1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 875
According to intelligence collected before the start of the war, Wang Jialin’s Zhoushan Ship Gang had the strongest economic strength in the Zhoushan Islands area. Lin Xing, the leader of the Sanlin Gang, and Gomez, the captured leader of the Haisha Gang, also proved this point.Therefore, the headquarters placed relatively high expectations on the seizure of the Zhoushan Ship Gang site, and believed that at least it would be more lucrative than Shipu Port and Liuheng Island.However, Wang Jialin and the Zhoushan Ship Gang apparently did not just sit still. Although they could not resist Haihan's steady attack, they cleverly moved their valuables away in advance.

However, the militia army was already very familiar with the process of recovering the enemy's property after the war. Without Qian Tiandun's order, some people had already begun to interrogate the prisoners and track down the whereabouts of the property transfer.For this kind of guaranteed income, the military family is not the only one staring at it desperately.After all, these seizures have to be handed over to the executive committee in proportion to become part of Haihan's financial revenue. The executive committee also attaches great importance to this. The loot counting team formed by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Finance and other relevant departments.

The two brothers Guan Yuan and Guan Ping who interrogated the prisoners of the Haisha Gang on Liuheng Island before were the special commissioners of the Ministry of Security in this counting team.All seizures in the war zone, including property and personnel, must first be registered and recorded by the inventory team, and they are also entitled to participate in all related interrogations and recovery operations.This group is under the direct jurisdiction of the Executive Committee, and has a very large authority, which can be regarded as one of the means of the Executive Committee's control over the military.

It's a pity that most of the captives captured after breaking the city were the bottom-level personnel of the Zhoushan ship gang, and they didn't know where the belongings in the boat gang were transported or where they fell.Although the headquarters can be sure that there must still be insiders among the prisoners, there are as many as a thousand new prisoners of war captured on Zhoushan Island after the end of the two-day battle, and it will take some time to identify the identities of these people.

Although the current situation can be regarded as Haihan defeated the Zhoushan Ship Gang, the area actually controlled on Zhoushan Island is still less than one-tenth.According to the current information, there are still at least [-] to [-] people on the island who directly or indirectly take orders from the Zhoushan Ship Gang, and how many of these people will choose to join Haihan, and how many will continue to take orders from Wang Jialin? It is difficult to make a more accurate judgment.The headquarters believes that it will take at least half a month to clear the coastal area of ​​​​the Zhoushan Islands.

Judging from the local population and the number of Haihan troops participating in the war, this time has been compressed very short. You must know that those people left by Shibazhi on Taiwan Island have not been dealt with until now, and Haihan is currently in The investment in Taiwan Island is much higher than that in Zhejiang.

Under such circumstances, it is unrealistic for the Haihan militia to complete control of the entire Zhoushan Island in a short period of time. Fortunately, the natural harbors of Zhoushan Island are concentrated on the south coast of the island, and the Executive Committee initially The selected foothold is the Dinghai Bay area of ​​Zhoushan. Now that the militia has successfully occupied this area, it can be said that [-]% of the mission of the Northern Expedition to Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province has been completed, and the remaining two achievements are the aftermath that needs to be dealt with slowly.

The Zhoushan Ship Gang was defeated and the news of the Haihan militia stationed on Zhoushan Island was not kept secret for too long, and it had already spread to Ningbo Mansion on the second day after the battle ended.The shock caused by this news in Ningbo's official circles was even greater than that among the people, because too many stakeholders have been paying attention to the changes in the situation in the East China Sea recently.

When the Haihan people were dealing with the Haisha Gang on Liuheng Island, many people in Ningbo Prefecture believed that they would not easily challenge the authority of the Zhoushan Ship Gang in this area. The fact that the Haihan people defeated the Haisha Gang does not mean that they are strong enough to control this area.But the next situation almost took a turn for the worse. The Haihan people used Liuheng Island as a base to quickly advance northward. Before the onlookers could figure out whether to stand in line or intervene, the Haihan people had already attacked Zhoushan Island, and then It was the news of the Zhoushan Ship Gang's defeat that came out.

Naturally, no one believes the Haihan people's claim of "assisting the government in suppressing bandits". Anyone with a discerning eye knows the background of the Zhoushan Ship Gang, and the claim of suppressing bandits will not be officially recognized.Except for the Shipu Guard under Chang Guowei who for some reason clearly sided with Haihan, none of the other organizations in the officialdom of Ningbo made any statement.Originally, everyone was waiting for the situation to become clear before choosing a position, but now that the situation has become clear, everyone finds that there is no position to choose from.

The life and death of Wang Jialin, the leader of the Zhoushan Ship Gang, is uncertain, and the so-called "East China Sea Allied Forces" organized by him has become a mess. Even if people in the officialdom want to find someone to stand up to the Haihan people, there seems to be no suitable candidate for a while.It's impossible to roll up your sleeves in order to oppose the behavior of the Haihan people, right?
It's not difficult to charge Haihan with a charge of "possessing ordnance and causing chaos in the sea", but the key is what benefits can be obtained after offending Haihan?Even if Wang Jialin is not dead yet, the East China Sea pirates and smuggling gangs headed by the Zhoushan Ship Gang are gone. Now no one in the East China Sea can stand up to deal with the Haihan people, and the Ningbo garrison has been very strangely standing still, standing upright against the Haihan people This situation has made many people hesitant and dare not express their opinions easily.

This is not just a matter of local security, but involves the control of the maritime trade market with an annual transaction volume of several million taels of silver.In the past few years, this market located in the Zhoushan Islands has been divided up by the spokespersons and puppets of various government offices. Countless people have obtained their own interests more or less from it. Then they will lose this benefit from now on.This is also one of the reasons why the local forces did not welcome Haihan, a giant, to enter the Zhejiang market earlier, because no one is sure to be able to control this monster that has swallowed the sea trade markets in Fuguang and Guangzhou, and introduce it to the Zhejiang market. The consequences are very likely to be set on fire.

But now the monster has broken in and knocked out the people who used to perform on this stage.For such a big move, no one knows how long it has been secretly planned and how much money was spent on it. Although Haihan has not issued a formal declaration yet, everyone is sure that their visit to Zhejiang this time is not just for the stage Just show up and leave.This free market in the East China Sea will probably change hands from this time on.

It’s not that no one thought about driving away this uninvited guest, but the problem now is that all the people available on the table are already dead and fleeing. Those who want to drive Haihan away have no one to use, and the people in charge of the military have been standing still , In this way, Hai Han was given sufficient time to slowly digest the area he had just eaten.

Just when most people were still on the sidelines, Hai Han finally spoke.The powerful figures in various yamen in Ningbo Prefecture, the local rich and well-known gentry, all received invitations from Haihan people through various channels on the same day.

The content of the invitation is very simple, that is, Haihan will hold a business promotion meeting on the island on April 5st, that is, May 28th in the Haihan calendar, and invite the parties to visit Zhoushan Island to participate in the meeting.Considering that the identities of some parties are more sensitive and it is inconvenient to attend directly, it is also possible to appoint a proxy to go.As for the content of the investment promotion, the post did not elaborate, but only mentioned that "this investment promotion meeting will involve seven major categories, a total of more than [-] kinds of Haihan products, and the franchise rights in various parts of Zhejiang."

The Merchants Association of Haihan people is no stranger to the business people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. They have heard of Haihan’s business methods in Fuguang in the south. There are large agents in one province, and second-level agents in one state and one prefecture. Further down there are franchised distributors.Given the tight supply of Haihan products in the market, as long as they can get agents at the state level, they can basically lie at home and collect money.

But this business method has a disadvantage for businessmen, that is, the pricing power of the products is completely in the hands of Haihan people, and both agents and distributors have to follow the so-called "market guide price" set by Haihan people.This is not a game rule that is acceptable to those who want to inflate high-priced commodities in high demand. Therefore, in the past, smugglers in Zhejiang would rather be out of stock for a long time than let Haihan’s official sales channels spread into Zhejiang, because That means their days of easy windfalls are coming to an end.

These people who made their fortunes by smuggling Haihan products in the past can naturally not accept the move, because the first thing the Haihan people come in is their interests.But if they don't take the offer, it doesn't guarantee that others won't. The market of Haihan products in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang markets has long made many people jealous, but they just haven't been able to get in.Now the Haihan people come to the door to recruit their next family. Anyone who can reach the threshold will probably give it a try.Even if you don't receive invitations from the Haihan people, there will be people who will go to seek connections and ask how to get the qualifications to go to the island to participate in the Merchants Fair at that time, and this trend is not just because a certain adult in the yamen says "no". Capable of being terminated or reversed.

Although the arrival of the Haihan people has inevitably caused economic losses to many people, when greater benefits appear in front of them, most people will not be against silver.No matter how many people died in the East China Sea, it was just some people who died running errands. As long as the power is still in hand, the lost money will naturally be earned back.

At this time, in the study of Qu Yutong, the prefect of Ningbo, several local gentry who had good relations with him were asking Qu Yutong for his opinion on this matter.They all knew that there were people in the East China Sea who worked for Qu Zhifu, and Qu Yutong might know more about the Haihan people than them.

"Have you all received invitations from Haihan people?" Qu Yutong saw that these people came to visit at the same time, and he already guessed in his heart.In fact, before the official invitation was sent, the Haihan people informed He Xiao, his subordinate, of the contents of the invitation through the Sanlin Gang, and it was more detailed than the written version. The information he had was indeed the same as that of these people Differences.

"To be honest, Mr. Qu, that's exactly the case. After I received the invitation, I didn't dare to make my own claims, so I specially made an appointment to ask Mr. Qu for instructions." One of the middle-aged men named Wen Bo replied.He runs a boat company in Ningbo Mansion. After Qu Yutong came to Ningbo Mansion to take office, he took this line. In the past two years, he also made some small fortunes by cooperating with the Sanlin Gang.

"Then what do you think, let's talk about it first, let's think about it together." Qu Yutong didn't rush to give his opinion, but let these people express their attitude first, and he also wanted to take this opportunity to see his subordinates What do these people think of Haihan.

A few people exchanged glances with each other, and Wen Bo responded, "Then I will throw bricks and attract others, and if there are mistakes, I will correct them to Mr. Qu."

Qu Yutong nodded slightly, motioning for him to continue talking.

Wen Bo continued: "I'm a businessman, and what I know and care about is the actual income. In the past, the Haihan goods shipped from the south were rare and expensive, so that's all. More than [-]% of them were controlled by the Zhoushan Ship Gang. , what is left to other families is almost leftovers. Wang Jialin eats meat, and others can only drink some soup, which is really unfair. Now that the Haihan people have come, there is a chance to change this situation.”

Qu Yutong said with a smile: "Then what the Haihan people said, isn't it just another person to monopolize these businesses?"

"My lord, there is a chance if you can change it!" Wen Bo hurriedly continued: "Who else in the territory of Ningbo Mansion has higher prestige than you, my lord?"

Qu Yutong pretended to be angry and said: "I am an official appointed by the imperial court, how can I participate in this businessman's vulgar business?"

Wen Bo said: "My lord, don't be upset. There is no need for your lord to come forward in person. At that time, please invite Mr. He to go to Zhoushan with us. No matter how much money the franchise will cost, as long as our family is out, Mr. He will do it." Just witness."

The "Mr. He" mentioned by Wen Bo naturally refers to He Xiao, Qu Yutong's subordinate. However, there is no doubt that He Xiao is Qu Yutong's first-choice confidant when he is dispatched abroad.If people like them were to be invited to Zhoushan Island to contact the Haihan people, there must be a confidant of Qu Yutong traveling with them, and He Xiao was the only candidate.The meaning of Wen Bo asking him to be a witness is that after the matter is completed, the future income will be counted as Qu Yu's share - no need for him to pay, just get the dividends of the dry stock.

Qu Yutong was noncommittal, but looked at the other people and asked, "What do you think?"

"I think what Boss Wen said is feasible, at least we have to check the situation, and we can't let others take the lead." "The Haihan people are also businessmen, since they are businessmen, then it's just a matter of doing business with them, so there's no need to go to war. "The Haihan people always keep their word and do what they say, so they probably won't deceive us with this."

Everyone is talking about it, but they all agree.

(End of this chapter)