Chapter 503 - The Five-Masted Ship's New Purpose

Hai Ji stood on the dock, staring at the battered hulk of the family’s flagship in dismay. The pirate attack and subsequent grounding had ravaged the vessel. Masts were shattered, sails shredded, and the hull breached. The Navy had stripped it of usable rigging and slapped on temporary patches to keep it afloat, but since the establishment of the Admiralty Court, it had been left to rot, ravaged further by a recent typhoon. Only three masts remained standing, rising from a deck clutter of splintered cabins.

Sailing this wreck back to Qiongshan seemed impossible. Even if they made the perilous crossing, the repair costs would rival the price of a new keel. It would fetch no more than firewood prices. Selling it to the Australians here seemed the only rational choice.

But Hai Shuzu was adamant: the ship must return.

Reluctantly, Hai Ji approached the port authorities with a bag of silver, prepared for a long and expensive overhaul. To his surprise, Li Di, the Port Authority Chief at Bopu, greeted him with enthusiasm. Li offered a startling deal: the shipyard would repair the vessel for free, provided it transported a consignment of cargo to Qiongshan on its return voyage.

Flustered by this generosity, Hai Ji agreed immediately.

The ship was hauled into drydock, and the industrial might of the shipyard roared to life. Steam-powered cranes lifted timber like matchsticks; standardized parts were fitted with precision. The hull was patched, caulked, and sealed. Citing a timber shortage, the yard repaired only the three surviving masts, removing the stumps of the others.

Curious modifications followed. Two large cargo hatches were cut into the main deck. Iron davits were installed along the gunwales, and hand-cranked derricks were mounted fore and aft. Below decks, structural reinforcements were added—preparations for a future refit that Hai Ji could not comprehend.

In seven days, a job that would have taken months in a traditional yard was finished.

Under Li Di’s supervision, the ship was loaded until it sat low in the water. Finally, four flat-bottomed skiffs were hoisted by a hissing steam crane and hung from the new davits.

Hai Ji found the ship’s transformed appearance baffling, but he didn't care. It floated, and it was free.

Escorted by patrol boats, the resurrected giant set sail. Three days later, it glided into Shenying Harbor.

The return of the Hai family flagship caused a sensation in Qiongzhou. A ship lost to pirates, vanishing for months, had returned laden with cargo. Those who had marveled at Hai Shuzu’s sudden solvency now nodded wisely—clearly, he had struck a fortune in trade, not disaster.

The cargo—uniform wooden crates bound in iron—remained a mystery to the onlookers. Only Lin Baiguang knew they contained mining equipment. The skiffs were specialized transport boats for the river.

A few bribes ensured the Qinglan Patrol Inspector barely glanced at the manifest.

"Truly extraordinary!" Hai Shuzu gazed at the chest of silver delivered by Hai Ji. "I never dared hope the Australians would honor their word to the letter."

Save for the twenty percent salvage fee, Lin Baiguang thought with a smile.

"Without you, worthy brother, this would have been impossible," Hai Shuzu bowed deeply. "They are men of the sea, yet they uphold righteousness like true gentlemen!"

He opened the judgment documents Hai Ji had brought. The strange binding and crisp, white paper caught his eye. He began to read, his expression turning grave.

Lin watched him closely. These legal documents were dense with technical jargon and simplified characters. Could a Ming scholar decipher them?

After a long silence, Hai Shuzu looked up. "Remarkable."

"Oh?"

"Though I grasp only seven or eight parts, the logic is impeccable. The reasoning is meticulous, the execution rigorous. I have never seen such legal precision."

While his master marveled at the paperwork, Hai Ji grew anxious. "Master, the Australians in Lingao expressed interest in buying the ship. Since it is here..."

"Sell it," Hai Shuzu agreed briskly. His admiration for the Australians was now boundless. "Five hundred taels should suffice."

"Master, but..." Hai Ji stammered. The repairs alone were worth more!

Lin Baiguang interjected. "Five hundred is an insult to the vessel. Steward Hai went to great lengths to bring it back. One thousand taels is a fair price."

The deal was struck on the spot. The collective’s Maritime Forces Division paid cash and took possession, intending to use the ship for the coal run. To the public, however, it remained the Hai family flagship, further cementing Hai Shuzu’s restored reputation.

With the front man secured and the logistics in place, preparations for the mine accelerated. Lin Baiguang, acting as Chairman of the Preparatory Committee, found his grain shop overrun with survey engineers. Their odd mannerisms and frequent comings and goings in the busy commercial district risked exposure. They needed to move.

The Planning Commission had selected the "Jiazi Mine" site on the banks of the Nandu River. Though the reserves were modest and the coal quality merely adequate, its location was strategic. Only ten kilometers from the river, it allowed flat-bottomed boats to ferry coal directly to the harbor, bypassing the need for expensive road construction in the mountains.

Hai Shuzu purchased the barren hills for a pittance. Lin also acquired a secluded plot in the harbor for a warehouse and private pier.

The network was complete. The coal would flow.

(End of Chapter)