1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2202
At present, the official attitude of the Ming Dynasty towards Haihan is mostly related to the region where it is located. Needless to say, the coastal prefectures of Fuzhou and Guangxi have been infiltrated by Haihan for a long time. Most of the local officials have close interests with Haihan. There are not a few people who even let the younger generation in the family secretly become naturalized Haihan.

The Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions are bounded by the Yangtze River. The southern states have witnessed Haihan's powerful force in the past few years, so now they are mostly making a fortune in silence, and they are unwilling to confront Haihan again.The state capitals north of the Yangtze River are farther away from Zhoushan and have less direct contact with Haihan, so they are still on guard. But as long as Haihan doesn't send troops to attack, they won't be so stupid as to take the initiative to find trouble.

Most people think that the Haihan people are just a group of powerful armed maritime merchants, but the imperial court is already very aware of Haihan's military strength, and now it is even more necessary for the Haihan army to hold back part of the main force of the Qing army in the Liaodong Peninsula, so there has been a secret order. The actions of the Haihan people in the coastal areas should be restricted and interfered less, and they should try to avoid armed conflicts with Haihan, so as not to affect the situation in northern Xinjiang.Even in the area controlled by Haihan in Dengzhou, Shandong, the imperial court turned a blind eye and gave it acquiesce, treating it as a "loan" to Haihan for temporary use.

Nothing is wrong with the current situation, and none of the local officials is willing to troublesome Haihan. Dangerously.

However, he usually took advantage of Lu Kangtai, so he made it very clear that no matter if it was Yangzhou Mansion or the higher-level Yingtian Mansion, it was unlikely that he would take the initiative to trouble the Haihan people.

Lu Kangtai was a little disappointed when he heard such a reply, but he still wanted to try again to persuade the other party to change his mind: "Master Gao, Ming people don't say dark words, if you can come forward to drive these Haihan people out of Yangzhou, I would like to donate 1 taels of silver, for the hard work of Mr. Gao!"

Gao Yongshou smiled bitterly and said: "I really want money, but I really can't do it. If I do what you want, then I will settle this trouble later, but 1 taels of silver can't do it." That's it."

Gao Yongshou was able to serve as the chief city defense general in Yangzhou, but he was not just a banker who only made money, and his vision was not bad.Although Yangzhou is quite far from Zhoushan, Gao Yongshou has some contacts with the generals of the guards in the southern state capital, and he has heard several commanders talk about the military strength of the Haihan people before.

Especially when the Haihan army came to the city of Hangzhou and caused the Zhejiang government to suffer a sudden loss, he was particularly concerned.After that incident, there were as many as a dozen civil and military officials, large and small, who were thrown out to defend themselves against the guns. It was with great difficulty that both the imperial court and Haihan were settled.In this process, the amount of money sent by the officials involved in order to protect themselves is simply astronomical. A command envoy Gao Yongshou knew gave a full 3 taels of silver plus a few job vacancies. His own official position was preserved.

Since Gao Yongshou knew that Haihan couldn't afford to cause trouble, he naturally wouldn't be easily persuaded by Lu Kangtai's conditions. No matter how rich Lu Kangtai was, he would still encounter problems that could not be solved with money.

Lu Kangtai felt that his words were a little stiff, so he stopped decisively and called the restaurant staff to serve the dishes to ease the atmosphere.The main purpose of him inviting Gao Yongshou to dinner today is to test his attitude. Of course, it would be best to borrow this strength. If it doesn't work, he can also inquire about the other party's tone, as a reference for what countermeasures to take next.

After drinking for three rounds, Gao Yongshou took the initiative to mention the previous topic: "Boss Lu, you and I have known each other for several years. I know you are a proud person. The government has never cared much about the dispute between you and the Huizhou salt merchants, but if the Haihan people are involved, this matter will be more troublesome. How much trouble did you cause at the end of last year? , you don’t need me to say it again, do you?”

What Gao Yongshou mentioned was the event that Haihan sent armed men to infiltrate Yangzhou last year and fought a night of bloody battles on the canal with the men and horses of the Shanshan salt merchants.At that time, although the Shanshan salt merchants tried their best to conceal the incident afterwards, but so many people died that night, it was impossible to hide it from everyone. It is not difficult for the government to find out the owner of the incident.

Because the matter involved Haihan, the Yangzhou government certainly could not hold Haihan people accountable. They could only ask the Shanshan salt merchants to do their best to provide compensation after the incident, and not let the family members of the deceased make trouble in the yamen.To put it bluntly, the government must cover up the matter in order to conceal the peace, and the Shanxi salt merchants, as the parties, can only pay to calm the situation.

Besides, the Yangzhou government was worried that the Shanshan salt merchants would expand the situation in order to retaliate, so they strictly ordered them not to make trouble in Yangzhou and stop all acts of force in Yangzhou.This is also the main reason why the Shanshan-Shaanxi salt merchants were completely silent after the incident and blocked the news from the outside world.

Lu Kangtai put down his chopsticks and replied: "At that time, it was also thanks to Mr. Gao who took care of us and saved us from a lot of trouble. However, the relationship between us and the Haihan people will never be exposed. If there is a chance in the future, we must follow They settled their accounts!"

Gao Yongshou said slowly: "If the timing of revenge mentioned by Boss Lu refers to the present, then I'm afraid it's not a good timing. Let me just say it bluntly, the magistrate doesn't want Haihan people to have accidents in Yangzhou, let alone attract Bigger trouble."

Lu Kangtai said: "Bigger trouble? The magistrate is afraid that Haihan will send troops to attack Yangzhou?"

"Who isn't afraid?" Gao Yongshou frankly admitted Lu Kangtai's conjecture: "The Haihan people exercise in Hangzhou Bay every year, and the scale is getting bigger and bigger every year. They also invite officials from the surrounding states to observe. Although the magistrate himself He has never been there, but he sent his cronies to visit. It is said that Haihan’s fleet stationed in Zhoushan is much more powerful than the navy on the Yangtze River. If you really provoke the Haihan people to Yangzhou, who can stop them? It’s you still me?"

Lu Kangtai remained silent. In terms of understanding Haihan's strength, he probably far surpassed Gao Yongshou. After all, the other party came from hearsay, and he had fought against Haihan's armed men with real knives and guns.Of course, he knew more about Hai Han's horror than Gao Yongshou, but if he wanted to stop there and let the Hai Han people who had already come to his door go, he would definitely not be reconciled.

But obviously, the high-level officials of Yangzhou Prefecture, who have taken a lot of benefits from themselves, don't want to let another bloody case related to Haihan appear in the local area. At this time, Gao Yongshou's warning can also be understood as a kind of official warning.If Lu Kangtai was stubborn and insisted on taking action, he would obviously not be able to get the support of the government afterwards.

Lu Kangtai was also disappointed that the government's attitude was so weak.He didn't expect to be able to win the support of the government, but as long as he can make the government ignore the actions he is about to take, then he can also do a big job according to his own ideas.But now it seems that this matter is much more troublesome than I expected, and I need to make another plan.

During the meeting, Lu Kangtai repeatedly tested Gao Yongshou many times, but the other party did not let go of his answer at all. Obviously, he had already made sufficient preparations for this meeting.Lu Kangtai knew that there was no hope, so he didn't mention this matter anymore, and just kept persuading him to drink.

Before leaving after the meal, Lu Kangtai took out a silver ticket and handed it to Gao Yongshou.The other party was willing to come out to eat this meal, and gave him some warnings. Lu Kangtai must express this, so as to maintain this friendship for a long time.Otherwise, if you ask Gao Yongshou for help in the future, the other party may not be as easy to talk to as now.

Perhaps it was this expression that touched Gao Yongshou. After they walked out of the Qingfeng Building, Gao Yongshou stopped him and said a few more words: "Boss Lu, you are not the only ones making fuss about Haihan people. A few days ago, the Dai family Some people have quietly entered the city to visit the magistrate. As far as I know, they went to serve as lobbyists for the Haihan people, so don’t be surprised if Yangzhou lets the Haihan people come in to do business in the future.”

Lu Kangtai said coldly: "Could it be that the prefect thinks that the benefits we usually send are too little?"

Gao Yongshou shook his head and said: "You think it's wrong, it's not that you donate too little, who would think that you can get too much benefit? If you fight with the Haihan people, you will only cause trouble for the government. They cooperate with the Haihan people , can bring practical benefits to the government, which one do you think the government is more willing to see?"

Gao Yongshou may have uttered the truth after drinking, or he may have hated iron but not steel. In short, these words shocked Lu Kangtai greatly.

He always thought that his side had a very good management in terms of official contacts. Even if the local government was unwilling to support him in this matter, he would not stand on the opposite side. It would definitely be very difficult for Huizhou salt merchants to win over these officials.But the actual situation seems to be much worse than he expected. The disadvantage of Huizhou salt merchants in this aspect does not seem to be as great as he thought, and the attitude of the government does not seem to be as firm as he thought.

Although Lu Kangtai is a very stubborn person, he also understands that what Gao Yongshou said is actually the truth.These officials are very practical people, and they tend to favor whichever side gives more benefits.In the past, of course, the Shanxian salt merchants were more willing to spend their money to manage these official contacts, but after Haihan intervened, the situation seemed to have quietly changed.

Haihan's financial resources and ability to cause trouble are both first-class and strong. Of course, the local government hopes that Haihan will bring the former to the local area. These connections among the Shanxi salt merchants have actually pushed Lu Kangtai and others into a dead end.

Lu Kangtai did not go home, but went straight to He Huan's house, and at the same time notified Wang Yu to come over.For a long time, the various decisions of the Shanshan salt merchants have been basically negotiated by their three families. This time the situation is already very urgent, and Lu Kangtai must also discuss the next coping strategy with the other two family heads.

"The opponent has already opened an activity for the Haihan people at the magistrate's side? This is not good!" He Huan was also very surprised when he heard the news brought by Lu Kangtai, and immediately realized the danger.

"Maybe it's not just the magistrate. I suspect that General Gao has already taken advantage of his family, but it's just inconvenient to tell me." Lu Kangtai analyzed with a gloomy face: "Otherwise, how would he know that Old Man Dai sent someone to The magistrate lobbied. Fortunately, he should not have completely betrayed us, otherwise there is no need to persuade me to stop, as long as we do something and then find a reason to make trouble, we will probably have to go around without food!"

Wang Yudao: "The government doesn't want us to provoke the Haihan people. Maybe this is the result of the Dai family's lobbying. But if we don't do anything, we can only watch the seven major surnames colluding with the Haihan people. It will become more and more difficult to liquidate them!"

"That's exactly the reason." Lu Kangtai took over the conversation and said, "Not only will it be more difficult to liquidate the opponent, but our own space will also be continuously compressed. It is impossible for us to coexist peacefully with the seven major surnames." , they have the backing of Haihan, and they will definitely intensify their efforts to deal with us. If they do nothing because of the attitude of the government, then they will just sit and wait for death!"

"Kangtai, what's your opinion?" He Huan asked.

Lu Kangtai said: "I think we should still follow our previous plan, attack the snake and attack the seven inches, first storm the Dai family village and take down the Dai family, the seven surnames will be messed up! At that time, it will be easier to clean up one by one. .”

"However, the attitude of the government has wavered, and we have to consider whether this will lead to criticism from the government." Wang Yu reminded.

Lu Kangtai said: "Although the attitude of the government has wavered, it is only wavering. It will not be so easy to give up cooperation with us. Imagine if the Huizhou salt merchants are liquidated by us, then they will no longer be able to pay tribute to the government. By then, we will be the biggest benefactors in the local area, and we are qualified to negotiate new conditions with the government!"

"But now that the Dai family has invited the Haihan people to come back to help, I'm afraid this Dai family village will not be so active! Kangtai, have you carefully calculated how confident you can be in attacking Dai's village now?" He Huan said to Lu Kangtai. There are still concerns about the plan.

Lu Kangtai said: "Now it's not a question of how much we can grasp, but if we continue to stand still, the trend of the situation will only become more and more unfavorable to us! My people found the news, saying that the seven surnames quietly sent a group of people to Zhoushan After training in the Haihan army, when these people come back from training, the seven major surnames will definitely use them as the backbone to form the strongest militia group in Yangzhou Prefecture. At that time, with the strength we have, we can still win the battle. Have you passed them?"

Lu Kangtai paused, and then said: "You two, the Hirado clan is gone. I heard that the Haihan people burned down Hirado Castle and Hirado Port with a torch. We probably won't be able to buy from Hirado in the future. Therefore, it is impossible for our musketeer team to expand. If we don’t take advantage of the available soldiers at this time, and wait for the opponent’s musketeer team to form, we may only be passively beaten to death!”

(End of this chapter)