1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 1789
Shi Diwen didn't really care that much about the small moves made by some people in Daming behind his back, at least he didn't feel the tension that Qu Yutong had.Haihan has been dealing with Jinyiwei for many years. This kind of secret service office has no mystery in Haihan's eyes. If Qu Yutong hadn't insisted, Shi Diwen would definitely not care about Lin Xing leading people to arrest the group of Jinyiwei. Get rid of it all.Anyway, the Jin Yiwei who had been planted by Hai Han in these years had long been more than Deng Qing leading the team, and he didn't care whether he would offend Jin Yiwei one more time because of this.

As for whether Jin Yiwei's purpose is to deal with Qu Yutong or Hai Han, Shi Diwen believes that the former is more likely. It would be very difficult to create more trouble for Hai Han, Jin Yiwei must have a certain understanding of this point.However, with Jin Yiwei's own efforts, Shi Diwen felt that the possibility of removing Qu Yutong from the position of Ningbo prefect was very slim.

At the beginning, Haihanhui chose Qu Yutong as a partner and made a comprehensive review of him. It was not only his official position that was valued, but also his official connections, family background, ability to handle affairs, political inclinations, personality hobbies, etc. They were also carefully evaluated.As for the later marriage between Shi Diwen and Qu Yutong's family, although it was driven by certain interests, the decision was made on this basis. If they were different, the marriage might not be possible.

It is precisely because of this that Haihan can safely and boldly invest a large amount of resources in Ningbo and Zhoushan to develop infrastructure and business, and assist Qu Yutong to continue to deploy and stabilize its position and influence in Zhejiang's officialdom.

Shi Diwen and Qu Yutong had a close personal relationship, and knew that the magistrate had always wanted to emulate Xu Xinsu's successful path in Fujian, and the executive committee had always been willing to support local officials of Ming Dynasty who wanted to cooperate deeply with their own country.The greater Qu Yutong's influence in Zhejiang, the more convenience Shi Diwen can get. This is of great benefit to him personally and to Hai Hanguo, so Shi Diwen doesn't care about Yu Gong. Personally, they are willing to invest resources to help Qu Yutong achieve such a goal.

If someone in the official circles of the Ming Dynasty wants to try to replace Qu Yutong and replace him, then unless they can negotiate with Haihan on better terms than they are now, and ensure that Haihan's interests will not be damaged during the transfer of power, Only then will it be possible to get Haihan's approval.Of course, there is also the problem of trying to settle Shi Diwen, which cannot be ignored. Judging from the current situation, unless Qu Yutong is killed directly, it will be difficult for Haihan to give up on him. Ideas, in fact, can't play a big role in differentiation, let alone destroy this cooperative relationship.

Shi Diwen doesn't think that there are other suitable officials in Zhejiang who can replace Qu Yutong, let alone those from other places. Even if they are transferred, they will not be able to control the operation of Ningbo Prefecture in a short time.Today's Ningbo is not the time when the Daming family had the final say a few years ago. The influence brought by Haihan's many industries in Ningbo has given it a certain right to speak.There are even many things that the Ningbo government has to discuss with Zhoushan. Officials from other places may not be able to adapt to this new situation for a while.

However, since the situation in Ningbo is a bit unstable recently, Shi Diwen intends to take advantage of the opportunity of the army going north and pass through Zhoushan, and take advantage of the opportunity to frighten the official circles in Zhejiang and give Qu Yutong a helping hand.But to complete such an operation, in addition to getting Qu Yutong to cooperate in Ningbo City, what Shi Diwen needs more is the support from the troops going north, so after meeting with Qu Yutong, he has already contacted him on the way to the north through the radio. Tom Wang explained to him the situation in Zhejiang and his plan.

In the itinerary of the troops going north, it was originally arranged to stop at Zhoushan Dinghai Port for supplies, at least two days or so, Wang Tom did not have much objection to Shi Diwen's request.According to the investigation news sent back from Liaodong, the Qing army did not mobilize too many troops in the direction of the Korean peninsula, but it is said that it has already started to collect this year's grain tax from the people in advance, and has recruited more than [-] civilians. initial signs.

After discussing with Qian Tiandun, Wang Tom, who was still on the way north, believed that if the Qing army wanted to prepare for the invasion of North Korea, it would take more time, and the northward troops would definitely have time to reach North Korea before the Qing army.In the most ideal situation, there would even be some time to train the North Korean troops, at least allowing the small number of new troops equipped with Haihan weapons to master basic firearms tactics.

In late April, the military supplies purchased by Haihan officials in Zhejiang Province through various channels were successively transported into the territory of Ningbo Prefecture. They were loaded on the Haihan cargo sailboat waiting here from the dock on the bank of Yongjiang River outside Ningbo City, and then shipped to Zhoushan Dingzhou. Seaport storage.Perhaps Jin Yiwei realized that his intentions had been exposed, and the problem that had been worrying Qu Yutong, the prefect, did not reappear. All kinds of supplies, including military rations, arrived in Ningbo in time to complete the delivery.

The two brothers, He Xiao and He Li, took over most of Haihan's material supply business, but because the Golden Shield escort was dispatched to meet the food expenses before, the profit this time was far less than expected.But the He Brothers were more open about this. Fortunately, Lin Xing led his troops to stop Jin Yiwei's actions. Otherwise, it would be difficult for them to wrestle with Jin Yiwei head-on with the power they can command.At that time, if this batch of grain cannot be transported to Zhoushan in time, the impact will be so great that it cannot be compensated by losing money.

At the end of April, the huge fleet from the south finally entered the Zhejiang waters.In addition to the main force of the Northern Fleet, this mixed fleet also includes army and naval forces stationed in Zhejiang, Shandong, and Jinzhou. The logistics and troop transport fleet is larger than the Northern Fleet. Several Allied fleets that Haihan set off with, and a large number of merchant ships that followed the fleet northward in order to obtain free escort.The entire fleet stretches for tens of nautical miles, and the scene is so spectacular that after passing through the Fujian Strait, there are still many good people who prepare their own ships to go out to sea, and follow the fleet for a while, which can be regarded as seeing this rare spectacle.

When entering the waters of Zhejiang, the number of large and small sailboats in this fleet exceeded [-]. There have been some rumors in the Ningbo market that Haihan will make big moves in the waters of Zhejiang in the near future.This kind of news is not fabricated by idlers, but a method jointly operated by Ningbo government and Zhoushan authorities to create a relatively tense atmosphere.

Under Qu Yutong's deliberate arrangement, relevant news quickly spread to coastal state capitals including Hangzhou. When the Haihan Fleet entered Zhoushan Port, these places had already learned the disturbing news.Although there is no evidence that the Haihan Fleet came with bad intentions, it still inevitably reminds many people of the story of the Haihan Fleet rushing into Hangzhou Bay and blocking the Qiantang River a few years ago.

Although Haihan established formal diplomatic relations with Daming last year, neither the government nor the people in Daming are optimistic about the reliability of this relationship. Controlling many key areas on the coastline of Daming, and having stationed armed forces for a long time, they can launch a war of aggression against Ming at any time.The arrival of the Haihan Fleet at the city of Hangzhou in the past few years has fully demonstrated the gap in military strength between the two countries. Now that the large-scale Haihan Fleet has arrived in the outer waters of Zhejiang, people can't help but feel dreadful.

Both the Chief Commissioner of Zhejiang Province and the Commander of the Capital responded relatively quickly. After receiving the news, they separately sent officials to Ningbo to confirm Haihan's movements.At the same time, officials who had interests in dealing with Hai Han, such as Hangzhou Tongjuan Wang Yuan, also began to use their own private channels to ask Hai Han for more accurate information.

These Ming officials who have an interest relationship with Haihan are naturally the last group of people who are unwilling to see the outbreak of war. Once the two countries go to war, the chain of benefit transmission will be interrupted. It is very likely that they will be asked by Haihan to cooperate in the battle. The offensive should be coordinated internally and externally, and it will be a dilemma at that time, and it is easy to be confused inside and outside.But at this time, even the staff sent by Haihan to Hangzhou City didn't know what was going on with the fleet in Zhoushan, so it was difficult to give these anxious officials an accurate answer in the first place.

On the night when the Haihan Fleet entered Zhoushan Port, new news came out that Haihan would hold a maritime military exercise in Hangzhou Bay in a few days later. At that time, there would be a joint dispatch of multinational fleets including the Fujian Navy.This exercise is open to the public, and local officials in Zhejiang, regardless of their grades, are welcome to attend. However, they need to apply for registration within two days, and then Haihan will arrange the visit in a unified manner to avoid being accidentally injured during the exercise.

However, in the news that seems to be released by Haihan officials, there is no mention of whether the military exercise has been approved by Daming. He didn't plan to wait until Daming agreed to arrange this so-called military exercise.This made the local officials who received the news quite angry, but also felt a little helpless.

Regardless of whether Haihan's military exercise is just an excuse to start a war, it is obviously a kind of humiliation to Daming.As for the participation of the Fujian Navy in this arrangement, it was a slap in the face of the Zhejiang Ming Army.Of course Daming can justly reject Haihan’s military exercise arrangements, and even ask Haihan’s armed ships not to sail into Hangzhou Bay, but everyone knows very well that most of these requests to Haihan people will not receive a response , will only be ignored by it in the end.

Some people with a clear mind also thought of some questions. Why did Haihan choose to hold a naval military exercise in Zhejiang, thousands of miles away from its homeland, at this time? Who is this military exercise for? With such a purpose, after the military exercise, will this huge fleet be stationed in Zhoushan, or will it leave camp and go to other places.Of course, no matter what the Haihan people want to do here, the first place to bear the brunt should be Ningbo Prefecture, which is the closest to Zhoushan, so Hangzhou can wait and see for a few more days and adjust its response strategy.

The big shots in Hangzhou didn't know that the magistrate of Ningbo Prefecture was no longer in the city, but secretly went out of the city and crossed the sea to Zhoushan to attend the welcoming dinner set up by Shi Diwen for the soldiers of the Northward Fleet.

Qu Yutong, as a participant in this plan, is naturally not as anxious as others. In fact, he is very satisfied with the current progress and the impact it has caused. The more flustered Zhejiang officialdom is, the more it will highlight his role as the prefect of Ningbo. An important role in diplomatic mediation with Haihan.

And before Qu Yutong set off to Zhoushan, he had already received official letters sent by people from several nearby prefectures. The purpose was the same, nothing more than to find out what the Haihan people's intentions were in Zhejiang this time. There is unavoidable anxiety between the lines that cannot be concealed.However, when Qu Yutong saw these official letters, he was very happy in his heart. He knew that there would be several official letters sent to the magistrate's office in Hangzhou soon, but he was not in a hurry about it, and let those in Hangzhou A sleepless night for the officials presumably made them more aware of who was the one who could negotiate with Hayhan.

Of course, Qu Yutong did not come to Zhoushan empty-handed this time. Shi Diwen used such a big move as a sea military exercise this time, which was unexpected by Qu Yu's colleagues.However, since Haihan wants to dispatch a fleet to build momentum for himself, Ningbo Mansion has to bear part of the expenses more or less. Although it will be a bit painful, but for the sake of the future, Qu Yutong has to grit his teeth in front of Haihan's senior officials. It takes performance.

"The chiefs have come all the way from afar, and they have been exhausted all the way at sea, and then they will have military exercises in the local area. As the landlord, I will prepare some small gifts for the use of the army. I hope you will not dislike them." Qu Yutong said lightly. After clapping his hands, He Xiao, who was standing behind him, immediately stepped forward and handed a gift slip to Shi Diwen with both hands.

Shi Diwen opened the gift list and looked at it, then handed it to Wang Tom who was next to him, and he circulated it.In addition to the individual gifts for the Haihan senior officials present, the content of the gift list is the ten thousand taels of silver and fifty thousand catties of grain in the name of the labor force.

"Master Qu is so polite, how dare you spend so much money!" Seeing that Qu Yutong is so good at being a man, Shi Diwen also cooperated with each other to start a business exchange model: "If everyone in Ming Dynasty is as wise as Master Qu Local officials who understand the importance of reason, the relationship between our two countries will definitely be more harmonious than it is now!"

Wang Tom smiled and said nothing after reading the gift list. In fact, the so-called military exercise is also taking advantage of the trend. Originally, the formation of the coalition fleet is relatively hasty, and it needs to be run-in on the way. , Fire a few shots to scare the officialdom in Zhejiang, and the military exercise is considered to be completed.

(End of this chapter)