Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 396 Kunjiang Bridge
The city of Pontianak was the largest city during the Lan Fang Kingdom period, with a population of more than 230,000. In an agricultural society, this was already a central city of considerable size.

this means

With its excellent geographical location, Pontianak has the potential to develop into a regional central city.

This is the first important city passed by on the eastward route from Malacca. The distance from Pontianak to Singapore, Penang, Batavia, Saigon, Hong Kong, Manila, Cebu and Zamboanga is not far, and it takes about 1 to 2 days to sail.

When King Zheng Guohui of Chu came to inspect, the city's population had grown to over 300,000, and it had attracted a large number of factories, enterprises and capital investment from the Chinese community.

With a population of 30, Pontianak would have been ranked among the top ten cities of the Chu State three years ago, and would have been about the same size as Angeles City.

However, after three years of rapid development, all the major cities in Chu State have become more prosperous, with larger populations and larger scales. The total population of Angeles Prefecture, which ranks last, has reached more than 38.

A large number of emerging cities have emerged with a population between 25 and 35. Pontianak's urban ranking can only be ranked th or th at best, and can only be regarded as a second-tier city.

The new cement plants, woolen mills, shipyards and canneries planned for Pontianak have all started construction, which will surely produce an adsorption effect that will drive urban development and further enhance the city's strength.

The wool spinning mill being built in Pontianak will also produce Australian wool, which will be sorted and processed into carded and combed tops, and then transported to Europe and the northern continent by sea.

Due to the huge output of Australian wool, the Chu State had built more than a dozen wool spinning mills, but it still could not fully meet the demand for primary processing of wool.

Therefore, 6 to 7 woolen mills are under construction in various cities.

After rough processing, the wool is reduced in size and increased in value, making it more suitable for ocean transportation on the Eurasian route. It is welcomed by British textile merchants and is also one of the major products of the Chu State's re-export processing.

The wool textile industry is a typical labor-intensive enterprise, suitable for cities with abundant human resources. After the orderly influx of Chinese immigrants, Pontianak became one of the cities suitable for developing the wool textile industry.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu inspected Pontianak Province for five days, visited nearby counties and towns, and especially investigated the site selection for the Kunjiang Bridge. He finally decided to agree to the construction of this important large iron bridge.

If the city of Pontianak wants to develop rapidly, it is very important to build a bridge connecting the two banks.

However, because Pontianak is close to the estuary, the surface of the Pontianak River is relatively wide. 13 kilometers upstream from the estuary, the water surface is still more than 1200 meters wide.

Such conditions

Building a steel frame bridge is also a huge challenge. The project is extremely costly and technically difficult, which is almost the limit under existing conditions.

This steel frame bridge is designed to be suspended 34 meters high. 200-ton sailing cargo ships and 3000-ton iron ships can pass under the bridge, ensuring the passage of inland shipping to the greatest extent.

The total investment in the project amounted to 162 million silver dollars, and it was estimated to consume 3 tons of steel frame structural parts, more than barrels of concrete, and an astonishing number of special rivets and other materials.

The construction period is about four years. The main difficulty lies in the six bridge foundations in the river. Large steel cylinders must be driven down, the water in the steel cylinders must be pumped out, and then reinforced concrete is poured to form a solid bridge foundation.

Each large steel cylinder is 12 meters long and 3.2 meters in diameter. It is hammered into the riverbed by a ship's steam hammer, and the top is riveted to seal the next steel cylinder.

After draining the water, workers need to enter the steel cylinder, dig out the mud and sand in the cylinder bit by bit, lift it out and discard it. This is a very arduous process.

Seepage water and mud continuously gush out, and excavation must be carried out in an extremely harsh environment, with continuous pumping of water and sand until a steel frame is placed at the predetermined depth, and the mixed concrete is injected and solidified, only then is a steel tube pile foundation completed.

One bridge pile requires at least six steel drum pile foundations, and six bridge piles require 6 steel drum pile drivers, all of which have to work in this way.

When the six steel barrel column bases emerge from the water, they will be connected to each other with thick reinforced concrete structures to form a solid bridge foundation that can withstand the erosion of river water day and night and remain standing.

Once you get to the top, it's easy. After the six reinforced concrete bridge foundations reach the predetermined elevation, all that needs to be done is erect large prefabricated steel beams.

In an era without large cranes, this was a real test of the engineers' wisdom, as they had to piece it together bit by bit using the principle of leverage.

The benefits are obvious

If the bridge can be successfully built, the State of Chu will have the ability to build large-scale bridge projects of up to a kilometer in length, which will be of great significance.

The four main islands of the Chu State are located in the tropics, with mountains and rivers, numerous rivers, and hundreds of straits of various sizes, which fragment the terrain.

Some narrow straits are only a few hundred meters to one or two thousand meters wide, which are suitable for building large bridges.

Once this technical limitation is overcome and the ability to build kilometer-long bridges is achieved, building bridges across general large rivers will not be a problem, and many broken sections of roads and railways can be connected.

This will be built simultaneously with the Pasig River Tunnel in Manila, which is currently under construction. It represents the highest level of Chu State's bridge and tunnel construction technology and will train a large number of outstanding engineers and a strong construction team.

This is of great significance to the current increasingly in-depth field of infrastructure construction.

Standing on the bridge site, looking at the vast river rolling down, King Zheng Guohui of Chu was filled with pride and said with a smile, pointing at the river:

“My dear ministers, you will witness with your own eyes the great power of industry. The construction of this Kunjiang Bridge Project will fully demonstrate this to the world.

Conquering the sea, conquering the rivers, and conquering the deserts are the most exciting things our generation of pioneers have experienced, and they are worth remembering forever!

Everyone was inspired by His Majesty the King, and their spirits rose as well, and they all agreed.

Viscount He Xian, the Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Transportation, stepped forward, clasped his hands together, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I have an unsolicited request."

"Oh, tell me."

"The Royal Navy's ironclad ship, HMS Taishan, is now abandoned. Construction of the Kunjiang Bridge requires conversion to a large-tonnage engineering vessel, a steam-powered hammer ship. I request Your Majesty's permission to remove the HMS Taishan from active service and commission it as an engineering vessel."

"This……"

King Zheng Guohui of Chu hesitated for a moment. It was not that he was reluctant to do so, but the Taishan ironclad ship was not idle, but was used as a strategic deterrent force.

Although it is usually docked in the port, it rarely goes out to sea to carry out missions.

But its huge size, naturally heavy armor, and the modified huge cannons on it are all powerful forces that no one can ignore. It is a typical sea monster.

If there were any setbacks in relations with Britain, the Taishan ironclad ship could serve as a floating artillery platform in Manila Bay, fully utilizing its powerful firepower and avoiding the drawback of slow action.

It can work together with Fort Corregidor, like two iron pliers tightly locking the entrance to the bay and resisting the invasion of powerful maritime forces.

The more flexible and maneuverable "Zhen" class main ironclad ships, together with the "Huashan" class ironclad cruisers, form a strike formation and can search in the open sea for opportunities to fight.

The Taishan, with its naturally heavy armor, offered defenses comparable to those of the Zhen-class battleships. Its only drawback was its slowness. The Unyielding and Unhumiliating armored sailing warships have been retired from service, their heavy gun emplacements removed, and converted into ocean-going emigrant ships, now serving on Pacific routes.

The fact that the Taishan has never been moved and still occupies a place among the Royal Navy's active ships is very telling.

Therefore, it cannot be said that the Taishan ironclad ship is idle.

But the twists and turns here are related to the enemy strategy and the hidden strength of the Royal Navy. It is by no means a trivial matter.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was reluctant to tell his ministers directly. If his ministers had figured out similar military and national affairs, that would be another matter.

So he smiled and said, "Why, you are also interested in the Taishan?"

Viscount He Xian had served as His Majesty's chief of staff for many years. Seeing that His Majesty neither agreed nor disagreed, he asked a meaningful question in return.

His heart suddenly skipped a beat and he realized that he had been rash.

But once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back, so He Xian called two attendants and unfolded a simple shelf with the design drawings of the steam engineering ship on it. It turned out that he came prepared.

He Xian bowed and pointed at the engineering ship on the blueprint and said:
"Your Majesty, my Lords,

The difficulty of the Kunjiang Bridge construction project is unprecedented in recent times. It is mainly due to the wide and fast-flowing water. In addition, it requires the use of super-large steel components, steam hammers, large steam pumps and other special engineering equipment, which is really not easy.

Please see this picture
This is a special engineering vessel designed by a famous ship engineer. It needs to be stabilized by an iron ship with a larger displacement. Six anchors and steel cable ropes are set at the front and back of the iron ship for positioning on the turbulent river surface.

A hole is drilled in the engineering ship to build a tall iron tower for hanging the steel cylinder and setting up the steam hammer, which all requires a larger deck operation.

Building from scratch would be time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Looking at all the existing large ships in the country, only the "Taishan" meets the requirements.

After modification, it can be quickly put into use in the project.

The Taishan has a heavy hull and a solid structure, making it very suitable for erecting large towers. Its wide deck provides ample space for laying out large steam pumps, cable winches, and other engineering equipment.

Its biggest advantage lies in its sturdy structure. After being equipped with an 8,000-pound steam hammer, it can withstand the strong impact during construction, which is an advantage that no other iron ship can achieve.

This is the reason why I, a humble official, dare to make such a suggestion."

After this explanation, everyone understood.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu leaned close to the blueprint of the engineering ship and examined it carefully. It was a cylindrical open structure with a hole of 5 meters in diameter opened in the center of the hull.

To open such a big hole, a heavy hammer tower has to be set up to smash the steel cylinder down day and night. The general hull structure really can't bear it.

Only a thick and clumsy hull structure like the Taishan could withstand such severe damage.

now want to come
It was a great deal to buy the Taishan in the first place. It was used to transport ore, lay submarine cables, and defend against enemies. Now it is going to be converted into an engineering ship. The potential of this ship has been fully exploited.

Fortunately, with the commissioning of the four main ironclad ships, the role of the Taishan has been reduced, and the current relationship with Britain is still close, which seems to be a feasible solution.

After some research
King Zheng Guohui of Chu did not agree immediately. This is the way of a king.

This matter concerns the Royal Navy's active ironclad ships, which are top-notch main forces. How can it be treated as a joke?

The Ministry of Ports and Transport must negotiate with the Royal Navy, pay certain interests, obtain the approval of the Royal Navy, and submit the plan for royal approval before implementation.

There is a set of procedures for this, and the rules should not be easily abolished.

anyway
If the Royal Navy is unwilling to build such a sturdy engineering ship, the cost will be very high.

First of all, these shipbuilding materials are solid, and they will be made into a big lump of iron. Otherwise, they will not be able to withstand the violent vibration of the steam hammer and will fall apart.

Seeing that His Majesty's attitude had softened, He Xian felt relieved again, knowing that the matter was almost certain.

With the background of port shipping and the Ministry of Transport, it would be very easy to make an exchange with the Royal Navy, and there are many cards that can be played.

The construction of military ports, the establishment of naval stations, the investment in naval docks, and the development of naval warehouses all rely heavily on the support of the Ministry of Ports and Shipping and the Ministry of Transportation. They are like two birds with one stone, and their connections are very strong.

Supporting the construction of major projects for ports, shipping and the Ministry of Transport is also beneficial to the Royal Navy.

When He Xian took over the post of Minister of Transport, he really wanted to accomplish several eye-catching major projects during his tenure. Kunjiang Bridge is one of them, and it is also a highly exemplary key project.

If the construction can be carried out smoothly, then key projects in Manila such as the Pasig River Bridge and the Pasig River Railway Bridge will be put on the construction plan one after another and become the dazzling business cards of the modern metropolis.

The more major projects you undertake, the more outstanding your performance during your tenure will be. This is closely related to your own career, so of course you have to pay attention to it.

Chatted for a while by the river
King Zheng Guohui of Chu led a group of ministers back home and returned to the palace to rest, basically ending his inspection trip in Pontianak.

He has always been concerned about the integration of Lan Fang because there are a large number of early Chinese immigrants here, and the overall social structure is stable and has not suffered major damage.

After returning to Chu

King Zheng Guohui of Chu is concerned about a smooth transition, and the specific colonial resettlement situation is secondary. It seems that it is being done quite well at the moment.

This also made King Zheng Guohui of Chu feel relieved. His third brother Zheng Guoguang quickly matured in the position of governor. He did things word for word and although he was occasionally reckless, he was able to control the scale well, which made him quite pleased.

The key to this important position of governor is to control the local area, pass orders up and down, and not participate in the front-line governance of the people. Its main role is to stabilize the local area.

It now seems that Governor Zheng Guoguang has grasped the true meaning of this, and the staff around him must have contributed a lot.

A good leader is one who can listen to opinions.

Before the end of the inspection
Governor Zheng Guoguang came up with a plan to expand the natural rubber plantation by 3 acres, and planned to promote it in suitable areas in the six counties of Lan Fang, which made King Zheng Guohui of Chu even more satisfied.

This kid is really something.

(End of this chapter)