1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3834

Driven by enormous economic interests, even knowing that such cooperation might result in a noose around their own necks, the Ming Dynasty's ship merchants still chose to hand over the information Qin Jian requested.

Among the official documents submitted in the Qin bamboo slips, Qu Deren had heard of some of the names before, including hardliners who advocated defeating Haihan and recovering lost territory.

But if the information provided by the merchants is true, then these so-called hardliners are nothing more than actors. Their display of toughness is likely just an artistic performance for the court's benefit.

These officials are actually secretly providing support for cross-border shipping and trade, and reaping substantial profits from it.

Qu Deren sneered, "These officials really do such things! On the surface, they keep relations between the two countries in a state of tension for a long time, but in private, they are manipulating cross-border trade!"

Qin Jian, however, could understand this seemingly contradictory approach: "It is precisely because of the tense relations between the two countries that cross-border trade can yield greater profits. You must know that the goods they ship are all priced more than 50% higher than the normal market price!"

If the Han and the Ming dynasties were not in a state of hostility, the shipping resources on the Yangtze River would not have been so easily monopolized by a few officials. From this perspective, only a prolonged period of tension between the two countries could ensure that this business could maintain its maximum profitability.

Therefore, those officials who took a hard line on relations between the two countries became the biggest beneficiaries. Politically, they were regarded as pillars of the state by the court, and the economic benefits of controlling shipping resources made them extremely wealthy.

Qu Deren sighed, "To be honest, these high-ranking officials are really good at making money. They can make money when there's no war, and they can make even more money when there is a war. All the people in the world are just pawns in their game!"

Qin Jian also sighed, "So it's better to hand over this world to Haihan as soon as possible, at least then we can live in peace and not have to worry about war breaking out!"

But they also understood that even if they now held some official position in Haihan, they were still just small fry, and the fate of the world was beyond their control. Whether to make peace or go to war was entirely up to the powerful, and what they were doing now was mostly preparation for the next war.

Although he has only obtained information from a few companies so far, this is enough for Qu Deren to have a good reason to report the progress to Shi Chengwu.

However, Shi Chengwu did not react much to the information that Qu Deren had hurriedly sent. After reading it, he only offered a few words of encouragement and asked Qu Deren to continue to urge Qin Jian to collect more relevant intelligence.

Qu Deren had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask, "Sir, I wonder if the information we've gathered is relevant, and if it can be of any use to you?"

Shi Chengwu sensed a hidden meaning in Qu Deren's words and looked up at him, saying, "Qu Deren, just ask what you want to ask directly, don't beat around the bush!"

Qu Deren trembled with fright and quickly explained, "I am only worried that although these merchants have revealed their backers, they may also tell their backers about this matter after they return in a while. If the other party is on guard, it may be detrimental to your actions, sir."

Shi Chengwu said, "That's alright. The intelligence I asked you to collect is only for reference or for other purposes. It is not intended to be used as a target."

Shi Chengwu's words were vague, and with the limited information Qu Deren had, it was difficult to guess what he meant by "having other uses." Qu Deren dared not press further and could only reluctantly take his leave, secretly pondering how to find another way to inquire about the inside story.

Shi Chengwu did not take Qu Deren's probing to heart. He had a lot of things to deal with every day. Although he could not be said to be extremely busy, he really did not have much free time to consider the thoughts of his subordinates.

Qin Jian was indeed quite efficient at gathering information, but Shi Chengwu considered it a given. He only cared about whether the tasks he assigned could be completed, and didn't concern himself with how his subordinates accomplished them.

Just like the list sent from Hangzhou, why Yue Shizong was willing to provide Haihan with such a list of officials was not Shi Chengwu's main concern. What he cared more about was whether this list could shake up the officialdom in Jiangxi.

The reason for gathering intelligence on Jiangxi officials related to Yangtze River shipping through the Yanziji Wharf was that Shi Chengwu hoped to identify the easiest targets by comparing them with Yue Shizong's list.

If someone is secretly engaged in Yangtze River shipping and trade, and happens to be a contact that Yue Shizong can reach, then listing them as a target for defection will undoubtedly reduce the difficulty of the operation.

Shi Chengwu then checked the two lists in his hands and, just as he had hoped, found overlapping names.

This man was Lu Congshan, the prefect of Jiujiang Prefecture. He and Yue Shizong passed the imperial examination in the same year and entered the Hanlin Academy, so they were classmates. Later, he was assigned to serve in Hubei and Jiangxi, and over the course of more than ten years, he rose from county magistrate to prefect.

According to information gathered from Qin bamboo slips, Lu Congshan, using his in-laws' name, secretly invested in a local shipping company in Jiujiang. This shipping company thus obtained a special license, becoming the only one in Jiujiang Prefecture authorized to sail directly to Nanjing.

The second-in-command of this shipping company was one of the distinguished guests who met with Qin Jian yesterday. The information he provided should be accurate, and he probably wouldn't dare to use the dignified prefect as a shield.

After verifying the information, Shi Chengwu couldn't help but slap the table and shout "Good!" because the location of Jiujiang Prefecture was indeed a key pass in the Yangtze River basin.

Jiujiang is located in northern Jiangxi Province, at the junction of Hubei, Jiangxi, and Anhui provinces. It borders the Yangtze River to the north and Poyang Lake to the south, serving as a conduit for the flow of rivers within Jiangxi into the Yangtze. Controlling the waterways of Jiujiang is tantamount to indirectly controlling the shipping outlets of the entire Jiangxi province, which is of extraordinary significance to Shi Chengwu, who aspires to control Yangtze River shipping.

Because of this geographical reason, the goods transported from Jiujiang to Nanjing were not only those from Jiujiang itself, but also a considerable number of goods from other parts of Jiangxi Province.

The most famous local specialty is Lushan Yunwu Tea. Originating in the Han Dynasty and named after its place of origin, Lushan Mountain, this tea boasts a unique flavor, excellent color and aroma, and has enjoyed good sales in Haihan in recent years. It is said that almost 80% of the local tea production is now exported to Haihan, and the resulting revenue must be substantial.

Prefect Lu was also very shrewd in business. After taking office, he realized the huge benefits that Jiujiang's special geographical location could bring. He then carried out a major overhaul of shipping resources, making detailed distinctions between operating qualifications within and outside the province, and between domestic and foreign countries, and controlling local shipping resources in various ways.

(End of this chapter)