1627 Rise of the South China Sea

For Wang Chengen, the situation at hand is a mixed blessing.

Fortunately, Haihan has not yet mobilized the southern army to participate in the war in North China, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. This shows that the other party has not yet entertained the idea of ​​completing its victory in one battle. Although the Ming Dynasty is at a disadvantage, it still has vitality.

What is worrying is that Haihan has only deployed garrison troops in the Northern Region and the East China Sea Region, and the Ming Dynasty will be unable to withstand it. If Haihan takes advantage of this situation and plans to destroy the Ming Dynasty, he will deploy troops originally deployed in the south. , and even overseas troops were mobilized to participate in the war. How should Ming Dynasty respond?

Contact the Haihan Executive Committee as soon as possible to promote armistice negotiations, otherwise it is very likely that changes will occur later.

It's just that the Executive Committee has not shown any interest in the negotiation at present and has left him alone for several days. It seems that more proactive measures must be taken and cannot be delayed any longer.

The contacts that the imperial court could entrust in Hangzhou had already been contacted before he came.In the end, the effect that these connections can achieve can only ensure that he can enter Hangzhou smoothly and get in touch with Haihan officials.

As for whether he can meet with the senior officials of the Executive Committee or even negotiate, no one dares to give him such a guarantee, nor can he help with this last step. He can only work hard on his own.

After walking around the canal dock, Wang Chengen was greatly touched, and he no longer dared to place all his hopes on Zhu Zian. He knew that he had to take action as soon as possible.

The place where the Executive Committee works is not a secret. Everyone in Hangzhou knows that the large newly built Haihan-style building on the north bank of West Lake in the west of the city, known as the "Victory Palace", is where its daily offices are located.

Wang Chengen had been here once before. After handing in the greeting card, he was told to go back first and wait for notification. The executive committee would arrange an interview when they were free.

This time, he received the same response to his proactive visit. A diplomat still insisted that he go back first, but this time Wang Chengen would not be dismissed so easily.

"Executive committee members are very busy with official duties. If you have time and are unable to notify our family in time, it will cause trouble if the business is delayed. Our family will be waiting here and will be on call at any time."

After Wang Chengen finished speaking, he really stayed there. This reaction was somewhat beyond the expectations of the diplomats. After a few words of persuasion, he saw that he had no intention of leaving, so he could only report the situation first. .

"Wang Chengen is so anxious!"

Tao Donglai shook his head helplessly and said: "You don't have any patience at all, and you still want to negotiate with us!"

Ning Qi said: "I heard that Wang Chengen has been guarding Xingxianfang these days. Why did he suddenly think of it and come to us? Could it be that Zhu Zian gave him an idea?"

Tao Donglai said: "Zhu Zian shouldn't be so bold as to give him such an idea. I think there are other reasons. Maybe he was stimulated by seeing something."

Although Tao Donglai's guess was not correct, it was not far off.If Wang Chengen hadn't gone to the canal dock in the east of the city and seen the supplies and soldiers being transported to the front line, he might not have been so anxious.

He figured out the key, which was that he did not dare to delay for a moment. Even if he was not summoned by the executive committee for the time being, he must show a positive attitude.

Ning Qi said: "Then can we see him?" Tao Donglai waved his hand and said: "The heat has not yet come, let him dry for two more days. He wants to stick a pestle at the door and force us to meet him, so he can be used as a proof for others. Everyone in the country, look at what situation Ming Dynasty is in now!"

Wang Chengen waited outside the office building of the Executive Committee, originally intending to use this to expand his influence and make Haihan feel that he could not come to power, so they might receive him as soon as possible.

But he never imagined that the executive committee would also want to use him as a model to beat other countries.

As for the impact this will have, the executive committee is not worried. After all, the right to speak and the direction of public opinion here must be firmly controlled by Haihan.

The capital relocation from Hainan to Hangzhou is already underway, so many countries are also preparing to move their diplomatic missions from Sanya to Hangzhou.Activists like Portugal and even the ambassador have followed the Executive Committee to Hangzhou.

There are quite a few foreign officials who go to the Victory Palace on the north bank of West Lake to handle official business every day. Wang Chengen can be seen guarding the gate when he comes in and out. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has arranged for him a Taishi chair, a parasol, and even a With tea and water, it’s hard not to notice him with such a configuration.

Even if someone doesn't know Wang Chengen's identity, as long as he inquires a little, he will know that this is the envoy who came to negotiate peace on behalf of the Ming Dynasty.

As for why they were left hanging outside the gate of the Victory Palace, various parties may have different understandings of this, but there is no doubt that Haihan has no plans to stop his offensive against the Ming Dynasty.

Regardless of whether they support Haihan or not, all countries are paying very high attention to this war.But regarding the battle situation on the front line, most people's source of information is still the official battle report released by Haihan through newspapers.

In the battle report, the Haihan Army was pushed forward all the way, and the defeat of the Ming Dynasty was just around the corner. However, many people still had doubts about the actual battle situation.

After all, the Ming Dynasty had a vast territory and a large population. Even if it was at a disadvantage, its war potential was still huge.The Haihan Army has always been active only in coastal areas and rarely fights deep into the interior. Whether it can perform at a normal level in the inland areas controlled by the Ming Dynasty is still unknown.

But the Ming envoys who appeared outside the Victory Palace seemed to have indicated the current battlefield situation.Moreover, the Executive Committee deliberately avoided seeing the Ming Dynasty envoy and showed its unwillingness to negotiate, which further confirmed that the previous battle reports should be true.

Even though this was expected, the reality still made some people feel uneasy.If Ming Dynasty falls, it will not be good news worth celebrating for the camp they belong to.

On the contrary, the fall of Ming Dynasty means that Haihan will quickly gain a large number of people and resources.Without this rival of similar size, Haihan's direction of external expansion will inevitably change, and its appetite will not be satisfied by just the South China Sea.

To stop Haihan's expansion, we must first try our best to keep the Ming Dynasty from falling.

So Wang Chengen, who was waiting outside the Victory Palace, was shocked to find that a group of "friends" he didn't know appeared around him.

These people came from many countries, but they all claimed to be supporters of the Ming Dynasty and wanted to stand with Wang Chengen and request Haihan for an armistice and peace talks.

Wang Chengen is not stupid. Of course he can understand that these performance artists are not here for the Ming Dynasty, but at the moment he does need someone to cheer for him, so he accepts all such "assistance" without rejecting it.