Chapter 654 Ocean Forward Base (Please vote and subscribe)
After writing his own arrangements, Luo Chong immediately sent the letter by eagle. He knew that Youfu and Shouya were still waiting for his reply.
After sending the letter, Luo Chong began to concentrate on planning the construction of the chemical plant.
The largest factory on the lake island is the coking plant. It is related to the steel output of the Han tribe, so it is the most important project.
Regarding the establishment of these lake islands, Luo Chong directly divided them into county-level administrative units. Except for the mint, which is directly under the jurisdiction of the chief, all other factories were assigned to the subordinates of Weishan County. So far, the copper mining area of Babaoshan can also be regarded as a county. Due to geographical reasons, it was finally assigned to the jurisdiction of Liuyang County.
At the current coking plant yard, there is already a mountain of coal, and of course there is another pile of limestone of similar size. The coal comes from Dongxin County. Now, due to Jing Yan's efforts, Dongxin County has become a county with a population of over 10,000 and the ability to export a large amount of coal every day. On average, a sunken three-masted sand transport ship can be filled every two days, and each ship has a load of no less than 1,000 tons.
The other limestone comes from the Babaoshan mining area, which is also transported to the coking plant by ship. Moreover, since the Babaoshan mining area is the first mining area developed by the Han tribe, it has the largest mining capacity and the largest number of miners. In addition, limestone is easier to mine than coal, so the supply of limestone to the coking plant is not less than that of coal.
With these two kinds of raw material reserves, the only thing left is the construction of production equipment. The construction of coking furnaces is the key. A large number of refractory bricks are needed to build such special equipment. Fortunately, the materials of refractory bricks have a large reserve, whether it is Babaoshan or Salt Lake Iron Mine. After mining the raw materials from these places, they are directly fired in Weishan County and Liuyang County nearby, and finally made into finished refractory bricks, which are then supplied to the coking plant on the lake island and the steel plant in Xingang County respectively.
With a stable supply of building materials, coupled with the large number of slaves obtained by the Han tribe through several wars recently, and a group of experienced contractors, the construction speed of the coking plant is still very impressive.
The residential area specially planned by the factory area has already taken shape. Due to the large area of the lake island, Luo Chong did not build any buildings or apartments, but built them all according to the independent courtyard. Each family's yard is not small, and they can grow some mulberry, hemp, vegetables and fruits to be self-sufficient. Except for food, most of the other needs can be met. Although there are no trees here and firewood cannot be provided, there is plenty of coal, which can be used for cooking and heating in winter.
All the prisoners captured by the Han tribe were finally placed on the island in the middle of the lake by Luo Chong. They were given a certain degree of freedom and their families were reunited. The tribe provided materials for the houses and they were allowed to build them themselves. At the same time, they had to work for the Han tribe.
Escape was impossible, and rebellion was also impossible. For environmental protection and transportation considerations, Luo Chong chose the island in the middle of the lake where the coking plant was located. One side was a swamp and the other three sides were surrounded by water.
It was absolutely impossible for the newly captured prisoners to swim out of this wetland without a boat. Although the island could grow vegetables and raise livestock, the most critical food and salt could only be supplemented by the outside world. If a rebellion broke out on the island, Luo Chong would not even have to intervene. As long as their food and salt were cut off, they would immediately wither.
Being placed in such an environment, the prisoners of war basically accepted their fate. Moreover, the treatment provided by the Han tribe was not low. If they worked actively, they would be rewarded with livestock or cloth. Except for being restricted to the island and not seeing people, other aspects of life were better than their original life, so the prisoners of war on the island were relatively obedient.
Looking at the tower-shaped furnaces standing up in front of him, and more workers participating in the construction, Luo Chong decided to put the slaves who performed well here in the future, which could be regarded as giving them a certain degree of freedom. Although they would never be able to leave the island, it did not mean that their descendants could not. After gradually becoming obedient citizens, their descendants would become normal citizens of the Han tribe.
After inspecting the construction of the coking plant, Luo Chong went to the shipyard in Liuyang County again. The sunken three-masted sand transport ship was still being built. Because the Han tribe had a large demand for mining, many minerals had to be transported from a distance, so this kind of efficient and energy-saving transportation tool was naturally indispensable.
In addition to the need for a large amount of coal and metal minerals, the Han tribe currently also has a very scarce supply of other non-metallic minerals, of which limestone, gypsum, and a large amount of sand or minerals such as feldspar and mica are the biggest needs.
Among them, limestone is the main raw material for providing carbon dioxide in the double-tower coking technology. After calcination, limestone will produce a large amount of carbon dioxide, which is used to pass into the coking distillation tower to prevent coal combustion and complete the coking reaction. However, limestone after high-temperature calcination is not useless. After mixing with gypsum powder and iron powder, it becomes cement, a building artifact. Although it is only a by-product of coking, its role cannot be ignored.
In addition, sand is also a scarce mineral. In addition to being used to mix with cement to make mortar, it is also a good material for making glass. It is good to use high-purity silica such as crystal to make glass, but the cost is still too high. Besides, it is not as convenient as sand to mine, which is not conducive to the use and promotion of glass.
Other finals and feldspar also exist as supplementary materials to sand, because these things can also be used to burn glass.
The remaining cinnabar ore is mined in small batches. For the time being, this thing has no other use except for making red pigment and red ink, because Luo Chong has no use for mercury for the time being.
The last kind of dispensable is asbestos, which is a natural mineral fiber that can be used to make fireproof cloth and fireproof clothing for workers in some special positions. However, this special mineral has not been found yet, and it depends on Youfu's fleet to slowly search for it.
In addition to the sunken sand transport ship, the three-masted building ship with four cabins has stopped construction. However, looking at Youfu's proposal for new sea vessels, Luo Chong feels that it is necessary to temporarily increase the order of a few three-masted building ships and build a few ships to make do with them. Sea vessels can only be developed slowly.
Sea vessels have a variety of uses, at least they can be divided into two types: fishing boats and merchant ships. Obviously, these two things are needed by the Han tribe, but compared with this thing, Luo Chong is obviously more interested in the Tang tribe mentioned in Youfu's letter. After all, it has a population of tens of thousands.
What's more important is that the Tang tribe is located at the mouth of the Liuyang River. If the Han tribe wants to manage the ocean routes and develop marine materials for a long time, it must have a front-line base on the seashore to provide logistical support for the huge fleet.
However, relying on the Han tribe's own capabilities, managing the grasslands and bamboo islands, plus the Tang tribe, the population is somewhat unsustainable, so the matter of this marine forward base is better to be completed through the local indigenous people. In this way, how to get along with the Tang tribe has become an important issue.
After studying the information sent by Youfu in detail, Luo Chong learned that the Tang tribe was an alliance composed of clan tribes, and the tribal leader was temporarily determined by the abdication system. In this way, the best way to control the Tang tribe was to support a confidant of Luo Chong to take the position and directly control the Tang tribe from the top. This person was either from the Han tribe or a pro-Han person in the Tang tribe.
After thinking about it, Luo Chong still felt that it was most appropriate to cultivate a pro-Han native, which would help the local clan tribes accept it, and then find a way to absorb the Tang tribe as a whole.
Luo Chong thought that this plan was not difficult. First of all, the Tang tribe was currently just a tribal alliance. Compared with the Xin tribe, the Tang tribe did not even have its own cultural heritage. At this time, the Han tribe suddenly intervened. Directly using the Han tribe's cultural control was the most convenient and the safest means. Although it might take a little longer, after completing the rule, the natives had a stronger sense of belonging to the Han tribe.
This is the most peaceful means. Of course, there are also less harmonious means, but there is no need to start a war. Use competitive relations to gain a dominant position.
According to You Fu's report, the Tang tribe is not without enemies. More than a decade ago, the hostile tribes of the Tang tribe migrated to a location closer to the sea after being defeated. Moreover, these people had internal strife. Many clans chose to return and surrender to the Tang tribe, while others became independent.
From this point, it can be judged that those clans and tribes do not have a strong sense of belonging to the alliance, or the camp. In order to survive better, they do not mind which tribe they join. Since they can surrender to the Tang tribe for a good life, why can't they surrender to the Han tribe for better living conditions?
According to this idea, Luo Chong can directly send people to contact these scattered clans and tribes, and use various interests to attract them to join the newly established camp of the Han tribe. Compared with the first plan of cultural invasion and supporting the pro-Han regime, this plan has a faster return speed. It only needs to make an investment in advance to see the return of benefits immediately. For the Han tribe that is eager to develop, or for Luo Chong himself, this plan is obviously more dynamic.
As for starting a war, Luo Chong never thought about it at all. War would not only consume national strength, but also bring minimal benefits. The labor force consumed by the war alone made Luo Chong very distressed. No matter whether it was his own soldiers or the enemy's population, they were all the same in Luo Chong's eyes. As long as they were discovered by the Han tribe, they would be no different from Luo Chong's own.
"People should be the focus!"
Luo Chong sighed lightly and finally made up his mind. He decided to carry out two plans at the same time. Establishing diplomatic relations with the Tang tribe was certain. Luo Chong planned to form another delegation specifically for the Tang tribe and send envoys to carry out a cultural propaganda offensive. In addition, he would send another group of people to implement the second plan. Using the river as the boundary, he would develop the Han tribe's own power on the opposite bank of the Tang tribe.
The two plans were carried out at the same time. This would not only allow for quick gains, but also, when the Han tribe's own power grew stronger, seeing the high yield of food, a large number of meat livestock, and farming power such as cattle and horses, plus the large amount of resources obtained by the Han tribe from the ocean, it was not believed that the clans under the Tang tribe would not be tempted. As long as the delegation could persuade a clan of the Tang tribe to join the Han tribe, then the subsequent annexation process would be easy. Although such means were a bit more intense, Luo Chong was still confident that he could control the war from breaking out.
What the Han tribe wanted was development, and militarism would only hinder the development of the Han tribe. Luo Chong, the leader of the Han tribe, was very clear about this.
A few days later, Luo Chong's reply was finally delivered to You Fu and Shou Ya. At this time, the two had already planned the construction plan of the port and were receiving an important guest at the delegation's residence.
"Oh my, Han envoy, is this the sailboat made by your Han tribe? The largest transportation vehicle you mentioned that was built by the whole Han tribe?"
You Fu and Shou Ya smiled at each other, and saw a sense of pride in each other's eyes. Shou Ya turned around and answered.
"Elder Zhu, this is the sailboat of our Han tribe, but it is not the largest. At present, our Han tribe has sailboats twice as big as this one, which can carry thousands of people at a time." Shou Ya introduced proudly.
Elder Zhu was ordered by Commander Feng Xin to contact Shou Ya. They wanted to ask when the support of the Han tribe would arrive and when the project of building a cross-sea bridge on Zhudao would be launched. But they never thought that they would see a large sailboat parked by the riverside of the station as soon as they arrived here. This was the first time that Elder Zhu saw such a large man-made creation, even larger than the house he had built. Hearing Shou Ya say that the Han tribe had one twice as big as this one, he was even more shocked.
"The manufacturing technology of the Han tribe is really amazing. Um, can I go up and take a look?" Elder Zhu looked at Shouya and Youfu eagerly, hoping to go up and take a look.
Youfu nodded immediately. Seeing that he agreed, Shouya immediately greeted him, "Of course, our Han tribe and Xin tribe are friends. This is nothing. Elder Zhu, please follow me." As
they talked, they came to the landing craft by the river, and then rowed a small boat to the sailboat parked in the middle of the river.
Elder Zhu, who was quite old, suddenly became a curious baby, looking here and there, and asking questions from time to time.
"Mr. You, did you come here by floating across the sea on this thing?" Elder Zhu followed the customs and etiquette of the Han tribe, and in order to show respect, he addressed Youfu as "Mr."
"Yes, it is this ship. It took several months to reach Zhudao from the Han tribe. But don't worry, Elder Zhu, we are only scouting the route this time. Now that the route has been explored, the next time we come, the fleet can go at full speed to save a lot of time. Moreover, our Han tribe's latest model of large ship is twice as large as this one, but it sails faster than this ship. It won't be long before Han and Xin can trade large quantities of goods." You Fu also introduced at the right time.
(End of this chapter)
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