Chapter 1626
Chapter 1626
Chapter 1626
In fact, the reason why Ming Dynasty did not import a large amount of weapons and equipment from Haihan is very complicated. It is not simply because the price cannot be negotiated, or because of different political stances. On the one hand, the two countries are very cautious about the content of this sensitive transaction, and each There are many fears that cannot be easily compromised; on the other hand, it is true that Haihan's weapon production capacity is still relatively limited. Except for its own use and providing to a few major allies, the production capacity that can really be used for export to Ming Dynasty is actually extremely limited, and it is not It is not enough to change the passive situation that Ming is currently facing in domestic and foreign wars.
From Haihan's point of view, large-scale military assistance to Ming Dynasty is not an ideal plan. Even though the executive committee keeps talking about the country of brothers, everyone knows that this is just diplomatic rhetoric.For Haihan, a weak Ming Dynasty is of course easier to influence and manipulate, so up to now, the restrictions on the export of weapons from Ming Dynasty have not been completely relaxed.
According to the Liaodong agreement agreed between the two countries, Haihan will sell to Daming two hundred pieces of various types of artillery and three thousand firearms in the next two years. It sounds like a lot, but in fact this amount is not even comparable to Annan.Since the friction with Siam over the border demarcation issue began last year, Annan has placed an additional order of more than [-] artillery pieces and [-] muskets to Haihan. Of course, such a large order cannot be delivered in a short period of time. Therefore, it must be divided into several batches to complete the delivery within two years.
Regardless of the weapons exported to Daming or Annan, they all rely heavily on Haihan for the supply of ammunition and spare parts.Of course, the self-produced gunpowder is not unusable, but its performance is not as good as Haihan's original product.It is through this method that Haihan controls the actual combat power of the target of military aid.
Fei Cexian didn't know the inside story of these international arms trade, he just wanted to win the opportunity for Daming to buy these big killers.Moreover, he believed that Haihan asked Bai Kesi to take him to visit the place where the weapons were manufactured, and it should not just be a look. After all, Haihan people are famous all over the world for not letting go of any opportunity to make money.So he took the initiative to ask Bai Kesi, if Daming had a demand, could he increase the arms order on the basis of the Liaodong agreement.
It was indeed in Bai Kesi's expectation that Fei Cexian would ask such a question. After all, the arms orders that were generated on paper like in Liaodong must be very different from the experience of seeing the guns being manufactured here.According to previous experience, there are very few customers who can bear not to talk about military purchases after arriving here, and the Ming envoy seems to be no exception.
"Lord Fei may not know much about our situation, so let me explain to Lord Fei first." Bai Kesi did not immediately respond to Fei Cexian's question, but started to bring up other topics first.
Bai Kesi first boasted about the performance of his own weapons, and then listed the key roles played by these weapons in many past battles, and then told Fei Cexian that the current arms orders Haihan received had been scheduled for the next year, and some allies They are all waiting for Haihan to supply Yunyun.Fei Cexian was confused at first, but then he suddenly realized that the other party had put so many conditions in front of him, just to hoard goods and ask for prices.
Sure enough, Bai Kesi changed the subject and said, "According to the actual situation, this must not be added, but if Daming is willing to pay an extra coordination fee, then I can think of a way."
After all, it still needs money!In his heart, Fei Cexian despised Haihan's high-ranking officials as philistines. Although he didn't know what hunger marketing was, he also knew that what Bai Kesi said earlier were all foreshadowing the final price.The export price of Haihan's arms is not cheap, and it can even be described as expensive. If the price is increased on this basis, it will indeed be a test of the financial strength of the buyer.With Daming's current stretched military expenditures, it is really difficult to afford a large amount of military purchases.
But not reconciled, Fei Cexian still asked Beks how to calculate the so-called coordination fee.
"Add [-]% to the original price as a coordination fee." Beks also gave the answer without hesitation.
Thirty percent!Fei Cexian was immediately persuaded by the offer. It's not that he couldn't accept the Haihan people's price increase, but it was [-]% of the offer, which was really hard for him to accept.Of course, the most important thing is that Bai Kesi just listed a lot of conditions, which shows that the [-]% price increase is not random. He is not good at bargaining in business matters, and now he can't find a reason to bargain. .
Fei Cexian didn't like the feeling of being taken advantage of. In the past, he had met with foreign envoys and even princes and ministers on behalf of the Ministry of Rites. He had never encountered such a situation.Who dares to blackmail the Ming Empire, isn't this asking for trouble?But Haihan people don't seem to have such self-awareness at all. Fei Cexian can hardly believe that these words came from a top Haihan official.But judging by Bai Kesi's expression, it was as normal as eating and sleeping, and he even lacked a serious attitude.
"I've heard that all the people in Haihan are merchants, and I finally learned it today." Fei Cexian could only laugh wryly at himself.
However, Bai Kesi didn't care about it: "Master Fei, you don't need to be so serious. Our country is just used to clearly stating the price, and it doesn't mean that there is any malice towards Daming. If Mr. Fei finds this method unacceptable, then let's just leave this topic aside." gone."
Fei Cexian thought that if he didn't talk about it, he wouldn't talk about it, how could he satisfy the profiteers like you, so he took the initiative to change the topic and said: "I don't know which countries your country sells weapons to besides Annan, can Mr. Bai reveal one or two? "
Beks replied: "That's a bit much. There are about a dozen countries in the South China Sea alone. It's just that Annan, as our country's military ally, will purchase a relatively larger number."
"Our country also bought a lot, right? I heard that most of the weapons equipped in some places in the south are purchased from your country." Fei Cexian asked stingingly.It is no secret that Haihan sells a large number of standard weapons to the Fuguang area, especially the Fujian military. It is from the hands of Haihan.Some folks even called the Fujian Navy the "Little Haihan Army". As long as the military uniforms and flags were changed, they could pretend to be Haihan Navy at sea.
The Ming court is not ignorant of this, but what can they do with Xu Xinsu and his group?At the beginning, the imperial court gave Xu Xinsu a general status because he had an irresolvable hatred with the "Eighteen Zhi" pirate group, and wanted to use his family property and sea power to contain the pirate forces in the Fujian Strait.But I never thought that Haihan's intervention made this arrangement completely deviate from the original historical track. Xu Xinsu not only did not die at the hands of Zheng Yiguan, but instead replaced Zheng Yiguan's life track and became a big man who could call the wind and rain in the local area. warlord.
Dismissal investigation?I am afraid that there will be an armed rebellion in Fujian. When the rebellion of the peasant army in the Central Plains has not yet been quelled, Daming cannot afford civil strife of this nature. Moreover, this is a professional army equipped with high-end weapons. With Haihan as the backer, his combat effectiveness is not comparable to that of the mud legs in the Central Plains who put down their farm tools and picked up knives and guns.No one in the court dared to mention this method, because no one could bear the responsibility for the rebellion in the south.
Of course, there is another way in theory, that is, the imperial court orders Xu Xinsu to be transferred to Nanjing or Beijing and then placed under house arrest, gradually cleaning up the deteriorating local garrisons in Fujian.But the problem is that Xu Xinsu has now become a big boss in Fujian, and has become a role of listening to the announcement and not listening to the tune, and there is Haihan secretly pointing out.Emperor Chongzhen sent people to Fujian several times to declare his intention to promote him to be the Minister of the Ministry of War, but Xu Xinsu refused in every possible way. Anyway, in the final analysis, he would not accept the recruitment, would not let go of the military power in his hand, and would not leave Fujian.
With Xu Xinsu's attitude, the imperial court naturally couldn't arrange for someone else to go to Fujian to take his seat, otherwise, he might die suddenly as soon as he crossed the border of Fujian, and his whereabouts are even unknown.Moreover, if Xu Xinsu was forced to turn against him, Hai Han might be given a channel to invade Daming with arms.Therefore, even though Xu Xinsu had obviously acted in obedience to the imperial court's orders, no one could do anything to him, even Fujian governor Xiong Wencan and other high-ranking officials occasionally had to act according to Xu Xinsu's face.
The fact that the Ming court pretended to be deaf and dumb about this did not mean that all the officials below would pretend not to know about it. For example, Fei Cexian, who happened to know some of the inside information, was extremely dissatisfied with this.If Xu Xinsu and his like had already betrayed Daming, that would be fine, but as an official of the imperial court, secretly collaborating with Hai Han to form a private armed force to fight against the imperial edict, this is a serious crime of beheading.Although he didn't dare to go to Fujian to make trouble, he still had the guts to make a mockery in front of senior Haihan officials.
As soon as Bai Kesi heard the words with a gun and a stick, he naturally knew that Fei Cexian meant something.But Xu Xinsu has cooperated with Haihan for so many years. It can be said that the trust and dependence between the two parties have been very deep. How can Fei Cexian, an outsider, easily slander their friendship.Beks smiled and said, "Master Fei, the people who were able to directly buy a large amount of weapons and equipment from us in the past were all regarded as special existences by our country. Am I clear enough?"
Bex specially emphasized the word "directly" and excluded Daming. Before signing the Liaodong Agreement, the Ming court had no way to purchase weapons directly from Haihan, and it was only Haihan who borrowed the help of the Portuguese. Through the channels, some basic models of weapons and equipment were sold every other year and a half.And Xu Xinsu's treatment here is of course very different. Every time he brings a boatload of gold and silver, he brings a boatload of weapons and equipment when he goes back.When the battle between Xu Xinsu and Shibazhi was at its most intense, Haihan also specially sent military advisors to Fujian to guide Xu Xinsu's troops in combat. Not everyone can enjoy this kind of ally treatment, at least Daming does not have the qualifications yet .
The corners of Fei Cexian's mouth twitched twice, and he thought to himself that you are really blunt in saying this. You regard Xu Xinsu as one of your own, so how should Daming view this matter?
But Fei Cexian couldn't get angry at Bai Kesi, it was not his task to offend Haihan senior officials, and he couldn't bear the serious consequences that might be caused by it, so he could only cough twice to cover up his embarrassment, and automatically skipped Bai Kesi's words. respond.
Bai Kesi was not aggressive, seeing that Fei Cexian took the initiative to end the topic, he stopped holding on.In fact, the attitude of the Ming court towards Xu Xinsu, of course, Hai Han knows very well. Xu Xinsu’s actions in Fujian originally came from Hai Han’s intentions. It is certain that the Ming court is dissatisfied with this, but Hai Han also knows that Emperor Chongzhen didn't dare to use Xu Xinsu's knife, so he kept him as a local warlord.If there is a day of turning their backs, Xu Xinsu and his family will of course fall to Haihan's side without hesitation.
After watching a round of cannon-casting operations, Beks took Fei Cexian to the next assembly workshop, where Haihan's standard flintlock rifles were produced specially for export.But here is just assembling the barrel, bolt, butt and other parts together, in fact, the production process of the parts cannot be seen.
"Thirty to fifty rifles can be assembled here every day, depending on the rifle model and our manpower arrangement. All the rifles produced here are exported to other countries. After that, we will sell them to Daming according to the content of the Liaodong agreement. Some of the standard weapons produced here are produced here." Bai Kesi introduced to Fei Cexian.
Fei Cexian heard that the rifles produced here would be equipped with the Ming Army in the future, so he naturally became more interested. He approached the work station and carefully watched how the assemblers combined these parts together to turn them into a powerful weapon that could kill people. .But to be honest, he is really a layman to these things, and he can't understand the principle after reading it, and he can't tell whether the operation is good or bad.
After pretending to watch for a while, Fei Cexian asked Bai Kesi: "Master Bai, if this kind of musket is against the Tartar soldiers outside the pass, what are the chances of winning?"
Bai Kesi said: "There is no definite statement. On the battlefield, the situation changes rapidly. The weapons of the troops participating in the battle are only one of the factors that affect the outcome of the battle, but there is no absolute statement. For example, when there is heavy rain during the war, then the musket will It can only be used as a fire stick, and it will definitely not be able to fight with wild boar skin cavalry. But if it is a city defense battle with shelter, the defenders have thousands of muskets, and the victory is basically sealed, because the range of this thing is longer than that of bows and arrows. With the help of fortifications, it is possible to completely suppress the charge of the enemy's infantry and cavalry at a long distance."
Fei Cexian actually didn't understand it very well, but he heard that Bai Kesi said that he was well-informed and seemed to be very powerful, so he could only nod his head in agreement at the moment.
(End of this chapter)
In fact, the reason why Ming Dynasty did not import a large amount of weapons and equipment from Haihan is very complicated. It is not simply because the price cannot be negotiated, or because of different political stances. On the one hand, the two countries are very cautious about the content of this sensitive transaction, and each There are many fears that cannot be easily compromised; on the other hand, it is true that Haihan's weapon production capacity is still relatively limited. Except for its own use and providing to a few major allies, the production capacity that can really be used for export to Ming Dynasty is actually extremely limited, and it is not It is not enough to change the passive situation that Ming is currently facing in domestic and foreign wars.
From Haihan's point of view, large-scale military assistance to Ming Dynasty is not an ideal plan. Even though the executive committee keeps talking about the country of brothers, everyone knows that this is just diplomatic rhetoric.For Haihan, a weak Ming Dynasty is of course easier to influence and manipulate, so up to now, the restrictions on the export of weapons from Ming Dynasty have not been completely relaxed.
According to the Liaodong agreement agreed between the two countries, Haihan will sell to Daming two hundred pieces of various types of artillery and three thousand firearms in the next two years. It sounds like a lot, but in fact this amount is not even comparable to Annan.Since the friction with Siam over the border demarcation issue began last year, Annan has placed an additional order of more than [-] artillery pieces and [-] muskets to Haihan. Of course, such a large order cannot be delivered in a short period of time. Therefore, it must be divided into several batches to complete the delivery within two years.
Regardless of the weapons exported to Daming or Annan, they all rely heavily on Haihan for the supply of ammunition and spare parts.Of course, the self-produced gunpowder is not unusable, but its performance is not as good as Haihan's original product.It is through this method that Haihan controls the actual combat power of the target of military aid.
Fei Cexian didn't know the inside story of these international arms trade, he just wanted to win the opportunity for Daming to buy these big killers.Moreover, he believed that Haihan asked Bai Kesi to take him to visit the place where the weapons were manufactured, and it should not just be a look. After all, Haihan people are famous all over the world for not letting go of any opportunity to make money.So he took the initiative to ask Bai Kesi, if Daming had a demand, could he increase the arms order on the basis of the Liaodong agreement.
It was indeed in Bai Kesi's expectation that Fei Cexian would ask such a question. After all, the arms orders that were generated on paper like in Liaodong must be very different from the experience of seeing the guns being manufactured here.According to previous experience, there are very few customers who can bear not to talk about military purchases after arriving here, and the Ming envoy seems to be no exception.
"Lord Fei may not know much about our situation, so let me explain to Lord Fei first." Bai Kesi did not immediately respond to Fei Cexian's question, but started to bring up other topics first.
Bai Kesi first boasted about the performance of his own weapons, and then listed the key roles played by these weapons in many past battles, and then told Fei Cexian that the current arms orders Haihan received had been scheduled for the next year, and some allies They are all waiting for Haihan to supply Yunyun.Fei Cexian was confused at first, but then he suddenly realized that the other party had put so many conditions in front of him, just to hoard goods and ask for prices.
Sure enough, Bai Kesi changed the subject and said, "According to the actual situation, this must not be added, but if Daming is willing to pay an extra coordination fee, then I can think of a way."
After all, it still needs money!In his heart, Fei Cexian despised Haihan's high-ranking officials as philistines. Although he didn't know what hunger marketing was, he also knew that what Bai Kesi said earlier were all foreshadowing the final price.The export price of Haihan's arms is not cheap, and it can even be described as expensive. If the price is increased on this basis, it will indeed be a test of the financial strength of the buyer.With Daming's current stretched military expenditures, it is really difficult to afford a large amount of military purchases.
But not reconciled, Fei Cexian still asked Beks how to calculate the so-called coordination fee.
"Add [-]% to the original price as a coordination fee." Beks also gave the answer without hesitation.
Thirty percent!Fei Cexian was immediately persuaded by the offer. It's not that he couldn't accept the Haihan people's price increase, but it was [-]% of the offer, which was really hard for him to accept.Of course, the most important thing is that Bai Kesi just listed a lot of conditions, which shows that the [-]% price increase is not random. He is not good at bargaining in business matters, and now he can't find a reason to bargain. .
Fei Cexian didn't like the feeling of being taken advantage of. In the past, he had met with foreign envoys and even princes and ministers on behalf of the Ministry of Rites. He had never encountered such a situation.Who dares to blackmail the Ming Empire, isn't this asking for trouble?But Haihan people don't seem to have such self-awareness at all. Fei Cexian can hardly believe that these words came from a top Haihan official.But judging by Bai Kesi's expression, it was as normal as eating and sleeping, and he even lacked a serious attitude.
"I've heard that all the people in Haihan are merchants, and I finally learned it today." Fei Cexian could only laugh wryly at himself.
However, Bai Kesi didn't care about it: "Master Fei, you don't need to be so serious. Our country is just used to clearly stating the price, and it doesn't mean that there is any malice towards Daming. If Mr. Fei finds this method unacceptable, then let's just leave this topic aside." gone."
Fei Cexian thought that if he didn't talk about it, he wouldn't talk about it, how could he satisfy the profiteers like you, so he took the initiative to change the topic and said: "I don't know which countries your country sells weapons to besides Annan, can Mr. Bai reveal one or two? "
Beks replied: "That's a bit much. There are about a dozen countries in the South China Sea alone. It's just that Annan, as our country's military ally, will purchase a relatively larger number."
"Our country also bought a lot, right? I heard that most of the weapons equipped in some places in the south are purchased from your country." Fei Cexian asked stingingly.It is no secret that Haihan sells a large number of standard weapons to the Fuguang area, especially the Fujian military. It is from the hands of Haihan.Some folks even called the Fujian Navy the "Little Haihan Army". As long as the military uniforms and flags were changed, they could pretend to be Haihan Navy at sea.
The Ming court is not ignorant of this, but what can they do with Xu Xinsu and his group?At the beginning, the imperial court gave Xu Xinsu a general status because he had an irresolvable hatred with the "Eighteen Zhi" pirate group, and wanted to use his family property and sea power to contain the pirate forces in the Fujian Strait.But I never thought that Haihan's intervention made this arrangement completely deviate from the original historical track. Xu Xinsu not only did not die at the hands of Zheng Yiguan, but instead replaced Zheng Yiguan's life track and became a big man who could call the wind and rain in the local area. warlord.
Dismissal investigation?I am afraid that there will be an armed rebellion in Fujian. When the rebellion of the peasant army in the Central Plains has not yet been quelled, Daming cannot afford civil strife of this nature. Moreover, this is a professional army equipped with high-end weapons. With Haihan as the backer, his combat effectiveness is not comparable to that of the mud legs in the Central Plains who put down their farm tools and picked up knives and guns.No one in the court dared to mention this method, because no one could bear the responsibility for the rebellion in the south.
Of course, there is another way in theory, that is, the imperial court orders Xu Xinsu to be transferred to Nanjing or Beijing and then placed under house arrest, gradually cleaning up the deteriorating local garrisons in Fujian.But the problem is that Xu Xinsu has now become a big boss in Fujian, and has become a role of listening to the announcement and not listening to the tune, and there is Haihan secretly pointing out.Emperor Chongzhen sent people to Fujian several times to declare his intention to promote him to be the Minister of the Ministry of War, but Xu Xinsu refused in every possible way. Anyway, in the final analysis, he would not accept the recruitment, would not let go of the military power in his hand, and would not leave Fujian.
With Xu Xinsu's attitude, the imperial court naturally couldn't arrange for someone else to go to Fujian to take his seat, otherwise, he might die suddenly as soon as he crossed the border of Fujian, and his whereabouts are even unknown.Moreover, if Xu Xinsu was forced to turn against him, Hai Han might be given a channel to invade Daming with arms.Therefore, even though Xu Xinsu had obviously acted in obedience to the imperial court's orders, no one could do anything to him, even Fujian governor Xiong Wencan and other high-ranking officials occasionally had to act according to Xu Xinsu's face.
The fact that the Ming court pretended to be deaf and dumb about this did not mean that all the officials below would pretend not to know about it. For example, Fei Cexian, who happened to know some of the inside information, was extremely dissatisfied with this.If Xu Xinsu and his like had already betrayed Daming, that would be fine, but as an official of the imperial court, secretly collaborating with Hai Han to form a private armed force to fight against the imperial edict, this is a serious crime of beheading.Although he didn't dare to go to Fujian to make trouble, he still had the guts to make a mockery in front of senior Haihan officials.
As soon as Bai Kesi heard the words with a gun and a stick, he naturally knew that Fei Cexian meant something.But Xu Xinsu has cooperated with Haihan for so many years. It can be said that the trust and dependence between the two parties have been very deep. How can Fei Cexian, an outsider, easily slander their friendship.Beks smiled and said, "Master Fei, the people who were able to directly buy a large amount of weapons and equipment from us in the past were all regarded as special existences by our country. Am I clear enough?"
Bex specially emphasized the word "directly" and excluded Daming. Before signing the Liaodong Agreement, the Ming court had no way to purchase weapons directly from Haihan, and it was only Haihan who borrowed the help of the Portuguese. Through the channels, some basic models of weapons and equipment were sold every other year and a half.And Xu Xinsu's treatment here is of course very different. Every time he brings a boatload of gold and silver, he brings a boatload of weapons and equipment when he goes back.When the battle between Xu Xinsu and Shibazhi was at its most intense, Haihan also specially sent military advisors to Fujian to guide Xu Xinsu's troops in combat. Not everyone can enjoy this kind of ally treatment, at least Daming does not have the qualifications yet .
The corners of Fei Cexian's mouth twitched twice, and he thought to himself that you are really blunt in saying this. You regard Xu Xinsu as one of your own, so how should Daming view this matter?
But Fei Cexian couldn't get angry at Bai Kesi, it was not his task to offend Haihan senior officials, and he couldn't bear the serious consequences that might be caused by it, so he could only cough twice to cover up his embarrassment, and automatically skipped Bai Kesi's words. respond.
Bai Kesi was not aggressive, seeing that Fei Cexian took the initiative to end the topic, he stopped holding on.In fact, the attitude of the Ming court towards Xu Xinsu, of course, Hai Han knows very well. Xu Xinsu’s actions in Fujian originally came from Hai Han’s intentions. It is certain that the Ming court is dissatisfied with this, but Hai Han also knows that Emperor Chongzhen didn't dare to use Xu Xinsu's knife, so he kept him as a local warlord.If there is a day of turning their backs, Xu Xinsu and his family will of course fall to Haihan's side without hesitation.
After watching a round of cannon-casting operations, Beks took Fei Cexian to the next assembly workshop, where Haihan's standard flintlock rifles were produced specially for export.But here is just assembling the barrel, bolt, butt and other parts together, in fact, the production process of the parts cannot be seen.
"Thirty to fifty rifles can be assembled here every day, depending on the rifle model and our manpower arrangement. All the rifles produced here are exported to other countries. After that, we will sell them to Daming according to the content of the Liaodong agreement. Some of the standard weapons produced here are produced here." Bai Kesi introduced to Fei Cexian.
Fei Cexian heard that the rifles produced here would be equipped with the Ming Army in the future, so he naturally became more interested. He approached the work station and carefully watched how the assemblers combined these parts together to turn them into a powerful weapon that could kill people. .But to be honest, he is really a layman to these things, and he can't understand the principle after reading it, and he can't tell whether the operation is good or bad.
After pretending to watch for a while, Fei Cexian asked Bai Kesi: "Master Bai, if this kind of musket is against the Tartar soldiers outside the pass, what are the chances of winning?"
Bai Kesi said: "There is no definite statement. On the battlefield, the situation changes rapidly. The weapons of the troops participating in the battle are only one of the factors that affect the outcome of the battle, but there is no absolute statement. For example, when there is heavy rain during the war, then the musket will It can only be used as a fire stick, and it will definitely not be able to fight with wild boar skin cavalry. But if it is a city defense battle with shelter, the defenders have thousands of muskets, and the victory is basically sealed, because the range of this thing is longer than that of bows and arrows. With the help of fortifications, it is possible to completely suppress the charge of the enemy's infantry and cavalry at a long distance."
Fei Cexian actually didn't understand it very well, but he heard that Bai Kesi said that he was well-informed and seemed to be very powerful, so he could only nod his head in agreement at the moment.
(End of this chapter)