1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 841
March 1669, 3, Korea, Hanyang.

After Li Wei (Xianzong of Korea) listened to Li Cao's sentence (equivalent to the Minister of Rites of the Ming Dynasty) and Zhu Yulong's request about Qi, he remained silent.

After a long time, he raised his head and looked at Li Yicheng, the leading minister (equivalent to the chief assistant of the Ming cabinet), but saw that the other party lowered his head and remained silent.

"Your Majesty, the people of Qi are only asking for [-] shi of grain, [-] bolts of cloth, and other supplies such as tung oil, raw lacquer, and pig bristles are not very large. If so, let's give it to them." You Yizheng Yin Xingxiang saw Li He looked at him again, and could only step out of the train, clasped his hands and said: "But if you send troops to attack Liaodong, you can politely refuse it. You need to know that the war between Ming and Qing may still be repeated in a short time. Our North Korea The country is small and weak, so you must not get involved early."

"The minister seconded the proposal." Jin Dezheng, the military judge, came out of the row and clapped his hands in agreement.

"My minister agrees."

"The minister agrees..."

"..."

Seeing this situation, Li Wei couldn't help laughing wryly, then nodded helplessly.

For decades, our Korean kingdom has not only been repeatedly attacked by the Qing captives, almost wanting to destroy the country, but also attacked by the Naqi country time and time again, plundering materials and population, seizing Jeju, and sealing off the coast, seriously weakening the national strength and military strength .

Later, he was bullied by a foreign vassal of the Ming Dynasty——Yunzhou Town, and poisoned the vast areas along the southeast coast. Finally, under the persecution of Qi State and King Yong of Yunzhou, he swore an oath to be a vassal of the Ming Dynasty forever and never again Rebel.

After so many years of tossing, the enterprising spirit of the entire North Korea has long been completely wiped out.In the army, the military equipment is even more slack, from high-level generals such as soldiers and horses Jiedu envoys, soldiers and horse defense envoys, to ordinary soldiers, all have no fighting spirit and fear the enemy like a tiger.

Every year, Yongwang Zhenzhou territory will continue to invade the border and expand the territory, and harass the border residents, but the North Korean frontier army dare not stop it.Not to mention that barbaric Balhae country, while invading the Qing captives Liaodong every year, robbing people and property, would come to Northwest Korea to wander around, massacre cities and villages, and take away a large number of our Korean people.Our North Korean army collapsed at the touch of it, and the wolves ran wild.As a result, Xianjing and Ping'an have become corrupt, and countless people have fled into exile.

In August of last year, the Ming Dynasty launched a Northern Expedition against the Qing captives. In two months, they captured cities and looted lands.Seeing this situation, North Korea also had the idea of ​​taking advantage of the fire and looting, and prepared to take advantage of the weak situation of the Qing Dynasty to push the country to the north of the Yalu River in order to obtain a large buffer zone.

However, when the North Korean army was sluggishly mobilizing for more than a month and had not yet completed their offensive preparations, news suddenly came that the Qing captives had defeated the Ming army in Cangzhou.Immediately afterwards, the Qing soldiers took advantage of the situation to launch a series of counterattacks, and pushed the Ming army back.

This frightened the North Koreans immediately, and then they put down their flags and drums, and quietly withdrew the tens of thousands of troops that had gathered in Pyongyang City one after another.

However, the envoys of the State of Qi who had just arrived in Hanyang led five gunboats, broke into the Han River, and then made many demands on North Korea. , as well as raw lacquer, bristles, various medicinal materials, etc., there are countless materials.

Regarding the conditions put forward by the people of Qi, except for sending troops to attack Liaodong, North Korea did not dare to agree easily. As for the "some materials" they asked for, and they would pay the corresponding money, it is natural to agree to all of them, so we can't offend them. A maritime power in this southern New World.Although hundreds of thousands of people in the two northwestern provinces need relief, and the food production in the southeastern region has decreased due to floods last year, we must do everything possible to raise food to meet their needs.

According to reports, the Qi State united with King Yong, gathered more than [-] troops, and landed in Yongping Mansion behind the Qing captives. They raged for more than a month and almost captured the whole mansion.However, the Qing captives only placed limited soldiers and horses in the capital, fully on guard, and did not dare to fight against them.Let the Qi State continue to send large and small ships to transfer the looted property and people to the Changshan Islands and Jeju Island.

Perhaps because of the large number of people brought in, the food accumulated by the Qi State in this area was not enough, so they came to our North Korea to fight the autumn wind.

Since Qi and Yunzhou forced the full opening of the market, they have almost monopolized North Korea's foreign trade by virtue of their absolute superiority in sea power.Rice, raw silk, medicinal materials, ginseng, deer antler, fur, lacquer, tung oil, pig bristles, metal zinc, iron, copper and other materials were purchased by them at extremely low prices, and then resold to Japan, Daming, and Southeast Asia. Earn a lot of money.

Previously, North Korea's independent bilateral trade with Japan through the Tsushima domain was also unsustainable due to the proliferation of "pirates".In this situation, Qi and Yunzhou can only be allowed to control all foreign trade of North Korea.

After getting a satisfactory reply from the Kingdom of Korea, the people of Qi led the five boats to leave the Han River slowly and headed for the mouth of the sea in the northwest direction.I once offended the Qing captives, but my North Korean monarchs and ministers were still able to hide in Jianghua Island to avoid the sharp edge.But if Qi Guo is annoyed, there is really nowhere to hide.

"Actually, the Kingdom of Korea can be regarded as obedient. If it is not too far away, plus it has been a vassal of Daming for hundreds of years. Otherwise, we can completely subdue it and bring it into the vassal of Qi State, as the most powerful one around the mainland. The support point." General Mingwei (Brigadier General) Cao Xinzhong, Commander of the Ryukyu Fleet in Daming Squadron, said with a smile to Qi Pengfei, captain of the "Weiming" and Lieutenant Xuanjie (Major).

"What the general said is true." Qi Pengfei nodded and replied, "However, the Kingdom of Korea has a population of millions and has been established for a long time. Since ancient times, it has followed the principle of the Central Plains Dynasty as the suzerain state. Let it be turned into a vassal of our Qi State , I’m afraid I’ll have to beat it a few more times.”

"Hehe..., King Yong previously forced North Korea to make an oath that he would never betray the Ming Dynasty. You said, if Sun Kewang usurps the Ming Dynasty and establishes a new dynasty, how will the North Korean Kingdom deal with itself?"

"Either Qin rebelled against the Ming Dynasty and was beaten up by Yongwang's Yunzhou Town; or he obeyed the oath and refused Qin Congming, and was beaten up by Sun Kewang."

"Haha..." Cao Xinzhong laughed loudly, "This is the helplessness of a small and weak country. In this era of the jungle preying on the weak, it is bound to be unable to control itself when it is caught between several major forces."

"I heard that Yunzhou Town intends to occupy Japan's Tsushima Island in response to future changes in North Korea."

"Yong Wang's ambition is not small! They want to occupy Tsushima Island. I am afraid that they not only want to deal with North Korea, but also have an attempt to target Japan."

"Yes, Yunzhou is still far behind in strength compared to Japan. Not to mention anything else, even Japan's population of tens of millions will make Yunzhou Town feel deeply threatened."

"So, under the threat of Bohai State in the north and Japan and North Korea in the south, Yunzhou Town can only gain a foothold if it devotes all its efforts to Qi State."

"Speaking of Yunzhou, I suddenly thought of Weiguo in Luzon." Qi Pengfei said: "It is said that a few months ago, Zheng Zhilong suddenly became seriously ill and was bedridden. I want to lead the troops northward and seize the territory of the Zheng family in Luzon. In this case, how should our country of Qi deal with it?"

"The central region of Luzon, with Longzhou (now Manila, Philippines) as the core, is a rich land. Moreover, Fenzhou (now Calamba City, Philippines) and Jiangzhou (now Batangas City, Philippines) were originally Luzon It is understandable that Wei Guo coveted the territory occupied by the rioting Ming people. But the two fought each other for the territory, which is not in line with Qi's regional balance policy. In my opinion, the mainland of Hanzhou must be We will take action to stop Wei Guo’s rash move, and let the two sides continue to divide the north and south with our Qi State Xinghua Fort (now Lucena City in the southeast of Luzon Island) as the boundary.”

"So, this Weiguo might feel a little resentful." Qi Pengfei said worriedly.

"So what?" Cao Xinzhong said disapprovingly, "As a vassal of Qi, how dare you easily disobey the order of the suzerain?"

---------

April 4, Luzon, Longzhou.

Zheng Du was dressed in plain clothes, and knelt down in front of Zheng Zhilong's coffin with a sad expression, without saying a word.Several brothers and sisters knelt behind him, sobbing from time to time.

Two days ago, Zheng Zhilong, who was seriously ill, died on the bed after struggling for several months.Immediately afterwards, Zheng Du, who succeeded him, ordered that white banners be hung all over the Luzon territory, and more than [-] people mourned for one month, and any sensual entertainment was prohibited.

In January of this year, Zheng Zhilong, who was seriously ill, established the Lusong Kingdom in order to satisfy his addiction to being an emperor before he died. Territory).

However, this celebration of the founding of the country did not save Zheng Zhilong's life. After being the founding king of the country for just over three months, he died unwillingly in the palace (the former Spanish Governor's Palace).

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty..."

When Zheng Du was kneeling in the mourning hall in a daze, several calls came from his ears.

"Huh?" Zheng Du raised his head, and saw that it was Tang Shiwen, the chief assistant of the cabinet, and Shi Fu, the chief commander of the Chinese army.

"Your Majesty, please mourn!" Tang Shiwen bowed to Zheng Du, and then said softly: "Your Majesty, please move to the Chongwen Hall. I have important matters to report to Your Majesty."

Hearing this, Zheng Du nodded, and with Shi Fu's support, he stood up, stretched his numb legs a little, and then led his third brother Zheng En to the Chongwen Hall.

"Your Majesty, the whole country mourns the passing of the late king. But please mourn your Majesty and take care of your health." Tang Shiwen comforted.

"Hmm." Zheng Du saw Tang Shiwen and Shi Fu's faces were full of solemn expressions, his heart froze, and he asked in a deep voice: "Ge Lao, the chief governor, but something important happened?"

"Your Majesty, our more than [-] troops and hundreds of warships in Luzon have all entered a state of full alert. The younger generations of internal defenses took the opportunity to revolt, and the external defenses of Qi, Wei and Tubang invaded. There is no major incident in the country for the time being." Shi Fu cupped his hands and saluted.

"Oh, very good." Zheng Du nodded, and said to Shi Fu: "My Luzon's safety depends on the old general alone.... I feel very relieved!"

"Your Majesty, although our Lu Song Kingdom is currently in a peaceful and stable state, the news of the late king's death will inevitably arouse the covetousness of various forces. Therefore, I ask Your Majesty to prepare early and make arrangements in advance." Tang Shiwen stepped forward, said solemnly.

"Why did Mr. Ge say that?" Zheng Du looked at Tang Shiwen in surprise.

"Your Majesty, when the late king was seriously ill, Weiguo, which is located in the south of Luzon, was ready to move, intending to invade the north." Tang Shiwen said: "You know, when the late king opened up the territory of Luzon more than 20 years ago, he divided the previously occupied Fenzhou, The Lusong Ming people in Jiangzhou and other places were expelled, so that we have the territory of our Lusong Kingdom today. Under the care of the Qi State, those Lusong Ming people went all the way south, established a foothold in Yizhou, and established the Wei Kingdom."

"Now that the former king has passed away, the ministers are worried. The Wei Kingdom took the opportunity to take revenge and went northward to attack our Kingdom of Luzon. Moreover, the Wei Kingdom regarded itself as a vassal of the Qi Kingdom. If the Qi Kingdom was attracted, our Luzon Kingdom Song is bound to be in danger!"

"Ah?!" Zheng Du was shocked, and hurriedly grabbed Shi Fu's arm, "Old General, if the Wei State joins the Qi State to attack, maybe I, Lu Song, can resist it?"

"I can't resist it." Shi Fu shook his head and said, "Not to mention the hundred large gunboats of the Qi State, even the Wei State has more than ten gunboats purchased from the Qi State. Xiang Bozhong. Therefore, on the sea, our Kingdom of Luzon cannot stop the invasion of the Qi and Wei allied forces. On land, only the Wei Kingdom invades alone. We don't need to worry too much. It should not be difficult to repel them. But if Qi lands across the sea to attack, we are afraid..."

"Then..., what should I do then?" Zheng Du was a little panicked.

"Your Majesty, I, Luzon, should make the following arrangements as soon as possible: first, immediately send envoys to Nanjing, and submit them to the Ming Dynasty. In this way, we can take shelter under the protection of Ming Dynasty, so that Qi and Wei will not dare Move lightly; secondly, please send a letter to Yizhou (Taiwan), Your Majesty, in addition to reporting the funeral to the eldest son (Zheng Sen), also ask the eldest son to make a promise to protect me in Luzon, so that those who covet me will be afraid ;Finally..." As he spoke, Tang Shiwen showed hesitation.

"In the end, what should we do?" Zheng Du asked.

"...Your Majesty, please send envoys to Hanzhou, and also submit the form as a vassal of Qi."

"A vassal of the Qi State?" Zheng Du's eyes widened. "When the former king was alive, he was deeply jealous of the Qi State and became a strong enemy. How can we, Lu Song, belong to the Qi State?"

"Your Majesty, it's time and time!" Tang Shiwen looked at Shi Fu, then bowed and said: "Back then, when the late king established the sea foundation, the Qi State was just a remnant of down-and-out pirates who fled to the Hanzhou Continent in haste. Transferring immigrants, all of them inherit the color of my Zheng family. However, time has changed, and in more than 30 years, Qi has grown from weak to strong, and has gradually become the hegemony of Nanyang today. The previous kings deeply hated this."

"But my Luzon is currently weak, so I have to ask Your Majesty to endure the humiliation and temporarily bow down to the Qi Kingdom as a vassal. In this way, there is still a glimmer of hope for my Luzon Kingdom."

"Second brother, Mr. Tang Ge is right." Zheng En on the side nodded and echoed: "We are weak now, so we can only bow our heads temporarily and be the vassal of other people. In the future, I, Lu Song, will try my best to actively develop and improve As long as the national strength exceeds that of the Qi State, it will naturally be able to get rid of the status of a vassal. Maybe in time, the Qi State can be placed under my Luzon vassal."

"...Will the National Assembly of Qi accept me as a vassal in Luzon?" Zheng Du asked with some hesitation: "If they don't agree and send troops directly to destroy my country in Luzon, what should I do?"

"Your Majesty, don't worry. As long as I, Lu Song, are obedient and have the affection of the eldest son, Qi will definitely accept Lu Song as a vassal state." Tang Shiwen thought for a while, and said with certainty: "For more than 20 years, although The Qi State has conquered countless territories in Nanyang, but there is no precedent for attacking the local forces of our Han people."

"Since that's the case, Gu... let's go along with it for the time being, and consider it a vassal of Qi."

(End of this chapter)