Chapter 1182 Armistice Agreement

Wang Ji is the Chief Envoy and Inspector of Zhejiang and the highest local administrative and judicial chief. Naturally, no one will question his authority. However, signing an armistice agreement with the Haihan people is not a good thing to be proud of.

Wang Ji hesitated immediately and did not immediately respond to Qu Yutong's words.

There was an observer nearby. Seeing Wang Ji's serious face, he immediately questioned Qu Yutong's suggestion: "The method proposed by Mr. Qu is not appropriate. As a high-ranking official in Zhejiang, how can Mr. Wang condescend to condescend and condescend to do so in person?"

Come forward to sign this alliance under the city with the Haihan barbarians? If it spreads in the future, it will inevitably damage the official reputation of Lord Wang."

This is what Wang Ji is worried about. Everyone knows that the government is forced to choose the armistice and peace path because of the threat of force from the Haihan people. Whoever comes forward to sign an agreement with the Haihan people will be labeled as something dishonorable.

With a good reputation, he may even become the person responsible for taking the blame when the situation changes in the future. If it may affect his career, Wang Ji will definitely not want to take the blame.

Qu Yutong had already planned for this, and immediately retorted: "How can this be said to be an alliance under the city? Haihan is a southern country. They came to me in the name of the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty. Allowing them to do business in Zhejiang is a heavenly kingdom.

A gift to the small foreign country!"

The man was still unconvinced and continued to argue: "Then Haihan's other two demands must be written in black and white in the agreement. How should we explain them?"

Comrade Qu Yu said: "Isn't this simple? Whether it's the Ming Dynasty or a foreigner, if a murder occurs in Hangzhou, the government has the responsibility to find out the truth. What does this have to do with whether they ask for it or not? As for compensation, that's fine.

The name of the pension is just passed by. I will say it again, the Haihan people have the same goal as us, they want a chance to end this farce decently. This is also the reason why they asked the head of the government to come forward to sign a written agreement.

If things are done properly, it will be a great thing for the Zhejiang government to win over the people of other countries and promote the prestige of the Ming Dynasty. However, if it is not handled properly and the two countries go to war and the people suffer, please consider the consequences carefully before proceeding."

Qu Yutong's whitewash can be said to be quite powerful, and it makes sense at first glance. As the saying goes, the official word has two meanings. How to explain this armed conflict between the two countries ultimately depends on the official statement. As long as both sides

If there is a little bit of tacit understanding, it is possible to turn this armed conflict into a story about the two countries resolving their old feuds and the Ming Dynasty supporting a small country. And the Zhejiang government that handled this matter not only had no faults, but also made great achievements. Maybe

After reporting it to the court, you can still receive awards and commendations - of course, you have to carefully think about the content of the memorial.

However, not everyone will accept Qu Yutong’s tactics. For example, Liu Feng was very unhappy with his way of unknowingly whitewashing Haihan: “Master Qu, according to what you said, Haihan invaded the Ming Dynasty.

, if you hurt our soldiers and civilians, can they be written off like this?"

Qu Yutong responded calmly: "Since we have to settle the accounts clearly, today, do you have the determination to fight Haihan in Hangzhou City? Master Liu may say that Haihan is rampant at this time, but he is just

Because Zhejiang's military strength has been depleted recently, can't we wait until the troops from the north to suppress the bandits come back to settle the debt with Haihan? The official never said that he would write off the matter, and signing this agreement does not mean that

We can’t start fighting from now on.”

Liu Feng's face turned dark immediately after being criticized by him. Qu Yutong's statement was undoubtedly blaming the military's incompetence for the current situation where it had to compromise with Haihan. If the military felt that signing the armistice agreement was impossible

If you accept it, then you can send troops out of the city to fight Haihan to the death - of course if you lose again, I'm afraid the conditions for peace negotiation will be even more difficult.

Of course, it is impossible to fight Haihan. As long as Haihan does not attack Hangzhou City, the Zhejiang government has no plans to continue the war. If the court knows that Zhejiang is disturbed by a foreign armed force, then

No one here can ever think of living a peaceful life again.

Liu Feng himself was well aware of the truth, so he approved Wang Ji's decision to negotiate for peace, but he still had a feeling of anger in his heart that could not be calmed down. After being ridiculed by Qu Yutong with a gun and a stick, he was even more angry.

When the attack occurred, Wang Ji said: "The overall situation is more important, and it is better to let Haihan retreat first!"

Wang Ji's words have undoubtedly set the tone for this matter. If Liu Feng continues to argue with Qu Yutong, he will inevitably be accused of "ignoring the overall situation". At the moment, he can only snort and say harshly

He glared at Qu Yutong and kept this account in mind.

Now that Wang Ji has expressed his intention to peacefully resolve the current war with Haihan, it is useless for others to oppose him desperately, especially the military, which has the strongest dislike for Haihan. Because of its poor previous record, it is indeed impossible to be firm now.

After the general direction is determined, it will be much easier to deal with the details. Whether it is the implementation timetable for solving cases and compensation, or the specific areas for opening up trade rights, both parties have much more room for maneuver. And Wang Ji

The initial dissatisfaction with Qu Yutong's performance turned into appreciation, and they decided to hand over the subsequent detailed negotiations to him. This arrangement was exactly what Qu Yutong wanted.

Qu Yutong worked hard to cooperate with Haihan in this play. The main purpose was to keep his official position as the prefect of Ningbo from being shaken. If he could win as much favor as possible in front of Wang Ji, he would naturally be sure of success.

Subsequently, there was a sharp increase. And now Wang Ji has given Qu Yutong full power over the negotiation, which has basically confirmed his role in this incident. Whoever wants to be the prefect of Ningbo in the future will have to

Let’s consider what the Chief Envoy wants first.

Of course, if Wang Ji favors someone else and arranges for others to take over the matter, then don't expect to get through Haihan easily. Except for Qu Yutong, it will be difficult for other officials to gain Haihan's trust if they come forward.

It is not an easy task to complete the half-negotiated armistice agreement, and the matter will eventually be left to Qu Yutong.

Haihan and Qu Yutong had reached a tacit understanding in advance, and they had already planned how to implement the armistice agreement. Although many people in Zhejiang official circles doubted Qu Yutong's position, they had to admit that Qu Yutong

The result of the negotiation with Haihan was much better than expected. At least under his operation, the face of the Zhejiang government and all the adults was basically saved temporarily. Otherwise, if Haihan continues to make trouble like this, Zhejiang will be in chaos, everyone.

Not only will my son be embarrassed, he will also be in danger of losing his official position.

Now that the confrontation between the two sides has lasted for more than ten days, shipping in the lower reaches of the Qiantang River is almost at a complete standstill. A large number of stakeholders have been quarreling in Hangzhou, and the pressure on the government is about to collapse. If Wang Jiruo

It was not that he was under huge pressure, nor that he was led astray by Qu Yutong's sophistry. After he finalized the strategy, he urged Qu Yutong to implement it quickly, so Qu Yutong returned to the city within two months.

When the time came, he rushed out of the city without stopping to meet the Haihan people to discuss the follow-up solution.

"Wang Ji made a decision so quickly?" Wang Tom also didn't expect that less than half a day after the two sides finished talking, Qu Yutong brought the news that the Zhejiang government decided to accept the conditions and negotiate a truce.

Qu Yutong apologized and said with a smile: "The chief envoy also took this decision into consideration for the people's livelihood and did not want the war to harm the people of Zhejiang. He also did not want the misunderstanding between the two countries to get deeper and deeper."

Wang Tom immediately listened to these words and would not take them seriously. Even though Qu Yutong had already had a relatively in-depth cooperation with Haihan, he was still a senior local official of the Ming Dynasty after all. He must speak and do things from the standpoint of the Ming Dynasty.

It is also reasonable to try to help the boss to absolve himself of the responsibility. Why did Wang Ji agree so quickly? Wang Tom still has a good idea. There are hidden stakes of Haihan in Hangzhou, regarding the direction of public opinion in the city, major events and minor affairs, intelligence personnel

News will be sent in time. The voices of the peace faction in the city are gradually gaining the upper hand, and there is not enough combat power to continue the armed confrontation. It is only a matter of time before they choose to compromise.

The next thing will be relatively easy. Both sides only need to take out the content of the armistice agreement that was agreed upon in advance and make some small changes according to the current situation. However, in order to make colleagues in the city not suspicious,

Qu Yutong did not immediately present the content of the negotiated agreement this time. After returning to the city that day, he pretended to be thoughtful and only claimed that the details of the agreement were still being negotiated. Wang Ji was not in a position to urge him, so he could only encourage him to make a good deal of it.

Control the situation and try to obtain better conditions for the government.

After another day, Qu Yutong reported the content of the agreement to Wang Ji. After obtaining his approval, he agreed with Wang Tom on the time and place for the meeting, and basically finalized the last and most important link.

More than half a month after the Tongsheng Wharf fire incident, representatives from the Ming Dynasty and Haihan finally met next to the ruins of Tongsheng Wharf in the east of Hangzhou to sign a peace agreement regarding the fire incident and a series of subsequent events.

protocol.

Of course, the word "truce" was never mentioned in this agreement from beginning to end, because according to the agreement, no war broke out between the two countries, and the military demonstrations carried out by the Haihan Army in various capitals in Hangzhou Bay a few days ago will also

If it is erased, the Zhejiang government will record it as a measure taken by Haihan to assist the government in finding the real culprit of the fire. As for the military conflict between the two armies outside Hangzhou and the resulting casualties, both sides have a tacit understanding.

Not a word is mentioned, and this incident will not be shown in official records. In short, neither side will admit that there was a small-scale battle in the eighth year of Chongzhen, let alone the recent armed forces outside Hangzhou.

The confrontation was characterized as Haihan's invasion of Zhejiang.

Regarding the investigation of the Tongsheng Wharf fire case, the Zhejiang government handed over fifteen non-existent "murderers" to Haihan on that day. Both parties agreed to end the case, and Haihan promised not to discuss the case with the Zhejiang government again.

Let’s explain. As for the original crimes of these fifteen death row inmates taken from Hangzhou Prison, and how Haihan wants to deal with them, that is not the focus of the issue.

Convincing Haihan to accept the scapegoat handed over by the Zhejiang government and giving up the continued investigation of the fire case was one of the benefits that Qu Yutong "obtained" for the Zhejiang government at the last moment, and Wang Ji breathed a sigh of relief.

. This case was not settled for a day, and Haihan always had excuses to stir up trouble. Qu Yutong's "efforts" undoubtedly saved the Zhejiang government from a big trouble that might have lasted for a long time. The Hangzhou government office co-investigated the case

Other yamen in the country have been under tremendous pressure recently, and upon receiving this news, they all felt extremely grateful to Qu Yutong and regarded him as their great savior.

As for the compensation previously proposed by Haihan, the Zhejiang government only needs to deliver to Haihan three sailboats similar to the ships burned in the fire as compensation for the government's negligence in public security. Moreover, these three ships will not be delivered in the name of the official

, but another private person completed the handover in the form of donations and gifts to protect the government's face from being damaged. Considering that a large amount of Haihan's property was missing and destroyed in the fire, the Zhejiang government was very "generous" in giving

Haihan products have been exempted from tax for one year after entering the country. Anyway, it has been two or three years since Haihan products were smuggled into the Zhejiang market. During this period, the Shipping Department has not received any tax from Haihan.

Silver, this condition does not cause much actual loss to Ming Dynasty.

Of course, this limited-time tax exemption naturally became part of the Zhejiang government's agreement on opening trade rights to Haihan, and the content of trade rights is the real subject of this agreement. In order to cover up the Zhejiang government's diplomatic and military

A major failure. This armistice agreement was actually drafted and signed in the name of open trade rights. However, the Tongsheng Pier fire case and related follow-up processing were only lightly mentioned in the agreement.

This is also the main reason why Wang Ji is quite satisfied with Qu Yutong's "negotiation results". Judging from the content of this agreement, one would not realize that this is the result of an arm-wrestling between the two sides on the battlefield.

It is just some insignificant preferential policies granted by the Heavenly Kingdom out of kindness to foreign merchants who come all the way here to do business.

The agreement stipulates that the Ming Dynasty opened Zhoushan Island in Ningbo Prefecture to build commercial facilities for Haihan merchants, and allowed Haihan people to live there for a long time and engage in commercial activities. This is actually equivalent to acknowledging Haihan's current sphere of influence in the Zhoushan Islands, although it did not mention it.

As well as Haihan’s local autonomy and the power to station armed forces, no one would be unreasonable to find fault at this time.

In addition, Haihan merchants will also have the right to trade freely in Wenzhou, Taizhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing, Jiaxing, Hangzhou and other places along the coast of Zhejiang. However, Haihan citizens must actively report their identities to the authorities when entering and exiting local cities. This is also to avoid

If an incident like the Tongsheng Pier fire occurs again, the government has still not been able to confirm how many of the fire victims were Haihan people and how many were Mingren shipwrights and sailors they hired. If there is a reasonable registration system, or

This will reduce the occurrence of this passive situation to a certain extent.
Chapter completed!