Chapter 38: Great Wave Shipping Company

The ships of the Leizhou Station’s shipping company were not only small in tonnage and of mixed types, but their condition was also poor, and the quality of their personnel was a mixed bag. Among them were many small-time pirates who had lost their jobs after the Lingao Navy established control of the straits, as well as deserters from the official navy. There were also the water-braves previously employed by Zhu An. Although there had been no trouble under the better pay provided by the Leizhou Station and the navy’s trade escort system, it remained a hidden danger.

As for the navy itself, it certainly had its own ideas about a fleet that operated completely outside its command structure. In relevant meetings, there had always been calls to “strengthen the unified management of maritime vessels.”

However, unifying the two fleets of Guangzhou and Leizhou under the navy’s command and placing them entirely under naval control would create an overly complex command system. This was not yet felt by the various departments in Lingao: to call for a ship, one only needed to call the Naval Department, and the transportation department would schedule it. But for departments in other locations, it was very inconvenient.

The early decision of the Guangzhou Station to form the Gao-Guang Shipping Company was precisely because of the cumbersome procedures for using ships. At that time, when a ship was needed, a telegram had to be sent back to Lingao, and the order to dispatch the ship would be issued through the navy’s command system. This not only involved many steps and wasted time but was also very rigid in operation. The sailors on the ships were not under the direct command of the Guangzhou Station, and any slight change required sending another telegram to Lingao to change the order, which was completely unsuitable for commercial trade. In the end, it was necessary to authorize the overseas stations to organize their own transport fleets.

These factors combined ultimately prompted the Executive Committee to decide to reform the original maritime shipping system and formally establish a shipping company. This shipping company was planned to adopt a joint-stock system, with the Senate holding a 51% stake, and the rest to be raised from natives and naturalized citizens. Qiwēi was, of course, the first shareholder, as they already had a stake in the Gao-Guang Shipping Company.

The newly established shipping company would undertake all the shipping business of the transmigrator group in the Guangdong waters, including trade and shipping to Vietnam. The company’s headquarters would be in Hong Kong, with shipping offices in Lingao, Xuwen, Qiongshan, Guangzhou, and Sanya. In the long term, shipping agencies would also be established in all counties of Hainan Island and in the coastal areas of Guangdong. It would integrate the fleets formerly under the Guangzhou and Leizhou Stations. At the same time, the navy would also transfer some ships unsuitable for combat service to the shipping company, including the five-masted large ships purchased from the Hai family.

The shipping company would operate independently in its transport business, and in terms of organization, it would be under the dual leadership of the Postal and Transportation Committee and the Navy—similar to the British merchant navy reserve system. All personnel of the shipping company would be listed in the naval reserve, and senior seamen would be granted the rank of naval reserve officer. They would have to undergo a certain amount of military training and exercises each year.

After the end of the second anti-encirclement campaign, during the gap before the peace treaty was signed, the Executive Committee entrusted the Navy, the General Political Security Bureau, and the Postal and Transportation Committee to conduct a large-scale three-month reorganization and training of the Leizhou Shipping Company and the Gao-Guang Shipping Company. All native personnel underwent political review and study. Unreliable personnel were purged: some were transferred to land-based work, and a few with notorious reputations and blood debts were sent to labor reform camps. The remaining personnel underwent a major reshuffle: a portion of the young and strong pirates and water-braves were incorporated into the navy, while some older, injured, or less malleable sailors from the navy who were not suitable for maritime combat operations were transferred to the shipping company. The ships owned by the shipping company also underwent some cleaning and repairs, and the smaller ships were phased out—from the perspective of efficiency, large ships were more economical in terms of manpower than small ships.

The new shipping company was officially renamed the “Great Wave Shipping Company.” And Zhang Da-bala, after finishing several months of study in Lingao, returned to Leizhou. This old sea dog, who had originally been just trying to make a living, had, after undergoing comprehensive “re-education,” firmly resolved to become a “follower of the dragon.” He participated in a ceremony in Lingao, received the rank of naval reserve sub-lieutenant, and was reappointed as a captain. He would mainly sail on the trade route to Vietnam, which was also the route he was most familiar with.

Zhang Da-bala walked into a former sugar merchant’s residence on Haian Street, which had been converted into the headquarters of the Vietnam Trading Company and the Xuwen office of the Great Wave Shipping Company. Craftsmen were coming in and out of the courtyard, and the sound of hammering and banging was everywhere. The ground was covered with all kinds of building materials. A renovation project was underway here.

The person he was looking for was Yan Maoda—currently, Yan Maoda also served as the director of the Great Wave Shipping Company’s Xuwen representative office. Yan Maoda gave him his mission: to set off tomorrow, to take several Senators and a shipload of goods to Vietnam.

“Besides myself, there are several other Senators.”

Among those preparing to go to Vietnam were Yan Maoda, who was going to assess the situation and lay the groundwork; Bei Kai, who was preparing for a long-term stay; and several Senators from the military, the construction company, and the long-range exploration team. They were going to prepare for the construction of the Hon Gai armed trading post.

“Understood, your humble servant—I will definitely deliver the leaders safely,” Zhang Da-bala said confidently. “Not to mention we have a new ship now, even with a fishing boat, I would still ensure the leaders’ safety.”

“Yes, I know you have this ability.” Yan Maoda smiled. “You will first take us to Hai Duong, and then from Hai Duong to Hon Gai. Will there be any difficulties along the way?”

“None.” Zhang Da-bala seemed very confident. “Just, how many days are the leaders planning to stay? So I can arrange for the water, rice, and vegetables to be stored on the ship.”

“Bring as much as you can, as much as possible. This trip will be a long one,” Yan Maoda said. “This voyage to Vietnam is not like the previous business trips for trade and transport. It is an important mission concerning our great cause. You must be on your toes and make all preparations thoroughly.”

“Yes!” Hearing that this voyage was of great significance, Zhang Da-bala immediately became enthusiastic. Since he wanted to follow the dragon, he had to make contributions. He couldn’t just have put in the effort without any merit to show for it. For a moment, he didn’t know how to express his determination, and finally, he just managed to say, “Please watch this old Zhang’s performance, leader!”

Zhang Da-bala’s ship was a three-masted junk, originally with a displacement of about 350 tons. After being modified by the shipyard, it was specially used as an armed trading vessel for Southeast Asia and the coastal areas of the mainland. Its displacement was increased to 400 tons. The ship was newly equipped with six 48-pounder carronades and one “typewriter” (a multi-barreled gun), which was enough to deter ordinary small-time pirates. A low poop deck was added at the stern, used for steering, command, and as living quarters for senior seamen and distinguished guests on board. Yan Maoda and Bei Kai lived here. The ship’s name was “Zhennan” (Suppressor of the South).

Zhang Da-bala arranged for the crew to load the cargo overnight. Not only did they load enough food and water for 30 days, but they also loaded a large amount of trade goods—this voyage itself also had the purpose of delivering goods to local agents.

In addition to the sailors, 20 marines were sent to the ship to provide armed security, and several bodyguards from the Leizhou branch of the Qiwēi Escort Agency served as personal protection.

The Zhennan set sail. The journey across the Gulf of Tonkin was not smooth. Due to the wind direction, the route had to be very tortuous, and it took almost four days to reach the port of Hai Duong in Vietnam.

The Leizhou Station’s trade with Vietnam was very successful. However, because it involved foreign policy issues at the beginning, they did not expand on a large scale. They only opened a trading post in the port of Hai Duong in the name of the Dachang Rice Company, a company they had invested in in Leizhou. They sold sugar and various miscellaneous goods to local merchants and bought rice, high-quality timber, and coal—there were a small number of small coal kilns in this area. In Hai Duong, their biggest trading partner was still Vo Ngoc Giap. This great landlord of North Vietnam seemed to have an endless supply of rice, continuously selling rice to them. Later, because the demand from Lingao was too great, Vo Ngoc Giap’s stewards said they couldn’t keep up with the husking, so now they directly exported dried paddy.

Near the Hai Duong wharf, there was a Chinese merchant street where a large number of merchants from the Ming Dynasty gathered, selling all kinds of miscellaneous goods from China and Southeast Asia. The Dachang warehouse was located on this street.

From the street scene and the pedestrians on the road, it was very similar to a small coastal county in the Ming Dynasty. Even the dialects heard were various Ming dialects, especially Cantonese, Minnan, and Hakka. On the way, Yan Maoda and Bei Kai also saw several small local guild halls, which showed the deep penetration of the Chinese here.

Yan Maoda thought that this was a force that could be utilized. Once the full-scale conquest of Vietnam began, these Ming merchants and craftsmen who had settled in Vietnam for many years and were familiar with the local customs and people would be an effective auxiliary force for maintaining stability. However, for now, these Chinese were not yet reliable—not only unreliable but also potentially dangerous. The Dachang warehouse had complained to him more than once—the local Chinese merchants had a very strong sense of regionalism, and their concept was only of fellow countrymen from the same region, not of compatriots. Not only did they openly and secretly exclude and suppress business rivals, but they would also occasionally bring in local officials and bandits to harm their compatriots.

As a new outsider, Dachang had certainly not been spared from open and hidden attacks. Fortunately, they were strong, and ordinary business tricks could not bring them down. Moreover, their cooperative relationship with Vo Ngoc Giap, a local great landlord and tyrant, made others dare not act rashly.

The group arrived at the warehouse. The warehouse had high walls and a deep courtyard, and it was heavily guarded. The officials of the Northern Le Dynasty only cared about collecting money and never bothered with local security. The merchants had to protect themselves. The Dachang warehouse sold and stored large quantities of sugar and rice, and the slightest carelessness could lead to the danger of arson.

The local manager was named Zhu Fuyuan. He was a cousin of Zhu Fusheng, the owner of the Dachang Rice Company. His family was very poor, and he had originally made a living in Hai Duong by running errands for Ming merchants. He could speak very good Vietnamese and several dialects. Yan Maoda’s investigation revealed that he had already started a family in Xuwen, with a wife and children, and was a decent person—his whole family depended on the dozen or so taels of silver he earned from Vietnam each year, and their life was very difficult. Yan Maoda recruited him as the manager of the warehouse, not only offering him a generous salary but also frequently using small favors to win over his family. Soon, this man became devoted to the transmigrator group.