Chapter 1182 Armistice Agreement
As Wang Ji was the Chief Envoy and Inspector of Zhejiang and the highest local administrative and judicial chief, naturally no one would question his authority. However, coming forward to sign an armistice agreement with the Haihan people was not a good thing to be proud of. Wang Ji hesitated and did not immediately respond to Qu Yutong's words.
There was an observer nearby. Seeing Wang Ji's serious face, he immediately questioned Qu Yutong's suggestion: "The method proposed by Mr. Qu is not appropriate. As a high-ranking official in Zhejiang, how can Mr. Wang condescend to condescend and personally Come forward to sign this alliance with the Haihan barbarians? If it spreads in the future, it will inevitably damage Mr. Wang’s official reputation.”
This is what Wang Ji is worried about. Everyone knows that the government is forced to choose the truce and peace treaty because of the threat of force from Haihan. Whoever comes forward to sign an agreement with the Haihan people will be given some bad reputations, and may even become the person responsible for taking the blame when the situation changes in the future. If it might affect his career, Wang Ji would definitely not want to take the lead.
Qu Yutong had already planned for this, and immediately retorted: "How can this be said to be an alliance under the city? Haihan is a foreign country in the south. They came to me in the name of the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty, and allowed them to do business in Zhejiang. This is the kingdom of heaven. A gift to the small country! ”
The man was still unconvinced and continued to argue: "Then Haihan's other two demands must also be written in black and white in the agreement. How should we explain them?"
Comrade Qu Yu said: "Isn't this simple? Whether it is the Ming Dynasty or a foreigner, if a murder case occurs in Hangzhou, the government has the responsibility to find out the truth. What does this have to do with whether they ask for it or not? As for compensation, it can be Just mention it in the name of pension. I would like to say again that the Haihan people have the same goal as us, they want a chance to end this farce decently. This is why they asked the top officials to sign a written agreement. If things are done properly, it will be a great thing for the Zhejiang government to win over the people of other countries and promote the prestige of the Ming Dynasty. However, if it is not handled properly and the two countries go to war and the people suffer, please consider the consequences carefully before speaking."
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Qu Yutong's cleansing can be said to be quite powerful, and it makes sense at first glance. As the saying goes, the official word has two meanings. How to explain this armed conflict between the two countries ultimately depends on the official statement. As long as the two sides can have a little tacit understanding, it is possible to turn this armed conflict into a story in which the two countries resolve their differences and the Ming Dynasty helps small countries. The Zhejiang government who handled this matter not only had no faults, but also made great achievements. They might even receive awards and commendations after reporting it to the court - of course, they would have to carefully think about the content of the memorial.
However, not everyone will accept Qu Yutong’s tactics. For example, Liu Feng was very unhappy with his way of unknowingly whitewashing Haihan: “Master Qu, according to what you said, Haihan invaded the Ming Dynasty. , hurting our soldiers and civilians, how can we write it off like this?”
Qu Yutong responded calmly: "Since we have to settle the accounts clearly, today, does Mr. Liu have the determination to fight Haihan in Hangzhou City? Mr. Liu may say that Haihan is rampant at this time, but it is just Because Zhejiang's military strength has been depleted recently, wouldn't it be enough to settle the debt with Haihan when the troops from the north came back? The official never said that he wanted to write off the matter. Signing this agreement does not mean it. We can no longer fight.”
Liu Feng's face suddenly turned dark when he was scolded by him. Qu Yutong's statement is undoubtedly blaming the military's incompetence for the current situation where it has to compromise with Haihan. If the military feels that signing the armistice agreement is unacceptable, it can send troops out of the city to fight Haihan. Life and death - of course, if we suffer another defeat, I'm afraid the conditions for peace talks will be even more difficult.
Of course it is impossible to fight Haihan. As long as Haihan does not attack Hangzhou City, the Zhejiang government has no intention of continuing the war. If the imperial court knew that Zhejiang was disturbed by a foreign armed force, then no one present would be able to live in peace.
Liu Feng himself understood the truth well, so he approved Wang Ji's decision to negotiate for peace, but there was still a feeling of anger in his heart that could not be calmed down. Qu Yutong's ridicule with a gun and a stick made him even more angry. Just when he was about to get angry, Wang Ji said: "The overall situation is more important, and it is better to let Haihan retreat first!"
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Wang Ji's words have undoubtedly set the tone for this matter. If Liu Feng continues to argue with Qu Yutong, he will inevitably be accused of "ignoring the overall situation". At the moment, he can only snort and fiercely He glared at Qu Yutong and kept this account in mind.
Now that Wang Ji has stated that he will peacefully resolve the current war with Haihan, it is useless for others to oppose him desperately, especially the military, which has the strongest dislike for Haihan. Because of its poor previous record, it is indeed impossible to be tough now. statement. After the general direction is determined, it will be much easier to deal with the details. Whether it is the implementation timetable for solving cases and compensation, or the specific areas where trade rights will be opened, both parties will have much more room for maneuver. Wang Ji's initial dissatisfaction with Qu Yutong's performance turned into appreciation, and he decided to hand over the subsequent detailed negotiations to him. This arrangement was in line with Qu Yutong's wishes.
Qu Yutong worked hard to cooperate with Haihan in this play. The main purpose was to keep his official position as the prefect of Ningbo from being shaken. If he could win as much favor as possible in front of Wang Ji, he would naturally be sure of success. Then it increased significantly. Now that Wang Ji has given full power to negotiate with Qu Yutong, he has basically confirmed his role in this incident. Whoever wants to be the governor of Ningbo in the future must first consider the position of governor. That's what the adults meant.
Of course, if Wang Ji favors someone else and arranges for others to take over the matter, then don't expect to get through Haihan easily. Except for Qu Yutong, it would be difficult for other officials to gain Haihan's trust. It would not be easy for another person to complete the half-negotiated armistice agreement. In the end, the matter would still be handed over to Qu Yutong. On hand.
Haihan and Qu Yutong had reached a tacit understanding in advance, and they had already planned how to implement the armistice agreement. Although many people in Zhejiang officialdom doubted Qu Yutong's position, they had to admit that Qu Yutong The result of the negotiation with Haihan was much better than expected. At least under his operation, the face of the Zhejiang government and all the adults was basically saved for the time being. Otherwise, if Haihan continued to make trouble like this and disrupted Zhejiang, everyone would not only be embarrassed, but also risk losing their official positions.
Now that the confrontation between the two sides has lasted for more than ten days, shipping in the lower reaches of the Qiantang River is almost at a complete standstill. A large number of stakeholders have been quarreling in Hangzhou, and the pressure on the government is almost to the point of collapse. If Wang Ji hadn't been under tremendous pressure, he wouldn't have been led astray by Qu Yutong's sophistry. After he finalized the strategy, he urged Qu Yutong to implement it quickly, so Qu Yutong didn't even return to the city. At two hours, he rushed out of the city without stopping to meet the Haihan people to discuss the follow-up solution. "Wang Ji made a decision so quickly?" Wang Tom also didn't expect that less than half a day after the two sides finished talking, Qu Yutong brought the news that the Zhejiang government decided to accept the conditions and cease war and negotiate peace.
Qu Yutong apologized and said with a smile: "The chief envoy also took this decision into consideration for the people's livelihood and did not want the war to harm the people of Zhejiang, nor did he want the misunderstanding between the two countries to get deeper."
Tom Wang just listened to these words, but he didn’t take them seriously. Even though Qu Yutong has already had a relatively in-depth cooperation with Haihan, he is still a high-ranking local official of the Ming Dynasty. He must speak and do things from the standpoint of the Ming Dynasty. It is reasonable to try to help his boss absolve himself of responsibility. Why did Wang Ji agree so quickly? Wang Tom still had a good idea. There were hidden stakes of Haihan in Hangzhou city, and intelligence personnel would promptly send information about the public opinion trends in the city and major events and minor affairs. The voices of the peace negotiators in the city gradually gained the upper hand, and they did not have enough combat power to continue the armed confrontation. It was only a matter of time before they chose to compromise.
The next thing will be relatively easy. Both sides only need to take out the contents of the armistice agreement that was agreed upon in advance and make some small changes according to the current situation. However, in order to avoid suspicion among his colleagues in the city, Qu Yutong did not immediately present the contents of the negotiated agreement this time. After returning to the city that day, he pretended to be thoughtful and only claimed that the details of the agreement were still being negotiated. Wang Ji couldn't urge him, so he could only encourage him to control the situation and try his best to obtain better conditions for the government.
After another day, Qu Yutong reported the content of the agreement to Wang Ji. After obtaining his approval, he and Tom Wang agreed on the time and place for the meeting, and basically finalized the last and most important link.
More than half a month after the Tongsheng Wharf fire incident, representatives from the Ming Dynasty and Haihan finally met next to the ruins of Tongsheng Wharf in the east of Hangzhou to sign a peace agreement regarding the fire incident and a series of subsequent events. protocol.
Of course, the word "truce" was never mentioned in this agreement from beginning to end, because according to the agreement, no war broke out between the two countries, and the military demonstrations carried out by the Haihan Army in various capitals in Hangzhou Bay a few days ago will also If it is erased, the Zhejiang government will record it as Haihan's measures to help the government find the real culprit of the fire case. As for the military conflict between the two armies outside Hangzhou and the resulting casualties, both sides have a tacit agreement not to mention a word, and this incident will not be recorded in official records. In short, neither side will admit that small-scale battles took place in the eighth year of Chongzhen, let alone characterize the recent armed confrontation outside Hangzhou as a Haihan invasion of Zhejiang.
Regarding the investigation of the Tongsheng Wharf fire case, the Zhejiang government handed over fifteen non-existent "murderers" to Haihan on this day. Both parties agreed to end the case, and Haihan promised not to discuss the case with the Zhejiang government again. To explain. As for the original charges of these fifteen death row inmates taken out from Hangzhou Prison, and how Haihan wants to deal with them, that is not the focus of the problem.
Convincing Haihan to accept the scapegoat handed over by the Zhejiang government and giving up the continued investigation of the fire case was one of the benefits that Qu Yutong "obtained" for the Zhejiang government at the last moment, and Wang Ji breathed a sigh of relief. . As this case remained unsolved, Haihan continued to have excuses to cause trouble. Qu Yutong's "efforts" undoubtedly saved the Zhejiang government from a big trouble that might have lasted for a long time. The Hangzhou government offices and other government offices assisting in the investigation have been under tremendous pressure recently. After hearing this news, they were all very grateful to Qu Yutong and regarded him as a great savior.
As for the compensation previously proposed by Haihan, the Zhejiang government only needed to deliver to Haihan three sailboats similar to those burned in the fire as compensation for the government's negligence in public security. Moreover, these three ships will not be delivered in the official name, but will be handed over by private individuals in the form of donations and gifts to protect the government's face from being damaged. Considering that a large amount of Haihan's property was missing and destroyed in the fire, the Zhejiang government was very "generous" and granted Haihan a one-year tax exemption for the entry and sale of his goods. Anyway, Haihan products have been smuggled into the Zhejiang market for two or three years. During this period, the Shipping Department has never received any tax money from Haihan. This condition is not very practical for Daming. loss.
Of course, this limited-time tax exemption naturally became part of the Zhejiang government's agreement on opening trade rights to Haihan, and the content of trade rights is the real subject of this agreement. In order to cover up the Zhejiang government's major diplomatic and military failures, the armistice agreement was actually drafted and signed in the name of opening up trade rights. However, the Tongsheng Pier fire case and related follow-up processing were only included in this agreement. Passed by in an understatement.
This is also the main reason why Wang Ji is quite satisfied with Qu Yutong's "negotiation results". Judging from the content of this agreement, one would not realize that this is the result of an arm-wrestling between the two sides on the battlefield. It is just some insignificant preferential policies given by the heavenly government out of kindness to the foreign merchants who come all the way here to do business.
The agreement stipulated that the Ming Dynasty opened Zhoushan Island in Ningbo Prefecture to build commercial facilities for Haihan merchants, and allowed Haihan people to live there for a long time and engage in commercial activities. This is actually equivalent to acknowledging Haihan's current sphere of influence in the Zhoushan Islands. Although Haihan's local autonomy and the power to station armed forces are not mentioned, no one would be unreasonable to challenge it at this time. bone.
In addition, Haihan merchants will also have the right to trade freely in Wenzhou, Taizhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing, Jiaxing, Hangzhou and other places along the coast of Zhejiang. However, Haihan citizens must actively report their identities to the authorities when entering and exiting local cities. This is also to avoid another incident like the Tongsheng Pier fire. Up to now, the government has not been able to confirm how many of the fire victims were Haihan people and how many were Mingren shipwrights and sailors they hired. If there is a reasonable registration system, this passive situation may be reduced to a certain extent.
(End of chapter)