Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2054 Electrical and Southern Cone

April 1689, 4, Strait of Magellan.

Today is another cloudy day, with a strong west wind, and there may be some snowheads in the wind, which hurt people's faces.Qiang Xiaoman, who was wrapped in a bearskin coat, hurried into a three-story building on the side of the road, as if he didn't want to stay outside for a moment, the cold wind was really tormenting.

Opening the heavy curtain, a warm breath came to the face, and there was a bit of milk fragrance in the air, which lifted people's spirits.There is no heating in the room, but there is a fireplace, which will burn vigorously and provide a constant source of heat for this large hall.

"President Xu, it's really not interesting to drink milk tea behind my back." Qiang Xiaoman laughed, and strode towards Xu Xiangdong, the president of the Southern Railway Company who was sitting inside.

There are a few people around Xu Xiangdong, all senior executives of the Southern Railway Company, and Qiang Xiaoman basically knows them all, so he pulled a chair and squeezed in, sniffing the scent of milk tea and rubbing his hands to keep warm.

"Boss Qiang, haven't you gotten used to living in the Strait of Magellan for so long?" Xu Xiangdong picked up the teapot, poured a cup of fragrant milk tea, pushed it in front of Qiang Xiaoman, and asked with a smile.

"The winter in the Southern Cone, no matter how many years you have lived, you can't adapt to it. I really don't know how those Indians endure the cold so much. The winter in Fuego is so cold, and they can still be naked. I feel trembling for them. "Qiang Xiaoman took the milk tea unceremoniously, shook his head and said: "If this ghost place is not located at the throat of traffic, who would be so stupid to live here."

"Hehe, what a mouth." Xu Xiangdong took a sip of milk tea and said with a smile: "But in fact, Weihai Port is located in this traffic throat, and it is the main channel connecting the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. No one can ignore it, especially Practitioners in industry and commerce cannot avoid this place."

It is said that before the Panama Canal was built, the Strait of Magellan was a key waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.Ships traveling between Chile and the mainland on the east coast, ships traveling between Spanish America and the mainland, ships traveling between the islands in the South Pacific and the mainland, and even some ships traveling between China and the mainland all pass through the Strait of Magellan or around Cape Horn .

When ships pass through the Strait of Magellan, they usually concentrate in winter and spring. At this time, the sea off the southwestern part of Tierra del Fuego is windy and rough, and the westerly wind is bitter. Low, jumping in rashly, it's like making fun of the lives of the people on and off the whole boat.At this time, if any captain does not go through the Strait of Magellan and insists on going around Cape Horn, the sailors will unite to capture him and throw him into the sea.

And in summer and autumn, when the icebergs in the south go north, many of them enter the Strait of Magellan.Considering that the strait itself is tortuous, the wind direction is changeable, and there are many lateral swells, if you go through the Strait of Magellan at this time, it is better to go around Cape Horn in terms of safety.Especially in the western section of the Strait of Magellan, the waterway is extremely narrow, some of which are even less than one nautical mile wide. If you encounter an iceberg head-on, there is less room to move around and the danger is greater.Not to mention, the west mouth of the Strait of Magellan often encounters bad weather, which is not a good thing for sailors.At this time, the East Coast Port Authority encourages ships to go around Cape Horn and not to go through the Strait of Magellan to avoid risks that may be encountered during the voyage.

From here we can see that it seems that the Strait of Magellan and Cape Horn each share half of the year and eat half of the shipping volume.But that's not the case!Because the land near Cape Horn is full of mountains, cold and rainy, it is almost impossible to grow crops. Therefore, even in summer and autumn, many ships will mostly go through the Strait of Magellan instead of going around the relatively safe Cape Horn. It is very important to have a port in the middle where you can rest and replenish.

And if you want to talk about which port is the main supply port for crossing the Strait of Magellan, you can actually look at the map at a glance. It is Weihai Port on the north bank of the strait, a port city with more than [-] urban residents, where you can replenish grain, meat, and wine. , medicines, tools, boats and other materials, because there is a railway branch line leading to the Midway Township Station of the Southern Cone Railway, it is more convenient to transport personnel and materials, and the cost is lower.

Of course, now that the east coast has slowly entered the age of steamships, the supplement of coal as a fuel is becoming more and more important for ships sailing on the ocean.Therefore, if this factor is taken into account, the advantages of Weihai Port will be even greater. There is a large-scale coal mine on Heijin Island in Weihai County. The coal produced is of high quality and high combustion calorific value, which is very suitable for ship boilers.In this way, there will be a large number of ships traveling through the Strait of Magellan, making the traffic volume of its ships far more than that around Cape Horn, and gradually driving the rapid economic development of Weihai Port.

Now, this port city has become a distribution center for many goods from the East and the West.All the ships that did not go to Xingnan Port and Araucan Port to unload (the two ends of the Southern Cone Railway) would come to Weihai Port to sell or buy some goods, replenish fresh water, burn coal, and then go to their respective destinations.Therefore, the business of Weihai Port is actually quite prosperous. Although it cannot be compared with Araucan Port and Xingnan Port, it is more than enough than the previous ones. At least it is much better than other port cities in Patagonia.

So, as you can see now, Xu Xiangdong, who is the president of the Southern Railway Company, also came to Weihai Port, cleaned up a warehouse that originally belonged to the Southern Railway Trading Company, and planned to transform it into a newly established Southern Railway Company two years ago. The bank's third branch, laying the foundation for the expansion of Southern Rail Bank.

Speaking of the Nantie Bank, it is actually a very small bank on the east coast. So far it only has two branches in Araucan Port and Xingnan Port. The branch in Weihai Port that will open soon is its third Compared with those big domestic banks on the east coast, it is simply weak.

However, the Southern Railway Group cherishes the financial license that it has finally obtained, so it has devoted great support to the Southern Railway Bank.Not only did they gradually transfer staff salaries, equipment purchases and other expenses to Nantie Bank in a planned way, but they also asked suppliers to open special accounts at Nantie Bank to enrich the capital of Nantie Bank.

Of course, the above is not enough.Xu Xiangdong hooked up with Qiang Xiaoman again recently, and after a lot of flirting, he even attracted this famous financial broker on the East Coast, who is also a private money lender. Nobody left.

Xu Xiangdong and Qiang Xiaoman met at Weihai Port today. Apart from the opening of the Weihai branch, the main topic of discussion was the South Railway Bank's investment in the East Coast Power Company.In the early stage of this matter, I had actually got through with Qiang Xiaoman. At that time, Xu Xiangdong sent him a telegram. Qiang Xiaoman agreed in principle, but also said that he would find time to come to Nanfang for an interview in person to see what the investment method should be.

"Ma Xiaopeng from TEPCO told me that in the next 20 years, their company's new generation of lead-acid batteries and small generators will have a very broad market prospect and high profit margins. TEPCO will also usher in rare profits. Period. If we look for an opportunity to intervene at this time, the timing is just right." Xu Xiangdong took a sip of milk tea and said softly to Qiang Xiaoman.

"Ma Xiaopeng is full of talk, you have to listen to what he says at a discount. Moreover, TEPCO has set up such a large stall, many of which are bottomless pits. He said it is profitable, how much money can he make? I'm afraid it's not enough to fill your teeth. Yes." Qiang Xiaoman shook his head and said disdainfully.

"Xiaoman, you should know that our investment in TEPCO is not for your short-term profit, but for the medium and long-term development. In the near future, the national telegraph network will be replaced with a new generation of lead-acid batteries, a new generation of cables, and even It is highly probable to build small power generation rooms in certain key locations, and there are actually quite a lot of profits in it. Moreover, you should be very clear that the future is an era of electrification, and steam engines cannot always play the leading role." Xu Xiangdong took Wiping his mouth with a towel, he said helplessly: "I know that you and Ma Xiaopeng are not very good at dealing with each other, but business is business, and you should do it if you see it. Don't get too involved with personal emotions."

"Okay, okay, I surrender." Qiang Xiaoman smiled exaggeratedly, then put down the porcelain cup in his hand, and said nonchalantly: "Old Xu, since you said that electric has a future, I naturally support it. Well, now the South Railway You and I are the only two shareholders in the bank. As a major shareholder, your company is not afraid of it. I, a small shareholder, have nothing to worry about. Ma Xiaopeng is a shit, he is really lucky. Some projects that have no money to carry out may be able to Spread out, grandma bear."

What Qiang Xiaoman said actually meant something.In order to seek a breakthrough, East Coast Electric Power Company is currently promoting products such as arc lamps, batteries, and small generators all over the world. This will cost a lot of promotion funds. Judging from the previous financial situation of East Electric Power Company, it may be difficult, so They urgently need to find new investors.

Of course, TEPCO does not lack suitors. Many people of insight understand that electrification represents the future. As the only company in the East Coast that systematically develops and manufactures power equipment, TEPCO does have its own unique features. .Moreover, the company is still in a value depression. If you find a suitable time to enter, you will definitely be able to get more lucrative profits in the future.Naturally, Qiang Xiaoman, who has been in the upper circles for half his life, would not understand this truth. Therefore, after Xu Xiangdong said that he wanted to invest in Dongdian, he just bluffed, but he actually agreed in his heart. Is it hard to get by with the same money?

"According to reliable sources, after Ma Xiaopeng's unremitting activities, TEPCO has now obtained permission to build a small power station in Weihai Port. This power station is not large in scale, and it can even be said to be very small. It is mainly for the lighthouse and a nearby ship repair factory. Power supply and lighting. Well, this power station is direct current, and four coal-fired boilers are used to drive steam engines to generate electricity. East Coast Gas Company had already negotiated a contract with the Weihai County Government for this part of the gas lamp lighting in the port area, but it was rejected by the superior , The contract was transferred to TEPCO, which is also unlucky." Xu Xiangdong broke the news to Qiang Xiaoman in a timely manner to strengthen his confidence.

Qiang Xiaoman really didn't know the news, he was a little surprised when he heard it, and then he had complicated emotions on his face.Back then, Ma Xiaopeng and himself were just ordinary playboys, fooling around all day long.Now more than 20 years have passed, and Ma Xiaopeng, who is in charge of the East Coast Electric Power Company, seems to be on his way to the pinnacle of his life, but he is still a financial broker and lender with a notorious reputation. , It can be regarded as having a serious identity and career.However, compared with Ma Xiaopeng, this is indeed not enough, it is really annoying!

Qiang Xiaoman is not stupid, of course he knows what it means to build a power station.Weihai County itself produces high-quality coal, and the cost of using it to drive steam engines to generate electricity is much lower.Moreover, the electricity generated by the DC power station this time, in addition to lighting the arc lamps for lighting, can also charge the large number of lead-acid batteries in the East Coast. The latter is one of Ma Xiaopeng's main selling points this time.Considering that the electric power industry has accumulated for decades, the technical reserves are already quite good. It is indeed possible to open up a little bit and let Dongdian Corporation let it go. On the one hand, it accumulates technology, and on the other hand, it is also to find a sense for the future development direction. .

Ma Xiaopeng understands this well, and is currently ordering troops in the manufacturing base in Heishan Township. He plans to bring all the equipment and personnel to Weihai Port by boat after a while, and start the history of the East Coast Republic—and at the same time, the history of the world. - Construction of the first power station.

Except for the steam engine built by the Tieling Heavy Industry Consortium, the equipment required for this power station is all completed by TEPCO itself, and all the latest technologies accumulated in recent years are used, all of which are used in this small Verify on the power station to see if there is any place that can check for leaks.

And after the first power station is built, how do you know that the higher-ups will not approve the construction application for the second or even the third power station soon?It is well known that the power industry represents the future.Although the current central government still tends to give priority to draining the value of the steam engine that they have invested a lot of energy and painstaking research on, which has a lot of constraints on the development of electricity, but can this kind of thing be suppressed if you want to suppress it?

Electrification represents the next industrial revolution. This is the general trend. Those who follow it will prosper and those who go against it will perish. Not everyone can stop it, not even the high-ranking executive committee members!

(End of this chapter)