1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3806

After Shi Chengwu left the study, Shi Diwen rubbed his temples and asked with a little fatigue: "The groundbreaking ceremony of the Hangnan Railway should be tomorrow, right? Is everything ready?"

Shi Chengxin, who had been standing in the study without saying a word, finally responded, "Don't worry, father. Everything has been prepared. In addition, there are many civilian guests present this time, so you may need to take some time to meet them."

Shi Diwen asked, "Is there a list?"

Shi Chengxin immediately took out the prepared list and handed it to Shi Diwen, saying, "In addition to the familiar faces that my father already knows, there are also some new people here."

"Oh? Then I'd like to take a look." Shi Diwen took the list and carefully checked the contents.

The civilians invited to attend the event were basically wealthy and powerful businessmen who had paid real money to subscribe to the previous railway bonds.

However, in addition to some old faces who contributed money this time, there were indeed some new elites as Shi Chengxin mentioned.

Most of these new business elites have risen rapidly in recent years, and the industries they are engaged in are also different from those of the wealthy businessmen in the past. Most of them are emerging industries that were spawned under the rule of Hai Han, and are closely related to the industrial development direction advocated by the Executive Committee.

The list prepared by Shi Chengxin includes a brief introduction to each person's background and the industry they are engaged in, which shows that he was very attentive.

After Shi Diwen read it, he circled some names on the list and said to Shi Chengxin, "We can arrange to meet these people before the ceremony starts tomorrow."

Shi Chengxin took it, took a look at it, nodded and said, "I'll arrange it right away."

The next day, Shi Diwen got up early. As he got older, it seemed that his sleep time was gradually decreasing, and he would wake up automatically when it was light. Moreover, he seemed to be more accustomed to sleeping alone during this period. Even if there was a woman sleeping with him, he would often choose to sleep in his own bed after finishing.

Shi Diwen put on his clothes and went to the yard to stretch his body. This was a habit he maintained from his many years of military career, and it also allowed him to stay in relatively good health.

When he began to sweat slightly, he stopped. The servants had already prepared hot water and towels. They helped him wash up and then went to the dining room for breakfast.

The two brothers Shi Chengwu and Shi Chengxin had been waiting in the hall in advance. When they saw him come in, they immediately bowed and greeted him.

Shi Diwen nodded, then told the servants to serve the meal and asked his two sons to sit down and have breakfast together.

Shi Diwen has been in Jiangsu and Zhejiang for more than 20 years, and his taste has long been localized. Today's breakfast is noodles with scallion oil, soy milk, fried dumplings and egg pancakes, which is no different from that of ordinary people.

Shi Diwen asked while eating, "When do we set off?"

Shi Chengwu knew he was asking him, and quickly responded, "The luggage was sent out of the city and loaded onto the ship last night. We'll be ready to leave after breakfast."

Shi Diwen said: "Don't forget what I told you yesterday."

Shi Chengwu said: "I will keep it in mind, please rest assured, father."

Shi Diwen said: "I have someone to meet later, so I won't send you out of the city. In addition, some veterans in my guard are preparing to retire soon. Let them go to Nanjing with you, and they should be able to help you with your affairs." Shi Chengwu understood that this was his father's care, and he quickly bowed to thank him for the arrangement, feeling warm in his heart.

The personal guards around Shi Diwen are all elite soldiers selected from various troops in the East China Sea region, and their loyalty is unquestionable. These people have followed Shi Diwen for a long time. If they were sent to local areas, they would at least start as battalion commanders. In fact, very few people would choose to retire in their prime years, and this is more like an excuse.

Shi Diwen sent these people to Nanjing naturally to help Shi Chengwu organize and prepare for military expansion.

With these people's professional abilities, training militia or regular army is no problem, and they can be directly converted from instructors to commanders when the army is expanded in the future, achieving seamless transition. In addition, Shi Diwen's actions also give these old subordinates an opportunity to gain military merit, and they can be promoted in the future based on their performance.

Although Shi Diwen repeatedly warned Shi Chengwu not to act too hastily, he was willing to help his son wherever he could. Moreover, such personnel transfers were internal affairs of the East China Sea Region, and there was no need to report to the Executive Committee and the Ministry of National Defense, which could save a lot of trouble.

After breakfast, Shi Chengwu left home.

Shi Diwen did not stand up to see him off, but as he watched his son disappear through the gate, a hint of reluctance could be seen in his eyes.

But he quickly calmed down and asked Shi Chengxin about his next arrangements.

Shi Chengxin said, "The people my father wanted to meet have been waiting outside since early morning."

Shi Diwen said: "Then let's ask them to come to the study."

Shi Chengxin asked, "Father, do you want to meet them one by one, or all at once?"

Shi Diwen said: "We don't have that much time to meet everyone one by one, let's call them all in together!"

Later, several visitors, led by Shi Chengxin, entered the Shi Mansion study. When they saw Shi Diwen sitting in the room, they hurried forward and bowed to greet him. Shi Chengxin then introduced them to Shi Diwen.

Yao Li, who is wearing a blue silk robe, is from Ningbo. He currently runs a large-scale timber processing plant and is one of the main timber suppliers for Zhoushan Shipyard.

Shen Pingan, dressed in black, is from Taizhou. He owns a shipyard, which currently mainly accepts shipbuilding orders from Japan. His second shipyard has already started construction in Xiangshan County, Ningbo Prefecture.

Shen Jinshan, who has a goatee, is from Zhenjiang. The business he runs is also closely related to the shipbuilding industry. It is a factory that specializes in the production of accessories such as anchor chains and nails.

Jiang Qiao, who looked the oldest with white hair and beard, was from Yangzhou. However, he was not a salt merchant, but a retired shipbuilder. The business he ran was quite special. He opened a college in Yangzhou. However, the college did not teach the Four Books and Five Classics, but ship design and construction technology, and also accepted design commissions from ship owners.

Shi Diwen selected these people from hundreds of guests, and it was certainly not a random selection.

The industries run by these people are closely related to the shipbuilding industry, and have developed very rapidly. In just a few years, they have become leaders in their respective fields. They must have some outstanding qualities.

Shi Chengwu's military expansion plan in Nanjing requires the establishment of a large-scale Yangtze River Fleet. It is difficult for Shi Diwen to ask state-owned shipyards to adjust their production plans to meet Shi Chengwu's needs, so this idea can only be put on private shipyards.

He was willing to take the time to meet with these people, and also wanted to take this opportunity to understand the current technical level and industrial chain status of the private shipbuilding industry, and to see whether these businesses are capable of meeting the needs of building military ships.