After all, if the Hetao base area can be developed, it will also be of great strategic importance to the Far East. The agricultural resources there, the modern Baotou Iron and Steel Plant, and the abundant coal and iron ore resources are of great interest to everyone.

Qiao Haipeng thought for a while and said: "In fact, we can build a shipyard in the Hetao area, the steam power units manufactured by the company are all composed of standardized components, as long as the parts of the steam engine and the important parts of the ship are transported to the Hetao area, we can completely assemble the inland river steam deck barge by local logging." Moreover, the Kaiyue open-pit coal mine near Baotou in modern society and the new open-pit coal mine in Hailiushu Dachang are all coal mining areas that are very easy to mine. At least in the early stage of the construction of the Hetao base area, the thermal coal required for various steam equipment can still meet our needs. ”

Hu Wei also said: "In the early stage of building the Hetao base area, we were able to collect a small number of displaced people, and then under the guidance of the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, we were able to open up the wasteland and farm. After the first crops of sweet potatoes, potatoes and corn are harvested, the number of displaced people will be gradually increased. We will strive to lay a good foundation and have the ability to accept displaced people on a large scale within two years. ”

Wang He said with emotion: "In this way, in the initial construction stage of the Hetao base area, the materials will definitely not be able to be guaranteed in an all-round way, and the comrades who start a business in the Hetao base area will have even more difficult conditions." ”

The other members of the Standing Committee also thought that the Hetao area was now a barren area, and after the Ming Dynasty gave up the Hetao, the Han people there had become extinct, and now it was the Mongolian Ordos Department that occupied it. Except for the steppes and the Mongols, there is nothing else to want, everything has to start all over again.

Although when the company's advance team reached Vladivostok through the wormhole, Vladivostok was also barren. However, Vladivostok was able to receive strong support from modern society at that time, and both materials and personnel could use wormholes to support at any time.

However, now the Hetao area does not have that condition, and it is isolated in the northwest, and without the support of water transportation from the Yellow River waterway, all kinds of materials in the base area will definitely not be able to keep up. In the first year of construction, the Hetao base area will face many difficulties. Fortunately, it is far from the implementation of the second phase of the campaign of the north. There is still more than a year to go, and it is still too late to start preparing.

Several members of the Standing Committee of the Board of Directors of the Far Eastern Company studied for a day, and then convened all the members of the Board of Directors Committee to discuss the development of the Hetao Base Area. But as soon as Wang He finished stating the situation, it caused a lot of controversy in the board committee.

Opinions of the committee members were very different, and a considerable number of committee members were skeptical of the idea of developing the Hetao base area, and they did not support the company's current waste of unnecessary resources to develop the Hetao base area.

The meeting fell into a situation of constant disputes, and Gao Jianguo saw that the conference room was a little chaotic. He slapped the table and said angrily: "What are you shouting, what ideas do you have one by one, don't make it look like a free market." ”

Wang He also smiled and said: "If you have any opinions, even if you put them forward, our board committee must also be fully democratic and will not ignore everyone's opinions." Okay, now you can have your say. But pay attention to the discipline of the meeting and raise your hand before speaking. In addition, it is necessary to respect the speeches of other comrades and not arbitrarily interrupt the speeches of others. ”

The conference room suddenly fell silent, but many committee members raised their hands, Gao Jianguo pointed to one of the committee members on the far side and said, "Start with you, and come one by one in order." ”

The commissioner stood up to state his own opinion, and he said excitedly: "I don't want to say anything else. The company's current focus should be on Liaodong, and the development of the Hetao base is bound to involve a lot of energy of the company. I don't think it makes sense to run a meaningless enclave with unnecessary resources. At present, the biggest bottleneck in the company's development of Liaodong is the lack of sufficient population. But now we still have to resettle the displaced people from Shanxi in the Hetao area, which is a needless waste of resources. ”

As soon as he sat down, a member of the committee stood up next to him, and he said in a deep voice: "I agree with the company to develop the Hetao base area, starting from the winter of a few years, a large-scale wave of displaced people caused by the great drought in Chongzhen will appear, and the company's ability to accept displaced people is extremely limited, and the cost of immigration is also very high." Even if we do our best to collect the displaced people, there will still be the vast majority of displaced people in the northern Ming Dynasty who will die because they cannot be resettled.

Rather than starve them to death, it is better to place them in the nearest Hetao. We can organize displaced people to settle fields in the Hetao base area and fully explore the agricultural and animal husbandry resources there. In the future, the company will continue to implement the third phase of the northbound plan, and if we successfully develop the resources of the Hetao base area, the company will have a granary in the northwest region in the future. In the future, whether the company goes north to Mobei or along the Hexi Corridor to the west to Xinjiang, the Hetao base area is of great significance. ”

The discussion was very intense, and for a time the committee members in the conference room were divided into two distinct factions. Several members of the Standing Committee, including Gao Jianguo and Wang He, also expressed their opinions, and when it was Li Ming's turn, he also expressed his thoughts.

"I was the first to come up with the idea of developing the Hetao base area, so let me talk about my idea. I do not fully agree with the opinions put forward by you, and we should not limit our thinking to one place in eastern Liaoning, but look at the overall situation from a strategic perspective. The company immigrated to Liaodong from all over the Ming Dynasty on a large scale, not only to build and develop Liaodong, but also to prepare for the future entry into the Central Plains.

After the company implements the second phase of the northward plan, a large area of grassland in the north will become the pasture of our Far East, and the Hetao area has been a battleground for soldiers since ancient times, and it is not impossible to establish a garrison area in the Hetao. Since I put forward this idea, I would like to make a statement here, and if this proposal is passed by a vote, I will go to the Hetao area to preside over the work. And I promise here that I will focus on the overall situation of the company, and will never waste the company's resources needlessly. ”

After listening to Li Ming's words, everyone fell silent. The members of the board of directors only now learned that the original idea of developing the Hetao base area was put forward by Li Ming. Moreover, he will personally go to the Hetao base area to start a business, you must know that the conditions there are extremely difficult.

Hu Wei also stood up, he did not express his thoughts, but said in a deep voice: "If the resolution is passed, I also hope to go to the Hetao area to start a business, and work with Li Ming to build and develop the Hetao base area." I would also like to say that the requirements for materials in the Hetao base area will not be too high, and it will not unnecessarily consume the company's resources. ”

After everyone finished expressing their opinions, Wang He glanced at everyone, and then said with a smile: "If you have nothing to add, let's start voting now......" (To be continued......

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