Chapter 1265 Distinguished guests arrive
If Liu Shang had not been good at speaking, he would not have been able to do his job as a storyteller. After some persuasion, Jiang Han really felt that what he said was reasonable. To make this book wonderful and informative, it was not necessary to use detailed materials. As a basis for creation? As for sensitive materials such as military secrets and political secrets, they must be rare in public information. Besides, Liu Shang is just a storyteller and cannot be an enemy spy, so it doesn't matter if he looks at these information. Immediately, he followed his idea and slowly checked out the materials he was interested in later.
The three materials he borrowed earlier were actually quite rich in content. Liu Shang read them for a long time before he could roughly digest the information. When he wanted Jiang Han to borrow other materials again, Jiang Han told him that the time was almost up. ——I have to perform on stage in the teahouse later, so it will take some time to get back from here. If I don't leave, I may delay my business.
Although Liu Shang was a little reluctant to give up this rare opportunity, he also knew that he should not be too eager to expose his flaws at this time. He immediately followed Jiang Han to return the three documents, and then left the library and returned to Sanya Port Area.
On the way back, Liu Shang kept recalling the information he had seen previously. If the contents of these information are basically true, then Haihan and the Fujian government had begun a relatively in-depth cooperation at least four or five years ago. At that time, he visited Zhangzhou The Haihan Mission takes "trade exchanges, cultural exchanges, and military cooperation" as its public propaganda goals. The Haihan people have no intention of treating themselves as a small foreign country. Moreover, judging from the literature, the Haihan Mission also received extremely high courtesy in Fujian. Not only was it warmly received by local civil and military officials, but after the assassination, the entire Zhangzhou City was closed down for several days and a large number of arrests were made. The remnants of pirates. Coupled with the subsequent cooperation between the two parties to suppress bandits and enemies at sea, these actions clearly show that the relationship between the two parties has gone far beyond ordinary diplomatic exchanges.
Liu Shang does not think that Haihan bought such treatment with money. The Fujian government dared to risk such disapproval and safely allow foreign armed forces to enter its jurisdiction. There must be huge interest entanglements hidden in it, and this comes from Haihan. Perhaps we can get a glimpse of this from the documents released by Han Dynasty.
According to previously read records, one of the missions of the Haihan Mission to Fujian at that time was to deliver a new warship built by Haihan to the Fujian Navy, and the operators on the ship were also operated by Haihan. Provide training on behalf of others. This seems to indicate from the side that the two sides have extremely close military cooperation, but Fujian officials have never announced these cooperation projects to the outside world. If one had not come to Sanya to witness these written materials in person, it would be difficult for ordinary people to imagine that a provincial government in the Ming Dynasty had such a secret collusion with foreign countries.
As for Guangdong, where Haihan had set foot earlier, Liu Shang felt that it was no longer necessary to consider his official position and tendency. I am afraid that the degree of infiltration by Haihan was especially high in Fujian. Just say that Qiongzhou Island was eaten by Haihan and established a country on the island. For such a big thing, the official circles of Guangdong and Guangxi have never spoken out about it. They all pretended to be deaf and turned a deaf ear to it, as if This land is not the territory of the Ming Dynasty at all.
How terrible this situation is. With Liu Shang's identity and experience, he actually can't tell you exactly. But what he knows is that since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, it seems that this kind of situation has never happened. Taking away large tracts of territory without any response. This matter has been concealed by various levels of government for several years without being completely exposed in the court. I don’t know how many important people’s interests were involved behind it, so that such a big lid can be covered.
When Liu Shang thought of this, he suddenly felt that there was almost no hope of accomplishing the mission he was undertaking. Haihan's current "power" was not just created by an organization's wealth or force, but was truly on the rise. A country's national power is difficult to stop even if it is seen with the naked eye. Trying to buck the trend is like trying to block the car, because the opponent is not only the Haihan people, but also the hundreds of Ming officials in the southern government who are trapped in it. Since these people had chosen to compromise with Haihan before, or even betrayed the Ming Dynasty, they had already committed an unforgivable felony. It was definitely unreliable to expect them to rebel against Haihan. If the two southeastern provinces have nothing to draw on, it will be a very difficult goal to expel Haihan from this area.
Until he returned to the teahouse, Liu Shang's mind was still filled with a lot of information he had just received, and he was completely unable to return to normal working conditions. He had to ask Jiang Han to postpone his stage appearance for a moment so that he could temporarily withdraw his thoughts and deal with the work that should be completed today.
In the next few days, Liu Shang basically repeated the day's schedule, handling personal matters and sorting out materials every morning. In the afternoon, he and Jiang Han went to the municipal library to continue borrowing various related materials in the name of compiling books. Two more of Liao Yuan's men were introduced by Feng Shi to serve as guards in another trading company. There were only four people living in the courtyard, and there were more and more empty rooms. Liu Shang planned to give up this temporary residence and find another house closer to the city after the remaining three people found their place. There was no need for him to squeeze into the same courtyard with Liao Yuan and others. Previously, it was just because he was not familiar with the local environment and it was convenient to contact Liao Yuan and others. Now that they have their own places to go, it is better to live separately.
After finishing the lecture that day, Liu Shang paid off the day's wages and rewards at the counter. He was about to go to Yahang to talk to Feng Shi about renting a house. Jiang Han came over and stopped him: "Mr. Liu, stay!" < br>
Liu Shang turned around and responded: "Boss Jiang, is there anything else?"
"A guest wants to meet Mr. Liu alone." Jiang Han said, then lowered his voice and said: "Wait in the back room. It's best to meet Mr. Liu."
"Oh?" During these days when Liu Shang was telling stories in the teahouse, some listeners wanted to make friends with him in private, such as inviting him to dinner. However, Jiang Han would usually block such invitations for him. After all, Liu Shang is now famous in Sanya storytelling circles, and there are many bosses who want to come here to poach people. Maybe the purpose of inviting him privately is to poach people, Jiang John naturally tried his best to avoid this possibility. Liu Shang didn't say anything about this, but he knew it in his heart, but today Jiang Han actually asked him to meet a guest alone. The identity of this guest must be extraordinary, and Jiang Han could not refuse anymore.
Liu Shang vaguely guessed in his mind, but he didn't rush to ask Jiang Han anymore. There were many people in this teahouse, and if the identity of the visitor was sensitive, it would be inappropriate for others to hear things they shouldn't know. At that moment, he just nodded towards Jiang Han to express his agreement to the invitation.
The front of this teahouse is a shop open to the public, and there are actually two courtyards at the back. One courtyard is used to store sundries. Several of the servants in the shop also live here at night, and the other courtyard is Jiang Han's own residence. However, after Jiang Han stayed in Sanya for several years, he had already bought an apartment with better living conditions in the port area, so the yard here became idle and was occasionally used to receive guests.
Liu Shang followed Jiang Han to the wing in the backyard. After entering, he saw a person sitting in the room. He looked young, probably in his early twenties. The standard Haihan haircut already showed his identity as a Haihan citizen. New immigrants would not cut their hair so short easily.
When the man saw them coming in, he put down his tea cup and stood up slowly, clasping his fists to signal Liu Shang. Jiang Han next to him introduced him in a timely manner: "This is the regular director of our Propaganda Department of Haihan Kingdom."
"I am Chang Degao." As he said this, he took out a red-covered notebook from the inner pocket of his jacket, waved it in front of Liu Shang, and then put it back. Liu Shang was quick to see that there were three words on it, a golden work certificate, which meant that the other party was working in the Yamen. Of course Liu Shang knew what kind of yamen the Propaganda Department was. He chose the identity of a storyteller as a cover because he took a fancy to the fact that in this profession, there was the possibility of people directly joining the officialdom, and there were many successful precedents. Compared with other ways, this is probably one of the easiest ways to get into the Haihan bureaucracy.
Liu Shang knew very well that as long as he could make a name for himself in this industry, there was a high possibility of receiving an invitation from the Propaganda Department. It just depended on the time. Liu Shang originally expected that after the Battle of Star Island was finished, there would be a reaction from the society, which would attract official attention, but now it seems that this time will come earlier than he estimated.
But Liu Shang, who didn't have a deep understanding of the Haihan official system, didn't quite understand what kind of position this "secretary" Chang held. However, looking at Jiang Han's respectful appearance next to him, and the fact that he could produce an identity document, it seemed that he was not the kind of person who ran errands in the government office.
"Sit down and talk!" Chang Degao pointed to the chair next to him and motioned for both of them to sit down.
"I recently heard that a very interesting new storyteller has arrived at Xinlong Tea House, so I have been here to listen to it these past few days. Sure enough, the rumors are true. The books Mr. Liu told are indeed very interesting." Changde treated the two of them favorably. After sitting down, he took the initiative to talk about the business: "So I asked Boss Jiang to invite you to come over and meet, so that we can make friends."
Liu Shang would naturally not take the excuse of "making friends" seriously, but the other party said that he had been here to listen to books for a few days, but Liu Shang had no impression of his face. The teahouse is not too big. The storyteller sits on the stage and has a clear view of the audience. Most of the regular customers here are new immigrants working as laborers in the port area, as well as sailors and merchants from outside. There are very few people. With such short hair, it stands to reason that a new face like Chang Degao would definitely attract his attention.
Liu Shang glanced at Jiang Han, who understood clearly and immediately explained for Chang Degao: "General Manager Chang has not been listening to books in the store these days, but sitting in the back hall."
There is only a wooden wall between the back hall and the teahouse store. When distinguished guests like Chang Degao who don't want to show off come to the store, Jiang Han usually arranges to sit in the back hall. This kind of high-end private seats does not have to be crowded with the lay guests in front. It is indeed much more comfortable and private. Of course, not all guests can enjoy this kind of treatment. Under normal circumstances, Jiang Handu's private seats in the back hall are It's left for your own enjoyment.
Jiang Han's arrangement shows his awe for this director Chang. Liu Shang opened his mouth and said: "Thank you for your favor, Liu is a commoner and I don't dare to ask you to surrender. If there is anything I can do for you, Liu will do his best."
Chang Degao seemed to be very satisfied with Liu Shang's "sensible" performance. He laughed and said: "Mr. Liu is too polite. I have no intention of instructing you to do anything. If I really want to help you, then I won't do it." It will be for my own selfish reasons. Everyone is working for the country, but the division of labor is different. Mr. Liu, do you think this is true? "
Liu Shang's heart trembled slightly when he heard the words "serve the country", but the expression on his face did not change at all. He responded: "I am ashamed to say that I have not had time to apply for Haihan since I first arrived in Sanya." Nationality, this is about serving the country, but I don’t dare to take credit for it.”
Chang De Gao said: "It doesn't matter. Although you are not a citizen of Haihan, what you did in Sanya also contributed to the growth of Haihan. I have been listening to your story these days, and I will tell you about this star island." The performance of the battle was very exciting, and the audience kept cheering. This is a great contribution. The Haihan Propaganda Department where I work has a similar function to Mr. Liu. The things they do are pretty much the same.”
While Chang Degao praised Liu Shang, he gradually brought the topic to business matters without leaving any trace. This made Liu Shang secretly admire his speaking skills. He was indeed a propaganda official, and his speaking skills were indeed much better than ordinary people.
Liu Shangying said: "I just sit in a teahouse and talk about books and make a living with this skill. How can I be compared with the adults in the yamen? I really don't deserve the praise of Master Chang!"
Chang Degao smiled and did not continue on his topic, but changed the topic and said: "I heard from Boss Jiang that Mr. Liu has recently been planning to turn more battles into storytellers in the teahouse. Performing, and going to the city library every day to check information. It’s rare to see such a diligent storyteller in his career.”
Liu Shang couldn't tell whether the other party was sincerely complimenting him or had some ulterior motives. He just responded vaguely: "I don't have much thought, I just want to attract more customers with the new book, so that I can earn more. As for Go to the library to check the information. This is also the responsibility of Boss Duo Mengjiang, otherwise this book will not be compiled. ”
Chang Degao nodded and said: "It is human nature to want to make more money through work. But has Mr. Liu ever thought about using his expertise on a larger platform in the future?"
(End of chapter)