Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 347 Even a single hair from the industrial power of a great nation would provide endless benefits.
"Your Majesty~"

Lu Yuan, who was in charge of the port construction project, stepped forward and bowed.

Looking at his dry, dark skin from long hours of exposure to the sea breeze and sun, Lin Dao nodded. "The ports are all very well built. I'm very satisfied."

"This is what I should do."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lu Yuan led the way, guiding everyone to visit the massive port under construction.

The railway line from Dadu (Beijing) to Tianjin Port was the first railway built by the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, the starting station was Dadu.

Given its significance, it is clear that Tianjin Port plays an important role.

"This brand-new port is very important."

Walking on the vast construction site, stepping onto the huge, reinforced concrete blocks, smelling the faint salty smell in the forest path, and gazing at the sea in the distance, one thinks, "The Age of Exploration will begin here!"

In fact, Nanjing would have been a more suitable city to start the Age of Exploration.

The conditions are excellent all the way to the sea along the Yangtze River.

Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean all followed this route.

But there was no other way; it had a more important use here.

The Han people of the North and South, separated for hundreds of years, must reunite as soon as possible.

Since the An Lushan Rebellion, the Western Regions have been separated from China for nearly six hundred years.

Yunnan has been separated from China for nearly five hundred years.

The Northeast, including the Outer Northeast region, has been separated from the Central Plains for nearly eight hundred years.

Since the restoration of the Turkic Khaganate, the Mongolian people in northern Mongolia have been separated from China for nearly seven hundred years.

The forest road should recapture the grandeur of the Han and Tang dynasties, and even surpass them.

These lands, lost for many years, must all be taken back, plus interest accrued over those years.

Therefore, establishing the capital in the north was an inevitable choice.

Construction is underway everywhere at Tianjin Port.

The ground was turned upside down to harden it, and a large number of laborers mixed cement and laid the road surface.

Using simple rails and various levers and slings, blocks of reinforced concrete, measured in tons, are sent into the sea to build revetments and breakwaters.

The boardwalks extending into the sea are also under construction, with workers working overtime to complete them.

This place will be transformed into the world's largest and most advanced port.

Countless ships from the Central Plains will set off from here, reaching all parts of the world, planting the sun, moon, and dragon flags across the land under the sun.

"The Age of Exploration of the Europeans was so rudimentary that it was laughable."

Standing on the shore, looking at the dredging vessels working at sea not far away, Lin Daohao felt a surge of pride: "Let me show you what a great power's industry is all about!"

Arriving at the empty storage yard, Lin Dao set off for the modern world.

Large quantities of steel bars, cement, and other materials ordered were continuously being delivered.

What was once an empty space is now piled up like a mountain.

Upon witnessing this scene, everyone bowed deeply and shouted in celebration.

"Long live~"

"Long live~"

In an era of low productivity, every item of supplies brought by Lin Dao was like a miracle to the people of this world.

The sheer amount of steel and stone powder (cement) is truly awe-inspiring.

"Your Majesty~"

Luo Guanzhong, his face flushed with excitement, stepped forward to greet him and asked, "Will using so many resources affect the use of resources in the Immortal Realm?"

Lin Dao rolled his eyes at these words.

"Who are you looking down on?"

"Such a tiny amount of stuff is nothing in the Immortal Realm, not even a drop in the ocean."

"Hey, don't look down on the industries of a major power!"

He wasn't exaggerating.

For a major industrial nation with an output in the hundreds of millions of tons, the amount of goods he bought and transported was truly insignificant.

Putting aside everything else, he doesn't even qualify to take over outdated and obsolete production capacity.

There's no particular reason; I just didn't buy enough.

Within the port, a supporting shipyard is also under construction.

Hundreds and thousands of laborers are working hard to dig the huge pit.

This is a dry dock being built with land on three sides and water on one side.

It's not high-tech; this kind of thing existed as early as the Song Dynasty.

Detailed records can be found in Shen Kuo's "Dream Pool Essays".

It wasn't called a dock then; it was called Tai O.

The painting "Competing for the Dragon Boat at Jinming Pond" depicts a dock.

The person who invented this thing was named Huang Huaixin, a eunuch in the Song Dynasty.

Later generations called him the father of the world's shipyards.

China has produced many talented people and countless groundbreaking inventions.

Unfortunately, repeated barbarian invasions interrupted the transmission of knowledge.

One by one, intelligent heads were chopped off by the barbarians.

Now, Lin Dao wants to turn the tables and cut off all the barbarians' heads.

"We have the most detailed blueprints."

Lu Yuan, who had followed along, remarked from the side, "We've already built several in other ports by following the blueprints."

“Boats are being built on a large scale in various ports, and the fleet size is constantly expanding.”

"Very good." Lin Dao chuckled and nodded. "Build it according to the blueprints. Don't worry about a lack of resources. Build as many as possible."

"Your Majesty, rest assured." Lu Yuan stood tall and replied decisively, "Your subject will certainly build the largest fleet in the world for Your Majesty."

As the sun gradually sank below the horizon, a fleet of ships appeared on the distant sea.

More than a dozen large fishing boats gradually approached the temporary pier. Several of them had their stern doors opened, revealing external propellers that assisted in powering the boats.

Thick cables were thrown onto the pier, and skilled port workers caught them and secured them to the stone piers.

The ships docked one by one.

On the largest fishing boat in the lead, the long-handled hook on the harpoon at the bow was still stained with blood.

The fishermen began operating the semi-mechanical gantry mechanism on their boat to hoist a huge whale toward the pier.

A barefoot man with his sleeves and trousers rolled up disembarked from the boat and ran towards the banner.

"Zhang Shicheng greets Your Majesty!"

This salt smuggler, originally a fisherman, was now in charge of the Ming Dynasty's fleet of ships and also served as the captain of the fishing fleet.

His daily work consisted of fishing and training sailors. He also held a formal official position as a nominal admiral in the navy.

He just didn't receive a noble title.

After all, only military merit could earn one a noble title; fishing and whaling did not count as military merit.

"Well done." Lin Dao greeted him warmly. "You have created the prototype of the Ming Dynasty's navy. You deserve a reward of five hundred strings of cash."

Zhang Shicheng was overjoyed.

Now that the world has been initially settled, the value of currency has gradually stabilized.

Five hundred strings of cash is enough to buy a large house in the city.

Although his salary is not low and he eats fresh seafood every day, who would complain about having too much money?

"How are the fleet's preparations?"

"Your Majesty, we now have more than a hundred ships of various sizes. If they are only carrying people, they can transport 30,000 troops to Liaoyang Road at a time."

Zhang Shicheng was referring to new ships, the kind of new ships built using modern blueprints.

With its rational layout, faster speed, and larger storage capacity, it is more suitable for ocean voyages.

Lin Dao intended to use these newly built ships for pioneering and pioneering endeavors.

Now, they are being sent to attack Liaoyang.

The Yuan dynasty was indeed destroyed, but the remnants of the Yuan dynasty in Yunnan, Liaodong and other places are still putting up a stubborn resistance.

The Yunnan region relies on its mountainous terrain, which makes travel difficult.

As for Liaodong, the roads are difficult to travel.

There is indeed an official road, but its carrying capacity is limited.

Historically, after more than two decades of development during the Ming Dynasty, Liaodong was not considered a truly developed area until the end of the Ming Dynasty.

Before that, it was considered half-baked.

Large and small ponds, dense forests, overflowing rivers, and so on.

The larger the army, the more difficult it is to operate.

The massive logistical supply lines, in particular, are under immense pressure.

Since the roads were difficult to travel, the forest trail simply chose to take both land and sea routes.

We boarded the ship in Tianjin and headed north directly to Gaizhou.

"be prepared."

Lin Dao instructed, "Once the troops have gathered, we will immediately cross the sea and set out."

Within half a month, troops stationed in various places gradually gathered at Tianjin Port.

Lin Dao personally accompanied the first batch of vanguard troops on their expedition.

For this purpose, he even bought a tugboat that had been used many times before.

After renovation and reconstruction, it towed a specially made simple floating dock and followed the fleet all the way to Gaizhou.

The deepest part of the bay in Gaizhou is Yingkou.

This place is located at the mouth of the Liao River, and at that time it was still an unknown place.

After the fleet arrived, Lin Dao first took a small boat ashore.

Upon reaching the shore, he traveled to the modern world and brought over the specially ordered simple floating dock.

With a deafening roar, the steel structure components, weighing hundreds of tons, fell into the sea.

The splashing waves drenched Lin Dao's head and face.

This isn't hundreds of years from now; there are no port facilities here, not even a soul in sight.

The coastal areas are all shallow beaches and reefs, making it impossible for large ships to get close.

Even if you manage to get here with the high tide, there won't be enough time to disembark, and once the tide goes out, it'll all be over.

Fortunately, modern industrial products can solve this problem.

Lin Dao kept going back and forth, transporting one floating dock after another.

There are sixteen boardwalks, each over a hundred meters long, built along the seashore.

If you only want to buy one set, the factory won't take the job at all.

"Okay."

Lin Dao picked up the walkie-talkie and said, "Bring the boat closer, be careful."

The ship, equipped with an outboard motor, slowly approached the steel walkway that swayed with the waves.

Both sides of the boat were covered with discarded tires, and after approaching, the hook was quickly cast.

The sailors climbed down the rope and secured the grappling hook to the boardwalk.

The soldiers on the ship disembarked one by one and walked onto the boardwalk.

Standing on the steel walkway lined with inflatable pontoons on both sides, many soldiers who had fought fearlessly on the battlefield were now pale-faced and swaying.

There were also roughly welded railings on both sides of the boardwalk, which I held onto as I swayed my way down to the landing.

Some soldiers vomited while walking.

Some people couldn't even be stopped by the railings and fell into the sea.

Fortunately, they were all wearing orange life jackets and there were ropes connecting them to the railings, so they were pulled up quickly.

Ships kept coming in to drop off people.

It took almost a whole day to get tens of thousands of people ashore.

The rest of the crew will spend the night on the ship and disembark at dawn the next day.

"Only I can carry out this kind of amphibious landing operation."

Lin Dao, who directed the entire process, had a somewhat hoarse voice.

He wasn't bragging; it's true that only he could do it.

Leaving aside outboard motors and floating docks, the fact that he didn't need to carry any of the logistical equipment is something no one else could do.

If the soldiers could disembark with their supplies, it would be considered a stroke of luck if a thousand or so men could come ashore with the necessary materials each day.

And it will inevitably suffer huge losses.

It took two days for more than 20,000 vanguard troops to finally reach the shore.

The fleet gradually sailed away, returning to Tianjin Port to transport the next batch of troops.

Lan Yu, who had come along, looked at the floating docks that were constantly swaying in the sea and asked a question.

"Your Majesty, how do we get these things ashore?"

"No way." Lin Dao shook his head decisively. "I'll use it and then discard it."

Lan Yu was instantly dumbfounded.

"No more?"

"This is all steel!?"

(End of this chapter)