Chapter 1609: New arrival
Putting the overall situation first was what the imperial court entrusted to Fei Cexian. The territory that Haihan had captured from the Ming Dynasty in the past few years could no longer be returned to the Ming Dynasty through negotiation. This view had basically formed a consensus among the Ming Dynasty court, and even Emperor Chongzhen did not intend to force anything on this. . The tripartite negotiations in Liaodong made Ming Dynasty realize that if the Haihan Army had not restrained the considerable troops of the Later Jin Dynasty in Liaodong, then the direction of Shanhaiguan would have faced great military pressure, and even North Korea, a slave state, would have faced great military pressure. Political positions will be loosened as a result. Although exchanging the land of Liaodong for military support from Haihan would be an act of poison in the long run, compared to the rude and rude barbarians outside the Pass, at least Haihan was civilized enough and had always maintained a superficial friendliness towards the Ming Dynasty. Disputes and conflicts have the opportunity to be resolved through negotiation. In terms of the current severe situation that Ming Dynasty is facing, Haihan is not the enemy that Ming Dynasty needs to deal with first, but a weapon that can be used temporarily.
One of the main tasks of the Ming Dynasty's envoy to Haihan is to ensure that Haihan's current position will not change significantly in the future. At least to buy enough time for the court to maintain it until the Ming Dynasty is able to free up its hands to deal with it. I will teach Hou Jin a lesson until he is punished. If even this basic requirement cannot be met, then the envoy's work will definitely fail, not to mention the serious consequences of offending Haihan.
Fei Cexian knew very well how important the tasks he shouldered were to Ming Dynasty. Even if he had to bear the humiliation during this period, he must try his best to complete the work. The first high-ranking Haihan official he met after arriving in Haihan was so difficult to deal with. This also reminded Fei Cexian that he should not just think about how to make a fortune after coming to Haihan. His opponents were known for their shrewdness. In this world, we must not underestimate them. The more details there are, the more careful you have to be and not let your opponents easily take advantage of you.
Although Qiu Yuan gave Fei Cexian a slight insult as soon as they met him, the reception banquet he arranged in the city was unambiguous and completely complied with the highest reception standards. All the leading figures from the military, political and business circles in Haikou City were also present, giving Fei Cexian plenty of face.
Although the Etiquette Department where Fei Cexian worked was considered a clean yamen without much wealth to speak of, welcoming people to and sending them off and dealing with all kinds of people at various banquets was a compulsory course for members of the Pingren Department. The Ministry of Etiquette even has special funds to train members of the Pingren Department in banquet etiquette and communication skills. Although it was his first time to interact with people like Haihan Kingdom, fortunately, the language and culture were very close, so there was not much of a barrier to communication. Fei Cexian was finally able to use his expertise and interact with everyone at the table. However, I quickly adapted to Haihan’s wine table culture.
Fei Cexian quickly noticed that whether it was Qiu Yuan, the mayor of Haikou, or other officials and businessmen working for Haihan, they all showed very strong confidence in their words, even if Haihan State actually controlled Their territory is many times smaller than that of the Ming Dynasty, but they feel like Haihan is the real big country.
According to Fei Cexian's work experience in the Ministry of Rites in the past ten years, most of the countries surrounding the Ming Dynasty were full of awe of the Ming Dynasty. Even countries such as Houjin and Annan, which had wars with the Ming Dynasty, did not dare to visit the Ming Dynasty. In front of the envoys, he discussed the general trend of the world without any scruples. But these Haihan people are really different. In their eyes, it seems that other countries except themselves are weak, even the Ming Dynasty is no exception.
Of course, in the presence of Fei Cexian, an envoy of the Ming Dynasty, the Haihan people did not overestimate the Ming Dynasty. They only pointed out that the year-by-year decline of the Ming Dynasty's national power would give the Central Plains rebels and the wild boar skin outside the pass a chance to gain momentum. , if it were placed in the Wanli period, there would be no such passive situation. The invincible Ming army would have wiped out these opponents long ago. To be precise, it was the Ming Dynasty before the Battle of Saarhu in 1619. After the disastrous defeat at the hands of the Jurchens in that battle, the Ming Dynasty began to increase troops, pay, and taxes, which led to peasant riots and the government of the party. From then on, the world was corrupted. , difficult to clean up.
Fei Cexian did not think that the situation in the Ming Dynasty was as passive as the Haihan people described. Although the uprising of the peasant army in the Central Plains has not yet been quelled, these rebels have neither a fixed base nor a stable source of food, weapons, and soldiers. They are just a group of people. They are just stragglers. As long as the cities and cities in each state can maintain strong walls and clear the country, and do not allow them the opportunity to break through the city to obtain supplies, they will naturally be defeated under the encirclement and suppression of the various Ming armies over time. Although the enemies outside the Northeast Pass are powerful, they are just a group of barbarians. How can they compete with the Ming Dynasty, which has ruled the world for more than two hundred years? Even if we fight a war of attrition, it will definitely not be Ming Dynasty, which has a vast territory and rich products, that will be consumed in the end.
Fei Cexian listened to the discussions of these guests calmly, but he was a little dissatisfied with these remarks in his heart. He felt that these Haihan people were too rhetorical. How could the real strength of Ming Dynasty be surpassed by these onlookers sitting in Hainan Island and watching the sky? Understood?
"Master Fei, if you have any suggestions, you might as well share them."
Qiu Yuan's voice awakened Fei Cexian from his meditation, but he was distracted and did not hear clearly what the topic of discussion was. Seeing that his expression was a little dazed, Qiu Yuan guessed a bit, and immediately took the initiative to introduce: "If the Ming Dynasty wants to change its current situation, what does Mr. Fei think it needs most? A strong army or an efficient court?"< br>
After all, Fei Cexian was a bureaucrat who had been in the officialdom for ten years. He immediately grasped the meaning of Qiu Yuan's question. This was to test him. For the Ming Dynasty, which one, military or political, could save the current situation? .
How could Fei Cexian fall for such a trick easily? He responded with a smile: "As a minister, how can I arbitrarily discuss government affairs? Lord Qiu, don't say it's a joke."
Qiu Yuan said seriously: "It is understandable that Mr. Fei should be cautious in his words and deeds in the Ming Dynasty. However, this is in the country of Haihan, and everyone here is a citizen of Haihan. What Mr. Fei said here will not be spread. Get out. Besides, we are just discussing issues, not against Daming. We are just exchanging opinions. Mr. Fei doesn’t need to be so nervous.”
Fei Cexian said: "Having said that, these matters should not be evaluated by me. The Department of Rites and Rites is all under the jurisdiction of diplomatic matters. It is indeed difficult to answer the questions raised by Mr. Qiu."
Qiu Yuan nodded and said: "Well, let me ask another question. If our country is willing to provide certain assistance to Ming Dynasty, then based on the current situation of Ming Dynasty, political support and military assistance, which one can really help Ming Dynasty? The way out of the predicament? ”
Fei Cexian thought to himself that Qiu Yuan was really good at talking, and he actually related this issue to the foreign teacher. But if you continue to refuse to answer, it may not make the Haihan people look down on you. After Fei Cexian thought for a moment, he responded: "According to the agreement negotiated by the two countries in Liaodong, Ming Dynasty and Haihan should become brothers. States, mutual trust, mutual support, and mutual support. I believe that whether it is politics or military affairs, we should stand on the same side to reflect this kind of relationship. The same is true for Haihan's position in Ming Dynasty." Fei Cexian, the Tai Chi practitioner. There was no way he could fool Qiu Yuan with his answer. He asked this question to test whether the Ming Dynasty envoy really had something to say, and also to test the other party's true attitude towards Haihan. Qiu Yuan smiled and said: "That's true, but it's not easy to get the best of both worlds. If Sir Fei has to make a trade-off one day, how would you choose?"
Fei Cexian was silent for a longer time this time. It wasn't that he couldn't understand the question, but he didn't want his answer to give a false impression to the Haihan people. The responsibility of his position is that he can eat whatever he wants, but he can't say anything casually. Every word he says may be regarded as Ming Dynasty's attitude, and he, a young man named Si Zuosi, who has never been a seven-character practitioner, can't say anything casually. I can't afford such a big responsibility. Although Qiu Yuan promised him that the conversation here would not be spread to outsiders, Fei Cexian knew that every word he said here would soon be submitted to the desk of the Haihan Executive Committee and become a draft for Haihan senior officials. Reference material for Ming strategies.
The guests at the banquet also stopped using their chopsticks and put down their wine glasses, looking towards Fei Cexian, waiting for him to give a more specific answer or reject Qiu Yuan's request. Qiu Yuan was very relaxed. He was not worried that Fei Cexian would refuse to answer his questions. If Daming wanted to maintain communication with Haihan, he had to face reality. If he refused to answer any sensitive questions, then the subsequent A series of negotiation and consultation activities can also be cancelled. He believed that Fei Cexian would be able to imagine this consequence.
After a long time, Fei Cexian finally said: "In peacetime, the basic position is naturally more important, but now the problems that Ming Dynasty needs to solve are mainly on the battlefield. I think military assistance is more important."
Fei Cexian thought very clearly that the so-called political support was just talk, just like those small Southeast Asian countries that came to the Ming Dynasty to ask for canonization. They said a few beautiful words such as being willing to surrender to the Ming Dynasty, and then they could get it. Generous rewards, but tribal chiefs with a population of several thousand can also be canonized as kings, but if they really have to contribute money and efforts, what decent things can they get.
Haihan will not beg for rewards such as canonization from the Ming Dynasty, nor will they actively surrender to the Ming Dynasty. The most political support they can provide is to support the legitimacy of the current emperor's rule over the Ming Dynasty, and then promise not to Take the initiative to provoke war with Ming Dynasty. But this kind of support is simply insignificant to Ming Dynasty. It is not even as beneficial as opening the door and increasing the trade volume between the two countries. The only measure that can really change the current situation of Ming Dynasty is the military assistance provided by Haihan.
It is said that the two provinces of Fujian and Guangzhou in the south have already cooperated with Haihan in this regard. The Fujian Navy even simply ordered warships and weapons from Haihan, and even handed over the naval officers to Haihan's military. training. Whether these trained troops were ultimately loyal to the imperial court, local military attachés, or the Haihan people who trained them, Fei Cexian did not know and did not dare to think about it in detail, but he was almost certain that these troops were organized by the Haihan people step by step. The new-style army is unlikely to oppose Haihan again in the future.
Fei Cexian did not have specific data on how many troops in the south had deteriorated due to this, but he once heard a friend from the Ministry of War mention it after drinking that since Qiongzhou Island changed hands, the armies of the southern provinces of Fuzhou and Guangdong have never had any contact with the sea. There were large-scale bloody conflicts between Han armed forces. What does this mean? This means that Haihan almost took over the entire southeastern coastline of the Ming Dynasty without a single blow, while the garrison troops in Fuzhou and Guangdong provinces completely pretended to be deaf and did not make a proper counterattack. It is even possible that they took the initiative in the process. Cooperated with Haihan's actions.
This is what Haihan has done to Ming Dynasty in the name of military assistance in the past few years. Fei Cexian didn't want to say something against his will that Ming Dynasty needed military assistance from Haihan, because he knew very well that the military assistance provided by Haihan was not in vain, and the cost was high enough to affect the integrity of Ming Dynasty's territory and the foundation of its future rule. . But it is a pity that Haihan left no choice for Ming. During the talks in Liaodong, Haihan made it clear that if Ming was unwilling to accept Haihan's "good intentions", then Haihan's army would also not accept it. The occupied Liaodong area will be evacuated, but they will negotiate peace with Hou Jin and ignore the war between Ming Dynasty and Hou Jin.
Without the military restraint of the Haihan Army in Liaodong, at least 100,000 Houjin troops would attack the border and move south at any time. With the current border defense situation of the Ming Dynasty, it is unlikely that they can withstand the Houjin offensive. After all, in the past few years, every time the Hou Jin army went south, they could successfully enter the Ming Dynasty, burn, kill and loot, and then return to the outside world with their wealth and population to slowly digest it. The army of the Later Jin Dynasty became stronger year by year, but the Ming Dynasty became weaker and weaker year by year. It was not until Haihan restrained the troops of the Later Jin Dynasty in Liaodong that the Ming Dynasty finally found a chance to breathe and was able to take action to quell the civil strife in the Central Plains. .
When Fei Cexian took the order to go south, even Zhang Fengyi, Minister of War, came to see him off in person. The Minister of the Ministry of War, who had committed suicide this year due to unfavorable war results in the original history, also had high hopes for Fei Cexian's southward negotiations, hoping that he could persuade Haihan to exert more military pressure on the Jin Dynasty in Liaodong. In order to alleviate the defensive pressure on the northern frontier of the Ming Dynasty.
"In one to two years, after the rebellion in the Central Plains has been quelled, the imperial court can mobilize its troops to the north to destroy the Jurchens in Jianzhou, and then it will not be too late to settle the accounts with Haihan slowly." Zhang Fengyi informed Fei of the Ministry of War's plans at that time. Ce Xian asked him to try to deal with Hai Han.
Therefore, for Fei Cexian, there is no optional answer to Qiu Yuan's question, so he must choose military assistance. And he had to show a firm attitude to prevent Qiu Yuan from doubting his sincerity.
(End of chapter)