Chapter 1897 The End of the Journey
Li Pu's excitement did not last long. He received a report that there was still one day of sailing to reach Sanya Victory Port, and he was immediately a little discouraged. This trip has been full of stops and starts, and has taken more than a month on the road. A day or two after landing, I still feel unsteady under my feet. This was the first time in his life that Li Pu had stayed at sea for so long. Now he really wanted to spread his wings and fly directly to Sanya to avoid the pain of the bumpy sea.
But it stands to reason that the special passenger ship Haihan arranged for him was quite good in terms of comfort. The living conditions in the cabins on the ship were far better than those on ordinary sea-going ships of this era, and the logistics support was also very complete. Living there is almost the same as living on land. If North Korea's own sailing ship is used to go to Sanya, then the journey may have to be slowed down by half, and Li Bo's fatigue level will be far worse than now.
Since he would not reach the finish line immediately, Li Ming decided to seize the time and take a good rest. According to Haihan's arrangements, the North Korean delegation will have a grand welcome ceremony when they arrive in Sanya. At that time, they will definitely have to cheer up and socialize with Haihan's senior officials, and they must maintain a relatively good physical condition.
When the fleet arrived near Wuzhizhou Island, it met two expedition-class warships sent by Haihan officials to perform escort missions. Of course, the security environment in the waters around Hainan Island is actually very good, and Li Bo's fleet also has two naval escort warships that have followed all the way from Hong Kong. There is definitely no problem in terms of safety. Sanya has sent more warships. What is more important is to make a serious gesture and make a good show for the Joseon Crown Prince who came from afar.
In fact, the location where it will rendezvous with the escort warships already belongs to the waters surrounding Sanya. However, the fleet still needs to go around Yalong Bay to see the channel entering Victory Port. Therefore, although the straight-line distance is short, it is still a long way from the sea. It really takes some time.
Li Bo slept peacefully on the ship and got up. After bathing and changing clothes, his men came to report that the lighthouse at Yulinjiao outside Victory Harbor could be seen ahead.
Li Pu nodded, looked in the mirror in front of him and straightened his clothes, then walked onto the deck surrounded by his men, preparing in advance for the upcoming important meeting.
Directly in front of the fleet, you can clearly see the Yulin Peninsula extending southward into the sea. Although the white lighthouse at the highest point of the peninsula has not yet been lit, it is still very conspicuous under the setting sun. Ships traveling here will know that Sanya is close at hand if they see the Yulin Lighthouse from a distance. From this distance, one can already see quite a few ships coming and going on the nearby sea. Based on what he saw along the way, it was not difficult for Li Bo to judge that this was exactly what a trading port should look like.
"I heard that there are two ports here - Shengli and Sanya. The front is Shengli Port, so where is Sanya Port?" Li Bo asked curiously.
The diplomat from Haihan next to him immediately explained: "Reporting to the Crown Prince, please look to the port side. In the distance is the Luhuitou Peninsula. The entry channel of Sanya Port is to the northwest of the Luhuitou Peninsula, but it cannot be seen from here. When the prince is free in the future, he can take transportation from Shengli Port to Sanya Port to visit.”
The Luhuitou Peninsula is at least ten miles away from the fleet's location, so looking out from the port side, you can only see the outline of the terrain, which is not particularly clear. However, Li Ming actually had another purpose in asking this question. When he visited the Datong River base earlier, he had heard that the military base outside Haihan Capital City was located on the Luhuitou Peninsula at the exit of Sanya Port, so he asked more carefully. One sentence.
But in fact, the military base on the Luhuitou Peninsula is only an army base, while the naval base is located on the east side of Victory Harbor. The two bases are separated by an entire bay and the Yulin Peninsula that lies across it.
Because Li Bo's fleet had two expedition-class warships leading the way to clear the way, nearby civilian ships took the initiative to pull over and give way to the waterway.
After sailing into the Victory Harbor through the narrow inlet channel, Li Shu suddenly felt a sense of clarity of vision. At the same time, he also immediately noticed the docks and densely packed sailboats scattered throughout the harbor.
In terms of the size of the harbor, it may not be comparable to Dinghai Port in Zhoushan and Kaohsiung Port in Taiwan, but the construction scale of the port and wharf is far superior to the former. There are many large iron arm cranes several stories high on the pier and conveyor belts for loading and unloading bulk cargo. You can imagine the scale of cargo handling here. There were some large ships without masts and sails docked at the far north port. Li Shu thought that they might be the legendary Haihan iron ships that could float on the water.
In order to receive Li Bo and his party, a dock has been specially cleared in Victory Port, and the diplomatic department organized a group of people in advance to serve as a background for welcoming the distinguished guests at the dock. As the fleet slowly docked at the port, senior officials from the executive committee also arrived at the dock in horse-drawn carriages.
Regarding the welcoming ceremony for arriving in Sanya, the diplomatic departments of the two countries have communicated in advance. North Korean Ambassador to Sanya Li Xi also specially prepared a letter and sent it to Hong Kong in advance to let Li Bo know about it and avoid having to deal with it at the scene. The situation of loss of evidence. So Li Bo still has a rough idea of which prominent figures will come to the port to welcome him today.
After the ship docked, Haihan diplomats boarded the ship first and confirmed with Li Fu the list of people who would be interviewed by senior officials from Haihan. The North Koreans who came to Sanya as students studying abroad were all included in the reception this time. As for Li Bo's entourage, they were not included. Except for diplomats and personal guards, the rest of the entourage could only wait until the ceremony was over before landing.
Li Bo had no objection to this arrangement. According to the Haihan people, this is an "internationally accepted method" and visits by important figures from other countries are also handled according to this process.
In fact, after visiting many Haihan colonial ports on the way, Li Bo has a basic understanding of the content of such scenes and activities. Even if there are no Haihan diplomats to say hello, Li Bo can handle it calmly.
After disembarking from the built gangway, Li Bo saw the people he had always wanted to see. Tao Donglai, Yan Chujie, Ning Qi, Bai Kesi, Gu Kai... almost all the senior officials of the executive committee currently in Sanya are here, which can be said to have given the North Koreans enough face.
North Korean Ambassador Li Xi made the introduction, allowing Li Ming to meet these senior officials from Haihan one by one. Li Pu knew that there was no such special existence as an emperor or king in Haihan, but the group of people in front of him were the privileged class who truly controlled the country. He did not dare to neglect them at the moment and responded with great vigor. Tao Donglai said: "There is a saying that reads thousands of books and travels thousands of miles. The prince came all the way from Korea this time. I must have learned a lot along the way. I hope that the prince can learn more about it during his stay in Sanya. Your country develops things that are beneficial and at the same time strengthens cooperation and mutual trust between our two countries, making the relationship between the two countries more stable and reliable.”
Li Bo quickly expressed his gratitude to Haihan for arranging this study abroad trip, and followed Tao Donglai's lead and said some beautiful words. He had already had similar conversations with several high-ranking Haihan officials along the way, so such diplomatic rhetoric would not trouble him.
The welcome ceremony at the port was actually relatively simple. After the two parties greeted each other, they took a carriage along the port landscape avenue to Fort Victory. Because a large number of Haihan senior officials were traveling together today, corresponding traffic control was implemented on Landscape Avenue, with the middle of the road specially set aside for the fleet to pass quickly.
This is not the first time Li Bo has ridden in this kind of four-wheeled carriage equipped with glass windows and soft chairs. He had ridden this high-end carriage with Shi Diwen as early as in Zhoushan. But everything outside the car window was different from what Li Miao saw at several Haihan colonial ports along the way.
Li Pu noticed that the port here was obviously busier than the previous places he had been to. He could see through the car window that the dock in the distance was continuously unloading coal from a huge cargo ship through a conveyor belt. , this kind of strange and efficient machinery, he had never seen before, but judging from the speed of its operation, its working efficiency could easily exceed that of hundreds of migrant workers.
When the carriage left the port and entered the landscape avenue, Li Bo finally saw how prosperous this city without walls was. It was almost dusk at this time, and the biogas street lamps on the streets began to light up one after another. Although this luxurious configuration cost a lot at the beginning, the use effect and the improvement of the urban landscape after completion are indeed worthy of the high cost.
Li Bo didn't know that the lighting and extinguishing of the more than two hundred biogas street lamps on the landscape avenue required manual operation by a dedicated person every day, but after he saw the neatly lit lights on both sides of the road, an idea suddenly popped into his mind. The word "brightly lit".
However, due to problems with the laying of biogas pipelines and unified management of gas supply, biogas lamps in Sanya City are currently only available in a few places such as Landscape Avenue and Victory Fort. Ordinary civilians are not yet able to enjoy this advanced technology at home. Of course, there are a few wealthy people who are not short of money and spend a lot of money to hire Haihan engineers to build biogas digesters and install corresponding lighting equipment at their homes to enjoy this ultra-era scientific and technological achievement.
But even without these biogas street lamps, Sanya city can still afford the evaluation of bright lights. Both sides of the landscape avenue are the most lively places in the entire city, and this is when the lanterns first come on, and almost all the stores that are still open will be there. A lantern sign was hung at the door, continuing to attract customers. Especially for catering and entertainment stores, every store tries to increase the lighting brightness in the store to attract passersby to stop.
Li Pu remembered the several Haihan colonial ports he had visited before, but there were no such lively scenes after nightfall. It is said that there are many interesting places in Zhoushan Dinghai Port at night, but because of his status, he naturally cannot sneak into those messy places at night. Looking at the degree of openness here in Sanya, it is obviously more commercial. No wonder it is called the first trading port in the South China Sea.
Li Pu remembered that he had heard some sailors say that Sanya was a gold-selling cave. Judging from the scene he saw now, it really felt like this. At least Li Pu himself wanted to get out of the car and walk around to see what was going on here. There is some happiness that money can buy.
Li Pu's eyes returned to the armed guards riding tall horses next to the carriage. Although these guards were not wearing shiny armor, but slim-fitting black cotton military uniforms, judging from the sabers and pistols they were equipped with, , it should not just be a window dressing, but an internal defense force with real combat effectiveness. Moreover, Li Bo was very envious of the horses that these guards rode, which were at least about two feet taller than the horses in his country. He didn't know where Haihan got such horses.
Li Xi happened to be riding in the same carriage with him, so Li Bo asked, "Does the Haihan Kingdom sell war horses like this?"
Li Xi responded: "Your Majesty, in fact, when I first arrived in Sanya, I was amazed by this tall horse and had similar thoughts to you. However, after getting to know more about it, I realized that this kind of war horse comes from the Western Regions and is actually also used in the Haihan Army. There are only a few war horses used by the Haihan cavalry, and most of them are Mongolian horses of the northern variety. To put it bluntly, the Haihan people only use the war horses that the prince saw for special institutions. For example, the guards seen now are specialized. The cavalry guard company responsible for providing security for the high-ranking officials of Haihan can buy guns and warships as long as they are willing to spend money. Of course, the same goes for war horses, but the price is not so friendly."
Li Xi's explanation was clear and easy to understand. After listening to it, Li Xi didn't ask for the detailed price. Since Li Xi said it was not very friendly, it must be beyond the normal range that they could bear. Li Bo didn't have much spare money on hand, so it was naturally better not to spend this kind of dispensable and non-essential expenditure.
Li Bo took the initiative to change the subject and said: "This road is so wide and smooth, so it must be the main transportation thoroughfare in Sanya city?"
Li Xi nodded and said: "Your Majesty expected it to be true. This road is called Landscape Avenue by the Haihan people. The nearby city is filled with various shops, with a total of no less than a thousand. It is the most prosperous urban area in Sanya. The northern end of Landscape Avenue There is a square called Victory, and there will be a welcoming ceremony in the square later. The Victory Fort, where the high-ranking officials of Haihan are located, is right next to Victory Square. However, there are more than just this one in the city, there is also one in the west. There is a railway that uses a form of transportation called trains, and many Haihan people who work locally will travel by train. ”
"Train... I've heard of this elsewhere, but I just can't imagine what that thing looks like to be able to pull a huge thing!" For the time being, Li Bo's impressions of trains come from other people's vague narrations, and It was difficult for him to figure out the shape of the train out of thin air.
Li Xi smiled and said: "There is no rush for this. The Haihan people will definitely arrange for the prince to take the train when they come back. This is something they are proud of. By then the prince will know what the train looks like."
(End of chapter)