Chapter 1753 Diplomatic means

In the face of today's Haihan, it is difficult for any country to achieve good results by fighting alone. All countries that have made such an attempt have suffered more or less, and the same is true for the Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands.

Sufferer. Of course, in terms of the degree of infringement, the biggest sufferer in this world must be the Ming Dynasty. After all, not only was the land occupied by Haihan, it also allowed it to absorb a large number of people, wealth and resources over the years.

It is no exaggeration to say that the country of Haihan is a monster that grew up by sucking blood from the body of Ming Dynasty.

But now this victim has to bow to Haihan due to the situation, rely on establishing diplomatic relations to prevent Haihan's massive invasion, and open treaty ports in exchange for military assistance provided by the other party - of course, this assistance is not free, and is costly.

How humiliating this was for the Ming Dynasty, which had always regarded itself as the superior dynasty of the Kingdom of Heaven, probably only the person involved could truly understand.

Even though Su Keyi was a Han Chinese, he could not fully understand Fei Cexian's feelings, but he knew that this dear man was not willing to succumb to Haihan's suppression, and even tried several times to win the due status and dignity for Ming Dynasty in diplomatic situations.

What Su Keyi wants to know now is whether the other party is willing to put aside his past prejudices for the benefit of Ming Dynasty and choose to cooperate with him to fight Haihan.

Of course, as for whether country-to-country diplomatic relations can be established between the Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands in the future, it is still too early to say. After all, political decisions at this level are not something that the two diplomats can decide.

. What Su Keyi can do now is to have a good relationship with Fei Cexian as much as possible. It is best to unify their attitude on the diplomatic battlefield and fight together.

After hearing this, Fei Cexian slowly put down the chopsticks in his hand. Of course he could understand the probing meaning in Su Keyi's words, but this kind of thing is not like treating guests to a meal. Just agree casually and it's done. If he really wants to join forces with Su Keyi, then

You must first consider the risks that may arise from this.

The strength shown by Haihan in the diplomatic field is backed by the current international influence. This is the main reason why although everyone refuses to admit defeat, they do not dare to really fall out with Haihan. Do you want to go against Haihan?

problem, but not just any country can afford the consequences.

Fei Cexian decided to proceed with caution. After all, he had no friendship with Su Keyi, and he still couldn't understand this person's temper. His personal risk was small. If the Haihan people found excuses to make a big fuss, then there would be

It may affect the safety of Ming Dynasty.

"I don't know what Mr. Su means by joining forces. Can you explain it to me?" Fei Cexian immediately kicked the ball back to Su Keyi.

Su Keyi saw that although the other party was non-committal, he asked for further explanation. He vaguely felt that there was something interesting about the matter, so he explained seriously: "Although Haihan has strong military force, not all matters in the diplomatic field can be solved by force. This point does not need to be explained.

, Mr. Fei can also understand. The Haihan people want to be the leaders of the South China Sea. In addition to having strong fists, they also have to slowly deal with many countries at the negotiating table. If everyone works on their own, it will inevitably affect the Shanghai Han people.

Of course, if we are weak alone, it will be difficult to compete with them. But if everyone can unify their opinions and work together to attack, it might be possible to compete with the Haihan people in the diplomatic field."

Fei Cexian thought for a moment before responding: "What Mr. Su said is not unreasonable, but Haihan rarely has any proposals that can be discussed with envoys from various countries. Even the South China Sea Alliance has been established long ago.

Did the Haihan people tell the truth? Besides, when we really wanted to use force against a country, how did we ask for the opinions of other countries? Mr. Su wants to win over people to form a diplomatic alliance, which is a good idea, but it may not be of practical value!"

Su Keyi said seriously: "Having said that, as a diplomat, you have to do something to stop Haihan's momentum. If you don't do anything, there will really be no hope in the future. I also know this fact.

It is like a mantis's arm acting as a chariot, but doing it when you know it cannot be done is the way to do your duty and be loyal!"

Fei Cexian had no idea that this Han diplomat who worked hard for the Dutch could actually speak such a righteous and awe-inspiring truth. He was a little shocked at the moment. He raised his glass and sighed: "Master Su is much more determined than me. Fei admires me."

!”

Su Keyi raised his glass and responded: "We all serve the country and are in different camps, so we will inevitably have disagreements, but as long as we find common interests, there is still the possibility of cooperation."

After the two had a drink, the atmosphere finally became more relaxed. The two sides tested each other and finally determined each other's general attitude. There were some relatively sensitive topics that could be discussed now.

"Master Su, in your opinion, if we want to curb Haihan's momentum of external expansion, where should we start?" Fei Cexian put down his glass and immediately asked Su Keyi a very explicit question.

Su Keyi knew in his heart that this was the other party's own knowledge when he was testing the school. If he couldn't tell me something, the other party probably wouldn't really relax and cooperate with him. He immediately responded seriously: "Haihan people are all about foreign expansion.

If we want to curb their momentum by taking the sea route, we must find ways to crack down on their maritime industry."

Fei Cexian shook his head and said: "That's easier said than done. Looking at the South China Sea, I'm afraid no country can fight head-on with the Haihan Navy at sea without falling behind, right?"

Su Keyi said: "Haihan's strong ships and powerful cannons are hard to match. Of course they can't defeat the Haihan people on the frontal battlefield, but I think commercial ships are the lifeblood of Haihan... Speaking of this, I miss the time when Shibazhi was still there.

When they were operating in Fujian waters, probably only Zheng Zhilong and his gang of pirates could slightly block Haihan's momentum."

Fei Cexian said: "The Eighteen Zhi are just a group of rabble, and they will never achieve anything. Besides, when Haihan raised troops to attack the pirates, it was just to find a reason to go north to Fujian."

Fei Cexian actually didn't finish what he said. There are no large-scale piracy activities in the Ming Dynasty. This is also the result of Haihan's repeated crackdowns over the years. Which one is more harmful to the Ming Dynasty: pirates or Haihan?

It is really not easy to weigh things. However, Fei Cexian knew that Shibazhi had some unclear interests with the Dutch and Spanish. After Haihan wiped out Shibazhi, these two families also

It is equivalent to losing the middleman who did smuggling business with Ming Dynasty. Naturally, this loss will be recorded on Haihan.

But it was precisely because of Zheng Zhilong and his gang of pirates who were acting recklessly in the Fujian Strait that Xu Xinsu, who was still serving in the Fujian Navy at the time, took refuge in Haihan for help. If not, it would not have been so easy for Haihan to find someone to intervene.

opportunities in Fujian, and the situation in Fujian may not develop into the current uncontrollable situation.

Su Keyi knew that the topic of Shibazhi would make Fei Cexian unhappy, so he immediately changed the subject and said: "Haihan's warships and merchant ships are very expensive to build. If it can hit Haihan's shipbuilding industry, that would be a way."

.”

Fei Cexian heard him mention shipbuilding and couldn't help but complain: "Your country just purchased a batch of warships from Haihan at a high price last year. Is this also a blow to Haihan's shipbuilding industry?"

Su Keyi's face turned red and he said: "At this moment, if I don't bid to buy those warships, my enemies will have to buy them, which will definitely threaten the safety of Batavia. Buying those ships

I did it out of necessity and made Master Fei laugh."

Fei Cexian said: "But having said that, even if you and I don't buy warships built by Haihan in the future, the impact on its shipbuilding industry will probably be minimal. I believe Master Su also understands the reason."

The reason is worthless to put it bluntly, that is, Haihan has no intention of selling warships to these two countries. After the East India Company bought that batch last year, it doesn’t know when or what month it will have the opportunity to place an order next time.

.As for the Ming Dynasty, no one except the Fujian military could buy warships made by Haihan.

The real major patrons of the Haihan shipbuilding industry are the Haihan Navy and domestic large-scale merchants, as well as a few large buyers such as Annan and Fujian who can purchase large quantities of warships from Haihan. The Haihan Navy is almost one ship a year.

The fleet was rapidly expanding its establishment. During this period, old ships were constantly being renovated and upgraded. Coupled with the orders for warships supplied to foreign countries, the number was indeed very impressive.

In recent years, Haihan domestic shipping companies have also begun to form private ocean-going fleets. From the beginning, a few Fuzhou and Guangzhou ships were the main force, and soon developed to a fleet of twenty or thirty ships, with an average tonnage of

In a large fleet of more than 300 people, whether it is carrying bulk cargo or immigrants, the efficiency of such a fleet is much higher than that of the traditional shipping model in the past. Of course, such an operation is indeed not something that everyone can imitate. The initial investment

The huge amount of money is enough to deter most maritime merchants.

The current routes run by private ocean-going fleets such as Haihan are still mainly around the Ming Dynasty in the north. They have not yet threatened the Dutch fleet, known as sea coachmen. However, in time, when these heavy loads are larger than the Dutch sailing ships,

After cargo ships enter the South China Sea, they will inevitably occupy the shipping market share that originally belonged to the Netherlands. Therefore, Su Keyi attaches great importance to this, but Ming Dynasty, whose original ocean shipping industry has shrunk very seriously, certainly does not care so much.

Seeing that the other party did not follow his own ideas, Su Keyi persuaded him from a different angle: "How much wealth Haihan earns from Ming Dynasty through maritime trade every year. I believe Mr. Fei knows better than me. If Haihan's navigation and shipbuilding continues to develop, Ming Dynasty will lose money."

In the future, we will only continue to give up the dominance of maritime trade, and let a large amount of taxes that should have gone into the national treasury flow into Haihan's pocket in vain. This move is extremely unwise."

Fei Cexian said: "The trading ports built by Haihan in the Ming Dynasty have several armies and naval forces stationed there. How dare you provoke them so easily! There was an unknown fire outside Hangzhou two years ago, and the Haihan fleet was dispatched to blockade the Qiantang River.

, the entire Zhejiang officialdom was complaining to the imperial court. Later, the Zhejiang side had no choice but to compromise and try to appease Haihan. With all due respect, unless we can find a way to expel Haihan's navy from the Ming Dynasty offshore, we will have to talk about it.

It’s not about taking back trade dominance.”

Su Keyi shook his head and said: "The enemy is strong and we are weak, so starting a war is a bad idea. I understand that Ming endured the humiliation and bear the burden. But to curb Haihan's momentum, this is not the only way to go."

Fei Cexian said: "We must not fight a war. Is it possible to find someone to set fire to the shipyard? Once exposed, the consequences will only be more serious! If Mr. Su has such a plan, I don't think there is any need to tell it.

"

Su Keyi smiled and said: "It's good to think about this kind of thing, but it can't be taken seriously. I'm not such a reckless person. Please rest assured, Mr. Fei, the methods I'm talking about are not so crude, and there is no need to take such a big risk."

"Oh? Then I would like to ask Mr. Su for some advice." Fei Cexian also became interested now and wanted to hear what kind of powerful method Su Keyi had.

Su Keyi said seriously: "Haihan vigorously develops the maritime industry simply because it is profitable. Not only the people of Haihan understand this, but our country is also well versed in its secrets. To be honest, your lord, the scope of our maritime trade is far greater than that of Haihan. This is

Little Nanhai is just one of our country's many overseas trade zones. It's just that it is tens of thousands of miles away from our country, and we can't expect much support from the country, so Haihan has the upper hand. What Haihan did is nothing more.

It is trying to monopolize the maritime trade channels of the Ming Dynasty in order to make huge profits. If this monopoly can be broken, its development momentum can naturally be slowed down."

Fei Cexian said: "Master Su, do you want our country to open its ports and introduce maritime merchants from your country to compete with Haihan?"

Su Keyi nodded and said: "Master Fei is really powerful. He can tell the truth in one point. This move will not only seize Haihan's trade share, but also our country will promise to make all transactions public, which will allow your country to increase a lot of taxes. For your country,

There are definitely more benefits than doing business with the Haihan people."

Fei Cexian thought that this sounds like a good move to drive away the tiger and devour the wolf. Letting the Dutch come forward to compete with Haihan in sea trade seems to have some obvious benefits for the Ming Dynasty, but if he wants to implement it, he is afraid that

It's not as simple as Su Keyi thought.

"Then Master Su, have you ever considered that if the Haihan people don't allow this to be carried out, or even directly use force to force each other, what are your and our plans? By then, I'm afraid that before the airs are put up, we will have to do it ourselves.

It’s been demolished.” Fei Cexian shook his head slightly and said, “I don’t think so!”

Su Keyi said: "There is no need to rush this matter at the moment. You can plan it slowly, with the goal of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries first, and we will talk about other things later. Although Haihan is domineering, he cannot interfere in other countries' diplomacy, right?"

Fei Cexian thought that was not necessarily the case. The Korean state had paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty for generations, and now it had the tendency to turn into a white-eyed wolf. There must have been the influence of Haihan who put pressure on it. But it was too shameless to say such a thing.

He would definitely not give this example to Su Keyi to prove his point.
Chapter completed!