Chapter 2529
Not far from Dinghai Port to the west is the Yongjiang Estuary in Ningbo Prefecture. Thanks to the excellent geographical conditions, both sides of the Yongjiang River are also traditional port trade areas, and their prosperity is comparable to the Pearl River Wharf outside Guangzhou. However, Tao Hongfang and others did not plan to visit Ningbo Prefecture in their itinerary. In addition, they also wanted to rush to Hangzhou to report as soon as possible, so they did not choose to stay here anymore. They just watched the ships coming and going from a distance outside the Yongjiang River Estuary. Busy scene, so we continued heading towards Hangzhou Bay.
From the map, the distance between Zhoushan Island and Hangzhou does not seem that far, but the actual voyage is more than 400 miles. At the speed of this official ship, it will take at least one and a half to two days to reach the destination. land.
As far as what I have seen so far on Zhoushan Island, the area under Shi Diwen's rule is not only socially peaceful, but also quite prosperous. In terms of infrastructure, it has almost copied Sanya's model and standards, which even makes these young people feel like returning to Hainan Island. illusion.
However, the Glory-class battleship they saw when they left Dinghai Port also made them aware of the special status of the East China Sea Region. This is not Hainan Island where the Executive Committee follows its words. It not only has great autonomy in politics, economy, military and other aspects, but also has a vague competition with Hainan Island. The most prestigious person in this area is probably not only the Haihan Executive Committee in Sanya, but also the local governor Shi Diwen who actually rules here.
Although Haihan did not inherit the power structure of the feudal dynasty, if we use it as an analogy, Shi Diwen's influence in the East China Sea region is probably no less than that of the vassal kings who were entrusted to local areas in the past. Shi Diwen's dazzling achievements in local governance have also become the main topic of Tao Hongfang and others during their trip.
At the end, there was still an unavoidable topic, which was whether to take the initiative to visit Shi Diwen after arriving in Hangzhou.
This is what it should be, but they have special status. Whether they go or not, when and for what reason and attitude they go may have different impacts. The most critical thing is that their parents did not make clear arrangements and instructions on this, but left the decision-making power in their own hands.
"I think we have to take the initiative to go." Tao Hongfang was the first to express his opinion: "Although I didn't have much contact with Master Shi in the past, according to the rules, when we meet Master Shi, we should treat him as a nephew first, and then discuss the position. Since If you are visiting your uncles as a junior, of course you have to take the initiative to greet them. ”
The "rules" Tao Hongfang mentioned naturally refer to the customary practices within the travel group, but this is not an expressly stipulated system. Whether to abide by it only depends on personal choice. Some people who have a good relationship with each other, and their children move around each other, are naturally as close as family members. However, Shi Diwen has been in power overseas all year round and has only rarely returned to Sanya. In fact, he does not have many personal contacts with Tao Hongfang and others' parents, and it cannot be said that they have a close relationship.
Bai Letong said: "Master Shi should know the news that we are coming to Hangzhou. If he doesn't take the initiative to visit, it might make him feel grudge. So I agree with Hongfang. It is best to wait until we arrive in Hangzhou. Let’s go to Mr. Shi’s house to pay his respects first.”
"But I feel that Mr. Shi doesn't seem to pay much attention to our coming to Hangzhou." Ning Zijing said: "If he has arranged it carefully, then there should be official personnel in Zhoushan to receive us."
Hearing this, Ha Jianyi shook his head and said: "Zijing, if no official personnel comes forward, it does not mean that there is no arrangement. Doing nothing is sometimes an arrangement."
Ning Zijing scratched his head, unable to immediately understand Ha Jianyi's somewhat difficult statement.
Upon seeing this, Ha Jianyi added: "Perhaps Mr. Shi's instruction to Zhoushan is to do nothing, let alone take the initiative to receive us." Ning Zijing asked in confusion: "Why is this?"
"Zijing, you usually come into contact with Qiong Lianfa's trade affairs, and you are probably not that familiar with the rules in the officialdom." Tao Hongfang explained to him: "We were sent to places outside Sanya to perform official duties before, and we also There will be local officials who deliberately flatter us and arrange grand reception ceremonies. This is of course not only to please us, but mainly to leave a good impression on our parents. But the problem is that our parents often do not want us to send us out based on our status. If you enjoy special treatment outside, the information you have access to will inevitably be blocked. Moreover, people who do this often have limited abilities and can only win the favor of their superiors through such means, but they will fall behind because of it. Multiply.”
Ning Zijing is also a smart man, and he has come to his senses after hearing this: "So truly smart local officials should know these scruples, and would not use such obvious means to flatter them!"
Tao Hongfang nodded and said: "That's the truth. Of course, this cannot be generalized. For example, when we stopped at Kaohsiung Port, we were warmly received by Mr. Li. It was because he had a close relationship with Fort Victory and truly regarded us as his nephews. .”
The official assignment of a second-generation son abroad has always been a relatively sensitive job, and it is difficult to control the scale of local reception work. If you are too enthusiastic, you will be suspected of being flattery, but if you are too cold, it is easy for these princes to misunderstand and be ignored. Tao Hongfang and others had naturally experienced similar experiences before, so they could understand the attitude of the Zhoushan authorities.
After some discussion, the four of them finally agreed and decided to take the initiative to visit Shi Diwen after arriving in Hangzhou. Regardless of whether the other party cares about their arrival, this attitude still has to be shown. If they don't take the initiative and let Shi Diwen mistakenly think that this is the instruction of their fathers, then the consequences will be beyond what these young people can afford.
The next morning, the official ship sailed from Hangzhou Bay into the Qiantang River. Although the river surface here is wide, it is not difficult to notice that most of the river banks are tidal flats formed by impact, which is indeed not suitable for building large ports. The geographical environment is much worse than that of the Yongjiang Estuary in Ningbo.
"I heard that the Qiantang tide is a wonder in the world. If you have the chance, I would like to experience it." As the boat sailed near Haining County, Tao Hongfang looked at the roaring river water, and what came to his mind were some poems written by predecessors describing the Qiantang tide.
For example, Wang Zaijin's "The sea is vast and the sky is as thunderous as the waves, and the Qiantang tide surges from the sky." Another example is Su Shi's "The Kunpeng water hits three thousand miles, and the team trains to drive hundreds of thousands of men." Or Xu Ning's "Qiantang Guoli watches the trendy people. Until we grow old and see nothing." Throughout the ages, countless literati have written poems and articles about the magnificent scenery of Qiantang tide, and many of them have been passed down to this time.
Ha Jianyi said: "Should we be able to see it during our stay in Hangzhou?"
Tao Hongfang nodded and said: "Every August 18th is the time when the tide surges the most. This day is coming soon. Let's make an appointment to come to the riverside to enjoy the tide together!"
(End of chapter)