Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 244 Batangas Steel Plant
A small court meeting was held in the front hall, mainly to report on the current construction status of the Batangas Industrial Zone, ongoing projects and future plans, and detailed data was provided to support the report.

Today, Batangas City has grown into the fifth largest city in the Chu State after Manila, Cebu, Davao, and Zamboanga, with a total population exceeding 10, reaching 11.2. It is also the fifth major city in the country to exceed in population, and the only industrial city.

Among the urban population of Batangas, more than 65% are workers and their families, and the remaining 15% are engaged in various handicrafts, daily necessities and transportation industries. The suburban agricultural population is less than 20%.

Why is the country’s heavy industrial center located in Batangas?

The only reason is its superior geographical location. This is the most suitable place for developing heavy industry in the entire Hainan Islands. It is located in the southwest of the Hainan Islands, very close to the Cebu Islands and Tongzhou Islands (Note: formerly Mindanao Island), and transportation is extremely convenient.

Batangas is rich in coal and iron ore resources. On Mindoro Island, across the strait, two copper and gold mines with astonishing reserves have been discovered, only a dozen kilometers away from Batangas.

It is very convenient to transport ore from other proven mining sites in the Hainan Islands, including copper, iron, coal, silver, nickel, tin, sulfur and other resources, including minerals in the Palawan Islands and the Tongzhou Islands, to the Batangas Port.

The most advantageous condition for a world-class steel production base is to be built near a seaport, and by utilizing cheap and convenient sea transportation, costs can be greatly reduced.

The Batangas Heavy Industrial Zone Plan meets this definition.

The entire Hainan Islands are the richest in mineral resources. In the memory of King Zheng Guohui of Chu, calculated by mineral reserves per unit area, the Hainan Islands' gold reserves rank third in the world, copper reserves rank fourth in the world, nickel reserves rank fifth in the world, and chromium reserves rank sixth in the world.

Say it without hesitation
The State of Chu is now sitting on a mountain of gold. It does not have to worry about money for its future development. It just needs to ensure its safety.

In the three-year development plan, the Batangas Steel Plant plans to put into operation six blast furnaces, using advanced blast furnace ironmaking capacity to gradually eliminate traditional ironmaking and coppermaking methods, and become the highlight of leading the Chu State into the steam industrial revolution.

To date
After more than ten months of hard work, the No. 1 blast furnace has been put into production. The No. 2 blast furnace is scheduled to be ignited and put into production before the end of the year, and is under intensive construction and installation.

The No. 3 and No. 4 blast furnace buildings have been completed, and imported blast furnace equipment has been transported to the site one after another. Various wire rods, steel materials and construction personnel will be in place one after another to start the next phase of construction.

It is expected that Blast Furnace No. 1868 and Blast Furnace No. 3 will be put into production in the second and third quarters of 4 respectively.

For the construction of blast furnaces No. 5 and No. 6, construction workers have entered the site one after another and started drawing lines and leveling the foundation in preparation for building the factory building. The actual production will not start until 1869.

At Jinsha Steel Plant, the commissioning of No. 3 blast furnace will also be completed before the end of the year.

Today, the layout of Chu's steel industry is mainly based on the Batangas Steel Plant in the north and the Jinsha Steel Plant in the south, forming a pattern of one south and one north.

Of the six blast furnaces planned to be put into operation at the Batangas Steel Plant, three are copper smelting furnaces, accounting for half of the total output.

Currently, the copper ingots produced continuously reach more than 1500 tons per month (Note: the copper blast furnace of Jinsha Iron and Steel Plant produces about 500 tons per month, plus dozens of traditional copper smelting furnaces produce more than 220 tons). Each ton is worth 33 silver dollars, and the total output value per month is silver dollars. It is one of the main sources of wealth for the Chu State.

By the end of next year, all three copper blast furnaces of the Batangas Steel Plant will be successfully put into production, and the monthly output of copper ingots will increase to about 4800 to 5000 tons, with a total value of up to one million silver dollars.

This will make Chu's finances unprecedentedly wealthy, its national foundation more solid, and its comprehensive transformation into an industrialized country.

Looking forward to future development makes everyone excited.

At a meeting held in the front hall, King Zheng Guohui of Chu decided to prepare for the establishment of "Nanyang Heavy Industries".

With the addition of the Batangas Steel Plant, the Jinsha Steel Plant, three steel rolling mills and some foundries, it became the most prominent enterprise in the Chu State.

The Chu royal family holds 70% of Nanyang Heavy Industries' shares, while the government holds 30%.

Until now
The large-scale investment in imported equipment for Nanyang Heavy Industries was supported by the money raised by King Zheng Guohui of Chu. Without a second large-scale investment, he naturally had the final say.

Considering that Nanyang Heavy Industries needs to consume a large amount of mineral resources, King Zheng Guohui of Chu gave some profits to the government and gave away 30% of the shares, so that the government finances could also benefit.

The financial expenditure of Chu State is now divided into two parts. The government finances are mainly used for government operations and official salaries, urban and rural infrastructure, port transportation and cultural and educational undertakings, as well as other expenditures.

The royal finances are mainly used for powerful institutions such as the army, police and the General Correctional Service, so the army is the royal army, the police are the royal police, and the General Correctional Service is the royal General Correctional Service.

It was more than three hours later when the meeting in front of the palace ended.

After a simple meal in the side hall, the inspection convoy set off in a grand manner. It was much bigger than yesterday's, with more than 30 Western carriages accompanying it.

In the Hainan Islands

The most commonly used carriages were the Western four-wheeled carriages, which were more spacious and comfortable for both cargo and passengers. For ordinary officials, one or two carriages were enough for travel.

This convoy of more than 30 Western carriages attracted a lot of curious eyes.

When the onlookers saw the royal emblem in the motorcade, they couldn't help cheering and bowed respectfully to show their respect.

The carriage team did not stop along the way. Under the escort of the Royal Cavalry, they left the city and headed straight for the heavy industrial area.

The first stop of the inspection was naturally the Batangas Steel Plant, the key to the entire heavy industrial zone.

The Batangas Steel Plant is located in a valley, about 11 kilometers from the bay. The tall factory buildings can be seen from afar, and there are seven or eight dedicated railway tracks extending directly into the plant area.

Teams of horse-drawn railroad cars came from the docks, one after another, carrying loaded ore and taking away the coal ash and slag on their return.

These coal ash and slag are not waste, and are perfect for paving roads.

The tall mountains adjacent to the Batangas Steel Plant stretch into the distance, covered with lush green forests, like a giant sleeping dragon embracing the steel plant.

From the Gulf

The steel plant cannot be seen as it is completely obscured by the tall mountains.

These tall mountains contain endless copper and iron resources. There are rich coal fields in Lipa, more than 30 kilometers away, and Tagaytay, 57 kilometers away.

This is the main consideration for Zheng Guohui to set up a heavy industrial base in Batangas. The coal transportation railway from Lipa to Batangas is being laid, and after completion, it will be transported by horse-drawn rail cars.

When the King of Chu's carriage stopped, Fang Weishan, the director of the Batangas Steel Plant, led a group of people to greet him early. He was also an old acquaintance.

Fang Weishan was originally the chief advisor to Fu Zhuhong'a, the governor of Jiangnan. Later, he joined the King of Chu. He was a capable veteran in handling miscellaneous affairs and had rich experience.

After going to Southeast Asia, this person served as the director of Jinsha Steel Plant and participated in the entire process of planning, construction and operation of the steel plant.

It has been more than ten months since they were transferred to the Batangas Steel Plant. Most of the white American experts and workers who originally built the Jinsha Steel Plant are now in the Batangas Steel Plant.

Many of these individuals have already established families and careers in the region, with wives and children, and have no plans to return to the United States. "Your Majesty, your humble servants respectfully welcome you. May your Majesty be blessed with good health." Fang Weishan was a county-level official, and there was nothing wrong with his self-proclaimed "your humble servant."

"Okay, now that we are in your territory, just take me around and see how things are going." King Zheng Guohui of Chu said with an approachable look and a faint smile.

Fang Weishan bowed again and said respectfully, "Your Majesty and all the ministers, please come this way. I will introduce you..."

The crowd surrounded His Majesty and walked forward, with Deputy Prime Minister Zheng Shouxin leading the way on one side, and the others lined up in a wild goose-like pattern behind.

On the other side, Fang Weishan led the inspection team, about half a step behind His Majesty and the Deputy Prime Minister, walking and introducing people as they went, forming a huge inspection team.

The inspection team did not visit the office area, but went directly to the No. 1 blast furnace which had already been put into production, and the No. blast furnace which was under intensive construction.

In this factory

The road has been completely hardened, with lush green trees planted on both sides. The ground is paved with large stone slabs, which are fastened with fine stone powder mortar, so heavy trucks can run over it without any problems.

In the huge factory area, the most common thing to see is the horse-drawn material cars running on the rails. Each train of fully loaded material cars consists of 8 carriages and is pulled by two tall and strong mules.

Originally, horses were used for traction, but after using them, it was found that horses were not as durable as mules, could not tolerate rough feed, were difficult to raise, and caused delays.

Working horses must be fed concentrated feed and eggs to enhance their nutrition. They are also prone to illness, diarrhea, and a host of other problems.

Therefore, the rail material cars are now replaced with large mules for pulling, with two large mules in a group. They work for two or three hours and then take off, rest for two or three hours, and then take on again.

There are several railroad tracks extending into the Batangas Steel Plant, and there are two railroad tracks coming from the dock, one for feeding and one for discharging, which do not interfere with each other.

There are four railway tracks coming from the mining area in the mountains, one for iron ore, one for copper concentrate, and the other two for empty trains to return.

Two railway tracks are under construction, one for feeding and one for discharging, leading to the Liba coalfield more than 30 kilometers away.

This railway track carries away the slag and coal ash left over from the steel plant's production and transports them to the construction of urban roads near Libya. The demand is often in the thousands or tens of thousands of tons.

In addition to the local construction needs in Lipa, these wastes are also needed in Tagaytay, which is more than 30 kilometers away, and for road construction in surrounding villages and towns. Of course, the consumption amount is not small.

In the No. 1 blast furnace plant
The iron-making blast furnace in production was scorching hot, with the temperature more than 20 degrees higher than outside, but all the workers wore sturdy denim work clothes and thick suede work boots to prevent burns from the hot iron liquid.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu could feel the heat wave rolling in even from a distance.

When the furnace is turned on

After being smelted in a blast furnace, it becomes high-temperature molten iron and is poured out. The temperature instantly rises by more than ten degrees. The orange-red high-temperature molten iron is poured into the ladle, and the workers take long steel spoons and go into the furnace to tinker with it, causing sparks to fly everywhere, which makes people's scalps numb.

There is nothing we can do about this harsh and dangerous working environment.

Even the most advanced blast furnaces these days have very simple production conditions, and many processes require manual operation by workers without the involvement of machinery.

The ladle filled with high-temperature molten iron was suspended in the air by several workers on each side, pulling the hoist.

Then more than a dozen people worked together to drag it, with a steel slide rail on top and manual labor at the bottom to move it to the next process, where the molten steel was poured into the mold.

This poor working environment

No livestock can adapt, so we have to use human labor. If 5 are not enough, we use 10. If 10 are not enough, we use 20, and so on.

Originally, Fang Weishan wanted to ask His Majesty the King of Chu to take a look, so he went to the administrative building to rest and drink tea.

King He Chu, Zheng Guohui, insisted on going to the mold workshop for inspection. There was no choice but for all the government officials to accompany him as they walked towards the mold workshop in a mighty procession.

In the mold workshop here, most of the operations are done manually.

Several steel workers pulled the iron hoist with great effort, tilting the ladle to one side, with the casting mold trough underneath.

When the ladle is tilted to a certain angle, the orange-red molten iron pours out and is poured into the rectangular casting mold, splashing large amounts of orange-red iron liquid.

The steelworkers operating in close proximity look dangerous, but in reality, they are not safe at all.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu saw a steel worker being burned. He screamed and retreated rapidly, and fell to the ground without being able to hold on.

Several other workers came forward and helped him away.

This steel worker was quite experienced. If he had collapsed on the spot, he would have been injured by the high-temperature mold tank and might have died right there.

In the ladle

Instead of pouring out the clean orange-red molten iron, the steel workers used long iron spoons to scoop it out one spoonful at a time and then poured it into the molds prepared nearby to cast some smaller parts.

For example, circular gears, round steel sleeves, special-shaped parts, etc., the rough molds are cast in this way.

After cooling, these rough molds are taken to the lathe factory for processing and processed into various steel parts.

After the rectangular steel casting is slightly shaped, workers will open the gate to allow the large orange-red component to move down along the roller belt and enter the steel rolling production process.

The steel rolling equipment driven by the steam engine runs at high speed, and the thick orange-red steel billet goes through one rolling, two rolling, three rolling, four rolling, five rolling and so on. The thick steel billet will be pressed thinner and thinner.

Finally, a long orange-red steel plate is formed, which is cut into thin steel plates under the operation of the shearing equipment in front.

This is the thin steel plate production line, and the steel plant only has this steel plate production line.

If it is to be processed into steel products such as rebar and rails, it must be sent to a rolling mill for further processing.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu led everyone on a tour. Everyone was sweating and their faces were covered with a thick layer of black ash.

After leaving the workshop, he simply wiped himself with a hot towel, drank some tea, and then walked straight towards the No. 3 and No. 4 blast furnace areas under construction.

These officials understand
Given the King of Chu's meticulous nature, the inspection would not be complete without carefully going through all the processes of the Batangas Steel Plant.

(End of this chapter)