Chapter 1615 Extravagant Hope
The methods used to bribe Ming officials were nothing more than the old tricks of coercion, inducement and favours. Haihan had summed up many effective methods during his long-term dealings with Ming officials. He would use them to target Ming officials with different mentalities. There are corresponding routines. After a simple contact, Zhang Qianzhi believed that Fei Cexian should be a cautious official and would not easily accept the benefits offered by Haihan. However, if the transfer of benefits can be completed covertly and securely, this person may not be able to resist it. The temptation of sugar-coated bullets.
Therefore, during the visit to the Shengli Port Business District, Zhang Qianzhi kept introducing the local trade conditions, and hinted to Fei Cexian from time to time that there were quite a few Ming officials involved and profiting from the prosperity of Sanya. Although this method is unlikely to have immediate results, Zhang Qianzhi is convinced that it will have some degree of impact on Fei Cexian's values. No one is perfect, no matter how firm the political stance of the Ming Dynasty envoy from the capital is, he will definitely have what he needs. All Haihan needs to do is to give targeted conditions and let him gradually compromise, and finally Unify the pace and stance with Haihan.
Fei Cexian was not completely unmoved. It was just that he had just arrived and was not sure whether what Zhang Qianzhi said was true or not. How credible was it? Naturally, he did not dare to express his position easily or even talk to him. Don't dare. After all, he was not sure yet whether Zhang Qianzhi was a real tour guide or had another, more sensitive identity. If he said the wrong thing, it might become a source of leverage.
Zhang Qianzhi's vision is very accurate. Being cautious and making no big mistakes is one of Fei Cexian's life creeds. Especially when he came to Haihan Kingdom, which has a very delicate relationship with the Ming Dynasty, he was always cautious and said less. Look, lest you make a mistake. How could he not hear Zhang Qianzhi's hint? It's just that he must not be greedy for such a small advantage, otherwise the subsequent troubles may be endless and fall into the control of Haihan like the local officials in Fuzhou and Guangzhou.
Fei Cexian came to Haihan as an envoy with the intention of serving his country. At least so far, making a fortune in Haihan was not one of his goals. He hoped to obtain more benefits for Ming Dynasty at the negotiation table, rather than using his status as an envoy to enrich his own pockets and gain benefits for himself. Before setting off from the capital, he had already been promised that if he could regain the coastal areas actually controlled by Haihan for the Ming Dynasty during his term of office, then the imperial court would definitely reward him based on his merits, not to mention Si Sizheng, who was promoted to Xingxing. The Minister of Rites also has a chance.
Fei Cexian is only thirty-eight now, and the ambassador to Haihan who has served for three to five years is only over forty. If he can be appointed as the Minister of Rites at this age, there is still a good chance of continuing to move up in the future. . But giving up principles for the sake of some petty profits at the moment is equivalent to giving up a promising career prospect, which Fei Cexian thinks is not cost-effective. Putting money and career together, Fei Cexian still prefers to choose the latter as his goal. Sanya may indeed be a gold-selling den where people are obsessed with money, but Fei Cexian doesn't have high requirements in terms of material things - at least for now.
Zhang Qianzhi just took Fei Cexian to visit a few shops on the side roads on Landscape Avenue, and more than two hours had passed. Zhang Qianzhi looked at the time and reminded Fei Cexian to go back to the guesthouse first. Later, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should send a special car to pick him up and take him to Fort Victory for the banquet.
Fei Cexian also knew that business was more important. Although this bustling urban area makes people linger, but he will be staying in Hainan Island from now on, so he has plenty of time to take a leisurely stroll, and he is not in a hurry. Immediately, we turned back north, returned to the place where we got off the bus at Victory Square, and took the bus back to the Guest House.
Sure enough, not long after he returned to his residence, Ning Qi came to invite him to a banquet at Fort Victory on behalf of the Executive Committee and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At this time, Fei Cexian had changed out of the casual clothes he had just worn outside and put on his own official uniform. Since he was meeting with senior officials of the Haihan Kingdom, he had to act like an envoy from the Ming Dynasty. Even if you don't plan to use diplomatic honors here, you still need to make your identity clear.
Regarding Victory Fort, a place full of mystery, the Ming Dynasty's intelligence agency also spent a lot of time collecting relevant information, but what they had was only some superficial things, such as how large the area was, how high the city walls were, and how the city defenses were. , but there is very little valuable information regarding the internal affairs of Fort Victory, especially the operation of the Executive Committee. Although other Ming officials had entered Victory Fort before, the court did not receive any detailed returns. This also shows that all Ming officials who had entered this place before were basically won over by Haihan. object.
Fort Victory has not undergone any large-scale expansion since its completion. However, with the improvement of various departments and institutions, the small fort can no longer accommodate it, and there are too many naturalized citizens coming in and out every day, which is not conducive to safety. . Therefore, in recent years, the offices of these institutions have been gradually moved out of the fort and arranged in the area around Victory Square. The time-travelers who work in state agencies no longer live in the fort long ago, and most of the time they go home after work.
In addition to a few important organs such as the Executive Committee and the Ministry of National Defense, there is also a big data center that is regarded as a core secret by the Executive Committee. In addition, the weapons warehouse and temporary residence are still retained in the fort. When an emergency occurs, Victory Fort is still the safest place in the entire Haihan Kingdom.
Fei Cexian had also heard that the buildings in Victory Fort were extremely simple, and there were no magnificent palaces built like the Forbidden City of the Ming Dynasty. This did not seem to be consistent with Haihan's wealthy image, but Fei Cexian saw the occupancy of Victory Fort. The land area makes it difficult to build large buildings. Entering Victory Fort, everything you can see are small gray brick buildings. Although the environment is relatively clean and quiet, it is a bit too shabby as the center of a powerful country. Not to mention compared with the Forbidden City, even the dozen or so palaces scattered throughout the Ming Dynasty looked much more upscale than this Victory Fort.
"Master Fei seems a little disappointed with Fort Victory!" Ning Qi took Fei Cexian into Fort Victory, and you could guess what he was thinking by looking at his expression.
Fei Cexian responded quickly: "Master Ning has misunderstood. I just lament that your country is so rich, but this core place is so simple. The contrast is too great."
Ning Qi explained: "Fort Victory is actually a more significant landmark. The outside world thinks it is the core area of Haihan Kingdom, but in fact it is just an office space, which is different from the concept of an imperial city in your country. It is usually used for meetings and discussing national political affairs. There is no need to make this place too luxurious. Over time, we people have become accustomed to this environment. It is estimated that Victory Fort will still be like this in another ten or eight years. Will change.”
Ning Qi's words were not just for show. It would not be difficult for Haihan to build a separate office space now, but most people, including the executive committee, believed that it was not necessary. After all, Most of the departmental agencies have moved out of Fort Victory and have independent office spaces. Since Fort Victory can still perform its functions well, there is no need to add superfluous features. Of course, there is another reason that cannot be ignored, which is that it will be very troublesome if some facilities in Fort Victory are to be relocated. The data center and communication center are both located in the Victory Fort. These two departments have an impact on the whole body and may even affect the operation and government affairs of Haihan Kingdom in the short term. The Executive Committee did not want to cause trouble, so they simply continued to use Fort Victory as the center of power.
Hosting a banquet in the Victory Fort was considered a very high level of courtesy given by Haihan to foreign guests. Although Fei Cexian was only an official from the seventh rank, because he came on behalf of the Ming Dynasty, Haihan still gave it to him. Enough attention was paid to the reception banquet alone, and the executive committee included Ning Qi, Schneider, and Yan Chujie in attendance. Tao Donglai originally wanted to participate, but because there were some problems with the arms production line in Tiandu Industrial Zone, he and Bai Kesi had to go to the scene to deal with it, so they had to miss the first meeting with the Ming envoys.
However, for Fei Cexian, this kind of treatment was far beyond his expectations. Senior officials from Haihan in charge of diplomacy, commerce, and military attended the reception banquet together, which made him feel a little overwhelmed. This at least shows that Haihan paid enough attention to his arrival and would not dismiss him casually.
Of course, it is unlikely that sensitive topics between the two countries will be discussed in this first diplomatic meeting. Both sides have a tacit understanding and do not take the initiative to mention territorial disputes, population movements, and military assistance, which are areas that require negotiation and consultation. , just casually chatting about the various customs and customs that Fei Cexian experienced on his way to Haihan. For those really important controversial topics, there will be long follow-up negotiations for both parties to discuss slowly. By then, each side will have its own position, and there may not be the relaxed and happy communication atmosphere now.
The dishes at the banquet are standard "Haihan style", which emphasizes the freshness of ingredients and the use of various spices and seasonings. For Fei Cexian, who has been in Haihan for a few days, this is actually not a new experience. . But Fei Cexian had to admit that the banquet arranged in Victory Fort was indeed more exquisite. Although he was not a real gourmet, he could feel that this was at least better than the banquet he had in Haikou City before. More than one level higher.
While Fei Cexian was chatting with three senior officials from Haihan, he was also paying attention to the behavior of these three people. Ning Qi speaks politely and is undoubtedly a typical civil servant; Yan Chujie has a calm temperament and a chilling air unique to soldiers; Schneider is shrewd in every aspect and is worthy of being an official in charge of commercial affairs. What surprised Fei Cexian the most was that Schneider's appearance was obviously different from that of a Han Chinese, but when he heard his words, he was no different from a Han Chinese. The contrast between the whole person was quite large.
However, these three people all have one thing in common, and that is the aura of a superior person. This kind of thing cannot be faked. Only people who have been in high positions for a long time can slowly develop this invisible trait. Fei Cexian has lived in the capital for a long time and has met many senior officials of the imperial court. He has a deep understanding of this. The three high-ranking officials from Haihan in front of him are indeed the best choices in terms of conversation and temperament, and Fei Cexian can feel their eyes. Their knowledge is even higher than that of the great scholars in the imperial court, because their knowledge of the national conditions of the Ming Dynasty revealed in their chats is no less than that of the big shots in the Ming Dynasty. Even the progress of the Central Plains Peasant Army rebellion was well understood by these people.
The only reasonable explanation that Fei Cexian could think of was that Haihan had a large number of intelligence sources in the Ming Dynasty, and the reliability of this information was quite high, and it was very likely that it did not come from the private sector. Thinking of Haihan's influence in the southeastern coastal areas, Fei Cexian thought that maybe some high-ranking officials in the court had secret contacts with Haihan. Otherwise, how could they know so many secret things?
In fact, most of the information Haihan possesses comes from records in large databases. These contents are almost all original historical facts, which naturally shocked Fei Cexian, who did not know the inside story. The Northern Central Plains region is currently not significantly affected by Haihan, so it is still developing according to the original historical trend. When Ning Qi and others talk about this field, they are naturally clear-cut.
During the dinner, Ning Qi and others did not ask Fei Cexian to drink more. Instead, Fei Cexian took the initiative and frequently toasted to the three of them. To say that this reception lineup is already beyond the standard, although he is a guest from afar, his level is much lower than that of the host, so he can only lower his posture in order to gain more initiative.
"When Mr. Fei settles down, you can go check out the land we arranged for the embassy at your convenience and consider the location." As the banquet came to an end, Ning Qi finally took the initiative to mention the business. Of course, the "site selection" he mentioned was not for Fei Cexian to choose a place in Sanya, but to choose a place between Sanya and Haikou as the location for the Ming Dynasty embassy.
Fei Cexian responded quickly: "Sir Laoning, I only need to rest for one night, and I can handle this matter tomorrow."
For Fei Cexian, the sooner the embassy is built, the better. Only when the embassy is built can the Ming Dynasty's attitude be shown to the outside world, and subsequent diplomatic consultations and exchanges with Haihan will be justified. And after spending an afternoon walking around the Shengli Port Business District today, he already had a calculation in his mind. Although Haikou is close to the Ming Dynasty, it is indeed far from Sanya in terms of prosperity, and it is closer to the power center of Haihan. There are also more sources of information. If you want to grasp the latest trends in Haihan, setting up the embassy in Sanya is the wisest choice.
After the banquet, Fei Cexian said goodbye and left, still taking a special carriage back to the Guest House. He carefully recalled his previous performance at the banquet and felt that there was nothing missing, so he felt relieved to wash up and rest.
(End of chapter)