1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3830

January 1660, Yanziji Wharf, north of Nanjing.

Although this place was already the Yangtze River shipping hub of the entire Yingtian Prefecture during the Ming Dynasty, the number of ships entering and leaving the port and the cargo throughput at that time were far less than they are now.

After Haihan took over this area, all kinds of Haihan industrial products were transported here from the Yangtze River waterway in an endless stream. The number of ships of all sizes docking in the port every day was at least three times that during the Ming Dynasty.

Meanwhile, the number of ships from the Ming Dynasty's upper reaches of the Yangtze River also increased significantly, carrying various raw materials and agricultural products.

Under the leadership of Governor Tao Hongfang, a large-scale trade market covering more than 100 acres was built next to Yanziji Wharf last year, specifically for various bulk wholesale transactions.

Merchants from both countries can conveniently complete the storage, transshipment, delivery and settlement of goods here. There is even a special official agency to provide merchants with contract notarization and mediation and litigation services for trade disputes.

The trading venues provided by local governments charged very low management fees, yet offered numerous guarantees and services, making them a popular destination for merchants from both countries to conduct transactions.

The task of managing this market was naturally handed over to Qin Jian, who was very familiar with the area.

Qin Jian was originally from Yanziji Wharf. After joining Haihan, he rose rapidly through the ranks in the past few years, from foreman to official. Now he manages multiple projects inside and outside Nanjing, and Yanziji Wharf and this trade market are just a part of them.

However, Qin Jian was used to a leisurely life outside and didn't want to sit in the government office. He spent most of his time in teahouses near Yanziji Wharf. In his words, this way he could keep an eye on the area under his jurisdiction and live with peace of mind.

Of course, this kind of surveillance is much easier than when he was a foreman at the docks. His apprentices and their descendants are everywhere in and around Yanziji, with countless eyes watching over the docks and market. Any disturbance will be promptly reported to him.

Early that morning, Qin Jian arrived at the dock. As was his habit, he would first take a walk around the dock to make sure everything was in good order before going to the teahouse for breakfast.

His attention was quickly drawn to several soldiers in front of the notice board, who were applying paste to the notice board and sticking it up with notices.

Military control over Yanziji Wharf had ended some time ago, and notices posted there were usually issued by the government, mostly concerning freight and trade, and rarely handled by the Haihan Army. The last time he saw such a scene was back when Haihan launched an attack on Liuhe and Jiangpu counties north of the Yangtze River from Nanjing.

Qin Jian's first reaction upon seeing this scene was that the Yanziji Wharf was about to be taken over by the Haihan Army again, and who knows what kind of military operation would be launched from this place next.

He rushed forward to take a look, only to find that the notice was not about requisitioning the dock, but about conscripting soldiers.

The notice stated that due to the large area currently under Nanjing's jurisdiction, there is an urgent need to expand the militia to make up for the insufficient local garrison forces. Therefore, it is publicly recruiting strong and healthy young men to join the local militia.

The notice didn't specify the number of recruits, but it did detail the benefits. As long as the assigned training and duty duties were completed, each person would receive ten yuan per month and would be given priority for conversion to regular Haihan Army soldiers, where they would also enjoy corresponding benefits. This pay wasn't low by Nanjing standards; dockworkers, even after a hard month's work, only earned seven or eight yuan. In terms of income, this militia job should have been quite attractive to those working at the docks.

Qin Jian stepped forward and greeted them, "Gentlemen, you've worked hard. May I ask why this year's conscription only recruits militia and not regular soldiers?"

The soldiers posting the notices recognized Qin Jian, this local strongman. The leader politely replied, "Master Qin, you don't know this, but the recruitment of regular troops requires reporting to higher authorities and obtaining approval from the Ministry of National Defense before it can be carried out. Militia recruitment is much more convenient; local authorities can operate on their own and recruit whenever they want."

Qin Jian suddenly realized, "So this is how we recruit people first under the guise of militia, train them, and then, once we get the conscription approval, we can easily turn these militia members into regular soldiers?"

The man laughed and said, "Master Qin's insight is brilliant, that's exactly right!"

Actually, this explanation is not accurate. What's really difficult to handle is not the conscription approval, but the application for troop expansion.

Shi Chengwu recruited soldiers under the guise of forming a militia, which indeed made the process much simpler. Since it did not involve expanding the military at the moment, it could also avoid various obstacles that might be encountered during the application process.

It will be much easier to apply for expansion when the time is right. At that time, the trained militia will be directly transferred to the Haihan regular army and can be immediately put into military operations.

Of course, Shi Chengwu wouldn't explain these specific plans in too much detail to his subordinate officers. As for the ordinary soldiers who went out to post recruitment notices, they had no idea what the high-ranking officers several layers above them were thinking, and could only interpret it from their own perspective.

Qin Jian returned from a walk around the dock and saw that a number of people had gathered in front of the notice board, most of whom were laborers working at the dock.

Although few of these laborers were literate, fortunately, there were also many literate people in the area. The accountants and managers of various merchants and shipping companies, as well as some travelers passing through Yanziji Wharf, could all explain the newly posted conscription notices to the illiterate laborers.

Just as Qin Jian had predicted, quite a few people were interested in the benefits offered by the government to the militia, and some would probably sign up with a try-it-out mentality.

As for whether this conscription campaign will affect the operation of Yanziji Wharf, Qin Jian is still unable to judge. However, he is certain of one thing: after some laborers leave, the wages at the wharf will likely rise due to the labor shortage.

Qin Jian returned to the teahouse, and before he could even sit down and warm the chair, his brother-in-law Qu Deren came to his door.

Qu Deren is now the second-in-command of the Nanjing Police Bureau, directly under the command of Shi Chengwu. He can be considered one of the local upstarts who have benefited from Hai Han's rule.

Given his status, Qin Jian knew that his personal visit to Yanziji Wharf to find him was no ordinary official business.

Qu Deren didn't waste any words and got straight to the point after sitting down: "I just received this assignment early this morning, an order directly from General Shi. I figured this assignment was perfect for you, so I came straight to the dock to find you after leaving the office."