Chapter 3488
Chapter 3488
Chapter 3488
Compared with Li Yi's low-key travel style, this convoy from another country was obviously much more ostentatious. Not only did they bring dozens of cavalrymen to escort the convoy, but they also specially held flags and ceremonial guards, making it difficult for others to ignore their presence.
The big character "Zheng" on the flag indicated the person this caravan served - King Zheng Zao of Annan.
As a country whose comprehensive strength in the South China Sea region is second only to Hai Han, Annan's international status has also risen. It is natural to arrange a guard of honor during the king's visit.
However, after getting off the car, Zheng Za was not arrogant. When he noticed Li Li and his group who came to the guesthouse at the same time, he immediately came over to say hello.
When they were both princes in their respective countries, they both went to Sanya to study abroad. They had already met at that time and treated each other as peers. In total, they have been friends for more than 20 years.
Although the two had not had many opportunities to interact face to face in recent years, since they met on Hai Han’s territory, they would definitely exchange a few words of greeting.
Li Li succeeded to the throne much earlier than Zheng Zha. After a palace coup in Korea in 1638, he was pushed to the throne of king by Hai Han.
Zheng Zao was the crown prince until he was almost fifty years old. It was not until four years ago when his father Zheng Xun passed away that he officially succeeded to the throne and became the King of Annan.
Perhaps it was because of their different qualifications as kings that the two men had completely different ideas about the ceremonial arrangements during the trip, and the two motorcades were put together, forming a sharp contrast.
After chatting for a while, the two agreed to meet again in the next few days. Then, under the guidance of Hai Han diplomats, they each went to the accommodation arranged in advance.
The scale of the guesthouse built by Hai Han at the foot of Baoshi Mountain on the shore of West Lake is much larger than the previous guesthouse in Sanya. There are as many as eight halls planned here that can accommodate large diplomatic delegations, and nearly half of them have not yet been completed.
Although both Korea and Annan were vassal states, they were nominally allies of Hai Han. When the kings of these two countries visited Hangzhou, they naturally stayed in the highest-grade residences. Not only could they enjoy the beautiful scenery of West Lake, but the living facilities were also complete, and they were built completely according to the living standards of Hai Han's high-ranking officials.
That night, at the welcome dinner hosted by the Hai Han Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two kings met with many Hai Han officials they were familiar with. At the same time, they also discovered that there were more foreign dignitaries attending the dinner than just them, but at least a dozen countries were present.
However, the status of these guests was mostly just diplomats or senior generals of their own country. There were indeed only two kings present, and they were basically the most distinguished guests at this dinner.
During the dinner, Yan Chujie explained to the guests the reasons and purposes of holding the Zhoushan Forum, and then answered various questions from the guests. This process became the highlight of the dinner.
"This forum will provide you with a platform for equal communication, countless free information, a window to understand changes in the international situation, and an opportunity to enhance your own military strength. I hope that everyone who has traveled a long way to attend the forum can get what they want."
After answering a series of questions from the guests, Yan Chujie had to end the Q&A session. The guests were very enthusiastic about the upcoming forum, and if they continued to chat, they might not be able to finish until midnight. However, not everyone could fully understand the explanation of the Hai Han high-level officials on this forum. After Li Yi returned to his residence after the banquet, he was still thinking about the information he had received earlier.
He was not sure what others wanted to get from this event, but for North Korea, the most ideal goal of participating in this event was to take this opportunity to further consolidate its alliance with Hai Han, ensure that North Korea could remain under Hai Han's protection for a long time, and play a more important role in the international system built by Hai Han.
Li Yi knew that his personal attendance as the king was only to show Hai Han his importance. If he really wanted to achieve the desired goal, it would not be enough to just talk big in diplomatic occasions. More practical measures must be taken.
Purchasing arms from Hai Han is certainly one of the effective means of expressing one's will. Although it is a disguised form of paying protection fees, it can indeed enhance one's own military strength.
However, Li Li has been dealing with Hai Han for so many years and knows very well that this event is not the best time to purchase arms.
Such a concentrated concentration of buyers will only make Hai Han's limited military resources even more scarce, and will most likely lead to a bloody bidding scene, which will inevitably cause prices to rise significantly.
Besides, after more than 20 years of running-in, the North Korean military has already had a relatively stable equipment replacement cycle. There are well-established plans for when to purchase new equipment. If it suddenly has to make large-scale military purchases, it will not only affect the original arrangements, but will also cause turmoil in the country's finances.
What Li Yi was most looking forward to was actually sending troops to participate in certain military operations led by Hai Han.
In previous battles, the Korean army rarely participated in frontal fighting. Most of the time, they only had to help the Hai Han army, take on logistics and supplies during operations, or guard and escort prisoners of war, and they were able to gain considerable military merit with limited consumption.
Just last year, when Hai Han launched a war against the Ming Dynasty, Korea also sent thousands of troops to participate in some of the combat operations.
This kind of joint military action would not only allow the Korean army to accumulate actual combat experience, but also effectively prove its position in the Hai Han military system. After all, there were only a few armies in the world that were qualified to cooperate with the Hai Han army.
In Li Yi's opinion, using this method to prove one's own value is much more cost-effective than making unplanned military purchases. However, it is not clear whether Hai Han will have any large-scale military operations in the near future.
On the table in front of Li Yi was a newly published issue of the Hai Han Times. The prominent headline on the front page was "Fearless of Danger, Special Operations Division Enters Ceylon Island." The content was a report on the Special Operations Division establishing a new base on Ceylon Island in the Indian Ocean.
Of course, the timeliness of this report was much behind schedule, and it did not mention the recent war in the area. However, Li Yi was concerned about the location of Ceylon Island, which was more than 5,000 miles away from the former southern border island, which showed how fast Hai Han was expanding in this direction.
It's a pity that this place is too far away from North Korea, and the North Korean army with limited long-range delivery capabilities can only sigh in despair. Even if it is Annan, located in the South China Sea, it is not easy to send troops to join in the fun.