Chapter 53 of 100

Chapter 53

13 min read3,178 words

This is the sixth day of entering Shanghai. At the riverside dock, a large number of black-roofed boats are moored here. These are the 4,800 tons of black stone that Yang Shixun from Wuhan obtained through various means. It took 48 large river boats and nearly a week to transport them here. At this moment, Habby has already arranged through the Public Works Bureau to find enough dock workers and a team of Indian soldiers to guard them.

"Who is Young Master Yang!" A man who looked like a manager came out and asked Habby and the others.

"That's me!"

"I am Yang Guanhui from Jiangxi. I have been ordered to escort 48 boats of black stone, totaling 4,800 metric tons. Please, Young Master Yang, sign for it!"

Yang Yuanzhao had received a telegram from Yang Shixun at the Yang Family Chamber of Commerce. The collection of black stone was relatively smooth, but the transportation capacity was insufficient. If steamships were used, the cargo capacity would be huge, but the cost would also be very high. Therefore, it was divided into three batches, to be transported over the next week. The first batch was the largest, 4,800 tons, the second batch was 4,000 tons, and the third batch would be 3,200 tons, totaling 12,000 tons.

Such a large number made Yang Yuanzhao very satisfied. Tungsten is a military material that can bring huge profits, but it requires a sufficient quantity. 12,000 tons, regardless of quality, as long as the content is over 20%, can produce 2,400 tons of pure tungsten. This metal, when taken to Germany, would be a significant bargaining chip.

Habby knew about the black stone, which was a key purchase for Germany, mostly for military purposes. In this field, he, a small businessman, even with some background in his hometown, could not get involved. According to the cargo list and prices he had just seen, at such prices, even if he resold it to the Lihe Trading Company, he could make at least 3-5 silver dollars per ton. He suddenly understood why Yang Yuanzhao had rented such a large warehouse. With Yang Yuanzhao's influence in China, he could easily meet the needs of foreign trade. For the trading companies, the hardest part was to establish connections inland, which suddenly became clear.

If Yang Yuanzhao knew what Habby was thinking, he would have laughed out loud. The resale of black stone was just a few dollars per ton, but if tungsten was extracted from black stone, the price would be completely different. In this era, the smelting of non-ferrous metals was just beginning, not only consuming a lot of resources but also causing significant pollution. Therefore, the price of the extracted metal and the ore was almost incomparable.

Habby had already prepared the manpower. The 4,800 tons of black stone were all loaded onto specially arranged vehicles. With nearly 100 laborers, it took only about 2 hours to move all the black stone into the warehouse.

Black stone is heavy but not very expensive. Apart from some German merchants, few others were involved in the import business of black stone. Habby's German identity, to some extent, served as a necessary cover. No one noticed that 12,000 tons of black stone had been quietly transported to Shanghai and stored in the warehouse.

The density of black stone is very high. 4,800 tons of black stone only took up a few hundred cubic meters. The warehouse, except for the innermost room, was empty. The black stone could be piled up without fear of wind or rain. In the absence of attention, Yang Yuanzhao quickly absorbed and tested a portion of the black stone.

Black stone is actually tungsten ore, which is divided into white tungsten ore and black tungsten ore. In this era, white tungsten ore had not yet been discovered, and black tungsten ore was more common, depending on the mining and exploration of the time. Black tungsten ore often contained other minerals, and even local mine owners would mix in impurities for profit. Clearly, the Yang family had some roots in Jiangxi, and the batch of ore they provided was relatively consistent in quality. Yang Yuanzhao tested it from several directions, and the tungsten content was between 43% and 47%, almost equivalent to concentrate in the future.

At this point, Yang Yuanzhao felt a great weight lifted from his mind. With a content of over 40%, the 12,000 tons of black stone transported from Jiangxi could produce at least 5,000 tons of pure tungsten powder. Such pure tungsten powder, to some extent, was a strategic resource in this world, with an extremely high price.

One ton of black stone, even when transported to Germany, would not exceed 50 marks per ton. In this, merchants could make a profit of 15-20 marks, minus the transportation costs, which was still acceptable. The Lihe Trading Company and other German-funded trading companies had been doing this, mostly for strategic reasons. Since the discovery of tungsten's role in alloys, Germany had been trying to acquire raw ore. Even in China, where German influence was weak, they still sent a large number of personnel.

Transporting black stone ore was inconvenient. If it were tungsten powder, the volume would be much smaller, and the transportation cost would be greatly reduced. The price would also increase significantly. Generally, the price of one ton of tungsten concentrate was between 40,000 and 50,000 marks, a thousand times more. The extraction cost was extremely high, and the technology was a major challenge. Apart from Germany, only the large-scale experiments in the UK and the US could produce small batches.

For Yang Yuanzhao, the high cost of extracting tungsten from black stone was nothing. The current decomposition capability of the integrated machine was 8 cubic meters in 10 minutes, or over 1,000 cubic meters in a day. Of course, to avoid attention, it would take a few days to complete. They had already loaded urea, seeds, phone bills, and a large amount of plastic film and some machinery onto the ship. They could return to Shanxi by April with a light load.

In the warehouse, the laborers were working hard, sweating profusely. The black stone that had been weighed was piled up in the warehouse. Habby and the hired accountant began to calculate. After completion, they would send a receipt to Yang Guanhui, who would take it back to Wuhan to exchange for 100,000 silver dollars deposited in the Weijia Bank. This was a relatively rigorous process.

In the end, it took over 2 hours to complete the entire inventory. Yang Yuanzhao quietly absorbed 100 cubic meters of black stone and stopped the ongoing slag extraction. He mixed it at a ratio of 1:2.5. The average content of these black stones exceeded 40%. The current absorption rate of his integrated machine was 85%. If he used only black stone ore, part of the tungsten would be burned as fuel.

For the integrated machine, whether it was gold or other metals, they were the same. As an alien technology at an unknown level, ordinary elements were just a basic energy source. However, for Yang Yuanzhao, he had to make a choice. Under the same consumption, he had to use less valuable elements to replace those with significant importance.

100 cubic meters of black stone mixed with 250 cubic meters of slag and other metals, totaling 350 cubic meters, could run the integrated machine for 8 hours. Fortunately, it was already close to noon. After 8 hours, it would be night, and he had enough time to extract all the black stone. Even with a 2.5 times mix, it would not exceed 2,200 cubic meters, and he could complete the entire purification and refining process in at most two days.

After receiving the receipt, Yang Guanhui did not stay here for long. He informed Yang Yuanzhao that the remaining two batches would arrive in Shanghai in 3 and 5 days. He would wait at an inn and notify them when the goods arrived.

A large transaction of 100,000 silver dollars, even if resold, could make a profit of 70,000 to 80,000 silver dollars, which gave Habby a new understanding of Yang Yuanzhao's strength. A large amount of black stone ore and a large amount of military supplies suddenly filled him with confidence about his future.

Sitting in the carriage, he appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but his consciousness had already entered the integrated machine. The previous decomposition was already complete. Looking at the silver-gray metallic powder in his hand, Yang Yuanzhao smiled. Tungsten concentrate, with a content exceeding 99%, was sufficient for any alloy addition. It was the best and most strategic metal he could find in large quantities, and the best metal for decomposition.

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