Chapter 1198 Journey South (1)
The first few batches of prisoners transported from Zhoushan to the south took special immigration ships, but the last batch of people had to take old-fashioned mixed passenger and cargo sailing ships because the ships could not be arranged. Han Zhengshan was quite lucky. The cargo hold of the ship he boarded was filled with various agricultural products, textiles and porcelain produced in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. It was quite clean, and the aroma of tea could still be faintly smelled. I heard that another ship carrying prisoners was carrying various livestock and poultry that were transported to the south for breeding. You can imagine how terrible the smell in the cabin would be. If you stayed in it for a few days, you would probably be smoked to death.
"Now that everything that needs to be cleaned has been cleaned up, we can notify the engineering department to dismantle the barbed wire fences and walls of the Niujiaowan Labor Camp later."
Standing on the balcony of his office, Wang Tom could just see several sailboats slowly sailing away from the shore at the pier in the distance. In addition to two mixed passenger and cargo sailing ships carrying the last batch of prisoners, there was also an armed personnel carrier carrying an army company. This group of soldiers was not specifically responsible for escorting prisoners. They were just regular troops stationed abroad who periodically changed their defenses and were preparing to return to Hainan for rest, so they escorted these two civilian ships along the way.
"I remember that the Hangzhou headhunter Lin Nan from the Security Department captured last time was also among these people, right?" Shi Diwen responded: "Send this man away, and the Hangzhou fire case can finally be settled. .”
Wang Tom turned back to the house and said to Shi Diwen: "This guy surnamed Han has worked in the Yamen. I guess the Ministry of Civil Affairs will arrange errands for him when he goes to the south. He will definitely have a better future than staying in Zhoushan and knocking pebbles." ”
At this time, Han Zhengshan did not specifically imagine what kind of life he would live in the south, because he did not have time to understand what kind of environment he was going to. For him, the future was full of unknowns. We can only take one step at a time, and there is no way to make any specific plans and preparations.
Han Zhengshan didn't bring much luggage. He left Hangzhou in a hurry and had nothing except the clothes on his body. After arriving in Zhoushan, the two groups of inmates left some personal belongings for him one after another when they left. But even so, his personal belongings were still very few, including the limited number of tattered leather jackets left by the Shandong people when they left. He put on almost all of the clothes. Because he was one of the last people to leave the hard labor camp, he was allowed to take away an old quilt for use on the way south. Together with a wooden bowl with a chipped mouth and a pair of bamboo chopsticks, this is all his current belongings.
The situation of the group of people traveling with him was not much better than his. Almost all of the prisoners who were left behind in the last group of clean-ups, like Han Zhengshan, had just entered the hard labor camp not long ago, and they had to change before they figured out the situation here. place. Most of these people are people who have recently committed crimes in the Zhoushan Islands, Shipu Port and other areas under the jurisdiction of Haihan, but basically they are not serious crimes. Those who have lives are basically transferred to other camps where serious criminals are concentrated. , there will be no chance to go to the south and start over.
Although everyone's handcuffs and shackles had been removed after boarding the ship, their range of activities was still strictly restricted. They were not allowed to move on the deck, and they could only eat, drink, and sleep in the cargo hold. But for them, the current situation is much better than the days in the hard labor camp. After all, according to the information they received, they can regain their freedom after arriving at their destination, and their status is no longer a lowly prisoner. .
Although this arrangement means that they may not be able to return to their hometown again for the rest of their lives, their curiosity about the unknown world has greatly diluted such sadness. The most discussed topic after everyone boarded the ship was undoubtedly this trip. The destination you are going to. Different from the previous batches of prisoners who went south, they still did not receive specific destination information after boarding the ship. They only knew that it was somewhere in the south that was very far away from Zhejiang.
Han Zhengshan could not get any useful information from these travelers. Most of them were captured into the hard labor camp even later than him, and they naturally knew less about Haihan. Some people speculated that it was Fuguang, while others speculated that it was Annan Kingdom further south. After hearing these speculations, Han Zhengshan felt that they were not very reliable. In his opinion, the place arranged by Haihan probably would not border the Ming Dynasty at all, so as not to give these people, including himself, the opportunity to slip back to the Ming Dynasty by land. Exposing his behavior of detaining Ming citizens.
But Han Zhengshan was not very sure about his guess. He didn't know much about Haihan than the people in the cabin, and his judgment was only based on the information he came into contact with after arriving in Zhoushan. As a detective who has been working as a police officer for many years, he knows that only enough information can be used to deduce the truth. However, he knows too little now and it is difficult to judge Haihan's real arrangement. But one thing is that Han Zhengshan can now be sure that after leaving Zhejiang and going south, the true face of the mysterious country of Haihan will gradually be revealed in front of him.
After leaving Zhoushan Dinghai Port, the fleet went south along the Zhejiang coastline and arrived at Shipu Port that night. Because some goods had to be shipped here, the fleet docked at the port and rested for a night before leaving. Although Han Zhengshan and his group were not allowed to disembark from the ship and move ashore, they were still given a moment to relax on the deck after landing. They could use this short time to breathe in the fresh outdoor air and stretch their muscles.
Although Han Zhengshan has never been to this place, he still knows the name of Shipu Port. It is said that when the Haihan people first arrived in Ningbo the year before last, they showed force in Shipu Port. There were rumors at the time that Haihan assisted the army in defeating the armed pirates who came to attack. However, Han Zhengshan now believes that these rumors may also be fictional and exaggerated. The Haihan people are not good men and women, and everything they do has a certain ambiguity. With a strong purpose, the so-called "assisting the officers and soldiers" may actually be "coercing the officers and soldiers".
After seeing the scene on the dock, Han Zhengshan confirmed his suspicion. Although Shipusuo City is within sight, no people in Ming army uniforms were seen on the dock. You must know that this place was originally a military port, but now all the ships docked here are merchant ships and civilian ships. The Ming army stationed in Shipu turned a blind eye to this, and Han Zhengshan could only think that they had succumbed to Haihan's power.
But just as Han Zhengshan's disappointment surged into his heart, he saw a group of Ming troops appear in the field of vision, rushing toward the dock where the fleet was docked.
Although Han Zhengshan didn't have much hope for this sparse Ming army of about twenty people, seeing the appearance of the Ming army still cheered him up a little. If this Ming army came to cause trouble for the Haihan people, maybe It's hard to say whether he will get a chance to escape from this. Others on the deck could not help but have similar thoughts. However, everyone was afraid of being driven back to the cabin by the Haihan soldiers on the ship, so no one dared to make any noise. They just silently gathered on the side of the ship near the dock. Watch what's going on on the shore. After the Ming army arrived at the dock, they did not choose the two ships that carried the prisoners, but went straight to the armed troop carrier. When Han Zhengshan set out from Zhoushan, he saw hundreds of Haihan soldiers boarding the ship. If such a small group of Ming soldiers wanted to go up and cause trouble, they would probably be humiliating themselves. He couldn't help but feel nervous at the moment. I hope these Ming troops leave as soon as possible, lest they suffer big losses if there is a conflict.
The Ming army stood on the shore for a moment, and a group of Haihan soldiers came down from the boat. However, what surprised Han Zhengshan was that there was no tense situation between the two sides. Instead, he saw that the officers leading the teams on both sides surrendered after meeting. They bowed and exchanged pleasantries with each other. It seemed that this was probably not the first time they had met. Obviously, this Ming army did not come to cause trouble, but just came to say hello to acquaintances. As for the Haihan soldiers on the ship who were armed with live ammunition, they did not seem to be an eyesore in their eyes, and they had no fear that the other party had any evil intentions in coming here.
If Han Zhengshan knew that Shipu Suo Qianhu Ma Ling had chosen to join Haihan two years ago, his jaw would have dropped to the ground. In fact, not only Shipu Institute, but also Chang Guowei and the entire Ming army in Ningbo Prefecture have no intention of confronting Haihan. Some die-hards in the army have also been cleared out long ago. However, people like Ma Ling who are aware of current affairs are mixed in. With the success, Haihan built Shipu Port into a trading port, and he made a lot of money.
Haihan's snuff business in Ningbo and Taizhou near Shipu Port is currently handled by Shipu Institute Qianhu Ma Ling as an agent. The income this business can currently bring him can reach thousands of taels of silver every year. There is still a lot of room for development and improvement in the future. This alone was enough for Ma Ling to give up the Ming army's position and concentrate on cooperating with Haihan in this lucrative business.
The army company commander who moved south this time had been stationed in Shipu Port for a period of time before and had many interactions with Ma Ling, so the two sides could be considered to have some friendship. When Ma Ling heard that his old friend was passing through this place, he naturally wanted to come over and say hello.
The performance of the Ming army made the excited spectators on the boat lose their enthusiasm in an instant. Anyone who is not blind can see that it is absolutely impossible for these Ming troops to rescue themselves from the Haihan people. Someone cursed angrily: "If our territory of the Ming Dynasty is in the hands of such a group of **, I'm afraid it will be over sooner or later!"
Han Zhengshan also felt very uncomfortable. Although he didn't have much hope in the possibility of these Ming troops helping him get out of trouble, he definitely didn't want to see them having fun with the Haihan army. The Haihan army had already reached the walls of Hangzhou a month ago, fully revealing its strength and ambition, but these Ming armies acted as if they were completely unaware of this major event that had just happened not long ago.
Do they really not know what the Haihan Army is doing? Qu Yutong, the prefect of Ningbo, went to Hangzhou to negotiate with the Haihan people on behalf of the Zhejiang government. It is impossible that this matter has not spread in Ningbo. The only reasonable explanation is that these Ming troops in Shipu Suo had already surrendered to the enemy and vented their anger on the same people as the Haihan people. With the performance of the Ningbo garrison, it is no wonder that Haihan sent troops from Zhoushan Island and advanced all the way to the city of Hangzhou without encountering any obstacles.
Of course, it’s not surprising that Ningbo would be in such a situation. If you think about it carefully, it doesn’t seem surprising. After all, even the city of Hangzhou has been infiltrated by Haihan to a very terrifying extent. Han Zhengshan’s own experience is the best example. Looking back now, if the Haihan people really wanted to attack Hangzhou City with peace of mind at that time, maybe there would be some insiders in the city who would directly open the city gates to welcome them into the city.
The army has fallen into such a state of depravity that it is conceivable that the local government is not much better. Han Zhengshan remembered the rumors that the relationship between Hai and Han in Fu and Guang was extremely "harmonious" with the government. In those places in Lingnan, the mountains were high and the emperor was far away, so the influence the court could exert was more limited. Presumably, the situation was similar to that of the Ming army here. , has long since surrendered to the dual effects of the Haihan people's military force and financial resources.
"It's hopeless!" Han Zhengshan only had this thought in his mind at this time. Facing the Haihan people who came in force, the only force that could protect the Ming Dynasty had this chilling performance. The coastal areas south of the Yangtze River probably no longer had the power to fight against the Haihan people.
"The wind break time is over, everyone should return to the cabin immediately!" As Hai Hanbing's urging sounded, Han Zhengshan slowly came back from his meditation. The people around him were also dejected. It seemed that the scene they just witnessed had a big impact. Wanting to be rescued before leaving the realm of Ming Dynasty now seems to be just a luxury hope.
The fleet rested for one night at Shipu Port, during which they also shipped a batch of local products. Originally, it was necessary to arrange another ship to be transported to Fuguang, but since there was a fleet of ships passing by and there happened to be empty slots, the shipping department loaded the goods on these ships based on the principle of making full use of transportation capacity.
These local specialties are mainly from nearby areas, including Tiantai Mountain Yunwu Tea, Sanmen Blue Crab, Wenling Orange, Huangyan Loquat, etc. However, as a result, the living space of Han Zhengshan and others in the cabin was reduced by nearly half, and the floor bunks on the ship's deck were only two feet wide for each person. Of course, it is useless to express dissatisfaction in this situation. People who dare to complain to the guards that the space is too crowded will have a high probability of being dragged to another livestock boat to sleep in pig pens and chicken coops. In comparison, they are still here. The environment is slightly better.
The next morning, the hungry Han Zhengshan finally had his first hot meal after setting off. Since they no longer need to participate in manual labor during the journey, their food supply is also reduced to one meal per day. This is basically the treatment of refugees. It’s enough to hang on to your life and not die. In order to reduce physical exertion as much as possible, almost everyone chose to lie still, which would make them hungry more or less slowly.
(End of chapter)