Chapter 81

After seeing off the Spaniards, Liu Yun hurriedly returned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Inside the Ministry of Internal Affairs building, many police officers were scattered around, chatting idly and doing nothing. Currently, there were no prisoners left in the Ministry's prison or the limestone quarry. During the previous war with the Spaniards, the hundreds of Chaluan and European prisoners of war were all pardoned. These people then participated in the war against the Spaniards. After the war, the Executive Committee kept its promise and granted them the status of free citizens. Therefore, the workers in the limestone quarry were no longer slaves but wage-earning workers. As a result, the Ministry of Internal Affairs police force no longer needed to maintain a large number of overseers, so many police officers were withdrawn.

When these people saw Liu Yun enter, they all greeted him. Liu Yun took off his police cap, smoothed his hair, and said with a smile, "Alright, stop being lazy. You all have work to do."

"What? Boss, really got a job?" A senior police officer, Bai Shui, jumped up and asked, "Damn, when we had prisoners to guard, everyone got daily allowances. Now that the prison is empty, we only get a fixed salary of two dollars a month. If this continues, morale will plummet."

"Do you even need to ask?!" Liu Yun threw his cap to him, turned to pour himself a cup of water, and said while drinking, "The Dinging Fort has ended its pioneering team system and has been officially upgraded to Dinging Township, under the leadership of the Dongfang County government. Minister Jiao of the Ministry of Internal Affairs told me that all of us, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs police, prison guards, and overseers, will be unified into the Dongfang County Police Bureau. Additionally, a public security police station will be set up in Dinging Township, and some of you will be transferred there."

"Only one police station? There won't be enough positions for all of us," Bai Shui said, somewhat dejected. A police station would have at most a chief and a deputy chief. He calculated in his mind and realized there were many competitors, and he had no guarantee of becoming a leader.

"Hey! It's not just one police station," Liu Yun said, taking a big sip of water and then smiling at Bai Shui's eager look. "The coal working group has been established, and they will soon start mining and setting up bases in the Duck Lake (Patos Lagoon) basin. The group leader, Shao, has already selected 12 police officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to accompany them. Don't say I didn't warn you; this is a big opportunity. It's up to you whether you want to seize it or not."

Bai Shui was somewhat conflicted. In his heart, he preferred to stay in Dinging Fort, but considering the intense competition, should he avoid the popular Dinging Township police station and seek a new path in the north? This might be more beneficial for him. Bai Shui was torn.

Ignoring the纠结 and pride of the Ministry of Internal Affairs police, let's shift our focus to the naval shipyard by the Big Fish River. The most eye-catching on the shipyard platform was a double-decked battleship officially designated as the "August 10" class. A Walloon shipbuilder had proposed to Wang Qian that, based on past European naval battles and the naval tactics of the time-travelers, broadside engagements would become the mainstream of naval warfare. Therefore, designing a battleship with multiple decks and primarily armed with broadside cannons was necessary. The naval leaders of the time-travelers, coming from the future, understood that battleships were the backbone of a nation's navy. Thus, Wang Qian readily approved the shipyard's application to build the ship, though he reduced the plan from two to one. This was not out of kindness but a result of his comprehensive considerations.

The lead ship of the "August 10" class, the "August 10," began construction during the war with the Spaniards. Initially, it was just to utilize the large amount of seasoned timber in the shipyard, preventing it from being wasted by insects. The ship was initially designed as a frigate with a displacement of 400-500 tons. However, after the Walloon shipbuilder proposed the idea of a battleship, Wang Qian personally ordered a redesign, which significantly increased the materials and costs.

At the time, someone in the Navy Department roughly calculated that completing this double-decked battleship would require over 900 high-quality redwood trees, most of which would need to be imported from Brazil. Adding the costs of cannons, sails, rigging, ropes, and interior decoration, the total cost was estimated at 80,000 to 100,000 yuan.

Such a high cost was naturally impossible to get approved by the Executive Committee. Therefore, as soon as the war ended and the Executive Committee heard some rumors, they immediately commissioned the Joint Staff to conduct an investigation at the shipyard. At that time, the ship had only been under construction for three months. The investigation team asked Navy Minister Wang Qian about the ship's cost and stated that construction would be halted if it exceeded 50,000 yuan. Wang Qian confidently said it would cost only 50,000 yuan, and the investigation team let the ship, which was to replace the retiring "Yunsheng No. 1," continue.

Of course, the Navy personnel who knew the real situation were not so optimistic. This ship was destined to become a deep pit for the Navy Department. In the coming year, it would be up to Wang Qian to use all his means to keep the ship's construction going. Some in the Navy Department even speculated with a bit of malice that their Minister Wang would have to use a thick-skinned strategy, learning from Russia's tactics in modifying the "Vikramaditya" aircraft carrier for India, but they wondered how the enraged Executive Committee and Joint Staff would view him.

However, today's main focus is not this large warship. Next to it were four small flat-bottomed boats that had already been completed. These boats, with a displacement of 18-20 tons, were specifically designed for the coal working group's expedition into the Duck Lake (Patos Lagoon) basin.

At that moment, some Chaluan laborers were dragging these four flat-bottomed boats into the water. Their task was to safely row these boats to the "Eagle of the East Coast" and the "Galicia Flying Fish," two large ships currently docked at the shipyard, and secure them with ropes. The four small boats would then be towed by the two large ships to the mouth of Duck Lake.

Today, many people had gathered at the naval shipyard, mostly members of the coal working group who were about to set out on an expedition to the Duck Lake basin. According to the plan set by Executive Committee member, Material Minister, and coal working group leader Shao Shude, the first expedition team was to depart on September 2, which was today.

This vanguard expedition team was not small, consisting of two platoons of infantry, one platoon of cavalry, four police or intelligence officers led by Bai Shui, eight prospectors, two intern doctors, one veterinarian, one biologist, and one team leader, totaling 60 people. The Duck Lake basin in southern Rio Grande do Sul was just entering spring, with relatively cold weather, which minimized the risks from dangerous factors like coral snakes and mosquitoes.

The team leader, Captain Xu Yu of the cavalry battalion, looked at the gathered personnel: two platoons of infantry; a platoon of cavalry he personally selected, all veterans; four police and intelligence officers led by Bai Shui, responsible for security; two doctors, Reverend Francis and an English young man; and the prospecting team led by time-traveler Ai Zha.

Strictly speaking, among the 500-plus time-travelers, there were no experts in prospecting. However, this time they were going to find coal near Duck Lake, specifically around Porto Alegre, so it wasn't difficult. At most, it would take more time if they were unlucky. Ai Zha, a young man from Hunan, was under 30 and had no special skills. He was just a regular time-traveler, known as "Ai Zha." However, he had once been sold to a black coal mine in Shanxi and had some experience, making him a rare semi-expert among the time-travelers. Therefore, Shao Shude promoted him to lead the prospecting team and assigned him five Chaluan assistants.

At 9:00 AM, everything was ready, and the expedition team members began boarding the four small boats to row towards the two large ships anchored in the sea. The sheltered bay was calm, and the 60 expedition members divided into four groups, rowing vigorously. Their luggage, weapons, and horses had already been transported to the "Eagle of the East Coast" the previous night. In addition to these items, the "Eagle of the East Coast" also carried some trade goods like liquor, cotton cloth, knives, and iron pots, to be used as bribes if they encountered indigenous people. After all, avoiding conflict was better.

Soon, everyone boarded the two large ships, and the four small boats were securely tied. Leonid Fyodorovich stood on the deck of the "Eagle of the East Coast" and glanced around, frowning. The Chaluan police officer, Ivan, who had challenged him at the police station, was grinning at him from behind. Even more annoyingly, the detestable Navy Lieutenant John Stone was the ship's first mate.

Feeling somewhat depressed, Leonid turned and walked down to the lower deck. Instead of standing on the deck in the cold wind, he decided to take care of his beloved horse.

A breeze blew, and the "Eagle of the East Coast" led the way, followed by the "Galicia Flying Fish," as they sailed out of the naval shipyard and headed north with the wind.