Chapter 1180
Chapter 1180
Chapter 1180
After the three of them were seated, Qi Jie took a good look at the big man opposite who was said to be in command of the entire Haihan Navy.His dark and rough complexion shows that he should have spent a very long time at sea. His strong but not bloated body shows that he has not lived in a pampered environment for a long time. It seems that only the black fur coat and long leather boots on his body can distinguish him from They were distinguished from ordinary Haihan soldiers wearing gray cloth winter coats.
Of course, this was only Qi Jie's first impression. When he met Wang Tom's eyes, he clearly felt the power of a superior person. This is not something ordinary people can pretend. Only a general who has commanded thousands of troops in the world can have such an aura of calmness and prestige.It is rumored that this King Tom once led an army to fight against the armies of many countries without defeat, but this time he finally saw a real person, and he felt that he was indeed a powerful person.
"General Wang, my official and Lord Qi came to visit today to resolve the misunderstanding between the two countries. I hope the general can withdraw troops as soon as possible to avoid killing and restore peace to the people of the two countries as soon as possible." Qu Yutong first proposed his intention to come.Wang Ji's request to him is to resolve this armed conflict as a misunderstanding as much as possible, and not to turn it into a frontal conflict between countries, otherwise it will be very difficult to end.
Wang Tom nodded and said: "I also hope that these situations between us are just misunderstandings. I believe the two adults are very clear about the reason why we came to Hangzhou. But about the fire at Tongsheng Wharf, half a year has passed. After many months, there is still no clue, let alone the real culprit, even the identity of the culprit is still unclear, how can you be convincing? Since the government can't investigate, then we have to do it ourselves."
Qi Jie interjected: "Although the government's investigation of the fire case has not been smooth, it has been investigating. Your country, relying on the identity of the victim, sent troops to the city to threaten it with force. This seems inappropriate, right?"
Tom Wang turned his gaze back to Qi Jie, and said in a deep voice, "What's the reason why you can't catch the murderer after you've been investigating? I've heard a lot of rumors about officials protecting each other in the official circles in Zhejiang, but I can't find out the reason for the truth." , probably because the murderer is someone the government cannot touch? The government dare not move, we can do it for you! There is no threat or not, and we have no other purpose, but to seek the truth and a fair result."
Tom Wang almost made it clear that Jun was the murderer. Although Qi Jie understood what he was referring to, he couldn’t pick up the words. He knew how unfavorable the rumors outside were to the Ming army, and the only way to prove his innocence Just to catch the culprit.However, after many days of investigation by various yamen in Hangzhou City, there was no further progress except that all known evidence pointed to the Ming army. The case that seemed to have a lot of evidence turned into a case without a head.Although the military also suspected that some of them deliberately caused Haihan to enter the game, they really didn't expect that Haihan planned this from the beginning to the end, so how could they find out what the real culprit was.
Tom Wang raised his voice and said, "As for our request, Boss Zheng made it very clear when he came last time, but the government did not give a reasonable response to this, and instead tried to expel us by force... I can only express my regret for your attitude."
These words made Qi Jie want to slap the table and scold his mother - your Haihan army sealed off the Qiantang River, and the troops have all advanced outside the city of Hangzhou. If I don’t use force to expel you, do you want to open the city gate and invite you in as a guest?This place is under the rule of Ming Dynasty, not your territory of Haihan Kingdom!
Of course, in the current relatively passive situation, Qi Jie can only hold back his breath in order to avoid angering the other party and making things more out of hand.After all, what Daming wants now is that the other party can withdraw troops as soon as possible to avoid troubles, rather than having to decide the outcome on the battlefield.
Qu Yutong said: "General Wang, I also understand the three conditions you put forward earlier, and there are indeed some points that are worthy of discussion. For example, the truth of this case is still under investigation, and the real culprit is not yet known. Can the murderer be handed over to you for disposal? The amount and whereabouts of the missing money at the fire scene have not yet been verified, and it is too early to talk about the specific amount of compensation. As for the right to trade, this is not impossible to discuss, but you threatened by force, this way The agreement that comes out will inevitably be unfair."
Before Qu Yutong came to Hangzhou, he had already deduced the possible situations with Xu Ke and other staff.If Qu Yutong came forward to negotiate alone, then of course there is no need to say anything, as long as he does what Hai Han wants; In order not to be able to report to his superiors afterwards.So in front of Qi Jie, Qu Yutong still had to act where he was supposed to. No matter what the final negotiation result was, at least there had to be a bargaining process.
Wang Tom shook his head and said: "Master Qu, you probably didn't understand our request. What we want is not a bargain, but an uncompromising implementation. If the government had paid attention to this case and dealt with the aftermath, the matter would not have happened at all. It will get to the current point. If you really want to negotiate a peace, you should first meet the conditions we put forward, and then discuss the matter of withdrawing troops, which will appear more sincere."
Qu Yutong pretended to be surprised and said, "How did this happen? Isn't it right for everyone to negotiate a deal and take a step back?"
Tom Wang sneered and said, "It's not that the conditions cannot be negotiated, but the time for negotiating conditions has long passed. If we were defeated by the Ming army led by Lord Qi two days ago, would you still have the leisure to come to me for peace talks?"
Qi Jie's face turned blue and red, and at the same time he was very unhappy, but also a little shocked by the accuracy of Hai Han's information.When he went out of the city to fight that day, he always stayed behind.Although the banner was displayed, Haihan Camp might not be able to see it clearly even if it was a mile away, not to mention that it matched his identity.It can be seen from this that Haihan is not ignorant of the situation of the defenders in Hangzhou, and it is very likely that there is a reliable source of intelligence in the city.Qi Jie really wanted to refute Wang Tom's statement, but the problem was that he was indeed defeated, and the defeated general couldn't speak bravely, and he couldn't speak forcefully.
Qu Yutong saw Qi Jie's expression in his eyes, and knew that it was Tom Wang's intention to suppress him and let himself control the pace of the negotiation, so he took the initiative to take over the conversation and said: "The few requests made by General Wang earlier need to be It will take a long time to implement it. Now that your army is stationed by the Qiantang River, the war has caused chaos in Hangzhou and the people are in dire straits. It may take longer to realize these requirements. If it drags on, it will be harmful to both sides, Wang General, why don't you find a compromise within the range that is acceptable to both, so that you don't have to toss any more."
Wang Tom said: "I understand what Mr. Qu said, and I don't want to let the army station here to waste money, and I don't want to be an enemy of Daming. But the government must come up with an explanation for the matter of Tongsheng Wharf. Let's retreat immediately, then sign the agreement in black and white, and implement the promised conditions as soon as possible, so as not to deny it in the future! This is the bottom line for me to make concessions. If Mr. Qu has other requests, please go back and don't leave it to me Waste of saliva."
Qi Jie suddenly said: "It's fine to catch the murderer and open up trade. It's the responsibility of the government, but you demand that the government pay ten times the actual loss. This is probably a bit too much. If the money is to be paid, the murderer should pay the compensation." , how can it be counted on the government's head?"
Wang Tom retorted: "If the murderer cannot be caught, the responsibility is not on the government, but on the people of Hangzhou? It's okay if you don't want to pay the money, then let me put it another way, I have been sending troops here for so many days , The government will reimburse the military expenses! I don’t ask too much, just 10 taels of silver per day will do.”
Qi Jie gasped when he heard that, Wang Tom's big mouth really scared him, one hundred thousand a day, if the government doesn't give out a million snowflake silver, I'm afraid it won't be able to satisfy the greed of the Haihan people.However, the annual taxes in Hangzhou are not so much. Besides, so much money has to be transferred from the official treasury, and it is difficult to make up for the gap in the short term to hide it from the court.Besides, the current Haihan army's actions have caused direct and indirect economic losses in Zhejiang, at least hundreds of thousands of silver taels. Who should ask for this money?Do you want to find the invisible and intangible murderer?
Let the Zhejiang government focus on the huge compensation, which is exactly what Haihan wants to achieve.The main purpose of the military planning such a massive military operation was not to extort a sum of money from the Zhejiang government.The arrest of the murderer and the compensation for the loss are actually a cover for the last one to demand the opening of Haihan's trade rights in Zhejiang.
Haihan has always wanted Zhejiang, a market with strong consumption power, and taking this opportunity to legalize Haihan's trade system and operate it openly is to truly maximize its benefits.As for the three sailboats and goods of limited value burned in the fire, as well as the expenditures for subsequent military operations, compared with the considerable benefits after obtaining the right to trade, they are really only a small amount that can be sacrificed.Although the price paid for the bitter trick is not small, it is very cost-effective compared to the rewards that can be obtained.
In order to achieve this goal, Haihan also painstakingly made up two impossible conditions for the Zhejiang government. Whether it is a murderer who did not exist in the first place, or a huge amount of compensation, it is obvious that Haihan cannot satisfy Haihan from the standpoint of the government. demands, and Hai Han only put forward three demands in total. If one cannot be agreed upon, then there is no hope for a peace negotiation.In this way, even an official like Qi Jie who has always been hostile to Haihan will subconsciously think that the third requirement is relatively easy to achieve, so he will focus on the other two more difficult requirements for bargaining .
Colleague Qu Yu had had close communication with Hai Han before, so he naturally understood Hai Han's real purpose, so he immediately smoothed things over and said: "In my opinion, the amount of compensation can be negotiated slowly, the most urgent thing is to reach an agreement as soon as possible , to quell the fighting and restore order in the state capitals."
Wang Tom nodded and said, "Master Qu's proposal, I can accept it, but who will sign this agreement? Please forgive me for saying something impolite, I still hope that some higher-level officials will come forward to sign this agreement." Agreement, otherwise its legitimacy will be questioned.”
Qi Jie cursed inwardly, thinking that I am a dignified fourth-rank imperial official, now condescending to negotiate with an enemy chief like you, how dare you despise the low rank?If it wasn't for being in the Haihan camp right now, Qi Jie really wanted to call his subordinates to tie up this arrogant Haihan officer and teach him a lesson.
Tom Wang didn't care what he was thinking about. After talking about the business in a few words, he served tea to see off the guests and asked them to go back to the city to ask their superiors for advice.Anyway, what is most anxious now is not Haihan's side. If the officials in Hangzhou want to delay time, Tom Wang doesn't mind staying here for a few more days.The troops have temporarily requisitioned a house near the camp, so he doesn't have to live in the narrow captain's cabin of the flagship. He eats and lives well every day, which is much more leisurely than staying on Zhoushan Island. On the surface, he is performing a mission, but In terms of the intensity of the current battle, it is not an exaggeration to say that they are on vacation.
Qu Yutong and Qi Jie were just envoys in charge of the negotiation, and they did not have the authority to make decisions on the spot. For the sake of communication, Hai Han was already unwilling to give up any ground, and they could only return with the results they had.As for whether the bigwigs in Hangzhou are willing to put down their face and accept the existing conditions, that is not something they can determine now.
After seeing off the two Ming officials, Tom Wang called Pan Yan out from behind.Pan Yan was born in the north and had become a traitor to the Ming Dynasty. Wang Tom didn't have to worry that he would play tricks on him, so he asked Pan Yan to listen in on this negotiation, and wanted to ask for his opinion.
Pan Yan bowed and said: "My lord, I feel that these civil and military officials in the city have not seen through your master's trick, otherwise the focus of today's negotiations will be on the last one, and will not be entangled in the murderer and compensation. But listen to what your lord said earlier, Zhejiang Du Si is quite hostile to Hai Han, and I'm afraid he will make a stumbling block in the middle to hinder the peace talks."
Wang Tom shook his head slightly and said: "This is not a hindrance. They can't beat us with their current strength, and they are worried that things will get worse. They can't send more troops from surrounding areas to fight in Hangzhou. If they don't agree to our conditions, then Just continue to consume, our side is nothing more than a few more trips for the supply ship, and it happens that the fleet is also familiar with the terrain of the Qiantang River Basin, maybe it will come in handy sometime in the future, don’t you think so?”
Pan Yan also felt quite complicated when he heard this. As a former general of the Ming Dynasty, it is impossible for him to have no feelings for Daming, but maybe it was because he was standing in the camp of the strong, or because he realized that he had really lost his mind. Breaking away from his status as a military officer of the Ming Dynasty, seeing Haihan "bullying" the local garrison so forcefully in Zhejiang, he felt a sense of pleasure.
(End of this chapter)
After the three of them were seated, Qi Jie took a good look at the big man opposite who was said to be in command of the entire Haihan Navy.His dark and rough complexion shows that he should have spent a very long time at sea. His strong but not bloated body shows that he has not lived in a pampered environment for a long time. It seems that only the black fur coat and long leather boots on his body can distinguish him from They were distinguished from ordinary Haihan soldiers wearing gray cloth winter coats.
Of course, this was only Qi Jie's first impression. When he met Wang Tom's eyes, he clearly felt the power of a superior person. This is not something ordinary people can pretend. Only a general who has commanded thousands of troops in the world can have such an aura of calmness and prestige.It is rumored that this King Tom once led an army to fight against the armies of many countries without defeat, but this time he finally saw a real person, and he felt that he was indeed a powerful person.
"General Wang, my official and Lord Qi came to visit today to resolve the misunderstanding between the two countries. I hope the general can withdraw troops as soon as possible to avoid killing and restore peace to the people of the two countries as soon as possible." Qu Yutong first proposed his intention to come.Wang Ji's request to him is to resolve this armed conflict as a misunderstanding as much as possible, and not to turn it into a frontal conflict between countries, otherwise it will be very difficult to end.
Wang Tom nodded and said: "I also hope that these situations between us are just misunderstandings. I believe the two adults are very clear about the reason why we came to Hangzhou. But about the fire at Tongsheng Wharf, half a year has passed. After many months, there is still no clue, let alone the real culprit, even the identity of the culprit is still unclear, how can you be convincing? Since the government can't investigate, then we have to do it ourselves."
Qi Jie interjected: "Although the government's investigation of the fire case has not been smooth, it has been investigating. Your country, relying on the identity of the victim, sent troops to the city to threaten it with force. This seems inappropriate, right?"
Tom Wang turned his gaze back to Qi Jie, and said in a deep voice, "What's the reason why you can't catch the murderer after you've been investigating? I've heard a lot of rumors about officials protecting each other in the official circles in Zhejiang, but I can't find out the reason for the truth." , probably because the murderer is someone the government cannot touch? The government dare not move, we can do it for you! There is no threat or not, and we have no other purpose, but to seek the truth and a fair result."
Tom Wang almost made it clear that Jun was the murderer. Although Qi Jie understood what he was referring to, he couldn’t pick up the words. He knew how unfavorable the rumors outside were to the Ming army, and the only way to prove his innocence Just to catch the culprit.However, after many days of investigation by various yamen in Hangzhou City, there was no further progress except that all known evidence pointed to the Ming army. The case that seemed to have a lot of evidence turned into a case without a head.Although the military also suspected that some of them deliberately caused Haihan to enter the game, they really didn't expect that Haihan planned this from the beginning to the end, so how could they find out what the real culprit was.
Tom Wang raised his voice and said, "As for our request, Boss Zheng made it very clear when he came last time, but the government did not give a reasonable response to this, and instead tried to expel us by force... I can only express my regret for your attitude."
These words made Qi Jie want to slap the table and scold his mother - your Haihan army sealed off the Qiantang River, and the troops have all advanced outside the city of Hangzhou. If I don’t use force to expel you, do you want to open the city gate and invite you in as a guest?This place is under the rule of Ming Dynasty, not your territory of Haihan Kingdom!
Of course, in the current relatively passive situation, Qi Jie can only hold back his breath in order to avoid angering the other party and making things more out of hand.After all, what Daming wants now is that the other party can withdraw troops as soon as possible to avoid troubles, rather than having to decide the outcome on the battlefield.
Qu Yutong said: "General Wang, I also understand the three conditions you put forward earlier, and there are indeed some points that are worthy of discussion. For example, the truth of this case is still under investigation, and the real culprit is not yet known. Can the murderer be handed over to you for disposal? The amount and whereabouts of the missing money at the fire scene have not yet been verified, and it is too early to talk about the specific amount of compensation. As for the right to trade, this is not impossible to discuss, but you threatened by force, this way The agreement that comes out will inevitably be unfair."
Before Qu Yutong came to Hangzhou, he had already deduced the possible situations with Xu Ke and other staff.If Qu Yutong came forward to negotiate alone, then of course there is no need to say anything, as long as he does what Hai Han wants; In order not to be able to report to his superiors afterwards.So in front of Qi Jie, Qu Yutong still had to act where he was supposed to. No matter what the final negotiation result was, at least there had to be a bargaining process.
Wang Tom shook his head and said: "Master Qu, you probably didn't understand our request. What we want is not a bargain, but an uncompromising implementation. If the government had paid attention to this case and dealt with the aftermath, the matter would not have happened at all. It will get to the current point. If you really want to negotiate a peace, you should first meet the conditions we put forward, and then discuss the matter of withdrawing troops, which will appear more sincere."
Qu Yutong pretended to be surprised and said, "How did this happen? Isn't it right for everyone to negotiate a deal and take a step back?"
Tom Wang sneered and said, "It's not that the conditions cannot be negotiated, but the time for negotiating conditions has long passed. If we were defeated by the Ming army led by Lord Qi two days ago, would you still have the leisure to come to me for peace talks?"
Qi Jie's face turned blue and red, and at the same time he was very unhappy, but also a little shocked by the accuracy of Hai Han's information.When he went out of the city to fight that day, he always stayed behind.Although the banner was displayed, Haihan Camp might not be able to see it clearly even if it was a mile away, not to mention that it matched his identity.It can be seen from this that Haihan is not ignorant of the situation of the defenders in Hangzhou, and it is very likely that there is a reliable source of intelligence in the city.Qi Jie really wanted to refute Wang Tom's statement, but the problem was that he was indeed defeated, and the defeated general couldn't speak bravely, and he couldn't speak forcefully.
Qu Yutong saw Qi Jie's expression in his eyes, and knew that it was Tom Wang's intention to suppress him and let himself control the pace of the negotiation, so he took the initiative to take over the conversation and said: "The few requests made by General Wang earlier need to be It will take a long time to implement it. Now that your army is stationed by the Qiantang River, the war has caused chaos in Hangzhou and the people are in dire straits. It may take longer to realize these requirements. If it drags on, it will be harmful to both sides, Wang General, why don't you find a compromise within the range that is acceptable to both, so that you don't have to toss any more."
Wang Tom said: "I understand what Mr. Qu said, and I don't want to let the army station here to waste money, and I don't want to be an enemy of Daming. But the government must come up with an explanation for the matter of Tongsheng Wharf. Let's retreat immediately, then sign the agreement in black and white, and implement the promised conditions as soon as possible, so as not to deny it in the future! This is the bottom line for me to make concessions. If Mr. Qu has other requests, please go back and don't leave it to me Waste of saliva."
Qi Jie suddenly said: "It's fine to catch the murderer and open up trade. It's the responsibility of the government, but you demand that the government pay ten times the actual loss. This is probably a bit too much. If the money is to be paid, the murderer should pay the compensation." , how can it be counted on the government's head?"
Wang Tom retorted: "If the murderer cannot be caught, the responsibility is not on the government, but on the people of Hangzhou? It's okay if you don't want to pay the money, then let me put it another way, I have been sending troops here for so many days , The government will reimburse the military expenses! I don’t ask too much, just 10 taels of silver per day will do.”
Qi Jie gasped when he heard that, Wang Tom's big mouth really scared him, one hundred thousand a day, if the government doesn't give out a million snowflake silver, I'm afraid it won't be able to satisfy the greed of the Haihan people.However, the annual taxes in Hangzhou are not so much. Besides, so much money has to be transferred from the official treasury, and it is difficult to make up for the gap in the short term to hide it from the court.Besides, the current Haihan army's actions have caused direct and indirect economic losses in Zhejiang, at least hundreds of thousands of silver taels. Who should ask for this money?Do you want to find the invisible and intangible murderer?
Let the Zhejiang government focus on the huge compensation, which is exactly what Haihan wants to achieve.The main purpose of the military planning such a massive military operation was not to extort a sum of money from the Zhejiang government.The arrest of the murderer and the compensation for the loss are actually a cover for the last one to demand the opening of Haihan's trade rights in Zhejiang.
Haihan has always wanted Zhejiang, a market with strong consumption power, and taking this opportunity to legalize Haihan's trade system and operate it openly is to truly maximize its benefits.As for the three sailboats and goods of limited value burned in the fire, as well as the expenditures for subsequent military operations, compared with the considerable benefits after obtaining the right to trade, they are really only a small amount that can be sacrificed.Although the price paid for the bitter trick is not small, it is very cost-effective compared to the rewards that can be obtained.
In order to achieve this goal, Haihan also painstakingly made up two impossible conditions for the Zhejiang government. Whether it is a murderer who did not exist in the first place, or a huge amount of compensation, it is obvious that Haihan cannot satisfy Haihan from the standpoint of the government. demands, and Hai Han only put forward three demands in total. If one cannot be agreed upon, then there is no hope for a peace negotiation.In this way, even an official like Qi Jie who has always been hostile to Haihan will subconsciously think that the third requirement is relatively easy to achieve, so he will focus on the other two more difficult requirements for bargaining .
Colleague Qu Yu had had close communication with Hai Han before, so he naturally understood Hai Han's real purpose, so he immediately smoothed things over and said: "In my opinion, the amount of compensation can be negotiated slowly, the most urgent thing is to reach an agreement as soon as possible , to quell the fighting and restore order in the state capitals."
Wang Tom nodded and said, "Master Qu's proposal, I can accept it, but who will sign this agreement? Please forgive me for saying something impolite, I still hope that some higher-level officials will come forward to sign this agreement." Agreement, otherwise its legitimacy will be questioned.”
Qi Jie cursed inwardly, thinking that I am a dignified fourth-rank imperial official, now condescending to negotiate with an enemy chief like you, how dare you despise the low rank?If it wasn't for being in the Haihan camp right now, Qi Jie really wanted to call his subordinates to tie up this arrogant Haihan officer and teach him a lesson.
Tom Wang didn't care what he was thinking about. After talking about the business in a few words, he served tea to see off the guests and asked them to go back to the city to ask their superiors for advice.Anyway, what is most anxious now is not Haihan's side. If the officials in Hangzhou want to delay time, Tom Wang doesn't mind staying here for a few more days.The troops have temporarily requisitioned a house near the camp, so he doesn't have to live in the narrow captain's cabin of the flagship. He eats and lives well every day, which is much more leisurely than staying on Zhoushan Island. On the surface, he is performing a mission, but In terms of the intensity of the current battle, it is not an exaggeration to say that they are on vacation.
Qu Yutong and Qi Jie were just envoys in charge of the negotiation, and they did not have the authority to make decisions on the spot. For the sake of communication, Hai Han was already unwilling to give up any ground, and they could only return with the results they had.As for whether the bigwigs in Hangzhou are willing to put down their face and accept the existing conditions, that is not something they can determine now.
After seeing off the two Ming officials, Tom Wang called Pan Yan out from behind.Pan Yan was born in the north and had become a traitor to the Ming Dynasty. Wang Tom didn't have to worry that he would play tricks on him, so he asked Pan Yan to listen in on this negotiation, and wanted to ask for his opinion.
Pan Yan bowed and said: "My lord, I feel that these civil and military officials in the city have not seen through your master's trick, otherwise the focus of today's negotiations will be on the last one, and will not be entangled in the murderer and compensation. But listen to what your lord said earlier, Zhejiang Du Si is quite hostile to Hai Han, and I'm afraid he will make a stumbling block in the middle to hinder the peace talks."
Wang Tom shook his head slightly and said: "This is not a hindrance. They can't beat us with their current strength, and they are worried that things will get worse. They can't send more troops from surrounding areas to fight in Hangzhou. If they don't agree to our conditions, then Just continue to consume, our side is nothing more than a few more trips for the supply ship, and it happens that the fleet is also familiar with the terrain of the Qiantang River Basin, maybe it will come in handy sometime in the future, don’t you think so?”
Pan Yan also felt quite complicated when he heard this. As a former general of the Ming Dynasty, it is impossible for him to have no feelings for Daming, but maybe it was because he was standing in the camp of the strong, or because he realized that he had really lost his mind. Breaking away from his status as a military officer of the Ming Dynasty, seeing Haihan "bullying" the local garrison so forcefully in Zhejiang, he felt a sense of pleasure.
(End of this chapter)