Chapter 123 Preparations for Base Camp
After disembarking from the ship, the expedition team members were surrounded by crowds and returned to Base No. 1. After a brief welcome meal, the exhausted team members returned to their barracks to rest. After the executive committee learned that the expedition team had returned from a continuous voyage of more than 20 hours, the team members were allowed to catch up on a few hours of nap and rest up before reporting on the expedition at night. Of course, before this, the expedition team had handed over the port map and route chart to the executive committee so that they could work with relevant departments to immediately start preparations for a relatively complex project like port construction. Planning and designing a construction plan is not something that can be done in a day and a half.
During the nine days that the expedition team traveled, the relevant departments were not idle, and the preparation work of the entire Chuanchuan Group for overseas mining never stopped for a day.
The first to bear the brunt is the metallurgical workshop. In addition to completing daily pig iron smelting tasks, they also undertake metal processing work. Overseas mining will require a large number of iron tools, and the entire workshop has been producing various shovels, hoes, hammers and other tools these days. In order to ensure sufficient supply for mining operations, Chuanchuan Group even suspended the export of ironware to Li District and Yazhou.
The second steam engine has also entered the assembly and commissioning stage. With the experience of manufacturing and using the first test machine, a lot of technical improvements were made during the manufacturing process of the second steam engine. The technical team hopes that this steam engine can run continuously for 72 hours without failure in actual use. level. This requirement may seem very low, but considering the current level of production technology and processing accuracy, it is not easy for the technical team to achieve this level. Only after the large-scale electric transmission machinery and equipment are installed in place and the processing accuracy of some important parts can be qualitatively improved, will the actual performance of the steam engine make a big leap. As for the steam trains and steam sailing ships that many people across the world have been waiting for, I'm afraid we still have to wait until the Chuangong Group begins to have the ability to smelt steel on a large scale.
In addition to the production of tools, weapons production was also a key project during this period. At present, the Type 27 matchlock gun has begun mass production after repeated trials and improvements in the early stage. Of course, this so-called mass production is only relative to the production efficiency of this era. With the current production capacity of the Cross Group, it is not possible to start it at full capacity. It can only reach the level of 120 to 150 bottles per month. Samples of more technically advanced flintlock guns have also been trial-produced. The difficulty in manufacturing is still stuck in the materials. If you want to increase the power of the firearm, the current pig iron barrel has little potential to be tapped. It must be To meet the requirements, more solid steel must be used, and now the Crossing Group simply does not have enough steel reserves to supply the military industry department for large-scale production.
In terms of artillery, the 6-pound army gun has been basically finalized, and the naval gun has also begun to be shipped for sea trials. It is worth mentioning that during the trial production of matches by the Ministry of Chemical Industry, the potassium chlorate needed for the evolution of artillery has been produced. This is an important material for making artillery flame tubes. The Military and Police Department has been waiting for this for a long time. Impatient. With the use of the fire tube, igniting powder and open flames are no longer needed for artillery firing. This not only greatly increases the safety of the gun crew during firing, but also solves the problem of low success rate of artillery firing on rainy days.
The Executive Committee and the Military and Police Department have held many discussions on how strong the armed defense force required for overseas mining operations is and whether large-scale equipment of firearms is needed, but there has never been a final conclusion. On the one hand, this is because the final location of the port area has not been determined, and the armed forces required for defense cannot be calculated; on the other hand, it is because there is still a debate within the Cross-Travel Army about what kind of armed force structure should be established in overseas bases. endlessly.
Some people believe that the current training time for naturalized soldiers is still very limited. Both their technical and tactical levels and their ideological transformation work are only in their infancy, and they are not suitable for being sent to station overseas in large numbers. Even if a certain number of security maintenance troops are needed locally, the number of naturalized civilian armed personnel should not exceed that of the crossing troops.
However, the opinion of the Military and Police Ministry is that naturalized civilian soldiers should make up the main body of the armed forces stationed abroad, while the Chuanchuan Army should only send a small number of command personnel. As for the configuration of firearms, the Military and Police Department believes that since the training of matchlocks and gunners has already begun in the recruit camps, these people should be put into actual combat as soon as possible. The sooner they master the combat skills of the firearms era, the better. Of course, you may not encounter any battles when stationed in the Hongji Coal Mine, but this experience of being stationed overseas is undoubtedly a good training for soldiers.
In fact, the Military and Police Department is not just talking about it. After getting the approval of the Executive Committee, preliminary preparations have already begun before the expedition team sets off. The second batch of naturalized civilian military and police cadets, a total of 110 people, has been stationed in the new barracks half a month ago. Like the first batch of cadets, these recruits mainly come from the three communes under the jurisdiction of the Executive Committee. After a period of intensive training, they will be enriched into the local security and defense forces to supplement the manpower gap caused by the deployment of armed personnel to be stationed overseas.
The first batch of local security guards and soldiers who have received training for more than a month will be dispatched to station overseas. In addition to receiving an increase in salary and benefits, these personnel stationed abroad will have opportunities for promotion after completing their overseas service. It is very likely that the first batch of grassroots officers of the naturalized civilian army in the future will be among this group of people. The news that the Crossing Group will establish an overseas base has been semi-public, and the basic treatment of expatriates has also been spread in private. For this kind of opportunity, anyone with a little bit of savvy knows how to choose. According to an internal survey conducted by the Military and Police Department, naturalized soldiers are currently very motivated to sign up. After all, the temptation of double salary and early promotion is still quite strong.
In addition, it is worth mentioning that more than 40 local teenagers under the age of 16 were selected into the newly established Scout camp. These teenagers were recommended by the cultural and educational system that Ning Qi was in charge of. The selection criteria of the relevant departments are very simple and crude. Poor academic performance, slow academic progress, likes to make troubles and violent tendencies are all reasons for selection into the Scout camp. These naughty children will receive semi-military training in the Scout camp until they are sixteen years old, at which time most of them will join the military police system.
Regarding the most urgent issue of transportation capacity of the Executive Committee, there seems to be a glimmer of hope. Just the day before the expedition team returned, He Xi, who went to Qiongzhou Fucheng alone to inquire about the situation, had already returned to Port of Victory on the ship of "Anfuxing". Returning with him was a 400-year-old fortune ship and a 47-year-old fortune ship. A sailor with a family.
Relying on the introduction of "Anfuxing", He Xi got to know many maritime merchants who traveled between Qiongzhou and Lei during his stay in Qiongzhou. Fortunately, he met a businessman who was planning to sell his ship and return to the north. In the end, the price was eight Bailiang bought this ship in pretty good condition and recruited a group of poor sailors from Qiongzhou Fucheng to bring it back with him. As for the sellers of sea-going ships, there are still some sellers, but the tonnage of these ships for sale is too small and does not meet the requirements of the Executive Committee for this route to be able to run more quickly.
But this didn't bother He Xi, he quickly thought of a compromise. He Xi searched the market for large merchant ships willing to accept employment at the price of two hundred taels of silver per month. This price immediately aroused repercussions among maritime merchants, and soon several maritime merchants took the initiative to contact He Xi to discuss employment matters. For these shrewd maritime merchants, rather than selling the ship to this wealthy "Haihan man" at a high price, it would be more beneficial to lease the ship to him for a long time. So He Xi had already negotiated the leasing of three large ships before returning. However, these ships were not empty at the time. They had to make a trip to Xuwen across the Qiongzhou Strait before they could go to Victory Port to obey orders. Of course, during the ship rental period, the wages and expenses of all sailors and boatmen on the ship will also be borne by the Cross Travel Group.
In addition, He Xi also placed an order for two 400-ton freight ships at the only shipyard in Qiongzhou Prefecture, totaling 2,200 taels of silver. However, he has only given a deposit of 600 taels so far. As for the delivery of the ships, I'm afraid I'll have to wait until the end of the year. Of course, this money would not be paid in vain. By offering three times the salary at the shipyard, he quickly persuaded several experienced shipwrights to follow him south and completed a project at a very small cost. Successful poaching.
These expenses seem to be a lot, but the executive committee is not worried about the financial burden it will cause. Several sets of glass stationery samples taken by "Anfu Bank" last time were sold out by dignitaries from all walks of life on the day they were displayed at the Qiongzhou Head Office, and it is said that at least two sets have been sent to the official residence of the prefect, causing a stir. It’s only a matter of time before the trend hits the market. When sending He Xi back to Shengli Port this time, shopkeeper Zhang of "An Fuxing" immediately ordered a full two hundred sets, and said that "An Fuxing" and Haihan could fully use "circulation coupons" for account settlement. This means that in the future, you can use circulation coupons to purchase goods directly at "Anfu Bank" in Qiongzhou Fucheng or other places. Of course, this kind of treatment is also based on Schneider's promise to adopt an unlimited exchange policy for "Anfuxing" - Anfuxing can exchange circulation certificates for a full amount of silver at Victory Port without any restrictions at any time.
The Ministry of Commerce is very confident that with the continuous enrichment of product types and the rapid progress of product technology, even just one foreign trade income from glass products will be enough to offset all current commercial expenditures, including the purchase of raw materials, and realize trade surplus. (End of chapter)