Chapter 800 - New Plans

Those Elders and laborers waiting at the Anyoule dock in Sanya, watching the Dajing ease toward shore as they prepared to install equipment, of course knew nothing of the complex history behind the cargo wrapped in straw matting and oilcloth on deck. The Elders had grown accustomed to miracles from the industrial sector. As for the naturalized workers, it was taken for granted—was there anything the Elders couldn't accomplish?

In addition to the Elders preparing to install equipment, the Dajing had brought back Wang Luobin and others returning from Lingao after debriefings and the New Year. The Elders who had finished their holiday leave were all glowing with health. Those originally stationed at Sanya had brought their purchased female servants along, and even the perpetually worried Zhuo Tianmin had returned with a servant—quite attractive at that. His long-standing concerns about his son had finally been thoroughly resolved. Fangshaodi had established a special class for Elder children, gathering the handful of "little Elders" together. The boarding system not only freed the parents from distraction but also provided collectivist education—ensuring the next generation wouldn't turn into wastrels.

Li Haiping had returned too—though not on the Dajing, but aboard six single-masted lateen-sail patrol boats newly assigned to reinforce the Sanya Detachment. The fleet of six fishery patrol boats had indeed been somewhat reassuring.

"Engineer Wang, I hear the Year's End banquet was quite a success," He Fanghuai said with a sarcastic smile at the dock.

"Indeed! Fang Fei is very capable! And Zheng Shangjie really knows how to put on a show!" Wang Luobin's face lit up, as if still savoring that evening's extravaganza. "But let's not talk about that now. The servants—no, the equipment—is all here. We should push to ship the first load of iron ore as soon as possible!"

"I noticed the servants arrived," Xi Yazhou laughed heartily. "I'll push to fire the first shot tonight."

Everyone laughed. He Fanghuai said, "Speaking of women, I've almost forgotten the taste of meat. Got to have a feast sometime."

"Sometime? Carry out the execution tonight!" Xi Yazhou slashed his hand downward.

The female servants, dressed in ordinary laborer work clothes, wearing broad-brimmed straw hats, and carrying rattan suitcases with canvas bags slung over their shoulders, looked at the group of Elders speaking in a strange tongue with confusion. After several days tossed about at sea, they were all listless.

Beside the female servants were stacks of crates and bundles of various sizes, marked in black ink: "Sanya Special Supply, General Affairs Office."

"These are all daily necessities prepared for everyone by the General Affairs Office."

"The General Affairs Office—truly our dear friends..."

He Fanghuai coughed. "Iron ore is no problem—it's all stacked in the yard. As soon as the loading equipment is installed, we can start shipping. Will the Dajing handle transport?"

"The Dajing will take the first load," Wang Luobin said. "But unloading will take a few days, and installing the equipment at least a week..." He calculated back and forth—even the fastest estimate for filling the Dajing's holds was early February.

Two sets of mining equipment had arrived: one bucket elevator and one ore-dressing setup. Tiandu iron ore was one of China's rare high-grade deposits, but it still contained lower-grade ore, associated minerals, and valueless gangue brought up during extraction. Dressing the ore before shipping would significantly reduce the demand on shipping tonnage.

The party took a small motorboat across Dadonghai to Yulin Fort. Wang Luobin ordered the female servants to be temporarily housed in the labor camp outside Yulin Fort, living alongside the female medics and clerks.

That day's "Iron Ore Shipping Work Conference" at Yulin Fort was lively indeed: everyone engaged in deep, wide-ranging discussions on ore shipping, equipment installation, and servant assignment. The meeting unified thinking, clarified goals, and unanimously agreed to make these three tasks the top priority for Sanya District in the first quarter of 1631.

Equipment installation would naturally be the responsibility of Xiao Gui, the engineer dispatched by the General Machinery Plant. Ji Runzhi would assist with construction. Ore shipping remained under Zhuo Tianmin—currently serving as acting director of the Tiandu Mining Bureau. As for servant assignment, Ji Runzhi was given full authority.

"The Planning Commission also has proposals for immigrant colonization and industrial upgrading," Wang Luobin cleared his throat. "Both are long-term plans, not urgent—but we need to start laying groundwork now."

The Planning Commission had decided that in the second phase of Operation Giant—the third quarter of 1631—fifteen thousand people would be brought in from the mainland in batches. A small portion would come from other counties in Hainan; most would be refugees from the mainland, brought in to build up Sanya District's population base for agricultural and industrial development.

Such an influx would require massive infrastructure: housing, water supply and drainage, and roads. It would also involve providing the suddenly enlarged population with sufficient food, fuel, and health services.

"...Some of this will depend on supplies from Lingao; some must be produced locally. Building materials production and training construction workers are especially important..." Wang Luobin said.

Zhuo Tianmin expressed concern. "Bricks and tiles are easy—as long as we have enough coal, we can make do by building Hoffmann kilns even if Lingao can't supply chains and pulleys. But cement and timber require specialized equipment."

Cement supply needed cement kilns; timber needed dedicated treatment plants and drying kilns. All of this required Lingao to manufacture specialized equipment and dispatch technicians. The small repair shop and handful of Elders in Sanya alone couldn't manage it.

Wang Luobin said, "These projects are all included in the Planning Commission's proposals. And they're scheduled to be completed within 1631—in preparation for Sanya's industrial upgrade in 1632."

He Fanghuai asked, "What industrial upgrade?"

"Chemicals," Wang Luobin answered briefly. "Specifically, salt chemical industry."

Yinggehai, near Sanya, was one of Asia's best salt-drying sites. In the old timeline, it was Hainan's largest salt field and the largest sea-salt production site in southern China. The seawater there reached a Baumé reading of 3.5 degrees—one of the saltiest sea areas in the world, second only to the Red Sea. Salt-making conditions were excellent; in the old timeline, annual production could reach 270,000 tons, with room for expansion.

Massive amounts of sea salt were a fundamental raw material for the chemical industry. Building a salt-chemical enterprise in Sanya was highly convenient. Moreover, Sanya's geography provided excellent conditions for future petrochemical development—high-quality crude oil from Southeast Asia could be processed locally.

"Incredible!" Everyone was stunned. They had thought their current achievement—developing Tiandu iron mine and building from nothing on virgin jungle and barren beaches—was impressive enough. Now they learned even greater projects lay ahead.

"Our enterprise truly has no end in sight!" Ji Runzhi exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement. As a devotee of "large-scale" and "mega" construction, he was naturally drawn to big projects.

He Fanghuai, however, was worried. "I don't know anything about chemicals, but chemical plants have all those pipes, valves, and tanks of every size—can the General Machinery Plant handle it?"

"That depends on how fast you can ship out iron ore," Xiao Gui said. "At the end of the day, industry needs enough steel. With steel, you can make anything."

"All right. We'll do everything we can."

Now that the servants had arrived, naturally the Elders couldn't keep sleeping on bunk beds in the barracks. Even without luxury villas, they deserved at least a hint of "home" in their personal quarters.

Ji Runzhi had long wanted to move out of the barracks-style dormitory at Yulin Fort and build a seaside cottage—not just for enjoyment, but to practice his construction skills. Now that women had arrived, he had a legitimate excuse. He promptly proposed a motion at the Sanya District Military Committee's work meeting to build seaside cottages for the Elders—unanimously passed.

Ji Runzhi had all the architectural reference materials on hand, and with He Fanghuai—a Sanya native—to advise, he quickly selected a small bay near Yulin Fort along Dadonghai. The scenery was beautiful, and the terrain was easy to guard. Ji Runzhi immediately decided to build "cottages" there.

Over three or four days, he built seven "seaside cabins" on the shallows. Wooden walkways connected the cabins. These cabins were common at seaside resorts in the old timeline: elevated stilted structures with wooden frames and thatched roofs. The Lingao version didn't even have wooden walls—just wooden frames with straw matting attached, sufficient to block wind, rain, and prying eyes. Once finished, they looked quite presentable—with an "eco-harmony" vibe.

Each cabin had a veranda. Ji Runzhi added a few potted tropical plants for decoration. With rattan chairs on the verandas, one could watch the scenery with feet dangling over the water flowing below, cuddling a servant while sipping wine... The Elders who came to inspect were full of praise. Those visiting only on assignment couldn't help feeling envious—Lingao had no such beautiful seaside scenery.

"They won't survive typhoons, though," Ji Runzhi said. "We'll have to move everything out before typhoon season. As for electricity..."

Wang Luobin cut him off. "No power—we don't need people calling us wasteful."

He Fanghuai nodded vigorously. "With scenery this beautiful, who needs electricity? A lantern for light is fine. We can fish too."

That evening, the Elders moved into the seaside cabins—all except Xi Yazhou and Li Haiping. As garrison commanders, regulations required them to live in the barracks. They could only enjoy the cabins on their days off.

The servants were all assigned work—the Elders weren't comfortable letting their women stay alone at home. Xi Yazhou used his authority as garrison commander to enroll his own and Li Haiping's servants in the military, giving them military registration as official orderlies who could legitimately be stationed in their quarters. Other Elders' servants became leadership secretaries and clerks. Hippo, however, hadn't purchased a servant through the General Affairs Office—he had already gotten his hands on Guo Fu.

(End of Chapter)