After Han Mo finished speaking, he patted Jiang Yan's shoulder again, signaling him to go down and rest.
Just as Han Mo was hesitating whether to reveal all his plans to Yue Fei, Shao Bowen led the fleet all the way to Qinzhou.
"Sir, why don't we head directly to Jiaozhi? It's not much further. Aren't we just consuming supplies needlessly by leaving so many brothers at sea?"
As the fleet was about to reach the border of Jiaozhi, Shao Bowen suddenly ordered the entire fleet to be divided into two. The main force remained at sea, while the remaining fleet, consisting of about five or six ships, docked directly at the port of Qinzhou.
"This is our first time, so it's better to be more cautious!"
Although Shao Bowen had no acquaintances in Qinzhou, it was still territory of the Great Song Dynasty. Compared to docking directly in Jiaozhi, Shao Bowen felt that Qinzhou was more secure.
"But if that's the case, then we'll likely have to deal with the local government again."
As he said this, Gao Cheng couldn't help but give a wry smile.
Unlike Shao Bowen, he had been making a living on the sea his whole life.
As an outsider, the fact that he could be a captain in the Pu family's fleet spoke volumes about his extensive experience.
"It's nothing. Have you forgotten? Your status is different now!"
Seeing the wry smile on his face, Shao Bowen said with a smile.
"Ah?"
Reminded by Shao Bowen, he suddenly realized. That's right, how could he have forgotten this?
At this moment, he was no longer an ordinary sea merchant. Now, behind them stood Han Mo.
Although Qinzhou was just a maritime affairs office, it was, after all, Han Mo's territory.
Even if the local government had other ideas about them and secretly instigated the local indigenous people to cause trouble for them, the 3,000 soldiers accompanying them were not to be trifled with.
"I really did forget about that..."
Gao Cheng said, scratching his head somewhat sheepishly.
"Alright, no matter what, this is still Song territory, so we can rest assured. You can go ashore and stretch your legs, but don't wander too far!"
Shao Bowen smiled, then stretched his back with a long yawn and walked onto the deck.
"Sir, an official from the Maritime Affairs Office has arrived. What do you think we should do..."
Although Zhe Shijiu was only a collateral relative of the Zhe family, he possessed extraordinary talent in naval warfare.
After several selections, he had become one of the commanders of this unofficial navy.
"We don't have much cargo on board, so paying a few taxes shouldn't be a problem!"
Shao Bowen smiled and said directly.
If it wasn't necessary, he still didn't want to reveal their official identity directly. After all, doing so would leave countless loose ends for future actions.
Of course, if these people were not sensible, with Han Mo's order, they could be dismissed on the spot with just a wave of their hand.
After all, the imperial edict given by the emperor to Han Mo had clearly stated that Han Mo could act with expediency in matters concerning the Maritime Affairs Bureau.
Dismissing a few minor ninth-rank officials was nothing in a place so far from the imperial court.
"Where are you from?"
Before Shao Bowen had even disembarked, a young official in a green robe had already walked up.
"Replying to your Excellency, we are from Quanzhou. Here is the official permit issued by the Quanzhou Maritime Affairs Office. We originally intended to head directly to Jiaozhi, but there were some issues with the ship's supplies, so we made a temporary stop here to resupply!"
Since it was only a stone's throw from Jiaozhi, Shao Bowen simply made up a story.
"Heading to Jiaozhi? Fortunately, you're lucky. Your ship had supply issues, otherwise, you all might have met with disaster!"
Hearing Shao Bowen's words, the official gave them a strange look.
"May I ask what happened over there?"
As Shao Bowen spoke, he reached into his sleeve and took out a gold ingot, slipping it into the official's sleeve.
Feeling the weight in his sleeve, the Maritime Affairs Office official's face lit up with joy. Although Qinzhou bordered Jiaozhi, the trade between the two countries was very limited.
Even though the officials of the Maritime Affairs Office had lucrative positions, the income of a minor official like him was limited throughout the year.
Glancing at the golden gleam, his smile became much brighter.
"The day before yesterday afternoon, we received news that there is an outbreak of malaria in Jiaozhi. It's said that thousands have already died. Even the Lianruhong fortress is on high alert. If you were to rashly go there, you might all perish there!"
The official couldn't help but sigh as he spoke.
"Malaria?"
Hearing this, Shao Bowen felt an urge to laugh.
This was truly interesting. It seemed as if Heaven itself was helping them.
After all, besides the special medicines for treating malaria, they had brought no other cargo on this ship.
He had initially been worried about whether he could sell these items at a high price, but now it seemed he didn't have to worry about that.
"May I ask how long it takes to get to Rúhóng Fortress from here?"
After a moment of thought, Shao Bowen immediately asked with a smile.
"My good man, haven't I told you? There's a malaria outbreak there. Are you risking your life for money?"
After hearing Shao Bowen's words, the official looked at him as if he were an idiot.
"To tell you the truth, sir, I happen to have a secret recipe for treating malaria. If I can make it into medicine now and sell it to those indigenous people, wouldn't I be able to make a good profit?"
With 3,000 guards accompanying him and the Grand Director of the Southeast Maritime Affairs Bureau behind him, Shao Bowen spoke with great confidence.
"If that's the case, perhaps you could indeed make a fortune. However, your actions seem a bit against the rules..."
"Don't worry, sir, we understand the rules!"
Shao Bowen smiled and waved his hand.
Immediately, a soldier carried a wooden chest from the ship.
"This contains some local produce. Consider it a gift for you, sir!"
After opening the chest and taking a look, the official immediately fell silent.
One thousand taels of silver was indeed a considerable income for a minor official like him.
"Since that's the case, I won't say anything more. Saving more lives, even the lives of indigenous people, is a virtuous deed. This is the permit I am giving you. You may proceed to Rúhóng Fortress and try your luck!"
"Thank you, sir!"
Having obtained what he wanted, Shao Bowen showed a satisfied smile.
With this permit, things would be much simpler. Once they finished their business in Rúhóng Fortress, they could naturally rent warehouses there to store grain.
After leaving enough personnel to guard it, they would then slowly send people back to Mingzhou.