1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3914

Ning Qi's secretary quickly brought in hot tea, which made Meng Jinfeng feel flattered. He had never received such treatment when he visited Ning Qi before.

Ning Qi, a high-ranking official, was extremely busy with official duties. In addition, the two countries were at war in Jiangxi some time ago, and he intended to downplay his relationship with the Ming Dynasty. When he met Meng Jinfeng, he would often only exchange a few pleasantries before sending him off under the pretext of urgent official business. The brief talks would not even last until tea was served.

Today's cup of hot tea is not just a diplomatic courtesy, but also a sign that this meeting will not end with just a few words, and that we should be able to discuss some serious business.

"Lord Meng, you should have already read the latest issue of the Times, right?"

Ning Qi skipped the unnecessary pleasantries and got straight to the point.

Seeing that the other party had gotten straight to the point, Meng Jinfeng also replied frankly, "This is precisely why I have come to visit Lord Ning today. Now, shouldn't we be able to discuss the matter of a ceasefire?"

Ning Qi said, "The Executive Committee will soon issue a formal announcement declaring that the entire territory of Jiangxi has been incorporated into our country's jurisdiction, and then cease military operations against your country. I hope your country can accept this outcome and stop making futile resistance, so as to avoid the continuation of the war and the loss of lives."

The frontline battle reports published in the Haihan Times are just a rumor; the final decision will have to wait for the official announcement from the Executive Committee.

This process of gradually eroding the Ming Dynasty was certainly not the first time it had been implemented; over the past thirty years, it had even gradually become a standard procedure.

Of course, as the invaded party, the Ming Dynasty wouldn't be so willing to cooperate. Organizing a counter-offensive after a ceasefire to try and reclaim lost territory was a common practice for the Ming. Even if it ultimately failed, these counter-offensives would still cause some trouble for the Han Dynasty and delay its consolidation of newly occupied territories.

Ning Qi's remarks, which carried a clear warning tone, were naturally aimed at past precedents. However, whether they would have the desired effect depended on how strong the Ming court's will to resist remained—which largely depended on how Meng Jinfeng would report the progress of the negotiations in Hangzhou to his superiors.

Winning over Meng Jinfeng might influence the Ming court's attitude, which is the main reason Ning Qi took the time to meet with him today.

Given that Haihan has already dealt with Meng Jinfeng's predecessor, Yue Shizong, Ning Qi believes that taking down Meng Jinfeng should not be too difficult, especially now that Haihan's army has achieved a complete victory on the Jiangxi battlefield. If the Ming Dynasty wants to preserve its strength, it should rationally accept the loss of Jiangxi, and then the two countries can truly enter a ceasefire phase.

Although Meng Jinfeng's sharpness had been worn down by the cold treatment he had received since taking office, even a clay Buddha has some temper. Hearing Ning Qi's words, he couldn't help but retort: ​​"Lord Ning, although your country has occupied a lot of land in Jiangxi, isn't it a bit too confident to declare that you will bring the entire Jiangxi territory under your rule?"

"Overconfidence?"

Ning Qi glanced at Meng Jinfeng and thought to himself that the new ambassador's edges were still not smoothed out enough, and he actually dared to refute him to his face.

Ning Qi cleared his throat and said, "Lord Meng, recognizing the situation is the foundation of diplomatic activities. If one cannot even see the basic situation clearly, one will only make wrong judgments and decisions. Your country lost more than 100,000 Ming troops in this battle in Jiangxi, precisely because you overestimated your own strength!"

"When our side is willing to negotiate a ceasefire, you had better do your best to cooperate, because such an opportunity may only come once, and you should not wait until it is too late to regret it!"

Ning Qi's words struck Meng Jinfeng like a hammer blow, making him suddenly realize his predicament—he had very little room to bargain. Even this opportunity to meet was something he had waited a long time for. Meng Jinfeng suppressed his displeasure and said in a deep voice, "Lord Ning, a ceasefire between our two countries is the inevitable trend, and peaceful coexistence is the only long-term solution. Our country is willing to negotiate a long-term ceasefire treaty with Haihan, instead of the current intermittent fighting that leads to perpetual unrest between our two nations."

Ning Qi asked calmly, "Then, Lord Meng, how long do you consider to be a long time?"

Meng Jinfeng said, "No matter how long it is, it's not too long. In my opinion, it would be best to sign a permanent ceasefire agreement!"

Ning Qi smiled, then changed the subject, asking, "Did Lord Meng participate in the previous ceasefire negotiations?"

Meng Jinfeng was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "I had other official duties to attend to during the negotiations outside the capital three years ago and did not participate in them."

The former ambassador, Yue Shizong, arrived in Hangzhou to take up his post three years earlier, just before the outbreak of the second war against the Ming Dynasty. At that time, Meng Jinfeng was still a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Rites and was unable to participate in the subsequent ceasefire negotiations held at Balizhuang outside the capital, purely because his rank was not high enough.

As for the earlier first war against the Ming Dynasty, Meng Jinfeng had just passed the imperial examination and hadn't even entered the Ministry of Rites yet, so he wasn't even qualified to be seated at the table.

Ning Qi continued, "Then, Lord Meng, what do you think was the reason why the first two ceasefire agreements were later nullified?"

Meng Jinfeng thought to himself, "That's because Haihan is insatiable in its desire for territory and its ambition is uncontrollable, which is why it has once again provoked a war against the Ming Dynasty."

However, this view can only be kept in mind; if it were spoken aloud, the discussion would be impossible to continue.

Meng Jinfeng said, "It must be due to various unexpected reasons, such as the assassination in Hangzhou three years ago, and this year the prefect of Jiujiang led the way in betraying the country and surrendering to the enemy. The ceasefire agreement signed in the past has become an obstacle in the face of huge hatred or interests."

Meng Jinfeng dared not attribute the renewed war to Hai Han, but instead tried to find the cause within the Ming Dynasty itself. This was a concession in itself, but Ning Qi did not seem satisfied with it.

Ning Qi said, "Lord Meng, what you've said are all trivial reasons, but you haven't dared to utter a single word about the root cause of these events!"

Meng Jinfeng said, "Please enlighten me, Lord Ning."

Ning Qi said, "The rise and fall of dynasties and the change of dynasties are irreversible trends. Those whose national strength is lagging behind will eventually be eliminated by history. I believe your country's court understands this principle very well, but it has always been unwilling to face reality and accept its situation."

"If your court could recognize reality, I believe the dispute between our two countries would not need to be resolved through war, much less through the repeated signing of these ceasefire agreements. We both know that these agreements are time-limited and will inevitably become worthless at some point in the future!"

Meng Jinfeng remained silent. He was well aware of Ning Qi's reasoning, but as a diplomatic envoy of the Ming Dynasty, his mission was to uphold the Ming Dynasty's reputation and interests. He could not possibly agree with Ning Qi's statement, otherwise the Ming Dynasty would become the object of the other side's argument that it was backward and should be replaced.