Chapter 2447
Yue Yongshou said in shock: "Hai Han wouldn't act like this, right? This meeting was organized by Hai Han. If it wasn't for peace, why would they go through all this trouble?"
Yang Sichang sneered and said: "You still think of the Haihan people too simply! They organized this meeting because they have a bigger plan than just a truce and peace."
In Yang Sichang's view, although the Manchus acted ferociously, they were only barbarians after all, and the methods they used were simple and crude. They were nothing more than attacking the borders of the Ming Dynasty with force, and then plundering wealth and population to strengthen their own strength. But as long as the Ming Dynasty can recover from the civil strife and mobilize heavy troops to the north to fight a war of attrition against the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty's national power will be enough to block it out of the country, and even launch a counterattack to regain Jianzhou and completely wipe out its ethnic group. It's not impossible.
Yang Sichang believed that with the Manchu Qing's capabilities and means, it was impossible to overthrow the Ming Dynasty. At best, it would only create more trouble for the Ming Dynasty. Haihan, who has always regarded himself as an ally, is the smiling tiger that Ming Dynasty cannot avoid. If it is allowed to develop freely, then in ten or twenty years, the entire Ming coastline may become Haihan's ruling area.
What makes Yang Sichang most fearful is not the unparalleled military and financial resources of Haihan, but that the people in power in Haihan are a group of Han people. These Han people are said to be from overseas and have always regarded themselves as Han orthodox. With the northern expansion of their sphere of influence, Yang Sichang had reason to believe that their ambitions would not stop at the Ming coast.
Moreover, rulers like Haihan were not as simple-minded as Jiannu. In addition to using military means, they often eroded the Ming Dynasty in the fields of commerce, finance, culture and education, and these fields involved too many interests in all aspects. There is no way to completely shut out Haihan by setting up barriers or adopting bans.
To cooperate with such a country, Yang Sichang will always feel a sense of crisis of seeking skin from a tiger. In Yang Sichang's opinion, Haihan may have had ulterior motives in this multi-party meeting organized by Haihan. He did not believe that Haihan would be so kind and mediate for peace between the Manchu and Ming Dynasties, because only if the hostile relationship between the two sides continued, the third party Haihan fishermen could benefit.
Seeing that Yue Yongshou still didn't understand, Yang Sichang asked: "If one day, the Ming Dynasty sends troops to destroy the Manchu Qing Dynasty, do you think the alliance between our country and Haihan can continue?"
After hearing this question, Yue Yongshou finally reacted. After staying in Jinzhou for these days, he has some understanding of the international situation in this region. Although his vision may not reach the same level as Yang Sichang, he can think of the key points with a little exploration.
The main reason why Ming Dynasty formed an alliance with Haihan was to use Haihan's power to deal with the Manchus. However, if the Manchus and Qing Dynasties disappeared one day, then the only country that could threaten the security of Ming Dynasty would be Haihan. Thinking about it, Ming Dynasty will definitely list Haihan as the next opponent to deal with. And if Haihan didn't want to become the target of the Ming Dynasty, he couldn't completely wipe out the Manchu Qing Dynasty. This seems absurd, but if you think about it carefully, it is exactly what is in Haihan’s interests.
But what Haihan would do next, let alone Yue Yongshou, even Yang Sichang couldn't figure it out. Before he came to Jinzhou this time, he had a special meeting with Mei Shengchuan, who had negotiated an alliance with Haihan, to understand what he needed to pay attention to when dealing with Haihan. Mei Shengchuan's advice to him was very simple, that is, don't rush to express your attitude in the negotiations, so as not to give the Haihan people an opportunity to take advantage of him. However, Yang Sichang still needs to master the scale and timing of how to do it.
Now that all representatives from the four countries participating in the meeting have arrived in Golden State, the conditions are ripe, and there is no need to delay any longer. Qian Tiandun came forward to notify the other three delegations, and formal talks began in the camp the next day.
That night, several mission stations in the Nanguanling camp were brightly lit all night long. It was obvious that the special envoys from various countries also wanted to seize the last moment and make as much preparations as possible. The more preparation you make at this time, you may have an advantage at the negotiation table tomorrow. It is related to national interests, and no one wants to be at a disadvantage in such an important negotiation.
The next day, the envoys from the Ming, Qing and North Korea, led by Officer Haihan, arrived at the headquarters located in the camp. There is a large conference room here used to hold joint operational meetings during wartime, and this time it was temporarily transformed into a venue for the four-nation talks.
In the conference room, according to the geographical location of the four countries, the mission seats were arranged in the four directions of southeast, northwest, corresponding to North Korea, Haihan, Ming Dynasty and Manchu Qing Dynasty. In addition to the conference room, separate lounges were allocated to the diplomatic missions of various countries, and the preparations were very thorough.
The officials of the mission participating in the talks entered the conference room one after another and took their seats. The last ones who entered were the officials of Haihan Kingdom. Everyone noticed that in addition to the two generals Qian Tiandun and Wang Tom, there was also a burly middle-aged man following them. They came in together. Judging from their demeanor, behavior and clothes, they should also be high-ranking Haihan officials.
"Before we start the formal talks, I will give you an introduction first, so that it will be easier for all parties to communicate with each other." Qian Tiandun first raised his hand to signal the North Korean mission on his right: "The people who are participating in the talks on behalf of North Korea this time It’s Mr. Jin Shangxianjin, the chief minister and chief minister of government affairs.”
"The person who participated in the talks on behalf of the Qing Dynasty was Lord Zhishun King Shang Ke Xishang."
"The person who participated in the talks on behalf of the Ming Dynasty was Master Yang Sichang, Minister of the Ministry of War and Dongge University Scholar."
Qian Tiandun finally introduced Haihan: "The person participating in the talks on behalf of our country is Tao Donglai, Chairman of the Executive Committee of our country."
Tao Donglai slightly bowed his hands to the envoys from the other three countries and said: "Hello everyone, I am Tao Donglai."
Regarding this unexpected situation, representatives from the three countries had different reactions. Although they have never met Tao Donglai in person, they know this name very well. There is no emperor in Haihan, but the executive committee, a special organization, controls the state power. This is known to all countries. The person in charge of the executive committee is said to be this man named Tao Donglai. His status and prestige are so high that they are even comparable to emperors of other countries. But it is said that this person rarely leaves the mainland of Haihan. In recent years, he has been rumored to be a mysterious figure who lives in seclusion, but he did not expect to appear here and now.
Of course, those attending the talks on behalf of the three countries are all well-informed senior officials. Naturally, they will not believe those folk rumors. A high-ranking and powerful figure like Tao Donglai will not leave easily, whether for personal safety or political stability. The capital is a matter of course, and I have never heard of any emperor who would often show his face outside. But since Tao Donglai will appear in Jinzhou, it is enough to show that Haihan attaches extraordinary importance to this meeting. However, he will personally participate in the talks, which probably means that there will be no room for change in the attitude revealed by Haihan during the talks.
As a representative of North Korea, Kim Sang-hyun naturally had to stand up and meet Tao Dong-lai solemnly. North Korea's future security and development are closely related to Haehan's attitude. Kim Sangxian did not dare to let Tao Donglai feel that he had any slights. Tao Donglai's status is similar to that of the monarch of the same country, and although Joseon and Haehan are currently regarded as brothers, they are actually in the status of a vassal state, so Kim Sang-heon must also perform the courtesy of a minister. There was no expression on Shang Kexi's face, and he just raised his hands from a distance to express it. But he was not so calm in his heart. Since even Tao Donglai was present, it meant that Haihan had some inevitable goals for this meeting. And these goals are probably not just about truce and peace, otherwise there would be no need for Tao Dong to come all the way to Liaodong.
Yang Sichang was a little dissatisfied. It was not that he had any opinions about Tao Donglai, but when Qian Tiandun introduced the identities of the representatives of various countries, he actually started with North Korea first, while Ming Dynasty was placed behind. This made him feel a little dissatisfied. Feeling targeted.
However, of course, on such an occasion, one should not let such a trivial matter cause an incident. Yang Sichang could only console himself that the Ming Dynasty had a respected status, and Qian Tiandun should have introduced himself after North Korea and the Manchu Qing Dynasty out of respect for the Ming Dynasty.
But seeing Jin Sangxian's groveling and flattering appearance in front of the Haihan people made Yang Sichang feel a little unhappy. Just now, Jin Sangxian just bowed slightly to him, and the humble attitude he showed towards Tao Donglai now was completely different. He was so angry that he secretly cursed Jin Sangxian as a white-eyed wolf in his heart.
After Tao Donglai met with the other three parties, he said loudly: "This time, we invite all countries to send missions to Jinzhou. The purpose should be relatively clear to everyone, that is, we hope that through this meeting, we can bridge the gap between countries. disputes and promote regional peace. I think this should be a situation that all countries want to see.”
Kim Sang-hyun responded with great approval: "What Mr. Tao said is absolutely true. If the hostility can be stopped and the people of all countries can live and work in peace and contentment, our country is willing to fully cooperate!"
North Korea is not the protagonist in this meeting. Kim Sang-hyun also understands why he came to this conference room. Cooperating with Hae-han to promote the armistice and peace agreement is his most important task. If this goal can be achieved, North Korea will definitely be one of the biggest beneficiaries. Of course, it has full motivation to play the role of an assister.
"Kim-sama understands the overall situation and puts the people first. What a blessing for the country of Korea!" Tao Dong came to see Kim Sang-heon and he knew his interests. He also gave him a top hat at the moment.
North Korea and Haihan were on the same page, but Shang Kexi didn't want to see the show of the two families fighting each other, so he immediately said: "The issue of armistice and peace was originally proposed by the Qing Dynasty, and both generals Qian and Wang both proposed it. You know, Mr. Jin, don’t make a mistake about who you are grateful to!”
Jin Sangxian said: "Even if your country proposed it first, but no one responded, wouldn't it be nonsense? If it weren't for the mediation of the adults of Haihan Kingdom, how could we have today's meeting? The armistice is something that all the countries here have done. Will, but not everyone can promote its implementation. Mr. Shang might as well think about the reason first. ”
Jin Sangxian was born as a scholar and had been involved in the officialdom for decades. He had experienced countless debates and naturally had a set of principles when it came to reasoning. If Shang Kexi wanted to argue with him verbally, it was indeed his choice. Wrong battlefield.
Shang Kexi was not stupid. He immediately realized that arguing with Jin Shangxian was asking for trouble. He immediately ignored him and said directly to Tao Donglai: "Master Tao, our country is only willing to reach an agreement with your country on the armistice and peace talks." Agreement, as for the other two countries, I don’t think it is necessary to involve them.”
The mission of Shang Kexi's trip was not only to reach an armistice agreement with Haihan, but also to exclude Ming and North Korea as much as possible. It was Haihan who advocated for these two countries to participate in the peace talks. Although the Manchu and Qing Dynasties allowed these two countries to participate in the negotiations, it did not mean that the Manchu and Qing Dynasties would reach a peace agreement with them. After all, in the eyes of Huang Taiji, these two countries were both A big fat sheep, a truce with it is tantamount to tying its own hands and feet, and is not the most beneficial choice for the Manchus. Shang Kexi was not as experienced as Jin Sangxian. If he couldn't argue with the opponent, he would skip it and explain the Manchu position to Tao Donglai.
Tao Donglai responded: "Don't worry, Lord Shang. The reason why we are sitting here negotiating is because there are still many differences about the relationship between countries, and the purpose of the negotiations is to eliminate these differences, such as between your country and North Korea." Although there have been wars before, it was only a special situation in a short period of time. I think your country does not want to be at war with neighboring countries all the time, right?”
Shang Ke happily said that this is indeed the case. Who wants to waste time with a small country like North Korea? If Haihan hadn't intervened, North Korea would have been included in the territory of the Qing Dynasty, and naturally there would be no more wars.
After Tao Dong finished speaking, without waiting for Shang Kexi's response, he turned to Yang Sichang and said, "What do you think, Mr. Yang?"
Yang Sichang said: "I agree with Mr. Tao. Countries should indeed eliminate differences through consultations and meetings. If we can resolve conflicts in this way, then why start another war? The talks haven't even started yet. Your Excellency wants to exclude me, Daming, from the list. This is really lacking in sincerity.”
Yang Sichang had secret contacts with the Manchus last year, but because he could not convince Chongzhen and the court officials, he ultimately failed to reach an agreement and terms with the Manchus. Afterwards, the Manchus and Qing Dynasties lost their patience and turned against each other and sent troops, causing Ming Dynasty to suffer a big setback. Yang Sichang was not sure whether the Manchus and Qing Dynasties still had the will to negotiate peace, so he could only test it carefully first.
Shang Kexi snorted coldly and said: "Our country's sincerity has been exhausted by your country! Since your country has always believed that disputes can be resolved through war, our country is also willing to accompany you to the end!"
Shang Kexi's attitude was very tough, which was also the instruction given to him by Huang Taiji before coming to Jinzhou. Although the Manchu and Qing Dynasties had nothing to do with Haihan, they could no longer deal with Ming and North Korea. Therefore, Huang Taiji believed that they could slowly negotiate terms with Haihan. After all, Haihan had corresponding strength. As for the other two countries, they still had to show their performance. You have to be tough and not compromise on it in order to maximize your interests.
(End of chapter)