Chapter 1513
3-Party Talks
Chapter 1513 Tripartite Talks
Of course, Sha Xi was very clear about the process arrangement of this negotiation. First, let Mei Shengchuan interview Hao Wanqing on Zhifu Island, Shandong Province, and let Hao Wanqing confirm that his identity and intention of coming were not fake, and then he brought Mei Shengchuan to Lushun, Liaodong, to have a talk with him.In this part, some intentional things have to be finalized, and finally Mei Shengchuan will be arranged to meet Baixian, and this step is to directly sign some of the diplomatic agreements negotiated before, in principle, there will be no longer negotiation and negotiation.
But if Shaxi didn't get Mei Shengchuan done in this part, then if Baixi came forward, there would be very little buffer space left for Haihan, and this was by no means what he wanted to see.Sha Xi saw that the naval and land military drills arranged by him had ended, but the other party still did not make a clear statement, which also made him feel a little bit of frustration.He originally thought that arranging so many shows of force in a row would make Mei Shengchuan, who had already benefited indirectly, give up his defenses completely, but the actual effect was far from what was expected.
Why does this happen? Sha Xi thinks that it is probably because Umeshengchuan's position is still more inclined towards Daming.This is of course not surprising. After all, Mei Shengchuan was born in Daming, and his roots are also in Daming today. It is impossible to choose to be loyal to his new owner in order to live a well-fed and stable life like those lower-class immigrants.
However, based on Shaxi's past operational experience in the south, he originally expected that the other party received the money sent through Dongjiang Town, and his position should be loosened. Coupled with the show of force arranged here, it should be a matter of course for him to let go. thing.But judging from the current situation, this Mei Shengchuan is not so easy to pass.At least compared to those bureaucrats in the south, Mei Shengchuan's position is much more stable, and he has not been shaken by the threats and inducements in front of him. This is probably the professional ethics of senior officials.
Although it is not yet possible to grasp Mei Shengchuan's true attitude, there is one thing that Sha Xi is sure of. Since Daming sent the Minister of War to Liaodong for talks, it means that the other party should also have the idea of promoting peace through talks and getting along with Haihan peacefully.But how Daming plans to carry out this matter, and what kind of requirements they have, so far Mei Shengchuan has not put forward.Based on his past experience, Shaxi believes that this is a strategy of the other party. First, delay the pace and sharpen his patience, and then slowly release the conditions to restore the current negotiation disadvantage bit by bit.
Shaxi is no stranger to this kind of negotiation strategy. In the past, there were many officials in the Ming Dynasty who used similar methods. The conditions for coming out to bargain are only based on a certain place, and it is difficult to cause real trouble to Haihan.However, the Minister of War he is currently dealing with is a genuine high-ranking official of the court. His attitude represents the attitude of the Ming court to a certain extent, and the conditions he can offer may not be limited to the scope of coverage. The southern coastal areas where the Haihan forces are relatively strong.
Sha Xi did not dare to underestimate this uncontrollable situation. After all, this was also the first time that Haihan had contacted with a high-ranking official of the imperial court. Before, it could be said that there was no experience to follow, and everything could only be relied on by groping.For the sake of prudence, Sha Xi did not dare to rush for success, otherwise, if Mei Shengchuan was disgusted, he would not be able to solve the problem even with money.
Fortunately, up to now, Mei Shengchuan has not clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with Haihan, and he also has the will to continue the talks.The best way to deal with it at the moment is to slow down the pace of negotiation and let the other party put forward the conditions for a look.
After Sha Xi sent Mei Shengchuan back to his residence, he immediately informed Baixi of the situation here on the radio.Bai Kesi is more optimistic about this. He believes that the situation is still under his own control. Even if the other party proposes certain conditions that will make Haihan embarrassed, at least the Liaodong side is unlikely to be affected by Daming, because the Daming Navy is currently They do not have the ability to fight across the sea in the Bohai Sea. On the contrary, after Haihan occupied the two important ports of Zhifu Island and Lushun, they have already formed a restraint on the Bohai Bay.If you advance, you can land in the Gyeonggi area from the sea, and if you retreat, you can block the entry and exit channels of the Bohai Sea, and you can easily attack the coastal prefectures of the Shandong Peninsula.Therefore, from a military point of view, Haihan's situation in the Bohai Sea can be said to have taken the absolute initiative, and he is not afraid of any tough tactics from Daming.
After receiving Baix's opinion, Shaxi calmed down a little.After all, there is the military as the backing for the negotiation, which must be much more confident than Daming, who is now on the decline.
The next day, the two sides returned to the negotiating table, and Shaxi once again brought up the issue of establishing a transportation commerce between the two countries and even providing military assistance.Sure enough, after a night of buffering, Mei Shengchuan opened his mouth and made a request from Daming.
The first thing Mei Shengchuan put forward was the territorial claim. The territory occupied by Haihan from Daming must recognize Daming's sovereignty, and at least the power of jurisdiction and governance must be returned to Daming's hands.This requirement includes many southern coastal islands including Hainan Island, and the areas occupied by Haihan in Shandong and Liaodong are also listed.However, because Taiwan Island was not included in the Ming Dynasty before, it was not included in it.
The Daming court also knew that it would be impossible to make Haihan willingly entrust these occupied areas with both hands, so this requirement is very wise as long as Haihan recognizes sovereignty and retains Daming local government in these areas, at least in form. dominance on the.
In addition, the second request of the Daming court was to ensure that Haihan would not take military action without notice in Daming territory.This requirement also applies to the Liaodong area that has been occupied by enemy countries. In other words, Daming requires that officials such as supervisors be stationed in the various locations of the Haihan Army to ensure that Haihan's military operations will not damage Daming. Interests.
As for the construction of a transportation business proposed by Haihan, it will have the opportunity to be realized only if Haihan meets these two conditions.In other words, Daming wants to use this method to regain the current disadvantage in the relationship between the two countries.
Sha Xi is very clear that the essence of this communication method of negotiation is to ask for a price and pay back the money on the spot. Although the conditions offered by the other party are impossible to get an answer from Haihan, Sha Xi also understands that the conditions are dead. , People are alive, and since it is a negotiation, there is room for bargaining.Whether the two sides can finally reach an agreement depends on how big the part of common interests is.What Haihan is good at, apart from using military means to conquer cities and loot land, is to provide the Ming officials with a way to make money.
Of course, Mei Shengchuan is a special case. Although he received the benefits of Haihan, and even helped Haihan to do some work on the joints of the court, he did not plan to choose the path of treason, but hoped to be able to cooperate with Haihan. While Han maintained peaceful coexistence, he won more favorable conditions for Ming.Under this circumstance, if the ways of making money and common interests that Haihan wanted to give were limited to Mei Shengchuan, it would be difficult for him to choose to yield.
Shaxi decided to convince people with reason and refuted the demands made by the other party one by one: "Mr. Mei, since you have made a request on behalf of the Ming Dynasty, then we will open the skylight and speak out. These disputed territories, even our country. With both hands returned, Daming will encounter great resistance when he wants to reclaim these lands, and it may even cause civil strife in Daming, do you understand why?"
Mei Shengchuan had already guessed what he had learned a few days before contacting him: "It's because there are too many people who have interests in Daming and you. If these lands are to be returned to Daming, they will inevitably touch these people. interests. Daming wants to reclaim the territory, and these people are natural opponents.”
Shaxi nodded and said, "Once these lands are returned to Daming's hands, even if the properties they invest in will not be confiscated, they will be subject to heavy taxes as punishment for privately cooperating with Haihan. The more money you have, the more likely you will be severely punished by your court in the end. Mr. Mei, don’t forget that the people who invest the most money in our country are officials at all levels in your country. These people will not watch their property be filled into Treasury."
Mei Shengchuan sighed and said, "Even so, the imperial court's will still has to be carried out."
"I'm afraid you won't be able to carry it out at all!" Sha Xi sneered: "Let's not talk about the distance, even if the emperor Tiangao has a decree, it is useless. Just talk about the nearby places, such as Shandong and Liaodong, what will Daming do? Take it back? Can you send troops to station in Liaodong? You can also send supervisors, but the risks in the battlefield are high, and we can’t guarantee personal safety.”
After being reminded by Bai Kesi, Sha Xi had already seen Daming's weakness very accurately, and was not worried about what tough military measures Daming could take.If the officials of the Ming Military Department did not lose their heads, they would realize that negotiation is the only way for them to solve the problem peacefully. Any attempt by military means may lead to the outbreak of war between the two countries, which is likely to lead to difficulties. The result of packing up.
Of course, Mei Shengchuan was aware of the risks involved, so his toughness was only in words, and he didn't dare to speak too harshly so as not to end the game.But this kind of inadvertent weakness naturally couldn't escape Sha Xi's observation, so he immediately took the words back.
Why didn't Mei Shengchuan know that the difficulty of implementing these matters was no less than a national war. If there was a choice, he might also choose to settle down and continue to maintain the current state of peace with Haihan.As for the islands that have been occupied by Haihan, what if they get them back?If Daming knew how to manage these islands like Haihan, how could he easily lose control of these places.
As for the appointment of supervisors to the Haihan army station, Mei Shengchuan could only scold Zhang Fengyi, the minister of military affairs, for being too stupid.As long as you think about it, you can know that Daming sent the supervisors to the camp of the Haihan army. Either these supervisors will eventually gang up with the Haihan people and become a raccoon dog, or they will die unexpectedly or disappear mysteriously because they do not know the current affairs.It would be better to learn from the practices of the Ming Army in the south, and select some officers in the name of military cooperation to enter the Haihan Army as observers and act with them.
Mei Shengchuan's conditions were opened, but Sha Xi quickly returned these unrealistic conditions.The two sides are not satisfied with the conditions offered by each other, and the negotiations will inevitably fall into a deadlock again.
However, a telegram at this time brought a little change. The Northern Fleet led by Wang Tom had already made progress in Korea, had a face-to-face meeting with King Li Yu of Korea, and persuaded the other party to send envoys to Liaodong again. Participated in the tripartite talks between Daming, Haihan and North Korea.
Of course, this tripartite meeting actually had a certain element of improvisation. If Wang Tom hadn't known that Daming had sent high-ranking officials to Liaodong to negotiate quietly, he probably wouldn't have been too busy to organize such a meeting.In this way, it also gave Shaxi an opportunity to adjust the deadlock in the negotiation.
"Mr. Mei, the North Korean envoy will arrive in Liaodong in a few days to discuss military cooperation with us. I propose to hold a tripartite meeting, so that our three countries can have the opportunity to join hands to deal with the enemy in the north." Sha Xikan After that, he showed the contents of the telegram directly to Mei Shengchuan, and at the same time persuaded him to participate in the talks in Liaodong with the participation of the Korean envoy.
Mei Shengchuan did not know that on the Korean side, Wang Tom also persuaded the king of Korea to send envoys to Liaodong to participate in the so-called tripartite talks under the name that the Ming court would send senior officials to visit Liaodong.As for what international issues will be involved in the content of the talks, it is basically relying on Ning Qi, Schneider and others to compile the content in Sanya, and then report it to Tom Wang via electricity, and let him come forward to handle it.
Mei Shengchuan didn't quite understand how the Haihan people persuaded the North Koreans to do such a nasty thing, so he secretly hooked up with Haihan without telling Daming.It's just that he never dreamed that the North Koreans had never taken the initiative to take any measures. This was basically because Haihan was operating from it and forced North Korea to board the ship.
In the next two days, Shaxi arranged for Mei Shengchuan to visit the local construction situation and the resettlement area of Dongjiang Town, which is [-] miles away from Lushun Fort.After confirming the living conditions of local immigrants, Mei Shengchuan once again lamented Haihan's handwriting.To resettle thousands of migrants across the sea, in addition to enough food and drinking water to ensure that they can last until they disembark, the most important thing is to arrange for these migrants to be able to support themselves.Haihan is undoubtedly very good at this aspect. When Mei Shengchuan visited here, the central town and several villages had basically taken shape, and the road to Lushun Fort and the nearby coastal pier was also under construction. It will be a prosperous town in eastern Liaoning.
(End of this chapter)
Of course, Sha Xi was very clear about the process arrangement of this negotiation. First, let Mei Shengchuan interview Hao Wanqing on Zhifu Island, Shandong Province, and let Hao Wanqing confirm that his identity and intention of coming were not fake, and then he brought Mei Shengchuan to Lushun, Liaodong, to have a talk with him.In this part, some intentional things have to be finalized, and finally Mei Shengchuan will be arranged to meet Baixian, and this step is to directly sign some of the diplomatic agreements negotiated before, in principle, there will be no longer negotiation and negotiation.
But if Shaxi didn't get Mei Shengchuan done in this part, then if Baixi came forward, there would be very little buffer space left for Haihan, and this was by no means what he wanted to see.Sha Xi saw that the naval and land military drills arranged by him had ended, but the other party still did not make a clear statement, which also made him feel a little bit of frustration.He originally thought that arranging so many shows of force in a row would make Mei Shengchuan, who had already benefited indirectly, give up his defenses completely, but the actual effect was far from what was expected.
Why does this happen? Sha Xi thinks that it is probably because Umeshengchuan's position is still more inclined towards Daming.This is of course not surprising. After all, Mei Shengchuan was born in Daming, and his roots are also in Daming today. It is impossible to choose to be loyal to his new owner in order to live a well-fed and stable life like those lower-class immigrants.
However, based on Shaxi's past operational experience in the south, he originally expected that the other party received the money sent through Dongjiang Town, and his position should be loosened. Coupled with the show of force arranged here, it should be a matter of course for him to let go. thing.But judging from the current situation, this Mei Shengchuan is not so easy to pass.At least compared to those bureaucrats in the south, Mei Shengchuan's position is much more stable, and he has not been shaken by the threats and inducements in front of him. This is probably the professional ethics of senior officials.
Although it is not yet possible to grasp Mei Shengchuan's true attitude, there is one thing that Sha Xi is sure of. Since Daming sent the Minister of War to Liaodong for talks, it means that the other party should also have the idea of promoting peace through talks and getting along with Haihan peacefully.But how Daming plans to carry out this matter, and what kind of requirements they have, so far Mei Shengchuan has not put forward.Based on his past experience, Shaxi believes that this is a strategy of the other party. First, delay the pace and sharpen his patience, and then slowly release the conditions to restore the current negotiation disadvantage bit by bit.
Shaxi is no stranger to this kind of negotiation strategy. In the past, there were many officials in the Ming Dynasty who used similar methods. The conditions for coming out to bargain are only based on a certain place, and it is difficult to cause real trouble to Haihan.However, the Minister of War he is currently dealing with is a genuine high-ranking official of the court. His attitude represents the attitude of the Ming court to a certain extent, and the conditions he can offer may not be limited to the scope of coverage. The southern coastal areas where the Haihan forces are relatively strong.
Sha Xi did not dare to underestimate this uncontrollable situation. After all, this was also the first time that Haihan had contacted with a high-ranking official of the imperial court. Before, it could be said that there was no experience to follow, and everything could only be relied on by groping.For the sake of prudence, Sha Xi did not dare to rush for success, otherwise, if Mei Shengchuan was disgusted, he would not be able to solve the problem even with money.
Fortunately, up to now, Mei Shengchuan has not clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with Haihan, and he also has the will to continue the talks.The best way to deal with it at the moment is to slow down the pace of negotiation and let the other party put forward the conditions for a look.
After Sha Xi sent Mei Shengchuan back to his residence, he immediately informed Baixi of the situation here on the radio.Bai Kesi is more optimistic about this. He believes that the situation is still under his own control. Even if the other party proposes certain conditions that will make Haihan embarrassed, at least the Liaodong side is unlikely to be affected by Daming, because the Daming Navy is currently They do not have the ability to fight across the sea in the Bohai Sea. On the contrary, after Haihan occupied the two important ports of Zhifu Island and Lushun, they have already formed a restraint on the Bohai Bay.If you advance, you can land in the Gyeonggi area from the sea, and if you retreat, you can block the entry and exit channels of the Bohai Sea, and you can easily attack the coastal prefectures of the Shandong Peninsula.Therefore, from a military point of view, Haihan's situation in the Bohai Sea can be said to have taken the absolute initiative, and he is not afraid of any tough tactics from Daming.
After receiving Baix's opinion, Shaxi calmed down a little.After all, there is the military as the backing for the negotiation, which must be much more confident than Daming, who is now on the decline.
The next day, the two sides returned to the negotiating table, and Shaxi once again brought up the issue of establishing a transportation commerce between the two countries and even providing military assistance.Sure enough, after a night of buffering, Mei Shengchuan opened his mouth and made a request from Daming.
The first thing Mei Shengchuan put forward was the territorial claim. The territory occupied by Haihan from Daming must recognize Daming's sovereignty, and at least the power of jurisdiction and governance must be returned to Daming's hands.This requirement includes many southern coastal islands including Hainan Island, and the areas occupied by Haihan in Shandong and Liaodong are also listed.However, because Taiwan Island was not included in the Ming Dynasty before, it was not included in it.
The Daming court also knew that it would be impossible to make Haihan willingly entrust these occupied areas with both hands, so this requirement is very wise as long as Haihan recognizes sovereignty and retains Daming local government in these areas, at least in form. dominance on the.
In addition, the second request of the Daming court was to ensure that Haihan would not take military action without notice in Daming territory.This requirement also applies to the Liaodong area that has been occupied by enemy countries. In other words, Daming requires that officials such as supervisors be stationed in the various locations of the Haihan Army to ensure that Haihan's military operations will not damage Daming. Interests.
As for the construction of a transportation business proposed by Haihan, it will have the opportunity to be realized only if Haihan meets these two conditions.In other words, Daming wants to use this method to regain the current disadvantage in the relationship between the two countries.
Sha Xi is very clear that the essence of this communication method of negotiation is to ask for a price and pay back the money on the spot. Although the conditions offered by the other party are impossible to get an answer from Haihan, Sha Xi also understands that the conditions are dead. , People are alive, and since it is a negotiation, there is room for bargaining.Whether the two sides can finally reach an agreement depends on how big the part of common interests is.What Haihan is good at, apart from using military means to conquer cities and loot land, is to provide the Ming officials with a way to make money.
Of course, Mei Shengchuan is a special case. Although he received the benefits of Haihan, and even helped Haihan to do some work on the joints of the court, he did not plan to choose the path of treason, but hoped to be able to cooperate with Haihan. While Han maintained peaceful coexistence, he won more favorable conditions for Ming.Under this circumstance, if the ways of making money and common interests that Haihan wanted to give were limited to Mei Shengchuan, it would be difficult for him to choose to yield.
Shaxi decided to convince people with reason and refuted the demands made by the other party one by one: "Mr. Mei, since you have made a request on behalf of the Ming Dynasty, then we will open the skylight and speak out. These disputed territories, even our country. With both hands returned, Daming will encounter great resistance when he wants to reclaim these lands, and it may even cause civil strife in Daming, do you understand why?"
Mei Shengchuan had already guessed what he had learned a few days before contacting him: "It's because there are too many people who have interests in Daming and you. If these lands are to be returned to Daming, they will inevitably touch these people. interests. Daming wants to reclaim the territory, and these people are natural opponents.”
Shaxi nodded and said, "Once these lands are returned to Daming's hands, even if the properties they invest in will not be confiscated, they will be subject to heavy taxes as punishment for privately cooperating with Haihan. The more money you have, the more likely you will be severely punished by your court in the end. Mr. Mei, don’t forget that the people who invest the most money in our country are officials at all levels in your country. These people will not watch their property be filled into Treasury."
Mei Shengchuan sighed and said, "Even so, the imperial court's will still has to be carried out."
"I'm afraid you won't be able to carry it out at all!" Sha Xi sneered: "Let's not talk about the distance, even if the emperor Tiangao has a decree, it is useless. Just talk about the nearby places, such as Shandong and Liaodong, what will Daming do? Take it back? Can you send troops to station in Liaodong? You can also send supervisors, but the risks in the battlefield are high, and we can’t guarantee personal safety.”
After being reminded by Bai Kesi, Sha Xi had already seen Daming's weakness very accurately, and was not worried about what tough military measures Daming could take.If the officials of the Ming Military Department did not lose their heads, they would realize that negotiation is the only way for them to solve the problem peacefully. Any attempt by military means may lead to the outbreak of war between the two countries, which is likely to lead to difficulties. The result of packing up.
Of course, Mei Shengchuan was aware of the risks involved, so his toughness was only in words, and he didn't dare to speak too harshly so as not to end the game.But this kind of inadvertent weakness naturally couldn't escape Sha Xi's observation, so he immediately took the words back.
Why didn't Mei Shengchuan know that the difficulty of implementing these matters was no less than a national war. If there was a choice, he might also choose to settle down and continue to maintain the current state of peace with Haihan.As for the islands that have been occupied by Haihan, what if they get them back?If Daming knew how to manage these islands like Haihan, how could he easily lose control of these places.
As for the appointment of supervisors to the Haihan army station, Mei Shengchuan could only scold Zhang Fengyi, the minister of military affairs, for being too stupid.As long as you think about it, you can know that Daming sent the supervisors to the camp of the Haihan army. Either these supervisors will eventually gang up with the Haihan people and become a raccoon dog, or they will die unexpectedly or disappear mysteriously because they do not know the current affairs.It would be better to learn from the practices of the Ming Army in the south, and select some officers in the name of military cooperation to enter the Haihan Army as observers and act with them.
Mei Shengchuan's conditions were opened, but Sha Xi quickly returned these unrealistic conditions.The two sides are not satisfied with the conditions offered by each other, and the negotiations will inevitably fall into a deadlock again.
However, a telegram at this time brought a little change. The Northern Fleet led by Wang Tom had already made progress in Korea, had a face-to-face meeting with King Li Yu of Korea, and persuaded the other party to send envoys to Liaodong again. Participated in the tripartite talks between Daming, Haihan and North Korea.
Of course, this tripartite meeting actually had a certain element of improvisation. If Wang Tom hadn't known that Daming had sent high-ranking officials to Liaodong to negotiate quietly, he probably wouldn't have been too busy to organize such a meeting.In this way, it also gave Shaxi an opportunity to adjust the deadlock in the negotiation.
"Mr. Mei, the North Korean envoy will arrive in Liaodong in a few days to discuss military cooperation with us. I propose to hold a tripartite meeting, so that our three countries can have the opportunity to join hands to deal with the enemy in the north." Sha Xikan After that, he showed the contents of the telegram directly to Mei Shengchuan, and at the same time persuaded him to participate in the talks in Liaodong with the participation of the Korean envoy.
Mei Shengchuan did not know that on the Korean side, Wang Tom also persuaded the king of Korea to send envoys to Liaodong to participate in the so-called tripartite talks under the name that the Ming court would send senior officials to visit Liaodong.As for what international issues will be involved in the content of the talks, it is basically relying on Ning Qi, Schneider and others to compile the content in Sanya, and then report it to Tom Wang via electricity, and let him come forward to handle it.
Mei Shengchuan didn't quite understand how the Haihan people persuaded the North Koreans to do such a nasty thing, so he secretly hooked up with Haihan without telling Daming.It's just that he never dreamed that the North Koreans had never taken the initiative to take any measures. This was basically because Haihan was operating from it and forced North Korea to board the ship.
In the next two days, Shaxi arranged for Mei Shengchuan to visit the local construction situation and the resettlement area of Dongjiang Town, which is [-] miles away from Lushun Fort.After confirming the living conditions of local immigrants, Mei Shengchuan once again lamented Haihan's handwriting.To resettle thousands of migrants across the sea, in addition to enough food and drinking water to ensure that they can last until they disembark, the most important thing is to arrange for these migrants to be able to support themselves.Haihan is undoubtedly very good at this aspect. When Mei Shengchuan visited here, the central town and several villages had basically taken shape, and the road to Lushun Fort and the nearby coastal pier was also under construction. It will be a prosperous town in eastern Liaoning.
(End of this chapter)