Chapter 1461 The carrier’s calculation

Azig didn't know the details of Haihan, and was still congratulating himself that his troops suffered few casualties and did not step into Haihan's trap rashly. But Qian Tiandun was shocked by this dawn raid and broke out in a cold sweat.

Even an experienced general like him did not predict that the opponent would launch a highly targeted offensive at this time. If the opponent had not already become a frightened bird, he would be frightened and take the initiative to run away after encountering the slightest resistance.

It is possible that the defense line has been breached by the Houjin Iron Cavalry at this time, and even the migrant workers' camp behind the defense line will suffer a brutal massacre, and the consequences are simply unimaginable.

In addition to being frightened, Qian Tiandun also quickly tried to make up for the existing loopholes in the defense line, and transferred a company to this side to station it first. He was worried that if the other party came back to their senses, they might kill another one again. And here they were.

The reconstruction project being carried out had to be temporarily suspended. After all, the construction sites here are all connected. If the enemy comes again, the migrant workers on the construction site will not have time to evacuate. It is very likely that they will be hindered by the chaos caused by the enemy attack.

The defensive measures of the defenders. Qian Tiandun did not dare to take such a big risk and order the resumption of work before further confirming the enemy's movements.

In this way, although Houjin's surprise attack was not fully launched, it was not without gains. At least it caused a partial shutdown of Haihan's defense line reconstruction project, delaying the completion time of the entire defense line. If measured in terms of cost performance,

This operation with very few casualties was already quite good. However, the amount of information held by both sides was extremely unbalanced. It was difficult for Hou Jin to take targeted follow-up measures to expand the results, and he missed an excellent opportunity.

.

The two sides fought such a confusing battle in April. After the battle, neither side fully figured out their opponent's strategy, and each was thankful for the result. This was a rare tacit understanding since the war started last winter.

Of course, the two sides will not stop confronting each other just because of this fruitless battle. Neither Haihan nor Houjin have shown any intention to cease the war. Small-scale battles continue in the area north of the Jinzhou Isthmus.

The outbreak occurred. On the coast of the Bohai Sea, dozens of miles south of the defense line, the construction of the immigration village, which had been stalled due to manpower problems, finally entered a normal construction rhythm as the bottleneck eased.

A small dock has been built in the bay less than two miles away from the construction site of the immigrant village, which is used to transport various supplies needed for the survival of these immigrants to the local area. Even Haihan, who is wealthy and wealthy, now has to support the Liaodong Peninsula at the same time.

Thousands of people belonging to the two camps of Haihan and Dongjiang Town still feel a lot of pressure.

This is not just a question of how much food and how many tents are needed. To transport so much materials from the south to Liaodong, the maritime transport capacity required is beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Almost every month, one ship sails to the north.

The transport fleet departs from Dinghai Port in Zhoushan, Zhejiang, and the size of this fleet is at least twenty ships, and each time it ships at least hundreds of tons of cargo to Liaodong.

The Haihan Shipping Department does not have enough large sea-going ships in Zhoushan to perform such frequent long-distance transportation tasks, so a considerable number of the ships responsible for transporting supplies to Liaodong are from private maritime merchants. The vast majority of these maritime merchants

They are all citizens of the Ming Dynasty, but as long as they get huge profits, they don't mind working for the Haihan people who can afford a good price.

Of course, it is not something that everyone can do to become Haihan's trusted carrier. In fact, since Haihan obtained Zhejiang trade rights through the Hangzhou Fire in early 1635, many merchants have been trying to connect with Haihan.

A big ship, hoping to establish a trade relationship with Haihan to make a fortune. After all, there are many successful precedents in the south. If you don't take advantage of it, you are not a qualified businessman.

Becoming a cargo carrier of Haihan is a shortcut with a relatively low threshold, so the relevant competition has always been very fierce, and of course many gray transactions cannot be avoided. Some carriers with poor qualifications even give

Haihan caused certain economic losses. For this reason, the Ministry of Shipping issued a "Temporary Management Regulations for Foreign Carriers" in 1635 to standardize related trade affairs. This "Management Regulations" required that non-Haihan nationals

The carrier has specific requirements for qualification certification, identity, financial resources, vessel status, etc., and the carrier will be required to deposit a certain amount of deposit in Haihan Bank. Those who are not rich enough can make it with just a few sampans.

Small businessmen who wanted to squeeze into the Haihan trading circle were naturally blocked.

However, the profits that can be obtained by simply acting as a carrier for Haihan are obviously not huge enough. Especially since the route from Zhejiang to the north is far away, and most of the cabins are often empty on the return journey, the benefits that the carrier can obtain from it are extremely limited. Therefore, in the early stage

Most of the large shipping merchants who have established a relationship with Haihan are not so enthusiastic about the long-distance route business. They are even unwilling to use their own ships to complete the task in the future, and will invest their limited transportation capacity in short-distance routes with higher yields.

on the sea, and transfer long-distance routes to small maritime merchants who were originally unable to reach Haihan.

As Haihan has been operating step by step in Shandong and even Liaodong in the past year, the maritime shipping exchanges between Zhejiang and North China and the northeastern coast have become more and more frequent. Gradually, many business people with a keen sense of smell have become aware of the huge business opportunities contained therein, and have begun to pay attention to this originally

Long-distance routes are regarded as useless by many people.

In a certain house in Ningbo Prefecture, several businessmen were discussing the new round of carrier recruitment activities that have been rumored recently.

The owner of this house is named He Li, who is also a well-known businessman in Ningbo. His brother He Xiao is the most trusted aide around Qu Yutong, the prefect of Ningbo. He often represents Qu Yutong in and out of Zhoushan Island and the sea.

The Han people contacted the affairs. As for the marriage between Qu Yutong and Haihan General Shi Diwen, He Xiao also played a go-between role in it, which also gained Haihan's trust in him.

Of course, if this kind of trust falls into the hands of a smart person like He Xiao, there are naturally many ways to monetize it. For example, obtaining the qualification for trade cooperation with Haihan for his younger brother He Li is one of them. In He Xiao's operation

Next, He Li successfully became one of Haihan's suppliers in Zhejiang, and became an agent for several types of products produced by Haihan. In the past year, it is not an exaggeration to say that he has made a fortune every day, and he has made rapid progress.

He became one of the most prominent businessmen in Ningbo Prefecture.

When He Li first came into contact with Haihan, he started as a carrier, and then started to do supply and agency business. His rapid rise to the top was naturally noticed by many interested people.

, there are many people who want to imitate. For example, the few who came here today are interested in asking for advice, hoping that He Li can point them to a feasible way.

He Li glanced at the gift list. The items listed on it were indeed not bad. Fine wine, jade, and tea were all top quality. They were worth at least three to four hundred taels of silver. Two years ago, this would have made his mouth water.

It flowed out. But now, in his eyes, it is just an ordinary thing. The income from the business under his name in any day is far more than this amount, so naturally he doesn't care much anymore.

But he was a guest, not to mention that these people had previously reported to his brother He Xiao. They came here to visit him because of He Xiao's recommendation. Of course, He Li would not show his impatience on his face.

"Brother has already mentioned to me your intentions for your visit today." He Li put the gift list back on the table with a calm expression, and then mentioned what the other party was most concerned about: "In a few days, the Haihan people are going to

This year’s carrier recruitment activity will be held on Zhoushan Island. I have already inquired, and there will be no major changes in the offshore routes this year. The world to the south is still dominated by Fuguang Shipping.

The Han people have been cooperating for a long time, so it is difficult for others to take this business away from them. As for local short-distance routes, if you have the background to compete, you will probably not come to my small temple to burn incense. If you are interested,

If you want to get into this business, I think it’s better to set your sights north.”

A chubby middle-aged businessman next to him asked: "Master He, they say that the first choice for carriers is to go south, the second best is to fight for the local area, and the worst is to go north. I can't wait to see what happens in the north.

I understand, I hope Mr. He can give me some advice!"

He Li was a little arrogant when he was called "Master He". A year or two ago, he could only be equal to this fat man's equal. Now, the other party behaves so respectfully in front of him, which naturally highlights his noble status.

Seeing that the other party was humble, He Li took the opportunity to show off the inside information he got from his brother. This kind of information asymmetry is exactly the way the He brothers gain benefits for themselves. As long as they reveal a little inside information to these

Businessmen, it is easy for them to treat the He brothers as gods. However, He Xiao's identity is relatively sensitive, and some words should not be said directly from his mouth, so after receiving the benefits, these businessmen who asked for help were sent to

Come up from He Li's Mansion.

"Everyone must know that the Haihan people's self-government in Fushan County, Dengzhou, Shandong Province has become a local climate. The Shandong government can't fight or drive them away, so it can only acquiesce in the existence of the Haihan people in the local area."

He Li paused for a moment when he said this. Seeing that these people were listening attentively, and there was no look of impatience on their faces, he continued: "But when winter came last year, the Haihan people had already mobilized troops to expedition to the north of Liaodong.

, captured Port Arthur from the hands of the gold thieves. The fighting started again this spring, and the gold thieves were forced to retreat hundreds of miles north. It is said that there were thousands of gold thieves' heads chopped off on the battlefield alone!

Haihan is starting a war in the north, and he needs a lot of supplies, which have to be transported from the south by sea ships. At this time, you take the initiative to obtain the qualifications to carry the northern route. This is a timely help to Haihan. It will definitely be used in the future.

There are benefits.”

Another businessman with a goatee replied: "Master He, the Haihan people have created such a big battle in Liaodong. What will the imperial court's reaction be if they find out? Are they just going to sit back and watch them take Liaodong as their own? I'll tell you.

I'm worried that the imperial court can't do anything to the Haihan people, but it will vent its grievances on others. If the imperial court comes out with some accusations of inside and outside affairs, how can I afford to be accused of such crimes if I am promoted to a commoner?"

He Li glanced at Goat Beard. The worries this man mentioned are probably things that most businessmen who have a cooperative relationship or intention to cooperate with Haihan will think of. However, most people have limited information and have no idea at all.

The situation in the north has given rise to such worries.

He Li pretended to be profound and said: "The court punishes the crime? As you know, this time the Haihan people used force in Liaodong, our Ming army also participated in it! This post-war reward will be reported in the name of our Ming army. To regain the lost land,

By annihilating the enemy army, do you think the court is punishing the enemy or showing merit?"

Goat Beard couldn't hide his surprise and said: "My Ming army actually went to Liaodong? Could it be that the imperial court had already formed an alliance with the Haihan people without saying a word?"

He Li didn't dare to talk nonsense about this matter. If the news spread out wrongly, he couldn't bear the crime. He quickly clarified: "I never said anything about the alliance between the imperial court and Haihan, and neither do you."

Please note that it is a serious crime to spread rumors without permission!"

Goat Beard agreed submissively, but in his heart he slandered that He Li was not discussing government affairs just now, but why the Ming Dynasty would join forces with Haihan to send troops to Liaodong, this question still lingered in his mind.

As if he guessed what he was thinking, He Li went on to explain: "The Ming army that sent troops to Liaodong was a Ming army belonging to Dongjiang Town. Everyone in Dongjiang Town has heard of it, right? It was the deployment of General Mao Wenlong and Mao.

, now his in-law Shen Shikui has taken over. It is said that Chief Shen is very close to the Haihan people, and the dispatch of troops probably has nothing to do with the imperial court's intention, it is a move to kill first and report later."

Another dark-skinned businessman present continued: "If he really sent troops without the consent of the imperial court, Mr. Shen would be quite courageous. Fortunately, he won the battle. If he had lost, he would probably be liquidated.

You will be punished with a serious crime!"

He Li glanced at him, chuckled and said: "Dongjiang Town has lost Liaodong for several years, why did it counterattack at this time? It is naturally because of the support of the Haihan people. As far as I know, this northern expedition to Liaodong,

The Haihan people transferred a lot of troops from the south to participate in the war, and even the garrison on Zhoushan Island also transferred a lot of troops."

The fat businessman responded: "Yes, in the recent period of time entering and leaving Dinghai Port, we have indeed not seen Haihan's warships anymore. They must have been transferred to the north."

He Li continued: "If you ask friends who are in the grain business, you will know how much grain Haihan has purchased from the market in recent months. Think of the bitter cold land of Liaodong, where the farmland was abandoned after being occupied by gold thieves.

All the food and fodder needed by this army must be purchased in the south and transported there, and only the Haihan people can be so generous!"
Chapter completed!