Chapter 1200 Journey South (3)
The further south he traveled, the more powerful Han Zhengshan felt the influence of Haihan, and the higher the degree of completion of infrastructure construction of the trading ports affiliated with Haihan he saw. For example, the port area on the coast of Causeway Bay is not just a few passenger and cargo terminals. The large residential areas built along the coastline according to the terrain indicate that there are at least thousands of permanent residents living here. There are no large areas of farmland or plantations as far as the eye can see, which shows that the local source of income most likely relies on maritime trade brought by ships, as well as the corresponding intermediaries, labor services, warehousing, and accommodation. , catering and other service industries, and such a social division of labor centered on trade is definitely a rare sight in the Ming Dynasty.
The immigrants, including Han Zhengshan, were given more freedom of movement here. They were organized to go ashore in batches to visit the local port operations, and learned more about the current situation here through the official leader's explanation. The increasingly mature trade market and convenient transportation conditions here, as well as complete supporting facilities and related systems and regulations, have to a certain extent replaced the role of the Pearl River Wharf outside Guangzhou and become the largest trading port in the coastal area of Guangdong. .
In fact, even if there is no corresponding explanation, it is not difficult for a discerning person to infer from the prosperity of the port area how much resources Haihan invested in running this place. Haihan's emphasis on and dependence on trade cannot be imitated by the local government of the Ming Dynasty.
Han Zhengshan comes from Hangzhou and has a more personal understanding of this situation. Hangzhou's status in Zhejiang is similar to Guangzhou, both playing the role of political, economic and cultural centers in the region. However, after Haihan opened a port in Zhoushan, Zhejiang The center of coastal trade gradually moved from Hangzhou to Zhoushan Island outside Hangzhou Bay. This is almost a replica of the transfer process of the trade center in Guangdong. The difference between the two places is that Haihan people have only been established in Zhejiang for a short time, and the influence of Zhoushan Trading Port is still relatively limited for the time being. Guangdong is where Haihan has been operating for several years. Hong Kong’s economic position is The influence is not something Zhoushan can currently compare with.
Although Han Zhengshan has never been to Guangzhou, judging from the introduction of the team leader and the situation he saw now, it is not difficult to infer how Haihan gradually seizes trade share from Guangzhou by operating his own port - the same method, They have been operating in Zhejiang for more than a year, and Han Zhengshan has some understanding of them. If the Guangdong government wants to change this situation of resource outflow, it probably can only adopt a closed-door approach, prohibit Haihan from carrying out any form of trade in Guangdong, and completely expel Haihan from the Pearl River Delta area.
Can the Guangdong government do this? The answer is obvious. Before Haihan had a stable foothold in Zhejiang, he had already overwhelmed the government. This year, he even attacked the city of Hangzhou, forcing Zhejiang's chief envoy Wang Ji to sign a city-wide alliance, opening up trade rights in Zhejiang to Haihan. If this is the case in Zhejiang, it goes without saying that the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, which are the traditional territory of the Haihan, needless to say. The degree of infiltration of the local government here by the Haihan will only be even worse than in Zhejiang. If someone wants to try to use violent means to exclude Haihan, he is afraid that the end will be worse than that of those friends in Zhejiang. The pressure from within the Guangdong officialdom alone is probably enough to make him lose his official position.
During the visit, Han Zhengshan noticed that the people maintaining public order in the local area were not the Haihan soldiers seen at previous stops, but strong young men dressed in black, with wooden sticks tied to their waists and rattan helmets on their heads. According to the introduction of the team leader, these people are called "policemen", and their scope of responsibilities is similar to Han Zhengshan's past errands.
Han Zhengshan watched for a while and couldn't help but ask the team leader: "These people only carry a wooden stick. If the murderer has a sharp knife, wouldn't he suffer a big loss?"
The team leader glanced at Han Zhengshan and patiently explained to him: "You may have made a mistake here. Look at the copper whistles hanging on their chests. When an accident occurs, they can be blown to attract reinforcements from nearby companions. The small cowhide bag contains stainless steel handcuffs, which are used to lock the captured prisoners. The police officer leading the team is also equipped with a repeating musket, and a bullet can kill someone from a few feet away. If you think you know how to do it. , you can do whatever you want in the land of Haihan with swords, guns and sticks, that’s a big mistake! There are many heroes from all walks of life who want to make a fortune in the past few years. I haven’t seen anyone who can escape smoothly, and not even dead. They are all locked up in the hard labor camp! Besides, there is also a Haihan Army stationed here, what kind of situation can’t be handled?”
Han Zhengshan was shocked when he heard the words "hard labor camp". Although he was now classified as an immigrant waiting to be assigned, the days he spent in the hard labor camp were still vivid in his mind. And this topic is still somewhat sensitive. After knocking stones in the Zhoushan hard labor camp for nearly a month, he didn't want to go back to that environment again.
Among the immigrants transported from Penghu, nearly three hundred people eventually stayed in this port, but Han Zhengshan's name was still not among them. This means that he will continue to travel south with the immigrant ship, and the final destination may be somewhere in the South China Sea far away from the Ming Dynasty, as he had previously expected. However, Han Zhengshan no longer wanted to dwell on the uncertain future. At least judging from the Haihan ports he had visited, no matter how bad the living conditions were, they were much better than those in the hard labor camps.
The immigration fleet rested for a day and two nights in Hong Kong. When it set off again, a troop transport ship and an exploration-class warship were added to the fleet. They were all troops who had changed defenses and returned to Sanya for a rotation. After leaving Hong Kong, the martial law on the ship was further lifted. The immigrants were allowed to go to the deck in batches every day to get some fresh air. The duration of each break was also increased from about one stick of incense in the past to at least an hour.
On the second day after departure, the captain finally announced to everyone the destination of the next stop - Sanya, the capital of Haihan Kingdom. This news made the immigrants couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. Along the way, they had gradually seen the strength of Haihan's national power. They were full of expectations for this ocean country and their future life. Now they had the opportunity to go to Haihan. The capital of the country was naturally very excited.
However, there are also insiders like Han Zhengshan who have long known that the so-called territory of Haihan Kingdom is actually the occupied Qiongzhou Island belonging to Guangdong and Guangxi, but the government here colluded with Haihan to conceal the relevant situation. Although this matter is not airtight, there are also rumors in Zhejiang, but I don’t know how many benefits the Guangdong and Guangxi officials promised to the court bosses, so that the Ming Dynasty never declared war on Haihan and tried to regain control of these areas.
In fact, Han Zhengshan had no clear understanding of the location, size, and history of Qiongzhou Island, but since Haihan could occupy it and establish a country, it must be a small place. Along the way, he had heard that Sanya was known as the largest city in the South China Sea. He actually wanted to see what the big city of Haihan was like, and how it was better than Hangzhou, where he had lived for many years.
Since this immigration fleet is going to dock in Sanya, it is not surprising that some of the immigrants on the ship will be left there for resettlement, and this is undoubtedly the best place for immigrants to enter Haihan society. Even though Han Zhengshan still had a lot of resistance to Haihan, he could not help but feel a sense of luck. Maybe he would have the opportunity to be selected and settle down in Haihan's capital. Han Zhengshan believed that he had some abilities. Even if he was not a headhunter, he could make a living from scratch with his knowledge of various rivers and lakes. If such an arrangement could be made, there would be no chance of making a comeback in the future. However, God was not too kind. It was smooth sailing all the way south, but at this juncture, it encountered continuous storms. The fleet had to abandon its original direct route to Sanya and instead headed west along the coastline. It took nearly two days to avoid the stormy sea, and then turned south to Qiongzhou Island. The voyage that could have been completed in four or five days actually took seven days to get there.
Before the fleet sailed into the port area, the immigrants who were watching on the deck felt the specialness of this place. There were not only groups of merchant ships on the sea, but also warships flying the Haihan flag cruising back and forth. It reminds people that this is indeed the location of the capital of Haihan Kingdom, and the patrols at sea are not relaxed.
Several small boats with triangular sails flew across the sea at an astonishing speed, leaving everyone on the deck stunned. The sailor explained that these small boats were samples used by the Ministry of Shipping for sea trials and were products of the latest shipbuilding technology. This kind of speedboat can sail from Sanya to Hong Kong in less than three days when sea conditions are ideal.
But what makes Han Zhengshan feel a little confused is that the dock where the fleet is docked does not look prosperous, far less than Hong Kong, Penghu and other places. There are only a few boats parked on the dock, which does not look like the largest city in the South China Sea. appearance?
Han Zhengshan asked his question to a sailor next to him. The sailor looked at him as if he were a fool and said: "This is a wharf specially designed to accommodate immigrants. It is still about ten miles away from Sanya city, and there are not many merchant ships entering and leaving the port. I will stop at this place, and of course it will look deserted.”
The immigration fleet docked at the Luhuitou Peninsula's dedicated immigration pier. Adjacent to the pier is a large immigration camp that can accommodate thousands of people at the same time. All immigrants who are transiting through Sanya or who want to be resettled on site will be arranged at Entry here.
After Han Zhengshan got off the ship, he realized how outrageous his judgment just now was. There were only fewer ships docked in this place, but the construction level of the shore facilities had greatly exceeded the previous ports he had visited. The roads here have been hardened. This is the first time Han Zhengshan has seen such a straight and smooth road, leading from the dock to the camp in the distance. The buildings as far as the eye can see are almost all made of masonry. Unlike the ports and wharves at the previous stops, which were mostly made of bamboo and wood, this also shows that Haihan spent a lot of thought and resources when building this place. More.
After the immigrants disembarked, there was a routine group gathering. Han Zhengshan was already familiar with the relevant passwords in the hard labor camp, and he could execute them easily. Some people who are slow and unclear will inevitably be scolded. The assembly area is surrounded by groups of police officers in black. At the moment, no one dares to speak out or deliberately violate orders.
After the heads were counted against the roster, the immigrants were taken away from the assembly area in batches and went to the next location to undergo "purification treatment." The so-called purification treatment means that the immigrants enter the bathhouse to wash themselves thoroughly. This is a very pleasant thing for Han Zhengshan. Since he was kidnapped by the Haihan people in Hangzhou, he has not had a decent bath again. . As for the few clothes he brought from Zhejiang, they were all infested with lice and were ordered to take them off and hand them over in the bathhouse.
Of course, the Haihan people did not let him stay naked. After washing, they gave him separate clothes. After leaving the bathhouse, I took another look and saw that almost all the immigrants had changed into uniform blue cloth suits, which seemed strangely neat. Han Zhengshan was secretly stunned when he saw it. Just for the free clothes distributed to the immigrants, Haihan's investment was not a small amount. His reputation as a wealthy man could be seen everywhere.
The next step was to divide the dormitories. Han Zhengshan had to admit that the living environment here was indeed very clean. Both the camp and the dormitory were all cleaned up. According to the civil affairs cadre who led them into the camp, this kind of cleanliness was The leaders have a rigid requirement that the living area must be cleaned every day, and there are also strict assessment standards.
"The health conditions here are closely related to the labor points of each of you!" the civil affairs cadre said loudly: "No matter where you are assigned to live in the future, your labor points are your lifeblood! You must apply for naturalization in the future to improve your labor Level, buying a house, buying land, birth, old age, illness and death are all linked to points! So don’t think that these are unimportant things. Cleaning every day is as important as eating and sleeping!”
Han Zhengshan has also listened to a lot of immigration policy presentations on the ship these days, and he has a certain understanding of the labor points system. In fact, this is not much different from the point system he used in the hard labor camp, except that the labor points of immigrants and Haihan nationals are linked to more various benefits and have a greater effect. If you want to live a good life in the Haihan social system, or even look for opportunities to climb up, you cannot circumvent this points system. However, Han Zhengshan did not expect that even this kind of public health would be linked to personal points. It seemed that he would not be able to relax in this immigration camp.
The work came faster than he thought. Not long after the dormitories were assigned, someone came to gather them and began to assign labor tasks to them. What made Han Zhengshan a little bit dumbfounded was that his first labor task after arriving in Sanya was to return to his old job. Each person received a small hammer to pound stones.
(End of chapter)