Chapter 1461 The carrier’s calculation
Azig didn't know the details of Haihan, and was still glad that his troops suffered few casualties and did not step into Haihan's trap recklessly. But Qian Tiandun was shocked into a cold sweat by this dawn raid. Even an experienced general like him did not predict that the opponent would launch a highly targeted offensive at this time. If the opponent had not become a frightened bird and was frightened into taking the initiative to run away after encountering a slight resistance, it is very likely that the defense line would have been breached by the Houjin Iron Cavalry at this time, and even the migrant workers’ camp behind the defense line would have suffered a brutal massacre. The consequences would be unimaginable. .
Despite being frightened, Qian Tiandun also quickly tried to make up for the existing loopholes in the defense line, and transferred a company to station here first. He was worried that if the other party came back to his senses, he might kill him again. The ongoing reconstruction project here has to be temporarily suspended. After all, the construction sites here are all connected together. If the enemy comes again, the migrant workers on the construction site will not have time to evacuate, and it is very likely to be caused by enemy attacks. The chaos hampered the defenders' defensive measures. Qian Tiandun did not dare to take such a big risk and order the resumption of work before further confirming the enemy's movements.
As a result, although Houjin's surprise attack was not fully launched, it was not without gains. At least it caused Haihan's defense line reconstruction project to partially stop, delaying the completion of the entire defense line. If measured by cost-effectiveness, this operation with very few casualties can achieve such results, which is already quite good. However, the amount of information held by both sides was extremely unbalanced, making it difficult for Houjin to take targeted follow-up measures to expand the results of the battle, and missed an excellent opportunity.
The two sides fought such a confusing battle in April. After the battle, neither side fully understood their opponent's strategy, and each was thankful for the result. This was a rare tacit understanding since the war started last winter.
Of course, the two sides will not stop confronting each other just because of this fruitless battle. Neither Haihan nor Houjin have shown any intention to cease the war. Small-scale battles continue in the area north of the Jinzhou Isthmus. break out. On the coast of the Bohai Sea, dozens of miles south of the defense line, the construction of the immigrant village, which had been stalled due to manpower problems, finally entered a normal construction rhythm as the bottleneck eased.
A small dock has been built in the bay less than two miles away from the construction site of the immigrant village, which is used to transport various supplies needed for the survival of these immigrants to the local area. Even the wealthy Haihan still feels a lot of pressure when he has to support thousands of people belonging to the two camps of Haihan and Dongjiang Town on the Liaodong Peninsula at the same time.
This is not just a matter of how much food and how many tents are needed. To transport such a large amount of materials from the south to Liaodong, the maritime transport capacity required is beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Almost every month, a transport fleet bound for the north departs from Dinghai Port in Zhoushan, Zhejiang. The size of this fleet is at least twenty ships, and each time it ships at least hundreds of tons of cargo to Liaodong.
The Haihan Shipping Department does not have enough large sea-going ships in Zhoushan to perform such frequent long-distance transportation tasks, so a considerable number of the ships responsible for transporting supplies to Liaodong are from private maritime merchants. Most of these maritime merchants are citizens of the Ming Dynasty, but as long as they have huge profits, they don't mind working for the Haihan people who can afford a good price.
Of course, becoming Haihan's trusted carrier is not something everyone can do. In fact, since Haihan obtained the trading rights of Zhejiang through the Hangzhou Fire in early 1635, many merchants have tried to board Haihan's ship, hoping to establish trade relations with Haihan to make a fortune. After all, there have been many successful precedents in the south. It's all there. If you don't take advantage of it, you're not a qualified businessman.
Becoming a Haihan cargo carrier is a shortcut with a relatively low threshold, so the relevant competition has always been fierce. Of course, many gray transactions cannot be avoided. Some carriers with poor qualifications even give Haihan caused certain economic losses. For this reason, the Ministry of Shipping issued a special "Provisional Management Regulations for Foreign Carriers" in 1635 to standardize related trade affairs. This "Management Regulation" requires the qualification certification of non-Haihan carriers. There are specific requirements for identity, financial resources, vessel status, etc., and the carrier will be required to deposit a certain amount in the Haihan Bank. of security deposit. Those small businessmen who did not have enough wealth and wanted to squeeze into the Haihan trading circle with just a few sampans were naturally blocked.
However, the profits that can be obtained by simply acting as a carrier for Haihan are obviously not huge enough. Especially since the route from Zhejiang to the north is far away, and most of the cabins are often empty on the return journey, the benefits that the carrier can obtain from it are extremely limited. Therefore, most of the large shipping merchants who have established a relationship with Haihan in the early stage are not so enthusiastic about the long-distance business, and are not even willing to use their own ships to complete tasks in the future, and will invest their limited shipping capacity in higher-yield shipping companies. On short-distance routes, long-distance routes were transferred to small maritime merchants who were originally unable to reach Haihan.
As Haihan has been operating step by step in Shandong and even Liaodong in the past year, maritime shipping exchanges between Zhejiang and the coasts of North China and Northeast China have become more and more frequent. Gradually, many business people with a keen sense of smell have become aware of the huge business opportunities contained therein, and have begun to pay attention to this originally Long-distance routes are considered useless by many.
In a certain house in Ningbo Prefecture, several businessmen were talking about the new round of carrier recruitment activities that have been rumored recently.
The owner of this house is named He Li, who is also a well-known businessman in Ningbo. His brother He Xiao is the most trusted aide around Qu Yutong, the prefect of Ningbo. He often represents Qu Yutong in and out of Zhoushan Island and the sea. Han people contact affairs. He Xiao also played a role in the marriage between Qu Yutong and Haihan General Shi Diwen, which also gained Haihan's trust in him.
Of course, if this kind of trust falls into the hands of a smart person like He Xiao, there are naturally many ways to monetize it. For example, obtaining the qualification for trade cooperation with Haihan for his younger brother He Li is one of them. Under He Xiao's operation, He Li successfully became one of Haihan's suppliers in Zhejiang, and acted as agent for several types of Haihan products. In the past year, it was said that he was making a lot of money every day. It is not an exaggeration to say that he quickly became one of the big businessmen in Ningbo Prefecture.
When He Li first came into contact with Haihan, he started as a carrier, and then started to engage in lucrative business such as supply and agency. His rapid rise to fortune was naturally noticed by many interested people, and there were many who wanted to imitate him. For example, the few who came here today came here to ask for advice, hoping that He Li could point them to a feasible path.
He Li glanced at the gift list. The items listed on it were indeed not bad. Fine wine, jade, and tea were all top-quality goods. They were worth at least three to four hundred taels of silver. Two years ago, this would have made his mouth water. flow out. But now, in his eyes, it is just an ordinary thing. The income from the business under his name in any day is far more than this amount, so naturally he doesn't care much anymore.
But he was a guest, not to mention that these people had previously reported to his brother He Xiao. They came here to visit him because of He Xiao's recommendation. Of course, He Li would not show his impatience on his face. "Brother has already mentioned to me your intentions for your visit today." He Li put the gift list back on the table with a calm expression, and then mentioned what the other party was most concerned about: "In a few days, the Haihan people are going to This year's carrier recruitment activity will be held on Zhoushan Island. I have inquired about it. There will be no major changes in the offshore routes this year. The south is still dominated by Fuguang Maritime. Their ships are numerous and large, and they follow the sea. The Han people have been cooperating for a long time, and it is difficult for others to take this business away from them. As for the local short-distance routes, if you have the background to compete, you will probably not come to my small temple to burn incense. To get into this business, I think it’s better to look north.”
A chubby middle-aged businessman next to him asked: "Master He, it is said that this carrier's first choice is to go south, the next best thing is to fight for the local area, and the worst is to go north. I can't wait to see what happens in the north. I understand, I hope Mr. He can give me some advice!”
He Li was a little excited when he was called "Master He". A year or two ago, he was at most the same level as this fat man. Now the other party behaves so respectfully in front of him, which naturally highlights his noble status.
Seeing that the other party was humble, He Li took the opportunity to show off the inside information he had obtained from his brother. This information asymmetry is exactly how the He brothers gain benefits for themselves. As long as they reveal a little inside information to these businessmen, they will easily treat the He brothers as gods. It's just that He Xiao's identity is relatively sensitive, and some words should not be said directly from his mouth, so after receiving the benefits, these businessmen who asked for help were sent to He Li's house.
"Everyone must know that the Haihan people's self-government in Fushan County, Dengzhou, Shandong Province has become a local climate. The Shandong government can't fight or drive them away, so it can only acquiesce to the existence of the Haihan people in the local area." He Li paused for a moment when he said this. Seeing that these people were listening attentively, and there was no look of impatience on their faces, he continued: "But when winter came last year, the Haihan people had already mobilized troops to expedition to the north of Liaodong. , forcefully captured Lushun from the gold thieves. The fighting started again this spring, and the gold thieves were forced to retreat hundreds of miles north. It is said that there were thousands of gold thieves' heads chopped off on the battlefield! Haihan is starting a war in the north, and he needs a lot of supplies, which have to be transported from the south by sea ships. At this time, you take the initiative to obtain the qualifications to carry the northern route. It is a timely help to Haihan, and it will definitely be used in the future. There are benefits.”
Another businessman with a goatee replied: "Master He, the Haihan people have created such a big battle in Liaodong, how will the imperial court react if they find out? Are they just going to sit back and watch them take Liaodong as their own? I'm sorry. I'm worried that the court can't do anything to the Haihan people, but it will vent its grievances on others. If the court comes out with some accusations, how can I stand up to such charges?"
He Li glanced at Goat Beard. The worries this man mentioned were probably things that most businessmen who have cooperation relationships or intentions to cooperate with Haihan would think of. However, most people have limited information and have no idea at all. The situation in the north has given rise to such worries.
He Li pretended to be profound and said: "The court punishes the crime? As you know, this time the Haihan people used force in Liaodong, our Ming army was also involved! This post-war reward will be reported in the name of our Ming army. To regain the lost land, By annihilating the enemy, do you think the court is punishing the enemy or showing merit? ”
Goat Beard couldn't hide his surprise and said: "My Ming army actually went to Liaodong? Could it be that the imperial court had already formed an alliance with the Haihan people without saying a word?"
He Li didn't dare to talk nonsense about this matter. If the news spread out wrongly, he couldn't bear the crime. He quickly clarified: "I never said anything about the alliance between the imperial court and Haihan, and neither do you." To spread rumors, please note that it is a serious crime to make irresponsible remarks about government affairs!”
Goat Beard agreed submissively, but in his heart he slandered that He Li was not discussing government affairs just now, but why the Ming Dynasty would join forces with Haihan to send troops to Liaodong, this question still lingered in his mind.
As if guessing what he was thinking, He Li went on to explain: "The Ming army that sent troops to Liaodong was a Ming army belonging to Dongjiang Town. Everyone in Dongjiang Town has heard of it, right? It was the deployment of General Mao Wenlong and Mao. , and now his in-law Shen Shikui is in charge. It is said that Chief Shen is very close to the Haihan people. This dispatch of troops probably has nothing to do with the imperial court's intention. It is a move to kill first and report later."
Another dark-skinned businessman present continued: "If he really sent troops without the consent of the imperial court, Mr. Shen would be quite courageous. Fortunately, he won the battle. If he had lost, he would probably be liquidated. To be punished as a serious crime!”
He Li glanced at him, chuckled and said: "Dongjiang Town has lost Liaodong for several years, why did it counterattack at this time? It is naturally because of the support of the Haihan people. As far as I know, this northern expedition to Liaodong, The Haihan people transferred a lot of troops from the south to participate in the war, and even many of the troops stationed on Zhoushan Island were transferred.”
The fat businessman responded: "Yes, in the recent period of time entering and exiting Dinghai Port, we have indeed not seen Haihan's warships anymore. They must have been transferred to the north."
He Li continued: "If you ask friends who are in the grain business, you will know how much grain Haihan has purchased from the market in recent months. Think of the bitter cold land of Liaodong, where the farmland was abandoned after being occupied by gold thieves. All the food and fodder needed by this army must be purchased in the south and transported there. Only the Haihan people can do this! ”
(End of chapter)