January 5, 1677, a sunny day in the port of Araucan in the southern cone.

In a dock at the Pacific Shipyard of the Southern Railway Company, the maintenance of the three-masted schooner "Andean Vulture" has been carried out in the middle of the plate. Dozens of craftsmen and apprentices have replaced the planks of the ship that have been badly damaged by sea maggots, as well as the vast amount of barnacles, seaweeds and other plankton that cling to the bottom of the ship. These things are too much of a drag on the ship's speed, and if you don't clean it up, the ship won't be able to walk.

The next period of work is to apply a mixture of tar and sulfur to the bottom of the ship, and then fix some iron nails or glass slag on top to make it more difficult for plankton to attach. The whole process will probably cost a thousand yuan, and if you include the cost of replacing rotten wood, masts, cables and repairing canvas, it may be even higher. It can be seen that navigation in this era is not only a high-risk thing, but also a high-cost thing, and the shipbuilding industry has always been an enduring industry.

"This ship is only about 500 tons, and it crosses the entire Pacific Ocean, is it reliable?" Standing on the balcony on the top floor of a villa outside the shipyard, Xu Xiangdong, who was holding a cigarette, pointed to the "Andean Vulture Eagle" under renovation and asked his friend Yu Xingguo.

"This is the third time you've asked me today." Yu Xingguo, who was drinking yerba mate, reluctantly put down the white porcelain teacup, spread his hands, and said, "It must be safe—uh, well, at least it's relatively safe." You must know that many of the merchant ships that travel between the New World and the French ports of Bordeaux, La Rochelle and Nantes are only 50 tons, which is one-tenth the size of the 'Andean Vulture Eagle'. The Spanish Manila galleons that crossed the Pacific Ocean were only 200-250 tons, and many merchant ships from England to China were less than 200 tons. They're still alive and kicking, what are you worried about? If it really doesn't work, don't go this time, just send a trustworthy subordinate to the Far East, my Excellency Vice President. ”

"Where are the merchant ships of the British and Portuguese alive, and the wreckage rate is more than one-third, have you not heard that there is not a ship that can safely travel between China and Europe three times in a row? Although it was the 16th century, and now the ships are bigger and more technologically advanced, sailing is still a game for the brave. Otherwise, why wouldn't a big businessman like you, the boss, who has earned a lot of money, want to experience the great cause of crossing the Pacific Ocean for yourself? Xu Xiangdong took a puff of cigarette and continued to argue with his friend, as if to relieve his inner boredom.

"Don't provoke me so much. I had crossed the Pacific more than once in my twenties, and I wouldn't have minded being brave again if it weren't for the fact that I'm old now and my mother is vehemently opposed. In fact, it is interesting to think about the people who acted as pirates in the Caribbean, and you said that he would rather give up his position as a member of the Founding Parliament to his brother than go freely to the sea, do you also look down on us who live all day long? Yu Xingguo leaned back on a rocking chair, and his expression was quite leisurely and fascinated.

"Alright, don't talk about what you don't have. The three-masted sailing ship of more than 500 tons is also okay, and now it has been renovated again, if it sinks in the middle of the accident, then I have nothing to say, it's all fate! I, Xu, have not continued to be prosperous and rich! In short, I have to go to Denglai this time, otherwise, why should I be the president of the Southern Railway Company? Xu Xiangdong took another puff of cigarette and said with a wry smile: "Don't look at me as the executive vice president, it seems that I am the second person in the company, but there are many competitors, which one has no roots?" If someone else gets things done over there and lays the foundation for the company's development in the next few decades, then I can only continue to sit in the position of vice president, and the head of the company must be someone else's, there is no doubt about it. ”

In fact, to some extent, Xu Xiangdong is right. Although he is the executive vice president of the company and the next head of the Southern Railway Company recognized by many army veterans, all this has not been officially appointed after all. Moreover, the army is a rule-oriented group after all, and once someone is willing to cross the sea to Denglai at this time, negotiate with local officials about the construction of the Jiaoyan Line and the Taorong Line Railway, and determine the profit growth point of the Southern Railway Company in the next few decades, one can imagine how much credit this is, and it is not impossible to jump from the middle and top level of the company to the president. Therefore, Xu Xiangdong, the prince of the Southern Railway, also had to take a boat to Yantai ruthlessly, so as not to cut off the throne he had booked by others.

"In fact, the Southern Railway has basically decided to shift the focus of development to Chinese mainland, and your trip across the ocean to Denglai is also deserved." Go, go, go over there to establish a good team, draw more benefits, and the company will not be able to escape the palm of your hand in the future. Yu Xingguo said softly: "My 'Antarctic Wolf' has been off for two years and has not returned, this time, the 'Andean Vulture Eagle' will send you to Denglai, it will take more than half a year on the way, you talk about some things and do some work, I guess I won't see you in three years, right?" It's strange to miss it, or I'll go out this time, let's go with you, how about it? You know, I'm also a veteran captain, a full-fledged navigator registered in the port of Araucan. ”

"Three years? You are too optimistic, less than! Xu Xiangdong dusted off his cigarette ash and said with a smile: "I won't be able to come back at all without four or five years." It would take a year on the way there—if I'm lucky enough to make it to Yantai alive—and then I would be able to deal with all sorts of things, run for the railway line, negotiate terms with the local government, ask for land, money, and materials, then participate in the planning of the specific route of the railway and other preliminary work, and finally personally supervise the construction of the railway line for some time, and it would be nice if I could come back before the New Year in 1681, and maybe return home in three years. Hehe, that's only in a dream! So, less, I really envy you sometimes, free and easy, not too much pressure, how good! ”

"Hehe, every family has a scripture that is difficult to read, but I rarely recite it in front of you." Yu Xingguo smiled when he heard this, lay on the rocking chair and waved his hand, and said: "Go, go, anyway, the franchise of Peruvian trade will expire at the end of next year, and your company's business volume should shrink to a certain extent at that time." Even if it still occupies the largest share of trade at the beginning, the decline is inevitable over time, and it is time to look for new sources of profit growth. But with all due respect, you're probably never going to find a business as lucrative as the Southern Cone Railway, you know what I mean, I'm not talking about the freight that comes from rail transport, but the profits from the trade monopoly that comes with it. In the future, even if you repair the two railways called the Jiaoyan Line and the Taorong Line, it is estimated that you will only be able to earn some freight, and the income from some railway annexes will be nothing compared to the benefits of Peruvian trade. ”

"This is also inevitable, we have monopolized Peruvian trade for so many years, and the business has been done in the five major trade centers of Maurin, Lima, Guayaquil, Panama, and Acapulco, doing millions of dollars of business every year, I don't know how many people are red-eyed. Therefore, the trade monopoly expires at the end of next year, and when the railway is handed over again in ten years, there will really be nothing. You have also seen that in the past two years, the local government affairs have basically been handed over to the gang of guys in the Government Affairs Yuan, and many counties have been separated from the jurisdiction of the Southern Railway, which is the national land of the Eight Classics, and the power of the Southern Railway has shrunk greatly. Xu Xiangdong sat back in the house, lit a cigarette for himself, frowned and said: "So this time, President Mao Desheng Mao worked hard to finally get the executive committee to agree to build a railway in the Denglai area of the Far East, otherwise, the future of the Southern Railway may not be very optimistic." ”

In the past year or two, the Southern Railway Company has consciously begun to transform, such as some unimportant assets began to be gradually cleaned up and cashed out, in order to obtain enough funds to purchase all kinds of railway equipment, and go to the Far East to build railways - strictly speaking, the Southern Railway Company is not very short of money, but this time they want to build the Jiaoyan Line and Taorong Line Railway at the same time, which is to make big news, and the financial burden will suddenly become heavier - among them, the more eye-catching asset sales include the sale of the Southern Railway Transportation Company, The sale of the South Iron Flour Mill, the sale of the South Iron Leather Mill, the sale of the South Iron Oil Mill, the sale of the South Iron Brick Kiln, and the sale of several scattered lumber yards and wood processing plants.

These companies are either local wealthy households (who usually need to join forces to eat the next one), or foreign investors, or state-owned enterprises (such as the Nanhai Group, which swallowed the Southern Railway Transportation Company), and provided the Southern Railway Company with nearly one million yuan in cash, which is enough for them to build more than 60 kilometers of railways in the Far East.

Of course, the enterprises under the Southern Railway that are currently more profitable, such as the Southern Railway Trading Company, the Southern Railway Brewery, the Southern Railway Fishery Company, the Southern Railway Machinery Processing Factory, the Pacific Shipyard and other enterprises are still in their hands, and there is no intention of selling them for the time being. In addition, institutions that still have many functions, such as the Southern Railway Weekly Newspaper, Southern Railway Sanatorium, Southern Railway Medical Research Institute, Southern Railway Women's and Children's Hospital, and Southern Railway Guest House, will not be sold for the time being, and will continue to remain in the hands of the company.

All in all, after obtaining permission from the Executive Committee to build railways overseas, the Southern Railway Company has now strengthened its determination to sell some unnecessary assets on the east coast, so that it can have greater strength to start investing in the construction of the Jiaoyan Line and Taorong Line Railway, after all, that is the future of the Southern Railway Company.

As the company's executive vice president, Xu Xiangdong has reviewed many documents and checked many accounts, and knows that the company has communicated with shareholders several years in advance, greatly reducing the proportion of dividends, and now the company has accumulated more than one million yuan of undistributed profits in its account with United Industrial Credit Bank. If you count the small one million cash raised by selling all kinds of assets under its name, now the Southern Railway Company has 2 million yuan in cash, and it is not an exaggeration to describe it as "financially powerful", because this money can really do too much!

According to the plan of the Southern Railway Company, the 2 million yuan of funds will basically be spent locally, which will be used to purchase and hoard a large number of railway equipment, recruit qualified technical personnel, and rent transport vessels. As for the labor costs of leveling the foundation and laying the railroad tracks, and the workers' food, lodging, and medical expenses, we will find a way when the time comes—since the Denglai pioneer team wants to pull them to build the railway, how can they not pull out a dime and not benefit at all? At the very least, they also had to find a way to requisition a large number of laborers to reduce the labor costs of the railway construction department. In addition, it is also appropriate to seek a certain amount of low-interest loans from enterprises such as banks in Taiwan, otherwise why would the Southern Railway Company go there to build the railway?

One of the main tasks of Xu Xiangdong's boat trip to Denglai this time was to negotiate with local officials on the details of personnel requisition, food supply, bank loans, etc., and in addition to this, it would involve technical issues in railway construction. It can even be said that the speed of the construction of the Jiaoyan Line and Taorong Line Railway directly depends on the support of the Denglai Pioneer Team government for their Southern Railway Company. Originally, the Southern Railway had already talked with Liao Xiaoyao, the commander of the Denglai Pioneer Team, and Commander Liao was also very supportive of this, and had allocated some materials and food to their project preparation department, and also promised to levy manpower locally in the future to assist them in building the railway.

However, when the Southern Railway Company learned that Commander Liao Xiaoyao had boarded the ship and returned to the mainland on the east coast (the current position of the captain of the Denglai Pioneer Team was represented by Liu Jianguo, and the captain of the Heishui Pioneer Team was held by Chen Ke, who was transferred from the mainland), they realized that all this might be variable, so they finally decided to send a high-level figure to the Far East in person to deal with the current relatively complicated situation there.

So, in such a context, Xu Xiangdong finally took the initiative to ask for help, and after obtaining the approval of the company's president Mao Desheng, he decided to leave for Denglai to run for the future of the Southern Railway Company. Today is the beginning of January 1677, and he and about a dozen attachés have been waiting in the port of Araucan for several days, according to the current progress of the work of the Pacific Shipyard, about a week or so to finish the maintenance of the ship, and then load the goods and personnel, and set off for the port of Yantai in the jurisdiction of the Den Lai Pioneer Group via the Turtle Islands, Tahiti, and Rabaul. Calculating the time, it almost happened to arrive in Shandong in the summer and autumn when the southeast wind rose off the coast of China, and the whole journey took more than half a year.