GBP Chapter 18 Development Issues
Chapter 18 Development Issues
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The meeting between the two ended successfully. Liu Ye returned to his room, sent someone to fetch Li Fu, and then sat in his room sulking.
Everyone wants to be a boss, but who knows the hardships of being a boss? Like now, having just completed a major task at Wan Hua Lou, he has to search the world for a blacksmith again. How tough! Thinking about it, Liu Ye murmured aloud, "How tough! Who knows my suffering?"
"Master, what's troubling you? Are you working too hard? Let me massage your back." A timid voice sounded from the side. Liu Ye looked closely and saw it was Tang Yu. He had been so busy these past few days that he had forgotten about her. Now that she had rested for a while, she was recovering quite well.
Just as Liu Ye was enjoying Tang Yu's service, Li Fu arrived. Remembering that he had important business to attend to, Liu Ye reluctantly waved for Tang Yu to leave.
Li Fu carefully observed Xia Tiannan's expression. "Master seems to have something on his mind. If you need any errands run, just leave it to me."
Li Fu said dejectedly, "We've worked so hard to get to Hangzhou's Wanhua Tower, and now we have to find a blacksmith. Tell me, where am I supposed to find a blacksmith?"
Li Fu asked tentatively, "What kind of blacksmith is he? Does he forge kitchen knives or shoe horses?"
Liu Ye froze, realizing that he and Liang Xiaoming seemed to have misunderstood something. Blacksmiths in this era were craftsmen who forged kitchen knives and farm tools, not the iron-smelting artisans they had assumed they were. These were two different things.
"Well, this blacksmith is not that kind of blacksmith... What I want is a blacksmith who can smelt iron..." Liu Ye corrected apologetically.
"Iron smelting... I'm afraid there aren't many in the entire Qiongzhou Prefecture, but iron smelting is very prosperous in Guangdong. It shouldn't be difficult to recruit a few craftsmen, as long as they are given enough money to settle down." Li Fu was eager to prove himself, so he naturally seized every opportunity. If there was an opportunity, he would take it; if there wasn't, he would create one.
Liu Ye was delighted: "Good, I knew you, Liu Quan, had a way. I'll leave this to you. I'll trouble you to make another trip to Guangzhou to help buy some pig iron and coal, and also to recruit some craftsmen and apprentices. The more people the better, and I'm not afraid to spend money!" He himself had just been to Jiangnan and didn't want to go back anytime soon, as the journey by boat was also very tiring.
Li Fu boarded a ship bound for Guangzhou, carrying a list in his hand. After Liang Xiaoming learned of this, he modified the list, removing coal and adding sulfur, saltpeter, and copper. The personnel included not only iron smelters but also traditional blacksmiths.
He explained that the demand for coking coal is huge, and buying so little is far from enough to meet the demand. So, they simply use charcoal to smelt iron for the time being, and will switch to coal mining once they have control of the coal mines. As for sulfur and saltpeter, they are essential materials for making gunpowder, while copper is a material for making some parts of guns. The demand is not very large, but it is very useful. And traditional blacksmiths, after training, can directly forge firearms.
Liu Ye went to see Liang Xiaoming again and said to him, "Mingzi, let's have a detailed discussion about building the shipyard. We also need to develop some warships. Funding is no longer a problem."
Liang Xiaoming shrugged. “Why not? But before that, I suggest you choose a suitable port, especially a naval port. Only with a suitable port can you know what kind of ship you want to build. Otherwise, if the tonnage is not suitable, the ship you build will not be able to dock.”
Professionals are truly different! They think so far ahead, even considering the supporting facilities. Liu Ye continued, "You're absolutely right. So, shall we go and look at a suitable port?"
In order to thoroughly investigate potential port sites near Lingao, Liu Ye summoned Village Chief Li.
Because of his past experiences, the old village chief was very familiar with the ports, large and small, near Lingao. He led a few people to Bofu and Maniao in one day, as well as Tiaolou, Xinying, and Meixia ports, which were mainly fishing ports and not of much value for investigation.
After investigation, Maniao Port was first ruled out, as this fishing port near the salt fields did not meet the requirements for a naval port.
Bofu Port barely gained Liang Xiaoming's approval. The bay has a deep-water channel with a depth of ten meters, and the nearby Red Stone Island and the silted sandbars at the river mouth act as natural breakwaters. The disadvantage is that the shelter from the wind is not all-weather, and there is almost no shelter to the northwest. Once the northwest wind blows, the waves in the harbor will be very large. The advantages and disadvantages are both obvious.
After the inspection, taking into account Liu Ye's opinions, Liang Xiaoming suggested that Bofu Port be developed as a military port, while Maniao Port could be considered for future civilian port development.
After the port was selected, Liu Ye asked for advice on where would be a suitable location to build the shipyard.
Liang Xiaoming proudly stated that the most important thing for a shipyard is to have a deep-water shoreline that is free from siltation, accumulation, and freezing. It would be even more perfect if it were located near both the open sea and an inland river. The Wenlan River, which flows through Lingao, enters the sea through Bofu Port. Currently, Bofu is not only an excellent location as a port, but also as a shipyard.
Having chosen the location for the port and shipyard, Liu Ye was very pleased. He asked Liang Xiaoming, "Liang Xiaoming, when can we start construction on the shipyard?"
Liang Xiaoming spread his hands and said, "First, you need to provide sufficient funds. The larger the scale, the more start-up capital is needed. Second, you need to find enough laborers to build docks and wharves. Finally, you must find enough shipwrights, and they must obey my command. I cannot build a ship by myself."
Liu Ye's head started to ache again. He was such a miserable boss. Money alone wasn't enough! Iron smelting required craftsmen, shipbuilding required shipwrights, and laborers were all things he had to handle himself.
However, Liang Xiaoming couldn't let these emotions show. As a good leader, he had to demonstrate strong self-confidence, making the rest of the team feel confident and hopeful. He maintained his smile: "These are not problems, leave them to me."
After saying goodbye to Liang Xiaoming, Liu Ye pondered how to solve the problem of shipwrights and laborers. Should he also try poaching talent from Guangzhou? He had heard that the shipbuilding industry in Guangdong and Fujian was very developed, and that Guangzhou ships, along with Fujian ships, sand ships, and bird ships, were known as the four major ship types in ancient China.
Thinking as he walked, he unknowingly arrived at the county town. When he stopped and looked around, he couldn't help but laugh and cry – he had actually found himself at the Lingao County Government Office, a place he knew all too well.
There were still two constables, one tall and one short, at the entrance, but now they dared not be presumptuous when they saw Liu Ye, as he was a distinguished guest of the county magistrate. The two men smiled broadly at Liu Ye and said, "Mr. Liu, you've come to see the county magistrate again, haven't you? The county magistrate is here. Just come in. The county magistrate instructed that you do not need to announce your arrival."
Liu Ye hadn't originally come to see the county magistrate, but since he was already there, he figured he might as well go in and sit down. Connections are a resource that needs to be maintained regularly. He casually gave the two men some loose change, and under their eager gazes, he entered the county government office and easily found his way to the county magistrate's room.
When the county magistrate saw him, his eyes narrowed with a smile. To him, the county magistrate was now synonymous with the God of Wealth.
"Brother Liu, what brings you here?"
Liu Ye cupped his hands in greeting: "I was just passing by the county government office and visiting the county magistrate. I have no other business."
The county magistrate warmly served tea: "Since you're here, you're a guest. Please have some tea first. This tea was brought from Guangzhou by someone; it's Wuyi tea from Fujian."
"Oh, Magistrate, you certainly know how to enjoy life! This tea must be quite good, and probably not cheap."
The county magistrate's face crinkled with laughter: "It's all thanks to you! How could I afford this tea with my meager annual salary!"
After the tea was brewed, Liu Ye took a sip. Although he didn't drink tea often, he could tell it was quite good. It had a rich floral aroma, a sweet and pleasant taste, and a lingering aftertaste. This tea must have cost a lot of money. The county magistrate had recently received quite a few benefits from him and was living a comfortable life.
He sighed, "Ah, the county magistrate lives such a leisurely life, while I, on the other hand, am exhausted from worrying about business and can't eat or sleep properly!"
"Oh? What troubles you, Brother Liu? Tell me, and I can offer some advice," the county magistrate said warmly. Given their mutual interests, he felt it necessary to express his opinion.
Liu Ye thought for a moment. Unauthorized iron smelting was a taboo subject for the government, so it was best not to mention it. However, he could talk about the shipyard—although the Ming Dynasty had a maritime ban, it was practically defunct by the end of the dynasty. So, he downplayed the issue, saying only that he saw the profits in maritime trade and wanted to build several ships to trade with Japan, but he was struggling to find shipwrights.
Upon hearing this, the county magistrate thought, "This is no difficult matter." He smiled and said, "What a coincidence! You're lucky. Recently, Governor Xiong of Fujian wanted to recruit ships to assist Zheng Yiguan, the coastal defense guerrilla, in attacking Liu Laoxiang and other notorious bandits. He sent a letter to Guangdong and Guangxi requesting assistance in recruiting shipwrights to repair damaged warships during the war. The Governor-General has already ordered the recruitment of shipwrights from Guangdong and Guangxi. Qiongzhou is no exception. The Governor-General's letter has been copied from the prefectural city to our county."
He picked up an official document from the table and waved it: "The shipbuilding industry in Lingao is most prosperous in Tiaolou Village. Most of Lingao's fishing boats and cargo ships are made from here. The shipwrights recruited this time are also mainly from here, and they have all been registered."
Liu Ye seemed to understand, yet also didn't. It was like a pillow being delivered to someone just when they were about to doze off; he had unexpectedly stumbled upon the boatman's information at the county government office, but it had already been registered by the authorities. How could he possibly use it to his advantage?
However, he was certain that this matter would fall to the county magistrate, but he had come out on short notice and did not have much silver with him—in the old time, he was used to using credit cards and was not used to carrying hundreds of taels of silver around—so he assured the county magistrate: "Please teach me how to do this matter, and I will reward you handsomely whether the matter succeeds or fails."