1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 890
Wei Shan returned to silence and did not answer Yu Pingfeng's question, but judging from his expression, he had undoubtedly acquiesced to the other party's point of view.

Liao Xun, who had been silent all this time, spoke at this moment: "My lord, the people of Ningbo Mansion may not be on our side, and they can't be counted in if we want to do something."

Only then did Yu Pingfeng realize that there was indeed a loophole in what he said just now. The Ningbo government garrison followed the instructions of the Zhejiang capital and deliberately delayed. How could they choose to cooperate with the Shaoxing government garrison to send troops without a formal military order? Attack Zhoushan.

Liao Xun went on to say: "Master Wei has difficulties, and I can understand it. If the Haihan people are indeed as tyrannical as Lord Wei said, they really can't fight recklessly. Tell the higher ups."

Only then did Wei Shan nod his head and replied: "Nowadays there are constant wars outside the Northeast Pass, and bandits are everywhere in the Central Plains and Southwest, and only Jiangsu and Zhejiang are the areas where the imperial court can rest assured. If there is another military disaster here, the adults in the capital may not give good fruit .I don’t intend to connive the Haihan people to act recklessly, but I just take the overall situation into consideration, and some things should not be rushed.”

Yu Pingfeng murmured: "Then I wonder if Mr. Wei has any ideas about how to deal with the Haihan people?"

"If everyone wants to deal with Haihan, I am willing to cooperate, but please don't mention the matter of sending troops to Zhoushan." Wei Shan is also very slippery. On the one hand, he stated that he would not choose the Haihan camp, but on the other hand And I don't want to send troops to attack Haihan, which means I want to trouble you to find it, and I will wave the flag for you.

Guo Zheng asked: "If there is no need to send troops to Zhoushan, will Mr. Wei be willing to cooperate?"

Wei Shan asked back, "Master Guo, what does this mean?"

Guo Zheng explained: "Although the Haihan people occupied Zhoushan, they only occupied Zhoushan. Zhoushan is just a corner of Zhejiang. The sea trade market can be placed in Zhoushan, and of course it can be placed elsewhere."

Liao Xun followed Guo Zheng's words and said: "As far as we know, a large part of the reason why Haihan people robbed Zhoushan was because they took a fancy to the sea trade market that Zhoushan has formed naturally for a long time. If we try to make this market unopenable or move to In other places, the conspiracy of the Haihan people will be self-defeating. No matter how good Zhoushan is, it is just a big island in the East China Sea, and it has no other use except to feed fishermen."

Before the three of them came to Shanwei, they had already passed their temper, and they had prepared several sets of different measures for the situation in the East China Sea.If Wei Shan joins readily and is willing to send troops to intervene, then these three people will try their best to cooperate within their scope of authority.But if Wei Shan has an ambiguous attitude and is unwilling to join this plan, then he has to adjust his strategy immediately.From the conversation just now, it is not difficult to find that Wei Shan has deep scruples about confronting the Haihan people head-on, and this is also the main reason why he is unwilling to join in circles.

In view of this, Guo Zheng resolutely gave up his original plan and adopted another plan.Since the Haihan people came to Zhejiang to do business, try to make them unable to do business and cut off their financial resources in exchange for the Haihan people's concession.

Wei Shan understood a little bit, but still asked: "It sounds reasonable, so what specific measures are there?"

Liao Xun responded: "Let me explain this! The Hai Han people held a so-called investment promotion conference on Zhoushan Island the day before yesterday. I think Mr. Wei has heard of it too?"

Wei Shan nodded and said: "This matter has a great impact, and many businessmen from Shaoxing Prefecture rushed to participate. I heard that the competition for the franchise rights of Haihan products is very fierce, and the franchise rights in Shaoxing Prefecture alone sold tens of thousands of taels. Silver. The hottest topic in Shaoxing these days is also related to the Haihan Merchants Association."

Liao Xun went on to say: "After these merchants get the franchise from Haihan, they must go to Zhoushan Island to buy goods regularly. As long as we prevent these goods from being sold in the market, the merchants who cooperate with Haihan people will suffer. , unable to profit from it, will naturally deter latecomers."

Wei Shan replied: "Master Liao, most of the businessmen who went to Zhoushan Island to discuss business are local figures with prominent reputations, and many of them have their own backers. Besides, the matter of doing business is a matter for the Secretary of Shibo. , if I interfere too much, I will inevitably be sued by other yamen, although I, Wei, is bold, I don't want to recruit a lot of enemies for myself."

After the Haihan people entered Zhejiang, the only Daming Yamen that would openly welcome them was probably the Shibo Tijusi.This yamen in charge of import and export trade was prospered and abolished in the Ming Dynasty, and it finally resumed operation in the Wanli period.Haihan people traded with Zhejiang merchants, and the Shibo Department could not collect taxes from Haihan people, but most of the Ming maritime merchants could not pass this barrier, and had to pay taxes to them.If the local garrison came out to disrupt the situation, the Shibo Lifting Department would definitely not ignore it. Although it might not be able to do anything to Wei Shan, it would be very embarrassing to be sued by other yamen.

Liao Xun said: "Master Wei, this matter should not be made public, but it can be done in secret. We don't need to check and ban the Haihan goods that are being transported into Shaoxing Mansion on the market, and we can directly try to intercept them at sea. Wouldn't it be more convenient?"

Wei Shan narrowed his eyes slowly: "You mean, robbing a ship at sea?"

"There are many pirates in the East China Sea, so robbery is a common accident, isn't it?" Liao Xun said calmly, "It's a 200-mile voyage from Shaoxing to Zhoushan Island. .There are so many pirates in the East China Sea, who knows which family robbed them."

"Having said that, if the guards act as pirates, it is easy to expose their identities, and it is difficult to determine the itinerary of the merchant ship." Wei Shan immediately raised two difficulties.

Liao Xunying said: "During the Merchants Conference last month, the Jinyiwei Yamen also sent people to Zhoushan Island. Those merchants who won the franchise of Shaoxing Mansion were all recorded. Just monitor these merchants, and it's not difficult to grasp their going to sea. The ship schedule. As for the timing and method of doing it at sea, it really needs to be carefully planned, and try not to leave anything behind."

When Wei Shan heard this, he would be lying if he said that he didn't feel the slightest bit of emotion. The actual effect of relying on this method to attack the Haihan trade system is one thing. The value of the goods that can be robbed from the sea is the real focus of attention.Even if he had never handled it, he had heard about the value of Haihan goods. It was naturally worth a lot if so many merchants flocked to them.If it is directly intercepted from the sea merchant, even if it is only one or two shipments, the income will not be small.

But things have to be looked at from two sides. Although this approach has the opportunity to bring huge profits, its risk cannot be ignored, and it may even be greater than directly sending troops to attack Zhoushan.After all, as a local garrison, but secretly acting as a pirate, once exposed, this official uniform will definitely not be able to be kept, and even his life may be lost.Besides, the sea area near Zhoushan Island is under the jurisdiction of Ningbo Prefecture, and the garrison of Ningbo Prefecture has obviously turned to Haihan's side. It's hard to say whether these guys will cause trouble in the middle.

Even if everything goes smoothly, Wei Shan can't guarantee that the people under his command can keep the secrets. As long as one person involved in the operation is not strict with his mouth, it will be a disaster.Even if there is a flaw in the process of selling stolen goods afterwards, the whole matter may be completely exposed.Although this wealth is touching, the way to obtain it is really too risky.

After thinking for a long time, Wei Shan shook his head and rejected Liao Xun's suggestion: "Master Liao said just now, I have never heard of Bendang, so there is no need to discuss this matter again."

Liao Xun couldn't hide the disappointment on his face, but he still maintained a basic reserve: "Since Mr. Wei is unwilling to cooperate, there is no need to force it. However, if there is an accident in the nearby waters with a businessman from Shaoxing Prefecture in the future, I hope Mr. Wei will also cooperate." Keep it up."

When Wei Shan heard this, it was obvious that Liao Xun did not intend to give up the plan completely, and he might still organize other people to implement it, so he said hello first to keep himself from being troublesome.But Wei Shan had already made up his mind not to go to this muddy water, so he just pretended that he didn't hear this sentence.

Out of official etiquette, Wei Shan still persuaded the three of them to have dinner after finishing the business, but these three came from Hangzhou secretly, and came here to discuss the matter of dealing with the Haihan people. Get up and say goodbye.Wei Shan pretended to stay a few words, but seeing the three insisted on leaving, he sent them out of the mansion and watched them get in the car and leave.

As soon as the carriage the three of them were riding in left, Wei Shan's face darkened.Although it is true that he suffered a certain amount of economic loss due to the arrival of the Haihan people to change the power structure in the East China Sea, it has not yet reached the point where he needs to separate life and death with Haihan.In fact, he had also heard about the quarrel between the Zhejiang capital and the Ningbo government garrison army because of Hai Han, but his focus was somewhat different from the three of them.

Wei Shan didn't care too much about the connivance of his counterparts in Ningbo Mansion to Hai Han, because he also knew that if he moved to Ningbo, he would also have nothing to do with the strong ships and guns of the Hai Han people. Go in and nothing else will happen.Even if they didn't get the benefits from Haihan, they would still turn a blind eye to what happened in the East China Sea. As long as the Haihan people didn't set foot on the mainland, everything would be fine.

However, since the garrison of the Ningbo Prefecture Garrison later issued an official document to report to the Zhejiang capital, saying that with the cooperation of Haihan, they broke the pirate den in the East China Sea, it is obvious that they have reached a cooperative relationship with the Haihan people.And what Wei Shan cares about is that, apart from the pirate heads they donated, what kind of benefits the Haihan people gave to the local garrison, so that they would be willing to bear the pressure of the Zhejiang capital to write such articles that a discerning person can see through the truth at a glance.

Yan Guowei, commander of Changguowei, and Huang Tao, commander of Guanhaiwei, both Wei Shan knew each other.They are all veterans who have been in Ningbo for many years. In other words, they have been guarding the cornucopia of the Zhoushan Islands to collect money for many years, and they will not change their positions easily. The benefits given to them by the Haihan people should at least not be lower than in the past. , in exchange for their cooperative attitude.And if the Haihan people can take the initiative to send money to themselves, wouldn't it be much safer and easier than sending troops to rob them of their money?

But so far, the Haihan people have not taken the initiative to come to them, and Wei Shan has no channels to communicate with the Haihan people in private, so for the time being, he can only watch others get rich.However, Wei Shan believed that Shaoxing Prefecture was located at the entrance of Hangzhou Bay, and its geographical location was very important. If the Haihan people wanted to ensure the safe and smooth trade route from Zhoushan to Hangzhou Bay, they would come to this temple to burn incense sooner or later.Therefore, after the situation in the East China Sea changed, he was not in a hurry to express his attitude. Instead, he planned to observe for a period of time and find out the entry point before entering the market to seek a profit.Different from the thoughts of the three people who visited today, Wei Shan does not think that he must drive away the Haihan people in order to protect his own interests. Since the fact that Haihan has entered Zhoushan cannot be changed, he should consider how to get out of this situation. To obtain benefits, instead of rushing to touch eggs with stones.

Because of this, Wei Shan kept a respectful distance from the three visitors from Hangzhou, no matter how much they lobbied, they refused to let go easily.Although he is a martial artist, he still has enough brains. The three of them kept saying that they wanted to work together to drive away the Haihan people, but they didn't say a word about how to distribute the benefits after the goal was achieved. This is obviously a lack of sincerity. Performance.If it weren't for their personal visit, Wei Shan had to maintain a respectful attitude because of his official position, the negotiation would have been terminated by him long ago.

Only Liao Xun's plan moved Wei Shan a little bit, but it was only for a moment. "Jin Yiwei doesn't have a good thing!" Wei Shan looked at the car in the distance, spat hard on the ground, and went back to the house.But after walking a few steps, Wei Shan suddenly stopped again, as if he had some inspiration in his mind.

Wei Shan immediately returned to the study, repaired a book by himself, then called his confidant soldiers to come in, handed him the secret letter sealed with wax, gave him a few instructions, and sent him off.

The soldier went straight to the pier after leaving the Acropolis, showed his badge and boarded a small boat, and then Da took the boat all the way east, and that night, he arrived at the seaside near the Acropolis of Guanhaiwei, Ningbo Prefecture.

Guanhaiwei was built in the 20th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty. It belongs to the capital of Zhejiang Province. It is named after "the grand view of the sea is in Wei".The distance between Guanhaiwei City and Shaoxing Linshanwei City is only more than [-] miles. The two defense areas are adjacent to each other, and public and private exchanges are very frequent.The people from Linshanwei went outside the Weicheng to identify themselves, and were quickly brought into the city, where they presented Wei Shan's secret letter to Huang Tao, the commander of Guanhaiwei.

Huang Tao asked the messenger to be taken down to rest, and then he opened the letter to read, his face was cloudy, obviously Wei Shan's letter mentioned something embarrassing him.Huang Tao thought for a long time before inviting people in: "Tomorrow morning, go to the navy station, and ask Xu Shaohua, General Manager Xu, to come to my office and tell me that I have something to discuss."

(End of this chapter)