The most important thing is that you must have security forces to escort the cargo ship.
Why Qichang Foreign Affairs was able to monopolize shipping on the Yangtze River for decades was because the late Qing government at that time had been humiliated by Western powers for decades, and its fear of foreigners and guns had penetrated deep into their bones. The local government was unreasonable and unreasonable towards foreigners. Do not dare to disobey any reasonable request.
Moreover, at that time, the warships of the US Navy often showed off their power on the Yangtze River, declaring the colonial power, and at the same time frightening the local government and people. No one dared to stroke the foreigners' beards.
Wherever a large ship flying the Stars and Stripes passed by, the local government not only did not dare to charge any customs fees, but also waited carefully with Xiao, for fear that if the foreign adults were unhappy, they would be bombarded by foreign warships.
Qichang Yangxing also made countless wealth through this, and became the largest American company in the Far East.
But with the fall of the late Qing Dynasty and Yuan Datou proclaiming himself emperor, China fell into a chaotic situation of warlord rule and constant wars. The later Beiyang government actually existed in name only. Whoever had the bigger fist was the head of the Republic of China, but it had no control or jurisdiction over the local area. As a result, the entire land of China was filled with warlords and bandits.
It was precisely at this time that World War I broke out, and most of the various garrisons and warships originally stationed in China by the Western powers had left, and they had no time to worry about escorting cargo on the Yangtze River.
This is great. The foreign warships that used to run rampant on the Yangtze River suddenly disappeared. However, the large and small warlords and more and more bandits and water bandits along the Yangtze River were squeezed by the living environment. They all live a precarious life. The large and small packages of goods on the foreign ships that pass by almost every day are a bit eye-catching.
As a result, we don’t know which warlord or powerful bandit took the lead. There is no way to verify it, but shipping on the Yangtze River began to become unsafe.
The big warlords were better off. Because of their political ambitions, they did not dare to openly offend the Western powers. They just used checkpoints to collect some river crossing fees.
And those petty warlords and water bandits who only care about today and tomorrow are not particular about their methods.
It's easy to rob the goods, but if you encounter someone who is ruthless and wants to kill someone, even the ship's crew will kill you. When the time comes, the corpses are tied with stones and thrown into the river, and you won't even be able to find the whole corpse.
Shipping on the Yangtze River requires the ship to be responsible for the safety of the cargo. What should I do if it is robbed? Then we can only pay full compensation.
This kind of thing happened several times, and even the wealthy Qichang Foreign Company couldn't stop it! Not only the goods were lost, but also Qichang Yangxing's own crew members. Not to mention how much the pension would be, the key is that no one would dare to go there anymore, no matter how much you offered, no one would agree.
Haha, no matter how much money you give, you still have to live to spend it!
It's not that Qichang Yangxing doesn't want revenge.
The problem is, all you have now is a foreign brand, and you have no soldiers or ships. What can you use to retaliate?
To protest to the Beiyang government, just look at the smiles on the faces of the officials but the helpless looks in their eyes, and you will know that this trip is in vain. Apart from getting angry at a few laughing officials, there was no help at all.
What do I do?
Is it okay to shorten the voyage?
As a result, the original shipping line that could reach Chongqing began to be shortened to Yichang.
Or not? Then shorten it to Wuhan.
What? Got robbed again?
Then shorten it to Nanjing.
The problem came again, just to go to Nanjing, you would earn less money, and the river flow on the route from Shanghai to Nanjing was relatively gentle, and all the large and small wooden boats and steamers could run, so the competition was fierce.
Intense competition means less and less money to be made.
Qichang Yangxing is different from other small companies and ship owners. It has a big family and a large business, and it maintains a large number of crew members and ships. The daily expenses are not low.
As a result, the golden pillow that I was holding now turned into a worthless piece of food that was tasteless and was a pity to throw away.
It must be said that the directors of Qichang Yangxing are very visionary and decisive. After several meetings and discussions, they made the decision to withdraw from the Yangtze River shipping business and shift their focus to ocean shipping.
Now, although China has established a new government of the Republic of China after the Northern Expedition, the situation of warlord separatism has still not been completely resolved. The security situation along the Yangtze River is still worrying.
If you want to open up the route from Shanghai to Chongqing, not only must you have a strong escort force to deter those large and small water bandits, but the local warlords and garrisons along the Yangtze River must also give you the green light. Otherwise, even if you are not robbed by water bandits, the numerous taxes and fees at checkpoints along the way can drain all the money out of your pocket.
What's more, if your escort armed force is not justified, the local garrison may be able to directly set up artillery and sink your gunboat in the name of suppressing bandits.
Therefore, this is the reason why many bigwigs in the Republic of China drooled over the fat piece of Yangtze River shipping but did not dare to take action.
It's good if you have money, but if you don't have soldiers, you can't spend your own money to develop an armed force. This is a taboo of the principal.
Even if my brother-in-law, who has a close relationship with the principal and is like family, went to form a tax police corps with only 10,000 people, he was still a thorn in the flesh in the eyes of the principal. He would not hesitate to fall out with his brother-in-law and take over the tax police corps. Come on.
As for those who have soldiers and guns, if you are a general under the principal, and you want to get involved in the Yangtze River shipping business, it means that you have a lot of big ships. These ships could not only pull goods, but also people and troops.
Hey, you kid took my money, took my pay, and actually created a fleet without permission. What do you want to do? Don’t you know that Lao Tzu’s Jinling City is on the edge of the Yangtze River?
Even the domineering senior generals such as Admiral Gu and Chief Gu, who are deeply trusted and valued by the principal, dare not extend their hands to the Yangtze River shipping. He was afraid that the outstretched hand would be chopped off by the enraged principal.
And if you are a warlord who listens to orders but not propaganda, then I'm sorry. If your ship wants to enter the prosperous areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang without my permission, you are just a fool...ahem...that, There is no going back.
Those warlords would not give the principal a fleet of ships for nothing even if they were well fed.
Therefore, in the current Republic of China, who can reassure the principal, have money, soldiers, and the ability to buy ships for transportation? After all, we are the only one, Mr. Zhou.
Think about it, the mercenary regiment has a whole regiment with strong soldiers and horses just outside Nanjing. It can be said that it needs people, guns and guns. All the escort tasks along the way are left to the second regiment.
You must know that the Second Regiment is almost all veterans from Guangdong. When it comes to boating skills, they are completely handy. They can easily help you master Zhou.
