1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3968

Upon arriving at the merchant's council hall, Li Yuande sat down, drank some tea, consulted Chen Pingliao, and then instructed the steward to bring in the people who had come to see him.

Of course, not just anyone can get in. Li Yuande's requirement was that the personnel must have submitted a formal application to the Sanya branch and intend to go to Fubo Port with the Furuifeng fleet.

As for those who came for other reasons, Li Yuande didn't see them as being in such a hurry, and the Sanya branch could handle them themselves.

"If I were to resolve all the outstanding issues for the Sanya branch, my cousin would likely complain when he returns that I've overstepped my bounds!"

After Li Yuande finished explaining to the steward, he briefly explained a few words to Chen Pingliao.

In fact, the people Li Yuande met here had already been screened by the Sanya branch. Some applications that seemed unreliable were directly rejected by the Sanya branch.

To join the Frye Hong Kong ocean voyage, whether on a merchant ship or as an individual, one must first pay a deposit to Frye Hong Kong. This deposit is not insignificant; its purpose is to ensure that all parties involved follow Frye Hong Kong's arrangements and instructions during the voyage.

Once you arrive at your destination, you can apply to Furifeng for a refund of the deposit. If you have a round-trip itinerary, you can wait until you return to Sanya to get the refund, so you don't have to pay it again on your return trip.

Those who can't even afford the deposit and are purely planning to try their luck at sea to make a fortune are considered safety hazards by the Sanya branch.

Of course, there are also ways to get in without spending money. As long as you voluntarily become an immigrant with the special operations division's jurisdiction as your destination and sign the relevant documents, all the expenses will be covered by Furifeng. After settling in the local area, you can even receive a resettlement allowance and don't have to worry about not having a job.

However, once the immigration papers are signed, one can no longer act as one pleases. Whether working as a laborer at the docks or cultivating a plantation, one must completely obey the Special Forces Division's orders and cannot leave the colonial settlement for at least five years. Violating the terms of the papers can result in fines and penalties, or even imprisonment—it's no joke.

If someone has a skill, such as a craftsman, doctor, or teacher, and voluntarily chooses to settle in the special operations division's jurisdiction, they can sign a higher-level written contract. The local authorities will provide corresponding conditions based on the individual's requirements, such as the space needed to open a craftsman's shop, clinic, or private school, as well as tax reductions or exemptions.

Chen Pingliao noticed that after meeting with these people, Li Yuande would request to see some documents they brought. If they were ship owners, he would usually check their ship's registration documents with the government and the cargo manifest. If they were individuals, he would check their identification and ask specific questions based on their application documents.

During the question-and-answer session, Li Yuande indeed politely declined some people's applications, but Chen Pingliao, who was listening in, did not realize the reason for his decision.

After he had finished dealing with the group of people, Li Yuande took the initiative to explain to him why he had refused them.

“Some ships are too small, too old, or the sailors lack experience in ocean voyages. Any one of these factors can determine that the ship is not suitable for such a long journey. If it is allowed to join, the probability of problems is very high, and it may slow down the entire fleet along the way.”

"There are also some independent businessmen who, although they have paid a deposit and prepared so-called business plans, cannot produce valid proof of assets from a bank. What does this mean? It means that they plan to go there and make a quick buck and run away." "These unstable factors could bring unnecessary trouble to the special operations division, which is why I need to be here to screen them out in advance."

It's hard to have the same experience as Li Yuande unless you've personally handled the operations or even suffered losses and been cheated.

Chen Pingliao asked curiously, "What if someone plans to invest a huge sum of money to start a business in the special operations division's territory, but has no experience in doing business overseas and wants to go there to investigate first? What do you plan to do?"

Li Yuande replied, "Of course, I will escort them throughout the entire process, answer their questions at any time, and ensure their satisfaction."

Chen Pingliao said, "It seems you've received quite a few people like this before?"

Li Yuande smiled and said, "There are plenty of insightful people in this world. Don't forget that there are hundreds of veteran figures in Sanya. Their understanding of the world situation is far beyond that of ordinary people. They know very well where there are the best development prospects and the highest returns on investment, and they also have ample wealth to invest."

"Although some important figures are too old to personally go to Fubo Port for on-site inspections, it is not difficult to send some of their nephews and younger relatives to accompany me on a tour there. As long as they are convinced of the prospects of the Special Operations Division's jurisdiction, they will not hesitate to spend money without hesitation."

Li Yuande paused here, looked at Chen Pingliao and said, "Actually, to be precise, Brother Chen should also belong to this category."

Chen Pingliao simply smiled upon hearing this, neither confirming nor denying Li Yuande's statement.

His father, Chen Yixin, did have economic dealings with Qian Tiandun. Several years before Chen Pingliao made this trip, he had already invested heavily in the Special Forces Division's jurisdiction in the Indian Ocean. However, this investment was not entirely for economic gain, but more out of personal friendship to provide support to Qian Tiandun.

Of course, Chen Yixin and Qian Tiandun were well aware that their investments along the Indian Ocean coast would yield substantial returns; it was simply a matter of time. The greater the initial investment, the shorter the process would take.

The retired or semi-retired bigwigs in Sanya do indeed share Li Yuande's understanding of this matter. However, their investments in the special operations division's jurisdiction through non-public means are more akin to pure commercial transactions, rather than the deep personal connections involved in Chen Yixin's case.

The number of people who came to see Li Yuande for this trip far exceeded Chen Pingliao's expectations. He roughly estimated that there were as many as sixty or seventy people who came intermittently, many of whom were boat owners.

Based on this calculation, even excluding those who were politely declined by Li Yuande, there will still be dozens of ships joining the fleet in Sanya.

However, judging from Li Yuande's appearance, Chen Pingliao was already used to this scale, and it was said that when they passed through several major ports along the way, one or two groups of ships that regularly ran this long-distance voyage would join them.

Those ships already had a certain level of cooperation with Li Yuande, so there was no need to submit a separate application; they could simply agree on a time and place to meet at sea.