I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 659 You insects!

While there were both sorrows and joys on the Tonghui River, Zhu Yijun in Xiyuan received great news.

"Okay!" Zhu Yijun slammed the urgent report onto the table, stood up, and walked around the room excitedly.

"Wu Dui, Ye Mengxiong and Gao Ce have already come up with a plan to take over the country. Great! It's almost the first day of the second year of the Wanli reign, and they have given me such a great gift. Great!"

Qi Yan, along with a group of eunuchs, knelt down and congratulated in unison: "Your servants congratulate the emperor for expanding the territory and creating another unprecedented achievement."

Zhu Yijun laughed, "Don't shout so loudly, the King of Chaoxian is still living in the capital. If you shout so loudly and he hears you, it will be so embarrassing.

When the grand court meeting is held on New Year's Day, he will personally present the map and seal, surrender the land to the Ming Dynasty, and then we will celebrate properly. Everyone, get up."

"According to the order."

"Go and call Liu Yingjie, the chief minister of the Honglu Temple. I want him to have a good talk with Yi Sun and ask him to put on a good show at the New Year's Day meeting."

"According to the order."

Zhu Yijun walked to the window and looked at the scenery to the east.

Chaoxian was finally incorporated into the territory of the Ming Dynasty. According to the Annan example, it certainly could not be called Chaoxian Governorship anymore, so what name should it be given?

More than a month ago, the atmosphere in Seoul, the capital of King Hyeon, became increasingly impetuous.

During the Boshin Rebellion, Seoul was occupied by rebels for nearly two years, leaving it in a state of disarray and full of foul smells. When the Ming army suppressed the rebellion, the defenders put up a desperate resistance for a while.

The artillery of the Ming army's naval and land divisions poured down on Seoul like crazy, leaving it in ruins.

When the city was breached, the remnants of the enemy army set several more fires to cover their escape. The huge fire burned the entire city to ashes.

When Lee Sun and Queen Dowager Shim led the ministers back to the capital, they entered the city in tears.

The ground was littered with broken tiles and ruins. Not to mention people, there were not even a few living animals to be seen.

The royal palace was the hardest hit area, having long since been burned down to only a few stone foundations.

It’s so desolate, where shall I stay tonight?

Looking at this scene, Li Sun cursed Li Shanhai, Jin Xiaoyuan and others in his heart, you have nothing to do after eating!
I'm living so comfortably on Ganghwa Island, but you guys are jumping up and down, saying that the capital has been recovered and we should return to the capital as soon as possible to hold a court meeting and appease the four quarters.

I said there's no rush, take it easy, but you guys blocked my door every day, forcing me into no choice but to shamelessly find Wu Dui and Ye Mengxiong.

People say Seoul is still in ruins, so there's no need to rush.

You are secretly saying that the Chinese people have ulterior motives and intentions.

You guys should go and talk to the Ministry of State Administration. You are all cowards. You puff your beards and say that you are the king of a country and you must bravely shoulder your responsibilities.

So what if I am the king of a country? Am I not still begging for food on Ganghwa Island like you?
You don't dare to face the Ming officials and only know how to force me.

Not only do you force me to tell you, but that old lonely woman, my nominal mother, Queen Dowager Shen, also uses filial piety to pressure me.

Damn it, I have committed so many sins in my lifetime that you guys tricked me into becoming the ruler of a country and then treated me like a beast of burden.

I said all the nice things I could and finally the Ming officials agreed to organize the troops to return to the capital.

it's good now.

The entire city of Seoul was in ruins. The Ming people were recruiting laborers and working hard to repair it, but there were too many places to repair.

The city walls need to be repaired, the canals need to be repaired, and the river embankments need to be repaired. These are all vital places and must be repaired first.

Then, we can repair houses. The people’s houses need to be repaired, the palace needs to be repaired, and the houses of officials also need to be repaired. How can we repair them all?

Li Sun was so angry when he saw Wang Jing, who didn't even have a few thatched huts.

Where should the court meeting be held?

The Beggars' Sect has a shabby temple for their meetings, but we hold court meetings in a thatched cottage?

You insects, do you have the ability to pacify the people?
King Yi Sun and his ministers had no place to live, so they had to live in the Ming army tents for two or three months, and finally moved into a house with a roof.

With a spacious venue, the more than 300 remaining officials began to quarrel over their respective official positions.

During the Boshin Rebellion, my family was destroyed but I remained devoted to serving my country. I worked hard for my king to restore the country and to suppress the rebellion of the Ming army. Why can't I be the Minister of Rites?

You're the only one whose family has been destroyed? As if everyone else's family has been destroyed? I was the one who fled to Ganghwa Island with the king on his back. I was the first one to contact the Ming army and find a place for everyone to stay. I was also the first one to set foot on the native land among the ministers who presented tribute to the king.

With such great contributions, shouldn't I be the Minister of Military Affairs?
Lee Sun's brain was so annoyed by the noise that he simply found an excuse to go to the court to meet the emperor, and left Seoul with Shen Yiqian, Zheng Renhong and other ministers who were denounced as traitors.

As soon as they left, coupled with the Ming army's continuous withdrawal and the presence of the State Administration Commissioner outside the city, the atmosphere in Seoul suddenly became active and impetuous.

It was a warm winter day, and a group of ambitious ministers gathered at Xiaocang Pavilion.

Xiaocang Pavilion is located in Yuanshan, north of the city.

This place is 15 miles away from Seoul. It was originally built by an official who retired from the government. It only has five rooms and a pavilion. It is close to the Han River, with mountains and water, and the scenery is pretty good.

But it is a bit remote. During times of peace, the dignitaries and famous scholars who came to pay tribute to the court had better places to gather and simply disdained this place.

During the Boshin Rebellion, Xiaocangting was fortunately saved from the rebel army and the war because of its remote location.

Scarcity makes things valuable. As the only remaining elegant place near Seoul, Xiaocangting became a place where ministers who came to pay tribute to the emperor often gathered.

The five rooms were expanded into more than a dozen rooms, and the attic was built into two floors, each floor could be divided into two rooms, inside and outside. Cooks and servants were arranged.

Rice, chickens, ducks, cattle, sheep, pigs and rabbits presented to the emperor from all over the country, as well as various seafood, fruits and fine wines brought in by Ming Dynasty merchants can all be found here.

If you have wine today, you will be drunk today!
In the outer hall on the second floor, the Prime Minister Li Shanhai sat at the top seat.

He was the leader of the Northern Party and a well-known writer in the court, and his fame spread to the Ming Dynasty.

The first person on the left is the Left State Councillor Kim Hyo-won, the leader of the Dongin Party. He was a Neo-Confucian scholar who was presented to the court and a fanatic of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism. Sitting below him is Choi Young-gyeong, the Grand Justice of the same party.

The first person on the upper right is Right Affiliate Shen Zhongqian, the leader of the Western Party. He is not only the younger brother of Queen Shen, but also the younger brother of Shen Yiqian.

Shen Zhongqian was also a famous Neo-Confucian scholar, but his ideas were different from those of Jin Xiaoyuan, so they were irreconcilable.

Sitting below him was his accomplice, Minister of Rites Zheng Che.

Sitting below him was Liu Chenglong, the Imperial Secretary. He was less than thirty years old and one of the young and vigorous people in the court.

"Gentlemen, now is a great opportunity!" Liu Chenglong knelt on the mat, supporting himself on the ground with his hands, leaning forward. His tone was very anxious and sincere.

"We must rise up and forge ahead, restore the yangban class, appease the people, and rebuild the dynasty."

Li Shanhai stroked his sparse beard and asked calmly, "Good timing? How does Liu Chengzhi know it's a good timing?"

"Now most of the Ming army has withdrawn, leaving less than 5,000 people stationed outside the city. The ones who are now maintaining Seoul and the local areas are all the new troops presented by the emperor, a total of five regiments, 16,000 people.

All we need to do is raise our arms, take out the Queen Mother's order, appoint a new king, and close the city gates, and the Ming army will be unable to do anything to us."

"Can't do anything to us?" Zheng Che said dissatisfiedly, "Once the Ming army and artillery arrive, we will be turned into powder!"

Cui Yongqing said calmly, "No. The Ming people call themselves the Celestial Empire and they care about face the most. If they didn't care about face, why would they take the initiative to raise troops to help us suppress the rebellion and restore our country? We don't have a grain of food or a single soldier."

Zheng Che snorted, "They have ulterior motives! They want to occupy our three thousand miles of territory and won't leave!"

Cui Yongqing laughed: "Zheng Sixian, have you ever read a book? From the Han and Tang Dynasties to the arrogant Yuan Dynasty, even if the Central Plains dynasties occupied Chaoxian for a short time, they still left in disgrace in the end.

Chaoxian is a country that will not be conquered, but this is the ancestral rule set by Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty. If you violate this ancestral rule, you will be punished by heaven and earth!"

Zheng Che angrily yelled, "Shit! What ancestral rules? If the Ming people really want to follow the ancestral rules, they will not send troops if we pay tribute to the country that will not be conquered!"

"Shit, do you know what an unconquered country is? We are a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. The suzerain country helps the vassal state to suppress rebellions and bandits. How can this be called a conquest? You have read so many books that you can't even see them!"

Zheng Che and Cui Yongqing began to confront each other. The two started to expose each other's shortcomings, starting with the disputes between their academic factions ten years ago.

You said that I was not good at academics, because the number of people who passed the scientific examination that year was far less than that of the other party.

I said that all your people were playboys. That year the imperial court cracked down on prostitution, and half of those arrested were your people.

As the two men finished talking, they stood up, pointed at each other, and cursed each other more and more fiercely.

Liu Chenglong was furious when he saw the two men who were fighting cocks.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

You insects!

They quarreled in the court, and they quarreled here too! Did you study and become officials just to quarrel?
Liu Chenglong repeatedly glanced at his teacher Li Shanhai who was sitting at the top, hoping that the highly respected teacher would come forward to stop the quarrel between the two, steer the topic back on track, and not waste any more time.

Li Shanhai stroked his beard, closed his eyes slightly, and pretended not to see it.

Jin Xiaoyuan and Shen Zhongqian spoke up from time to time, joining in the support of their accomplices, making the atmosphere in the front hall increasingly heated.

"Enough!" Liu Chenglong finally exploded and roared, scaring everyone present.

"Now the Ming people have occupied our 3,000-mile territory and are reluctant to leave. They are seizing power, buying people's hearts, and planting spies. Everyone knows their greed.

However, the monarch abandoned his ancestors' foundation, left millions of subjects unsupported, and was servile to the Ming people, even offering the vast territory for glory.

Gentlemen, if we don't rise up, our country will perish!"

The room was silent, and the sound of the rushing Han River could be heard from afar, like the sound of thunder hidden deep in the clouds in the spring.

"The country is about to perish, haha!" Zheng Che's sharp voice broke the silence, "Liu Chengzhi, don't exaggerate here! How is it possible that the Ming people occupy our Chaoxian and won't leave?"

"How is it impossible!" Liu Chenglong asked back.

Everyone was speechless and there was silence again.

After a long while, Li Shanhai, like a stone Buddha, slowly opened his eyes and asked.

"The Ming people are so powerful now that we can't do anything about it. Does Liu Chengzhi have any good ideas?"

"Teacher," Liu Chenglong replied immediately, "the most urgent task now is to establish a new king. If a new king supported by the subjects is established, Yi Sun, who has lost his sense of justice, will not be able to sell out the country even if he wants to.

We have grasped the righteousness, and the people will surely be united. With their support, we can fight against the Ming people. Even if we temporarily give up Seoul and move to the central mountainous area to fight, we must persevere to the end.

The Ming people's cross-sea military operations cost several times more than land operations. If it lasts for a long time, they will definitely not be able to hold on. At that time, they will compromise and negotiate with us. By then, you will all be great contributors who have made great contributions to the restoration of the court and your names will go down in history!"

Li Shanhai and Jin Xiaoyuan looked at the passionate Liu Chenglong and couldn't help but sigh in their hearts.

It’s great to be young!

Zheng Che jumped out again and sang a different tune: "Fight to the end? What can we use to fight against the Ming people? Just the people in our house? Now we don't even have all the servants in our house, how can we have so many people to follow us to fight."

"Major General Jeon Jeong-won of the New Army, Colonels Park Jung-yeong and Lee Jin-sik, Colonels Choi Dong-seok, Kim Seo-ryong, and Son Jae-heung, as well as more than a dozen lieutenant colonels and majors, these loyal generals with heavy troops are already on our side."

Everyone was shocked. After looking at each other, Jin Xiaoyuan asked in disbelief with a trembling voice: "Really?"

Liu Chenglong said categorically: "Of course it is true!

The students have talked to them and felt their loyalty, but the time is not right, so the students dare not ask them to write a pledge.

But I am sure that as long as we hold the righteousness in our hands and issue the king's order, these loyal and righteous people will be happy to obey. Standing on our side will be 15,000 well-trained and extremely elite loyal and righteous troops.

With their support, what can’t we accomplish?”

The front hall was silent again.

Everyone present was calculating their own pros and cons in their minds.

After much calculation, it seems that we have some chance of winning.

It is just possible that they will have to temporarily leave Seoul and go to the central mountainous area to endure hardships for a period of time and deal with the Ming Dynasty. They need to persist until they can no longer bear it and take the initiative to seek peace.

It is hard to say how long you need to persist. At least one year, maybe three to five years.

No one knows how hard life is if you persist in the central mountainous area.

Everyone suffered a lot during the Boshin Incident, but as long as they could get to Ganghwa Island in time and rely on the Ming people, having enough food and clothing would not be a problem.

But if you go to the central mountainous area and insist on doing so, you will really suffer a lot.

Is it worth it?

Some people think it’s worth it!
Enduring one to five years of hardship can lead to great achievements, which can then be passed down to future generations for hundreds of years. I work hard for one person and prosper my clan.

This deal is worth it!
Some people think it is not worth it and the risk is very high. The whole family may die or the entire clan may be exterminated.

As for the true strength of the Ming army, these officials who had been hiding in Ganghwa Island and only left the island after the entire area was basically pacified had never witnessed it with their own eyes. They only made their own judgments based on various signs and personal experience.

Some judges have average ability.

In the Ming army's propaganda, the rebel army they wiped out was described as brutal and powerful. The Ming army and the new army of Chaoxian were determined to serve the country and were willing to sacrifice, which was how they were able to wipe out the rebel army.

Therefore, some officials who came to pay tribute to the emperor felt that it was so difficult to wipe out the motley bandits, and the Ming army's combat effectiveness was very mediocre.

Some have strong judgment ability.

They thought that even if the bandit army was a mob, there were still 300,000 or 400,000 of them scattered all over the place. Even if there were 300,000 or 400,000 pigs, it would take a long time to catch them everywhere.

The Ming army, with the new troops presented by the emperor, quickly wiped out the bandit army, and its strength was not small.

Everyone had their own thoughts and calculations. Finally, Li Shanhai concluded: "The most important thing now is to grasp the greater good."

Zheng Che frowned and said, "The righteousness is to depose Yi Sun and establish a new king. But how to depose and establish a new king? It can't be that the ministers depose and establish the king, right?"

Seeing that they had finally reached a consensus, Liu Chenglong said hastily, "There is still one person in Chaoxian who can depose and enthrone the Emperor."

"Who?" everyone asked in unison.

"I!"

A voice came from the back hall.

(End of this chapter)