Moma Liangshan

Chapter 161 A Petty Official in Quanzhou, Deeply Hidden Abilities

During the Northern Song Dynasty, the highest administrative official of the local maritime trade offices was the Maritime Trade Commissioner, who was concurrently held by the local prefect or the transport commissioner of a circuit. Below the Maritime Trade Commissioner were the Dispatch Commissioner, the Tax Commissioner, and the Inspection Commissioner, but these three were all civil servants, appointed and dismissed by local authorities. Quanzhou's coastline is winding and its terrain undulating, resulting in numerous harbors and islands. Furthermore, due to seawater erosion, the waterways are wide and deep. Wang Hao stood on the deck, gazing into the distance towards Quanzhou Port. Seeing this, Di Gongkao said, "Young master, don't be cunning. We're still five or six li from Quanzhou Port." Looking at the dozen or so large and small ships in the distance, Wang Hao exclaimed, "Quanzhou truly deserves its reputation as the world's largest port. Even before entering the harbor, it's already teeming with ships!" Di Gongkao continued, "Quanzhou's terrain is different from Jiaozhou's. The coastline here is jagged, while Jiaozhou Bay is like a pocket!" Wang Hao was even more surprised, saying, "The more open the terrain, the more dispersed the ships are. It seems Quanzhou truly is a gathering place for thousands of sails!" Di Gongkao nodded, saying, "It's far from the Suzhou and Hangzhou tax bureaus, so there are fewer exorbitant taxes and levies. Moreover, it's close to Southeast Asia, which is why overseas merchants mostly prefer to come to Quanzhou!"

The closer they got to Quanzhou Port, the more ships appeared around them. By the time the seawall came into view, the ships were very close together, and the shouts from the surrounding vessels could be clearly heard. At this point, the Qiuniu warship had lowered its sails and gradually slowed its speed, finally stopping about a hundred paces from the seawall. Soon, a sampan paddled up from the shore and threw a thick rope onto it. The sailors on the sampan picked up the rope and secured it to the mast. The boatman on the sampan took the other end of the rope and returned to the shore, handing it to the trackers. The trackers pulled the rope closer, and with shouts, the Qiuniu warship smoothly docked. Wang Hao's application to enter the port had been submitted half an hour earlier, and only the dispatcher, Li Qing, could arrive now. Li Qing's first impression was that he was dark-skinned, the kind of dark tan caused by years of exposure to sunlight.

Across the ship's railing, Li Qing called out loudly, "Li Qing, the Dispatcher of the Quanzhou Maritime Trade Office, pays his respects to Lord Wang!" Wang Hao stepped over the railing and onto the shore, saying, "Lord Li, there's no need for such formalities!" Li Qing continued, "I have already sent your visiting card to Prefect Chen's residence, and Tax Commissioner Huang and Inspector Chen are on their way!" Wang Hao said, "I came here only to witness the splendor of Fujian; I dare not be too accommodating!" Li Qing quickly replied, "Your reputation is renowned throughout the land; it is our honor that you have come to Quanzhou. How could you be accommodating?" He then added, "The wind is strong by the sea; please, sir, rest at the post station for a while!" Wang Hao nodded, and... Looking at Zhao Long, he said, "Tell our men they can go ashore, but they must follow the rules!" Then he looked at Yang Zhi and said, "Give each of them a string of cash!" Upon hearing of the reward, the soldiers on the ship saluted in unison and shouted, "Thank you, young master!" Li Qing was very surprised, thinking to himself, "The rumors in the streets say that Wang Hao is like a local warlord. Now it seems that this ship full of sailors, not calling him 'sir' but 'young master,' is like a private army!" The reason why the Jiaozhou army called Wang Hao "young master" instead of "sir" was because many of the army's allowances were privately distributed by Wang Hao, and the total amount of these allowances was almost more than twice the army's pay. In addition, Wang Hao abolished the court's bad practice of tattooing people to join the army, so the Jiaozhou army implicitly regarded itself as an independent order.

Li Qing thought for a moment, "Wang Hao's meteoric rise is only a recent phenomenon, occurring in the last two years. The Emperor not only personally facilitated all of this but also made him his son-in-law. I'm just a minor official in charge of maritime trade; why should I concern myself with such trivial matters?" He said, "Lord Wang truly loves his soldiers like brothers!" Wang Hao deliberately replied, "With peace and prosperity throughout the Song Dynasty, and thriving commerce, I enjoy the fruits of my labor, and naturally, my brothers should also have some soup to drink!" Li Qing suddenly felt a pang of envy for Wang Hao's men, as their complexions clearly indicated they were living well. He said, "Lord Wang is kind and benevolent!" Wang Hao was indeed somewhat tired and said, "Please lead the way, Lord Li!" Li Qing said, "Please, Lord Wang!" With that, he led Wang Hao toward the nearby post station.

Li Qing, leading the way, was about half a head ahead of Wang Hao. Wang Hao inadvertently noticed that this dispatcher of the world's largest port was wearing worn-out shoes. A quarter of an hour later, Wang Hao arrived at a post station. A room had been prepared for him to rest. Li Qing said, "It takes about two hours by oxcart to get to Quanzhou City, and about three hours by sedan chair. Would you like to stay overnight, young master, or head to Quanzhou City today?" He then explained, "I'll make arrangements as soon as possible!" Wang Hao asked, "Where is the shipyard in Quanzhou?" Li Qing replied, "The shipyard is naturally by the sea!" Wang Hao said, "I'm not going to Quanzhou City for now." Li Qing, surprised, said, "I'll have someone prepare a private courtyard for you, Lord Wang!" Wang Hao said, "Excellent!" Li Qing said, "I'll arrange it immediately." "!" Wang Hao stopped Li Qing and said, "This matter is not urgent. I have a question for you, Lord Li. Is that alright?" Li Qing said, "Please speak, Lord Wang!" Wang Hao pointed to Li Qing's shoes and said, "I have no other intentions, but with your salary, why are you wearing such worn-out shoes?" Li Qing looked embarrassed and said, "To be honest, Lord Wang, my monthly salary is five strings of cash and two bushels of grain. Unfortunately, I am the only son in my family, and my wife is the only daughter. Our four elderly parents, plus three sons and three daughters, all depend on this meager salary, so we are somewhat strapped for cash!"

Wang Hao then asked, "May I ask your age, Lord Li?" Li Qing replied, "Thirty-six!" Wang Hao pondered for a moment and said, "Do you know why I've come to Quanzhou?" Li Qing shook his head and said, "This humble official does not know!" Wang Hao cut to the chase, saying, "It is said that there are people in Quanzhou who can build pointed-bottom seagoing vessels, and I need such craftsmen!" Li Qing was shocked and said, "Quanzhou does indeed have such seagoing vessels, but their craftsmanship is complex and their cost is exorbitant. To date, only the Lin family has built two!" Wang Hao pressed, "Could you introduce me to the head of the Lin family?" Li Qing shook his head and said, "The Lin family is the richest family in Quanzhou, owning the largest shipyard in Quanzhou. Even the prefect has to show them respect. This humble official is just a minor official; how could I possibly know the head of the Lin family?" Wang Hao was unconvinced and said, "You are in charge of the entire Quanzhou port's operations..." Even if he doesn't recognize the head of the Lin family, he must know the key figures in the Lin family. "For accomplishing this for me, I'll reward you with a thousand strings of cash!" A thousand strings of cash was a huge sum for a minor official like Li Qing. He said, "Inspector Chen Zheng is the prefect's cousin, and he also knows people in the Lin family." Wang Hao suddenly said, "You seem somewhat afraid of this Inspector?" Li Qing sighed and said, "This humble official has neither money nor connections. I only got this menial position as dispatcher because I've been in Quanzhou Port for nearly twenty years, can speak several languages, and am familiar with the major local merchants! Lord Wang is a favorite of the Emperor, and should naturally be close to someone with a background like Lord Chen. This humble official dares not presume to presume!" Li Qing's complaints, however, convinced Wang Hao that this man was an extremely rare and valuable talent.