Chapter 58

Habi was busy here, working hard with pain and joy, with daily sales steadily increasing. On Yang Yuanzhao's side, things were proceeding according to plan. The first batch of tungsten had been placed in boxes, totaling just a few dozen tons, with each box holding over four tons, and about ten boxes in total, which were not very noticeable when placed in the all-in-one machine.

The second batch of black stone arrived, more than half a day earlier than expected. Yang Guanhui appeared again, and this time the quantity was slightly more, 4200 tons, 200 tons more than before. The third batch would also increase slightly due to improved weather conditions and mining efficiency in Jiangxi.

Unfortunately, Jiangxi was a bit far from Baotou. In this era, most of China's mines relied on manual labor, with miners carrying and lifting by hand, and even mining rarely used explosives. The miners dug bit by bit on the mountains, which was not only slow but also dangerous. Unfortunately, he could not reach out to help, and could only plan gradually. Perhaps designing a set of mechanized mining equipment would greatly improve efficiency.

The additional 200 tons of black stone meant an extra thousand or so. To others, this might be a huge sum, but for Yang Yuanzhao, it was no longer significant. Previously, due to establishing the chamber of commerce and purchasing black stone, he had spent a large amount of money. After arriving in Shanghai, he did not find better metals to absorb, leaving him short of funds. Now, the foreign firm had opened, and the first batch of business had started. Even without the signed projects, the daily retail sales were enough to support substantial expenses. The committee's 1888 model, priced at 70 silver dollars each, along with pistols, sold over 600 units daily, generating over 40,000 silver dollars. This did not include the new armies from various regions that had already paid deposits and were close to finalizing deals. If these deals were completed, sales would skyrocket.

In Yang Yuanzhao's view, the German trade route was crucial. Tungsten could open the door to Germany, especially the military sector. In the pre-World War II era, Germany armed the Republic of China partly because of resources like tungsten. Without these resources, Hitler, with his arrogance, would never have taken backward China seriously.

Besides tungsten, China had many other resources, the most representative being hog bristles. This seemed to be part of the livestock industry but was a strategic resource for war. A good hog bristle gun brush could significantly enhance a unit's combat effectiveness, especially in complex battlefield environments, greatly improving the reliability of firearms.

Such strategic resources were not only sought after by Germany but also by Britain and France, who also purchased large quantities in China. Traditional Chinese hog bristles were mostly controlled by major foreign firms. Yang Yuanzhao would not rashly enter this market, as it would provoke resistance from various powers. Instead, he thought about the livestock industry. In the future, China would become a major pig farming country, with concentrated breeding and feed application making pig farming a nationwide endeavor. He could not fully expand in Baotou, but building several large pig farms and meat processing plants was feasible. This would not only ensure a steady supply of by-products in the Baotou area but also provide a continuous and essential strategic resource.

Yang Yuanzhao smiled bitterly. Sometimes, divergent and jumping thoughts were not a good thing. After arriving in Baotou, he almost wanted to do everything, always rushing. However, as he learned more, he realized that things could not be accomplished overnight. A bit of waiting and slowing down seemed better for certain matters.

It had been nearly a month since he left in February, and it was now late March. He had to leave by April at the latest, spending over a week to reach Baotou in time for the cotton planting season. Fortunately, most of the business in Shanghai was completed.

Plastic film, urea, and some simple machines had already been synthesized through the all-in-one machine. During this period, the machine had been working on these. The plastic was not specialized agricultural film but high-molecular material suitable for cotton cultivation. Habi had obediently sent these items to Baotou a few days ago, and they were expected to arrive before him. He could leave Shanghai in a few more days and return to Baotou. However, Feng Yuxiang and the others had not arrived yet, even though they were supposed to come a week later. Perhaps something had delayed them.

Unconsciously, he had been in Shanghai for over ten days. In those ten days, Yang Yue had completed all the tasks and was now waiting for Yang Yuanzhao's results.

Most of the firearms had been moved to the foreign firm by Habi, but the remaining equipment was manageable. Yang Yuanzhao decided to keep it temporarily and plan the route, placing it on the Taiyuan when the time came. Habi could then find a firm employee in Taiyuan to send it out.

Continuous waiting made Yang Yue anxious, but he did not want to ask as Yang Yuanzhao was always busy. Seeing Yang Yuanzhao leave again, he hesitated but did not inquire. The cotton planting preparations were handled in Baotou, and they only needed to return three days before planting, which would start on April 15th. It was only March 20th, so they still had a month.

Unexpectedly, Yang Yuanzhao turned back and asked Yang Yue, "Elder Cousin Ji, do you have any connections in the navy?"

"Navy?" Yang Yue was a bit lost, feeling that Yang Yuanzhao's thoughts were unpredictable. Previously, in Wuhan, they had stayed a day for the Hanyang Iron Works, and now he was thinking about the navy, which seemed unrelated. Just as he was about to speak, Uncle Guang suddenly said, "Why are you asking about the navy?"

"Does Uncle Guang know anyone in the navy? I heard the Hai Qi is docked in Shanghai, and I want to visit it!"

This was a sudden idea. While wandering in Shanghai, he passed by the naval port and saw foreign warships docked on Chinese soil, which felt particularly stifling. A passerby mentioned the Hai Qi, one of the three major warships, recently docked there. He then remembered that China did have warships, and the Hai Qi cruiser was one of the more advanced light cruisers.

With his current capabilities, boarding a foreign warship was almost impossible. Small torpedo boats were not interesting, and battleships were out of the question. It was better to find a domestic warship. Naval guns were powerful, and he was particularly interested in the reciprocating steam engine.

"Hai Qi?" Uncle Guang hesitated and said, "I have dealt with the Beiyang Shipping Bureau before. I'll ask around."

"Thank you, Uncle Guang!"

Yang Yuanzhao left hurriedly. He had to leave Shanghai within ten days, but there were many things to handle. The idea of visiting the Hai Qi came to him while receiving goods by the river. In this era, the pinnacle of technology was not machines but warships, which embodied a country's most advanced technology. Battleships were the most technologically advanced things in the world. If he could board a battleship, it would have an unimaginable impact on Baotou's future industrialization.

For example, a 155mm heavy artillery piece was already a formidable weapon. Artillery pieces larger than 155mm were usually assigned to strategic units or fortresses. However, a regular cruiser could have a 203mm gun, and larger ones could have 333mm, 360mm, or even 406mm guns, which were standard on battleships. The weight and power of the shells increased exponentially with the gun's caliber, and the destructive power grew geometrically. Moreover, warships had steam engines, not ordinary civilian ones, but reciprocating steam engines, which were at least dual-axis or even quad-axis, representing the pinnacle of technology in this era.

"Uncle Guang, is this easy to arrange?" Yang Yue asked, looking at Yang Yuanzhao's hurried back.

"Whether it's easy or not, it all comes down to money. Do you know what Young Master Yang has been doing lately?"

"I don't know," Yang Yue said. He had been running around for fertilizers and seeds and was waiting to return. Yang Yuanzhao was always busy, and he did not ask much.

Uncle Guang shook his head. Although Yang Yue was a direct descendant of the Yang family and had been strictly trained, he was no match for Yang Yuanzhao. He had been closely following Yang Yuanzhao, and although he did not know everything, he knew that Yang Yuanzhao had a close relationship with a prominent foreign firm. Habi, the firm's chief, met with him almost daily.

The Yang family's influence in Shanghai was limited, but their nationwide chamber of commerce had its network. Some crucial information reached his ears. In just a week, the trade volume of this German-American chamber of commerce had reached several million taels. In this era, firearms were in high demand, and all countries were expanding their armies in preparation for the impending European war. Occasionally, selling a few firearms to the Far East could make a small profit, but large-scale sales were rare.

However, this German-American chamber of commerce had somehow managed to secure equipment for five towns, shocking the entire southeastern region. Various logistics officers came one after another, and it was clear that Yang Yuanzhao had a close relationship with the chamber. His expenses had significantly increased, and the Yang family's evaluation of him was rising. Uncle Guang received a telegram from Yang Shitang the previous night, instructing him to support Yang Yuanzhao.

The Yang family's potential influence in China was vast. With their full support, Uncle Guang quickly met with naval officials in Shanghai and established contact with the Hai Qi. The current navy was not like the one during Li Hongzhang's time, with only a few warships left and a drastically reduced budget. With money and the right connections, Uncle Guang successfully made the initial contact.