Chapter 1882 Local Separatism
Li Bo's wishes were good, but he still made an old mistake when examining this issue. Due to his limited vision, he did not realize the difference in strength between his country and other countries. For the Xu family in Fujian alone, the amount of funds invested in military construction over the years is far beyond ordinary people's imagination. Even with the power of the whole country, North Korea's investment in the military field cannot compare with Xu Xinsu, who is bent on separatist rule. .
North Korea is still patching together funding for military officers studying abroad, but Xu Xinsu had already established the rules a few years ago for sending military officers to Sanya for further training every year. The new Fujian Army he built has basically improved in organization, tactics, and equipment. It has been integrated with the Haihan Army in all aspects, and has experienced several cooperative operations with the Haihan Army. In terms of combat effectiveness, it can be tied with the Annan Army as the strongest cooperative army.
Of course, Xu Xinsu would not simply position the army that she spent several years and a lot of money to build as Haihan's auxiliary army. Even if compared within the Ming Dynasty, the Fujian Ming army loyal to him is already one of the strongest. Such an armed force is enough to ensure that the Fujian Xu family has a unique position in the southeast of the Ming Dynasty. Even the imperial court takes There's nothing he can do about it.
And Xu Xinsu also knows that the fundamental condition for him to get ahead is to have money and soldiers, so his development strategy is very simple. Simply put, he uses soldiers to make money and money to raise soldiers. The two methods complement each other and gradually build Fujian. Become a small country that you rule. Nowadays, although Fujian does not dare to say that water can't be poured into an iron bucket, at least no one dares to say no to Xu Xinsu. The Fujian governors of the Sansi Yamen can only play supporting roles on the stage of Fujian and stand aside. Everyone knows that Xu Xinsu, who holds the title of Fujian General Soldier, is the local emperor who truly holds power in this region.
Although Li Bo came to Fujian for the first time, he also knew that Xu Xinsu's influence in the local area was extraordinary. He once heard Jin Shangjiu describe Xu Xinsu's power in Fujian. If the Xu family in Fujian wanted to separatist areas and raise flags to rebel, the Ming court would probably be unable to do anything about it.
However, so far, Xu Xinsu has not shown any intention of separatist rule and self-reliance. Although he has basically ignored the imperial court's arrangements for the deployment of Fujian garrison, and regards Fujian as a forbidden territory, he still maintains the monarch-minister relationship with the Ming Dynasty on the surface. . There are many objective reasons for this situation, but one reason that cannot be ignored is that Haihan did not want Xu Xinsu to proclaim himself king and establish a country in Fujian.
Haihan hopes that the internal and external troubles faced by Ming Dynasty at this stage can stay at a controllable level. If chaos leads to the overthrow of Ming Dynasty, not to mention that Haihan currently does not have enough strength to clean up the mess, Ming Dynasty will also be in chaos. Haihan caused quite a bit of trouble. After all, this is Haihan's main source of population and materials, as well as the most important sales market. Messing up the Ming Dynasty is tantamount to indirectly damaging Haihan's interests. Naturally, the executive committee does not want to see that situation.
Xu Xinsu implemented military control over Fujian. Haihan had given strong support to this for many years, but if Xu Xinsu wanted to go further, Victory Fort's attitude might change. Therefore, although Xu Xinsu has built a strong army in Fujian in recent years, she has always followed Haihan's arrangements and continued to play the role of a courtier of the Ming Dynasty.
Of course, his status as a minister of the Ming Dynasty did not hinder the fact that Xu Xinsu was the local emperor in Fujian. In addition to possessing a powerful private armed force, Fujian's local tax collection, appointment and dismissal of officials, administration and law enforcement, and even diplomatic relations began to take control on their own. Operation and no longer follow the court's arrangements. Xu Xinsu openly invited the passing Korean crown prince to Zhangzhou City as a guest, which was a sign of ignoring the slightly awkward diplomatic relations between the Ming Dynasty and North Korea - this was an interaction between the Xu family in Fujian and the Li family in North Korea, and had nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty.
However, although Xu Xinsu has become the de facto ruler of Fujian, his daily life, especially the standard of ceremonial guards, is not eager to be in line with the monarch. The mansion he lives in the city has not been renovated into a palace, and it still maintains several shape years ago. Of course, many private houses around the mansion were demolished in the name of fire prevention, and the road outside the gate was widened a lot to make it easier for people from all walks of life to enter and exit Xu Mansion.
Li Bo and his party got off the bus in front of Xu Xinsu's mansion and found that the streets here had already been cleared by sergeants. From a distance, people blocked by the checkpoints could be seen looking in this direction. Not to mention the people of Zhangzhou City, even the soldiers present on duty did not know the identity of the visitors. Although Xu Xinsu openly invited Li Bo to the city, only some high-level personnel loyal to Xu Xinsu could really know Li Bo's identity.
Of course, to invite Li Bo as a guest, you must first say hello to Haihan, so Gong Ping, the person in charge of Haihan in Fujian, and Jin Ming, the person in charge of the security department, also came here specially to participate in the meeting.
Xu Xinsu himself also led a group of subordinates to greet Li Bo outside the gate, which could be said to have given the Joseon prince enough face. Li Pu knew that Xu Xinsu had a very high status in the local area and had been kind to North Korea in the previous war. He did not dare to show off at the moment and hurried forward to greet Xu Xinsu.
Xu Xinsu said warmly: "Your Majesty, you have been working hard all the way! I hope that after arriving in Zhangzhou, my arrangements can make the Crown Prince feel more relaxed."
Li Bo quickly thanked Xu Xinsu for his kindness, thinking that he should not arrange a drinking party for himself like he did on Zhoushan Island. He has now become somewhat accustomed to this kind of diplomatic situation. As long as he doesn't talk about too sensitive topics, he can usually handle it. Moreover, before he left North Korea, the trade negotiations between Fujian and North Korea had been basically finalized, with Haihan as witness, so Xu Xinsu's side should not pose any problems to him regarding the previous trade negotiations.
Xu Xinsu then introduced to Li Bo the confidants and subordinates standing behind him. Most of them were military figures, and half of them were named Xu. It goes without saying that they should all be the same clan of Xu Xinsu. As for several high-ranking officials appointed by the imperial court, perhaps because Li Bo's identity was too sensitive, they had the good sense not to appear on this occasion. But it's good, whether it's Xu Xinsu or Li Bo, they can have less scruples when speaking.
Xu Xinsu has been dealing with the Haihan people over the years, and is learning "advanced experience" from Haihan in all aspects. In terms of diplomacy, she is also trying to gradually become independent from the Ming Dynasty and establish diplomatic relations with other countries on her own. Several countries that have close contacts with Haihan have basically established contact with Fujian officials. However, among the official officials from other countries outside of overseas countries who have visited Fujian, the highest-ranking one is actually the crown prince of Joseon, Li Bo. . Therefore, in Xu Xinsu's view, this can be said to be a new breakthrough for our country in the diplomatic field, and we must work hard to achieve it.
Xu Xinsu hosted a banquet to entertain Li Bo and his entourage. In such a chatty occasion, some sensitive topics would naturally not be discussed. Everyone only talked about some superficial remarks to test each other's attitudes. The real talks should be left until later. Conducted in a private environment.
What made Li Pu feel slightly relaxed was that Xu Xinsu's arrangements at the banquet were much more relaxed than those on Zhoushan Island, and there was no scary scene of local officials lining up to toast him. However, Xu Xinsu also made a very considerate arrangement that won Li Bo's favor, that is, he found a Korean cook from nowhere and specially prepared some authentic Korean-style dishes, which greatly moved Li Bo, who had been away from home for almost half a month. . During the meeting, Xu Xinsu also explained to Li Bo the arrangements for the North Korean mission. In addition to the formal talks between the two parties, he also planned to arrange for them to visit the trade market in Zhangzhou and Zhongzuosuo City located offshore to watch the local garrison drill tactics. . If Li Bo is not in a hurry to go south, he can spend some time sightseeing near Zhangzhou, and the two sides can slowly discuss some topics of common interest - such as future cooperation in military trade and other fields.
Li Pu had no objection to Xu Xinsu's arrangement, but his own schedule did not allow him to stay in Zhangzhou for too long, because Haihan would also arrange for him to go to Penghu and Taiwan Island to visit the local development status, and it would be too much to delay here. It will affect the subsequent itinerary in the long run.
However, Li Bo was still looking forward to visiting the combat drills of the Fujian Ming Army. When he dealt with Xu Yuzhuo, he was in Seoul. Later, when he visited the Datong River base, he had no contact with the Fujian Ming Army. He only knew that the navy of the Fujian Ming Army played a very key role in the early operations and delayed Determine the Qing army's offensive rhythm. He was also full of curiosity about how strong this force was, which was said to be established and trained with assistance from Haihan.
"There is no need for sightseeing. I have a lot of official arrangements for this trip. I hope Sir Xu can forgive me." Li Bo finally declined the less important part of the itinerary arranged by Xu Xinsu.
Xu Xinsu was not unhappy about this. When he proposed this itinerary, he did not originally intend for the Joseon Crown Prince to agree to it. This was the first meeting between the two parties, and it was unlikely that he would become fat after one meal. As long as Li Bo didn't completely refuse, it means that this prince is still relatively easy to deal with, and he can then be given the right medicine to suit his needs.
Xu Xinsu was originally a businessman and was good at understanding people's hearts. Later, he joined the army for self-protection. Over the years, he gained many decisive and decisive qualities. His sophisticated thinking was far beyond that of a newcomer in the political arena like Li Bo. Li Bo's simple response revealed a lot of things in Xu Xinsu's analysis.
First of all, the Joseon Crown Prince has his own understanding of this mission abroad. He does not regard it as a sightseeing trip. Perhaps it can be regarded as a manifestation of responsibility. And he did not refuse several other itinerary arrangements, which shows that he is still very interested in the development of Fujian. Xu Xinsu had previously received news that the Joseon Crown Prince had personally visited the Datong River base after the war and observed the live-fire drills of the Haihan Army. He believed that Li Bo had a special interest in the military, so he planned to follow suit. After an exercise, this path seems to be the right one.
After Xu Yuzhuo returned from North Korea, Xu Xinsu had listened to his detailed report on the situation in North Korea. Although Xu Yuzhuo's understanding of the situation may be relatively one-sided, it also provided a lot of valuable information. For example, North Korea's current military strength is definitely far below its own, and there is still a gap between the Annan Army and South Korea. That's why it worked hard to improve after the war and wanted to improve it by sending military students to learn advanced military theories from Haihan. the strength of the country’s military.
Xu Xinsu believes that it is very necessary to establish a strong image for North Koreans when they have not yet figured out the international situation and the comparison of military power between countries. Haihan has completed this task now, and he can also take advantage of Li Bo's visit to Fujian to try his best to do this.
The Fujian Ming Army was one of the strongest among Haihan's allies, and even imitated Haihan's military system more thoroughly than Annan. As an existence that is not short of money, even the military pay and pension standards for the troops under Xu Xinsu are set according to Haihan. The investment in personnel expenses alone is at least three or four times that of ordinary Ming army troops outside Fujian. Many times, it is not an exaggeration to say that the combat power obtained by using real money and silver is piled up.
With North Korea's current national strength, Xu Xinsu can be very sure that they will not be able to train an army with the same combat power as the Fujian Ming Army in the foreseeable future. The reason is very simple. The North Koreans do not have enough financial resources to support such a large force. project.
Since the Koreans cannot do this, it is very feasible for the Fujian Ming Army to establish itself as a strong person and even become one of the role models for the Koreans. After all, the strength of the Haihan Army is recognized as unmatched, and no matter how hard others try, they can only imitate it. But if the role model is the Fujian Ming Army, and everyone is imitating the Haihan Army, then it seems that the Fujian Ming Army It can also give people hope of catching up.
Xu Xinsu wanted Li Bo to have this kind of closeness, so as to have more positive impact on the diplomatic relations between the two parties. Although North Korea is currently a poor country, it is still a fairly small country. Since Haihan is optimistic about the prospects of trade with it, Xu Xinsu will naturally not let go of this goal.
After the reception banquet, Li Bo and his party were still sent to their residence by a carriage convoy arranged by Xu Xinsu. In order to welcome this North Korean delegation, the most luxurious inn in Zhangzhou City has vacated three courtyards specifically to accommodate them. Of course, the backstage owner of this inn is also named Xu, and it is considered one of Xu's family businesses.
In order to ensure the safety of the North Korean mission during their stay in Zhangzhou and avoid the assassination incident that occurred when the Haihan mission visited that year, Xu Xinsu specially transferred half of his security forces to be responsible for the security of the mission. So when Li Bo and his party arrived at the station, they were not surprised to find that this place had already been included in the warning zone, and all the idlers were kept away from the outside.
(End of chapter)