Water Margin people

Chapter 1692 Merchants Arrive
"Governor, it's the fleet of the Seventh General, they're here to deliver supplies."

A general ran up to Lin Chong to report.

"Good, you are really punctual. Let them enter the port."

Lin Chong nodded. A ship brought news yesterday saying that two boats of supplies would arrive at noon today.

Several ships slowly approached the shore, the anchors dropped, the sails were lowered, and the cables were tied, and the ships finally completed the docking.

Lin Chong brought his men to the dock.

"Governor Lin, I have been ordered to send supplies."

Ruan Li saluted Lin Chong with a smile, and handed over an account book on the ground, which recorded the details of the supplies.

Lin Chong just looked at the seal on the account book. There was a seal on every page on the side, which indicated that there was no problem with the account book.

Lin Chong handed the account book to the generals around him, and he did not need to be personally responsible for counting the supplies.

"Why are you here? Is the war over?"

Lin Chong looked at Ruan Li and asked. Ruan Li was also from Shijie Village and a relative of the three Ruan brothers. In the past two years, he has emerged in the army and has become a representative figure of young naval generals.

There should still be a war in the Red Sea now, and the navy is the main force. Ruan Li should be serving on the front line.

"Governor Lin, the war over the Red Sea is almost over. General Yue Fei has already set up a camp there. Now the foreigners dare not approach. We can start digging the canal as soon as the slaves are transported."

Ruan Li said with a smile.

"So fast?"

Lin Chong was a little surprised. The information he had received before was that the battle in the Red Sea was still going on, but he didn't expect it to end so soon.

Ruan Li then began to explain the situation. It turned out that the Fatimid Kingdom had been unwilling to give in. They gathered cavalry and roamed around the coast of the Red Sea, trying to use this tactic to force the Qi army to retreat back to the sea.

Yue Fei designed a trap, built an empty camp at a port and filled it with flags.

The foolish foreigners of Fatimid were indeed fooled and assembled a cavalry of 15,000 men to launch a general attack at night.

But after the camp was emptied, gunpowder, ignition materials, and a large amount of black oil had already been buried.

After being ignited, the explosion illuminated the night. The explosion caused by gunpowder, black oil and various flammable materials surprised the Qi army. The explosion of those barrels of black oil was as powerful as gunpowder.

The explosion alone caused heavy casualties among the Fatima cavalry, and the subsequent flames and smoke were still causing continued damage. By the time Yue Fei led his army to attack, the enemy had already lost the ability to resist.

"It seems that everything is going well, but I received news that Saladin has captured Jerusalem and will most likely go to the Red Sea next."

Lin Chong looked at Ruan Li and said.

"I will definitely bring this message."

Ruan Li nodded and clasped his fists.

Boxes of goods were being carried off the ship. Lin Chong smiled as he looked at the various goods. The goods were quite complete. In addition to military supplies, there was also everything from food and clothing to daily necessities, even tea.

"How come the supplies arrived so quickly? They came once two months ago!"

Lin Chong asked. Two months ago was the Chinese New Year. According to the plan, supplies should be delivered once every three months, and they still had some supplies left over.

"His Majesty said that sending it once every three months is too long. If we encounter a monsoon, it will be too late to return it. We cannot let the army starve, so let us send it once every two months."

"But it's easy now. Merchants are all rushing to go out to sea to make money, so the transportation of goods is no longer a problem!"

Ruan Li smiled and said that the last time the emperor encountered a strong wind at sea, he thought that extreme weather might affect transportation. "Merchants are rushing to go out to sea?"

Lin Chong frowned and asked, the war on the front line hasn't ended yet, why are the merchants coming here?

"Yes, there are some merchants coming with me this time, but their boat is slow, so they are all at the back. They should be here soon!"

Ruan Li said that their huge ships were sailing at a fast speed, which those merchant ships could not compare with. They could not slow down and wait. The sea area had been cleared of pirates and there was no possibility of getting lost if they entered the Persian Gulf.

"It's really here!"

Lin Chong looked at the sea and saw ten merchant ships approaching slowly. From their draft and slow speed, he could tell that the ships of these unscrupulous merchants were on the verge of being overloaded.

It is not so easy for merchant ships to dock. They are ordered to stop and undergo inspection before approaching the port, and can only dock after the inspection is completed.

"Greetings, Governor Lin! Here is our customs clearance certificate and the cargo list."

Several leading merchants came to Lin Chong at the first time, saluted and asked, and handed over various certificates. These were very important. Without these, the local garrison could kill them on the spot as fugitives.

"Since His Majesty has ordered you to come, I can only obey your orders. However, if you interfere with military affairs, you will be punished according to military law!"

Lin Chong looked at the merchants and said bluntly that it was easy for merchants to do extraordinary things for profit. This place was still unstable and any change could cause a major disturbance.

A personal soldier stepped forward, took the certificates and account books, and began to check them with the merchants and their entourage.

"Governor Lin, rest assured. We will abide by the law and follow your lead. We understand the dangers of this place. We also understand how difficult it is for a large army to expand territory. If there were no large army, we would not be able to do business here!"

The merchants made solemn promises.

But Lin Chong didn't believe it at all. If a group of merchants could be trusted, then the sun could rise from the west. They were talking big now, but when benefits were placed before them, they would be blinded by greed in just a moment.

"Governor Lin, we brought a lot of goods this time. I don't know when we can sell them. You know, some goods can't be kept for a long time!"

The merchants asked in a flattering manner. They brought goods that could be stored this time. However, no matter how storage-capable they were, they could not withstand the long journey. Even silk would easily get damp and moldy.

"Your goods must be counted before they can be brought ashore for sale. In a few days I will open several areas in the city to sell goods. You can go there to trade."

Lin Chong said.

"Thank you, Governor Lin!"

Everyone was overjoyed and bowed to Lin Chong again and again.

Lin Chong waved his hand and left. He didn't want to deal with these merchants any more.

"Governor, what's troubling you?"

Cao Zheng looked at Lin Chong with a gloomy face and asked hurriedly.

"You're back?"

Lin Chong looked at Cao Zheng coming back and suddenly came up with an idea. Cao Zheng also knew how to do business, so the management of the merchants was handed over to him.

"I patrolled along the river and found nothing unusual!"

Cao Zheng replied.

"Today, a group of merchants came with supplies. They want to do business here. You should take charge of this matter!"

Lin Chong looked at his apprentice and said, his martial arts have not improved much over the years, and he has been following the routine in the army without any outstanding qualities. But now it seems that he still has some strengths, so the problem has been solved.