Chapter 548 Practical Talents

"Waaaa...waaa...waaa...waaa..."

A long whistle sounded from the distant river, and a thick column of smoke slowly moved toward the newly built No. 3 dedicated wharf of the Ma'anshan Iron and Steel Plant in Dangtu.

"Quickly clear this pier and move that small boat to the side. The coal tugboat is coming!" Liao Lei, wearing burlap overalls and a red armband, shouted into a megaphone at the riverbank from the dock.

"Hehe! Steward Liao, this old man has come to bother you again!"

"So it's Minister! I didn't see you coming. I'm so sorry, so very sorry!"

"It's alright, it's alright. When I was young, I also played the role you are in now. I was so busy that I didn't have time to spare. I didn't have time for so many formalities. A young man like you who can get things done is much better than those polite but pedantic scholars."

"You flatter me, Your Excellency. I am not skilled in poetry and composing verses, so how could I compare to you? May I ask if you have come here today for some business... or are you just browsing?"

"You go about your business, I'll just take a look around!"

Seeing that the coal-carrying tugboats had begun to dock, Liao Lei stopped talking to Minister Xia, who frequently visited the dock. Instead, he put on a hat made of willow branches and rushed to the shore to direct the unloading of the cargo.

Dangtu County is adjacent to the Yangtze River to the west, and has abundant water transportation conditions. At the beginning of the construction of the steel plant, it was planned to make full use of water transportation, and the newly launched steam tugboats of the Dayuan Shipyard were also used.

A steam tugboat can tow more than a dozen large tank ships, each of which can carry tens of thousands of kilograms of cargo. When fully loaded, it looks like a giant centipede, transporting coal, ore, and various building materials to the steel plant's dock.

"These steam tugboats are truly amazing. They don't rely on wind power or fear wind and rain, yet they possess immense strength. Just a few steam tugboats can carry millions of kilograms of goods. If the canal transport from Jiangnan to the capital were also equipped with these steam tugboats, it would be a great convenience." An official from the Ministry of Works couldn't help but exclaim in admiration as he watched the tugboat fleet carefully approach the shore.

"If these steam tugboats were used on the canal, it would certainly be convenient, but nine out of ten boatmen from the canal transport guilds would lose their livelihoods and be unable to make a living!"

"How could they lose their livelihood? This steel mill needs to hire tens of thousands of workers; they can simply go and work there!"

A group of officials began to whisper among themselves. They were all pragmatic members of the Ministry of Works, who frequently interacted with the common people of Daxia and were very knowledgeable about their lives, unlike those scholars who only knew how to read books and write articles, who only talked theory and ignored reality.

"You only see the convenience of steamships, but don't you see anything else?" Xia Li, the Minister of Works, asked in a deep voice, looking at the bustling laborers and Liao Lei on the dock.

The head of the Ministry of Works posed an impromptu question, and his subordinates naturally had to do everything they could to deliver a brilliant answer. A group of officials from the Ministry of Works carefully observed this dock full of novel ideas, pondering how to answer in a way that would resonate with Xia Li.

"This dock is ingeniously designed; the concrete pier extends far into the river, allowing dozens of ships to be moored and loaded/unloaded simultaneously..."

"The people of Dayuan are very skilled at using tools. This simple lock, paired with a boom, can lift hundreds of kilograms of cargo directly from the ship and onto a horse-drawn cart on the shore..."

The dock designed and built by this high-ranking official certainly had many highlights, and the young officials of the Ministry of Works expressed their opinions one after another, but none of them were what Xia Li wanted to hear.

“The dock was designed and built by the people of Taiwan, but these laborers are all locals. You are all experienced people. Who can manage so many country men so well and keep them busy without chaos in just a few days?” Xia Li pointed to Liao Lei, who was walking around the dock and shouting orders, attracting everyone’s attention.

This No. 3 pier has three piers, each with several ships unloading cargo. The entire pier is bustling with people and vehicles, and there are always no fewer than 500 people working at the same time.

Young Liao Lei held a charcoal pencil and an account book, with a megaphone tucked under his arm. His face, covered in dust, was framed by a willow hat. Occasionally, he would take a swig from his water bottle and continue shouting and directing the "transport teams" as they busied themselves.

These laborers came in various forms: some drove two-wheeled donkey carts and horse-drawn carriages, some pulled by hand, and others carried single-person wheelbarrows. Liao Lei managed to arrange everything perfectly, ensuring that the boats were unloaded and the carts were fully loaded. As soon as the next boat docked, a new team of laborers was already waiting on the shore.

Xia Li and the others watched for a full hour. The laborers pushing and driving the carts changed batch after batch, and the dock remained busy, but there was no sign of chaos.

"These laborers must have been divided into small teams, but the teams are all different sizes and have different numbers of people... Look at that man, what is he taking from Liao Lei? A piece of paper... Can he read?"

“You’ve finally figured it out. There are thousands of people coming and going at this dock, but apart from a few dispensable runners, only Liao Lei is in charge. He’s not even twenty years old yet. When you were his age… could you have done it?” Xia Li turned to look at his most admired subordinates, then at Liao Lei on the dock, his eyes filled with admiration for “other people’s children.”

"I've been here for a few days now, and I've subtly inquired about many things with this lad. I must say, Prince Heng of Dayuan has a unique approach to educating people!"

"That Liao Lei said he didn't understand poetry and songs, but I tried writing a few short poems, and he could understand their meaning. He also knew many uncommon characters. I asked him curiously why he was so humble. Guess what he said?"

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