Chapter 1754 Difficulties
Seeing Fei Cexian's silence, Su Keyi knew that his words had not really impressed the other party, so he continued to persuade: "I also know that the Ming Dynasty has only accepted tribute from other countries, and may not be very accepting of equal diplomacy, but Mr. Fei doesn’t need to worry too much about this kind of detail. Our country will cooperate with your country’s diplomacy. As long as we can provide equal treatment in trade, other conditions will be easy to negotiate.”
The Netherlands in the 17th century was known as the "Sea Coachman", and completing cross-border trade through shipping was its best way of making money. As long as they can make a profit from it, the Dutch really don't care too much about whether they need to be a little more humble in diplomatic etiquette. In this regard, Su Keyi is fully confident that he can do better than Haihan.
Of course, if you carefully recall the history of exchanges between the Netherlands and the Ming Dynasty, it is not difficult to find that the Netherlands also tried to use force to get the Ming Dynasty to open the door to trade. However, this method only attracted a fierce counterattack from the Ming Dynasty, and in the end it failed to achieve its goal. . Nowadays, there are frequent activities of the Haihan fleet on the coastline of the Ming Dynasty. If the East India Company wants to reach an open commercial relationship with the Ming Dynasty, it cannot try to solve it by force. Su Keyi pretended to be generous in front of Fei Cexian, saying that he could lower his profile to cooperate with Ming Dynasty, but in fact it was a last resort.
Fei Cexian was not a novice in diplomacy, so he was not moved by this persuasion. It's not that he has any prejudice against the Dutch, it's just that in his opinion, the status of the Great Tomorrow Kingdom as the supreme court should be taken for granted, and it should not be put forward as a condition of exchange, at least he cannot accept it. In Fei Cexian's view, if the Dutch really wanted to establish diplomatic or even further trade relations with the Ming Dynasty, they should first correct their attitude, send a formal mission to the capital to meet the emperor, and make their requests through official channels instead of Self-righteously playing some off-the-table tricks. Haihan's attitude is tough because they have the backing of force. Do you, the Dutch, have any qualifications to negotiate terms with Ming Dynasty?
But he also knew that Su Keyi's purpose was different from that of the Haihan people. He just wanted to stay together with the Ming Dynasty for warmth. He didn't necessarily have any bad intentions. The Ming Dynasty had few powerful allies overseas. If there was a chance, the Dutch would stand up. Since Ming Dynasty is here, we can't say too much at the moment.
Fei Cexian pondered for a moment before responding: "I already understand what Mr. Su means, but the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries involves such a large scope that it is not something you and I can decide on. I can only do it. That is to say, your country’s request will be reported truthfully, and the court will decide how to deal with it. ”
Fei Cexian's words were very official. Su Keyi couldn't help but feel a little anxious after hearing this. Sanya was five thousand miles away from the capital of the Ming Dynasty. It would take two or three months for him to get a reply from the capital after he had asked for instructions. . And Haihan's development is rapid, and delaying it for a long time will only make his own response more and more passive. If Haihan forced Ming to declare its exclusive monopoly on maritime trade in a few months, the East India Company would probably not be able to drink soup, let alone meat.
"Master Fei, please give me your permission, but you might as well start doing some things first. Time waits for no one, and we can't let the people of Haihan live too easily!" Su Keyi's tone was more explicit at the moment.
Fei Cexian said: "But there is really no immediate solution at the moment. If Mr. Su has any special means, don't hide it. You might as well speak up and go over the details together."
Su Keyi picked up the jug and poured wine for Fei Cexian, and said: "With Haihan's current strength, it is difficult to have any immediate solution other than war, but the current situation between our two countries is definitely not suitable for a war. But Again, if we can join forces in the diplomatic field, we can restrain Haihan from doing whatever he wants."
Fei Cexian asked noncommittally: "Tomorrow is Haihan's National Day. What are Mr. Su's plans?"
Fei Cexian had actually seen that Su Keyi could not come up with a specific feasible plan on how the two countries should cooperate. He was just testing his attitude on his own side, so there was no need for him to be too active. However, if Su Keyi really has any measures to deal with Haihan at the moment, he would be willing to listen carefully. If it is feasible, maybe he can really help him.
Su Keyi saw that his verbal persuasion was no longer effective, and he knew that if he didn't come up with something meaningful, it would be difficult for the other party to be tempted. But the problem is that Batavia has no plans to take radical measures for the time being, and is preparing to concentrate resources to compete for the areas that Spain gave up after its setback. After all, such a good thing only happens once in a lifetime. If you miss this opportunity, you don’t know when the next time will be. I can step on the Spaniard again.
Although Su Keyi felt that Haihan was the opponent that should be fully dealt with at the moment, he also knew that the Batavia Council valued trade gains more and did not want to offend Haihan at this time. He did have some ideas of his own, but he did not come from Batavia. Without Davia's support, his idea could only remain in the conception stage and could not be put into practice.
It's just that if you can't come up with any useful information now, if you want to talk to Fei Cexian about cooperation in the future, it will be difficult for the other party to give you enough trust. After all, we are all engaged in diplomacy, and everyone can talk nonsense, but if you only know how to talk, it is easy to be looked down upon.
Su Keyi put down the flask and said seriously: "Master Fei, if we continue to be suspicious of each other, this cooperation will only be a mirror image. I know you want to see our sincerity first, then, I will propose it to the Haihan people tomorrow. Allow Dutch merchant ships to directly enter Daming Port for trade, and please ask Mr. Fei to cooperate at that time.”
Fei Cexian responded calmly: "How can I cooperate with you?"
"It's very simple. The Haihan people will definitely argue that this matter has not been approved by the Ming Dynasty. Then Mr. Fei will stand up and express that the Ming Dynasty is willing to accept the entry request of the Dutch merchant ships." Su Keyi stared at Fei Cexian's face and said, Depends on how he reacts.
Fei Cexian said to you Su Keyi, your Dutch merchant ship wanted to enter the Ming Dynasty port, but you went to apply to the Haihan people. You clearly didn't take the Ming Dynasty seriously, so you still want me to cooperate with you?
Fei Cexian said: "This matter has not been approved by the imperial court at all. Do you want me to kill you first and report it later? Even so, I am afraid that I can't hide it from the well-informed Haihan people. They will not be so credulous about your statement."
"I don't expect them to believe it." Su Keyi said: "But we can make the Haihan people understand that Ming Dynasty's maritime import and export trade is not monopolized by them alone. We must be given enough respect, otherwise we can start a new business at any time."
Fei Cexian thought to himself that this is a typical literati thought. If Haihan were so reasonable, how could he occupy so much territory of the Ming Dynasty in ten years? The so-called scholars who failed to rebel for ten years refers to Su Keyi's situation.
Fei Cexian shook his head and said: "Mr. Su, actually I agree with the Haihan people's point of view. They believe that if something is lost in the war, don't expect to get it back at the negotiation table. Pure diplomacy For Haihan, it is just scratching the surface and cannot touch their sore spots. So what if we express our stance tomorrow? Will the Haihan people really take your and my stance seriously? If Gu Zidi drives into Quanzhou Port, Xu Xinsu may directly take action without waiting for the Haihan people to say something. I appreciate Mr. Su's determination, but I think this statement is just self-deception and will not achieve what you expect at all. Effect." Fei Cexian said this mercilessly, and Su Keyi's expression was a little embarrassed at the moment. He thought he was sincerely trying to win over Fei Cexian, but the other party obviously didn't buy it. The sincere remarks I just made failed to impress the other party in the end.
But Su Keyi still refused to give up and asked in a deep voice: "Perhaps there are indeed many flaws in my consideration. Then I would like to ask Master Fei what method he can use. If it is feasible, I will be happy to cooperate with Master Fei."
< br>
Fei Cexian said: "To resolve the many disputes with Haihan, you still have to have enough confidence...it's difficult!"
Fei Cexian thought about how to curb Haihan's development momentum a thousand times after he came to Sanya. He spent a lot of time in the municipal library looking up the history of Haihan and various related materials, hoping to find Haihan there. Weaknesses to counteract. But after deepening his understanding, he did not find what he expected. Instead, he felt more and more clearly the power of this emerging country.
Although Haihan is culturally the same as the Ming Dynasty, its unique social system and governance structure make its operating efficiency and social productivity much higher than that of the Ming Dynasty. In recent years, a large number of immigrants from the Ming Dynasty have begun to voluntarily move to the areas under Haihan and have been naturalized one after another, which is enough to show that the people are very optimistic about the development momentum of this country. Originally a small foreign race that had grown up absorbing the nutrients of the Ming Dynasty, now it has become a foreigner. In some aspects, the Ming Dynasty has to rely on the help of Haihan.
Fei Cexian also wanted to strive for more benefits for Ming Dynasty, but the experience in the past few months gradually made him sober. The senior officials of Haihan are not businessmen who only do business. They play politics no better than the bosses in the capital. People are worse, even worse. When dealing with this group of people, it is difficult to gain any advantage at the negotiation table.
Fei Cexian did not object to teaming up with Su Keyi, but the other party could not provide any useful information. He only wanted to let Ming Dynasty open its treaty port to the Netherlands and let Haihan step aside. But there is no such a good thing in the world. Fei Cexian even wanted to persuade Su Keyi not to act rashly. If the Haihan people took his words seriously, maybe an order would be given to the troops stationed at the ports of Penghu and Kaohsiung to dispatch immediately to eliminate the people under the Dutch rule. The port of Dalian has arrived. For the Haihan people, perhaps they just lacked a suitable excuse to wipe this unsightly stronghold off the map.
Before Su Keyi could say anything, the waiter knocked on the door and came in, telling them that they could open the door to the viewing balcony and watch the fireworks show that was about to start in Victory Port. After finishing speaking, they were given two small paper flags with the red and blue colors symbolizing Haihan printed on them.
"Then let's take a look!" Fei Cexian no longer wanted to discuss the previously frustrating topic, so he stood up and opened the door facing the street.
This private room is facing the direction of Victory Port, and under the small viewing balcony is the already crowded landscape avenue. Most of the people on the street also held red and blue flags and happily watched the various lanterns hung on both sides of the street. Most of the shops on the street launched various discounts in the name of celebrating the National Day. Whether they were selling rouge, gouache, or pens, inks, paper and inkstones, they all had their own unique tricks to attract crowds. Even a certain famous bun shop , also put up a National Day buy five get one free sign, seize the opportunity to take advantage of this traffic.
Suddenly, two roars rose into the sky from the direction of Victory Harbor, and two fireworks, one red and one blue, flew straight into the sky, and then exploded, forming two flowers with a diameter of five or six feet in the air, lighting up Victory Harbor. night sky.
The attention of the people on the street was immediately attracted by the fireworks. Many people cheered. Some stopped to watch, while others immediately rushed towards the Victory Port, hoping to get closer to the fireworks setting point. See it more clearly.
After these two fireworks kicked off the fireworks display, fireworks continued to rise into the sky in the direction of Victory Port, exploding various beautiful patterns in the mid-air, triggering bursts of exclamations from the people.
Fei Cexian and Su Keyi stood side by side on the balcony, and they could see the expressions and demeanor of the people on the street. Although they were still discussing how to deal with Haihan in the room just now, seeing the scene in front of them where all the people were enjoying themselves, they had to sigh that Sanya was indeed a good place. It's a pity that I am a pure outsider here and cannot enjoy the joy of this festival with these people.
"Does this kind of event happen every year?" Fei Cexian suddenly asked.
"It is said that it happens every year, but the scale will vary." Su Keyi paused and smiled bitterly: "At this time last year, I was sitting in the viewing area of Victory Port."
According to Haihan's arrangement, they were supposed to participate in tonight's fireworks display and go to the specially built stands near Victory Port to enjoy the visual feast up close. It was a pity that the activities during the day made it impossible for them to accept the arrangement of this kind of celebration peacefully. They each left early, but unexpectedly they ended up watching the fireworks show from another location.
Haihan was already ahead of this era in gunpowder research, and fireworks were an example of the civilian application of military technology. The brilliance of the fireworks set off here was indeed unseen elsewhere. Seeing the beautiful arcs drawn by the fireworks exploding in the air, both Fei Cexian and Su Keyi felt a deep sense of powerlessness in their hearts.
(End of chapter)