1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3736

It is said that the most mysterious place in Sanya is not the Shengli Fort at the end of Shengli Avenue, nor the arsenal in Tiandu Valley, but the seaside Sanya Yalong Bay. In that area where ordinary people are not allowed to enter, there are hundreds of exquisite private villas scattered on the golden beach that stretches for more than ten miles.

This artificially designated restricted area is the small world that the founders of Hai Han created for themselves after they achieved success.

However, because this place is far away from Victory Fort where the time travelers work on a daily basis, and it is separated by Victory Harbor and a mountain range, it takes two or three hours to travel around by sea. Therefore, not everyone regards this place as a place to live on a daily basis, but only as a place for leisure and vacation.

Since the year before last, Hai Han’s administrative agencies have been gradually relocated from Sanya to Hangzhou. Many high-ranking officials from various departments have also moved with their families, and the number of residents in Yalong Bay has unknowingly decreased.

Most of the people who live here permanently now are retired people who have traveled through time.

Although many people are not yet of retirement age, their current status and living standards have long exceeded the goals they set before traveling through time. As a result, they have gradually lost interest in pursuing money and power. They just want to stay in a safe and comfortable place to spend their twilight years. Yalong Bay just happens to meet this need.

Therefore, among the time travelers, Yalong Bay is also known as the "nursing home". Although many people do not live here on weekdays, or even have moved to other places, they have always kept their villas here, planning to come back in a few years to enjoy the retirement life with their old friends.

After he and Qian Tiandun conquered Zhoushan in 1633, Shi Diwen rarely came back to Sanya. He would come back occasionally to report on his work or attend meetings, but he would usually stay in Shengli Fortress for convenience and would not go to Yalong Bay to stay.

But even so, Shi Diwen still retains his yard in Yalong Bay, seemingly just to continue to maintain his special feelings for Sanya, the place where he made his fortune.

But today he came to Yalong Bay by boat, not to go back and see his own yard, but to visit an old friend who lived in seclusion here.

"Old He, you really have aged a lot!"

Seeing He Xi being pushed out in a wheelchair by his followers, Shi Diwen couldn't help but sigh. He and He Xi hadn't met for many years, and he didn't expect that the other party had reached the point where he had to sit in a wheelchair. This seemed to explain why He Xi took the initiative to retreat behind the scenes.

He Xi was very calm. He patted his legs vigorously and said, "I thought that as I got older, my internal organs would be the first to have problems. I didn't expect that my legs would give out first!"

Shi Diwen asked with concern: "I know a few famous doctors who specialize in treating blood circulation problems, rheumatism and bone pain. Can I send it to you later?"

He Xi shook his head and said, "I've seen many doctors and have been struggling for several years. I've taken a lot of different medicines and tried acupuncture and massage, but nothing works. This is the only way."

"Fortunately, I have done almost everything I wanted to do and was able to do over the past few years, so I don't have any regrets. I spend every day basking in the sun on the beach and chatting with old friends. I am actually quite happy."

He Xi's reflections made it hard to associate him with the image of the big boss who had controlled the Hai Han Security Department for thirty years. Perhaps it was his physical illness that made him realize the insignificance of human power. Even if he had the ability to change the world, he couldn't keep his body healthy all the time.

After the servants brought hot tea and pastries, He Xi waved his hand and asked the entourage to leave, leaving him and Shi Diwen alone.

"I heard that you are returning to Sanya with a very large fleet heading south to the Indian Ocean. I guess you won't stay in Sanya for too long. How come you have time to come to me? Tell me, what news do you want to hear from me?" Although He Xi lives in Yalong Bay and seems to be isolated from the outside world, he has been in charge of the empire's intelligence department for a long time after all. If there is any disturbance outside, he will probably receive the news at the first time.

He Xi also understood that given his friendship with Shi Diwen, it was probably not worth it for him to spend half a day to come to Yalong Bay to visit him. No one would come to see him for no reason. Shi Diwen must have come here to get something from him.

But He Xi is now just a half-disabled old man, and all he can provide to the other party is intelligence information.

Seeing that the other party had taken the initiative to reveal his purpose, Shi Diwen stopped beating around the bush: "I noticed some strange phenomena during my trip back to Sanya, and I want to hear your opinion."

Shi Diwen then told He Xi about his previous meeting with the construction industry personnel and some rumors he had heard from other places.

After listening to this, He Xi asked meaningfully, "So you want to know why there is resistance to the transfer of personnel to these fields, and why the implementation effect is not good?"

Shi Diwen nodded and said, "That's right! The Executive Committee also wants to investigate the real reason."

He Xi said frankly: "In fact, it's nothing surprising. It's nothing more than the word profit. This transfer cannot be implemented because the income from going overseas cannot compare to staying in China."

Shi Diwen said: "But if they are transferred overseas, the remuneration they can get should be much higher than that in China!"

He Xi shook his head and said, "I'm not talking about the benefits of these people. What they can get is nothing more than wages. How much more can it be?"

Shi Diwen suddenly realized, "Are you talking about their backstage boss?"

He Xi nodded and said, "I think you probably know that these people are actually closely related to officials from the Ministry of Construction. You only see the money-making aspect of the projects they take on in China, but you don't see the personal connections and interests in between."

"You may say that helping overseas regions also means that there is a favor involved. But domestic favors can always be cashed in, but it is hard to say whether the favors from overseas regions can be cashed in."

"The same is true for other industries. If the consequences of following a transfer overseas are more harmful than beneficial, then of course you can't expect everyone to cooperate."

Shi Diwen was silent for a moment. It's certainly not that he didn't understand what He Xi said, but he had been in a high position in recent years. He no longer cared about many of the specific operations below. At most, he would look at the report and sign it.

These complicated interests are often not within his scope of concern, so he doesn't think too much about them at the first time.

Everyone has selfish thoughts and the instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm, which is nothing to say. However, the country is in need of talents, so Shi Diwen really needs to think carefully about whether to deal with it seriously as a warning to others or to deal with it quietly in private to see the effect.