Chapter 1608 Ming Envoy

Li Nai's attention was entirely focused on the naval fleet exercising at sea, but he never noticed that a Dafu ship without any flags was slowly sailing into Haikou Port. Neither did Qiu Yuan, who had just seen off Li Nai on the dock.

left and seemed to be waiting for the arrival of the ship.

After the ship docked, the people who got off the ship were all dressed in Ming Dynasty costumes, and some of them had sabers on their waists. It was obvious that the owner of the ship was not an ordinary person. Qiu Yuan waited on the dock for about a cup of tea.

, the real owner finally appeared, a middle-aged man with a goatee slowly disembarked along the gangplank. This man was dark-skinned, of medium height, and quite handsome in appearance. He looked to be about forty years old.

Qiu Yuan took the initiative to greet him, cupped his hands and said, "Master Fei, you have worked hard all the way!"

The middle-aged man, who was called Mr. Fei, bowed his head and returned the greeting: "Sir Qiu, you are so polite! I serve the imperial court and I don't dare to claim hard work!"

Qiu Yuan smiled and did not answer his question. He took the initiative to change the subject and said, "Master Fei and his party are indeed thinking about the court by skipping the ceremonial guard and traveling in a low-key manner."

Qiu Yuan waited on the shore for a long time before the other party disembarked. He knew in his heart that the other party wanted to show off in this situation so as not to lose to his side in terms of momentum. However, he was also a person who could not get rid of the dirt in his eyes. How could he

He just suffered the loss without saying a word, and his words now seemed to be mocking the other party with a gun and a stick.

Since the founding of Haihan, many Ming officials on Hainan Island have either chosen to switch sides and join Haihan, or they can only be expelled back to Ming. Those with a good attitude can be sent out with courtesy, while those with a bad attitude may even try to use force to confront them.

Often they end up "disappearing for no reason" in the end. Most Ming officials who visit Haihan today know that period of history, so they generally don't dare to put on airs in front of senior officials in Haihan, let alone the two "imperial courts".

Keep this word on your lips at all times to avoid upsetting the Haihan people.

But Mr. Fei, who had just arrived in Hainan Island, obviously didn't understand this rule, or he had other plans. In short, Qiu Yuan felt a little uncomfortable when they met each other. Qiu Yuan knew very well that the other party's omission of honor guard was not

To save money for the Ming Dynasty, it is simply because I don’t want to attract too much attention and avoid embarrassment. Recognizing Haihan’s dominance over the existing control area on behalf of the Ming Dynasty is not a glorious job, and being watched by the local people is even more embarrassing.

It's embarrassing, so before coming here, the other party has already conveyed information to Haihan through other channels, hoping that this bar will not arrange a grand welcome ceremony at the dock or other public places.

Qiu Yuan did what the other party wanted, but he didn't expect that the other party would still behave in a pretentious manner after arriving at Haikou Port. Qiu Yuan couldn't help but use words to hit the other party.

Lord Fei probably didn't expect that the first high-ranking official from Haihan he met when he came to Haihan would be so difficult to deal with. He was slightly stunned before he responded: "Master Qiu is joking."

He couldn't argue too much with Qiu Yuan on this issue. After all, the more he spoke, the less face he would lose to Daming. Even using words could not change Daming's current passive situation. Arguing about this issue would only be asking for trouble in the end.

.Resolutely ending this topic is the wisest choice at the moment.

Qiu Yuan also stopped talking. Since the other party's attitude has retreated, he will not press forward step by step. The envoys sent by Ming Dynasty this time are here to handle business. If they are too stiff when they meet, it will not be easy for them.

The business affairs arranged later are not very good. Besides, this kind of verbal advantage is not of much help to Haihan. Ming Dynasty is willing to send envoys to discuss the establishment of diplomatic relations in the future in accordance with the Liaodong Agreement, which is equivalent to asking Haihan to

Han bowed his head, and there was no point in making any small moves to him.

Although exchanges between countries are inevitable for front-line diplomats, there is still a need for harmony on the scene, not to mention that both Haihan and Ming have announced the establishment of formal diplomatic relations with each other through official channels.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations is peaceful, no matter what grievances there are in private during the festival, one still has to do a good job on the surface. Qiu Yuan has already prepared a reception banquet in Haikou City to entertain Mr. Fei and his party who came from the Ming Dynasty.

Fei Cexian, deputy director of Zuosi, seventh rank of the Ministry of Rites of the Ming Dynasty, is 38 years old and comes from Raoping County, Chaozhou Prefecture, Guangdong Province. Fei Cexian was a Jinshi in the sixth year of Tianqi. Later, he was praised for his solid knowledge and good appearance.

He was selected as a clerk in the Ministry of Rites. It took Fei Cexian ten years to finally climb from a scribe to the second-in-command position of the Pedestrians Department.

The main responsibility of the Xingren Division in the Ministry of Rites of the Ming Dynasty is to issue edicts, canonizations and rewards to the kings of tributary countries. The entire establishment only has forty people, one is the seventh-rank chief minister, two are subordinate to the seventh-rank chief minister, and the remaining thirty-seven

People are people of good character. Although their grades are not high, because the work of this department is to represent the image of the country, they often act as envoys when they go to feudal states, so the requirements for practitioners are extremely high, and all of them have been trained over the years.

Scholars with a Jinshi background have certain thresholds even in terms of appearance, and not everyone is qualified.

After the Ming Dynasty and Haihan officially established diplomatic relations, according to normal diplomatic procedures, the two sides would definitely establish embassies and consulates in the other country. Due to various considerations, Haihan did not plan to send time travelers all the way to the capital, but planned to establish a mission in Zhejiang

Ningbo Prefecture and Guangzhou Prefecture in Guangdong each built an embassy. Bai Kesi and Mei Shengchuan had already proposed this plan when they met in Liaodong, and it was later recognized by the Ming Dynasty court. It is estimated that the big shots in the capital are not willing to see the capture of the Ming Dynasty.

The Haihan people who came to establish a country with their own territory appeared under their noses.

At present, the site selection of the two Haihan embassies has been completed. Since the site in Guangzhou is located in Haizhu Town, which is actually controlled by Haihan, there are almost no additional procedures required, so the embassy has already started construction after the Liaodong Agreement was reached.

After the embassy was completed, there was only the Pearl River between it and Guangzhou City, which was quite similar to ruling by dividing the river. As for the Ningbo Prefecture, the prefect Qu Yutong personally selected a place in Ningbo City to enter the city.

The house was purchased by Haihan, and then the necessary renovations and reconstructions were started, and then it was used as an embassy.

As for the Ming Dynasty's embassy in Haihan, there were not many places to choose from. Ports such as Zhoushan Port in Liaodong, Zhifu Port in Shandong, Zhoushan Port in Zhejiang, Penghu Port in Fujian, and Hong Kong in Guangdong were all occupied by Haihan. Ming believed that the ownership rights were still in dispute.

All places were excluded at the first opportunity, leaving only one Hainan Island to choose from. There are three major cities on Hainan Island: Haikou, Danzhou, and Sanya, of which Sanya is the capital of Hainan.

Originally, choosing Sanya should be the most reasonable arrangement, but some people in the court felt that in accordance with the principle of reciprocity, since Hai and Han were unwilling to set up their embassy in the capital, the Ming Dynasty should also do the same. However, some people thought that there was no need to put their own embassy in the capital.

The lower limit was lowered to the same level as Haihan. The embassy was located in Sanya. Whether it was handling diplomatic affairs, collecting intelligence, or making connections, it would be much more convenient than the other two places. In the end, after some discussion, the imperial court decided to send the embassy first.

People will go to Hainan Island for on-the-spot investigation before making a conclusion. Danzhou is located slightly to the west, so the original capital of Qiongzhou, Haikou City under the rule of Haihan, and Sanya, which has transformed from a fishing village into a prosperous city, are used as the two places.

The main target of the inspection, and the person who performed this task, was Fei Cexian, deputy director of the Ministry of Rites, Zuo Si.

When Fei Cexian was a Jinshi in Beijing High School, it happened to be the year before he traveled through the group and came to this time and space. After he became a Jinshi, he stayed in the capital as an errand and never returned to the south in ten years. Therefore, he knew Haihan very well.

Most of them come from various folk rumors and various official documents submitted to the court from the southern coastal provinces, and there is no intuitive feeling.

According to the image of the Haihan people pieced together based on this information, they are a group of profiteers full of copper odor, reckless warriors who are ready to start wars, proficient in navigation and various unexplained witchcraft, and under their command are elite sea and land troops with amazing combat effectiveness.

.For Fei Cexian, it was indeed difficult for him to understand how these groups of merchants, warriors, sailors and wizards established and ruled a country.

And such a country actually cut out so many tricks from the powerful Ming Dynasty that the various states in the south could only ignore its existence and allowed it to grow in just a few years until the court noticed the south.

The situation is that Haihan has already declared its independence. At this time, the Ming Dynasty was caught in internal and external troubles in the Central Plains and the Northeast. It was simply unable to open a new battlefield in the south to deal with the Haihan people, and it missed the opportunity to nip Haihan in the bud.

The best time for status.

Unknowingly, Haihan's tentacles had reached the Bohai Sea, passed through the Shandong Peninsula and reached Liaodong, and had brought the maritime gateway to the east of the capital under his control. Under this situation, Daming no longer wanted to

Haihan could not be allowed to enter the important areas of the capital, not even the envoys stationed in the capital. Haihan had already completely destroyed the officialdom of the southern coastal provinces through coercion and inducement. The imperial court did not want the capital to be like this in a few years.

It has become a place where Haihan people can act unscrupulously.

In addition to these news, the wealth of Haihan is also one of the most talked about topics in the Ming Dynasty. It is said that the wealth accumulated by the Haihan Kingdom through war and trade has even exceeded the total amount of the entire Ming Dynasty. Fei Cexian

Although I don’t believe this statement, I have heard many stories about how Haihan became rich and prosperous. Not to mention the various expensive Haihan handicrafts and daily necessities sold in the capital.

Ordinary people can afford it. As for Haihan State, which has the ability to produce these luxury goods, its social consumption level will not be much worse.

In addition, it is said that most of the officials, large and small, in the southern coastal states have made fortunes relying on the Haihan trade system. In many places, one person has achieved enlightenment, chickens and dogs have ascended to heaven, and the entire family has become prosperous together. This is

In recent years, there has also been a strange phenomenon in the capital that actively applies to be an official in Lingnan. Even some civil and military officials from the north who are not well connected enough to be an official in Jiangsu and Zhejiang will settle for the next best thing and try to work in the civil service department.

Because of my connections, I hope to be transferred to the Fuguang area in the south and stay there for a few years. Although dealing with Haihan people will inevitably be risky, there are too many examples of people making money from Haihan people in the southern official circles, so latecomers cannot be tempted.

Fei Cexian considered himself not a money-grubbing person, but he still did some homework before going south. He had a rough understanding of how Haihan supported officials and businessmen in the south and transferred benefits to local officials. After a detailed understanding,

He also had to admire Haihan's methods in this regard. He could convey benefits to local officials in a seemingly legal form and thus play a bribery role. This was much smarter than directly sending troops to attack these areas to plunder wealth. However, in

Before arriving at Hainan Island, Fei Cexian still had some reservations about the true situation of Haihan Kingdom. After all, there were too many things that Haihan did in the south that sounded incredible. Before he could verify it with his own eyes, he was very cautious.

It's hard to believe 100% of the authenticity of these things.

Of course, perhaps deep in Fei Cexian's heart, what is even more difficult to believe is that the Haihan people would use money so generously to bribe Ming officials. If all this is true, then he may have made the biggest fortune in his life.

Opportunity. Is it really that easy to make a fortune? Fei Cexian still has a lot of doubts about this. And the local officials can get the benefits sent by Haihan, naturally because Haihan wants to do business and trade in these places to gain profits, so he needs

Local officials turned a blind eye to their behavior. As the Ming Dynasty's envoy to Haihan, what benefits could he bring to Haihan? At least Fei Cexian couldn't think of anything yet.

The reason why the Haihan people paid for it.

But Fei Cexian believed that no matter what the attitude of the Haihan people was, as an envoy of the Ming Dynasty, he must not lose the face of the court during his mission, so although the ship he was on did not display any flags, and the team he led did not use any guard of honor,

But Fei Cexian still hoped to show the superiority of the Heavenly Kingdom in front of the Haihan people as much as possible. But he did not expect that the first Haihan high-ranking official he saw after getting off the ship would see through his thoughts so sharply.

, and made some sarcastic remarks without politeness.

Of course, Fei Cexian also wanted to fight back against him immediately to make him understand that the majesty of the Ming Dynasty could not be violated, but unfortunately there was no option left for him to fight back. The words of the Minister of Rites before going on the mission still echoed in his ears:

"When we go to the South China Sea, we must deal with the Haihan people slowly and slowly. We must not act too hastily, let alone have a stalemate with them. The safety of our northern frontier in the Ming Dynasty is in danger. This time we rely on the Haihan troops deployed in Liaodong, and they also need their efforts to resist the Jin people.

Go south. Your mission is to let Haihan continue to regard the Ming Dynasty as his father and brother, and to defend the Ming Dynasty from foreign enemies. After the court has freed up its hands to quell the civil strife in the Central Plains, you can then make plans. Even if there are various grievances, remember to be cautious and patient, and do not make any mistakes.

Again, everything must be done with the overall situation in mind!”
Chapter completed!