1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3939

Chen Pingliao had not communicated with the Special Operations Division beforehand, so he was unaware of the kind of treatment and conditions Qian Tiandun would offer to attract talent. However, having lived in the north for a long time, Chen Pingliao was very familiar with the situation in the border regions. To serve as an official on the imperial frontier, one indeed needed some exceptional qualities.

So he decided to see if these sons of salt merchants were mentally prepared for the places they were going to.

"I wonder if any of you have ever been to overseas regions or the borders of the empire before. You should know that the environment in these regions is very different from that in the country. Not only do they not have the same comfortable living conditions as in the country, but some places may even be very dangerous!"

"War, disease, unfamiliar environment... there are many natural and man-made disasters that you may never encounter in your lifetime in China, which can take your life at any time. Even after death, your remains and coffin may not be able to be transported back to your homeland for burial. Are you aware of this?"

Dai Chengrong listened to Chen Pingliao's description without showing any emotion. He had served in the army for many years and participated in many military operations. He had long since become indifferent to matters of life and death, and what Chen Pingliao said was nothing more than commonplace to him.

However, the other salt merchant sons were just ordinary people after all. Even if they had been overseas, it was only to places within the reach of their family businesses. They had never encountered any real danger, and they couldn't help but feel a little nervous after hearing Chen Pingliao's words.

Chen Pingliao could deduce the changes in their emotions from their expressions and continued, "The resources on the borders of the Empire are limited, and it has never supported idlers. This is true for both the Northern Region and the Special Operations Division. If you are only thinking about becoming an inactive official in the local area, spending three to five years there, gaining experience, and then transferring back to the country to seek promotion, then I must advise you to leave here."

If Chen Pingliao continued, the beliefs of these salt merchants' sons might waver. Dai Chengrong quickly coughed to interrupt him: "Young Master Chen, we are actually providing training to those who go abroad to work, in order to help them adjust their mindset and adapt to the environment as soon as possible."

"Most of the personnel we are preparing to send out are clerical workers. They are literate and good at reading, but they are probably not capable of leading troops into battle. The higher-ups intend for them to take on some civil affairs and logistics positions in the local area. Lord Chen, please don't have too high expectations for them."

Chen Pingliao smiled and said, "I was careless and made Brother Dai laugh!"

Although Chen Pingliao always addressed him as "Brother Dai," Dai Chengrong dared not break the rules and continued to call him "Young Master Chen."

In terms of status and position, Chen Pingliao was the young master of the Northern Region and a descendant of a founding father with a special status. Dai Chengrong dared not treat him as an equal, let alone criticize what Chen Pingliao said. He could only explain the situation in a roundabout way and remind the other party not to have too high expectations of the sons of salt merchants.

Dai Chengrong gave a wink, and the sons of several salt merchants present understood immediately. They told Chen Pingliao that serving the country was their duty, and no matter where they were assigned, they would do their best and never let down the Executive Committee and the overseas regions.

Chen Pingliao wouldn't fully believe such a verbal statement, but there wasn't much he could do at the moment. Getting such a statement was already a result of Dai Chengrong and the others cooperating because of his status as "Young Master Chen".

Chen Pingliao then asked these sons of salt merchants some miscellaneous questions about astronomy, geography, and current events, judging from their answers whether they were incompetent or useless.

However, the people Dai Chengrong selected to meet with Chen Pingliao were indeed quite qualified. These young men had been sent to government-run academies in Zhoushan to receive a Haihan-style education since childhood, and two of them had even studied in Sanya for several years. They were truly worldly young people, and their knowledge was not much different from Chen Pingliao's. They could also respond to Chen Pingliao's questions in a very eloquent manner.

After asking around, Chen Pingliao was quite satisfied. These young people, who were about his age, had not experienced any major upheavals, but they had a certain level of education and experience in handling affairs. They were exactly the kind of local officials that Qian Tiandun needed.

If these people volunteer to go to the Special Operations Division's territory, it will undoubtedly be a significant boost to Qian Tiandun's grand plan. Chen Pingliao secretly resolved to help this matter be implemented as soon as possible. Chen Pingliao said, "Gentlemen, your willingness to go overseas to assist the Special Operations Division will surely please Commander Qian. If you have any needs, please tell me now, and I will do my best to meet them."

Chen Pingliao knew that these people came from wealthy families and were not short of money. Their purpose in going overseas was also very clear: most of them wanted the easy official position and thus embark on their official careers.

Chen Pingliao wasn't a member of the Special Operations Division, so he couldn't bestow official titles or ranks upon them here. However, he could relay their personal requests directly to Qian Tiandun, saving them the trouble of going through the roundabout intermediaries.

Dai Chengrong misunderstood Chen Pingliao's intentions, thinking that this was still a test of the salt merchants' sons' character for the special operations division. He immediately coughed and interjected, "Young Master Chen, if there is any request, it is that you ask that Commander Qian's side can give them more time to adapt so that they can gradually become familiar with the environment and official duties."

Chen Pingliao nodded and said, "That's only natural. Even if Brother Dai hadn't mentioned it, we would have arranged it this way."

These sons of salt merchants all followed Dai Chengrong's lead. Now that he had spoken, no one else would make any further demands on Chen Pingliao.

Chen Pingliao had basically achieved his goal, so he didn't pursue the matter any further.

Seeing that Chen Pingliao seemed satisfied, Dai Chengrong felt relieved. He had been worried that if Chen Pingliao was dissatisfied with the salt merchants' sons, the special operations division might reject the cooperation plan, which could even affect his prospects for becoming deputy division commander.

After dinner, Dai Chengrong made an excuse to dismiss all the irrelevant people, leaving only himself and Chen Pingliao in the hall. Only then did he ask about the matter he was concerned about: "Did Lord Chen visit Lord Shi during his trip to Hangzhou?"

Chen Pingliao said, "I have only been in Hangzhou for two days. I have not yet visited Lord Shi, but I have already met with Young Master Shi."

Chen Pingliao understood the implied meaning behind the song and knew that Dai Chengrong wouldn't ask about this matter for no reason. He had already heard Shi Chengxin mention Dai Chengrong's promotion when they met before, so this was a roundabout way of trying to get some information from him.

Given that Dai Chengrong had been very cooperative during the meeting, Chen Pingliao was in a good mood and followed Dai Chengrong's form of address, referring to Shi Chengxin as "Young Master Shi".

Dai Chengrong's face lit up with eagerness: "Has Lord Shi revealed any information?"

He figured that since Chen Pingliao had asked him to meet in person to discuss the matter of the salt merchants' sons going to sea, it meant that Shi Chengxin must have told Chen Pingliao the whole story, and maybe even mentioned his own promotion.

After all, the position of deputy division commander of the 7th Division, the departure of salt merchants' sons to sea, and the official cooperation between the East China Sea Region and the Special Operations Division are all closely related.

Chen Pingliao smiled and nodded, saying, "Take care of the salt merchant's son first, and everything else will naturally fall into place."