On the tenth day after the fleet sailed out of the Strait of Magellan, it finally sailed into the bay. It also has a Spanish name called Saavedra Bay. It is a bay 12 kilometers long and 3 kilometers wide. It is not that big.
It is a bay, but it is also a rare natural harbor.
When the fleet sailed into the bay, there were parked in the bay several immigrant ships that had arrived one after another. These immigrant ships brought tens of thousands of Chinese immigrants from the other side of the Pacific Ocean and provided sufficient labor for the railway construction site.
Immigrants from Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui and even Henan, Zhili and other places crowded on the deck and looked at the city curiously.
Linhai is a city very similar to Nanhua. They both prospered because of immigrants. After the construction of the Pacific Railway started, tens of thousands of immigrants landed here and entered Shanxi - that is, Araucania. After tens of thousands of laborers
Thanks to the efforts of the people, the railway line was built from the sea to the Central Valley, and then advanced into the Andes Mountains.
Every day, trains departing from the port transport a large amount of road construction materials and labor to the hinterland.
"Did you see it? This is the only port in Shanxi. All people go ashore here to enter the mainland."
Like most Chinese workers, Zhao Pingli, as an official, also likes to call Araucaña "Shanxi". In fact, whether it is Shanxi or Patagonia, which is called Shandong, to a certain extent, both are influenced by the capital.
It holds a certain hope for the Chinese workers.
They who live here hope to integrate into this land one day. In fact, when they are in such a far away place, everyone understands that although Tangshan is good, they will definitely not be able to go back.
Not to mention that a boat ticket costs tens of dollars. Without a passport issued by the Immigration Department, no boat will take them back. In a word, they will spend the rest of their lives here.
"In the future, when the Pacific Railway is completed, Linhai will be the first stop for immigrants from Tangshan. In the future, even the Great Eastern will definitely dock here. Did you see that there are enough ship repair yards and large docks over there?
Three hundred and sixty meters long, it is specially used for the Great Eastern."
Zhao Pingli pointed to the shipyard in the distance with a slightly proud expression. After all, such a large shipyard is extremely rare in the world.
“Such a big shipyard was actually built!”
For Li Xuelin and others who came to the sea for the first time, they were a little surprised when they looked at the shipyard in the distance and thought that it could accommodate the "Great Eastern".
However, despite being surprised, they breathed a sigh of relief. After all, on the way here, they were still worried about the maintenance of the warship. Now that there is a shipyard, they no longer need to worry about this problem.
"I said that Linhai in the future will be the west gate of Nanhua. Sirs, please come here this time."
Zhao Pingli said with a smile.
"It's here to guard the west gate. In the past, we only had a small wooden-hulled gunboat here. It was said to be a warship of the garrison. In fact, it was only used to rescue fishermen. By the way, our place is not as good as Nanhua. There is no
There are only a few factories, but the fishing industry is very developed. Our canned food is not only sold to the United States, but also to Europe."
Although Linhai is still some distance away from the four famous fishing grounds of later generations, the "Peruvian Fishing Grounds", the fishery resources here are also extremely rich. As early as the beginning of Linhai's opening, it was established by introducing the latest European trawlers and other facilities.
In the fishing industry, hundreds of thousands of tons of fish caught every year not only provide the Chinese workers with sufficient meat, but are also exported to various countries. Whether it is San Francisco in the United States or Xinjinshan in Australia, the cheap "canned fish" is very popular with the Chinese workers.
.
"You are here at the right time, because our relationship with the Chileans is very tense, so fishing companies are always worried about being attacked by the Chileans when they go to sea..."
While speaking, Zhao Pingli patted the thick barrel of the turret - the barrel was nearly as thick as a person, and it looked really spectacular.
"With a big guy like this, you don't have to worry about them anymore!"
"Do not worry!"
Zhao Ming smiled proudly.
"We are here. If the Chileans dare to attack our fishing boats, they will never come back!"
He is not boasting. At present, the Chilean Navy does not have even one ironclad ship. Even the two "Tianlong-class" small ironclad ships are enough to arrogantly surpass all other countries in South America. At most, only Peru has to deal with the Spanish invasion in Leer.
The small ironclad ship ordered by De Brothers Shipyard can be compared with it, but the order for Peru has just been issued. Right now, the "Tianlong Class" is the flagpole of the City God Temple here - unique.
"The relationship is good, and with you here, we can feel relieved, right?"
Zhao Pingli smiled brightly.
"By the way, in order to welcome the arrival of the fleet, the mayor specially ordered a reception to be held at the city hall. He also invited all the officers to attend today. If it weren't for the fact that he went to the construction site, he would definitely welcome you personally."
…
The mayor went to the construction site!
Since last year when he took office from Nanhua to Linhai, Wang Ying-jeou has spent half of his time traveling to and from various railway construction sites. For him, who was once the governor of Zhejiang, being the "mayor" of a population of less than 20,000 is absolutely impossible.
He is a man of great talent but he knows very well that as the mayor, he is not just a mayor. Linhai is said to be a city, but in fact it covers the entire Shanxi. And the reason why he came to Linhai is for the Pacific Railway. This is also
The reason why he would travel to and from the railway construction site for a long time. After all, this is the most important thing for the lord. Of course, doing this well is not just a simple achievement for him. It is also the capital for him to gain a foothold in the officialdom in the future.
"At present, the railways in Araucania have basically been completed. The fundamental reason why the railways are not open to traffic is the Andes Mountains. Although our construction speed has been accelerated a lot according to the map, Mr. Mayor, tunnels, tunnels are being built.
The speed is extremely, very slow. When constructing on flat land or mountains, we can increase manpower input... Just like now, we can invest more than 60,000 workers, but Mr. Mayor, the tunnel is only so wide, even if we put the workers
Divided into several shifts, construction continued day and night, but the results were still a bit unsatisfactory..."
On the train leading to the construction site, Wang Yingjiu listened to the introduction of Gaiga, the chief engineer of the railway. He had presided over the construction of the Semmering Railway across the Alps and had very rich experience in mountain railway construction. Of course, this was why the company would hire him.
Reasons for becoming chief engineer.
"And with the arrival of winter, the temperature in the mountains is getting lower and lower. Now, it has begun to snow in many places in the mountains. For safety reasons, my suggestion is to remove the workers and wait until the winter is over before starting construction.
As a result, the construction period will be extended by at least three months, so no matter what, the railway will not be completed this year."
winter is here!
In winter in the Andes Mountains, there will always be heavy snowfall, and people will even freeze to death. Suspension of work is the most normal choice. When Gaiga presided over the construction of the Semmering Railway, it was normal to stop work in winter.
But Wang Yingjiu shook his head and said directly.
"We can't stop work. We need to take advantage of the heavy snow to deliver food and materials to the construction site. Let's try to use this winter to regain three months. You know, Nanhua has been waiting for this railway!"