Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 564: There are many advantages to shipping by sea

Liu Huai now knows nothing about what happened in Bianliang.

He was already overwhelmed by the situation in Shandong and had no time to care about other things.

Geng Jing succeeded in enclosing land, and both military officers and powerful people were very happy.

But according to the so-called law of conservation of happiness, if they are happy, there will naturally be people who are unhappy.

First, the common people everywhere, who had originally been self-cultivating farmers, suddenly woke up and became tenants. Who could bear this? Especially when the autumn harvest came, the 20% tax originally agreed with the government in the spring was invalidated, and they had to pay 50% rent to the landlord!
Soon, sporadic field burning occurred and became increasingly severe.

In the mouths of the people, Geng Jing changed from Geng Jiedu to Geng Baopi.

However, Geng Jing had fully fed his troops, and each of them became a small landlord, and quickly began to spontaneously suppress the civil unrest around them.

Dongping Prefecture, Yanzhou and Tai'an Prefecture suddenly became strangely quiet.

Yes, it is quiet but not peaceful.

Anyone can see the undercurrents surging beneath.

The next two people who were unhappy were Wei Sheng and Liu Huai.

Liu Huai was the bad boy who was responsible for making trouble. Shi Baiju came to him and was beaten up. Ye Shichan came to him and was scolded. But Liu Huai was upright and had good reason. Moreover, he had a strong army and was not afraid of anything, whether it was illicit or covert.

Geng Jing had no choice but to try to reason with Wei Sheng.

Wei Sheng became even angrier and wrote a letter back directly.

There are only eight big words on it: You will rise because of this, and you will fall because of this!

Geng Jing's education level was not high, but Kong Duanqi was quite capable and immediately explained for Geng Jing.

This was Wei Sheng's warning to him.

Geng Jing fought against the bandits as a righteous soldier. If he becomes a bandit now, sooner or later there will be righteous soldiers rising up to fight against him!

Geng Jing was naturally furious again, but there was nothing he could do. He could only concentrate on preparing for war, ready to go on a winter expedition, sweep away the Jin Kingdom, and capture one or two prefectures before settling the issue with Wei Sheng and his son.

But at this time, Wei Sheng and Liu Huai were also having a hard time.

It's not just the two routes of Shandong, there's not enough food in the whole world. Originally, Liu Huai only planned to gather refugees from Hebei, but now there are more people from the two routes of Shandong. Both manpower and food are stretched.

As a last resort, Liu Huai even had to gather some soldiers to maintain order, and the clerks from the Marshal's Office and the Jiedushi Mansion were also mobilized to ensure that the autumn harvest would not be disturbed.

Wei Sheng also issued an order through the Marshal's Office to launch the largest-scale work-for-relief program. The grain that had just been transported to the treasury was transported out again, and the refugee groups were divided and transferred to various places to build roads and canals.

Amidst the vigorous mass production and self-help movement, the first batch of ten ships of grain brought by merchant ships arriving from the sea solved the urgent problem.

Even in his busy schedule, Liu Huai personally went to receive the leader of the merchant ship, He Zizhen, and asked He Zizhen's father He Boqiu to accompany him.

He Zizhen was naturally very nervous, but as a hero who opened up the sea route, he deserved this courtesy.

Don’t think that the Jin Navy, the Song Navy, and the Shandong Volunteer Army all went south by sea, but that was more of a desperate military gamble.

But business and military are completely different things.

In the military, it is acceptable to risk the lives of thousands of people. Is it also possible to do so in business?

Therefore, unless there is a mature shipping route, it is impossible to replace canal transportation with sea transportation.

But a mature route can only be filled with lives.

East Asia does not have a big bathtub like the Mediterranean Sea. Once it goes out, it faces the violent Western Pacific Ocean directly, which requires too high shipping technology.

However, despite so many difficulties, thanks to the efforts of generations of Chinese navigators, by the Song Dynasty, everything finally came to fruition.

From a technological perspective, shipbuilding technology has matured, especially the invention of the compass and watertight cabins, which have made ocean voyages possible.

The maritime trade and military confrontations between the Song and Jin dynasties also made the exploration of shipping routes more mature.

Whether through the letters sent by Li Bao or the documents left by Su Baoheng, Liu Huai found that it was difficult to open a route near the coast because there were too many reefs.

The seemingly safest option of following the shore will not only lead to encountering shallow reefs, but will also take a long time.

Instead, ocean voyage is the right way.

But there is a major problem with ocean routes.

In the Age of Sail, the influence of ocean currents and monsoons was so great that in many ancient nautical charts, Luzon Island is much closer than Taiwan. This is for this reason: ocean currents can help ships achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Theoretically, if we find this waterway assisted by ocean currents and monsoons, stable shipping will become possible.

He Zizhen can be said to be a genius in shipping, and he also has great luck.

After comparing a large amount of information about the Song and Jin dynasties and questioning many Song and Jin officials, generals, fishermen and merchants, He Zizhen set out from Chongming Island with ten large ships full of grain, sailing east to the Black Water Ocean, which is the sea in the northeast of Jiangsu, and then directly arrived at Chengshan, Shandong, which is the top corner of the Shandong Peninsula.

Not a single ship was lost during this period.

If history had developed as it did, this route would have been discovered by Yin Minglue, a captain of the maritime transport team, one hundred and thirty years later, in the 30th year of the Yuan Dynasty. This route was known in history as the Yinxin Route.

This complete route should start from Taicang, go to Chengshan in Shandong, and then go to Dagukou in Tianjin. Ships can sail north with the Kuroshio Current, and it will take only ten days to reach Tianjin from western Zhejiang.

After the route was opened, two sea transports were realized every spring and autumn. In just over a decade, it was able to steadily transport one million dan of grain to the north. The highest amount transported in one year was more than 3.8 million dan, making it a golden route.

Later, due to the chaos at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the rebel army in Jiangnan naturally abandoned this route in order to cut off the food supply to Dadu.

Now, the discovery of the new sea route naturally caused a huge sensation. Before the news spread, merchants from the Shandong coast who were more informed had already arrived at the Jiedu Mansion.

This is not to say that these merchants are very dedicated to the country and the people and are ready to solve Liu Huai's food shortage problem, but because after the opening of this route, large-scale smuggling trade between Shandong and the Song and Jin countries became possible.

Yes, smuggling trade.

The administration in the eastern part of Shandong was clean and honest, but it was completely different in the Jin and Song dynasties.

It goes without saying that the Jin Kingdom is about to start the nationwide chicken-eating mode.

The Song State had too many exorbitant taxes and levies, and it wasn't just the Transportation Department that set up checkpoints; local governments also set up checkpoints to collect taxes. It would have been fine if it was at the state level, but there were also checkpoints at the county level.

If you follow the normal process and pass through Shandong and Lianghuai before reaching the Yangtze River, the tax collectors will take away your underwear.

Of course, the Song State still gave preferential treatment to officials or prospective officials. For example, Juren were exempt from taxes when they came to Beijing to take the imperial examinations. Therefore, every time the imperial examinations came, Juren gentlemen would often bring a bunch of local specialties to Beijing to set up stalls and sell them.

It's quite a wonder.

With the names of Wei Sheng and Liu Huai known, no one in Lianghuai dared to stop them. But how could commerce be run solely by the government without the private sector? Not every merchant could establish a relationship with the Jiedufu!
Faced with the merchants' request, Liu Huai naturally had no reason to stop them, so he asked several chamber of commerce leaders to come to the celebration banquet and sit at the last seat.

After drinking with everyone for a few rounds, He Zizhen was already drunk. Ignoring his father's murderous look, he began to treat Liu Huai as his brother.

The two men were not much different in age, so calling each other brothers wouldn't be a big deal. But they were, after all, the relationship between a ruler and his subject. Talking nonsense without restraint was indeed an act of presumption.

"Master He San, please don't have that expression. He Erlang is a man of great merit. His achievements are in this generation and will benefit future generations. In the future, it's possible that our reputation will fade, while He Erlang will be worshipped in a temple!"

Liu Huai raised his glass again, but smiled and asked He Bo for advice.

He Boqiu scoffed, "Him? With his lazy appearance, how can he possibly have a great reputation? After I die, he might make a big mistake and be executed!"

Even if He Boqiu was amazing, he could not have known the importance of sea power in later generations.

Just as Liu Huai was about to offer some assurances, he heard He Zizhen waving his hands drunkenly and saying, "Alas... this elder brother is going a bit too far. How could I be considered lazy? Fighting the wind and waves at sea this time... hiccup..."

Hearing this, He Boqiu finally couldn't bear it anymore, and apologized to Liu Huai, then dragged He Zizhen away.

Liu Huai just smiled, then looked at the group of merchants and asked them to come closer.

"I know what you want, and I'll grant it."

The merchants were overjoyed and bowed repeatedly to express their gratitude.

However, there were quite a few people who seemed to be hesitant to speak, as if they wanted to say something.

Liu Huai ignored it, then waved his hand, and the hall quickly quieted down: "I have some special treatment here, but also some requests."

An experienced merchant bowed and said, "Master General, please make your words clear. I will obey you."

"Okay!" Liu Huai nodded and said, "If you're happy, I'm happy too."

"First and foremost, even though the waterway has been opened, we can't just sit back and collect the money. Everyone must work together to understand the hydrology and weather. No one, whether officials or civilians, is allowed to hide anything!"

"I will establish the Shandong Maritime Customs Office, with Wang Shijie as its Director. He Zizhen will be the Admiral of Shipping."

"If you want to sail, you must obtain a license from the Maritime Customs and register. Otherwise, you will be treated as pirates!"

"All records of hydrology, weather, and wind direction must be reported to the Maritime Customs and filed. No records may be kept privately!"

"I don't care what you do in Song and Jin. Once you return to the territory where I have the final say, you must abide by the rules I set!" This means that you will be brought under my jurisdiction to facilitate the collection of commercial taxes.

The merchants exchanged glances before the more experienced man spoke up, "Sir, you act fairly, and I see that, so I have no objection."

Liu Huai knew that once maritime trade began, with such a vast coastline, there would definitely be people who would want to smuggle and evade taxes.

Perhaps the old man in front of him who made the promise with a pat on his chest had already had such an idea in mind.

But he didn't care. Compared with the benefits of maritime trade, smuggling was just a minor problem.

Liu Huai nodded again. "Secondly, I know the situation at sea. Especially after the rise of trade, piracy is inevitable. Moreover, you guys are originally merchants. It's normal for you to have weapons and even armor at home. But you all have to enlist in the military, otherwise it will be considered treason."

As soon as these words were spoken, most of the merchants looked at each other in confusion. Only four of them changed their expressions and became nervous.

Liu Huai was in a high position and could see everything clearly, but he pretended not to see it.

To put it bluntly, the more centralized a country is, the more difficult it is to develop maritime transportation.

Because the sea is different from the river. No matter how wide the river is, it is within the range of the army's force projection. But the sea is so vast that there are many places where there is a power vacuum.

But power abhors a vacuum; a vacuum creates new power.

It's pirates.

What's worse is that the government navy and pirates are just two sides of the same coin.

If merchants want to survive, they need to use force, otherwise going out to sea will just be providing meat for pirates.

Therefore, the young and strong sailors on a ship were often warriors who could fight water battles. They had swords, guns, and even armor. As time went on, they also had muskets and cannons.

Well, now you are the magistrate of a coastal county. According to the organization, you can only control more than 200 local soldiers and archers, but there is a big sea merchant in your county. He has ten large ships, more than 1,000 professional sailors, and tens of thousands of people depend on him for their livelihood. He has swords and guns.

So, does the county magistrate have the final say in this county, or does the big merchant have the final say?

What would the central government of the court think?

Some people may ask, if we develop the navy to suppress pirates, wouldn’t it be possible to disarm maritime merchants?
Unfortunately, this is also impossible.

Because to develop the navy, we must have sailors and ships. It is impossible for the shipyards and sailor industry to survive relying solely on the navy's limited staff.

For this situation, Dai Ying in history has already given the answer.

Let the sailors on merchant ships serve as supplements to the navy.

Things are back to the way they were.

Without maritime merchants, there can be no navy; without a navy, the one who has the final say on the seas is not the country.

After Liu Huai discussed with several confidants, they were also a little confused in the face of this new topic. In the end, they could only use this method to control the armed forces at sea as a cover-up.

As for how things will develop in the future, no one has a clue.

Faced with the demands put forward by Liu Huai, these merchants finally gave in.

There's no other way. It's all about making money. How can a businessman be so bored as to go against the housekeeper?

Liu Huai nodded in satisfaction, and then offered these merchants some sweet treats: "Third, within three years, those of you who transport grain to Shandong will enjoy certain tax reductions and exemptions based on the quantity.

Whether it was merchants from the Jin or Song states, every three ships had to carry grain, or they would have to return the same way!

Several businessmen nodded again and again.

This is actually a disguised tariff used to ensure the competitiveness of Shandong maritime merchants.

Liu Huai struck while the iron was hot and extended his fourth finger. "Fourth, I also hope that you will shoulder some social responsibility. When expanding the shipyard, you might as well hire more young and strong people and provide more food and wages. As the saying goes, a family that accumulates good will surely have more blessings.

The government won't remain indifferent. By the end of the year, I can offer my support to a few more people. Those who are good at literature can serve as clerks by my side, and those who are good at martial arts can join the Flying Tiger Cavalry and serve as my personal guards. Naturally, both are possible."

Even though these merchants knew that Liu Huai was overwhelmed with trying to resettle the refugees and had no choice but to resort to such means, it did not stop them from immediately bursting into tears of gratitude.

There are very few ways to cross class boundaries these days.

Either you fight to the death on the battlefield and survive a hundred battles; or you go to the imperial examination hall to compete with all kinds of talents and cross the single-plank bridge with thousands of troops.

Now that I can rise to the top in one step and gain experience under the second-in-command of Shandong East Road, what else do I need?

Seeing that all the merchants had agreed, Liu Huai raised his glass and said, "Since today is a business matter, I won't talk about a bright future. I wish everyone prosperity!"

The merchants raised their glasses at the same time and shouted "Long live the emperor", some of them looking like they were about to rebel.

The guests and hosts enjoy themselves.

After the banquet, Wang Shijie, with only a layer of hair on his mouth, came to Liu Huai with some trepidation and said with a bow, "Big Brother."

As the fifteenth brother of Wang Shilong, the commander of the right army of the Jingnan Army, Wang Shijie was actually not unfamiliar with Liu Huai, but he was still a little nervous at this time.

"What's wrong? Do you think you can't do it well?" Liu Huai asked with a smile while drinking hangover tea.

"...Yes." Wang Shijie didn't shy away from admitting it, and directly admitted, "I'm worried that I'm too young to handle such an important task."

Liu Huai scoffed, "Oh, are you two years younger than me? So what? I just had to brave the bullet and take on the position. You've been a capable military advisor and have made great contributions. How can you not be the Supervisor of the Maritime Customs?"

Wang Shijie was still uneasy. "I... I just don't know what's so important about these business matters. Why do you take them so seriously, Mr. Dalang? Are you just trying to collect some money and food?"

Liu Huai shook his head: "That's not just a few goods and grains, but a lot... But this is not the main reason. Nothing in this world is isolated."

At this point, Liu Huai turned to the people drinking nearby and said, "Liang Dapan, tell me what you found during your inspection of Lianshui."

Liang Qiu had lost a lot of weight at this time, and his face was dark, as if he had been exposed to the scorching sun for a long time. However, he did not look listless, but instead looked more capable.

"Lord Commander, the river is becoming increasingly silted. If this continues, the Huai River's estuary will be elevated and even blocked.

By then, not only the Huai River, but even tributaries like the Yishui and Shuhe Rivers will flood like the main river, and the people of Huaihe and Huaibei will be destitute.”

Liu Huai nodded, then looked at Wang Shijie.

But Wang Shijie was still confused and did not understand the relationship between sea transportation and the Yellow River.

If we want to control the Yellow River, wouldn’t it be enough to let it return to its original course?

You must know that before the Song State carried out the five changes of river flow, the Yellow River was relatively stable.

"Wang Shiwulang, I know what you're thinking, but the Yellow River flowing into the Huai River does have one benefit, and that is that it facilitates grain transport.

The North and the South have been divided for hundreds of years, and mutual communication is imminent. Among them, water transportation is essential."

"If we don't develop sea transport, we will have to rely on grain transport. Our descendants will no longer try to completely control the Yellow River. Instead, they will abandon the Huai River and protect the grain transport. Even if the people in the Huai River and Huai River suffer, they must preserve the grain transport.

Those of us who don't make a decision now will be sinners for eternity."

What Liu Huai said was not a fantasy, but the real history of the development of canal transportation.

The Yellow River carries a large amount of silt into the Huai River, then raises the mouth of the Huai River. The water from the Yellow River and Huai River flows into the Yangtze River through the canal together.

In a sense, at a certain period in history, the Yellow River became a tributary of the Yangtze River, and everyone in the country lived in the Yangtze River basin.

When the canal transportation became the livelihood of millions of canal workers and the only way to connect the north and the south, both Pan Jixun of the Ming Dynasty and Chen Huang and Jin Fu of the Qing Dynasty adhered to the idea of abandoning the Huai River to protect the canal, and allowed the Huai River and the Huai River to be flooded again and again in order to preserve the canal.

From then on, Huaibei gradually changed from a prosperous and core area of the Central Plains to a poor place. It was not until the new China made great efforts to control the Yellow River that changes occurred.

Therefore, even if Liu Huai did not care about the Age of Discovery, he would still focus on sea transportation and use water transport as a secondary means to repair the Yellow River in a more thorough way.

"Wang Shiwulang, your position is extremely important. It can be said that your contributions will benefit the present and future generations." Liu Huai shook his head and said, "As the saying goes, when a man dies, his politics cease. While my generation is alive, we can naturally force the maintenance of maritime transport, but what about after us?
The only way is to cultivate a group of people who rely on shipping for their livelihood and profit from it. They can be common people, merchants, officials, generals, it doesn't matter. As long as they can stick to shipping, I don't care.

By then, there will naturally be a tremendous force that will ensure that all our efforts will not be wasted. Your responsibility is to lay the foundation for this force!"

Liu Huai’s meaning was very simple, he wanted to go against history.

Change "the food and clothing of millions of canal workers" to "the food and clothing of millions of seamen".

Most people will not fight to the death for a possible future, nor will they argue for the vague teachings of their ancestors, but they will definitely fight for their own vital interests.

Liu Huai lit the fire at this time, and as to what it would look like in the end, it really depends on the wisdom of later generations.

Wang Shijie was confused after hearing this. He felt a little enlightened but also a little bewildered.

He still didn't understand how maritime transportation was related to river management, but since Liu Huai was able to make the decision and said words like "the benefits will be to the present and future generations", the young man instantly became excited.

Since his master's judgment has never been wrong, how can Wang Shijie not give it a try?

"I will follow the orders of Lord Dalang!"

(End of this chapter)