Chapter 41

PS: First update of the day! Please add to your favorites, and give me recommendation tickets and dream tickets! Thank you for the generous support from the book friend "Glorious Charter"!

The shipyard of Feiyu Company is located at the dock on the seaside of Feiyu City. However, the scale of this shipyard is very small, capable of building only fishing boats. Although there are plans to build some small merchant ships, building the 'Shark-class' cruisers designed by Long Yufei still poses significant challenges. Even with the design drawings provided by Long Yufei, building a ship over a thousand tons at once is still a daunting task for the workers and craftsmen of the shipyard. This is why Long Yufei initially requested only two ships to be built. The workers can use these two ships to gain experience, and once they have accumulated sufficient expertise, building subsequent warships will be much easier!

According to Long Yufei's plan, the Feiyu Army's navy must have a fleet of at least 24 'Shark-class' cruisers by the end of two years. It is now 1836, so two years later will be 1838. By then, the influence of Feiyu Company must be further expanded, at least to the entire Luzon Archipelago. Only then will Feiyu Company have the strength to stand up to the Western powers. The Western powers will soon launch a large-scale invasion of the East, and the time left for them is not much.

The 'Shark-class' cruiser is merely a transitional warship. Long Yufei hopes that the main warships of the Feiyu Army's navy in the future will be ironclad ships powered by steam. However, the current technology is far from sufficient, so this is a compromise. Even so, there are still many difficulties. Long Yufei now spends most of his time, apart from handling government and military affairs, at the shipyard, discussing with the craftsmen and workers how to solve the problems encountered during construction.

The 'Shark-class' cruiser designed by Long Yufei is over sixty meters long, and the keel of the warship has very high requirements. Originally, Long Yufei planned to use wrought iron to build the keel, but this would significantly increase the weight of the warship, raise the draft, and reduce the speed, which does not align with the design philosophy of the 'Shark-class' cruiser. In the end, the old craftsmen of the shipyard suggested using teak for the keel. Teak is hard and has excellent resistance to expansion, making it suitable for sea vessels. Teak is mainly distributed in the Indochinese Peninsula and the South Seas region, and there is also teak in the forests of Mindanao. This solves the material problem for the shipyard. They just need to send a group of natives into the forest to cut down the trees and transport them back to the shipyard via the Agusan River.

This construction of the 'Shark-class' cruiser is a rare opportunity for Feiyu Company's shipyard. If successful, they will master more technology, which will be sufficient for building both warships and merchant ships in the future!

By late May, the climate in Mindanao was already very hot. Before his穿越, Long Yufei would either stay in the library or the laboratory during the summer, both of which had air conditioning. But now, the humid and stifling climate of Mindanao is really hard for him to bear!

"Commander, Lord Liu Mingde requests an audience!" Li Hu, Long Yufei's guard captain, reported.

"Please have him come in!" Long Yufei tidied his appearance and said.

Soon, Liu Mingde walked into Long Yufei's study. After the establishment of the Government Department, Liu Mingde was in charge of Feiyu Company's finances and industry, making him a powerful figure. Although Feiyu Company currently has significant financial problems and almost no industry, its future potential is limitless. Therefore, the old man Liu Mingde seems to have entered a second spring in his life, full of energy.

"Lord Liu, please sit down!" Long Yufei stood up to greet him.

"Thank you, Commander!" Liu Mingde bowed to Long Yufei before sitting down. Among the many high-ranking officials of Feiyu Company, Liu Mingde is undoubtedly the most rule-bound. However, these rules make Long Yufei, a modern person, feel somewhat uncomfortable. Seeing an old man bow to him always feels very awkward.

"Lord Liu, what is it?" Long Yufei asked directly.

"Commander, it's like this! A messenger from the Lin family has arrived, and I think you should meet him personally!" Liu Mingde said.

"Lin family? Which Lin family?" Long Yufei was a bit confused.

"Commander, it's the Lin family from Zamboanga! The second son of the Lin family has come to Feiyu City personally!" Liu Mingde said.

Zamboanga is an important port city on the western coast of Mindanao, located on the narrow Zamboanga Peninsula. When Admiral Zheng He sailed to the Western Seas, he visited this place and proclaimed the might of the Ming Dynasty. Subsequently, Chinese people gradually came here and continued to live and thrive. The Chinese settlements in Mindanao are mainly in the northern coastal plains and Zamboanga. It is estimated that the total number of Chinese in Zamboanga is about 30,000. The Lin family is a prominent Chinese family in Zamboanga, equivalent to the leader of the local Chinese community.

"Oh! What do they want?" Long Yufei asked in surprise. Zamboanga Peninsula is nominally part of the Sultanate of Maguindanao. However, due to the large number of Chinese people and their significant influence, even the Sultan of Maguindanao seems to have tacitly accepted the autonomy of the Chinese in Zamboanga. As long as the Chinese pay their taxes, the Sultanate of Maguindanao generally turns a blind eye to Zamboanga. However, Long Yufei has a certain disdain for the Chinese in Zamboanga. The Chinese in Mindanao and the South Seas are living in dire straits, but they only care about their own well-being and do not think about helping their fellow countrymen. This self-centered approach is something Long Yufei finds very despicable.

"Our suppression of the Mangabang tribe has caused a stir throughout Mindanao, and the Chinese in Zamboanga have also heard about it. They want to cooperate with us!" Liu Mingde said.

"Alright, let them come. I'll meet them!" Long Yufei said. Although he disapproves of the actions of the Chinese in Zamboanga, if Feiyu Company wants to dominate the South Seas, it must unite all possible allies. If the Chinese in Zamboanga are willing to join Feiyu Company and follow his orders, Feiyu Company's strength will be further expanded.

"Yes, Commander!" Liu Mingde nodded.

Half an hour later, Liu Mingde brought a middle-aged man in his forties to Long Yufei's study, and the Minister of the Government Department, Li Decheng, also came along. After all, this involves negotiations with another Chinese power, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Government Department.

"Commander, this is Lin Zihao, the second son of the Lin family! Lin Er, this is the Commander of Feiyu Company! This is Minister Li of the Government Department!" Liu Mingde introduced both sides.

"Greetings, Commander Long, Minister Li!" Lin Zihao smiled. The Lin family in Zamboanga mainly engages in the mining and smelting of red and purple copper, as well as shipbuilding, making them one of the larger Chinese families in the South Seas. Lin Zihao is mainly responsible for the Lin family's external business and is known for his shrewdness and ability to deal with people.

"Lin Er, please sit down!" Long Yufei said.

"Thank you, Commander!" Lin Zihao sat down and started making small talk to ease the atmosphere. In this regard, Long Yufei, a tech enthusiast, was clearly no match for Lin Zihao.

"This Lin Er is quite capable. If the Lin family genuinely wants to join us, he could be a good candidate for a diplomatic role!" Long Yufei thought to himself. He himself is not good at socializing and always admires people who are skilled in communication.

"Commander Long, the Chinese in Zamboanga are very excited to hear that Feiyu Company has suppressed the Mangabang tribe, which has intimidated the native tribes throughout Mindanao. For the past few hundred years, we Chinese have suffered a lot from these natives. Feiyu Company's victory has truly made us feel proud!" Lin Zihao said.

"This is just what we should do. Those natives are uncivilized savages who dared to bully the Chinese. They are asking for death! However, I understand that the Chinese in Zamboanga have been living quite well, haven't they?" Long Yufei said.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Lin Zihao's face, but it quickly disappeared. He knew that Long Yufei was probably dissatisfied with the Chinese in Zamboanga for not helping other Chinese in other regions. He explained, "Commander, the Chinese in Zamboanga are indeed better off. However, we also face significant pressure. The Sultanate of Maguindanao has always been coveting the wealth of Zamboanga. If not for the unity of the Chinese in Zamboanga, it might have been occupied by the Moros long ago. As for the Chinese in other regions, we are truly powerless to help them!"

Long Yufei nodded. Although he knew this was an excuse, he did not intend to pursue it further. "Each person sweeps the snow from their own doorstep and does not care about the frost on others' roofs!" This is a common habit among many Chinese, even those overseas. As long as their own lives are comfortable, they rarely concern themselves with other people's affairs. However, since Long Yufei has come to this era, he will no longer allow such things to happen. The Chinese overseas must unite, only then can they stand up to the West and dominate the entire South Seas!

"So, what brings you to Feiyu City, Lin Er?" Long Yufei asked directly.

"Commander Long, the rise of Feiyu Company has excited the Chinese in Mindanao, which is very helpful in improving the status of the Chinese! Therefore, Zamboanga hopes to cooperate with Feiyu Company. We hope to purchase a batch of advanced muskets from Feiyu Company!" Lin Zihao said.

---

End of the page.