Wang Chengen knew that these iron objects on the dock were devices used to improve operating efficiency, and he also knew that they were valuable, but he really couldn't understand how anyone could be so fascinated by these things that they would come here specifically to study them.
However, as he sat for a while, the conversations of people at several adjacent tables came to his ears, and they seemed to be really discussing the mechanical equipment on the dock.
"Brother Wang, it is said that the two freight locomotives on the dock have been replaced with new steam engines?"
"Brother Liao, you didn't come a few days ago and missed the good show. During those two days when the garage was being replaced and constructed, there was no martial law, so outsiders could also go in and watch. It was a rare sight. I don't know what to do next time. How long have you waited?”
"Is there such a good thing? If I had known, I would have gone to Zhoushan a few days later!"
"I heard that the steam locomotives in Zhoushan Dinghai Port are more powerful. Have you gone to see them, Brother Liao?"
There were many words that Wang Chengen couldn't understand about the topics they talked about next, such as horsepower, power, and transmission structure, but he could still vaguely understand that they were discussing the performance of the motorcycle.
The topic discussed by people at another table was about the feasibility of transforming traditional cargo sailing ships into steam sailing ships.
One of them seems to be the owner of a shipyard. He said that he has placed several ship modification orders with Zhoushan Shipyard to install steam engines on the original cargo sailing ships. He will wait and see for a few months. If everything goes well, he will start working on it next year. The cargo ships inside were sent in batches for refitting.
Someone asked where to hire the operators needed after the modified steam engine. The boat shop owner said that there are academies in the south to train such personnel, and they can be hired for only twice the wages of ordinary sailors.
Although the price is a bit high, the benefits brought by the high speed of the steam sailing ship far exceed these basic expenses.
If you are really worried about outsiders, you can also send people to the south for training. It is said that the crash course only takes about three months to graduate.
This conversation shocked Wang Chengen. When I was in the capital to observe the Haihan steam engine sent from the south, there was no craftsman in the capital who knew how to operate it, so it was put on hold for almost two months. In the end, I had to wait for craftsmen to come all the way from the south to demonstrate it to the big shots.
Officials from North Korea and China believe that not only is this device difficult to develop, but it is also extremely troublesome to train specialized operation and maintenance personnel. Even if it was built, it would not be popularized and applied on a large scale, so there was another reason to oppose imitation of steam engines.
And officials believe that although Haihan can build such a machine, it will inevitably face the same problems, limiting its use to certain areas.
But not long after Wang Chengen sat in this teahouse, the information he received showed that the judgment of Ming officials was wrong.
Haihan not only has the ability to train a large number of steam engine technicians, but also seems to have formed a trend of spontaneous promotion among the people. Even in a teahouse outside Hangzhou, you can meet so many knowledgeable people.
These people may not be considered experts in the relevant fields at all, but in Wang Chengen's view, their understanding of steam engines should be far above those of the big shots in the court.
This is definitely not good news for the Ming Dynasty. If the large port terminals and freight fleets under Haihan's rule can achieve the operating efficiency of the canal terminals in front of them with the support of steam engines, it will mean that Haihan's shipping The level of industry development will soon become several times that of the Ming Dynasty.
Wang Chengen also seemed to understand why Haihan's armistice conditions always involved the navigation rights of large rivers.
Inland waterway shipping is like the blood within the body of an empire. Once Haihan's shipping companies enter these waters, Ming's counterparts may soon lose in the competition. By then, Haihan had taken control of the inland river shipping, and would soon be able to control the ports and industries along the coast, achieving the effect of defeating the enemy without a fight. Of course, if these steamships were used by Haihan to project troops along the inland river, the consequences would be even more disastrous. This is the main reason why Ming Dynasty has been unwilling to give in on this issue.
Wang Chengen was thinking secretly when he heard someone shouting next to him: "Look, look, there is a troop transport ship coming!"
Many people immediately stood up and watched, and Wang Chengen was no exception.
Not far away at the mouth of the canal, a group of troop transport ships were queuing up to enter the canal. The flags on the ship were fluttering, and the cannons covered with oilcloth could be seen on the side of the ship.
Wang Chengen silently counted and found that there were more than a dozen ships. Looking at the size of these ships, it should be no problem to carry one or two hundred people per ship. If these ships are fully loaded, the strength of the ships should be two battalions of the Haihan Army.
Someone nearby commented: "It seems that they came from the lower reaches of the Qiantang River and entered the canal. They should be rushing to the northern battlefield to fight!"
The other person shook his head and corrected: "No, no, look at the flags on the ship. They are clearly militiamen. There are Haihan troops in front, so it won't be their turn to go into battle."
"The fighting on the frontline is fierce, and it is impossible to say that the militia is needed to supplement troops."
"Our army has been winning consecutive battles recently and has almost reached the city of Nanjing. There is no need for these militiamen to go to the battlefield. They must be going north to take over the city newly occupied by the Haihan Army."
Wang Chengen listened very unpleasantly. Haihan sent the militia troops to the front line not to increase the combat strength, but because the front line advanced too fast and the occupied territory was unguarded, so the militiamen needed to be deployed to station there.
This can only mean one thing, and that is that the Ming army was defeated so quickly that the Haihan army had no time to digest the newly occupied areas and had to rush to the next target.
It is indeed much faster for these troop transport ships to take the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal to Changzhou and Zhenjiang via Hangzhou than to go out to sea and take a circuit upstream of the Yangtze River.
Wang Chengen could only try to think on the bright side of things. Since Haihan had already begun to mobilize militia troops, it might also mean that they did not have much mobile troops available. Even if they could capture more places from the Ming Dynasty, they would not have enough troops to achieve long-term occupation.
When the Haihan army disperses, Ming Dynasty may have a chance to regain its territory.
As soon as he thought of this, he heard someone talking next to him: "We have begun to mobilize local militiamen. Why aren't the superiors planning to mobilize troops from the south?"
Another person responded: "With the current war situation, the East China Sea region can handle it enough. There shouldn't be any need to mobilize troops from the south, right?"
Someone echoed: "If we really mobilize troops from the south, it is probably to destroy the Ming Dynasty in one go."
Wang Chengen's heart sank when he heard this, and then he remembered that until now, Haihan had only invested troops in the Northern Region and the East China Sea Region. The tens of thousands of Haihan troops in the entire South China Sea region have not yet begun to mobilize. My previous thoughts were too optimistic.