Chapter 106 Show of Strength
Regarding the formulation of the route, several people from the North American Gang said they could take over it, but an on-site inspection was still an essential step. Both catamaran sailboats can maintain an average speed of more than fifteen knots, and a trip to Hongji Port only takes a few days. Being able to go on a long-distance trip to sea after holding back for several months, Wang Tom in Port Victory will definitely be very happy when he learns the news.
Of course, the content of this route inspection, which is still being verbally planned by everyone, is not just about inspecting the route. The crew also has to record the hydrological and sea conditions along the way, and find safe and reliable coastal stopping points based on the voyage. The most important thing is to inspect the two fixed docking points of Fu Shuizhou Island and Hong Kei Port, calculate the materials and manpower required for construction, and then use this to formulate a detailed development plan.
However, the temporary transfer of these people from North America will inevitably affect the progress of related projects at hand. For example, although the chemical industry department that is already conducting trial production of three acids and two bases still has several people with chemical backgrounds, the transfer of Qiao Zhiya will still have a relatively large impact. Roger and Shi Diwen are now experts in mechanical processing. Before the machine tools are installed in place, many metal parts that require high precision must be made purely by hand by skilled workers like them. After being built, this business trip is likely to force the executive committee to order a temporary shutdown of the machining process for a few days.
Another relatively time-consuming preparation is, of course, buying a boat and recruiting sailors. The next day, the executive committee contacted the Yazhou Office and asked them to mobilize relations in Yazhou to try to complete these two tasks. Speaking of which, the Cliff Office is now regarded as the only external window of the Crossing Group. If the Executive Committee is trying to get enough ships and people in a short period of time, it must depend on the capabilities of the Cliff Office.
There is good news from the Cliff Office that was immediately reported to the Executive Committee - after the previous transaction with two commercial banks, a batch of goods and cash will be shipped to Victory Port today, and the shopkeepers of the two commercial banks will By taking this trip to escort the goods in person, the executive committee can directly contact them to discuss the purchase of the ship. The roots of these two trading houses are one in Qiongzhou Fucheng and the other in Guangzhou. They are both much more prosperous places than Yazhou. Whether you want to buy a ship or hire sailors, it is much easier than Yazhou.
This news attracted considerable attention from the Executive Committee. Tao Donglai and Schneider immediately put aside what they were doing and rushed to Port Victory to make some preparations for the meeting. The security company and the new military battalion stationed on the east coast of Victory Port have also been mobilized. They will be responsible for maintaining public security and order in Victory Port in the past two days. The hard laborers from the labor camp who were originally building the docks at the port were also temporarily transferred and sent to the sandbank on the east coast where the new barracks were located to build stone walls for the fortifications guarding the harbor. Chef Fan from the cooking class was also temporarily transferred back to Shengli Port. The executive committee named him to be responsible for organizing the reception banquet prepared for the guests today.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, the "Speed" patrolling outside Yulinjiao contacted Shengli Port and said that it had discovered two Chinese-style fortune ships coming from the southwest sea. More than ten minutes later, the "Speed" sent a confirmation message. He Xi from the Yazhou Office was seen on the deck of one of the ships. This should be the fleet delivering goods from Yazhou.
Under the leadership of the "Speed", the two lucky ships sailed smoothly into the harbor and docked at the pier, which was one-third completed. Almost everyone on the two ships was visiting here for the first time, and without exception, they were stunned by the row of giant iron ships on the shore. Before they set off, they had heard some rumors. It was said that the Haihan people came across the sea in some huge iron ships. Most people originally thought that this was just a ridiculous rumor, but when they saw the real thing Only then did I really feel this huge shock. The two shopkeepers, who thought they were well-informed, suddenly felt that their past lives were like sitting in a well and looking at the sky. There was someone in the world who could build such a huge iron ship that could float on the sea! From this point of view, there are indeed many skilled craftsmen among the Haihan people. It is no wonder that they can make those exquisite glass products and clear silver mirrors.
The two shopkeepers disembarked from the ship under the leadership of He Xi. Tao Donglai and Schneider were already waiting for their arrival at the dock. These business people are all very discerning. Seeing that Mr. Shi, who came to Yazhou to discuss business last time, was still half a step behind Mr. Tao, he understood that Mr. Tao's status among the Haihan people should be very high. , and immediately bowed deeply to him.
Shopkeeper Zhang saw rows of men in colorful and green jackets standing neatly on the pier, and asked Tao Donglai what they meant. Tao Donglai smiled and said: "These are the militia groups we train locally. They are usually responsible for maintaining local security and arresting thieves. Today, we have distinguished guests visiting, so let them maintain order at the dock to prevent ignorant people from disturbing the guests." ”
Shopkeeper Zhang saw that these people were indeed local Mingren people, and there were also many Li and Miao young people among them. They all held their heads high and looked straight, and the queues were as neat as a knife. He couldn't help but praise: "I just wanted to Dao Haihan has many skilled craftsmen and is good at business. He never thought that he was also an expert in military training. In terms of the appearance of this militia, it is even better than the Yazhou garrison. "
Shopkeeper Li has a more in-depth view on the problem: "During the Jiajing and Wanli years, the imperial court recruited Guangxi Miao people to join the Qiong garrison because they came for the Ping Lidong rebellion. The two tribes regarded each other as enemies for decades, even if the government There is no possibility of mixing soldiers from the two ethnic groups when they are required to serve in the military. It is not easy for your militia to accommodate young people from both ethnic groups at the same time." Tao Donglai said: "The Li and Miao ethnic groups used to fight each other. The ultimate goal is actually just to get food, to fight for our own survival. Now that we Haihan people are here, as long as we work for us, we can have food, clothing, housing, and wages, and get medical care when we are sick. If they are dead and buried, those with children can be sent to our schools to learn and read for free. What reason do you think they have to continue fighting? As long as they can live a stable and good life, who would be willing to fight again and again for nothing? ”
Shopkeeper Li said in astonishment: "How can the militia be treated like this? The cost of raising a militia is probably much higher than the Yazhou garrison!"
Tao Donglai just smiled and did not respond to Shopkeeper Li's question. The cost of raising a professional army is indeed very high, because these hundreds of people can hardly create any value, but on the contrary, a lot of money is spent on them every day. If compared with the guardsmen in Yazhou, the treatment of this Haihan militia is simply heaven. But regarding the specific information about this team, Tao Donglai did not intend to reveal too much to outsiders. In any country and at any time, the maintenance costs of an army must be military secrets. The militia formed by the executive committee is naturally There will be no exception.
Relevant personnel on both sides were responsible for counting and unloading the goods and cash on the ship, and several leading figures came to Base No. 1 under the leadership of Tao Donglai. This is not only the land base for the people traveling through Victory Port, but it is also an "image project" intentionally built by the Executive Committee to show its strength to the outside world. Guests who come to Victory Port for the first time will definitely be taken here for a tour. .
Base No. 1 now covers an area of about forty acres. The entire base is pentagonal in shape, with a protruding diamond-shaped fortification on each corner and a solid stone bunker. These five bunkers are more than two feet high. There are several gun holes for observation and shooting on the outer walls. They can shoot without blind spots on all defensive surfaces.
The base wall is about one foot high, seven feet thick, and more than one mile in circumference. To be able to build such a large project in just over two months, it is naturally impossible for this village wall to be entirely made of stone. Except for the prismatic blockhouses protruding from the five corners, the rest of the wall is made of stone. Use wood piles to line the walls, and tamp them with soil in between. In recent weeks, the Chuanchuang soldiers who had freed up their hands have built two higher sections of fortifications on the existing wall, allowing the wall to form three sections of defense positions: high, middle and low, allowing the defenders using firearms to form a simple Three-dimensional firepower network. The Military and Police Department plans to wait until the production of cement increases in the future before finding a way to rebuild a stronger concrete wall.
Under the wall, there is a trench surrounding the entire No. 1 Base. This miniature moat was about six feet wide and only five feet deep. Water from the Tiandu River was introduced from the upper reaches to fill the trench. There are also two water valves in the trench, one at the top and one at the bottom. Wooden sluices can be used to adjust the water level in the trench. This is mainly used to deal with the sudden rise in the Tiandu River water level that may occur during the rainy season. Although the size of this trench is small and its actual protective effect is limited, the Military and Police Department believes that no one in the current South China Sea military force has the ability to break through the fire blockade and attack the location of the trench to fill the river.
There is an access channel on the north and south sides of Base No. 1. During war, the one-foot-thick wooden suspension bridge can be retracted to strengthen defense. The entire No. 1 base looks like a small castle with complete defenses from the outside. The military and police department even plans to build a few small cannons and put them in bunkers on the wall, turning these bunkers directly into killing units. A more powerful Japanese turret.
The two shopkeepers were naturally shocked when they saw this strange-looking fort that looked like a donkey but not a horse. Although they knew nothing about military affairs and could not see the power of these strange-looking walls and stone fortresses, it was not difficult to estimate how much manpower and material resources it would take to build such a fortress. Just the six-foot-wide water storage trench under the wall requires hundreds of people to work for several months to complete. Of course, they didn't know that the Haihan people had their own opportunistic methods and used excavators that were dozens of times more efficient than manual labor to build this trench.
(End of chapter)