Chapter 240 New Planning for the Port Area
Unlike later generations of "public intellectuals" who used US dollars to brag to foreigners and attributed all domestic problems to the system, the Executive Committee did not want people like Li Nai to become mindless hackers targeting the Ming Dynasty government in the future. We are not prepared to turn him into a rebel leader in the Ming Dynasty in the future. What the Time Travel Group needs now is the voluntary surrender of insightful people from the bottom of their hearts, rather than launching farcical street riots in the Ming Dynasty to mess up the social system. Only a Ming Dynasty with a stable and stable society will be able to provide a steady stream of resources to the Time Travel Group. Raw materials and labor, and digesting the large output of Victory Port, a primary industrial zone, through trade, providing the Chuanchuan Group with the wealth needed for early development.
As for whether the Crossing Group will one day annex the declining Ming Dynasty, the Executive Committee’s answer to this is yes. Compared with the relatively advanced social management system brought by the Crossing Group from later generations, the backward system of the feudal dynasty has indeed restricted the pace of the development of social productivity. When it is time to change dynasties, it must follow the trend of history. But now is obviously not the time. The Ming Dynasty has not yet exhausted its strength, and the Crossing Group may even need to find ways to help the Ming Dynasty maintain domestic stability in recent years.
Except for some technical details that need to be kept secret, Victory Port is completely open to Ming literati like Li Nai. How much a smart person like him can learn and comprehend from what he sees and hears is his own destiny. The Executive Committee does not expect to completely pull Li Nai into its own camp. As long as he is aware of the differences between the area under Haihan and Ming society, I believe he will naturally gradually understand which of the two social systems is better. Which one is better?
October 27, Li Nai's eighth day of stay in Victory Port. Early that morning, Li Nai went to the canteen to queue up for breakfast as usual. Here he met an old acquaintance again, Wei Ping, Inspector Wei of the Yulin Inspection Department. After not seeing each other for two months, Wei Ping seemed to be a lot fatter than before. It seemed that the life of confinement in Victory Port was still going on. After being under house arrest for several months, Wei Ping's mentality is now much calmer than when he first arrived, his words and deeds are much more honest, and his range of activities is wider than two months ago, and he can move around the entire port area. ——Of course it is impossible to leave Victory Port.
Ren Liang, the head of the Port District Management Committee and the former director of the labor camp, had already vaccinated the people in the Inspection Department. As long as one person escapes, the whole company will have to go to the labor camp to work as hard labor. . With this chain attached, there is no need to deploy additional personnel for supervision. The people in the inspection department will automatically keep an eye on each other, lest any daring guy take advantage of the opportunity and escape.
Of course, after living in Port Victory for several months, this group of people gradually realized the benefits of living here - no need to be exposed to the wind and sun, no need to work, three meals a day, ready-made hot dishes and hot meals, and repayment at the end of the month. There is money to be made, where can I find such a good job? Fleeing back to Yazhou, that ghost place is worse than Victory Port! Although their personal freedom is restricted, they seem to have gotten used to it over time. As long as they don't go out to cause trouble, the Haihan security guards don't seem to have the time to care about what their group is doing. There were even two restless guys who, because they had worked as carpenters before, actually went to work as helpers in the shipyard.
Regarding the gradual change in attitude of the people in the Inspection Department, Ren Liang believes that this is already some signs of the "Stockholm Syndrome". The abductees gradually identify and even rely on the abductors, which is a very strange but practical A real psychological phenomenon. Wei Ping even took the initiative to describe the rapid development of Shengli Port in his work report to Yazhou with the words "Government is harmonized and people are harmonious, and all wastes are prosperous". In addition, someone has applied to the Port Management Committee, hoping to Yazhou's family came to settle in Shengli Port.
Of course, Wei Ping would not be willing to be locked up in Shengli Port until he resigned. He still hoped to do more to show his value. Luo Shengdong from Shuizhai almost always talked with Shengli Port every time he came to Shengli Port. The upper-class people of the Haihan people are in harmony, and if I want to meet the leader of the Haihan people in the port area management committee to report the roof leakage problem, I have to apply for an appointment with the security guard on duty in advance, and the treatment is not very good. The last time Luo Shengdong came to Shengli Port, he also brought him a letter from home - Wei Ping's brother-in-law, who is a Tongzhi, will retire honorably next year and has already begun to make plans for his life after retirement. This means that As Wei Ping's biggest backer is slowly dying in a countdown manner, there is not much time left for him.
Wei Ping now has greater freedom. Every time Luo Shengdong's ship is loading at the port, he will go to the dock to take a look, intentionally or unintentionally. When he saw the warships in the water village leaving with anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands of kilograms of Haihan refined salt each time, Wei Ping finally understood why Luo Shengdong said that he was " "The bear fell into the honey pot" - this trip will earn at least hundreds or even thousands of taels of silver. It is indeed easy to make money by hanging out with the Haihan people! It's a pity that I didn't understand the true meaning of this at the time, otherwise why should I regard the fifty taels of "inspection department office expenses" per month as a life-saving straw now? Luo Shengdong only needs to make a trip, which is almost equivalent to his own The income gained from one year in prison in Port Victory.
Moreover, Wei Ping also noticed that Luo Shengdong initially brought only one or two ships to Victory Port, and occasionally more, but no more than five at most. However, the size of the naval fleet coming to Victory Port recently has become larger and larger. . More than ten days ago, Luo Shengdong actually led a fleet of nearly twenty large and small warships and civilian ships into Victory Port. Wei Ping almost thought that this guy was going to rebel and attack Victory Port. But the final result was that Luo Shengdong specially organized a fleet to help the Haihan people transport immigrants to Xingang in the east. Although Wei Ping spat and secretly scolded Luo Shengdong for his shameless behavior, he was still a little jealous in his heart - the Haihan people are said to be building a larger salt farm in Xingang to the east, and Luo Shengdong must be able to make money quickly by then. Will it be faster?
Wei Ping knew that he could no longer get involved in the private salt business. Luo Shengdong had already made this clear to him. If I want to stand out in Victory Port and reap some benefits, I am afraid that in the end I will have to rely on my official status - this is the only reason why the Haihan people support this group of people. Therefore, when Li Nai visited Victory Port last time, Wei Ping managed to establish a relationship with Li Nai and persuaded him to stand up for him and ask the Haihan people to regain their freedom. Of course, this kind of treatment also comes with a corresponding price. For example, the Yulin Inspection Department will be at the mercy of the Haihan Executive Committee from now on. Although it was not immediately approved by the executive committee, it was not rejected. The final statement was that it would take time to study it again.
Wei Ping didn't know what else the Haihan people needed to study, but at least it showed that there was a glimmer of hope in this matter. From the time "Fu Ruifeng" started enclosing land in the port area, Wei Ping realized that if he wanted to get ahead, he had to hope that Victory Port would prosper quickly. Only with more Ming merchants coming and going would his inspection department exist. meaning.
Wei Ping had been thinking about it for several months and had thought it through. What could Luo Shengdong do, but I couldn't? Luo Shengdong can help the Haihan people run errands. As a ninth-rank inspector of the Yulin Inspection Department and a local official, I can be useful in helping the Haihan people deal with some disputes caused by outsiders in the future. The Inspection Department can come forward to handle civil affairs, public security, taxation and other matters within the jurisdiction of the Haihan people. Isn't it much more useful than Luo Shengdong, who can only run errands?
Of course, to achieve this goal, the prerequisite is still the prosperity of Victory Port, so during this period, Wei Ping's expectations for foreign merchants were even higher than that of the Executive Committee. When he had nothing to do, he would go to the dock and wait. The next moment, one hundred and eighty merchant ships appeared on the sea at Yulinjiao. Of course, this scene cannot appear in the current Victory Port for the time being. Except for a small number of regular merchants from Yazhou and Guangzhou, most of the merchants who come to Victory Port for trade now come from Danzhou and Qiongzhou capital cities in the north. The number is There are not many, and the scale is not large. They are all here to sell some raw materials, or send a group of immigrants, and then buy a batch of Haihan glass products to go back.
Just three days before Li Nai's fleet arrived at Victory Port, Wei Ping finally had the opportunity to come forward and solve a small problem for the Haihan people. A cargo ship from Danzhou had a dispute with dock workers due to cargo shipment problems. Seeing that it was about to develop into a gang fight, Wei Ping, who happened to be playing Wangfushi at the dock, immediately seized the opportunity and rushed to Haihan Security. Intervened to quell the conflict before arriving. Ren Liang, who arrived at the scene afterwards, didn't say much after hearing what happened. He just patted Wei Ping on the shoulder and left. However, two days later, someone came to the Inspection Department to convey a new notice from the Executive Committee - the office location of the Inspection Department will be relocated in the near future, from outside the current base No. 1 to near the Victory Port Pier.
Although the relocation distance is actually only a few hundred meters, for Wei Ping, this is definitely the best news since arriving in Victory Port. Leaving the side of Base No. 1 means that the Haihan people have relaxed their surveillance of the Inspection Department. Moving to the vicinity of the dock means that the Haihan people also recognize the Inspection Department's ability to handle disputes with outsiders. They will do so in the future. The Inspection Department is used as a signboard for Victory Port to be displayed to the outside world.
After being imprisoned for several months, Wei Ping was not dazzled by the sudden good news. He knew that Haihan's arrangement was to give him a chance to perform, but it was only an opportunity. Will he be able to get further in the future? If you want to be reused, it still depends on whether your performance can meet the wishes of the Haihan people.
Li Nai's re-arrival gave Wei Ping another reassurance. Now that "Fu Ruifeng" has begun to build a business store locally, it seems to be only a matter of time before merchants from the mainland gradually move into Victory Port. After breakfast, Wei Ping invited Li Nai, who was also idle, to take a walk on the dock and take a look at the newly allocated land for the Inspection Department by the Port Management Committee. As the two walked, they had further detailed discussions on the cooperation agreement they had reached. According to the last agreement between the two parties, after the "Furuifeng" store is built in Victory Port, the Inspection Department will act as a protective umbrella for it - of course, this protection is for other foreign merchants, not Regarding the Haihan people, Wei Ping didn't have the courage to jump out and cause trouble. For its part, "Furuifeng" will provide certain remuneration for the inspection department's protective behavior. This remuneration may be in the form of goods or cash, depending on the outcome of negotiations between the two parties. Wei Ping estimated that the income from this alone would be enough to far exceed the existing "inspection department office expenses."
The location of the new inspection department is very close to the new cargo terminal that was just completed this month. This more than 300-meter-long terminal along the coastline will be the main docking terminal for Victory Port in the next few years. Merchant ships coming from other places for trade will dock here. Behind the terminal, a cargo yard covering hundreds of acres has been planned. Later, large storage warehouses, bulk cargo storage yards, and special coal transportation channels connected to the rail transportation system will be built here. Under the command of several foremen, hundreds of workers are leveling the foundation here and cutting down and removing all trees in the planned area.
"Under my Ming Dynasty, a dock of this scale may take one or two years to complete. It shows that the Haihan people are good at construction." Li Nai couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the labor scene here. The last time he came here, only two-thirds of the entire pier project was completed. Li Nai estimated that it would be completed before the end of the year, even if the Haihan people were capable. Unexpectedly, when he came back two months later, not only was the pier completed, but it was even completed. The cargo yard behind has begun to enter the construction state.
Wei Ping responded: "I look at it every day, but I never noticed the speed of construction. From my point of view, the reason why the Haihan people were able to build the dock in such a short period of time is because of their orderliness in doing things and arranging everything down to the smallest detail. It’s very orderly, and even the workers’ meal times are carefully planned and arranged in batches. According to my observation, in the past few months, as long as the sky is bright, there is no time to stop work on the dock construction site. How can the construction speed not be fast? "< br>
Li Nai nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "I'm afraid this construction method is not only used at this dock. All the Haihan people's projects are handled in this way, and they were able to build such a situation in a few months."
After the new cargo terminal is put into use, the original terminal will be further renovated and expanded. The scale of the wharf built in the early stages of landing has gradually failed to meet the current needs of maritime transportation. The Ministry of Construction plans to reconstruct it according to the standards of a passenger terminal and use it as a local immigration wharf in the future. As for the berths where future military ships will dock, the Executive Committee does not plan to place them within the existing dock area of the port area, but plans them along the coast of the military barracks area on the east side of the harbor, which is where the submarine dock of Yulin Military Port is located in the rear view. . In this way, the armed forces guarding Victory Port can be integrated into the sea and land, and it will be more convenient to deploy a limited number of military personnel during wartime.
Of course, in the long-term plan, Victory Port will eventually become a military port with military as its main purpose, and the freight and passenger terminals will gradually move westward with the development of the Sanya area and be placed in the Sanya Port located in the inland river area.
Li Nai and Wei Ping wandered along the built road in the new dock area, followed at a distance by Jiang San sent by the Executive Committee. There are wooden boards inserted everywhere in the area where the foundation has been leveled, and the uses of the land are written on them, such as warehouse No. 1, cargo registration office, currency exchange office, etc. In the end, the sharp-eyed Li Nai was the first to see the board with the words "Da Ming Yulin Inspection Department": "Brother Wei, this is it! Congratulations!"
Currently, only signs have been erected on the plots designated for use, and short branches are inserted into the ground as dividing lines to mark the general range. Wei Ping made a visual inspection and found that this piece of land was actually not very big, probably less than an acre. Compared with the five acres of land allocated to "Furuifeng" by the management committee, such a small piece of land was a bit shabby, but compared to The existing Inspection Department's small courtyard is already five times larger. This does not seem to be a bad treatment. After all, "Fu Ruifeng" has several businesses to open, while the Inspection Department only has about ten. He's just a big man, and it's not of much use if he occupies so much land.
Wei Ping was already happy in his heart, but he said solemnly on his face: "I just don't know when it will be built to show my Ming Dynasty's orthodoxy!"
Li Nai couldn't help but curse in his heart, now that you are supported by the Haihan people, don't pretend to be a loyal minister. If these words are heard by someone who cares about the partition wall, and the Haihan people remove the board later, I'm afraid you, Inspector Wei, will still be there You have to go back to the small yard and continue squatting. Orthodoxy... The Ming Dynasty's navy is already working as an errand for the Haihan people. Why are you, a ninth-grade patrol inspector, talking about orthodoxy here?
Of course, after thinking about this, Li Nai was still not shallow enough to say it directly. At the moment, he just congratulated Wei Ping repeatedly. After Wei Ping said this, he probably felt a little guilty, so he immediately stopped talking and changed the topic: "This place is quite good. It faces the pier in front. The foreign merchants who landed here can see it at the first sight. Inspection Department.”
Li Nai nodded, turned to look around and said: "On the left is the Port Security Office, and on the right is the Port Affairs Center. They should be the offices of Haihan people."
"I know that the Port Affairs Center is where the Port Management Committee handles daily affairs. What is this security office?" Wei Ping was a little confused after reading it.
"The Security and Security Department is the agency that protects the security of the port area." At some point, Ren Liang actually appeared not far behind them, and he had obviously heard their conversation: "Simply speaking, its functions are similar to those of the Inspection Department. In charge of public security affairs.”
Wei Ping's expression changed as soon as he heard this - he finally changed the name of the Inspection Department and was about to move it here to work, but a government office with overlapping functions came directly next to him? This is simply like turning Dongchang and Jinyiwei into neighbors, and he is still the weak one. Can he happily protect the country and the people in the future?
(End of chapter)