The Jinchuan Chamber of Commerce's fleet was attacked by pirates in the East China Sea, and the Navy has an unshirkable responsibility.
Besides, the dock is not far from the navy.
Needless to say, Zheng Chiyuan himself feels ashamed every time he thinks of this incident.
Faced with Jin Feng's questioning, he did not make excuses, but blushed and saluted Jin Feng again: "Master Imperial Master, this matter is that our navy has failed to fulfill its responsibilities. How will the Master punish it?
I, Zheng Chiyuan, recognize it!"
It would be fine if it was another merchant's cargo ship that was robbed. Zheng Chiyuan just went through with it casually.
But Jin Feng is well-known for protecting shortcomings, and now he is in the limelight. If he wants to attack, it will be very troublesome.
So when he learned that Jin Feng was coming in person, Zheng Chiyuan had no intention of dealing with Jin Feng, but was mentally prepared to be punished.
I rushed to greet him immediately because I wanted to leave a good impression on Jin Feng.
I have to say that Zheng Chiyuan made the right bet.
If Zheng Chiyuan makes excuses and uses objective reasons such as a storm to shirk responsibility, Jin Feng will definitely not be able to spare him.
Now that he took the initiative to admit his mistake, Jin Feng felt a lot less angry.
"Master Zheng, I don't want something like this to happen again in the future."
Jin Feng glanced sideways at Zheng Chiyuan.
When Zheng Chiyuan heard this, the stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.
When Jin Feng said this, he meant that this matter was a turning point.
Seeing that Jin Feng was reluctant to pay attention to him, he chatted for a few words and then left.
"This Zheng Chiyuan looks tall and thick, but he is quite thoughtful."
Tang Xiaobei said with a smile.
"There is only one naval officer in Dakang. If he is really a reckless man, how could he be in this position?"
Jin Feng said: "However, there are still pirate activities near the East China Sea, and the navy should really take care of it."
"Yes, this is like a king who leads the world's troops and horses side by side!"
Tang Xiaobei laughed and said: "If it doesn't work, just replace it with Zheng Chiyuan!"
Jin Feng was too lazy to respond to Tang Xiaobei's teasing and turned to look to his right.
That was the dock where the incident occurred.
"It's not far from the dock here. Why didn't the fleet go directly to the dock?" Tang Xiaobei asked.
"There was a storm at sea and heavy rain, so the fleet had to stop at the dock to take shelter from the wind," Jin Feng explained.
When Tang Xiaobei heard this, he sighed slightly.
As the fleet continued down the Yangtze River, Jin Feng calmed down and raised his telescope to look at the estuary.
There were a few inconspicuous small sand islands there, but Jin Feng knew that a city would be formed there in the future.
Not sure if it was an illusion or reality, Jin Feng felt that the sand island was larger than when he saw it half a year ago.
It would take thousands of years for Sha Island to grow into Chongming Island in the previous life. Jin Feng looked at it for a while and then put away the telescope.
The fleet sailed along the current into the sea, and then the sailors raised the sails and walked north along the bay.
They were lucky. Today there was a southeast wind, and the fleet arrived at Yuxi Town before dark.
"Is that Hong Taoping's dock?"
Kita Chihiro asked, pointing to a tall building in the distance.
"Yes!" Jin Feng nodded.
The last time he and Tang Xiaobei came here, the dock looked dilapidated. Now the holes outside the dock have been repaired and new paint has been applied, making it look much more pleasing to the eye.
There is a deep channel outside the dock. After the sea-going ship is built, it needs to follow this channel into the sea.
Therefore, the dock itself can also be said to be a dock, and the ship Jin Feng was riding sailed directly into the dock.
Hong Taoping, Han Feng and others had been waiting for a long time. When they saw Jin Feng disembarking, they rushed to greet him.
"Mr. Jin, you are finally here!"
As soon as Hong Taoping saw Jin Feng, he asked excitedly: "Have you brought the crane?"
With financial support from Jin Feng, Hong Taoping bought all the materials needed to build the ship more than a month ago and is just waiting for the crane to be put in place to start construction.
"Of course I brought it!" Jin Feng pointed to the building boat behind him: "It's packed on the boat."
Hong Taoping turned around and ran towards the building.
"Sir, Mr. Hong is like this. He doesn't care about other things. He can't sit still when he hears about things related to shipbuilding."
Han Feng was afraid that Jin Feng would be angry, so he quickly explained for Hong Taoping.
Jin Feng was also a man in science and engineering, so naturally he would not be angry over such a trivial matter. He waved his hand and asked, "Have you found that group of pirates?"
"No." Han Feng shook his head: "After attacking the pier, the pirates braved the storm and entered the sea, and then disappeared.
General Zheng recently released almost all the navy's ships and searched the surrounding waters, but could not find any trace of them. It is probably because he was afraid of the navy and our retaliation, so he went to the South China Sea or the North Sea."
"Keep looking, even if we find the ends of the earth, we will still find them!"
Jin Feng said coldly.
"Yes!" Han Feng nodded.
Hong Taoping waited for the crane for too long and did not want to delay for a moment. That night, he lit several rows of lanterns in the dock and arranged for workers to unload the cargo.
This is a gantry crane. The accessories are all made in the smelting workshop of Xihewan. The track of the dock has also been laid. It only needs to be assembled.
Under Jin Feng's guidance, it took six days to finally assemble it successfully.
Gantry cranes in previous generations were generally driven by motors. Dakang did not have motors, so Jin Feng could only make roulette wheels and use manpower to replace motors.
Although the lifting and moving speed cannot be compared with the motor, it can still be used normally.
Then Jin Feng asked Han Feng to find a dilapidated three-story ship for testing. In front of Hong Taoping and the dock workers, the gantry crane easily lifted the ship.
Although Jin Feng had explained the principles of the gantry crane to Hong Taoping in detail before, he had always had some doubts before seeing the real thing.
But now that he had witnessed the power of the gantry crane with his own eyes, all his doubts were dispelled!
"With this crane, I will definitely build a sea-going ship for my husband!"
After Hong Taoping was shocked, he patted his chest and promised.
"I'm waiting for that day." Jin Feng also smiled.
Dakang is now said to be safe both internally and externally. After a few years of light corvee and low taxes, the people will be able to recover, and then they will enter a stage of population growth and will need more food.
With a sea-going ship that can travel far, he can go to America to find high-yielding crops such as potatoes, corn, and pumpkins to feed more people.
"Sir, judging from the crane boat just now, it shouldn't be the limit of this gantry crane, right?"
Hong Taoping asked: "What is the heaviest weight that a gantry crane can lift?"
"A building boat like the one just now should be able to lift three or four."
Jin Feng thought for a while and replied: "Of course, if necessary, it shouldn't be a big problem to hang five of them, but it is best not to exceed its maximum load-bearing limit unless it is absolutely necessary, otherwise it will affect its lifespan."
"Can you lift five tower boats?"
Hong Taoping stared and asked: "Sir, this shipyard can't build such a big ship at all. Isn't it a waste for you to build such a big gantry crane?"
"Don't waste it," Jin Feng shook his head and said, "When we build the iron ship, this gantry crane can still be used."
"Build an iron ship?" Hong Taoping was stunned: "How can iron be used to build a ship?"