Chapter 1183
Gradually advance
Chapter 1183 Gradually advance
Although the government's idea is good, this so-called registration system is also a measure to prevent gentlemen and villains. With short hair, the identity characteristics will be more obvious, and most people will not be able to distinguish their nationality from their appearance as long as they put on Ming costumes.And if a very small number of traversers want to enter the cities along the coast of Zhejiang for activities, the security measures will probably be larger than that of the magistrate's patrol, and there is no need for special registration.
The reason why this relevant content was added to the agreement was mainly for the sake of the face of Daming and the local government.Regardless of the actual implementation effect afterwards, this at least shows that the government has rules to follow in the entry and exit management of Haihan people, everything is under control, and senior officials will not be left behind because Haihan people enter Zhejiang for activities." Weak supervision" and the like.
"General Wang, after the agreement is signed, I hope you can implement it as soon as possible and lead your subordinates to evacuate Hangzhou." After Wang Ji finished signing and put down his brush, he said to Tom Wang next to him in a deep voice: "It's good for everyone to end the matter here earlier. !"
Wang Tom replied: "Don't worry, Mr. Wang, we will follow the agreement and begin to evacuate Hangzhou today. I also hope that the Zhejiang government can fulfill the promise made to Haihan in the agreement as soon as possible, and open the trade rights of all state capitals as soon as possible."
Although the two parties have signed a peace agreement, it does not mean that they have let go of their previous grievances and can get along with each other without any grudges.Regardless of whether it was a winner or a loser before this, this agreement only means that the relationship between the two parties has entered a new stage. The conflict of interest that existed in the past will still exist, even if it will not be as big as this time. In the field, the two sides will continue to fight off the table.
If you count the preparatory period before the action, Haihan has spent two months before and after this big action. During this period, he has done a lot of preparation work, and the number of people involved in the action has also hit the highest level in the past year. , even far surpassing the kidnapping of officials from Hangzhou last summer.Although the Haihan East China Sea Fleet, which plays the leading role in the operation, only maintains the intensity of actual combat training most of the time, and the consumption is much smaller than that during the real war, but the daily expenses of maintaining the operation of the navy and the army outside Hangzhou are still very huge If we continue to persist, I am afraid that Zhoushan's one-year military budget will be exhausted ahead of schedule. It is also Haihan's own need to withdraw troops and return to camp as soon as possible.
As far as the effect of the operation is concerned, the smoothness of the process and the final result have actually exceeded the expectations of the Haihan military when planning. A bluffing operation made the state capitals of Zhejiang very nervous. All the counties along the Hangzhou Bay are city The door was closed tightly, lest it be broken by the Haihan army.In addition to encountering two groups of Ming army's initiative to attack outside Hangzhou, the Haihan army hardly encountered any decent resistance during the entire operation process. The Ming army, including the navy, basically collapsed at the touch of a finger, and the will to fight was very fragile. .
Wang Tom believes that this is also the result of living in peace with the Zhejiang area for too long, the army has been neglected in training, and there has been no battle test for a long time.To a certain extent, this can also explain why the Zhoushan Islands, which are very close to the mainland, will become a paradise for pirates and armed smugglers for a long period of time, but the official has no effective way to restore these areas. brought under the rule.Of course, now that Haihan has become the new owner of the Zhoushan Islands, it is even more hopeless for the government to regain control of this area. As long as Haihan does not voluntarily give up the Zhoushan Islands, basically this area can be classified as a One of Haihan's overseas territories.
Wang Ji looked unwillingly at the Haihan battleship docked on the river bank, and said to Wang Tom: "Although your navy is powerful, don't think that you can be invincible just because of this. My Zhejiang navy can't bear it, but I just don't want to send it to you." The war is expanding, and I hope that your country's warships will no longer randomly appear on the Qiantang River!"
How could Wang Tom let the other party gain the upper hand in words, and immediately counterattacked: "Master Wang, we have been in Zhejiang for more than a year. May I ask if our warships entered the Qiantang River before that? Too bad, why would we need to dispatch warships to seek justice for the merchants?"
Tom Wang stepped on Daming's foot while leaving his family behind.Hearing this, Wang Ji was furious, but the moment was not the time to lose his temper. Even if he was dissatisfied with Tom Wang, he could only bear with it for now, otherwise the armistice agreement reached with great difficulty might be destroyed before the ink was dry. To be void.
Although the two parties seemed to be in harmony at the signing ceremony and had their own plans, in the end it did not affect the signing and subsequent implementation of the agreement.At the same time that Haihan gathers people and horses to leave the camp, the Chief Secretary of Zhejiang Province and its subordinate Municipal Shipbuilding Department will also simultaneously issue official documents to the state capitals, announcing the decision to allow Haihan people to enter these areas for trade.
Perhaps because of his unhappiness, after signing the contract, Wang Ji didn't spend any more time communicating with Wang Tom, so he left and returned to Hangzhou City.The government has already prepared the Announcement for the People, and after Wang Ji returns to the city, the yamen servants will post it in crowded places on the street, so as to seize the time to bring public opinion in a direction that is beneficial to the government.
The most important content of the Anmin announcement is naturally to praise the government for successfully resolving the predicament in Hangzhou City, and at the same time make public part of the results of the negotiations between the two parties.Sensitive words such as war are naturally not mentioned in the notice. The previous actions of the Ming army outside the city were also interpreted as "killing the bandits who caused the fire at Tongsheng Wharf", while the Haihan army's blockade of the Qiantang River It was interpreted as "assisting the government in sealing up the waterways." Now that Haihan has withdrawn its troops, the government explained that the fire case had been solved, and the Haihan personnel who came to Hangzhou to help solve the case naturally withdrew to the sea.In short, the government seems to have found a reasonable explanation for all the visions before this. Even if the people don't fully believe these explanations, they probably won't be able to get a more reasonable explanation from the government.
However, the hotly discussed issue among the people is not Haihan's withdrawal of troops, but the newly introduced content related to the development of Haihan's trade rights.On the surface, this thing seems to be the product of Haihan's forceful coercion, but in fact, local vested interests in Zhejiang are also an important driving force for its success.The lobbying and anti-lobbying around the legalization of Haihan's trade has been continuously staged in the officialdom for the past year, and many large and small interest groups have been involved in it, but there is no such strong determination as the Haihan Army. The hammer just knocked down.
Before the two parties signed the final written agreement, the content of the agreement had actually been officially spoiled by some people, and it began to spread among a small circle of upper-class people.Those who have business dealings with Haihan are all celebrating with each other, which means that they no longer need to act secretly when trafficking in Haihan's goods in the future, and they don't need to worry that their business will be banned by the government.
According to the smuggling trade between the two countries last year, the annual trade volume of this business is at least one million taels of silver, and the profit margin is also very considerable.Prior to this, the import trade of Haihan goods in Zhejiang was almost monopolized by a small number of merchants with agency rights, but the agency rights bought by most of them at the Zhoushan Merchants Fair will expire this year. At that time, Haihan will definitely hold a new investment promotion meeting in advance, so latecomers who missed the last opportunity will soon have new opportunities to join the next round of the game.At this time, Haihan obtained the trade rights of the coastal provinces of Zhejiang. It is obvious that the competition for regional management agency rights and franchise rights at the Merchants Conference this year will be more intense than last time.
This is only part of the import trade, and the export trade to Haihan is also a big piece of fat.Textiles, medicinal materials, grains, minerals, porcelain, handicrafts, etc. in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions are all the objects that Haihan has been purchasing in large quantities.
Since Haihan captured Zhoushan in 1633, he has been instilling the idea of "trade first" in the local business circles in Zhejiang, using profit and capital to drive people's hearts. Now that more than a year has passed, this strategy has gradually begun to produce results.The public's focus is no longer whether Haihan's presence in Zhejiang is considered an invasion of Ming Dynasty, but what benefits they can gain from doing business with Haihan.
The mansion of Wang Ji, the chief minister in Hangzhou city, held a grand banquet on the night of Haihan's withdrawal to celebrate the "satisfactory" resolution of the incident.As a great contributor to the negotiations with Haihan, Qu Yutong, the prefect of Ningbo, was also invited to attend the banquet and received a very high praise.
"This time, Mr. Lao Qu was ordered in danger, and finally turned the tide and saved Hangzhou from the fire and water. On behalf of the [-] people in Hangzhou, I thank Mr. Qu!" Although Wang Ji still has many dissatisfaction with Haihan, he is very satisfied with the "excellent performance" But Qu Yutong has completely changed his views, and he is not stingy with his appreciation.
Qu Yutong hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Protecting the family, defending the country, and stabilizing the region, this is the job of a lower official. Your lord Wang praised you so much!"
Wang Jidao: "It's just that I see the Han people in the sea relying on force and acting recklessly. I'm afraid that they will adopt such unreasonable solutions when they encounter similar situations in the future. Ningbo Prefecture and Zhoushan are across the sea. It is the most important place to bear the brunt. In the future, I will have to trouble Master Qu a lot, and guard this country!"
Now that he talked about his jurisdiction, Qu Yutong will use the topic to play a little bit: "The lower officials have dealt with the Haihan people for almost two years one after another, and they think they understand them quite well. The Haihan people value profits, as long as they let them They are doing business in a stable manner, and they are actually not warlike. I heard that they established a stronghold in Dengzhou, Shandong last year and started to develop locally. To them, Zhoushan is just a trading port run by them. Instead of attacking my bridgehead of Ming Dynasty. Although Ningbo is separated from Zhoushan by a strip of water, because the local merchants have a very close trade relationship with Haihan, if Ningbo is in chaos, the interests of Haihan will be damaged, so Haihan people will not make trouble in Ningbo nearby. Instead, we will try our best to maintain local law and order and ensure the safety of trade.”
Wang Ji snorted lightly and said, "Your Ningbo mansion is the first in Zhejiang, and you are the first to do business with Haihan on your own!"
Qu Yu said: "My lord, what the Haihan people do is actually for trade. Keeping them out is just making enemies for themselves. If they want to make troubles along the coast, all state capitals will have no peace in the future. It's better to calm down. , open the door and let them in to do business, the government can also get a lot of taxes from it. Haihan has tasted the sweetness, so naturally he will not raise troops to make trouble again, everyone gets what they need, isn't it beautiful?"
Wang Jiying said: "I'm afraid that these Haihan people will make an inch of their feet and turn back on their promises. They say they are doing business, and they will develop other ambitions as they do it!"
Qu Yu said: "My lord is right, and the lower officials also have the same opinion. Therefore, in order to prevent future troubles, the lower officials think that the best strategy is to subdue people's hearts."
"Then tell me how to conquer people's hearts?" Wang Ji asked with interest.
After this incident, Wang Ji already thinks that Qu Yutong is a very thoughtful official, so he is very willing to listen to the other party's opinion on how to deal with the long-term relationship with Haihan. After all, although there are many officials present, But there are not many people who have actually dealt with Haihan face to face, and Qu Yutong has been in power in Ningbo all year round, so he can observe Haihan's movements at close range, and his relevant experience must be far more than others.
"Then I will dare to say a few words." Qu Yutong collected his thoughts, and then said in a deep voice: "First of all, we must try to educate them. The officials think that they can send Confucian scholars to study and preach in their jurisdiction, and set up academies. Teach the local people my theory of Confucianism. Only with reason can you know right from wrong, and you won’t do anything rebellious.”
Wang Ji felt that it was reasonable, nodded and said: "Go on."
Qu Yutong continued: "Secondly, we must try to share their interests with Daming. Hurting Daming is hurting itself. Many of the Haihan citizens are Ming people who fled in the past. We just need to make good use of them. , the hearts of these people will easily be biased towards the motherland. Besides the simplest and most effective way of commerce, the official thinks that the people of the two countries can also intermarry. After the blood is connected, Haihan wants to start a war against Ming again. , and it is difficult to gain the support of its citizens.”
Wang Ji was a little disapproving and said: "How effective is civil intermarriage? How many marriages can there be between the two countries every year, how many can affect the national policy in a short period of time! Mr. Qu is taking this plan for granted."
Qu Yu said: "Your Excellency is right. If it is only civil intermarriage, it will be difficult to see results in ten, eight, or even one or two generations. Therefore, the lower officials think that if this plan is to be effective quickly, it needs people from the upper class Take the lead in demonstrating that the high-level marriage between the two countries can have a big enough impact."
(End of this chapter)
Although the government's idea is good, this so-called registration system is also a measure to prevent gentlemen and villains. With short hair, the identity characteristics will be more obvious, and most people will not be able to distinguish their nationality from their appearance as long as they put on Ming costumes.And if a very small number of traversers want to enter the cities along the coast of Zhejiang for activities, the security measures will probably be larger than that of the magistrate's patrol, and there is no need for special registration.
The reason why this relevant content was added to the agreement was mainly for the sake of the face of Daming and the local government.Regardless of the actual implementation effect afterwards, this at least shows that the government has rules to follow in the entry and exit management of Haihan people, everything is under control, and senior officials will not be left behind because Haihan people enter Zhejiang for activities." Weak supervision" and the like.
"General Wang, after the agreement is signed, I hope you can implement it as soon as possible and lead your subordinates to evacuate Hangzhou." After Wang Ji finished signing and put down his brush, he said to Tom Wang next to him in a deep voice: "It's good for everyone to end the matter here earlier. !"
Wang Tom replied: "Don't worry, Mr. Wang, we will follow the agreement and begin to evacuate Hangzhou today. I also hope that the Zhejiang government can fulfill the promise made to Haihan in the agreement as soon as possible, and open the trade rights of all state capitals as soon as possible."
Although the two parties have signed a peace agreement, it does not mean that they have let go of their previous grievances and can get along with each other without any grudges.Regardless of whether it was a winner or a loser before this, this agreement only means that the relationship between the two parties has entered a new stage. The conflict of interest that existed in the past will still exist, even if it will not be as big as this time. In the field, the two sides will continue to fight off the table.
If you count the preparatory period before the action, Haihan has spent two months before and after this big action. During this period, he has done a lot of preparation work, and the number of people involved in the action has also hit the highest level in the past year. , even far surpassing the kidnapping of officials from Hangzhou last summer.Although the Haihan East China Sea Fleet, which plays the leading role in the operation, only maintains the intensity of actual combat training most of the time, and the consumption is much smaller than that during the real war, but the daily expenses of maintaining the operation of the navy and the army outside Hangzhou are still very huge If we continue to persist, I am afraid that Zhoushan's one-year military budget will be exhausted ahead of schedule. It is also Haihan's own need to withdraw troops and return to camp as soon as possible.
As far as the effect of the operation is concerned, the smoothness of the process and the final result have actually exceeded the expectations of the Haihan military when planning. A bluffing operation made the state capitals of Zhejiang very nervous. All the counties along the Hangzhou Bay are city The door was closed tightly, lest it be broken by the Haihan army.In addition to encountering two groups of Ming army's initiative to attack outside Hangzhou, the Haihan army hardly encountered any decent resistance during the entire operation process. The Ming army, including the navy, basically collapsed at the touch of a finger, and the will to fight was very fragile. .
Wang Tom believes that this is also the result of living in peace with the Zhejiang area for too long, the army has been neglected in training, and there has been no battle test for a long time.To a certain extent, this can also explain why the Zhoushan Islands, which are very close to the mainland, will become a paradise for pirates and armed smugglers for a long period of time, but the official has no effective way to restore these areas. brought under the rule.Of course, now that Haihan has become the new owner of the Zhoushan Islands, it is even more hopeless for the government to regain control of this area. As long as Haihan does not voluntarily give up the Zhoushan Islands, basically this area can be classified as a One of Haihan's overseas territories.
Wang Ji looked unwillingly at the Haihan battleship docked on the river bank, and said to Wang Tom: "Although your navy is powerful, don't think that you can be invincible just because of this. My Zhejiang navy can't bear it, but I just don't want to send it to you." The war is expanding, and I hope that your country's warships will no longer randomly appear on the Qiantang River!"
How could Wang Tom let the other party gain the upper hand in words, and immediately counterattacked: "Master Wang, we have been in Zhejiang for more than a year. May I ask if our warships entered the Qiantang River before that? Too bad, why would we need to dispatch warships to seek justice for the merchants?"
Tom Wang stepped on Daming's foot while leaving his family behind.Hearing this, Wang Ji was furious, but the moment was not the time to lose his temper. Even if he was dissatisfied with Tom Wang, he could only bear with it for now, otherwise the armistice agreement reached with great difficulty might be destroyed before the ink was dry. To be void.
Although the two parties seemed to be in harmony at the signing ceremony and had their own plans, in the end it did not affect the signing and subsequent implementation of the agreement.At the same time that Haihan gathers people and horses to leave the camp, the Chief Secretary of Zhejiang Province and its subordinate Municipal Shipbuilding Department will also simultaneously issue official documents to the state capitals, announcing the decision to allow Haihan people to enter these areas for trade.
Perhaps because of his unhappiness, after signing the contract, Wang Ji didn't spend any more time communicating with Wang Tom, so he left and returned to Hangzhou City.The government has already prepared the Announcement for the People, and after Wang Ji returns to the city, the yamen servants will post it in crowded places on the street, so as to seize the time to bring public opinion in a direction that is beneficial to the government.
The most important content of the Anmin announcement is naturally to praise the government for successfully resolving the predicament in Hangzhou City, and at the same time make public part of the results of the negotiations between the two parties.Sensitive words such as war are naturally not mentioned in the notice. The previous actions of the Ming army outside the city were also interpreted as "killing the bandits who caused the fire at Tongsheng Wharf", while the Haihan army's blockade of the Qiantang River It was interpreted as "assisting the government in sealing up the waterways." Now that Haihan has withdrawn its troops, the government explained that the fire case had been solved, and the Haihan personnel who came to Hangzhou to help solve the case naturally withdrew to the sea.In short, the government seems to have found a reasonable explanation for all the visions before this. Even if the people don't fully believe these explanations, they probably won't be able to get a more reasonable explanation from the government.
However, the hotly discussed issue among the people is not Haihan's withdrawal of troops, but the newly introduced content related to the development of Haihan's trade rights.On the surface, this thing seems to be the product of Haihan's forceful coercion, but in fact, local vested interests in Zhejiang are also an important driving force for its success.The lobbying and anti-lobbying around the legalization of Haihan's trade has been continuously staged in the officialdom for the past year, and many large and small interest groups have been involved in it, but there is no such strong determination as the Haihan Army. The hammer just knocked down.
Before the two parties signed the final written agreement, the content of the agreement had actually been officially spoiled by some people, and it began to spread among a small circle of upper-class people.Those who have business dealings with Haihan are all celebrating with each other, which means that they no longer need to act secretly when trafficking in Haihan's goods in the future, and they don't need to worry that their business will be banned by the government.
According to the smuggling trade between the two countries last year, the annual trade volume of this business is at least one million taels of silver, and the profit margin is also very considerable.Prior to this, the import trade of Haihan goods in Zhejiang was almost monopolized by a small number of merchants with agency rights, but the agency rights bought by most of them at the Zhoushan Merchants Fair will expire this year. At that time, Haihan will definitely hold a new investment promotion meeting in advance, so latecomers who missed the last opportunity will soon have new opportunities to join the next round of the game.At this time, Haihan obtained the trade rights of the coastal provinces of Zhejiang. It is obvious that the competition for regional management agency rights and franchise rights at the Merchants Conference this year will be more intense than last time.
This is only part of the import trade, and the export trade to Haihan is also a big piece of fat.Textiles, medicinal materials, grains, minerals, porcelain, handicrafts, etc. in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions are all the objects that Haihan has been purchasing in large quantities.
Since Haihan captured Zhoushan in 1633, he has been instilling the idea of "trade first" in the local business circles in Zhejiang, using profit and capital to drive people's hearts. Now that more than a year has passed, this strategy has gradually begun to produce results.The public's focus is no longer whether Haihan's presence in Zhejiang is considered an invasion of Ming Dynasty, but what benefits they can gain from doing business with Haihan.
The mansion of Wang Ji, the chief minister in Hangzhou city, held a grand banquet on the night of Haihan's withdrawal to celebrate the "satisfactory" resolution of the incident.As a great contributor to the negotiations with Haihan, Qu Yutong, the prefect of Ningbo, was also invited to attend the banquet and received a very high praise.
"This time, Mr. Lao Qu was ordered in danger, and finally turned the tide and saved Hangzhou from the fire and water. On behalf of the [-] people in Hangzhou, I thank Mr. Qu!" Although Wang Ji still has many dissatisfaction with Haihan, he is very satisfied with the "excellent performance" But Qu Yutong has completely changed his views, and he is not stingy with his appreciation.
Qu Yutong hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Protecting the family, defending the country, and stabilizing the region, this is the job of a lower official. Your lord Wang praised you so much!"
Wang Jidao: "It's just that I see the Han people in the sea relying on force and acting recklessly. I'm afraid that they will adopt such unreasonable solutions when they encounter similar situations in the future. Ningbo Prefecture and Zhoushan are across the sea. It is the most important place to bear the brunt. In the future, I will have to trouble Master Qu a lot, and guard this country!"
Now that he talked about his jurisdiction, Qu Yutong will use the topic to play a little bit: "The lower officials have dealt with the Haihan people for almost two years one after another, and they think they understand them quite well. The Haihan people value profits, as long as they let them They are doing business in a stable manner, and they are actually not warlike. I heard that they established a stronghold in Dengzhou, Shandong last year and started to develop locally. To them, Zhoushan is just a trading port run by them. Instead of attacking my bridgehead of Ming Dynasty. Although Ningbo is separated from Zhoushan by a strip of water, because the local merchants have a very close trade relationship with Haihan, if Ningbo is in chaos, the interests of Haihan will be damaged, so Haihan people will not make trouble in Ningbo nearby. Instead, we will try our best to maintain local law and order and ensure the safety of trade.”
Wang Ji snorted lightly and said, "Your Ningbo mansion is the first in Zhejiang, and you are the first to do business with Haihan on your own!"
Qu Yu said: "My lord, what the Haihan people do is actually for trade. Keeping them out is just making enemies for themselves. If they want to make troubles along the coast, all state capitals will have no peace in the future. It's better to calm down. , open the door and let them in to do business, the government can also get a lot of taxes from it. Haihan has tasted the sweetness, so naturally he will not raise troops to make trouble again, everyone gets what they need, isn't it beautiful?"
Wang Jiying said: "I'm afraid that these Haihan people will make an inch of their feet and turn back on their promises. They say they are doing business, and they will develop other ambitions as they do it!"
Qu Yu said: "My lord is right, and the lower officials also have the same opinion. Therefore, in order to prevent future troubles, the lower officials think that the best strategy is to subdue people's hearts."
"Then tell me how to conquer people's hearts?" Wang Ji asked with interest.
After this incident, Wang Ji already thinks that Qu Yutong is a very thoughtful official, so he is very willing to listen to the other party's opinion on how to deal with the long-term relationship with Haihan. After all, although there are many officials present, But there are not many people who have actually dealt with Haihan face to face, and Qu Yutong has been in power in Ningbo all year round, so he can observe Haihan's movements at close range, and his relevant experience must be far more than others.
"Then I will dare to say a few words." Qu Yutong collected his thoughts, and then said in a deep voice: "First of all, we must try to educate them. The officials think that they can send Confucian scholars to study and preach in their jurisdiction, and set up academies. Teach the local people my theory of Confucianism. Only with reason can you know right from wrong, and you won’t do anything rebellious.”
Wang Ji felt that it was reasonable, nodded and said: "Go on."
Qu Yutong continued: "Secondly, we must try to share their interests with Daming. Hurting Daming is hurting itself. Many of the Haihan citizens are Ming people who fled in the past. We just need to make good use of them. , the hearts of these people will easily be biased towards the motherland. Besides the simplest and most effective way of commerce, the official thinks that the people of the two countries can also intermarry. After the blood is connected, Haihan wants to start a war against Ming again. , and it is difficult to gain the support of its citizens.”
Wang Ji was a little disapproving and said: "How effective is civil intermarriage? How many marriages can there be between the two countries every year, how many can affect the national policy in a short period of time! Mr. Qu is taking this plan for granted."
Qu Yu said: "Your Excellency is right. If it is only civil intermarriage, it will be difficult to see results in ten, eight, or even one or two generations. Therefore, the lower officials think that if this plan is to be effective quickly, it needs people from the upper class Take the lead in demonstrating that the high-level marriage between the two countries can have a big enough impact."
(End of this chapter)