Chapter 1534 Local Separatism
For Qu Yutong, in addition to earning huge profits from the various trade projects he cooperates with Haihan, he can also get Haihan to help him personally in various aspects. For example, if Qu Yutong needs some road paving and repairs, To pave the way for him to make progress through political achievements such as building bridges, rescuing victims, and suppressing bandits, Haihan is undoubtedly an excellent candidate to draw on. Moreover, the Haihan people are not as difficult to deal with as the local gentry. As long as the conditions are negotiated, everything can be done properly.
In addition, Qu Yutong had seen the private army trained by Haihan for Xu Xinsu in Zhoushan, and he had already planned to follow suit, seek military assistance from Haihan, and train an armed force that only obeyed his orders. Army to buy insurance for yourself and your family. Otherwise, if one day the court wants to liquidate him for having liaisons with foreign countries, he may not even be able to escape from Ningbo City. Of course, the formation and maintenance of this kind of private armed forces require a lot of funds. Even if he is a fourth-grade prefect, his family wealth is far from enough to support this kind of use, so he must carry out in-depth cooperation with Haihan in trade, and use The profits earned from business are used to subsidize the expenses of establishing a private armed force.
At present, Qu Yutong has secretly selected more than 200 young men to Zhoushan Island to receive military training provided by Haihan through clan connections. Most of them are younger generations of the clan. Even if Shi Diwen offered a certain discount on the fees due to his personal relationship, the monthly expenses for food, accommodation and training for this group of people on the island are still a very considerable amount, which basically takes up what Qu Yutong obtains from trade. The gross profit is about 40%, so if you say it's not painful, you'd be lying.
But Qu Yutong had also heard many benefits of owning private armed forces from Shi Diwen, especially when the import and export trade between the two countries was still dominated by smuggling. Having a private armed force was equivalent to being in this semi- Open trade has great convenience. Xu Xinsu from Fujian is the best example. He was originally one of the most famous maritime merchants in Fujian. After becoming a backer of Haihan, his strength increased even more. In just a few years, the geographical scope of his commercial routes expanded. From the southeastern sea area of the Ming Dynasty to the control area of Haihan, even the Haihan colonies in the South China Sea, which are thousands of miles away from the Ming Dynasty, have more or less industries invested by the Xu family.
Although it is not practical for Qu Yutong to expand his business to the scale of Xu Xinsu, he also hopes that he can make full use of the power at hand when he is in office and create an industry for his family and future generations that can last for several generations. At the very least, they have to acquire several thousand acres of plantations overseas, so that even if the next generation fails, at least they can still maintain their wealth for one generation.
Of course, now that Shi Diwen has this relationship, Qu Yutong has more confidence in speaking and doing things. After all, in the Zhejiang waters, Shi Diwen represents the chief executive of the Haihan Kingdom, and he has military and political control, and his power is even greater than that of the Ming Dynasty. The princes canonized by the royal family are still old. Therefore, regarding the future direction of the relationship between Haihan and Ming Dynasty, Qu Yutong would get a detailed explanation from Shi Diwen, which would definitely be much faster than formal official channels.
Regarding Qu Yutong's concerns, Shi Diwen also expressed his understanding: "The stability of trade is the most important thing for the Executive Committee. No matter what the relationship between the two countries is in the future, trade will be an eternal theme. It is just a matter of scale. That’s all.”
Qu Yutong didn't quite understand Shi Diwen's rhetorical remarks, so he asked tentatively: "Can General Shi explain it more clearly?"
Shi Diwen said: "To put it simply, the previous business will continue as before. The difference is probably that the agent qualifications will be re-examined, but it should not have an impact on Mr. Qu. After all, the cooperative relationship between us is different."
Qu Yutong nodded slightly and felt relieved. He actually didn't want Shi Diwen to explain the Haihan Executive Committee's decree word for word, he just wanted to get reassurance from the other party. As long as Shi Diwen can give a commitment to keep the situation stable, he thinks it is enough. After all, the credibility of Haihan people has always been outstanding, and there is generally no big problem as long as the promise is made out of mouth. What's more, there is an affinity relationship between him and Shi Diwen, which is much stronger than a pure interest relationship.
Several issues that Qu Yutong was worried about were quickly resolved, and the heart hanging in his throat was finally returned to its original position. However, Shi Diwen had other things to inform him during this trip.
"Master Qu, there is still something important that I need to discuss with you." Shi Diwen quickly introduced the topic: "You also know the situation of Zhoushan Islands and Shipu Port. The Executive Committee attaches great importance to this place. Therefore, we are prepared to declare sovereignty over these two places. In the future diplomatic agreement with Ming Dynasty, these two places will be included in the agreement as the territory of Haihan.”
Qu Yutong's expression immediately became a little unnatural: "The two places mentioned by General Shi are both under the jurisdiction of Ningbo Prefecture. If we follow your country's wishes, wouldn't I become a Ming Dynasty official?" Guilty minister? No, this is absolutely unacceptable. I hope General Shi will write to your country’s executive committee to oppose this unwise move.”
Of course, Shi Diwen would not change his mind just because of these two words from Qu Yutong, and continued: "What are you worried about, Mr. Qu? Is the imperial court going to convict you? Don't worry about this. We are negotiating with the Ming Dynasty imperial court." , will put forward some conditions, including retaining the existing officials of Ningbo Prefecture and not changing them at will.”
Qu Yutong's face turned even more ugly: "Doing this doesn't mean I'm putting myself on the fire? Isn't it right?"
Shi Diwen shook his head and said: "Master Qu, your thinking is still the same as before, and you have not kept up with the development of the times! Think about it, does the Ming Dynasty want ministers who can fight against our country, or ministers who can communicate with our country? Liaodong The region is now waiting for our army to put out the fire. So for a maritime supply line that is thousands of miles long from our country to Liaodong, our country requires several coastal ports as a guarantee. Isn’t this condition excessive? "
Qu Yutong knew that if he wanted to argue about this kind of issue, he would probably not be able to argue with a knowledgeable high-ranking Haihan official like Shi Diwen, but he really didn't want to be blamed for losing his country during his tenure, so he still planned to persuade him. Shi Diwen, give up this arrangement that will make him unable to step down. He thought for a while and changed to a more compromise statement: "General Shi, is there any other way to ensure your country's control over these places while allowing it to remain on the territory of the Ming Dynasty?"
Shi Diwen shook his head slowly and said: "Master Qu, I am not afraid to tell you that the two places I just mentioned are the goals that our country must win. Even if we use force, we must take down these two places. Of course, I believe that the dispute over the ownership of these two places will not break out into armed conflict, and your court will eventually choose to compromise.”
"How can you see it?" Qu Yutong asked unwillingly. "It's very simple. The envoys your country sent to Liaodong to contact our country have already stated your country's attitude, that is, our country's actual occupied areas in Shandong and Liaodong can be regarded as being controlled by our country. Because the war in Liaodong has not yet ended, it is difficult to divide the boundaries. However, it has basically been determined that the area south of the Jinzhou Isthmus will be included in our country. The situation in Shandong is similar, and most of the areas in Fushan County, Dengzhou will probably be included. Our country.”
Only then did Shi Diwen reveal shocking inside information to Qu Yutong. The purpose was to shock the enemy and let the other party understand that he had already grasped the bottom line of the Ming Dynasty: "Zhejiang is not the only place that wants to be ceded to our country. As far as the land is concerned, there are other places to the south and north that need to complete the same arrangement.”
Although Shi Diwen's words were a bit shocking, Qu Yutong still believed that he would not talk about such a big matter. It's just that this kind of agreement to cede territory is too unbelievable to Ming. He can't imagine how this exchange condition can be written down in black and white in the end.
However, Shi Diwen quickly answered his confusion: "The agreement will be divided into two parts. One is open to the world, and the other is a secret agreement between the two countries. The part about the territory will only be kept privately." It appears in this agreement. So Master Qu had better keep this secret. Once it spreads, I don’t know how many unlucky people will be killed.”
"I understand, I understand!" Qu Yutong has been in the officialdom for many years, so he naturally knows how involved it is. Even a fourth-grade official like him will wear a black gauze hat on his head if he is identified as the source of the leak. It won't be saved.
But in fact, if you think about it carefully, this kind of non-public agreement is almost like hiding one's ears and stealing the bell. As time goes by, people all over the world will still notice that Ming Dynasty has completely given up on these places. Shi Diwen's explanation for this is that Ming Dynasty now needs Haihan's military assistance too urgently. Even if it is self-anaesthetic, it can only agree to Haihan's territorial request first.
As for the true ownership of these areas in the future, Daming's idea is actually the same as Haihan's, that is, whoever is stronger has the final say. Ming Dynasty believed that sooner or later it would be able to defeat its opponents in the north and quell the civil strife in the Central Plains. It would not be too late to free up its hands to deal with these territorial disputes. Of course, people like Haihan are more aware of the trend of history. It will be difficult for the Ming Dynasty to return to the national power of its strong period in the future, and it is basically impossible to take back the land from the increasingly powerful Haihan.
If the Ming Dynasty can really solve its internal and external troubles in a few years, the national power of Haihan at that time will definitely be far beyond the current level. Even if it is not able to complete the feat of snake swallowing the elephant by then, it will still want to create some places on the coastline of the Ming Dynasty. The separatist forces will not be too difficult to implement.
And now Shi Diwen wants to make Qu Yutong understand the truth. Haihan's request for these two places in Ningbo is not, as he said, prepared to proceed through negotiations with the Ningbo government, but Haihan has unilaterally He made a decision and informed the prefect of this conclusion. There is no room for bargaining in this matter, and this is a national-level agreement. Seriously speaking, Qu Yutong is not qualified to participate in it.
Shi Diwen saw that Qu Yutong had understood what he was saying, and his tone softened: "Master Qu, I have said before, and I am emphasizing now that the diplomatic agreement between our country and Ming Dynasty will not affect you. Your plan to make a fortune will not have any negative impact on your official position. If your court has any objections to this, we will also exert diplomatic pressure to protect you. Our country is also a meritorious person, and we will not give up on you, let alone let you take the blame.”
Shi Diwen had been in contact with Qu Yutong for a long time, and he knew very well what the old fox was worried about. In the final analysis, he was still afraid that Haihan would abandon him as a partner. If he didn't make this clear, Qu Yutong might not be able to eat well or sleep well for a while, thinking about this problem all the time.
After listening to these words, Qu Yutong finally showed a smile on his face: "General Shi's words are too outrageous. How can I be such a snobbish person? Besides, given the friendship between you and me, I There’s no need to worry about taking the blame. It’s a joke, it’s a joke!”
Shi Diwen laughed a few times, but he understood in his heart that everyone was talking beautifully, but in fact they only regarded each other as a tool to achieve their own goals. He doesn't have any strong likes or dislikes towards Qu Yutong, it's just that his work requires him to maintain this relationship. Of course it would be best for Qu Yutong to understand and cooperate. If he really couldn't figure it out, Shi Diwen would still remove the stumbling block without ceremony.
After the two talked about business, Qu Yutong held a banquet in honor of Shi Diwen. However, because Shi Diwen's identity was relatively sensitive, he did not find any more guests to accompany him. He just asked his servants to go to the brothel in the city to pick up two of them in advance. A servant girl who could sing came over to keep her company. Shi Diwen wasn't really interested in this kind of entertainment, but since Qu Yutong had arranged it, he wouldn't refuse the other party's kindness, lest Qu Yutong worry about it.
When Shi Diwen came to Ningbo, he did more than just meet with Qu Yutong. In addition to political consultations, he also shouldered the task of expanding the scope of trade. Although the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries will not have much impact on the industries operated by officials like Qu Yutong, if we look at the entire market, there will still be significant changes. After Haihan's product output scale increases, dealers' profits will definitely decrease, and some weak dealers may even be gradually squeezed out of the market.
During this period, Haihan spared no effort in trying to integrate various industries in coastal states in order to gradually control the social economy of these areas. As long as it can monopolize some relatively basic livelihood industries, it will be much easier for Haihan to implement further measures in the future. Moreover, the Ministry of Commerce has been planning this for many years, and is just waiting to reap the huge operating profits after achieving monopoly. Shi Diwen came here to hold talks with the main operators of some industries in Ningbo.
(End of chapter)