1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2178
What attitude should we adopt towards the coastal area of ​​Ming Dynasty? Use simple and brutal means of force to forcibly occupy it and bring it into the Haihan ruled area, or gradually implement political, military, and cultural infiltration and assimilation through trade channels, and use gentle and gentle The means to evolve it into a stable source of raw materials and a commodity sales market has always been a controversial issue within Haihan.The latter point of view has been recognized by more and more people in recent years, even the military is no exception.

In the long run, competing in the Central Plains and establishing a huge empire based on the East Asian continent is of course a common goal that the traversers have long recognized.But after coming to this world, they soon discovered that it is not possible to quickly achieve their goals by mastering the black technology beyond the times.

It may not be difficult to establish a political power. After all, this matter does not require the permission of other countries, but how to govern a country and make it grow rapidly is not an easy thing to do.Capturing the coastal areas of Daming by military means is not the most difficult task at this stage, but governance issues after the capture and diplomatic relations with Daming are issues that the ruler has to consider in advance.

The Ming Dynasty has been established for more than two hundred years, and it has a mature and huge bureaucratic system to manage and maintain the operation of the entire country. This is a condition that Haihan, who was only a few years after the founding of the country, cannot match.The number of naturalized officials cultivated by Haihan's own bureaucratic system in this era is far from keeping up with the expansion speed of the colony, and the disadvantages brought about by this are also obvious.

Due to the long-term shortage of qualified officials, many officials have to make do with the issue of employment. This has caused most of the policies formulated by the Executive Committee to have large or small deviations in the implementation process, and the effect will naturally be greater. Discounted.

The only sector that has made significant progress in this regard is the military.Most people in the army have to rely on the continuous accumulation of military exploits and the improvement of military quality to obtain promotion opportunities. Naturalized officers with higher ranks generally have relatively strong abilities.As for the retired soldiers, because of their strong discipline and execution ability, a considerable number of them will be transferred to other departments to serve as grassroots officials.

Although the attitude of the Haihan military toward the outside world is more hawkish, advocating the use of force to resolve various international disputes, and using war to win more overseas colonial areas for Haihan, but regarding the attitude of the Ming Dynasty, the military has changed in recent years. There is no other reason to be more cautious, but it is also driven by interests.

Most of the areas occupied by Haihan on the coast of Daming were under military control all the year round due to their special nature, such as Zhoushan Island in Zhejiang, Zhifu Island in Shandong, Jinzhou in Liaodong, etc., where military generals served as the highest officials.According to the current system, a considerable part of the income generated by these colonial areas should be used as military expenses.As for the gray income of the local garrison personnel, there is no need to say more.

The Executive Committee, out of comprehensive political and economic considerations, is unwilling to easily launch military operations against Daming for the purpose of occupation, and after Daming suffered a lot in the dark, the governments along the coast have long received secret orders from the imperial court to let They tried their best to avoid provoking Hai Han, leaving any excuse for the other party to use force.

Although there will be benefits from fighting, it is a one-shot deal after all, and the benefits are not sustainable, and it will cause various troubles in the future, which may lead to more losses than gains.In contrast, the military is naturally more willing to maintain the current situation, slowly infiltrating the coastal areas of Daming by boiling frogs in warm water.

The Zhoushan area under the rule of Shi Diwen is currently the largest free trade port in the eastern coast of Daming. For him, maintaining the stability of the surrounding areas is the most favorable condition for the future development of the Zhoushan colonial area, so he is also One of the supporters of the theory of peaceful coexistence.

And Ningbo Prefecture, which is adjacent to Zhoushan, is undoubtedly one of the most thoroughly infiltrated areas along the eastern coast of the Ming Dynasty by the Haihan. From the prefect Qu Yutong to the local civil and military officials at all levels, down to ordinary people, men, women, old and young, almost every day Everyone has a direct or indirect interest relationship with Haihan.

Duan Tiancheng is resident in Zhoushan, and naturally he has been to Ningbo Mansion a lot, and he has a relatively deep understanding of the local area, otherwise it would not have been his turn to capture Sun Feizhou, the leader of Shibazhi, in Ningbo City last time.Of course, Duan Tiancheng also has a personal experience of how much Haihan has affected the Ningbo area.

From the perspective of personnel flow, there is basically no obstacle for Haihan nationals to enter Ningbo Prefecture. Public officials even enjoy certain privileges in Ningbo. With this level of status, the parties will usually be handed over to the Zhoushan authorities in private to deal with themselves-of course, the "handling fee" must not be a small amount.

As for Haihan merchants going to Ningbo to do business, it is not uncommon. There are many rich Haihan merchants who buy real estate in Ningbo City for the convenience of importing and exporting goods, and even once raised the housing prices in the city.

Compared with Zhoushan Island, Ningbo's living environment is undoubtedly more perfect. Making money in Zhoushan and spending money in Ningbo have also been the most enthusiastic activities of the emerging dignitaries on Zhoushan Island in the past two years, even Duan Tiancheng is no exception.In his opinion, the catering and entertainment industry in Ningbo City is undoubtedly more developed than that on the island. It is quite a pleasant arrangement to go to Ningbo City to enjoy the life of luxury and wine during vacation.

The intensive movement of people and trade between the two places has far more impact on Ningbo than just fluctuations in house prices.From a certain point onwards, banknotes issued by Haihan Bank have been gradually circulated in the Ningbo market, and the exchange rate for silver exchange is also based on the number issued by Haihan Bank on Zhoushan Island.

At the very beginning, Haihan's banknotes used the gold and silver in Haihan's treasury as collateral to determine the circulation, but Schneider is not an honest person. After two years of circulation of banknotes in Haihan's country, it began to increase. Actual circulation of banknotes.Relying on strong economic and military strength as a guarantee, these banknotes can already be used as real gold and silver in the coastal areas of Daming. In order to attract high-end customers from Haihan, some stores that are good at management even specially pick out signs at the door to indicate that the The store welcomes Haihan banknotes.

Although "treasure banknotes" with similar functions were issued early in the Ming Dynasty, due to the poor quality of paper at that time, and the fact that they were only issued but not received, and the quantity was unlimited, the market was flooded with banknotes, and inflation would appear soon after issuance. , the speed of depreciation is even faster than the speed of circulation, so the purchasing power and financial credit are far inferior to the relatively mature issuance system of Haihan banknotes.

The circulation of banknotes not only means the penetration of the financial system, but also reflects that Haihan's lifestyle and values ​​are slowly affecting these areas.In addition, Haihan has been consciously guiding and propagating this, which has gradually formed among the upper class people that using Haihan banknotes symbolizes nobility, civilization, and even a status symbol.

Driven by various means, Haihan's influence extends from trade to finance, and from finance to other wider fields.Various industrial products produced by Haihan, such as glass mirrors, matches, and soap, have also begun to become part of the "life of the upper class".

And the resulting rumors that "you can learn all kinds of priceless production secrets when you study in Haihan for further study" continue to attract people who are full of curiosity and dreams of making a fortune to choose to enter Haihan through Zhoushan.Although Haihan's promotion of recruiting immigrants claims that "freedom to come and go", in fact, if you want to learn these skills, you must first be naturalized as Haihan. Therefore, many people did not return to Daming after they came, but became part of Haihan. members.

Of course, the propaganda strategies designed by the Zhoushan authorities to attract immigrants go far beyond this. For example, to attract scholars from the Ming Dynasty to immigrate to Haihan, they are all real guns and live ammunition. A chance for poor scholars to realize their dreams.Although these scholars may not all be suitable to be trained as officials, but after being screened by Haihan, at worst, they can be arranged to be teachers in a school run by the government in a township, and they can also have a guaranteed official status.

Although Duan Tiancheng couldn't fully understand the specific effects of Haihan's various measures against Ming Dynasty, he could indeed feel that Ningbo's social environment was slowly changing, and the atmosphere was getting closer to that of the areas under Haihan's rule. more and more like.

Shi Diwen mentioned earlier that he hoped that Yangzhou salt merchants could completely join the Haihan camp. Duan Tiancheng still didn't quite understand how to achieve this, but Shi Diwen mentioned the changes in Ningbo and the role played by local dignitaries. Duan Tiancheng came to his senses. His boss hoped that by subduing the Yangzhou salt merchants, the Yangzhou government would also be transformed according to the Ningbo model.

"General, I feel that Ma Zhengping is also an extremely shrewd person. If he is to devote himself to our side and obey our instructions, it may be difficult for him to achieve it for the time being."

Although Duan Tiancheng accepted Ma Zhengping's benefits, he did not dare to speak in favor of outsiders in front of Shi Diwen, but honestly explained his perception.

Shi Diwen nodded and said: "These Yangzhou salt merchants are from a family of businessmen, and all of them are as smart as ghosts. When dealing with us, they must have been calculating the pros and cons in their hearts. It doesn't matter. If they like to calculate, let them calculate slowly, anyway, the situation is one-sided now, and we are not the ones who are about to end, and they should be very clear about who will be unlucky in the end."

Duan Tiancheng replied: "Then, do you want to answer Ma Zhengping?"

"You can convey my opinion to Ma Zhengping later, but you don't have to say it too bluntly. We won't force him to make a decision which way to choose."

Shi Diwen seems to be very open about this issue, but perhaps he is determined by the Yangzhou salt merchants and is not in a hurry to win this round of confrontation.Upon seeing this, Duan Tianzheng left his written report and left.

Duan Tiancheng was not in a hurry to go back to the camp to rest, but went straight to the port area, found his cousin Xuan Xiangming, and asked him to meet Ma Zhengping on his behalf.

"Boss Ma entrusted you to do it, and this is it? Then he has to thank you very much!" Xuan Xiangming thought that Duan Tiancheng wanted to see Ma Zhengping, and he wanted to rush to give him an affirmative answer.

However, Duan Tiancheng shook his head and said: "His business is too big and it's not that easy to handle. I want to explain the current situation to him. By the way, there is no need to eat during this meeting. Find a quiet place to talk about it." gone."

Xuan Xiangming said: "Then do I still have to go?"

"No need." Duan Tiancheng hesitated for a moment before making a decision: "It's more convenient for me to meet him alone."

In the evening of that day, Duan Tiancheng met Ma Zhengping again at the Yuelai Inn.

"My lord Duan wanted to find a quiet place to talk. I thought about going there, but this place is the quietest, and no outsiders are walking around. The idlers are waiting outside. I will let them wait outside."

Ma Zhengping invited Duan Tiancheng to meet him at the inn where he was staying. When he checked in, he directly reserved the largest and most luxurious courtyard here, so except for the guy who brought tea and water to clean up the room every day, no other outsiders would come in or out. It is indeed quiet enough to say that it is quiet.

Although Duan Tiancheng ordered in advance that he would not eat, Ma Zhengping still ordered people to carefully prepare a variety of refreshments.Duan Tiancheng didn't say anything, but he still secretly admired this person in his heart who was really good at managing contacts.

"Boss Ma, everyone is very busy, so I won't talk nonsense. I went to the headquarters early this morning and conveyed your thoughts to General Shi."

Ma Zhengping hastily cupped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you, Mr. Duan, for your concern! Then I wonder if General Shi is willing to take this convenience?"

Ma Zhengping knew in his heart that Duan Tiancheng was so active, the benefits he gave should be enough, otherwise it is possible to delay it for a few days and wait for him to take the initiative to give the second gift.Of course he knew that the attitude of the Zhoushan authorities towards the Yangzhou salt merchants required Shi Diwen to decide, but the problem was that he couldn't reach this big man, so he could only pave the way by getting acquainted with a senior military officer like Duan Tiancheng. He conveyed his request to Shi Diwen.

Duan Tiancheng said: "Yesterday, I said that it is inconvenient for our country to use weapons in the territory of Ming Dynasty, so as not to affect the normal relationship between the two countries. I asked General Shi for instructions today, and the general also meant the same thing. It is impossible for our country to directly send troops to Yangzhou to interfere with the salt merchants. strife among them."

Ma Zhengping was immediately disappointed and said: "Master Duan didn't plead for me? If General Shi refuses to help, how can anyone in Yangzhou cooperate with your country in the future?"

Duan Tiancheng said: "Boss Ma, don't worry, there are other ways to resolve this matter. In my opinion, it mainly depends on how sincere your cooperation is."

Ma Zhengping said anxiously: "I am full of sincerity, Mr. Duan hasn't felt it yet?"

Duan Tiancheng said: "Of course I feel it, otherwise I wouldn't have prepared overnight and went to General Shi to negotiate for you in the morning. But for such a big matter, it's not enough for me to feel the sincerity of Boss Ma." far away!"

(End of this chapter)