Qin Jian did not expect that the Haihan army would already be in such a situation just a few days after they arrived outside Nanjing. Although he didn't know how many Ming troops there were in the area, according to the current progress, it wouldn't be long before the remaining Ming troops would all become prisoners.
Arranging Ming army prisoners to work as temporary laborers on the dock, Qin Jian could not say whether he supported it or not. He was worried that he would not be able to control these prisoners of war, but since Yang Jin had promised to support him and receive corresponding rewards, he might as well give it a try.
Qin Jian calmed down and gritted his teeth and replied: "Since Mr. Yang trusts the villain so much, the villain should do his best to help the adults solve their problems."
Yang Jin said: "It's good that you have this idea. The higher authorities are planning to incorporate the Yanziji Terminal into the Inland Water Navigation Department of the Ministry of Transport. At that time, capable and reliable candidates must be promoted from the local area to assist the government in managing the daily operations of the terminal. In the future, they will hold official positions. It’s not impossible.”
"The dozen foremen working for us on the dock, including you, are all candidates now. Whoever performs well will have a chance to move up. Do you understand?"
Qin Jian thought to himself, so the job of assigning prisoners of war to work as laborers at the docks should be a test of the foremen's abilities. I just don’t know if what Yang Jin said can really be fulfilled, or if he is just drawing on nothing.
Qin Jian quickly asked: "Master Yang, is there really such a good thing?"
Yang Jin nodded and said: "If you can complete this errand, you will be rewarded based on your merits. I can also move up my seat, and everyone will benefit."
Qin Jian said: "The little man wishes Mr. Yang a high promotion!"
Yang Jin said: "I will see it in my eyes and remember whoever contributes the most. Old Qin, behave well and I will not treat you badly!"
With a stroke of his pen, Yang Jin signed Qin Jian's wages list and asked him to take the list to find the cashier and collect the money. Finally, he did not forget to remind Qin Jian that prisoners of war would be distributed tomorrow at the latest so that he could be prepared.
After Qin Jian came out, she saw several familiar foremen lining up outside waiting to be received by Yang Jin, so she nodded as a greeting.
In the past, foremen only competed with each other for business, but from today on, their performance will be directly linked to their future personal futures.
Qin Jian had heard from his colleagues in Yangzhou before that after Haihan occupied Yangzhou, he promoted many people to official positions there, almost all of whom were experts in various industries.
Qin Jian considers himself to be a first-class expert in the field of terminal operation, and he is indeed qualified to fight for the opportunity Yang Jin mentioned.
But he also knew that he was not special. What Yang Jin said to him just now would probably be said to every foreman. Whether you can get a chance to get ahead ultimately depends on your performance.
Qin Jian came to the room where wages were settled and handed the note signed by Yang Jin to the cashier.
In order to facilitate the settlement of wages with the locals, Haihanjun distributed all cash. The box containing the silver ingots was placed behind the cashier. The stacks were piled up like a hill, which was quite visually impactful.
Of course, this is also intended to show strength. Anyone who sees such a scene will never doubt whether Haihanjun can pay his wages in time.
With Yang Jin's autograph, the procedures for receiving the money were quickly completed. After getting the white money, Qin Jian felt a little more relaxed.
If nothing else, at least Haihan people are really happy to give money, as much as they say. As long as they can complete the assigned tasks, the wages will be paid every day and there will be no debt. Unlike working for the government before, wages would not only be deducted at various levels, but would often be owed for a long time.
Qin Jian returned to the dock and showed the wages he had just received to his workers. These laborers were already very tired, but the silver undoubtedly gave them a shot in the arm, and finally they were able to unload the two shiploads of grain onto the shore before dark.
Qin Jian gathered his men together to pay their wages, and at the same time announced to them the arrangements for prisoners of war, but he deliberately omitted the section on promotion opportunities.
This matter was a direct order from the Haihan Army. Even if they objected, it would be useless, and it would not affect their income. But they all couldn't help but worry about whether these Ming prisoners of war could obey Qin Jian's command.
"The military master said that if anyone is disobedient and wants to cause trouble, we will drag a few out and kill them to see who dares to be restless!"
Qin Jian looked around at the crowd and said, "You all should be tougher. Don't forget that this is Yanziji Wharf, and it is our territory! No matter what their previous status was, when they come to the wharf, they are all baggage workers." ! ”
Everyone immediately fell silent. Compared to the stronger Haihan Army, a group of Ming Army prisoners of war seemed to be nothing serious.
The two cargo ships they had just finished unloading had already begun loading Ming army prisoners of war.
The cargo hold on the ship was obviously not very big, but hundreds of people were crammed into it. It must have been crowded inside. Then the Haihan soldiers in charge of escorting the ship placed several boxes of heavy objects on the hatch cover, ordered the ship to unmoor and raise the sails, and set sail overnight.
At several other adjacent docks, a large number of prisoners of war seemed to be being escorted onto the ship.
Even in this way, transferring prisoners of war day and night does not seem to be able to solve the problem of more and more local prisoners of war.
In such a situation, smart people who can judge the situation will naturally try to find a way out. If there is a chance to get an official position in Haihan, many people will flock to it, even if they are just the most junior officials.
Early the next morning, as expected, hundreds of prisoners of war were escorted to the dock and assigned to various foremen waiting here.
Perhaps because Qin Jian was too full of words yesterday, Yang Jin assigned him a hundred prisoners of war today, which was twenty or thirty more than other foremen.
The explanation given by Yang Jin was that the loading and unloading tasks to be handed over to Qin Jian today were relatively heavy, so more manpower was allocated to his command.
Qin Jian was not ambiguous. After taking over, he immediately started to divide the prisoners into groups and designated a few close men as captains to lead them to work.
The actual situation was far smoother than he expected. The prisoners did not show any obvious resistance to the arrangements he made, and actually started working honestly.
Yang Jin was not lying. The ships Qin Jian was responsible for unloading today were all loaded with artillery shells. The laborers had to go down to the cabin first, carry the nearly 100 kilograms of ammunition boxes onto the deck, and then step ashore on the springboard to load the shells. The boxes were loaded onto the carriage.
Even laborers who work on the dock all year round will inevitably be out of breath after the trip. Some prisoners who were not good at this could not carry the box at all, so they had to carry it slowly together.
Qin Jian, who was standing on the deck to supervise the work, saw this situation and scolded them unceremoniously, asking them to speed up.
He had already said it yesterday. He had to prove to Yang Jin that he was the most capable foreman at Yanziji Pier.