Chapter 2637
In the next few days, Tao Hongfang and others, who had no official business, continued to travel around the island, and Zhu Zian, who was following them, also took this opportunity to gain a lot of knowledge.
Although the urban area of Zhoushan is not as large as Hangzhou, in terms of business atmosphere, it is even more prosperous than Hangzhou. Here, Zhu Zian saw foreign caravans traveling from north to south, as well as many unheard of commodities, and truly felt the vastness of the world.
Zhu Zian now has no doubt that with Haihan's governance capabilities, he will be able to copy Zhoushan's prosperity to other places. He even thought that if the Ming Dynasty had put down its pretensions and cooperated with Haihan to develop trade in the early years of the Ming Dynasty, it might not have been unable to cope with internal and external troubles due to lack of money.
Zhu Zian still didn't understand at this time. The reasons for the decline of Ming Dynasty were very complicated, not just a lack of money. Haihan's rapid rise in the South China Sea is not as simple as being good at doing business and making money. However, the gap in governance capabilities between the two countries is indeed visible to the naked eye. Even a novice like Zhu Zian, who has no experience in governing, can detect this.
As Zhu Zian's new club, the Donghai Region officials gave him a sum of money in the name of "living allowance" before leaving Hangzhou. This amount of money may not be too much, but it is still a lot of money. It is almost enough for him to buy a detached residence in Zhoushan.
Of course, Zhu Zian had no intention of settling down in Zhoushan. Tao Hongfang suggested that he buy some clothes and daily necessities that he needed for use during the mission.
Because his family was in decline, Zhu Zian was not the kind of aristocratic child who was completely ignorant of world affairs, so he did not need to entrust others to purchase supplies on his behalf. Zhu Zian spent half a day going to the city to buy some daily necessities, and carried large and small bags back to his residence. Most of the money was left. After consulting Tao Hongfang and others, Zhu Zian went to Haihan Bank to open an account and deposited the remaining money.
After spending a short vacation on Zhoushan Island, all preparations came to an end one by one, and the time for the mission's departure finally arrived. As the official representative, Yang Jian came to the dock to see them off. At the same time, he also brought a message from Shi Diwen to read to everyone on his behalf.
Shi Diwen mentioned in the cable that the main purpose of this mission is to cooperate with the garrison's defense change. It does not require them to achieve any diplomatic results and cannot act rashly.
It is reasonable for Shi Diwen to have such instructions. After all, this dispatch was all commanded by younger generations such as Shi Chengwu and Wang Anguo. This was also the first time that they had carried out such a complex mission overseas alone.
The operation included both diplomatic and military tasks, which was a big test for the young officials. Naturally, the main purpose was to complete the task and accumulate experience. Shi Diwen did not set another goal for them.
Of course, this is just a telegram that was read out publicly. As for Shi Diwen's other private plans for this operation, only Shi Chengwu probably knows.
After Yang Yun finished reading, he stepped forward and handed the telegram to Shi Chengwu, saying: "All the young men and women are the pillars of our country. When you are on an overseas mission, you should always put the interests of the country first, and do not do it for your own selfish reasons. I acted in a moment of anger. When everyone returns safely, Yang will host a banquet in Zhoushan to welcome you! ”
Everyone thanked him and then filed on board.
For Haihan, whether it is diplomatic activities or the mobilization of overseas troops, it is just an ordinary job, but this operation has a special feature, that is, there are many children of Haihan high-ranking officials in the team. Arranging these aristocratic children to perform missions overseas is not only to hone their abilities, but also to take this opportunity to gild their resumes. If the mission can be successfully completed, Tao Hongfang and others, including those who took the opportunity this time, will be able to add a beautiful record to their personal resumes.
In order to ensure absolute safety during the mission, Shi Diwen did not hesitate to dispatch his elite troops. Not only did he let the newly commissioned Glory-class first ship Zhoushan serve as the flagship of the combined fleet, but he also dispatched two ships built in the early years. Warrior-class iron-armored gunboat.
The combat effectiveness of these three ships alone is probably equivalent to an entire armed fleet of another country, and should be enough to cope with various armed conflicts at sea in emergencies.
In addition, there are more than ten warships of various types that will be stationed in North Korea and Japan to participate in this defense change mission. Coupled with many warships belonging to the North American Fleet, the strength of the entire combined fleet has even reached It exceeded the fleet that expedition to Hirado that year. Shi Diwen was convinced that such a lineup should be enough to form an effective military deterrent to North Korea and Japan.
In order to make Tao Hongfang and others more comfortable during the voyage, Sanya specially transferred the official ship they took on their way north to Zhoushan to participate in this mission. The facilities on the ship are complete and the living space is relatively comfortable, which can be said to be a hundred times better than that of a warship. Zhu Zian was even more uncomfortable. Because of his mission, he could only live with Shi Chengwu and Wang Anguo on the flagship Zhoushan.
But fortunately, the hull of the Zhoushan is large enough, and the living space is much better than that of the warship we took when we came to Zhoushan from Hangzhou. Zhu Zian originally thought he would have to sleep in a small space next to the corridor on the second floor, and was prepared to endure hardship, but Shi Chengwu arranged a cabin for two people to live with the second officer on the ship. It can be regarded as giving him special care.
Zhu Zian's luggage had already been delivered to the cabin. He just went to the cabin to take a look at the environment, and then returned to the deck.
Ships docked at the port set off one after another, and many off-duty sailors and crew members rushed to the side of the ship to wave goodbye to relatives, friends and onlookers on the shore. Although Zhu Zian had no relatives or friends in Zhoushan, he was infected by such an atmosphere and couldn't help but stand on the side of the ship and wave his arms to bid farewell to the place where he had lived for more than ten days.
At this time, the unrelated ships inside and outside the harbor had also stayed away from each other, giving way to the waterway and watching this huge fleet travel.
The fleet sailed out of the harbor from the Luotoumen Waterway from east to west, then turned around and sailed north along the west coast of Zhoushan Island. After passing through the waters of the Yangtze River Estuary, it then adjusted its direction and sailed northeast. The first destination will be Jeju in North Korea. island.
Zhu Zian watched the excitement on the deck for a while. When the port faded away and the sailors returned to their respective positions, his excitement gradually calmed down. He remembered that he still had tasks on the ship, so he immediately went to the command center on the bridge to meet up with Shi Chengwu and others.
(End of chapter)