Chapter 1748 Even if you see through it, there is nothing you can do
With the perspective of local officials and the information they have access to, it is difficult to judge and interpret some of Haihan's actions from a higher perspective. During the contacts, they are often led by Haihan because of their limited vision. , such as Zhejiang, Shandong and other places. The officials in these places either wanted to calm things down or exploit their power for profit. Most of them turned a blind eye to Haihan's behavior, or even cooperated secretly to maintain a semblance of peaceful coexistence.
The intelligence received by the Ming court was certainly more comprehensive, but there were still many misreports and omissions made by local officials after deception, and it was still difficult to accurately assess the true purpose of certain measures taken by Haihan. Moreover, Ming Dynasty is currently in a difficult situation, with many chaos threatening the ruling class. Haihan's problems are not yet urgent, and he has even been able to share some of the pressure on Ming Dynasty in the past two years. Therefore, although the imperial court was dissatisfied with Haihan, it still tolerated this powerful neighbor's transgressions.
Fei Cexian originally believed that what Haihan did to the Ming Dynasty was only for the purpose of seeking wealth. At least they did not invade the Ming Dynasty while occupying military advantages in local areas. This seemed to prove the Haihan people's statement that they had no ill intentions towards the Ming Dynasty. But after he actually came to Sanya, the capital of Haihan State, and came into contact with more comprehensive information here, he gradually realized that Haihan's intentions were quite sinister. The reason why he did not take action against Ming Dynasty may just be due to interests and the time had not come yet. It's not that Haihan has much goodwill toward Ming.
Why can these advanced warships be sold to Annam, Champa, Fujian, and even the Dutch with high noses and deep eyes, but they are not willing to sell them to the Ming Dynasty, which is just around the corner and is called a "friendly neighbor" by senior Haihan officials? Fei Cexian No longer believing in those hypocritical rhetoric, he believed that there was only one truth, and that was that the Haihan people did not want the Ming Dynasty to have a strong maritime armed force, so as not to threaten their almost overwhelming dominance in the Ming Dynasty's offshore waters.
Haihan's strategy in the international arms trade is not independent. If you connect it with Haihan's expansion trajectory over the years, you will find that Haihan's control of the Ming Dynasty coastline from south to north has been throughout his fortune. history. The strength of Haihan's navy almost coincided with the decline of the Ming Dynasty's coastal navy. This may be a coincidence, but Fei Cexian is more willing to understand it as Haihan deliberately created such a situation.
Looking at the naval forces along the coast of the Ming Dynasty, the Shandong Navy, which was originally the number one in the north, had fallen apart during the Denglai Rebellion in the early years. Most of them were taken away by Kong Youde's rebels and went to Liaodong to surrender to the enemy. Later, they all collapsed and sank in the Haihan Navy. of previous cross-sea strikes. There are no good harbors along the coast of Jiangsu, and the Navy has never been a standard configuration. The Zhejiang Navy was exhausted by the Haihan Army's occupation of Shipu Port, its attack on the Zhoushan Islands, and its subsequent blockade of Hangzhou Bay. The few remaining naval units also retreated to the Qiantang River and the Yangtze River, and no longer went to sea. Asking for trouble.
As for the Fujian Navy in Fuzhou and Guangzhou further south, it has always been on the same page as Haihan. Now it has blatantly refused to obey the imperial court's arrangements. Naturally, it can no longer place any hope on it. The navy in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions was wiped out by Haihan in various ways in the early years. Now those who are operating in the Pearl River under the name of navy are not necessarily people from the Ming Dynasty.
When the thousands of miles long coastline is full of wide-open defense holes, why should Haihan rush to choose one of them for a massive invasion? Even Fei Cexian, a civil servant, understands this truth. Unfortunately, there are very few people in the court who can see and understand this international situation. The vast majority of people still believe that everything Haihan did was just to make Ming Dynasty They gave up the sovereignty of the land they occupied and opened up trade in the coastal areas, without realizing that Haihan had been swallowing up control of the Ming coastal areas bit by bit.
At yesterday's diplomatic dinner and today's arms exhibition, Fei Cexian has seen clearly many things that he had not understood before. After tearing off the mask of hypocrisy, Haihan is not as simple as Ming Dynasty thought. All signs indicate that Haihan The suppression of Ming Dynasty is gradually intensified. This is not just about occupying a few small islands on the Ming Dynasty coastline to build ports, or imposing a large-scale arms ban, but to set the tone of diplomacy between the two sides, with Ming Dynasty being the passive party.
The Ming Empire has been in existence for more than two hundred years. When did it become so bullied by foreign countries? Even the powerful neighbor in the north, which is now extremely powerful, can only see its true results on the battlefield. It has never defeated the Ming Dynasty in the diplomatic circle like Haihan. If it were still during the Wanli period when the country was relatively strong, Haihan's behavior would probably have led to the imperial court ordering a war.
It's a pity that things are not as good as they used to be. Even if Fei Cexian won't admit it, he still understands in his heart that the Ming Dynasty has indeed been in poor condition in the past ten years or so, and its national power has been declining. Otherwise, it would not have allowed people like Haihan to come from overseas. The armed maritime merchant gangs took root in the country, and finally divided the territory to form their own country.
But what depresses him the most is not that Haihan, the villain, got his way, but now that he has gained power and bullied the real master, it is that even if he could see through Haihan's tricks and knew that he had ulterior motives for Ming Dynasty, he still could not resolve Ming Dynasty's evil intentions. Passive situation.
At the international gathering held in Sanya, even if Daming was not the host, he should have been the center of attention of the diplomatic envoys from various countries. However, the actual situation was that everyone was surrounding Bai Kesi and Zhang Tiangui to inquire about the specific matters of ordering warships. From the beginning to the end, no one came to ask for his opinion, no one asked "Will Da Ming buy it?", and no one cared whether buying the warship would make Da Ming unhappy.
Ming’s position is not taken seriously here. These diplomatic envoys would rather spend time pondering the attitude represented by the subtle expressions of senior official Haihan than take the initiative to exchange a few words with him about the arms trade. Fei Cexian felt isolated, but he knew that this was not necessarily true. It was probably just that other people really didn't care about Daming.
After all, no matter how much they try to please Fei Cexian, they can't get the equipment they want from the Ming Dynasty. In the end, they have to ask the Haihan people. The maritime trade between the outside world and the Ming Dynasty was almost monopolized by Haihan. It didn't matter if he offended the Ming Dynasty. It would be really troublesome if he offended the Ming Dynasty. The delay in making money was still secondary.
Look at the unlucky Spaniards. They were driven back to Manila from Taiwan Island by Haihan a few years ago. This year, even their hometown was taken away. I would like to ask which country in the South China Sea that relies on the sea for food can dare to say that it is stronger than Spain. Haihan's way of establishing his power was no longer to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys, but to directly kill the little overlord who was one of the strongest in the South China Sea.
Seeing that it was getting late and it was almost dinner time, Fei Cexian sighed and stood up slowly. He knew that there would be another official dinner next, and there might be some celebrations at night, such as envoys from various countries and high-ranking Haihan officials watching a grand fireworks celebration. But at the moment, he has no interest in making excuses with the people in the venue anymore. He just wants to be alone and think about how to carry out his errands in the future.
When Fei Cexian left, someone from Haihan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs came to inquire. He was too lazy to explain his feelings. He only said that he was not feeling well and did not want to attend the dinner afterwards. The staff member confirmed that he did not need to call a doctor for on-site diagnosis and treatment, and rushed out to arrange a carriage for him. After getting on the bus, the coachman asked him if he would go back to the Guest House. Fei Cexian suddenly felt that it was inappropriate to return to the accommodation provided by Haihan after being sulky, so he asked the coachman to drive to Sanya city for a casual walk. Think about it for a while and find a quiet place to solve the problem of dinner.
Passing from Victory Fort to the south through Victory Square, you will find the most prosperous landscape avenue in Shengli Port City. About 70% of the shops in Sanya are concentrated here, and nearly half of them are in the service industry. It is said to be one of the top gold-selling caves in the South China Sea.
In addition to supervising work at the embassy construction site, Fei Cexian goes to the municipal library to read various materials on weekdays. In his spare time, he also comes here to feel the atmosphere of the world. To be precise, enjoy the Haihan lifestyle.
Putting aside the grievances between the two countries and the irritating attitude of Haihan officials, to be fair, Fei Cexian still likes the living environment here. It is safe, prosperous, convenient and clean. Most of the praise words he can think of can be used in The livability of the local area even exceeds that of the Ming Dynasty capital thousands of miles away in the north.
Although this city has no city walls, the armed fleet stationed in Victory Port and the dense coastal defense forts on the Yulin Peninsula are enough to give the residents the greatest sense of security. It is said that the Spanish fleet attacked Sanya the year before last and was defeated without even touching the shore. At that time, many local people went to the port to watch the battle without fear.
Fei Cexian didn't know how many city defense troops Haihan stationed here, but he checked the local chronicles of Sanya in the library. Since the opening of Victory Port, there has not even been an army that can break through the maritime defense line here, let alone Logged in. Several large cities in the South China Sea area that are famous for their high walls and fortified cities, such as Hue, Batavia, and Manila, have all been conquered. The fall of two of them was the masterpiece of the Haihan Army.
Not to mention the prosperity, Sanya has become the most prosperous trading port in the entire South China Sea a few years ago. Now it has brought together the best sources of goods and a large amount of wealth from various countries in the South China Sea. Any man you meet on the street will have it. Maybe he is a rich man with a lot of money. There are hundreds of ships of various types entering and exiting the two ports of Victory Port and Sanya Port every day, and the nationalities of the registered permanent personnel have reached more than ten countries, and the vast majority of them are businessmen from various countries in the South China Sea.
Transnational trade not only makes Sanya prosperous, but also brings a lot of convenience. Buyers can complete purchases here in one stop, and no longer have to travel hard by boat between countries. As long as you have money, almost everything here You can buy various products from the entire Far East. Fei Cexian has seen some specialties from the inland areas of northern Ming Dynasty on the market. These products may not be available even in the Fuguang area, but they can be purchased in stores in Sanya. As for many products from overseas, they were even more novel to him, but he didn't understand Haihan's trade strategy well enough, and he didn't quite understand what the so-called "East-West trade hub" meant in this era.
However, in such a city with a population approaching the 100,000 mark, the urban area can be kept clean and tidy. Domestic garbage and sewage have corresponding treatment methods. The air is not filled with words that are difficult to describe like many large cities at the same time. Weird smell. Complete entry epidemic inspections and medical measures have ensured that large-scale epidemics have never occurred in this city. Pharmacies and clinics opened here also enjoy special policy care, ensuring that the businesses are profitable. The resources Haihan has invested in this area can be seen by anyone with a discerning eye, and Fei Cexian can only admire this.
Of course, he would not admit Haihan's excellence in municipal management, but only regarded this as another example of "money makes things easier". After all, whether it is the large number of people required to maintain city cleanliness or the infrastructure projects to build sewer channels, the cost is by no means a small amount. Probably only an owner like Haihan, who is not short of money, can invest in all these details.
Living in such a city, one can live a comfortable life as long as one's wealth is not too bad. Although Fei Cexian had many objections to Haihan, after living here for a few months, he had to admit that Sanya was indeed a livable place. It was completely different from the "endless and remote" wilderness area that he had in mind in the past. They are two concepts. Many merchants from the Ming Dynasty would travel thousands of miles to do business here, or even enclose land to build houses, or immigrate to change their citizenship. In fact, they mostly took a fancy to the living environment here, and cannot be simply dismissed as "treason."
It was dinner time at this time, and the dining places near Landscape Avenue were quite busy, and there were quite a few people hanging out outside various restaurants to hang out with their friends. But when Fei Cexian saw this scene through the car window, he felt even more lonely.
He has been in Sanya for several months, but he has really not made any friends here. On the one hand, it was because he had just arrived and did not dare to trust the people here easily; on the other hand, the people he interacted with most frequently on a daily basis were almost all the staff of Haihan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and envoys from various countries, and these people had sensitive identities and were most taboo about communicating with each other. Fei Cexian also relied on his status as an envoy of the Ming Dynasty and would not take the initiative to bend the knot, so naturally there was not much friendship at all.
But he wasn't that kind of pretentious scholar either, and he quickly put this negative emotion behind him. At this time, he just wanted to turn his attention elsewhere and stop worrying about the situation of the past two days.
When they arrived at a crossroads, the coachman said that there were several carriages in front of him, probably because they were waiting to pick up passengers at the entrance of the restaurant. Fei Cexian waited for a while and saw that there was still no movement, so he simply got out of the car, rewarded the driver with some money, and asked him to return on his own.
(End of chapter)