Chapter 4020
Chapter 4020
Chapter 4020
Takahashi Minami strode down the gangway and saluted the garrison officers who were standing in a row on the shore.
Among the officers assigned to Zhenhai Port, nearly half were his old subordinates. Seeing the familiar faces grow dark and thin, but their eyes were still full of enthusiasm, Takahashi Minami couldn't help but feel a little sad—they were all handpicked by him and sent to this godforsaken place to suffer.
Zhenhai Port is located in a tropical desert climate, which is hot and dry all year round and has very few natural resources. There are only a small number of nomadic people in the surrounding area, and the supply of living materials almost entirely depends on the transportation from Fubo Port, which takes place once every three months. You can imagine how difficult it is.
The garrison barracks and port warehouses are among the few buildings in Zhenhai Port. They are almost all low and simple adobe houses, which is a cheap solution adopted out of necessity to save manpower, financial resources and materials.
The number of immigrants who settled locally was only about one-tenth of that in Fubo Port. They mostly worked in some in-demand technical positions, so infrastructure projects like ports and military camps almost always required the stationed troops to provide labor and carry out the construction themselves.
Over the past two years, these soldiers stationed at Zhenhai Port have spent more than half their time on the construction site, far exceeding the time they spend on military missions. Even officers at the rank of colonel must take the lead and work on the construction site themselves.
According to Qian Tiandun's plan, the main function of Zhenhai Port was to serve as a supply station between Fubo Port and Suez, so there were certain requirements for the port's throughput and cargo storage capacity, and the related facilities were also the most important engineering construction projects in the early stage.
Zhenhai Port's defense capabilities are only at a low standard, lacking even large-scale defensive fortifications such as coastal artillery batteries. Within a radius of several hundred miles, there are only a few local kings with small armies, whose military strength may even be inferior to that of the pirate groups operating in the Gulf of Aden.
After all, those pirate gangs lived a life of constant danger, fighting for their lives in real combat year after year. They were not some kind of ceremonial armed force existing to maintain the authority of a local king. But the pirates didn't dare to touch Zhenhai Port. Although there were no fortifications like castles and high walls, there were thousands of armed Haihan soldiers stationed there. Anyone who wanted to attack it would be courting death.
In addition to bringing a large amount of supplies allocated to Zhenhai Port by the division headquarters, Takahashi Minami also brought breeding poultry and livestock that he had specially arranged to purchase from ports such as Abbas and Aden, so that the garrison troops could raise poultry and livestock in Zhenhai Port to improve their diet. At the same time, they could also try to raise a group of pack horses themselves to improve labor efficiency.
Of course, the most popular items in the barracks, cigarettes and alcohol, are also indispensable. According to the quota stipulated by the special operations division, the troops stationed in Zhenhai Port are entitled to a carton of cigarettes and a bottle of alcohol per person per month during their duty period. These are all good things that cannot be bought locally, and they are one of the few perks for soldiers.
Another special item that has attracted much attention is the letters sent home by each supply convoy.
Currently, not many soldiers have moved their entire families to Zhenhai Port; most of their families reside in Phuket, where living conditions are better. Therefore, they rely on letters exchanged every few months to maintain contact with their families thousands of miles away, which is one of their most important sources of emotional support. The line for receiving letters is much longer than the line for cigarettes and alcohol. Apart from a few carefree old bachelors, almost everyone else is waiting for the officer distributing the letters to call their names.
Takahashi Minami announced some good news to the crowd waiting for their letters: starting this year, the Special Forces Division would allocate several fast ships as dedicated postal vessels, making regular trips between various bases. The frequency of delivering letters and parcels to Zhenhai Port would be reduced from once every three months to once a month.
Although this new measure is expected to cost a lot, its effect on boosting morale and maintaining the army's morale is immeasurable.
Amidst the cheers of the soldiers, Takahashi Minami smiled with satisfaction. These mail ships were actually high-speed reconnaissance vessels ordered by the Special Operations Division from the Sanya Shipyard when they sailed south to Xingdao Island in 1656. However, due to the shipyard's slow schedule, the construction of these small ships was delayed again and again, and they were not all completed and delivered until the end of last year.
Currently, the special operations division only has certain maritime reconnaissance needs in the Red Sea direction, and larger warships must be deployed to determine the seaworthiness and range of the Haihan Fleet in the local waters. In order not to leave these high-speed reconnaissance ships idle, Qian Tiandun decided to use them as mail ships shuttling between various ports, which can be considered an arrangement to make the best use of them.
However, each fast ship also needs to be equipped with a dozen or so crew members, and the voyage between various ports is often thousands of miles long. Each trip requires at least half a month's worth of supplies, which is indeed a considerable expense.
After arriving in Hong Kong, Takahashi Minami summoned local garrison officers to hear their reports on recent construction progress.
The main bottleneck in the construction of Zhenhai Port is the source of building materials. The area near the port lacks trees and stone. Within a radius of several miles, almost all the trees as thick as a bowl have been cut down. The quarry capable of large-scale limestone mining is more than ten miles away. The garrison troops have to spend a lot of time on transportation, which has slowed down the progress of various infrastructure projects.
Currently, these adobe houses are only temporary structures. To ensure their longevity, more robust materials such as stone or even concrete would be needed. However, transporting cement across the sea is extremely expensive. Even if Qian Tiandun had the desire, he could only transport cement on a small scale for constructing critical facilities of limited size, such as command posts and armories.
The garrison officer's solution for Takahashi Minami was to expand the size of the freight convoy, which would require supplying Jinhae Port with hundreds more packhorses and a comparable number of flatbed wagons.
Takahashi Minami recalled that before he left Fubo Port, they were also putting all their efforts into completing the construction of the coastal defense fortifications, and the existing carts and horses were simply not enough. The livestock sent to Zhenhai Port this time were purchased from other places, so don't expect Fubo Port to provide much more packhorses and carts in the short term.
Takahashi Minami could only reluctantly reject her subordinates' suggestion, advising them to consider alternative approaches. For example, they could increase exploration of the surrounding area to see if there were any limestone deposits buried in the shallow surface that could be mined. As for the surrounding indigenous tribes, they could request to barter with them using timber, since salt, sugar, mirrors, tinder, ironware, and other goods produced by Haihan were considered valuable commodities among these tribes.