Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 353: Chapter 341: Acquiring a New Ship

After Cui Hongtao left, Yang Zhenshan came to Yu Tonghai’s study.

In the study, Yu Tonghai was engrossed in drafting their observations from their time in the Li Sheng Dynasty with Sun Cheng. In reality, they had not penetrated deep into the Li Sheng Dynasty but merely stayed in the southernmost Qunshan Prefecture City for a while, and the information they gathered was collected within the city walls of Qunshan Prefecture.

Yang Zhenshan perused the content they had written, lost in thought.

From what the two had seen and heard, it was apparent that the living conditions in the Li Sheng Dynasty were not well—the spirit and physical stature of the people within Qunshan Prefecture City were weak, likely the results of prolonged starvation.

This was understandable; according to what Sun Cheng had said earlier, the Li Sheng Dynasty’s rebellion had broken out four years ago, meaning this civil war had been ongoing for four years.

A war lasting four years could plunge the entire Li Sheng Dynasty into the throes of famine and poverty.

After all, the Li Sheng Dynasty was not vast in size, roughly equivalent to a single province of Da Rong, even smaller than the Liaodong Region.

The Liaodong Region refers to a large portion of Liao Yuan Province, Ping Yuan Province, and Shanhe Province, already twice the size of the Li Sheng Dynasty.

A mere province’s land, enduring a four-year-long civil war—the outcome is self-evident.

Thinking it over, Yang Zhenshan also sat down beside them, picked up a blank document, and began to write.

He intended to report this matter to the old Emperor, involving the succession of power in the Li Sheng Dynasty—definitely not a decision he could make on his own.

Also, if he wanted to continue trading with the Li Sheng Dynasty, he needed the old Emperor’s consent.

As for whether the old Emperor would agree, Yang Zhenshan was unable to predict.

Soon, the three compiled a memorial and a dossier, which Yang Zhenshan took back to Guard City to be sent via the courier station in Jing’an Prefecture to the Capital City.

Regarding trade with the Li Sheng Dynasty, it had to be halted temporarily; before obtaining the old Emperor’s consent, Yang Zhenshan felt it best not to resume trade for now.

However, this did not mean Yu Tonghai and Sun Cheng could rest on their laurels.

Yu Tonghai had already entrusted the southern sea routes to Xue Ping and Ning Bo. In time, they would also train other deputies to take over from Xue Ping and Ning Bo. Setting sail was not only for trade but also for nurturing talents.

Why Yang Zhenshan had waited three months before sending the fleet to the Li Sheng Dynasty was firstly because the Navy required training, and secondly due to a shortage of nautical expertise.

Three months were insufficient for an ordinary soldier to become a seasoned sailor or for someone completely new to gain a wealth of nautical experience.

But it was enough time for them to adapt to sailing at sea, etching the basic knowledge of navigation into their hearts.

With the old leading the new, they would gradually accrue experience.

Only in this way could a formidable Navy be cultivated, a troop of Military Officers adept in navigation and naval combat.

Now that trade with the Li Sheng Dynasty was not feasible, it certainly affected Yang Zhenshan’s plans, but this was not a major issue. If not the Li Sheng Dynasty, then trade could be directed to the Desheng Dynasty.

After five days of rest, Yu Tonghai and Sun Cheng set out to sea again with over twenty warships and merchant ships, heading towards the Desheng Dynasty.

The day after Yu Tonghai and Sun Cheng departed, Luo Shang arrived at the Tenglong Guard.

Luo Shang had just returned from Jiangnan. Initially, he planned to head back to Liaodong after Luo Chen returned to Jiangnan, but Yang Zhenshan had arranged a task for them, so he stayed in Jiangnan for two more months.

Inside the Guardian Department office, Luo Shang visited Yang Zhenshan’s study.

“You’ve worked hard!” Yang Zhenshan looked at a much thinner Luo Shang and said with concern.

Luo Shang let out a hearty laugh, “My lord jests, it was hardly hard work for me!”

Yang Zhenshan smiled wryly, poured him a bowl of tea, and asked, “The fleet encountered no accidents, did they?”

Luo Shang didn’t return alone; he came back with the fleet of the Tenglong Guard.

“All went smoothly, and the task you entrusted was accomplished!” said Luo Shang.

“Oh? How many ships did you buy?” Yang Zhenshan asked with interest; he had tasked Luo Shang with buying ships.

Currently, Tenglong Guard possessed over a hundred warships, including two Da Fu Ships, eight Hai Cang Ships, sixteen patrol ships, twenty-four mother-and-child ships, and eighty Eagle Ships—the standard allocation for a navy garrison.

Besides the warships, the Tenglong Guard also owned eight merchant ships—the same eight merchant ships Yang Zhenshan bought from the Zhang family of Liao’an.

Even though the Da Fu Ships and Hai Cang Ships could also carry cargo, they were not cargo ships after all, and their cargo capacity was far less than that of dedicated freighters.

If the routes to Jiangnan, the Li Sheng Dynasty, and the Desheng Dynasty were all open, then the current number of merchant ships would be insufficient. Hence, Yang Zhenshan had Luo Shang purchase some additional merchant ships in Jiangnan.

“Hehe, eighteen! Four Da Fu Ships, and fourteen fast ships,” Luo Shang said.

Yang Zhenshan’s brow raised, “That many!”

“That’s not all; I also placed an order in a Jiangnan shipyard for two more Da Fu Ships and ten fast ships!”

Luo Shang glanced at Yang Zhenshan and added, “However, my lord, I hope you would allocate some of those ships to me. I would like two Da Fu Ships and six fast ships.”

Yang Zhenshan was speechless, this fellow was eager to form his own fleet.

But this was to be expected; within a mere three months, the Tenglong Guard had made nearly one hundred thousand taels of silver on the Liaodong and Jiangnan routes, with each voyage yielding over ten thousand taels in profit.

With such a hefty profit, it was natural for Luo Shang to be covetous and understandable for him to want to create his own fleet.

“Did all eighteen merchant ships come back with you?” Yang Zhenshan inquired.

“Yes, they’re currently docked at the port!” Luo Shang replied.

Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly, “How’s the quality?”

“Although they are second-hand ships, they’ve been well-maintained and should serve for another decade without issues!” said Luo Shang.

“Hmm, these ships belong to the Tenglong Guard. You can wait for the batch from the shipyard!” Yang Zhenshan bluntly stated.

“Uh! Sir, could you first allocate a few ships to me, so I can start training the ship workers!” Luo Shang said somewhat reluctantly.

Right now, he had neither people nor ships on hand, and it would take a long time to build up a fleet.

According to his plan, he would first recruit a group of experienced ship workers, then hire a batch of new ones, train them for two or three months, and by September or October, they would be ready to set sail.

As for the ship captains, he had already engaged two of them.

“Ship workers?” Yang Zhenshan chuckled, “Just put the ship workers into the Navy Camp for two months of training, then they can go straight to sea when the new ships arrive!”

It’s easier to train ship workers for merchant ships than for warships; they just need to know how to operate the vessel.

“That’s true!” Luo Shang pondered and felt that this was also a feasible approach.

“Alright then, I’ll just wait for the new ships!”

Yang Zhenshan laughed: “Recruit more ship workers; the Tenglong Guard is also short on ship workers!”

Eighteen merchant ships require a substantial number of workers, at least four to five hundred. Navy Soldiers can temporarily work as ship workers on merchant ships, but sooner or later, they will need to be replaced.

Hmm, they can be recruited internally from the Tenglong Guard, which also provides employment opportunities for the military households.

“Uh!” Luo Shang did not expect Yang Zhenshan to arrange another task for him so quickly, “Sir, it would be more appropriate for the government office to handle this!”

“Hmm, I will arrange for two people from the government office to cooperate with you!” said Yang Zhenshan.

The civil servants in the government office were all busy; it was already challenging to spare two staff members. Therefore, Yang Zhenshan could only conscript able-bodied men, leaving Luo Shang in charge of this matter.

“Alright then!”

Luo Shang thought about it and did not refuse; after all, he needed to recruit ship workers anyway, and recruiting more wouldn’t be too troublesome.

Besides, it would undoubtedly be easier to recruit under the name of the government office than on his own.

…

Luo Shang was very efficient. The next day after arriving at Guard City, he took two civil servants out of the city to recruit ship workers.

His actions naturally could not be concealed from other merchants within Guard City, and before long, many merchants approached him to find out what he was recruiting ship workers for. He did not hide it, straightforwardly stating that he aimed to establish a fleet.

When other merchants heard about this, they couldn’t help but be tempted and rushed to the Guardian Department to meet Yang Zhenshan, wanting to know if they, too, could now form their own fleets.

Originally, Yang Zhenshan had said that once the trade routes were opened, they would be allowed to build fleets.

Although only the route to Jiangnan had been opened so far, they were already impatient.

Naturally, Yang Zhenshan wouldn’t refuse them; this was a good thing, and he would be pleased if all these fellows set up their own fleets. Then, the Guardian Department just needed to sit at the dock and collect silver.

Moreover, building a fleet wasn’t something that could be achieved in a short time; it would take at least three to five months, and if they were starting from scratch, it might take a year and a half.

So Yang Zhenshan agreed to their requests to build fleets without hesitation and even promised they could train the ship workers at the Navy Camp.

With Yang Zhenshan’s consent, these merchants quickly sprang into action.

Among them, the quickest to act was the Hengdao Sect from Jizhou, which already had its own fleet and engaged in maritime trade.

However, engaging in maritime trade from Jizhou meant they would be taxed by the Market Shipping Department, so they had long wanted to dock at the piers of Tenglong Guard.

However, the Hengdao Sect did not pull all of their fleets to Tenglong Guard but prepared to establish a new fleet there.

Their approach was strategic, as they first had a close relationship with the Market Shipping Department in Jizhou and couldn’t afford to offend them merely for profit.

Secondly, the distance from Tenglong Guard to Jizhou was quite long, and transporting goods from Tenglong Guard to Jizhou might not be cheaper than paying taxes to the Market Shipping Department.

They planned to establish a goods transshipment station in Tenglong Guard, mainly providing goods for commercial shops north of Jizhou.

In this way, they could not only avoid the taxation of the Market Shipping Department but also save on a substantial amount of transportation costs—a win-win situation.

To this, Yang Zhenshan naturally had no objections, and he even specifically demarcated a piece of land near the dock for the Hengdao Sect to build warehouses.

The land near the dock was saline-alkali and virtually worthless; even if it were given for free, it would not make a difference.

However, if the Hengdao Sect established a storage base there, it would bring many benefits to Tenglong Guard.

Not to mention anything else, but a storage base would undoubtedly require a lot of porters, providing at least a hundred job opportunities for Tenglong Guard.

Alright, Yang Zhenshan was now starting to consider employment issues for the military households.

While fields cultivation was fundamental for garrisons, every additional job meant another source of income for a military household.

The life of military households was very tough. Let’s say, military households were even worse off than tenants; tenants in Liaodong only needed to pay forty percent of their harvest as rent to the landlord, while military households had to submit fifty percent of their grain.

Although soldiers received food allowances, those allowances were also deducted from their own supplies.

Taking their grain and then providing them with a food allowance was nonsensical.

If the weather was favorable, they could manage to get by, but in case of natural disasters or man-made calamities, they would have to starve.

Natural disasters were rare, but man-made calamities were constant – officials encroaching on garrison farmland, enslaving soldiers, embezzling food allowances. The outcome was foreseeable.

The reason why Da Rong’s garrisons were so corrupt and military households constantly fled was that they genuinely couldn’t survive.

As for the cultivation of garrison farms, Yang Zhenshan was powerless to change that; it was a systemic problem within Da Rong and not something he could alter.

Therefore, all he could do was provide as many jobs as possible for military households and ensure the full distribution of food and money allowances.

No matter who it was, as long as they were willing to invest in Tenglong Guard, Yang Zhenshan was willing to offer convenience.

Hengdao Sect was just the beginning; he would try to entice other merchants to set up industries in Tenglong Guard and to increase their investments.