Chapter 4010
Chapter 4010
Chapter 4010
New Year's Day, 1661, Fubo Port in the Persian Gulf.
Despite being far from home, the special forces and immigrants who settled here followed the customs of the Haihan people, decorating the barracks and port with a large number of colorful flags and lanterns, and taking two days off to celebrate the arrival of the New Year together.
Qian Tiandun specially instructed the logistics department to prepare a batch of living supplies in advance as a New Year's benefit, which were distributed to the immigrants who settled in the area according to their households. The supplies included freshly slaughtered livestock and poultry, rice, flour, cooking oil, salt, tea, sugar, etc., to ensure that every household had sufficient supplies to welcome the New Year.
As one of the new immigrants who had just completed their household registration procedures, Su Zhixing naturally received this gift as well. The newly delivered supplies were piled up in the yard, with more than a dozen different items.
Su Ji rubbed his hands together eagerly and said, "I remember the New Year's benefits the academy used to give out, but they weren't this many!"
Su Zhixing laughed and said, "The majority of the benefits distributed by the academy back then were in cash; the other things were just extras."
Su Ji suddenly realized, "No wonder the young master always brings back so few things for the New Year, it's so meager. It turns out he's putting all the real gold and silver in his pocket!"
The academy the master and servant were referring to was naturally Wansong Academy, where Su Zhixing had previously worked. As a renowned academy in Hangzhou and even the Jiangnan region, Wansong Academy was financially sound, and the benefits it provided to its employees during holidays were quite generous.
However, since the academy is a place for academic research, it shouldn't be too commercialized. So, they only give out symbolic gifts, while the bulk of the money is added directly to the employees' monthly salaries.
Those who received the money knew exactly what they were doing and didn't publicize it, lest it damage the academy's reputation. Su Zhixing only revealed this little secret now that he had left Wansong Academy.
In Fubo Port, supplies are far more valuable than cash; many things are priceless and simply unavailable. For immigrants, distributing goods is more effective than cash, saving them considerable expenses.
Su Ji couldn't contain himself any longer and began to take stock: "This is white sugar from Xuwen, Guangdong... top-quality refined salt from Yinggehai Salt Field in Hainan... rock tea from Wuyi Mountain in Fujian... olive oil imported from the Ottoman Empire... Young Master, the Special Forces Division is really generous, these are all good stuff!"
Su Zhixing nodded and said, "General Qian is willing to spend money on the people's livelihood. No wonder so many people travel thousands of miles to come and join him. It is a blessing for the local people to have such a benevolent official!"
If these items were sold at the market in Fubo Port, they would probably fetch around a hundred yuan. But now they are being distributed to every household for free. Su Zhixing estimates that this batch of supplies will cost tens of thousands of yuan.
With such generous benefits, the immigrants who settle in the area will naturally be very supportive of the special forces division. However, in Su Zhixing's view, the special forces division may be able to bear such expenses at the current stage, but as the population of Fubo Port increases in the future, the cost of distributing supplies will only increase, and Qian Tiandun may have to gradually reduce the benefits. He wonders if anyone will feel resentful at that time.
Su Ji asked again, "Young Master, should we put these foods in the kitchen first?" Su Zhixing instructed, "Let's not keep those foods. You can send them all to the communal dining hall later."
Suji said somewhat reluctantly, "Aren't you going to leave some meat or something so we can cook it ourselves?"
Su Zhixing glared and said, "How much can the two of us eat? In this weather, raw meat will spoil in two days. Besides, I know your cooking skills too well. Don't waste food, if you want meat, go to the cafeteria!"
Su Ji reluctantly agreed. His cooking skills were indeed mediocre; they weren't exactly delicious, but they wouldn't kill anyone, and they were enough to fill one's stomach. During their stay at Fubo Port, the two of them hadn't cooked at all, eating communal meals in the canteen. Su Zhixing didn't complain about this, as the canteen food was at least better than Su Ji's.
As Su Ji packed his things, he muttered to himself, "Now that the young master is the headmaster of the academy, shouldn't he be more particular about his food and lodging? The communal dining hall is a bit messy after all, and it's not as peaceful as eating at home..."
Su Zhixing laughed and said, "As the dean, I only have about a hundred students under my supervision, why am I so particular! Besides, the conditions in Fubo Port are limited now, even if I wanted to hire a cook, I couldn't find anyone."
Fubo Port is still in the stage of opening and construction, and there is a large demand for jobs in all walks of life. As soon as new immigrants arrive in the port, they are basically snapped up by various departments and units, so there is no such thing as unemployment or waiting for employment.
Many of the prominent local officials, both civil and military, now choose to eat their meals in the communal canteen for convenience. Su Zhixing hasn't heard of any of them hiring a full-time cook, so as a newcomer, he shouldn't be too unconventional.
Everyone else could take a day off, but Qian Tiandun was the only one who couldn't stop. If he rested for a day, a large number of matters that required his attention would have to be postponed by a day, which meant that many important matters would have to be interrupted and wait for him, resulting in incalculable losses and additional expenses.
He needed to personally oversee and deploy the follow-up negotiations with the Ottoman Empire, the military exercises with the Persian Empire, the various matters that urgently needed to be communicated and coordinated with the domestic authorities, and the war preparations made for the Suez region in the Red Sea direction.
"Our original plan was to send eight warships to the Red Sea port of Zhenhai in January. In addition to transporting a batch of supplies, we also needed to collect information on the sea conditions in the Red Sea, revise the nautical charts, and familiarize ourselves with the environment. However, if we are to hold joint naval exercises with Persia, then these eight warships may have to remain stationed in Fubo Port. The original plan needs to be reconsidered."
The first thing Qian Shaobao reported was a major issue that required Qian Tiandun's personal decision. The original plan conflicted with the existing arrangements, and deciding which to prioritize was indeed a difficult problem.
Although the armed fleet under the Special Forces Division is not small in size, its deployment locations are too scattered, with ships located at the northern end of the Strait of Malacca, Ceylon, Fubo Port, and Zhenhai Port. In reality, each location only has a few ships.
The plan to send a fleet to the Red Sea again was decided last autumn. After all, before officially advancing into Suez, the special operations division had to slowly transport heavy equipment and various supplies to the Red Sea in a piecemeal fashion. Similar voyage plans may be carried out frequently in the future until the time is right.
However, upon returning from his visit to Basra, Qian Tiandun suddenly decided to arrange joint military exercises, which disrupted the original plan. Most importantly, the Persian side had not yet given a definite answer, so the timing of the military exercises could not be determined, and it was uncertain how long the special operations division's warships would have to wait in Fubo Port.