Chapter 2175

Under the premise of not leaking military secrets, Duan Tiancheng does not mind accepting some benefits from the outside world. In the earlier operation to arrest Sun Feizhou, the leader of the Eighteen Zhizhi in Ningbo City, Cui Hongfang divided the money seized from Sun Feizhou's stronghold.

He gave part of it to Duan Tiancheng.

This informed arrangement naturally won Duan Tiancheng's favor. Later, when Cui Hongfang ordered weapons from the Zhoushan authorities, Duan Tiancheng provided Cui Hongfang with some valuable opinions, helping the commander to deal with numerous munitions.

During the order, I jumped in line and bought a hundred muskets made by Haihan.

Such a move looks very much like a reward for accepting a bribe, but things are not as simple as they appear on the surface. In fact, Shi Diwen not only knew the inside story of the batch of muskets that Duan Tiancheng helped Cui Hongfang obtain, but he also nodded in approval.

Arrangements for order queue jumping.

This is of course not that Duan Tiancheng gave another share of his profits to his boss, but that after he took the initiative to report the situation to his boss, Shi Diwen deliberately made such an arrangement, making Cui Hongfang think that he had successfully bribed a Haihan

Senior military officer to reduce his wariness towards Duan Tiancheng.

Although most of the garrison troops in the Ningbo Prefecture have long since given up on opposing Haihan, the Zhoushan authorities' vigilance has not been reduced much because of this, and they still do not relax their concerns. And after establishing this kind of interest relationship,

, it will be easier for the Zhoushan authorities to exert influence on Dinghaiwei under Cui Hongfang's jurisdiction.

Duan Tiancheng was actually a chess piece hidden in the open by Shi Diwen. After Cui Hongfang's incident, the number of people asking Duan Tiancheng to do things will definitely gradually increase. These things are often difficult to handle through normal channels, and there must be some shady ones among them.

Through the role he plays, Duan Tiancheng can contact these people with special requirements, learn their purpose, and then judge whether it needs to be reported to the Military Intelligence Bureau and Shi Diwen.

Duan Tiancheng's job was rewarding and rewarding, and the risk was not too great. He only had to sit back and wait in his spare time without taking the initiative. It was indeed a good job that many people dreamed of. So he heard from Xuan Xiangming that there was a Yangzhou salt merchant who wanted to make acquaintance.

I didn't intend to shirk it at all, so I readily agreed.

Of course, before meeting Ma Zhengping, Duan Tiancheng had already reported to the Military Intelligence Bureau in accordance with work procedures, so as not to make the situation unclear later.

Ma Zhengping never expected that the other party would have so many connections, so he just thought that he had accidentally obtained a good opportunity to meet a noble person. He wanted to ask someone from the military for information, and this Major Duan was obviously a very suitable person.

Chosen.

Of course, based on Ma Zhengping's experience, he would not be in a hurry to reveal his true purpose. He would first serve him with good wine and food to stir up the atmosphere. Moreover, he was indeed very curious about the experience of the Haihan Army's campaign against Hirado, so it was rare for him to do so.

To get to know such a person who participated in the whole process, of course you must try to listen to the description from the first-person perspective.

In this operation, the East China Sea Fleet was mainly responsible for attacking Hirado Port from the sea and dealing with the armed fleet of the Hirado Navy. However, because the main force of the Hirado Navy had always avoided fighting, the East China Sea Fleet only eliminated one unit that served as cannon fodder.

The squadron. And due to the huge disparity in strength between the two armies at that time, the East China Sea Fleet only dispatched its flagship to defeat the opponent. It can be said that it did not take much effort.

Of course, Duan Tiancheng was not from the propaganda department, but he had seen the world and was a witness to the war, so he could describe the war scenes vividly and vividly. Ma Zhengping, on the other hand, stood as an outsider and listened to Duan Tiancheng's story.

How the East China Sea Fleet defeated the opponent's armed fleet with two flagships, how it surrounded the local port from the sea, and bombarded it for several days, blasting all the port buildings into powder, still makes me excited and excited.

Although what the person involved said personally was not as fancy and ups and downs as what the storyteller in the teahouse told, it was more real and powerful. Even an ordinary person like Ma Zhengping who had never stepped foot on the battlefield could learn from Duan Tiancheng.

The destructive power of war can be felt in the description.

The East China Sea Fleet's cross-sea expedition was still able to surround the opponent's port and easily take down the opponent's armed fleet. If this was not an intentional exaggeration by Duan Tiancheng, then one can imagine how terrifying the strength of the East China Sea Fleet is. Combined with the East China Sea Fleet in previous years

With all the rumors about the fleet showing off its power in Hangzhou Bay, Ma Zhengping naturally believed that if the opponent of the East China Sea Fleet were to be replaced by a state capital along the East China Sea coast of the Ming Dynasty, the result might not be much better than that of Hirado across the sea.

"Master Duan, how would you compare the army of Pinghu with our Ming army?" Ma Zhengping was really curious and couldn't help but want to hear Duan Tiancheng's opinion.

Duan Tiancheng smiled and said: "Our country and the Ming Dynasty are now allies. Of course, such a war will not break out. Boss Ma does not need to worry. But if we have to compare, of course the Ming army will be stronger."

After listening to his evaluation, Ma Zhengping felt a little more at ease.

In fact, the so-called alliance between Haihan and Ming Dynasty was only established in the past year or two, and it is far from being said to be very solid. A considerable part of the territory under Haihan rule, including Zhoushan, was obtained from Ming Dynasty.

, and the Ming Dynasty knew that it was outmatched, so it could only swallow its anger. If it were not for the powerful enemy of the Qing Dynasty in the north, the Ming Dynasty would probably not lower its proud head and negotiate a peace and alliance with Haihan.

As for the strength of the troops stationed in the coastal prefectures of the Ming Dynasty, Duan Tiancheng also knows quite well. It is too common for the troops stationed in these places to live on empty pay and drink soldiers' blood. Many places can only rely on the military system to survive. If they really want to go to the battlefield, these

The local garrison is probably no better than the Japanese.

Duan Tiancheng said a few nice words in order for Ma Zhengping to continue to have a good impression of him. This kind of speaking skill of assessing the situation is also one of the training contents for Officer Haihan.

However, Ma Zhengping then thought about it and realized that the other party said that the Ming army was slightly better than the Japanese army, which meant that their strength was still far behind that of Haihan!

Duan Tiancheng continued: "However, the Ming Dynasty does not need to worry about the safety of the coastline. From south to north, the Ming Dynasty's coast is assisted by our navy to protect it. There should be no one who dares to challenge us and launch an offensive against the Ming Dynasty from the sea."

Duan Tiancheng said this without politeness, and he completely regarded the Ming Dynasty coastline as something in his pocket. Xuan Xiangming was probably used to his argument, so he didn't react at all, but Ma Zhengping couldn't help being surprised and thought to himself

Is this the coastline of the Ming Dynasty or the coastline of your Haihan Kingdom?

Haihan's so-called assisted defense is of course not a measure taken with the consent of the Ming Dynasty, but simply to create an excuse for his large number of troops stationed near the Ming Dynasty coastline. Several key nodes and outlets on the Ming Dynasty coastline, such as the Bohai Port,

Hangzhou Bay, Fujian Strait, Pearl River Estuary... are all under the actual control of Haihan, and the Ming coast is regarded as their own territory. If any external force wants to invade the Ming Dynasty, it must first pass through Haihan.

Just fine.

Of course, not many people in the Ming Dynasty with a right mind would be grateful for the "assisted defense and protection" provided by Haihan. Even if Haihan did delay the Qing offensive for the Ming Dynasty in the northeast, most people would not

One would still think that Haihan's various actions along the coast of the Ming Dynasty were actually a disguised invasion.

Although Ma Zhengping's thoughts are not that radical, he still finds Duan Tiancheng's statement difficult to accept. But now that he has something to ask for, he can't be too tough and can only suppress all his rebuttals.

Duan Tiancheng changed the topic and turned it to Ma Zhengping: "I heard that Boss Ma is a salt merchant in Yangzhou. Yangzhou is a great place!"

Ma Zhengping responded: "Actually, I am from Huizhou, but I have been in Yangzhou for most of my life, so I can be regarded as half Yangzhou!"

Duan Tiancheng nodded slightly and said: "I have also heard that Huizhou salt merchants are quite influential in Yangzhou. If I have the opportunity to visit Yangzhou in the future, I hope Boss Ma will take care of me!"

Ma Zhengping said: "If Mr. Duan wants to visit Yangzhou, you only need to say hello, and Ma will send a boat from Yangzhou to pick you up and drop you off. All expenses for Mr. Duan during his stay in Yangzhou, including food, clothing, housing and transportation, will be taken care of."

It will all be borne by Ma to ensure that Mr. Duan can have a comfortable time in Yangzhou."

Ma Zhengping now showed off his tycoon spirit as a salt merchant. Duan Tiancheng nodded repeatedly, praised Ma Zhengping for his hospitality, and said that when he had some free time, he must find an opportunity to go to Yangzhou.

Seeing that the flattery was in place, Ma Zhengping felt that the opportunity was too good to miss, so he took the initiative and said: "However, Yangzhou is not very peaceful at the moment. If Mr. Duan wants to come to visit, it is best to say hello early, so that I can arrange escorts in advance."

As expected, Duan Tiancheng frowned and said, "What's going on? Is there someone in the local area who is dissatisfied with our Haihan Kingdom?"

Ma Zhengping said: "Perhaps Mr. Duan has also heard of the fighting incident that occurred in Yangzhou at the end of last year?"

Duan Tiancheng nodded and said: "I know what you are talking about, why is your opponent still unwilling to admit defeat after suffering so much?"

Ma Zhengping smiled bitterly and said: "Whoever admits defeat will lose completely. This is related to the big business of one million taels of snowflake silver every year. Who is willing to let it go?"

The conflict of interest between the two major salt merchant groups in Yangzhou has long been obvious. There is no compromise in this level of conflict. There is only the result of the winner taking all and the loser being delisted. Although the Shanshan-Shaanxi salt merchants were involved in the fight last year

They suffered heavy losses, but the fundamentals were not damaged. After the incident, they discovered that the Haihan people did not show up directly in Yangzhou, so they slowly returned to their old behavior.

Of course, the salt merchants from Shanxi and Shaanxi dare not make any decisions about the salt that is now transported from Zhoushan to the surrounding areas of Yangzhou. Otherwise, if those evil stars are recruited to Yangzhou again, there may be another bloody storm.

If I can't defeat the Haihan people, how can I defeat you? The Shanshan and Shaanxi salt merchants have once again targeted their old rivals, because they know very well that their opponents will not be unaware of the changes in the situation. If Haihan intends to win over the Huizhou salt merchants,

merchants, that will inevitably lead to oneself becoming passive. The best way to deal with it is to attack the Hui salt merchants as much as possible and drive them out of Yangzhou before the situation gets out of control.

It was precisely because of the tight situation that Ma Zhengping hurried to Zhoushan after receiving the news of the return of the East China Sea Fleet, hoping to exchange Haihan's support with a cooperative gesture. However, the only official connections he could reach were Yang

However, the support Yang Yun could provide him was limited to the commercial field, which was far from enough for the situation faced by Huizhou salt merchants.

Ma Zhengping does not believe that the commercial support provided by Haihan will allow him to defeat his competitors in the short term. It is just importing more private salt into the Yangzhou market, and it is impossible for Shanxi and Shaanxi salt merchants to surrender. What he needs is Haihan to provide more

Strong support, including but not limited to force.

Duan Tiancheng said: "It seems that Boss Ma failed to take advantage of last year's opportunity to change the competitive situation between you and your opponents."

Ma Zhengping said: "We have been fighting for generations, and a certain balance has actually been formed. If there is no external intervention, no matter how fierce the fight is, the winner will not be determined quickly."

Duan Tiancheng heard the meaning behind his words. Who else could be an external force that had the ability to intervene in the Yangzhou salt market besides Haihan?

Duan Tiancheng was not in a hurry to express his position, but instead invited Ma Zhengping to drink and eat. Ma Zhengping also knew that this matter could not be rushed, and he did not dare to rush Duan Tiancheng. At the moment, he could only be patient and be a good company. He also understood that if he could not even eat and drink,

If you're not having fun, then don't even think about talking about anything serious.

Duan Tiancheng asked Xuan Xiangming to tell some about the competitive situation in the textile industry, and made comments from time to time. Ma Zhengping listened carefully, but thought that the operating conditions of the textile industry were very different from those of the salt industry, and they could not be simply compared. Some of them were

The measures that can be used in the textile industry are not feasible in the salt industry. After all, the salt industry is a special industry subject to government supervision. There are actually many restrictions on whether it is bought or sold, even if it is a salt merchant selling private salt.

Even though the methods are well known to everyone, they cannot be used without restrictions.

After three rounds of wine and five delicious dishes, Duan Tiancheng turned the topic back to Ma Zhengping: "Boss Ma, take my cousin as an example. He opened a store in Zhoushan to do business with my country, whether it is business or personal safety. , will be well protected. So I think you don’t have to worry too much about industry competition in Yangzhou. As long as you and your companions cooperate with my country, your competitors will not be able to touch you. my country will provide you with necessary support and help."

Ma Zhengping responded expectantly: "That also includes the use of force?"

Duan Tiancheng said: "It depends on whether it is necessary. What I must declare is that our country and Ming Dynasty are friendly allies. In order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, it is inconvenient for our country to use force within the territory of Ming Dynasty. Do you understand?

?”

"Understood! Understood!" Ma Zhengping responded but felt disapproving. Didn't the Haihan Kingdom use force in Jiangsu and Zhejiang in recent years? Even the city of Hangzhou was attacked by Haihan troops in the past few years. This is still

Are you sorry to say it's inconvenient?
Chapter completed!