Chapter 2471
Xu Xinsu's ruling methods in Fujian were basically the traditional methods of the family world, and the Xu family had indeed emerged many talented people in recent years, so they were able to completely ignore the imperial court and rule Fujian instead.
Of course, this situation is possible because almost all the outstanding members of the younger generation of the Xu family have the experience of studying abroad in Haihan, and the skills they learned have been put into practical use. This group also has a relatively high degree of acceptance and recognition of the Haihan concept. In fact, it is not too difficult to persuade these people to incorporate the Fujian area into Haihan in the future. On the contrary, Xu Xinsu, who was on the sickbed, still had some obsessions with this. She was worried that after Haihan annexed Fujian, the family's local status and interests would be affected and it would be difficult to maintain its current glory.
The Haihan Executive Committee proposed to Xu Xinsu that after Fujian is merged into Haihan, the existing property and business of the Xu family will be preserved, and the local civil and military officials serving in the Xu family will also become Haihan through voluntary transfer. officials.
The various troops under the Xu family will receive the official designation and organization of the Haihan Army after the reorganization, but there will be no major changes in the command system. Senior officials such as Xu Yuxing, Xu Yuzhuo, Xu Jiaqi, and Dong Shangyi will continue to serve in their respective positions. The commanders of the troops retain their local military command rights in Fujian. However, in the future, the recruitment, training, equipment, transfer, personnel appointment and combat operations of these troops must accept the unified arrangements of the Haihan Ministry of National Defense.
Xu Jiajun's strength is definitely considered to be a first-rate force in the Ming Dynasty, but most of the strength of this armed force relies on the various advanced armaments and tactics provided by Haihan. Xu Xinsu herself also knows very well that if she does not agree to Haihan's request, then It is very likely that Xu Jiajun will lose the support of Haihan, and his combat power will be greatly reduced by then. Of course, the most important point is that he knows very well that the Xu family's strength is not strong enough to challenge Haihan's army. If Haihan is determined to use force to annex Fujian, then the Xu family may not be able to use negotiation methods to protect their own interests. .
So after half a month of negotiations, Xu Xinsu agreed in principle to the Haihan Executive Committee's proposal and handed over the governance of the Fujian region to Haihan. Of course, this process cannot be accomplished overnight. Fujian governs eight prefectures and one state, dozens of large and small cities, and a population of more than three million. It is not easy to complete a comprehensive handover. Especially when it comes to the handover of key affairs such as government affairs, accounts, and military matters, there will be a large number of detailed issues that need to be resolved slowly through negotiation between the two parties.
In September, Haihan informed Daming through official channels that in order to ensure social stability in Fujian, Haihan would temporarily take over local military and political affairs. Of course, this is just a relatively euphemistic way of saying it. This is not unfamiliar to Chongzhen. Haihan used similar rhetoric when it annexed the Liaodong Peninsula, Shandong Peninsula and the Guangdong and Guangxi regions in the south.
When Chongzhen saw this diplomatic document, he naturally understood that Haihan wanted to bring Fujian under his rule. Although he was very angry about this, he also knew that it would be difficult for Daming to intervene in this matter. Xu Xinsu has been the local emperor in Fujian for more than ten years, and the imperial court has long lost its control over Fujian.
Chongzhen has not never considered using force to regain Fujian in these years, but the problem is that the Xu family's army has strong soldiers and horses, and they have been fighting overseas with the Han army all year round. They have rich combat experience. There is no Ming army around Fujian that can confront it head-on. What's more, behind Xu Xinsu was the Haihan people. If he launched troops against Fujian, Chongzhen was also worried that this would provide Haihan with an excuse to intervene militarily in the internal affairs of the Ming Dynasty.
In addition, before the Ming Dynasty, internal and external troubles were constant, and Fujian had more urgent crises to deal with. Chongzhen was unwilling to take the initiative to detonate this time bomb, so he just turned a blind eye and watched Xu Xinsu operate in Fujian, and never took any measures. through more radical intervention methods.
After more than ten years of procrastination, it finally developed into a situation that Chongzhen did not want to see. He also knew that after Haihan captured Fujian, Ming would be unlikely to regain this area through negotiations. However, with Ming's current strength, it would be difficult to challenge Haihan with military means, so he could only watch helplessly. Everything happens. After the two parties reached an agreement, Xu Xinsu immediately summoned the backbone of the family and conveyed her decision to them. He knew that he didn't have much time left, and if he didn't start arranging the transition immediately, then after his death, if his family had different opinions on the merger with Haihan, it would probably cause a huge disaster.
Xu Xinsu did not hide his illness, so the arrangements he made were basically his last instructions. People in the family were in awe of him, but no one openly opposed such arrangements.
In September, Xu Xinsu died of illness in Zhangzhou City. Ning Qi, who arrived in Zhangzhou in advance, attended Xu Xinsu's funeral on behalf of Haihan and spoke highly of Xu Xinsu's achievements in governing Fujian.
Objectively speaking, Xu Xinsu has indeed made Fujian's social environment much more stable after taking office. Not only did he clean up the pirate armed forces headed by Shibazhi, but he also opened up external trade routes, raising the scale of Fujian's foreign trade by several levels. .
At this time, there are constant disasters and man-made disasters, and a good economy and social stability are already the most desired conditions for many places in the country. Moreover, the additional Liao, Lian, and Suppression taxes that the Ming court sent to local areas had no effect in Fujian. Therefore, the tax burden on the people of Fujian was much lighter than that of other places in the country, and their living standards were naturally better. Therefore, when Xu Xinsu was in power, a large number of people moved from the interior to Fujian, indirectly bringing a large amount of wealth and labor to the local area.
In the past ten years, the country has been in chaos, but Fujian has developed rapidly. Although it cannot compare with the areas under Haihan rule, it is already one of the best places in the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, Xu Xinsu has a very high prestige in Fujian. Most people from all walks of life in Fujian expressed their understanding and support for the arrangement he made before his death to merge Fujian into Haihan.
Of course, there are still a very small number of corrupt scholars who insist that the Ming Dynasty is the orthodox dynasty, and Fujian should return to the Ming Dynasty instead of seeking refuge with foreign countries. However, those who hold this view are in the minority after all, and they are simply unable to resist the wheel of history rolling forward.
Perhaps not wanting to damage the social atmosphere in Fujian, Ning Qi did not let the Xu family punish these dissidents, but just expelled them from Fujian. Since these people think that Ming Dynasty is better, let them settle in areas under Ming Dynasty and experience for themselves which environment is better.
(End of chapter)