1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 1106
Although the Haihan people had a private army, in Zhang Pucheng's view, the other party did not plunder the people, and did not attack the county seat. They took the initiative to send troops to clean up the cancer of the Wanjia army for Fushan County, and the contact with him afterwards was considered polite. There was no deliberate threat, and he took the initiative to give himself the credit for capturing the bandit leader Wan Meng. It didn't look like the behavior of a green forest tycoon.But Shangguanye had an old grudge with himself, and to Zhang Pucheng's ears, these words had a strong taste of sowing discord and telling stories.

Shangguanye smiled and said: "Master Zhang, you have been staying in a small place like Fushan County all year round, and it is inevitable that the news is blocked. I guess you have never heard of the background of the Haihan people, so you fell for their tricks! Whatever, I will be a good person today and tell you the inside story!"

When Shangguanye said this, he glanced at Zhang Pucheng who was next to him, and didn't continue talking.Zhang Pucheng knew what he meant, so he waved his hand to make his entourage avoid it first.

Then Shangguanye continued: "My brother is also serving in the army. He is currently serving as an errand in Linshanwei, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province. He also knows a little about the background of this Haihan man. In the previous correspondence, he mentioned it a lot. Zhang My lord, this group of people is not as simple as what you see. Do you know that the sea trade routes in the coastal area south of Zhejiang are almost all controlled by the Haihan people? The government doesn't dare to offend Haihan easily... Well, it's just like the situation in Fushan County today!"

Hearing this, Zhang Pucheng was dubious, and couldn't help but retort: ​​"The Haihan people opened ports and built ports for the purpose of doing shipping business. As long as they didn't break the law or make trouble, then what if the business is bigger? The power is overwhelming... I don't feel any disrespect from them to the local government, but they are much more disciplined than some people who let their subordinates do whatever they want!"

Zhang Pucheng's words were stinging, and Shangguanye could hear them, but he had another purpose in the first place, so he turned a deaf ear to this kind of ridicule at the moment, and continued: "The Haihan people have already occupied a lot of places in the south, and the methods used are nothing more than theirs. This action in Zhifu Bay is in the name of helping the local people and assisting the government to quell the chaos. They will not leave after occupying it. Then they will move the local people to other places for resettlement in the name of employment. They will also fight Under various banners, armed personnel are stationed in the local area to gradually replace the status of the local government. Master Zhang, think about it, are the Haihan people implementing this routine now?"

In fact, Zhang Pucheng was already secretly surprised while listening. The methods mentioned by Shangguanye were indeed being used one by one by the Haihan people in Fushan County, and the progress was extremely fast. In just a few days, the methods mentioned by Shangguanye Almost all of these methods have been used.He didn't think about the real intention of the Haihan people to do these things before, but now that he thinks about it slowly, it seems that the real purpose is not that simple.

However, he still refused to believe Shangguanye's statement, shook his head and retorted: "These things, they are indeed doing, but these purposes are all imagined by you, and there is no real evidence, how can I accept it?"

Shangguan Ye said: "It is true that they are all in the south. Is Mr. Zhang free to visit Fuguang, Jiangsu and Zhejiang?"

Zhang Pucheng said: "I'm not an idler with nothing to do, how can I put down my official duties and go to the south just because of a few gossips. If Mr. Shangguan can't produce any evidence, don't waste any more time with me! "

Seeing Zhang Pucheng's resolute attitude, Shangguanye's face gradually darkened: "Master Zhang, do you know that the Haihan people have already established a country in the south? If you join forces with him, you will be guilty of cheating inside and outside. If you are investigated and prosecuted, not only you I can't keep my official position, I'm afraid my family will be implicated!"

Zhang Pucheng was really taken aback this time: "Establish...to establish a country? This...how is...possible?"

Shangguanye saw that Zhang Pucheng's mood fluctuated violently, and he knew that his trump card had also paid off, so he said unhurriedly: "These Haihan people have occupied some islands in the south, bribed the local government on the coast, and thought that there was no one there. It can be restrained, so that the Haihan Kingdom can be established on its own this year, and the people who were rescued by it and transported to the south for resettlement will naturally become the citizens of the Haihan Kingdom. Master Zhang, don’t say that this Haihan Kingdom has not been recognized by my Ming Dynasty , Even if they really established diplomatic relations with our DPRK, this blatant human trafficking is definitely a serious crime."

Zhang Pucheng tremblingly asked: "Is there any evidence for the theory of establishing a country?"

Shangguanye shook his head and said: "As I just said, the evidence is all in the south. Shandong is thousands of miles away from their territory, and not many people have even heard of Haihan. If I didn't have an elder brother working in Zhejiang, The news is better than here, and it is also impossible to guess the background of this Haihan person. If Mr. Zhang really wants to prove it, there is a simple way. After you return to Fushan County, invite the Haihan person to ask him face to face. Has the truth come out?"

Zhang Pucheng had been completely led by Shangguanye at this time, and immediately asked: "If they don't admit such a rebellious thing, what should they do?"

"Don't admit it?" Shangguanye laughed and said: "You underestimate the structure of this group of people. According to my brother's letter, the governors, chief envoys, and inspectors in Fuguang and Guangxi in the south go down to such The county magistrates, master books, and classics at the level of Mr. Zhang all obey the Haihan people. They can come and go freely in the big cities and towns along the coast, and they are not restricted by the laws of the Ming Dynasty. Their establishment of the country is not carried out in secret. Yazhou on Qiongzhou Island in the South China Sea is famous for allocating prisoners, but because it is too far away from Shandong, the relevant news has not yet come. For them, it is probably just a matter of looking at the situation to decide whether they need to take the initiative to mention it, rather than admitting it or not question."

Hearing what he said clearly and logically, Zhang Pucheng felt a little guilty at the moment. He suddenly found that the information he had was far inferior to the guy in front of him. The psychological disadvantage brought about by this information asymmetry made him a little at a loss. He didn't know whether he should trust Shangguan. Ye Ye's almost alarmist remarks should stick to his previous views, ignore his instigation, and continue to maintain a cooperative relationship with the Haihan people.

Zhang Pucheng suddenly thought of something, this Shangguanye is not a good person, why did he find himself to raise this matter?He tried so hard to convince himself to believe the information he provided, did he want to use it as an excuse to blackmail himself, or did he want to use it to make trouble for some kind of gain?Regardless of the purpose, Zhang Pu CD can be sure that the other party's actions and words must have no good intentions.

Zhang Pucheng became wary, but calmed down at the moment: "Master Shangguan, since this Haihan has made such a big splash in the south, as you said, if he is accused of being a foreigner here, it is also the southern official who should be punished by the court first." It's the right thing to do. Since the court hasn't made a statement yet, what's the crime?"

Shangguanye saw that the previous rhetoric failed to scare Zhang Pucheng, so he changed his phrase and said: "Master Zhang, the water in the south is too deep for people like you and me to wade through, but there is no such precedent in Shandong. If you If you can't control your position, you are the No. 1 person who committed this crime!"

Zhang Pucheng saw that the other party was still coaxing and intimidating, and now he felt that there was a fraud, so he simply asked directly: "Master Shangguan, what is your problem with this Haihan man? What is your intention to try to drag this official into the water?" ?”

Shangguanye saw that Zhang Pucheng asked so straightforwardly, and knew that relying on the previous rhetoric would not be effective, so he simply told the truth: "Master Zhang, do you know that this Haihan people are rich and have countless treasures, no matter where they go Everywhere, they rely on bribery to open the way."

Zhang Pu thought that this might be the truth. Given the combat level of his private army, the scale of recruiting refugees, and the generous gifts he gave, it was obvious that ordinary businessmen could not afford it. This level of folk plutocrats exists.The day before yesterday, I had a meeting with the Haihan people, who boasted that they owned hundreds of thousands of hectares of arable land in the south. If this is true, their wealth is indeed unimaginable.

Then I heard Shangguanye continue to say: "Although I don't know how much benefits Mr. Zhang has taken from them, it must be a lot of money... But this is not the point, Mr. Zhang, if you are willing to cooperate with me, you must get a seat from the hands of the Haihan people." Jinshan is not impossible."

Zhang Pucheng's pupils shrank slightly, and he thought that this was the case. After so much saliva was spent on paving the way, he was finally seeking money. This coincided with his perception of the unscrupulous Shangguanye image.It's just that the Haihan people are not only rich, and if they want to get money from them, they may not be able to afford the price.He has seen with his own eyes how Haihan's private army defeated the bandit-armed Wanjia Army twice cleanly in Fushan County. above.

The most important thing is that the Haihan people did not do their best in these two battles, and they defeated their opponents at a very relaxed pace. Therefore, Zhang Pucheng, as a spectator, did not have a clear idea of ​​the true strength of his private army. know.But in terms of what he has already shown, Zhang Pucheng would never want to provoke such a difficult opponent. With the lessons learned from Wan Jiajun's self-inflicted death, Zhang Pucheng didn't even think about it.

Shangguanye observed the words and expressions, and believed that the slight change in Zhang Pucheng's expression was influenced by himself, so he continued to strike while the iron was hot: "Master Zhang, Haihan people have a lot of money, and your Fushan County has no money at all, and it is difficult to achieve political achievements. Have you ever thought about giving it to me?" Get yourself a hundred and eighty thousand taels of silver, and then resign and go back to be a rich man?"

Zhang Pucheng sneered and said, "One hundred thousand and eighty thousand taels of silver? Did it fall from the sky? Lord Shangguan said it easily."

Shangguan Ye said: "If Mr. Zhang is willing to cooperate with me, it is really not difficult to extract this money from the Haihan people."

Zhang Pucheng said: "Could it be that you want to kidnap Haihan people?"

Shangguanye did not make a sound, but the expression on his face was that he had already admitted Zhang Pucheng's guess.

Zhang Pucheng shook his head and said: "Lord Shangguan, you are overthinking. When you have the opportunity to contact the Haihan people in the future, you will know that this is absolutely impossible."

Shangguan Ye said: "It's definitely not good to come directly. I heard that the Haihan private army is extremely powerful. The bandits and pirates in the south are all invincible. The local garrison even depends on their face. If I lead an army to attack Fushan County, I'm afraid that this group of people will see that the situation is not good, and flee directly from Zhifu Bay back to the sea, and then it will be a waste of time to fetch water from the bamboo basket?"

Zhang Pu intentionally said that your thinking is simple. Zhifu Island is easy to defend and difficult to attack. The Haihan private army is equipped with many firearms with long range and high lethality. There will be a corresponding increase. People will leave by boat if they can't beat their buttocks.

But Zhang Pucheng didn't say anything, just waited to see what kind of tricks Shangguanye had.If the other party really planned to directly use force against the Haihan people, then he would definitely take a neutral attitude and watch the fun from the sidelines.

Shangguanye went on to say: "Since Mr. Zhang has had contact with the Haihan people, they must have a certain degree of trust in you. If you find a reasonable excuse to meet with them, you should not refuse. At that time, the official will ambush people in secret , wouldn't it be extremely easy to capture him and let Haihan redeem him with money?"

Zhang Pucheng said: "Your Majesty Shangguan is relieved, when the time comes, Hai Han will definitely settle this account on me, good idea, good idea!"

Shangguan Ye said: "It's easy to do. Let the person who does the work pretend to be a bandit. You and I will act together. Then you will act as the middleman, hand over the ransom for Haihan, and take back the hostages. Wouldn't it be perfect?"

The more Zhang Pucheng listened to it, the more he felt that it was outrageous. He only felt that Shangguanye's plan was too crude, and he thought too simple of the Haihan people.If I follow this method, I'm afraid that Fushan County will fall under Haihan's iron heel at any time.The money is good, but instead of trying to figure out the illusory amount, it is better to accept the so-called "office sponsorship" that Hai Han will pay every three months.

"I can't do it!" Zhang Pucheng shook his head again and again, rejecting Shangguanye's proposal: "I have never had any enmity with the Haihan people, how can I do such outrageous things for money!"

Shangguanye talked for a long time, seeing that Zhang Pucheng was still unwilling to cooperate, he lost his patience at the moment, and asked calmly, "Master Zhang really refuses to cooperate?"

"Forgive me!" Zhang Pucheng thought in his heart that this plan would not work, so he would not follow Shangguanye to take such a risk.Shangguanye can still run away when he makes trouble, but where can he go as the magistrate of Fushan County?
"Sir Shangguan wants to trouble the Hai Han people, and I will not stop him, but don't get involved with me." Zhang Pucheng feared that it would be bad luck, and immediately raised his hand and said: "Master Shangguan, please!"

Shangguan Ye stood up angrily and left the table. When he turned around, he lowered his voice and cursed: "I don't know how to flatter you! You will have a better time in the future!"

(End of this chapter)