1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3858

Ha Jianyi gleaned some additional information from Shi Chengwu's words: "Chengwu, according to you, after we take Jiujiang, we don't plan to take any further action?"

Shi Chengwu nodded slightly and said, "Currently, the Executive Committee's approved scope of action is limited to Jiujiang. There are no plans to wage a full-scale war against the Ming Dynasty for the time being. If we really intend to occupy more areas, the troops and supplies currently gathered in Nanjing are probably not enough."

Ha Jianyi sighed, "Such a great opportunity, it's a pity to only take Jiujiang!"

Tao Hongfang said, "The Executive Committee's idea is to set an example for the Ming Dynasty through this operation, encouraging those regions with little will to resist to follow Jiujiang's example and surrender to our country. Therefore, we need to control the scale of the military operation and reduce unnecessary investment."

Shi Chengwu added, "If all goes well, other prefectures in Jiangxi may also submit to our country."

Ning Zijing praised, "To subdue the enemy without fighting is the true way of the king. This is a good omen for our country's great cause of unifying the world!"

After the four had spoken frankly, they began to discuss the details of the operation. Although the Executive Committee's official appointments for Ning and Ha had not yet been sent to Nanjing, they would certainly have to participate in the upcoming operation and naturally bear the corresponding responsibilities.

After the reinforcements and supplies led by Ning Zijing and Ha Jianyi arrived in Nanjing, the preparations for war entered their final stage.

Qin Jian felt relieved at this point, because most of the work area he was responsible for at Yanziji Wharf had been taken over by the military, and he only needed to provide assistance. Now he finally had time to sit down and slowly take stock of what he had accomplished during this period.

The economic gains were quite substantial. Even though he had to split the profits 50/50 with his brother-in-law Qu Deren and pay the wages of his subordinates who ran errands, the amount he ultimately pocketed was still considerable. This month's work was roughly equivalent to one or two years' worth of work in the past.

However, Qin Jian felt that his biggest gain was not only in terms of money, but also in the fact that his work was recognized by his superiors.

This seemingly opportunistic act of acting as a real estate agent to profit from the transactions actually facilitated the resettlement of powerful figures from Jiangxi in Nanjing, allowing for the orderly relocation of large-scale assets. Furthermore, the properties he facilitated were registered immediately, saving the government the trouble of conducting separate investigations and statistics.

Tao Hongfang and Shi Diwen only cared about the result and did not care how much benefit Qin Jian gained in the process, so they praised his performance highly.

On this day, Cheng Yunya, the second manager of Lufax, came to Yanziji Wharf to pick up goods, but because the area had been designated as a military control zone, he, as a non-Han "idle," was naturally stopped outside. Cheng Yunya could only ask someone to pass on a message to Qin Jian for help.

Cheng Yunya was one of Qin Jian's biggest financial backers, so he did not refuse and stepped in as guarantor to bring Cheng Yunya in.

Seeing the port area filled with groups of Haihan soldiers, Cheng Yunya couldn't help but speak with some trepidation: "Lord Qin, this... this must mean the army is about to set off, right?"

Qin Jian couldn't possibly discuss such a sensitive topic with an outsider like him, so he could only vaguely reply, "It might be soon, but it's hard to say. I'm just a nobody in the military, so I wouldn't dare to inquire about things like that."

Cheng Yunya, of course, sensed the warning in those words and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Lord Qin, these few shipments of goods transported from Jiujiang this time are probably the last ones for a while; there aren't many ships left in Jiujiang. I've specially ordered a batch of top-quality Lushan Yunwu tea to be delivered to the officials in Nanjing, as a token of my gratitude for their patronage of Lufaxing during this period." Over the past month or so, dozens of merchant ships under Lufaxing's name had arrived in Nanjing one after another, anchoring near the Yanziji Wharf and downstream in Zhenjiang and other places, to avoid being affected by the Haihan Army's actions in Jiangxi.

Qin Jian said, "Isn't your father coming over in person?"

Cheng Yunya said with a wry smile, "At this time, how can we leave? We have to stay in Jiujiang and wait to welcome the Haihan Army."

Qin Jian joked, "Has Lufaxing already moved most of its businesses to Nanjing? After this matter is settled, will Lufaxing be renamed Nanfaxing?"

Cheng Yunya shook his head and said, "That's not necessarily true. The move to Nanjing was just a precaution. If the handover to Jiujiang doesn't go smoothly, it will also prevent us from being affected by the war. If we can make a safe transition, Lufaxing will of course continue to do business in Jiujiang, so there's no need to change the name."

Of course, there was another reason, which Cheng Yunya didn't say directly: Lufaxing's early relocation of its operations to Nanjing was actually part of a pledge of allegiance, a way to gain Haihan's trust. If the transition in Jiujiang was smooth and Lufaxing's local foundation wasn't significantly affected, then naturally, its operational focus would return there afterward.

The last few ships of Lufaxing were carrying mostly high-end porcelain from Jingdezhen. According to Cheng Yunya, the value of this shipment of porcelain was about 30,000 to 50,000 taels of silver, which was considered high-end among the export commodities of the Ming Dynasty.

If it weren't for the good relationship between Lufax and the Nanjing government, these transnational goods might have been confiscated as war booty during wartime.

Of course, such a problem would not exist now. Under the arrangement of Qin Jian, the ships issued by Lufax were not only among the very few civilian ships that could dock here, but also had navigation documents issued by the government, guaranteeing that these ships could go to other prefectures under the jurisdiction of Haihan to engage in trade activities.

To obtain these benefits, Cheng Yunya had also given Qin Jian and other relevant officials a considerable amount of money and favors. For example, when they came to the dock to pick up the goods this time, in addition to the tea that had been prepared in advance, Cheng Yunya also gave Qin Jian a large red envelope.

However, when the unloading was halfway done, the military came to drive them away because they needed to immediately requisition the berth where Lufaxing was docked to unload several ships of military supplies that had just arrived there.

Faced with this situation, meeting the military's needs had to be the priority, and even Qin Jian's intervention wouldn't help. He could only instruct Cheng Yunya to sail the ship to the other side of the river and moor it temporarily for the night, then come back to unload the cargo the next day when a berth became available.

Cheng Yunya understood this, saying that in such chaotic times, it was best to follow the government's arrangements obediently to avoid unnecessary trouble. He personally led the boats to Liuhe County on the north bank to dock.

However, the next day, as soon as Cheng Yunya got up, his subordinates rushed over to report that they could go to the other side to unload the cargo.

Cheng Yunya, still half-asleep, replied, "So early? Did Lord Qin send someone across the river to inform us?"

The subordinate quickly replied, "No, there are no more boats at Yanziji Wharf on the other side. The entire wharf is empty."

"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Cheng Yunya was wide awake and hurriedly went out of the house to check if the scene his subordinate described was true.