Opening game, American Tycoon

Chapter 212 The Pacific Railway ([-]rd update, please subscribe)
On the tenth day after the fleet sailed out of the Strait of Magellan, it finally sailed into the bay. It also has a Spanish name called Saavedra Bay. This is a bay that is 12 kilometers long and 3 kilometers wide. It is not that big. But it is also a rare natural harbor.

When the fleet sailed into the bay, there were several immigrant ships that arrived successively in the bay. These immigrant ships brought tens of thousands of Chinese immigrants from the other side of the Pacific Ocean and sent enough labor for the railway construction site. , Immigrants from Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui and even Henan, Zhili and other places crowded on the deck, looking at the city curiously.

Linhai is a city very similar to Nanhua. Both of them prospered because of immigrants. After the Pacific Railway started construction, tens of thousands of immigrants landed from here and entered Shanxi—that is, Araucania. Thanks to the efforts of the Chinese government, the railway line was repaired from the sea and over the mountains to the Central Valley, and then advanced into the Andes.

Every day, trains from the port transport a large amount of road construction materials and labor to the hinterland.

"See, this is the only port in Shanxi, where all the people go ashore and enter the mainland."

Like most Chinese workers, as an official, Zhao Pingli also likes to call Araucania "Shanxi". In fact, whether it is Shanxi or Patagonia, which is called Shandong, to a certain extent, it depends Some kind of hope for the Chinese workers.

They live here and hope that one day they can integrate into this land. In fact, everyone knows that Tangshan is good, but they will never go back.

Not to mention that a boat ticket costs dozens of dollars.Without passports issued by the Immigration Department, no boat will take them back. In a word, they will spend the rest of their lives here.

"In the future, when the Pacific Railway is completed, Linhai will be the first stop for immigrants from Tangshan. In the future, the Great Eastern will definitely dock here. Have you seen that there are enough ship repair yards and big docks over there? Three hundred and sixty meters long, it is specially used for the "Great Eastern"."

Zhao Pingli pointed to the shipyard in the distance, with a slightly smug expression.After all, such a large dock is extremely rare in the whole world.

"Surprisingly, such a large shipyard has been built!"

For Li Xuelin and others who are new to the sea, looking at the shipyard in the distance, it is unavoidable that they are a little surprised to think that it can accommodate the "Great Orient".

But in addition to being surprised, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.After all, on the way here, they were still worried about the maintenance of the warship.Now that there is a shipyard, naturally there is no need to worry about this problem.

"I said, Linhai in the future will be the west gate of Nanhua. Several officers, come here this time."

Zhao Pingli said with a smile.

"It's here to guard the west gate. In the past, we only had a small gunboat with a wooden shell. It was said to be a warship of the garrison. In fact, at most it was to save fishermen. By the way, don't think our side can't compare with Nanhua, no There are a few factories, but the fishing industry is very developed, and our cans are not only sold to the United States, but also to Europe."

Although there is still some distance between Linhai Bay and the four famous fishing grounds of the later generations "Peru Fishing Ground", the fishery resources here are also extremely rich. As early as the beginning of the opening of Linhai Bay, it was established by introducing the latest European trawler and other facilities. In addition to the fishing industry, hundreds of thousands of tons of fish caught each year not only provide Chinese workers with sufficient meat, but also export a large amount to other countries. Whether it is San Francisco in the United States or Xinjinshan in Australia, cheap "canned fish" is very popular among Chinese workers. .

"It's just right for you to come this time, because the relationship between us and the Chileans is very tense, so when the fishing company goes out to sea, they are always worried that they will be attacked by the Chileans..."

While speaking, Zhao Pingli patted the thick gun barrel of the turret—the gun barrel was nearly as thick as a person, and it looked really spectacular.

"With such a big guy, you don't have to worry about them anymore!"

"Do not worry!"

Zhao Ming smiled proudly.

"Here we are, if the Chileans dare to do anything to our fishing boats, they will definitely let them come and go!"

He is not boasting. Right now, the Chilean Navy does not have even a single ironclad ship, and the two "Tianlong class" even small ironclad ships are enough to look down on South American countries. At most, only Peru is in response to the Spanish invasion. The small ironclad ships ordered by German Brothers Shipyard can be compared with it, but the order from Peru has just been issued.Right now, the "Tianlong Class" here is the flagpole of the Chenghuang Temple - unique.

"That's a good relationship. With you guys here, we can rest assured, right?"

Zhao Pingli opened his mouth with a smile.

"By the way, in order to welcome the arrival of the fleet, the mayor specially ordered someone to hold a reception at the city hall. He also invited all the officers to attend today. If it wasn't because he went to the construction site, he would definitely welcome you all in person."

……

The mayor went to the construction site!

Since last year, Wang Yingjiu has spent half of his time commuting between railway construction sites from Nanhua to Linhai. For him, who was once the governor of Zhejiang, being the "mayor" of a population of less than [-] is absolutely impossible. It's a big talent, but he knows that he is not just the mayor. Linhai says it is a city, but it actually covers the whole of Shanxi, and the reason why he came to Haihai is for the Pacific Railway.That's why he spends a lot of time commuting to and from the railroad site.After all, this is the most important thing for the lord. Of course, it is not just a matter of credit for him to do this well.It is also the capital for him to gain a foothold in officialdom in the future.

"Currently, the railways in Araucania have basically been completed. The root cause of the reason why the railways are not open to traffic is the Andes Mountains. Although according to the map, our construction speed has been accelerated a lot, but Mr. Mayor, the tunnel, the people who built the tunnel The speed is extremely, very slow. When constructing on flat or mountainous terrain, we can increase manpower input... Just like now, we can invest more than [-] workers, but Mr. Mayor, the tunnel is so wide, even if we put workers Divided into several shifts, construction continued day and night, the result is still a bit unsatisfactory..."

On the train leading to the construction site, Wang Yingjiu listened to the introduction of Ge Jia, the chief engineer of the railway. He once presided over the construction of the Semmering Railway in the Alps and has very rich experience in the construction of alpine railways. Of course, this is why the company will hire him Reasons for being Chief Engineer.

"And with the arrival of winter, the temperature on the mountains is getting lower and lower. Now, snow has begun to fall in many places in the mountains. For safety reasons, my suggestion is to withdraw the workers and wait until the end of winter before construction. In this way, the construction period will be extended by at least three months, so, in any case, it is impossible to complete the railway this year."

winter is here!

In winter in the Andes Mountains, there will be heavy snowfall, and even people will freeze to death. Stopping work is the most normal choice. When Gaiga presided over the construction of the Semerin Railway, it was a normal thing to stop working in winter.

But Wang Yingjiu directly shook his head and said.

"We can't stop work. Before the heavy snow closes the mountain, we can send food and supplies to the construction site. Let's try to use this winter to regain three months. You know, Nanhua has been waiting for this railway!"

(End of this chapter)