1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3836

Because Nanjing demanded that the channel to Jiujiang Prefecture be opened as soon as possible, Yue Shizong's letter written in Hangzhou was not sent through the Ming Dynasty's own postal system like other diplomatic mails. Instead, Qu Shengfeng took over the task and used special means of the Haihan government to deliver it on his behalf.

If the letter were sent by the Ming Dynasty embassy itself, it would first travel along the Grand Canal to Zhenjiang, a journey of six or seven hundred li (approximately 300-400 kilometers), taking about six or seven days with stops along the way. Then, it would be transported via the Yangtze River to Jiujiang Prefecture, which would take at least another ten days.

However, once this special letter was placed in a special postal bag belonging to the Ministry of Security and stamped with the military's Level 3 expedited seal, the means of transportation used were completely different.

The email was first delivered by fast horse to the military dock under the jurisdiction of the garrison at the starting point of the Grand Canal in the east of Hangzhou, taking only about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Two steamships are always on standby at this dock, specifically for emergency missions. However, they are generally used to transport supplies or personnel, and are rarely used for delivering messages nowadays.

After all, radio stations had been deployed in almost all major cities and military bases under Haihan's rule to transmit emergency information, while paper mail, which was less time-sensitive, was rarely used as a costly mode of transportation.

However, the stamp on the postal bag indicated that it was urgent military information and that the mail was sent from the special department of the Ministry of Security. The officer in charge at the dock did not dare to neglect it and immediately arranged for a ship to depart for Nanjing after signing for it—which would be the next stop for forwarding the mail.

These inland steamships were not only faster than ordinary sailboats, but also enjoyed priority passage because they were often tasked with urgent missions. They did not need to queue in narrow sections of the river or at locks, which saved a lot of time.

In less than two days, the steamship, traveling at full speed, had already sailed from the canal entrance in Zhenjiang into the Yangtze River. Early on the third day, it had already arrived at the Yanziji Wharf in Nanjing, more than twice as fast as ordinary ships.

Meanwhile, Qin Jian, who was inspecting the dock's operations from the shore, was unaware that the cargo being transported by the warship that had hurriedly entered the port was related to his mission. However, he recognized it from the signal flags hanging on the mast as a steamship belonging to the Haihan Army. Such ships were rare, perhaps only seen once every month or two.

These military-owned fast boats do not occupy civilian berths when they dock at Yanziji Wharf; instead, they sail directly into the military wharf to dock.

But today, after the ship docked, it did not unload mail and supplies as usual, nor did anyone disembark at the pier. It simply replenished some coal, fresh water, and food before hastily casting off its moorings, raising its sails, and leaving the pier to continue its journey upstream on the Yangtze River.

Although Qin Jian found it somewhat strange, he didn't take it to heart. The military area of ​​Yanziji Wharf was directly managed by the Haihan Army, not under his jurisdiction, so he naturally couldn't inquire about its secrets. Although the ship was sailing upstream, it might have been heading to a wharf on the Qinhuai River. Qin Jian hadn't expected the ship to head directly towards the Ming Dynasty's controlled territory.

Nowadays, there are quite a few Han ships heading to the Ming-controlled area in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and some even go into Jiangxi Province. According to the previous agreement between the two countries, both sides tacitly allow civilian exchanges, and these Han ships entering the Ming-controlled area are basically civilian vessels. It is extremely rare for military ships to head straight for Jiujiang like this.

However, since the fall of Nanjing, the Ming Dynasty's naval patrols in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River have become virtually non-existent. Even if they saw that the Haihan sailing ship with its extraordinary speed was somewhat strange, they would not bother to chase after it to investigate.

Moreover, even if they were to chase it, they might not be able to catch it. Powered by its steam propulsion system, this ship could reach a speed of eight knots upstream, far faster than other vessels on the river, and even the navy's Fujian ships would have a hard time keeping up. It's better to avoid trouble; after all, it's just one ship, and it's unlikely to cause any major disruption. As for whether this ship was there to scout the waters along the way, that's even less important. With so many Haihan merchant ships moving in and out of various places along the river these days, what secrets are there anymore?

So the fast ship sailed smoothly to Jiujiang. After docking, the people on board summoned the dock manager and said that there was an urgent document from the Hangzhou embassy that needed to be delivered to the prefect, and asked him to quickly notify the government office to send someone to pick it up.

Although this was somewhat ostentatious, considering that the process of delivering letters to the government office on one's own might not be smooth, this was perhaps the fastest way for Lu Congshan to see the letters.

As expected, this explanation worked. Before long, the officials from the prefectural government arrived at the dock, identified themselves, and took the letter. The people on the ship also added that they would wait at the dock at this time the next day, and if the prefect intended to reply to the embassy in Hangzhou, he could take the letter back on his return trip.

Lu Congshan was a little confused when he received the letter. Although he knew that the ambassador currently serving in Hangzhou was Yue Shizong, his classmate from the Hanlin Academy, the two of them did not usually have any contact. Why would the other party suddenly think of contacting him?

Moreover, it is said that the ship that delivered the letter to Jiujiang was a fast Haihan ship, which is not a regular way to transport official documents. If this practice were reported to the court, Yue Shizong would probably be severely reprimanded.

After reading the letter, his doubts deepened even further.

In his letter, Yue Shizong requested that he provide information on trade between Jiujiang and Haihan in preparation for negotiations with Haihan regarding trade between the two countries.

At first glance, this reason seems reasonable, but Lu Congshan knew very well that if there was such a need, then the one in charge of this matter should be the imperial cabinet or the Six Ministries, not Yue Shizong who was stationed outside.

Moreover, the information Yue Shizong requested was precisely the area where Lu Congshan made his extra money. He had finally gained control of the local transnational shipping trade, and if he were to report all of this to Yue Shizong, it would be tantamount to handing over his weaknesses to the other party, which was absolutely unacceptable.

So, was Yue Shizong's purpose in using Haihan's fast ships to do this truly for official business? Or was there some reason that was not suitable to be spoken of?

After thinking it over, Lu Congshan believed that the problem still lay in the trade, and that Yue Shizong's reason for sending the letter was not necessarily official business.

Currently, at least several hundred ships from Jiujiang are shipped to Haihan via the Yangtze River each year. This is only the statistical data within his control, and there are bound to be some cases of smuggling by private individuals. As for the goods imported from Haihan, they are roughly equal to the exports.

Such a large volume of trade contains enormous wealth; it would be difficult for anyone to remain unmoved. Lu Congshan knew he certainly couldn't, and his old classmate from Hangzhou probably felt the same way.

(End of this chapter)