Wang Chengen tried his best to get some concessions from Zhu Zian. Finally, his trip was not in vain, which slightly relieved the anxiety that had lasted for many days in his heart.
But he also knew that the attitude of the Haihan Executive Committee towards the armistice and peace talks was based on the overall trend of the war between the two countries, which could not be influenced by an "outsider" like Zhu Zian. It was obviously not possible to expect him to convince the Executive Committee. Not practical.
As Zhu Zian said before, if Ming Dynasty cannot compete with the Haihan Army on the battlefield, the Executive Committee will definitely have little interest in peace talks, and it will be difficult for him to have any room for bargaining at the negotiation table.
Therefore, even if Zhu Zian is willing to help, it is still unknown when he will be summoned by the Executive Committee.
If the Haihan Army captured the capital in one go, it would actually make no difference whether Hangzhou talks about it or not.
Wang Chengen said goodbye and got on the carriage. He was supposed to go back to his residence, but he changed his mind and told the coachman: "Go to the canal dock outside the city."
It would be idle to go back to your residence and go out for a walk as suggested by Zhu Zian.
He had no intention of traveling around, but intended to take this opportunity to collect intelligence. I have been running around various government offices in the city these past few days, and I haven't been able to find time to go out of the city to see the changes outside.
Hangzhou has gradually become the center of the Haihan Kingdom. Many combat materials are shipped from Hangzhou to the southern battlefield via the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal. If you go to the canal dock in the east of the city, you may be able to deduce the direction of the frontline war from the local shipping and logistics conditions. .
As for whether the Haihan government arranged for someone to follow him, Wang Chengen didn't care. Haihan didn't restrict his freedom of movement anyway, so he went to see it first.
Not long after leaving the city, Wang Chengen discovered from the car window that the streets outside Hangzhou were no longer what he had remembered.
When he last came to Hangzhou, the area between Qingchun Gate in the east of the city and the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal was almost entirely covered with large tracts of farmland, and the official road was just a rammed earth road more than ten feet wide. But now everything has changed.
The official road leading to the canal has been widened to more than two feet, enough to allow two heavy-duty carriages to cross. The road surface has also been hardened, making it much smoother than the bumpy rammed earth road before.
There is an endless stream of pedestrians, cars and horses on the road, which is very lively. At least half of them are large freight convoys loaded with various supplies.
On both sides of the official road, there are many shops and various workshops built, and from time to time, you can see a large number of houses under construction in the distance from the gaps between them.
It is obvious that Hangzhou's business prosperity has improved a lot compared to the Ming Dynasty. However, Haihan has always been known for being good at business, so it is reasonable to see such a scene.
As we get closer and closer to the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, the density of shops and warehouses on both sides of the road is getting higher and higher. When he was approaching the river, Wang Chengen stopped the carriage, got out of the car and walked slowly toward the dock.
Wang Chengen once saw a Haihan product called a "steam engine" in the palace. It was donated by a businessman in the south for the imperial court to develop and imitate.
Although it was known at the time that Haihan had widely used this kind of mechanical device in transportation, mining and many other fields, after some research, Emperor Chongzhen and the ministers all believed that this clumsy thing was flashy and practical. Not only did its manufacturing process require a large amount of refined iron, Moreover, the finished product is complex to operate and difficult to maintain. In the final analysis, it is difficult to use.
Wang Chengen had the same idea at the time, because with his knowledge, he could not imagine how this thing could be put into practical application. But here, on the dock of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, he finally saw the many functions of the steam engine. Steam engines of various shapes and sizes were used to drive tall cranes for loading and unloading cargo, belt conveyors for transporting dry bulk cargo, and small freight trains that traveled between warehouses and docks.
From time to time, you can still see a few freight steamships with white smoke coming out of their chimneys on the river. In today's almost windless weather, their speed is obviously much faster than traditional sailing ships.
Although Wang Chengen did not understand the principles of these machines at all, he was neither blind nor a fool. Their functions could be seen clearly at a glance. Their efficiency in transporting goods was far beyond what human power could match.
In the past, it was said that the port operation efficiency of Haihan was extremely high, but how and why it was so high? Wang Chengen had no actual idea. It was not until he saw the busy scene of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal pier that he realized that the rumors were not true.
However, after Wang Chengen observed it for a while, he discovered that the cost of using these mechanical devices seemed not low.
Almost every steam machinery device must be equipped with a dedicated person to control it, and coal and fresh water must be replenished from time to time. Although Wang Chengen didn't know how much coal these steam engines consumed every day, judging from the large bulk coal storage yard on the dock, it was obviously not a small amount.
After wandering not far, Wang Chengen discovered that there was actually a teahouse on the pier, and seeing that the decoration was of a high quality, he decided to go in and have a seat.
When I entered the teahouse, I saw that there were quite a few customers inside, and they were obviously not dressed like dock laborers, but more like businessmen from all over the world.
Wang Chengen found a seat by the window with a good view and sat down, ordered a pot of Liu'an melon slices and two pastries, and put a small ingot of silver on the table: "The extra is a reward."
The waiter thanked him repeatedly, and Wang Chengen took the opportunity to ask him why this teahouse was opened on the pier.
The waiter said: "From the uncle's accent, he must be from the north, right? Bosses from all over the world are waiting here to unload their goods. It's not easy to find a decent place to rest near the dock. It's also troublesome to go into the city. , we have to walk more than ten miles back and forth, so we have this store.”
Wang Chengen nodded slightly after hearing this, and felt that what he said made sense, so he added: "But I think the furnishings in your store are quite new. It must have been opened a few years ago, right?"
The waiter said: "This man has great eyesight! Our store has just been opened for more than a year. Although there were docks here in the past, they were all in shabby condition, and all the people coming and going were laborers. Haha. After Haihan occupied Hangzhou, he rebuilt the canal wharf and renovated the official road into the city. The number of bosses who came here to deliver money in person every month gradually increased. "
After that, the waiter pointed out the window and said quite proudly: "Look at these big guys rumbling outside. On the entire Qiantang River, you can only see them from the pier in Hangzhou. Many people come here specially to see what's going on. One look lasts all day.”
Wang Chengen wondered: "Can I look at these things for a whole day?"
The waiter nodded and said: "To tell you the truth, about half of the customers in our store come to see these things. A few days ago, the adults from the executive committee came to the pier to inspect the public situation and also mentioned this matter. Tao Mr. Donglai also said that men are born to like to watch these things, and it is the same for everyone.”
Wang Chengen was about to say, "I'm not interested in these things," but as he spoke, he suddenly thought of his own identity, and changed his words: "That makes sense, I quite like watching it too."