Chapter 2797
The two of them had exchanged glasses at the banquet, but in reality they were just pretending, and they only drank less than two ounces of wine. They are no longer young and greedy for drinking. They understand that handling government affairs is far more important than having fun at the wine table. However, due to their status, they must complete the formality of the reception banquet first, otherwise the outside world may There will be all kinds of rumors spread.
"The banquet you held to welcome the wind is too big. There must be about twenty tables, right? Just now I saw that there were dozens of people lining up for the toast. Those who know it is the banquet for welcoming the wind, but those who don't know may think it is. You, Chen Yixin, are having a birthday!" After Bai Kesi sat down, he started to joke about Chen Yixin.
Chen Yixin smiled bitterly and said: "You think there are too many people, but I have already screened them twice. There are still many people who want to come but have not yet been naturalized, but I have not let them arrange it. Also, these people today are only from Shandong. Looking back I have to do it again when I go to Liaodong, there may be more people there.”
Bai Kesi smiled and said: "When I went to Hangzhou before, Shi Diwen was not as capable as you!"
Chen Yixin said: "My place is incomparable with the Donghai Region! After all, his place is peaceful, so he doesn't have to spend too much energy to maintain all kinds of connections... When you come to inspect this time, there are so many people who are paying attention to your movements overtly and covertly. Very, if I don’t make the reception ceremony more grand, then maybe someone with ulterior motives will take the lead.”
After hearing this, Bai Kesi's expression became serious, and he nodded to express his approval of Chen Yixin: "The outside world only knows that you rarely go back to Sanya to report on your work, but the Executive Committee understands your difficulties."
The objective environment of the Northern Region cannot be compared with that of the East China Sea Region. The jurisdiction is divided into two parts, the north and the south, and is divided into two parts by the Bohai Strait. Not only did it have to face the military threats of the Ming and Qing Dynasties at the same time, but it also had to deal with people's livelihood issues and industrial construction in the controlled areas. It was under great pressure both internally and externally.
If we ignore Wang Tom, who left for North America, the area under Chen Yixin's rule is the administrative region farthest from Haihan's center of power. Located on the border of the empire, the centripetal force is not that strong after all. Although Chen Yixin is loyal to Haihan, he cannot guarantee that everyone else will maintain the same attitude.
Over the years, it is not that no one has tried to encourage Chen Yixin to establish himself as king in various ways. After all, with the resources and military power at his disposal, it would not be too difficult to establish a separatist force in the Bohai region. There were even lobbyists from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, who used glory and wealth as a temptation, hoping to persuade him to switch sides.
Since some people are trying to win over each other, there will naturally be people who are trying to sow discord. Over the years, the Executive Committee has received countless whistle-blowing letters about Chen Yixin. The content is roughly to accuse Chen Yixin of being a self-willed man in the separatist regime of Shandong and Liaodong, having close ties with high-level officials of the Ming Dynasty or the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and conspiring to rebel.
Of course, this method did not have the effect expected by the mastermind behind the scenes. In 1636 and 1639, Bai Kesi and Tao Donglai went north to inspect respectively, and both affirmed the governance level of the northern region.
For more than 20 years, the Northern Region has been continuously providing immigrants and various strategic resources to Haihan. The social order and economic conditions have also improved significantly, and the military has formed a strong influence on both the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is an effective deterrent and almost perfectly implements Haihan’s strategic intentions in Northeast Asia.
Probably only the executive committee understands the hard work Chen Yixin has put in during this period. The basic structure of the Northern Region was established by military generals such as Wang Tom, Qian Tiandun, Harugong, and Chen Yixin. However, the governance work in the following years was basically completed by Chen Yixin alone.
Chen Yixin governs well and leads troops with meritorious service. The situation in the northern region is stable and developing rapidly. How could the executive committee easily adjust his appointment. Chen Yixin also wanted to take advantage of this opportunity for Bai Kesi to inspect the Northern Region again to show the mutual trust between the Northern Region and the Executive Committee, so as to nip some bad signs in their bud.
"Let's talk business first." After receiving Bai Kesi's statement, Chen Yixin stopped the topic very wisely. He took a document from the desk and handed it to Bai Kesi for review: "I heard that Prince De's Palace sent someone to Qingdao Port to ask for an audience. Yes, but the person who came to see you may not know the inside story. This is the cooperation agreement signed with Prince De’s Mansion last year. Take a look.”
Bai Kesi took over the hand and responded: "A man named Huo Mingxian came and had a brief chat. Prince De's Palace should be worried that there is too much pressure from the Ming court and they need us to make a clear statement to support them. I will I briefly told him that we have a corresponding action plan for the security of Prince De’s Mansion.”
Chen Yixin nodded and said: "Huo Mingxian is a staff member of King De, but his role is limited, so he was not present when the agreement was signed with King De last year. I think King De did not disclose the specific content of the agreement to him."
Baikes opened the document and browsed it. In fact, the content of the agreement had been reported to the Executive Committee before it was signed. He had also seen it before, and it was no different from this handwritten agreement. However, he also understood that this was Chen Yixin taking this opportunity to express his feelings and let the executive committee confirm that he had not concealed anything in the process of operating this matter.
The cooperation content in the agreement includes Haihan supporting Dewangfu in the form of a franchise in trade and providing opportunities for Dewangfu’s children to further their studies and become officials in Haihan. Dewangfu will use its own influence and connections to establish a business in Shandong. The area provides Haihan with all the conveniences it needs.
The agreement also clearly stipulates that Haihan will provide security guarantees for Prince De's Palace and will use all means to ensure the personal safety of Prince De's Palace when necessary.
Bai Kesi closed the document and said to Chen Yixin: "Prince De is worried about being ordered to cut down the vassal by the Ming court. What do you think about this?"
Chen Yixin said: "Prince De's Mansion still has a relatively large use value. We still have to try to help them keep this vassal title. I will write a letter and send it to the capital to put pressure on the Ming court and express our country's attitude. . If it doesn’t work, then let Prince De’s Palace resolutely refuse to recognize Ming Ting’s intention to reduce the vassal status. Anyway, Prince De’s Palace no longer relies on Ming Ting to pay salaries. Ming Ting doesn’t have many ways to control them. If they really fall out, Ming Ting’s will. There may be more taboos.”
Bai Kesi said: "If the Ming Dynasty decides to use extraordinary means, such as using force to reduce the vassal state, are you sure that the safety of Prince De's palace can be guaranteed?"
Chen Yixin said: "Jinan Mansion is still under the jurisdiction of the Ming Court for the time being, but many people have secretly expressed their attitude to me. Even if there is a decree to Jinan, it will definitely not be a problem for a few days. I have some people stationed in Jinan City. If there is a change in some manpower, we should have enough time to evacuate the people from Prince De’s Mansion.”
Bai Kesi nodded slightly when he heard this. Since Chen Yixin had already made arrangements, his promise to Huo Mingxian at Qingdao Port was not blown away.
(End of chapter)