1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 1753 Diplomacy
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 attempts have more or less suffered. The same is true for Daming and the Netherlands. Sufferer.Of course, in terms of the degree of infringement, Daming should be the biggest sufferer in the world. After all, not to mention the land occupied by Haihan, it has absorbed 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 Daming's body.

But now the sufferer has to bow to Haihan due to the situation, relying on the establishment of diplomatic relations to prevent Haihan's massive invasion, and open the treaty ports in exchange for the military assistance provided by the other party - of course, this assistance is not free, and it is expensive.How humiliating this is to Daming, who has always claimed to be the king of heaven, probably only the person involved can truly understand.

Even though Su Keyi was a Han, he couldn't fully understand Fei Cexian's feelings, but he knew that this man was not willing to submit to Haihan's suppression, and even tried several times to fight for Daming's due status and dignity on diplomatic occasions.What Su Keyi wants to know now is whether the other party is willing to let go of his past prejudices for Daming's benefit and choose to cooperate with him to fight against Haihan.

Of course, as for whether state-to-state diplomatic relations can be established between Ming and the Netherlands in the future, it is still too early to say. After all, political decisions at this level cannot be decided by the two diplomats. up.What Su Keyi can do now is to establish a good relationship with Fei Cexian as much as possible. It is best to be able to unify their attitude on the diplomatic battlefield and fight together.

Hearing this, Fei Cexian slowly put down the chopsticks in his hand. Of course, he could understand the tentative meaning in Su Keyi's words, but this kind of thing is not a dinner treat, and it's over if you just agree to it. If you really want to join forces with Su Keyi, then You must first consider the risks that may arise from this.

Haihan's strength in the diplomatic field is backed by his current international influence. This is also the main reason why everyone dare not turn against Haihan, although they refuse to admit defeat.It is not a problem to confront Haihan, but not any country can afford the corresponding consequences.

Fei Cexian decided to proceed cautiously. After all, he has no friendship with Su Keyi, and he still can't understand this person's temper for the time being. His personal risk is small. It may affect Daming's safety.

"I don't know what Master Su means by joining forces, can you explain one or two for me?" Fei Cexian immediately kicked the ball back to Su Keyi.

Seeing that the other party was noncommittal, but asked himself to explain further, Su Keyi faintly felt that the matter was interesting, so he explained seriously: "Although Haihan is powerful in force, not all matters in the diplomatic field can be resolved by force. I don't think there is any need to explain this. Master Fei can also understand. The Haihan people want to be the leaders of the South China Sea. In addition to their hard fists, they have to deal with many countries at the negotiating table slowly. Of course, it is difficult to compete with them alone. But if everyone can unify their opinions and work together to attack, it might be impossible to compete with the Haihan people in the diplomatic field."

Fei Cexian thought for a moment before responding: "Master Su's words are not unreasonable, but Haihan now has very few proposals that can be discussed with the envoys of various countries. Even the South China Sea Alliance has long been established. Have the Haihan people made their words clear? Besides, when you really want to use force against any country, why have you ever consulted the opinions of other countries? Mr. Su wants to draw people to form a diplomatic alliance. The idea is good, but it may not be of practical value!"

Su Keyi said seriously: "That being said, as a diplomat, you have to do something to stop Haihan's momentum. If you don't do anything, then there is really no hope in the future. I also know the truth It’s an act of mantis’ arms, but if you know what you can’t do and do it, it’s the way to be conscientious and loyal!”

Fei Cexian did not expect that this Han Chinese diplomat who worked for the Dutch would be able to speak such a righteous and awe-inspiring truth, and he was a little shocked at the moment, raising his glass and sighing: "Master Su is much more determined than I am, Fei admires it." !"

Su Keyi raised his glass and said in response: "Everyone is serving the country, and they are in different camps. It is inevitable that there will be disagreements, but as long as we find common interests, there is also the possibility of cooperation."

After the two drank this cup, the atmosphere finally became a little more relaxed. The two sides tested each other, and at this time they finally confirmed the other's general attitude.There are some relatively sensitive topics, which can also be discussed now.

"Master Su, in your opinion, if you want to curb Haihan's external expansion, where should you start?" Fei Cexian immediately asked Su Keyi a very explicit question after putting down his wine glass.

Su Keyi knew that this was the other party's own experience in the school examination. If he couldn't say something, the other party probably wouldn't really relax and cooperate with him, so he responded seriously immediately: "The Haihan people's external expansion is all Taking the sea route, if you want to curb their momentum, you must try to attack their navigation industry."

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

Su Keyi said: "Haihan's strong ships and sharp guns are hard to match. Of course they can't beat the Haihan people on the frontal battlefield, but I think commercial ships are the lifeblood of Haihan... Speaking of this, I do miss Shibazhi back then. During the activities in the sea area of ​​Fujian, only Zheng Zhilong and his band of pirates were able to stop Haihan's momentum a little bit."

Fei Cexian said: "Eighteen Zhi is just a group of rabble, and it will be difficult to make a fortune in the end. Besides, Haihan sent troops to fight against pirates at the beginning, it was just to find a reason to go north to Fujian."

In fact, Fei Cexian didn't finish his sentence. There is no large group of pirates in the Daming sea area, which is also the result of Haihan's repeated suppression over the years.Whether it is the pirates who are more harmful or Haihan is more harmful, this is really not a good thing for Daming to weigh.However, Fei Cexian knew that Shibazhi had some unclear interests with the Dutch and the Spaniards. After Haihan wiped out Shibazhi, these two families lost their smuggling business with Daming. Shang, will naturally put this loss on Hai Han's head.

But it was precisely because of Zheng Zhilong and his gang of pirates who acted recklessly in the Fujian Strait that Xu Xinsu, who was still working in the Fujian Navy at the time, turned to Haihan for help.If not, it would not be so easy for Haihan to find an opportunity to intervene in Fujian, and the situation in Fujian may not have developed to the current unmanageable situation.

Su Keyi knew that Shibazhi's topic would make Fei Cexian unhappy, so he immediately changed the subject and said, "The cost of Haihan's warships and merchant ships is very high. If we can hit Haihan's shipbuilding industry, that would be a way. .”

When Fei Cexian heard him mention shipbuilding, he couldn't help complaining: "Your country only purchased a batch of warships from Haihan at a high price last year. Could this also be a blow to Haihan's shipbuilding industry?"

Su Keyi blushed and said: "At this time and at that time, if I don't bid to buy those warships at that time, I will have to let my enemies buy them, which will definitely threaten Batavia's safety. Buy those ships It was a last resort, and Lord Fei laughed."

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

To put it bluntly, the reason is that Haihan had no intention of selling warships to these two countries at all. After the East India Company bought the batch last year, they don’t know when they will have the opportunity to place an order next time. .As for the Ming Dynasty, no one except the Fujian military could buy the warships made by Haihan.

The real big customers of the Haihan shipbuilding industry are the Haihan Navy and the domestic big merchants, as well as the few big buyers who can buy large quantities of warships from Haihan, such as Annan and Fujian.The Haihan Navy is almost expanding its fleet at the rate of one fleet per year. During this period, it is constantly renovating and upgrading old ships. Coupled with orders for warships for foreign countries, the number is indeed very impressive.

In recent years, Haihan's domestic big merchants have also begun to form private ocean-going fleets. The scale has grown from the first few Fuchuan Guangzhou Ships as the main force to the present fleet of [-] to [-] ships, with an average tonnage of A large fleet of more than three hundred.Whether such a fleet is carrying bulk cargo or immigrants, its efficiency is much higher than that of the traditional shipping mode in the past.Of course, this kind of operation is indeed not something everyone can follow. The huge capital invested in the early stage is enough to discourage most maritime merchants.

The private ocean-going fleets of Haihan are still mainly running on the northern Ming Dynasty, and they have not threatened the Dutch fleet known as the sea coachman. After cargo ships enter the South China Sea, they will inevitably occupy the shipping market share that originally belonged to the Netherlands.So Su Keyi attached great importance to this, while Daming, whose ocean shipping industry had shrunk very severely, certainly didn't care so much.

Seeing that the other party did not follow his own way of thinking, Su Keyi persuaded him from a different angle: "How much wealth Haihan earns from Daming through maritime trade every year, I believe Lord Fei knows better than me. If Ren Haihan's shipbuilding continues to develop, Daming In the future, we will only continue to give up the dominance of the sea trade, and let the large sum of taxes that should have entered the national treasury flow into Haihan's pocket, which is extremely unwise."

Fei Cexian said: "The trading ports built by Haihan in the coastal waters of Daming have several army and naval troops stationed there. How dare you provoke them easily! Two years ago, there was an unknown fire outside Hangzhou, and the Haihan fleet dispatched to block the Qiantang River , the entire Zhejiang officialdom is complaining to the imperial court, and then they can only let the Zhejiang side compromise and try to appease Haihan. With all due respect, unless we can find a way to expel the Haihan navy from the coastal waters of Daming, otherwise we can talk about it. It’s not about taking back trade leadership.”

Su Keyi shook his head and said: "The enemy is strong and we are weak, so going to war is the worst policy. Daming bears the burden of humiliation, and I can understand it. But to curb Haihan's momentum, this is not the only way to go."

Fei Cexian said: "Wars are definitely not allowed. Is it possible to ask someone to set fire to the shipyard? If it is revealed, the consequences will only be more serious! If Mr. Su has such a plan, I don't think it is necessary to say 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 method I'm talking about is not so superficial, and there is no need to take such a big risk."

"Oh? Then I'd like to ask Mr. Su to give me some advice." Fei Cexian was also interested now, wanting to hear what kind of powerful method this Su Keyi had.

Su Keyi said sternly: "Haihan vigorously develops the maritime industry simply because it is profitable. This is not only understood by the Haihan people, but our country is also well versed in its secrets. To tell you the truth, my lord, the scope of our country's maritime trade is far greater than that of Haihan. The Little South my country Sea is just one of the many overseas trade zones in our country. It’s just that it’s tens of thousands of miles away from the mainland of our country, and we can’t expect much support from the country. That’s why Haihan has the upper hand. What Haihan has done is nothing more than It is trying to monopolize Daming's maritime trade channels to make huge profits, and if this monopoly can be broken, it will naturally slow down its development momentum."

Fei Cexian said: "Master Su, what you mean is to open up our country's ports and bring in your country's maritime merchants to compete with Haihan?"

Su Keyi nodded and said: "Your Majesty Fei is really powerful, and he will reveal everything. 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, The benefits are definitely more than doing business with the Haihan people.”

Fei Cexian said in his heart that this sounds like a good move to drive away tigers and wolves. Letting the Dutch come forward to compete with Haihan for sea trade seems to have some obvious benefits for Daming, but if he wants to implement it, he is afraid It's not as simple as Su Keyi thought.

"Have Master Su thought about it? If the Haihan people don't allow this to happen, or even force them directly, what will our two countries do? At that time, I'm afraid that the shelf has not been set up, so we have to do it ourselves." It's been dismantled." Fei Cexian shook his head slightly and said, "I don't think so!"

Su Keyi said: "There is no need to rush this matter, you can take it slowly, first aim at the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and talk about other things later. Although Haihan is domineering, he can't interfere in other countries' diplomacy, right?"

Fei Cexian thought in his heart that it might not be the case. North Korea has paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty for generations, and now it has a tendency to become a white-eyed wolf. There must be the influence of Haihan's pressure on it.It's just that it's too embarrassing to say this kind of thing, and he certainly won't give Su Keyi this example to prove his point.

(End of this chapter)