1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2449
The three major powers have all put forward their own conditions for reconciliation, and finally it was North Korea's Kim Sang-heon to speak.Although North Korea's national strength is the weakest, it actually has its unique advantages from a certain point of view, that is, it has the fewest enemies among the four countries.

Daming, the most powerful country, was the former suzerain of North Korea. Although he had offended Ming by switching to Haihan's sect, with the military protection provided by Haihan, Daming had nothing to do with North Korea.The opponents who will really threaten North Korea's security are actually only the Manqing family.

Previously, Shang Kexi’s request for reconciliation with North Korea was a big mouth. Of course, Jin Shangxian would not agree to it. Not only that, he also had to show a tougher attitude, so as not to let the other three countries look down on North Korea.

"I demand that the Qing Dynasty compensate the war loss of 200 million taels of silver caused by the invasion of our country. In addition, all the nationals of the country who were taken away in the war must be released so that they can return to North Korea as soon as possible." Jin Shangxian said to Shang Kexi with a cold face: "If your If the country can meet these two conditions, then our country will consider a truce and peace negotiation.”

The condition Jin Shangxian offered was obviously to confront Shang Kexi tit-for-tat, not giving an inch.But it is not difficult for a discerning person to make a judgment. Whether it is the Manchu Qing or North Korea, it is obviously unlikely to meet the conditions proposed by the other party.Shang Kexi just sneered repeatedly, but he didn't break the rules established by Tao Donglai to immediately refute Jin Shangxian.

The conditions of the four families have all been put forward. In summary, only the reconciliation conditions proposed by Haihan are more realistic. They only require the Manchus to retreat a hundred miles of defense and leave a buffer zone where troops cannot be stationed.As for other conditions such as exchanging prisoners of war and opening commerce and trade, those are just trivial matters.But there is another prerequisite for Haihan, which is that the four countries must sign a peace agreement together. This is the real difficulty.

Judging from the current situation, there are huge differences in the conditions proposed by other companies, and it may be difficult to reach a consensus in a short period of time.And the actual situation is exactly the same. After Kim Sang-heon's speech, the parties once again fell into endless disputes. Until the end of the meeting in the afternoon, the parties still failed to reach a consensus on the terms of reconciliation.

"It's getting late, I think that's the end of today's discussion. Everyone go back to camp and have a good rest, and we'll continue tomorrow." Seeing that there would be no results today, Tao Donglai decisively stopped the meeting.

The representatives of the other three parties have been arguing here for a day, and their mouths are dry and dizzy, but the meeting is not over, so they can only force themselves to continue arguing. At this time, Tao Donglai announced a break, which just happened to let them With a sigh of relief, no one objected, and the parties finally reached a consensus for the first time at the end of the day.

"This negotiation is really not easy! I heard that they quarreled all day, but there was no result." Qian Tiandun was not very satisfied with the negotiation process on the first day. So far, all parties have only insisted on their own opinions. There is also no way to persuade the opponent to accept the conditions proposed by him.

Tao Donglai said, "My opinion is a little different from yours."

"Oh? What do you say?"

Tao Donglai explained: "The interests of different countries are different. It is normal to have differences on the terms of the peace talks, but it is a good thing that they are willing to sit down and talk now. The more fierce the quarrel, the more they show that they are serious about this matter. Heart. Negotiation is a process of finding a compromise, so we don’t need to rush.”

Wang Tom said: "We have a place called Jinzhou, where we can advance, attack, retreat, or defend. There is really no need to worry. Although North Korea is weak, under our protection, the Manchu Qing will not take action against it easily. If the final talks No, only Da Ming is really in danger, they have no effective means to deal with the Manchu offensive, and they refuse to put down their face to ask us for support, so they won't be able to hold out for a few years."

Tao Donglai said: "I think Yang Sichang may make concessions in the end. He was originally a party in the Ming Dynasty who advocated peace talks, and he must have high expectations for this meeting. Before coming to Jinzhou this time, it is very likely that he has I have issued a military order to Chongzhen, and will use this opportunity to win peace for Ming Dynasty. If no decent result can be negotiated, I think it will be difficult for him to do business after he returns."

Qian Tiandun said: "There is some truth to this, but Daming actually doesn't have the capital to bargain, and Yang Sichang's concession is probably not easy to grasp."

In the past few years, Daming has always been defeated by the Qing Dynasty. This will indeed put Yang Sichang in a very passive position in the negotiation. Even if he wants to negotiate a peace, if the conditions are too outrageous, it may still be difficult to operate.After all, Daming is not his Yang Sichang's one-spoken voice, and now the opinions of the main battle inside and outside the court still have the upper hand. If he makes too many concessions, he will inevitably be liquidated in the future.

The three of them had dinner together, returned to their office, and were about to continue to study the strategy of the talks, when someone reported that it was Jin Shangxian who had requested to meet Tao Donglai.

"It seems that I am here to ask for instructions on the next strategy." Tao Donglai joked: "Please come in."

Tao Donglai's prediction was not bad. After Jin Shangxian took his seat, he took the initiative to tell the three of them his intention of coming. He hoped that Haihan could clearly indicate the direction of the next negotiation.

"Lord Tao, General Qian, General Wang, no matter what your country's resolution is, our country will fully cooperate in the future." Kim Sang-heon clearly expressed North Korea's attitude to them.

"Our two countries have always advanced and retreated together, and the next strategy should be discussed and formulated together. If Mr. Jin has any thoughts on today's negotiations, you may wish to speak up and discuss them together." Tao Donglai was very polite to Jin Shangxian, and did not say anything. Because the other party is humble, just send it away at will.

Jin Shangxian said: "I think that the peace talks between the Manchu Qing Dynasty and our two countries are actually not difficult. The conditions proposed by your country are extremely generous. It is gratifying that you don't even have the intention of opposing them. Obviously, you have approved these conditions. Although he asked our country to The cession of land and compensation, but I think this is actually for Daming to see, and it is not a condition that must be fulfilled. As long as I don’t let go, I believe that the Manchu Qing will not be able to do anything to our country. The real trouble is Daming. They would send troops to attack, and Da Ming was powerless to resist, so he could only watch helplessly as the Manchus plundered the population and wealth that belonged to Da Ming... As this ebbs and flows, it is hard to say how long Da Ming can last. When we talk again, the conditions put forward by Manqing will only be more stringent."

Tao Donglai didn't expect that Jin Shangxian's understanding of the current situation was so thorough, he nodded slightly and said, "Master Jin's words are very true, but if Daming makes concessions too quickly, Manqing might see through him too. I think that Yang Although my lord has the intention of negotiating a peace, he should persist for a few more days. Anyway, in this situation, the two of us are not the ones who are anxious, so we just need to be patient and wait and see what happens."

Jin Shangxian responded: "I understand Master Tao's meaning, then I will be able to sleep well in the next few days."

Jin Shangxian had a reassurance at Haihan's side, so he could sleep soundly, but Shang Kexi and Yang Sichang might not be able to sleep soundly.For them, it is not easy to take the initiative in such negotiations, and it is also difficult to persuade the opponent to accept the conditions they set out. Both parties are unwilling to compromise on the first day of negotiations, so they are bound to be at the negotiating table. showed a stronger attitude.

Yang Sichang made up his mind at the beginning and was not in a hurry to express his attitude, but Shang Kexi did not leave any room for him, pressing him step by step, and claimed that if the peace talks fail, then the war will inevitably restart within the year, and the north of the Ming Dynasty will be full of wars again. , when Daming wants to negotiate a peace with the Manchus again, it is certain that these conditions will no longer be the same.

As the current minister of the Ministry of War, Yang Sichang is naturally very aware of the gap in military strength between the two countries.If he had the power to fight against the Manchus, he would not have to worry about these issues. However, except for the relatively stable Shanhaiguan, the northern border defenses of the Ming Dynasty seemed to be broken with a single stab. The Qing army could easily break into the hinterland of the capital of the Ming Dynasty. , a direct threat to the capital.If the Manchu Qing could not be persuaded to cease the war, they would probably be plundered by the Qing army every year. In a few more years, the north would be empty, and the foundation of Ming Dynasty's rule would be loosened.

Yang Sichang's idea is to stop the war and negotiate a peace first, recuperate, and accumulate strength. When the internal strife is settled and the time is right, he will send troops to clean up the Qing Dynasty.However, the armistice conditions currently proposed by the Qing Dynasty are outrageous in Yang Sichang's view. The war indemnity of 200 million taels of silver is still second. If even Shanhaiwei is ceded to the Qing Dynasty, it will really be equivalent to the northern border for Ming Dynasty. The door is wide open, and the Qing army can go south through Shanhaiguan Pass to threaten the capital at any time. If he agrees to the terms of the peace talks, it will be tantamount to making Ming give up border defense completely.

In fact, it is not impossible for Yang Sichang to win a more favorable situation. As long as he puts down his airs and cooperates with Haihan, imitating North Korea and letting Haihan troops garrison the Daming border, and the three countries fight together, the Manchu and Qing forces are bound to do so under military pressure. Make some level of compromise.However, Emperor Chongzhen and the imperial court had always had great doubts about the military cooperation with Haihan. If it was necessary to formally station the Haihan army in Daming in exchange for concessions from the Manchu Qing, such an exchange may not be recognized domestically.

On the second day of the negotiations, the disputes among the countries gradually concentrated on the three countries of Ming, Qing, and North Korea, while Haihan quickly reached a preliminary consensus with the Manchu and Qing on the terms of reconciliation in the direction of Jinzhou at the end of the day's talks.

Shang Kexi promised that the Qing army would withdraw to a hundred miles north of the Jinzhou Isthmus within two months after the agreement was reached, and would only maintain intermittent activities of small patrols in the military buffer zone.The Haihan prisoners of war currently in custody will also be released through personnel exchange, allowing them to return to Jinzhou safely.

On behalf of Haihan, Tao Donglai promised that after the formal signing of the agreement, the Haihan army would stop all military operations against the Manchus in the Liaodong area, and would also release the Qing prisoners in custody.However, if the Qing army launches military operations against North Korea and Ming Dynasty after that, it will be regarded as actively tearing up the agreement. At that time, Haihan will also take corresponding measures according to the situation, and the possibility of sending troops to attack the Qing Dynasty cannot be ruled out.

Of course, the current consensus reached by the two parties is not a formal agreement, but just an intention, but Tao Donglai still took the initiative to suggest that Shang Kexi initialed the memorandum together, so that if the four-nation peace agreement is reached in the later period, the content of this memorandum will also appear in the formal agreement. In the agreement, there is no need to waste time renegotiating.

It is not an exaggeration to say that such a negotiation speed hit it off.This is mainly due to the fact that Haihan made a huge concession compared to the initial conditions, even far exceeding Shang Kexi's expectations before the start of the negotiation. It can be said that he took advantage of it. mentality signed the memorandum.But Shang Kexi also understands that this does not mean that these agreements will be well fulfilled. If he cannot handle North Korea and Ming Dynasty, then the current agreement with Haihan will be invalidated immediately.

If the military generals were in charge of this negotiation, they would certainly not make such a big concession.However, Tao Donglai believes that Haihan's input and output in Liaodong are no longer proportional, and the executive committee has no plans to increase investment in the north in the short term, so reaching a settlement with the Manchu Qing is the most beneficial to Haihan at this stage choose.

Kim Sang-heon had already understood Hae-han's attitude before this, so he was not surprised that the two sides reached an agreement so quickly.Now that Haihan has made a demonstration, then North Korea will follow suit and reconcile with the Qing Dynasty as soon as possible.

Yang Sichang's feelings are a bit complicated. Haihan's military operations against the Manchus in the Liaodong area did share a lot of pressure on Daming. Back to Daming again.But if Haihan does not reconcile with the Manchus, then there is almost no hope for the peace talks between Ming and Manchus.Daming wants to stand on the sidelines and let Haihan compete with Manqing snipe and clam, but it is difficult to do after all.

What Daming couldn't do, Haihan has achieved. As far as the current progress of the negotiation is concerned, Haihan can sit back and watch the excitement of these three parties.

After the negotiations lasted for another two days, North Korea and the Manchu Qing also reached a preliminary agreement. The two countries still use the Yalu River as their border and stop all hostile military operations.Both sides gave up their demands for war reparations from the other side. North Korea did not need to cede Uiju to the Manchu Qing, and the Manchu Qing did not need to repatriate the population taken from North Korea.The North Korean side also has an additional condition. Once the Manchu Qing and Haihan go to war, it will also be regarded as actively tearing up the agreement, so as to ensure that the position is synchronized with Haihan.

Of course, Shang Kexi would not be afraid that North Korea would pose a military threat. If Haihan hadn't intervened, the Manchu Qing would send out tens of thousands of soldiers at random, which would be enough to destroy North Korea.But this peace agreement must be reconciled with North Korea before Haihan will recognize its validity, and he has to make a compromise.However, in any case, they will not gnaw on North Korea's bone with little meat left in the near future, and the temporary reconciliation will not harm the interests of the Qing Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)