I studied in modern times

Chapter 930 Supporting compradors (2)

"Mr. Li, please stand up and talk first!" Zhao Xu said softly, looking at Li Ziyi who was still trembling, or pretending to tremble.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Ziyi naturally thanked him quickly, and then stood up tremblingly.

Zhao Xu smiled and told Tong Guan beside him, "Tong, please wait for Li Aiqing to sit down and give him some tea!"

"promise!

Seeing this, Li Ziyi looked flattered and said, "Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your kindness!"

Zhao Xu smiled even more brightly.

According to Xing Shu's investigation, Li Ziyi's family was a prominent family in Goryeo!

According to the bribed members of the delegation, Li Ziyi's father and grandfather both served as prime ministers of Goryeo.

That’s not all. The key point is that his three aunts were all concubines of King Munjong of Goryeo.

One of the aunts is the current Queen Mother of Goryeo.

And this queen mother is a super lucky person!
Therefore, almost all of King Munjong of Goryeo's descendants who grew up healthy were born to him!
Among them is the Goryeo monk leader Guan Yitian who is currently in Bian Jing!
It also includes the two generations of Goryeo kings after Wenzong——

The former King Yu of Goryeo, the King of Sunjong, the current King of Goryeo, Wang Yun, and the Duke of Jilin, Wang Yong, who is currently in Goryeo and leading his army in Kaesong to resist the attack of the Liao army.

By the way, the Jilin Gong’s real name was Wang Xu. After the monk Yi Tian returned to Song in the eighth year of Yuanfeng, he learned the name Zhao Xu, so he changed his name to avoid taboo.

In this regard, Goryeo has done a good job in face-saving projects.

After Li Ziyi sat down and politely took a sip of tea, Zhao Xu asked, "May I know your origin?"

"Your Majesty, my native place is Shuzhou, Goryeo..." Li Ziyi replied.

"Shuzhou?" Zhao Xu narrowed his eyes. He had never heard of a Shuzhou city in modern South Korea!

Li Ziyi said: "Your Majesty, Shuzhou was called 'Shaocheng County' during the Silla period..."

"Oh!" Zhao Xu nodded. Although he still had no impression, it didn't matter.

He asked, "Is there a sea near your hometown?"

"Your Majesty, my hometown is near the sea. This time I came to the court, I boarded the ship from Shuzhou..."

Zhao Xu was surprised.

Because now the Liao army has surrounded Kaesong, and half of Goryeo is already owned by Liao.

Wang Yun had even moved the capital to Hanyang, Nanjing, Goryeo last year.

Therefore, the place where Li Ziyi boarded the ship was actually about to be revealed.

Incheon!

This is the only place that is relatively close to Hanyang and is also a natural harbor.

If it was Incheon...

So……

Zhao Xu licked his lips. He knew that Li Ziyi's value of united front work had increased again in the Song Dynasty.

The Li family was originally a top family in Goryeo.

His base is in Incheon, which has a natural harbor.

Moreover, if Zhao Xu remembered correctly, the distance between Incheon and Hanyang, Nanjing of Goryeo, was only a few dozen miles.

Therefore, this is still a place that can directly strangle Hanyang.

As a result, Zhao Xu's smile became even kinder.

"To be honest, my dear, I have already thought about the difficulties that Goryeo is facing, as you just mentioned..."

"Goryeo needs to borrow 240,000 taels of silver every year. This may indeed be difficult for Goryeo..."

"Therefore, I have also thought of some ways to help the people of Goryeo..."

Li Ziyi was delighted when he heard this and bowed, "Your Majesty is so kind and virtuous. The people of Goryeo are grateful to you!"

Zhao Xu hummed, and then said: "To be honest with you, I follow the teachings of the saints to rule the world!"

"Therefore, out of pity for the suffering of the people of Goryeo, I sent an envoy to persuade the Liao ruler to withdraw his troops!"

"For this reason, I have no choice but to agree to the Liao Lord's request to increase the amount of Jiaozi by 150 strings!"

Li Ziyi heard about this yesterday. At that time, he and Yitian hugged each other and cried.

For these powerful people in Goryeo, preserving the country and the ancestral temple is more important than anything else!
Because, if we continue to fight, the country will really be destroyed!
Once the country is destroyed, these people will lose their wealth and status.

This is also the reason why Goryeo kept lowering its bottom line and increasing tribute during negotiations with the Liao Kingdom.

However, the Northern Barbarians ignored them completely!

He is determined to destroy Goryeo!
The siege of Kaesong has been going on for a year, and by today, all the knowledgeable people in Goryeo have seen the truth.

The northern barbarians besieged Kaifeng, but were not in a hurry to capture it.

The purpose was to destroy Goryeo's manpower by consuming it in Kaesong.

Once Goryeo can no longer send reinforcements, then after the northern barbarians capture Kaesong, all parts of Goryeo in the south will be conquered.

But the Koreans knew that they could not hold out for much longer.

In the early spring of next year, when the northern barbarian army arrives at Kaifeng again, Kaifeng may fall at any time.

Therefore, the Goryeo king and his ministers could only grit their teeth and present a huge gift package of 80,000 taels of silver and 30,000 pieces of silk cloth as an annual tribute.

This was almost the limit of Goryeo's finances.

It is even possible that it can only be produced in the past few years.

After that, it was impossible to gather so much wealth.

no way!
Goryeo was a small country with tired people. In order to support the war, the national treasury had long been emptied.

There really is not a drop left!
However, even so, the Northern Barbarians would not allow it.

He is determined to destroy Goryeo!

Once the country was destroyed, the Goryeo royal family would inevitably be sent to Shangjing by the northern barbarians, kept in captivity, and then disappear, never to be heard from again, just like the Bohai royal family of the past.

Even local nobles like Li Ziyi, who were deeply tied to the Goryeo royal family, could not avoid making a trip to the capital.

Just like what the northern barbarians did in Pyongyang and other places.

Starting from April this year, the Northern Tartars forcibly relocated a large number of descendants of powerful families in various northern counties.

The reason is terrifying—ancestral laws!
What ancestral laws?
The ancestral laws of the Liu family of the Han Dynasty!
Move the nobles to the imperial mausoleum! Strong trunks weaken branches!
It is said that the reason why the Northern Barbarian Lord acted like this was because the bastards in the north slandered him.

It said, "The people of the direct lineage are disrespectful to Your Majesty, and do not submit to the king's rule. Many of them are in collusion with the enemy (the king's luck)."

The Northern Barbarian leader was furious and found this excuse to move all the direct descendants of the nobles in the northern counties and send them to his own Orudo Taihe Palace (Asi Orudo).

He also proudly announced to all parties that the Orudo was created by Taizu with the wisdom of Gaozu, in accordance with the customs of the grassland. Now I inherit the virtue of Taizu, follow the system of previous saints, and restore the laws of Han Gaozu. I will move the direct descendants of the Goryeo nobles to the Taihe Palace to guard my palace!
This incident had a huge impact on the powerful families in southern Goryeo.

The bastards secretly harbored sinister intentions.

There was even an unfilial son who secretly colluded with the northern barbarians in order to act as an accomplice.

People like Li Ziyi, who were born into a legitimate family and held high positions, were in constant fear.

They were afraid that the northern barbarian soldiers would attack and drag them to Liao territory, where they would live with cattle and sheep from then on.

Under such circumstances, suddenly, the State of Song successfully mediated and peace talks were imminent.

How could Li Ziyi and Yitian not be happy, and how could they not cry?
Therefore, after listening to Zhao Xu's words, Li Ziyi bowed with true feelings and said: "Your Majesty is holy and virtuous. I and the people of Goryeo will definitely be grateful. I swear that my descendants will always be your majesty's concubines!"

Zhao Xu heard this and just smiled.

What do you mean by descendants will always be your subjects?

Just listen!
There is no such thing as "forever" between countries.

Today's ally may be tomorrow's mortal enemy.

The current feud may become a relationship like that of a father and son at the end of the world.

There is no need to look at modern world history to see things like this.

You can find countless examples by looking through the history of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

So, the so-called friendship between nations is just for listening.

If anyone really believes it, it is only a matter of time before he is stabbed in the back.

(End of this chapter)