God Three Group Chat: Three Kingdoms

...

Gan Ning actually understood the political implications behind large shipyards, but he often pretended not to, because that way he could live an easier life without so much pressure.

If the sky falls, there will be tall people to hold it up; he only needs to do his job.

Zhou Yu, upon being spoken to in this manner, simply shook his head calmly and then turned his gaze back to the shipyard, a shipyard that had only recently been established and was also the only large-scale steel shipyard in the Southern Navy.

This large steel shipyard not only builds giant steel ships, but also includes steel furnaces, docks, ports, and supporting upstream and downstream processing plants.

The land, spanning tens of square kilometers, is large enough to accommodate 100,000 workers, providing ample logistical support, weapons supply, ship construction, and maintenance for the entire force.

The reason for choosing Qiongzhou is entirely due to its excellent geographical and locational advantages, especially compared to Qingzhou Shipyard, where it has unique advantages.

Besides its inherent political implications and its role in maintaining local control, it also possesses considerable practical locational advantages.

Especially for mineral deposits in Australia, the advantage is significant.

The time wasted transporting Australian ore to Qingzhou in two trips is enough for Australia to make three trips to Qiongzhou.

In particular, because the Kushan Empire blockaded the Strait of Malacca, the transportation of ore had to take a longer route, which not only took longer but also posed greater risks.

Choosing to take a longer route does not necessarily mean avoiding the Kushan Empire's patrol fleets, as no one knows where they will patrol, which is one of the risk factors.

Secondly, there is the unique nature of choosing long-distance routes. Many sea voyages take place in places that have never been before, and the risks can be quite high.

If the ships weren't sturdy enough and the crew members weren't skilled enough to cross oceans, it's hard to imagine anyone daring to take on such a transport mission.

However, such a great risk naturally drove up the cost of transportation. This additional cost made Zhou Yu frown when he saw it, and it strengthened his resolve to destroy the Kushan Empire's naval fleet and occupy the Strait of Malacca.

Occupying the Strait of Malacca would shorten the journey, reduce risks, and speed up transportation, with obvious benefits.

"As long as we can take control of the Strait of Malacca, and rely on this steel transport route, as long as we can hold it firmly in our hands, we can probably guarantee that a family, or even a kingdom, will not decline for a thousand years..." Zhou Yu's eyes were filled with a determined light as he thought of this possible future and gave his guess and conclusion.

The wars of the past could at most be called founding wars, forging the foundation of a kingdom, a foundation upon which it could rightfully live in this world.
To survive in this world for a long time, one must have the foundation of a nation, or the pillars of the nation.

In Zhou Yu's view, this ocean route for transporting ore was the foundation for a kingdom's long-term prosperity.

As long as the Strait of Malacca is controlled, the transportation of ore will be uninterrupted, and the value created will be sufficient to maintain the stability and prosperity of a kingdom.

"Iron ore does have a high price, but can it really be sustained for that long?" Gan Ning scratched his head, seemingly lost in thought. "After taking control of the Strait of Malacca, the number of ships transporting ore along this sea route will inevitably increase significantly. If the country can't consume so much ore during the large-scale iron ore production, wouldn't that be a waste of resources and manpower?" Gan Ning wasn't very familiar with domestic affairs, but he was quite knowledgeable about shipping and human nature.

Even now, people are taking huge risks to transport ore along this not-so-safe sea route. If the Strait of Malacca is taken over in the future, the risks will be greatly reduced, and there will be far more people involved than there are now.

Even if it were more than ten times the original price, let alone several times, Gan Ning would believe it.

With a transport volume of more than ten times that of ore, the same level of ore production could naturally be achieved, and it would be a continuous output. Could the Empire really consume so much?
As far as he knew, the Han Empire's steel production last year was 90,000 tons, with a shortfall of about 30,000 tons. Based on this ratio, the empire simply could not consume that much ore.

Based on what I've heard before, when the supply and demand relationship changes, prices and profits will naturally be affected, eventually tending towards a balance.

However, in this process of balancing, someone will always pay the price for this change, and the one who pays the price could be either the supply or demand side.

"A change in supply and demand?" Zhou Yu simply shook his head, not paying any attention to the changes.

Both sides of the supply and demand relationship are always subject to change and fluctuation; there is no absolute.

As for the empire's demand for ore, Zhou Yu did not believe that the current shortage was the upper limit.

Based on the empire's current use of metals, Zhou Yu estimated that the Han Empire's annual demand for iron ore would exceed 200,000 tons, and the current production is still insufficient to meet the empire's needs.

Even if the intensity of imperial wars decreases in the future, and the demand for weapons and equipment decreases, the quantity will not decrease by much.

After all, Chen Xi really did distribute sickles, hoes, hammers and other tools to the people. The annual consumption of these tools is quite considerable, so there is a fairly good minimum demand. Therefore, there is no need to worry about this sea route.

As for the production of raw materials, Zhou Yu didn't see it as a problem at all, and he wasn't even worried about it in the slightest.

The information conveyed by the intelligence personnel alone was enough to put people at ease.

The continuous mountain ranges are all mines. Although I have never seen them, based on the topography of Jiangnan, I can easily estimate that the iron ore in that area could support the kingdom's development and needs for several decades or even several centuries.

In fact, the iron ore mines in that area are truly continuous mountain ranges, metal ore mountain ranges, the kind that stretch for hundreds or even thousands of kilometers.

However, for the vast majority of people who have never seen it, this is something that transcends common sense.

For Han Chinese, especially those who frequently come into contact with and understand the inferior mines in the Central Plains, that was a pipe dream, something that most people could not even imagine.

However, none of this affected Zhou Yu's fighting spirit and plans. He intended to rely on the shipyard to continuously weaken the enemy, figure out the Kushan Empire's tactics, and then eliminate them. He would then seize control of the Strait of Malacca, gain control of safe sea routes, and lay the foundation for Sun Ce's kingdom, ensuring its enduring prosperity for a thousand years. (End of Chapter)