1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 1904 Behind the Prosperity
Of course, it is impossible for Haihan Bank to open an office near the coastal defense fort. Such a huge advertising sign is really purely for a sense of presence.However, this kind of existence is not something that can be obtained with money. The Luhuitou Peninsula and the waterway entering and exiting Sanya Port are all military control areas. To place advertisements here, you must first obtain a military license. This alone is enough to dissuade The vast majority of businessmen with ideas.

Of course, Li Luo is very clear about where the special status of Haihan Bank comes from. In fact, starting from Zhoushan Island, every stop he stayed on the way south this time, even including Zhangzhou City in Fujian Province, which was still under the rule of the Ming Dynasty, could be found in the bank. Seeing the signboard advertisement of Haihan Bank in a conspicuous place shows its great influence.Merchants from all over the world can safely deposit their money in Haihan Bank, and even the transactions are settled through the bank. These advertisements have also played a subtle role.

If Li Luo knew that North Korea was currently preparing to borrow money from Haihan Bank in the name of the state, then he would definitely have a deeper impression of this Haihan financial institution.Haihan Bank's business objects are not only private individuals, countries like North Korea will also become its customers when necessary.

However, North Korea is not the first country to borrow from Haihan Bank in the name of the country. Most of the countries that purchased Haihan’s arms in the early years had limited economic conditions. One solution is to provide special loans from Haihan Bank, that is, the funds can only be used to purchase arms from Haihan.However, North Korea was indeed the first to apply for a loan because the state treasury was empty and could not maintain the operation of state organs.

"The signboard of this bank in your country... is really magnificent!" Li Wei hesitated for a while before thinking of a more suitable adjective to praise the scene in front of him.

Ning Qi replied: "Perhaps when the son returns to his country in the future, he can also see similar signs in your country."

Li Luo thought that this possibility should not be "perhaps", but "inevitable". Before he left Seoul, Haihan Bank's branch in Seoul had already opened for business. Looking for a suitable place to erect a signboard along the Han River.However, it is difficult for Li Luo to make a clear judgment because of the lack of relevant financial knowledge.

With the private wharf as a reference point for comparison, after turning around and returning to Sanya Harbor, Li Lu noticed that the port operated by the government is indeed the busiest area in the entire port area. The complex masts look like a dense forest from a distance.

This is actually a reasonable thing. The officially operated port is located next to the sea channel and at the confluence of two rivers. The location and environment are far from comparable to the river terminal.Moreover, the loading and unloading facilities of the official port are complete, and the operating efficiency is far better than those of the private docks that can only be loaded and unloaded by manpower alone. The railway station is next to the port, and it is far more convenient to complete the transfer than the private docks.Of course, while enjoying these conveniences, you also need to pay more fees, so some merchants still choose to complete cargo loading and unloading at private docks.

Thanks to the shipping department with many professionals, Haihan's specialization in port operations is also ahead of this era.While Western counterparts were still complacent about finding a natural harbor in East Asia, Haihan had already developed and constructed more than ten large ports in just ten years, and most of them had already entered the In the healthy operation stage, it plays the role of a regional maritime trade hub and creates a lot of wealth for Haihan every year.

When he returned to the shore again, Li Lu noticed that almost all the heavy laborers on the wharf were dark-skinned, topless foreign laborers, while the foremen were mostly dressed as Han Chinese, so he asked Zhou Hengxing about it.

Zhou Hengxing explained: "My son is really careful. In fact, these laborers are migrant workers without Haihan nationality, and some are even slaves. They don't understand Chinese or Chinese characters, so they can't engage in more demanding technical work. , can only arrange for them to do these simple physical labor. They can support themselves by selling their labor, and even get out of slavery and get the opportunity to apply for citizenship of our country."

Haihan has been using a large number of foreign labor in ports, mines, plantations and other places over the years. This has become a customary practice, and the government also tacitly allows private owners to purchase and use a large number of slave labor.However, in order to take care of the people’s sentiments and give consideration to these coolies who are at the bottom of the local society, the Haihan government still implements the labor point system in various public and private labor camps, and sets special treatment settings for leaving slavery and applying for Haihan nationality. Standards were established to encourage these foreign labor slaves to work.

Of course, no matter which standard it is, it is extremely difficult to achieve it, and in the end, only a very small number of people can persist until the day when the conditions are met.And the vast majority of low-level workers who are not of Haihan nationality can only use the labor they sell to earn a living. Those who can make a name for themselves in these places are either one of a thousand ruthless characters, or they have cultivated enough in their previous lives. The lucky ones of Fubao.

Naturally, Li Lu did not have such a deep understanding. He just lamented that Haihan had such a great demand for labor, and would deliberately accommodate so many foreign laborers.Thinking back to the several ports I visited on the way south, none of them seemed to have such a scene. This may also be because those ports are closer to Ming Dynasty and it is more convenient to introduce Han immigrants.

Because of the large number of North Korean teams, Zhou Hengxing reserved an entire floor in a restaurant in the port area in advance, otherwise it would be really difficult to arrange so many dozens of people in a hurry.However, although this is an invitation to the North Korean team to eat in his own name, the entertainment expenses will definitely be paid by the public. Fortunately, the Sanya Port Management Committee itself is also a fat and oily government office, and Zhou Hengxing only needs to pay for the meal. Just sign and get reimbursed.

Ning Qi knew this well, so he never asked Zhou Hengxing if he planned to pay for it himself.This is the basic operation of foreign affairs reception, if it is changed to him to do this thing, it must be handled in the same way.

The content of the banquet is inevitably full of big fish and meat as usual. Seeing how his subordinates are feasting, Li Mo can't help but feel a little worried about the future life of these guys.It is said that after enrolling, the students will only be able to eat the meals provided by the collective cafeteria, and I am afraid that they will not have so much oil and meat for a whole month.

"How did your son feel after seeing Sanya Port today?" Zhou Hengxing raised this question after toasting to Li Luo.

After thinking for a while, Li Lu replied: "Sanya Port is a bit smaller, so it can't help but look a bit cramped. If the place is bigger, it will be more prosperous than it is now. But here is one city and two ports, and Sanya Port is not enough. It can be supplemented by Shengli Port, and the ports on both sides have their own division of labor, which is a unique way of development.”

Zhou Hengxing praised: "My son has a good vision, and all the problems he said are on the point. Sanya Port is limited by its terrain, and it is impossible to build multiple large cargo terminals like Shengli Port, so we can only find another way to attract businessmen by developing private terminals. , so that while developing itself, it can also be regarded as playing a certain supplementary role to Shengli Port.”

The Executive Committee's planning for these two ports actually started before the crossing operation, but the actual development and construction process also made many adjustments due to the specific conditions of this time and space.The development model of Sanya Port maximizes the use of external resources, greatly reducing the burden on Haihan, and effectively reducing the development time.

But there are gains and losses. Due to the emergence of a large number of private industries in the port area, Haihan's layout planning and specific implementation in the Sanya port area are far less perfect than Shengli Port.In addition, most of the immigrants arriving at the port now land from Sanya Port, so many immigrants will choose to find a place to settle in the nearby Sanya Port, and a large area of ​​slums spontaneously formed near the banks of the upper reaches of the two rivers.

According to incomplete statistics, there are at least [-] foreign workers temporarily living in these slums.Due to the large number of nationalities and races of the residents, it is also very difficult for Haihan officials to manage these places, which will inevitably affect the local security situation. In recent years, it has gradually become an area with a high incidence of security cases in Sanya.

In view of the fact that Haihan's population and household registration policies are unlikely to undergo major changes in a short period of time, and the social problems existing in Sanya Port are also difficult to be cured, there are not many measures that Zhou Hengxing can take at present, except for strengthening public security measures. , is also trying to provide these foreign workers with better living facilities and opportunities for vocational training and education. By improving their quality of life and cultural level, they can change their original concepts and learn to abide by Haihan's laws and regulations.

These soft measures will not have an immediate effect, but in the long run, they will still play a positive role in improving the local social environment.It is also thanks to the fact that Zhou Hengxing has sat in this position for a long time. If the officials in charge are changed every two or three years, most of them will go out of office and it will be difficult to achieve long-term effects.

However, these dark sides wrapped under the bright and bright coat cannot be seen in the itinerary of Li Wei's fleeting trip.What Haihan officials showed him was the bustling wharf, eye-catching signboards, luxurious banquets, and various achievements from industrial construction.The Haihan he can see is a prosperous, rich and safe place, and an existence worthy of North Korea's refuge and emulation.

Of course, Li Lu will stay in Haihan for two years. Sooner or later, he will come into contact with those places that are not seen in the light, but preconceived impressions are very important. As long as he thinks that Haihan is a developed and prosperous country, there will be many unsatisfactory places. It will also be automatically ignored.

The North Korean students would not consider such a high level, they are still immersed in what they saw and heard today.Compared with the places they have been to in their lives, the prosperity of the capital of Haihan has exceeded their imagination, which also gave them a clearer understanding of Haihan's national strength.

After An Daoshi filled his stomach, he turned his attention to the outside of the restaurant. Looking out from where he was sitting, he could just see the hills of the Luhuitou Peninsula.

According to what he knows so far, the army base and military academy of the Haihan Army are located on the Luhuitou Peninsula, which means that in the next period of time, he will go there to receive military training.Being so close to the final destination, An Daoshi really couldn't wait to see what the base on the other side of the hill looked like.

However, there is no visit to the army base in today's itinerary, so his idea cannot be realized for the time being.After finishing this hearty lunch, according to the previously scheduled arrangement, they will visit the Victory Port Shipyard.Although An Daoshi is not interested in shipbuilding, this is an official arrangement, and he can only choose to obey.

But just when the group was ready to leave the restaurant for the next stop, they met Yan Chujie who was going to the army base in a carriage for business outside the restaurant.

Yan Chujie saw Ning Qi in the car, so he took the initiative to stop and ask about their arrangements. Seeing that all the North Korean military officers and students seemed to be present, Yan Chujie took the initiative to say: "Why don't the naval officers follow you, and the other military officers and students follow you?" I went to the Luhuitou base to get acquainted with the environment first, and went through the admission procedures."

Although this arrangement was a bit sudden, Li Wei agreed without hesitation and asked An Daoshi and others to go with Yan Chujie.In fact, he didn't know why Yan Chujie temporarily changed the arrangement of the officer cadets, but thinking about it, there was almost no harm in giving the cadets a chance to flirt with the Minister of Defense, Hai Han.

In fact, Yan Chujie did this on a whim. The reason why he went to the army base was that this afternoon was the training achievement assessment for a group of foreign military cadets. He personally served as the chief examiner to show how much the Haihan military attached importance to this.Originally, this event did not include North Koreans at all, but it happened that they met not far from the base. Yan Chujie wanted to take the North Korean students there by the way to open their eyes and let them know what will happen in the next period of time. What kind of training will be received, and how military skills will be improved after receiving Haihan training.

An Daoshi and the others were naturally quite excited, and the head of the Haihan military personally took them to the base to go through the enrollment procedures.As for the deep meaning behind this arrangement, no one dared to ask Yan Chujie at the moment.

In order to bring this group of temporary members, Yan Chujie's subordinates hired two large carts nearby.Anyway, it's only three or four miles from here to the base, and we'll be there soon.Although the North Korean students felt that riding this scooter was a bit degrading, but no one dared to complain.

(End of this chapter)