Chapter 857 Face to Face
Ma Ling was still eating lunch when he heard the news, but he was not as surprised as Haihan. There are many waterways in Shipu Port, and a manpower blockade can only block them for a short time. Moreover, the manpower of the Haihan Fleet in the blockade operation is still very limited. It can only guard a few main waterways in and out of the port during the day. After nightfall, there is not much Good idea. The detectives stationed in the port by the East China Sea pirates will definitely sneak out from the sea to report the news as long as they find an opportunity.
Ma Ling had had contact with Lin Xing before and knew that the leader of the Sanlin Gang had also been to the areas of the Haihan people in his early years. He was one of the few well-informed pirates in the East China Sea. Lin Xing rushed to Shipu Port to ask for a meeting so quickly after receiving the news. He must have judged from the news that the situation was unfavorable to him and planned to give in to the Haihan people.
When Ma Ling rushed to the headquarters, Lin Xing's ship had not yet docked, so he quickly told several commanders his thoughts. Ma Ling was not worried that Lin Xing would offend the Haihan people, but that the Haihan people would not look down on the pirate leader of Liuheng Island and would just blast Lin Xing out.
How the Haihan people treat Lin Xing is a trivial matter, but Ma Ling believes that if they can avoid offending the big shots behind the Sanlin Gang, it would be better to resolve the dispute through peaceful means. If the Haihan people don't go well, they will just go back to the south. Ma Ling still has family property and connections in Zhejiang. Although the Haihan people have promised to arrange other ways out for him, who will do it until it is absolutely necessary? Are you willing to leave your hometown and start over in a completely unfamiliar environment?
Under the "escort" of the Haihan warship, Lin Xing's boat slowly sailed into Shipu Port from the Tongwamen Waterway between Dongmen Island and the mainland. When he saw the densely packed coalition fleet lined up on the north shore of the harbor, his mouth never closed. Before coming here, Lin Xing had some luck, thinking that the Haihan people might just send a small number of armed warships to Zhejiang to perform some special tasks, such as escorting important people or carrying a large amount of money, but when he saw this After seeing the size of the fleet hidden in Shipu Port, I realized that my previous idea was too simple. The Haihan people traveled thousands of miles to send such a large fleet. I am afraid that they are not just showing off their power, but they are really looking for a place to set down a foothold in Zhejiang.
Lin Xing's ship docked at the military dock outside Shipu Suo City. Although the flag of the Ming Dynasty was still erected on top of the city, he also noticed that all the armed personnel on the shore had been replaced by marine officers wearing gray short-shirt military uniforms. It is obvious that the control of the Han civilian regiment has changed hands and is no longer in the hands of the Shipu Guards.
After someone on the dock asked about Lin Xing's identity, they took him to Shipu Suo City. When he arrived at the city gate, someone stopped him and only Lin Xing was allowed to enter the city, while his entourage had to wait outside the city.
Lin Xing was not angry because of this, but just defended: "I brought some gifts to the leaders. If you can't bring people in, I can help you to deliver them to me."
Since Lin Xing came under the guise of a visit, he couldn't come empty-handed out of etiquette, so he prepared some local specialties as gifts, such as a paperweight inlaid with bone and wood, a small table screen carved with red gold wood, and a small altar. The twenty-year-old daughter is red and so on. Since I didn't know how many Haihan people were coming, I prepared five copies of everything. Each gift was packed in a lacquered box. The two of them carried a box and followed Lin Xing to the shore.
Lin Xing had been to Sanya in his early years and had heard about the many interests of the Haihan people. He knew that they had an unusual love for various cultural handicrafts produced in the Ming Dynasty, so he still put some thought into the purchase of this gift. . If it were any other person, Lin Xing might just give gold and silver as a gift. After all, money touches people's hearts, and nothing is as simple and effective as gold and silver. However, this gift was actually stopped, which also made Lin Xing feel that the Haihan people attached great importance to defense. He also knew that there was no essential difference between going in alone and going in with his men, so he simply acted like a bachelor. To show that he did not have any bad intentions in this trip.
Immediately, an officer came over to receive the gift list and gifts, and then led Lin Xing into the city. Sure enough, the city was completely controlled by Haihan. All Lin Xing saw were Haihan soldiers. It was not until outside the guard hall in the city that he saw Qianhu Maling stationed there.
Lin Xing had come to Shipusuo City to meet Ma Ling in the past, but he had never seen him come out to greet him. There is only one explanation for this situation: now the person in charge of Shipusuo City has changed, and Ma Ling has also changed. As an errand boy, he can only do things outside to welcome people and send them off.
"Lin has met Master Ma!" Lin Xing thought to himself, his face still expressionless, and he stepped forward to greet Ma Ling.
"Master Lin!" Ma Ling also cupped his hands and responded with a wry smile: "Don't call me your lord. The person who calls the shots is here now, Master Lin, come with me!"
Lin Xing followed him inside and saw a young Haihan officer sitting in the hall, with several guards standing on the left and right. Ma Ling introduced: "General Qian, Boss Lin from Liuheng Island is here. Boss Lin, this is General Qian of the Haihan Militia. Please come closer to us."
Although Lin Xing had been to Sanya, he was not very familiar with Haihan's internal personnel situation, and he did not know the background of General Qian. However, he could confirm from the superior aura exuding from the other party that this was indeed an authentic person. Haihan people, not Ming or dependents from other countries. Although he had seen the true form of the Haihan people when he went to Sanya, the people he could come into contact with were basically various naturalized people who were vassal to the Haihan people, and he had no chance to have face-to-face conversations like now. Although he had already thought of various ways to deal with it before coming, Lin Xing still inevitably became nervous when the incident came.
After the two parties met, Qian Tiandun did not deliberately embarrass Lin Xing. He invited him to sit down and talk, and then ordered someone to bring tea. This attitude relieved Lin Xing's nervousness a little. What he was most worried about was that the Haihan people had no interest in communicating at all, so no matter how many expressions Sanlin helped make, it would be in vain.
"I had the honor to go to Sanya two years ago, and I admire the work of all the leaders of Haihan on Qiongzhou Island. However, due to my humble status, I did not have the opportunity to meet with you at that time. Yesterday I heard that the Haihan fleet I have already gone north to Shipu Port, and I wanted to come over to see you. Firstly, I want to see if I can meet an old friend, and secondly, if you need anything, I can also do my best.”
Lin Xing was also very skillful in his speech. He did not mention a word about the conflict between Haihan's fleet and Shipu Guards Station, nor did he ask about Haihan's purpose of coming here. He only said that he had a relationship with Haihan and came here. The purpose is just to say hello and see if there is anything I need help with. Show your goodwill first, so that even if Haihan has other plans, he probably won't fall out immediately.
Qian Tiandun smiled and said: "Boss Lin is interested. Before we came here, we heard that Boss Lin had a big business on Liuheng Island. We originally planned to find another time to visit him, but unexpectedly, Boss Lin took the initiative to come over first. ”
Lin Xing wasn't sure whether Qian Tiandun's words meant good intentions or something else. He glanced at Ma Ling, only to see that he was already looking at his nose and heart, his eyes drooped like an old monk in trance, and there was no expression on his face. , which greatly disappointed Lin Xing, who was expecting him to give some hints.
Out of caution, Lin Xing still responded very carefully: "How can my small business get the attention of the heads of Haihan? It's just a living. General Qian is too polite."
Qian Tiandun said: "If the Sanlin Gang's business is still at a subsistence level, then 99% of the people in the Ming Dynasty will probably starve to death, right?"
Lin Xing's heart skipped a beat. Qian Tiandun took the initiative to mention the identity of the "Sanlin Gang", which was not a good sign. He immediately responded: "Although I have a little extra money, when I encounter local people who are repairing bridges, repairing roads, and relieving victims, We will also provide financial assistance for such matters without harming our neighbors.”
Qian Tiandun shook his head and said: "Actually, whether you have harmed your neighbors has nothing to do with us Haihan. But now we plan to find an island to settle off the coast of Ningbo Prefecture, and the range of choices we can choose is really limited. Maybe it will conflict with Boss Lin's territory. "Lin Xingxin said that there are thousands of islands to choose from in the Zhoushan Archipelago. You are also forcing "limitation", and it is clear that you want to take over the territory here. However, since the Haihan people took the initiative to make this potential conflict of interest clear, Lin Xing could also see that the other party was confident. If he said no at the moment, he might be asked out immediately.
Lin Xing thought for a while before responding: "If you are looking for a good natural harbor, the southern coast of Zhoushan Island is naturally the best. It is guarded by many small islands, the water is deep and the waves are gentle, and the conditions are comparable to Sanya Port. If you want a safe place, , not under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty government, the slightly farther Daishan Island and Qushan Island are also good choices. ”
Lin Xing kept talking, but he didn't mention Liuheng Island where the Sanlin Gang was located. How could Qian Tiandun not hear the little hidden thoughts he had? Immediately, he took the initiative to ask: "As far as I know, Liuheng Island was already a famous free trade port in the East China Sea a hundred years ago. Boss Lin has forgotten his own place."
Lin Xingqian smiled and said: "I only occupy a corner of Liuheng Island. How can it be compared with the grand scene of Shuangyu Port a hundred years ago? General Qian is joking."
Qian Tiandun said: "The Sanlin Gang and the Haisha Gang on Liuheng Island are both great villages in the East China Sea. Boss Lin is so humble, which is a bit inconsistent with the reputation of the Sanlin Gang!"
Lin Xing was frightened when he heard this, and quickly continued to defend: "The business I do is all legitimate business, and I am not the same traveler as the Haisha Gang. I would like to ask General Qian to learn from it."
Qian Tiandun said: "We heard that the Sanlin Gang is also collecting protection fees from fishermen and merchant ships!"
Lin Xing raised his hand and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, and explained to Qian Tiandun: "This fee is not earned by the Sanlin Gang and the family. In fact, most of it was turned over to the Ningbo Prefecture..."
"Then you want to pass the blame to the government?" Qian Tiandun looked at Lin Xing's anxious look and it was funny.
"I don't dare, I just hope that you can understand my difficulties... If there is any need for the Sanlin Gang to help, please let General Qian express it!" Lin Xing also felt that Qian Tiandun seemed to be just teasing him. , and immediately emphasized his attitude again.
Qian Tiandun said: "We don't understand the difficulties of your Sanlin Gang and we don't intend to understand, but there is one thing I am very interested in knowing. What do you think you can do to help us?"
Qian Tiandun's tone could be said to be very arrogant, but Lin Xing heard a glimmer of hope in it. He knew that the Haihan people were very practical in doing things. If it could not bring them actual benefits, then even talking nonsense would be of no use. But if Haihan people think it is worthwhile, they will often make some unreasonable decisions - such as forming some impossible cooperative relationships.
Lin Xing responded: "I have said before that if you want to settle here, I can provide you with some useful information to assist you. If the heads of Haihan want to get in touch with the officials of Ningbo Prefecture, I can also Arrange it in the middle to open up the joints. ”
Qian Tiandun was silent for a while before speaking: "What do you use to prove your sincerity?"
Lin Xing answered very firmly this time: "This servant is here, which is the greatest sincerity!"
"Yes, you are very courageous!" Qian Tiandun nodded approvingly, then changed the subject and asked an unrelated question: "I heard that many of the business methods in the Sanlin Gang's territory are imitated from ours, right? Is there such a thing?”
Lin Xing couldn't tell from Qian Tiandun's face whether he was happy or angry, so he could only grit his teeth and try his luck: "Yes, it is true. After going to Sanya, I thought about bringing some of your business methods to you. Return to Zhejiang. However, due to limited financial, human and material resources, we cannot copy it exactly as it is, which makes General Qian laugh!
"I heard that there is a special maritime exchange on the territory of the Sanlin Gang. I can see that you are also an ambitious person. However, according to the scale and development speed of your Sanlin Gang, if you want to unify the maritime smuggling in the Zhoushan Islands There will still be many difficulties in trade." Qian Tiandun slowly got to the point: "But if you are willing to assist us in doing this, we may be able to complete it many years in advance. Of course, this is the leader. It won’t be you Sanlin Gang, but us Haihan. What do you think?”
Lin Xing thought to himself, isn't this a good thing? How many businessmen in Fuguang wanted to have an opportunity to cooperate directly with Haihan but couldn't. They never expected that such a good thing would be right in front of them. However, while he was excited, he also knew that this was not the final decision, it was just the other party testing his attitude, but this rare opportunity must be grasped.
"If you, the leaders of Haihan, think highly of me, you will do your best to help me!" Lin Xing quickly stood up and expressed his stance to Qian Tiandun.
(End of chapter)