Chapter 1609
New arrival
Chapter 1609 New arrival
Putting the overall situation first, this is the court's entrustment to Fei Cexian.The territory that Haihan took away from Daming in the past few years is no longer possible to return to Daming through negotiation. This point of view has basically formed a consensus in the Ming court, and even Emperor Chongzhen has no intention of forcing anything on it. up.And the three-party negotiations in Liaodong made Ming realize that if the Haihan army hadn't held back the considerable Houjin soldiers in Liaodong, the direction of Shanhaiguan would inevitably face great military pressure, and even North Korea, a slave country, would face great military pressure. Political positions will be loosened as a result.Although exchanging Liaodong land for Haihan's military support is a long-term move, but compared to the rude and rude barbarians outside the customs, at least Haihan is still civilized enough, and has always maintained a superficial friendliness towards Daming. All disputes and conflicts have the opportunity to be resolved through negotiation.As far as the current severe situation that Ming is facing, Haihan is not the enemy that Ming needs to deal with first, but a weapon that can be used temporarily.
One of the main tasks of Ming Dynasty's envoys in Haihan is to ensure that Haihan's current position will not change significantly in the future, at least to buy enough time for the court to maintain it until Daming is able to free up its hands to deal with it. After a hard lesson, it will be gold.If you can't even meet this basic requirement, then the envoy's work will definitely fail, not to mention the serious consequences of offending Haihan.
Fei Cexian is well aware of how important the task he shoulders is to Daming. Even if he needs to endure humiliation during this period, he must try his best to complete the work.After arriving in Haihan, the first high-ranking Haihan official he met was so difficult to deal with. It also reminded Fei Cexian that he should not just think about how to make a fortune after coming to Haihan. His opponent is known for being shrewd. In the world, they must not be underestimated.The more details, the more cautious you must be, and you cannot let your opponent take advantage of it easily.
Although Qiu Yuan gave Fei Cexian a small blow as soon as he met him, the reception banquet he arranged in the city was unambiguous, and it was completely in accordance with the highest reception standard.All the leading figures in the military, political, and business circles of Haikou City also attended, giving Fei Cexian enough face.
Although Fei Cexian's Ministry of Rites is a clean yamen, there is not much to talk about, but welcoming and seeing off, dealing with all kinds of people at various banquets, happens to be a compulsory course for members of the Pedestrian Department.The Ministry of Etiquette even has special funds to train members of the Department of Pedestrians in banquet etiquette and communication skills.Although it was the first time to deal with people like Hai Hanguo, fortunately, the language and culture were very close, so there were no major obstacles in communication, and Fei Cexian was finally able to use his strengths, intertwined with everyone at the banquet, He quickly adapted to Haihan's wine table culture.
Fei Cexian soon noticed that whether it was the mayor of Haikou, Qiu Yuan, or other officials and businessmen who worked for Haihan, their words revealed a very strong confidence, even if the Haihan Kingdom actually controlled The territory of China is many times smaller than that of Ming Dynasty, but they show the feeling that Haihan is the real big country.
According to Fei Cexian's work experience in the Ministry of Rites in the past ten years, most of these countries around Daming are full of awe of Daming. In front of the envoys, he talked about the general trend of the world without any scruples.But these Haihan people are really different. In their eyes, other countries except themselves seem to be weak, even Daming is no exception.
Of course, in front of Fei Cexian, the envoy of Ming Dynasty, the Haihan people did not overestimate Ming Dynasty. They only pointed out that the decline of Ming's national power would give the Central Plains rebels and the wild boar skin outside the pass a chance to rise. However, if it was placed in the Wanli period, there would be no such passive situation. The invincible Ming army would have wiped out these opponents long ago.To be precise, it was the Ming Dynasty before the Battle of Saerhu in 1619. After the disastrous defeat to the Jurchen in that battle, the Ming Dynasty began to increase troops, pay and taxes, which led to peasant riots and the party regime, and the world has been corrupted ever since. , hard to clean up.
Fei Cexian didn't think that the situation in Daming was as passive as described by the Haihan people. Although the peasant army's riots in the Central Plains had not yet been quelled, these rebellious troops had neither a fixed base nor a stable source of food, weapons, and soldiers. It's just stragglers, as long as the cities and towns of the prefectures are able to fortify the walls and clear the fields, preventing them from breaking through the city to obtain supplies, they will naturally be defeated under the encirclement and suppression of various Ming armies over time.Although the enemies outside the Northeast Pass are powerful, they are nothing more than a group of barbarians. How can they compete in national strength with Ming, who has ruled the world for more than two hundred years?Even if it is a war of attrition, it will definitely not be Daming, which has a vast territory and rich resources, and will be exhausted in the end.
Fei Cexian listened calmly to the discussion of these guests, but in his heart he was a little disapproving of these remarks, thinking that these Haihan people were too good at talking, and how could the real strength of Daming be that these spectators sitting on Hainan Island could understand?
"Master Fei, if you have any good ideas, you might as well share them."
Qiu Yuan's voice woke Fei Cexian from his contemplation, but he was distracted just now, and he didn't hear clearly what the topic of discussion was.Seeing that his expression was a little dazed, Qiu Yuan guessed a little bit, and immediately introduced: "If Daming wants to change the current situation, what does Lord Fei think he needs most? A powerful army or an efficient court?"
After all, Fei Cexian is a bureaucrat who has been in the officialdom for ten years, and he immediately grasped the meaning of Qiu Yuan's question. This is to test him. For Da Ming, which one can save the current situation? .
Fei Cexian would not take such a tactic easily, and replied with a smile: "I am a subject, how can I talk about government affairs indiscriminately, Lord Qiu, stop joking."
Qiu Yuan said solemnly: "Master Fei is cautious in his words and deeds in Daming, it is understandable, but this is in Haihan country, and all the people here are Haihan citizens, what Master Fei said here will not be spread Get out. Besides, we're just discussing issues, not targeting Daming, we're just exchanging opinions, Master Fei, don't be so nervous."
Fei Cexian said: "That being said, these matters should not be judged by me. The Ministry of Rites and Pedestrians' Department is all about diplomatic matters. It is indeed difficult to answer the questions raised by Mr. Qiu."
Qiu Yuan nodded and said: "Well, let me change the question. If our country is willing to give Daming a certain amount of assistance, then given the current situation of Daming, which one can really help Daming, political support or military assistance? A way out of trouble?"
Fei Cexian thought to himself that Qiu Yuan was really eloquent, and he even directly linked this issue with foreign teachers.But if you continue to refuse to answer, it may not make the Haihan people look down on you. After thinking for a while, Fei Cexian responded: "According to the agreement negotiated between the two countries in Liaodong, Da Ming and Haihan should become brothers. Mutual trust and mutual support, mutual support. This official believes that no matter whether it is politics or military affairs, we should stand on the same side to reflect this kind of relationship, and the position of Haihan is the same as that of Daming."
Fei Cexian's tai chi answer couldn't fool Qiu Yuan. He asked this question to test whether the special envoy of Ming Dynasty really has something to do, and by the way, to test the other party's true attitude towards Hai Han.Qiu Yuan smiled and said: "That's true, but it's not easy to get the best of both worlds. If one day Mr. Fei had to make a trade-off, how would you choose?"
Fei Cexian remained silent for a longer time this time. It wasn't that he didn't understand the question, but that he didn't want his answer to give the Haihan people a bad excuse.The responsibility of his position is that he can eat whatever he wants, but he can’t speak casually. Every word he says may be taken as Daming’s attitude, and he, a small seventh-rank pedestrian, is the Deputy Secretary Zuosi at all. I can't bear such a big responsibility.Although Qiu Yuan promised him that the conversation here would not be spread outside the public, Fei Cexian knew that every word he said here would be submitted to the desk of the Haihan Executive Committee soon, and it would become a draft document for senior officials of Haihan. References for Ming strategies.
The guests at the banquet also stopped their chopsticks and put down their wine glasses, looking towards Fei Cexian, waiting for him to give a more specific answer, or to reject Qiu Yuan's request.On the other hand, Qiu Yuan was very relaxed. He was not worried that Fei Cexian would refuse to answer his questions. If Daming wanted to maintain communication with Haihan, he had to face the reality. If he refused to answer any sensitive questions, then the follow-up A series of negotiation and consultation activities may also be cancelled.He believed that Fei Cexian would also be able to think of this consequence.
After a long time, Fei Cexian said: "In peacetime, the basic position is naturally more important, but now the problems that Ming needs to solve are mainly on the battlefield. I think military assistance is more important."
Fei Cexian thought very clearly that the so-called political support was nothing more than talking about it, just like those small countries in Nanyang who came to Ming Dynasty to ask for canonization, said a few beautiful words such as willingness to surrender to Ming Dynasty, and then they could get A generous reward, but a tribal chief with a population of several thousand can also be canonized as a certain king, but if they are really asked to contribute money and effort, what decent things can they get.
And Haihan will not beg Da Ming for rewards such as canonization, and will not voluntarily submit to Da Ming. The political support they can give is at most to support the legitimacy of the current emperor's rule of Da Ming, and then promise that they will not Take the initiative to provoke a war against Daming.But such support is simply irrelevant to Ming, and it is even more beneficial than opening the door and increasing the trade volume between the two countries.The only measure that can really change Ming's status quo is the military assistance provided by Haihan.
It is said that the southern provinces of Fujian and Guangxi have already cooperated with Haihan in this regard. The Fujian navy even ordered warships and weapons from Haihan, and even handed over the officers of the navy to Haihan's military to carry out. training.Whether these trained troops will be loyal to the imperial court or the local military officers, or the Haihan who trained them, Fei Cexian doesn't know, and he dare not think about it, but he is almost sure that these Haihan people who formed them hand in hand The new type of army is unlikely to fight against Hai Han again in the future.
Fei Cexian did not have specific data on how many troops in the south have deteriorated because of this, but he once heard a friend of the Ministry of War mention it after drinking. There have been large-scale bloody conflicts between the Han armed forces.What does this mean?This means that Haihan captured the entire southeast coastline of Daming almost without bloodshed, and the garrisons in Fuguang and Guangxi provinces completely pretended to be deaf and dumb and did not make due counterattacks, and they may even take the initiative in the process. Cooperate with Haihan's actions.
This is the method that Haihan has used against Daming in the name of military assistance in the past few years.Fei Cexian really didn't want to say that Ming needed Haihan's military assistance against his will, because he knew very well that the military assistance provided by Haihan was not free, and the price was high enough to affect the integrity of Daming's territory and the foundation of its future rule. .But it is a pity that Haihan did not leave any room for Ming to choose. During the talks in Liaodong, Haihan made it clear that if Daming was unwilling to accept Haihan's "good intentions", then the Haihan army would also not follow suit. The already occupied Liaodong area is withdrawn, but it will discuss peace with Houjin next, and ignore the war between Daming and Houjin.
Without the military containment of the Haihan Army in Liaodong, at least [-] Houjin troops would go south at any time, and with the current border defense situation of Ming Dynasty, it was unlikely that they could withstand Houjin's offensive.After all, in the past few years, every time the Hou Jin army went south, they were able to smoothly enter the territory of Daming to burn, kill and loot, and then returned to the outside of the customs with their wealth and population to slowly digest.The Houjin army became stronger year by year, but the Ming Dynasty was not as good as the year after year. It was not until Haihan contained the Houjin army in Liaodong that Daming finally found a chance to breathe, and was able to take his hand to quell the civil strife in the Central Plains first. .
When Fei Cexian took the order to go south, even Zhang Fengyi, Minister of the Ministry of War, came to see him off in person.In the original history, the Minister of the Ministry of War, who committed suicide this year because of the unfavorable war, also placed high hopes on Fei Cexian's southward negotiations, hoping that he could persuade Haihan to put more military pressure on Houjin in Liaodong. In order to ease the defensive pressure on the northern border of the Ming Dynasty.
"It only takes one to two years. After the chaos in the Central Plains has been put down, the imperial court can transfer its troops to the north to destroy the Jurchens in Jianzhou. At that time, it will not be too late to settle with Haihan." Zhang Fengyi informed Fei of the Ministry of War's plan at that time. Ce Xian, let him try to get Hai Han.
Therefore, for Fei Cexian, Qiu Yuan's question had no optional answer, so he had to choose the item of military assistance.And he had to show a firm attitude, lest Qiu Yuan doubt his sincerity.
(End of this chapter)
Putting the overall situation first, this is the court's entrustment to Fei Cexian.The territory that Haihan took away from Daming in the past few years is no longer possible to return to Daming through negotiation. This point of view has basically formed a consensus in the Ming court, and even Emperor Chongzhen has no intention of forcing anything on it. up.And the three-party negotiations in Liaodong made Ming realize that if the Haihan army hadn't held back the considerable Houjin soldiers in Liaodong, the direction of Shanhaiguan would inevitably face great military pressure, and even North Korea, a slave country, would face great military pressure. Political positions will be loosened as a result.Although exchanging Liaodong land for Haihan's military support is a long-term move, but compared to the rude and rude barbarians outside the customs, at least Haihan is still civilized enough, and has always maintained a superficial friendliness towards Daming. All disputes and conflicts have the opportunity to be resolved through negotiation.As far as the current severe situation that Ming is facing, Haihan is not the enemy that Ming needs to deal with first, but a weapon that can be used temporarily.
One of the main tasks of Ming Dynasty's envoys in Haihan is to ensure that Haihan's current position will not change significantly in the future, at least to buy enough time for the court to maintain it until Daming is able to free up its hands to deal with it. After a hard lesson, it will be gold.If you can't even meet this basic requirement, then the envoy's work will definitely fail, not to mention the serious consequences of offending Haihan.
Fei Cexian is well aware of how important the task he shoulders is to Daming. Even if he needs to endure humiliation during this period, he must try his best to complete the work.After arriving in Haihan, the first high-ranking Haihan official he met was so difficult to deal with. It also reminded Fei Cexian that he should not just think about how to make a fortune after coming to Haihan. His opponent is known for being shrewd. In the world, they must not be underestimated.The more details, the more cautious you must be, and you cannot let your opponent take advantage of it easily.
Although Qiu Yuan gave Fei Cexian a small blow as soon as he met him, the reception banquet he arranged in the city was unambiguous, and it was completely in accordance with the highest reception standard.All the leading figures in the military, political, and business circles of Haikou City also attended, giving Fei Cexian enough face.
Although Fei Cexian's Ministry of Rites is a clean yamen, there is not much to talk about, but welcoming and seeing off, dealing with all kinds of people at various banquets, happens to be a compulsory course for members of the Pedestrian Department.The Ministry of Etiquette even has special funds to train members of the Department of Pedestrians in banquet etiquette and communication skills.Although it was the first time to deal with people like Hai Hanguo, fortunately, the language and culture were very close, so there were no major obstacles in communication, and Fei Cexian was finally able to use his strengths, intertwined with everyone at the banquet, He quickly adapted to Haihan's wine table culture.
Fei Cexian soon noticed that whether it was the mayor of Haikou, Qiu Yuan, or other officials and businessmen who worked for Haihan, their words revealed a very strong confidence, even if the Haihan Kingdom actually controlled The territory of China is many times smaller than that of Ming Dynasty, but they show the feeling that Haihan is the real big country.
According to Fei Cexian's work experience in the Ministry of Rites in the past ten years, most of these countries around Daming are full of awe of Daming. In front of the envoys, he talked about the general trend of the world without any scruples.But these Haihan people are really different. In their eyes, other countries except themselves seem to be weak, even Daming is no exception.
Of course, in front of Fei Cexian, the envoy of Ming Dynasty, the Haihan people did not overestimate Ming Dynasty. They only pointed out that the decline of Ming's national power would give the Central Plains rebels and the wild boar skin outside the pass a chance to rise. However, if it was placed in the Wanli period, there would be no such passive situation. The invincible Ming army would have wiped out these opponents long ago.To be precise, it was the Ming Dynasty before the Battle of Saerhu in 1619. After the disastrous defeat to the Jurchen in that battle, the Ming Dynasty began to increase troops, pay and taxes, which led to peasant riots and the party regime, and the world has been corrupted ever since. , hard to clean up.
Fei Cexian didn't think that the situation in Daming was as passive as described by the Haihan people. Although the peasant army's riots in the Central Plains had not yet been quelled, these rebellious troops had neither a fixed base nor a stable source of food, weapons, and soldiers. It's just stragglers, as long as the cities and towns of the prefectures are able to fortify the walls and clear the fields, preventing them from breaking through the city to obtain supplies, they will naturally be defeated under the encirclement and suppression of various Ming armies over time.Although the enemies outside the Northeast Pass are powerful, they are nothing more than a group of barbarians. How can they compete in national strength with Ming, who has ruled the world for more than two hundred years?Even if it is a war of attrition, it will definitely not be Daming, which has a vast territory and rich resources, and will be exhausted in the end.
Fei Cexian listened calmly to the discussion of these guests, but in his heart he was a little disapproving of these remarks, thinking that these Haihan people were too good at talking, and how could the real strength of Daming be that these spectators sitting on Hainan Island could understand?
"Master Fei, if you have any good ideas, you might as well share them."
Qiu Yuan's voice woke Fei Cexian from his contemplation, but he was distracted just now, and he didn't hear clearly what the topic of discussion was.Seeing that his expression was a little dazed, Qiu Yuan guessed a little bit, and immediately introduced: "If Daming wants to change the current situation, what does Lord Fei think he needs most? A powerful army or an efficient court?"
After all, Fei Cexian is a bureaucrat who has been in the officialdom for ten years, and he immediately grasped the meaning of Qiu Yuan's question. This is to test him. For Da Ming, which one can save the current situation? .
Fei Cexian would not take such a tactic easily, and replied with a smile: "I am a subject, how can I talk about government affairs indiscriminately, Lord Qiu, stop joking."
Qiu Yuan said solemnly: "Master Fei is cautious in his words and deeds in Daming, it is understandable, but this is in Haihan country, and all the people here are Haihan citizens, what Master Fei said here will not be spread Get out. Besides, we're just discussing issues, not targeting Daming, we're just exchanging opinions, Master Fei, don't be so nervous."
Fei Cexian said: "That being said, these matters should not be judged by me. The Ministry of Rites and Pedestrians' Department is all about diplomatic matters. It is indeed difficult to answer the questions raised by Mr. Qiu."
Qiu Yuan nodded and said: "Well, let me change the question. If our country is willing to give Daming a certain amount of assistance, then given the current situation of Daming, which one can really help Daming, political support or military assistance? A way out of trouble?"
Fei Cexian thought to himself that Qiu Yuan was really eloquent, and he even directly linked this issue with foreign teachers.But if you continue to refuse to answer, it may not make the Haihan people look down on you. After thinking for a while, Fei Cexian responded: "According to the agreement negotiated between the two countries in Liaodong, Da Ming and Haihan should become brothers. Mutual trust and mutual support, mutual support. This official believes that no matter whether it is politics or military affairs, we should stand on the same side to reflect this kind of relationship, and the position of Haihan is the same as that of Daming."
Fei Cexian's tai chi answer couldn't fool Qiu Yuan. He asked this question to test whether the special envoy of Ming Dynasty really has something to do, and by the way, to test the other party's true attitude towards Hai Han.Qiu Yuan smiled and said: "That's true, but it's not easy to get the best of both worlds. If one day Mr. Fei had to make a trade-off, how would you choose?"
Fei Cexian remained silent for a longer time this time. It wasn't that he didn't understand the question, but that he didn't want his answer to give the Haihan people a bad excuse.The responsibility of his position is that he can eat whatever he wants, but he can’t speak casually. Every word he says may be taken as Daming’s attitude, and he, a small seventh-rank pedestrian, is the Deputy Secretary Zuosi at all. I can't bear such a big responsibility.Although Qiu Yuan promised him that the conversation here would not be spread outside the public, Fei Cexian knew that every word he said here would be submitted to the desk of the Haihan Executive Committee soon, and it would become a draft document for senior officials of Haihan. References for Ming strategies.
The guests at the banquet also stopped their chopsticks and put down their wine glasses, looking towards Fei Cexian, waiting for him to give a more specific answer, or to reject Qiu Yuan's request.On the other hand, Qiu Yuan was very relaxed. He was not worried that Fei Cexian would refuse to answer his questions. If Daming wanted to maintain communication with Haihan, he had to face the reality. If he refused to answer any sensitive questions, then the follow-up A series of negotiation and consultation activities may also be cancelled.He believed that Fei Cexian would also be able to think of this consequence.
After a long time, Fei Cexian said: "In peacetime, the basic position is naturally more important, but now the problems that Ming needs to solve are mainly on the battlefield. I think military assistance is more important."
Fei Cexian thought very clearly that the so-called political support was nothing more than talking about it, just like those small countries in Nanyang who came to Ming Dynasty to ask for canonization, said a few beautiful words such as willingness to surrender to Ming Dynasty, and then they could get A generous reward, but a tribal chief with a population of several thousand can also be canonized as a certain king, but if they are really asked to contribute money and effort, what decent things can they get.
And Haihan will not beg Da Ming for rewards such as canonization, and will not voluntarily submit to Da Ming. The political support they can give is at most to support the legitimacy of the current emperor's rule of Da Ming, and then promise that they will not Take the initiative to provoke a war against Daming.But such support is simply irrelevant to Ming, and it is even more beneficial than opening the door and increasing the trade volume between the two countries.The only measure that can really change Ming's status quo is the military assistance provided by Haihan.
It is said that the southern provinces of Fujian and Guangxi have already cooperated with Haihan in this regard. The Fujian navy even ordered warships and weapons from Haihan, and even handed over the officers of the navy to Haihan's military to carry out. training.Whether these trained troops will be loyal to the imperial court or the local military officers, or the Haihan who trained them, Fei Cexian doesn't know, and he dare not think about it, but he is almost sure that these Haihan people who formed them hand in hand The new type of army is unlikely to fight against Hai Han again in the future.
Fei Cexian did not have specific data on how many troops in the south have deteriorated because of this, but he once heard a friend of the Ministry of War mention it after drinking. There have been large-scale bloody conflicts between the Han armed forces.What does this mean?This means that Haihan captured the entire southeast coastline of Daming almost without bloodshed, and the garrisons in Fuguang and Guangxi provinces completely pretended to be deaf and dumb and did not make due counterattacks, and they may even take the initiative in the process. Cooperate with Haihan's actions.
This is the method that Haihan has used against Daming in the name of military assistance in the past few years.Fei Cexian really didn't want to say that Ming needed Haihan's military assistance against his will, because he knew very well that the military assistance provided by Haihan was not free, and the price was high enough to affect the integrity of Daming's territory and the foundation of its future rule. .But it is a pity that Haihan did not leave any room for Ming to choose. During the talks in Liaodong, Haihan made it clear that if Daming was unwilling to accept Haihan's "good intentions", then the Haihan army would also not follow suit. The already occupied Liaodong area is withdrawn, but it will discuss peace with Houjin next, and ignore the war between Daming and Houjin.
Without the military containment of the Haihan Army in Liaodong, at least [-] Houjin troops would go south at any time, and with the current border defense situation of Ming Dynasty, it was unlikely that they could withstand Houjin's offensive.After all, in the past few years, every time the Hou Jin army went south, they were able to smoothly enter the territory of Daming to burn, kill and loot, and then returned to the outside of the customs with their wealth and population to slowly digest.The Houjin army became stronger year by year, but the Ming Dynasty was not as good as the year after year. It was not until Haihan contained the Houjin army in Liaodong that Daming finally found a chance to breathe, and was able to take his hand to quell the civil strife in the Central Plains first. .
When Fei Cexian took the order to go south, even Zhang Fengyi, Minister of the Ministry of War, came to see him off in person.In the original history, the Minister of the Ministry of War, who committed suicide this year because of the unfavorable war, also placed high hopes on Fei Cexian's southward negotiations, hoping that he could persuade Haihan to put more military pressure on Houjin in Liaodong. In order to ease the defensive pressure on the northern border of the Ming Dynasty.
"It only takes one to two years. After the chaos in the Central Plains has been put down, the imperial court can transfer its troops to the north to destroy the Jurchens in Jianzhou. At that time, it will not be too late to settle with Haihan." Zhang Fengyi informed Fei of the Ministry of War's plan at that time. Ce Xian, let him try to get Hai Han.
Therefore, for Fei Cexian, Qiu Yuan's question had no optional answer, so he had to choose the item of military assistance.And he had to show a firm attitude, lest Qiu Yuan doubt his sincerity.
(End of this chapter)