Daming 1805

Chapter 313 The Panama Canal Project

After Zhu Jingyuan arrived in Yinzhou, his work was obviously busier than when he was in Dashi and Mozhou.

After roughly confirming the project direction of the Mahu Waterway, Zhu Jingyuan had bigger matters to decide the next day.

There are many relevant personnel involved, and they are all relatively important, so I went directly to the Hall of Martial Arts for a meeting.

The Governor's Mansion of the Left Army of the Ming Dynasty, the Governor of the Northern Yinzhou Naval Fleet, and Admiral Zheng Haiping.

It nominally belongs to the Governor's Mansion of the Zuo Army, but in fact, it is the governor of the Xintianfu Nanyinzhou Navy, Admiral Qin Rui'an.

The newly-appointed treasurer of Panama Huangzhuang is Zhu Dijin from the ancestral clan.

In addition, Wang Jinpeng, a master worker who is responsible for surveying the geological environment of Panama and mastering the canal project.

They all came from the Central Yinzhou area to meet Zhu Jingyuan and discuss specific matters concerning the excavation of the Yinzhou Canal.

The Yinzhou Canal is probably the Panama Canal in history.

Since the end of the World War, the relevant projects have been surveyed and planned for more than two years, and now it is time to make a decision.

The Panama area is also determined to be managed as Huangzhuang, and will be directly incorporated into the new Tianfu Huangzhuang system.

The Xihai Canal has already set up a chief envoy. Now that the royal family has won the Zhongyinzhou Canal, it is also a relatively compromise solution.

Wang Jinpeng, a 40-year-old middle-aged craftsman with red skin, first came to Zhu Jingyuan's side.

Take out the summary of the exploration situation prepared by yourself, and the simple explanatory document of the project planning plan.

Pass it to Zhu Jingyuan to look through the details by himself, and at the same time explain the general situation by himself:

"The Panama region is the narrowest part of the Zhongyinzhou Isthmus, with a straight-line width of [-] kilometers at the narrowest point.

"The altitude of most areas is about 12 meters, and the thickness of the soil layer in most areas is estimated to exceed 30 meters, and it is likely to reach 50 meters in some areas.

"Except for the canyon area where the remaining veins of the Yinzhou Mountain Range are located, most of the other areas have soil of this thickness.

"This can provide convenient conditions for the excavation of the canal, and also put forward higher requirements for the solidification of the river bank during the construction process.

"The local area has a tropical rainforest climate, with an annual rainfall of more than [-] millimeters.

"Under the heavy rainfall in the rainy season, the soil on the hillside is relatively easy to slide off, forming landslides.

"During the excavation of the canal, the original relatively stable soil layer will be destroyed, which will make landslides more frequent.

"So in the process of building the canal, we must pay special attention to the stability of the river bank soil."

Zhu Jingyuan nodded slightly when he heard this.

I have seen news about Panama in my previous life, and that place is indeed prone to landslides.

In my impression, when France and the United States built canals in history, they were troubled by landslides.

A large-scale landslide can destroy months of work.

The craftsmen of Daming predicted this possibility before starting work, which can be said to be very thoughtful.

Seeing that Zhu Jingyuan nodded in satisfaction, Wang Jinpeng continued to explain the situation without any doubts:
"The current proposed route for digging the canal is located in a canyon in the mountains.

"The total length of the line is 81 kilometers, the precise map in the report file, and more detailed instructions.

"There are two excavation plans we are currently planning.

"The first one is a straight-through solution.

"That is to say, just like the Xihai Canal, the soil layer of the isthmus is directly excavated to allow the sea water of the two oceans to pass through directly, so that ships can pass directly.

"Because the local altitude is mostly about 12 meters, if the direct canal needs to have a water depth of 12 meters, at least 24 meters of soil must be excavated.

"If the canal is required to have a water depth of 16 meters, then 28 meters of soil will need to be excavated.

"The amount of engineering between these different depths doesn't make an order of magnitude difference.

"Therefore, the design team suggested that the construction should be carried out according to a higher standard, so as to leave enough margin for larger ships in the future.

"Based on the canal's width of 200 meters and water depth of 16 meters, the estimated engineering volume is about [-] million earthworks.

"According to the ten-year construction period, it is estimated that 15 workers and enough construction machinery will be needed."

Hearing this, Zhu Jingyuan subconsciously asked:

"I remember that on both sides of the Isthmus of Panama, there are some differences in sea level between the Daming Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Doesn't this hinder the construction of a direct canal?"

When Wang Jinpeng heard this question, he was obviously surprised:
"In the process of exploration, we have just calculated that this kind of situation may exist, but it has not been fully confirmed yet.

"According to our estimates, if there is a real height difference between the ocean water surfaces on both sides of the isthmus, then this number should be between [-] centimeters and [-] centimeters.

"A drop of tens of centimeters will not have any impact on the project if it is placed on an [-]-kilometer-long river."

Zhu Jingyuan immediately realized that he was deceived by many rumors that were nothing but brains.

The two oceans are not two water basins next to each other, and there is no situation where all the water runs to the other side in an instant after they are connected.

Just like many things I have to do, and many things that have happened in history, it is not that a time point recorded in the history textbook arrives, and the world line changes immediately.

It is impossible to say that the Americans declared independence in 1775 and immediately became an independent country.

It is impossible to say that the moment the Qing court issued an order to shave their hair, all men in the country turned into yin and yang heads, and the next day they would no longer see people with hair buns.

Everything has a process, even if you build a house in a strategy game, there must be workers knocking there for a while.

Almost all rivers have errors, so they flow from high places to low places. This flow also has a process.

A river with a length of [-] kilometers has a drop of [-] to [-] centimeters, and the average drop may be only [-] millimeters per kilometer.

The water surface one kilometer ahead is five millimeters higher than the one kilometer behind it, and people cannot see this degree of inclination without equipment.

The smallest wave can make more than that.

This is an approximately negligible difference on this scale.

Even if the drop is concentrated at one point, it is nothing more than a "waterfall" with a maximum height of [-] centimeters.

The four oceans are originally connected, and this waterfall will never end.

When building a direct canal, if this drop is not considered, it will not affect the construction of the canal.

It's not even a fatal problem.

There is no logic that a direct canal cannot be built because of this drop.

The direct factor affecting the construction of the direct canal is the quantity of work.

According to Wang Jinpeng's calculations, this is an engineering volume of [-] million earthworks.

When the Suez Canal was opened in history, only 7000 million earthworks were dug.

A seven-fold gap emerged between the two.

And for countries outside the United States, the importance of the Panama Canal is an order of magnitude lower than that of Suez.

Before Panama became independent, when it was still part of Colombia, Colombia wanted to build a canal.

It took the initiative to invite the United States and important countries in Europe and America to participate, and other countries except the United States simply ignored it.

It wasn't until the French built the Suez Canal and it swelled that they took over the stubble.

Then the Americans made crazy troubles over there, turning the canal into an unfinished project.

In the end, the United States encouraged the Panama region to become independent, and then obtained the right to build and use it from Panama.

Many people have thought about this canal for 400 years since the Spanish colonized the New World.

It was not until the United States completed the second industrial revolution that it was finally built as cheaply as possible.

In the 80s, there was a plan to build a direct canal next to the Panama Canal.

With a water depth of 30 meters, a width of 200 meters, and a length of [-] kilometers, it is estimated that one billion earthworks will be dug.

Maybe the project itself was a gimmick, or maybe it was because of cost issues that it eventually fell through.

Wang Jinpeng confirmed that Zhu Jingyuan had no doubts, so he continued to explain the following plan:

"The second is the lock scheme.

"Use the existing valley terrain as much as possible, build dams, build reservoirs, and use the water surface of the reservoirs to pass through.

"Through the multi-level locks, the water surfaces of different heights are connected, and the ships are sent into the reservoir for navigation.

"In the ship lock scheme, obtaining the construction requirements of different water depths will obviously affect the difficulty of the project.

"The currently proposed plan is that the lock width is 36 meters, the channel width is 200 meters, and the depth is 14 meters.

"The estimated project volume is 5 million earthworks, and based on the ten-year construction period, [-] people are needed to complete it.

"With 15 workers involved, it should only take four to five years to complete.

"The other several schemes with different specifications have slight differences in engineering volume and required manpower.

"At present, the main issue in all aspects is the dispute over the choice of the two options."

This lock scheme is the one adopted by the United States in history.

The most money-saving, most time-saving solution with low engineering alone.

However, although Wang Jinpeng's direction is the same as that of the Americans in his previous life, there are still obvious differences in the details of the plan.

Even the minimum standard that Wang Jinpeng included in the document is still higher than the specifications of the US implementation plan.

Until World War II, the width of the Panama Canal's access locks was 33 meters.

The width of American battleships was therefore limited to 33 meters.

When Wang Jinpeng came up, he suggested to build a 36-meter lock directly.

In fact, in history, Americans have often done things by picking and searching.

For example, the Erie Canal connecting the Great Lakes and New York was only 1.2 meters deep when it was first built!

1.2 meters, this must be a ditch in the eyes of Daming people, and it was indeed ridiculed as "Yili Ditch" at that time.

Officials who want to "do practical things" will first minimize the wrangling as much as possible, and "open" the canal at the lowest cost.

After the economic and public opinion effects are fermented, then go to put pressure on the congressmen to get money to expand and deepen.

This is the logic of early American dry engineering.

The Panama Canal also has similar characteristics, but it is relatively larger, so that it can be called a miracle.

After Wang Jinpeng introduced the basic situation, he continued to stand by Zhu Jingyuan's side.

Zhu Jingyuan carefully looked through the detailed content of the document, and after confirming that he had no doubts, asked Wang Jinpeng to go back and sit down.

Then he looked up at the two naval governors at the scene, as well as a treasurer of Huangzhuang:

"The three of you should have seen these plans, what do you think about these plans?"

Zhu Dijin, the treasurer of Panama Huangzhuang, spoke first:
"Uncle Wang, Huangzhuang's idea is to make the canal open to navigation as soon as possible, so it supports 15 people to make the lock plan."

Zhu Jingyuan nodded slightly, indicating that he knew.

Zhu Jingyuan guessed in his heart that Zhu Dijin, the distant nephew who was the shopkeeper of Huangzhuang, probably wanted to make a profit as soon as possible.

Even, to make a profit during his tenure.

If he chooses the ten-year plan, he may transfer away just after the canal is completed, or even before it is completed.

Then it is completely used as a wedding dress for the next shopkeeper.

So be quick anyway.

Zhu Jingyuan looked at the other two naval governors.

Zheng Anping, governor of the Northern Yinzhou Navy, immediately said:

"My subordinates also hope that the canal can be opened as soon as possible, so that the Northern Yinzhou fleet can move between the east and west coasts.

"So my subordinates also support the 15-person ship lock plan.

"However, for the subsequent passage of larger capital ships, the lock should be selected to the highest possible standard."

This is also easy to understand. The navy of Beiyinzhou is a two-ocean fleet, and its status is similar to that of the US Navy in history.

They are the most demanding in the world for the Panama Canal.

Before the opening of the canal, if the naval fleet traveled from San Francisco to New York, it would have to bypass the southernmost tip of Nanyinzhou.

The total distance of this route exceeds [-] kilometers.

From San Francisco to Tiannan Continent (Australia), and then to the Cape of the West (Cape of Good Hope), it is about that far away.

With the Panama Canal, the mobilization voyage can be directly reduced by half.

And now that Northern Yinzhou is at war, they desperately hope to have a canal connecting the two oceans.

But at the same time, it is necessary to ensure that the capacity of the canal is sufficient.

The last one was Qin Ruian, Governor of the New Tianfu Navy, who said:

"The subordinates think that we can't just focus on the immediate efficiency, we also need to focus on the future.

"Now our passenger ships have reached the [-]-ton class, and there may be larger ones in the future.

"So my subordinates support the direct access to the canal plan, and adopt the highest level plan."

The center of Xintianfu, Xintianfu City, is located in the south of Nanyinzhou, and the need for the Panama Canal is not urgent.

However, Xintianfu will control the entire Southern Yinzhou and the eastern part of Northern Yinzhou in the future, and there will be a relatively high demand for canals in the future.

Therefore, Xintianfu does not particularly care about the completion time, so it supports a more efficient direct canal solution.

Zhu Jingyuan considered these situations, then looked at the expressions of the three responsible persons, and tentatively said:
"Is there a possibility that we can take 30 people, or even 50 people, and use as many machines as possible at the same time.

"Including large-scale steam machinery and steam trains, as well as various medium-sized diesel engines of the latest design.

"To build a direct canal with a water depth of 16 meters or even 20 meters.

"Can it be completed in five to six years?"

The scene fell into a brief silence.

We're all arguing here whether it's the small-scale fast program or the massive slow program.

Your Highness, you are welcome, just ask for a large-scale quick plan!

In the end, it was Wang Jinpeng who spoke first:

"Your Highness...if there are 30 or even 50 workers to work, it may be completed within five or six years.

"But the question is, where can we find 50 workers, and who will bear the wages?"

Zhu Jingyuan said rather casually:
"It's hard to find workers in Daming now, but it's quite easy to find hundreds of thousands of human beings who can work in Yinzhou.

"The original Mexican slaves in the Spanish colony, now there must be hundreds of thousands of slaves left, right?

"The mixed descendants of Taixi and Yin people and the number of Yin people who believe in God may be more.

"There are also Thais and Westerners who are unwilling to leave, these people can be dragged to Panama to build the Canal.

"To hire Daming people to do this kind of work, now at least fifteen to twenty silver bills are paid every month, but these people don't need it.

"Since the Mo people are slaves, they just need to have food and don't need to pay wages.

"Those Yin people who were brainwashed by Xiyi should be able to go to work by giving them five or six silver bills every month.

"Those Xiyi also only give five or six silver bills, if you don't want to do it, you can go back to Taixi or Mozhou.

"We just need to find a group of people from the Daming people in Yinzhou in the north and south to control the engineering machines and direct the construction of the project.

"Then choose some smart and sensible people from the mixed-race Yin people and the naturalized Yin people to help the Ming people manage those foreign workers.

"In this way, we should be able to easily gather 50 million workers, and the total wages we actually need to pay should be similar to the 10,000+ Daming workers.

"At the same time, take this opportunity to clean up the ethnic groups in the northern part of Southern Yinzhou and the Central Yinzhou Islands.

"After the canal is finished, the Spaniards will be more than happy to accept that the foreign workers who are still alive are packaged and sent to Mexico.

"The Daming people, Ming-Yin mixed-race people, and naturalized Yin people we sent over can stay in the area.

"Refer to the treatment of river workers on the Xihai Canal, and continue to maintain and manage the canal in the future.

"The cost of opening the river, of course, is that whoever wants to share the money will pay in the future. If you don't pay now, you won't be able to share the money in the future.

"If the cost is still too high and all the Huangzhuang in Xintianfu can't afford it, then let the imperial court pay for it.

"The demand for naval dispatch should be fulfilled by the imperial court, right?

"If possible, myself and the Great Food Kingdom can contribute a part.

"This is a project of Huangzhuang. Let the local Huangzhuang be in charge and the craftsman team cooperate. Dijin, can you do it?"

Zhu Dijin was obviously a little flustered, feeling a lot of pressure in her heart.

Although Uncle Wang gave suggestions and directions, he has never managed a large project of 30 or even 50.

But the matter has come to this point, it is impossible for him to back down, so he can only bite the bullet and stand up, bowing solemnly and agreeing:

"Nephew must do his best to get things done."

Zhu Jingyuan nodded slightly:
"If you need anything, just ask me directly, and let the navy and army of Xintianfu Huangzhuang cooperate with you.

"Go ahead and do it boldly, don't have any worries.

"However, it must be noted that a place like a tropical rainforest can be regarded as a place of malaria.

"We must pay attention to hygiene, pay attention to disinfection at any time, and kill mosquitoes at any time.

"Then Wang Gong, mudslides and other issues, you have already thought of them yourself, so I don't need to remind you.

"All I can think of here is to pay attention to the water level of the surrounding rivers and remember to adjust the construction plan according to the season.

"There is no need to be too tight on time. I can accept it if it can be completed within ten years."

Zhu Dijin and Wang Jinpeng immediately bowed and agreed.

The construction plan of the Panama Canal was thus settled.

Everyone continued to discuss the details they could think of in the hall.

Zhu Jingyuan recalled what he learned in his previous life, and raised as many problems as possible during the construction of the canal.

Let them not step on the pits that the French and Americans stepped on again.

The meeting lasted all morning, and after lunch, they each retired and went to work.

Zhu Dijin, the shopkeeper, was not too polite. He immediately went to find the troops of Xintianfu, and followed him to the northern part of Nanyinzhou to arrest people.

Well, it should be said that it is recruitment, semi-mandatory recruitment of river workers.

According to Zhu Dijin's understanding, Zhu Jingyuan probably didn't say something directly.

But Zhu Dijin felt that he understood what Uncle Wang meant.

Those Yin people who have been brainwashed by Xiyi, it is better not to stay in the new Tianfu territory.

　happy New Year! !

　　
　
(End of this chapter)