The land surface of South Island is a pear-shaped oval, with the long axis running northeast-southwest. It is 240 kilometers long, 210 kilometers wide, and covers an area of 33,900 square kilometers. It is smaller than Taiwan Island and is currently the second largest after Datang, a Japanese island province. island.
The island has dense tropical rainforest and clear blue water. It has two seasons in a year: dry season and rainy season.
Hainan Island is low-lying on all sides and high in the middle, with a dome-shaped mountain topography, with Wuzhishan and Yinggeling as the core of the uplift, gradually descending toward the periphery, forming an annular layered landform of mountains, hills, mesas, and plains, with an obvious ladder structure.
Shilu Iron Mine is located at the foothills of Jinniuling Mountain in the southwest. The total area of the mining area is 60 square kilometers and the iron ore reserves are about 300 million. Because it is in a mountainous area, excavation is not very convenient, especially in the tropical rainforest in the south.
Fortunately, most of the terrain here is relatively flat. Before the work of large-scale machinery, it would be difficult to transport large-scale mines from here. But as long as we cross this section of land and reach the river, it will be much better. .
This stretch of road may seem smooth, but once it reaches the rainy season in Hainan, the continuous heavy rain and the sea breeze will 100% turn it into piles of mud. If you want to get rich, build the road first.
Li Mingda conveyed his thoughts to Gan Ning. Gan Ning said that what he was looking for was the navy general who needed support, so Li Mingda dropped Pang Tong to him.
Before Pang Tong left, Li Mingda told him what rails and small mine carts were in the mining area. There was plenty of wood in Hainan, and there would be no shortage of stones in the mountainous areas. The rails did not require much quality, and they were processed from Panzhihua. Transportation is enough. For a small mine cart, you only need a thin layer of iron sheet, and not so much in the early stage. In the later stage, they will build a smelting plant, so they will naturally make the things themselves.
summer
The rainy season arrives in Hainan
The rain was pouring from the sky non-stop, and the heavy raindrops were accompanied by the sea breeze. The warships carrying the flags of the Tang Dynasty's East China Sea Fleet had already sailed into the Changhua River from the sea to the Beibu Gulf, and were walking along the Changhua River. , is also the river closest to the mine.
Because this area is surrounded by mountains and rivers, the entire Changhua River is not suitable for navigation by large ships. If it is to be fully used, it must be transformed.
Fleet docked in the bay
Pang Tong and Gan Ning took a small boat, brought craftsmen from Panzhihua, reformed prisoners pulled from various prisons, and thousands of preliminary soldiers and other basic tools to the site to start construction.
Gan Ning had already seen the rainy weather in the south, and had made preparations early. He did not simply build a house with wood, but built it with stones as the foundation, along with wood and a small amount of cement.
Although it looks a bit weird, it is still solid. The large rocks inside do not meet the optimal proportions, but it is enough for the preliminary work.
There are naturally snakes in Hainan. When it rains heavily, some snake repellent medicines are washed away. Fortunately, the rain is relatively heavy and this guy doesn't want to come out.
"Commander Pang, how many days will this rain last?"
"Yes, it will indeed take a few days. This mine will be temporarily suspended. However, these are open-pit mines and are easy to mine. It will not be long before we can start self-sufficient production of tools."
Gan Ning nodded: "My lord is still awesome. He even knows about such a good iron mine."
Pointing to the sky, Pang Tong said with a smile: "My lord, I think I know that the work of you and me is not easy now. To be honest, I am just a counselor. Why do you need me to come here to organize the mine?"
"Those who are able should work harder. This mine will be supplied to Li Moyun in the future, right?"
"Yes, Xingba, the infrastructure construction here will be almost completed in one month. The proposed smelting plant will still take a while. You must leave enough personnel for safe work. Although His Majesty has handed over the mine here. Here you go, work at sea is your duty, remember to always keep an eye on the monkeys on those islands."
Speaking of those monkeys, Gan Ning sneered from the corner of his mouth: "Humph, a bunch of scum, that stick-haired guy still wants to be an enemy of the Tang Dynasty and our East China Sea Fleet. If they cause trouble again, just pull them over and continue mining. It's just right." There is a lack of labor here. The prisoners in the country are all serving their sentences. When the time comes, let them go back. Those monkeys, hehehe."
An extreme sneer can show how cruel this powerful navy general who was born as a water thief is.
Seeing Gan Ning's ferocious look, Pang Tong smiled slightly: "Okay, I know you are powerful, how did Li Moyun perform there?"
When Pang Tong mentioned Li Moyun, Gan Ning was slightly stunned, and then asked Pang Tong: "Old Pang, what are you thinking about?"
Pang Tong smiled. He knew what his question had made Gan Ning think, and explained: "Nothing, just asking about his situation. Li Moyun is talented and knowledgeable. The entire Southeast Asian province is under his governance very well, Your Majesty." The tasks assigned to him, whether it is the military port, the shipyard, or the management of those second-class citizens, are all very good, but there is one thing that is not enough."
Gan Ning looked at Pang Tong's wretched look and suddenly came to his senses: "Well, it's not like I haven't told him before. Maybe he doesn't like monkeys. Why don't we find a girl from a good family in Chang'an City and send him over?" , kill two birds with one stone”
"This matter needs to be brought up by him himself, but I think he should have realized that the girl, who has been in Chang'an City for so long, will always attract the attention of some girls from official families around the former prince Li Chengqian. These people Although some of them have been disposed of, there are still two smart ones left."
"Then I will ask him later and ask him to take care of his matter as soon as possible, so that everyone will not have to worry about it."
"That's fine. You can go back when the rain stops. Leave this place to me for now. I'll bring more people next time."
"I know, but now you see it's raining, so why not play cards?"
"Can"
The two of them brought over a familiar general. They were all directly subordinate to Emperor Mingzun. Although their official positions were quite different, they were naturally more familiar with each other than the local generals.
three days later
the rain stopped
After the storm, a rainbow naturally appears
There was stagnant water in some places on the construction site. He led people to clear the rainwater, and then started his own intense and orderly work.
Under the command and supervision of the craftsmen, the temporary small blast furnace was started, and some heavy components that could not be transported were cast on site, slowly completing the construction of the smelter.
After saying goodbye to Pang Tong, Gan Ning led his team and set off again to Southeast Asia Province to find Li Moyun.
in the north
Summer has just arrived. Located in the mountains of Anshan, among the personal flags of Gongsun Zan and the dragon flag of the Tang Dynasty and Li Mingda's sun, moon and star flag, tens of thousands of soldiers of the Tang Dynasty were stationed here to supervise the Goguryeo prisoners of war who began to dig. As far as Hainan is concerned, the scale here is obviously much larger.
To be continued
