Chapter 1085: Bribery
Although Feng Fei is a military attache, he is not stupid. He also realizes that the Haihan people are willing to take the initiative to do such a thankless thing, and the purpose may not be simple. Judging from what Hao Wanqing said just now, Feng Fei believed that the Haihan people were just pretending to be disaster relief and wanted to pack up refugees from Shandong and send them to the south to serve as cheap labor. This sounds like disaster relief, but if An Xin finds fault, it is suspected of human trafficking. If the Haihan people want to recruit a large number of refugees in an open way, they really need to build a good relationship with the local government.
Of course, this is definitely a good thing for thousands of households along the coast where the military and government currently shoulder the burden. If we can really clear out some of the refugees in various states and counties, it will make it less difficult for the government to organize and resume production. Naturally, the saved relief grains and related expenses will not be returned to the court. Several military leaders will divide the accounts, and the money flowing into their own pockets is still considerable.
"To rescue refugees, the amount of food needed is not a small amount. When the refugees hear the news, they will flock from various states and counties. If you can't come up with food, the situation may get out of control. Do you have a plan to deal with it?" Feng Fei wanted to understand? After discussing the pros and cons, he began to verify the feasibility with Hao Wanqing.
Hao Wanqing also understood Feng Fei's intention and immediately responded: "When we came to Shandong this time, we transported nearly one million kilograms of grain. In the future, there will be a steady stream of fleets transporting grain from the south, which is enough to maintain local operations. etc. After we start accepting refugees, we will also organize them to open up wasteland and grow food on Zhifu Island to meet some of their supply needs.”
As long as the sea route is not interrupted, Haihan's fleet can continue to transport the gathered refugees to the south, and then transport food back from the south to recruit more refugees. However, the sea transportation line that Haihan relies on has a long voyage, and the Shandong coast will freeze in winter. There are many uncontrollable unexpected factors. It can only be said that this plan is indeed feasible in theory.
Feng Fei was secretly shocked when he heard that these Haihan people transported so much food from the south regardless of the cost. If the other party was not bragging, then this power of action was really terrible. This also shows that the other party is determined to win this plan. Regardless of whether they agree with it or not, they will probably follow it. Otherwise, they will not be able to transport these millions of kilograms of grain back to the south intact.
Feng Fei asked: "When do you plan to start?"
"The sooner the better." Hao Wanqing responded: "If Mr. Feng thinks there is no problem, then we will send people to various places to post notices and distribute leaflets as soon as possible so that people can know our arrangements and come to Zhifu Island to receive relief on their own. ”
Feng Fei thought about it for a while and then asked again: "I would like to see your food reserves. Is it inconvenient?"
Hao Wanqing saw that the other party was showing off his attitude, so he immediately agreed. Haihan brought quite a lot of grain to the north this time. Saying one million catties is indeed a bit exaggerated, but there must be hundreds of thousands of catties. Even if he had to calculate it one by one, it would not be completed in a short time. It would definitely Feng Fei can be fooled.
At that moment, Hao Wanqing took Feng Fei to see the food shipped by Haihan. The goods unloaded on the shore in the past two days were mainly building materials and arms, but more than half of the food was still on the ship. After leaving the camp and arriving at the dock, Hao Wanqing pointed to a row of neatly parked sailboats on the shore and said: "These are all grain-carrying ships. Mr. Feng can nominate one at will. Let's get on board and take a look."
After seeing the local rice bags packed in the cabin with his own eyes, Feng Fei finally believed Hao Wanqing's statement. The cabins of these large ships each contained tens of thousands of kilograms of grain, which proved that Hao Wanqing was not just talking.
Hao Wanqing was not done yet. He took Feng Fei to see the planned immigration camp and introduced to him: "We are going to build temporary residences here that can accommodate 5,000 people to facilitate the turnover of people who will be transported to the south. . In order to facilitate management, it is temporarily planned to be divided into ten camps, each with 500 people, and women will form separate camps..."
What does five thousand people mean? Qishan Qianhusuo's full garrison only has more than 1,100 people. Adding the family members of the guards and the villages and towns around Qishan Suo City, there may be only about 4,000 people. The Haihan people's handiwork is indeed huge. Feng Fei was secretly speechless. In the past, the gentry in the Denglai area came forward to relieve refugees, but no one had ever built such a large-scale refugee camp. The reasons are also very simple. First, there was not enough manpower to build a camp of this size. Second, if such a large-scale refugee camp was really recruited, No landowner can afford to support so many refugees. It was rumored that the Chinese people in Hainan were as rich as any country in the world. It was only today that Feng Fei witnessed firsthand how terrifying this level of wealth was.
A large fleet, a strong militia force, and the ability to implement a large-scale immigration plan across thousands of miles. Even the government may not be able to meet these conditions, but the Haihan people have actually achieved it. Just now, Gao Qiaonan said that his master always dealt with officials at the level of commander-in-chief and prefect in the south. It seems that what he said is indeed true. Feng Fei believed that among the wealthy businessmen and gentry he had come into contact with, he had never seen such a powerful financial sponsor. Thinking about it, he was a little glad that he had not acted out of emotion on the sandbank just now. God knows what big officials these Haihan people had made friends with in Shandong. If they were like If this rich man from the south does what he does, he might have his teeth knocked out and have to swallow them.
Before leaving, Hao Wanqing ordered someone to bring out another wooden box, saying it was a gift for Feng Fei. Feng Fei was still immersed in the shock of what he saw and heard, so he didn't pay much attention. Hao Wanqing only sent him to the gate of the camp. Gao Qiaonan still accompanied him back to the blockade on the sandbank and sent him out of the area controlled by Haihan.
When Gao Qiaonan asked someone to hand over the wooden box to Feng Fei's men, Feng Fei remembered that there was such a gift and asked his men to put it away first. Luo Biao came over to ask about the whereabouts of the missing soldiers. Feng Fei just shook his head and said: "Go back first."
Feng Fei didn't get any information about the missing soldiers from Hao Wanqing, and he couldn't use force. But judging from the attitude shown by Hao Wanqing, it was obvious that the Haihan people didn't want to break up with the Ming army, and Feng Fei couldn't think of anything the Haihan people wanted to do. The reason for attacking the Yantai Mountain outpost - with such a huge fleet parked in Zhifu Bay, can it remain invisible for a long time? Even if the Yantai Mountain outpost was destroyed, Qishan Station would soon discover their traces.
Feng Fei certainly didn't expect that Haihan's main purpose of attacking Yantai Mountain was to seize the first 24 hours of safety to seize the beachhead, set up a peripheral defense line, and ensure that subsequent supplies and personnel could land smoothly. He had no intention of conquering the city. After the Haihan Army achieved its goal, it withdrew the line of control and took away all the prisoners. Feng Fei went to Zhifu Island alone, so it was naturally impossible to find the whereabouts of his group of men. Returning to Qishansuo City, Feng Fei did not rush to convene a meeting with his men to study countermeasures. Instead, he went to the study to check the gifts given to him by Hao Wanqing. After opening the box, you can see a set of glass tea sets wrapped in cotton and satin. The craftsmanship is extremely exquisite, and it is worth at least a hundred taels of silver on the market. However, the size of this glass tea set looked very different from the wooden box. Feng Fei knew that there was a doorway in it, so he took out a few pieces of glassware and put them on the desk, and then took off the anti-shattering cotton satin at the bottom. Sure enough, underneath There are also hidden compartments. Feng Fei removed the hidden partition and saw the real gift - silver ingots neatly stacked under the box.
Twenty taels and one ingot, arranged five by five neatly on the lower level of the box, stacked on two levels, exactly one thousand taels. Although it is not an astronomical figure, for Feng Fei personally, it is already a large amount of money.
Feng Fei's own salary plus various seasonal subsidies, his legal income was only about three hundred taels of silver per year. Before the civil war, he could make some money by living on empty wages, but the Denglai Rebellion destroyed the entire Shandong health system. They are all on the verge of military collapse, and almost all of the imperial court's military expenditures have been spent on the battlefields in the Northeast and Central Plains. Sufficient money has not been allocated to Shandong, which has become calm, not to mention post-war reconstruction, even to maintain the current status quo. The combat effectiveness of the garrison seems to be stretched thin.
Feng Fei's fingers gently brushed against the white silver, and he deepened his understanding of the generosity and sophistication of the Haihan people. Today was the first meeting between the two parties, but the other party's move was a thousand taels of silver, and he also knew how to cover it up. Even the gift boxes were ready-made. It was obvious that he was used to using this kind of method to deal with local officials. During the previous discussion, Hao Wanqing said that there would be other rewards in the future. It is expected that the benefit fee would not be collected at once and then lost. For this economic gain alone, Feng Fei felt that it was necessary to maintain a friendly relationship with the Haihan people.
After Feng Fei put away all the silver and glass tea sets, he summoned several of his subordinates and told them roughly what he had seen in the Haihan camp. Of course, the description omitted the part about Haihan giving gifts, and even if his subordinates saw the wooden box he brought back, they would not be so ignorant as to find out what was in the box.
Luo Biao observed the Haihan fleet in Yantai Mountain yesterday and was the first to express his opinion: "Sir, since these Haihan people said they came to rescue refugees, why are they equipped with so many prohibited weapons? Firecrackers and artillery , How can these weapons be kept privately by the people? My lord, in view of my humble duty, even if I want to cooperate with the Haihan people to rescue the refugees, we should let them hand over these weapons to the government first and let us take the lead in this matter."
Feng Fei snorted and said: "Do you think those Haihan people are good men and women, and they will be obedient if you ask them to hand in their weapons? Have you forgotten how we were stopped before? They looked like they were about to use force. Do you look like an honest person? Why don’t they buy so many guns and artillery?”
Luo Biao was surprised: "Could it be that... I bought it from the army?"
"Can you think of other possibilities?" Feng Fei said with a gloomy face: "Not to mention this Qishansuo, it is very difficult for the Dengzhou Guard to get so many firecrackers and artillery. The Haihan people are in the south. It's probably because of his extraordinary skills that he can get so many firearms from the army. Do you know what Takahashi Nan said to me? In the south, even the commander-in-chief and the prefect have to make an appointment to see his master. If he is not bragging, then It is indeed someone we cannot afford to offend.”
From the moment Feng Fei saw the weapons equipped by Haihan's troops, he never considered the possibility of Haihan making his own weapons. The deep-rooted concept in his mind was that the best weapons must come from the Ministry of War, such as firecrackers and artillery. This kind of standard weapon, civilians should not have such technical capabilities. There are two necessary conditions for Haihan to be able to obtain so many weapons. First, he must have considerable financial resources, and second, he must be wild enough to purchase so many prohibited weapons from the Ming army.
Since the Haihan people had a way to obtain Ming army equipment and dared to display it in front of them in broad daylight, Feng Fei believed that this confidence came not only from the Haihan people's amazing financial resources, but also from their presence in the country. The influence of Ming Dynasty officialdom. Hao Wanqing did not mention the officials Haihan had befriended in the southern officialdom, and Feng Fei did not dare to ask more, because according to his judgment, the officials Hao Wanqing contacted in the south were much higher than his level, and it was very likely that if he asked, It's better not to ask if you're asking for trouble, and everyone can still talk to each other as equals.
Even Hao Wanqing did not expect this kind of misunderstanding. He did prepare some words to deal with Feng Fei's questions about weapons and equipment, but the other party didn't ask at all. Hao Wanqing thought it was the previous display of force that had frightened the other party, but he never expected that it was because of Feng Fei's knowledge of these weapons. There was a misunderstanding about the origin.
However, this saves Haihan a lot of trouble, and this judgment is made by Feng Fei himself, not Hao Wanqing's verbal guidance. If Haihan does not take the initiative to tell the truth in the future, Feng Fei will probably It is difficult to actively change such an idea.
For this reason, Feng Fei said that these officers under him were not newcomers, so they naturally understood the weight of this matter. It is nothing new to resell some military weapons and weapons to civilians as a means of making profits. The military could have reported the damage to superiors in the form of depreciation, wear and tear, and then quietly sold these "scrap products". However, all the inscriptions on the weapons had to be worn away to avoid being traced to the origin of the weapons.
But this kind of business usually doesn't get too big. It's good if you can sell some firecrackers here and there. However, in Feng Fei's knowledge, heavy weapons like artillery can never be sold privately, no matter who dares to sell them. Whether he is someone who dares to buy or not, he is not a person that a small Qianhu can offend. Staying out of the matter and not talking is the wisest way to deal with it.
Feng Fei continued: "If the Haihan people want to recruit refugees, then let them do it. If they like to cause trouble, let them do it. Your and my responsibility is to guard this strange mountain city. We have nothing to do with it. It’s better to have as little involvement as possible.”
(End of chapter)