Chapter 2344 - Freshly Baked Nanyang Company (IV)

Forty-three ships wasn't a large number, but for Southeast Asian trade in this era, it wasn't small either. According to Dutch records, Chinese merchant ships arriving in Batavia during the 17th century ranged from fifty or sixty in busy years to only ten or twenty in lean ones. That represented the entire volume of long-distance trade between China and Southeast Asia.

The Senate's arrival had begun to alter this historical pattern. Their massive import-export trade, particularly the enormous demand for bulk commodities, had dramatically increased the number of ships coming and going. And in the future, once several resource colonies opened in Southeast Asia, the demand for shipping capacity would only grow further. Expanding shipping tonnage needed to start now.

The Planning Academy had given him a gift: two Manila Galleons captured from the Spanish during the Hunger Action. These two ships weren't merely large by Southeast Asia Company standards—placed anywhere in East Asia or Southeast Asia, they ranked among the largest vessels afloat. The San Louis had an 800-ton cargo capacity and 1,450-ton displacement; the San Raimundo carried 650 tons with a 1,200-ton displacement.

Since their capture in 1632, the ships had undergone a year of maintenance and modification before being incorporated into the Joint Logistics directly-subordinate transport fleet in 1633. They had executed various "Strategic" transport missions for extended periods, running between Jeju, Sanya, and Kaohsiung. After the Continental Strategy commenced, they had undertaken multiple emergency transport runs to Guangzhou.

However, though the San Louis and San Raimundo possessed tremendous cargo capacity and sturdy, durable hulls, they were hampered by the inherent defects of the Galleon design and sail configuration. They were simply too slow. Under favorable winds, their maximum speed reached only 7 knots, with average speeds not exceeding 4 knots. Their loading and unloading capabilities also fell far short of the T800, which had been specifically optimized for freight. Crucially, they required absurdly large crews—each ship needed at least two hundred people for normal operations on long voyages. After the Joint Logistics fleet's transport capacity had been expanded, Minister Hong "embraced the new and discarded the old." When the Nanyang Company opened, these two ships were retired from Joint Logistics and transferred to Zhou Wei.

Frankly, Zhou Wei also looked down on these lumbering giants. Though their design was stylish, compared to the great sailing battleships that came later—vessels like the Sovereign of the Seas or the Victory—they appeared much clumsier. They also couldn't mount many cannons—Galleons were fundamentally still merchant ships.

But having them was better than not. If nothing else, no other ship in the entire Southeast Asia Company fleet was larger than these two. The largest Chinese sailing ships had a full-load displacement of less than 800 tons. At present, both ships had entered the Hong Kong dry dock for maintenance work. They were expected to be operational by next year.

"Even after modifications, they're still Galleons." Zhou Wei shook his head with a hint of regret and set down the ship registry. What he really wanted were Clippers—in his view, these fast merchant ships that the British had designed for transporting tea best suited his needs.

In his vision, the Nanyang Company would not only dominate the maritime trade of the entire Southeast Asian region but also emulate the British East India Company by capturing the Indian Subcontinent and making it a jewel in the Senate's future crown.

Ordinary sailing ships were adequate for the China-Southeast Asia run, but for the India route—let alone the more distant Red Sea routes—they were insufficient. Speeds of six or seven knots at best could only satisfy trade within the "inland waters" of the South China Sea. Reaching India and the Red Sea coast, or even East Africa, required faster ships better suited for ocean voyaging.

Zhou Wei was lost in thought when someone entered to announce: Wang Kai had arrived.

"What does he want?" Zhou Wei was surprised. Wang Kai had served as Trade Commissioner in the Ministry for years, frequently shuttling between various ports to coordinate trade and shipping plans. He was seldom in the office. At the Colonization and Trade Ministry, the two were merely nodding acquaintances. But Zhou Wei knew Wang Kai was fanatically obsessed with navigation. During the Uncharted Waters era, he'd played every installment except the first—2, 3, 4—until he knew them like the back of his hand, completing untold playthroughs. Yet he and Zhou Wei had little social contact, let alone friendship.

Probably looking to join the Nanyang Company and pursue grand ambitions? That wasn't implausible. After all, this man's passion for navigation was plain for all to see. In the early days, when Bopu Shipyard was still a beach operation, he'd hung around the shipyard constantly. He'd also been involved in running some "Great Navigation Club." The hasty launch and eventual abandonment of the Lichun had been inseparably linked to this club's advocacy.

Since someone had come to light incense and join the partnership right when he was setting up shop, that was a good omen. Zhou Wei said immediately: "Show him in."

A few minutes later, a slightly plump, somewhat balding man wearing glasses appeared in Zhou Wei's office, carrying a fake-brand briefcase.

The two exchanged pleasantries and sat down. Wang Kai looked around and sighed: "I had no idea the Southeast Asia Company was this shabby!"

"This counts as not bad. In the beginning, we worked out of shipping containers. At least this is a proper building." Zhou Wei pulled a box of "Golden Nanhai" cigarettes from his drawer. "Care for one?"

"No, no." Wang Kai shook his head quickly. "Drinking is fine, but I'll pass on the smoke." He carefully set down his briefcase as if it contained something precious.

Zhou Wei took one for himself and lit up. He had no actual interest in tobacco products—he couldn't even appreciate the nicotine buzz. But since the Senate produced cigars, holding one of these things conveyed a certain sense of ritual that appealed to him. When discussing problems, holding one in hand and taking occasional puffs while exhaling curling smoke not only projected calm composure but also bought him thinking time before speaking.

"Containers—that was ages ago," Wang Kai said. "The Southeast Asia Company is a vital enterprise for projecting Senate power into Nanyang. That they'd settle for this treatment... some people just don't take the Sea seriously!"

Southward Faction people couldn't open their mouths without veering within three sentences toward topics like "the short-sightedness of the Executive Committee" and "the unprofessionalism of the Administration Council." Once those phrases appeared, you knew you were among allies. Next would come demonstrations of the thesis that "Going South is the Senate's crucial opportunity for development."

But Wang Kai didn't follow this routine. Instead, he got straight to the point: "You're opening a new shop. I want to join."

Zhou Wei nodded; this was expected. His so-called Nanyang Company was essentially a one-man operation right now, and he genuinely needed a few Senators to join him in pursuing grand plans. Wang Kai, with years of experience in maritime trade, was professionally exactly the person he needed.

"Welcome!" Zhou Wei nodded. "I need people right now—though at the Ministry..."

"Old Si won't be a problem. One word from me is enough." Wang Kai said carelessly. "If I propose a transfer, can he refuse to release me?"

"True enough. But the work you've got in hand..."

"I'll push through the handover these next few days. A week should be plenty."

"That's fine." Zhou Wei said. "I'm in the middle of building my team. What kind of work do you want to do here?"

"Well, my specialty at the Colonization and Trade Ministry was trade. I could do that at the Nanyang Company too. But I'd prefer doing exploration work—like the Portuguese sailing along the African coast back in the day, landing at places, trading with natives, searching for resources worth developing..."

"Then we'll call it the Development Department," Zhou Wei said, then frowned. "We're a company, so we can't use government terms like Division or Section. How about 'Development Department'? You'll serve as Department Manager."

"I don't care," Wang Kai waved his hand. "Call it whatever you like, as long as you let me do this kind of work." He opened his briefcase and pulled out several documents, handing them to Zhou Wei.

"Take a look at this memorandum I wrote—some thoughts on company ships."

Zhou Wei found this unusual; he'd just been contemplating the company's ship configuration, and here was Wang Kai leading with precisely that topic. Let's see what specific thoughts he had.

Taking the documents in hand, he saw the front matter included the usual lengthy analysis of Nanyang trade and navigation conditions—consistent with the habits of these paper-pushing experts whose hair had thinned from too much reading. Zhou Wei skipped this section and went straight to the main text about ships.

As it turned out, Wang Kai had mentioned two types of ships he'd "designed"—or rather "improved"—in the memorandum.

The first type he named "Surprise." Its prototype was the old-timeline SS R.J. Hackett, a wooden-hulled steam-powered bulk freighter used for bulk cargo transport in North America's Great Lakes region.

The SS R.J. Hackett was 63.84 meters long, 9.88 meters wide, with a depth of 3.81 meters. Its boxy, upright shape provided tremendous interior space, with registered gross tonnage close to 1,500 (4,245 cubic meters) and a capacity of 1,100 tons of heavy cargo. According to the proposal, the "Surprise" would be fitted with a Lingao-manufactured 500-horsepower steam engine. Though heavier than the prototype's engine, it could still achieve speeds of 10 knots.

The bulk carrier's greatest advantage was rapid loading and unloading—of course, the corresponding cargoes needed to withstand rough handling, like ores. The ship's wide, sturdy hull could handle the strong currents of lake regions admirably. Even at sea, it possessed good seaworthiness.

Bulk cargo was the Senate's primary source of foreign trade, including coal, rice, timber, and the various ores they planned to purchase and transport in the future. Yet currently, almost none of the Senate's ships were suitable bulk carrier types. Not only was loading and unloading time-consuming, but shipments often required extensive extra packaging. Bulk cargo like coal was still transported primarily by the Big Whale, a coastal barge brought from the old timeline. This "Surprise" that existed only on paper obviously suited the Nanyang Company's requirements perfectly.

The only problem was that this ship required a steam engine. Zhou Wei knew that given the industrial sector's capacity, high-powered steam engines had to be queued at the Planning Academy. The most optimistic estimate was at least a year's wait before receiving delivery.

(End of Chapter)