Chapter 107 of the Late Ming Dynasty Capitalists
After several months, many of the people Tang Tong selected had become officials in the southern regions of the Ming Dynasty through financial connections. However, they had not yet fully established themselves and had not fully grasped the power in their respective regions. Tang Tong was not anxious about this. This situation would not be achieved in a short period of time. Although the Ming Dynasty court was in decline, the main armed forces of the Ming Dynasty were still powerful. If Tang Tong used force, he would suffer heavy losses. Given his current strength, Tang Tong was truly afraid that if he suffered too much damage, it would give those Western devils an opportunity.
There was also a lot of intelligence that Tang Tong needed to review. Even if he had to hand over a lot of information to his subordinates, he still needed to understand the underlying situation. If he didn't understand anything and simply left his subordinates alone, it would only bring him immeasurable trouble and losses. Tang Tong finally looked through the information about the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty arriving in Nanjing. Although the Crown Prince was already in Nanjing, he couldn't control the officials there. The reason for this was that the Jiangnan government had been in contact with the capital for too long. Those officials had long been scheming to bully the young Crown Prince.
Among the officials in Nanjing, the only one who loyally supported the Crown Prince was Shi Kefa. However, Shi Kefa's power was limited, and he was of little help to the Crown Prince. Under these circumstances, the Crown Prince's plan to organize an army to rescue the capital was impossible. Instead, it provoked Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong. Li Zicheng sent troops from Henan to Hubei, while Zhang Xianzhong sent troops from Jiangxi to Hunan. They seemed poised to annihilate the southern part of the Ming Dynasty. Seeing this, Tang Tong could not help but sneer.
Tang Tong had always disliked Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and the others. He had always considered them criminals of the Han Chinese. While it's true that where there's oppression there's resistance, when it comes to the interests of the entire nation, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong were undoubtedly criminals. No matter how those unscrupulous so-called historians whitewashed their case, the crimes they committed were no less than those of the Jiannu. In Tang Tong's heart, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong were both deserving of death.
At this point, if Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong had behaved themselves and refrained from causing trouble, Tang Tong might have kept them for a while longer. But now, it seemed, Tang Tong could no longer allow Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong to roam freely. Their presence would harm more Han people and cause unnecessary damage to this land. After reviewing the intelligence, Tang Tong immediately issued orders for Li Yan, Hongniangzi, and Chen Zilong to move from their covert presence to the public. At the same time, he also ordered those undercover agents lurking within Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong's ranks to begin subversive activities against them.
After Tang Tong issued his order, the forces within the Ming Dynasty began to mobilize frantically. However, this war required Tang Tong's management. Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong's strength was not enough for Tang Tong to take them seriously. His only concern was not to allow this war to involve too many parties, nor to allow Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong to become bandits again. They were like a swarm of locusts, leaving ruins wherever they passed.
After Tang Tong finished handling the situation, he returned to have a private conversation with Chen Xian and the others. The next day, Tang Tong began negotiations with the envoys led by Princess Changyi. In Tang Tong's mind, his own forces and the Ming forces were one and the same among the Han Chinese. The concept of two nations did not exist. However, Emperor Chongzhen, at this time, treated Tang Tong's forces as a separate nation. Although Tang Tong only called himself a prince, to Emperor Chongzhen, Tang Tong and his group were now an overseas nation. Hence the existence of the envoys, a platform for communication between nations.
Princess Changyi was still young. Although she was the leader of the Ming Dynasty's diplomatic corps, all negotiations were handled by her subordinate ministers. Even minor negotiation terms were decided by those ministers on their own. Major negotiation terms, however, had to be reported to Emperor Chongzhen, who ultimately made the final decision. Princess Changyi was merely a symbolic leader and made no decisions during this negotiation.
The negotiation intentions of both sides were far from clear. From the Ming court's perspective, the Ming recognized the Tang and their overseas existence as independent and sovereign nations, standing alongside the Ming. In this respect, the Ming court had already made a major concession. Another issue was the demarcation of the northern border between the Ming and Tang. Because Jiannu, Mongolian, and Korean forces had fallen into the hands of the Tang, the Ming decided to use the Great Wall as the boundary. In this respect, the Ming court had also made a major concession. After all, the original Ming border was not located here. If Emperor Chongzhen had recognized this agreement, he would have destroyed part of the Zhu family's ancestral legacy. Considering the strong character of Emperor Chongzhen, this was already a very painful decision.
However, Tang Tong's goal was different. He hoped to unify his own forces with those of the Ming Dynasty, rather than forge a Han agreement. In Tang Tong's view, the Han people should be united, especially in the future world order. For the development of the Han people, such separatist sentiments should be avoided. Those who pursue separatism for selfish gain are sinners among the Han people. However, unification with the Ming Dynasty would raise the question of who would rule the world. Tang Tong would not give up the initiative, and neither would Emperor Chongzhen. This situation seemed unresolvable through negotiation.
Regardless of the extent of the disagreement, Tang Tong believed this type of negotiation was necessary. It was a way for both parties to understand each other's perspectives, their bottom lines, and their mindsets. It would also help Tang Tong make a more informed decision. Because the intentions of both parties diverged so widely, this type of negotiation seemed somewhat irrelevant and, on the surface, a waste of time. However, neither side was in a rush to reach a conclusion, so the waste of time was not a big deal.
At least in the eyes of those Ming ministers, the longer these negotiations dragged on, the more time the Ming would have to survive. As long as the Ming court remained, they, the ministers, could continue to act tyrannically and act as their masters. As for Tang Tong, he did not want to push Emperor Chongzhen to the limit. The Ming Dynasty was already rotten. But a lean camel is bigger than a horse.
It is not a good thing for Emperor Chongzhen to be anxious. It is not good for anyone.
On the first day of negotiations, Tang Tong and Princess Chang were both required to be present. The two sides' subordinates argued fiercely during the negotiation, but Tang Tong and Princess Chang remained indifferent. Princess Chang was unsure how to respond. Tang Tong knew the negotiations would lead nowhere and that his presence was merely a formality.
At first, the eldest princess listened attentively to the arguments being made by the negotiators, but then she realized it was endless. There was no real point, as if they were just arguing for the sake of arguing. Politicians' bickering was beyond the princess's understanding at her age. So, out of boredom, the eldest princess stole a glance at Tang Tong. She saw Prince Tang sitting in the main seat, his eyes half-closed. Like a bodhisattva, the scene before him seemed completely unrelated to him.
Tang Tong half-closed his eyes, resting as he noticed the princess curiously watching him. He opened one eye and winked at the princess, causing her to smile. She thought to herself, this Prince Tang was quite interesting. He didn't look like someone with power comparable to the Ming dynasty. Tang Tong's gesture dispelled her initial nervousness. Only then did the princess realize that Prince Tang wasn't the legendary, murderous figure. Instead, she found him kind and amiable.
Tang Tong was indeed kind and compassionate toward the Chongzhen Emperor's family. While not an angry young man, he was not a cold-blooded person either. He was not the kind of scum who disregarded the interests of the nation and the nation for their own selfish interests. He felt not only sympathy but also respect for the Chongzhen Emperor's family's heroic acts of resistance against fate and divine will. Later, the Qing rulers frequently claimed that the Ming Dynasty had no good emperors. This was pure and shameless slander. Later, those so-called historians who denigrated the Ming emperors as worthless were even more despicable, like traitors. They were the scum of humanity who hadn't even been slaves enough. At least in Tang Tong's mind, these scholars who distorted the truth were despicable scum.
The first day of negotiations was spent getting to know each other. In the afternoon, the negotiations didn't take place. Instead, a banquet was held in a large hotel in Daming City. Compared to the world, this hotel wasn't particularly luxurious, aside from its large size. However, in this era, its unique architecture struck people as quite luxurious. For Tang Tong and his group, the most abundant resource was land. Therefore, in Daming City, let alone a large hotel like this, even the homes of ordinary people occupied a significant area. With the exception of those who were slaves, everyone had a large space.
Although Tang Tong wasn't one to show off, to emphasize the grandeur of the banquet, attendees included not only negotiators from both sides but also many prominent figures in Daming City. Fortunately, the venue was vast, easily accommodating thousands of people. Hundreds of beauties from various countries dazzled the Ming ministers. The variety of delicacies from land and sea made them marvel at the wealth and luxury of the place. This was also the first time Princess Changli had attended such a lavish banquet. Although she was born into the imperial family, Emperor Chongzhen was a poor and frugal emperor. Princess Changli's living conditions were worse than those of the ministers under him. However, Li Xiangjun, Dong Xiaowan, and the others were accustomed to such banquets and paid no attention to them. The other women admired this simple and lovely little princess. At the banquet, he took good care of the eldest princess and didn't make her feel uneasy.
"Sister Er, are all the places here this luxurious?" The eldest princess sat with Er, Li Xiangjun, and the others. They had been together for several months, and they were no strangers to each other. Back when they were at the family manor, Er had already been very impressed with the eldest princess's hospitality. So, the eldest princess assumed everyone here was wealthy.
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