1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 535
What the merchants care about is not how much damage will be done to Daming after Haihan empties the Qiongzhou government, but how much their own interests will be affected by it.Immediately, someone raised their hand and asked whether Haihan's three-month blockade would also block merchant ships entering and leaving Qiongzhou Island.

Schneider responded: "This issue is beyond the jurisdiction of the Haihan Ministry of Commerce. So we are honored to invite Major Chen Yixin from the Haihan Civilian Corps. Next, he will explain the recent navigation rules of Qiongzhou Island to you."

Schneider nodded sideways, and Chen Yixin walked quickly to the stage.Many businessmen present recognized this young Haihan officer. Wanshan Port in the west has been managed by him since its completion, and he became famous because of the big victory against the Liu Xiang pirate gang at the end of the year before last. As long as there are maritime merchants who have been to Wanshan Port, most of them have dealt with him directly.

In this "Operation Liaoyuan", Chen Yixin did not return to Qiongzhou Island to participate in combat missions, but stayed in the Pearl River Estuary area in accordance with the order of the Military Commission, preparing to evacuate the personnel of the Guangzhou Office to the mainland when the situation deteriorated.Fortunately, the operation on Qiongzhou Island went smoothly. After the navy blocked the main port and waterway of Qiongbei for the first time, the government on the mainland side was completely blinded, and the information about the progress of the war was basically All are from Haihan.After the situation is effectively controlled, there is no need for the Guangzhou Office to evacuate urgently, and the burden on Chen Yixin is relieved, and he can spare a day or two to attend the "Qiong Lianfa" shareholder meeting at Zhennan Port .

Of course, his attendance was not a personal act, and he also accepted the order of the Military Commission to cooperate with the Ministry of Commerce.The sea blockade in Qiongbei will definitely last for a while, but if the arrangement of ships among many merchants is not well coordinated, it will also cause great harm to Haihan's economy.

Chen Yixin stood on the stage and said in a deep voice: "Boss Shi also mentioned just now that there are still some pirates who have escaped in the northern part of Qiongzhou Island. And the surrounding waters are subject to a ban. However, considering the trade needs of various maritime merchants, we will also open corresponding dedicated piers for your sailboats to dock at the port."

When Chen Yixin said this, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief.If the sea trade with Qiongzhou Island is really suspended for three months, it will have a great impact on them.Especially those merchants who specialize in Haihan products, being out of stock for so long is simply forcing them to jump off a cliff.

"... During the period of the ban, merchant ships and civilian ships going to Qiongzhou Island must report in advance at Wanshan Port or Zhennan Port, undergo inspection, and obtain special pass certificates. Qiongzhou Island is only open to Haikou Port near Fucheng, and the southern port. Shengli Port and Sanya Port, and ships heading to Qiongzhou Island are not allowed to dock at other ports, otherwise they will be punished for collusion with pirates!" Chen Yixin looked at the participants in the audience with stern eyes, and emphasized: "If we find out that Qiongzhou Island If there are people with suspicious identities on the boat, they will be detained together with the boat, without exception! Now we will greet you first, and if anything happens, don’t blame us Haihan militia! "

Seeing the silence of the participants in the audience, Chen Yixin opened the document book in his hand with satisfaction, and began to read out the specific provisions.The no-voyage rules formulated by the Ministry of Shipping and the militia have made very strict regulations on ships entering and leaving Qiongzhou Island in the near future. The purpose is not entirely to block news, but to prevent people from the local government from fleeing and reporting sue.

The same people who may leak information, as well as merchants and crews traveling between the two places, the militia also has corresponding means.The crew can only move around on designated designated docks, and the range of activities of general maritime merchants will also be limited within the port - in this area, the only people they can come into contact with are the Haihan people. The naturalized people, and even the chance to connect with the local people will not have the opportunity.Only some big businessmen supported by Haihan have the opportunity to leave these restricted activity areas. Of course, their activities during this period will still be followed and monitored by the Ministry of Security and the military.

Of course, the businessmen present had no ability to fight against this. Even though they were not convinced by such an arrangement, they did not dare to show it on their faces.After all, this is an extraordinary period. As long as the business can continue and the money keeps coming in, it is not a big deal to be wronged and inconvenient.To put it bluntly, Haihan's attitude is much better than that of the Daming government.When the Ming government wants to take action against the merchants, they will not explain and explain in person as patiently as the Haihan people.

"...The above clauses will take effect immediately. I hope everyone in the business community knows. If you still don't understand the regulations, you can consult the port management committee at the port of Haihan." Chen Yixin closed the document book and spoke to Taiwan. The merchants below said: "I will emphasize again for the last time that the merchant ships and civilian ships entering and leaving Qiongzhou Island must abide by the regulations I just read, otherwise they may be treated as pirate accomplices!"

After Schneider announced that today's meeting ended here, the crowd at the meeting began to discuss the heavy news just received.However, there are also people with flexible minds who have already stood up and tried to stop Schneider to ask what happened.

But these people failed to stop Schneider. Before that, several militiamen came over and stopped them.Schneider waved his hands unhurriedly and said: "Don't be impatient, everyone. I will be working in Zhennan Port for the next two days. I will answer your questions by the way. Those who have questions can come to my office tomorrow morning."

Chen Yixin followed Schneider silently. After walking out of the venue, Schneider stopped and said to him: "The town of Nangang will be under military control for a few days, thank you for your hard work!"

Chen Yixin smiled and said, "There is nothing to say about the responsibility."

"According to our estimates, there may still be a small number of merchants who will choose to quit. These people will leave Zhennan Port in about a day or two. You have to keep an eye on it." Schneider warned: "These people want to come out of Haihan, right? The problem is that they step back after getting out of the hole and reveal to the government what should be said and what should not be said.”

"I understand. I will keep records and communicate with the Security Department in a timely manner." Chen Yixin put away the smile on his face, nodded and replied: "Minister He sent a telegram two days ago, and also emphasized this matter."

Just as Schneider expected, the news announced by Haihan still had a certain impact on the Daming maritime merchants. That night, some merchants expressed their wish to temporarily suspend the cooperation and return after the situation in Qiongzhou Island stabilized.However, the merchants who made such a statement were all peripheral customers with relatively shallow cooperation with Haihan and a small scale of trade. The Ministry of Commerce would not be too concerned about the economic losses caused by the interruption of trade.

The vast majority of maritime merchants still choose to stay in Zhennan Port. Even some merchants who are uneasy about the future prospects still decide to listen to Schneider's answer to their own questions before considering whether to continue or withdraw.

From the early morning of the next day, the store where Schneider settled became crowded.Almost all the merchants who came to Zhennan Port to participate in the shareholders' meeting came, waiting in line for Schneider's interview.Most of them hope to get more security assurance from Schneider, and some people want to take this opportunity to bargain with Haihan and renegotiate the trade standards.

Originally scheduled for two days to answer questions, because the merchants had too many questions, the time had to be extended for another two days.By the time Schneider returned to Sanya after dealing with the mess, the time had come to December 1630.

Originally, Schneider could have stayed in Zhennan Port for a few more days, but the reason why he rushed back was because he, the financial supervisor, needed to come back to participate in the annual budget and final accounts meeting.

"...the number of infrastructure projects this year is so large that the Ministry of Construction can't get enough people, and the investment is larger than that of the previous two years. According to the data provided by the Ministry of Construction, the infrastructure project budget formulated last year has exceeded the budget by 35%. In the coming year, many infrastructure projects in Qiongbei will also require a lot of investment. Although we have sold a part of the shares to the outside world through "Qiong Lianfa", most of the project costs still need to be borne by ourselves. Only the planned Wenchang, The three ports in Haikou and Danzhou require more than 30 yuan in total construction funds. In addition, several ports in southern Annan will also undergo large-scale construction next year. Therefore, the budget for infrastructure projects next year must also be made according to the actual situation. raised..."

On behalf of the Ministry of Construction, Tao Donglai read out the draft budget at the meeting, hoping to increase the budget for infrastructure projects by another 50% from last year's benchmark.Yan Chujie from the military was the one who read out the draft budget after Tao Donglai, and his budget figure was not much more polite than Tao Donglai's—the military hoped that the military budget for the coming year would at least double that of this year.

"Double? It's impossible!" Before Yan Chujie finished reading the materials in his hand, Gu Kai was the first to object: "Dear Commander-in-Chief Yan, didn't you notice that we failed to pass the whole year last year?" The war has gained direct economic benefits, and now there is no opponent in the entire South China Sea who can threaten us with force, under such circumstances, continuing to blindly expand the military will only increase our fiscal deficit!"

Yan Chujie responded calmly: "I would like to remind you that in the coming year, the military expenditure of the militia will be greatly tilted towards the navy, because with the continuous expansion of our sphere of influence, the existing fleet size can no longer be used effectively. To protect our maritime territory and routes, it is imperative to expand the size of the fleet, and this is not a matter of our personal will."

Speaking of this, Yan Chujie ignored the angry Gu Kai, got up and walked to the map of the South China Sea hanging on the wall of the conference room, pointed to the map and explained to the participants: "Everyone, please look at our naval activities before this. The area is mainly in the Pearl River Estuary, Beibu Gulf on the Annan side, and the western and southern coastal areas of Hainan Island. If it is just the former control area, then I admit that the three existing fleets that are not complete seem to be able to barely complete the protection of the sea. Safety mission. But the problem is that our pace will not stop here. In the next year, we can foresee that the navy must at least be able to maintain the safety of the entire sea area around Hainan Island, especially the Qiongzhou Strait. This task alone is enough to stretch the existing fleet. In addition, I must remind everyone here that, due to the limitation of military expenditure, we have only completed two of the three planned flagships so far. The Annan fleet even There is still no main flagship. And only three Majestic-class gunboats cannot meet the needs of the navy, and the number must be at least doubled in the coming year!"

"Three main gunboats, aren't they enough for the navy?" Ning Qi also raised a question: "We don't have any strong maritime opponents in a short period of time that need so many warships to deal with?"

"It's not just a matter of combat, it also involves the training of the entire naval combat system and the need to maintain combat effectiveness." Yan Chujie patiently explained: "Since the steam propulsion system is used on the Majestic class warship, its combat capability has been enhanced. At the same time, the maintenance and maintenance of the mechanical system has become a new problem. According to the existing actual operating conditions, after every three to four months of sea missions, the Majestic-class warship must return to the home port. The comprehensive maintenance of the steam power system, and this maintenance process takes half a month, it is not easy to say if it is slow. During this period, the combat effectiveness of the entire fleet will be greatly reduced. If we want to avoid this In such a situation, it is necessary to have a rotating main battleship."

"In addition, due to the particularity of the steam propulsion system, there will be relatively high requirements for the operators on board, and there is no corresponding training content in the current training ships of the Navy. You can imagine the reason. In order to continuously provide The navy provides qualified sailors, and the training department must have at least one warship of the same level as a training ship. After all, the steam engine is of a special nature, and it is not possible to just find a Chinese-style sailboat as a substitute for training." Yan Chujie Unhurriedly laid out his reasons one by one: "The third reason..."

Yan Chujie pointed to the southern tip of the Indochina Peninsula: "We have promised to the Ming sea merchants that we will open commercial routes to Southeast Asia, so our fleet must also be able to have a larger range of activities. Except for the Cam Ranh Bay in the south of Annan , Between several key areas in the Indochina Peninsula and Southeast Asia, we probably need to build one or two long-term strongholds."

(End of this chapter)