1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3934

As Chen Pingliao silently noted down this information, he pondered the possibility of getting to know Xu Kaiyuan to see if he truly possessed the legendary abilities.

However, Chen Pingliao did not intend to regard him as a competitor. For him, the vast family business of the Northern Region was waiting for him to inherit in the future, and the position of garrison commander of a province was not his career goal.

Before heading south, Chen Yixin had instructed him to make friends with young officials of similar age who had certain professional abilities. Xu Kaiyuan clearly met this standard.

Moreover, Xu Kaiyuan comes from the Xu family of Fujian, which is considered a prestigious family in the Haihan Kingdom. His family's strength is even greater than that of many transmigrators who only have the title of "founding father".

As they spoke, the conversation shifted to the post-war reconstruction and governance of Jiangxi. The Donghai region, with its advantageous location along the Yangtze River and Poyang Lake, could transport large quantities of supplies to various parts of Jiangxi by air. In contrast, the border areas between Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian, which are mostly mountainous, were clearly at a disadvantage in this regard.

For businesses operating shipping and logistics in the East China Sea region, this is naturally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Shi Chengxin, Bai Letong, and Liu Tianning each had related businesses in their families, and they had all profited a lot from the fighting in Jiangxi over the past few months. When this topic came up, the three of them couldn't help but look proud.

Tan Tianming, whose roots are overseas, was somewhat of an outsider to this topic. He asked curiously, "I've heard that Yangzhou salt merchants mobilized a large fleet to assist the government in transporting supplies to Jiangxi, and on the return trip, they transported back a large number of refugees and prisoners of war. They must have made quite a bit of money, right?"

Shi Chengxin said, "The salt business in the East China Sea region is about to be taken over by the government. Allowing Yangzhou salt merchants to participate in the logistical tasks of the Jiangxi war is actually one of the government's compensation measures. It guides them to gradually shift their former salt-carrying fleets to the ordinary shipping industry, so that some of their businesses can continue to operate normally."

Chen Pingliao said, "There should be quite a few refugees and prisoners of war transported out of Jiangxi, right? Why haven't we seen many sent to the north?"

Shi Chengxin explained, "Pingliao, you don't know this. Everyone has been fighting tooth and nail for the resettlement of these people. There really aren't many left to send to your north!"

When Haihan Peace took over Jiujiang Prefecture, various factions, sensing an opportunity, began to seek ways to reserve the population that would be exported from Jiangxi after the start of the war.

Each of Haihan's expansionist campaigns against the Ming Dynasty was accompanied by a large-scale population movement, so all parties were very familiar with the operational procedures. The Northern Region obviously missed out on this feast of dividing up the spoils.

Shi Chengxin explained to Chen Pingliao the main destinations of the people transported from Jiangxi. The Donghai region did not keep many for itself; the vast majority were sent overseas as immigrants.

To date, approximately 3,000 people have been relocated from the North American region, which is located across the ocean. More than 5,000 people have each been relocated from the Luzon and Sing Tao regions, and it is said that most of them will be sent to settle in the distant New World.

There's also a special operations division in the Middle East, which has been allocated around two thousand personnel. This isn't to bully Qian Tiandun; it's simply because the journey is long, and the special operations division's own transport capacity is extremely limited, resulting in very high costs for transporting immigrants. Domestic carriers are unwilling to advance too much money, so the number of Jiangxi immigrants ultimately transported to the Middle East is less than those in other directions.

Compared to the overseas regions, the northern regions, bordering the Ming Dynasty for thousands of miles, have numerous means to import immigrants even in peacetime. Therefore, their urgency regarding population is significantly lower. Consequently, the Executive Committee did not consider the northern regions as a primary target when allocating immigrants from Jiangxi. Shi Chengxin said, "Currently, only a small portion of the projected number has been sent away. It's estimated that at least another 70,000 to 80,000 people will need to be relocated from Jiangxi. If the northern regions truly want a share, you should quickly submit a report and, while you're in Hangzhou, make some efforts to reach out to the Executive Committee. You should be able to secure some allocations for your region."

After hearing his explanation, Chen Pingliao felt relieved and replied with a smile, "Thank you for your guidance, Brother Shi. However, I cannot make the decision on the matter of introducing immigrants. I must first consult my family. If there is any need in this regard later, I may have to trouble you again, Brother Shi."

Shi Chengxin said, "No problem, no problem. We're all on the same side. These little things are easy to discuss."

Chen Pingliao simply smiled upon hearing this and didn't pursue the matter further. If they were truly one of their own, why hadn't anyone informed the Northern Region of this news beforehand, leaving Chen Pingliao only to learn upon arriving in Hangzhou that the pie had already been divided up?

As for the remaining tens of thousands of people's share, Chen Pingliao did not intend to compete for it. After all, the other parties had already reached a pretty good agreement on the distribution plan and were already in the operational stage. If the Northern Region were to get involved at this time, it would inevitably offend the other parties, which would be a loss for them.

Moreover, Qian Tiandun's special forces division also wanted a share of the victory. That division belonged to his father, Chen Yixin's, division commander and the Chen family's most reliable political ally.

Whether it's providing manpower or financial support, Chen Yixin will undoubtedly fulfill his obligation if Qian Tiandun asks. Chen Pingliao also has a specific mission on his way south.

There wasn't much room for discussion regarding the distribution plan for Jiangxi immigrants, and the topic quickly returned to the Yangzhou salt merchants mentioned earlier.

Bai Letong said, "With the salt business being taken over by the government, the Yangzhou salt merchants who made a living from this business need somewhere to go. Besides shipping, what other industry are they planning to switch to?"

Shi Chengxin said, "These salt merchants are incredibly wealthy, with a lot of liquid funds. They will probably get involved in the banking industry next. In addition, the higher-ups want to guide them to develop overseas, invest and develop in new colonies, or take up positions in local government as officials."

Bai Letong pressed further, "Going to serve as an official in overseas colonies? Would those salt merchants be willing to do that?"

Shi Chengxin nodded and said, "They may not be willing, but this is a relatively good way out. The seven major salt merchant families in Yangzhou used to have at least several hundred sons who were engaged in the salt industry. Now, where in the East China Sea region are there so many management positions for them to fill? But if they are willing to develop overseas, there should be quite a few places willing to accept them."

"As far as I know, the salt merchants are in contact with Commander Qian. If they can reach an agreement on cooperation, they might send a group of their sons to serve in the special operations division."

Chen Pingliao replied, "The special operations division's jurisdiction is all in foreign lands, where wars break out frequently. Will these salt merchants' sons be able to adapt to the environment there?"

Shi Chengxin said, "These salt merchants' sons are generally well-educated, literate, and have experience in managing businesses. They should be able to get up to speed quickly if they take up positions in local government. Moreover, the Special Forces Division is severely short of personnel, so Commander Qian's standards for hiring should not be too picky."