Chapter 1181 Come forward in person

In troubled times, relying on the strong is undoubtedly the safest way to survive. In Pan Yan's view, the strength of Haihan, a strong man, is even greater than that of the Ming Dynasty. Because only Zhoushan, under the rule of Haihan,

In the overseas territories, even the slightest action was enough to throw the Zhejiang government into chaos and struggle to deal with it. The Ming army, which once claimed to be invincible, also suffered setbacks one after another under its own nose, and had to take the initiative to negotiate peace and beg Haihan to withdraw as soon as possible.

Based on Pan Yan's knowledge, he really couldn't imagine how powerful the Haihan Kingdom was to be able to maintain such a formidable military strength thousands of miles away from the country.

The longer Pan Yan stayed in the Haihan Army, the more interested he became in the country of Haihan. Most of the Haihan soldiers he came into contact with were former citizens of the Ming Dynasty, and the rest were generally Li and Miao people from the south.

In addition, there are a very small number of short Japanese people, Persians with deep eyes and high noses, dark-skinned Kunlun slaves, and even blond and blue-eyed Spanish people serving in the army. The composition of the army can be described as extremely complex.

It can also be seen that the territory of Haihan country should be quite large - although Wang Tom once said that the territory of Haihan country is only about the size of the Ming Dynasty, Pan Yan believes that this statement may be just a deliberate joke.

But the more contact Pan Yan had, the more he understood the thoughts of the Haihan people. A country with such a strong military strength did not have much extravagant expectations for land. It could obviously use the army to attack cities and plunder land, but it chose to do business.

way, using trade, a slow-effective method, to expand the scope of influence. For example, this time the Haihan army attacked the city of Hangzhou smoothly and occupied a clear battlefield advantage. It can even be said that it is possible to destroy the city, but its purpose is to destroy the city.

He didn't care about drinking, but he was just using this to force the Zhejiang government to agree to open up trade rights. He staged a bitter trick and used the army. How could he do such a big show just to do business locally? This was not the case for Pan Yan.

In his eyes, it was like killing a chicken with a knife.

But at the same time, Pan Yan also knows that Haihan people are extremely shrewd. The actions they have always taken have been calculated before taking action. They will never make a loss-making transaction. There must be deep meaning in doing so. It’s just that his brain is not smart enough, and he will think about it in a short while.

The real reason why the Han people chose this strategy without going to sea, but after paying so much price before, must be to obtain greater benefits from the Ming Dynasty.

Tom Wang asked: "Did anything happen on the Qiantang River today?"

Pan Yan quickly retracted his thoughts and bowed in response: "Several cargo ships came from upstream, loaded with goods destined for Dinghai Port. The ship owners also had a port entry permit issued by the management committee. I will follow your Lord's previous instructions and after inspection

All have been released.”

Although the Haihan Army has nominally blocked the Qiantang River waterway, in fact there is no back door. All ships that have business dealings with Haihan and are on their way to and from Dinghai Port in Zhoushan only need to present the port entry permit issued by the Port Management Committee.

, you can still pass Haihan's inspection on the Qiantang River. This will minimize the losses of Haihan's cooperative merchants in disguise, and those merchants who have no business dealings with Haihan can only admit that they are unlucky, and must temporarily stop operating in the Qiantang River.

Activities near the mouth of the Qiantang River.

As for the livelihood of fishermen on the riverside, it has not been greatly affected. Haihan still allows these small fishing boats to fish near the shore, but they can no longer enter the main channel in the middle of the river at will. All ferries near Hangzhou City have been blocked.

Due to the ban, if you want to cross the river, you can only find a boat in an area beyond the control of Haihan upstream.

The military operations during this period will obviously have a considerable negative impact on the import and export trade of Dinghai Port, but Haihan is convinced that after surviving this difficult period, the scale of cross-border trade around Dinghai Port will increase to a

A new level. The current temporary closure of shipping is also to put pressure on the government more comprehensively. After all, there are many people in Hangzhou who rely on shipping. Even if senior officials are unwilling to bow to Haihan, they must take into account the local people's grievances.

level, not to mention that many officials have been privately involved in private shipping operations and can be regarded as one of the vested interests.

Of course, the targets most targeted by the Haihan Fleet were not civilian ships, but armed sailing ships belonging to the upstream states. These combat ships belonging to the Zhejiang Navy had already suffered heavy losses when the Haihan Fleet advanced into the Qiantang River. Now,

No one will take the initiative to go downstream to fight the terrifying Haihan warships. Zhejiang Dusi knew that he was no match for the Haihan warships on the water, so he only issued a symbolic order to "defend to the death" and did not force the navy to take the initiative.

attack, so the Qiantang River has been calm in the past few days, and there have been no major disturbances.

Wang Tom said: "This matter will be resolved in a few days. I will give you two days off. You can go to Hangzhou for a walk. This is the largest city in the south of the Yangtze River. There are still many delicious and fun things. You will not be able to enjoy them in the north.

arrive."

Pan Yan hesitated and said: "My humble position is that of a traitor to the imperial court, and now I am serving under the general. If someone finds out who I am, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave the city of Hangzhou!"

Wang Tom smiled and shook his head and said: "You are thinking too much. Even if the government knows that you are from our side, they will not do anything to you. They will probably send someone to protect you. Otherwise, if you go out in Hangzhou,

If you do something, it might be a big trouble!"

Pan Yan thought it seemed reasonable. The Zhejiang government had suffered a big loss this time, and would never let similar incidents become the reason for Haihan to raise troops in the future. By then, the government should have agreed to open up trade, and he would only need to act as a merchant.

Entering the city of Hangzhou should not cause any trouble. He has lived in the north since he was a child, and this is the first time he has gone south. He is also very curious about the customs and customs of the south of the Yangtze River. Wang Tom is willing to give him a vacation to go to Hangzhou and have a look. Then

Naturally, he is extremely happy.

The words were divided into two parts, each expressing one branch. Qi Jie and Qu Yutong came out of the Haihan camp and rode back to the city. Wang Ji and others had already gathered in the Chief Envoy's Yamen and waited anxiously. Finally, they waited until the two of them arrived.

Return.

"Fortunately, I have lived up to my command. The Haihan people have agreed to withdraw their troops!" After Qu Yutong sat down, he first reported the good news.

Some people secretly breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, but Wang Ji was not so quickly confused by Qu Yutong's words and asked: "What about the conditions that the Haihan people put forward before?"

Qu Yutong asked curiously: "If you don't agree to their conditions, how can you make them withdraw on their own?"

Wang Ji snorted coldly and said: "Since we are talking about conditions, we have to bargain. Master Qu, are you not going to tell me that you have agreed to all the conditions proposed by the Haihan people intact?"

Qu Yutong shook his head and said: "If that's the case, anyone in Hangzhou can make a deal with anyone, so why would I have to ask for orders to come from Ningbo? Sir Qi, please be fair to me. Can the Haihan people give in?"

Already?"

Everyone's eyes immediately focused on Qi Jie, who sighed and said, "Leader Haihan has indeed taken a step back. All the conditions they proposed do not have to be implemented immediately. As long as the agreement is signed, they will withdraw."

Qi Jie's feelings about the outcome of the negotiation can hardly be described as satisfaction. He doesn't like the Haihan people, and he also doesn't like Qu Yutong, who participated in the peace talks in the name of an envoy but was very easy to compromise. So when the outcome of the negotiation came to his mouth, he said

The result is not as satisfying as Qu Yutong's.

Wang Ji said angrily: "Can this be called a concession? This is obviously an insult to us and other imperial officials! Are we going to let these southern barbarians use this armistice agreement to continue to threaten us in the future?"

"My lord, calm down and please listen to the official explain the secret." Qu Yutong had already been fully prepared and did not panic when Wang Ji became angry. He was sure that he could persuade the other party to accept the status quo and agree to the terms of peace with Haihan.

"My lords, the three conditions of the Haihan people are indeed extremely unreasonable. After understanding this, I feel the same as your lords. Such overseas barbarians do not know how to advance or retreat. We must not encourage their arrogance!" Qu Yutong said in his heart.

He had already made a plan, and immediately calmed down the officials present: "But I believe that the most urgent task is to persuade its troops to withdraw from Hangzhou Bay. Since we, the Ming Dynasty, are unwilling to resort to force, we can only use our righteousness to order

Only when they realize the fallacy of their current approach will they take the initiative to withdraw their troops."

Qu Yutong never mentioned the military failure. He only said that his side was unwilling to use force to solve the problem, which left a little face for the military. This desperation to initiate peace actually became a sign of consideration for the foreign countries in his mouth.

His benevolent act made Wang Ji's face relax a little.

While sorting out his thoughts, Qu Yutong continued: "The reason why Haihan sent troops was the Tongsheng Pier fire case. I heard that there are many doubts about this case, and the investigation progress is slow. I'm afraid it won't be solved in the short term."

The results have come out. If a few scapegoats were randomly found in Hangzhou prisons and sentenced to death, the Haihan people would not necessarily admit their guilt. The amount of compensation they asked for was huge, even far exceeding the annual taxes of Hangzhou, which was completely impossible to achieve. But if they were refused outright,

There is no room for maneuver in this negotiation, so I first agreed to their third request, opening up Zhejiang's trade rights. This matter did not cause direct losses to our Ming Dynasty. On the contrary, the Shipping Department could benefit from this, which is regarded as

Something that benefits both sides..."

Before Qu Yutong finished speaking, someone retorted: "Opening up Zhejiang's trade rights is because we are afraid that the Haihan people will be greedy and push for more. After they taste the sweetness, they will demand more and more."

Qu Yutong shook his head and said: "This gentleman is wrong. As far as I know, the Haihan people have always pursued a trade-first strategy. If there is business, there will be no war. We only need to open up the right to trade." Why not help the Ming Dynasty eliminate a major problem in the East China Sea? Haihan cooperated with the local government in Fuzhou and Guangzhou in the south, and even sold powerful new weapons to the government, helped the Ming army train officers, and helped the government Wipe out pirates and maintain stability on the sea frontier. If the south can cooperate with Haihan, why can’t we, Zhejiang, do the same?"

Wang Ji twisted his beard and said: "You mentioned the south. I heard that the Haihan people occupied the southern corner of Qiongzhou Island in the Ming Dynasty, where they founded the country. So what should I do?"

Comrade Qu Yu said: "Sir, these are just rumors without real evidence and cannot be trusted. Just imagine that Qiongzhou Island is located at the end of the world, a barbaric land. How could the Haihan people choose that kind of place to found their country? With their strength, at least they have to be in The mainland will only consider the founding of the country after conquering several counties and cities, right? Why has the south never heard of the government going to war with it, but the cooperation is very close? Isn't it possible that all the officials in Fuzhou and Guangzhou will betray the country and surrender to the enemy? If the Haihan people really want to invade Why did the Ming Dynasty stop at Hangzhou City when attacking cities and plundering territory? Aren’t the states and prefectures near Hangzhou Bay all excellent targets?”

Zhejiang officials rarely have the opportunity to go to Qiongzhou Island. Most of the information about Haihan comes from various rumors, and there is not much real first-hand information. Qu Yutong gave Haihan this note. Even though he was still analyzing things in a logical manner, Wang Ji nodded slightly and said, "Go on."

Comrade Qu Yu said: "Since the Haihan people did not come to fight intentionally, no matter how tough they are verbally or how harsh their conditions are, they will definitely leave room for concessions. We can slowly investigate the murderer of this fire case. We can also delay the arrest and the compensation demanded by the Haihan people in the name of insufficient treasury money. We only need to implement the third thing first and show our sincerity, and they will withdraw their troops. Isn't this considered a concession? ?”

Liu Feng answered from the side: "Master Qu, you just said that the Haihan people asked for the contents of the agreement to be written down in black and white. What if they use this as a threat in the future?"

Qu Yutong responded without changing his expression: "This matter is easy to handle. All we need to do is make a small note in the agreement and not specify the time when these two items will be fulfilled."

Liu Feng sneered: "Haihan people are notoriously shrewd, how could they fail to notice such details?"

Comrade Qu Yu said: "I thought that even if they noticed, they would not single them out to talk about it. Mr. Liu may not have noticed that it is not only our side that does not want to fight, but also the Haihan people. It's just that the current situation As the confrontation continues to drag on, our situation will only become more and more passive, but they don't have so many scruples."

Wang Ji had understood Qu Yutong's point of view at this time, and summed it up for him: "You mean, the Haihan people just used this as a demonstration, and now they want a decent ending, and then leave Hangzhou Bay?"

Qu Yutong nodded and replied: "Your Excellency, you are sure that your Majesty thinks that the Haihan people just want to get some practical benefits back and be able to explain to their citizens. As for which benefits can be obtained and which benefits cannot be obtained from us, they

In fact, I knew it well, and it was also revealed in the previous communication. It's just that the adults in Hangzhou City have less opportunities to deal with the Haihan people and don't know much about their style of behavior, so they let the confrontation

The situation continues to this day.”

Wang Ji pondered: "Then if we want to sign this armistice agreement with Haihan, who do you think is more appropriate to come forward?"

When Qu Yutong heard Wang Ji's question, he knew that most of the matter was settled. He bowed and bowed and said: "Your Excellency is the leader of Zhejiang, so naturally it is most appropriate for Your Excellency to come forward in person."
Chapter completed!