Chapter 1510: Coercion and inducement
Haihan has been operating in Fujian and Guangzhou provinces for many years, ranging from governors and chief envoys of a province to county clerks and squad leaders. In the Ming dynasty bureaucracy, no matter the official position, as long as they are powerful people, Sha Xi Most of them have had experience in dealing with them. This time, he was going to meet with Mei Shengchuan, a senior official from the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty. The strategy prepared by Sha Xi was to overwhelm the opponent with his momentum first, and use his rich experience to make the other party understand that Ming officials were nothing in his eyes. An incredible big shot.
Of course, in addition to demonstrations, necessary inducements are also an indispensable means for such occasions. Haihan has many interests in the southern provinces and officials in coastal state capitals, and some of the operational methods are naturally applicable to Mei Shengchuan. Regarding the negotiation process of Mei Shengchuan in Shandong, Hao Wanqing had already sent a telegram to Lushun after the fleet set off from Zhifu Port, informing Sha Xi of the details. Now that it is known that Mei Shengchuan has a strong interest in the plantation project, Sha Xi can prepare some more targeted discussion materials to let Mei Shengchuan understand how Haihan specifically operated Ming officials to invest in their occupied areas. plantation.
"There are currently more than 300 plantations on the coastal plain in the northern part of Taiwan Island, half of which are owned by officials from the Fujian state governments. From the fourth-rank magistrates, to the fifth-rank magistrates, to the military garrison, and to the generals, It is common to acquire three to four hundred acres of land. Occasionally, some wealthy officials will acquire a thousand acres of land at a time. "
While Sha Xi personally poured wine for Mei Shengchuan, he introduced him: "There are many places like this in the South China Sea further south. If Master Mei is interested, even if he doesn't have time to go to such a far place, he can also delegate it. Confidant, let us arrange an inspection. Once you know how many officials of the Ming Dynasty have invested in plantations overseas, you will probably no longer have any scruples.”
Mei Shengchuan thought that if it was true, as Sha Xi said, that officials from various southern states were using this as a way to make money, then this business should be considered safe. However, as a result, officials in various state governments must have had their minds wandering, and it would be difficult for them to be completely loyal to the Ming Dynasty. And although this kind of cooperation is very profitable, it is equivalent to handing over one's control to the Haihan people. If the Haihan people want to cause trouble in the south in the future, the coastal provinces may not even be able to organize decent resistance.
As if he guessed what Mei Shengchuan was thinking, he heard Sha Xi continue: "This is not treason. Our country only wants to establish normal diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty, and has no intention of seeking improper benefits through these cooperations."< br>
Sha Xi's words were so righteous. If Mei Shengchuan had not known the deeds of the Haihan people before, it might be hard to believe him. Of course, now that Sha Xi said this, Mei Shengchuan would not take it seriously. Haihan occupied so much land along the coast of the Ming Dynasty, and almost always used force to achieve his goals. He was definitely not a kind person. Although Mei Shengchuan wanted to get some benefits for himself from Haihan, he still saw clearly what was right and wrong. It is very likely that the southern officialdom can no longer eradicate the interest relationship with Haihan, and this situation cannot be changed by Mei Shengchuan alone.
Sha Xi's purpose was to make Mei Shengchuan understand that cooperation with Haihan in business was not the bold behavior of individual Ming officials, but a common phenomenon in the southern coastal states. Haihan has rich operational experience and successful examples in this area, and there is no need to worry about the instability in the south, which will affect the long-term prospects of these businesses.
Sha Xi continued: "Every year through cooperation projects including plantations, our country will regularly send millions of taels of dividends to Daming's partners in return for their investment and trust. But if Daming can establish a relationship with our country, With formal diplomatic relations and opening up the trade rights of coastal states, we can completely transfer similar forms of cooperation to the Ming Dynasty. This will save most of the transportation costs and have a relatively abundant and cheap labor force. Then the same will happen. You can get more generous profits by using the right operating model. Mr. Mei, what I am talking about with you is not a business worth tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, but an industry that can bring in an income of millions of taels of silver every year. Just one of the many collaborations we offer. ”
Although Mei Shengchuan had already been mentally prepared, he could not help but be shocked by the figures mentioned by Sha Xi. Only then did he realize that Haihan's desire to promote the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries might not only be due to political considerations. , this huge economic benefit alone is enough to make many people excited. It is no wonder that Haihan has done many things to infringe on the rights of the Ming Dynasty in the south over the years. However, the local officials have not only remained silent and condoned Haihan's actions, but also added fuel to the flames. He had read the official documents submitted by the southern provinces in recent years at the Ministry of War. Almost all of them praised Haihan for spending money and efforts to maintain local peace. He also suggested that the imperial court should establish diplomatic relations with Haihan as soon as possible so that Haihan's military advisers could enter in a smooth manner. The Ming army was stationed and trained troops for the local guards.
Now that he knows more and more about Haihan, Mei Shengchuan naturally understands that the situation in these places is mostly the official's way of getting the benefits of Haihan and desperately promoting him. But he asked himself that if he were a local official, it would probably be difficult to withstand Haihan's money offensive. To put it bluntly, it may be difficult for officials who can withstand such an offensive to hold on for long. After all, the Haihan people are not just good at this move. Since they have an army that can defeat the Jin army until they cannot lift their heads. , who dares to go against it?
Mei Shengchuan responded calmly: "It seems that the only thing your country is missing about establishing diplomatic relations is that someone in the DPRK speaks for you."
Sha Xi smiled and said: "Yes, there are people in the DPRK who are easy to talk to. Although officials from the southern provinces have good relations with our country, in the end, establishing diplomatic relations still requires someone from the capital to take the lead. We sent so much money to Beijing last year We also hope that through Mr. Mei, we can make friends with more officials from the DPRK and China so that this matter can be implemented as soon as possible. Of course, after it is completed, we will be grateful to all of you, including Mr. Mei.”
Sha Xi specially emphasized the words "Thank you in return". How could Mei Shengchuan not understand his implication? However, it is not easy to persuade several bachelors in the cabinet to agree to establish diplomatic relations with Haihan State, even if Haihan More than 200,000 taels of silver have been spent on this, and Mei Shengchuan still dare not guarantee the time limit when it will be accomplished. Moreover, Mei Shengchuan also knew very well that he would never be the only channel for Haihan people to implement this matter. There must be other officials in the capital secretly taking care of Haihan's up and down joints, and there was no need for him to step forward and take over this matter. thing.
"Of course I am happy to see Haihan coexist peacefully with our country, but there are still many voices of opposition between North Korea and China. I am afraid that it will be difficult to unify our opinions for a while. Mr. Sha, I am sorry that it is difficult for me to make a clear commitment to you. "Mei Shengchuan thought about it and chose a more conservative attitude.
Sha Xi did not show obvious disappointment with this statement. He changed the topic and chatted with Mei Shengchuan about Dongjiang Town: "The soldiers of Dongjiang Town are indeed somewhat different from the Ming army I have seen in the south. Their They have a strong desire to fight and are not as lazy as the Ming army in the south. Mr. Mei, I am not afraid to offend you. There are many places in the south where the guard posts are simply useless, and the training and equipment of the soldiers are far from the standards of a professional army. , The fighting will is even weaker, and they are not as useful as the people of Dongjiang Town." Mei Shengchuan blushed when he heard this. Although he knew that the other party was deliberately belittling the Southern Guards Army to give Dongjiang Town a hand, what he said was considered true. If the Southern Guards Forces hadn't been incompetent, how could the Haihan people have become the trend in just a few years and captured so many islands that originally belonged to the Ming Dynasty in the south. Of course, if we use this as a criterion, the garrison in Shandong is also useless. They have had several conflicts with the Haihan Army in the past year and have not even taken advantage of them.
However, the people in Dongjiang Town saw the opportunity early and took the initiative to embrace Haihan's thigh. Now they not only gained a lot of military glory, but also used the opportunity to fight back to Liaodong from Pi Island, which can be regarded as foresight. If they were to confront Haihan like the garrisons in other places, it's hard to say whether there would still be a Dongjiang Town establishment.
Of course, in front of an outsider like Sha Xi, Mei Shengchuan, as a senior official of the Ministry of War, still had to protect his own people: "Dongjiang Town is a strong army deployed overseas by our Ming Dynasty, and its performance is naturally not bad. The many military achievements made this year, the Ministry of War They are all recorded. When I see the general of Dongjiang Town later, I will issue the award from the court.”
Sha Xi was secretly amused when he heard this, but he would not expose the other party's remarks. If the Ming Dynasty really valued the existence of Dongjiang Town, how could it ignore such a serious famine situation on Pi Island. Moreover, any person who is not blind or deaf knows that the many military exploits Dongjiang Town reported to the court this year are just the military exploits that were picked up from behind the Haihan Army. We really want the troops from Dongjiang Town to go into battle. Even if they all died on the battlefield, they would not be able to take Jinzhou back from the hands of the Hou Jin Army.
Of course, everyone carried the sedan chair, and the existence of Dongjiang Town in Liaodong was originally a means for Haihan to show his goodwill to the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty affirmed and rewarded the military exploits reported by Dongjiang Town, which was also a disguised recognition of Haihan's achievements in Liaodong. exist. Mei Shengchuan expressed this attitude on behalf of the Ming Dynasty, and Sha Xi naturally would not point it out.
Sha Xi responded: "General Xiao Shen from Dongjiang Town is currently leading troops to fight on the front line, and General Shen is expected to arrive in Liaodong in a few days, so Mr. Mei can wait patiently for a few more days, and then he can follow up with the generals from Dongjiang Town. Sir, we have met. It just so happens that in the past few days, we can arrange for Mr. Mei to visit Jinzhou to see the post-war reconstruction situation here."
Although Sha Xi said at the beginning of the banquet that he would not discuss business matters, in fact both parties came to meet with a mission. How could they not mention business matters at all? It was just that everyone had a tacit understanding and tried to avoid any disputes. I won’t mention the part. When there are no disputes at the dinner table due to differences of opinion between the two parties, it ends with the guests and the host enjoying themselves.
The residence that Sha Xi arranged for Mei Shengchuan was the newly built Lushun Fort Guest House, an institution specially used for official receptions. However, there were dozens of Mei Shengchuan's attachés, and the guest house could not accommodate them all, so some of them had to live in a temporarily vacated garrison barracks outside Lushun Fort. This arrangement was also for safety reasons. Umeikawa and his party were placed in two places inside and outside the castle to avoid changes.
Mei Shengchuan didn't have any grudges. He came to Liaodong with only a few followers. He had no intention of causing trouble, so he just followed Haihan's arrangement. Although this guest house is small, the rooms are very clean, and the bedding on the bed and the towels on the shelves are obviously new. And there is a special kettle that can keep warm on the table, filled with boiled hot water. There is a box of tea, a few fresh fruits, and a small snuff bottle on the bedside table for guests to use. These details were something Mei Shengchuan had never experienced before when he was on official business. No matter it was an official inn or a private inn, there was no such meticulous and considerate service.
"Probably only Haihan people who value enjoyment would make such an arrangement!" Mei Shengchuan could only express admiration for Haihan's arrangement. He didn't expect that Lushun, Liaodong, which had just recovered from Hou Jin, could still enjoy it. to such accommodation conditions. Although the place I stayed at on Zhifu Island in Dengzhou was larger, the details were not as good as the guest house in Lushun Fort.
Not long after, someone knocked on the door and asked Mei Shengchuan if he needed to take a shower and change clothes, and then took him to the bathroom downstairs. Mei Shengchuan learned from the waiter that this guest house was originally going to install ceramic bathtubs and hot water supply systems in each room, but because the cost was too high and there were no professional technicians in the construction, it could only be shelved temporarily. Following this plan, we built a bathroom downstairs with a centralized supply of hot water. It was divided into four rooms and could be used by four people at the same time. If there were female guests, they would be arranged at different times. Of course, during the period of receiving Umegawa, this bathroom can only be used by dedicated people.
Mei Shengchuan used the soap provided by the guest house. After washing, he returned to the room with a fragrant smell. He made himself a pot of hot tea. After two sips, he discovered that the tea was actually the finest Zhejiang green tea. He once again lamented the enjoyment of the Haihan people. road.
"What kind of war are we fighting? It would be great to do business with the Haihan people and learn how they enjoy life!" Mei Shengchuan leaned on the rattan rocking chair and slowly rocked, and some thoughts that he had never had before passed through his mind. The Haihan people are so particular in Liaodong, where the conditions are simple. I wonder how they enjoy it in their native land in the south. Those colleagues in the south are close to Haihan's hometown, so they can probably easily bring Haihan's various enjoyments back to their homes.
(End of chapter)