With this mind firm, Chen Kai returned to work.

The official documents of the Chaozhou government are basically just reports, and there is a complete administrative system there, from the government office, to the county government, and then to the village elders and Li Zheng in the villages and towns, just like a human neural network, such as the body and the arm. If I have to say that it is insufficient, it is that the organizational power of such networks is still not comparable to that of later generations.

Similarly, there was also a delivery from Qiongzhou Mansion. Lin Cha, Du Hui, Zheng Xingying, and Cai Yuan respectively reported on the coastal situation in Qiongzhou, land defense, civil affairs, and the development of the Shilu iron mine. The things on the side are still unremarkable, only in terms of iron ore, Cai Yuan said that the mining progress is slow, and he will face the difficulty of large personnel losses, and hopes that Chen Kai can send some more prisoners as appropriate.

Regarding the iron ore resources of Qiongzhou Mansion, Chen Kai remembers that there are two very famous places, one is Shilu, and the other is not clear. However, it is impressive that the mining of Ishiroku was relatively early, and it is recorded in the prefectural records, so the locals should know exactly where, while the mining in another place was relatively late, and everything had to be started again.

However, this Shiroku iron ore is early, but it is not easy to scale up. In the past two years, relying on manpower mining and transportation, even if some hydraulic machinery is built in that old forest, the income is far lower than expected. For example, the manufacturing bureau in Chaozhou, the iron ore and iron resources required there are mainly from Chengxiang, Xingning, Changle and other places. Mining from Shiroku is more than just a supplement.

The input and output are not proportional, which is a very big problem. Lying on the desk, with the candle lit, he read Cai Yuan's report over and over again, Chen Kai thought carefully, but he couldn't find a clue. In that case, just put it aside and deal with other things first, just as a change of mind.

These two places are controlled areas that have been in operation for many years, and they are relatively stable, and the degree of damage caused by natural and man-made disasters in these years is relatively small, and they have a relatively stable benefit in terms of taxation and other aspects. Such an example, for the entire Zheng group, as well as Zhangzhou Mansion and Quanzhou Mansion, are all areas of control that have been restored for two or three years. But this is not the case elsewhere.

"Fuzhou Prefecture is short of grain, Yanping Mansion is short of grain, Xinghua Prefecture is short of grain, and Funing Prefecture is also short of grain!"

According to Chen Kai's earlier suggestion, Zheng Chenggong chose people to buy a large number of sweet potatoes in Zhangzhou Mansion, Quanzhou Mansion, and even Chaozhou Mansion. Some of it is for food, while more is for cultivation. Relying on such high-yield crops to fill the stomachs of the people, as for any flatulence and other things, we will not care about it for the time being, and we must first put an end to the problem of people starving to death in batches before anything else.

This suggestion should be effective, because this crop has been transmitted to Fujian and Guangdong provinces in the Wanli period, and has been planted in both provinces, which has basically solved the problem of adaptation of foreign varieties to the local water and soil environment. However, the problem here is that crops have a growth cycle, and there are traces of planting and harvesting. Even, due to the geographical environment of Fujian Province, even if it is harvested, it may not be able to meet the needs of the province, and it is still inevitable to purchase grain from abroad.

"The prefecture and county warehouses of Zhangquan and Quanzhou have done their best, and Zheng Chenggong is still buying and smuggling grain from Dayuan, Japan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. I'm afraid it's a drop in the bucket. ”

In his letter, Zheng Chenggong asked Chen Kai to transport grain from Guangdong, especially the newly recovered prefectures, to Fujian in order to survive this time. Chen Kai carefully calculated that a large part of the grain reserves in Chaozhou Mansion were used in the last months of the war last year. For the rest, Chen Kai had already instructed the Chaozhou Mansion to send it to Fujian, and on the Qiongzhou Mansion's side, the grain output was not as good as that of Chaozhou, and a lot of the stocks were shipped to Hong Kong during the war.

"The army has an order to load 50% of Hong Kong's grain stocks onto the ship and ship them to the Central Left Institute, and call the people below to take action."

Grain, moved out of the warehouse, loaded onto ships. Nie Yiniang, the deputy general of the Hong Kong Island City Guard, was still tied up and stood on the pier heroically, watching the soldiers under his command help maintain order there.

Like a lot of grain shipments, the slightly delicate brows are slightly locked, but they don't say anything. She was the general in charge of the island's defense, and she knew very well that the warehouses had been brought in from Chaozhou and Qiongzhou last year to supply the army. Now that the army is still stationed in the east of Guangzhou, these emergency reserves of military rations have been transported, and it is inevitable that this is inevitable when I think of some heard-about things from Fujian.

"Marshal, the last general has heard that the Fu army is interested in transporting some more reserves from Qiongzhou Mansion."

Beside Nie Yiniang, a man dressed as an officer stood on the side. He came out of the ambulance team with Nie Yiniang back then, and now he is also a guerrilla general in charge of a battalion, and he is the most confidant. At this moment, the officer turned his head and silently told everything he knew, and then looked at her silently without saying a word.

"In last year's war, the counties in eastern Guangzhou and the boundaries of Huizhou Prefecture were short-lived, and the intensity was relatively low, and the damage to the people was far less than that in western Guangdong. In all counties, there are still a lot of military food reserves, and the summer tax should not be a problem, and the army must have been carefully calculated, and there will be no mistakes. ”

The words gently floated out of the small mouth that was not too big but not a cherry, but Nie Yiniang's mind had already drifted elsewhere, and it seemed to be farther away. Only the officer was still standing on the side, silently looking at her side face, motionless.

In the distance, on the other side of the dock, a middle-aged man dressed as an outsider but looking quite lean hurriedly boarded a sea boat. The boat went west, crossed the Dingyang, went out of the cross gate, and then continued westward, drifting all the way across the sea, until the only island in Huangming became its own mansion.

The ship had arrived on the shore, and the middle-aged man had already known about it, and got up and walked out of the cabin, as if he had been brought here from Hong Kong in a hurry. After getting off the boat, there were already a number of people on the dock who were also dressed as outsiders or shopkeepers waiting under the boat, and when the middle-aged man came out of the cabin, there were whispers in the ears of people, and before he could finish speaking, the hurried color had faded and replaced with a calm and complacent.

"Shopkeeper Cai."

"I've seen Cai Yuanwai."

The middle-aged man was not an outsider, but Cai Cheng, the big shopkeeper of the Guangdong Trading Company, the one who was nicknamed the rat's beard. After getting off the boat, Cai Cheng bowed to the crowd, some of whom he knew, some of whom had only heard of it, and many of whom had only seen the name of the other party's shop on the report, but on the face, they were all polite and polite.

Speaking of which, the Guangdong Trading Company, a commercial trading company established by Chen Kai and Cai Cheng, is a subordinate trading unit of the Zheng Group and has its own independence, but in terms of trade, it is the first to look forward to the maritime trade department of the Zheng Group. In recent years, the Zheng Group's main energy has been invested in the five merchants of Shanhai, and Zheng Tai, led by Zheng Tai, has to consolidate their relations with Japan, Ryukyu, Korea, Dayuan, and old trading partners in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. On the ground in Guangdong, especially here in Qiongzhou Mansion and Hong Kong Island, it is more dependent on the waterfront buildings of Guangdong trading companies.

As an agent of Zheng's Group in Guangdong, Cai Cheng is definitely a must to please those merchants. The Zheng Group's licensing system has long been implemented in Guangdong, and the Guangdong trading companies in Qiongzhou, Chaozhou and Hong Kong Island have great energy by virtue of their official background. The amount of goods and money handled is not bad. Although the big boss is still held by the Zheng Group, it is only the soup on the ground in Guangdong, and it is also difficult for the largest local merchants to match.

Most of these people came to do their best, and the business between them and the Guangdong Trading Company was done by their branches here, but there were also a few special people who came to see Cai Cheng, planning to talk about some business through the reception banquet.

The shopkeeper of the local branch has come to the front to introduce these businessmen to Cai Cheng. One by one, Cai Cheng looked around at everyone and saluted: "Brothers, thank you for your high righteousness." It's just that this time I came on the orders of Chen Fujun, and I had to meet Marquis Lin, Du Shuai and Zheng Fuzun first, please forgive me. Tomorrow, tomorrow is early, the city gathers immortals in Gaole, and please come. ”

"Cai Yuanwai said this, it's easy to come to our Qiongzhou Mansion once, and we have to do our landlord's friendship."

Cai Cheng made it clear that he came on Chen Kai's order, and everyone didn't dare to delay, so when the words came, they hurriedly made way for them, Cai Cheng saluted, and took the local shopkeeper into the carriage.

The carriage headed towards the city of Qianhu in Haikou, the city of Fucheng, and it must have been Lin Cha's sailor yamen. The main owner left, and everyone dispersed in twos and threes, some went back to the dock to inspect the freight, some went to the warehouse near the left, and some were only one step later than Cai Cheng, and went to Haikou Qianhusuo City or Qiongzhou Mansion City.

"This Cai Yuanwai is said to have been a small account of the Yamen of the Ordnance Bureau. Later, when he became an official, he was found to be greedy for ink, but Chen Fujun used him again and asked him to be the big treasurer. Now, it's also the dock we have to worship. ”

"People are lucky, and they are rushing to catch up with Chen Fujun, who has just taken charge of the Ordnance Bureau, and the old subordinates who are well-behaved and obedient always have a little thin face. Even if it's a lesson, it's private, and when there are benefits, there will be someone else's share. ”

"Oh, don't be envious, look at people, such a big shopkeeper, I can't count the silver that passes every day. But Chen Fujun's order was given, and the people still came to Qiongzhou Mansion. This kind of hospitality should also be eaten and spicy by others. ”

"Cut, if the old man is willing to use me, I will work hard. Fools can see that when the Ming Dynasty is prosperous, Chen Fujun is at least a six-part scholar, and if he doesn't stutter now, he won't be able to catch up with the heat when the time comes. ”

Last year and today, the situation of the Ming army in Fujian and Guangdong provinces is very good. Although the strength is still greatly inferior, the momentum of the anti-Qing climax this time has been played, and people's hearts will inevitably be excited. The affairs of Fujian, which are too far away, are not easy to say, but everyone in Guangdong can see that the capture of Xinhui, the Battle of Jiangmen and the recovery of Guangzhou, His Royal Highness the King of Xining is the first, Chen Fujun can also be ranked second, and even the Governor of Nashi and the Governor of Liangguang have to stand aside.

Cai Cheng has followed Chen Kai for many years, starting from the beginning, with ups and downs, and now he is also a big figure in the Guangdong business circle. Others mentioned that envy and jealousy were always indispensable, imagining that if they had followed Chen Kai in the Weapons Bureau, they would probably be able to make a name for themselves now.

As the lucky one in the eyes of everyone, Cai Cheng was already immune to this chatter, sat in the carriage, and without waiting to return to the main store in Fucheng, he inquired with him: "How is Jumu's business doing?" ”

"According to the instructions of the headquarters, we have communicated with the mature and raw Li on the island, and the acquisition of the giant tree has already been on the right track. The goods in Fujian, we are all prepared on time, and the rest are placed in the drying field, and they must be dried before they can be used. ”

"Well, come back and bring me the hoarded books."

"Yes."

Giant wood was the main material for shipbuilding in the era of sail warships. Before the recovery of Qiongzhou Mansion, the warships, merchant ships, and masts of the Zheng group were all purchased by Hong Xu from the Spaniards in Manila based on his old relationship. It's one thing to be expensive, but what's even more disgusting is that those Spaniards are also guarding against the Zheng Group, not to mention intermittently, the number of mast giant trees for sale is very stuck, and the inventory is also very strict, which is undoubtedly not limiting the Zheng Group's maritime strength.

Shipbuilding, the Chinese have long had. The giant wood resources in the coastal provinces have long been consumed and it is difficult to form an industry, and the original shipbuilding was to seek from the old forests of Liangguang and Yunnan, and even directly purchased them in Nanyang. Today, the Dutch in Batavia and the Spaniards in Manila are the two most powerful tribes on the South Seas.

The carriage galloped towards the sailor's yamen, and when he got there, he paid a visit to Lin Cha, who also sent people to invite Du Hui and Zheng Xingying over. When everyone was together, Cai Cheng directly talked about the food shortage in Fujian.

Speaking of which, except for Cai Cheng, all of them are serious Fujianese. They have more or less heard about the things there. The methods used by the Ming army during the recovery of Fujian set off a general trend, so that they had the effect of getting twice the result with half the effort. However, the sequelae are also very serious, except for Tingzhou Mansion, Yanping Mansion and Jianning Mansion, the remaining three prefectures and one prefecture are all messes, and it is by no means a moment to recover.

The power of heaven and earth has always been awe-inspiring. But this time, Chen Kai showed the evil of people's hearts, and it really proved the horror of the word greed. But for now, food is not enough, Chen Kai transferred Hong Kong's emergency military food reserves, and planned to use Qiongzhou Mansion to replenish it, Zheng Xingying naturally followed the order, but if he wanted to buy it, it was not so simple.

"After a hard fight in western Guangdong, although His Royal Highness the King of Xining was devastated, but after a year of tossing, the local area has long been ruined by those officials and rebels. Nowadays, the land has been allocated, and it seems to have settled down, but it is even more difficult to recover. During this period, in order to resume production, many people came to Qiongzhou to buy grain, all under the banner of this handsome and that seal, and the surplus grain of the people was afraid that there was not much. ”

This is undoubtedly a big problem. The two provinces were recovered, but the people's livelihood was in tatters, and even the Qiongzhou Prefecture was also under the normal business practices of the private grain reserves have been sharply reduced. It seems that it is difficult to further alleviate the grain shortage in Fujian by purchasing grain from Qiongzhou Prefecture. Fortunately, Chen Kai had already thought of this, and he didn't intend to embarrass these magistrates at all.

"The meaning of the Fu army is to buy a large amount of grain from the Annan side. In this matter, our Guangdong Trading Company has full power, but we still have to ask the three to help cooperate. ”

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