I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 390 The Nineteenth Year of Hongwu

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Spring of the nineteenth year of the Hongwu reign.

After the long winter passed, the Song army that liberated Jidi began to launch attacks in all directions, eliminating all the armed forces in the north of Jidi that had not yet submitted.

At the same time, officials, students from the Imperial Academy, and Goryeo talents educated by the Song Dynasty came to Jibei to take over and govern the area.

He also set up defenses along the border between Ji and the Jin Kingdom, and sent General Liu Qi to guard it.

The remaining Song troops began to march south, preparing to recover the southern part of Ji, also known as Jinan.

Long before the Song army marched south, the Song Dynasty's propaganda forces had already gone south.

When the propaganda team arrived in Jinan, they spread rumors that Goryeo, colluding with the Jurchens, coveted the Central Plains and repeatedly violated the Song Dynasty's borders. They also spread rumors of corruption in the Goryeo region, where high-ranking officials, nobles, wealthy families, and powerful merchants were seizing land and keeping slaves, plunging Goryeo commoners and slaves into misery. To uphold justice and rescue the people from their plight, the Song Dynasty resolved to launch a military campaign to liberate Jinan. They dispatched a propaganda team to inform the local people of three key government decrees and issued a proclamation to the entire nation.

The propaganda team carried a manifesto, each word resounding with conviction. It recounted the historical origins, denounced the crimes of Goryeo, and highlighted the benevolent rule of the Song Dynasty.

The proclamation begins by tracing the blood ties between Ji and the Central Plains—"King Wu destroyed the Shang Dynasty, and Emperor Xin's uncle Ji Zi was enfeoffed in Korea, establishing the first Shang Dynasty of Ji Zi," stating directly that "China is the first, and Goryeo is the second, we are originally one family," thus establishing the legitimacy of the Song Dynasty's recovery of Ji from the root.

Then, the three major crimes of Goryeo were listed:
Firstly, "He acted as an accomplice to the enemy, wanting to help the Jurchens steal our land and drive all of China into barbarian territory," thus committing the crime of treason.

Secondly, "allowing corrupt officials to exploit the people, and allowing good people to obtain official positions through bribery and escape punishment with money," constitutes the crime of oppressing the people and exercising tyranny.
Thirdly, “anyone who revolts or wishes to return to China is falsely accused of treason and rebellion, and their entire family is exterminated,” which constitutes the crime of suppressing loyalty and righteousness.

To prove that Goryeo had lost its way, the proclamation cited the example of ancient Hu (non-Han) sages: "In the past, Yao Yizhong and Fu Rong were both of Hu descent, yet they still advised their sons and brothers to return to the righteousness of China. Goryeo is even worse than the Hu people. How rebellious they are!!"

With the charges listed, the Song Dynasty further used a combination of kindness and severity to point out a way out for all parties in Jidi:
Regarding the common people and slaves of Goryeo: The Song Dynasty promised to "distribute land to relieve them of the suffering of being oppressed and exploited for generations," so that the displaced people would have land to cultivate and houses to live in, and share in the peace of the Song Dynasty.

For the nobles of Goryeo: a path of amnesty was offered, that is, as long as all slaves were released immediately and all land was handed over, the Song Dynasty would redistribute it using the method of "work relief". Except for those whose crimes were unforgivable, all others could be pardoned and their lives and property could be preserved.

To those who stubbornly resist to the end: issue a warning of obedience and rebellion, that is, those who obey the Song Dynasty will prosper, and those who oppose the Song Dynasty will perish, and make it clear that those who resist will be killed.

When the proclamation reached Jinan, it quickly ignited the hopes of the local people. The long-oppressed and exploited Goryeo commoners and slaves, upon hearing that the Song Dynasty was willing to remove their shackles and distribute land to them, secretly contacted each other, some preparing provisions, some inquiring about the movements of the Goryeo army, and some informing the Song Dynasty, waiting only for the Song army to march south so they could raise their flags in response.

The nobles of Jinan quickly split under the threat of the proclamation: most of the Goryeo nobles, seeing that the situation was hopeless, voluntarily released their slaves and prepared to hand over their land, waiting for the Song Dynasty to deal with them; a small number of Goryeo nobles fled overseas with their families and property, seeking only to avoid disaster; of course, there were still some die-hards who still tried to resist stubbornly and prepared to resist the "invasion" of the Song Dynasty.

However, the latter is only a very small minority.

Thus, after the Song army liberated Jiji and marched south, they encountered almost no effective resistance: the garrison commander of Gangwon Province surrendered before the battle even began when he saw the people turn against them; the gentry of Chungcheongbuk Province opened the city gates to welcome the Song army into the city; and the slaves of Chungcheongnam Province even launched an uprising to cooperate with the Song army in wiping out the remaining Goryeo forces.

In just over a month, the Song army swept through most of the southern part of Ji, achieving the initial strategic goal of "incorporating the entire Ji region into the Song Dynasty's territory" before the war.

Just as the Song army was advancing with unstoppable momentum, Wang Xu, a distant relative of the Goryeo royal family, was unwilling to accept the destruction of Goryeo. He gathered a group of die-hard officials, nobles, gentry, wealthy families, and rich merchants who were willing to risk their lives for wealth, and assembled a force of more than 30,000 men. They occupied Gyeongju, attempting to use this ragtag group to block the Song army and restore Goryeo.

Zhao Shou personally led three thousand elite troops and rushed to Qingzhou.

Seeing that only three thousand Song soldiers had arrived, Wang Xu chose to "personally lead the expedition."

Although the Song army was less than one-tenth the size of the Goryeo army, it had the advantage of strict military discipline, strong combat power, and advanced weaponry.

Wang Xu's army consisted mostly of private soldiers of local gentry and temporarily conscripted refugees. They were utterly demoralized and fell into disarray as soon as they engaged the Song army in battle.

Zhao Shou personally commanded the Song army, using Li Lin cannons, tiger crouching cannons, and new Li Lin guns as weapons, and fought bravely against the enemy. In less than half a day, they defeated the Goguryeo army, and Wang Xu died in the chaos.

After the war, the Song Dynasty confiscated the property of all the high-ranking officials, nobles, wealthy families, and merchants who participated in the resistance. All the men in their families, regardless of age, were beheaded and their heads displayed to the public, while all the women in their families, regardless of age, were sent to the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution).

This not only deterred potential rebels but also demonstrated to the people of Jidi the Song Dynasty's determination to eradicate evil completely.

After the decisive battle of Qingzhou, the overall situation in Jinan was settled. Although there were still some stubborn resistance forces, hiding in the deep mountains or occupying remote villages, attempting to fight a losing battle, these forces could no longer pose a threat. After all, they lacked unified command and popular support, and supplies and manpower were all problems.

While recovering Jinan, officials, students from the Imperial Academy, and talents from Jinan who had received education from the Song Dynasty quickly took over the recovered area. They distributed the land of the Goryeo nobles to Goryeo commoners and Goryeo slaves in the form of "work relief," giving them their own land. At the same time, they implemented the Song Dynasty's system to appease the people and restore production.

After the people of Jidi settled down and lived in peace, the remaining resistance forces became "rats crossing the street"—some took the initiative to report their hiding places to the Song army, some directly assisted the Song army in the search and capture, and some rebels even surrendered on their own initiative because they had no food to eat.

By early summer, the remaining resistance forces in Jinan had been largely eliminated.

At this point, the strategic goal of the Song Dynasty to "incorporate the entire Ji region into its territory" has been almost achieved.

Some South Korean historical narratives claim that their ancestors were a group that crossed the Pamir Plateau and entered the Ji region, thus initiating the early civilization in the area.

But everyone knows that South Korea tries to claim all the historical facts.

This is definitely not in accordance with historical facts.

In reality, it was during the early Zhou Dynasty that Jizi, a nobleman from the Shang Dynasty, migrated to Ji and established Jija Joseon, which truly initiated the civilization process in Ji.

In the early Western Han Dynasty, Wiman, a native of the former Yan state, entered the land of Ji, overthrew the Gija Joseon regime, and established Wiman Joseon.

In its early stages, Wiman Joseon, as the hegemon of the northeast, ruled over the surrounding tribes and made them submit to the Han Dynasty, thus enabling the Han Dynasty to indirectly rule over the Ji region.

Until the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the Han Dynasty changed its previous appeasement policy and quickly conquered Wiman Joseon by force, bringing the Giji region under its direct control, and a large number of Han people migrated there.

After conquering Wiman Joseon, Emperor Wu of Han further integrated the surrounding forces, incorporating Wuju, Zhenfan, Lintun, and the indigenous areas of Liaodong into his territory, and establishing the four commanderies of Xuantu, Lintun, Zhenfan, and Lelang, which are historically known as the "Four Commanderies of Han".

During the reign of Emperor Zhao of Han, the four commanderies of Han were gradually merged into the Dalelang Commandery, which also marked the peak of the Han Dynasty's effective governance of the Ji region.

Subsequently, the Han Dynasty's rule over the Ji region continued to shrink. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, northeastern tribes constantly encroached on the local territory, and the rising Goguryeo directly occupied the core area of ​​the Ji region, plunging the local Han people into crisis.

Until the warlord Gongsun entered Ji and the Northeast, he renamed Lelang County to Daifang County. However, due to the lack of support from the Central Plains, the Han population in Ji continued to decline - most Han people died in attacks by tribes and Goguryeo, or were forced to migrate or were swallowed up by foreign tribes.

By the Three Kingdoms period, the Han Chinese population in Ji had dwindled to less than 150,000, a significant decrease. After the Western Jin Dynasty unified China, the Sima regime quickly descended into internal strife, and the north was plunged into the prolonged turmoil of the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, leaving the Han Chinese in Ji completely isolated and helpless.

In the third century AD, Goguryeo launched a major attack on Daifang County, and the Han people either migrated westward, were massacred, or were assimilated.

In the fourth century AD, Goguryeo completely occupied the northern part of Giji, and the Han Chinese people who had lived there for more than 500 years disappeared completely.

More than 600 years later, the Song Dynasty recovered Ji, and the Han people returned to this land and once again became its masters.

Zhao Yu issued an edict to divide the Jinan region into four commanderies, which were then known as the "Four Commanderies of the New Han" or the "Four Commanderies of the Song".

These four counties are: Hangang County, Jinwon County, Nacheon County, and Gimhae County.

The core jurisdiction of Hangang County corresponds to Seoul, the entire Gyeonggi Province, and the southern part of Gangwon Province in South Korea in later times. Centered on the middle and lower reaches of the Han River, it was the political and economic center of the region at that time, similar to the modern South Korean "capital region".

Jinwon County mainly covers the entirety of Chungcheongnam-do and Chungcheongbuk-do in later South Korea, as well as the northern part of Jeollabuk-do. Located in the southern inland plain of the peninsula, it is the traditional agricultural area of ​​Giji.

The jurisdiction of Nacheon County roughly encompassed the entirety of Gyeongsangnam-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do in later South Korea. With the Nakdong River as its axis, it extended north to the Gyeongju Basin and south to Busan Port, covering the hilly and coastal areas of the southeastern part of the peninsula. It was an important node for grain and trade routes in Giji.

The core area of ​​Gimhae County was the southern part of Jeollanam-do, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and Gwangju Metropolitan City in later South Korea. It included the coastal plain at the southernmost tip of the Korean Peninsula and Jeju Island. The ancient port of Gimhae was the transportation hub of the county and was responsible for trade and coastal defense along the southern coast.

In addition, Zhao Yu issued an edict to relocate one million Han people from some impoverished areas of the Song Dynasty to Jidi.

— Zhao Yu’s imperial edict clearly stipulated that all those who wished to migrate would be provided with a one-way boat and three months’ worth of rations by the government. Upon arrival in Jidi, each household would be allocated one hundred mu of fertile land and exempted from taxes for three years.

When the news reached the areas affected by the disaster last year, the victims responded to the imperial court's call and went to settle in Jidi.

At the same time, Zhao Yu wrote a letter to Wu Yong, which contained only eight characters: "Do not be bound by conventional methods, but seek practical results."

Wu Yong was so clever, how could he not know what Zhao Yu was planning?
During this period, approximately two million Han laborers worked in Jidi to construct the railway and highway connecting Jidi to Liaoning Road.

After receiving Zhao Yu's imperial edict, Wu Yong immediately summoned his subordinates to devise a plan: to set up "Resettlement Bureaus" at each construction site. In addition to providing land to Han Chinese who wished to stay in Jidi, the government would also arrange marriages for them. This meant that women from Jidi's high-ranking officials, gentry, wealthy families, and merchants who would otherwise have been sent to the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment district), as well as women from Jidi who had become homeless due to the war, and even recruiting eligible women from Jidi, would be matched with Han Chinese men.

—The war of the past two years has resulted in the deaths of many men in Ji, leaving a large number of women in Ji who have lost their families. These homeless women in Ji naturally have to use all their charms to seduce good men from the Han Dynasty in order to have a home to settle down and make a living.

This led many Han laborers who came to Jidi to build railways and highways to eventually choose to stay in Jidi and improve the local population.

Furthermore, as Jidi had become part of the Song Dynasty, trade between various parts of the Song Dynasty and Jidi became increasingly frequent, with large quantities of porcelain, tea, silk, glass, soap, and light and heavy industrial products being continuously transported from the sea to Jidi for sale.

Meanwhile, the specialties and resources of Jidi flooded into various parts of the Song Dynasty like a spring tide. The glossy black pine soot ink, made from ancient pines deep in the mountains of Jidi, was ground through dozens of processes by artisans. Its delicate brushstrokes and lingering fragrance made it a favorite among scholars and writers of the Central Plains, becoming an indispensable elegant item in their studies. The colorful Jidi silk, made from the local silkworm silk, featured exquisitely beautiful patterns, resembling mountains and clouds, or flowers, birds, insects, and fish. Every inch exuded the spirit of Jidi, and wearing it exuded luxury and elegance. And then there was the ginseng of Jidi, growing deep in the forests, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, and accumulating the essence of time. Its remarkable medicinal effects made it a top-quality tonic, highly praised by many physicians.

In terms of culture, Zhao Yu issued an edict to establish Han academies in various prefectures of Ji, inviting learned scholars from the Central Plains to come and teach.

These academies were modeled entirely after those in the Central Plains, featuring magnificent lecture halls, well-stocked libraries, and dormitories for students, implementing a three-dormitory system.

Every day, the classroom is filled with the sounds of reciting classics, histories, philosophical works, and literary collections. The teachers, whether quoting classical texts or drawing on a wide range of sources, impart the Confucian culture, Taoist wisdom, and Legalist thought of the Central Plains to the students of Jidi.

For a time, reading became a popular activity in Jidi, and children could often be seen holding books and reciting poems and prose with swaying heads on the streets and alleys.

To further promote cultural integration, Zhao Yu also encouraged literati from the Central Plains to travel and create works in Ji.

After arriving in Jidi, these literati were captivated by the local scenery and folk customs, and they wrote many poems praising Jidi.

Such as, "The peaks of Jidi rise into the clouds, the pine waves rustle like a ballad. The Han River flows endlessly, nourishing this land with its gentle breezes..."

Emperor Zhao Yu even personally copied Emperor Zhenzong's "Poem of Encouragement to Study" and bestowed it upon the official in charge of education in Jidi:

The wealthy need not buy fertile land, for they can find abundant grain in books.

No need for high beams to build a house; there are golden houses in books.

Don't lament the lack of a good matchmaker when seeking a wife; there are beauties in books.

Don't lament the lack of companions when you go out; in books, carriages and horses are plentiful.

If a man wishes to fulfill his life's ambition, he should diligently study the Six Classics by the window.

Zhao Yu believed that with these measures, coupled with the connection of railways and the Song Dynasty's developed maritime routes, Jidi would definitely become an inseparable part of the Song Dynasty's territory.

Of course, Zhao Yu also understood that the reason why the Central Plains dynasties before the Song Dynasty had difficulty establishing themselves in Ji region for a long period of time, or more accurately, could not establish themselves north of the Liao River for a long period of time, was mainly because the Central Plains dynasties before the Song Dynasty had never been able to firmly control the Northeast region, especially the region north of the Liao River.

The vast area from Jilin to Heilongjiang in later generations was far richer in resources than the Mongolian Plateau, and the tribes that emerged from it were also more powerful.

These tribes expanded southward in waves, easily severing the connection between the Central Plains dynasties and the Ji region.

In addition, transportation and communication were inadequate at that time.

Jidi naturally became an enclave that the Central Plains dynasties could not defend.

Therefore, the key to ensuring that Jidi remains a part of the Song Dynasty is to destroy the Jin Dynasty and bring the entire Northeast into the Song Dynasty's territory.

Only in this way can we truly ensure that the land of Ji will not be lost again.

Now that the situation in Jidi has been stabilized, Zhao Yu's attention naturally refocused on the Jurchens, who were on the verge of being defeated...

……

(End of this chapter)