Chapter 87: The Inspection Team

The Foreign Intelligence Bureau’s permission for coastal navigation was based on extensive research. He, after all, was the dedicated naval intelligence officer assigned to the Foreign Intelligence Bureau by the navy.

By consulting historical records and conducting interviews with numerous native and naturalized sailors and merchants, Xu Ke concluded that a small number of Da Bo Shipping’s transport vessels could freely pass through the Fujian seas, but the ships needed to be adequately armed to deal with possible small-scale pirate raids. However, he also pointed out that if a large number of ships were to pass through, Zheng Zhilong’s attitude might change—any large-scale shipping could attract the attention of these maritime powers.

“In addition, we must consider one point: traditional Chinese navigation techniques generally do not stray far from the coast, often using coastal landmarks as reference points. Even on routes to Southeast Asia, they try to sail along archipelagos as much as possible. However, the senior crew we have trained can rely entirely on sextants and nautical charts to navigate in the open ocean, far from the coastline, thus avoiding the easily monitored and blockaded coastal routes.”

After a period of demonstration and preparation, the second inspection team set sail for Hangzhou aboard a medium-sized Fuchuan from Da Bo Shipping. This Fuchuan was a specially modified vessel in the Da Bo company, tasked with transporting important personnel and cargo.

The ship was equipped with smoothbore cannons for self-defense. In addition, plainclothes personnel from the escort agency and the Special Reconnaissance Team were assigned to the ship to ensure a safe journey. The Special Reconnaissance Team not only carried SKS rifles and grenades but also brought a machine gun and a disposable rocket launcher—to guarantee the inspection team’s absolute safety at sea.

The inspection team’s port of arrival was chosen to be Shanghai County. The Qiwei Escort Agency had established a waterway sub-branch in Shanghai County, specifically responsible for the transfer of people and goods at this port.

In the Yuan Dynasty, Hangzhou had Ganpu as its seaport, but by the late Ming Dynasty, due to siltation, it became difficult for sea vessels to enter and exit. Hangzhou’s seaport had shifted to Zhapu and Ningbo. The navy and Da Bo Shipping personnel discussed and concluded that it was better to go directly to Shanghai than to Zhapu or Ningbo, to first investigate the local hydrographic and geographical conditions. After docking in Shanghai, an advance team would be sent to conduct a field survey of the land and water routes to Hangzhou, so that they could be used for the future transfer of refugees from Zhejiang to Shanghai.

The inspection team’s journey was very smooth. The Fuchuan chose an “outer sea” route—though called “outer sea,” it was still a coastal route by the standards of the old world. However, at that time, sailing far from the “inner sea” where land was visible was uncommon. The ship did not encounter any danger and arrived safely at Shanghai port in late April.

Shanghai County had a long history, with its establishment dating back to the Tang Dynasty. However, until the mid-Ming Dynasty, Shanghai County had no city walls. The county wall was built in the 32nd year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty to “prepare for the Wokou (Japanese pirates).” The wall was nine li in circumference and two zhang and four chi high, with six gates of various sizes: the four main gates in the southeast, north, and west were named Zhaozong, Kuahai, Yifeng, and Yanhai, and there were also two other gates, Baodai and Zhaoyang, commonly known as the Small East Gate and the Small South Gate.

The pier along the Wusong River was located outside the Small East Gate. Since the “Longqing opening of the sea,” this place had gradually become a port city. Songjiang Prefecture, where Shanghai County was located, was famous for its cotton cloth, known as “clothing the empire.” Even on Hainan Island, the birthplace of China’s cotton textile industry, one could see Songjiang cloth. As a cotton cloth export port, Shanghai was slightly prosperous. However, compared to the thriving foreign trade of Fujian and Guangdong at that time, the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang lagged behind. The once-thriving foreign trade ports, such as Liuhua in Taicang and Ningbo, could no longer compare with Zhangzhou, Xiamen, and Guangzhou.

As soon as the ship arrived, people were already standing respectfully on the pier. Seeing the Fuchuan flying the Da Bo flag approaching the shore, they immediately waved from the shore. Standing at the bow of the ship was Xu Ke from the Foreign Intelligence Bureau. His mission on this trip was not only to escort the inspection team but also to personally observe the hydrographic environment along the way. He immediately returned the gesture. Before the gangplank was even properly set up, the leader of the welcoming party on the pier had already taken a few quick steps and boarded the ship, his movements agile and sure-footed, clearly someone accustomed to life on the water.

The man came before him and bowed. “Are you Master Xu?”

News of Xu Ke and the others’ arrival in Shanghai had been sent a month ago from the Qiwei Escort Agency’s Guangzhou headquarters via a coded message scroll. It was relayed from one outer branch to another by couriers and pigeons, finally reaching the Shanghai outer branch. The number of people arriving, and the amount of housing, warehouse space, and porters needed were all detailed on the scroll.

Although this system was not as fast as the telegraph, in terms of speed, it was no slower than the imperial postal service. A message from Guangzhou to Shanghai took less than ten days, even faster than the titang officials who delivered important imperial documents. This was partly because Qiwei had established an effective carrier pigeon communication network under the guidance of Nick, an expert in horse and pigeon breeding from the Agricultural Committee, and had also recruited a group of professionals—the court’s downsizing of postal station personnel had resulted in a large number of experienced postal workers being laid off, and Qiwei had recruited many capable professionals from among them.

After receiving Xu Ke’s affirmative reply, the man gave a crisp salute. “Greetings to Master Xu. I am Mao Sansheng, at your service!”

The man was the manager of the Qiwei Shanghai outer branch, a distant relative of Sun Kecheng’s mother. He had once been a log rafter on the Gan River. Log rafters, traveling long distances on water, all knew some martial arts for self-defense. Later, he became unemployed. Mao Sansheng then went to Guangzhou to join Qiwei, becoming one of the many “cousins” who came to seek refuge with Sun Kecheng. Mao Sansheng’s martial arts skills were not good enough to be an escort, so Sun Kecheng initially arranged for him to run errands, and later to work as a clerk at an outer branch. Although Mao Sansheng was from a log rafting background, he was very good at dealing with people. The General Political Security Bureau conducted a secret investigation of him and assessed his reliability level, then sent him to be the manager of the Shanghai outer branch.

“Everything is ready,” Mao Sansheng said with a bow. “The masters will first stay at the Pan Garden. The goods will be temporarily stored at our branch’s warehouse. We will ship them all together once the boats are ready. The sedan chairs are at the pier.”

“Good. You go and attend to things at the pier.”

After Mao Sansheng left, Xu Ke immediately returned to the cabin. He instructed everyone to pack their belongings and prepare to disembark—especially to wear their wig-topknots properly to avoid revealing their identity. The others were fine, but Jin Lige was a bit of a problem. After all, his high-bridged nose and deep-set eyes were too conspicuous and required some disguise.

Because the Qiwei outer branch in Shanghai was still in its initial stage, housing was insufficient. Fearing he could not accommodate the transmigrators, Mao Sansheng had borrowed the Pan Garden from the local gentry Pan family as their lodging.

This place was located behind the City God Temple in Shanghai County, the predecessor of the famous Yu Garden in later Shanghai. In this era, the Yu Garden was the property of Pan Yunduan, who had served as the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Sichuan during the Jiajing era. It was still in the hands of the Pan family’s descendants. Although it was located in the bustling downtown area, it was a quiet and elegant place, and convenient for dining and access.

The group stayed in the Pan Garden for several days while Mao Sansheng was busy arranging for boats. Of course, there was an official road from Shanghai to Hangzhou, but in terms of travel comfort and safety, it was better to go by boat. Besides, they had a lot of heavy cargo, which would be even more inconvenient to transport by land.

“I can’t believe we’re staying in the Yu Garden. It’s like a dream.”

As the lanterns were lit, several transmigrators gathered in a flower hall in the Pan Garden. Xu Ke couldn’t help but remark.

Several of the transmigrators felt as if they were in a dream. In another time, they had all been to Shanghai, visited the City God Temple and the Yu Garden, and some had even had tea and eaten the famous xiaolongbao at the teahouse by the Nine-Bend Bridge. Now, they were actually living in the Yu Garden—of course, the Pan Garden could only be considered its predecessor.

Zhou Dongtian picked up a piece of hawthorn cake from the table. The four plates of pastries on the table were a “respectful gift” from the master of the Pan family. All their meals at the Pan Garden were provided by the Pan family, and several of their servants were there to attend to them. The Pan family was, after all, gentry, and their food and drink were extremely exquisite. This hawthorn cake was not the gelatinous substance made entirely of sugar and substitutes from the old world. It was made from genuine peeled hawthorn and tribute sugar, sweet and sour, with a perfect texture.

Of course, this enjoyment was not entirely free. After they left, Mao Sansheng would, as usual, present a handsome “gratuity.”

“Your horizons are too narrow,” Zhou Dongtian said, eating the hawthorn cake. “What’s a small Yu Garden? In the future, I’ll go to the Forbidden City and sleep a few nights in the emperor’s bedchamber…”

“That place is not comfortable at all,” said Mei Lin, who had visited the Forbidden City. “I can’t imagine the emperor living in a place like that. The inner court isn’t grand at all; it’s just ordinary brick and tile houses. Not to mention the lack of plumbing and such. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. I finally understand why the Manchu emperors all built summer palaces outside Beijing.”

“I think having a grand banquet in the Hall of Supreme Harmony would be nice,” said Lu Zhongxing, who was on a business trip from the Ministry of Transport. “Set up five hundred tables, each a large round one, and behind each person stands a row of princesses, county princesses, gege, and young ladies of all skin colors. The terraces are filled with orchestras, one Chinese and one European. When President Wen raises his glass for a toast, the orchestras play—”

“Bullshit! Why should President Wen raise the toast?” Zhou Dongtian expressed his contempt. “It’s not like he’s going to be chairman for life.”

“Alright, any transmigrator then. What do you think of this grand banquet?”

“Let’s stop talking nonsense,” Xu Ke said. “Mao Sansheng said we have to stay here for a few days. During this time, does anyone want to stroll around Shanghai and see the local market?”

“Yes, of course. Why else would we be here?” Zhou Dongtian said without hesitation. “We came to Jiangnan to understand the local social conditions. We won’t see anything by staying cooped up in a garden.”

Although Shanghai County was not a famous city in this era, it was, after all, a county under the jurisdiction of Songjiang Prefecture, which was famous for its cotton textiles. Shanghai itself was an alluvial plain, with sandy soil, very suitable for growing cotton. Therefore, the local cotton textile industry and cotton cultivation were also on a large scale and were a direction worth investigating.

The next day, the group, led by Qiwei personnel, toured Shanghai County. At that time, Shanghai County already had 100,000 households, and the city’s residents numbered over 30,000 households. Among the more than one thousand county towns at that time, it could be considered a large county. When passing by bridges and street corners, Zhou Dongtian noticed many people in ragged clothes gathered at the bridges and teahouses. They all had sallow faces but did not look like beggars or refugees. He asked Mao Sansheng.

“Master, these are all weavers, and there are also dyers and calenderers,” Mao Sansheng said. The county had more than two thousand craftsmen who “ate from cotton cloth,” most of whom were casual laborers paid by the day.

“Recently, the cotton cloth market has been bad. The loom owners themselves are struggling to make ends meet. Who would hire craftsmen?”

“The cotton cloth isn’t selling well?”

“The cotton cloth market has been very poor since last year. The cloth doesn’t sell for a good price,” Mao Sansheng said. “It’s not just the loom owners and weavers who are unlucky. The villagers in the countryside who grow cotton are also having a hard time. If the cloth doesn’t sell, the cotton won’t sell for a good price either.”

Zhou Dongtian and the others were speechless. They had thought that Songjiang cloth was already “clothing the empire” and should not have any sales problems. They hadn’t expected the local cotton textile industry to be in such a state of decline. The Ming Dynasty’s economy not only had problems, but the problems were not small.

The group walked to a large residence in Taiqingfang in the county town—commonly known as the “Nine-Room House.” Mao Sansheng whispered that this was Xu Guangqi’s old residence.

“This residence is not currently occupied by the Xu family, only a few servants are guarding it.”

As one of the few figures in China at that time who “had his eyes open to the world,” Xu Guangqi was already seventy years old. However, he was not in his residence in Shanghai County at this time. He had become the Minister of Rites and a scholar of the Hanlin Academy last year, and was assisting in the affairs of the Supervisorate of Imperial Instruction. Most of his family was also in Beijing.

Xu Guangqi’s son, Xu Ji, and Sun Yuanhua were in-laws through their children, and their relationship was extraordinary. Because of the Dengzhou rebellion, the Foreign Intelligence Bureau had been paying great attention to the Xu Guangqi connection. One of the missions of the intelligence team sent to the capital was to try to establish a relationship with Xu Guangqi using the Jesuit connections. In Shanghai, for the time being, no action was taken, only an order was given to Qiwei to pay attention to the activities of the Xu family in Shanghai.

Mao Sansheng told Zhou Dongtian that at the Kuahai Gate of Shanghai County, which was the South Gate, in Kangqu Lane, was the Xu family’s “Double Garden.” It was the ancestral property of the Xu family and was now their vegetable and mulberry garden. The sweet potato was introduced to Jiangnan from Fujian and Guangdong, and Xu Guangqi was the first to successfully plant it locally. Outside the North Gate, there was a peach orchard with many peach trees, which had a very good harvest. In Fahua Town, there was also a farm villa called “Houle Tang,” which was also the location of the Xu family’s ancestral tombs.

“It’s Xujiahui!” Zhou Dongtian blurted out. He knew the origin of the name Xujiahui. Xujiahui was the location of this Xu family property. Xu Guangqi’s descendants had once lived together here, which was how it got its name.

Mao Sansheng looked at him with a puzzled expression, wondering where “Xujiahui” came from. Zhou Dongtian just smiled faintly and did not explain.

Apart from the residence in the city, almost all of the Xu family’s properties in Shanghai were related to agriculture. Although Xu Guangqi’s grandfather had started out as a merchant, the Xu family had little involvement in commerce. However, Xu Guangqi was not a traditional scholar-farmer. Although he did not have much land, he managed every piece meticulously and was very knowledgeable in agricultural techniques, irrigation, and field management. Therefore, the income from his land was quite good. Although later generations knew Xu Guangqi as a scientist who spread Western learning, he was actually a successful agricultural capitalist. There were already quite a few such people at that time.

It was clear that Qiwei’s work in the local area was quite efficient, and they had quickly gathered clear information about the Xu family’s specific situation, although Zhou Dongtian felt it was not very meaningful.

The group also went to several land and water terminals inside and outside Shanghai County to observe the traffic conditions. Lu Zhongxing, who was part of the inspection team, was from the Ministry of Transport. His purpose was to inspect the road and traffic conditions in Jiangnan. He held dual degrees in electrical engineering and road and bridge engineering and had previously specialized in road and bridge quality inspection.

Inspecting the traffic conditions was not only for planning routes for future military advances but also, more importantly, for preparing for future commercial activities in Jiangnan. Transportation has always been a prerequisite for regional economic development.

The next day, Mao Sansheng’s boats were ready. These were two short-distance passenger boats commonly seen in Jiangnan for wealthy people to travel, commonly known as “Wuxi Express.” The boats were not large, but they were fully equipped. Not only did they have bedrooms for rest, but also a living room for dining and daily life. The stern had a kitchen, making it very convenient to supply meals—the Wuxi Express was very famous for its travel comforts. To be cautious, Mao Sansheng had replaced all the crew on the boat with Qiwei’s men. Of course, this also meant there would be no attentive service from the famous Wuxi boat girls. In addition to the passenger boats, two barges were also prepared to carry the luggage. As for the other goods, Qiwei would arrange for them to be transported in batches by multiple boats.

After Zhou Dongtian and his party boarded the boat, they enjoyed the spring scenery of Jiangnan along the way. When they were tired, they would engage in lively discussions in the cabin. Lu Zhongxing had more to do: he had to measure the water depth from time to time and observe the waterway to accumulate firsthand data for future channel dredging.

Bored with sitting in the cabin, the group discussed the transportation plan from Hangzhou to Shanghai. At that time, the most convenient transportation line from Hangzhou to the north was, of course, the Grand Canal. Taking the canal directly from Hangzhou to Suzhou was both fast and convenient. But if the transfer terminal was set up in Shanghai, Suzhou was still eighty or ninety kilometers away.

“I’ve inquired: Mao Sansheng said that you can go directly from Shanghai County to Hangzhou without taking the Grand Canal. It’s just that the river channels along the way are not as wide and deep as the Grand Canal. I’m afraid heavy-laden large boats won’t be able to pass.”

Jiangnan was known as a land of water. Not only were there lakes and ponds everywhere, but the rivers were also crisscrossed. In addition, there were a large number of paddy fields. Apart from the county and prefectural cities, most villages and towns were not connected by land roads and had to be reached by water. Even between prefectural and county cities, although there were official roads connecting them, transportation by water was more convenient. Inland river shipping was very developed. However, most of the river channels had not been repaired or dredged. Many were either not deep enough or too narrow, and only small boats could pass through. The largest were only the so-called “barges.” According to Lu Zhongxing’s estimate, the carrying capacity of these barges was only about twenty tons.