Chapter 2102
These reserve soldiers are temporarily receiving military training as militiamen on Zhoushan Island. They will be converted to formal military status after Shi Diwen applies for local recruitment quota from the Ministry of National Defense every year. This can not only reduce personnel expenses, but also have a The observation period is to confirm whether these recruits are qualified to serve in the Haihan Army.
Of course, not all the militiamen participating in the military parade were deployed. The actual number of militiamen deployed in Zhoushan and some nearby islands under Haihan's control far exceeded the number of troops shown in public today. This is also the military's intention to hide its strength so as not to cause unnecessary panic among the foreign merchants watching the military parade.
As Xuan Xiangming said, the highlight of the military parade is the naval fleet. After all the army troops passed the review area, they heard three explosions, three red flares were fired into the sky, and then the shadows of sails quickly appeared on the sea in the distance.
The direction of the VIP stand is facing the Dapanzhi Island in the south, so you can have a clear view of the port waters without adjusting your sitting posture, and Ma Zhengping finally got to see the legendary Haihan Navy.
Strong ships and cannons, this kind of large equipment that originally only existed in imagination, was finally revealed in front of Ma Zhengping. The appearance of the Haihan battleship is significantly different from that of the Ming Dynasty navy. The hull is longer and slender, with soft sails on the mast. The visual impact brought by the huge hull is beyond Ma Zhengping's imagination. Appropriate words to describe your feelings.
"Look, the two largest ships are Haihan, the flagship of the East China Sea Fleet. It is said that there are dozens of cannons on the ship. During the war, the sound can be heard from dozens of miles around the sea..." Xuan Xiangming Unabashedly showing off his knowledge to Ma Zhengping.
In fact, he didn't need to say anything. As long as you were not blind, it would be difficult not to notice the two majesty-class battleships whose hulls were far larger than ordinary sailing ships. This is also the largest sailing ship that Ma Zhengping has ever seen in his life. The cargo ships under his own hands are really junior compared to this Haihan battleship.
If you encounter such a big man at sea, it will be difficult to resist. Moreover, it is said that the ship is equipped with dozens of artillery pieces. The enemy ship may not be directly disintegrated after being bombarded. Talk about resistance.
Ma Zhengping used to feel that the Zhejiang government was too weak when facing the Haihan people, and chose to compromise without even putting up a decent resistance, allowing the Haihan people to occupy the key area of Zhoushan Island. But when he saw the true face of the Haihan fleet with his own eyes, he immediately understood the original difficulties of the Zhejiang government. Can the navy still be expected to defeat such a monster? It was obvious that they couldn't defeat them. If they started a war rashly and lost the battle, it would be a trivial matter, giving Haihan an excuse to invade the mainland, and there would be no way to end it.
For the Ming Dynasty, which was in the midst of internal and external troubles at the time, there was no room for error in handling the conflict with Haihan. Once the war started, it would be difficult for the Ming Dynasty to allocate strength to resist Haihan's attack from the sea. They can only sit back and watch the Haihan army do whatever they want within the territory. Therefore, choosing to compromise and acquiesce in Haihan's rule on Zhoushan Island in exchange for peace was the safest choice for the Zhejiang government at that time. At least this effectively avoided the outbreak of war and further invasion. Compared with such serious The consequences of only losing control of some islands appear to be easier to accept.
Ma Zhengping is a businessman and does not have such a deep understanding of the situation of the government. However, the Haihan Fleet in front of him has given him a very intuitive feeling. It is very unwise to go against such an armed force.
Following the two flagships were more than thirty large and small warships. Although the number could not be said to be astonishing, the fleet battle formation stretching for several sea miles on the sea was extremely shocking. At this moment, Ma Zhengping also had a deeper understanding of Xuan Xiangming's previous statement that Zhoushan Island had good security. After all, with such a powerful armed fleet stationed on Zhoushan Island, how could any bold man dare to cause trouble in this sea area.
Seeing the fleet passing through the bay and heading towards the military port on the west side of Dinghai Port, today's military parade has come to an end. Although the scale of the military parade on Zhoushan Island is far smaller than that of Sanya, as an overseas military base, it is not easy to achieve such a level, and it uses extremely high efficiency to achieve the purpose of displaying force to deter the military and increase the confidence of foreign businessmen in the Zhoushan authorities. The purpose and results are quite good.
"If I'm not mistaken, the number of warships in the East China Sea Fleet this year is much higher than last year! The general manages the army well, which is admirable!"
The person sitting next to Shi Diwen on the viewing platform was not one of his subordinate officials, but He Xiao, who came to attend this event on behalf of Ningbo Prefecture. After watching the display of the naval fleet, he took the initiative to express respect for Shi Diwen. After all, the size of the East China Sea Fleet symbolizes the strength of the Zhoushan authorities, and the stronger Zhoushan is, the safer the cooperative relationship between Ningbo Prefecture and Haihan will be, and the easier it will be for He Xiao to benefit himself through this relationship.
Shi Diwen saw that He Xiao had noticed the details of the changes in the East China Sea Fleet, and immediately admitted without any disguise: "This is actually a ship that was decided to be added the year before, but the shipyard was too busy, so it was delayed until a few They were put into service only a few months ago.”
He Xiao said: "Will these newly commissioned warships also participate in subsequent combat operations?"
Because the Zhoushan authorities have recently purchased a large amount of military supplies on the market, in order to avoid misunderstandings, Shi Diwen has already explained the general situation to Qu Yutong through the He brothers, so He Xiao also knows that the East China Sea Fleet will be dispatched to a certain place in the future. Carry out combat missions, but the specific arrangements are not clear. He Xiao asked this question out of curiosity on the one hand, and on the other hand he also wanted to know whether Haihan's operation required the East China Sea Fleet to deploy in full force.
However, it was unlikely that he would get a specific answer from Shi Diwen for such a military secret. Shi Diwen smiled and said: "Whether or not to participate depends on the task allocation of the Ministry of National Defense. I don't care if I say it now. Is Mr. He worried that Zhoushan's defense will be empty after the fleet goes out?"
He Xiao hurriedly said: "That's not the case. Even if the navy goes out, there is still an army stationed on the island. Who dares to do this?"
Shi Diwen said: "After Mr. He returns, he can tell the Lord that during the Zhoushan garrison's expedition, there will still be enough troops on the island to ensure that local security is stable and business activities can proceed smoothly. If anyone has any concerns about Zhoushan during this period, Initiating hostile actions against the island or the industries under the name of Haihan will be regarded as a serious provocation against our country and will definitely result in military retaliation from our country.”
Shi Diwen said this not to warn Qu Yutong, but to reassure Qu Yutong that Haihan would not relax his defense of Zhoushan Island during this period. He also understands why Qu Yutong is so nervous. The secret cooperation with Haihan in recent years has allowed Qu Yutong to obtain a large amount of income. However, Qu Yutong felt that all these properties were not safe in Ming Dynasty, so he gradually transferred some of them to Ming Dynasty. overseas. On Zhoushan Island alone, there are many properties that Qu Yutong spent money to buy. If something goes wrong on Zhoushan Island, Qu Yutong will inevitably suffer serious losses, so he asked He Xiao to take advantage of this opportunity to inspect the stone. Devin's tone.
If his identity was not sensitive and it was inconvenient to appear in front of the public, Qu Yutong would probably have come to Zhoushan Island to find Shi Diwen in person to reassure him.
"I will definitely convey the general's intention to Master Qu." He Xiao understood and quickly responded. In another part of the stand, Xuan Xiangming looked at the East China Sea Fleet sailing into the military port with unfinished thoughts. He suddenly remembered something and turned to Ma Zhengping and asked: "I haven't asked Boss Ma what line of work he does?"
Ma Zhengping did not hide anything, and responded calmly: "I am a salt merchant."
"Salt merchant! That boss Ma is a rich man!" Xuan Xiangming said with envy on his face: "Last year, many salt merchants who did salt business with Haihan made a fortune. I heard that many of them were new entrants. Yes, I made a lot of money with Haihan’s help. After hearing this, I want to change my career to sell salt!”
Ma Zhengping said: "Boss Xuan is talking about someone else. I am going to the island this time to come to the Haihan people to discuss cooperation matters, but I am not sure whether the negotiation can be concluded."
Xuan Xiangming said: "So Boss Ma is not a native of Ningbo?"
Ma Zhengping shook his head and said, "I'm from Yangzhou."
Xuan Xiangming often travels between Ningbo and Zhoushan Island, and he also has a certain understanding of the salt industry operated by Haihan. He knows that Haihan has built salt farms in Xiangshan and Shipu, and most of the distributors are from Ningbo. person. This was the first time he met a salt merchant from Yangzhou on Zhoushan Island.
"Yangzhou...I heard that there was some trouble in Yangzhou because of the salt business!" Xuan Xiangming said meaningfully.
Regarding what happened in Yangzhou last year, Ningbo also received some rumors after the incident. The local salt merchants' armed forces suffered heavy losses overnight. It seemed that it had no direct connection with Zhoushan Island. However, well-informed people like Xuan Xiangming heard that it was Haihan's action, with the purpose of clearing up the sales of salt to the north. Obstacles allow the salt produced in the Haihan Salt Plant to be sold in Jiangsu, seizing the traditional market controlled by Yangzhou salt merchants. In other words, the attitude of the Yangzhou salt merchants made the Zhoushan authorities lose their patience, so they took thunderous measures to teach the Yangzhou salt merchants to recognize the situation.
Although Xuan Xiangming's source of information is not official, it is a stakeholder such as a local salt merchant. He has his own channels to obtain this information, so his credibility is extremely high. The Yangzhou salt merchants came to Zhoushan Island at this time, and their purpose seems to be worth savoring.
"It seems that Boss Xuan also knows some news." Ma Zhengping didn't know how far the Yangzhou incident had spread here, so he had to vaguely explain it first: "There were some misunderstandings with Haihan Kingdom before, but since everyone's purpose is to If you want to do business, there is room for negotiation. This is the purpose of my visit to Zhoushan. ”
Although Xuan Xiangming is a loudmouth, he is not an honest person who just believes what others say. He knows that the situation in Yangzhou is too deep, so he does not dare to judge whether Ma Zhengping's words are true or false. However, the fact that the Yangzhou salt merchant came to Zhoushan was somewhat interesting, and it could become another source of conversation for him in the future.
Ma Zhengping wanted to find Xuan Xiangming to inquire about the regulations and operation methods of land on the island, so he took the initiative to invite Xuan Xiangming to have lunch. However, Xuan Xiangming was a little shy now that he knew Ma Zhengping's identity and politely declined. accepted his invitation. He was also worried that if the Yangzhou salt merchant failed to make peace with Haihan, then he would get too close to Ma Zhengping, which might affect Haihan's official opinion of him.
Although Ma Zhengping was a little disappointed, he didn't show it on his face. For friends like Xuan Xiangming who know Haihan well, it never hurts to get to know him first. He politely asked Xuan Xiangming where he lived on the island and said he would visit another day.
After visiting Yang Yun, Ma Zhengping was actually not too worried about Haihan officials' attitude towards him. Even if the cooperation could not be reached, he would not be kicked out of Zhoushan Island in disgrace. But he only knows two people on the island now, so it is still difficult to get more information. Ma Zhengping planned to try again to see if he could invite Yang Yun to dinner, but his idea was soon proved to be unfeasible. Yang Yun left with Shi Diwen, and they were surrounded by guards. Outsiders like Ma Zhengping You can't even get close.
"That's it, let's look for another opportunity later!" Looking at this posture, Ma Zhengping knew that his idea would be difficult to achieve, so he could only give up his plan temporarily.
As the military parade ended, the people on the island dispersed. However, Ma Zhengping had previously heard from Xuan Xiangming that there were many trading activities on the island in the past two days, so he planned to take this opportunity to have a look. He had long heard that the Haihan people were good at commerce, but he never had a concrete idea of what they were good at. This time I had the opportunity to come to Zhoushan Island, so I naturally wanted to find a way to learn more about it.
He visited Ningbo City before coming to Zhoushan, but he felt that the business atmosphere of Zhoushan Dinghai Port was even better than that of Ningbo City. There were various shops, hotels, restaurants, and inns within his field of vision. It can be seen that this place The consumption power of residents is strong.
However, this principle is also very simple, and it didn't take Ma Zhengping much time to figure out the key. Most of the people traveling to and from the port area are businessmen and sailors from various countries. The purpose of these people coming to Zhoushan is to make money, but they also spend money. Their spending power is far greater than that of ordinary people in Ningbo city, which is why such a prosperous scene is created.
Of course, due to the island environment here, the decoration quality of these shops is far inferior to that of Yangzhou City in Ma Zhengping's opinion, but presumably not many merchants coming here would mind such details.
Ma Zhengping wandered along the streets of the port area for a while and saw a house under construction not far away. He was planning to purchase land on the island. When he saw this, he immediately became interested and planned to go there to see if he could get some useful information.
(End of chapter)