If we say that the partial opening of the coastal railway has brought vitality to the economic vitality of coastal towns, including Songjiang Town, provided a smooth channel to the market, and in turn promoted the great development of agriculture and animal husbandry.

With the official opening of the construction of Songjiang Reservoir, the first batch of 60 walk-behind tractors were all put into the construction of the reservoir, and tens of thousands of construction workers gathered in Songjiang Town, bringing a huge demand for life and goods, like a magnet to attract the inflow of surrounding immigrants.

The completion and commissioning of the Songjiang Cement Plant, the official laying of the foundation stone of the Fourth Wool Textile Factory, the site selection and construction of the planned Australian General Dynamics Machinery Company, and the Songjiang Base of Hongshan Iron and Steel Plant were officially included in the planning blueprint.

Early April

Red River Valley Pier

The 5,000-ton cargo ship "Longhushan", which has just returned from the United States, is docked at the wharf, and the brand-new walk-behind tractors are being unloaded by cranes, and the number of them is neatly arranged on the wharf, and the number has exceeded 100.

"Lord Earl, now walk-behind tractors are extremely sought-after goods in the world, orders from Europe have been scheduled to August next year, this batch of unloaded walk-behind tractors fixed-point supply to three important enterprises, including Hongshan Iron and Steel Plant 80 flat type, 40 low steeplechase type, wool spinning factory No. 1 and wool spinning factory total 50 high steeplechase type, Hongshan coking coal plant 100 high steeplechase type, Hongshan shipyard 20 flat type, 30 low steeplechase type, a total of 320 units."

After listening to the introduction of the person in charge of the dock, Li Fushou said with a slight bow; "Is there a supply plan on the Songjiang side, the Songjiang Reservoir is the top priority of today's construction, and all the resources must be tilted to meet the construction of the Songjiang Reservoir, which is the current No. 1 project."

The person in charge of the dock replied respectfully; "Returning to Lord Earl;

Mayor Xin has arranged that this time, due to the strong demand of various enterprises, it will partially meet the urgent needs of Hongshan Iron and Steel Plant, Coking Coal Plant and Honghe Textile Factory.

There are also 300 walk-behind tractors loaded on the Longhushan, and after the unloading of this part of the cargo, it will be loaded with the building materials and daily necessities needed by Songjiang Town, and will soon go to Songjiang Town, and all 300 will be supplied to Songjiang Reservoir for construction.

These 620 walk-behind tractors are the full capacity of the Kargil Steam Machinery Plant in January ~ February, and they are currently working hard to increase equipment and recruit workers to expand production capacity.

Two months later, it will be rapidly increased from 320 units per month to 1,500 units per month, which will greatly alleviate the current contradiction between supply and demand.

Due to the urgent demand orders from Europe and the United States, it is expected that the next batch of walk-behind tractors will arrive in August, with a quantity of 1,000 units, which will mainly be supplied to Songjiang Town, Beilun Town and Twin Cities for railway construction. ”

Listen to this introduction

Li Fushou couldn't help frowning, turned around and asked Hou Guangde, the secretary who accompanied him, who had just returned from North America and had personally participated in the whole process of negotiating the patent rights of new diesel engines and developing tractors of the Kargil Steam Machinery Company, and was extremely familiar with the relevant situation.

"Guangde, if you only import engines, does Red River Valley have the ability to produce its own walk-behind tractors?"

"Back to the master, the plan is feasible, but it is necessary to integrate the relevant machinery factories in the Red River Valley, and at the same time update some equipment to adapt to the production of walk-behind tractors, and the accessories of the carriage, steeplechase, chassis and girders, as well as the steel plate shock absorbing springs should be fine, mainly the tractor steering mechanism and gear shift mechanism, which need to introduce new equipment for production." Hou Guangde replied respectfully.

"According to your estimates, how long will it take?" Li Fushou thought about it for a while and asked again.

Hou Guangde replied; "You can place an order through Kargil Steam Machinery Company, the extra is only the transportation and equipment installation time, which is about a delay of about a month and a half, which means that there are skilled workers in the United States to participate in the installation and construction, and teach us the production of new workers hand in hand, the initial production speed will not be high, there should be 4~5 months of running-in and the gradual release of the output process, and finally should be able to reach the level of 1500 units per month, so that the first tractor is optimistically estimated to be out of the factory by the end of the year."

"Yes, if you hand over the general machinery company to you to organize production, how long will it take to produce the first qualified walk-behind tractor." Li Fushou was very decisive.

With the influx of a large number of Chinese immigrants, it is no longer enough to absorb the population through industrialization and infrastructure construction, and it is necessary to open up new large employers.

There are not many realistic options in front of Australia, and the development of mechanized agriculture is a good way to meet the growing demand for food and vegetables, and at the same time expand the production and export of canned fruits.

The minimum goal is to digest the huge amount of agricultural output.

Li Fushou's idea was to set up some demonstration farms first, and teach Chinese immigrants to change from facing the loess with their backs to the sky and cultivating the land with one hand and one foot to become a new type of farmer who drove iron oxen to plow, so as to lay the foundation for the development of individual farms.

Walk-behind tractors are so simple to use that even illiterate people can quickly learn to use farm machinery for harvesting and planting.

The demonstration farm is like an agricultural university, which trains more and more Chinese farmers to learn to use machinery while providing more agricultural and sideline products.

When they have money in their pockets, they can use their families as a unit to buy land and set up private farms, for which Huitong Bank will provide loans to help farmers and produce a steady stream of products to enrich the market.

Of course, that's a few years later.

Add to that the thousands of white farmers in Australia, who doesn't need a few walk-behind tractors?

The whole of Australia is based on animal husbandry and gold mines, and the demand for walk-behind tractors is tens of thousands of units, and Cargil Steam Machinery Company alone cannot work, because he is facing a larger European and American market.

When Hou Guangde heard that the Earl was going to hand over this burden to him, he was uncontrollable in his excitement, thought about it seriously, and replied resolutely;

"Back to my lord, it is now the beginning of April, and Guangde is confident that the first qualified walk-behind tractor will be produced on September 15, and he is willing to make a military order for this."

"Okay, General Machinery Company will be handed over to you from now on." The major affairs of the Red River Valley have always been decided by Li Fushou without asking other people's opinions; "I authorize you to integrate the iron and steel machinery enterprises in the Red River Valley, and approve a sum of funds for the import of necessary equipment, and ask Mayor Xin to give strong support, the army is not joking, I want to see the first walk-behind tractor leave the factory on September 15."

"Guangde swears to complete the task to the death, and will never dare to live up to the high expectations of the master." Hou Guangde is out of the way, and he will do everything to complete his oath.

Li Fushou was very satisfied, nodded and said; "The planned Australian General Machinery Company is not only a product of walking tractors, but also a new diesel engine produced by Kadir Steam Machinery Company, which will also be introduced to the market as the fist product of the Australian General Machinery Company.

The new plant will be located in Songjiang Town, where there is an abundant power and energy supply, providing a broad space for the development of the general machinery factory.

Therefore, after the integration of the Red River Valley Iron and Steel Machinery Enterprise, your focus should be shifted to Songjiang Town to prepare for the introduction of new diesel engine production equipment and commissioning production.

As Australia's first high-tech industrial enterprise, Australian General Machinery Company will be a large-scale enterprise based on the production and development of power machinery and equipment, taking into account downstream products.

It is not only necessary to produce walk-behind tractors, agricultural machinery and mining machinery, but also to cooperate with Siemens to produce diesel generators, extend the development tentacles to more fields, and support the continuous development and growth of enterprises.

I hope that one day, it will be able to hold up half the sky for the Red River Valley, Guangde, and I have great expectations for you. ”

Li Fushou's affectionate and lushful exposition made He Guangde extremely moved, and he realized that the heavy burden on his shoulders was as heavy as a mountain, and he replied with a solemn expression; "Guangde will use this life to fulfill his promise, vow to follow the instructions of the master, unswervingly implement the strategy of the master, develop the general machinery company into a pillar enterprise, and support half the sky for the Red River Valley."

"Then it's a deal."

Li Fushou held He Guangde's hands tightly, and there was one less secretary and one more general by his side.

Hou Guangde is an elite talent who has traveled all over Europe with Li Fushou, and has grown up after several years of training, with a global vision.

The number of students in the secretariat has increased instead of decreasing, and all 12 students from Jiangnan have joined the secretariat since August last year, and are now scattered in various important infrastructure projects to temper their skills, and have shown quite excellent ability and overall vision, and the future is worth looking forward to.

Red Hill Shipyard

Along the wide expanse of Brisbane's fjords, a series of eight huge slipways are building 12,000-ton ocean-going freighters, some just laying keels and others already building tall steel masts.

The shipyard workers are densely attached to it, and they are all busy with a hot work scene.

The fist-thick steam pipes on the ground were densely packed, each with a heavy riveting hammer connected to the front, and the deafening sound of striking the steel plate as if it were passing through tofu, densely packed into a single piece.

Diesel walk-behind tractors drive past with black smoke, a variety of steel components and rivet hammers in the bodies, and flatbed tractors transporting steel plates and long channels.

……

"Your Excellency, we are now producing eight new 10,000-ton ocean-going freighters, three of which are the tasks of the nineteenth-century United Shipping Company, and the remaining five are orders from the west coast of North America, and the customers are quite satisfied with our 10,000-ton cargo ships, and the shipyard currently holds 21 orders, of which six are from the nineteenth-century United Shipping Company, and the rest are orders from German, British and Italian customers, and the production plan has been scheduled for the first half of 1882, and the current situation is very good."

The shipyard manager is an Englishman Fox, a 46-year-old professional manager with rich production experience in the shipyard, and a very demanding and dedicated entrepreneur.

Fawkes' annual salary was £550, and the bulk of his income was equity dividends, and he enjoyed a 1.7% equity dividend in the shipyard, with a total income of £2,721 in 1879, so his enthusiasm for work was very high.

Li Fushou looked at the well-organized shipyard production, which has provided 6,600 jobs so far, and 720 shipyard riveters are being trained, and he feels quite satisfied.

"Mr. Fox, first of all, I would like to congratulate you on your excellent work, and secondly, I would like to see the Seagull patrol ship go to sea for sea trials a day earlier." Li Fushou said as he walked forward, his expression full of expectation; "The route from Australia to the Far East is constantly under the threat of Spanish pirates, and although we have taken various measures to ensure safety, there are still two ocean-going freighters that have been attacked recently, killing and wounding dozens of people.

"Your Excellency, please keep going." Mr. Fox accompanied Li Fushou all the way forward, introducing as he walked;

"At present, the shipyard is fully engaged in the production of 10,000-ton ocean-going vessels, with the ability to build 8 ships at the same time, and the annual delivery displacement of 120,000 tons, which can also squeeze into the top 15 in the world, which is a remarkable achievement as a shipyard that has only been born for three years.

In accordance with His Excellency's desire to develop the distant-water fishing industry, we have imported from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom the world's latest distant-water fishing vessel designs, each of which is available in three models.

One is an 86-tonne offshore fishing vessel valued at £1,080 for 13 people and has a seawater tank that can store 44,000 pounds.

One is a 150-tonne mid-to-offshore fishing vessel worth £2,750 for 22 people and has a seawater tank that can store 127,000 pounds.

The largest is a 350-tonne offshore fishing vessel worth £8,200 and can accommodate 31 people and has a seawater tank that can store 290,000 pounds.

Distant-water fishing vessels are much more expensive to build than ordinary ships because they are equipped with reliable steam engines, small diesel engines that drive fishing nets, and a large number of fishing gear.

The high-quality fishing boats produced by Hongshan Shipyard are 3% lower than similar products in Europe, and the quality is not inferior, which is the advantage that we are proud of. ”

Regarding Mr. Fox's boasting, Li Fushou nodded frequently, expressing his agreement.

The shipyard is a typical labor-intensive enterprise, with steel costs accounting for more than 7 percent, labor costs accounting for more than 2 percent, and the rest being management costs.

First of all, from the perspective of personnel salary, Australian shipyard workers are only 1/3~1/2 of European and American countries, and the labor efficiency is not inferior.

At this point, there is a clear advantage.

The fishing boats are built using only ordinary marine thin steel plates, which are also ahead of European companies due to the price advantage of steel plates supplied by Hongshan Iron and Steel Works.

According to a generous estimate, the fishing boats built by Hongshan Shipyard are at least half the price of similar ships in Europe.

Obviously, this guy Fox still buried the meat in the bowl.

As a minority shareholder of the shipyard, Fox's interests are closely linked to the interests of the shipyard, and of course it is hoped that the shipyard can leave more profits, which is beyond doubt.