Chapter 1729 Diplomatic Dinner
After Mei Shengchuan, the Minister of War, watched the battle in Liaodong last year, he had brought Haihan's local military and colonial deployment status back to the Ming court. From then on, everyone in the Ming Dynasty knew that the Haihan people had entered Liaodong uninvited, and they probably had no plans to leave. These Nanhai soldiers were not trying to flatter the Ming Dynasty by fighting Hou Jin so hard. Instead, he wanted to sign the Liaodong Peninsula from Hou Jin and make it his own.
As for what the Ming Dynasty had to say about this, the Haihan people probably had no scruples. After all, when they sent troops to Liaodong, they did not take the initiative to communicate with the Ming Dynasty from the beginning to the end. They made it clear that they wanted to form established facts before sitting down and slowly talking to the Ming Dynasty. Talk about conditions.
The results of Mei Shengchuan's negotiation in Liaodong also confirmed Haihan's ambition. Instead of taking back Liaodong from the other side, Ming Dynasty was asked to recognize Haihan's actual control in Liaodong. Of course, this fig leaf in the end could never be torn off, so even though Ming Dynasty chose to compromise in the end, it did not publicly admit that it had lost control of Liaodong.
There are still people in the court who have always held a relatively optimistic attitude, believing that these places that originally belonged to the Ming Dynasty may be able to be regained through negotiation in the future. However, only officials who have really had contact with Haihan, such as Mei Shengchuan and Fei Cexian, will understand this. This kind of optimism is simply a one-sided delusion. Not only will Haihan not return the Ming territory they occupied, but they are likely to intensify their efforts and occupy more places in the future.
But as long as the Ming Dynasty did not recognize it, theoretically these lands belonged to the Ming Dynasty. Fei Cexian never thought that Haihan would take such unilateral measures as creating public opinion to seize the Ming Dynasty's territory. He was once optimistic that the Ming Dynasty was in Sanya. After the construction of the embassy, the diplomatic relations between the two countries can gradually enter a normal state, but this action of the Haihan people undoubtedly gave him a heavy slap in the face and awakened him from his fantasy.
Recalling Ning Qi's smile when he was greeting him just now, Fei Cexian felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. Even the other party's smile seemed to be somewhat mocking. Of course, this may just be his illusion, but once this thought arises, it will stick in his throat and make him feel very uncomfortable.
Fei Cexian wanted to find Ning Qi to verify this matter immediately, but he saw that there were many people around Ning Qi. It seemed that there were many people who planned to get some information from Ning Qi, just like the Portuguese and the Dutch. Same as now. Fei Cexian sighed secretly, thinking that Ning Qi was also in charge of Haihan's publicity, cultural and educational affairs. If this was true, he would probably be involved in the planning. Maybe even the relevant articles in the newspaper would have his imprints. .
As for the military cooperation proposed by the Portuguese Thomas, this is not something Fei Cexian can decide. The military function he shoulders as an ambassador is to observe Haihan's movements so that Ming Dynasty can prevent Haihan's possible invasion offensive. But whether Ming Dynasty should engage in military cooperation with other countries, the court has not yet discussed a clear result, because no one is sure what the consequences of introducing military power from other countries will be.
Even Portugal, which had cooperated with the Ming Dynasty, was still an untrustworthy country in the eyes of the Ming Dynasty, and its level was the same as that of Haihan. It is better to seek help from others than to ask for yourself. Ming Dynasty still pinned its hopes on its own troops to conquer the outside world and secure the inside.
"If our Ming army can have the combat capabilities of the Haihan Army, there will be no need to worry about civil unrest and the Tartars will not be wiped out!" After thinking about it, Fei Cexian felt that the root cause was his own lack of strength, which was why he was troubled. Otherwise, who cares? The peasant army of Houjin, Haihan and Han Dynasty can all be wiped out in one fell swoop.
But why the Ming Dynasty, which has ruled for more than two hundred years on the mainland, has less military strength than a small country in the South China Sea that was only officially founded three years ago. Fei Cexian still does not have a clear answer. In addition to advanced weapons and tactics, he believed that the Haihan Army that could continuously win foreign wars must have some characteristics unknown to the outside world. However, due to his limited vision and professional knowledge, he was unable to realize the huge military-industrial logistics system behind the Haihan Army and the role of invisible and intangible political and industrial measures.
While they were talking, a waiter came over and asked them to return to their seats and prepare to start the dinner. Fei Cexian was happy to be left alone. He bowed to the envoys of the two countries and said goodbye, then sat back in his seat.
Today's banquet hall layout is the result of discussions at the executive committee. All foreign envoys and invited important figures dine at a separate table. In addition, there are Some senior officials also enjoy such treatment. The nine members of the executive committee are a little bit special. Their seats are in the north direction of the entire venue, opposite these guests. This makes it easier for them to deliver speeches and communicate face-to-face with guests.
The entire banquet seats were arranged in a fan shape, with the seats of the executive committee members as the center. Fei Cexian's seat was in the row closest to the executive committee, and it was in the middle, which made him feel a little relieved from the hurt he had just suffered. Such treatment at least shows that Haihan still attaches great importance to Daming, and will take the initiative to give him the highest level of courtesy.
After all the guests were seated, the real host finally appeared, and a group of high-ranking officials from Haihan, headed by Tao Donglai, appeared in front of everyone. Some guests who didn't fully recognize them started asking around.
After the group took their seats, Tao Donglai began to speak: "First of all, I would like to thank all distinguished guests for coming to Sanya and participating in our country's National Day celebrations. When I crossed the ocean and landed in Yulin Bay ten years ago, this place was still a desert. Desolate, but today, ten years later, Sanya is already the leading trading port in the South China Sea. We invite you to come here, hoping to witness the process of Haihan from being unknown to becoming powerful.”
Tao Donglai's words were played through a microphone from the speakers in the four corners of the banquet hall, and even people sitting a little further away could hear him clearly. Although this method is novel, it is not surprising to some foreign envoys stationed in Sanya. After all, every time there is a major celebration in Haihan, this kind of sound amplifying device will be used in public places.
Tao Donglai's words may sound a bit unpleasant to some people's ears. After all, every step Haihan takes to become stronger is almost based on foreign wars. It is continuous foreign expansion that allows this country to be able to survive for ten years. Within a few years, it grew from scratch, from weak to strong, and became the dominant force in the South China Sea. And those countries that Haihan used force to attack have become stepping stones for this change.
Among them, the Ming Dynasty is the most important. After all, when Haihan landed in Yulin Bay, not an inch of land belonged to them. Haihan not only settled in the Ming Dynasty's territory, but also finally occupied Hainan Island to establish a country. In the eyes of the Ming Dynasty, this behavior was tantamount to occupying a magpie's nest. So even today, there are still many people in Ming Dynasty who are fiercely opposed to establishing diplomatic relations with Haihan. They believe that it was precisely because they allowed Haihan's parasitic behavior in the past that the situation in the South China Sea got out of control and Ming Dynasty Terrible loss of territory. Establishing diplomatic relations with Haihan undoubtedly acquiesces to their occupation of Hainan Island, which will inevitably lead to intensified invasion in the future.
Fei Cexian listened to Tao Donglai's speech with a solemn expression. He was elected as the ambassador to Haihan. Naturally, he would not be a stubborn opponent, but the strong attitude revealed in Tao Donglai's words still made him Feeling very uncomfortable.
Tao Donglai continued: "During this celebration, in addition to arranging the traditional military parade, we will also organize an exhibition of the construction achievements of the past ten years. In the exhibition, you can see our country's achievements in culture, economy, trade, military, The latest research results in navigation and other fields. I think after reading it, everyone will have a more comprehensive understanding of our country’s situation and have more confidence in future cooperation with our country.”
Among the countries that have established diplomatic relations with Haihan, Annan is probably the only one who is determined to be tied to Haihan, so there is in-depth cooperation in the aspects mentioned by Tao Donglai. While other countries mostly prefer one or two of them, Haihan is obviously not satisfied with this situation. Of course, the research results that guests from various countries are most interested in should still focus on the military field. After all, the combat effectiveness of the Haihan Army is obvious to all, and everyone is paying attention to how much the force of this ever-victorious army will be improved. space.
Haihan's display of military research results is often arranged at the annual military exercises and the promotion meetings of each arms sales tender. Of course, the military parade during the National Day every year is also a highlight, but this part is too superficial, and it is difficult for the audience to understand the performance characteristics of the weapons through this kind of observation.
In addition to these channels, there is also a relatively niche method, which is to join the military observation group organized by Haihan and go to the forefront of Haihan's foreign wars in the name of observation to gain a close understanding of Haihan's weapon performance and combat tactics. Of course, not everyone can have such qualifications, and generally only countries that are militarily allied with Haihan can enjoy this special treatment.
Of course Fei Cexian is also very interested in this, but he is a civilian and does not know much about armaments. He probably still has to choose a military attache to complete the errand of visiting military exhibitions. What Fei Cexian is more interested in is the navy. Han’s achievements in culture, economy and trade. Over the years, Haihan has been continuously importing strange and cunning things to the Ming Dynasty. At the same time, he also used official positions to lure and encourage Ming scholars to naturalize as Haihan. In Fei Cexian's opinion, only after understanding these methods of Haihan can he find a way to grant them citizenship. Counter.
As for the economic and trade competition, it is difficult for Fei Cexian to have any ideas. Haihan people are known for being good at doing business, and Haihan Bank has become a large-scale financial institution with multinational operations. How deep is the water here? Fei Cexian knows that he can't stand through it anyway. If he jumps in, he will probably drown. inside, so he wisely chose to skip this area.
Of course, those who are interested in this do not necessarily have Fei Cexian’s intention of causing trouble. In fact, most countries are still optimistic about cooperation with Haihan. After all, the people sitting here at this time represent All countries and forces have more or less tasted the sweetness of cooperation with Haihan, and are also interested in obtaining greater benefits from cooperation.
"As for the specific timetable of these activities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will inform you later. Everyone will get a detailed timetable, and there is no need to worry about missing the exciting content." Tao Donglai raised his glass: "I won't Keep talking nonsense, the food on everyone’s table will be cold, please!”
Fei Cexian raised his glass and thought, isn't it your country, Haihan, that has made the world uneasy? After fighting here and there every year, it was only through constant foreign wars that it was able to occupy so many overseas territories. Who has the right to say a toast to peace in the world? If it hadn't been for this special occasion, Fei Cexian would have really wanted to refute Tao Donglai's lies face to face.
The North Korean special envoy Li Xi, who was not far away from him, was very excited. His purpose of coming all the way to Sanya was not only to maintain the diplomatic relations between the two countries, but also to learn from Haihanneng. The secret to becoming powerful in just a few years. Although he also knows that some things cannot be learned by seeing them clearly, but even if he learns a little bit of skills, he may be able to help North Korea improve its national power in the future.
Although the original alliance between North Korea and Haihan was forced to sign, Li Xi did not have as complicated thoughts about Haihan as Fei Cexian did. North Korea has always respected the Ming Dynasty for more than two hundred years, but when the North Koreans suddenly discovered that there was another country in the South China Sea that was more powerful than the Ming Dynasty, this mentality of worshiping the strong gradually shifted unknowingly. direction. The strength shown by Haihan on the battlefield of Liaodong was obviously stronger than that of the Ming Dynasty, which was expelled from this area by Hou Jin. And the strong man that North Korea expected to rescue itself from the iron heel of Hou Jin seemed to be Haihan. It is more appropriate to play this role.
But when he thought of the Ming envoy sitting not far from him, Li Xi still felt a little wary. Everyone knows that Ming Dynasty is in decline, but this country still has great authority in the minds of Koreans. Although North Korea wanted to cooperate well with Haihan, it did not dare to easily offend the suzerain country unless it asked Haihan to stand up and support it.
However, Li Xi also understands that no matter from which aspect, Haihan and Ming have more common interests than North Korea, so it is impossible to expect Haihan to side with him at this stage. He had also seen Ning Qi chatting with Fei Cexian before, and he was hesitating whether to take the initiative to say hello to Fei Cexian and get to know him. But then Fei Cexian was approached by the ambassadors of the Netherlands and Portugal, and Li Xi could only give up the idea of taking the initiative to talk.
(End of chapter)