Chapter 25: Li Chiqi's Advice

After the talks between the transmigrators and Li Huamei concluded, Li Huamei received the first maritime trade license issued by the transmigrator regime, valid for three years. During this period, Li Huamei’s “Hangzhou” could enter Bopu Harbor at will, and the transmigrator authorities would waive her berthing and pilotage fees. All goods transported on the Hangzhou would be exempt from import tariffs. Goods exported, except those on the “controlled export” list, would be exempt from export tariffs.

According to the agreement, Li Huamei obtained a one-year trade monopoly for the Lingao-Goa route. All import and export trade between the transmigrator group and Goa had to be transported and traded through her ship.

The transmigrator group placed a restriction on this clause: the goods Li Huamei transported to Lingao had to be designated by the transmigrators, and she had to transport these designated goods according to their requirements. The price of these designated goods would be set by the transmigrator group, and the designated cargo volume could not exceed one-fifth of the ship’s carrying capacity. If Li Huamei voluntarily carried more, there would be no limit.

She could repair her ship in Bopu and replenish all necessary supplies for her voyages. The transmigrator group would supply her with food, gunpowder, cannons, and necessary ship repair materials at a set price. She also had the right to long-term lease of housing in Bopu for her crew and anyone she approved of. The number of people staying in her rented house could not exceed twelve.

In addition to the obligation to carry designated goods, Li Huamei also promised to train sailors for the transmigrator navy in Lingao during the waiting period before the monsoon season each year, for a period of three years. During the training period, the rent for her and all her crew in Bopu would be waived.

If necessary, Li Huamei had to undertake missions designated by the transmigrators, for which she would be paid according to the nature of the mission. These missions would only be conducted during her waiting period for the monsoon and would not include any hostile military actions. If she encountered danger while on a mission, she had the right to abandon the transmigrators’ cargo for her own safety. If she voluntarily participated in a conflict or if her ship was damaged during a mission, the transmigrator group would compensate her.

These complex clauses were all drafted under the guidance of Ma Jia, which was a good application of his knowledge. Although he didn’t become the president of the maritime court, he did become the customs commissioner. His authority was naturally limited to Bopu, and he had little to do, as the only person who had signed a trade agreement was Li Huamei. Both Gao Ju in Guangzhou and Huang Shunlong in Macau were local merchants who only sold and did not buy.

Li Huamei readily agreed to all the conditions. Overall, they were quite favorable to her, especially the Lingao-Goa trade monopoly. As Li Siya had expected, the Australians were eager to break through in their foreign relations and had offered very attractive terms.

As for the mirrors and glass, Li Huamei did not place too much importance on them. These things were also available in Goa, and the market in Goa was much smaller than in the Ming Dynasty. She couldn’t get rich from them. But there was another thing she saw that moved her heart.

White sugar.

The white sugar trade was one of the most profitable businesses on the international sea routes. Li Huamei knew that if she could transport such white sugar to Goa, she would basically make a profit on every shipload. It was a sure-win business. Moreover, the samples they showed were much whiter than the usual products, which would make them a hot commodity in Goa.

Not long after the agreement was signed, she received her first mission: to sail the Hangzhou and join the circumnavigation survey.

The fleet consisted of the Zhenhai and the Hangzhou. The Hangzhou was brought along to supplement the transport capacity. The transmigrators’ plan was to collect all kinds of urgently needed industrial and agricultural materials along the way, so an extra ship was always a good thing.

To ensure the reliability of the Hangzhou, the transmigrators sent a marine detachment on board under the pretext of protecting the ship. Li Huamei agreed. Besides Li Haiping, who was already an old acquaintance of hers, the former coast guard instructor Gao Xiaosong was also sent as the commander of the detachment. He was chosen because he was a married soldier and not as easily deceived by a woman with ulterior motives as the otaku were. The marine detachment was a mixed force of four transmigrators from the special reconnaissance team and two squads of marines. With a ratio of 24 to 11, this advantage was enough to handle any situation.

Unexpectedly, this meticulous plan came to nothing. Li Huamei voluntarily requested to travel on the Zhenhai, citing that she could help with the helm and teach everyone how to sail. As for her own Hangzhou, she would let her first mate pilot it. The Executive Committee, on the other hand, seemed a bit petty. Li Huamei’s request was undoubtedly a way to show that she felt distrusted and wanted to clear her name. Some people began to secretly accuse Wen Desi of being narrow-minded, and some even hinted that he might have some psychological trauma from being kidnapped by local women in the past, which was why he was hostile to such women.

The Executive Committee naturally ignored these rumors. However, since Li Huamei was willing to board the Zhenhai, she had to be well-received. She was given a separate room in the aftcastle, and Chu Yu was specially transferred from Wu De’s side to serve her on board—in addition to taking care of her daily needs, she was also there to keep an eye on her.

The overall commander of the remote exploration was Wang Luobin. The reason was that he was a jack-of-all-trades and had a wide range of knowledge: he came from a farming family, was very knowledgeable about industry, was a close comrade of Director Wen, and was low-key and friendly, so he was well-regarded by everyone. In fact, Wu De and Xi Yazhou were also suitable candidates, but the former was burdened with civil affairs and couldn’t get away, while the latter, as the administrator of the internal BBS, was said to have recently deleted many posts by the transmigrators, causing a great deal of public anger.

As for the Zhenhai itself, the people on board were very diverse. Lin Chuanqing was appointed as the captain of the Zhenhai, and he was very happy to accept the appointment. This ship was more than twice the size of the old Dengyingzhou, and sailing it gave him a greater sense of accomplishment. The sailors were selected from the navy. The Zhenhai itself only needed 10 sailors to operate, but to be safe, the crew was set at 16. There were also 6 naval cadets from the military and political training class of the National School—they were on board as interns, embarking on their first long voyage.

People from various departments such as military, foreign affairs, trade, resources, and industry and energy were all seconded to the ship. There were also some interns on board, mainly students of biology and exploration. In the end, there were more than 80 people on the Zhenhai, of which one-third were transmigrators, many of them experts in various fields, and they brought a lot of professional equipment and instruments.

To prevent accidents as much as possible, each transmigrator was issued a survival kit, including an inflatable life jacket, a whistle, and emergency survival supplies. Each person was also issued a GLOCK pistol. Although they were not going to war, they were well-equipped.

The Zhenhai had a fixed radio station to maintain contact with the base, and the Hangzhou was also temporarily equipped with a radio to ensure communication between the two ships.

As everyone was busy with their preparations, a dark, stout man with curly hair, small eyes, and well-developed muscles, wearing a camouflage uniform, came to the Executive Committee building. After signing in, he had an audience with Wen Desi.

“What is it?”

“Director Wen, I’m here to talk about the Zhenhai.”

“Why isn’t the Zhenhai equipped with a steam engine?” Li Chiqi was straightforward.

“Oh? Why should it be equipped with a steam engine?” Wen Desi found it strange. Li Chiqi was the head of the vehicle factory and had nothing to do with sailing.

“It’s a big deal!” Li Chiqi was a little agitated. “Director Wen, haven’t you thought about what would happen if the Zhenhai encounters an enemy at sea?”

“We have cannons, we can just fight. Are our rifled cannons inferior to the enemy’s smoothbore cannons?” Wen Desi knew that the cannons on the Zhenhai were equipped not only with solid shot like armor-piercing rounds but also with high-explosive shells. There were no ships in this era in the East Asian seas that could withstand its bombardment.

“That’s true for a one-on-one fight. But if we encounter an enemy fleet, it will be too late for regrets,” Li Chiqi said anxiously. “The Zhenhai only has two cannons. If we run into four or five enemy ships, and they are experienced sailors, we won’t even be able to escape. Our sailing skills are very poor. If a few ships gain the weather gage and take turns closing in to bombard us, our cannons may have a long range, but they are not accurate. Even if we are accurate and sink one or two, if they charge us, we’ll still be dead! We won’t even have a chance to escape.”

“And this is our first self-built ship. If something happens, it will be a huge blow to morale. If people die, it will be even worse—the lives of the transmigrators are paramount!” Li Chiqi continued to plead. “If we install the Mozi Type-1 steam engine on the ship, whether it’s paddle wheels or a propeller, a 50-horsepower engine can easily reach over 8 knots without sails. If we have to fight, we fight when it’s advantageous. If we can’t win, we can just run against the wind, and no one will be able to catch us.”

“It’s too late now. The cargo has been loaded, and the crew has been assigned. If we want to add an engine, it involves modifying the ship, which is a huge project. A boiler, a steam engine—building them is the easy part. The key is the boiler, the steam engine, and the coal. Once these are on board, the ship’s weight distribution will be completely off, and the hull structure will have to be extensively modified.” He shook his head. “This is not something that can be finished in a few days. The expedition is leaving in a day. If we make changes now, it will be delayed by at least a month. Time waits for no one.”

“But this—”

“Let’s discuss it again. You have a point,” Wen Desi said. Although he didn’t directly approve of the proposal, he knew that Li Chiqi was right. The Executive Committee had indeed overlooked this point.

The possibility of the situation Li Chiqi described was not high, but if they encountered an enemy fleet, they would lose badly. This was different from the ships going to Guangzhou. With experienced sailors who knew the sea conditions, there were harbors all along the coast to take shelter in. Even if a ship was sunk or captured, the loss of personnel would be limited. The Zhenhai had gathered a large number of transmigrators with professional skills. If the ship was lost and the people died, it would be a major blow to the transmigrator cause.

Wen Desi struggled with his thoughts in his office for half an hour, then made a phone call to the standing committee of the Executive Committee and the people from the Industry and Energy Committee.

“Come to the office. We have something to discuss.”