1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 1991
Although what Ji Yuanqing said was a little flattering, it was indeed the truth. Gong Shiqi's research knowledge was all related to fighting and killing, so no matter how many books he read, it was impossible to change his temperament. peace.However, this is not necessarily a bad thing for Gong Shiqi's profession. His work must be decisive. If his temper is too mild, he is not suitable for this job.

Gong Shiqi said: "I'm a rough person, and I like to go straight like a knife when doing things. Brother Ji laughed!"

Ji Yuanqing waved his hand and said: "Brother Gong is a man of temperament. I have heard a little about Brother Gong's past deeds, and I admire him very much. How can I make a joke?"

Many of the special tasks that Gong Shiqi completed for the Ministry of Security in the past have become teaching examples for the Haihan Intelligence Agency to train newcomers. Although Ji Yuanqing is not from the Ministry of Security, he still has the opportunity to share some information.Especially after he came to Zhejiang as an official, he would naturally know the glorious deeds that the Ministry of Security and the military had accomplished in Hangzhou City, and he would also know Gong Shiqi's ability by the way.

In comparison, Gong Shiqi obviously knew much less about this colleague, and the limited information was almost all from what Wanfa said.However, after getting in touch with him in the past few days, Gong Shiqi also knew that this man was not simple. He was not only thoughtful, experienced, but also very good at observation. These are the qualities that an excellent intelligence officer must possess.At the beginning, Gong Shiqi was worried about this partner, but now he is gradually getting better and better.He was looking forward to whether this seemingly calm man would show his sharp minions after arriving in Yangzhou.

On the two ships departing from Ningbo to Yangzhou this time, in addition to the team brought by Gong Shiqi from Shandong, the Military Intelligence Bureau also sent a team led by Ji Yuanqing.Gong Shiqi was not disgusted with this arrangement, because although the people under his command were all good at performing field missions, they were not that familiar with the environment in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, so they really needed local support, and Ji Yuanqing's people They are all resident in Zhoushan, and even originally from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, so they can just provide such assistance.

In addition to the two cargo ships transporting salt, the military dispatched four warships from Zhoushan to cover and respond just in case. However, in order to avoid attracting attention, these four warships did not follow the salt transport ship. The boats depart together, but will maintain a time difference of about half a day.Because the shape of the Haihan warship is too unique, it cannot directly enter the port of Yangzhou Prefecture to dock, and can only patrol the open sea and stand by.The communication between the salt ship and the warship is realized through two radios. This is one of the few field missions where the intelligence agencies use radio as a means of communication.

Sanya's technical department has been able to manufacture relatively primitive wired telegraphs in small batches, and has begun to promote the establishment of wired telegraph networks in various places and implement more advanced and convenient communication methods.However, there is still a relatively high technical threshold for manufacturing radio transmitters, so only major cities and major overseas ruled areas will be equipped with radio stations brought during crossing. In addition, they can only be used in large-scale military operations The radio station is used, but intelligence agencies rarely have the opportunity to enjoy such treatment.

Of course, this was also because the Military Intelligence Bureau was directly involved in this operation. Otherwise, just Gong Shiqi led a team to dispatch, and he was still not qualified to apply for the use of the radio station.For this reason, the military specially sent two full-time radio operators to accompany them to ensure that the salt transportation team can keep in touch with the warships cruising in the open sea, and can provide assistance as soon as possible if necessary.And the safety of the two operators and the radio station was something that Gong Shiqi had to guarantee.

However, the time that the radio station can help them is actually limited to the period of nearshore activities. Once the operation needs to go deep into the inland area, the effect of bringing the radio station will diminish.Shi Diwen had already expressed his attitude before they set off. The navy could only provide them with some assistance near the coast, but if Gong Shiqi and his party caused big trouble in Yangzhou City, they could count on the military to send troops to rescue them. That would be unrealistic.The result that the Executive Committee hopes to see is that the existing problems can be resolved, rather than causing greater troubles in the process of solving the problems-for example, it triggered a war with Ming Dynasty.

This means that Gong Shiqi and his party should not rely too much on the strength of the military in the next operation, and should try their best to solve the problems encountered by themselves.But Gong Shiqi seemed to have full confidence in this, and this was one of the reasons why Ji Yuanqing admired him. Even though he was going to enter an unfamiliar area to perform such a difficult task, he still maintained an excellent mentality. This really required experience. Many difficult situations can only be achieved with sufficient operational experience.

"Brother Gong, I have a question, I hope you can answer me frankly."

After getting Gong Shiqi's affirmative response, Ji Yuanqing asked, "How sure is Brother Gong that this operation will succeed?"

Gong Shiqi replied in a deep voice: "I'm sure, I can't predict it now, but I know one thing very well, if we don't dare to try boldly, then there is no possibility of even half of it!"

The determination shown by Gong Shiqi's words made Ji Yuanqing feel his steadfast attitude again. He thought to himself that it was not only because of his outstanding personal ability that this person was able to rank first in the Ministry of Security, but because of his stable mentality. Common people can reach.

After passing through Hangzhou Bay from south to north, the fleet has sailed out of the waters of Zhejiang Province and entered the waters of Songjiang Prefecture, Jiangsu Province. However, the Jinshan Guard guarding this place has a good relationship with the Zhoushan authorities and Ningbo Prefecture officials, so there is no need to worry. What will happen here.

To the north of Songjiang Prefecture is the mouth of the Yangtze River. From the downstream to the south bank are Songjiang Prefecture, Suzhou Prefecture, Changzhoufu, Zhenjiang Prefecture and Yingtian Prefecture. The destination is Yangzhou Prefecture.

According to the administrative division set by Ming Taizu, Yangzhou Prefecture is located on the north bank of the Yangtze River and at the southern end of the Jianghuai Plain. It governs three prefectures and seven counties. There are many rivers and lakes here, and it is also a plain terrain. It has been a land of fish and rice since ancient times, and rice, wheat and other food crops are grown. The areas are very large.Of course, the wealth created by agriculture is nothing compared to the salt industry here.

However, not many salt merchants in the Jianghuai area were locals, but mostly from Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Huizhou in southern Anhui.In the middle and early Ming Dynasty, merchants from Shaanxi and Shanxi were the main salt merchants. After the middle period, Huizhou merchants began to enter the Jianghuai area, especially Yangzhou area, and intervene in the salt industry.During this period, due to the conflict of interests, the salt merchants who were originally from Shanxi and Shaanxi and the late Huizhou merchants gradually formed a confrontational situation.

"Shanxi salt merchants came early and have deep roots, while Huizhou merchants are better at dealing with the government. Therefore, after Huizhou merchants gained a firm foothold in Yangzhou, they have been crowding out the traditional market that originally belonged to Shanxi merchants."

Regarding the situation of the Yangzhou salt merchants, Ji Yuanqing obviously had much more information than Gong Shiqi, so he was still trying to supplement Gong Shiqi with relevant information along the way.

"When the Ming court had important military supplies, celebrations, relief services, and projects, Yangzhou salt merchants were the main force to donate. Especially in recent years, the war in the north has been tense, and the peasant army has been in chaos in the Central Plains, resulting in a huge gap in the military expenditure of the Ministry of War. Yangzhou salt The merchants donated money and food, but they have made a lot of contributions.”

Gong Shiqi nodded and said, "Supposedly the money from the salt merchants is not for nothing, the imperial court should have given them a lot in return, right?"

"Businessmen seek profit, and it is necessary to pursue returns." Ji Yuanqing continued: "The court's rewards to salt merchants are mainly divided into two categories. One is to confer honorary titles. Although they are all vain positions, they can be regarded as officials. The salt industry is given preferential treatment, such as allowing them to increase the price when selling official salt, increasing the weight of table salt corresponding to salt quotations, and even exempting them from the backlog of salt tax in the past.”

"Famous and profitable, this kind of return must be a very good deal for the salt merchants." Gong Shiqi sighed: "It's just that doing so is essentially drinking poison to quench thirst, and it will only make the salt merchants' influence in the local area more and more popular." Big, it’s easier for them to make huge profits after monopolizing the operation of the salt industry, and part of the donated money should have gone into the national treasury for salt tax.”

Ji Yuanqing said: "These truths must be understood by the high-ranking officials in the Ming Dynasty, but firstly, they really need a lot of funds to maintain the operation of the army, and secondly, too many officials have colluded with the salt merchants. For our own benefit, we must continue to maintain this deformed state. Does Brother Gong know what money is?"

Gong Shiqi shook his head and said, "I don't know, please ask Brother Ji to clarify."

Ji Yuanqing said: "The so-called money capital is the loan from the government to the salt merchants for business turnover, and the salt merchants pay interest to the government every year for this, which is called money interest. Brother Gong is well-informed, so he must be able to understand Is there some mystery in this?"

Gong Shiqi suddenly said: "Isn't this just changing ways to deliver benefits to the government?"

Ji Yuanqing responded with a smile: "Salt merchants are short of money, just like the bottom of the Yangtze River. It is only a theoretical possibility, but every big salt merchant in Yangzhou will borrow money from the government for a long time, even if they just donate money every year. The money that comes out is in the tens of thousands or 10 taels, and they will still borrow money from the government in various names, and then send the vain money to the government in the name of interest, especially Huizhou merchants. Most proficient."

Gong Shiqi sneered: "No wonder Brother Ji mentioned just now that Huizhou merchants came from behind and have a closer relationship with the government. This money can make ghosts turn the clock, and Huizhou merchants are willing to spend money, so naturally they can get more money." Taken care of."

Ji Yuanqing nodded and said, "That's right, the actual situation is exactly the same. The current operating conditions of Huizhou merchants in Yangzhou have somewhat taken advantage."

In actual history, after Huizhou merchants intervened in the Jianghuai salt industry in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, they gradually eroded the salt industry originally controlled by Shanxian salt merchants, and finally succeeded in squeezing these two competitors out of Jianghuai.Shaanxi salt merchants later moved to Sichuan, intervened in the well salt production in central Sichuan, and took control of the inland salt industry centered on the Zigong Salt Field.Shanxi merchants, on the other hand, failed to recover after a setback, and gradually withdrew from the salt industry in the early Qing Dynasty.

However, at this time, the attitude of the Ming court towards salt merchants was still mainly based on voluntary donations. After the change of dynasty, the Qing court was not so polite. That's right, they are almost extracting money from salt merchants in a way of exhausting their resources, which indirectly leads to the continuous increase in the price of official salt, and the flood of private salt.One of the three major cases in the Qianlong period was the 22-year deficit of the Lianghuai salt tax, involving more than 1000 million taels of silver.

At this time, the operating conditions of the salt industry are far from being so embarrassing. Basically, it is still an industry that is making money every day. However, local salt merchants are already very sensitive to external competition, especially when the market begins to appear. Well, other table salts with lower prices have touched the fundamental interests of salt merchants.As for the aggressive countermeasures that the salt merchants will take because of this, Haihan has already seen part of it.

Gong Shiqidao: "In fact, about the situation of Jianghuai salt merchants, I also heard something from Wanfa after I arrived in Zhoushan. Although it is not as detailed as Brother Ji's explanation, it also gave me some ideas. I would like to ask Brother Ji Based on the conflict between Shanxi salt merchants and Huizhou merchants, is it possible that they will choose to join forces to fight against external competition because of the emergence of Ningbo salt?"

Ji Yuanqing understood Gong Shiqi's meaning, shook his head slightly and said, "This possibility is not great. Compared with the current influence of Ningbo Yan, it is more practical for them to kill the other party first. Ningbo Yan is actually threatening in a short time. It is not enough for them to survive, but the interest struggle between the two factions of salt merchants has lasted for nearly a hundred years, and this hatred is not so easy to resolve."

Gong Shiqidao: "Since this is the case, should we think that the behind-the-scenes commander who planned and carried out the attack before is just one of them."

Ji Yuanqing said: "To be honest, Brother Gong, I actually think the same way. But to figure out which group of salt merchants is so radical, we still lack more actual evidence."

Gong Shishi said: "The Ministry of Security has some information about the militia militia organized by the Jianghuai salt merchants. I would like to share it with Brother Ji."

Ji Yuanqing actually felt that Gong Shiqi was not ignorant of the situation of Yangzhou salt merchants. It is estimated that the Ministry of Security has also provided him with a lot of relevant information collected over the years in the past few days, and his introduction to the situation of salt merchants , it seemed to be allowing Gong Shiqi to make use of the topic and lead the conversation in a direction dominated by him.

Ji Yuanqing said: "Thank you, Brother Gong, I would like to ask first, is Brother Gong's real plan to take advantage of the inherent conflict between the two factions of salt merchants?"

Gong Shiqi smiled and said, "Partnering with a smart person like Brother Ji saves worry and effort!"

(End of this chapter)