Chapter 1916 A studious person
Zhang Qianzhi has followed He Xi for many years and naturally knows which of his words are jokes and which of his words are serious deployment work. In fact, even if He Xi did not take the initiative to mention this matter, Zhang Qianzhi would pay attention to the words and deeds of the Joseon Crown Prince during the trip. This has nothing to do with the mission, and is purely a professional habit developed over the years.
Although the other party has a distinguished status, this does not pose any pressure to Zhang Qianzhi. The special nature of his work has made him a member of the privileged class of Haihan Kingdom early on, and he has become accustomed to seeing various powerful figures. In his eyes, foreign dignitaries like Li Bo are just the targets of the mission. However, since the executive committee attaches great importance to him, Zhang Qianzhi will naturally pay more attention to Li Bo and study what needs special attention to this person.
Both He Xi and Zhang Qianzhi thought that this errand was an ordinary one. After all, North Korea now has good relations with Haihan, and there are no hostile countries in the South China Sea. In theory, there will be no problems with this trip. That means unpredictable weather conditions may add to the chaos. However, when important people travel, they will stick to the coastal route. Even if the weather is not good, the fleet will find a place to dock nearby to avoid wind and rain, so as not to cause big trouble.
After He Xi finished explaining the matter, he released Zhang Qianzhi from get off work and asked him to go home early to clean up. Although Zhang Qianzhi admits that he does not have much luggage to collect, he will not refuse the arrangement of leaving get off work early. However, he didn't intend to be idle. After coming out of the Security Department, he went straight to the municipal library, hoping to find information related to spice crops to refresh himself. Although the spice case does not seem to be causing much harm at the moment, Zhang Qianzhi still wants to learn more about the professional field, and perhaps find some clues that have not been noticed before.
Of course, you can also consult a knowledgeable person for this knowledge. The shopkeeper of any spice shop in Shengli Port is qualified to be his teacher. However, Zhang Qianzhi still believes that things he has studied personally will be remembered more firmly, and if only I just heard it said once by others, and I’m afraid I’ve forgotten it all before I even get back from this trip around the island.
Sometimes things just happen. When Zhang Qianzhi arrived at the library, he saw North Korean envoy Li Xi at the reception desk. He had interacted with Li Xi several times on official business before this, and they were considered acquaintances. However, Zhang Qianzhi was not in a hurry to say hello because he noticed that there was a young man with fair skin next to Li Xi, followed by two others. The identity of the entourage should be self-explanatory.
“I didn’t expect to meet the real owner so soon.”
Zhang Qianzhi had not met Li Bo, who had just arrived in Sanya a few days ago, but he immediately deduced that the strange face he saw in front of him was Li Bo.
As for why Li Bo appeared in this place, Zhang Qianzhi was not surprised. Generally speaking, foreigners who come to Sanya to study abroad will be very curious to come and take a look after learning about the library. Among them, there are also some who have a strong thirst for knowledge. Since then, people have regarded the library as half of their home, and come here to report every day. Li Xi has been to Haihan for a year as an envoy from North Korea, so he naturally knows the significance of the library. It is reasonable to bring Li Bo here for a stroll.
Li Xi noticed Zhang Qianzhi's arrival first, took the initiative to say hello, and introduced Li Bo to him. Hearing that the visitor was an official from the Ministry of Security, Li Bo did not dare to neglect him. He had already heard Li Xi introduce the situation of this special yamen before, and knew that its functions were similar to those of the Jin Yiwei of the Ming Dynasty, except that one was loyal to the emperor, and the other One is loyal to the Executive Committee.
"It's great to see you here, so that we won't be too unfamiliar when we meet tomorrow." Zhang Qianzhi greeted Li Shu with a smile.
"So Mr. Zhang is also going to set off with us tomorrow? What a coincidence!" Li Bo responded while glancing at Li Xi and said to himself that the name Zhang Qianzhi did not seem to be on the list of officials accompanying Haihan he saw today. .
Li Xi didn't know what was going on, but since Zhang Qianzhi was an official of the Haihan Security Department, everything was possible. He heard that this organization has great authority, and that during his past several trips out of Sanya, he was accompanied by personnel from the Ministry of Security. This must have been Haihan's usual practice. There was no name of an official from the Ministry of Security on the list sent before, maybe it was just that Haihan hadn't decided on the candidate yet.
Li Xi's guess was indeed very close to the truth. When Zhang Qianzhi heard what Li Bo said, he knew that he might not have been included in the list of North Koreans notified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, otherwise the other party would not be so rude and said that they did not know about the matter. , and immediately took the initiative to explain: "I only received this errand at noon today, but I didn't expect to meet the Crown Prince so soon!"
The two parties exchanged a few words, and Zhang Qianzhi took the initiative to leave. After all, the library is not a place suitable for socializing. Chatting here can easily attract other people's attention, and Zhang Qianzhi himself is not a person who likes to show off. Li Xi also wanted to invite him to have dinner with him, but Zhang Qianzhi also declined. The nature of his work was not suitable for establishing personal relationships with foreign dignitaries. Such social activities were usually conducted on a push-over basis.
Zhang Qianzhi borrowed two books related to spices and geography, then left the library and went home. For him, the task of accompanying the Prince of Joseon on a tour was not as important as the case at hand. And if you show interest in it right now, it may not be so easy to observe a real Li Bo during this trip.
Li Pu and Li Xi continued to stay in the library. The reason why they came here was that Li Pu had some questions while reading "The Rise of the South China Sea", and Li Xi could not give a clear answer to this, but Li Xi Knowing that Haihan Library might have the answer Li Mu wanted to know, I brought him here.
Of course, North Korea also has similar book collection institutions. There is a royal library in Gyeongbokgung Palace, which collects more than 2,000 books of various dynasties - of course, these books are basically from China. However, compared with the size of the Sanya Municipal Library's collection, it really pales in comparison. Moreover, a considerable part of the collection of books here is unique to Haihan Kingdom, and they are not mass merchandise that can be bought everywhere.
"It seems like what you said is indeed true. These Haihan people are not rash warriors, but masters with profound knowledge!"
Standing in front of the huge bookshelf and looking at the various books on the shelf, Li Bo couldn't help but sigh. The collection of books he saw in front of him probably numbered more than 10,000, and this was only the area open to the public. Really, those more expensive books that needed to be borrowed after checking the title through the catalog were all collected. Deeper in the library. Li Xiying said: "It is said that all kinds of knowledge in the Haihan Kingdom can be found in this library, but no one with the ability to become self-taught has yet appeared. Even so, many people still come here to borrow books every day. Books, hoping to learn some special skills from them.”
Li Shu said: "Then when you first arrived in Sanya, you should have come here often to kill time, right?"
Li Xi nodded and acknowledged the other party's speculation: "At that time, the embassy was still under construction and it was inconvenient to handle official business. I would come here to read books when I had time. But there are many books here that require certain permissions to borrow, so I can only borrow them here. Read these relatively superficial reading materials in the public area nearby. ”
Li Xi is actually putting money on his face by saying this. Books that require higher borrowing authority generally have relatively strong professional contents. Most of them are naturalized officials or technicians who come to borrow them, and books like him Even if foreigners can get their hands on it, they may not be able to understand the contents of the book.
This is just like when Li Bo visited the steam power system on the Majestic-class battleship. Even if he put the real thing in front of him and let him see it, after watching it, he was still at a loss as to how it works. Of course, Li Bo will be able to use this experience to brag to the uninformed about his insight into the internal structure and core secrets of the Haihan battleship. Anyway, it is difficult to verify the authenticity of such a thing.
Li Pu would not question what Li Xi said, because Li Xi knew Haihan far better than he did, and was also quite familiar with this library, so just listen to his arrangements.
The reason why Li Bo came to the library was to look up the geography, humanities and international situation of the South China Sea region. He recently read "The Rise of the South China Sea" and noticed that many of Haihan's military operations were carried out in the South China Sea. Although this area is quite far away from North Korea, there is no guarantee that North Korea will also participate in international affairs here in a few years. During the relationship. After all, among the coalition forces that sent troops to participate in the war in North Korea this year, the troops of Annan and Portugal actually came from the South China Sea region. They can conduct cross-regional operations. In the future, North Korea will probably send troops to participate in the war in the South China Sea region.
Out of this bold idea, Li Pu believed that it was necessary to understand the situation in the South China Sea in advance. There are envoys from various countries in the South China Sea in Sanya. You must first have a basic understanding of international relations. Then you can figure out which countries you should maintain friendly diplomatic relations with while studying in Haihan.
Li Xi also agreed very much with Li Pu's idea. The two military and trade systems established by Haihan in the South China Sea were the goals he envied after learning about it. Although North Korea is not a country in this region, if it can be integrated at the diplomatic level Both systems will also benefit greatly. If Li Bo is willing to organize diplomatic work as the crown prince of Joseon, the effect will obviously be better and it will be easier to be recognized by Haihan and regional countries.
After some selection, Li Xi found two books for Li Mu in the public reading area that were more suitable for solving his problems. One is "Historical Examination of the South China Sea" published by Danzhou Literary and Historical Research Society last year. This book not only records the historical evolution of the South China Sea region and the grievances and resentments between various countries, but also includes relatively detailed geographical illustrations in each chapter of the book. , can understand the descriptions in the book more intuitively.
It is worth mentioning that the editor-in-chief of this book, Yan Mingjun, is the former Ming Dynasty official who demoted Haihan. Now he is also writing books and sparing no effort to find historical evidence for Haihan's various actions in the South China Sea. All records related to the Han people can be drawn to provide footnotes on Haihan's actions, as if Haihan was regarded as the orthodoxy of the Han people's regime. The Haihan official also appreciated this very much and specially included the book in the Sanya Municipal Library and made it open to everyone as a public reading material. This is a special honor for the literati of Haihan Kingdom.
The title of the other book is "War History of the South China Sea", which was also compiled by civilian literati. The content is simpler than the previous one. It covers various large and small wars that Haihan carried out in the South China Sea over the years. From the initial Annan Civil War to the Battle of Manila at the beginning of this year, everything is included in the book, and the course of the war is based on official public information and relevant reports in the official media.
However, the wars included in this book are actually not complete. At most, they are wars that "Haihan officials recognized their existence." Although some wars gradually revealed their truth after several years, Haihan officials had certain reasons for them. The reason will not admit that it happened, or it will continue to conceal certain aspects of it from the public.
For example, in 1630, Haihan wrote, directed, and acted in the Qiongbei Suppression of Pirates. Although Ming Dynasty later came to know that the whole thing was a conspiracy made by Haihan to annex Hainan Island, Haihan would not take the initiative to admit it. Ming Dynasty also never had enough evidence to prove Haihan. There was also the battle for Ambrosia Island in 1631. At the beginning, Haihan took the initiative to send troops to raid and eliminate the Dutch armed forces on the island. When the Netherlands sent troops again to take back the island, Haihan claimed that pirates had previously occupied the island. Island, he only sent troops to drive away the pirates, and used force to expel the Dutch fleet again, and brought the island under his own rule. Haihan has not acknowledged the incident of sending troops to raid Ambona Island, which has made the Dutch dumb and unable to speak out their sufferings.
This actually fits well with the concept of "history is written by the victors." As the victor of the war, Haihan would naturally try to beautify his actions in various written records after the war. Not only official institutions process it this way, but private books also require it. In the eyes of outsiders like Li Bo, these accounts basically have no flaws and are understood entirely as historical facts.
However, the content in this kind of book involves many countries, and it is difficult for Li Bo to fully digest it for a while. Fortunately, Li Xi is quite experienced in this, and people have prepared pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and Li Bo can read it at any time. Copy and record the information you find valuable on paper.
An hour later, Li Shu raised his head, rubbed his sore eyes, and said to Li Xi: "If the enemy chief Huang Taiji had seen these two books earlier, he might have given up the idea of going against Haihan."
(End of chapter)