Great Ming Dynasty Wen Chao Gong

Chapter 172 Zhang Xiao’s Assassination
"Envoy Zhang, the Ming Dynasty can help our country restore the country. Our country is always grateful for the kindness of the Ming Dynasty, but why does the Ming Dynasty have to cede our land? If this is revealed, I am afraid that everyone in North Korea will be dissatisfied with the Ming Dynasty. "Yes." Liu Chenglong said.

"Prime Minister Liu, you have been expanding north and north. Now the three northern roads were not your territory before. The Ming Dynasty also wanted to be in North Korea and was a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, so we don't care. Why is North Korea not willing to rent a Jeju Island now? Mr. Liu, you have to think about how much military expenditure the Ming Dynasty sent, but when they came to North Korea, North Korea could not provide enough military supplies. So what if North Korea gave the Ming Dynasty an island to express its gratitude? The military supplies stationed in Korea were also provided by the Ming Dynasty, which was a huge expense. It is naturally the obligation of the Celestial Empire to protect the vassal state, but Korea must do something as a vassal state.

"Zhang Qinchen, the Japanese country has just suffered a military disaster and is really unable to do anything. By next year, I will definitely pay tribute to the Celestial Empire. I can offer all kinds of rare treasures. I will also send many maids the court needs. Please also Zhang Qin sent some nice words to the court, saying that the ceding of land was really unjustifiable. "

"Xiang Liu, you know that I have always thought about your country. This is not because of the North Korean students taking part in the Ming Dynasty imperial examination. I was taken part in it. You should also know this. Ming Dynasty is not coveting such an island. , It’s just that my army must have its own foothold when it’s out there. If Jeju Island doesn’t work, we can’t occupy Incheon. Well, if it’s not convenient for Jeju Island to be taken out, the Ming Dynasty will set aside it on the island. How about one area being used as a garrison and the other areas still being managed by North Korea? If that doesn’t work, I can’t say much.”

"Zhang Qinchao, let's do this. I will submit these requirements to the king first. If the king has any ideas, Liu will tell you Zhang Qinchao immediately."

In this way, although the two parties had not reached an agreement at all, Liu Chenglong still left politely.

"Wenhua, you've checked around. There shouldn't be anything in this village." Zhang Xiao said to Lu Zhang, who had just returned from outside.

"Master, I took a look around and didn't see anything unusual. The servants in the house are also relatively peaceful and don't talk randomly everywhere."

"That's good. But I think it's still inappropriate. If you stay in North Korea for a long time, it's best to build a separate city near Wangjing. The city doesn't need to be big, but it must be under the full control of the Ming Dynasty. But this It’s something that will happen later, so I’ll finish these errands first this time, thank God.”

"My boss, North Korea has a small army and a weak army. How dare you refuse the imperial court's request?"

In just a few seconds, a strong man wearing a North Korean guard uniform rushed up, came straight towards Zhang Xiao, and stabbed Zhang Xiao in the chest. Zhang Xiao dodged and was stabbed, but it didn't go in. The assassin hesitated for a moment, but Zhang Xiao had already drawn his sword and stabbed back. Everyone who reacted also surrounded the assassin, especially Li Rubai, who had already drawn his sword and stabbed the murderer in the back.

"Bang!" Suddenly the sound of a firecracker exploding not far away.

"Don't worry, Commissioner Zhang Qin. We will get to the bottom of it and give Ming an explanation." Liu Chenglong said bravely.

"Xiang Liu, I don't know what to say. I thought your army was just unable to fight, but I didn't expect it to be more serious than this. Even the guards in the palace are no longer reliable. How are the other troops? I I don’t dare to think about it. I hope North Korea will give you an explanation. You guys should search carefully to see if there are any assassins. It’s best to check this food again,” Zhang Xiao said.

Everyone had come to their senses and looked at the murderer who was throwing himself to the ground.

"Having said that, we should not be careless. North Korea is a country with a population of tens of millions, not a small country."

"This is our country's specialty ginseng chicken soup. Please use it with caution, Commissioner Zhang Qin."

"Okay, this chicken soup smells delicious. Your country has prepared it carefully."

"Zhang Zhan, are you really okay?" Li Rubai asked impatiently just after returning to the military camp.

A few days later, another invitation was sent from the King of Korea, requesting to attend the banquet.

"I can't die for the time being. Fortunately, I'm still wearing soft armor. Otherwise, I might really die here. We haven't encountered such an exaggerated thing in Ningxia. We didn't expect that we could encounter it in North Korea. But why? We can still meet each other after the battle is over," Zhang Xiao said with emotion.

Zhang Xiao took the small bowl of chicken soup and drank it slowly. It tastes really good. This is the best dish Zhang Xiao has eaten in all the days he has been in North Korea.

After saying that, Zhang Xiao picked up the bowl of chicken soup again. Although the chicken soup was still the same chicken soup, Zhang Xiao could still smell a faint smell of blood. Zhang Xiao slowly put the chicken soup back on the table.

The murderer's body was dragged out just like that. The king of North Korea had been carried away by the guards, and everyone at the banquet dispersed. Except for the civil servants and generals of the Ming Dynasty, only Prime Minister Liu of North Korea was still sitting there.

"Mr. Zhang, are you okay?" Li Rubai added a few more swords to the murderer and looked at Zhang Xiao.

"It's okay. Everyone, sit back. It's just that the murderer died here like this. It really brings a disgrace to the scenery. Drag the people down. I'm afraid everyone is not in the mood to drink now. Let's continue eating. It's a pity that this table has good food. ”

"There's no such thing as a good feast, General Li. You don't think there's anything wrong with eating this food and wine, do you?"

There was a sudden panic in the hall, and Zhang Xiao silently held his hand on the scabbard.

At the banquet, everything was as usual, as if nothing had happened.

After a while, Zhang Xiao and his party withdrew under the escort of the Ming army soldiers who arrived. Zhang Xiao did not return to the gorgeous mansion, but followed the large group of people back to the military camp.

The murderer shouted directly, "I wish I could kill the lackeys of the Ming Dynasty to repay Toyotomi Taikoo." Then he fell down.

"That's not true, but just to be sure, I vomited it out by inducing vomiting."

"I also induced vomiting. Everyone in North Korea should pay attention. Yang Jinglue, are you okay?" Zhang Xiao looked at Yang Hao.

"Zhang Zhan, I'm fine. What happened this time is really too much. Mr. Zhang, you have a good rest. General Li, you should also be on guard. Yang will write the memorial overnight. When the time comes, we will The three of them should sign their names together, and this matter should be reported to the court as soon as possible," Yang Hao said.

"Don't worry, Yang Jinglue. This time, Li has brought three thousand elites. Even if something unexpected happens, Li can lead the two of them to break through the encirclement. If something unexpected happens this time, the army will have to send out messengers quickly. Contact the Zhejiang soldiers who are staying in North Korea," Li Rubai said.

"General Li, of course we need to contact the Zhejiang soldiers, but just let them stay at the camp and don't act rashly. The situation in North Korea is complicated right now, and we can't mess up our position to avoid being looked down upon by the North Koreans," Zhang Xiao said.

On the second day, Liu Chenglong hurried outside the military camp, but the Ming soldiers guarding the camp did not give him a good look. They just let him in alone. The rest of the entourage were blocked outside and were specially watched. stand up.

"Envoy Zhang Qin, Mr. Liu is here to visit you. By the way, I will explain to you the reason and handling of this assassination." Liu Chenglong said quickly when he saw Zhang Xiao.

"Is it the work of Japanese spies lurking inside North Korea?" Zhang Xiao said. "Zhang Qinchang, how do you know?" Liu Chenglong was so full of words that he was forcefully suppressed, and it took a long time before he asked this question.

"Otherwise, it's some other reason. It can't be said to be some other reason. That would be embarrassing for everyone."

"Thank you, Commissioner Zhang, for your understanding." Liu Chenglong said, pretending not to understand Zhang Xiao's sarcasm.

"It's not to say that we are considerate. We have already reported to Your Majesty eight hundred miles away about what happened here. How Your Majesty makes your decision is your Majesty's business. I don't dare to ask or say any more."

"How long will Zhang Qinqi stay in this military camp? The assassin has been brought to justice and all his accomplices have been arrested. Please rest assured Zhang Qinqi."

"I really can't rest assured. The war has been fought for so long, and now your palace guards actually include Japanese dead soldiers. I really can't rest assured. Have you found out how this person got in? Or are you always lurking?" Zhang Xiao asked.

"Returning to Zhang Qinchen, this person just sneaked in. He looked similar to a guard in the palace. He killed that guard and sneaked in. Originally, this person wanted to use a fire blunderbuss, but The gun accidentally exploded, so he used a sword instead."

"I don't know what to say. Everything you said is right, right? Although it's not easy to live in this military camp, Zhang's life is short, and his luck may not be so good next time. I really don't dare to gamble. , please forgive me, Mr. Liu."

"Chief Zhang, what were those matters discussed before?"

"Don't worry about this matter now. You should take care of your own affairs first, otherwise the imperial court will really be completely disappointed in North Korea."

"Liu understands."

Liu Chenglong knew that talking more would be useless, so he left in a hurry.

As soon as Liu Chenglong left, Li Rubai and Yang Hao came closer.

"Zhang Zhan, what should we do now?" Yang Hao asked anxiously.

"Yang Jinglue can only cope with the ever-changing situation by staying the same. Although I don't know who dares to pull this trick, but the fact that the man behind the scenes can do this shows that the ability of the man behind the scenes is nothing more than this, and there is nothing wrong with it. Too much ability. We just have to wait for the navy to arrive. When we set off before, the court said that the navy would leave soon," Zhang Xiao said.

"Zhang Zhan, I used to think that the head of the military officer corps was just an idle errand, but now I think that may not be the case. I didn't expect that the small country of North Korea would have such a thrilling incident." Li Rubai said with emotion.

"It doesn't matter. Once the imperial navy arrives, all tricks will be useless. It's a pity that the imperial navy is still far from enough at the moment. Otherwise, we can suppress these little guys just by relying on the navy. "Zhang Xiao said with emotion.

The days passed in this delicate atmosphere. It was not until a month later that the Ming Navy arrived belatedly. However, looking at the scale, it seemed to be larger than the last time they came to conquer Japan and aid Korea.

The commander of this navy is also Zhang Xiao's old acquaintance, General Chen Lin.

After the navy landed, General Chen Lin led a group of people to Seoul, but refused the North Koreans' invitation to a banquet and went directly to the military camp.

"General Chen, long time no see. As soon as the imperial navy comes, we feel relieved, and since the navy is commanded by General Chen, I feel even more relieved." Zhang Xiao greeted happily.

"I have kept you waiting for a long time. We should have set off a long time ago, but the news of Zhang Zhan's assassination reached the capital. His Majesty ordered that the main force of the navy must be summoned before dispatching. So some things were delayed. You don't know about Zhang Zhan. , Those North Korean officials knew that Ming Dynasty had so many ships coming this time, and they were very polite along the way, just because they were afraid that I would be angry. "

"Okay, once General Chen comes, the next thing will be easy to handle. I heard that General Chen declined the banquet of the King of North Korea?"

"I'm afraid it's some kind of Hongmen Banquet. Zhang Zhan was assassinated this time. The court was very angry. Now both the government and the public are arguing about who is the murderer. Many people are wondering whether North Korea is directing and acting on its own to threaten the Ming Dynasty."

"It's not impossible, but it's better not to say these words here. After all, the imperial court is not thinking about taking action against North Korea. Let's just talk about it in private."

"It's better to end these troubles as soon as possible. Originally, Chen was thinking of returning to Guangdong Province and becoming the commander-in-chief. Unexpectedly, the imperial court asked me to stay and command the navy. In the future, I would also leave a fleet to stay in North Korea. Chen I am still thinking about who should be the commander of this fleet."

"Actually, anyone can be released. The main thing is to have good dealings with the North Korean navy. After all, they are the local snakes. Although our navy's ships are stronger than theirs, without their assistance, this joint fleet cannot be formed."

"The current commander of the North Korean navy, I remember, is Yi Sun-shin, right?" Chen Lin asked.

"It's indeed Yi Sun-shin."

"Yi Sun-shin is still very good at fighting. I have fought several battles with him. Every time I fight, I fight bravely to take the lead. Let's not talk about anything else. If the generals of North Korea had the courage of Yi Sun-Shin, the Japanese would not dare to attack North Korea at all. use force."

"General Chen came here this time to join us in the camp?" Li Rubai asked.

"General Li, is it convenient for you?" Chen Lin asked.

"General Chen is willing to join forces with us, and Li certainly wants it. I wonder how many people General Chen has brought here this time? Let me estimate how many more camps will be built."

"Most of the troops have stayed in Incheon. Only two thousand people came to Seoul with me."

"Okay then, Li will go and repair the camp." Li Rubai responded.

(End of this chapter)