1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 105 Buy Buy Buy

"After bragging for a long time, the problem of the ship still hasn't been solved." Gu Kai knocked on the table to remind Yan Chujie who was spitting: "What we need now is not a battleship with sails, but a ship that can load and run fast. merchant ships."

Yan Chujie coughed twice and quickly changed the subject: "Then, has the metallurgical workshop calculated how much coal coke input is needed to ensure production?"

Beks replied: "Considering the need to expand the production scale on the basis of maintaining the existing pig iron production, and at the same time to install the open hearth furnace for steelmaking, and the steam engine that will be used in production later, we believe that the monthly coal input At least it must be kept above [-] tons, and I must emphasize that this bottom line figure will continue to rise with the expansion of production capacity.”

"Three hundred tons...Then the total tonnage of the coal carrier must be kept at least five hundred tons or more. Considering the supply consumption on the road and the ship's rest and maintenance time, the total tonnage of the ship may be [-] to [-] tons." Yan Chujie quickly calculated in his mind, and then came up with an answer.

"Wait, didn't you just say that according to the speed of the existing sailboat, you can run twice a month between Sanya and Hongji Port? Then the total tonnage we need should be halved." Gu Kai found Yan Chujie There seems to be a hole in the words.

"That's just literal data, and it's actually very difficult to achieve." Yan Chujie shook his head and said: "First of all, when a sailboat is sailing at sea, it is unlikely to take a long straight line, and it will often deviate from the pre-booked route according to changes in wind direction and ocean currents. , Sometimes even have to adopt zigzag forward, so that the actual time of sailing at sea will greatly exceed the calculation on paper. Although it is only more than 200 nautical miles from Hongji Port to Shengli Port on the map, it is really a trip. You will find that the voyage will definitely greatly exceed this number. The two trips we estimated before are based on the assumption that the whole journey is smooth and smooth, and there is no delay in the ideal situation, so that such a voyage can be completed. "

"Secondly, the weather at sea is ever-changing. When the typhoon season comes, a sailboat with a displacement of one or two hundred tons cannot go to sea at all, and it may be delayed for many days. Therefore, we must prepare excess capacity so that we can The base camp maintains a certain amount of coal reserves. When this transportation line has to be suspended due to weather or other objective reasons, we will not stop production because there is no coal available."

"Then the tonnage of our available sailboats is less than [-] tons, so there is at least a difference of [-] to [-] tons." Ning Qi shook his head regretfully: "The speed of the shipyard is limited after all. It is estimated that the fleet will get this tonnage in the second quarter of next year, right?"

"I'm sure it won't be able to catch up, I think I'd better buy it!" Tao Donglai gritted his teeth and said, "The Cliff Office only made a sale of nearly ten thousand taels of silver a few days ago. After deducting the expenses and expenses during this period, plus We still have more than 3 taels of silver available in our original silver reserves. I suggest taking a part of it as an emergency project expenditure, and first buying a batch of ships to use as cargo ships."

"I talked to a few local shipbuilders at the shipyard a few days ago. They have built boats of [-] materials, and the price is about [-] taels of silver. The price is cheaper, and buying a few ships will not hurt us." Yan Chujie added.

"Just having a boat is not enough. Do we have so many sailors available?" Ning Qi continued to ask.

"After we crossed over, we trained more than 30 sailors. In the first two wars, there were more than 30 captured sailors and boatmen. Together, they are almost enough to configure four or five ships. If the number is not enough, we can only try to hire them. It's over." Regarding the shortage of manpower, Yan Chujie also seemed very helpless.After all, it has been a short period of time since time travel, and the foundation is not solid enough. Even sailors who want to gather a fleet of cargo ships still have difficulties. As for warships and navies, it is better not to dream for the time being.

"Spend the money and pay for the settlement. I don't believe you can't recruit sailors! Or buy the boat with sailors and boatmen when you buy the boat. We are not short of that money now!" Tao Donglai said angrily, showing the style of a local tyrant exhaustive.

Schneider, who had been silent all this time, also opened his mouth at this time: "I think Mr. Tao is right. Problems that can be solved with money are not big problems. As long as we can afford the price, we should be able to get ships and people. Although the development Hon Kee Port will definitely cost a lot, but in the long run, we will have to invest there sooner or later, so let’s start early so that we can benefit longer.”

"If we buy a lot of ships in Hainan Island, will it attract the attention of the local government?" Ning Qi, who is cautious, does not let go of any point that may pose a threat.

"It's true that you are worrying too much." Tao Donglai shook his head and said, "What image do we have in the eyes of the local government now? We are a group of businessmen from overseas who have always obeyed the law. Actively solve problems for the local government, and effectively solve the problem of food and employment for the local people. We have appeared in the role of a maritime merchant, and buying a few ships is a normal thing.”

"Besides, we can also ask others to come forward to buy ships and hire people, such as Luo Shengdong, or the two trading firms that do business with us. We think they will be happy to help us." Schneider added with a smile.

"It seems that there is nothing that can stop you." Ning Qi finally gave up on asking: "Alright then, let's think about how to realize this development plan."

Even if the capacity problem is solved, it only opens the first link in the entire development plan chain, and there are still quite a lot of troubles to be dealt with in the follow-up.For example, the formulation of the route for the next step stumped everyone present—no one had traveled the sea route from Sanya to Hongji Port, and the previous voyage calculation was just a straight-line distance drawn by looking at the map. When it came time to formulate a route, these laymen who were talking on paper were all stumped.

"It seems that we need to find an expert." Tao Donglai stared at the map for a while before he said helplessly: "Is there anyone in the Shipping Department who can come right now?"

"People from the shipping department may not be able to come. During this period of time, their people are all at Shengli Port. It is said that they are meeting every night to discuss the design of the ship. Those young people are very motivated." Yan Chujie said This is also very gratifying.After more than two months of hard work, the initial ambition and enthusiasm of many members have gradually faded away, but the people in the shipping department have maintained a high fighting spirit and enthusiasm for work. easy thing.

"Where are the members of the North American Gang?" Tao Donglai thought about the candidates again.Several members of the North American gang are experts with rich sailing experience, and perhaps some valuable suggestions and opinions can be obtained from them.

"That's right, I forgot about them, I'll call for someone right away." Yan Chujie did as he said, and immediately got up and left the meeting room.Within a few minutes, Morgan, Roger, Shi Diwen and Qiao Zhiya followed him into the conference room.Except for Wang Tom and Johnson who are resident in Victory Port, the others happened to be at the No. [-] base, so Yan Chujie simply called them all over.

Yan Chujie had already explained the situation when he called for someone, so the four of them immediately got to the point after they sat down.

Qiao Zhiya pointed out on the map: "When we came to participate in the crossing, we stopped in Da Nang, Vietnam and went directly to Sanya. As for the places further north, we have not been there. But now we have a more detailed satellite map, so It is not difficult to make a rough route. We can even plan the future Hongji Port now. However, out of prudence, before we establish this long-term cargo route, we may have to take a trip first to get acquainted with it. Sea conditions on this route."

Morgan added: "This route is at least 130 nautical miles. Our existing Chinese-style sailboats are relatively slow, so we must consider the stops along the way. In particular, the straight-line distance between Hongji Port and the west coast of Hainan Island is limited. More than [-] nautical miles, more than a day's voyage of a Chinese-style sailboat, the location of this supply point must be considered."

"The supply point is ready-made, so you don't need to look for it." Yan Chujie motioned Morgan to zoom in on the satellite map on his laptop, and then pointed to a point between the east coast of Vietnam and the west coast of Hainan Island: "Did you see it? The port is about 60 nautical miles away, and it is about [-] nautical miles away from the east coast of Hainan Island, which happens to be in the middle, so it is a perfect stop for supplies!"

The island that Yan Chujie pointed out was Fushuizhou Island in later generations.The area of ​​this triangular island is about two square kilometers, and the terrain in the south of the island is relatively gentle, so a small port can be set up.Most importantly, this island has fresh water resources, and the location is so suitable that it would be a waste of money not to use it.

"That is to say, we must set up a transit terminal on this small island?" Tao Donglai asked thoughtfully while looking at the satellite image.

"Such a supply point does not require too much manpower and facilities, as long as a small port can allow ships to dock overnight. It only takes one day for ships from both sides to reach the island, and the supply of food and daily necessities on the island is also comparatively small. It is convenient. If conditions permit, it would be even better if we can build a lighthouse on the island.” After seeing the location of the island, Morgan also agreed with Yan Chujie’s suggestion, and at the same time put forward his own opinion: “If we need from Vietnam in the future If the population is introduced there, then this small island can really be used as a transit station. Judging by its size, it shouldn’t be a big problem to house 2000 to [-] people.”

(End of this chapter)