1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3938

Dai Chengrong suddenly found himself in high demand, receiving a significant increase in invitations lately. These invitations came not only from various figures in Hangzhou, but even from the young master of the northern region, who expressed a desire to befriend him.

He couldn't help but wonder if some information he was unaware of was being secretly spread, such as the selection of the deputy commander of the Seventh Division already being finalized.

Among these, the invitation from Chen Pingliao stood out, because he wanted to befriend not only Dai Chengrong, but also other salt merchants' sons who were interested in developing overseas.

This clearly indicates that the Donghai region's intention to arrange for the sons of salt merchants has been communicated, and even Chen Pingliao, who has only recently arrived in Hangzhou, has heard the news. Dai Chengrong subconsciously believes that the other party's purpose might be to introduce some outstanding sons of salt merchants to the Northern region.

Dai Chengrong was not opposed to this, as it would not only provide an alternative for the sons of salt merchants who had not yet decided where to go, increasing their bargaining power with their partners, but also expand his influence among the major salt merchant families.

However, he also made a request to Chen Pingliao: that he would host the meeting.

Dai Chengrong had his reasons for wanting to seize the initiative. As the officer in charge of Hangzhou's defenses, he didn't want his visiting colleague to steal the spotlight. Furthermore, the whereabouts of the salt merchants' sons and his own upcoming appointment were still uncertain, and he didn't want Chen Pingliao to invite unrelated individuals, thus leaking information about the arrangements.

Quyuan, located by West Lake, became Dai Chengrong's choice once again. He knew the place well and it could effectively shield him from outside prying eyes. Compared to the well-known restaurants and eateries in Hangzhou, it was a more suitable place for secret meetings.

The only drawback of Quyuan is that the cost of renting the venue for entertaining guests is extremely expensive, but this is not a problem for Dai Chengrong, who comes from a salt merchant family.

Dai Chengrong did not invite any third parties to the meeting, only a few sons of salt merchants closely related to the Dai family to accompany him. Chen Pingliao also only brought Liu Baizhou with him, since the meeting was made possible largely by Liu Baizhou's role in facilitating the proceedings and his familiarity with the local situation in Hangzhou; his presence would make communication between the two sides easier.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Pingliao took the initiative to get to the point: "I just arrived in Hangzhou and heard that the government is going to establish the Donghai Salt Industry Group, which will have a significant impact on Yangzhou salt merchants. As a result, many people are thinking of going overseas to seek a way out. I wonder if this is true?"

Dai Chengrong readily acknowledged the other party's question but offered no further explanation. He knew Chen Pingliao's statement was not unfounded; he simply needed to wait for the other party to reveal his purpose before considering whether to disclose the details.

As expected, Chen Pingliao didn't beat around the bush. Seeing that Dai Chengrong admitted that it was true, he continued, "To be honest, the reason I met with Brother Dai and all of you today is to confirm the authenticity of this matter. If any of you are indeed interested in developing your careers overseas, I can help you make the arrangements."

Dai Chengrong reminded him, "Young Master Chen, the Northern Region is not overseas, and many things are different from those overseas."

As Dai Chengrong said, in Haihan's current administrative divisions, the three major regions of Donghai, Liangguang, and Beifang, as well as the three places of Hainan Island, Taiwan Island, and Fujian, and the Jiangxi region where the management committee is about to be established, all belong to the domestic administrative regions.

Other regions, such as Luzon, North America, and Sing Tao, as well as the areas under the Special Forces Division's jurisdiction in the Indian Ocean and the newly developed Southern New World, are considered overseas colonies. These areas enjoy more favorable policies in terms of military affairs, immigration, taxation, and industrial development. Dai Chengrong's implication was that the resettlement conditions offered to the sons of salt merchants overseas would likely be significantly better than those in China. Otherwise, these people wouldn't need to travel overseas; the government could simply find them any job in the East China Sea region for resettlement.

The northern region obviously does not have any special advantages in attracting talent. Shandong's environment is relatively better, but the cold and harsh lands across the Bohai Sea are not easy for southerners to adapt to. Dai Chengrong has heard a lot about this.

Chen Pingliao laughed and said, "Then let me be more explicit. The destination I want to connect you with is not the Northern Region, but the Special Operations Division's jurisdiction. But before that, I would like to confirm in person whether you really have the intention to develop there, or whether it is an impulsive decision or a plan to just coast along."

This answer was somewhat unexpected for Dai Chengrong and the others. They all thought that the purpose of today's meeting was to hear what kind of recruitment conditions Chen Pingliao could offer for the Northern Region, which might be an alternative to going to the Special Operations Division's jurisdiction.

But Chen Pingliao had also come for the Special Operations Division. Judging from his tone, he was there to conduct an advance assessment of the qualifications of the salt merchants' sons on behalf of the Special Operations Division. This was something they had never expected.

At this moment, Dai Chengrong also remembered that Chen Pingliao's father, Chen Yixin, was Qian Tiandun's prized student, which was no secret in the army, and the two families should have a very good relationship. However, Qian Tiandun had led his troops to develop overseas for several years, so Dai Chengrong had not initially connected the two.

Dai Chengrong quickly calmed down and asked, "Then I must ask, is Lord Chen acting solely on his own behalf, or has he already received authorization from the Special Forces Division?"

Chen Pingliao had not expected Dai Chengrong to ask such a question. After a moment of silence, he replied, "I have not yet received authorization from the Special Operations Division, but everything I have seen, heard, felt, and thought in Hangzhou will be sent to the Special Operations Division in the form of a telegram. As for whether they will use it as a reference, that is not something I can decide."

Dai Chengrong nodded and said, "I understand."

Dai Chengrong believes that this is Chen Pingliao's excuse to avoid the Special Operations Division taking responsibility. He attended today's meeting in his personal capacity, so no matter what the outcome of the talks is, the Special Operations Division will not bear any responsibility.

However, Chen Pingliao also said that the results of the talks would be sent to the Special Operations Division. In Dai Chengrong's view, this was actually Chen Pingliao's tacit admission that he had been instructed by the Special Operations Division to do this.

Dai Chengrong really didn't expect that Chen Pingliao's words were not unfounded, and that it really was his own idea.

Chen Pingliao believed that given his family's relationship with the Special Operations Division, there was no need to go through those complicated procedures. Since he was in Hangzhou, he might as well keep an eye on things for Qian Tiandun. Anyway, he wasn't acting under the Special Operations Division's name, so even if Qian Tiandun found out, he figured he wouldn't blame him.

However, due to this accidental encounter, Dai Chengrong believed that Chen Pingliao had come on behalf of the Special Operations Division, so he had to take a more serious attitude towards the talks.