1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3915

In the height of summer, Ning Qi specially placed a large bowl of ice in his office to keep the indoor temperature within a comfortable range.

However, Meng Jinfeng was still covered in sweat. This was not because of the unbearable heat, but because he was flustered and confused due to being unable to withstand Ning Qi's offensive in this verbal exchange.

Throughout history, negotiating ceasefire terms has always been a difficult task for the weaker side. They must argue their case to protect their own interests while avoiding making harsh statements that might offend the other side and reignite the war. Finding the right balance is indeed very challenging.

Meng Jinfeng had been sitting on the sidelines in Hangzhou for three months, hoping to start ceasefire negotiations with the Haihan leadership as soon as possible, but to no avail. Now, he finally got his wish and met with Haihan officials. Only then did he realize that ceasefire negotiations were much more painful than sitting on the sidelines.

Before even discussing specific ceasefire terms, Ning Qi laid out the disadvantageous situation of the Ming Dynasty, firmly seizing control of the meeting.

Strength is confidence. Ning Qi could compare the Ming Dynasty to a stumbling block that hindered the progress of history, while Meng Jinfeng had little confidence to retaliate and could only grit his teeth and continue to emphasize the legitimacy of the Ming imperial power and the positive role of the dynasty in maintaining stability in the world.

However, these arguments were clearly unconvincing to Ning Qi. What could not be obtained on the battlefield could not be won at the negotiating table. Instead, they became Ning Qi's evidence to argue that the Ming Dynasty should abdicate and yield to a worthy successor. If the Ming Dynasty was legitimate enough, it could not be replaced, and there would be no war. The current situation proved that this was a false argument.

This was no ordinary debate between civil officials. Every word, every step forward or backward could determine the ownership of several prefectures, the fate of hundreds of thousands of people, or even the rise and fall of a dynasty.

Meng Jinfeng was drenched in sweat, feeling an immense pressure that threatened to explode. He seemed to understand now why former Ambassador Yue Shizong had voluntarily resigned from what was considered a lucrative position and chosen to live a secluded life in the mountains.

Meng Jinfeng had only been in office for three months, while Yue Shizong had been in the position for a full three years. Meng Jinfeng could hardly imagine the extent of the pressure Yue Shizong must have endured during that time, and he was already starting to have second thoughts.

Of course, Meng Jinfeng also knew that he could not emulate Yue Shizong's way of shirking responsibility. Even if he immediately claimed illness and withdrew from the negotiations, the court would never believe such a reason again.

Meng Jinfeng decided to change his negotiation strategy and stop engaging in a head-on debate with Ning Qi. Since the other party insisted on taking the lead, he would take a step back, give in to the other party's wishes, and see what conditions he would propose.

But he soon regretted his decision, because the ceasefire conditions proposed by Ning Qi were not "conventional" demands such as ceding land or paying reparations, but rather outrageous demands.

Ning Qi demanded that the Ming Emperor abdicate and publicly announced that Hai Han would replace the Ming Dynasty, rule the world, and transfer all power over the Ming Dynasty.

Fortunately, Meng Jinfeng remained seated, and although his heart was in turmoil, he did not slip to the ground.

However, after calming down a bit, he realized that these conditions were also Ning Qi's negotiation tactics, and the conditions were not necessarily the same as the goals.

Then he recalled some materials he had read before and vaguely understood Ning Qi's strategy. Meng Jinfeng's appointment was to fill the vacancy left by Yue Shizong's sudden departure due to illness. This personnel arrangement was inevitably somewhat hasty, but during his three months in Hangzhou, he also did a lot of homework while sitting on the sidelines, including studying the records of several negotiations with Hai Han over the past thirty years.

Judging from historical records, this was not the first time that Haihan had pressed his advantage during the ceasefire negotiations, making some demands that were considered outrageous by the Ming Dynasty.

For example, in the first war against the Ming Dynasty in the early years, Haihan had only occupied part of Lingnan, and he made a demand to the Ming Dynasty to divide the country along the Yangtze River.

Three years prior, after the Second Sino-Ming War, during negotiations at Balizhuang near Beijing, Haihan's side had also proposed similar conditions to those mentioned by Ning Qi. However, the talks at that time ultimately resulted in the cession of large territories and the payment of huge indemnities.

Therefore, Ning Qi's proposed ceasefire conditions were likely just another act of blackmail. Knowing that the Ming Dynasty would not accept these conditions, he first set an exorbitant price to raise the bar, and then waited for Meng Jinfeng to slowly negotiate a lower price.

But even though he knew the other party was trying to extort him, Meng Jinfeng couldn't refuse outright. He knew that from this moment on, they had truly entered the "negotiation stage."

The negotiations that took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building on the north bank of West Lake were conducted quietly, and few people outside knew about them. In fact, there were probably no more than ten people in the entire Haihan closely following the negotiations.

This is not because Haihan's top management wanted to keep a low profile, but because the achievements Haihan's army has made in Jiangxi in the past few months are no longer considered particularly outstanding.

Since Qian Tiandun's troops helped the Shihu tribe establish a state last year, in less than a year, they have assisted the newly established Shihu state in expanding its territory a hundredfold. Now, the triangular area of ​​the Arabian Peninsula extending into the Strait of Hormuz has become the nominal territory of the Shihu state.

Although this region is only about one-fifth the size of Jiangxi, it has extraordinary strategic significance because it is the throat of the entire Persian Gulf. Whether it was the powerful Ottoman Empire or the historically significant Persian Empire, maritime trade with the East had to pass through this place, making it no less important than the strategic location of Xingdao Island in the Strait of Malacca.

Of course, the true center of this important region was not in the capital of the Shihu Kingdom, but in Fubo Port, which was controlled by Haihan. Even King Abdullah spent most of his time in Fubo Port, far more than he did in his own palace.

After more than a year of immigration, the settled population of Fubo Port finally exceeded 10,000, bringing various industries to the area and further reducing Fubo Port's dependence on domestic supplies.

Meanwhile, Zhenhai Port, located at the southern end of the Red Sea, has also made considerable progress in its construction. The first shipyard, mainly engaged in repair and maintenance, has already been put into operation in Zhenhai Port—a pace that is even faster than that of Fubo Port, which is closer to the mainland.

The stable development of these two ports means that Haihan has basically established a foothold in the Middle East and laid the groundwork for its next step into the Mediterranean.

From a long-term perspective, opening up sea routes connecting the Western world is indeed far more strategically significant than taking over Jiangxi.

After all, for the Executive Committee, Jiangxi was already a piece of meat in their bowl, and it wouldn't fly away sooner or later. As for those strategic locations far from the mainland of Haihan, they faced competition from European colonial powers of the same era, so they had to take control of them as soon as possible.