Chapter 1084 Testing each other
After setting foot on the coast of Zhifu Island, Feng Fei noticed the bustling construction scene here. Thousands of young men were building barracks and docks under the command of the foreman. Considering the time when the Haihan people arrived at Zhifu Island, these people were obviously not recruited from the local area and should have all been transported from the south by ship. Feng Fei originally estimated that the Haihan fleet had about a thousand people, but judging from what he saw now, the actual number was probably far more than a thousand people. To transport so many people from the south to Shandong, the investment must be considerable. From this, it can be seen that the move of the Haihan people to settle on Zhifu Island was by no means a whim, but after careful planning. So orderly implementation upon arrival here.
Since the other party wanted to put down roots here with peace of mind and was not planning to make a fortune and run away, Feng Fei felt a lot more relaxed, because the area around here for dozens of miles was under the jurisdiction of Qishansuo, and the Haihan people wanted to live here, no matter what. No matter what, you have to deal with Qishan Institute, there is definitely no way around it.
"Master Feng, please wait here."
The two walked to the entrance of the camp. Like the sandbank, there were trenches, barbed wire fences, barriers made of horseback and sandbags, and armed personnel with live ammunition deployed behind the bunker. Gao Qiaonan asked Feng Fei to wait, and he dismounted and went in to report. situation.
Feng Fei noticed that the camp here was a standard military setting. Not only were the peripheral defense facilities complete, there were both open and hidden watchtowers, there were firebreaks between the tents, and drainage ditches were dug inside and outside the camp. This was no ordinary caravan. Or people camping in the wild. Feng Fei had never heard of folk group training being able to do this. Even if the Ming army from Qishan Institute went to the wild to practice, they probably wouldn't do better than this.
After a while, Gao Qiaonan returned to the gate of the camp and greeted Feng Fei to come in, but he couldn't ride the horse in. Feng Fei also realized that this was not a place where he could hold on to his official pretensions any longer, so he quickly dismounted and handed the reins to Takahashi Minami's men.
The candidate who came forward to meet Feng Fei on behalf of Haihan was Hao Wanqing. This was also decided based on Haihan's current strategy. The other people had too much military temperament, while Sun Changmi was a typical technocrat who was not good at diplomacy and was not good at diplomacy. Only Hao Wanqing's image resembles that of a wealthy businessman and powerful person, and he is also good at extracting information from conversations. It is most suitable for him to come forward to hold talks with local Ming officials.
"I'm Hao Wanqing, the person in charge of this fleet. I've just arrived and disturbed the peace of the place, which has caused Lord Feng to worry!"
After Hao Wanqing met Feng Fei, his attitude was still very polite. This made Feng Fei, who had just hit a snag with Gao Qiaonan, feel a big contrast. This master's cultivation is obviously much better than that of the fierce militia leader. But there is another reason why Feng Fei likes him, that is, Hao Wanqing obviously speaks with a Shandong accent.
"Boss Hao is from Shandong?" Feng Fei directly asked the question he was most concerned about.
"My ancestor was from Jinan Prefecture." Hao Wanqing had already prepared for this kind of question, and he generously admitted Feng Fei's guess: "Although I have been overseas for many years, I have learned this local accent from my elders since I was a child, and I will never change it in this life. Lost.”
Hao Wanqing's statement is not entirely nonsense. The location of Hainan Island is indeed an overseas enclave compared to the mainland of the Ming Dynasty. He has stayed on Hainan Island for seven years after crossing over and recently left the place because of his move north. Really It can be said that I have been overseas for many years.
"I am from Qingzhou Prefecture, so I can be considered a neighbor to Boss Hao." Although there was no clear purpose, Feng Fei subconsciously used the phrase "close".
"Yes, when I return to Shandong, I feel like I have the flavor of my hometown everywhere. Just like Mr. Feng's local accent, it sounds very friendly." Hao Wanqing heard the song and knew the meaning of the string, and immediately responded. In terms of routines, he knows much more than thousands of households in rural Shandong, so there will naturally be no problem in dealing with them.
While he was talking, a servant had already brought tea and desserts. Hao Wanqing introduced: "This is Longjing tea produced in Hangzhou Prefecture, Zhejiang Province. It was picked before the Qingming Festival this year. It is called lotus heart because of its shape. It requires 36,000 tender tea leaves." Only a pound of dry tea can be made by frying buds, and it is not easy to buy on the market. Please give it a try, Mr. Feng.”
Feng Fei had heard of the reputation of Zhejiang Longjing, but he had never seen this high-quality product called "Lianxin". He picked up the tea cup and took a sip. It was indeed very fragrant and lacked the flavor of ordinary tea. That sweet and bitter taste. What attracted his attention was not only the fragrant tea, but also the crystal clear glass tea cup that he couldn't put down. He could clearly see the green tea leaves floating and spinning in the cup from the side. This perception was very important to him. It is said to be very novel.
"I have heard that Haihan glassware is very exquisite before. When I saw it today, the rumors were indeed true." Feng Fei slowly turned the glass teacup in his hand, as if his attention was attracted to it.
"Since Mr. Feng likes it, I will ask someone to prepare a glass tea set for Mr. Feng later." Hao Wanqing immediately took the initiative to express his position upon hearing this. The fear of giving gifts and bribes is not that the other party will open his mouth, but that he will not find the opportunity to give it to him. Things were given away, and since Feng Fei showed interest in glassware, Hao Wanqing would naturally not let go of this opportunity to win over him.
Before Feng Fei could say a few words of pretentious refusal, Hao Wanqing had already taken the lead and said: "We still have a lot of things to rely on for your care in Dengzhou Prefecture. Please don't refuse these things."
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When Feng Fei saw Hao Wanqing's courteous and gentle attitude, he didn't feel like breaking out immediately. After thinking about it, he asked: "I am here this time to inquire about something. Boss Hao, you must answer truthfully and do not cheat. ”
Hao Wanqing cupped his hands and said, "Master Feng, please tell me. I will tell you the truth."
Feng Fei asked in a deep voice: "When did you arrive at Zhifu Bay? Have you ever sent anyone to Yantai Mountain in the south? Have you had any contact with the Ming army stationed there?"
Hao Wanqing shook his head and dismissed the matter: "Our fleet arrived at Zhifu Bay the night before yesterday. Because we were not sure about the security situation here, we specially set up checkpoints on the sandbank and deployed some guards to prevent bandits and rogues. Come in and cause trouble. We have not sent anyone to Yantai Mountain in the south, and we have never seen the Ming army stationed there.”
Hao Wanqing's words actually have two meanings. One is that he has not had any contact with the Ming army before, and the other is that his intention to deploy armed personnel outside is only for self-protection.
As for whether Feng Fei believed it or not, and how much he believed it, this was something that Hao Wanqing could not control. He could only guess how much information the other party currently had based on Feng Fei's verbal performance, and then make appropriate responses based on this. Feng Fei frowned, and the other party's answer could be said to be watertight, leaving the relationship very clean. But as the only suspect at present, Feng Fei cannot completely believe the answer given by Hao Wanqing. The two groups of people who disappeared before and after Yantai Mountain could not be found. How could he feel safe to contact these outsiders?
Hao Wanqing, on the other hand, was eating glutinous rice balls as a mute, and he knew what was going on, so he pretended to ask: "Master Feng, is there something wrong with the garrison in Yantai Mountain?"
Feng Fei glanced at Hao Wanqing, but couldn't see any clues from his face. This matter is still a secret in the military. At the moment when he is not sure whether the Haihan people are related to this matter, Feng Fei will not easily tell someone who has nothing to do with it. outsiders mentioned the details.
Feng Fei did not respond to Hao Wanqing's question, but asked another question: "Boss Hao, you have built such a large fleet and brought so many people to Shandong. It must have cost a lot, right? Just by selling this glass. , can you earn back the cost? ”
Hao Wanqing said: "Glassware is just one of the more famous products among the many products our Haihan sells. In fact, we have many more profitable businesses, and Mr. Feng will know about it gradually. In addition, I would like to explain that we are going north this time. Coming to Shandong is not just to make money by doing business here, but also for another purpose.”
Feng Fei said: "But it doesn't matter."
Hao Wanqing said: "We heard that the Denglai area has experienced war in the past period. Hundreds of thousands of people nearby have been displaced due to the war and have become refugees. For various reasons, the government has not provided relief to these refugees. The efforts are also very limited, so we plan to help the government provide food and livelihood to the war refugees and resettle these people.”
"You mean... you want to provide money and food to help the refugees in Denglai and Denglai?" Feng Fei couldn't believe his ears, so he quickly asked again.
"Yes." Hao Wanqing replied affirmatively: "But this still requires the convenience and support of the local government to guide the refugees to Zhifu Island to receive our help."
Feng Fei thought about what was wrong and asked again: "This Zhifu Island is just a small place, how many refugees can it accommodate?"
"Zhifu Island may be small, but it can still accommodate 8,000 people." Hao Wanqing was prepared for this and said confidently: "Besides, we are not only accepting refugees but not being able to get out. After accumulating a certain number, we will use The ship was sent to the south for resettlement..."
"Wait a minute!" Feng Fei interrupted when he heard this: "Send them to the south for resettlement? Don't you plan to resettle the refugees in Shandong?"
Hao Wanqing smiled and said: "Mr. Feng, I would like to ask, currently Shandong... Forget it, let's just talk about the two hardest-hit areas, Dengzhou Prefecture and Laizhou Prefecture. How many war refugees are there in these two places?"< br>
Feng Fei snorted and said: "This matter is a political matter of the imperial court. It is a bit too much for you, a businessman, to inquire about this kind of information!"
Hao Wanqing ignored Feng Fei's warning and analyzed on his own: "According to the information we learned from various aspects, although the war has ended for more than a year, people in these two places have lost their property due to the war and are currently wandering outside. There are at least nearly 100,000 refugees. These people have no money, no production tools, no land, and no way to support themselves. They can only survive on government relief and begging. Some of them may have become bandits. The disaster in the countryside has made it impossible for people who are trying to restore food cultivation on their own to reorganize production. The government has come and rescued, and the granary is empty, but the number of victims has not decreased, and the public security situation is getting worse. The government must be under great pressure. .”
Feng Fei frowned more and more as he listened. This was not because Hao Wanqing was talking nonsense, but because what he said was almost the current situation in the Denglai area. All the local government could do was provide some food relief, but failed to effectively organize post-war reconstruction and resume production. As a result, the refugees in the two places were still having difficulty rebuilding their homes more than a year after the war ended, leaving the local government with little hope. Both security and material supplies have caused great pressure.
But what can the local government do? The imperial court did not have enough funds, food and personnel to organize post-war reconstruction. Feng Fei was only a thousand households. Faced with this situation, he had no choice but to despair and let the refugees who could not find a livelihood fend for themselves. . During this period, it was not impossible that local gentry opened warehouses to store grain, but there were often only two consequences. One was being deprived by the influx of refugees, and the other was attracting bandits and bandits. The good deeds were not accomplished, but instead became looted by thieves. object.
After this happens several times, no big household will be willing to share the pressure for the government. Moreover, there are very few places in the Denglai region that have resumed food production after the war. It is difficult to purchase a large amount of food at once. Even if someone wants to buy it for the government, There is no way to get some relief food. Hao Wanqing was not the first person to express his intention to share the government's worries, but Feng Fei was skeptical about whether this kind of disaster relief would be effective.
"Boss Hao, do you know that this is easy to say, but not so simple to do!" Feng Fei poured cold water on him and said: "You want to transport people back to the south for resettlement, but I'm afraid that if they haven't been transported away by then, then you will be sent here first. The fleet is empty!”
Hao Wanqing thought that it was because local officials like you were so hesitant and timid in doing things that it resulted in the chaotic situation in which production was still unable to resume more than a year after the war ended. When it comes to disaster relief and immigration organization, Haihan's experience is definitely more than a hundred times that of local organizations like Qishan Institute. Thinking back to when Haihan was transporting people from Annan to Hainan Island one by one, the situation in Annan was comparable to what it is today. Shandong is going to be much more chaotic. Efficient and orderly organizational skills are much more useful than the rhetoric of the government.
Hao Wanqing said: "Whether we can transport people away is our business, but what we can do should be able to help the government solve big problems. Mr. Feng, we don't need your money or effort, as long as you Just pretend to be deaf and don't interfere. If Mr. Feng is willing to cooperate, there will be benefits in the future."
Feng Fei would be lying if he said he wasn't moved at all. There were many homeless refugees in Qishan's jurisdiction, and they had caused trouble to the government in the past year after the war. If it could be cleaned up, Feng Fei's life would definitely be much more comfortable than now.
(End of chapter)