1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 885

February 1674, 2, Korea, Pusan.

It can be said that the past 100 years have been the most disastrous 1592 years in the history of the Joseon Kingdom. It has experienced a series of foreign humiliations, such as Imjin Japanese Rebellion (1597), Dingyou Rebellion (1627), Dingmao Rebellion (1637), Bingzi Huan (1643), Guiwei attacked the frontier (1644, the Qi and Ming allied forces attacked the southeast coast of Korea), Jiashen lost ground (1654, the Qi and Ming allied forces captured Jeju Island), Jiawu Hukou (1662, Yuele attacked the North Korean ), Renyin violated the frontier (in [-], Qi State and Yongwang Yunzhou Town invaded the southeast of Korea).

Surrounded by tigers and wolves, the Korean Kingdom, which used to call itself a small China, has become more and more impoverished, and has suffered all the above-mentioned extreme humiliation.

Back then, when Bingzi was in chaos, Renzu (Li Yu), under the watchful eyes of many officials and countless domestic people, wore blue clothes, went to the guard of honor, went out of the west gate, and knelt down three times and kowtowed nine times to the slave chief Taiji.Finally, at the request of the Tartars, a stele of the Qing emperor's merits and virtues was built. The inscription on the stele recorded the whole war and peace negotiations from the standpoint of thanking the Qing Dynasty for preserving the Korean clan, which made the kingdom extremely humiliated.

The subsequent Guiwei attack on the frontier and Jiashen’s loss of land were also due to North Korea’s betrayal of the Daming vassal and was attacked by the Ming and Qi allied forces. As a result, the war broke out in the southeast, and finally lost the kingdom’s largest maritime territory-Jeju Island.

What made it even more difficult for the Joseon Kingdom to accept was that Yunzhou Yongwang, who was also a foreign vassal of the Ming Dynasty, even colluded with the Qi State to invade again in the year of Renyin under the pretext of North Korea's intention to rebel against the Qing captives.Jeolla-do and Gyeongsang-do were only half lost in less than a month, and the coalition forces reached Gyeonggi-do.

Under such circumstances, King Li Wei immediately succumbed and sent people to negotiate peace with Qi State and Yunzhou Town.After some negotiations, North Korea compensated the two military expenditures of 30 taels of silver, and guaranteed that North Korea would never rebel against the Ming Dynasty and eventually became a vassal.At the same time, facing Qi's request to open the whole territory to trade, they also agreed to it.

For more than ten years since then, North Korea's foreign trade has gradually been controlled by businessmen from Qi State and Yunzhou Town who have various privileges.Medicinal materials such as ginseng, alum, and dried ginger produced in the country; dried seafood such as sea cucumber, kelp, and abalone; furs such as mink, otter, green mouse, and leopard; dyes such as danmu and Sophora japonica; Metals such as tin and pig iron had to be sold to trading companies designated by Qi State and Yunzhou Town in North Korea.

Needle, bed furnace, cauldron, suitcase, saddle, umbrella, wooden chopsticks, abacus, comb, button, cigarette pouch, glasses, porcelain, paper, flint, fire sickle, pen, ink, inkstone, copper pot, tin pot, compass, etc. Groceries; various metal products such as shovel, plow, share, saw and other tools; sugar, dried fish, canned food and other food; nails, bolts, scissors, tweezers, pliers and other hardware; various cotton cloth, brocade silk; various Men's and women's ready-made clothing, hats, shoes and socks; even jewelry and jade, lacquerware and ivory carvings, furniture and antiques, hairpin jewelry, clocks and watches, and other Hanzhou luxury toys, cats, dogs, parrots and other rare birds and animals flocked into North Korea, almost monopolizing the entire market.

According to a conservative estimate, the annual net outflow of silver from the Kingdom of Korea amounts to tens of millions of taels, which is about to slowly empty out the wealth accumulated by the country for hundreds of years. Countless handicraft workers either became beggars and refugees, or were recruited back to the country by Qi State and Yunzhou Town, and turned into stepping stones for their industrial development.

Busan, in the Goryeo period, belonged to Sangju Mu. By the end of the Goryeo period, Japanese pirates were rampant on the southeast coast, and the Busan area was built as an important military stronghold.In the Joseon Dynasty, Bingmasajin was established in the era of Taejo, and it was changed to Jeongjeongsa in the era of Taejong. In 1547, due to the importance of this area, it was promoted to Dongnae Dohobu.After Renyin opened the border, Gyeongju Prefecture set up a separate county here, which is Busan County, because this place has become an important window for foreign trade.

Although, Busan County has a series of officials from Wupin County Magistrate, Cong Liupin County Supervisor, Cong Liupin County Superintendent, Cong Liupin Professor, and Jiupin Instructor, as well as Gyeongsangzodo Water Army Jiedu Battalion and several A town defends the coast.But the most effective person to speak in the entire county was an inspector sent here by Yunzhou Town on the grounds of protecting business affairs.

Therefore, when Busan County Superintendent Jin Yu submitted an application for the construction of the Waguan to Luo Shijie, the inspector stationed here in Yunzhou Town, he felt unspeakably sad and humiliated.In the territory of our Kingdom of Korea, it is necessary to ask and report to an outsider for the final approval of various major affairs.

But the situation is compelling, and it also makes people feel helpless.A few years ago, under the joint pressure of Qi State and Yunzhou Town, the imperial court was forced to turn Busan County into a free trade zone, removing all import and export tariff restrictions in the area, and all affairs in the area were also handled by North Korea and Yunzhou Town. joint management.At the same time, in order to prevent the invasion of "Japanese pirates", Yunzhou Town also stationed a force of about [-] people in the area to protect the security of the area, just like a country within a country, a place outside the country.

"The Caoliang Japanese Pavilion proposed by the Japanese is the work of the Japanese shogunate?" Luo Shijie didn't take it seriously after reading the application document, so he asked casually.

"According to the inspector, this Japanese hall was not invited by the shogunate." Jin Yu cupped his hands and said, "This Caoliang Japanese hall was built at the request of the Zong family on Tsushima Island for commercial purposes."

"The Zong family on Tsushima Island?" Luo Shijie's expression sank when he heard the words, "Is that the Zong family who is used to dealing with Japanese pirates at sea?"

"According to the inspector, the Zong family is from Tsushima, Japan, not Japanese pirates." Jin Yu said bravely, "For hundreds of years, he has always maintained good business relations with North Korea and kept his duty. In the past, the Japanese invaded in Imchen At that time, the Zong family had persuaded and prevented the Japanese chieftain Toyotomi Hideyoshi from attacking our dynasty several times. In the following decades, in order to restore the relationship between Japan and Japan, he continued to send messages between the two countries, which can be called a friendly and peaceful envoy. Today, the Zong family It is a blessing to have an intention to build an embassy in Busan, to communicate with each other and to connect the two countries.”

"The Japanese are ambitious, and the county supervisor must be cautious." Luo Shijie threw back the application document for the construction of the Japanese House, "Furthermore, the poor in Japan are hungry and the products are not abundant. How can there be any goods that can be sold to you North Korea? The Japanese are building a museum in Busan, and there is fear that there may be other plans, we need to warn them, and repel them!"

"According to the inspector..." Jin Yu was still unwilling to reconcile, and forced himself to argue: "I have no other plans for the Ma Zong family, and indeed came to Busan for trade. Besides, we are about to send a messenger to visit Japan, and we still need Zong It would be inappropriate if I refused rashly to accompany and protect you!"

"Huh?" Luo Shijie looked up at Jin Yu, "You sent a messenger to visit Japan, why?"

"My lord sent an envoy to comfort him when he heard that the Japanese general Odaisho (the name of the shogun's main wife) had passed away."

"As far as I know, for decades, your North Korea only sent a messenger to congratulate you when the Japanese general conquered the barbarians. Why, now it's just the death of the shogunate, and your court will also send a mission Go to worship and comfort?"

"Since our dynasty signed the "Jiyou Treaty" with Japan more than 60 years ago (1609), the two countries have established peaceful diplomatic relations, and the relationship has become increasingly harmonious. But there are celebrations and funerals in each other's countries, so we should send envoys to each other Go, there is a precedent for this." Jin Yu said coldly.

Although North Korea is a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, it is also an independent country. As the suzerain, the Ming court has not yet had too much control over North Korea's internal affairs and foreign exchanges. Is your Yongwang Yunzhou Town controlling too much?
In fact, the king of Joseon Li Wei not only sent a mission to visit Japan, trying to find a third-party force to check and balance Qi and Yunzhou Town, he also secretly appointed a court angel to lead a huge mission with a large amount of tribute. Lu Lu traveled to Nanjing, where he met Sun Kewang, the chief assistant of the Ming cabinet and the king of Qin, and planned to use the name of a vassal to follow Sun Kewang's wishes and support him to stand on his own behalf on behalf of the Ming Dynasty, in order to obtain the protection of the new dynasty and help the Kingdom of Korea to eliminate "certain foreign forces". control.

Compared with the idealism of the previous emperor Xiaozong (Li Hao), the current king Li Wei is much more pragmatic. During the war, he once stood on the wall with an ambiguous attitude, trying to bet on both sides.

But unfortunately, Qi State and Daming did not give him a chance to sit on the wall at all. They jointly sent troops several times in a row to attack North Korea across the sea, and finally forced him to make the decision to abandon the Qing court and return to the Daming vassal.However, in order to prevent being liquidated and retaliated by the Qing court, Li Wei shirked Qi Ming's request to send troops to attack the rear of the Qing captive Liaodong in every possible way, and never dared to send troops northward.

In the three chaos, tens of thousands of Qing soldiers who were like wolves and tigers easily penetrated the three thousand miles of rivers and mountains in North Korea, and attacked Hanyang, the capital city, forcing North Korean monarchs and ministers to either flee to Ganghwa Island or flee to Namhan Mountain City. Fight back.Under such circumstances, North Korea had already been cast out of the shadow by the Qing court, and was terrified. How could it dare to go north again, attack Liaodong, and tease the Qing court's tiger's beard.

In addition, when faced with Qi's military threats and economic invasion, the entire North Korean kingdom was also afraid and hated, and did not dare to give birth to the slightest desire to resist.In the Jiawu year (1654), Yue Le, the commander-in-chief of the Qing Dynasty, led more than [-] Eight Banners armored soldiers, and invaded North Korea with a force of destruction and occupied the capital.

However, the Qi State only relied on the key to lock the Yalu River with more than ten thousand allied forces, and blocked the Qing army on the south bank. After a few days of fighting, almost [-] Banner soldiers were wiped out.This battle not only shocked the world, broke the myth that the Jurchens were invincible, but also established the prestige of Qi's good fighting skills, and shocked the entire North Korea.

Therefore, when "Renyin invaded the border", in the early stage of the battle, North Korea faced the attack of the Yunzhou Town army. Although it was defeated again and again, at least it dared to fight against it on the battlefield.However, after hearing that thousands of troops from the Qi State had landed on the coast of Jeolla Province, they immediately lost the courage to fight. They quickly sent envoys for peace talks to discuss peace, and agreed to all the conditions proposed by the Qi State.

However, in the eyes of North Korean monarchs and ministers, although Qi is a country from the remote southern continent, it was born out of Chinese civilization. Unwilling - of course, except for Jeju Island.

However, with the invasion of the Qi State's economic power and the "exploitation" of Yunzhou Town, North Korea's small peasant economy and fragile handicraft industry were severely damaged, a large amount of silver began to flow out, and the economy and people's livelihood gradually declined.

In the year of Gengzi (1670) and the year of Xinchou (1671) for two consecutive years, a rare famine broke out in North Korea, causing more than one million people to die abnormally. It is known as the "Gengxin famine" in history.During this period, Qi State and Yunzhou Town still transported a large amount of North Korea's few grains and put them into the territory of Daming to support the ongoing war against Qing Dynasty.Countless people with lofty ideals accused the imperial court of being incompetent, allowing the "Southern Fan" to plunder the life-saving food in the country, causing countless people to starve to death.

Faced with the raging public opinion in the country, King Li Wei and the ruling Western People's Party also developed a lot of dissatisfaction and hatred towards Qi State and Yunzhou Town, which are currently growing in power.They are like two huge leeches lying on the body of the Korean kingdom, constantly sucking the drier blood of North Korea to nourish their own bodies and promote their continuous development and growth.

It has gradually become the consensus of the Korean officials to try to expel the "Nanfan" and "Yongfan", maintain the independence and integrity of the Korean Kingdom, and prevent them from continuing to infiltrate and plunder the domestic economy.

However, given the current situation of North Korea being small and weak, it is impossible to independently face the invasion of Qi State and Yunzhou Town.Then, the Ming court, which had just expelled the Qing captives and completed the domestic unification, became a life-saving straw for the Korean monarchs and ministers.

King Li Wei hoped that the court angels sent to the Ming Dynasty could obtain the real support and help of the Ming court. Even if the powerful minister Sun Ke hoped to usurp the Ming Dynasty and stand on his own, as long as he promised to give North Korea military protection and rule out the control of "foreign forces", Li Wei did so. Also give strong support.

As for the "Chongming" advocated by Confucianism in China, it can all be discarded in actual diplomatic operations, and the consideration of real interests becomes the first choice.

For hundreds of years, North Korea's diplomatic strategy has always been based on the guiding principle of "major affairs".In the period of Taizu (Li Chenggui), he regarded Daming as the suzerain, showing his attitude towards Ming, and set a policy of "wish words to repair duties, and all generations will serve Emperor Ming".After the Liaodong Hulu rose up and suffered two consecutive critical attacks, although he resisted psychologically, he quickly knelt down to the Hulu physically and changed himself to a "new father".More than ten years ago, after being attacked by the Qi and Ming allied forces several times, and the Hulu "father" was too cruel and beat and scolded at every turn, North Korea simply and neatly recognized "Da Ming's father" again.

Now, facing the bullying by Qi Guo and Yunzhou Yongfan, the Koreans have no choice but to cry to Daming, "Daddy save me".

Back then, during the Imjin Japanese Invasion, Da Ming, as the suzerain country, did not hesitate to dispatch tens of thousands of troops to curb the Japanese's aggressive ambitions and save the country of the Korean Kingdom.

King Li Wei believes that in order to maintain the face of the great country and the power of the new dynasty, Sun Kewang, who seeks to usurp Ming Dynasty and stand on his own, will fight another battle for North Korea like Emperor Wanli did, and drive back the forces of Qi State and Yunzhou Town.

In addition, Japan, which is not weak, is also an object that can be fully utilized.It is said that they have many disputes with Qi State and Yunzhou Town in terms of trade and territory. If they lobby, it might not be able to prompt a war between them, and then weaken their mutual strength to a certain extent.

In this way, we can do something about North Korea, and the power of the country can still be restored.

(End of this chapter)