Chapter 975 Visiting the Saltworks
Although the invention and application of the steam engine was not the only factor causing the productivity gap between the two sides, Van Diemen still insisted that this was the secret weapon that enabled Heihan to rise in just a few years. If the Haihan people had not used this kind of iron equipment in many production sites, the operating efficiency of their production system would not have been much better than that of the East India Company, not to mention the use of this thing in the military field had brought Haihan Here comes the benefit.
"Mr. Ning, do you really not consider exporting this kind of press? Our East India Company can provide a very sincere quotation for this!" Although he knew that the hope was slim, Fan Diemen couldn't help but ask Ning Qi An application was made.
How could Ning Qi not know the little calculation in the Dutchman's belly? Hearing this, he just smiled and said: "As for this kind of equipment, our current manufacturing capacity is still very limited, and there is still a gap in meeting our own needs. It will not be possible in the short term." Consider selling to outside parties.”
Ning Qi's words are not just made up casually. Haihan currently has dozens of sugarcane and oil crop plantations covering an area of hundreds of thousands of acres. Only a few places use mechanical pressing equipment driven by steam engines. This is not Because the cost of use is too high, it cannot be put into large-scale use, purely because the speed of producing steam engines cannot keep up. You must know that steam engines are not only needed in plantations, but also in industrial production, mining, water and land transportation, and many fields require the use of this relatively cheap power output device. However, the scale of the existing steam engine manufacturing industry is still relatively limited. Industrial The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology believes that for at least the past ten years, the manufacturing speed of steam engines will be difficult to keep up with Shanghai Han's own rapid development.
As for the real purpose of the Dutch thinking about this thing, Ning Qi actually thinks it's okay. Sooner or later, the principle of the steam engine will gradually lose its mystery due to the large-scale use of Haihan, and it won't be possible to rely on a handmade workshop to imitate it one-to-one. It is difficult, but if you want to mass-produce steam engines and use them to change the productivity level of the entire society, it is not something that a manual workshop can handle. This requires an entire industrial chain from mining and smelting to design and manufacturing to make the steam engine manufacturing process smooth.
It took Haihan almost six years to complete the construction of the entire system with all the technical data in hand. However, these competitors, whose understanding of steam engines was limited to the manufacturing materials level, wanted to establish this production system, let alone six years. Years, even sixteen years may not be able to straighten things out. Even if the Dutch could find out some about the principles or manufacturing processes of steam engines, it would be difficult for them to have the conditions to manufacture such mechanical equipment on a large scale in the Far East. Of course, the longer this technical advantage is maintained, the better. It is best when Haihan can develop a more advanced fuel engine while competitors are still trying to figure out steam engines, so as to continue to maintain its technological advantage. Leading edge.
Van Diemen was actually expected to be rejected, so although he was a little disappointed, his mood was not greatly affected. The East India Company also has many skilled craftsmen. Sooner or later they will figure out the secret of this steam engine. Even if the Haihan people don't sell it, the related manufacturing technology will be leaked sooner or later. But what Van Diemen didn't expect was that one day when Western craftsmen also developed the method of manufacturing steam engines, the Haihan people would not hesitate to start selling the finished products, and in this way, they would kill the budding machinery and equipment manufacturing industry in the West.
There are more than 30 plantation parks outside Yacheng, and new investors have been joining the industry recently. The scale and variety of local plantations amazed Van Diemen. He also knew that this method of operation could not be copied entirely by the East India Company, because what these investors needed was not only Haihan's preferential policies on land use and labor employment, but also the official control of planting that was negotiated when signing the contract. The acquisition conditions of the plantation products, and more importantly, the Haihan people’s control over the planting and production techniques, can ensure that investors obtain long-term and stable returns from the plantation project.
After Ning Qi took out a sample investment plan and explained it, Fan Diemen himself was a little moved. After all, this kind of investment method where you only need to pay without thinking in the early stage and just sit back and collect the money in the later stage sounds really easy. It's pleasant, and Haihan's business reputation is quite good, and there is no need to worry about losing all the money after investing. No wonder there are so many foreign investors running to Hainan Island with gold and silver to actively seek cooperation with Haihan. It's a pity that the East India Company doesn't seem to have any good technology in agriculture and forestry. The only plantation project that can make a profit without losing money is probably spices. However, the cultivation of spice crops has little technical content, and the East India Company also lacks deep processing technology and means of adding value to subsequent commercial operations. It may be difficult to attract foreign investors to join.
Van Diemen is far more interested in the deep processing of agricultural and forestry products than in plantations, but the brewery he really wants to visit is not here. After the sugar cane in Yacheng is pressed, the molasses needed for brewing will be made locally in wooden barrels. After packaging, it is shipped to Sanya, where fermentation, distillation and other production processes are completed in Tiandu’s brewery. The strong-flavored sugar cane wine needs to be aged in oak barrels for three years before being sold to the market. The uniqueness of Haihan's production of Sanya special brew lies in the unique process of fermentation and distillation. This production technology secret will certainly not be easily displayed to outsiders.
The oil press that was inspected next was similar to the sugar cane press. The oil press was also driven by a steam engine to squeeze the raw materials into oil at a speed visible to the naked eye. In addition to reconfirming that the operation of the steam engine required coal and water. , Van Diemen did not achieve more gains.
After seeking Van Diemen's opinion, the group ended their inspection trip here on the afternoon of the second day after arriving in Yacheng, and left the city before nightfall to board the ship and continue sailing to the next stop, Yinggehai. Van Diemen was in a hurry to leave. On the one hand, it was because there was really no need to spend time visiting the plantations here one by one. On the other hand, he also wanted to avoid the practice wine prepared by the locals. He really didn't want to spend the entire inspection on his own. The whole trip was spent in a drunken state.
Van Diemen was awakened at midnight by the sound of sailors talking on the deck. He looked out the porthole of the cabin and found that the ship had docked. Seeing that there were many people waiting with torches on the shore, Van Diemen must have arrived at his destination. However, after waiting for a while, no one came to inform him to disembark. Van Diemen guessed that Ning Qi might have fallen asleep, and his men did not dare to disturb him at this time. They would probably have to wait until dawn before going ashore, so he also returned He continued to sleep in bed.
Van Diemen expected it to be true. When it got light, a sailor knocked on Van Diemen's door and told him to disembark. Although there were not as many people waiting on the shore as in Yacheng, there were still forty or fifty people, and Fan Diemen noticed that the leader of the welcoming team was obviously an authentic Haihan man, not a so-called naturalized cadre. Ning Qi's next performance also confirmed his suspicion. The two held hands tightly on the dock and seemed to have a pretty good relationship. Ning Qi then introduced this person to Fan Diemen: "This is Anxi, the director of the Salt Industry Department of the Haihan Ministry of Industry. He happened to be here one day earlier than us. With him as a tour guide, he will definitely be much better than a layman like me! ”
Although the Yinggehai Salt Field was built later than the two salt fields in Shengli Port and Tielugang, its salt production is currently the highest among all the salt fields under Haihan's rule. During this time, Anxi was inspecting salt fields in various places, and happened to meet the inspection team of Ning Qi and Fan Diemen at Yinggehai.
Van Diemen was not surprised to see a steam engine here. The irrigation equipment driven by the steam engine continuously pumped seawater into the salt pond on the shore. Its efficiency was many times higher than that of human and animal power. Moreover, Van Diemen also noticed that many salt ponds here are bottomed with cement. It can be imagined how widely cement is used in Haihan infrastructure projects.
"The Yinggehai Salt Farm is our largest salt farm with the most advanced technology. The salt produced here every year is enough to meet the market needs of Guangdong and Guangxi and northern Annan. We use many new technologies in the production process. Technology has not only increased production capacity, but also greatly reduced the production cost of salt. In fact, after we took over the supply of salt in Guangdong and Guangxi, the price of salt on the market has dropped by more than double what it was in the past, so people don’t have to worry. I can’t afford salt anymore.” Anxi proudly introduced the situation of the Yinggehai Salt Field to Fan Diemen. As the founder and head of Haihan Salt Industry, he has a clear and profound understanding of the history and current situation of this industry, and he is also the most vocal representative in the salt industry.
Anxi introduced the local salt production process to Van Diemen very professionally. Of course, it is hard to say how much Van Diemen would understand. After all, in the professional field, there are so many different professions. Even people like Ningqi and Anxi come from the same era. , The knowledge about the industrial field is only half-understood.
There are also salt fields near the Batavia Port under the jurisdiction of the East India Company, but the layout and scale are much inferior to the endless salt fields in Yingge Sea. Moreover, there are no complete production links and process requirements similar to those here, and the level of infrastructure and The use of advanced production equipment is even more different, and there is not much comparability in terms of production capacity and cost. If we compare the management level of plantations, the gap between the two sides in salt farm management seems to be even wider.
As for the very professional terms Anxi said, Van Diemen really didn't pay much attention. He didn't know the professional knowledge about salt production. The reason why he had this stop of the inspection trip was actually arranged by Haihan. . Van Diemen would naturally not object to being able to see more about the operating conditions of the production industry under Haihan's rule. But after first seeing the operation conditions here, he knew that Haihan's salt-making process could not be copied back because the East India Company could not provide the same infrastructure facilities and production equipment, so he was not very familiar with the details of the production process introduced by Anxi. care.
Van Diemen paid more attention to the scale of production here and its impact on surrounding areas. According to Anxi, the salt produced here will be sold to the Ming Dynasty, Guangdong and Guangxi and northern Annan. So it goes without saying that the Haihan people must be based on their The consistent price advantage has swept away competitors in these areas, including official salt farms. The important position of salt in the national economy and people's livelihood is the same no matter which country it is in. Haihan's ability to control the salt industry in this area fully illustrates their local penetration. Thinking of this, Van Diemen couldn't help but become a little worried. If the Haihan people smuggled salt to Southeast Asia for sale, would the East India Company have any way to resist this commercial invasion?
The answer is obviously no. With the commercial channels currently available to Haihan, it would not be too difficult for them to transport a large amount of salt to Java. If the Haihan people want to mess up the local salt market price, they only need to dump it at low prices for one or two years. All the local salt farms will definitely go bankrupt and become completely dependent on Haihan's salt supply like Guangdong, Guangxi and Annan. At that time, Haihan could use this as a threat in exchange for other benefits.
Thinking of this, Van Diemen couldn't help but feel a little depressed. After he came to Hainan Island, he gradually discovered that Haihan's advantages were not limited to the military field, but also in various aspects such as business operations, production organization, infrastructure, and social management. It also did an excellent job and was more like a professional colonial operation organization than the East India Company. He really couldn't understand how this group of Haihan people who fell from the sky mastered such comprehensive skills and were able to run a powerful country from scratch in just a few years.
Looking back at the East India Company that he was in charge of, most of the people in the council could only talk high-spirited words and seriously lacked the practical ability like the Haihan people. The East India Company had settled in Batavia for fifteen years, but its construction achievements and operating conditions were far behind those of the Haihans, who started eight years later. The gap in capabilities is evident from this. Although his predecessor, Governor Cohen, made an indelible contribution to the development of the East India Company, Van Diemen believed that the company's development speed was not as fast as that of Haihan. To a certain extent, this was because Cohen's employment methods and long-term planning during his tenure were not good enough. related.
If Cohen could have suppressed Haihan when he first arrived in Sanya, or even adopted more drastic measures, then this hidden danger would not have become the unshakable behemoth it is now. A large part of the reason why Cohen did not take action at the beginning was because the people in the council believed that it was of little significance to mobilize troops to go to Hainan Island to attack a private armed maritime trader. If they had this time, they might as well spend their resources on expanding the northern route. Isn't an island in Hangzhou Bay hundreds of times better than the Qiongzhou Island of the Ming Dynasty? The initial underestimation of the enemy has finally reaped the consequences. Haihan's current achievements are partly due to the short-sighted bureaucrats in the company's board of directors.
(End of chapter)