The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 160: Boating on the Rivers and Lakes
Li Zong had no choice but to give in.

He had intended to use the Kaiyuan army to advance to the Yalu River to contain the Joseon army and thus force Gwanghaegun to abdicate. Unexpectedly, Liu Zhaosun marched straight into Seoul.

This powerful official suddenly had the intention to kill and wanted to kill Ping Liaohou as well, so as to solve the threat from western Korea once and for all. Unfortunately, he overestimated his own strength.

Liu Zhaosun placed his Miao Dao on Li Zong's neck, raised his wine glass and drank it all, saying calmly:

"I can't handle alcohol. Every time I get drunk, I like to wield my sword and chop people. When your king loses his head later, don't blame me."

"Marquis Ping Liao, spare my life!"

Li Zong had never seen such a scene before. He was so scared that his legs went limp and hot urine flowed onto the ground between his legs.

At this point, he had no choice but to agree to all of Ping Liaohou's conditions and promised to lease the three small islands at the mouth of the Yalu River to the Kaiyuan Army.

Ping Liaohou took the opportunity to ask for some more food as a punishment for Li Zong.

"Tell your men to stand down!"

Li Zong looked at the sharp blade on his neck and said fearfully, "Everyone, retreat first!"

~~~~~
After the storm, Ping Liaohou's last bit of trust in the new King of Korea was gone.

Like Ligdan Khan, Li Jong was a treacherous and unreliable neighbor. Ligdan Khan fled from the battlefield and failed at the critical moment. The new king of Korea, Li Jong, had evil intentions and wanted to kill him.

Human hearts are treacherous, nothing more than this.

Ping Liaohou left 3,000 soldiers in Joseon to deter the Joseon king and his ministers. He led his cavalry day and night, crossed the Hwanghae Province, and arrived at the mouth of the Yalu River in Pyeongan West Province.

The Yellow Sea is right in front of us. We rein in our horses and stand among the rocks along the coast. Looking west, we see the Dandong Port in southern Liaoning, one of the busiest ports in southern Liaoning.

Several small islands on the sea were hidden in the thick fog. When the sun rose and the mist dissipated, Yamato Island, Xia Island and Jiao Island finally revealed their true appearance.

Slightly different from what the time travelers imagined, these three islands are quite large, covered with pine and cypress trees. When the sea breeze blows, the green pines and cypress trees sway in the wind, flocks of seagulls fly over the islands, and wisps of green smoke rise. Some Korean fishermen are drying their fishing nets on the open space, and there are some dilapidated shacks scattered around, which should be the fishermen's shelter.

Jin Dajiu explained, "General Liu, these three islands are rarely visited. Usually, only fishermen stop here to rest while fishing, so the houses are very dilapidated."

Ping Liaohou was quite satisfied. The island was in a very good location, close to the mouth of the Yalu River and not far from Pyongyang. It was very convenient for both transshipping ore and transporting goods.

"There's a shipyard in Pyeongan Province. Talk to Li Jong about it later. He'll rent it to me and give me some extra money. A navy is essential without warships."

On that day, the commanders of each battalion led their combat troops and auxiliary troops to the three islands and immediately began to cut down trees nearby and build fortifications.

The three hundred Korean fishermen who originally lived on Yamato Island were excited when they heard that the Liaodong general wanted to recruit a navy and offered a monthly salary of two taels.

One tael of silver was the annual expenses of these people, and two taels per month was an astronomical figure for these fishermen. Some brave fishermen immediately rushed forward and asked to join the Kaiyuan Army to fight the Tartars together.

The fishermen were extremely poor, without wives or children, and were all single. Many of them were so poor that they couldn't even afford to wear pants. It is said that Gwanghaegun collected taxes from these fishermen for twenty years in Taechang.

The King of Korea did not want the people to live, so the Korean people had to change their way of living.

Ping Liaohou chuckled. He didn't feel funny for Gwanghaegun. If Taichang could live another twenty years, who knows what the Ming Dynasty would become.

He ordered Meng Jinbao to be responsible for selecting and recruiting sailors. Ping Liaohou introduced Qi Shaobao's selection criteria to the fortress in detail and asked Meng Jinbao to select sailors according to this standard.

The Liaodong Navy will recruit soldiers from all over the country. In addition to raft workers and Korean sailors, sailors from Fujian and Zhejiang can also be recruited.

Wu Aheng, the military governor, remained in Pyeongan-si Province, Korea, where he worked with Jin Dajiu, Meng Jinbao, and others to build warships and prepare for the establishment of a navy. Ping Liaohou left 500 soldiers at the mouth of the Yalu River, with Wu Aheng in command.

Director Wei and two deputies of the Department of Industry and Commerce remained behind to discuss trade details with North Korean officials in Pyongyang. Kaiyuan requested to handle the future mink fur trade from Ezo Island, and a share of North Korean ginseng trade would also be allocated to Kaiyuan merchants. Business negotiations were long and tedious, not Liu Zhaosun's forte, so he left it to the professionals, and the people from the Department of Industry and Commerce were experts in this area.

Such a layout actually means that after the complete unification of North Korea in the next few years, the power of Pyongan Province and even the entire North Korea will be controlled by this group of people.

The North Korean cause is just in its infancy and the future is difficult. Only a ruthless person like Wu Aheng can lead everyone to overcome all obstacles and carve out a bloody path here.

On March 20th, Ping Liaohou led the cavalry back to Seoul. After recognizing General Liu's strength, Li Zong's attitude became more enthusiastic than last time.

That evening, the King of Joseon held a grand banquet at the Seoul Palace to welcome Marquis Ping Liao. After everyone drank and drank, no further conversation ensued. Marquis Ping Liao proposed to lease a shipyard off the coast of Pyeongan Province in Joseon for an annual rent of 10,000 taels of silver.

At the same time, he assured Li Zong that all Liaodong trade would be handled by Korea and would no longer be traded with the Later Jin Dynasty in Japan.

Li Zong knew that the current trade between Waguo and Liaodong was negligible, not to mention the Later Jin, which was Kaiyuan's enemy and had no trade at all. Therefore, such an offer was not attractive to the King of Joseon.

Li Zong knew he was no match for the Kaiyuan army, so he had no choice but to agree. After all, he still had 10,000 taels of silver to take with him. The two men, each with their own ulterior motives, kept drinking and toasting, hoping to get the other drunk.

Under the influence of alcohol, Ping Liaohou persuaded the King of Joseon: "I heard that Gwanghaegun collected fish taxes from Pyeongan Province fishermen in Taechang for twenty years. I hope the King can reduce taxes and levies."

Li Zong smiled faintly and raised his glass only to urge him to drink. Ping Liaohou mentioned that he had seen farmers working hard in the suburbs, with only clothes to cover their bodies.

The King of Korea shook his head and sighed, and finally said with red eyes: "Our country has been poor since ancient times. The land is barren, fertile fields are scarce, and there is nothing good to be said for. Otherwise, it would have been devoured by the surrounding tigers, wolves and jackals long ago."

Ping Liaohou, his wine fading, also laughed and said, "Back when the Japanese pirates invaded Korea, King Xuanzong of Joseon repeatedly requested to annex Liaodong. If this had been done, I wonder what the situation would be like in Seoul now."

"I am stupid and don't know if it's too late to surrender Kaiyuan now."

"Hahaha, Your Majesty, you are joking. There is no reason for a vassal state to belong to a border town." After three rounds of drinks, both of them were drunk, and the King of Korea followed Liu Zhaosun and started talking nonsense.

"In the future expedition to Japan, Your Majesty will provide support."

"This is natural."

"I have just married Jin Yuji. Your Majesty is considered a half-relative of mine. From now on, our two families must be on good terms and must not harbor any further grudges..."

Li Zong saw that Ping Liaohou was dazed and just kept drinking: "Friends, friends, come, let's drink this cup together for the friendship between our two families!"

That night, Ping Liaohou was so drunk that he could not stand up. Jin Yuji helped him back while cursing at him.

He slept until the next morning at noon, and then woke up. Jin Yuji helped him put on his armor and complained softly:

"If you want to drink, then drink. But you have to talk nonsense and be aggressive."

Ping Liaohou felt a sharp pain in his temples and stopped drinking. He did not think about what he had said last night. He turned around and hugged Jin Yuji:
"Aggressive? What did you say last night?"

Jin Yuji rolled her eyes. "What do you mean by annexing Liaodong and letting Li Zong live a life of idleness and wealth?"

"Ah? Did I say that?"

Ping Liaohou was shocked, thinking that he was usually quite reserved, so how could he say such arrogant words? Now he was the general of a town, and he couldn't say anything careless after drinking. He really couldn't drink this wine.

"A villain like Li Zong is treacherous and repays kindness with enmity. It's okay to scare him a few times."

Jin Yuji was about to speak when she saw her husband's serious expression.

"What I've seen these past few days shows how hard the Korean people are trying to survive. I feel pity for them. If I were to govern Korea, I would definitely do a better job than Yi Jong did and prevent the people from selling their children!"

After hearing this, Jin Yuji recalled her childhood experiences and felt sad.

Liu Zhaosun was quite embarrassed to see that he had made her unhappy. He was thinking about how to resolve the situation when he suddenly remembered something and pulled Jin Yuji out.

"Where to go?"

“You’ll find out when you get there.”

Pei Dahu saw the two men emerge and quickly sent his guards to follow. Seoul was rife with Korean assassins, and judging by Li Jong's attitude last night, it was clear that a clash of armies was inevitable.

Liu Zhaosun took Jin Yuji by the hand and rode out of the north gate of Seoul.

"Where are you going, sir?"

"Rafting on the Han River."

Jin Yu Ji felt warm in her heart. She didn't expect that Liu Zhaosun still remembered this matter.

Han River in Korea, Jinmen Ferry.

The weather is cool.

Marquis Ping Liao and his beauty boarded a pleasure boat, untied the ropes, and sailed down the river.

All I could see were sails and sand birds on the river, and the water and sky were one color.

He took in the river view, tapped the side of the boat, and laughed heartily:

"This is the Han River, hahaha, it's no less beautiful than the Han River in my hometown, with clear mountains and fast-flowing water. No wonder it gave birth to a beauty like my wife!"

Jin Yuji heard this and chuckled, saying in surprise:
"Damyang also has the Han River?"

It was the flood season, the river was wide, the wind swayed the willows on the bank, and the water was calm.

Liu Zhaosun breathed in the fresh air, and all the fatigue he had accumulated since traveling through time was washed away.

I have seen the vastness of the world and have a beautiful woman by my side, so this life is not in vain!

"Of course there is. It's just northwest of Junzhou City, at the foot of Wudang Mountain. Madam, I was thinking of going back to Korea to have a lively and exciting time, so that you can enjoy the glory. I didn't expect Li Zong..."

Liu Zhaosun was full of affection, but felt a little ashamed towards Jin Yuji.

"When we get back to Junzhou, I'll take you to worship the Great Emperor Zhenwu. I hope he'll bless you to give birth to a big fat boy soon."

Jin Yuji giggled, fell into Liu Zhaosun's arms, and gently untied her husband's robe.

"My dear husband, life is like morning dew, and the past days are full of suffering. I am satisfied that you can accompany me back to Korea. If you want a big fat boy, why wait until later? You can have it here and now."

The pleasure boat swayed gently.

(End of this chapter)