Chapter 2345 - Freshly Baked Nanyang Company (V)

An obvious problem presented itself: the shipyard couldn't possibly allocate a slipway for a vessel whose power unit wouldn't be ready for roughly a year—even those 901 gunboats claiming "Ninety Days" couldn't manage that. There had to be a definite quota plan before the shipyard could arrange construction schedules—and that assumed the shipyard even had available capacity. In reality, the Senate's shipyards were usually quite busy.

To get the shipyard to start work as soon as possible and schedule ship construction, a substantial advance payment was essential. Of course, a Planning Academy directive would be better, but Zhou Wei obviously couldn't obtain a "Priority Ranking" document from the Planning Academy at present. He could only rely on real gold and silver.

When will this Guangzhou Rat Plague ever end... he grumbled internally. Why was the Senate's path to otherworld dominion so difficult! They'd just taken Guangzhou when the plague erupted.

Wang Kai obviously wasn't sharing his complex mood and was still enthusiastically introducing his ships.

"...Since the Nanyang Company will primarily use this for the Philippine route, and typhoons are frequent in that region, Old Luo and I were somewhat concerned during the design phase. So we considered adopting some measures to address this problem: First, we increased the freeboard to reduce water intake in light waves. Second, we adopted large-angle inverted-V cargo hold bottoms that channel water to side cabins, where water pumps can drain it. Third, we installed a huge canvas covering over the open cargo hold, forming an inverted-V soft top that can dramatically reduce water intake in relatively high waves. To support this soft top, we set a longitudinal beam in the ship's center, higher than the freeboard, with pulleys on the beam and gunwale for quickly retracting the soft top. Outside the gunwale, there's angle iron protruding from the hull for securing the canvas cover. Fourth, we added stiffeners to the gunwale..."

Zhou Wei murmured "Mm-hmm" absent-mindedly. Ever since the Guangzhou plague broke out, Hong Kong Island had also fallen into semi-blockade. Personnel movement was under fairly strict controls. The shipyard, already busy enough, was now hampered by insufficient materials and manpower, slowing production further. Getting new ships built would likely mean waiting until some impossibly distant date. Wang Kai's "Ship Plan" seemed like pure fantasy.

Still, his team was just getting started, and he had to be polite to newly joining colleagues. So he listened patiently with a properly attentive expression.

"Of course, the best way to cope with storms is still evasion. Besides avoiding typhoon season, we should establish more observation stations on South China Sea islands, using radio to exchange data and warnings. Of course, this isn't something we can implement immediately. It can be included in the Senate's long-term meteorological observation master plan. A more realistic consideration would be conducting specialized training for lookouts serving on the masts, equipping them with better optical equipment and simple meteorological instruments. This way, we can detect weather threats earlier. With such a series of measures, the Surprise class should be able to maintain stable sailing for at least six months each year on the Philippine route."

Zhou Wei wanted to remind him that Manila was still in Spanish hands. And within the Senate, attitudes toward taking Manila remained highly ambiguous. The reason? Simple reluctance to part with the Spanish silver flowing out from Manila. Of course, the Philippines itself was vast, and the areas around Manila that the Spanish could actually govern weren't many. Occupying a few resource-rich locations for development should pose no problem...

"...Of course, such a merchant ship must still face pirate threats. There aren't many places on this type of ship to install weapons. Naval guns take up considerable space. So my idea is to install one Hotchkiss manual Gatling gun on each side of the forecastle's lower deck and at the front of the poop. This firepower configuration is well-suited for shooting enemies who have already boarded. Though it's also quite easy to sink ourselves." Wang Kai pointed at his drawing. Zhou Wei nodded cooperatively.

"Of course, a reliable security plan still requires escorts. We'd adopt a convoy system. A convoy would consist of at least three Surprise-class ships, with the Navy sending one 901 gunboat as escort. After all, both the Surprise and the 901 make 10 knots. Coordination presents no difficulty. And the 901 is a ship type proven on long-distance voyages. The catch is that all four ships use steam engines, so we'd need a collier accompanying the fleet for supply."

Zhou Wei maintained his "attentive listening" posture, nodding from time to time to prove he was paying attention. Wang Kai grew increasingly excited and pulled out another drawing.

"This is the second ship I designed: the Orient Express! Its prototype is the American clipper Sea Witch. The Sea Witch counts as an early clipper, with simpler construction techniques than later generations. At the same time, its length-to-width ratio isn't as exaggerated as its successors. The wider body gives it more mission flexibility than clippers of similar tonnage. And its main characteristic is a small hull carrying big sails, so despite its somewhat plumper appearance, it's not inferior in speed. It can easily hit 17 knots at full speed. Most importantly, this ship is cheap to build. If we really tried to build everything to the Cutty Sark standard, the Planning Academy and Finance Tax Bureau would come at us with knives. By my calculations, the Orient Express's single-ship construction cost would be slightly less than two H-800s. And its transport capacity equals five H-800s. Presumably they can do that arithmetic."

This ship, which Wang Kai described as having first-class cost-performance, matched the Sea Witch in dimensions and registered gross tonnage: 51.8 meters long (hull), 10.3 meters wide, with a hold depth of 6.5 meters and registered gross tonnage of 908. Because the wood and metal used different materials, other data would need actual measurement. Final measured self-weight was 837 tons, with maximum load capacity barely reaching 1,000 tons. Wang Kai proposed designating this as the H1024 class. It could run and fight. In force 2-3 winds, it could soar to 17 knots at full speed. It could transport cargo, patrol while armed, and its rapid reaction capability would let the Nanyang's pioneering activities proceed without concern for their rear.

"...At the same time, with its spacious cabins, it's also perfectly suited as a Senator Traffic Ship—an ideal companion for your dream voyage!" Wang Kai concluded with an emotional flourish.

Zhou Wei waited with difficulty for him to finish his introduction, then quickly nodded: "Your plan is solid! I think you should write this up as a formal report, and we'll submit it to the Planning Academy for approval..."

"Can't the Nanyang Company build ships ourselves? We'll raise our own funds..." Wang Kai looked stunned.

"Raising our own funds is true enough, but we don't have a shipyard." Zhou Wei smiled bitterly. "And shipbuilding materials and machinery all require quota allocation. Getting money is only the first step—and besides, we have no money right now."

"Damn, I thought coming to the Nanyang Company would mean freedom to do great things. I didn't expect it to still be this troublesome!" Wang Kai said disappointedly. "Then what do we actually have?"

"We effectively control roughly forty-plus ships, all formerly the Southeast Asia Company's. I'm not yet clear on their condition. But they should either be on their routes or in dock for maintenance. Wang You says these ships are all usable, with no lease contracts. As long as they return, we can call on them anytime."

"Who's Wang You?"

"The Southeast Asia Company General Manager."

"Right—how do we handle the relationship between the Southeast Asia Company and the Nanyang Company?"

"That involves equity issues." Zhou Wei stubbed out his nearly finished cigar. "According to the Planning Academy's guidance, the Southeast Asia Company is our subsidiary. I think this works well—we can't abandon the Southeast Asia Company brand. Keeping it appeases Wang You and the other mid-to-senior level naturalized cadres. They've worked for the Senate for several years too, and finally earned titles like General Manager and Deputy General Manager. Suddenly demoting them to Section Chief or Unit Chief would be inappropriate."

"Their actual administrative rank is Section/Unit level at most."

"True, but the title sounds good." Zhou Wei said. "Otherwise, why does everyone fight to go to county-level cities? Since we're a mixed-ownership enterprise, we can be flexible with titles. It gives naturalized citizens something to aspire to."

"As for the specific equity structure, though the Planning Academy has issued guidance, the actual design is still up to us. Only then can we talk about fundraising—of course, we can't go fundraising right now anyway."

"This Rat Plague has really terrible timing!"

"When is there ever a good time for plague?" Zhou Wei felt they were finally getting to the heart of the matter. "Anyway, Guangzhou funds are hopeless for the next month or two. Shipbuilding is probably hopeless too. However, according to the guidance document, we can first raise private shares from Senators. With that money, we can accomplish a lot in Lingao."

"Wait—you haven't finalized the equity structure yet. How can you raise private shares?" Wang Kai asked. "How much per share? How are dividends distributed? Without specifics, which Senator will pay?"

"I've thought about this—after all, I have a finance background..."

"I did investment too."

"Even better." Zhou Wei said. "Let's convene a few Senators interested in financial matters and discuss."

After seeing Wang Kai out, Zhou Wei recorded his to-do items one by one in his notebook. Writing casually, he'd filled more than twenty items—many involving material collection and analysis that he couldn't entrust to naturalized cadres like Wang You. The urgent priority was building his team.

First, he needed to find someone to serve as the Nanyang Company's Board Secretary or Office Director—essentially a Chief Steward role. Such a person wasn't easy to find. They needed strong work ability, had to coordinate well with the chief executive, and needed to be presentable in all respects.

He jotted several names in his notebook, then crossed them out one by one. These were all Southward Faction comrades, but each was either lacking in talent or too ambitious to serve under others. None were suitable candidates.

Thinking it over, one person came to mind: Xu Yanliang. This man had worked in the Military Group early on as a Marine, later retiring due to injury and transferring to administrative work. He'd served under Yang Yun, handling personnel matters for the industrial sector. Zhou Wei had met him while lobbying industrial sector Senators to support the Nanyang Company plan.

(End of Chapter)