1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 1748 Even if you see it through, you are helpless

With the eyes of the local government and the information that can be accessed, it is difficult to judge and interpret some of Haihan's actions from a higher perspective, and they are often led by the nose by Haihan because of their limited vision. , such as Zhejiang, Shandong and other places.Most of the government in these places turned a blind eye to Haihan's behavior, either in order to calm things down, or to use power for profit, and even secretly cooperated to maintain the superficial peaceful coexistence.

The information received by the Ming court is of course more comprehensive, but there are still many misreports and omissions after the local government has deceived and concealed it. It is still difficult to accurately assess the real purpose of certain measures taken by Haihan.Moreover, Daming is currently in a difficult situation, and there are many disturbances that threaten the ruling class. Haihan's problem has not yet reached the point of imminent danger, and even in the past two years, he has been able to share a little pressure for Daming.Therefore, although the imperial court had many dissatisfaction with Haihan, it still tolerated the overstepping behavior of this strong neighbor.

Fei Cexian also believed that what Haihan did to Ming was only for the purpose of seeking money, at least he did not invade Daming on a large scale when he had a military advantage in some areas, which seemed to prove that Haihan claimed that he had no malicious intentions towards Ming.But when he actually came to Sanya, the capital of Haihan Kingdom, and received more comprehensive information here, he gradually realized that Haihan's intentions were quite sinister. It's not that Haihan has much kindness towards Daming.

Why can these advanced warships be sold to Annan, Champa, Fujian, and even the Dutch with high noses and deep eyes, but they are not willing to sell them to Daming, who is close at hand and is called a "friendly neighbor" by Haihan officials, Fei Cexian He no longer believed those hypocritical rhetoric, he believed that there was only one truth, that is, the Haihan people did not want Daming to have a strong maritime force, so as not to threaten their almost overwhelming dominance in the coastal waters of Daming.

However, Haihan's strategy in the international arms trade is not independent. If we link it with Haihan's expansion trajectory over the years, we will find that Haihan's control of the coastline of Daming from south to north runs through its development. history.It may be a coincidence that the strength of the Haihan Navy was almost at the same time as the decline of the Daming Coastal Navy, but Fei Cexian prefers to understand it as Haihan intentionally creating such a situation.

Looking at the naval divisions along the coast of Daming, the Shandong Navy, which was originally the number one in the north, had been torn apart during the Denglai Rebellion in the early years. Most of them were coerced by Kong Youde's rebels and went to Liaodong to join the enemy. Later, they collapsed in the Haihan Navy previous cross-sea strikes.There are no good ports along the coast of Jiangsu, and the navy has never been a standard configuration.The Zhejiang navy was exhausted in the sea-han army's occupation of Shipu Port, attacking the Zhoushan Islands, and subsequent operations to block Hangzhou Bay. The few remaining naval forces also retreated to the Qiantang River and the Yangtze River, and no longer went to sea. It's boring.

In Fuguang and Guangxi, which are further south, the Fujian Navy has always had the same nostrils as Haihan, and now it has openly disobeyed the imperial court's dispatch arrangements, so naturally it can no longer place any hope on it.In the early years, the navy in Guangdong and Guangxi was wiped out by Haihan in various ways, and now those who are active in the Pearl River under the name of navy may not be people from Daming.

When the thousands of miles long coastline is full of defensive loopholes with wide open doors, why should Haihan rush to choose one of them for a large-scale invasion?Even Fei Cexian, who is a civil servant, understands this truth, but it is a pity that there are very few people in the court who can see and understand this international situation. Giving up the sovereignty of the land occupied by it, and opening up trade in the coastal areas, without realizing that Haihan has gradually swallowed up the control of the coastal areas of Daming.

Yesterday's diplomatic dinner and today's arms fair, Fei Cexian has seen many things that he didn't understand before. Haihan after tearing off the mask of hypocrisy is not as simple as Daming thinks. All signs show that Haihan The suppression of Daming is gradually being strengthened.This is not just about occupying a few small islands on the coastline of Daming to build ports, or embargoing large-scale arms sales, but to set the tone of the diplomacy between the two sides as one master and one slave, and Ming is the passive side.

The dignified Ming Empire has been established for more than 200 years. When was it bullied so badly by foreign countries?Even the strong northern neighbor who is now in full swing can only see the truth on the battlefield. He has never eaten Daming to death in the diplomatic circle like Haihan.If it was still in the Wanli period when the national power was relatively strong, Haihan's behavior would have caused the imperial court to order the war.

It's a pity that the present is not as good as it used to be. Even if Fei Cexian won't admit it, he still understands that Daming has indeed been in poor condition in the past ten years, and the national strength has been declining. Otherwise, Hai Han would not have come from overseas. The armed maritime gangs took root in the country, and finally divided the territory and formed a country of its own.

But what frustrates him the most is not that Hai Han's villain got his way, and now he has bullied the Lord after gaining power, but that even if he can see through Hai Han's tricks and know that he has ulterior motives for Da Ming, he still has no way to resolve Da Ming's actions Passive situation.

In the international gathering held in Sanya, even if Daming was not the host, he should have been the center of attention of diplomatic envoys from various countries. However, the actual situation in front of him was that everyone was surrounding Bai Kesi and Zhang Tiangui to inquire about the specific matters of ordering warships.From the beginning to the end, no one came to ask for his opinion, no one asked "Will Daming buy it", and no one cared whether he would make Daming feel unhappy after buying the warship.

Daming's position is not taken seriously here.These diplomatic envoys would rather spend time pondering the attitude represented by the subtle expressions of senior officials in Haihan, rather than take the initiative to exchange a few words about the arms trade with him.Fei Cexian felt isolated, but he knew that this might not be true, it might just be that other people really didn't care about Daming.

After all, no matter how much they tried to please Fei Cexian, they couldn't get the equipment they wanted from Daming, so they had to ask the Haihan people in the end.And the maritime trade between the outside world and Daming is almost monopolized by Haihan, it doesn't matter if he offends Daming, but it is really troublesome if he offends Haihan, the delay in making money is still secondary.

Look at the unlucky Spaniards, who were driven back to Manila by Haihan from Taiwan Island a few years ago, and this year they simply gave up their old nest.Just ask the countries in the South China Sea that depend on the sea for food, which one dares to say that it is stronger than Spain.Haihan's way of establishing his prestige is no longer to kill chickens to scare monkeys, but to directly kill the bully who was originally one of the most powerful in the South China Sea.

Seeing that it was getting late and it was almost time for dinner, Fei Cexian sighed and stood up slowly.He knew that there would be another official dinner, and there might be some celebrations at night, such as envoys from various countries and high-ranking Haihan officials watching the grand fireworks celebration together.But right now, he has no interest in flirting with the group of people in the venue. He just wants to be alone and think about how to continue his errands in the future.

When Fei Cexian left, a person from the Haihan Ministry of Foreign Affairs came to inquire. He didn't bother to explain his feelings. He only said that he was not feeling well and didn't want to participate in the subsequent dinner.The staff member confirmed that he didn't need to call a doctor for on-site diagnosis and treatment, so he rushed out ahead to arrange a carriage for him.

After getting in the car, the driver asked him if he would go back to the Ying Hotel. Fei Cexian suddenly felt that it was inappropriate to go back to the accommodation provided by Haihan after he was sullen, so he asked the driver to drive to Sanya city for a while. Organize your thoughts, and take a look at finding a quiet place to solve the dinner problem.

From Shengli Fort to the south and pass through Shengli Square, you will find the most prosperous landscape avenue in Shengligang City. About [-]% of the shops in Sanya are concentrated here, and about half of them are in the service industry. There are all kinds of food, drink and entertainment. It is said to be one of the top selling gold caves in the South China Sea.

In addition to supervising the construction of the embassy, ​​Fei Cexian went to the municipal library to read various materials. In his spare time, he also came here to feel the atmosphere of the world.To be precise, it is to enjoy the Haihan style of life.

Leaving aside the grievances between the two countries and the irritating attitude of senior Haihan officials, in all fairness Fei Cexian still likes the living environment here. It is safe, prosperous, convenient, and clean. Most of the words of praise he can think of can be used in The local area is even more livable than the Ming capital thousands of miles to the north.

Although the city has no city walls, the armed fleet stationed in Shengli Harbor and the densely packed coastal defense forts on the Yulin Peninsula are enough to give residents the greatest sense of security.It is said that the Spanish fleet attacked Sanya the year before last and was defeated without even touching the shore. At that time, many local people fearlessly went to the port to watch the battle.

Fei Cexian didn't know how many city defense troops Haihan had stationed here, but he had checked the local chronicles of Sanya in the library. Since the opening of Shengli Port, there was not even a single army that could break through the sea defense here, let alone logged in.In the South China Sea region, Hue, Batavia, and Manila, which are famous for their high-walled cities, have all been attacked, and the fall of two of them was the masterpiece of the Haihan army.

Not to mention the prosperity, Sanya has become the most prosperous trading port in the entire South China Sea a few years ago, and now it has brought together the top sources of goods and a lot of wealth from all countries in the South China Sea. Possibly a millionaire.Hundreds of ships of various types enter and leave the two harbors of Shengli Port and Sanya Port every day, and the registered permanent personnel have more than ten nationalities, most of whom are businessmen from various countries in the South China Sea.

Transnational trade not only makes Sanya prosperous, but also brings many conveniences. Buyers can complete their purchases in one stop here, and they don’t have to work hard to travel between countries. As long as they have money, they can almost You can buy various products from the entire Far East.Fei Cexian has seen some special products from the northern inland area of ​​Ming Dynasty on the market. These things may not be sold even in Fuguang area, but they can be bought in stores in Sanya.As for many products from overseas, it was even more novel to him, but he didn't know enough about Haihan's trade strategy, and he didn't quite understand what the so-called "East-West Trade Hub" meant in this era.

However, in such a city with a population approaching the [-] mark, the urban area can be kept clean and tidy, and domestic garbage and sewage have corresponding treatment methods. It is not like many big cities at the same time, where the air is full of words that are indescribable. weird smell.The perfect entry epidemic inspection and medical measures have prevented large-scale epidemics in this city. The pharmacies and clinics opened here also enjoy special policy care to ensure that the industry is profitable.Anyone with a discerning eye can see the resources that Haihan has invested in this aspect, and Fei Cexian can only admire this.

Of course, he would not recognize Haihan's excellence in municipal management, and only regarded it as another example of "money is easy to do."After all, whether it is the large number of personnel required to keep the city clean, or the infrastructure projects for building sewers, the cost is by no means small.Probably only a master like Haihan who is not short of money can invest funds in these various details.

Living in such a city, as long as the wealth is not too bad, life can be very comfortable.Although Fei Cexian had many dislikes towards Haihan, after living here for a few months, he had to admit that Sanya was indeed a livable place, completely different from the wilderness of "the ends of the earth" in the old impression. are two concepts.Many Ming merchants would travel thousands of miles here to do business, even enclose land to build houses, and immigrate to change nationality. In fact, most of them took a fancy to the living environment here, and they cannot be simply generalized as "treason".

It was dinner time at this time, and the places to eat near the landscape avenue were quite lively, and there were quite a few people calling friends outside the restaurants and restaurants.But when Fei Cexian saw such a scene through the car window, he felt the loneliness of being alone.

He has been in Sanya for several months, but it is true that he has not made any friends here.On the one hand, it’s because he’s new here, so he doesn’t dare to trust the people here easily; on the other hand, the people who have the most frequent daily dealings with him are almost all the staff of Haihan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and envoys from various countries. Fei Cexian also relied on his status as an envoy of the Ming Dynasty, so he would not take the initiative to hand over the details, so naturally he did not have much friendship to speak of.

But he is not the kind of hypocritical literati who quickly put this negative emotion behind him.At this time, he just wanted to quickly shift his attention to other places, and stop worrying about the situation of the past two days.

When we arrived at a crossroad, the coachman said that there were several carriages in front of him, presumably because he was waiting for passengers at the entrance of the restaurant.Fei Cexian waited for a while and saw that there was still no movement, so he simply got out of the car and rewarded the driver with a little money to let him go back on his own.

(End of this chapter)