Chapter 1728 International Influence

Mr. Fei Cexian, who was cared about by North Korean special envoy Li Xi, had just left home at this time. In fact, because the Ming Dynasty Embassy in Sanya has not yet been completed, he is currently living in the Guest House, but the villa he lives in is far away from Li Xi's residence.

The two have not met each other for the time being - this is of course not a coincidence, but a careful arrangement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Haihan. In view of the sensitive relationship between the two families, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not want them to meet in Sanya too early.

Haihan invited North Koreans to come to Sanya to watch the ceremony this time. In fact, Ning Qi had already informed Fei Cexian about this in private. Although Fei Cexian knew that Ning Qi’s greeting was out of respect for the Ming Dynasty, when he thought of the past

The Koreans who groveled before the Ming Dynasty now began to embrace Haihan's thighs and even sent a special envoy to Sanya to build an embassy. After all, he still had some knots in his heart.

I remember that when Fei Cexian was working in the Ministry of Rites, he also received envoys from North Korea. Fei Cexian still vividly remembers the humble attitude shown by North Koreans in the Ming Dynasty at that time. But after entering the Ming Dynasty from Haihan

Starting from the north, North Korea no longer seems to regard the Ming Dynasty as its only backer. The reason for this is well known to Fei Cexian, who personally went to Liaodong to see the fighting conditions on the front line. Both the Ming Dynasty and North Korea were dealing with the weak Hou Jin Dynasty.

However, they were defeated steadily by the Haihan Army who fought far away from homeland. It is no wonder that the Koreans were half-hearted.

Basically all the guests invited this time have arrived in Sanya before this, and the purpose of today's dinner is to warm up the celebrations that will start in two days, so that guests from all over the world can get to know each other in advance, and Haihan officials will also stop by.

The specific arrangements for the subsequent celebrations will be announced at the dinner. Fei Cexian also wants to take this opportunity to confirm which countries have chosen to turn to Haihan and which countries still regard Ming Dynasty as their first choice for diplomatic direction.

Although there is still harmony in the capital court, and Ming Dynasty's status as the upper court of the Kingdom of Heaven seems to never change, after leaving Ming Dynasty, Fei Cexian can clearly feel that the external situation is not as optimistic as before. From the south of the Liaodong Peninsula

The maritime territory of the Ming Dynasty has become a territory for the Haihan people to take whatever they want. I am afraid that the huge crisis hidden in this process is not truly realized by the high-ranking officials in the court.

For example, the Shandong Peninsula that controls the exit of the Bohai Sea, the Hangzhou Bay in the idyllic land of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the Fujian Strait in the Southeast Sea, and the Pearl River Estuary, the most important sea channel in Lingnan, all of these coastal key points that originally belonged to the Ming Dynasty are now "concessions" with Haihan

The Haihan people not only carried out trade and colonial activities in these places, but also stationed a large number of armed forces. Quechaojiu occupied the territory and performed the so-called "maintaining maritime order" function for the Ming Dynasty.

Didn’t the Ming court know about these situations? No, in fact, the emperor and cabinet ministers were well aware of Haihan’s little actions on the Ming coast. But the problem is that Ming Dynasty no longer has the ability to expel Haihan from these areas.

Not to mention starting a war with such a maritime power on a long coastline. After the failure of force to expel the Haihan people in Shandong, no one in the court mentioned the war. Everyone knew very well that the Ming Dynasty War at this stage

We can't afford, let alone lose, such a war, not to mention that we need the Haihan people in Liaodong to hold back Hou Jin's march south. As long as the Haihan people don't plan to invade the inland, these small actions on the coastline will be ignored.

.

But even so, Fei Cexian still wants to win some benefits for the Ming Dynasty as much as possible within his own capabilities. In particular, he must maintain the image of the Ming Dynasty in the international community and cannot let Haihan take all the limelight.

Got away.

If Fei Cexian had not come to Hainan Island in person and witnessed what Haihan did here, it would be difficult for Fei Cexian to imagine how a small emerging country could grow into a competition that even the Ming Dynasty was afraid of in less than ten years.

opponent.

During the months of building the embassy, ​​Fei Cexian had been living in the Guest House, and also took the opportunity to get acquainted with dignitaries from many countries. Although these small countries in the South China Sea may have been insignificant countries in the eyes of the Ming Dynasty,

When they all gradually regarded Haihan as a regional leader, they gradually stopped going to the Ming Dynasty to pay tribute. Although the Ming Dynasty did not care about the value of the local specialties paid by these small countries, in recent years, the

Haihan's international reputation is indeed rising rapidly.

For example, today's dinner was attended by at least a dozen countries. Except for the Ming Dynasty and North Korea, which are from the north of Hainan Island, they are basically all countries in the South China Sea or Western colonial empires. This kind of appeal has already

It is difficult for today’s Ming Dynasty to achieve this.

However, Fei Cexian was a little relieved that Daming was at least as skinny as a camel than a horse. When he entered the venue, he immediately attracted a lot of attention. People who recognized him took the initiative to say hello. Ning

Qi also came over to chat with him immediately, which made him feel that his presence was quite good.

"There are quite a few countries attending today, and it looks like it will be a lively banquet." Fei Cexian praised Haihan's dinner arrangements with a smile.

Of course Ning Qi understood the meaning of such a scene, and responded with a smile: "I believe that many people are here just to see Mr. Fei. As soon as I leave, Mr. Fei will be surrounded."

Fei Cexian and Ning Qi looked at each other and laughed tacitly. As the two countries with the strongest national power in the Far East, the relationship between Haihan and Ming Dynasty is undoubtedly the focus of many countries.

It is no exaggeration to say that every conversation they have here will have many people pricking their ears and wanting to know the content. After all, the diplomatic relations between the two countries they represent will, to a large extent, determine the future international relations in the Far East.

The direction of the situation.

Fei Cexian still has a good impression of Haihan, the foreign minister. After all, they are both scholars, and Ning Qi is a student of history and culture. He knows a lot about the Ming Dynasty. The two still have many common topics. Moreover,

Ning Qi is not as aggressive as other high-ranking Haihan officials, and he advocates a diplomatic approach of peaceful coexistence. This is something Fei Cexian admires quite a lot. Countries should sit down and enjoy good wine and good food as they do now.

, while conducting diplomatic consultations, with peace as the common goal. Of course, it would be better if the Ming Dynasty could be respected.

Sure enough, after the two exchanged pleasantries, as soon as Ning Qi walked away, several people took the initiative to surround Fei Cexian, wanting to inquire from him about the content of the exchange between the two. However, what made Fei Cexian a little disappointed was that Ning Qi took the initiative to surround Fei Cexian.

These people who came up were all transnational businessmen. What they cared about was not the quality of the relationship between the two countries, but whether their own business could make more money while avoiding the disadvantages of the changes in the relationship between the two countries.

However, the envoys from other countries did not take the initiative to come over immediately. It is not known whether they disdain to associate with these merchants who smell of copper or have other considerations. Fei Cexian, relying on his status, will definitely not take the initiative to go to the envoys of these countries.

greet.

In the end, the only foreign envoys who took the initiative to talk to Fei Cexian were the Portuguese and the Dutch. The Portuguese Ambassador Thomas and the East India Company's Minister to Haihan Su Keyi were both based in Sanya and had already met Fei Cexian before.

Xian, and these three countries have one thing in common, that is, these three countries will never regard Haihan as their suzerain country. Therefore, although these three countries have no common interests, their positions are similar, and naturally they have a lot in common.

.

If any one of them gets too close to Haihan, it will arouse the vigilance of the other two, especially since the Ming Dynasty and Haihan are of the same race and are both countries ruled by Han people. If these two families really join forces, I am afraid that they will be in trouble.

No one in the Far East could match it, and this did not bode well for Western colonial powers.

Although Su Keyi was of Chinese origin, his allegiance was to the Dutch East India Company, so he also did not want to see Haihan join forces with the Ming Dynasty. After coming over, he asked Fei Cexian straight to the point: "Master Fei, what did Minister Ning do to you just now?"

Do you have any special instructions?"

Fei Cexian frowned and said, "Mr. Su, what you said is wrong. Minister Ning and I just exchanged a few words. How can we say anything special in front of everyone? Besides, I am a minister of the Ming Dynasty, how can I accept the instructions of officials from Haihan!"

Su Keyi said: "Hasn't Mr. Fei heard any rumors from outside recently?"

Fei Cexian asked: "What rumors?"

Su Keyi said: "It is said that Haihan's expedition to Manila this year was to show the Ming Dynasty, so as to convince your country of their cross-sea combat capabilities. In this way, your country may invite Haihan to send troops to Liaodong to replace

You deal with the Hou Jin barbarian army outside Shanhaiguan."

Fei Cexian almost lost his expression. This rumor was too untrue. How could Haihan's attack on Manila have anything to do with the Ming Dynasty? Besides, Haihan troops had already participated in the war in Liaodong, so there was no need for the Ming Dynasty to invite him. Moreover, with the

Judging from the attitude of the capital, it is unlikely to ask Haihan for military help.

Fei Cexian shook his head repeatedly and said: "I have never heard of such rumors, and Minister Ning has never talked about these things with me. I'm afraid Mr. Su's source of information is wrong."

Thomas had lived in Sanya for a long time and had learned Chinese long ago. He could also understand the conversation between the two people. He immediately took over the conversation and said: "Master Fei, if your country really needs military assistance, you can actually consider our country. I think back then

Mr. Xu and Mr. Sun have both received help from our country, and the military cooperation between Portugal and your country has always been very pleasant. It is not necessarily necessary to ask Haihan to send troops."

The masters Xu and Sun mentioned by Thomas refer to Xu Guangqi and Sun Yuanhua, the two masters and apprentices. These two people spared no effort to persuade the Ming Dynasty to introduce Portuguese artillery, mercenaries and craftsmen who made guns. They also trained many people in the Ming army.

There were few soldiers who mastered new tactics. However, the situation was unfavorable. A Denglai Rebellion not only caused Sun Yuanhua to be unjustly killed in the fifth year of Chongzhen, but also made Xu Guangqi, who was full of grief, anger and disappointment, die in depression the following year.

Since then, the Ming court has never had similar military cooperation with Portugal. However, Portugal has been thinking about this matter and hopes that based on military cooperation, the Ming Dynasty can open its northern trade ports to Portugal and no longer

It was a monopoly situation held by the Haihan family. When Thomas took advantage of the opportunity, he naturally wanted to try to lobby the Ming envoys. Whether it would be effective is another matter.

Of course, Fei Cexian also knew what happened back then, but what he didn't quite understand was why the ambassadors of the Portuguese and Dutch countries thought that the Ming Dynasty would invite Haihan to send troops to the north. He immediately asked: "Maybe it's because I don't have enough information. May I ask? Where did the rumors these two people mentioned come from?"

Su Keyi said: "Master Fei hasn't read the newspaper in recent days, has he?"

Fei Cexian was stunned for a moment, then nodded and replied: "I have been busy receiving various items shipped from the Ming Dynasty these past few days. I wonder what new news has been published in the newspaper?"

Su Keyi said: "The day before yesterday, an article was published in the Haihan Times, saying that the rebellion of the peasant army in the Central Plains of the Ming Dynasty was intensifying, and the military pressure from the north was also increasing day by day. Someone in the Ming Dynasty proposed to borrow troops from Haihan to first block the strong power of the north for the Ming Dynasty. The enemy moves south, and then frees up his hands to clean up the stubborn internal diseases."

Fei Cexian responded casually: "Haihan has always been known for his shrewdness. I guess this borrowing of troops will not be in vain, right?"

Su Keyi nodded and said: "That's natural. The newspaper said that if this matter is negotiated and the Haihan army can successfully retreat from the enemy, maybe the Ming Dynasty will cede many places such as Liaodong to Haihan as a reward for borrowing troops to defend against the enemy."

Fei Cexian almost cursed. He knew much more about the situation in the north than the ambassadors of the two countries, so he naturally understood the purpose of Haihan officials in releasing these rumors through their own newspapers.

Haihan had established de facto occupation of many of the colonies along the coast of the Ming Dynasty, and had deployed thousands of troops in Liaodong. The Ming Dynasty could only pretend to turn a blind eye to this, but it did not publicly acknowledge the ownership of these places. The power was transferred to Haihan, and he never mentioned that he would borrow troops from Haihan in the future, let alone any remuneration. And now that Haihan has released the news, he is obviously preparing to divide these occupied areas in an open name. Put it under your own name.

For the Ming Dynasty, it is difficult to clarify the truth and falsehood to the outside world. After all, it is an objective fact that the Haihan people stationed troops on the territory of the Ming Dynasty. If the Ming Dynasty wants to say that it is not borrowing troops, it is indeed difficult to explain why the Haihan people took the initiative to send troops. The army went thousands of miles away to defend the Ming Dynasty from foreign enemies. No one would believe that Haihan took the initiative to do such a thankless thing out of kindness, but if the Ming Dynasty had given generous rewards, such as ceding land, it would seem that everything It all makes sense. To onlookers like Portugal and the Netherlands, this is indeed a seemingly reasonable explanation.

"No, these are all rumors. Our country did not borrow troops from Haihan. The Liaodong War... that was military cooperation between the two countries, but it was definitely not military assistance!" Fei Cexian certainly could not admit that the news in the newspaper was true, even at the moment Unable to clarify the facts, he still had to express his attitude on behalf of Ming Dynasty. However, when he said these words, he inevitably felt a little guilty.
Chapter completed!