Chapter 88 Negotiation
After being bombarded by the Wanshou Emperor's rockets for three quarters of an hour, the fleet's remaining morale finally collapsed completely. Although all the masts had been broken, they still managed to cut the sails and raise the white flag, indicating their willingness to obey the extremely harsh demands of Prince Mu and accept surrender without any conditions attached. After the initial intention was reached, Qi Yuanjing, who was in charge of the aftermath, immediately dispatched ships to surround the half-crippled fleet, and escorted the terrified sailors who had escaped death on the ships ashore one by one. He also managed to tow several ships with intact structures to a sheltered place near the coast, intending to deal with them again after the poisonous fire was extinguished.
But after they were escorted ashore, dealing with the prisoners became a big problem. Of course, it was impossible for a small place like Shangyu to allocate land to build a prisoner camp. Basically, they found a dilapidated temple, drove the prisoners into the temple, and gave them two bowls of rice soup to keep them alive. The ordinary sailors had all been rolled over by the wind and waves, and it was a blessing for them to escape from the poisonous gas, fire and rockets. After drinking a few sips of hot water, they sat down obediently and obeyed orders. Only some officers of high status had ulterior motives. After taking a breath, they immediately started shouting and demanded "treatment commensurate with their status."
Of course, such calls did not receive much response. After all, the distinguished officers did not understand Chinese, and the interpreters that Qi Yuanjinghai Gangfeng had found with great difficulty were not very good. They could not understand the nobles' exquisite expressions mixed with advanced vocabulary and complex grammar. They were confused after listening to them, so Qi Yuanjinghai simply gave the nobles two whips to wake them up. This went on for most of the day, until Ru Wang wanted to come and see the prisoners in person, he was stopped by a noble, who half-asked and half-threatened him to convey his request - even if he was defeated and captured, he had to maintain the dignity of a noble; since the other party agreed to negotiate, he had to send someone of equal status to come forward, right?
"Someone of equal status." The Prince of Mu, who had returned to the government office to rest, received the report: "What do you mean by someone of equal status? Isn't Qi Yuanjing at the scene?"
Ru Wang bowed without answering. His meaning was very clear. He just didn't want to say anything unpleasant.
"He despises Qi Yuanjing's status as too low." The prince said slowly: "Who is the person on the other side?"
Ruwang replied honestly: "The commander of the navy is the Count of Vidigrapa, who has a special appointment letter from the Portuguese royal family and is of a very noble status."
"Since it is an unconditional surrender, no matter how noble your status is, you still have—"
The prince suddenly stopped talking. He squinted his eyes and looked at Ru Wang, and his expression gradually changed subtly.
Obviously, this cunning and profit-seeking businessman would never be a fool who doesn't know which way the wind is blowing, nor would he rashly offend the winner who has an absolute advantage in the war for a little empty reputation. A fallen aristocrat may still be able to remain stubborn, but a banker will definitely be able to recognize the change in wind direction. The reason why he was willing to deliver a message for that "earl" was, apart from a little favor, probably also a test - after mastering the power enough to destroy the navy, the Da'an court was already the undisputed chess player in the Age of Discovery; then, what kind of diplomatic posture did this new chess player intend to take to deal with the European powers?
And this question...is not easy to answer.
Etiquette is not just etiquette. The etiquette used in treating foreign vassals also demonstrates the country's positioning. Today's Da'an is not the Qing Dynasty that was defeated and ruined in later generations, with its five thousand years of discipline completely wiped out. Within the scope that the court can know and control today, China is still the undisputed center of the world, the glorious and glorious country in its heyday. Of course, in the era of great geographical discoveries, it was a bit ridiculous for such a superior country to huddle in a corner and dominate East Asia. However, a arrogant superior country is still a superior country. Before Europe completely completed the industrial revolution, China's national strength advantage was definitely unshakable.
This absolute advantage in national strength lasted for so long that the imperial court had no concept of "diplomacy" at all for a long time. There is no two suns in the sky and no two kings among the people. Feixuan Zhenjun Wanshou Emperor shines on the earth like the sun, caring for and protecting every country in the world as if he is protecting his own offspring. Of course, among the offspring, there are legitimate sons, illegitimate sons, filial sons and rebellious sons; legitimate sons are honored, illegitimate sons are despised, filial sons are rewarded and rebellious sons are punished, but no matter what, no son can sit on an equal footing with the Chinese monarch and father and have an equal relationship. All rewards and punishments are from top to bottom and from high to low, and are not to be questioned or discussed. This is the so-called "tribute" system.
During the time of the Celestial Empire, this tribute system worked perfectly and without any flaws. But now... now the red-haired foreigner from the West suddenly appeared, and this system immediately encountered a bug - how should the identity of this Portuguese Count Vidigla be calculated?
Should I receive him as a true count? But all titles in the tribute system were granted by the emperor. Those who had not been canonized by the court were absolutely fake, which would make all the important officials of etiquette and law spit in disgust. If Prince Mu really let go and acknowledged this fake, it would be tantamount to circumventing the orthodoxy and doing his own thing. The censors in the court would be outraged and it would be strange if they did not criticize him to death.
How about just being bold and denying all European titles and treating everyone as civilians? ——Well, this idea does have the temptation of cutting the Gordian knot. If Mu Qi's rocket technology could be improved to the level of World War II, he would probably just rush in and attack crazily, but now...
It is always difficult to be happy and content in life, and to have clear thoughts. The prince's face changed several times, and he finally let out a long breath:
"Mr. Ruwang, what do you think I should do with this earl?"
Ru Wang leaned forward respectfully and said, "This is a matter between your country and Portugal. How can a small businessman dare to say too much? Please follow the rules of your court."
It's really like hitting the snake at its most vulnerable part. This maritime merchant was cunning and knowledgeable, and he immediately found out Da'an's fatal loophole - what "rules"? The Da'an court is unfamiliar with the field of diplomacy and has no rules at all! In the past, the level of exchanges between China and the West was very low, so where were the conventions to follow?
The lack of rules and conventions means that every decision made by Prince Mu now may be cited repeatedly in the future and become an unbreakable pillar in the field of international relations in future generations. If we also consider that the first wave of globalization after the Age of Discovery is already underway, exchanges between the East and the West will inevitably become the most important and critical diplomatic relationship in the world. Then his identity at this moment is undoubtedly a pioneer in the field of human diplomacy——
Hey, is it true that I am the one who will explore the unknown diplomatic field?
To be honest, this is a bit too difficult. After all, you can't expect an idiot to be far-sighted and quote classics, and to understand the complex and difficult historical context of the diplomatic field in an instant... Unlike the Da'an court, which is addicted to being a father and spreading rumors all over the world, the European powers have coexisted for a long time and have rich experience in diplomacy. If one is caught by a profiteer like Ruwang by accident, they might take the opportunity to do something fancy - Daque Dade, a British banker, is someone you can always trust.
So...so the prince was silent for a long time, then slowly spoke:
"I will not go to see that count."
Ru Wang said respectfully: "May I ask why?"
"Because my family is a duke appointed by the emperor himself, so our status is different."
Why do we emphasize the words "personal appointment"? Ru Wang was a little confused:
"But the title of Count Vidigla was also conferred by the King of Portugal."
"Then where did the throne of the King of Portugal come from?" the prince asked.
This was a very impolite remark, but Ruwang was pleasantly surprised. Since the status of the King of Portugal has been clearly mentioned, it means that Prince Mu will lay the foundation for the diplomatic relations between China and Europe in an official capacity. Once the foundation is laid, there will be room for bankers to quibble and profit from it.
““Of course it is recognized by the Holy See. "Juwang weighed every word carefully: "The Pope, as the shepherd of God, recognized the status of Portugal as a secular kingdom. Your country cannot deny this, right? ”
Mu Qi really wanted to cite Hong Tianwang's works to deny everything, and even better, sell out the illegitimate child. But after all, one cannot just lose one's temper in a diplomatic situation, and Daan's fist is not strong enough to be that strong, so he can only give in first.
"We certainly don't deny the authority of the Roman Catholic Church." The prince said calmly, "In fact, as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty more than a thousand years ago, China and Rome at that time had intersections. The envoys of the Han Dynasty emperor called Rome 'Da Qin' because 'the people are all tall and straight, similar to China'. Da Qin and Da Han are both great countries with equal exchanges. Da An inherits the orthodoxy of successive dynasties in the Central Plains, so naturally it is willing to recognize the authority of the Roman emperor."
In the tributary system, there is only one sun in the sky and all countries are sons of the superior country. However, in the Han Dynasty, which established the status of the Celestial Empire, the emperor publicly acknowledged that the Roman Empire "is similar to China", which was a small bug - don't underestimate this bug; the reason why China was so high up in the tributary system was that the people living near the Central Plains were all barbarians who did not understand etiquette and music and had no sense of shame; these barbarians were too despicable and vulgar and did not know the rules, so only the emperor of China had to care for them and educate them again and again; as the saying goes, once a teacher, always a father; only then could China naturally become the big daddy of the world. If Rome was recognized as "similar to China", then there would be no need for the Chinese emperor to educate it, and the two sides would have the possibility of getting along on an equal footing.
In other words, among all the billions of nations in the world, the only one that is recognized by the Chinese system and can be on an equal footing with itself is Rome.
Therefore, the so-called "recognition of Roman authority" is not false. Da'an continued the orthodoxy of successive dynasties and of course inherited the status of successive dynasties. In the past, Emperor Gaozu was even willing to accept the Tang Dynasty’s golden medal of immunity from death. How could Master Feixuan today refuse to fulfill the promise of the Emperor of the Han Dynasty?
But the question is, where is Rome now?
Rome in Europe has collapsed, but China in East Asia is still thriving. Fifteen hundred years ago, the friends who had been friends for a long time finally parted ways with each other. The rise and fall of civilizations passed by like the wind, which inevitably makes people feel melancholy about the changes in the world.
Unfortunately, the crude and shallow businessman could not appreciate the beauty of history. He could only stare in amazement:
"But the Vatican..."
"The status of the Holy See was conferred by the former Roman Emperor, so of course we respect it." The prince said, "But what about the others?"
In a sense, the Pope is just a high-ranking official of the Roman Empire. The "King of Portugal" recognized by the Pope is of course one level lower; and the Count of Vidigla, who was conferred by the King of Portugal, is even lower in level and grade. Authority is something that will also be lost. The original power has been transformed again and again into second-hand and third-hand goods. How much of the majesty and status can remain?
This is why Prince Mu of Duke Mu emphasized the "personally conferred title by the Emperor" - the title of their family was drawn up by Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong themselves, and it went directly from the Emperor to the individual, with absolutely no middleman making a profit from the difference. Compared to the pheasant earl who subcontracted the title through layers of subcontracting, isn’t it much more noble?
"So, it's not appropriate for me to come forward to negotiate." The prince said calmly: "Of course, due respect should be shown. I don't know the status of that Earl Wei, but since he can command the flagship, I'm afraid the area under his jurisdiction is not small. Let's let the local officials talk to the local officials, and trouble Mr. Hai to go and host this meeting."
Hai Gangfeng, who was sorting out official documents and preparing to deal with post-war affairs, suddenly looked up, as if he couldn't believe what he heard:
"I have no experience in foreign negotiations—"
"If you don't have experience, you can learn." The prince didn't care: "Do I have experience in fighting? Didn't I still command a naval battle?"
Is that what you call commanding? Isn't that just standing on a mountain and letting people launch rockets? What experience does this require? !
Hai Gangfeng was speechless, and the prince turned around and said:
"Of course, there are not many translators who understand Portuguese and Latin, so Mr. Ruwang may need to help with the details of the negotiations."
Ru Wang was caught off guard and was greatly surprised: "How can the prince trust me?"
Over the past few days, the prince has been warning him openly and secretly, and his attitude has been very rude; now he has changed his stance and allowed him to sit in on such a crucial negotiation. The contrast is so great that it is really incredible.
Isn't he afraid that he can get some benefits from Portugal in the negotiations?
The prince smiled:
"Of course I don't trust you, sir."
Ruwang's eyes bulged out.
"But I trust something else." The prince said slowly, "If the compensation agreement is reached, it will be an income of 4 million taels. How should such a large sum of money be spent?"
His eyes moved left and right, looking at Hai Gangfeng.
There is no need to express anything further. After hearing these simple words, the Chinese and foreigners present understood instantly. As a general rule, the spoils of war at the local level should be shared with the central court, with the share ratio calculated based on their respective contributions. But the number of four million taels was too huge, large enough to make the imperial court and the emperor dizzy and unable to control themselves. Driven by greed, they might swallow up all the fat in one gulp, leaving only a little leftovers for Shangyu, which had made the real contribution. I just got rid of it reluctantly.
If it had been an ordinary war, Shangyu would probably have just given in and would not have challenged the emperor's authority. But there are some subtle differences in foreign wars - the emperor will of course place surveillance spies near the battlefield, always on guard against possible anomalies in military power. But Da'an had been closed for too long. No matter how smart and experienced the Dongchang spies were, they could not overcome the language barrier and find out the details of the compensation negotiations between the two sides. At this point, the host has an opportunity to tamper with the situation.
Of course, such a large sum of money could not be transferred out of thin air, otherwise Lao Deng would definitely have noticed the signs. No money shop in the inland would dare to undertake such a business. Even if the silver was really obtained, it would be dead money that could not be spent - unless there were some financial organizations beyond Lao Deng's sight that could provide them with thoughtful, complete and appropriate services.
Ruwang's breathing suddenly became heavy!
"Don't worry about spending money." He said firmly: "Our company has always had a good reputation in supplying goods. No matter what your country requires, we can do our best to meet it. It will be safe and reliable. Please rest assured."
Four million taels! Even if just a little bit of this money came out, it would be enough for Ru Wang to fill his stomach and have a full mouth!
This is what the prince trusts most. You may not believe in morality, conscience, or any legal constraints in the world, but you cannot believe in the capitalists' endless greed for profits. Now that the situation has been reversed, the more money one gets from the Portuguese, the more money one can earn; with interests intertwined, there is no room for any vague sympathy.
Compared with this level of profit, what does the life and death of the Portuguese matter? Ruwang can only say that he died a good death!
His position changed in an instant. Ru Wang took a deep breath and made up his mind. He bowed his hands and strode to the side of the prince, showing his position clearly:
It’s time to explode the Portuguese gold coins!
No, it's not just about exploding gold coins. In this short moment, the maritime merchants had already made their plans and decided to give full play to their subjective initiative to try to squeeze more money out of the Portuguese - four million taels were nothing, those rich guys had much more cash in their hands! If they resist and refuse to pay, Ruwang will not hesitate to show the power of rockets!
Your Excellency King of Portugal, you don’t want your colonies to flourish everywhere, do you?
With the colonies as a threat, it would be too easy to squeeze out the oil; not to mention that the prince hinted that the rocket could be further upgraded, with even greater power, and the amount of oil that could be squeezed out would surely increase exponentially -
When he thought of this, Ru Wang felt relaxed and happy, and couldn't help himself. He felt sweet joy welling up in his heart. Even though he had thousands of words to express it, only one sentence could express it:
Great Rocket! Prince Mu is so great! Our Daan is so awesome!
·
Smart people don't need to talk too much. After reaching a consensus with the sea merchant in a casual manner, the prince looked at Hai Gangfeng again. Obviously, if they really want to embezzle some of the compensation, they must get the cooperation of local officials. As long as Shangyu develops a little, this business will no longer be necessary.
Hai Gangfeng was silent for a moment and whispered:
"May I ask, sir, how is the capital doing recently?"
"Everything is fine in the capital, and so is His Majesty." The prince said calmly, "His Majesty personally issued an order a month ago, asking high-ranking Taoist priests from various famous rivers and mountains to come to the capital to pay tribute and perform rituals for Emperor Xingxian and Empress Xingxian to pray for their afterlife."
Famous Taoist priests from all over the world gathered in the capital. The expenses for travel and reception alone were over 50,000 taels, not to mention the subsequent rituals. The current emperor does not care about the people but the gods and ghosts. Even if the four million taels are paid in full without a penny less, what effect will it have?
Hai Gangfeng sighed softly.
"Shangyu has suffered heavy losses in training its troops for war." He was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "This year's harvest may not be very good..."
"How much food is still missing?"
"About a thousand stones."
"Then buy 10,000 dan of grain first, and deliver it in three years." The prince blurted out and looked back: "Mr. Ruwang?"
"Yes, yes!" Ru Wang spoke quickly, smiling: "There are plenty, just tell me, Prince!"
“In addition, many people’s houses were also demolished.”
"Then buy another 20,000 kilograms of wood and get all the tools ready."
"The local livestock were not taken care of and many died of disease..."
"Is it okay to do the business of transporting live pigs and cattle? Buy it!"
"And the requisitioned ships—"
"Change them all to bigger ones, buy them!"
"And farm implements and various instruments..."
"purchase!"
"This year's silkworms have been delayed—"
"There are mulberry trees and mulberry seedlings in Tianzhu, right? Can they be shipped to you within three months? That's great, buy them!"
…
After making more than a dozen demands, Hai Gangfeng had no choice but to remain silent. Although Ru Wang was still looking at him eagerly, he really couldn't think of any new ideas. All I can say is that people are like this when they are honest for a long time. Even if they become rich overnight and money falls from the sky, they still have no idea how to spend it. It really makes the capitalists feel suffocated.
Mu Qi waited for a long time and finally sighed.
"How about this: Shangyu will be exempted from taxes for five years, Shaoxing will be exempted from taxes for three years, and there will be no corvée labor for the next two years. The salaries of officials at all levels will be tripled. I dare not make the decision on taxes in Zhejiang, so I will ask Your Majesty to make the decision. As for the rest..."
He pondered for a moment and smiled:
"The soldiers who were recruited should also be rewarded, right? Please invite General Qi in to talk."
·
Feixuan Zhenjun Wanshou Emperor shook his sleeves and formed a seal on his chest.
After breathing in and out slowly for a while, until the pure air slowly sank into his dantian, Zhenjun finally opened his eyes and glanced at the memorial in front of him:
"Another impeachment of the cabinet?"
"Yes." Huang Shanggang, who was serving in the room, bowed hurriedly. "It is a memorial from the Minister of Imperial Clan Affairs and several censors, impeaching the cabinet for abusing its power and usurping the authority of the emperor."
The so-called usurpation of the monarch's authority is equivalent to accusing a senior official of plotting treason, which is a very serious attack in politics. But this kind of criticism has been going on for too long over the past few days, and has made the True Lord indifferent and numb, and he has no reaction at all.
It has been more than a month since the Prince of Mu went south. His bitter political enemies immediately launched an offensive, attacking the cabinet and making veiled innuendos, which were actually insinuations about Mu who had forcibly seized power in the cabinet. However, it is very difficult to defeat a senior official of the emperor's favor head-on, especially when the other party has a strong family background to protect him. Faced with such a tough backdrop, the anti-Mu faction adopted a wolf-eat-wolf tactic, submitting impeachment petitions one after another. They hoped that dripping water would wear away a stone over time. They did not seek a single fatal blow, but only hoped to undermine the emperor's trust in his important ministers through successive offensives, so that they could take advantage of the opportunity to sneak in and hit him right in the nick of time.
Of course, where there is an attack there must be a response. As the wave of attacks on the Crown Prince began, the Hanlin Academy, which had been silent for many days, suddenly became noisy. A newly appointed scholar named Zhang was very skilled in maneuvering and had won over many young scholars in the Hanlin Academy, thus resisting this wave of well-prepared attacks. The two sides were in a stalemate with each other, and the war of words was very exciting.
Of course, such a fierce and fierce political offensive was nothing more than a gust of wind that disturbed people's dreams in the ears of Master Feixuan, and was not worth mentioning at all. He looked away casually:
"Is there any news from Zhejiang?"
"Not yet. I have asked my servants to keep an eye on the situation and report immediately if there is any news."
"Don't worry about anything." Zhenjun said calmly: "Just ask your subordinates to prepare the rewards after the victory. The New Year is coming, don't rush."
It's that prophetic soliloquy again! Huang Shanggang nodded in agreement, but he couldn't help feeling confused in his heart - the information from Zhejiang could not arrive so quickly anyway. How did the emperor know that the prince had won the battle?
Master Fei Xuan slowly exhaled the foul air and closed his eyes again. A very familiar light curtain slowly unfolded before his eyes, and the characters were clearly discernible.
Yes, how did the emperor know?
·
【Historical Echoes: The Treaty of Shangyu】
[…The Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Shangyu is considered the starting point of modern world history. After a long period of isolation, the East and the West, which were strangers to each other, finally had a formal contact; although this contact was tyrannical and cruel, it was also quite effective. Violence is the most reliable means of communication. A treaty drawn up through violence is also worth a thousand words and is impossible to change. It clearly reflects the gap in strength and status between the two sides.
Therefore, no matter how European historians attack this treaty, they will never be able to erase the impact of the Treaty of Shangyu. The most important thing about this treaty is not even its content (although the amount of indemnity is indeed quite staggering and the compensation materials are also quite large), but its significance. Of course, after the Portuguese were forced to sign this treaty under the threat of rocket warfare, it meant that Europe had recognized the concept of the East-West international system proposed by Prince Mu - there are only two legitimate crowns in the world, one belonging to Rome and the other belonging to China. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Chinese emperor was the only legitimate ruler in the world. His position is unchallengeable and cannot be compared with ordinary kings and nobles.
Of course, as time goes by, it is probably difficult for modern people to understand the true meaning of this system. But if we have a superficial understanding, this complex and complicated legal system is actually very simple, so simple that it can be covered in one sentence:
Since Rome has perished, only the emperor of China is the emperor; only the emperor of China is qualified to formulate the order of international games.
In other words, the so-called Chinese-style international system in later generations has actually already shown signs of emerging.
Of course, when the Treaty of Shangyu was signed, the signs were just signs. A temporary victory does not determine the overall situation. In order to thoroughly establish authority, more and more difficult battles are needed. But no matter what, when the conservative and closed country finally revealed its ambition to dominate the world, the clarion call of a new era had already sounded.
On this point, the description of the Arab historians is the most appropriate:
"The ancient and noble Queen of the East has taken off her expensive silk gloves and is finally joining this bloody game of supremacy."
】
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