Carlo did not know about Tesla's meeting with Marconi when he was a child, because he was paying attention to the news of the arrival of former Prime Minister Cairoli and his party in Pontianak.
That's right, after nearly two months of hard sailing, the former Prime Minister of Cairoli, no, the Governor of Cairoli and his party finally arrived in Lanfang.
Of course, if it weren't for the fact that Governor Kairoli was older, they could have reached Lanfang faster.
But it was not too late. Former Lanfang officials, led by Deputy Governor Liu Enguan, and the garrison representative Major General Slater made a special trip to Pontianak to greet them.
"Your Majesty the Governor, welcome to Pontianak."
As the deputy governor, Liu Enguan's attitude was very low, almost groveling. Of course, the reason why he did this was also very simple. He was trying hard not to make the governor dislike him.
Liu Enguan was very afraid of the governor who had served as prime minister in front of him. Because he knew that the governor of Cairoli was a very powerful person in Italy, but in this place where the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, he was not the only one.
The final say.
Regardless of the fact that he is the deputy governor, Liu Enguan knows that this is just the Italians' urgent needs, so they follow their own hearts. If you really think that you are a deputy governor, that is the way to die.
I didn't see Major General Slater. Although he was usually polite, there was a hint of refusal in his tone. How could Liu Enguan not hear it?
In the final analysis, Italy still regrets giving himself a higher position, but if Liu Enguan wants to withdraw voluntarily, don't even think about it. Even if he becomes a clay sculpture deputy governor, he is still a deputy governor, and after all, he is also the second person in Lanfang Colony.
He can always fight for some say for his family and other Chinese people.
Of course, he also wanted to improve the relationship as much as possible, but Qiu Ba didn't understand. The gold he sent was returned directly, and the beauty was kicked out on the grounds that women were not allowed in the army.
It can be said that faced with Major General Slater, who was out of luck, his methods did not work and he could only place his hope on the former Italian Prime Minister who was about to arrive.
"Hello, Liu, I'm glad you can host this welcome ceremony. I'm very happy."
The amiable Cairoli made Liu Enguan feel at ease.
Of course, this was not the time to show off. After Liu Enguan said a few simple greetings, he immediately gave up his seat because there were others waiting behind him.
"Major General Slater, thank you for your efforts, so that I can see a peaceful and peaceful Lanfang."
"Your Majesty the Governor, you're welcome, this is what I should do."
"Mr. Litoko..."
After greeting the welcoming officials one after another, Liu Enguan took the opportunity to speak. "Your Majesty the Governor is coming to Pontianak. The people in the city are eagerly looking forward to it. I hope that the Governor can come to welcome you. The people in the city have prepared a banquet for you."
This was said in Guangzhou dialect. Although Liu Enguan worked hard to learn Italian, the time was too short and he didn't learn it fully enough. In order to avoid making people laugh, he decided not to make a fool of himself.
Of course, a translator had been prepared long ago to translate Liu Enguan's words to Cairoli.
After listening to Liu Enguan's words, Cairoli said with a smile. "Please thank everyone for your kindness. Although I really want to participate, my health does not allow it. Please let me rest for a few days before meeting you again."
Although the Governor of Cairoli refused, Liu Enguan could hear the kindness in his words. "I didn't think well, so I might as well let the Governor take a rest first. I don't know about the handover of government affairs..."
"Let's postpone it for a while. I believe the people who came with me also need to rest."
"Then please get in the car first. The resting place is ready."
As Kairoli and others got on the carriage, the carriage immediately took them to a carefully selected place in Pontianak City. As the governor, Kairoli even lived in the palace of the former Sultan of Pontianak.
Cairoli was really tired after traveling all the way, after all, his age.
But no matter how tired he was, he still managed to gather his energy and briefly understand Lan Fang's situation.
But before he could take a closer look at the documents in front of him, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Secretary Doss came in.
"What's up?"
When he returned and saw that it was his secretary who had been with him for many years, Cairoli asked him the reason for his visit.
"Sir, your attitude today, your feeling... your feeling..."
"It's very wrong. It's not like my previous style?"
Cairoli spoke for his secretary.
"Yes, my lord."
Facing the secretary's doubts, Cairoli calmed down and explained.
"In the past, in Italy, it was because I was familiar with everyone, and I knew everyone well, so I could act strong. But in the colony of Lanfang, my eyes were darkened and I didn't understand anything, so how could I be too strong.
Besides, the situation here is complicated and requires more cooperation with local people to complete the work, so there is no time to clean up these local forces one by one."
After listening to the explanation, Doss nodded. "Prime Minister, no, Governor, I understand. I will pay more attention to it at work."
Cairoli said he was resting, but he was still paying attention to Lanfang's situation, especially in terms of government operations. Of course, he also knew that the colonial government could never be as efficient as the mainland, but he could appropriately improve the efficiency of government work.
Issues to consider.
Three days later, Cairoli held its first meeting. Since it was the official appearance of the Governor, no one was neglecting it. They were all prepared early in the morning.
"Everyone, I am very happy to have everyone attend this meeting. This is my first time working overseas, and I believe it is also the first time for many people."
After a brief opening remarks, Cairoli immediately got to the point. "Our task in Lanfang has not been easy recently, because this place is very important to our country. Before I left, the Prime Minister and His Majesty discussed this issue with me. And I think that at present
The important reason that restricts the development of Lanfang is the port's navigation capacity. I looked through the information on Lanfang and found that the largest port in Lanfang is currently Pontianak, and Pontianak can only navigate 3,000-ton sea vessels. This was okay in the past, but
In today's rapidly changing world, it is absolutely unfeasible, so Pontianak Port must be widened and deepened."
With Cairoli's words, everyone present knew that this new official was the first to get angry after taking office.
At this time, there could not be any ignorant people who came up to look for him and were unhappy. They were all waiting for the governor's next words.
"The Pontianak port must have a navigation capacity of 10,000 tons, so as to solve the shipping problem."
Although the new Pontianak Port Director didn't want to stand up, he had to stand up now.
"Your Majesty the Governor, I would like to excuse you. It is a bit difficult for Pontianak to reach the navigation capacity of 10,000 tons, because the Kunjiang estuary is only about 6 meters deep. We want to expand it to 9-10 meters where 10,000 tons of sea vessels can pass.
, this project is too large and very uneconomical, and the annual dredging costs alone will not be low."
"Director Green, I understand what you are talking about. I did not say that I would expand the current Pontianak port to a navigation capacity of 10,000 tons. My idea is to open another port for Pontianak."
Kairoli's words made many people at the scene look at each other, because Pontianak is a river port, and because the outlet of Kunjiang River is a swampy terrain, it is impossible to build a port, and Pontianak is its best port choice. If you want to open a seaport
, so this place is twenty or thirty kilometers away from the seaside. How to solve the traffic problems in this newly opened seaport.
Seeing the situation at the scene, Cairoli smiled slightly, and then he spoke out his blueprint.
"This is Digong, a small port located on the seaside. The water depth in the port is quite good, reaching about eight meters. What's more, the topography of Digong is very good, with mountains on both sides, surrounding it. What's more important is that
, it is 27 kilometers away from Pontianak. As long as we develop it, it will be a port that can meet our needs. As for the reason for the distance, it is very simple. We can just build a railway connection."
Cairoli's words shocked everyone at the scene. This was a big deal. Without 30 to 40 million lire, it would be impossible to complete the blueprint he mentioned. And where did the money come from?
As if he knew what they were thinking, Cairoli immediately told his own plan. "The cost is not small, so I plan to have the government pay part of it, and then sell part of the area to raise funds."
Cairoli's words made Liu Enguan's eyes light up, and he said, "I wonder if the Governor is planning to sell the land?"
"Part of the terminal and its warehouse area, as well as some commercial and residential land, will also be sold."
Cairoli's answer was not only felt by Liu Enguan, but also everyone else present felt the huge benefits.
Pontianak is not only the core city in the Kunjiang River Basin, but also the capital of the Italian Lanfang Colony in the future. For such a city with various trades, the value of its port goes without saying. As long as it can occupy a position, it will definitely make money.
of trading.
Since there are benefits, there will be people who are not willing to lag behind.
"Your Majesty the Governor, how much money are you prepared to let the government invest?"
"The construction of railways must be invested by the government, and the government must account for half of the port investment."
Cairoli's words brought the venue into a climax, with many officials talking among themselves in whispers.
Cairoli is very satisfied with the performance of these people, and it seems that he has set the fire first.
Speaking of several tasks assigned by Carlo, Cairoli believed that building a trade transfer station was the easiest, because Lanfang's trade itself was relatively large. However, due to the monopoly of the Dutch and in order to ensure Batavia's status, other
Deliberately restrict local infrastructure development.
After Italy occupied this place, there were of course no restrictions, and with the help of Italy-Qing trade, there was an urgent need to expand the port and build various supporting facilities.
Of course, Cairoli only asked the government to contribute half of the money. It was not because the government could not afford the money, but because he had his own purpose.
First of all, Cairoli needs to take advantage of this opportunity to win over all forces for his own use. Who is willing to listen to him sincerely without giving him some sweet dates? Only by letting them know that they listen to him will they be able to eat sweets, and these people will behave themselves.
Act according to your own ideas. In addition, you can also gather social funds to speed up the development of Lanfang.
Cairoli believes that government funds alone are somewhat powerless for the development of Lanfang, not to mention that Lanfang also needs to pay a tax of 3,000 lire to Rome every year. This has slowed down the development of Lanfang colony a lot.
, so without using social funds, what can he use?
Relying on domestic capital alone would not lead to domestic conflicts with Lanfang. As a qualified politician, Cairoli would not allow such a thing to happen.
Kairoli's words in Pontianak soon spread throughout Lanfang. Regarding the governor's move to sell half of the land in Pontianak New Port, powerful businessmen from all over the country were moved by the news.
Finally, half a month later, the Governor's Mansion came up with a plan. Thirty plots of land were drawn across the entire port. Some of these plots were in locations that would make people jealous at first glance, while others were less conspicuous. Of course, these plots were basically
Everyone can make money, but whether you make more or less is a matter of ability.
After half a month of publicity, the fierce auction began. After a fierce battle, businessmen from all over the country gained something.
The total auction amount reached 16.71 million lire.
Among them, the top bidder was the port's eastern terminal. This 120-acre piece of land was won by the Liu family for 4.17 million lire. This also proved that the Liu family not only had political backing, but was also not inferior economically.
