Using charcoal as the main fuel to make iron, this is the executive committee has long been set through the early stage of metal smelting plan, but at present, it seems that there are still big problems in practical use, to ensure a certain scale of pig iron production is not a big problem, but if you want to expand the scale of production, it is not easy to achieve.

The biggest problem with charcoal is that it takes too long to pass through the charcoal kilns used today, and it takes at least five days for each kiln carbon to go from feed to out. The charcoal burned in five days is barely enough for a metallurgical workshop to smelt pig iron, which makes the consumption rate of charcoal much higher than that of production, and the only solution is to increase the production capacity of charcoal.

But this is not something that can be solved by building a few more charcoal kilns, and for each new charcoal kiln, the corresponding logging team must be increased by at least twenty to thirty people. Because fuel has become a strategic reserve material, the logging team has basically stopped using chain saws, and can only rely on axes and saws, and the labor efficiency can be imagined. And the charcoal produced is not only supplied to the metallurgical workshop, but also used as fuel in almost all places where open flames are used in the area of the crossing group. More than half of the output of the six charcoal kilns in operation is supplied to the metallurgical workshop, and the rest is divided among other units. And according to the current development trend, there will only be more and more projects that require fuel, such as the steam engine that will soon be put into practical use, which is also a bottomless pit of fuel consumption.

According to the calculations of Bai Kesi and Liu Xingli, if the metallurgical workshop needs to add another iron-making furnace, then at least four to five new charcoal kilns will need to be built to ensure the smooth progress of production. Considering the investment of steam engines in the future, the number of new charcoal kilns may have to reach more than ten. Such a scale would immediately make the logging team the largest unit under the Executive Committee, and even more than the current number of the two communes combined, and it would be necessary to set up a logging commune to manage it. However, even if another iron-making furnace is added, the output of pig iron will still not meet the development plans drawn up by the Executive Committee, and fuel has become the biggest bottleneck in expanding pig iron production capacity.

Bai Kesi's explanation made the executive committee members immediately realize the severity of the problem, and Ning Qi hurriedly asked: "How much impact will the stagnation of pig iron production have on our development plan?"

Bai Kesi glanced at his notebook and said: "If there is no significant increase in pig iron production during the year, then all the plans we have made before will be delayed because of this, such as the large-scale use of steam engines in industrial production, the manufacture of large-caliber coastal defense guns, the export of iron products, etc., will be affected by different processes. ”

"That means we have to get enough coal as much as possible...... Tao Donglai already understood what Bai Kesi meant, and nodded slowly.

"Even if it's for steelmaking, you have to get coal!" Bai Kesi said categorically: "Let's not talk about it in the distance, I will only say one of the most direct effects, without steel, there are many parts on the steam engine we build that cannot meet the strength requirements, which will seriously affect the efficiency and life of the steam engine." ”

"I remember reading some information before, when the local method was smelting steel in China, it seems that the earthen blast furnaces built by the people also used charcoal as fuel, right?" Gu Kai asked stunned.

"Not to mention charcoal, even wood is used. But that kind of local method of steelmaking could not make any qualified products at all, and the farmers took their iron pot kitchen knives to melt them, and finally only got a pile of scrap iron. In the past 58 years, the output of steel and iron has exceeded 10 million tons, but only the products of state-owned iron and steel plants are actually qualified, and almost all the millions of tons of earth, steel, earth and iron smelted by the private sector are just scrap products. We are now engaged in industrial production, not social movements. After Bai Kesi finished speaking, he stared at Gu Kai, and immediately made the liberal arts student shut up in shame.

"There is no coal in the south of Hainan, but there are coal mines in Danzhou and Qiongzhou in the north, but the production is lignite, which is not very suitable for use as a fuel for smelting steel. In fact, most of the coal we bought from Yazhou was lignite from northern Hainan. Tao Donglai added: "If we want to buy better coal and coke, we will probably have to find a way from Guangzhou." ”

"Buying from Guangzhou, this consumption of coming and going, it is better to mine and dig coal yourself. Yan Chujie said slowly: "I think it is necessary to advance the development plan of overseas coal mines. ”

The so-called overseas coal mine development plan is a mining plan drawn up by the former Preparatory Committee for the future generation of Vietnam's Hongji Coal Mine, which is located in Ha Long Bay in northeastern Vietnam with more than 2 billion tons of coal reserves, is one of the largest coal fields in the whole of Southeast Asia, and is also the closest giant coal mine to Hainan, just 100 nautical miles from the west coast of Hainan Island. The thick coal seams, the thin topsoil, the open-pit mining, and the excellent quality of the coal, which is almost entirely anthracite and coking coal, and has several natural harbors, has been regarded as an important flag in the development plan by the Preparatory Committee at the beginning of the development plan.

When the Preparatory Committee first formulated the plan, Hongji Coal Mine was not a goal that was in a hurry to develop. The Preparatory Committee intends to bring the southern and even western coastal areas of Hainan Island under its jurisdiction, and then develop the Hongji Coal Mine and the Shiroku Iron Mine at the same time, and build the largest coal-iron complex in the whole of Southeast Asia in Shiroku. In the overall development plan of the Preparatory Committee, this step was actually formulated as a medium and long-term goal, but it was not expected that the plan would not change quickly, and the Preparatory Committee thought that it could rely on self-produced charcoal and imported coal and coke to get through the initial stage of development, but did not expect that in less than three months after the crossing, fuel has become the biggest bottleneck restricting industrial production.

"To develop the Hongji Coal Mine, we need to solve two problems. Ning Qi wrenched his fingers and said, "First, manpower." If you don't have enough manpower, even if you go there and barely mine, you won't have enough production to supply the base camp. Second, capacity. With our current level of capacity, I am afraid it will not be able to meet the actual needs. ”

"I don't think it's something that can't be solved. Yan Chujie seemed to have considered this, and immediately responded: "In terms of manpower arrangement, we don't need to send too many people from the main operation, we only need to select some hard-working people from the current commune to move over, and we can directly hire most of the miners locally." What we needed to develop the Hung Kai Coal Mine was a local management team and an armed force sufficient to ensure safety. ”

"But what was the situation in Vietnam during this period? The regime there should be called Annan now, right? If we venture to open mines there, will it cause hostility?" Tao Donglai asked with some concern. Although the level of force of the Vietnamese will not be much higher than that of the Ming Dynasty's guards, if they want to build overseas bases there across the ocean, open mines and ports, and reside manpower, they must first consider security issues. And Vietnam's domestic form at this time is definitely an important reference.

The only person present who could answer this question was Ning Qi, a history buff, who cleared his throat and gave a brief explanation of the situation that Tao Donglai asked.

At the beginning of the 15th century, Vietnam was occupied by the Ming Dynasty army for nearly 20 years, when Vietnam was called "Annam", and later the Ming Dynasty government set up three official offices in the local command, political envoy and inspection envoy, and renamed Vietnam "Cochin". After Vietnam regained its independence in 1427, the Ming government canonized the puppet monarch of the time as the "King of Annam", and Annam was mired in civil strife for two hundred years.

In the middle of the 16th century, because of years of war, Annam even fell into a situation of division between the north and the south. It was not until the end of the 16th century that Zheng Song, a general of the Later Li Dynasty, defeated the Mo Dynasty entrenched in the north, allowing the Li Dynasty to unify Annam. However, the calamity of Annam did not usher in peace because of this, and soon the Lê dynasty was reduced to a political puppet, and the new powerful ministers of the Truong and Nguyen clans rose in the north and south respectively, once again forming a situation of confrontation between the north and the south.

"This is what Vietnam is now...... No, it should be Annan, who is on the verge of a civil war? That daring is good, maybe our first arms deal can fall on these monkeys!" Yan Chujie immediately became excited when he heard this. To the local people, it may be true, but for people with ulterior motives, a war-torn country often means great benefits.

"In fact, in 1627, the period in which we are now, there was a war between the North and the South. From this year until 45 years later, the two sides of the confrontation have fought a total of seven large-scale wars, and the final result is a peace. Ning Qi obviously agreed with Yan Chujie's opinion, and continued: "If we can make reasonable use of Annan's current domestic situation, then the benefits that can bring us are not only arms exports, but also a large number of refugees who have fled the war zone, which is also a human resource that we can make full use of." If we can contain enough manpower, then we can even directly divide one side of the local area, like Sanya, and form an area independent of the local government. ”

The thought of the possibility of tens of thousands of war refugees immediately turned red eyes of the executive committee members present, and this war will continue in Annam for decades, which means that there will be a large number of refugees during this period. This large population, not to mention the development of the Hongji coal mine, as long as it is used properly, can really prop up a new puppet regime in the Beibu Gulf region, as Ning Qi said.

Tao Donglai slapped his palm on the table: "Whether it's population or coal, we have to take it!"