Chapter 2701
After a short lunch break, the atmosphere of the negotiations changed that afternoon. Wen Zhihong no longer dwelled on the details of the trade dispute, but changed his course and pushed Haihan to the front of the stage again as a weapon to suppress his opponents.
"If the trade dispute with your country cannot be properly resolved, our country will be forced to transfer part of its exports to Japan to Haihan merchants. I hope that the head of the clan will consider the pros and cons clearly and stop being stubborn and making wrong judgments. ! ”
Wen Zhihong finally chose to accept the proposal of the Haihan Mission. Although this plan had certain risks, it seemed that there was no other more effective way to force the other party to submit. Moreover, the Haihan mission will leave Busan in the near future. If we do not seize the time to reach a conclusion with Tsushima Fan, once the Haihan people leave, Tsuima Fan will probably change its face and interrupt the negotiations again.
Sure enough, after he proposed this plan, Zong Xiongtai's expression immediately became serious: "Master Wen, do you know what serious consequences this will cause?"
Wen Zhihong said: "Since I have spoken out here, of course I have carefully considered the consequences. If your country is unwilling to change the current trade rules, then I can only put my own interests first and seek the solution that is most beneficial to my country. Plan! ”
Wen Zhihong knew that if his attitude was not firm enough at this time, not only would he be looked down upon by the Haihan people, but his previous efforts might also be in vain, so he naturally gritted his teeth and refused to let go.
Zong Xiongtai saw that he was so determined, and his expression became more and more gloomy. He believed that the plan proposed by Wen Zhihong would not bring much practical benefits to North Korea. Instead, it would cause both North Korea and Japan to suffer losses. The only beneficiaries would be the Haihan people who stood by and watched.
But Zong Xiongtai did not think that Wen Zhihong was unaware of this. He had been dealing with the opponent for many years and knew that this old opponent was not a fool. Since Wen Zhihong could predict the direction of the situation, he still insisted on doing so, which can only show that the other party's attitude was that he would rather give this part of the benefits to Haihan than let Tsushima monopolize it.
The profit that Ma Fan will lose is secondary. What Zong Xiong is too worried about is that there will be greater trouble in the future. Since the North Koreans can be ruthless enough to give up part of their export trade benefits to Japan in exchange for Haihan's support, it is entirely possible to induce Haihan to take away all other trade shares from Ma Fan.
Although it seems that the possibility of war is unlikely at present, judging from Haihan's past behavior, Zong Xiongtai does not dare to be careless at all. After all, in the eyes of the outside world, the reason for the collapse of the Hirado clan was simply that the conflict between Haihan and the Ming armed merchants implicated the Hirado clan.
Of course, not many people would really sympathize with the experience of the Hirado clan. It is said that once Hirado fell, all the feudal clans were full. Areas such as Nagasaki Port and Tsushima Domain that were engaged in maritime trade all benefited from the collapse of the Hirado clan. Got a lot of dividends. But at the same time, everyone also remembered the hard truth "Don't mess with Haihan".
Zong Xiongtai saw that several people in the Haihan delegation were smiling and silent at this time, as if they were sitting on a mountain watching a tiger fight. This attitude made him even more uneasy. He was unable to judge Haihan's true intentions, and for the sake of completeness he could only anticipate the worst outcome.
If Kaihan had decided to use force if he could not achieve his goal, then given the military strength of Tsushima Domain, the outcome would probably not be any better than that of Hirado Domain. An even more frightening situation is that Haihan originally planned to attack Tsushima to seize the trade share between North Korea and Japan. The so-called three-party talks were just an excuse to start a war.
That things would come to this point was far beyond Zong Xiongtai's expectations. He originally thought that this meeting would not be much different from several past trade negotiations. Even with the participation of Haihan, an uninvited guest, there would definitely be a way to maintain Tsushima's trade status. But the situation suddenly took a turn for the worse and was brought into the rhythm controlled by the opponent. Compared with the losses caused by the impact on trade share, what is more unbearable for Tsushima is the risk of war. Zong Xiongta was almost convinced that once Kaihan used force, it would be difficult for Tsushima to get military assistance from Japan. I don’t know how many people were secretly counting on Tsushima to be unlucky, and then they could take the opportunity to replace them, just like how Hirado was defeated before. It's the same when Haihan attacks.
After quickly weighing the pros and cons, Zong Xiongtai could only relax for a while in exchange for a little buffering time: "Master Wen, I believe you are also very clear. I am just asking the person in charge of Ma Fan stationed in Busan Port to revise the two policies. If there is a trade treaty between countries, then the matter must be notified to the feudal lord first before the next step is possible.”
Wen Zhihong couldn't see through his delaying strategy, so he immediately responded: "Zong Guanzhu, what do you think of the feudal lord? That's a matter for later. What we want to confirm right now is your opinion on this matter!"
Wen Zhihong knew that Zong Xiongtai had great influence on the top management of Tsui Ma Fan, and his opinions were likely to influence Tsui Ma Fan's final attitude. He forced him to express his position immediately, and he did not want Tsui Ma Fan to be involved in this matter. There is still room for mediation.
At this time, Tao Hongfang saw that the heat was up and finally spoke: "Zong Guanzhu, specific measures can be negotiated slowly, but we need you to show your attitude and your willingness to support the revision of the trade treaty between the two countries. We are about to set off. When we visit Japan, we will also pass by Tsushima Island. If it is convenient, I think we can go to Tsushima Island to visit the lord of your domain.”
There was no smoke in Tao Hongfang's words, but Zong Xiongtai faintly heard a hint of threat in it - if the agreement can be reached, then it will be a friendly visit, if the agreement cannot be reached, it may turn into force Smashed the door.
Under pressure, Muneyuta finally gave in, saying that he could discuss and revise the inappropriate parts of the previously formulated trade treaty, but he still insisted that specific matters must wait for the decision of the feudal lord Mune Yoshizhin.
Speaking of this, putting more pressure on Zong Xiongtai would not have any more effect, so under the auspices of Tao Hongfang, the three parties signed a memorandum on the revision of the trade agreement at Yeongdo Japanese Pavilion.
Although this thing is not binding in the true sense, there is something in writing. Whether there is a quarrel or a fight in the future, there is finally a basis.
For Wen Zhihong, this result cannot be said to be very satisfactory, but it has basically achieved the goal he expected. Naturally, he is extremely grateful to the Haihan Mission and his gratitude is beyond words.
(End of chapter)