Chapter 2438
In recent years, as the scale of Haihan's maritime trade has expanded, it has also led to the prosperity of the southern shipping market in Ming Dynasty. Most of the shipping companies that have close trade relations with Haihan choose to deploy their merchant ships in the Fuguang area of Jiangsu and Zhejiang in order to obtain transportation capacity. Make full use of it. Compared with the benefits of sea transportation in the south, the freight subsidies available for long-distance transport of immigrants to the north are no longer as attractive as in the early years. Coupled with the inconveniences of transporting immigrants, many shipping companies do not I am willing to take the initiative to take on this kind of job.
Of course, considering the need to maintain a good relationship with Haihan officials, most shipping companies will still dispatch a certain proportion of ships to Shandong every month to assist in transporting immigrants in accordance with Haihan's requirements. However, as a result, the transport capacity of private ships is far less than that of the Denglai Rebellion a few years ago, and the main force has been replaced by official ships from various colonial areas.
Although these ships officially operated by Haihan are easier to manage and arrange shipping schedules, after all, their transportation capacity is limited and it is difficult to fully meet the transportation scale expected by Fushan County. Therefore, in less than a month, the number of refugees stranded in Fushan County has increased to more than 30,000, placing an extremely heavy burden on the local area.
"Our refugee camps are currently overloaded, and the progress of building new camps cannot keep up with the influx of refugees into Fushan County. Groups of refugees have begun to appear around various villages and towns in the county. In order to maintain order, we have now Vigilante groups have been organized in every village and town, and the garrison troops have also increased the frequency of patrols, but some desperate guys have begun to appear, so we have to use forceful measures to deal with it." Chen Yixin did not conceal the local dilemma and told Tao Dong. Come and tell the truth.
Tao Donglai said: "In troubled times, heavy codes are used. Those who do not abide by the rules when they arrive in the county will be arrested and killed. We must maintain local stability. If there are not enough manpower, then use the troops from the Datong River base Bring them all over and get through this period first. As for the issue of transportation capacity, I will send a telegram back later and let Yue Zhiyun and Sun Changmi plan carefully and arrange more transportation capacity to come to Shandong for support. "
Chen Yixin smiled bitterly and said: "We have dealt with a lot of people during this period, but the effect can only be said to be mediocre. In troubled times, human life is like a piece of grass, and many people do not take life and death seriously at all. It is difficult to completely eliminate the chaos by punishment alone. Most of the accidents occurred were people who had recently entered Fushan County. The refugee camps could no longer accommodate them, so they could only be left as refugees. It is difficult for us to fully supervise these people, but we cannot keep out all the refugees. This is true. It’s not very easy to operate.”
Tao Donglai couldn't help feeling a little emotional. Such a situation had not happened to Haihan for many years. I remember that when we were trying to transport refugees from the local area during the Annan Civil War, we faced a similar situation of insufficient transportation capacity. At that time, there were thousands of war refugees on the Annan coast. Haihan did not even need to make a resettlement commitment. As long as he was provided with food and an opportunity to escape, a large number of Annan refugees took the initiative to board the ship for the opportunity to escape.
However, Haihan had just started to hit the road at that time, and its transport capacity was more than a hundred times worse than it is today. Tao Donglai also personally went into battle at that time, commanding the sailing ship to travel back and forth between Hainan Island and Annan in a few months. Of course, the distance from Annan to Hainan Island is much closer. It can be reached by speedboat in two days, and there is no need to prepare a lot of food on the ship in advance. The difficulty of transportation at that time was actually much lower than that of traveling thousands of miles from the cold Shandong Peninsula. The southern transit population outside. Moreover, Haihan did not set up a rescue and resettlement agency such as a refugee camp in Annan at that time, so there were no problems that Chen Yixin needs to solve now.
The root cause of the difficult situation currently facing Fushan County is that the transfer speed of refugees is not fast enough, resulting in a large number of refugees accumulating in Fushan County, which has exceeded the local carrying capacity. However, to solve such difficulties cannot be achieved by Tao Donglai issuing an order. There are too many aspects that need to be coordinated, and it will be difficult to see the effect in a while.
However, in addition to the refugee issue, Tao Donglai also has other goals of concern: "What about the current situation in Shandong? The previous report said that Dengzhou wants to take the copper mine back. Has this matter been resolved?"
Chen Yixin said: "The Qing army began to withdraw from Shandong last month, but according to the information we have, the damage caused by the Qing army to Shandong was extremely serious. Many places were empty and almost became no man's land. In the short term, There is no way to resume production and life in the country. Many of the refugees who have recently flowed into Fushan County have chosen to flee again after they returned home and found that they could not survive. We have deployed personnel in Zhaoyuan and Laixi counties to guide the refugees into Fushan County. , So far, the results are pretty good. As for the situation in Dengzhou, it is probably over.”
"How do you say that?" Tao Donglai asked in confusion.
"Dengzhou also sent the main force of its garrison to resist the Qing army this time. It is said that there were several small-scale conflicts with the Qing army, and some troops were lost. It is estimated that they will need to rest for a while. And we have been adding troops to Fushan County recently. They also sent troops to Zhaoyuan. Those in Dengzhou City should not be able to sleep well recently."
Speaking of Dengzhou, Chen Yixin's expression became obviously more relaxed: "A few days ago, I asked an intermediary to bring a message to Chen Zhongsheng, the prefect of Dengzhou, asking him to be more restrained and not to provoke us in this extraordinary period, lest he would be unable to contain the situation. I lost my black gauze hat in vain!”
Tao Donglai smiled and said: "You are not polite at all!"
Chen Yixin said: "I have been dealing with Chen Zhongsheng for several years. If I are too polite to him, these people will feel wrong. Since they are worried that we will send troops to attack Dengzhou City, then I will simply say it. Let them restrain themselves!”
Since Haihan occupied Fushan County, Dengzhou officials have been living in fear, lest Haihan's army suddenly launch an offensive on Dengzhou City one day. There have been several armed conflicts, large and small, in the past few years, and the Ming army in Dengzhou has never been able to take advantage. Therefore, they also know that it is unlikely to use force to drive the Haihan people away from Dengzhou. But seeing that Haihan had brought Fushan County under his control and was also mining copper mines in nearby mountains, these officials were not willing to let Haihan plunder resources like this, so they had to act like masters and warn Haihan.
But such measures obviously don't work very well. Chen Yixin's attitude has always been extremely tough, and his responses to Dengzhou have been merciless. Anyway, the size of the troops stationed in Fushan County has increased a lot recently. If the Dengzhou Ming Army dares to come to Fushan County to cause trouble, Chen Yixin will not mind teaching them a lesson again.
Tao Donglai nodded, turned to Hao Wanqing and said, "Old Hao, how are you doing here?"
Hao Wanqing said: "I'll tell you things one by one. The secret letter to the Ming Dynasty has been sent to Beijing, but I haven't received a reply yet. The North Korean side agreed very happily, and Li Xie also responded to this. We attach great importance to it and plan to send Jin Sangxian to Liaodong.”
Tao Donglai said: "North Korea's reaction is normal. If they don't participate, they will be very passive in the future. But when it comes to formal talks, they probably won't have much say."
"The important thing is participation!" Hao Wanqing responded with a smile: "It would be good if they could send people to participate in this kind of negotiation." Tao Donglai continued to ask: "What did the Manchus say?"
Hao Wanqing responded: "The Manchus have already agreed to ask Shang Kexi to come forward, but I don't know if they will send another relative of the emperor. After all, Shang Kexi is a reduced general, and this amount is a bit insufficient. And he What you say may not work.”
Shang Kexi was in charge of the previous meeting between the Manchu and Qing Dynasties seeking an armistice and peace, but Haihan did not agree to his request. Instead, he proposed to expand the participants of the meeting to the four countries, otherwise there would be no need to waste time on peace talks. Although the Manchu and Qing Dynasties were not willing to involve the Ming Dynasty and North Korea, Haihan emphasized that this was a necessary condition for peace talks, and in the end the Manchu and Qing Dynasties agreed to such an arrangement. Of course, everyone knows that the Manchu Qing Dynasty will not stop its offensive against the Ming Dynasty, and the so-called peace negotiations may not go so smoothly.
Although Shang Kexi has the title of prince canonized by Huang Taiji, he is still a surrendered general of the Han Dynasty, and it is unlikely that he can make decisions for Huang Taiji in such an important negotiation. Although there is no precise information yet, Hao Wanqing believes that he should not be the only person participating in negotiations on behalf of the Manchus.
Tao Donglai said: "Both families are easy to talk about, but if Ming Dynasty is also involved, it will probably cause Chongzhen some difficulties."
Hao Wanqing said: "The secret letter did not directly mention the peace negotiation, but they should be able to understand the purpose of this meeting. I hope they will not be too tough!"
During the more than 300 years of rule of the Ming Dynasty, it was said that there was no fraternity, no indemnity, no peace negotiation, no cession of territory, and no tribute. Even when the country was destroyed in the end, it did not surrender, but this does not mean that there was no peace in the Ming court. group. Haihan proposed that Ming Dynasty also join the talks, not because he wanted Ming Dynasty to reach a reconciliation with the Manchu Qing Dynasty, but because he hoped to use this talks to obtain more special treatment for himself.
Of course, if Daming's attitude can be tilted towards peace talks in the end, that will also be a good thing for Haihan. If the war could really be stopped and the Ming Dynasty could rest and recuperate for a few years, Haihan could also save the military expenses of stationing heavy troops in Liaodong and North Korea, and transfer the elite troops to other places that are easier to conquer.
Tao Donglai said: "If the Ming Dynasty can send Yang Sichang, Minister of War, as we hope, then there will be room for maneuver."
According to historical records, Yang Sichang, Minister of the Ministry of War, is considered a peace advocate, and Chongzhen currently favors this person. If he comes to participate in this meeting, it is possible to reach an armistice agreement. Tao Donglai could also speak for Qu Yutong, the prefect of Ningbo, and persuade Yang Sichang to give up his plan to control Ningbo.
However, Haihan's connections in Beijing are limited and he cannot influence the court's decision at all. Therefore, it is still uncertain whether the Ming Dynasty will send someone to participate, and we can only wait patiently for an answer.
Hao Wanqing then reported another matter: "Our prospecting work in Zhaoyuan County has gone smoothly, and the locations of two high-quality mineral veins have been confirmed. However, the current security pressure in Fushan County is too great, and it is difficult for us to mobilize for the time being. Enough manpower is stationed locally to protect the mine, and it is estimated that preparations for mining will not begin until the situation stabilizes.”
The mineral vein Hao Wanqing was talking about was the gold mine that Haihan discovered in Zhaoyuan County a few days ago. There are many gold veins in the local area. It is not difficult for Haihan to find unexploited veins as long as he follows the map. However, it is far away from Fushan County. If gold mines are really to be mined, armed forces must be stationed for protection.
Tao Donglai said: "There is no rush to start mining, since those things are buried underground and cannot escape. When mining, we should try to give priority to safety."
Regarding the situation of Zhaoyuan Gold Mine, Tao Donglai also carefully studied the relevant information when he was in Sanya. From his standpoint, he actually does not agree with organizing mining work in this chaotic period. In addition to safety issues, Ming's reaction to this must also be taken into consideration. Although the military and intelligence agencies have tried to bribe the local magistrate and prepared some concealment methods, there is no airtight wall in the world. These methods are certainly not able to achieve the effect of concealing the truth for a long time, and sooner or later the Ming Dynasty will detect it. Tao Donglai didn't think Daming would tolerate this. After all, gold was much more valuable than copper, so how could he allow Haihan to mine it at will.
Of course, Tao Donglai also understands why the military has such a radical attitude. If gold can be mined in Zhaoyuan, then the military will definitely be responsible for it, and some of the gold mined locally will definitely be intercepted and used as gold. "Mining Expenses". This is definitely an income that cannot be ignored for the northern garrison.
Chen Yixin did not comment after hearing Tao Donglai's words. He had his own plans for this. Whether this gold mine can be mined, how to mine it, and what to do if there is a conflict with the Ming Dynasty, there are many issues that need to be considered in every aspect. If he discussed this with Tao Donglai, he might not be confident in convincing him, let alone start a dispute with him. Anyway, Tao Donglai came to the north mainly to deal with multi-party talks. How to proceed with the gold mine project can be made after he returns to the south. Anyway, the mountain is high and the emperor is far away. He holds the military and political power in Shandong, and everything cannot be done without the approval of the executive committee.
When the time comes and the gold is in hand, the executive committee will naturally forget about these trivial matters and will consider it a great achievement. Just like when the Fushan Copper Mine was first mined, there were still many difficulties, and Sanya was not optimistic about the prospects of the project. Now that the Fushan Copper Mine has become the copper mine with the largest production capacity under Haihan's rule, the Executive Committee still has to say "really fragrant". .
Of course, Chen Yixin also agrees that now is indeed not the right time. He believes that at least the situation in Fushan County will improve and the resettlement and transportation of refugees can enter a stable rhythm. Only then can the garrison troops be freed up to go to Zhaoyuan. enclosure.
(End of chapter)