On the side of the port area, in the coal yard, black coal piled up into small hills, with several railways connecting the docks and the pier berthed beside the pier.

A large number of coolies were busy by the boat. They lined up and entered and exited the cabin frequently along two boarding ladders, transporting the cargo in the cabin to the shore.

Steam ships from the Central Plains berthed at Hakata Port, Japan, unloaded a large amount of Central Plains cargo, and sailboats carried them to the main island of Japan, docked in Nambajin, unloaded the goods, and then transported them to the capital and other places.

The reason why it is so troublesome is that Zhou State does not want the fire steamer that can squirt smoke. The roaring steamship scares Japanese officials and civilians, and the Japanese court does not want such "monsters" to approach the island, which makes the people have all kinds of strange ideas after being frightened.

What is the strange idea?

There are everything, but the court is most worried that the people's belief in the king being the "born gods", so steamers cannot enter the Japanese domestic sea and can only be berthed at Hakata Port.

Hakata is the gateway to Japan, so it is natural to make such arrangements. Zhang Yu, who arrived in Hakata yesterday, was going to return to the Central Plains today, but he temporarily decided to stay for a few extra days to beat the "drum" of Zhou personnel stationed in Hakata to avoid making mistakes and affecting the relationship between the two countries.

First of all, he would like to remind everyone: This is the territory of Japan, so at least give the local government some face and don’t act too much.

Even if Hakata Port has a special "Zhoufang" to allow Zhou people living in Hakata to settle down, the Japanese government generally does not intervene in the affairs of Zhoufang. If the Zhou people commit a crime, the Zhou government management agency in Zhoufang will naturally deal with it.

But this does not mean that the people of Zhou who are in Zhoufang can be fearless and domineering in Bota.

Japan is not a vassal state of Zhou. Zhou people lived in Hakata for a long time, which was purely trade and business needs. There is no need and should not be a vassal in Hakata, which will cause interference in the relationship between the two countries.

Zhang Yu would like to remind everyone: We are businessmen, and we are talking about harmony and wealth. If there is a conflict with the Japanese in Hakata, take a step back and expand the sky. Don’t rely on your being a citizen of the Celestial Kingdom. Just walk sideways in Hakata like a crab, forcing one to buy and sell, causing trouble everywhere.

Of course, not causing trouble does not mean that you are afraid of trouble. If you really have a serious conflict, you will be chopped down if you need to. At worst, you will lose money afterwards.

Secondly, the public security in Zhoufang must be done well and fire prevention must be done well. Don’t catch fire every few days to make the smoke roll in the house, so that the Japanese can make the Japanese laugh.

The most important thing is "safe production".

At this moment, Zhang Yu stood by the coal yard, looking at the piles of coal, and asked the accompanying staff about the safety management of the coal yard.

After a large amount of coal accumulates, the internal temperature will gradually rise when the wind blows and sun. Over time, spontaneous combustion will occur. Once the mountain of coal accumulates spontaneous combustion, it will not be easy to extinguish it, and it is still very troublesome to deal with it.

The spontaneous combustion of coal yards has occurred in various coal distribution centers in the Central Plains, and there have been many experiences and lessons. Now, in the coal yards in Bota Port, employees of Zhouguo Beiyang Trading Company copied the management systems of major coal yards in the Central Plains and managed the Bota Port coal yard in an orderly manner.

Zhang Yu is very familiar with the safety management system of the coal yard. After walking around the coal yard for a few times, he is very satisfied with the current situation of the coal yard. Now he asked many questions in one breath. Seeing that the manager answered it neatly, a stone in his heart fell to the ground.

The opening of the cross-sea route of steamships has made bilateral trade exchanges between Zhou and Japan more convenient. The dual-purpose steamships are very fast, which greatly shortens the time required for sea transportation between the two countries.

Traditional sailing boats should look at hyacinth when going to sea. If the wind direction is wrong, even if the weather is clear, the ship cannot sail far away. However, the steamships that use both maneuvers and sails are different. As long as the sea conditions allow, they can sail even without wind.

If you encounter a good wind, set sail, lower sails when you encounter a good wind, and then continue sailing with a propeller. You don’t need to sail against the wind, and you must keep moving forward in a zigzag shape like traditional sailboats.

Under ordinary sea conditions, it takes only two or three days for a steamship with a speed of no less than 40 miles per hour without considering the wind direction.

Considering the ship's berth, supply, maintenance and crew rest time, it takes only ten days to go back and forth.

What is this concept?

Zhang Yu remembered that in the past, it took six or seven days to travel a hundred miles a day from Xiangyang to Xiyang.

Walking from Xiyang to Anlu, it takes 8 or 9 days to walk forty miles a day.

The emergence of new vehicles has made Japan, which is isolated overseas, "closely" because the cross-sea navigation time has been greatly shortened. Even in summer and autumn, the fast-moving steamships can still "come and go freely" on the sea.

However, it is not enough to have a ship but no coal. The amount of coal stored in the coal yard of Bota Port is related to whether many steamships arriving at the port can have enough fuel to return to the Central Plains. Because there is no coal mine on the cross-sea route, the steamship can only add coal at both ends of the route.

The surrounding areas of Hakata happen to be rich in coal veins.

The Japanese government organized manpower and material resources to mine coal mines in the surrounding areas of Hakata. The black coal mined became a "hard currency" used by the Japanese government to purchase goods in the Central Plains. Zhou Guo (Beiyang Trading Company) was also happy to buy coal from the Japanese government.

At the same time, Zhou State also provided advanced coal mining technology and mine management system to the Japanese government, ensuring the mining efficiency and mine safety of several coal mines around Hakata.

As the coal output increases, the coal burning storage volume of the Bota Port coal yard is enough to support the cross-sea steamship route.

The large amount of coal produced in Hakata can also be transported to Danluo Island for storage, which made the maritime trade between Zhou Guo (Beiyang Trading Company) more convenient for the development of maritime trade between Baekje, Silla and even Goguryeo.

As a trade transit port in the East China Sea, Tanluo Island has coal supply from Hakata, and it is very convenient to run between the ports and the Tanluo coastal ports and the Tanluo. A large amount of Central Plains cargo gathered in Tanluo and was then sold out by sea merchants from Silla, Baekje, and Goguryeo.

The goods brought by maritime merchants in these countries were also transported to the Central Plains through Danluo. Therefore, the coal in Bota has gradually become an important resource for maintaining maritime trade in various countries in the East China Sea. Zhang Yu did not want the coal mountain in Bota Port to become a flaming mountain, which led to the "hungry" of the steamship waiting to return.

Zhang Yu stayed in the coal yard for almost one morning, and wanted to remind relevant personnel to always take "safe production" to heart.

There are mixed reviews of "monsters" such as steamer ships in Japan, and there are many criticisms about Hakata Port becoming a berthing port for such "monsters". Therefore, in order to maintain the status of Hakata Port as a berthing port for steamer ships, it is best not to have any problems whether it is a steamer ship or a coal yard.

"Our goal is to do business with Japan. How to do business quickly and well is naturally the company's focus. To ensure the smooth operation of Hakata Coal Farm, we can ensure the normal operation of steamship shipping. Everyone keep it in mind."

Zhang Yu said, pointing at the steamship berthing at the dock: "In the future, Vladivostok will also fire the steamship, so Hakata will be an important transit port and a coal supply port. You must find a way to help the Japanese government increase coal production. After all, with more coal, their income from selling coal will also increase."

In fact, what Zhang Yu also wants to say is to increase the scale of coal mining in the Hakata area as soon as possible. In the future, if the imperial court wants to use troops against Japan, it will be much more convenient.

If the official army really wants to cross the sea for an expedition, it will inevitably take a steamer. Hakata is the most important berthing port and coal supply port for the steamer fleet. With the support of Hakata coal, the cross-sea transportation of steamer ships will be guaranteed.

By then, it would be no problem to transport hundreds of thousands of troops from the Central Plains to land in Japan.

Zhang Yu did not believe this, but the king and ministers of the Japanese king did not expect, so he opposed the berth of the steamships in Hakata. There were many nobles who opposed mining coal mines in Hakata. It took a lot of time before the powerful minister Su Mumazi persuaded the King of Wakata to agree to start a large-scale mine in Hakata.

However, even if Su and Ma Zi can't handle it, the other party will sooner or later agree to mine coal mines in Hakata. The Japanese monarchs and ministers are confused in their hearts, and in the end they have to submit.

Why?

Because of the various high-quality and low-priced products produced in the Central Plains, Japan has become addicted to using them and cannot be eliminated.

The "hard currency" that Japan can buy Central Plains products is mainly silver and sulfur. The mining volume has increased year by year, but the speed of increase is limited, while Japan's demand for Central Plains products has increased rapidly.

Then, the rich coal in the Hakata area has become the third "hard currency" that the Japanese imperial court can rely on. With this "hard currency" with large quantities and easy-to-mine, you can buy more luxury goods and daily necessities from Zhongyuan Maritime Merchants.

There are even various iron products, including iron pots, iron armor, and iron weapons.

You know, for Japan, buying iron products from Zhou State is much more cost-effective than mining, smelting, and casting by itself.
Chapter completed!