Prime Minister

Chapter 296, page 295: [Setting Sail]

With the salt and grain transport dispute temporarily resolved, Imperial Commissioner Fan Dongyang moved to Huai'an City in the north, leading elite agents of the Jing'an Division and the Imperial Commissioner's personal guard to continue the thorough investigation into the infiltration of the sorcery cult. High-ranking officials of the grain transport office, including Jiang Jizhou, Song Yi, and Wang Guangyong, accompanied him, along with an ordinary-looking carriage.

Inside the carriage, Jiang Fangzheng lay there, his face pale and groaning softly.

The beating was extremely severe; Jiang Fangzheng's delicate buttocks were almost bruised and broken. This time, he would have to stay in bed for at least two or three months. Apart from cursing Xue Huai and Sang Chengze with the most vicious words from time to time, there was nothing else he could do. Jiang Jizhou replaced all his confidants and attendants with soldiers from the Cao Biao Battalion. These people only obeyed the Governor-General's orders and did not allow Jiang Fangzheng to communicate with anyone.

Apart from the high-ranking officials of the Grand Canal Administration, all the leaders of the Grand Canal gangs also returned to Huai'an with them.

Before leaving, Sang Shichang specially called Sang Chengze into a dark room and gave him earnest advice for more than an hour. However, Sang Chengze obviously did not take it to heart, his mind was full of wonderful scenes of him making great achievements in the Yangzhou branch.

Sang Shichang was helpless about this. Even without mentioning Fan Dongyang's request, he didn't have much energy to focus on his young son at the moment. This was because the downfall of Chen Bao's faction had caused considerable turmoil within the canal gang, and many key positions had become vacant. He had to make proper arrangements before Zhao Shengzhong did, lest the Zhao family steal the benefits in the end.

After seeing off his father and other elders, Sang Chengze immediately headed to the Yangzhou government office.

"Chengze greets Your Excellency!"

Inside the government office, Sang Chengze performed the salute with utmost care.

Jiang Sheng and Qi Qingshi looked at this young master of the canal gang, who had almost been transformed, and their expressions were very gentle.

Sang Chengze was indeed a reckless playboy in the past, but he never did anything that crossed the line. Most of his actions were foolish things like fighting over girls and being brave and fierce. Moreover, the people he fought with were mostly peers with certain status and family background. He never bullied or oppressed poor people.

Everyone has witnessed his transformation over the past few months, especially his failure to betray Xue Huai's trust. As the son of the Grand Canal Gang, he reported Chen Bao and Dong Dachang to the Imperial Commissioner, leaving the Grand Canal faction with no recourse. Such decisiveness naturally earned him the approval of Jiang Sheng and others.

After the major case, Xue Huai put down the records of the river dredging projects in Yizhen and Baoying, looked at the energetic Sang Chengze, and smiled, "Chief Sang has arrived."

Sang Chengze said somewhat shyly, "My lord, please don't make fun of me. I am young and inexperienced, and I am not yet capable of taking on the role of captain."

"It's good that you think that way; I was worried you'd get overly arrogant."

Xue Huai stood up, winked at Jiang Sheng, and then said to Sang Chengze, "You've come at the right time. Come with me for a stroll around the city."

Sang Chengze was taken aback. Ever since he met Xue Huai, the Xue lord in his mind was always busy and never had such leisure and elegance.
However, he had one great advantage: he didn't overthink things he didn't understand. He immediately accepted the order and said, "Yes, sir."

The group rode away from the government office and headed east along the Xiao Qinhuai River.

As a hub of the Grand Canal, Yangzhou was a transshipment point for grain from the Jiangnan region and salt from the Huai River region. It was already one of the most prosperous places in the Great Yan Dynasty. After Xue Huai took office, through his sweeping investigations and reforms, this ancient city with a history of thousands of years showed an increasingly prosperous and developed atmosphere.

Especially in the area from Dongguan Street to Dongquanmen, shops lined the streets and people thronged the streets. Although there was no singing and dancing on the Slender West Lake, there were goods and travelers from all over the country. Accents from all over the country gathered here, and in terms of prosperity and noise, it was no less than the scene that Xue Huai had seen in his previous life.

About half an hour later, Xue Huai and Sang Chengze stopped at a teahouse on the street, and Jiang Sheng led his guards to sit down next to them.

The owner of the teahouse was a lean man in his forties, wearing a slightly worn cotton shirt. Upon seeing Xue Huai and his group's distinguished bearing, he quickly greeted them with a smile: "Please have a seat, gentlemen. We have freshly brewed premium Longjing tea, as well as some newly arrived tea snacks. Would you like some of everything?"

"it is good."

Xue Huai nodded and looked at Sang Chengze, asking, "What are your impressions of the journey so far?"

After a moment's thought, Sang Chengze replied seriously, "Yangzhou City has become very orderly now."

Xue Huai was somewhat surprised by this answer, and encouraged him with great interest: "Tell me more about it."

Sang Chengze said, “Sir, although I am the son of the leader of the Canal Gang, I grew up in the streets and am very familiar with the scene. In the past, whether in Huai’an or Yangzhou, what I saw was chaos, with hooligans and idlers everywhere, and unscrupulous merchants and troublemakers were commonplace. But today, following you, sir, I see order amidst the chaos. Everyone is doing their own thing, and the officials are not as arrogant as before; instead, they are maintaining order.”

A smile appeared on Xue Huai's face, and he asked again, "So do you think it was better before, or is it better now?"

"Of course, now is the best!"

Sang Chengze answered without hesitation. Looking at Xue Huai's smile, he then said frankly, "For those honest and law-abiding merchants and people, this order is very important. They no longer have to worry about being extorted or blackmailed at any time. As long as they manage their businesses diligently, they can at least make a living. However, for some people, this order will make them very uncomfortable because they cannot bully others at will."

"Which people?"

"Someone like...like me in the past."

Sang Chengze's answer was somewhat awkward.

Xue Huai praised, "You have indeed improved."

Sang Chengze was immediately overjoyed.

Xue Huai continued, "Your ability to comprehend the word 'order' shows that you have indeed been thinking seriously these past few months, and my high hopes for you have not been in vain. The Canal Gang was clearly powerful in the past, but it could never be brought into the open. People with even a little status regarded you as scoundrels and bullies. Why was that?"

Sang Chengze asked cautiously, "Because we don't follow the rules?"

"To be precise, there are no rules. Only by following the rules can order be established. Only with order can long-term stable operation be achieved. From a small teahouse to a large business, if you don't follow the rules, you can't win the trust of others."

Xue Huai took a sip of the fairly warm tea and said earnestly, "You know how the Canal Gang used to operate. The thugs you hired would harass boatmen and extort merchants on the canal at the drop of a hat. Off the canal, they bullied and monopolized markets and committed all sorts of evil deeds. Over time, everyone became terrified of the Canal Gang. Who would dare to trust you?"

Sang Chengze looked ashamed and sighed, "Your Excellency is right. I will make them change when I get back." "It's not enough to just set rules, especially since you don't have any prestige yet."

Xue Huai stood up and said calmly, "Let's go, let's go to the dock."

Sang Chengze immediately followed.

The Dongguan Wharf was as busy as ever. Sang Chengze looked at the endless masts on the canal, and then his gaze fell on the laborers on the wharf. They were shouting their work songs with high spirits. Although they were still working hard, he could clearly feel that these people did not have the heavy depression and depression of the past.

Xue Huai gazed into the distance and said unhurriedly, "For the Canal Gang, cleaning up the atmosphere is just a means; the most crucial change is to give everyone something to look forward to in life."

Sang Chengze was bewildered; his previous excitement and exhilaration vanished without a trace.

Although he learned a lot from Xue Huai, he had ultimately been a playboy for twenty years, and it was undoubtedly a fantasy for him to suddenly become capable.

After a moment, he looked at Xue Huai and said, "My lord, what should I do?"

Xue Huai smiled slightly and said calmly, "I have already drafted a charter for the canal gang's business. After you go back, you can study and discuss it carefully with Wang Kui. Although he has many of the bad habits of an old hand, he is much better than you in terms of vision and ability and can provide you with a lot of help."

Sang Chengze said with immense gratitude and awe, "Thank you, sir!"

"Don't thank me yet."

Xue Huai said something mysteriously, then led Sang Chengze, Jiang Sheng, and the others onto a speedboat.

Another half hour passed, and the fast boat arrived at the Sanhan River Wharf east of Yangzhou, following a tributary of the canal.

Sang Chengze followed Xue Huai off the boat and was greeted by several wealthy merchants, including Qiao Wangshan, Shen Bingwen, and Huang Dezhong. He couldn't help but feel a strong sense of curiosity.

The wealthy merchants stepped forward to pay their respects, and Xue Huai smiled and asked, "Is everything ready?"

Qiao Wangshan said respectfully, "We are ready and waiting for your inspection, sir."

"Let's go and see what we've accomplished in the past six months."

Xue Huai led the way, with the others following closely behind.

They walked more than a hundred paces north, and the view suddenly opened up before them. Sang Chengze looked up and immediately stood there dumbfounded.

In the vast harbor ahead, a row of large ships were moored in neat rows and columns.

"This……"

Sang Chengze was completely stunned. There were at least forty or fifty large ships in the harbor, and they were all brand new, high-capacity, wind-driven ships!
As the third young master of the Grand Canal Gang, no matter how unruly he was, he still had some discernment.

Xue Huai gazed quietly at the ships. Even though his mind was as steady as iron, he couldn't help but feel a lot of emotions at this moment.

Sang Chengze swallowed hard and asked in shock, "Sir, how can there be so many ships?"

Xue Huai smiled, and Qiao Wangshan, who was standing on the right, explained: "Young Master Sang, this is the fleet that our Lianghuai Salt Association has built on its own. In the future, it can reach Tianjin and Liaodong to the north, and Fujian and Guangdong to the south. It can reach all over the country!"

"fleet?"

Sang Chengze was startled, and he suddenly shouted, "I understand! The fleet organized by the Lianghuai Salt Association is not to compete with the Grand Canal for profits; you want to develop maritime transport!"

"To be precise, it's near-shore freight."

Xue Huai picked up the conversation and said meaningfully, "Perhaps in the distant future, they will be able to go even further."

Looking at Xue Huai's calm and composed expression, Sang Chengze couldn't help but say with heartfelt admiration, "Your Excellency has great foresight; Chengze is truly impressed!"

"Weren't you trying to thank me just now?"

Xue Huai's lips curled up, and he smiled, "Now we'll see how sincere you are."

Sang Chengze said sincerely, "Please enlighten me, sir."

Xue Huai said, "The Salt Association is not short of money, but it is very short of skilled helmsmen and sailors. The Canal Gang has many talents in this regard. I wonder if Young Master Sang can lend a helping hand?"

Looking at the eager expressions of the several wealthy merchants, and then at Xue Huai's expectant eyes, Sang Chengze recalled the experiences of the past few months that had changed his destiny. He patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, sir, leave this matter to Chengze!"

Xue Huai nodded, raised his hand and gently patted his shoulder, and cheers immediately rang out from all around.

Standing on the shore, facing the summer breeze, the crowd looked at the large ships moored in the harbor, their hearts filled with pride and ambition.

(End of this chapter)