When it was time for dinner, someone came to the door to invite the two alternate officials to the banquet. Originally, the two of them planned to go in official uniforms, but now that they have just arrived, there is no guard of honor to travel, and Li Jin's only four personal soldiers were also injured and sent to the hospital. In desperation, the two had to dispel this idea and changed into civilian clothes. Zhang Xin arranged a carriage for them very intimately, avoiding the embarrassment of needing to walk to the banquet.

The reception banquet arranged by Zhang Xin for them was in a restaurant in the city, and the second floor was completely wrapped. However, this banquet was not paid for by the management committee, but funded by the newly established Danzhou Chamber of Commerce, which was not simply to pat the two newcomers, but to give face to the Haihan Management Committee. These merchants were the first to notice the change in the local shape, and quickly adjusted their attitude and began to move closer to the more powerful Haihan side.

The Danzhou Chamber of Commerce, which was established under the arrangement of the management committee, is basically a businessman who is willing to cooperate with Haihan. With the intentional support of Haihan, these merchants can not only get a better guarantee in the supply of in-demand goods, but also have a higher treatment than ordinary merchants in terms of settlement, transportation and business scope. In this way, those businesses that openly and secretly resist Haihan and adopt a non-cooperative attitude will face quite a lot of difficulties in operation.

Although the types of commodities that Haihan can supply to the Danzhou market are still relatively limited, the bulk commodities related to people's livelihood such as grain, salt, pig iron, and coal are all under the control of Haihan. The most important thing is the transportation channel, whether it is sea or land transportation, for the Qiongbei region, which is still under military control, without the passage order issued by the Haihan Management Committee, bulk goods cannot be transported between places at all. One of the thresholds for obtaining this kind of pass is that you must first join the newly established Danzhou Chamber of Commerce.

These bosses who joined the Chamber of Commerce have benefited, and they will naturally see the time to give some small rewards to the management committee. Hearing that the imperial court sent an alternate official to Danzhou, the people of the Chamber of Commerce immediately went to Zhang Xin and took the initiative to contract this banquet. On the one hand, it can pat the back of the management committee, and on the other hand, it can also sell well in front of the new officials, and this deal is a good deal in any case.

Zhang Xin didn't know what these businessmen were planning, but he didn't mind that some people were doing these things with the mood of both ends of the rat. The general trend achieved by the Haihan on Hainan Island is no longer something that can be changed by the Ming court sending a few alternate officials, and it can also make some people who are not firm in their position see clearly how much influence the so-called Ming Dynasty and the so-called orthodoxy can have in the territory ruled by the Haihan.

After the two arrived at the restaurant by car, Zhang Xin personally came out to greet them, and then took them to the second floor. Today's banquet has a total of three tables, the main table is the local officials and the person in charge of the management committee, of course, the officials who can still sit here are basically the leading party who have taken refuge in Haihan, such as Xiao Laosan, who had a conflict with Li Jin in the morning, was also present. The other two tables are accompanied by representatives of local businesses and cultural circles.

The merchant table is okay, and Yan Mingjun is not much interested in getting acquainted with these guys who exude the smell of copper, so he just politely said a few things. When he arrived at the cultural table, Yan Mingjun cheered up, because this was most likely his only ally in the local area.

And the lineup of guests at this table really did not disappoint him, bringing together the heads of the most famous local Bailu Academy, Qingfeng Academy, Nanhai Academy and other major cultural institutions, and all of them are well-known scholars, which can be described as full of weight. Yan Mingjun greeted them one by one, and Zhang Xin did not dissuade him in his eyes.

After introducing the three tables and the two new officials took their seats, Zhang Xin didn't have any polite words, and announced the opening of the table. Yan Mingjun originally wanted to take this opportunity to say a few words, but someone at the same table had already gotten up to toast him, so he had to hold back the words in his stomach and toast before speaking. However, at the beginning, it was almost impossible to end the game, and the people behind came in line. If it weren't for Li Jin's good amount of alcohol and blocking half of it for Yan Mingjun, he would probably have to lie down on the spot after drinking this circle.

Yan Mingjun saw that some people were already eager to try and prepare for the second lap, and knew that if he continued to play like this, even if Li Jin sat next to him, it was not a way, so he hurriedly got up and said, "Everyone, can you allow this official to say a few words first?"

After hearing this, everyone did not rush back to their positions, but first looked at a new face. Zhang Xin coughed dryly and said, "When Lord Yan first arrived in Danzhou, he should have already felt everyone's enthusiasm, so everyone is welcome to say a few words about Lord Yan!"

The crowd put down their glasses and clapped their hands cracklingly. When Yan Mingjun was puzzled, Zhang Xin explained: "It is our habit to applaud before and after the leader's speech, Lord Yan, please!"

Yan Mingjun cleared his throat and said: "After the bandit disaster in Qiongzhou last year, the emperor and the lords of the court were also very worried, but fortunately, the governor of Liangguang, Lord Wang, dealt with it properly, commanded well, mobilized the forces of all parties, and quickly quelled the banditry......

Speaking of which, Yan Mingjun probably felt a little lacking in confidence, after all, all the people here were from Danzhou, and they all knew very well how these areas of Qiongbei were rescued, if he blew too much, even if these people didn't expose it on the spot because of their faces, they must have ideas in their hearts.

However, he is also the one who holds the position of Zhizhou, and the thickness of this cheek is still there, so he quickly brought this embarrassing cutscene: "Now that this official is recommended by the governor and appointed by the imperial court, he will come to Danzhou to take over the post of Zhizhou, and I hope that all my colleagues and gentry here can help this official govern Danzhou in the future......"

At this time, Zhang Xin coughed next to him and interjected: "I think it is better for the management committee to do the management of Danzhou for the time being." ”

Zhang Xin didn't say this with any tone, but the atmosphere in the banquet immediately cooled down. Yan Mingjun didn't expect that Zhang Xin, who was originally polite, would choose such an opportunity to suddenly jump out and stab him, and he was stunned for a while. When he reacted, he found that none of the twenty or thirty people present had spoken out to accuse Zhang Xin.

In front of so many people, it was impossible for Yan Mingjun to shrink back, so he had to go out in person: "What does Director Zhang mean by this?"

Zhang Xin said unhurriedly: "There is nothing else, Lord Yan, you came to Danzhou to be a governor, then do what you should do." As for the local government affairs, it is estimated that it will take some time to completely hand them over to you. For the sake of Danzhou's stability and security, I think it is more appropriate for the temporary management committee organized by us to manage the day-to-day affairs of Danzhou for the time being. ”

Yan Mingjun refuted: "Danzhou is the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and this official is an official of the imperial court. Your management committee should assist the official and be familiar with the local people. ”

Zhang Xin shook his head and said: "Lord Yan, you are new to the city, and you don't know the local situation, so you have taken over government affairs, but I am afraid that there will be many problems." I think this step should be slowed down a little bit, step by step. Lord Yan should spend three or five months to familiarize himself with the local people's feelings, and then talk about accepting government affairs. ”

Before Yan Mingjun could speak, Li Jin next to him couldn't sit still, and slapped the table and said, "Bold! The imperial court has appointed me to come here to take up my post, how can there be room for you to interfere!"

Zhang Xin was not intimidated by his momentum of slapping the table and hitting the bench, and still said in a calm tone: "As for Lord Li's succession process, I'm afraid it will be more troublesome than Lord Yan." The local garrison had been broken up during the pirate siege last year, and so far the local security was maintained by the Haihan militia, and if Master Li planned to rebuild the local garrison, it would probably have to be re-recruited and trained. ”

"You ......" Li Jin raised his hand and wanted to slap the table again, but found that this time he had no sufficient reason.

Last year, pirates ravaged northern Qiongbei, and the Ming troops stationed in the entire northern Qiongbei area, except for Fucheng, were all broken up, and almost all the officers above the general level were lost. Seeing that the chaos in Qiongzhou had calmed down, the Guangdong government did not plan to rebuild the garrison, after all, the cost of organizing and recruiting thousands of troops would not be a small amount. Moreover, most of the troops originally stationed in Qiongzhou were mainly guarded troops, and it was obvious that it was an unruly measure that required a lot of financial support to be realized by organizing troops from other places to be stationed separately. Therefore, under the deliberate or unintentional delay, although several months have passed since the war, the garrison establishment of Danzhou has still not been rebuilt.

It is very easy for Li Jin to take over the post of general here, and he can do it at any time. But all he could take over was an empty shell, and he didn't even have soldiers to command—the people under Xiao Laosan would definitely not listen to his commands. And the Haihan police and militia groups, which currently control the security of Danzhou, have no chance of obeying his command. For this point, he had a first-hand experience at the White Horse Well Pier in the morning.

If you feel unconvinced, Li Jinda can recruit troops locally, after all, he has his head on the title of Danzhou general, and he still has a certain amount of authority. However, the question is not just whether he can recruit soldiers in Danzhou, but whether he has enough money to do it.

The establishment of the Danzhou Guard Army is two thousand households, that is, the establishment of more than 2,000 units, even if one soldier is recruited to pay two taels for settling in, then this basic cost will be 4,000 taels, and even if he sells this money, he can't make it up. And as a military general, he has no soldiers in his hands, and he doesn't even have the qualifications to shout, unless he is willing to abandon the dignity of a military general and learn to fight with his mouth like Yan Mingjun.

After Zhang Xin choked Li Jin back, he continued: "From last year's bandit disaster, we can find that the local government's ability to govern Danzhou is relatively limited, and the governance results of our Haihan after taking over Danzhou are obvious to everyone. If anyone feels that something is wrong, they can say it in front of the new governor right now. ”

Yan Mingjun looked at this table of people in the cultural circle with hope, he knew that the guys in the business world were completely unreliable, and these local officials at the same table had no discipline, so he could only hope that these people in the cultural circle could still remember to maintain the orthodoxy of the Ming Dynasty.

However, what disappointed him was that all the people at that table were looking at their noses, noses, and hearts, and their hearts were settled, as quiet as the old monk's zazen, and no one tried to take the initiative to stand up for the interests of the Ming Dynasty at this time. Yan Mingjun took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "My generation of scholars, full of poetry and books, should be able to understand justice, distinguish loyalty and treachery, I don't know what everyone here thinks!"

This name is on the head, and these people in the Danzhou cultural circle can no longer pretend to be deaf and dumb. After pushing each other along, the person in charge of Bailu Academy came forward to speak: "How the leaders of Haihan will govern after they arrive in the local area, we are all looking at it. Not to mention anything else, at least in terms of cultural and educational propaganda, we are convinced. Unbeknownst to Lord Yan, after Haihan came here, he vigorously set up a private school, invited many idle scholars to become gentlemen, and implemented free admission for all children under the age of 14, and even the books, pen and ink used for literacy were also provided by them. In the past two years, whether Danzhou students have participated in the township examination or the general examination, Haihan has given financial subsidies, and will also arrange ships to be sent to Guangzhou to catch the examination, and all kinds of benevolent and righteous deeds are too numerous to mention. ”

The person in charge of Qingfeng Academy also continued: "In addition, Haihan also often sponsors local literati to hold various activities to meet friends with literature, such as the Danzhou Poetry Festival in the golden autumn every year, which is the third year this year, which is already the largest cultural event in Qiongzhou." And this kind of activity, there are at least seven or eight times a year in Danzhou, all sponsored by Haihan, if Lord Yan wants to know the Danzhou literati's comments on Haihan, he can only use the word 'excellent' as an answer. ”

"Even if Haihan takes the money to sponsor the local academy, it is not the same thing as them now using the management committee to replace the local government!" Yan Mingjun was so angry that he refuted loudly. However, he himself has realized that the heads of these local academies have probably all been bought by Haihan. Thinking about it, I also saw the problem too simply, and since the Haihan people can let these people attend today's occasion, of course, they are very relieved about their position. If you want to expect these people to show their loyalty to the Ming Dynasty in front of the Haihan people, they are obviously thinking too much.

Sure enough, people in the cultural circles at that table, you look at me, I look at you, although no one spoke out against his statement, no one planned to change their position and stand up for him.