Anti-Qing: I'm actually an honest person

Chapter 193 Diplomatic Disturbance (Two in One)

Wei Xiaobao was given full power to handle the diplomatic tasks, and to be honest, Wei Xiaobao did a good job, perfectly understanding his core ideas.

Then within a few days, except for the Chahar Mongolian envoy, everyone else ran to the gate of his prime minister's mansion to block him.

In this barbaric era, diplomatic etiquette is really too difficult.

"Outside, what's the situation?"

"It is said that Wei Xiangguo has been treating the Mongolian envoys these days, especially Khalkha Mongolia is too generous. The envoys of other countries are a little angry and insist on seeing you, especially the North Korean envoy Park Zhenghuan, saying that you will not give me today. If he says something, he will kneel and die at your door, you see... do you see?"

"North Korea's envoys are indeed different from others. Let's call them all in and let me have a chat."

After a while, several envoys entered the mansion, and Liu Dapao casually led them to the reception hall.

"What do you mean? I heard that you have to talk to me. What are you going to talk about?"

It was Pu Zhenghuan who took the lead and kowtowed three times and nine times to Liu Dapao, saying, "Foreign ministers kowtow to the prime minister, long live the prime minister."

"Fuck, get up quickly and don't talk about this brat."

"My country of Korea has always been a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, and the reign name of Chongzhen is still used to this day. In our country, from the lord to the civilians, they are all ministers of Ming Dynasty, and they are all ministers of your prime minister!"

After finishing speaking, he kowtowed to Liu Dapao again.

It made Liu Dapao frowned, and said: "There is no need for this, sir, please get up and sit down, our country-to-country exchanges are still based on the principle of prioritizing interests, and on the basis of mutual respect for each other's sovereignty and integrity." Well, it makes me feel awkward that you came with me suddenly, and besides, I'm only the prime minister and not the emperor, the etiquette is too great, if you have something to do, you can just talk about it."

"The prime minister doesn't know something. The foreign ministers heard that Wei Xiangguo and the envoys sent by Khalkha Mongolia and Chahar Mongolia had worshiped each other three days ago and became brothers with different surnames."

Liu Dapao smiled and said: "Xiaobao just likes to do these things, come, drink tea, but is there any problem?"

"Prime Minister, I heard that not only did Prime Minister Wei become brothers with different surnames with two Mongolian envoys, he even agreed to make Daming and Mongolia a covenant country, and even supported Burni to unify Mongolia and rebuild Dayuan! Prime Minister, Da Ming is going to form an ally with Da Yuan, how absurd it is!"

Liu Dapao froze for a moment, then thought about it.

It seemed absurd, but one couldn't help it, and almost burst out laughing.

"Prime Minister?!"

"Ah, I'm sorry, sorry, I couldn't help it, but... is there anything wrong with this matter? My Ming Dynasty is now at war with the Manchus. If the friends of the Yuan Dynasty are willing to make things right and contain the Manqings for me, isn't that a good idea? Is it a good thing?"

"Prime Minister! Wei Xiaobao pretends to be a public servant, and although Meng Yuan seems to be respectful now, he is actually a wolf with ambition! Mongolian iron cavalry has always been brave, and with the help of Daming firearms, it must be even more powerful. Since Burni is determined to rebuild the Great Yuan, it must be unified. Mongolian thoughts, aren't you afraid that this move will drive away tigers and devour wolves?"

When Liu Dapao heard this, he naturally didn't care. What kind of tiger is Mongolia? Ross is the real tiger. This strategy of supporting Mongolia and Russia was originally the strategy he had planned for Wei Xiaobao. Now it seems that Wei Xiaobao has done exactly what he did. Pretty good.

After all, Liu Dapao does not have the ability to send his troops northward to annex the entire Qing court. The Qing court is destined to be divided up. It is nothing more than the difference between who eats more meat and who eats less. North Korea took the opportunity to make a big difference, but in fact it was no different in essence. The Mongols could help block Ross, but if North Korea had the opportunity to occupy the Northeast, it might come south to bite people.

Hearing this, the faces of the envoys of the Junggar Khanate and Heshuote couldn't help but sink.

Especially the Junggar envoy.

You must know that among the three major tribes of Mongolia, Junggar Mongolia is the strongest. At this time of the Ming and Qing dynasties, they are planning to annex Khalkha Mongolia first, and then send their troops to the Horqin Grassland to unify Mongolia and truly restore the Great Yuan. , but the Ming court let them, the serious enemies of the Qing Dynasty, not support them, and instead went to win over Khalkha and Chahar?

Is there anything wrong with this? !
In this way, if the Chahar and Khalkha tribes had their own firearms, they might have to annex themselves in the opposite direction.

This kind of diplomatic means is really incomprehensible to people of this era in terms of strategy. After all, who would have thought that the Ming court would regard the country of Ross, which is thousands of miles away and inaccessible, as its main opponent?

So these people instinctively thought that Wei Xiaobao was messing around.

After all, Wei Xiaobao was a newcomer to the Ming court. He had always been a second-rank member of the Qing court before, and now he became a first-rank official as soon as he joined the Ming court. In fact, when he was in the Qing court, his reputation was not very good. It was said that he was greedy for money and lust, had the name of a courtier, and was born as the son of a prostitute.

I'm afraid that in the current bureaucratic system, most of the courtiers of the Ming court will criticize Wei Xiaobao, especially this time to support Chahar Mongolia and the alliance between Ming and Yuan. Liu Dapao thought this statement was a bit funny at first glance What about others?

This kind of criticism will inevitably reach the ears of these foreign envoys, making them even more convinced that Liu Dapao himself is probably ignorant of such absurd foreign policy, and that's why he insists on seeing him as the prime minister.

Liu Dapao also quickly realized that this matter is probably not just a foreign matter, but an internal affair.Some people, even many people, are using the hands of these envoys to mess with Wei Xiaobao, trying to drive him out of the position of Foreign Minister.

In essence, there is not much difference between Wei Xiaobao and Feng Zhenhai in this position, they are both over-promoted. Although he is the largest individual shareholder of the company, it is obvious that he cannot convince the public either.

I'm afraid that the voice behind his back will be even more unpleasant, and it's not impossible to even call him a traitor directly.

This is a test of Wei Xiaobao's level. This time things are done beautifully, and the voices of ghosts and monsters will naturally be quieter, and whoever is behind the scenes is fueling the flames. If someone catches a flaw and makes a big fuss, it seems that the city is full of storms. What's more, it caused the resentment of most of the shareholders in the board of directors. No matter how strong his background is, and Liu Dapao takes care of him, the only way out is to resign.

And if he can handle this matter well and beautifully, he will naturally be able to secure the position of Foreign Minister. After all, although he has no prestige, he has made contributions. Anyway, under the deliberate propaganda of the heroes of the Tiandihui, all the credit for the chaos in the capital On his head, he didn't mention Yang Qilong at all, but he didn't even need to catch the so-called mastermind behind the scenes.

So, under such circumstances, not to mention that there is nothing wrong with what Wei Xiaobao has done so far, but if there is something really wrong, how could Liu Dapao dismantle Wei Xiaobao's platform?
Naturally, Wei Xiaobao had to be defended in every possible way.

The envoys were extremely disappointed by this, and they all set their sights on Park Zhenghuan.

The others are all true envoys. This time I came here to say that it’s ugly to beg for food and ask my elder brother. It’s my duty to help you if Daming helps you. Do you want to help Meng Yuan and how to help Meng Yuan? In the final analysis This is someone else's business, no matter how dissatisfied they are, it really seems a bit messy when they really make a fuss.

But North Korea is different. They are really half-servants and half-ministers, and they are really not the kind of temporary cramps. The Ming court is a feud, and its relationship with North Korea is not that strong.

The younger brother also helped you fight the war. If you don’t spend your money to the younger brother, you turn your face and hand it over to the feud. of.

And as long as the North Korean envoys make trouble, maybe they can also drink some soup.

Naturally, Park Zhenghuan would not let them down, he knocked his head on the ground with a bang, as if his head had a grudge against Liu Dapao's floor tiles.

"Brother, brother, what do you mean by this, you really killed me, how do you want me to explain to your lord?"

"Prime Minister, our country in Korea is small and the people are weak, and we have always been loyal to Daming! On the other hand, Meng Yuan, especially the tribes of Chahar and the Qing Dynasty have married for generations. You, the foreign minister is really worried, after Meng Yuan received the assistance of Daming Firearms, I am afraid that he may not have the intention of rebelling against the Qing Dynasty, but he may annex our country instead, maybe."

"My minister begs the prime minister to see that our lords of all dynasties in Korea have been utterly loyal. First, withdraw Wei Xiangguo's absurd policy against Mongolia. Second, ask the court to allow our lord to come and pay tribute in person!"

At this point, even the envoys of Junggar and Heshuote knelt down and said: "Yes, Prime Minister, Meng Yuan is very powerful, and we will not sleep well every day in the neighboring country, and we are willing to pay tribute to the Ming court. for asylum."

Liu Dapao couldn't laugh or cry when he heard the words: "I have already communicated with my brother about the tribute matter, and it will not be opened again."

The so-called tribute, in Liu Dapao's view, is still quite sick. It is nothing more than sending envoys from small neighboring countries to send some gifts, say a few good words, and surrender in name, and the court will send a lot of gifts in return. I have to admit this This so-called tribute does have the nature of an official monopoly on trade, and it may not necessarily be a loss-making business, but overall, its essential purpose is to satisfy the vanity of the emperor's coming to court.

This is too much a test of the pragmatism of the emperor himself, and as we all know, the feudal emperor is the most unrealistic, so that most of the time this monopoly business can lose money.

It is simply impossible for this thing to appear in a state regime in the early stage of the bourgeoisie, and the Nine Difficulties are not that big of a face. If there is really a tribute, the shareholders must rebel.

"Da Ming wants to abandon North Korea and ignore my 30 years of loyalty to North Korea?!" After speaking, he slammed on the ground until his head was bleeding, and Liu Dapao felt pain even looking at it.

"Get up, get up, get up first, I didn't say I didn't care, how could I ignore it? It's just that I don't pay tribute."

"Xiaobao and I have discussed this matter a long time ago. The way of trade should be carried out in accordance with the principle of openness, fairness and justice. North Korea is a vassal of our Ming Dynasty. We should exchange information and give you the most-favored-nation treatment for trade. All goods, whether imported or exported, are not subject to relevant tariffs. Of course, since Heshuote and Junggar have joined forces to fight against the Qing Dynasty and are willing to surrender to our Ming Dynasty, they should naturally enjoy this most-favored-nation treatment."

When Park Zhenghuan heard this, he had an expression on his face that you frankly seemed to be teasing me.

What is the difference between giving most-favored-nation status to everyone and not giving it to everyone?
Besides, things like tariffs are collected randomly in this era, and there is even no such tax on the surface!

After thinking for a while, Liu Dapao said: "The company's trade with North Korea is mainly deerskin. I can promise your lord that we will collect as much as you want, and we will not impose any taxes on the deerskin trade. You know, West Pacific Company is the largest The source of the deerskin is actually the Japanese country, and for the Japanese trade, at least the imperial court will collect taxes like a company, do you understand what I mean?"

"You mean... let us buy the buckskins from the Wa country?"

"Smart, North Korea and Japan are separated by a narrow strip of water. It is much easier for you to do business with them than we are to do business with them. There is a tax cost. The same buckskin, you North Korea can sell more buckskin than Japan's. How about some money, so you can take it from Wa and resell it to me?"

After thinking about it, he still knelt and did not get up and said, "Foreign minister, I thank the prime minister, but the fierce battle between our country and the Qing court is in full swing, and I implore the prime minister to give our country the gunpowder of Fuming, Thunder god, Mingshen gun, and related gunpowder. , gold and silver, our dynasty does not lack, so that our dynasty can compete with the Qing court for the ancestral land of Liaodong, and if there is a change in the future, it can also deal with the attack of the Mongolian Yuan."

When Liu Dapao heard the words, he could not stop complaining in his heart, good guy, when did Liaodong become your ancestral land?

However, it is not good to say this clearly now. It cannot be said that the three eastern provinces and even the 960 million square kilometers of Mongolia, Hui and Tibet are my Ming territory. You all surrender. I will appoint [-] county magistrates to manage you.

Doesn't that clearly push them into the arms of the Qing court?

Know it in your heart, take it step by step, and you won't be able to eat a fat man in one bite.

So Liu Dapao simply smiled and said: "This is easy to handle. I can propose that Chenghai Bank give you an interest-free war loan, which is specially used to buy firearms and gunpowder with Ming Dynasty. The money will be placed on us." Bank, when you buy weapons, you can just pay directly from the bank, and use buckskin to pay slowly. But in terms of firearms, to be honest, I don’t have many guns, and I don’t even have my own army. I can complete the change of clothes. In fact, since I, Da Ming, supported Chahar Mongolia, I naturally have to restrain them from doing anything to you. In fact, if you really want to talk about geographical conflicts between you, no matter how you say it, it is not life and death with Meng Yuan. Enemy? It seems that there is another serious problem."

"Please tell the prime minister clearly."

"Across the sea, facing each other from afar, the Wa Kingdom seems to be your real enemy of life and death. As long as you are willing to surrender sincerely and help me contain the Qing court in Liaodong, I will help you build a navy with the second most powerful power in Asia." How is the teacher?"

(End of this chapter)