1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 1729 Diplomatic Dinner
Last year, after the Ministry of War Minister Mei Shengchuan watched the battle in Liaodong, he had already brought back the status of Haihan's military and colonial deployment in the area to the Ming court.Since then, the Ming court has known that the Haihan people came to Liaodong uninvited, and I am afraid they have no plans to leave. These South China Sea soldiers beat Jin so hard, not to flatter Ming. Instead, he wants to sign the Liaodong Peninsula from Houjin and take it as his own.

As for Daming's opinion on this, the Haihan people probably have no scruples. After all, when they sent troops into Liaodong, they never took the initiative to communicate with Daming from the beginning to the end. Talk about conditions.

The result of Mei Shengchuan's negotiation in Liaodong also confirmed Haihan's ambition. Not only did Daming fail to recover Liaodong from the opponent, but he was also asked to recognize Haihan's actual control over Liaodong.Of course, this fig leaf cannot be torn off in the end, so although Daming chose to compromise in the end, he did not publicly admit that he had lost control of Liaodong.

There are still people in the court who are more optimistic, thinking that in the future, these places that originally belonged to Daming may be recovered through negotiations, but only officials who have really been in contact with Haihan, such as Mei Shengchuan and Fei Cexian, will understand this. This optimism is simply one-sided delusion.Not only will Haihan not return the Ming territory they occupied, but it is very likely that they will intensify their efforts and occupy more places in the future.

But as long as Daming doesn't admit it, theoretically these lands belong to Daming. Fei Cexian never thought that Haihan would take such unilateral measures as creating public opinion to seize Daming's territory. He was quite optimistic that Daming was in Sanya After the embassy was built, the diplomatic relations between the two countries could gradually enter a normal state, but this action of the Haihan people undoubtedly gave him a heavy slap in the face and woke him up from his fantasy.

Recalling Ning Qi's smile when he greeted him just now, Fei Cexian felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and even the other party's smile seemed to have a three-point mockery.Of course, this may just be his illusion, but once this kind of thought arises, it will be like a stick in his throat, making him very uncomfortable.

Fei Cexian wanted to find Ning Qi to verify this matter immediately, but he saw many people around Ning Qi. Presumably, many people planned to get some news from Ning Qi, just like the Portuguese and the Dutch Do the same now.Fei Cexian sighed secretly, and thought that Ning Qi was also in charge of Haihan's propaganda, cultural and educational affairs. If this is true, then it is likely that he was planning in the middle, and maybe even related articles in the newspapers have his imprint .

As for the military cooperation proposed by the Portuguese Thomas, this is not something Fei Cexian can decide. His military function as an ambassador is to observe Haihan's movements so that Daming can prevent Haihan's possible invasion offensive.But whether Ming Dynasty should conduct military cooperation with other countries, the court has not yet discussed a clear result, because no one is sure what the consequences of introducing military power from other countries will be.

Even Portugal, which once cooperated with Daming, is still an unreliable foreign country in the eyes of the Ming court, and its level is no different from that of Haihan.It is better to ask for others than to ask for oneself. Da Ming still pinned his hope of fighting against the outside world and securing the interior on his own troops.

"If our Ming army can have the combat capability of the Haihan army, why worry about civil strife and invincibility of the Tartars!" After thinking about it, Fei Cexian felt that the root cause was that his own strength was not enough, so he would only be troubled in vain, otherwise he would do nothing After the Jinhaihan peasant army, all of them should be wiped out.

However, Fei Cexian still does not have a clear answer as to why Ming Dynasty, which has ruled on the mainland for more than 200 years, is inferior in military strength to a small country in the South China Sea that has only been officially established for three years.In addition to advanced weapons and tactics, he believes that the Haihan Army, which can continue to win foreign wars, must have certain characteristics unknown to the outside world.However, due to limited vision and professional knowledge, he was unable to realize the role of the huge military logistics system behind the Haihan Army and the invisible and intangible political and industrial measures.

While talking, a waiter had already come over to ask them to return to their seats, ready to start the dinner.Fei Cexian happened to be happy and quiet, bid farewell to the envoys of the two countries, and then sat back in his seat.

Today's banquet hall layout is the result of discussion at the Executive Committee meeting. All foreign envoys and invited important figures will eat at a separate table. Some senior officials in China also enjoy such treatment.The nine executive members of the executive committee are a little special. Their seats are located in the north direction of the entire venue, facing these guests.This makes it easier for them to deliver speeches and communicate face-to-face with the guests.

The entire banquet seats are arranged in a fan shape, centered on the seats of the executive committee members.Fei Cexian's seat was in the row closest to the executive committee, and it was in the center, which relieved him a little from the injury he had just received.This kind of treatment at least shows that Haihan still attaches great importance to Daming, and will take the initiative to give the highest level of courtesy.

After the guests were seated in sevens and eights, the rightful host finally appeared, and a group of high-ranking Haihan officials headed by Tao Donglai appeared in front of everyone.Some of the guests who didn't fully recognize them asked around immediately.

After the group of people were seated, Tao Donglai began to speak: "First of all, I would like to thank all distinguished guests for coming to Sanya and participating in our country's National Day celebrations. When I crossed the ocean and landed in Yulin Bay ten years ago, this place was still a It is barren, but today, ten years later, Sanya is already the leading trading port in the South China Sea. We invite you to come here, hoping to witness the process of Haihan from unknown to powerful together with other countries."

Tao Donglai's words were broadcast through a microphone from the speakers at the four corners of the banquet hall, even those who sat a little further away could hear them clearly.Although this method is novel, it is not surprising to some foreign envoys stationed in Sanya. After all, every time there is a major celebration in Haihan, this device that can amplify the sound will be used in public places.

Tao Donglai's words fell on some people's ears, and it was a bit unpleasant. After all, every step Haihan took to become stronger was almost based on foreign wars, and the continuous external expansion made this country able to grow in ten years. Within a year, he would grow from nothing, grow from weak to strong, and become a tyrant in the South China Sea.And those countries that Haihan used force to attack became the stepping stones for this change.

Among them, Daming is the most important. After all, when Haihan landed in Yulin Bay, not a single inch of land belonged to them.However, Haihan not only took advantage of Ming's territory to settle down, but eventually even forcibly occupied Hainan Island to establish a country. In the eyes of the Ming court, this behavior was tantamount to occupying a magpie's nest.

Therefore, even today, there are still many people in Ming Dynasty who strongly oppose the establishment of diplomatic relations with Haihan. They believe that it is because Haihan's parasitic behavior was allowed in the past that the situation in the South China Sea got out of control and Daming Territory lost.Establishing diplomatic relations with Haihan is undoubtedly a tacit consent to their occupation of Hainan Island, which will inevitably lead to more intensified invasions in the future.

Fei Cexian listened to Tao Donglai's speech with a solemn expression. He was chosen as the ambassador to Haihan, so he would not be a stubborn opponent, but he still let him feel the strong attitude revealed in Tao Donglai's words. Feeling very uncomfortable.

Tao Donglai continued: "During this celebration, in addition to the traditional military parade, we will also organize an exhibition of the construction achievements of the past ten years. The latest research results in navigation and other fields. I think that after reading it, you should have a more comprehensive understanding and understanding of the situation in our country, and you will have more confidence in your future cooperation with our country.”

Among the countries that have established diplomatic relations with Haihan, Annan is probably the only one who is determined to be tied to Haihan, so they have in-depth cooperation in these aspects mentioned by Tao Donglai.While most other countries prefer one or two of them, Haihan is obviously not satisfied with this situation.Of course, the research results that guests from all over the world are most interested in should be concentrated in the military field. After all, the combat effectiveness of the Haihan Army is obvious to all. Everyone is very concerned about how much the force of this ever-victorious army will improve. space.

Haihan's display of military research results is often arranged in the annual cross-military exercise and the promotion meeting of each arms sales tender.Of course, the annual military parade during the National Day is also a highlight, but this link is too fleeting, and it is difficult for the audience to understand the performance characteristics of weapons through this kind of observation.

In addition to these channels, there is also a relatively small method, which is to join the military observation group organized by Haihan, and go to the forefront of Haihan's foreign wars in the name of observation, and learn about Haihan's weapon performance and combat tactics up close.Of course, not everyone can have such a qualification, and generally only countries that are allied with Haihan militarily can enjoy this special treatment.

Of course, Fei Cexian is also very interested in this, but he is a civil servant and doesn't know much about military equipment. It is estimated that he has to pick a military officer to complete the errand of visiting the military exhibition. Fei Cexian himself is more interested in Hai Han's achievements in culture, economy and trade.Over the years, Haihan has been continuously importing those strange skills and obscene things to Daming, and at the same time, he has used official positions to lure and encourage scholars from Daming to become naturalized Haihan. In Fei Cexian's view, only after he understands these methods of Haihan can he find a way to give them Counter.

As for the economic and trade contest, it is difficult for Fei Cexian to have any ideas.Haihan people are known for being good at doing business, and Haihan Bank has become a large financial institution with multinational operations. How deep is the water here? Fei Cexian knows that he can't stand it anyway, and he will probably drown if he jumps in. in it, so he wisely chose to skip the field.

Of course, those who are interested in this are not always holding Fei Cexian's intention to tear down the stage. In fact, most countries are still optimistic about the cooperation with Haihan. After all, the people sitting here at this time represent The countries and forces in the world have more or less tasted the sweetness from the cooperation with Haihan, and are also interested in gaining greater benefits from the cooperation.

"As for the specific schedule of these activities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will inform you later. Everyone will get a detailed schedule, so you don't have to worry about missing the exciting content." Tao Donglai raised his glass when he came here: "I won't Continue to talk nonsense, if you talk for a while, the dishes on everyone's tables will be cold. I wish the world peace, please!"

Fei Cexian raised his wine glass, thinking that the one who makes the world uneasy is not your Haihan Kingdom?After fighting here and there every year, it is through non-stop foreign wars that they have been able to occupy so many overseas territories. What qualifications do they have to say a toast like peace in the world.If it wasn't for this special occasion, Fei Cexian really wanted to refute Tao Donglai's lies in person.

Li Xi, the North Korean special envoy who was not far away from him, was very excited to hear that. His purpose of coming to Sanya was not only to maintain the diplomatic relations between the two countries, but also to learn about Haihan’s ability to work in Sanya. The secret to becoming powerful in just a few years.Although he also knows that there are some things that cannot be learned just by understanding, but even if he learns a scrap of skill, he may be able to help North Korea improve its national strength in the future.

Although the alliance between North Korea and Hai Han was forced to sign, Li Xi didn't have as complicated thoughts about Hai Han as Fei Cexian.Over the past 200 years, North Korea has always respected Ming Dynasty, but when the North Koreans suddenly discovered that there is a country in the South China Sea that is more powerful than Ming Dynasty, this psychology of worshiping the strong slowly shifted unconsciously.The strength that Haihan displayed on the Liaodong battlefield was obviously stronger than that of Daming, who was expelled from this area by Houjin, and the strong man that North Korea expected to rescue itself from Houjin's iron heels seemed to be Haihan. It is more appropriate to play this role.

However, when he thought of the envoy of Ming Dynasty sitting not far from him, Li Xi felt somewhat apprehensive.Everyone knows that Daming is going downhill, but this country still has great authority in the hearts of North Koreans.Although North Korea intends to cooperate well with Hai Han, it does not dare to easily offend the suzerain country, unless it is to let Hai Han stand up and support itself.

However, Li Xi also understands that no matter from which point of view, the common interests of Haihan and Daming are obviously more than that of North Korea, so it is impossible to expect Haihan to stand on his side at this stage.He also saw the scene of Ning Qi chatting with Fei Cexian earlier, and he was also hesitating in his heart whether he should take the initiative to greet Fei Cexian to get acquainted.But then Fei Cexian was approached by the ambassadors of the Netherlands and Portugal, so Li Xi had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​approaching him for a chat.

(End of this chapter)