Among Zhao Hao's disciples, Jin Xuezeng is definitely the best in terms of single-round administrative ability. Moreover, he has the full support of Yu Shensi, Chen Huaixiu and others, and the backing of Jiangnan Group.
So Zhao Hao was not surprised at all that he could build the seawall to such a complete level. However, everything still depends on the test of the flood season, and it is a bit early to hold a celebration meeting now.
After getting off the seawall, Zhao Hao got on Jin Xuezeng's sedan chair and headed for the newly built Chongming County.
The county town was about seven or eight miles away from the seawall. When the sedan chair arrived at the foot of the city, Chen Huaixiu and the two elders Niu and Ma, Jin Ke, Wang Rulong, Tong Zigong and others had all heard the news and rushed over.
Zhao Hao got off the sedan chair, greeted everyone with a smile, and then looked up. He saw that the newly built Chongming County had a city wall that was about ten feet high and covered with brand new blue bricks. There were also arrow battlements, gatehouses, corner towers, police stations, etc. on the city, which looked very presentable.
"It's really fast." Zhao Hao couldn't help but praise Jin Xuezeng again. Years ago, he heard Chen Huaixiu say that in order to save time, the city wall was made of adobe and no bricks were laid. I didn't expect that it would be upgraded again in February.
"We have built several new brick kilns on the island and we can make bricks ourselves, so of course it will be faster." Jin Xuezeng was so proud of himself.
"Well, not bad." Zhao Hao walked into Chongming City from the south gate of the county town with the words 'Chong'an Gate' engraved on it.
As soon as he entered, Master Zhao was stunned to see that the inner city wall was still yellowish and made of adobe, without a single brick.
"The production is limited, so we can only save our face first and then we can deal with it later." Jin Xuezeng's old face turned red and he hurriedly explained.
"You are the boss on your own turf." Zhao Hao was not here for inspection, so he was surrounded by the crowd and went straight to the headquarters of Jiangnan Shipping Company on Chong'anmen Street.
Compared to the ostentatious three-story brick-concrete building of Kunkaisi, the headquarters of Jiangnan Shipping is much more restrained. It is just a slightly larger street-facing store. There is nothing new about it, with a store in front and a house in the back.
Young Master Zhao said to Chen Huaixiu with some dissatisfaction: "Sister Huaixiu, it's good to be frugal, but some money can't be saved. After 'Jiangnan Shipping' is renamed 'Jiangnan Ocean Shipping', change it to a four-story building for me, and make the company a landmark of the entire Chongming Island!"
"Yes, sir." Chen Huaixiu responded first, then reacted immediately, his heart skipped a beat and said, "Is the sea transportation about to begin?!"
"Let's go in and talk!" Mr. Zhao nodded and invited everyone to go into the 'Jiangnan Shipping Company'.
After going up to the meeting room on the second floor and waiting for everyone to sit down, he got straight to the point and said, "The news I received the day before yesterday said that the Yellow River and the Huai River had a peach blossom flood at the same time. The Yellow River broke its banks in Pei County and changed its course, causing the water level in the Jianghuai area to drop sharply. The Grand Canal, which is over 600 miles long, was blocked. More than 2,000 grain ships of the grain transport office were blocked in Xia Pi and could not move forward!"
After finishing the intelligence briefing, Master Zhao pounded his fist on the table and said in a deep voice: "According to our analysis, even if the court makes every effort to repair the canal, the blockage will last for at least several years. This is a godsend opportunity to restore sea transportation! We must seize the opportunity, create a fait accompli as soon as possible, and demonstrate an irrefutable and huge advantage, so as to suppress the voices opposing sea transportation!"
In another time and space, the imperial court was forced to agree to sea transport in the fifth year of Longqing. But in the first year of Wanli, Pan Jixun successfully managed the river and the grain transport was restored. Immediately, an imperial censor seized a small accident in the sea transport and submitted a memorial to criticize it. As a result, sea transport was stopped and grain transport resumed...
Since the Grand Canal was built during the Yongle reign and the sea transportation of grain was stopped, how many knowledgeable people have actively advocated the restoration of sea transportation in the past 150 to 60 years?
But why did the imperial court ignore the huge benefits of sea transportation and insist on the extremely wasteful grain transport? Even if they were forced to reopen sea transportation, they would soon cancel it. It was not until the end of Chongzhen, when the Ming Dynasty was about to fall, that sea transportation was completely restored?
The answer lies in the four words "extremely wasteful". The transportation cost plus loss of one dan of grain from Jiangnan to Beijing is as much as two to three dan. With 4 million dan of grain transported per year, the transportation cost is as high as more than 10 million dan.
The transportation costs of tens of millions of shi are a real burden imposed on the people in the south of the Yangtze River, but they will not be reflected in the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue.
It is conceivable that many corrupt officials are enjoying this feast with peace of mind. They don’t care about the benefits of sea shipping. They will definitely seize every opportunity to discredit and sabotage sea shipping!
"This will be the biggest challenge our group is facing right now. Either we defeat them and make them shut up, or we will be defeated by them and all our ambitions will come to nothing."
Mr. Zhao said in a serious tone: "So everyone, I declare that Jiangnan Group will enter a wartime state from now on. All companies and personnel must go all out and fight to the death!"
"Yes, sir!" Everyone stood up in unison and punched their left chest with their right fists in response.
~~
After everyone sat down again, Master Zhao also sat down in the main seat and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, report on the preparations!"
After the group meeting last year, Zhao Hao issued a mobilization order to everyone on Chongming Island, ordering them to make preparations for setting sail as soon as possible and to be ready to receive orders and set off at any time.
Everyone looked at each other, and Chen Huaixiu, the head of Jiangnan Shipping, stood up to report first:
"According to Master's instructions, Jiangnan Shipping recruited 1,000 of the most outstanding captains and sailors before the New Year, and selected 50 of the best 400-ton sand ships. They have been training non-stop for the past two months, even during the New Year."
"That's right." Young Master Zhao smiled. Chen Huaixiu was in a very good position and was very capable in his work. He really had found a treasure.
“Have you walked the route yet?”
"My lord, although the maritime ban has been relaxed and there are endless merchant ships and fishing boats on the sea, a fleet that is too conspicuous will still attract the attention of coastal guards and cause unnecessary trouble." Chen Huaixiu replied in her sexy mezzo-soprano:
"So after discussing with Uncle Niu Ma, I decided to split the whole into smaller groups. I ordered the captains to each take their own ships and sail north along different routes in the first month of the year. They all returned safely at the beginning of this month."
"Not bad." Young Master Zhao nodded with satisfaction and asked Elder Niu beside him, "Have you decided on the route?"
"I was just about to ask you for instructions, young master." Elder Niu Yiqun stood up and mooed, "According to the Maritime Transport Diagram provided by Mr. Kaiyang, there were three routes for the sea transportation of grain in the early Yuan Dynasty."
Mr. Kaiyang is Zheng Ruozeng, the most outstanding military theorist of the Ming Dynasty and the first person to map the territory. He once sailed across mountains, rivers and seas, sailed along the coastline of the Ming Dynasty, and drew a coastal topographic map from Liaodong in the north to Guangdong in the south. He also studied the old shipping routes in detail, and after sailing to confirm them himself, he wrote "Maritime Transportation Illustrations" and presented it to Hu Zongxian, hoping that he would persuade the court to realize the sea transportation of grain.
As a result, Hu Ruzhen failed, and the proposal to transport grain by sea did not even make a splash. Zheng Ruo once thought that "The Illustrations of Sea Transport" would become waste paper. Who knew that Mr. Zhao would come to him again, giving him hope that his dream would come true!
p.s. I have something to do at home today, so these are the only three chapters. I will try to write more tomorrow.