Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 285: Voluntary Abdication

All the officials' eyes were focused on the soldier, and the loud-voiced old noble was no exception.

He watched the soldier approaching step by step, and with a loud roar from the soldier, sour and smelly saliva sprayed all over his face.

The old noble subconsciously closed his eyes and tilted his head, then looked at the soldier with disgust.

That look of astonishment and hatred seemed to be saying, how dare you, a guard from a low-class background who doesn't even have the qualifications to be close to a noble, spit in the face of the official in the hall?
He was just about to scold the soldier for being too rude and use his family to give him a good beating, but suddenly he saw the soldier draw his sword.

There was only the sound of a sword breaking through the air, and the old noble seemed to see a ray of light gently hitting his throat, and a feeling of warmth and coolness coexisting in his throat.

He saw blood splashing forward and the officials around him looked astonished, as if they saw a monster crawling out from the ground.

After his carotid artery was cut for just over ten seconds, the old nobleman quickly lost consciousness and fell to the ground with his head tilted back.

The wound on his throat was still gushing out blood, and a pool of dark red blood spread near his shoulder.

"Ahhh!"

The sudden death of a senior official frightened everyone into sighing.

The helmet was covered in splattered blood. The soldier, who had just finished killing someone, clamped the back of the knife with his elbow and pulled it hard, then sheathed it skillfully and pointed at the officials around him.

"Leaving the palace without the king's order is absolute disloyalty! Anything less than absolute loyalty is absolute disloyalty, damn it! Anyone else who wishes to test this blade, feel free to step out of this palace door!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at "Li Hao" who was sitting firmly on the throne, and then looked at the soldiers behind him who were closing the distance.

They knew that if they did not give in temporarily, the old-school bosses on the ground would end up like this.

This was a big shot from the first rank, but the new king ordered his men to kill him without even blinking an eye.

As a result, some officials who were wavering in their positions or even full of patience knelt down one after another to congratulate His Highness on his ascension to the throne, which was a blessing for all the people.

However, there are those who are afraid of death, and there are those who stubbornly resist.

Among the groundhogs that were kneeling on the ground, three officials were still standing proudly.

They pointed at the new king's nose and cursed him, "You are so audacious, you traitor! You slaughtered loyal officials in Pyongyang and incurred the wrath of the scholars! Today, you are plotting treason and usurping the throne, and you are slaughtering loyal officials in front of all the ministers. Aren't you afraid that public opinion will boil over and everyone will rebel?"

Mashed Potato laughed contemptuously, "Oh, loyal and good people! Where were you loyal and good people when the Tartars seized the imperial court? Where were you loyal and good people when the righteous soldiers fought to the death to kill the Tartars? Where were you loyal and good people when I led the troops in the decisive battle in Hwanghae Province, with my hands stained with the blood of the Tartars!
I scared the Tartars away, and then you came out and took over the court, and suddenly became the Korean ministers again.

Today I just took back what belongs to me, and you, a bunch of insects who have done nothing, jumped out and called yourselves loyal and good.

You watched helplessly as the Supreme King was humiliated, and you hid at home to protect yourselves. Where is your loyalty!

The righteous soldiers fought hard to save the country, but you turned a deaf ear to them and discarded them like a worn-out shoe. Where is your righteousness!
The entire city of Hanyang was filled with starving people, sick and wounded lying in the heavy snow, yet you wealthy families had plenty of money and food, yet you never cared about anything. Where is your kindness?

I ascended the throne as king alone, holding the 'book of teaching', and you are leaving the palace and abandoning it. Where is your courtesy?

The traitors who are your relatives have caused chaos in the court and plundered the people for several months. You just paid a fine to make you live a life of luxury, and then you let the traitors go. Where is your virtue!
I have made great contributions to the country and the people, but the Supreme King has placed me under house arrest out of arbitrariness and dictatorship.

At that time, you remembered that if the king wanted his subjects to die, they had to die. But how many people pleaded for me? Did anyone say the word "loyalty"? Today, I am the king of Korea. Do you still remember the etiquette between the king and his subjects?

They keep talking about loyalty, righteousness, and benevolence, but their hearts are filled with power, interests, and intrigue, causing unrest throughout the country!"

Mashed Potato suddenly jumped up from his seat, raised his hand and pointed it like a sword, "Such so-called loyal and righteous men, I would rather wield the sword myself and kill you all!"

When these words were spoken, all the ministers' souls trembled.

No one could have imagined that a young prince with some martial virtue could make such an incisive rebuke.

Even the three tough guys couldn't help but feel confused.

If they accepted the new king's language logic, they should kneel down to congratulate the new king.

But if they deny it, then they did not do many things that were in line with Confucian principles during the months of the Tartar invasion, and they became true traitors who "carried the Confucian flag to oppose the Confucian flag and only pursued their own selfish interests."

Even if they argued that they were accumulating strength to save the country, they had no right to accuse the prince, the true hero who saved the country.

After all, without the prince inviting the heavenly soldiers to help, they were still trembling under the tyranny of the Tartars and did not even have the chance to return to the court.

The Crown Prince is the great benefactor of their power and status.

But after thinking about it carefully, the three old stubborn people still couldn't change their mindset in a short period of time.

This is like the thinking habit of bullying the weak and fearing the strong. People always like to compromise with the bad guys, but are domineering to the good guys.

Because everyone knows that evil people will really kill people, while good people are bound by the moral standards in their hearts, so they are afraid of the Tartars, but they blame the prince in every way. Even if the prince is secretly killed by the king, they will not stand up and say a few words.

But when the prince launched a coup and even killed high-ranking officials in the government palace like a Tartar, they were not used to it.

I feel angry about why you “good people” are not bullied by us.

"Hahahaha..." A standing official suddenly laughed crazily, "After 200 years of the Li Dynasty, a tyrant like you spouting perverse ideas appeared. Hahahaha, Taizu's kingdom will surely be destroyed in the hands of a tyrant like you..."

"Oh, yes."

Mashed Potatoes snorted coldly and waved at the brothers under the throne. The three officials instantly turned into glaring red names.

The soldiers howled excitedly and pounced forward like a group of vicious dogs that were allowed out of a cage. The three officials instantly let out a loud howl and then died under the swords of dozens of people.

"You, you, and you..." Mashed Potato casually pointed at four officials kneeling in the front row. "I order you each to lead a hundred imperial guards to thoroughly investigate the guilty officials who colluded with the enemy. Exterminate their families, confiscate all their property, and take all their slaves and servants into the royal family... But I have to say this: if anyone dares to embezzle their wealth, the death of your entire clan will be the fate of all..."

"As ordered!"

The four officials responded decisively this time and prostrated themselves deeply on the ground.

Although the air in the hall was cold, the backs of the four men were soaked with sweat, and when they raised their heads, their faces were full of respect.

The four of them hurriedly accepted the order and left, sighing in their hearts along the way that their lives were saved.

Four hundred imperial guards had been waiting in front of the palace gate for a long time. They looked excited and eager to try. Some even wanted to jump on the spot, but suddenly suppressed the impulse.

Before the four officials could issue their orders, four hundred imperial guards, each dragging their "commanders" towards the area where the property was to be confiscated, caused the chief confiscator to run wildly through the air, shouting, "Let me down!" While the confiscations were going on enthusiastically, the officials inside the palace received the king's new order: after leaving the palace, they would accompany him to see the Supreme King.

When the ministers heard this, they immediately panicked. Could it be that the king wanted to use this as an excuse to put them all under house arrest in the palace?

It was not until they entered the palace where the Supreme King lived that they realized that the King had no ill intentions.

The Grand King was just lying quietly on the couch, as if he had fallen into a long sleep, and there was no bloody smell of fighting in the room.

The king said that the Supreme King was frightened last night and had difficulty staying awake. If there was anyone with medical skills, they could take the Supreme King's pulse.

At this time, the two officials looked at the king cautiously, as if seeking the king's consent with their eyes.

"Mashed Potatoes" thought that his intimidation had worked and that no one dared to slap him in the face anymore.

With the combined efforts of power and justice, these officials who were just sitting in their positions and doing nothing were brought into obedience.

Mashed Potatoes suddenly felt that he had learned the ropes of power, just like when his palm gently brushed against the tip of a candle flame, leaving a brief burning sensation.

Several officials who had some knowledge of medicine took the pulse of the Supreme King and found that his pulse was disordered, as if he had been frightened and stimulated.

But one thing is certain, the Grand King is still alive. Whether the Crown Prince was plotting a rebellion or leading troops to suppress the rebels, at least he did not cross the line of patricide...

This shows that the new king is not a cruel and murderous madman, but an arbitrary king who holds military power like Taizong.

Giving some sweet treats to appease the ministers after beating them with a stick is like pulling at the heartstrings of the ministers. It is a political tactic learned by Mashed Potatoes.

Judging from the relieved expressions on these officials' faces, she had learned quite well this time.

At this point, she and her brothers from the Beiwei Army not only completely controlled the Korean court, but at least they openly controlled the military power and the power of the Secretariat.

Potato Mud knows very well that players are conquering Korea for two reasons: one is to complete the main mission and make Korea a logistics base for Liaodong, laying the foundation for entering the Central Plains and the eastward expedition to Japan in the future; the other is to make a fortune in the short term and strengthen the combat effectiveness of the Beiwei Army.

But the Korean people are even poorer than the people of the Ming Dynasty. They can't get much oil even if they squeeze the oil with reed sticks for years. Players don't have time to wait here for these poor people to lay eggs.

According to the national archives of the Ly Dynasty, the country had a registered population of 4.38 million, not including the number of public and private slaves. However, according to calculations by some grassroots officials in charge of household registration, there should be twice the number of slaves as the registered population.

Taking this into account, there are about 12 million people in Korea, and the tax collection alone should far exceed that of Liaodong in the Ming Dynasty.

However, the ruling ability of the Li Dynasty government was poor, and the annual fiscal surplus was negligible. If it wanted to form an army, it had to temporarily levy tribute to maintain it.

Even the tax law was to collect taxes based on household registration, but the yangban nobles who owned a large amount of land were able to live a life of luxury and debauchery.

So after players seized power in North Korea, they immediately targeted the richest yangban class.

The status of the Yangban in Joseon is even stronger than that of the gentry and powerful in Ming Dynasty. Even though the player has always looked down on the Yangban, he also understands that snatching food from the Yangban's pocket will definitely cause the Yangban to rebel. It is necessary to plan ahead for the eight provinces of Joseon to deal with the major rebellion.

Thoroughly settling accounts with the pro-Luoyang faction was only the first step. First, we had to raise funds for the Beiwei Army and give some rewards to the heroes who fought against the Luyang to boost their morale. Otherwise, when the chaos broke out, it would be disastrous if the small soldiers were just doing their work but not putting in any effort.

After repeated discussions between the political bosses and the strategic idiots, the Beiwei Army came up with a reform plan.

First, a literary pavilion was built in the palace to provide office space for the newly established "Executive Council".

The Executive Yuan has thirteen permanent political advisers who handle national affairs on behalf of the king.

Subsequently, the entire country of Korea was treated as a provincial unit of the Ming Dynasty. The eight provinces of Korea were changed into eight prefectures, and all administrative levels were changed to four levels: prefecture, county, township, and village, in line with the administrative divisions of the Ming Dynasty, so that the future merger of China and North Korea would be smoother.

Secondly, he strengthened central power, expanded the Korean imperial guards to 3,000 people, and expanded the imperial guards to 24,000 people to stabilize the Gyeonggi region.

Even if the other seven provinces outside Gyeonggi Province were completely lost, the Beiwei Army could mobilize troops and food through sea transportation and retake Korea.

Some civilian and security players who followed the army had already decided to stay in Korea for a long time, so they fulfilled their wish and sent them deep into Korea under the pretext of pursuing the defeated Tartar soldiers. The poorer and more rugged the area, the larger the player's jurisdiction.

By the way, a "Chinese Translation Group" department will be added at the county level, with the player as the chief officer and the Korean translator as the assistant.

It is not enough for the middle and upper classes to be able to read and write Chinese characters. They and the lower classes must also learn to listen to and speak Chinese, and gradually become a province of the Ming Dynasty from a cultural perspective.

After the reforms at the military and administrative levels are completed, the strategies at the political level must also keep up.

Due to the limitations of the hierarchical system, although people below the yangban class could take the imperial examinations, the upper limit of their lifetime was set explicitly.

It’s like ordinary people are born to only live on the second floor, the middle class can live on the fifth floor, and only the nobles can hold parties on the top floor.

The new regime immediately made a bold move and from that day on, all future examinations in liberal arts, military, and miscellaneous subjects would be based on talent. There would be no upper limit to hinder talents, and the new regime would vigorously win over the middle-class and good-class people.

As for the slave class, which is the largest in number, they are also the most humble in the country.

The new regime introduced the "slave system reform", allowing public and private slaves to pay fifty taels of silver to redeem themselves. If they had no money to redeem themselves, they would have to serve six years of hard labor before they could regain their freedom.

If someone becomes a slave due to debt, he or she can be freed from slavery by doing three years of hard labor.

At the same time, slaves were allowed to export labor to the Liaodong region of the Ming Dynasty, and their labor time was also settled during their labor in other places, which was considered to provide sufficient labor for Liaodong, which was in need of reconstruction.

During the period of self-redemption of the above-mentioned slaves, the slave owners and the yangban were not allowed to prevent them in any way, and if the number of slaves owned by the yangban exceeded three times the number of registered slaves, they must collect a "slave tax".

Of course, the leaders of the government also knew that after a large number of slaves regained their freedom, they would urgently need land for survival, so they allowed the slaves to cultivate new land semi-freely after they had completed more than half of their labor.

All new land has a low tax rate for the first three years.

Once the new North Korean regime completes tax reform, it will build infrastructure to provide slaves with channels for labor service.

Build two main roads running through North and South Korea, bridges across the river, and water conservancy projects to irrigate farmland...

The last and most critical is tax reform.

The new regime decided to change the "tribute law" that levied taxes based on household registration to the "Datong law" that levied taxes based on land area.

Then the problem is coming.

Who owns the most land in North Korea?
(End of this chapter)