1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3856

When a massive fleet of nearly a hundred ships of various types appeared on the river near Yanziji Wharf, everyone who witnessed the scene realized that Haihan had entered the initial phase of a new round of military operations.

Although this fleet was formed temporarily, its strength was not diminished at all. Its main force consisted of two majestic-class warships drawn from the East China Sea Fleet, as well as eight explorer-class and eight exploratory-class warships, and more than forty other vessels for reconnaissance, troop transport, and logistics.

The remaining ships were mobilized from prefectures and cities along the Yangtze River, such as Suzhou, Changzhou, Yangzhou, and Zhenjiang, and were mainly responsible for transporting combat supplies.

Meanwhile, the militia units drawn from these areas took this opportunity to assemble in Nanjing. They needed to complete the handover of defense duties in parts of Nanjing as quickly as possible in the next few days.

Ning Zijing stood at the bow of the boat, gazing at the approaching Yanziji Wharf, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Three years ago, Haihan launched a war against the Ming Dynasty, using the assassination of Zhu Zhongyun as a pretext. Yingtian Prefecture became one of the biggest gains of that war. At that time, when the Executive Committee was selecting the chief official to govern Nanjing, it decided to hand it over to the younger generation. The final candidates were Tao Hongfang and Ning Zijing.

Although Ning Zijing was also quite qualified, his experience in handling government affairs was slightly inferior to Tao Hongfang's, which is why he lost in this competition.

Although Ning Zijing felt regretful, he and Tao Hongfang were childhood friends, so he did not harbor any resentment because of it.

Of course, given his family background, it wouldn't be difficult for him to obtain an official position. His father, Ning Qi, then arranged a job for him in Hangzhou, where he worked in the Civil Affairs Department on population registration and local industrial development.

Clearly, Ning Qi realized that Ning Zijing lost because of his weak foundation and lack of experience. So he arranged for him to have a job that allowed him to get involved in local government affairs, so that he could accumulate some experience and perhaps help him win in the next competition.

Ning Zijing did not resist his father's arrangement. It had been five years since he left Sanya for Hangzhou. During this time, he got married, started a family, had children, and gradually got rid of his playful and carefree nature. He also slowly realized the responsibilities he had taken on.

Like Tao Hongfang, these were sons of officials whose fathers were founding heroes of the nation, guaranteeing them unimaginable resources from birth. Their education from childhood was all geared towards taking over the empire built by their fathers and continuing to strengthen the country and govern the world.

Therefore, the consciousness they developed from childhood was to become capable people like their parents and work together to manage this increasingly large empire.

Although he failed to become the governor of Nanjing three years ago, Ning Zijing knew that he would eventually take this step and become the local official, where he would become familiar with the basic strategies for governing the country.

"Zijing, you've been standing here for ages, what are you thinking about?"

The greeting brought Ning Zijing back to his senses. He turned around and smiled at the man, saying, "Brother Ha, I observe that the Yanziji Wharf, with such a large fleet docked here, is well-organized and efficient, showing that it is well-managed and its operational efficiency is comparable to that of Hangzhou Port."

The person who greeted Ning Zijing was none other than Ha Jianyi, who had come to Nanjing with him as a partner.

Ha Jianyi was one of the second-generation descendants who came to Hangzhou from Sanya with Ning Zijing. He came from a military background and continued his career in the military after arriving in Hangzhou. However, the East China Sea Region had not conducted many military operations in recent years, so there were not many opportunities for him to make a name for himself. However, this time Shi Diwen transferred troops from various parts of the East China Sea Region to Nanjing, and could not put them all under the command of Shi Chengwu. Therefore, Shi Diwen put Ha Jianyi in charge of the command and dispatch of the Yangtze River Fleet to coordinate with the follow-up actions of Nanjing.

Providing Ha Jianyi with such a rare opportunity was a recognition of his professional abilities. Ha Jianyi was overjoyed to learn that his partner, the civil official, was his old friend Ning Zijing.

After their meeting, the two discovered that neither had received any further assignments. Their current mission was simply to report to Nanjing and assist in the allocation of supplies and personnel to reinforce the city. As for future arrangements, their superiors stated that it would depend on how the situation developed.

But both of them had a vague feeling that their mission this time might not be so simple. If it were just to do some logistical and miscellaneous work, why would the executive committee have specially transferred them from Hangzhou?

After hearing Ning Zijing's comments, Ha Jianyi subconsciously looked towards the dock and immediately saw a familiar face.

He quickly patted Ning Zijing on the shoulder and said, "Look over there, it's Tao Hongfang and Shi Chengwu!"

In the distance, two people, surrounded by a crowd, were slowly walking towards the dock where their ship was about to dock. Ning Zijing, whose eyesight wasn't as good as Ha Jianyi's, quickly asked someone to fetch binoculars, and only then did he confirm that the two people on the shore were indeed their two old friends.

These people are all busy with their own affairs these days, and they might not meet even once every year or two. So they are naturally very happy to be able to meet in Nanjing now.

However, before we can enjoy our friendship, we need to finish our business first.

The supplies and personnel that the two of them brought to Nanjing this time needed to be handed over to the local government, which was one of the reasons why Tao Hongfang and Shi Chengwu personally came to Yanziji Wharf to welcome them.

With dozens of ships carrying goods, just counting them would probably take a day or two. Fortunately, all the supplies have been registered and cataloged, so the handover only requires handing the list to the local officials. Since both sides know each other well, there's no need to worry about any problems arising.

Tao Hongfang took the list and casually handed it to Qin Jian, who was standing behind him, telling him to hurry up and get on with it. Qin Jian had been prepared for this, and at his command, his group of disciples and followers scattered to check the supplies on each ship.

As for the East China Sea Fleet and the militia forces of neighboring prefectures, Shi Chengwu had already arranged camps near the dock. After the troops disembarked and assembled, someone would lead them to the camps to settle down.

Even though the dock authorities had made preparations two or three days in advance, it still took almost two hours for the young officials to board the carriages back to the city after the handover was completed.

Tao Hongfang hosted a welcoming banquet at his residence to entertain the two distinguished guests who had traveled from afar. However, the banquet was rather quiet, with only the four of them seated. There were no other guests, and not even a troupe of musicians was arranged to provide entertainment.

Ning Zijing understood immediately upon seeing the scene: this welcoming banquet was just a pretext; there must be some sensitive topics that needed to be discussed during the meal, which was why irrelevant people were dismissed to prevent leaks.