Wenren Sheng arrived in the Southeast Lands and immediately got to work.
Building ships was naturally out of the question. The expense was too great.
He first sought out the boat owners who normally handled cargo transport along the inland rivers.
Though the Jianfu Lands were mountainous, they also had many rivers. After all, this was a southern coastal region with abundant rainfall.
He quickly found more than twenty medium-sized cargo shipping companies.
They operated along rivers stretching hundreds or even thousands of li, transporting goods up and down those waterways.
The larger ones had dozens of inland vessels, while even the smaller ones owned three to five boats.
Year after year, they operated day and night without pause.
The Jianfu Lands lay in the south, where the rivers never froze year-round.
Armed with the Governor's calling card, he had the local County Magistrates summon all these merchants.
"I normally assist with military affairs at the Governor Yamen. The affairs of you boat owners may benefit military matters..."
The moment Wenren Sheng said this, the boat owners were so frightened that they all dropped to their knees.
"My lord, we are willing to contribute silver in service..."
They thought Wenren Sheng intended to requisition their ships.
Everyone knew that government requisition was just like Compulsory Procurement. It basically meant bankruptcy.
They would never pay you for the ships. If they were damaged, you simply had to accept your fate. If you wanted them returned, you had to spend another sum of silver.
Why else was it said that once a business reached even a modest scale, it needed a patron? Without one, it could only wait to be devoured.
Only petty peddlers were beneath the notice of the big predators. Picking on them was too troublesome and not worth the