1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3855

Despite the high hopes placed on the diplomatic negotiations in Hangzhou by the Ming court, the actual progress was not ideal, and Yue Shizong failed to persuade Haihan to abandon further actions against the Ming.

The feedback from Hangzhou was disheartening for the cabinet members. The Haihan Executive Committee had explicitly rejected the proposal to hold high-level talks between the two countries at this time and would not make any explicit peace commitments to the Ming Dynasty.

Such a response undoubtedly raised the possibility of war to another level. The imperial cabinet could no longer hold Yue Shizong, who was in charge of the negotiations, accountable. Instead, they had to quickly address the other issue, ordering all prefectures and counties in Jiangxi to accelerate their military training and preparations for war, and to build a decent defensive line before Haihan launched its offensive.

But this was easier said than done. The imperial court merely issued decrees, without any actual allocation of funds or provisions; local officials were left to raise the necessary funds and provisions almost entirely on their own. Raising funds and provisions only when the situation became dire was bound to cause panic and chaos in the localities, and it was unlikely to yield any significant results.

Moreover, some state governments have already planned passive resistance. Instead of preparing for war on a large scale, they are inquiring about the news of Haihan's military expedition through various channels in order to find a safe way out before the army arrives in their area.

The imperial court's plan to transfer troops from Hubei and Hunan to reinforce Jiangxi was stalled from the very beginning. Although the civil and military officials in these two regions received the imperial order, who would be willing to send their limited troops to serve as cannon fodder in other places?
It's important to understand that the opponent in this battle wasn't a roving peasant army, but the Haihan Army, whose strength far surpassed that of the Ming army and which was known as invincible. A direct confrontation with them would only result in one outcome: total annihilation.

Such a scene has been repeated many times over the past few years. Although the time and place are different each time, the result of the battle is invariably the same: a crushing defeat for the Ming Dynasty.

Given such a one-sided record of battles, how many generals would have the courage to lead their troops on a distant expedition when they knew they were going to their deaths?
It's hard to muster the courage to send troops, but it's much easier to find various excuses to delay.

Local areas lacked money and food, and even the "departure pay" that had to be distributed before the expedition could not be provided. Under such circumstances, even if the troops were to set out, they would not be able to complete the march of hundreds or thousands of miles and arrive at the Jiangxi front in combat condition.

The local civil officials also had something to say: since the troops were sent to rescue Jiangxi, it was only right that Jiangxi should provide money and supplies. The troops could be sent only when Jiangxi had provided the money and supplies.

The imperial court couldn't provide the funds and grain, and neither could Jiangxi. Everyone could only stare at each other helplessly, so Hunan and Hubei comfortably entered a wait-and-see mode.

Anyway, they're not the ones in a hurry right now. No matter how fierce the fighting is in Jiangxi, it won't have a significant immediate impact on these two places. On the contrary, they might receive a large influx of people and wealth fleeing from Jiangxi. To be honest, for some people, this is a golden opportunity to profit from the national crisis.

Meanwhile, Jiangxi, unable to receive the imperial funds and supplies, and with no news of reinforcements, naturally realized that they had become abandoned. Their will to resist the foreign enemy was weakening, and powerful figures began to secretly contact others, hoping to obtain protection if Haihan launched an attack on the area.

Those who only started planning their escape routes at the last minute were already considered lagging behind. The truly astute and quick-witted had already arranged to transfer their families and assets to the Haihan territory at least a month in advance. Of course, the Qin bamboo slips, which already had a certain reputation, were naturally one of the channels they sought for this purpose.

Although more business was coming to him on its own, Qin Jian's mood wasn't very good.

He realized he had underestimated the task; the reality was that a large influx of wealth into Nanjing had caused a new surge in local real estate prices. The properties he had previously introduced to Lu Facheng and Cheng Yunya at high prices were now considered cheap on the market.

Perhaps Cheng Yunya and his backers had anticipated this situation, which is why there was almost no haggling during the purchases; the primary goal was to close the deal immediately. Qin Jian, who thought he had gotten a great deal, now realizes that if he could delay the completion of these real estate projects by a month, he could earn significantly more in brokerage fees.

Of course, there's no going back in life. Although Qin Jian felt he had made a mistake in his decision, he was fortunate that he hadn't gone astray in the general direction. Moreover, because he built a reputation as an intermediary for Lufax, he attracted more new customers. So, it was a win-win situation.

That evening, Qin Jian and Qu Deren, the two old brothers, gathered together to count and check their income from the past few days. They couldn't help but marvel at the extravagant spending of these big buyers from Jiangxi, saying that they were no less wealthy than the salt merchants of Yangzhou.

"Old Qin, these guys are so rich, how can they look like a country in decline? But I heard that they can't even organize an army to defend the cities in Jiangxi. They have neither money nor food, so they can't fight this war at all!"

Hearing Qu Deren's lament, Qin Jian also sighed, "For these people, whether the country falls or not is no longer important; it's just a matter of moving to a different place to live. Fortunately, we chose the right path back then, otherwise, with our previous wealth, it would be difficult to find a place to hide in Nanjing!"

They didn't actually look down on these powerful and wealthy Ming officials who chose to join Haihan. After all, in a chaotic world, survival was the instinct, and these officials sent their wealth to Haihan in the hope of obtaining protection.

After finishing the count, Qin Jian prepared to take his leave and go home. Before leaving, he told Qu Deren that starting tomorrow, Yanziji Wharf would be temporarily taken over by the Haihan Army. Based on past experience with military control, he might not be able to leave Yanziji and would have to stay there for a while.

As for the task of connecting people, Qu Deren will continue to be the main person in charge.

Qin Jian's prior arrangements did not fail. The next day, after he arrived at the dock, a group of officers quickly came and took over the command of the dock. At the same time, they also issued a control order for Yanziji dock and the surrounding area, requiring Qin Jian and other management personnel to stay at the dock and cooperate with the army.

Qin Jian understood what issuing such a control order meant. After the last time such military control was implemented, a large armed fleet was quickly assembled at Yanziji Wharf, and then an offensive was launched against Liuhe and Jiangpu counties on the north bank of the Yangtze River, which were then under the rule of the Ming Dynasty.