I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 629: How mature do you have to be to fulfill your animal nature?
Ye Mengxiong said: "During this civil unrest in Korea, slaves and hermits were the main force of the rebel army, and they suffered the most casualties. The rest of the officials and common people also suffered greatly, especially the two classes of civil and military officials, only one in ten survived, and the local aristocratic families and scholars were almost wiped out.

Famine and plague after the war killed a large number of people.

In this rebellion, eliminating the rebel army is not the biggest problem. Collecting the corpses from various places, burying them on the spot, and preventing the epidemic are the top priorities. "

Wu Dui gently put down his wine glass and sighed, "It is better to be a dog in peacetime than a citizen in troubled times. How many people died in the Central Plains during the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China? Only one in ten survived.

The civil unrest in Korea was the sudden outbreak of grievances accumulated over hundreds of years. People took revenge and revenge. Then, various forces fought each other for money and women, and in the end, they were no different from wild beasts.

The strong are rampant and the weak are helpless.

Our Great Ming army brought the new Korean army to pacify the rebel army, and the people everywhere felt like they had finally received a rain after a long drought.

When a country prospers, the people suffer; when a country perishes, the people suffer! "

Ye Mengxiong said with a deep gaze: "North Korea is a good student of the Ming Dynasty. It copied the Ming Dynasty in every aspect and even surpassed it in many aspects.

The fields of our Ming Dynasty were annexed, and the fields of Korea were also annexed. Before the civil unrest, 80% of the fields were concentrated in the hands of the two classes. The Ming Dynasty concealed the fields and evaded taxes, but Korea did not conceal them and directly exempted them from payment. The Ming Dynasty offered tribute and hid the population, while Korea collected slaves and had many hidden households.

Seeing the tragic situation in North Korea, we should learn from the past and learn from the future."

Wu Dui picked up the wine jug and filled everyone's glasses with wine.

"Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty has a saintly emperor who is far-sighted and sees through the crisis. He then takes thunderous measures to eliminate the worries of the world. Otherwise, it won't be long before the Ming Dynasty will repeat the mistakes of Korea."

Everyone present was a knowledgeable person and could understand what Wu Dui meant.

Gao Ce said angrily: "Those aristocratic families have occupied the farmland of the garrisons and annexed the land of the common people. They have hidden their lands and evaded taxes, and they only know how to take and never think about giving. They are the leeches on the body of the Ming Dynasty.

The people were exploited by them and suffered from hunger and cold after working hard for a year.

These bastards never think about what it would be like if the people were forced into a desperate situation. The Korean civil unrest is a living example.

More than a dozen newspapers reported the incident in detail for several issues, but they remained indifferent and even regarded it as alarmist. Will they only wake up when the people are in dire straits and rise up in rebellion, and China is plunged into blood and fire? "

Ye Mengxiong shook his head. "We have experienced it ourselves and thought about it carefully, so we are so worried. Those aristocratic families have lived in luxury for hundreds of years. Even if a knife is placed on their necks, they will not wake up.

The emperor is wise and has long seen through the nature of these people.

Since you refuse to repent, then let it be over with."

Seeing that they were getting bolder and bolder, Wu Dui was worried that there might be ears on the other side of the wall, which might affect these two young people with great prospects. He raised his glass and said, "God bless the Great Ming, and the emperor is wise. Our Great Ming will surely be reborn, like the rising red sun, its path will be bright and glorious. It will traverse the world and be famous for thousands of years.

Everyone, we offer a toast to the Holy Emperor, wishing His Majesty good health and longevity, and hope that he will continue to soar to the top with our Ming Dynasty!"

"it is good!"

Lu Tong, Ye Mengxiong and Gao Ce echoed loudly, then stood up, raised their glasses and faced westward in the direction of the capital.

"Respect the Holy Emperor! Respect the New Ming Dynasty!"

The four of them drank it all in one gulp and laughed at each other.

Lu Tong wiped the dripping wine from his beard with a towel and said loudly: "This wine is so refreshing to drink!"

The other three laughed together.

After eating a few bites of food, everyone started chatting again.

Lu Tong shook his head. "North Korea is in such a miserable state, and they are still fighting each other to death. There is really no hope for it."

Wu Dui stroked his beard, sighed deeply, and didn't want to say more.

Ye Mengxiong said: "Learn from the Ming Dynasty. The internal struggles in the Korean officialdom are engraved in their bones. As long as these civil servants are not beaten to death on the spot and survive, they will continue to fight internally.

It seems that they read a lot of books by sages and served as officials in the imperial court just to fight with others. "

Wu Dui glanced at him but still said nothing.

Korea was a small country with few people and was backed by the Ming Dynasty, so it was not threatened by foreign aggression. The Korean civil servants and scholars, who were well-read in the books of sages and had lofty aspirations, were unwilling to do the "small things" of improving people's livelihood.

There are no big things, and they don't care about small things. If these civil servants don't fight among themselves, are they playing the game of changing the head of state?

Over time, it has become a fine tradition and also an instinct.

Wu Dui couldn't help but think of the situation in China, where the situation was actually very similar.

Since the Hongzhi period, the Ming Dynasty had enjoyed a long period of peace without too many internal and external troubles, so party struggles became fierce, the reasons for which were similar to the internal struggles among officials in Korea.

During the Jiajing reign, the foreign threats from the northern barbarians and the eastern Japanese were serious, but party struggles still continued.

Fortunately, the emperor was aware of this problem. On the one hand, he eliminated possible hidden dangers, such as suppressing aristocratic families and noble clans, which greatly alleviated the harm caused by land annexation and tax evasion. On the other hand, he sent troops to the south of the desert, managed the South China Sea, suppressed the eastern vassal, and promoted industry and commerce.

According to the emperor, if we make big pancakes, everyone can get points and even more.

As for the incremental and stock development, it is not something that an old man like me can understand. Ye Zhaonan, a young person, should be able to understand it.

The younger generation.

Wu Dui looked at the white-haired Lu Tong and felt something in his heart.

We are all old, and the Ming Dynasty will belong to the younger generation in the future. But it is enough for us to follow the emperor and start the first strike of the magnificent new era.

Lu Tong turned his head and looked at Ye Mengxiong, "Are you sure about the emperor's strategy for taking over the country?"

Ye Mengxiong smiled and said, "The new Korean army is under the control of the Military Governor."

He threw a look at him, and Gao Ce continued, "There are 795 officers and 2,498 non-commissioned officers in the new Korean army. They have been trained in batches at the Xishan Military Academy and the Qinghe Non-commissioned Officer School.

More than 40,000 officers and soldiers were the first group to be allocated land after the pacification of Korea. According to their military rank and military merit, each person's family was allocated 25 to 160 acres of good land. "

Lu Tong laughed, "For a tiny country like North Korea, farmland is the lifeblood."

Ye Mengxiong continued, "The State Administration Department, from the Shaofu Supervisor, and the Xuanzan Bureau of the Nanhai Xuanwei Department, selected 590 experienced and accomplished propaganda personnel to form 3720 working teams.

These work teams gradually selected 6,700 members from the Korean scholars, literati, miners, mountain people, and apprentices who were the first to defect to the Ming Dynasty.

They went directly to villages and towns across North Korea, counted the fields and houses, checked the male and female population, and then began to distribute the land, organize farming, and restore people's livelihood.

During this process, 6,700 members of the work team studied while working. 2,700 were appointed as village and township heads. 291 outstanding people were sent to the Ganghwa Island Gwanggukjeshisa study class. After passing the study assessment, they were directly appointed as county magistrates, county magistrates and chief clerks.

Ye Mengxiong put aside the topic, raised his glass, and toasted Lu Tong, "Mr. Beishan, let's drink and chat at the same time. Now I toast Mr. Beishan. I wish you all new achievements! You will be promoted from Marquis to Duke."

Lu Tong laughed loudly: "I am going to take advantage of Zhaonan's good words. I will go to destroy the Eastern Japanese, and you will take over Korea. Everyone will have an important role in destroying the country.

Haha, let’s drink together!”

The four of them drank a glass together, put down their glasses and took a few bites of food.

Lu Tong chewed the fish meat of yellow croaker in pickled mustard greens soup, feeling the delicious taste exploding on his tongue. "Well, this Ningbo dish is authentic!"

"Two-thirds of Shanghai cuisine is an improvement on Ningbo cuisine. One-third of the shop owners in Shanghai are from Ningbo, so Ningbo cuisine is popular all over the city.

I received a letter from Tonggang (Song Yingchang) a few days ago, saying that a Wansha restaurant had just opened in Malacca, Sanbaofu. The chef was known to be good at cooking Ningbo cuisine. He went to try it once and found the taste was just so-so.

Ye Mengxiong's words made Lu Tong and Wu Dui laugh.

Wu Dui stroked his beard and said with emotion: "Eunuch Yang once said that people are like water. They will flow to where the money is and cannot be stopped."

Lu Tong felt the same way, "Eunuch Yang is indeed a man of great talent. This time, I met the emperor in Qinhuangdao and Dagu, and had the opportunity to have two meals with Prime Minister Zhang and chat with him for a while. He was stunned by the extremely prosperous scene of Kailuan.

Eunuch Yang has been silent for several years, but he has accomplished such a great thing. It is really admirable. Zhang Xiang also said that in the future, Yang Jinshui will be as famous as the eunuch Zheng He. "

"There is the eunuch Sanbao in front and the eunuch God of Wealth in the back. The Ming Dynasty is lucky!" Wu Dui echoed.

Gao Ce added in time, "It will all be clear now!"

Lu Tong, Wu Dui, and Ye Mengxiong laughed out loud, "Yes, it's time to make it clear!"

The four of them drank another cup.

Lu Tong wiped his beard with a towel and said cheerfully, "I had a great time drinking this wine today. Zhaonan, continue to talk about the strategy for taking over Korea."

"Okay, Mr. Beishan."

Ye Mengxiong stuffed the food into his mouth, chewed a few bites and swallowed it, then put down his chopsticks with his right hand.

"Before, Korea was divided into eight provinces, with 330 prefectures, counties and districts. It was really a small country with so many prefectures, counties and districts. Some prefectures, counties and districts had few people under them, and were set up entirely to accommodate the children of the Yangban family.

Nine out of ten sheep have their own shepherd. The tax burden on the Korean people is so heavy.

After Jingping, Wu Gong changed it to four prefectures and 59 counties with a stroke of his pen. For the time being, there is no county office. The national administration department directly manages the counties. The official system is different from that of the Ming Dynasty.

A group of officers and soldiers of the new Korean army retired due to injuries, totaling 4,900 people. They were appointed as village security guards and township patrol officers. Some outstanding ones were appointed as county lieutenants, in charge of the county security bureaus and maintaining local public security.

Now, all the local counties in Korea use the Ming characters for writing, and the official language is Chinese. The work team helped the counties to establish county schools, enrolling children of school age and teaching them in Chinese characters and official language. Health clinics and epidemic prevention stations were set up in various places to treat diseases and prevent plague.

Gao Ce said on the side: "Local civil and military officials only know about the Ming Dynasty, but not Korea. Local people only know about the State Administration Office, but not the court in Seoul."

Lu Tong could not help but admire him, "Duke Huanzhou is so talented. The three of you are so talented! In this way, you can definitely complete the emperor's strategy of taking over Korea."

Wu Dui said: "At the beginning of the year, I went to the capital to report to the emperor. The emperor told me that Korea is a special place, close to the capital, adjacent to Liaodong, and guarding the northern seaport.

If they advance, they can overlook the three eastern Japanese islands; if they retreat, they can threaten the heartland of the Ming Dynasty. However, the peninsula is isolated and once it is controlled by enemy forces, it will become the weak point of the Ming Dynasty.

The Western Han Dynasty gradually expanded its business to Pyongyang. Unfortunately, during the Three Kingdoms and the Jin Dynasty, the Central Plains was in turmoil for hundreds of years, and the country watched Goguryeo grow larger and further annex Liaodong and Pyongyang.

The Former Tang Dynasty was strong and powerful, and it destroyed Goguryeo, Baekje and other countries, established the Andong Protectorate and the Ungjin Governorate, and was about to annex the peninsula. Unfortunately, the drums of Yuyang shook the earth, and everything came to nothing.

The Khitan, Jurchen and Mongolia finally made Wang's Goryeo and Lee's Joseon powerful.

At this time, hundreds of years of accumulated resentment in Korea suddenly erupted, and the peninsula suddenly became a hell on earth. This was misfortune for Korea, but an opportunity for Ming Dynasty. "

Wu Dui talked freely, and Lu Tong, Ye Mengxiong and Gao Ce all put down their wine glasses, leaned towards him and listened attentively.

"The biggest obstacle to the strategy of taking over Korea lies in the local noble families and Confucian scholars. They keep saying that they want to learn from the Ming Dynasty, but they are absolutely unwilling to join the Ming Dynasty.

They only need the power of the Ming Dynasty to deter foreign enemies and suppress internal troubles, and they do not want the rule of the Ming Dynasty at all."

That’s right, North Korea at this time is very similar to some people in later generations.

You have to protect me, love me, and make money for me to spend. In short, I have to get all the benefits, so I don’t mind calling you "Dad".

But you can't control me. I have my own independent personality and freedom. I will not become your subordinate.
Fatty Luo said it well, you want to be supported but also want to talk about personal independence, isn’t that despicable?
Anyone who agrees to your request is even more despicable!

At least the current Ming Dynasty is not so despicable, and Zhu Yijun is not so despicable.

I worked so hard to help you quell the civil unrest, and now you just call me daddy twice and want to send me away. Is that possible?
"Now is a godsend opportunity. A civil riot that has spread across the country has severely damaged North Korea, especially the local aristocratic families and scholars, who have been wiped out.

Without them getting in the way, the local people will obey whoever feeds them. This is a great opportunity. If you don’t take what God has given you, you will suffer the consequences!”

Lu Tong heard it clearly in his heart.

He knew who was behind the civil unrest that had been spreading in North Korea for nearly three years. The most convenient way to send people to North Korea was to use the navy's ships.

It was the task of the Ming army and the new Korean army to quell the rebellion and eliminate the rebels and bandits. Killing the "officials, gentry, and scholars" who colluded with the rebels should also be an important task.

Those few Korean scholars who had managed to escape the slaughter of the rebels by either surrendering or hiding were stabbed several more times by the rebel-suppressing army, and there were really only a few left.

Among the more than 300 North Korean officials arguing in the court in Seoul, who knows how many "traitors" are among them.

How can you be sure that this internal strife was not instigated by some of the lackeys of the State Administration Department, who then fanned the flames and added fuel to the fire?

The internal strife made it impossible for the remaining bureaucrats in North Korea to take care of the local areas, allowing the working teams of the Ministry of State Affairs to control the local areas.

Lu Tong nodded, "Well, you did a great job. Korea is strategically located and directly threatens the Ming Dynasty. The Eastern Japanese can be dealt with slowly, but Korea must be taken into the Ming Dynasty's pocket as soon as possible.

When I was in the imperial court, I once heard that Liaoning would be divided into Liaodong and Liaoxi with Dingliao Fenghuangcheng, Dachong River (Aihe River), and Yahu Pass as the boundaries. Liaoxi would be governed by Liaoyang, and Liaodong would be governed by Pyongyang.

Now that I think about it, this was a preparation for North Korea’s incorporation.”

Wu Dui, Ye Mengxiong and Gao Ce nodded, feeling that it was correct.

After Korea was incorporated into the Ming Dynasty, its treatment was only that of a provincial governor, no higher.

"But it's better to get this matter settled. The sooner it's done, the less trouble it will have."

Ye Mengxiong smiled and exchanged glances with Wu Dui, "Someone in Seoul had already noticed something was wrong, and they tried their best to set up two more teams to take control of the area. But we secretly stopped them.

Now they are quite resentful and secretly colluding with each other with ill intentions. They are just some clowns. The King of Joseon, Yi Sun, is preparing to leave and will come to Beijing to pay tribute to our emperor in mid-September. As soon as he leaves, this day will come. "

Lu Tong's eyes flashed across the faces of Wu Dui, Ye Mengxiong and Gao Ce, and he nodded in understanding.

He stood up, picked up the wine glass, and said to the three people: "This battle may be the last time I go to sea. After the battle, I will sit in the capital until I retire.

I'm afraid there won't be many opportunities to drink with you three again on Ganghwa Island, so I'll give you three a toast."

"Thank you, Lord Beishan!"

The four of them raised their glasses and drank them all.

Lu Tong wiped his beard with a towel and sighed, "The Korean melon is ripe. I wonder how ripe the Japanese beast will be before they can get rid of their bestiality."

(End of this chapter)