Master Yuan, start!

On the other hand, there was also constant fighting within the Yangban clan. Even the illegitimate sons of the Yangban clan were thinking of overthrowing the current order and creating a new Joseon.

This is why the Enlightenment faction in Korea could not be eradicated despite repeated bans. The nobles of the Yangban class who had a future had already attached themselves to the royal family or the Qing court.

However, the illegitimate sons who had no future, even though they had studied, found the path to the imperial examinations to be full of difficulties. They were not allowed to hold important positions and had to find a way out on their own.

It just so happened that Japan and Russia coveted China, so they extended an olive branch to the frustrated groups within North Korea, hoping to use them to subvert North Korea and further invade China.

Therefore, when Yuan Xiangcheng returned to the court this time, he was determined to give a way out to the two classes of nobles in Korea, especially the illegitimate sons and the common people who had no way out.

Only by providing a way out for ordinary people, who make up the vast majority of Korea's population, can Yuan Shikai sit securely in Korea.

At the same time, Korea was also his testing ground for practicing Marxist Confucianism. By the end of the 19th century, nationalist ideas had spread to East Asia, and it was too late to simply integrate the Koreans over time.

The Korean Peninsula clearly has a Xia-Yi-Min structure, where the upper class uses Chinese characters and reads Chinese classics, while the lower class only needs to speak the local dialect.

Once nationalist ideas spread, more than 90% of the lower-class North Korean people who speak Northeast Asian agglutinative languages ​​will naturally abandon the complicated Chinese language and turn to Hangul, which they are proficient in.

Therefore, Yuan Xiangcheng had to make a drastic move.

Since China and North Korea respect Confucianism, it would be better for them to unite under the banner of Confucianism and rely on the flag of Confucianism to accelerate assimilation.

However, this Confucian banner cannot be the Confucianism based on Song and Ming Neo-Confucianism, but the Red Confucianism thought based on pre-Qin Confucianism mixed with Marxism-Leninism.

Confucianism does not emphasize nation, but emphasizes Huayi. Similarly, Marx and Engels also do not emphasize nation, but emphasize class.

At this time in North Korea, only by temporarily abandoning the national narrative and taking up the banner of respecting Confucianism and worshipping China can the true assimilation of North Korea be achieved.

The Qing court had never told anyone that Korea wanted to abolish feudal systems and establish counties, and Yuan Shikai naturally would not mention it after arriving in Korea.

So at that moment, Yuan Xiangcheng took the initiative to raise the wine glass on the table and shouted to the high-ranking officials of North Korea in front of him: "I, Yuan, have returned to the court today for the people of the eight provinces of North Korea and for the stability of the North Korean state."

The King of Korea and his ministers below did not understand what was going on, so they could only follow suit and raise their glasses to toast towards Yuan Shikai.

"Why do I say the country is stable? The truth is, I am deeply saddened by the state of Korea. Ever since the Heungseon Daewongun era, when the country was closed to the outside world, Korea has been plagued by foreign invasions.

In 1866, the French invaded;

At the end of 1871, the Americans again attempted to open the country;

In 1876, the Japanese bombarded Ganghwa Bay, forcing Korea to sign the Ganghwa Treaty.

During the Jiashen 1884 coup last year, the Japanese were still ambitious and wanted to use the Japanese military and police stationed in Korea to incite the Kaihua faction and hold the king hostage. Fortunately, I thwarted their plot."

Yuan Xiangcheng drank the wine in his hand and threw the cup heavily to the ground.

"Snapped"

A crisp sound of shattering spread to the ears of all the Korean ministers present, and even King Li Xi's legs trembled, not knowing what to do.

"But some Korean scum still have no sense of shame and are colluding with Japanese pirates in an attempt to break away from the embrace of China!"

"Ming Ye!" Yuan Xiangcheng shouted loudly, and his voice spread throughout the front of Gyeongbokgung Palace.

"I'm here!" Ming Ye stood up and saluted at the end of the banquet.

"Bring up all those who have been disrupting the government and spreading rumors!" Yuan Xiangcheng slowed down his tone, but did not stop his movements. He glanced at the Korean ministers around him and calmly wiped his hands that were spilled with wine.

Yuan Shikai did not do nothing after returning to Seoul. After he made up his mind to liberate the middle and lower classes of Korea, he decided to establish his authority first and then show goodwill.

It just so happened that the internal environment in Korea was not peaceful due to the instigation of the Japanese, and the Sino-French Treaty added fuel to the fire, which gave Yuan Shikai an excuse to arrest people.

"There's no such thing as helping someone for no reason. I'm not so kind as to give money away for free to liberate North Korea. If you want to avoid being bullied, you have to give something in exchange."

As officials, familiar or unfamiliar in the past, were escorted to the banquet hall in Gyeongbokgung Palace, the Korean officials present finally realized...

It turns out that there were not too many tables, but people were arrested!

However, the civil and military officials in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace did not know what Yuan Qi and Xiang Cheng were thinking at this moment.

He could only hold the cup in his hand tremblingly, looking at the murderous Jiashen Right Army around him, trying not to make any sound.

Chapter 67: Abolition of the Bastard Imprisonment Act

"The guilty officials Kim Seung-deok, Hong Young-chol, and Jiang Xingdel must admit their crimes!" Yuan Xiangcheng read out the names of the arrested officials, walked down the stairs step by step, and walked towards a Korean official who was kneeling in the middle of the field.

"Den"

The footsteps were not fast, but they struck the hearts of all the officials present again and again.

The leader, Jin Chengde, held his head high with an expression of dissatisfaction.

When Jin Chengde heard the news that China and France signed the agreement to cede territory and pay compensation, he felt that it was a disgrace to the national dignity for the Qing Dynasty, a great country, to cede territory and pay compensation after winning the war.

He wondered how long it would take for North Korea to become a strong and prosperous country with such a suzerain.

He himself is a branch of the Gangwon Kim family and is a illegitimate son of the family, although in the late Qing Dynasty, Korea no longer strictly restricted the imperial examinations for illegitimate sons.

However, after entering the officialdom, if one is not a pure yangban aristocrat, he will still encounter considerable resistance. He has been in office for more than ten years, but he is only a small editor in the History Museum. Seeing the younger generations who are not as good as him climbing higher and higher step by step, he is also depressed.

So after the Sino-French War, he advocated independence from the feudal clan in the Seoul Weekly, made friends with Japan and Russia, developed industry, and met with Japanese ronin to negotiate.

It was a good idea, but Yuan Shikai would never let him have his wish.

"What crime have I committed? I have advocated for national independence and fought for the future of North Korea." Kim Seung-wang had not eaten for many days after being captured. He knew that his hope of survival was slim, so he simply spoke freely without paying attention to the ministers present.

Shaking their disheveled heads, they began to point fingers at the officials on the field one by one.

"You, Kim Byung-si. The legitimate son of the Andong Kim clan, you passed the imperial examination at the age of 22 and became prime minister five times. You are quite impressive.

But have you ever cared about the other descendants of the Andong Jin family?

Kim Ok-gyun, whom you have labeled the leader of the Five Thieves of Gapsin, was from the same Andong Kim clan as you, but he came from a declining noble family and was discriminated against because he was a bastard. However, he was the top scholar in the Renshen year, at the age of 21. Throughout his life, he was a master of both Chinese and Western learning, and had a thorough understanding of both the past and the present.

Novel? Skirt, 96 four ^ 067si + 9yi0355!

But do you know what he's been doing as an official for more than ten years?" Jin Chengwang laughed heartily, a tear sliding down his eye.

"Sungkyunkwan Classics, Hongwengwan Proofreader, Sijianyuan Zhengyan, Hongwengwan Deputy Editor. Finally, he was sent to the southeast to manage whaling.

What a joke, a top scholar is trying to control the fishermen's fishing.

Jin Bingshi, how is he worse than you? Is it just because he is a bastard's son and his family has fallen on hard times, so he deserves to go fishing?

I was so angry and felt that the world shouldn't be like this, but I had no choice but to persuade him to find another way out.

He traveled to Japan three times with Hong Young-sik, Park Yong-hyo and others, and finally realized that only enlightenment could save Korea.

After returning to his country, he shared this with me with great joy, and asserted that if North Korea could become civilized, its national strength would greatly increase and it would no longer have to rely on others.

But just one year later, I saw his head outside Gyeongbokgung Palace.

You say, as a top scholar, why didn't he become an official in the court, but took the risk and embarked on the path of enlightenment?

Did North Korea give him a way out?

He loves North Korea, but does North Korea love him?

Come on, you bunch of high-ranking ministers, speak up!"

Kim Seung-wang was spitting and his voice was hoarse, but he still did not shut up and continued to criticize the North Korean officials headed by Kim Byung-shi.

He staggered towards King Li Xi. Ming Ye stepped forward to stop him, but was stopped by Yuan Xiangcheng.

Li Xi held up his wine glass, his legs trembling, unable to leave or stay. He could only look at Queen Min beside him for help.

"As for you, Your Majesty, as the king of a country, have you ever thought about revitalizing the country?" Jin Chengwang pointed the finger at Li Xi again.

"When I was young, my father was the regent. It was difficult for me to take control of the government. It's because you are not old enough. I don't blame you.

But after you became an adult, did you ever have even a little bit of manliness? All you did all day was listen to the whispers of the treacherous concubine. The treacherous concubine appointed people based on personal connections, brought disaster to the country and the people, and caused several civil unrests. Did you ever punish her once?

The country is in decline, and you are indifferent and responsible! "

After saying a lot of words, Jin Chengwang was already hoarse and collapsed on the ground.

At this time, hundreds of Korean officials did not dare to make a sound. Many of them felt guilty when their names were called, but they did not dare to sit down, for fear of disturbing Yuan Shikai who was standing aside and nodding his head.

Only after the dog meat hot pot had stopped emitting steam did Yuan Xiangcheng approach Jin Chengwang and said coldly, "Are you done?"

Jin Chengwang actually still had the strength to struggle to his feet. With his remaining strength, he looked up at Yuan Xiangcheng who was looking down at him and said, "And you, the Qing envoy!

Knowing that Queen Min was bringing disaster to the country and the people, why did the Celestial Empire keep her in power three years ago? The Celestial Empire did not care about the lives of the people in the vassal states and only suppressed the civil unrest.

But do you know that civil unrest occurs because the people have no other options and are forced to change? Are you guys being so indiscriminate and just seeking a temporary solution for stability? Can you suppress them temporarily or forever?

"Are you done?" Yuan Xiangcheng said expressionlessly.

"Give me a glass of water. I need to rest for a while and then tell the officials something." Jin Chengwang was not afraid of Yuan Xiangcheng's question. He lowered his head, tidied his face, and then stated his needs without hesitation.

"There's no chance." Yuan Xiangcheng took out the revolver from his waist and fired a shot at Jin Chengwang's forehead.

"boom"

A gunshot rang out and Jin Chengwang fell to the ground with his head.

After wiping the muzzle of his gun, Yuan Xiangcheng sat back at his desk and motioned for all the ministers to take their seats as well.

The officials who had been standing for a long time finally felt relieved. They sat down and rubbed their aching waists and legs.

"You heard what Jin Chengwang said just now." Yuan Xiangcheng's voice was not loud, but after the banquet [D:A Si Er. 4 San % 5 murder incident, no one dared to disrespect this killing god.

Even if he was disrespectful to the Qing Dynasty, he did not dare to show any disdain in front of Yuan Shikai.

Yuan Xiangcheng picked up a bowl, filled it with wine, and raised it to the ministers.

Frightened, they hurriedly raised their glasses, but Yuan Xiangcheng had no intention of toasting with them. He just said to himself, "North Korea is like the broken glass just now. It can't hold much wine. If you force it to be poured in, it will only overflow.

Only by turning North Korea from a wine glass into a wine bowl can we pour more water into it."

Jin Bingshi had already discussed this with Yuan Xiangcheng, so he stepped out and deliberately asked, "May I ask, Your Excellency Yuan, how can North Korea be turned into a wine bowl? Even if it were turned into a wine bowl, there would still be so much wine. Wouldn't it make the bowl look too big and the wine too small? That's ridiculous."

"Good question. North Korea is like a bowl, and its wealth is like wine. Currently, the Korean court's annual revenue is only a few million, mostly from agricultural taxes. Commercial taxes and customs duties are pitifully small.

If North Korea wants to increase its alcohol consumption, it must establish factories, build cities, and promote commerce, not just focus on land. To achieve these things, it will not be enough to rely on a small number of nobles; it must involve all the people of North Korea.

Upon hearing these remarks, the expressions of some North Korean officials in the hall suddenly changed.

It’s not that I’m worried about opening a factory. After all, everyone knows the benefits of Western factories, and it’s not just the enlightenment faction that advocates them.

Even conservative and pro-power North Korean officials do not reject foreign guns and cannons, but they are opposed to the promotion of such by lower-level officials.

Judging from what Yuan Xiangcheng said, he wanted to let the illegitimate sons and commoners participate? How could this be possible? With the illegitimate sons in high positions, what would happen to these true descendants of the Yangban?

Yuan Xiangcheng took in everyone's expressions. After killing someone to establish his authority, he was going to give them a sweet reward.

"I know you're worried about your position being taken away by commoners, don't worry." Yuan Xiangcheng sneered, then said, "I will set up the Prime Minister's Office for Haidong Affairs in Korea. I will not interfere in Korea's internal affairs, nor will I be involved in the promotion of officials.

But the door of the Prime Minister's Haidong Affairs Office is always open to everyone, note, everyone.