1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3931

Shi Diwen was fairly satisfied with his son's answer, then changed the subject, asking, "Regarding the selection of this deputy division commander, has anyone approached you privately?"

Shi Chengxin nodded frankly and said, "Yes, quite a few. Most of them are your former subordinates who hope I can put in a good word for them."

Although Shi Chengxin did not directly mention the person's name, Shi Diwen already knew the answer and did not pursue the matter further.

He actually has very few people under him who are qualified and willing to compete for this position; you can count them on your fingers.

These men were all quite capable and experienced, and perhaps no less so than Dai Chengrong, so it was understandable that they sought help from Shi Chengxin. If Shi Chengwu hadn't been leading troops on the front lines in Jiangxi, he would most likely have been the one they turned to for help as well.

However, Shi Diwen considered personnel factors more, especially since he needed to use the Yangzhou salt merchants as a pawn at the moment. Promoting Dai Chengrong could be seen as an implicit exchange, which would be beneficial for his long-term overseas expansion.

In this situation, Shi Diwen could only ask his old subordinates, who were eagerly hoping for a promotion, to wait a little longer, as there were other opportunities later.

Shi Diwen pondered for a moment and said, "You can tell the people who asked you for help to calm down. Once the situation in Jiangxi stabilizes, the Ministry of National Defense will train a new garrison force. There should be a new organizational structure then, and I will try to secure an opportunity for them."

Jiangxi is currently under temporary military control by troops from Donghai, Fujian, and Guangdong provinces who are participating in the war. However, a management committee will soon be established to gradually take over local government affairs.

A separate garrison will then be formed to guard the area. The Ministry of National Defense's current plan is to draw personnel from the participating troops to form an army division and an inland river fleet in Jiangxi.

Considering the need to advance into the Central China Plain in the future, the troops stationed in Jiangxi will likely be organized according to the standards of reinforced divisions in order to maintain military pressure on the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, there will be more officer positions at all levels.

Of course, by then these benefits will not be enjoyed exclusively by the Donghai region. Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian, as participating parties, will certainly share a portion of them. How much of Shi Diwen's appeasing promise will ultimately be fulfilled is probably not up to him to decide.

Just as Shi Chengxin was about to take his leave from the study, Shi Diwen stopped him and added, "If the Special Forces Division has further contact with the Yangzhou salt merchants, they may send someone back to China for face-to-face talks. You can meet with them then, which will be considered as an endorsement of the cooperative relationship."

Even for the wealthy salt merchants of Yangzhou, the cost of the Grand Canal project was astronomical. Even if the special forces division arranged for some of the salt merchants' sons to work locally and be responsible for the organization, management and supervision of the project, the salt merchants might not feel comfortable investing so much wealth overseas.

For such a large project, relying on telegrams and letters is definitely not enough. As long as the salt merchants make their stance clear, the special operations division will surely send personnel back to China to discuss the details of the cooperation.

Therefore, official endorsement is necessary at this point to ensure both parties feel confident in cooperating. Shi Chengxin's involvement essentially represents Shi Diwen, who is a member of the executive committee. This guarantor's influence should be sufficient for both parties.

Dai Yingda, who had received a direct hint from Shi Diwen, had already conveyed his understanding of the "official attitude" to the other salt merchants—in order for Dai Chengrong to gain an advantage in the promotion competition, the Yangzhou salt merchants had to cooperate with Shi Diwen's plan, establish a cooperative relationship with the special operations division far away in the Indian Ocean, and provide it with all the necessary assistance.

The rewards from this, besides Dai Chengrong's promotion, would also provide a safe way out for the sons of salt merchants who lost their jobs due to the government's takeover of the salt business, and it wouldn't be impossible for them to embark on a career in officialdom.

The official takeover of their businesses and the unsatisfactory resettlement of the salt merchants' children were undoubtedly a devastating blow to the Yangzhou salt merchants. However, now that this misfortune had a chance to turn into a good one, the merchants naturally wouldn't let it pass. But how this cooperation with the special forces division would proceed, and what specific conditions the other side would propose, remained unclear to everyone, including Dai Yingda. They could only wait for Dai Chengrong to contact the other side and discuss the subsequent plan.

As Shi Diwen predicted, Qian Tiandun did not put all his worries in one basket, and the only people he planned to seek help from were not just the salt merchants in Yangzhou.

Shortly thereafter, a fleet of ships from out of town arrived in Hangzhou. However, this was not a special envoy sent back to China by the Special Operations Division, but rather a ship from the north.

The fleet docked at an official wharf on the Qiantang River, which inevitably attracted the attention of the nearby boatmen and laborers. However, the people disembarking were very discreet, boarding carriages that had been waiting at the wharf beforehand, and speeding off towards Hangzhou.

The carriage arrived at the city gate of Hangzhou, but instead of entering the city directly, it traveled west along the city wall to a manor on the shore of West Lake.

A group of servants were already waiting outside the manor gate. When the carriage stopped, a middle-aged man who looked like a butler quickly stepped forward to greet the guests at the door.

A young man in his twenties stepped down from the carriage. He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and stood tall and straight. His gray military uniform indicated his profession.

The butler bowed and greeted him, "Young Master, you must be tired from your journey. Was the trip smooth?"

The young man nodded to him and said, "It's alright, let's go in first and talk."

The butler led the way, asking as he went, "Young Master, dinner is still being prepared. Would you like to have tea in the flower hall first, or rest in your bedroom for a while, and we'll call you when it's time to eat?"

The young man said, "Let's go to the study first; I also have something to say."

The butler readily agreed and led the young man directly to the study, instructing the servants to bring up tea and pastries.

After the young man sat down in the study, he casually reached out and wiped the desk, looked at his fingers, and then nodded, saying, "It's very clean, Ma Hong, you've put your heart into it."

The butler, who was called Ma Hong, quickly replied, "Although the master doesn't come to Hangzhou often, the daily operation of this manor is prepared according to the standard that the master could come at any time. This study is also cleaned every day."

The young man said, "I'm going to Hangzhou this time and I might stay for a while. I might even host a banquet here. You should make preparations in advance."

Ma Hongdao said, "The banquet hall here at the manor isn't very big; it can probably accommodate four tables for ten people each. If the young master feels that's not enough, he can rent one of the nearby manors in advance, or even book the entire venue with a large restaurant. However, it would be best to inform me seven or eight days in advance, so that we can find a suitable place at the last minute."

The young man said, "There's no need for that. I don't need to invite many people to my banquet; this place will suffice. I also brought a few chefs from the north with me. Go and settle them in later. I also have some invitation cards and gifts prepared here. Go and deliver them later."

Ma Hong respectfully accepted the stack of visiting cards, glancing at the contents written on them. The signature was three characters written in a flamboyant style: Chen Pingliao.