Chapter 2916
Compared with Fujian under the control of the Xu family, the situation in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is more complicated.
Compared with other regions at the same time, agriculture, handicrafts, and commerce in Jiangsu and Zhejiang were more developed, and there were countless influential noble families. In order to maintain social stability and protect the interests of these groups, Haihan must make certain adjustments to his local governance strategy.
Therefore, Haihan's approach in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is neither like the Pearl River Delta region, which completely implements the rule of Hainan Island, nor is it like the Fujian region, which delegates military and political affairs to local indigenous dignitaries, but adopts a more compromise In this way, a large number of Ming Dynasty bureaucrats were retained in the local government, and at the same time, they actively cooperated with private business giants to ensure the normal operation of all walks of life in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
"From the places I visited in Ningbo, Shaoxing, Hangzhou, and Yanzhou, the public sentiment is relatively stable, and the local governments are also very cooperative with the new system we are implementing. Especially those key infrastructure projects that are being implemented, if Without going there and seeing it with my own eyes, it would be hard for me to believe that things were going more smoothly than we expected. To be honest, Shi Diwen did a good job there.”
What he saw and heard in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas left a very good impression on Bai Kesi, and he did not hesitate to give favorable comments to Shi Diwen, who was about to join the executive committee, in front of many senior officials.
The issue that the Executive Committee is most concerned about is not the public sentiment, but the capital relocation plan that has entered the implementation stage. This huge action plan contains a large number of infrastructure projects, involving urban reconstruction, industrial zone relocation, transportation route construction, etc. Every day Taken alone, it can be considered a major project.
Prior to this, the Executive Committee could only understand the progress of these projects through written reports from the Donghai Region, and Baikes's on-site inspection just filled the blank area of written information.
Ning Qi said: "I was originally worried about whether the Donghai Region could afford the funds for the capital relocation plan, but based on your inspection, it seems that the funding problem has been solved quite well."
Schneider knew something about this, and immediately explained: "The funds raised by the Donghai Region for the capital relocation plan do not all come from local finance, and part of it is raised from the private sector through the issuance of special bonds. For example, The railway from Ningbo to Hangzhou raised millions of construction funds through bonds. If Shi Diwen had to pay for these projects out of his own pocket, he would probably be in trouble.”
The plan to move the capital to Hangzhou was originally proposed by Shi Diwen, and one of the conditions he promised to the executive committee was that the Donghai Region would bear part of the funds for the infrastructure projects included in the capital relocation plan. Although the financial situation of the Donghai Region has always been very good, many people are still worried that these projects with huge budgets will overwhelm the Donghai Region. However, judging from what Baikes and Schneider said, this obviously did not trouble Shi Di. arts.
Of course, what is more likely is that before Shi Diwen proposed the capital relocation plan to the executive committee, he had already negotiated fundraising arrangements with various private capitals, so that he would be confident to raise construction funds on his own as an executive One of the conditions for the committee to agree to move the capital.
Ning Qi sighed: "Is the local private capital so powerful? In my opinion, this scale of fundraising is no less than that of Hainan Island!"
Bai Kesi smiled and said: "As far as I know, the Yangzhou salt merchants alone have subscribed for more than one million yuan in special bonds in the Donghai region. There are really many businessmen there who are willing to pay. Their idea is that Shi Diwen He is a high-ranking official who will join the Executive Committee next. This is equivalent to being promoted to the imperial cabinet in the Ming Dynasty. If you do more favors now, it will be useful in the future."
Ning Qi nodded and said: "When you put it this way, it makes more sense." Haihan does not have an emperor, and being able to enter the executive committee means standing at the top of the power pyramid, and the news of Shi Diwen's promotion to the executive committee has spread After a long time, the only thing missing was such a weighty opportunity to move the capital.
For the private capital and various dignitaries in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, as long as they maintain their relationship with Shi Diwen, they will be able to "reach Tianting directly" in the future and receive protection and help from the executive committee. So if they invest in advance now, it will probably be A choice many smart people would make.
Tao Donglai pondered: "But in this case, the interest demands of all parties will definitely be more complicated. It depends on whether Shi Diwen can handle it properly."
Bai Kesi said: "From what I have learned, Shi Diwen has a high prestige in the local area, otherwise not many people would be willing to support him with real money. Of course, there must be exchange conditions for these supports. If In the past two years, various departments in the Donghai Region have begun to recruit a large number of local people with backgrounds, so we should not be surprised.”
In fact, in addition to official sources of information, these people on the executive committee also have reliable private sources. Tao Hongfang, Ning Zijing, Bai Letong and others went to Hangzhou last year to work there for inspection. In terms of the depth and breadth of the on-the-spot visits, I am afraid it is still higher than Bai Kes, and they also sent back many letters one after another, making relatively detailed reports on the actual situation in the East China Sea region.
In the eyes of these young people, the Donghai Region is in the midst of rapid development. They saw the various impacts that industrial civilization had brought to agricultural society there, felt the social changes and development firsthand, and were full of expectations for the development prospects of the Donghai Region.
The reports from them are naturally more credible than the official reports submitted to the Executive Committee by the Donghai Region. These young people unanimously believed that Shi Diwen had indeed made great achievements in the local government for many years and was fully qualified to become a member of the executive committee.
As for the plan to move the capital, several young people had doubts about its feasibility before going there, but now they have all become supporters of the plan. They believe that the environment in Hangzhou and its surrounding areas is indeed more in line with Haihan's governance needs after taking over the Ming Dynasty. Moving the capital to Hangzhou seems to be a very reasonable choice at this stage.
Since the Ming Dynasty established two capital cities, Beijing and Nanjing, Haihan could certainly follow suit and let Sanya continue to serve as the regional administrative center for governing the South China Sea region in the future.
Since the capital relocation plan involves too many projects, Baikes had to spend a lot of time here explaining the specific progress of these projects. At present, the biggest difficulty in these projects is not funds, but the lack of sufficient engineering and technical personnel, construction machinery, and some special building materials that cannot be produced locally, such as the steel rails required for laying railways.
These personnel and materials are still scarce resources in Haihandu today, and they can only rely on the executive committee to mobilize them. Bai Kesi suggested that the executive committee give priority to special projects in the Donghai region so that the capital relocation can be completed as soon as possible.
(End of chapter)