Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 706 Struggle

Xie Yizhi did not value Xie Chengrang, his illegitimate son, but the two of them were very similar in temperament.

Xie Yuyan felt that his deduction was probably correct.

So, did Xie Chengrang know Cao Yu and his wife at this time?
She wasn't in a hurry to ask Cao Yu. She knew she might not be able to get the truth out of him, but she could see through things if she paid attention.

Xie Yuyan reached out and closed the window. Mother Yu knocked on the door and came in, saying, "The Guo brothers are here."

Guo Xiong and Guo Chuan quickly entered the house. They bowed to Xie Yuyan, and Guo Xiong said, "These past two days we went to sea with the imperial ships and met many more boatmen."

"Many people here make a living on the water, and many of them have worked as boatmen."

Guo Chuan continued, "The imperial court has shipyards here, and craftsmen also build ships for private individuals."

During this time, the eldest daughter-in-law came to the sea with the people of the demon cult. She and her brother hid among the demon cult members and, in addition to keeping a close eye on the situation, also gained a lot of knowledge.

Within the demonic sect, many people spend years at sea, possessing an almost encyclopedic knowledge of ships and the sea. Of course, the sea and waves are beyond human control; he is referring to their ability to discern directions and navigate at sea.

His fleet on the Bian River was nothing compared to those powerful maritime merchants.

If we could have more ships in the future, it would be great to venture out to sea.

Guo Xiong felt that he wasn't just imagining things. If his wife didn't have this intention, she wouldn't have let her brothers look at these things everywhere.

Xie Yuyan said, "Our boats are all used on inland waterways, so they are naturally different from ocean-going vessels. Sailing at sea is also much more dangerous, and encountering big storms is a matter of life and death."

Guo Xiong naturally knew this, but he felt he should go to the sea to take a look.

“We encountered some merchants from the Western Regions. They could speak some Daliang dialect, but their voices were incredibly strange,” Guo Chuan said. “They all had shifty eyes. Seeing that we didn’t understand the Western language, they spoke to us behind our backs. When the leading soldiers questioned them, they tried to take the opportunity to extort some benefits. In short, they were all as cunning as devils. I wonder how much money they made from the goods they brought.”

"Aren't the demonic sect and officials colluding with them for profit? They produced their accounts, and the goods were all sold legitimately. No matter what happens to the buyers, they can't be held responsible."

Guo Xiong said, "It is precisely because we have seen these things that we want to go to sea even more. If we know nothing about them, wouldn't we be left to do whatever we want? At that time, what to buy and sell, and how much money to make, will all be controlled by these people."

Mentioning this, Guo Xiong's face showed a hint of anger: "Those foreign merchants are despicable in more ways than this. On their ships, there are also many of our Liang people, all of them pale and thin, being driven to do labor. When the military officers wanted to take them back, those foreign merchants refused, saying that they had bought those people and that they even had proper indemnities in their hands."

Guo Chuan nodded in agreement. They seemed to see their own reflections in those people enslaved by the barbarians, and for some reason, they felt particularly uneasy.

Xie Yuyan said, "There are pirates at sea, as well as merchants who collude with foreign merchants. It's more dangerous than you think."

Guo Xiong nodded: "If the Demonic Cult were still around, we might not dare to think about these things for the time being."

"But now that the members of the demonic sect have been arrested, the imperial court is reorganizing maritime transport and needs many ships to go to sea."

"In the past two years, the imperial court has frequently sent people to patrol the sea, and those pirates have become more restrained. In short, now is the best time for our merchant caravan to go to sea."

Buying boats and recruiting boatmen both take time; it will take at least two years to see results once these arrangements are made. Guo Xiong and Guo Chuan had already discussed this on their way back. As long as Madam agreed, the brothers would split up: Guo Xiong would stay in Fujian to handle these matters, while Guo Chuan would return to the Bian River first. To control a trade route, whether it's inland waterway or sea transport, they would need their own manpower.

Just like this time, if it weren't for Zhao Zhongliang's security team, they wouldn't have been able to escape so easily.

Guo Xiong felt that he and his brother could travel along inland waterways and the sea together, so they could help each other out. When inland waterways were impassable, they could use sea transport. When the sea needed goods, they could transport them from inland waterways.

Xie Yuyan nodded to the Guo brothers: "I do want to get into shipping."

As expected, they guessed correctly, and the Guo brothers immediately smiled.

Guo Xiong said, "Then let Guo Chuan go back with Madam this time. I'll stay here for now. Someone has to keep an eye on things here."

At this point, Guo Xiong's eyes flashed: "The demonic sect has quite a few large ships. The imperial court will deal with these ships. When the time comes, we can buy a few ships and then we'll have ocean-going vessels, right?"

Building a ship takes a lot of effort; once you have a ship in hand, you gain a significant advantage. How did their fleet on the Bian River grow so quickly? Wasn't it because they bought the ships from the Third Manager and those four families?
Xie Yuyan had planned this all along, but she didn't tell the Guo brothers, wanting them to bring it up themselves so that she could let go of the fleet's affairs in the future.

She taught them enough on the Bian River, and the Guo brothers did not disappoint her.

Guo Xiong was more decisive and composed than Guo Chuan, and she felt more at ease leaving him in Fujian. However, there were still some things she needed to remind him of: "The patrol and inspection department will not patrol too far out to sea. Once you are far from the shore, you will have to rely on yourself."

"Therefore, we not only need to recruit a lot of people, but also conduct targeted training, and we must also guard against spies infiltrating them."

Guo Xiong's expression indeed became more serious. He nodded and listened carefully.

Xie Yuyan continued, "Tang Xing and Zhao Zhongliang are about to leave. They still need to transport goods for the border market and cannot stay to help, but I will have Xiaoshan bring people over."

Guo Xiong's furrowed brows relaxed a little. Yang Xiaoshan's men were very capable; they could quickly gather all sorts of information, and those spies who had infiltrated would certainly not escape Xiaoshan's notice.

Xie Yuyan continued, "I will also raise some money and have it escorted over, along with two accountants. We will follow your instructions and buy as many of the Demon Sect's ships as possible."

“I don’t know much about accounting,” Guo Xiong said immediately. “With the accountant here, I don’t have to worry about it.”

Guo Chuan was delighted to hear this and even began to envy his older brother. He wished he could stay in Fujian with his elder brother. However, when the two argued about who should stay, his elder brother mentioned his second sister. He said he had to arrange a marriage for her when he returned to Bianjing so that he could bring her home.

Guo Xiong said, "So, Madam had already thought it through."

Xie Yuyan didn't hide anything from them: "Before, I felt it wasn't the right time yet, and that we should make arrangements slowly until the trade in the border markets stabilized before investing more manpower in maritime transport. But as you said, the situation is different now."

Someone else also wants to replace Xie Yizhi and take control of the shipping business, so she will compete with him.

Since we don't know where they are, we might as well force them to come and find her.

If she thwarts their plans, they will surely turn against her.

(End of this chapter)