Chapter 1608 The Ming Envoy
Li Nai's attention was entirely focused on the naval fleet exercising at sea, but he did not notice that a Dafu ship without any flag was slowly sailing into Haikou Port. Qiu Yuan, who had just seen off Li Nai at the dock, did not leave either and seemed to be waiting for the arrival of the ship.
After the ship docked, the people who got off the ship were all dressed in Mingren costumes, and some of them had sabers around their waists. It was obvious that the owner of the ship was not an ordinary person. Qiu Yuan waited on the pier for about a cup of tea when the real owner finally appeared. A middle-aged man with a goatee slowly disembarked along the gangplank. This man had dark skin, medium height, and a rather heroic appearance. , he looks about forty years old.
Qiu Yuan took the initiative to greet him, cupped his hands and said, "Master Fei, you have worked hard all the way!"
The middle-aged man, who was called Mr. Fei, bowed his head and said in return: "Mr. Qiu, you are so polite! I serve the imperial court and I dare not claim that I have worked hard!"
Qiu Yuan smiled, did not answer his question, and took the initiative to change the subject: "Master Fei and his party did not have to pay attention to the ceremony and traveled in a low-key manner. They are indeed thinking about the court."
Qiu Yuan waited on the shore for a long time before the other party disembarked. He knew in his heart that the other party wanted to show off in this situation so as not to lose to his side in terms of momentum. However, he was also a person who could not get rid of the sand in his eyes. How could he He just suffered the loss without saying a word, and there was a faint hint of mocking the other party in his words.
Since the founding of Haihan, many Ming officials on Hainan Island have either chosen to switch sides and join Haihan, or they can only be expelled back to the Ming Dynasty. Those with a good attitude can be sent out with courtesy, while those with a bad attitude may even try to use force to confront them. Often, in the end, they end up "disappearing for no reason". Most of the Ming Dynasty officials who visit Haihan today know that period of history, so they generally don't dare to put on airs in front of senior officials in Haihan, let alone mention the word "court" on their lips at any time, so as not to offend the people of Haihan.
But Mr. Fei, who had just arrived in Hainan Island, obviously didn't understand this rule, or he had other plans. In short, Qiu Yuan was already a little uncomfortable when he met him. Qiu Yuan knew very well that the other party's omission of ceremonial guards was not to save money for Ming Dynasty, but simply because he did not want to attract too much attention and avoid embarrassment. Representing the Ming Dynasty to recognize Haihan's right to rule the existing control area is not a glorious job. It is even more embarrassing to be watched by the local people. Therefore, before coming here, the other party had already informed Haihan through other channels. We have received the information and hope that we will not arrange a grand welcome ceremony at the pier or other public places.
Qiu Yuan did as the other party wanted, but he didn't expect that the other party would still behave in a pretentious manner after arriving at Haikou Port. Qiu Yuan couldn't help but use words to hit the other party.
Mr. Fei probably didn't expect that the first high-ranking Haihan official he met when he came to Haihan would be so difficult to deal with. He was slightly stunned before responding: "Master Qiu is joking."
He couldn't argue too much with Qiu Yuan on this issue. After all, the more he spoke, the less face he would lose to Daming. Even using words could not change Daming's current passive situation. Arguing about this issue would only be asking for trouble in the end. . Decisively ending this topic is the wisest choice at the moment.
Qiu Yuan also stopped. Since the other party's attitude has retreated, he will not press forward step by step. The envoys sent by the Ming Dynasty this time are here to handle business. If they are too stiff at the first meeting, it will not be good for the business arranged later. Besides, this kind of verbal advantage is not of much help to Haihan. If Ming Dynasty is willing to send envoys to discuss the establishment of diplomatic relations in the future in accordance with the Liaodong Agreement, it is already equivalent to bowing to Haihan, and then doing some things to him. Small gestures are meaningless.
Although state-to-state interactions are inevitable for front-line diplomats, there is still a need for harmony on the scene, not to mention that both Haihan and Ming have announced the establishment of formal diplomatic relations with each other through official channels. Since we are establishing diplomatic relations peacefully, no matter what grievances we have privately, we still have to do a good job on the surface. Qiu Yuan has already prepared a reception banquet in Haikou City to entertain Mr. Fei and his entourage from the Ming Dynasty.
Fei Cexian, deputy director of Zuosi, seventh rank of the Ministry of Rites of the Ming Dynasty, is 38 years old and a native of Raoping County, Chaozhou Prefecture, Guangdong. Fei Cexian was a Jinshi in the sixth year of Tianqi. Later, he was elected to the Ministry of Etiquette because of his solid knowledge and good appearance. It took Fei Cexian ten years to finally climb from a scribe to the second-in-command position of the Pedestrian Department.
The main responsibility of the Xingren Department in the Ministry of Rites of the Ming Dynasty is to issue edicts, canonizations and rewards to the kings of tributary countries. There are only forty people in the entire establishment, one is the seventh-rank chief, two are subordinate to the seventh-rank deputy, and the remaining thirty-seven People are people of upright character. Although the grades are not high, the work of this department is to represent the image of the country and often act as envoys when traveling to feudal states. Therefore, the requirements for practitioners are extremely high, and all of them are scholars with Jinshi background over the years. Even the appearance conditions have certain thresholds, and not everyone is qualified.
After Ming Dynasty and Haihan officially established diplomatic relations, according to normal diplomatic procedures, both sides would definitely establish embassies and consulates in the other country. Due to various considerations, Haihan did not plan to send travelers all the way to the capital, but planned to build an embassy in Ningbo, Zhejiang and Guangzhou, Guangdong. Bai Kesi and Mei Shengchuan had already proposed this plan when they met in Liaodong, and it was later recognized by the Ming court. It is estimated that the big shots in the capital were not willing to see the Haihan people who had seized Ming territory to establish a country appear under their noses. under. At present, the location selection of the two Haihan embassies has been completed. Since the location in Guangzhou is located in Haizhu Town, which is actually controlled by Haihan, there are almost no additional procedures required, so the embassy has already started construction after the Liaodong Agreement was reached. After the embassy is completed, it will be separated from the city of Guangzhou by only the Pearl River, which is somewhat like dividing the river to govern. As for the Ningbo Prefecture, the prefect Qu Yutong personally selected a four-in-one house in Ningbo City, and Haihan paid for it. After that, the necessary renovations and reconstructions were started, and then it was used as an embassy. .
As for the Ming Dynasty's embassy in Haihan, there were not many places to choose from. Similar to Zhoushan Port in Liaodong, Zhifu Port in Shandong, Zhoushan Port in Zhejiang, Penghu Port in Fujian, and Hong Kong in Guangdong, these were occupied by Hainan. Ming Dynasty thought that places whose ownership rights were still in dispute were immediately excluded, leaving only Hainan. Island optional. There are a total of three major cities on Hainan Island: Haikou, Danzhou, and Sanya, of which Sanya is the capital of Hainan.
Originally, choosing Sanya should be the most reasonable arrangement, but someone in the court should feel that in accordance with the principle of reciprocity, since both Hai and Han are unwilling to set up their embassy in the capital, the Ming Dynasty should do the same. However, some people think that there is no need to lower the limit to the same level as Haihan. The embassy is located in Sanya. Whether it is handling diplomatic affairs, collecting intelligence, or making connections, it will be much more convenient than the other two places. Finally, after some discussion, the court decided to send people to Hainan Island for on-the-spot investigation before making a final conclusion. Danzhou is located slightly to the west, so the original capital of Qiongzhou, Haikou City now under Haihan's rule, and Sanya, which has transformed from a fishing village into a prosperous city, are the main objects of investigation. The people who carried out this task , it is Fei Cexian, the deputy of Zuosi, the Ministry of Rites.
When Fei Cexian was a Jinshi in Beijing High School, it was exactly the year before he traveled through the group and came to this time and space. After he became a Jinshi, he stayed in the capital as an errand and never returned to the south in ten years. Therefore, he knew Haihan very well. Most of them come from various folk rumors and various official documents submitted to the court from the southern coastal provinces, and they are not very intuitive.
According to the image of the Haihan people pieced together based on this information, they are a group of profiteers full of the smell of copper, reckless warriors who are ready to start wars, proficient in navigation and various unexplained witchcraft, and under their command are elite sea and land troops with amazing combat effectiveness. . It is indeed difficult for Fei Cexian to understand how these groups of merchants, warriors, sailors and wizards established and ruled a country.
And such a country actually cut out so many things from the powerful Ming Dynasty that the states in the south could only ignore its existence and allowed it to grow in just a few years. When the court noticed the south's The situation is that Haihan has already declared independence and established a country. At this time, the Ming Dynasty was caught in internal and external troubles in the Central Plains and Northeast China. It was simply unable to open a new battlefield in the south to deal with the Haihan people, and thus missed the best opportunity to nip the Haihan people in the bud.
Unknowingly, Haihan's tentacles had reached the Bohai Sea, passed through the Shandong Peninsula and reached Liaodong, and had brought the maritime gateway to the east of the capital under his control. Under this situation, Ming Dynasty no longer wanted to allow Haihan to enter the capital, not even the envoys who were stationed in the capital. Haihan has already eroded the officialdom of the southern coastal provinces through coercion and inducement. The imperial court does not want the capital to be like this in a few years and become a place where Haihan people can act unscrupulously.
In addition to these news, Haihan's wealth is also one of the most talked about topics in the Ming Dynasty. It is said that the wealth accumulated by Haihan through war and trade has even exceeded the total amount of the entire Ming Dynasty. Although Fei Cexian did not believe this statement, he had also heard many stories about how Haihan became rich and prosperous. Not to mention other things, just the various expensive Haihan handicrafts and daily necessities sold in the capital. It is definitely not something that ordinary people can afford. As for Haihan State, which has the ability to produce these luxury goods, its social consumption level will not be much worse.
In addition, it is said that most of the officials, large and small, in the southern coastal states have made fortunes relying on Haihan's trading system. In many places, one person has achieved enlightenment, chickens and dogs have ascended to heaven, and the entire family has become prosperous together. This has also led to a strange phenomenon in the capital in recent years of voluntarily applying to be an official in Lingnan. Even some civil and military officials from the north, whose connections are not strong enough to be an official in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, will settle for the second best and try to work in the civil service department. I have connections and hope to be transferred to the Fuguang area in the south to stay for a few years. Although there are some risks in dealing with Haihan people, there are too many examples of people making money from Haihan in the southern official circles, so latecomers cannot be tempted.
Fei Cexian considered himself not a money-grubbing person, but he still did some homework before going south. He had a rough understanding of how Haihan supported officials and businessmen in the south and transferred benefits to local officials. After a detailed understanding, he had to admire Haihan's methods in this regard. He could convey benefits to local officials in a seemingly legal form and thus play a bribery role. This was comparable to directly sending troops to attack these areas to plunder wealth. Much smarter. However, before arriving at Hainan Island, Fei Cexian still had some reservations about the true situation of Haihan Kingdom. After all, there were too many things that Haihan did in the south that sounded incredible. Before he could verify it with his own eyes, , and it is difficult to 100% believe in the authenticity of these things.
Of course, perhaps deep down in Fei Cexian's heart, what is even more difficult to believe is that the Haihan people would use money so generously to bribe Ming officials. If all this is true, then he may have made the biggest fortune in his life. Opportunity. Is it really that easy to get rich? Fei Cexian still has big doubts about this in his heart. Moreover, local officials were able to receive the benefits sent by Haihan, naturally because Haihan wanted to gain profits from doing business in these places, and local officials needed to turn a blind eye to their behavior. And as the Ming Dynasty's envoy to Haihan, what benefits can I bring to Haihan? At least Fei Cexian can't think of any reason why he should let the Haihan people pay for it.
But Fei Cexian believed that no matter what the attitude of the Haihan people was, as an envoy of the Ming Dynasty, he must not lose the face of the court during his mission. Therefore, although the ship he was on did not display any flags, and the team he led did not use any guard of honor, But Fei Cexian still hopes to reflect the superiority of the Heavenly Kingdom in front of the Haihan people as much as possible. But he didn't expect that the first high-ranking Haihan official he met after getting off the ship would see through his thoughts so sharply, and he would mock him without any polite words.
Of course, Fei Cexian also wanted to fight back against him immediately and let him understand that the majesty of the Ming Dynasty could not be violated, but unfortunately there was no option left for him to fight back. The words of the Minister of Rites before going on the mission still echoed in his ears: "When we go to the South China Sea, we must deal with the Haihan people slowly and slowly. Don't act too hastily, let alone get into a stalemate with them. The safety of our northern frontier in the Ming Dynasty is in danger. At this time, we rely on the Haihan troops deployed in Liaodong, and they also need their efforts to resist the Jin people. Go south. Your mission is to let Haihan continue to regard Ming as his father and brother, and wait until the court is free to quell the civil strife in the Central Plains before making any plans. Remember to be cautious and patient. Again, everything must be focused on the overall situation! ”
(End of chapter)