The meeting was not big, but the standards were quite high. The three people with the highest status in Champa, in addition to King Jayavarman VI, one is his brother Baotou Tuhua, and the other is his nephew Shri Harideva, all are present today.
Since the Champa people believe in Brahmanism and practice a caste system, a person's political status is determined at birth.
The so-called caste system is actually the organizational form of tribal society. Slavery under the cloak of religion is controlled by tribal nobles, and there is no distinction between civil and military officials.
There are two main tribes in Champa, one is the 'coconut tribe' active in the north, and the other is the 'betel nut tribe' in the south. The two have many differences in customs and habits, and they are prone to conflicts, but they will form marriages. Cooperate and take control of power together.
The current king of Champa, Jaya Indravarman, is from the coconut tribe, and the throne was inherited from his elder brother Jaya Paramitsu Ravarman II. Therefore, according to Champa tradition, his younger brother Baotou Tuhua also enjoys the throne. of inheritance.
His nephew Shri Harideva represents the Betelgeuse tribe and actually has the basis to compete for the throne, and this guy happens to be an ambitious person.
The three giants met with the envoys of the Song Dynasty together. On the surface, they expressed their importance to the suzerain country, but in the mainland, they had their own agendas.
Pu Shiwen sent an autographed letter from the King of Yan. Jaya Indravarman was eager to learn and learned. No need to write a letter, it was roughly the same. They all urged Champa to crack down on pirates and ensure the safety of navigation in the nearby sea areas.
After reading it, Jaya handed the letter to Baotou Bald Flower, then looked at Pu Shiwen and said frankly,
"So that the superior officer will know that the little king is aware of His Highness King Yan's order and is very willing to follow it. However, my country suffered a heavy blow not long ago and its vitality is severely damaged. At present, it is really powerless to suppress the pirates... ..." Pu Shiwen had already anticipated King Zhan's evasion and said calmly,
"Dear King, as the saying goes, there are only three things. I sent three letters of communication to your country before, but did not get any response. This time, the foreign minister was ordered to come here because he must get a positive answer. Please forgive the foreign minister for being ignorant. What the King just said can be understood to mean that your country is helpless and has no countermeasures against the pirates plundering our merchant ships, right?" These words, which were almost like questioning, made everyone present slightly change their expressions. , Jaye also had a hint of anger in his eyes.
The so-called Zongfan has long existed in name only. We are not going to expose it, but we are still willing to maintain this situation. This is already extremely kind. It’s okay if you are not grateful. You actually put on such a condescending attitude. You really put yourself in the country!
? If you are shameless, then don't blame me for not letting you get off the stairs today, so what if we indulge in looting?
Come and bite me if you can!
"Cough!" Seeing that Jaya seemed to be about to have an attack, Baotou Tuhua quickly faked a cough, and then smiled modestly,
"My superior has misunderstood. This is not what I meant... As a vassal, even if you go through fire and water for your superior country, it is your duty to do so. A merchant ship was robbed in the waters near my country. We certainly cannot sit idly by and ignore it. However, nowadays, the sea pirates are powerful Big ones are not easy to deal with, so we have to take a long-term approach." Although he deliberately angered King Zhan according to Qian Long's instructions, Pu Shiwen was still quite uneasy. After all, he was in someone else's territory. What if Jaye's brain got hot and he was That would be too unfair.
Hearing that Bao Tuo Tu Hua was willing to change his mind, he felt a little relieved.
"I don't know how to plan for the long term? You must know that His Highness King Yan attaches great importance to sea trade, so he has repeatedly urged your country to take action, but he doesn't have much patience to continue waiting. So what if you don't have patience? You can't just do it. Staring!? Jaye rolled his eyes in his heart, but his reason told him that there was no harm in maintaining this superficial clan-Tibetan relationship. Anyway, there was no real cost to pay, and maybe he could use it if anything happened in the future. With this thought, Jaye simply stopped talking and let Baotou Bald Flower continue to deal with it.
"It's like this. You must be prepared to deal with pirates. It always takes some time to recruit ships and train soldiers. Once prepared, my country will immediately send troops to appease the sea routes and protect the merchant ships of the above country." Oh, this guy It's a bit slick.
Qian Long looked at Baotou Bald Flower, frowned slightly, and gave Pu Shiwen a look. Pu Shiwen immediately asked,
"I wonder how long it will take your country to prepare?" Baotou Tuhua pretended to think carefully for a long time and replied slowly,
"No matter what, it will take three to five months..." Three to five months? Why don't you make a fool of yourself? Not to mention missing the return monsoon, I'm afraid not many merchant ships will be left.
Pu Shiwen shook his head and gritted his teeth and said,
"No! Absolutely not! His Highness King Yan will never tolerate another merchant ship being robbed! Your country must take action immediately!"
"Shangchao is trying to force others to do something difficult!" Jaye said with a straight face and a stiff tone,
"It's not that the little king is not trying his best. He is really unable to do anything. If His Highness King Yan cannot understand, the only thing the little king can do is to apologize." Pu Shiwen did not dare to back down and said firmly,
"The foreign minister has no intention of embarrassing the king. Since your country is indeed unable to solve this problem, the foreign minister has no choice but to go to Annan and Zhenla to have a look...perhaps they will be happy to send troops to serve our court." This is a clear threat. .
If these two countries take this opportunity to legitimately enter the Champa coast, who knows what they will do.
Seeing that they were about to get into trouble again, Shri Haridiva just laughed secretly, but Baotou Bald Flower quickly spoke,
"Don't be upset, there is no way to solve this matter. The so-called clever woman can't make a living without rice. Now our country is short of food and wages, so we can't mobilize our forces efficiently. I wonder if our country can provide some appropriate support, so that my country can help earlier." Have the strength to fight against pirates."
"What kind of support? Do you still want me to provide you with military expenses!? Even if His Highness King Yan agrees, it will be too late." Pu Shiwen blurted out and asked.
Bao Tuo Bald Flower rubbed his hands and pretended to be embarrassed and said,
"Since we are escorting merchant ships, it is better for the maritime merchants to bear some expenses, not too much. If we donate one third of the cargo carried by each merchant ship, our country will definitely ensure its safety on the route!" Pu Shiwenyi Wow, rely on the cup, open your mouth to get a third of it, isn't this a different way to grab it!
? King Cham Jaya also didn't expect that his younger brother had such skills, and he couldn't help but admire him in his heart.
Shri Harideva also looked at this competitor in surprise, with a heavy heart. This one-third seemed heavy, but under the current circumstances, the Song people were very likely to agree after weighing the pros and cons.
Although the pirates originally had to share the profits with the Champa authorities after their plunder, it was not necessarily more than this one-third. Moreover, after obtaining permission, they would collect it openly without damaging diplomatic relations or leaving too many future troubles.
After this precedent is set, it is likely to become custom-made, and in the future it will be possible to legitimately charge high tolls from passing merchant ships.
Then Baotou Tuhua will become a major contributor to the occupation of the city and gain more and more support, which will be very detrimental to himself. This must not be allowed to succeed!
For some people, personal interests always take precedence over the overall interests, and Sri Haridiva is this type of person, but for a moment he didn't think of how to stop it.
Pu Shiwen was a businessman by nature. Although he felt that one-third of the protection fee was excessive, from a business point of view, it was not completely unacceptable. However, he was not qualified to make the decision, so he looked to Qian Long for advice.
Qian Long was sneering. He could not accept such blackmail, and he knew that King Yan would not accept such blackmail.
At this time, Bao Tuo Tuhua felt Pu Shiwen's movement and said,
"If the superior is unsure, it is better to ask His Highness King Yan for instructions as soon as possible..."
"No need to ask for permission!" Qian Long interrupted, and then he stopped covering up and stepped in front of Pu Shiwen.
"Although Pu Chengfeng is the chief envoy for this trip, His Highness has given Qian the power to act expediently. I can make the first decision on everything!"
"This?" Everyone present in Champa was stunned. They knew that Qian Long's rank was much higher than that of Pu Shiwen, but he was still just a military commander. He had no say in the system of the Song Dynasty.
Amidst the doubts of these people, Pu Shiwen took a long breath and explained with relief,
"Commander Qian is a trusted minister of His Highness King Yan, and he can indeed decide all matters concerning this mission." Bao Tuo Tuhua couldn't help but smile.
"This is the best way to avoid wasting the opportunity. As long as Commander Qian signs the agreement, our country will immediately take measures to ensure smooth sea routes!"
"What are you signing!? When did I say I agreed!?" Qian Long raised his eyebrows and twitched his nose.
"Oh, one-third of the tax, you can say it! Even I dare not charge such a high tax on the sea and sea." Bao Tuo Bald Flower said,
"This amount is not non-negotiable. If Commander Qian thinks it is unreasonable, how about reducing it to one-fifth?"
"No! If a merchant ship is trading in your country, it should pay appropriate taxes. However, if it is just passing by, there is no reason to pay even a penny. Otherwise, what is the difference between it and pirates plundering?" Qian Long looked disdainful.
In fact, many times, fists are the truth. So Baotou Baldy curled his lips,
"This is a strategy that has the best of both worlds. If Commander Qian doesn't agree, then I won't force it. Even if the waterway is safe, I will be helpless. Even if I really go to Zhenla and Annan, they may not be able to help. Busy, after all, their navy is not as good as that of the country. This move will hurt each other's feelings..." Champa is actually not afraid of offending the Song Dynasty. As long as it is not its own fault, the Song Dynasty will not be able to do anything. If it retaliates by force Occupying a city would make it untenable in front of other vassals.
After Qian Long listened, he said coldly,
"It is your duty to maintain the stability of the region. Besides, everyone knows the details of this pirate... Don't worry, I am too lazy to argue with you. Since you say you are unable to fulfill your obligations, as the suzerain country, I I have no choice but to fulfill it for you!" These words gave Jaye an ominous premonition and he asked eagerly,
"What does Commander Qian mean by performing this on your behalf?" Qian Long didn't show off.
"The meaning is very simple, that is, our country will send troops to eliminate the pirates on its own, but all ports in your country must be open to our navy and provide anchorage and logistics supplies!"
