novelSusiti Chapter 359 News and Revenue Generation
Chapter 359 News and Revenue Generation
Chapter 359 News and Revenue Generation
On the 28th, three days after Shao Shuyi left, Wu Heizi came to Honghulou and ordered a table of food and wine.
When the others arrived, he suddenly felt a little sad.
Before Shao She left, he had a long talk with him, reminiscing about the years they fought together. When they got to the happy parts, they both laughed heartily and had a great time.
Now that he's gone, Wu Heizi feels a little empty inside. Seeing the soldiers surrounding Shao She only adds to his sour feeling.
What kind of people are they?!
If he were still alive, there wouldn't be a place for any of you to stand next to Shao She. But now you're all so arrogant and haughty, it's really annoying.
Frustrated, Wu Heizi slammed his wine cup on the table, spilling the wine everywhere.
Two heads poked out of the doorway and called out softly, "Big Brother."
"It's nothing." Wu Heizi waved his hand and said, "Stand a little longer, then go next door for a drink. Let Shu Nu and Xiao Qi take your place."
"Yes." The two men withdrew their heads and continued standing guard.
A moment later, footsteps sounded outside the door, and a person led Qi Le and his nephew Qi Erlang inside.
"Shao...Shao She is gone?" Qi Le asked softly.
"Let's go." Wu Heizi pointed to the opposite side, gesturing for the two to sit down.
Qi Le breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but Qi Erlang was somewhat disappointed.
"Before Shao left, he gave me a piece of advice." After the two sat down, Wu Heizi said, "You can continue to gather information from the government offices, reporting everything, important or not. There's a Wang's Cloth Shop near Wuling Bridge that I own; deliver there. If you think this place is too conspicuous, go to the east of the city; there's a Pan He's Grain Shop there, which is also mine. You can send messages or letters; be careful."
Qi Le nodded and said, "Actually, there is something that happened today."
"Speak." Wu Heizi stood up and poured a glass of wine for the uncle and nephew.
"The last of Changqiao's naval forces has also been transferred to Taizhou," Qi Le said. "The imperial court is trying to achieve its goal in one fell swoop. Fang Guozhen is in a very dangerous situation; if he fails, the consequences will be unimaginable."
Wu Heizi nodded with a solemn expression.
When the Changqiao Naval Force was first established, it was stationed in Zhenjiang. Later, it was transferred to Changqiao on Pingjiang Road. Over the decades, the personnel and ships could not be replenished for a long time. In addition, due to internal corruption, there were not many left.
Previously, the army was divided into two parts, one to guard Liujiagang and the other to guard Suzhou. The part in Liujiagang had long been transferred to Taizhou, and now the part stationed in Suzhou should also have been transferred away.
In addition, there was the earlier news that the main force of the Jiangyin naval garrison stationed in Tongzhou had been transferred to Taizhou. The imperial court has a big appetite, fearing that a single coastal naval garrison might not be enough to defeat Fang Guozhen. So, they have transferred all the main forces of the Jiangnan naval forces there, truly aiming to achieve their goal in one battle.
As for why the Yangzhou Wanhu Prefecture wasn't transferred, that's really inappropriate.
Some were fishing, some were transporting goods, and even some high-ranking military officers were operating pleasure boats. They were completely unable to participate in the battle. Therefore, when the Jiangzhe Province requested their assistance, the Yangzhou Road authorities probably felt embarrassed to let the Yangzhou Naval Command embarrass themselves.
With three naval forces assembled, can Fang Guozhen win?
"Master Wu, if Fang Guozhen fails, what will happen to Shao She's side—" Qi Le asked with some concern.
"What do you know?" Wu Heizi asked, his expression changing.
Qi Le shook his head and said, "Master Wu, please don't say that. Shao She has been making quite a stir lately. Everyone's talking about him. People in the yamen are saying that the court will deal with him sooner or later, and he'll probably not have a good ending."
"No way," Qi Erlang retorted before Wu Heizi could speak.
Qi Le glanced at his nephew.
Qi Erlang said confidently, "Shao She is kind-hearted and treats his brothers very well. Nothing will happen to him."
Qi Le was speechless.
Unlike Erlang, he hadn't been involved in many things. At most, he was just an outsider who helped run errands and pass on messages. Erlang had rarely seen Shao Shuyi in recent years, but he still had a deep impression of him. Qi Le could only sigh that perhaps those who do great things need this kind of ability to win people's hearts.
"Erlang, what a hero." Wu Heizi raised his wine cup with mixed feelings and toasted Qi Erlang.
Qi Erlang picked up his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp, saying, "I got married in February, and Shao sent a generous gift through someone. Even the rich man in the village was envious. It really made me look good."
Qi Le hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
At the time, he also advised his nephew not to flaunt his wealth, firstly because he was afraid of attracting attention, and secondly because he was worried that someone would investigate who sent the gift and thus expose the relationship between his nephew and Shao Shuyi.
"Erlang, you're a real man, better than me." Wu Heizi sighed and said, "That's all for today. Be careful when you get back. Those two brothers you brought last time were indeed good, but they were too reckless. Don't do that next time."
"Yes," Qi Erlang replied, then couldn't help but add, "I'm on the same page with them, they won't betray me."
Wu Heizi smiled but didn't say anything.
In the past two years, he hasn't been doing nothing in Taicang.
Shao She wasn't in a position to manage things here, so he dumped some miscellaneous tasks on me. Selling salt in Suzhou was one thing, but leading the government officials in drinking, gambling, and whoring was another.
Through Qi Erlang's introduction, two more archers from the Gutang Patrol Office were lured into the scheme and secretly joined the group.
Qi Le also introduced several veteran officials in the government office—the real "veteran officials," the kind who have worked for many years, are quite old and have no hope of promotion, and have completely given up on any hope of advancement, and only think about making money.
Through their introductions, lower-ranking officials in the Liujiagang Records Office and Maritime Trade Office were also drawn into the scheme. After all, officials in the Yuan Dynasty wouldn't turn down money; as long as they were willing to invest, they were even willing to take the plunge.
Wu Heizi actually enjoyed it, since it was all about eating, drinking, having fun, visiting prostitutes, and gambling, which were exactly what he was good at.
With so many officials involved, it naturally brought about a convenience in terms of information.
When Shao Shuyi arrived in Taicang, the prefect Liu Yesen didn't know until two days later. The original official letter hadn't even been presented to the prefect and darughachi yet, so a copy was sent to Shengye Trading Company first. As for why it wasn't sent to Wu Heizi, it was because he didn't know many characters and was too lazy to learn.
Qi Le and his nephew stayed at Honghu Tower until 9 PM before taking their leave.
They actually revealed quite a bit of important information, the most valuable of which was the mobilization of the entire Changqiao naval force.
The imperial court appointed Duerzhiban, the provincial councilor of Jiangzhe Province, as commander-in-chief, leading six naval units: the Changqiao Naval Commandery, the Tongzhou Jiangyin Naval Commandery, the Coastal Commandery, the Suzhou Commandery, the Baojia Commandery, and the Huaimeng Commandery. In addition, local archers and able-bodied men from Wenzhou and Taizhou were added, bringing the total force to 40,000 to 50,000 men, and launched the largest offensive against Fang Guozhen.
The outcome of this battle directly determined many things.
The next day, at almost the same time, Wu Heizi hosted a banquet for two centurions and one deputy centurion of the Crossroads Army.
Discuss the purchase of military equipment with them, especially copper handguns and gunpowder, the more the better.
The Crossroads Army participated in the suppression of the Huashan bandits last year and sent troops north to Zhenchu this year, incurring considerable expenses. However, the funds and provisions allocated by the higher authorities were meager, and the army had long been operating at a deficit. Even the officers had to use their own money to subsidize the soldiers, otherwise a mutiny would have occurred.
We need to make up for it now.
As for whether selling stolen weapons to local thieves will cause trouble, are you new to this business? You can lose money at the expense of the court and the nation, but you can't lose money in your own pocket.
On the first day of the seventh lunar month, Wu Heizi, disguised, secretly traveled to Huzhou with his men to meet with Yisiha (Isaac), a fellow townsman of Yaoshumu (Joseph), the registrar of Liujiagang and a craftsman and artilleryman in Huzhou's Wanhu Prefecture.
******
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, after several days of commotion, the first batch of seafarers brought back by Shao Shuyi were finally all settled.
Yes, this is the first batch. The Spring Festival travel rush fleet will be back soon, and a second batch will be recruited later.
Every time grain was transported, the seafarers would be attacked by the Yuan court, and rebels kept coming in, with each trip yielding a harvest.
The resettlement work is difficult overall.
As Shao Shuyi said during the recruitment, there were not many mud houses available, which could only be used for the boat manager and those in important technical positions or those who were brave and willing to fight. The rest would be temporarily scattered in Cangcheng, Chongsheng Temple and even private homes, to make do for now, and then move out when the houses were ready.
The seafarers who moved here had mixed feelings about this.
The worry is that the conditions are really tough, and there's concern that Shao Shuyi might not keep his word and that we still don't have a place to live.
The good news was that they were finally no longer being "bleeded dry" by the imperial court. Here in Ma Tuo Sha, no one forced them to pay for their own grain transport, nor did they have to pay taxes. Some even secretly wondered if they wouldn't have to repay their high-interest loans.
In short, the joy outweighs the sorrow, because they are truly free.
However, the relief from the grain transport mission does not mean relief in other aspects as well.
On the third day of the seventh lunar month, Shao Shuyi led Lin Shanyi and others to the riverbank, intending to have them teach the boatmen how to maneuver their boats and fight.
Lin Shanyi has been much more well-behaved these past few days. After all, anyone would be apprehensive if they saw that almost ten times their number of ships and men had suddenly arrived.
These Wenzhou pirates no longer had any advantages, and the navy was no longer their sole superpower. The sharp decline in their status actually made him feel a little sad.
"Shao She, actually we're just dabbling at sea. If we really want to talk about naval warfare, we should go to the government naval officers and generals," Lin Shanyi said frankly.
Shao Shuyi actually understood somewhat.
Pirates excel at small-scale battles, which is their strength. They have many tricks up their sleeves and are full of ingenious ideas. However, once the scale increases to hundreds or thousands of warships on both sides, many of their clever tricks and schemes become ineffective and their effectiveness is greatly reduced.
"Then how did you manage to withstand the government troops' encirclement and suppression?" Shao Shuyi asked curiously.
"The government troops are fighting haphazardly, as if they haven't had proper training for years and don't even know how to fight anymore," Lin Shanyi said. "But I think there must be someone on their side who understands naval warfare, but they just haven't trained enough. Maybe they even have military books that record how to deploy troops, how to advance and retreat, and how to fight."
Shao Shuyi nodded and said, "I'll figure something out. You can teach me your tricks first."
Lin Shanyi responded, then asked, "How should we train? I mean, how often should we train? And to what extent?"
Naval drills differ from those of land forces.
They not only had to maintain the equipment, but also the ships, which required a lot of materials and was very troublesome.
To be honest, if we weren't in the south, we wouldn't need to maintain a navy at all; the daily maintenance costs of such a force are no cheaper than those of a cavalry.
The only advantage is that it can use trade to support the army and reduce expenses, but this is not possible for cavalry.
Upon hearing this, Shao Shuyi hesitated for a moment, then said, "We'll begin with a drill every five days, followed by detailed instruction on combat tactics."
"Okay," Lin Shanyi replied. "After training, are we released to go home, or—"
"Let them go home," Shao Shuyi said immediately.
Just kidding, he can't afford to support a full-time naval commander right now. After training, help him with odd jobs to generate some income and make up for the difference.
After training them for a period of time, Shao Shuyi even planned to take them out to generate revenue and undertake some large projects to alleviate the financial burden.
Admittedly, this is a big move, but we were hesitant to do so before, not wanting the authorities to pay too much attention. But now the situation has changed, so there's nothing to worry about. Just do it!