The land surface of South Island is a pear-shaped oval, with the long axis running northeast-southwest. It is 240 kilometers long, 210 kilometers wide, and covers an area of ​​33,900 square kilometers. It is smaller than Taiwan Island and is currently the second largest after Datang, a Japanese island province.

island.

The island has dense tropical rainforests and clear blue water. There are two seasons in the year, the dry season and the rainy season.

Hainan Island is low and flat on all sides and high in the middle, with a dome-shaped mountain topography, with Wuzhi Mountain and Yingge Ridge as the core of the uplift, gradually descending toward the periphery, forming an annular layered landform composed of mountains, hills, plateaus, and plains, with an obvious ladder structure.

The Shilu Iron Mine is located at the foothills of Jinniuling Mountain in the southwest. The total area of ​​the mining area is 60 square kilometers and the iron ore reserves are about 300 million. Since it is in a mountainous area, excavation is not very convenient, especially in the tropical rainforest in the south.

Fortunately, most of the terrain here is relatively flat. Before the work of large-scale machinery, it would be difficult to transport large-scale mines from here. But as long as we cross this section of land and reach the river, it will be much better.

.

This stretch of road seems to be smooth, but once it comes to the rainy season in Hainan, the continuous heavy rain and the sea breeze will 100% turn it into piles of mud. If you want to get rich, build the road first.

Li Mingda conveyed his idea to Gan Ning. Gan Ning said that he was looking for a navy general who needed support, so Li Mingda dropped Pang Tong to him.

Before Pang Tong went, Li Mingda told him what rails and small mine cars are in the mining area. There is plenty of wood in Hainan, and there is no shortage of stones in the mountainous areas. The rails do not need much quality, and they are processed from Panzhihua.

Transportation is enough. For a small mine cart, you only need a thin layer of iron sheet. There won’t be that much in the early stage. Later, they will build a smelting plant, so they will naturally make the things themselves.

summer

The rainy season arrives in Hainan

The rain kept pouring from the sky, and the heavy raindrops were accompanied by the sea breeze. The warships carrying the flags of the East China Sea Fleet of the Tang Dynasty had sailed into the Changhua River from the sea to the Beibu Gulf, and were walking along the Changhua River.

, is also the river closest to the mine.

Because this area is surrounded by mountains and rivers, the entire Changhua River is not suitable for navigation by large ships. If it is to be fully used, it must be transformed.

Fleet docked in the bay

Pang Tong and Gan Ning took a small boat, brought craftsmen from Panzhihua, reformed prisoners pulled from various prisons, and thousands of early-stage soldiers and other basic tools to the site to start construction.

Gan Ning had already seen the rainy weather in the south and had made preparations early. Instead of simply building a house with wood, it was built with stones as the foundation, along with wood and a small amount of cement.

Although it looks a little weird, it is still solid. The large rocks inside do not meet the optimal proportions, but it is enough for the preliminary work.

There are naturally snakes in Hainan. When it rains heavily, some snake repellent medicines are washed away. Fortunately, the rain is relatively heavy and this guy doesn't want to come out.

"Commander Pang, how many days will this rain last?"

"Yes, it will indeed take a few days. This mine will be temporarily suspended. However, these are open-pit mines and are easy to mine. It will not be long before we can start self-sufficient production of tools."

Gan Ning nodded: "My lord is so awesome. He even knows about such a good iron mine."

Pointing to the sky, Pang Tong said with a smile: "My lord, he thinks he knows that the work of you and me is not easy now. To be honest, I am just a counselor. Why do you need me to come here to organize the mine?"

"Those who are able should work harder. This mine will be supplied to Li Moyun in the future, right?"

"Yes, Xingba, the infrastructure construction here will be almost completed in one month. The proposed smelting plant will still take a while. You must leave enough personnel for safe work. Although His Majesty has handed over the mine here.

Here you go, work at sea is your duty, remember to always keep an eye on the monkeys on those islands."

Speaking of those monkeys, Gan Ning sneered from the corner of his mouth: "Humph, a bunch of scum, that stick-haired guy still wants to be an enemy of the Tang Dynasty and our East China Sea Fleet. If they cause trouble again, just pull them over and continue mining. It's just right.

There is a lack of labor here. The prisoners in the country are all serving their sentences. When the time comes, let them go back. Those monkeys, hehehe."

Only with an extreme sneer can one show how ferocious this powerful naval general who was born as a water thief is.

Seeing Gan Ning's ferocious look, Pang Tong smiled slightly: "Okay, I know you are powerful, how did Li Moyun perform there?"

When Pang Tong mentioned Li Moyun, Gan Ning was slightly stunned, and then asked Pang Tong: "Old Pang, what are you thinking about?"

Pang Tong smiled. He knew what his question had made Gan Ning think, and explained: "Nothing, just asking about his situation. Li Moyun is talented and knowledgeable. The entire Southeast Asian province is under his governance very well. Your Majesty."

The tasks assigned to him, whether it was the military port, the shipyard, or the management of those second-class citizens, were all very good, but there was one thing that was not enough."

Gan Ning looked at Pang Tong's wretched look and suddenly came to his senses: "Well, it's not like I haven't told him before. Maybe he doesn't like monkeys. Why don't we find a girl from a good family in Chang'an City and send him over?"

, kill two birds with one stone”

"He has to bring this matter up himself, but I think he should have realized that the girl, who has been in Chang'an City for so long, will always attract the attention of some girls from official families around the former prince Li Chengqian. These people

Although some of them have been disposed of, there are still two smart ones left."

"Then I will ask him later and ask him to take care of his matter as soon as possible, so that everyone will not have to worry about it."

"That's fine. You can go back when the rain stops. Leave this place to me for now. I'll bring more people next time."

"I know, but now you see it's raining, so why not play cards?"

"Can"

The two of them brought over a familiar general. They were all directly subordinate to Emperor Mingzun. Although their official positions were quite different, they were naturally more familiar with him than the local generals.

three days later

the rain stopped

After the storm, a rainbow naturally appears

There was stagnant water in some places on the construction site. I took people to clear the water and then started my own intense and orderly work.

Under the command and supervision of the craftsmen, the temporary small blast furnace was started, and some heavy-duty components that could not be transported were cast on-site, slowly completing the construction of the smelter.

After saying goodbye to Pang Tong, Gan Ning led his team and set off again to Southeast Asia Province to find Li Moyun.

in the north

Summer has just arrived. Located in the mountains of Anshan, among the personal flags of Gongsun Zan and the dragon flag of the Tang Dynasty and Li Mingda's sun, moon and star flag, tens of thousands of soldiers of the Tang Dynasty were stationed here to supervise the Goguryeo prisoners of war who began to dig.

As far as Hainan is concerned, the scale here is obviously much larger.
Chapter completed!