Chapter 2045

As the head of the Xu family in Fujian, Xu Xinsu chose to cooperate with Haihan very early, and this cooperative relationship including economics and military also helped him step by step to become the local emperor of Fujian. Now Xu Xinsu has

Tens of thousands of elite soldiers on land and sea control the sea access to the southeast of the Ming Dynasty. It can be said that they need money and people. Now even the instructions of the imperial court may not be enough to touch him.

Although Xu Xinsu still relies on Haihan's support in many aspects, as the economic scale and military strength increase year by year, his independence is becoming stronger and stronger. Especially in trade, Xu Xinsu was originally engaged in smuggling before joining the army.

The maritime merchants are familiar with cross-border maritime trade. Now that they have the power, they are even more comfortable running their old business. If the tonnage of merchant ships and cargo ships is calculated, the current business scale of the Fujian Xu family has exceeded the heyday of Shibazhi.

period.

And Xu Xinsu’s cross-border trade partners are far more than Haihan’s family. In fact, for businessmen, business is business, and the only difference is whether they can make money. As for the camp they belong to, their positions, and their close relationships, these are not the decisive factors in choosing trade partners.

.Even Haihan maintained trade with the Spanish colonial authorities through middlemen for a long time, not to mention Fujian.

At that time, Spain and the Netherlands competed to open colonial settlements in the Taiwan Strait. One of the purposes was to facilitate trade with Fujian. The original conflict between Xu Xinsu and Shibazhi was rooted in the competitive relationship in transnational trade.

Conflicts of interests. However, the winner is the winner and the loser is eliminated. Xu Xinsu naturally has the final say in Fujian's import and export trade now.

After taking sole control of Fujian's import and export trade, Xu Xinsu must have some hidden operations in the industries directly or indirectly controlled by his name, such as maintaining trade relations with Western countries such as the Netherlands and Spain. Haihan is not completely aware of this.

I don't know, but both parties are tacitly aware of this and understand that this is just for a casual meal and will not affect the existing cooperative relationship because of these things.

But if the matter that Haihan wants to ask Xu Xinsu to investigate turns out to be the property of the Xu family, then the matter may not be easy to handle. After all, the most profitable foreign trade business in Fujian is almost entirely in the hands of the Xu family, and gold

The situation Ming is worried about is not impossible.

Gong Ping asked, "Then do you have any contingency plans?"

Jin Ming said: "It would be inappropriate to leave this matter entirely to Mr. Xu. The relevant investigation must be followed up by us together."

Gong Ping already understood when he heard this. Jin Ming didn't want to miss out on this credit. If this matter was really left to Xu Xinsu to investigate, he would probably be able to find something, but afterwards the intelligence department would probably not be able to do anything.

None of them could be fished out, so Jin Ming had to think of a high-sounding reason to participate.

This kind of thinking is actually understandable. After all, the functions of the intelligence department are quite special. If you want to perform meritorious service, you must have work to do. In Fujian, no one has dared to go against Haihan in recent years. The intelligence personnel stationed here are basically

There was nothing to do, let alone meritorious service. This time, he finally got an arrest mission. Of course, Jin Ming didn't want to miss the opportunity in vain. Even if Sanya meant to leave the matter to Xu Xinsu, but

Even if you can't eat meat, you can just drink some soup.

Gong Ping responded solemnly: "That's the truth. Then when we go to meet Mr. Xu later, we will explain this request. I believe Mr. Xu will not object."

Gong Shaoqi also responded: "Brother Jin has thought it over carefully. We really need this arrangement to feel at ease."

The Gong family father and son are both good people. After figuring out Jin Ming's intentions, they were very cooperative. They invited Jin Ming over for discussion. In addition to following the rules and requiring people from the intelligence department to be present for intelligence matters, they did not

There was no idea of ​​asking Jin Ming to share the responsibility. In fact, they had already considered the problem that Jin Ming had thought of. If something went wrong, someone would have to bear the corresponding responsibility. The Gong family and his son could be stationed in Fujian for several years.

, in addition to his own ability to do things, his stability in doing things is also one of the reasons.

The three of them agreed on a strategy and took a bus to Xu Xinsu's mansion together. For ordinary people, Xu Xinsu was not someone they could meet whenever they wanted. Officials with a slightly lower rank had to submit a greeting card and wait for an appointment to go to Xu's mansion.

, as for the civilians, they couldn't even step through the gate. However, Haihan officials stationed in Fujian were a special case. No matter when they visited, Xu Xinsu would receive them immediately as long as he had time.

The porter recognized the Gong family and his son, and knew that these were his master's guests, so he did not dare to let them wait at the door. He first took them to the side hall where they first entered the courtyard, and asked the servants to quickly notify the master.

As soon as the concierge hurriedly served hot tea to these people, someone came from the inner courtyard to greet them. However, the person who came was not Xu Xinsu, but his close aide Dong Yanyun.

"Three of you are really rare guests!" Dong Yanyun stepped into the room and greeted him with a cupped hand: "Unfortunately, Mr. Xu is receiving guests, so I can only welcome the three of you first."

Gong Ping said politely: "Mr. Dong is joking, how dare I bother Mr. Xu to come out to greet you in person! Since you are busy with something, I will just wait here."

Although Dong Yanyun's identity is only Xu Xinsu's master, he represented Xu Xinsu in Sanya in the early years. He had good friendships with the big shots in Haihan, and he spoke with considerable weight in Xu Xinsu's camp. The Gong family and his son served as Haihan.

Officials stationed in Fujian naturally knew that Dong Yanyun's identity was not just a confidant, master, staff member, or subordinate. It would be more accurate to say that he was Xu Xinsu's friend or partner, and he must be given enough respect.

If ordinary guests come to visit, Dong Yanyun may not be able to come out to greet them. As for Xu Xinsu to greet them in person, Gong Ping wonders that it has not reached such an extent. According to the principle of reciprocity, only high-ranking officials from Haihan will visit Fujian, and Xu Xinsu

Only then will he come out to greet him in person.

While Dong Yanyun greeted Gong Ping and the others, he was also secretly wondering about the purpose of these three people's visit. If it was just the Gong family and his son who were visiting, he would think that they were coming for political affairs or trade, but he knew that Jin Ming was an intelligence officer.

, since this person has also followed, it is probably not an ordinary thing.

The cooperation between Haihan and Xu Xinsu is not only in the military and economic fields, but also includes intelligence sharing. For this reason, Xu Xinsu even established a special intelligence agency to facilitate work docking with Haihan's intelligence department. But if it is

For pure intelligence matters, there is probably no need for Jin Ming to come here, because the intelligence work in Fujian is not managed by Xu Xinsu himself, but by his third son, Xu Yuxing. There is no need to come to Xu Xinsu to hand over the work.

However, since the Haihan people do not take the initiative to explain their intention, Dong Yanyun will not lose his composure. There are some things where half the battle is lost if you speak first. An old Jianghu like Dong Yanyun will not be fooled. On the Haihan side, Gong Ping is the leader, and Gong Ping is the leader.

Shao Qi and Jin Ming both sat quietly, while Gong Ping chatted with Dong Yanyun about current local affairs without saying a word, without mentioning the purpose of his visit. The two old foxes looked very relaxed, as if they were visiting this time.

The visit is really just an ordinary visit to the house.

After waiting for about half an hour, a servant hurried in, bowed and whispered a few words in Dong Yanyun's ear. Dong Yanyun nodded and greeted Gong Ping and others: "Your Excellency, please invite the three of you to meet in the study."

On the way to the study, they saw a Westerner leaving under the guidance of a servant. The Gong family and his son may not recognize this person, but Jin Ming has seen this person because of work. This is Philip, a Dutch maritime merchant who has been stationed in the country in recent years.

In Taiyuan Port, Taiwan. Although Taiyuan Port is no longer what it used to be, and its trade scale is squeezed by the neighboring Kaohsiung Port and Penghu Magong Port, there are still a few maritime merchants like Philip operating based in Taiyuan Port. After all,

This place is relatively close to several trading ports in Fujian, so there is still some profit in buying and selling between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Western businessmen doing business in these trading ports in Fujian are all on the watch list of the Haihan Intelligence Department, and Philip is naturally no exception. Jin Ming knew that Philip came to Zhangzhou at least three to four times a year, but he didn't know that he

You can actually enter Xu Xinsu's mansion. It seems that there should be some little secrets between Xu Xinsu and the Dutch.

Xu Xinsu's study room is very large. In addition to a place for reading and writing, there is also a large wooden table nearly two feet long and five feet wide. It is used as a conference table when convening meetings with his cronies.

"I've kept you three waiting for a long time!" Xu Xinsu greeted them at the door of the study.

"We just sent the Dutch away, and these red-haired ghosts actually came to Shu. Seeing that they have gradually relaxed their attitude towards them in the past two years, they actually want to open a business store in Zhangzhou." After Xu Xinsu sat down, she took the initiative to explain the reason for her meeting with the Dutch just now.

Gong Ping responded: "The Dutch probably can't stay in Damuan Port anymore. After all, there aren't many products there, and there aren't enough manpower to complete the infrastructure. It's just such a small port with a thousand people. It's hard to see what's going on there."

Business prospects.”

Xu Xinsu nodded and said: "Mr. Gong is right. The Dutch have actually been coveting the market in Fujian for a long time. However, they did not get your country's permission and did not dare to go further. Today, this Dutch businessman came to pester me.

Grant them a piece of land to build a business store, saying that as long as they agree to this matter, they are willing to donate five thousand taels of silver. Hehe, they are quite willing to spend money!"

Gong Ping asked calmly: "Then how did Mr. Xu reply to him?"

Xu Xinsu smiled and said: "That's not easy. I'll ask him to go to you to get the permission first. As long as Haihan agrees, I will let him go."

Gong Ping laughed dumbly and said: "Your Excellency, it's easy to calculate. Now the Dutch can only give up voluntarily, and they have to charge this account to us Haihan!"

Of course Gong Ping was just joking. How could Haihan worry about the feelings of the Dutch in Damuan Port? He had given the Dutch enough face by leaving this place instead of directly razing it. As for opening a business in Daming.

This kind of idea is 100% impossible in Haihan, so the Dutchman didn't even take the initiative to say hello after they met just now. Naturally, he knew that this road would not work no matter what.

Of course, if he can win Xu Xinsu's support, then things will be different. Even if Haihan is dissatisfied with this matter, he will still have to take care of Xu Xinsu's face. Maybe this business store will have a chance to open.

.

In fact, this kind of operation is not without any chance, but the problem is that the conditions that the Dutch can offer are really limited, and Xu Xinsu cannot risk offending the Haihan people to support him in opening a business store in Zhangzhou. Five thousand taels.

Although silver is no longer a small amount, for Xu Xinsu's net worth, it is really not even a drop in the bucket, so naturally he will not be tempted by it.

Of course, only Xu Xinsu and the Dutchman Philippe knew whether Xu Xinsu's description of the matter was truthful. Although Gong Ping was joking, he was secretly paying attention to it. As for sitting with him

Jin Ming, who was next to him, was already thinking about whether to leave first and try to bring Philip back to have a cup of tea and talk to him about opening a business store.

However, Jin Ming just thought about it and realized that this matter was not feasible. It was not that there was anything wrong with arresting a Dutch businessman for interrogation, but that he had to do it before the other party left Zhangzhou. If Xu Xinsu knew about it, he would definitely think that Hai

Han Xin was the only one who would do this. This would definitely have a negative impact on the relationship between the two parties, and Jin Ming still did not dare to easily try such an over-the-top operation.

This was just a small episode. After the exchange of greetings between the two parties, Gong Ping could no longer wait patiently with Xu Xinsu this time. He immediately mentioned the purpose of his visit: "Master Xu, what I informed you the day before yesterday, now

The investigation has made new progress, and we need your assistance in Fujian."

After shooting cases occurred in several places, Haihan also reported the situation to his main allies in order to collect as many clues as possible. However, there are almost no overt hostile forces in Fujian, so there have been

No relevant clues have emerged. If the intelligence personnel had not obtained relatively clear information from Cebu pointing to Fujian, then Haihan probably would not have paid attention to this seemingly impossible area.

Xu Xinsu said: "Wait a minute, since Mr. Jin is also here, it seems that this matter also requires me to dispatch relevant personnel. I will call the third child here first, so that you will not have to repeat it to him again later."

The "third child" Xu Xinsu calls is his third son Xu Yuxing, who is in charge of intelligence work. Although Xu Xinsu followed Haihan and established a special intelligence team, because this thing is somewhat tabooed by the court,

Instead of setting up a new yamen to operate it, he placed it under his own guard establishment and put his third son, Xu Yuxing, in charge of its operations.
Chapter completed!