Chapter 1616 Building the Embassy
Early the next morning, Zhang Qianzhi came to the Guest House in the name of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and took Fei Cexian to see the location of the embassy. Fei Cexian did not doubt his presence, and after packing up, he and Zhang Qianzhi went out.
Currently, the foreign embassies in Sanya include Annan, Champa, Portugal, the Netherlands, etc., and after the previous visit of Luo Honglangsang, the construction of the embassy at the selected address has also begun. It is expected to be completed in another one or two months. It will be completed in time. The Matalan people were very wealthy and did not care about the cost of building an embassy at all. In addition, Luo Honglangsang focused all his energy on the arms purchase agreement, so after finalizing those few transactions, Luo Honglangsang hurried back to his country to resume his duties. , and the construction of the embassy was fully entrusted to Haihan.
In addition, there are various offices of the governments of Fujian and Guangzhou in Sanya. Because the two countries did not formally establish diplomatic relations in the past, it was inconvenient to use the name of embassy. These institutions affiliated to the local governments all exist under names such as the Guangdong and Guangxi Association and the Fujian Association. . These guild halls not only handle trusteeship or shareholding business for officials, but also handle government affairs that require contact and consultation with Haihan.
All these institutions with diplomatic functions and political overtones were uniformly placed at the foot of the mountain not far from the Guest House. The locals called this area the embassy area. When Ming Dynasty wanted to set up an embassy in Sanya, the location selection was no exception. It also allocated a piece of land in this area.
"Master Fei, please see, this land is surrounded by mountains and forests in the north, facing Fort Victory in the south, the Portuguese Embassy in the east, and the west side is empty with room for future expansion. It faces south and has a wide view. It is close to Fort Victory, the Guest House, and the downtown area. They are only one mile away, and life and work are very convenient. The land is provided by our country, and there is no fee. You only need to complete the registration procedures. As for the construction plan of the embassy, Mr. Fei can decide on it. Our country also has many alternative plans. For Mr. Fei’s reference, the construction team is ready and the groundbreaking date can be set.”
Zhang Qianzhi led Fei Cexian around the field and introduced him to the surrounding environment and Haihan's arrangements as he walked. What Fei Cexian values naturally is the environment here. There are other foreign embassies nearby. This arrangement is obviously convenient for Haihan to manage. If Ming Dynasty forces to open another embassy elsewhere, it will also appear It is inhumane, and the environment here is indeed as Fei Cexian said. Life is very convenient, and there are no noisy ordinary residential areas around. It is indeed an excellent choice to build an embassy.
Fei Cexian asked: "According to your country's wishes, how big can our embassy be built? How many personnel can it accommodate?"
"The land limit for the embassy is fifty acres, and the number of residents cannot exceed one hundred. All military attachés, guards, bodyguards and other armed personnel must undergo special registration." Zhang Qianzhi immediately explained to him.
Upon hearing this, Fei Cexian found that these conditions were basically consistent with what Qiu Yuan had said in Haikou. It seemed that no matter where the embassy was ultimately built, these basic conditions would not change. But that's fine, as it prevents him from having to consider more objective factors when selecting the location for the embassy.
As for the building plans for the embassy, Daming had already prepared several plans and would make adjustments based on the conditions Haihan could provide. For example, if the place is too small, the yard can be reduced from four or five to two or three. However, Fei Cexian checked the environment here and felt that there is no need to make major adjustments to the existing plan, even for the largest building. The plan actually cannot use up the fifty acres of land given by Haihan. Of course, Fei Cexian has a limited project budget. If the embassy gets bigger, the interior decoration will definitely be hasty. On the contrary, if the building area can be controlled well, there will be enough funds to decorate the interior better. You can even have enough money to build a courtyard inside and build some scenery on the outside to increase the comfort of living.
Fei Cexian asked again: "Has the local foreman come?"
"Come on, come on, let him come over and answer." Zhang Qianzhi responded and called the foreman who was waiting nearby.
Fei Cexian mainly asked questions about construction, to roughly understand how long the construction plan he requested would take, how long it would take to prepare building materials, how to calculate labor costs, etc. This foreman is an old employee who worked with Liu Shanxia in the Ministry of Construction. He has been responsible for numerous construction projects over the years. He answered all the basic questions asked by Fei Cexian fluently without being sloppy at all. Fei Cexian was also very satisfied with this. He thought that the Haihan people were indeed extremely considerate in doing things, but then he thought about it. With so many embassies built here, the Haihan people were naturally familiar with it. Maybe they didn't have any special care for the Ming Dynasty. , and couldn’t help but be a little disappointed.
Zhang Qianzhi didn't know about these little calculations in Fei Cexian's mind. He listened to the question and answer conversation between Fei Cexian and the foreman with a humble expression, but in his heart he was judging whether Fei Cexian had received a kickback from the embassy project. Intend. Although the quotation given by Haihan was basically the cost price, if Fei Cexian really said this, Zhang Qianzhi would not hesitate to make the decision and put a benefit into Fei Cexian's pocket. Zhang Qianzhi remembered that when he first went to Guangzhou, He Xi once said to himself that when dealing with Ming officials, what he was afraid of was not corrupt officials, but the fear that the other party would not want to ask for benefits. As long as he was willing to accept money, the rest would be fine. Done.
Zhang Qianzhi has always kept this truth in mind. He has dealt with many Ming officials over the years, and practice has repeatedly verified that He Xi’s words are indeed correct. Almost all Ming officials who cooperated with Haihan came from Starting from collecting benefits from small things, as long as there is greed, it will be difficult to remain insulated from Haihan's endless bribery methods. If Fei Cexian wants to deduct a sum of money from the embassy construction project and put it into his own pocket, there must be some signs to follow. As long as Zhang Qianzhi discovers such signs, he will naturally find a way to attack him. .
However, Mr. Fei seemed to have been in Qingshui Yamen for a long time and had no idea about the world. He had no other ideas about the embassy project he was leading. After asking how long the construction period would take to complete the project, he stopped talking and asked someone to sit next to him. Zhang Qianzhi, who had been listening, was slightly disappointed.
After the foreman finished answering the questions and left, Zhang Qianzhi asked tentatively: "Master Fei, don't you plan to deduct a small amount from the project payment and reserve it for emergency use?"
Sure enough, Fei Cexian asked without knowing what he meant: "Why should it be deducted from the project payment? What kind of emergency is emergency?" Zhang Qianzhi couldn't speak too openly, so he had to explain tactfully: "Master Fei, things in the world are unpredictable. You have to keep some money around for emergencies. If the work is completed successfully, the money can be arranged by yourself.”
Only then did Fei Cexian realize that Zhang Qianzhi was giving him another idea to embezzle public funds. He looked displeased and said, "Am I, Fei, a person who is greedy for petty profits? Don't say that in front of me again in the future. Such words! ”
Zhang Qianzhi quickly agreed, thinking that this person named Fei was quite difficult to deal with. He responded so seriously. How could he pry this stubborn stone away? But then he thought about it, maybe Fei Cexian just didn't know the ropes and felt that this kind of money was unsafe. It wasn't that he was really not interested in money. He still had to be patient and find out the other person's preferences and strike in a targeted manner. will be effective. Anyway, Fei Cexian will stay here for a long time, so he will just find the right time slowly.
In fact, Fei Cexian didn't take what Zhang Qianzhi said too seriously. In his eyes, Zhang Qianzhi was just a philistine who put profit first in everything. How could he waste his energy and have the same knowledge as such a little person. What's more, although Zhang Qianzhi's words are not very pleasant, he is very effective in doing things, and he is from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Fei Cexian does not want to offend such a person and let him go back and make his own report. Therefore, he stopped Zhang Qianzhi's admonishment and had no real intention to reprimand him. His energy is still mainly focused on the current embassy project.
According to the foreman's introduction, the construction period can actually be adjusted to a certain extent based on actual needs, but the cost will naturally change accordingly. To put it simply, if you want to shorten the construction period, you need to hire more manpower. If you have enough funds, you can even arrange for several teams of people to take turns to work day and night. However, after hearing the introduction of labor costs, Fei Cexian quietly gave up the idea. Although the funds at his disposal were not small, if the construction period was to be forcibly shortened, the cost of the entire embassy project would increase by two. Three times, it will be difficult for him to report to the court.
There is another reason, that is, Fei Cexian feels that the conditions of the guest house where he is currently living are actually quite good. Living and office facilities are all available, and the food, accommodation and transportation are all arranged by Haihan officials. He had already inquired that foreign envoys like him could stay in the guest house as long as they wished. Even if the Ming Dynasty Embassy in Sanya is built in the future, the living conditions may not be as comfortable as those in the Guest House. Since there is no need to rush to relocate, Fei Cexian feels that building the embassy is not so urgent-at least for him personally.
As for whether the court is in a hurry or not... Fei Cexian remembered what Ning Qi said during yesterday's dinner: "Master Fei, what did you do and what did you say in Haihan? In fact, the big shots in the capital must do it as soon as possible." You won’t know until a month or two later, so there is no need to rush for many things, including negotiations. No matter how firm your attitude is in Haihan, it will not be felt in the capital.”
At that time, Fei Cexian didn't have deep feelings about Ning Qi's words, but when he thought about it now, he felt that Ning Qi seemed to mean something. But slowing down the pace a little doesn't seem to be a bad thing. Besides, the embassy may have to be used for many years after it is completed. It is always right to work slowly and carefully.
Once a person has the idea of desertion in his mind, he will constantly look for various reasons for himself to rationalize this behavior. Fei Cexian is showing signs of this now. Although he remains loyal to the Ming Dynasty, after seeing the colorful world of Haihan Kingdom, he can't help but be a little shaken by his previous ideas. With the level of prosperity of the Haihan Kingdom, there seems to be no need to invade the Ming Dynasty. After all, the living standards of the people of Haihan are obviously much higher than those of the Ming Dynasty, and there are various ways to make money. Why use war to achieve the goal.
Haihan was unwilling to take the initiative to start a war with Ming Dynasty. This was a fact that even the blind man knew. Since there is no need to go to war, it means that conflicts and conflicts of interest can be resolved through negotiation. Negotiation is inherently a time-consuming method of communication. If Ming shows too eager an attitude, he will fall behind. The Haihan people are so shrewd, and they will definitely try to lead Ming by the nose. This is a waste of time. Ce Xian must try his best to avoid the situation.
After Fei Cexian saw the embassy land arranged by Haihan on the spot, he basically decided to start construction of the Ming embassy here. However, he did not rush to urge the foreman to start work. Instead, he looked at the almanac first and specifically selected a day that was suitable for groundbreaking two days later as the start day. As for the intervening two days, Fei Cexian did not intend to be idle. He had to consult with the foreman on the specific construction plan. Although he didn't know much about the construction field, since he was an envoy of the Ming Dynasty, he could only pretend to understand and try his best to ensure that the various building materials required by the foreman could be in place before the construction process began.
The two parties still signed the project agreement according to formal procedures. Fei Cexian paid an advance payment of 10,000 yuan as the first payment for the construction team to enter the site and start work. The construction team also followed Fei Cexian's requirements and continuously transported various building materials to the construction site. At this time, Fei Cexian began to realize how strong Haihan's material transportation capabilities were. Those slates and stone bricks that easily weighed dozens of kilograms, pillar heads more than one foot high and two feet in diameter, and beautiful and refreshing glazed tiles were constantly changing from heavy to heavy. Horse-drawn carriages are transferred from ports and train stations to construction sites.
Fei Cexian originally thought that he did not follow the foreman's suggestion to hire more construction workers, which would slow down the progress of the entire project. But in fact, this was not the case. The embassy construction site under the command of the foreman was operating extremely efficiently, which made the worried people Fei Cexian also breathed a sigh of relief.
Perhaps considering that the Ming Dynasty Embassy was under construction and Fei Cexian needed to be a temporary supervisor on the construction site, Haihan did not take the initiative to arrange a negotiation meeting and planned to let Fei Cexian finish this part first. And Fei Cexian really had no time to look around at this time. In addition to supervising the construction progress at the construction site every day, he also had many things to do.
First of all, the memorial must be written. After being here for so many days, everything is on track. It is also necessary for Fei Cexian to report to the capital the progress and achievements he has made in Haihan. In addition, Fei Cexian is also paying attention to the local business operation model and thinking about why this model has not appeared in the Ming Dynasty. Is it because the Haihan people are smarter, or is there simply no room for this business model in the Ming Dynasty?
(End of chapter)