything.

"Such collisions happen almost every month!" Uncle Guang said with a sigh, appearing behind them.

"Every month?"

"Yes, I heard from Shixun that last month, the British and French each sank two fishing boats, killing three people!"

The words "death," "sinking," and "killing" weighed heavily on everyone's hearts, and the sense of humiliation lingered. The reality is that even if no one died, it would be difficult to seek justice.

Yang Yue said in a low voice, "This is the great Qing Empire, and even in the heartland, we suffer such humiliation. I cannot accept it!"

Yang Yuanzhao took a deep breath to calm himself. The humiliation will forever remain in his heart, waiting for the day of vindication. Time waits for no one, and only through redoubled efforts can they achieve their goals. He turned to Yang Yue and said, "Brother Jitang, do you believe that I will record every humiliation and return it to them?"

"Can you?" Yang Yue was somewhat puzzled.

"Agriculture can feed more people, but what truly strengthens a nation is heavy industry, steel. Yang Yue, believe me, I will turn Baotou into a utopia, a base to realize our dreams."

Yang Yue looked deeply at Yang Yuanzhao, not knowing what he was thinking. Uncle Guang sighed, understanding the current state of China. As a man in his fifties who had traveled extensively, he knew that the current situation did not form overnight but over decades. Foreigners showing off their power on the Yangtze River is just the tip of the iceberg; sometimes, they even use weapons, and no one can stop them.

Yang Yuanzhao knew that this was a public place and the ship belonged to foreigners, so it was not wise to speak freely. He quickly pulled Yang Yue back to the room.

Sitting in the room, Yang Yue was still in a daze from the scene. He had studied abroad for many years, and although he faced discrimination, it was not to this extent. Perhaps he had only interacted with college students, while these were soldiers. It seemed he had been wrong; China needed iron and fire, not just an agronomist.

Yang Yuanzhao had been observing Yang Yue's expression. Perhaps because he grew up in luxury and studied abroad, Yang Yue had not been exposed to the suffering of old China. In a sense, he was still a carefree child, even at 25. However, the reality before him was a significant shock, which, though painful, could become a driving force.

The day passed without much conversation. The next afternoon, after passing Nanjing, Yang Yue finally recovered and began to walk out of the cabin, joking with Yang Yuanzhao.

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