Chapter 1106 True Evidence
Although the Haihan people had a private army, in Zhang Pucheng's view, the other party did not rob the people or attack the county. They took the initiative to send troops to deal with the cancer of Wanjiajun in Fushan County, and their subsequent contacts with him were considered polite and courteous. There was no deliberate threat, and he took the initiative to give himself the credit for capturing the bandit leader Wan Meng. It didn't look like the behavior of a green forest lord. Shangguanye and himself had a feud, so to Zhang Pucheng's ears, these words sounded like sowing discord and stirring up trouble.
Shangguanye said with a smile: "Master Zhang, you have been staying in a small place like Fushan County all year round, so it is inevitable that you will have no information. I guess you have never heard of the origins of this Haihan people, so you fell into their trap! No matter, I will be a good person today and tell you the inside story!”
When Shangguanye said this, he glanced at Zhang Pucheng who was accompanying him next to him, and did not continue. Zhang Pucheng knew what he meant, so he waved his hand to ask his followers to avoid it first.
Shangguan Ye then continued: "My brother is also serving in the army. He is currently serving as a guard in Linshan, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang. He also knows a little about the past background of the Han people in this country. He mentioned it a lot in previous correspondence. Zhang Sir, this group of people is not as simple as you see. Did you know that the maritime trade routes in the coastal area south of Zhejiang are almost controlled by the Haihan people? It is said that they have become extremely powerful in Fuzhou and Guangzhou, even in local areas. The government does not dare to offend Haihan easily... Well, it is just like the situation in Fushan County now! ”
Zhang Pucheng was dubious, and couldn't help but retort: "The Haihan people opened and built a port just for the purpose of doing shipping business. As long as they didn't break the law or commit crimes, what if the business was bigger? They are so powerful... I don’t feel that they are disrespectful to the local government, but they are more disciplined than some people who let their subordinates do whatever they want!”
There was a thorn in Zhang Pucheng's words, and Shangguanye could naturally hear it. However, he had another purpose, and he turned a deaf ear to the ridicule at the moment. He continued: "The Haihan people have occupied a lot of places in the south, and the tactics they use are nothing but theirs." In the name of relieving the local people and assisting the government in quelling the chaos, they would move the local people to other places in the name of employment. Under various banners, armed personnel are stationed in the local area and gradually replace the status of the local government. Mr. Zhang, think about it, are the Haihan people following this routine now? "
Zhang Pucheng was actually secretly surprised while listening. The Haihan people were indeed using these methods one by one in Fushan County, and the progress was extremely fast. In just a few days, all the methods Shangguanye mentioned were used in Fushan County one by one. Almost all of these methods have been used. He hadn't thought about the Haihan people's true intention of doing these things before, but now that he thought about it slowly, it seemed that the real purpose was not that simple.
However, he still refused to believe Shangguan Ye's statement. He shook his head and retorted: "They are indeed doing these things, but these purposes are your imagination and there is no real evidence. How can I accept this?"
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Shangguanye said: "The real evidence is all in the south. Mr. Zhang, do you have time to go to Fuguang, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to have a look?"
Zhang Pucheng said: "I am not an idle person with nothing to do. How can I put down my official duties and run south just because of a few gossips. If Sir Shangguan can't produce any evidence, don't waste your time with me anymore!" ”
Seeing Zhang Pucheng's resolute attitude, Shangguanye's face gradually darkened: "Sir Zhang, do you know that the Haihan people have established a country in the south? If you join forces with them, you will be guilty of treason. If you are investigated and dealt with, it will not only be you." I can’t keep my official status, I’m afraid my family will be implicated too!”
Zhang Pucheng was really shocked this time: "Establish... a country? How... is this... possible?"
Shangguanye saw that Zhang Pucheng's mood was fluctuating violently, and he knew that his trump card was also effective, so he said unhurriedly: "These Haihan people have occupied some islands in the south, bribed the local governments along the coast, and think they have no one." It can be restrained so that the Haihan Kingdom can be established this year. The people who were transported to the south for resettlement by it will naturally become citizens of the Haihan Kingdom. Don't say that this Haihan Kingdom has not been recognized by the Ming Dynasty. , even if they really establish diplomatic relations with our country, this blatant human trafficking is definitely a serious crime.”
Zhang Pucheng asked tremblingly: "Is there any evidence for the theory of founding a country?"
Shangguanye shook his head and said: "I just said it, the evidence is all in the south. Shandong is thousands of miles away from their territory. Not many people have even heard of Haihan. If I didn't have a brother on duty in Zhejiang, The information is better than here, and you can't guess the origin of this Haihan man. If Mr. Zhang really wants to prove it, there is a simple way. After you return to Fushan County, you can summon the Haihan man and question him face to face. The truth is out?”
Zhang Pucheng had been completely led by Shangguanye at this time, and he immediately asked: "What if they don't admit such a disobedient thing?"
"Don't admit it?" Shangguanye laughed and said, "You underestimate the structure of this group of people. According to my brother's letter, the governor, chief envoy, and inspector general in Fuguang in the south, down to the following The county magistrates, bookkeepers, and historians at the level of Mr. Zhang all obeyed the instructions of the Haihan people. They could come and go freely in all the big cities and towns along the coast, and they were not restricted by Ming laws at all. Their establishment of the country was not carried out secretly, and the capital was located there. Yazhou on Qiongzhou Island in the South China Sea is famous for its distribution of prisoners. It is just because it is too far away from Shandong and the relevant news has not yet spread. For them, it is probably just based on the situation to decide whether they need to take the initiative to mention it, rather than admit it or not. Question.”
Zhang Pucheng felt a little guilty when he heard what he said so clearly. He suddenly found that the information he had was far inferior to the guy in front of him. The psychological disadvantage caused by this information asymmetry made him a little confused. He didn't know whether to trust Shangguan or not. Despite Ye's almost alarmist remarks, he should stick to his previous views, ignore his provocation, and continue to maintain a cooperative relationship with the Haihan people.
Zhang Pucheng suddenly thought of something. This Shangguan Ye was not a good person. Why did he come to him specifically to raise this matter? Was he trying so hard to convince himself to believe the information he provided, was he using it to blackmail himself, or was he using it to cause trouble and seek some kind of gain? Regardless of the purpose, Zhang Pu CD can be sure that the other party's actions and words must have no good intentions.
Zhang Pucheng was wary, but calmed down at the moment: "Sir Shangguan, since this Haihan has made such a big splash in the south, according to what you said, the charge of being a foreign official here is that the southern official was first punished by the imperial court. It’s the right thing to do. Since the court hasn’t expressed its stance yet, what’s the point?”
Seeing that Zhang Pucheng's previous words failed to frighten Zhang Pucheng, Shangguan Ye changed his words and said: "Master Zhang, the water in the south is too deep for little people like you and me to get through, but there is no such precedent here in Shandong. If you If you can’t hold your position, you are the first person to commit this crime!”
Seeing that the other party was still coaxing and intimidating him, Zhang Pucheng felt that there was something deceitful about it, so he simply asked directly: "Sir Shangguan, what's the problem between you and this Haihan man? You are trying to drag me into trouble, and what are your intentions? ?”
Seeing that Zhang Pucheng asked such a direct and explicit question, Shangguanye knew that relying on his previous rhetoric would no longer be effective, so he simply told the truth: "Sir Zhang, do you know that the Han people in this country are as rich as any country in the world and have countless treasures, no matter where they go?" Everywhere, they rely on bribery to get ahead.”
Zhang Pucheng thought that this was probably the truth. With the level of combat of the private army, the scale of recruiting refugees, and the generosity of gifts, it was obvious that ordinary businessmen could not afford it. At least there was no such thing in Dengzhou Prefecture. This level of private tycoons exists. During the meeting with the Haihan people the day before yesterday, they boasted about owning hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmland in the south. If this is true, their wealth is indeed unimaginable. Then I heard Shangguan Ye continue to say: "Although I don't know how much benefit Mr. Zhang got from them, it must be a lot of money... But this is not the point. Mr. Zhang, if you are willing to cooperate with me, you must get a seat from the Haihan people. It’s not impossible for Jinshan to do it.”
Zhang Pucheng's pupils shrank slightly, and he thought that this was the case. He spent so much time preparing for the situation, but in the end it was just to seek money. This coincided with his image of the unscrupulous Shangguan Ye. It's just that the Haihan people are not just rich. If you want to make money from them, I'm afraid you can't afford the price. He had seen with his own eyes how Haihan's private army had cleanly defeated the bandit-armed Wanjia Army twice in Fushan County. General Huang Qu also spoke highly of its combat effectiveness and believed that its strength was even better than that of the Guard Army. above.
The most important thing is that the Haihan people did not exert all their strength in these two battles and defeated their opponents at a very relaxed pace. Therefore, Zhang Pucheng, as a spectator, did not have a clear idea of the true strength of his private army. know. But based on what he had already shown, Zhang Pucheng would never want to provoke such a difficult opponent. Having learned from Wan Jiajun's example of seeking his own death, Zhang Pucheng didn't even have the slightest thought.
Shangguanye observed his words and thought that the subtle change in Zhang Pucheng's expression was due to his persuasion. He continued to strike while the iron was hot: "Sir Zhang, the Haihan people have a lot of money. Your Fushan County has no oil and water at all, and it is difficult to achieve political achievements. Haven't you ever thought of giving it to someone else?" Get yourself a hundred and eighty thousand taels of silver, then resign and go back to become a rich man?”
Zhang Pucheng sneered: "One hundred and eighty thousand taels of silver? Did it fall from the sky? Lord Shangguan said it quite easily."
Shangguanye said: "If Mr. Zhang is willing to cooperate with me, it will not be difficult to squeeze this money out of the Haihan people."
Zhang Pucheng said: "Could it be that you want to kidnap the Haihan people?"
Shangguan Ye remained silent, but the look on his face suggested that he had already acknowledged Zhang Pucheng's guess.
Zhang Pucheng shook his head and said: "Sir Shangguan, you are overthinking. When you have the opportunity to contact the Haihan people in the future, you will know that this is absolutely impossible."
Shangguanye said: "It's definitely not possible to do it directly. I heard that the Haihan private army is extremely powerful. The bandits and pirates in the south are invincible. The local garrison even has to look at their faces. If I lead a large army to attack Fushan County, I am afraid that this group of people will flee from Zhifu Bay back to the sea when the situation is not good. Then it will be all in vain. "
Zhang Pucheng said, "You think it is simple. Zhifu Island is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The Haihan private army is equipped with many firearms with long range and high destructive power. If there are few people who go, it will be in vain. If there are more people, there will be more casualties." The corresponding increase will be that if someone can't beat you and just take a boat and leave, you will have to bear the casualties and losses yourself. At that time, it will not be a matter of fetching water from a bamboo basket, but a big loss.
However, Zhang Pucheng didn't say anything, and just waited to see what Shangguan Ye was up to. If the other party really plans to use force to deal with the Haihan people directly, then he will definitely adopt a neutral attitude and watch the fun from the sidelines.
Shangguanye continued: "Since Mr. Zhang has already had contact with the Haihan people, they must have a certain degree of trust in you. If you find a reasonable excuse to meet with them again, you probably won't refuse. At that time, I will secretly ambush the people. , wouldn’t it be extremely easy to capture him and let Haihan redeem him with money?”
Zhang Pucheng said: "Sir Shangguan is relieved. Haihan will definitely put this debt on my head when the time comes. What a good idea! What a good idea!"
Shangguan Ye said: "This is easy to do. Let the person who did it pretend to be a bandit, and you and I will act together in a play. Then you will act as the middleman, hand over the ransom for Haihan, and take back the hostages. Isn't it perfect?" < br>
The more Zhang Pucheng listened, the more outrageous he felt. He felt that Shangguanye's plan was too crude and that the Haihan people were too simplistic. If he follows this method, he is afraid that Fushan County will fall under the iron heel of Haihan at any time. Although the money is good, instead of fighting for that illusory amount, it is better to steadily accept the so-called "office sponsorship" that Haihan will pay every three months.
"No way, no way!" Zhang Pucheng shook his head repeatedly and rejected Shangguan Ye's proposal: "I have no enmity with the Haihan people. How can I do such a sinful thing for money!"
Shangguanye talked for a long time, but when he saw that Zhang Pucheng still refused to cooperate, he didn't have much patience at the moment and asked with a sullen face: "Master Zhang really refuses to cooperate?"
"I'm sorry to have to obey my order!" Zhang Pucheng believed from the bottom of his heart that this plan would not work, so he was not willing to take such a risk with Shangguanye. Shangguanye could run away if he caused trouble. As the magistrate of Fushan County, where could he run?
"Sir Shangguan wants to trouble the Haihan people, and I won't stop him, but don't have anything to do with me." Zhang Pucheng was afraid of getting into bad luck, so he raised his hand and said, "Sir Shangguan, please come!"
Shangguanye stood up angrily and left the table. When he turned around, he lowered his voice and cursed: "I don't know how to show appreciation! You will have a hard time in the future!"
(End of chapter)