novelAbuy Chapter 151 The Korean Westerners Party
Chapter 151 The Korean Westerners Party
Anju was built on the mountainside, with a large city at the foot of the mountain and an inner city on the mountain. Weapons and provisions were piled up here, and Zhao Lie was also here to receive the Korean gentry.
After some investigation, Zhao Lie also learned that North Korea was divided into several parties, the largest of which was the Western People's Party and the Southern People's Party.
The Westerners' Party followed whoever was powerful. When the Qing Dynasty was powerful, they took advantage of that to overthrow the Southerners' Party.
It's not hard to guess from this that the Southern People's Party considered themselves the orthodox Confucianists, firmly supported the orthodoxy of the Central Plains Han people, and viewed the Manchus as barbarians, dogs, sheep, and usurpers.
After Zhao Lie understood the situation, Liu Muyi's admirable talent was revealed. He showed no signs of being a martial artist and was very good at getting along with people.
In addition, Zhao Lie is not physically imposing, and he has been living a life of luxury in Ningguta for the past two years, and he really has the style of a scholar-general. The Korean gentry under him all like him very much.
Among them, Xu Mu, a gentry member of the Southern People's Party, looked to be nearly seventy years old, but was still very robust. He knelt down on the ground with a thud.
"Lord Hailang, I urge you to immediately send troops to Seoul to purge the Western scum and restore peace to Korea!"
Yes, Zhao Lie was meritorious in governing Heilongjiang Province, and even though his military achievements did not meet the standard, Liu Mu promoted him from Earl of Hailang to Marquis.
Seeing that Zhao Lie was about to agree, Wu Zhaoqian coughed twice, then stepped forward and whispered in his ear:
"What the Emperor desires is Korea. Now that our army is powerful, we can first express our stance and see their reaction. If these people can identify with the Han Dynasty, then we can strike first at the heart of Korea, destroy it, and exterminate the Yi royal family!"
Zhao Lie's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he agreed that this was the right thing to do. It was better to say things sooner rather than later, otherwise, it would be counterproductive to go against their wishes later.
Thinking of this, Zhao Lie straightened his cloak.
"You are all pillars of the Joseon Dynasty, and I will not hold back any longer, but will tell you everything!"
"In my view, the rise of the Manchu Qing Dynasty was due to several factors. Firstly, the invasion of Japanese pirates greatly depleted the Ming Dynasty's national strength, leaving it with no time to suppress them. However, the most significant factor was the isolation between the Ming Dynasty and Korea, preventing them from working together effectively!"
"Therefore, after the Emperor destroyed the Manchu Qing dynasty, he thought long and hard and decided to abolish the name of the Joseon Kingdom and establish it as a province. From then on, Koreans were also Han Chinese, and Korean gentry could also participate in the imperial examinations!"
What do you all think?
After Zhao Lie finished speaking, he closed his eyes to rest, but the commotion he had expected did not come, so he opened his eyelids a little in surprise.
But what they found was that the gentry below actually showed a surprised expression, and were even a little so happy that they couldn't speak. Why was that?
Xu Mu, the headman, was already in tears. He knelt down again with a thud, cupped his hands, and faced the direction of Beijing.
"We, the Confucian scholars of Korea, have long yearned to return to the Central Plains!"
The other Korean gentry nodded vigorously upon hearing this, with only a few showing reluctance. Zhao Lie guessed that they were reluctant to give up their official positions, but they were a minority after all.
If Liu Mu were here, it wouldn't be surprising. These Westerners and Confucian scholars were commemorating and mourning the Chongzhen Emperor of the Ming Dynasty until the Japanese invaders reoccupied the country.
Knowing that the situation was settled, Zhao Lie stopped hesitating and immediately bowed to all the Korean gentry.
"The Han Dynasty has just risen, and its military funds are insufficient. This southward campaign has caused great damage to the local areas. We hope that you gentry will send your outstanding sons to join the army and reorganize the 50,000 able-bodied men outside Anzhou into an army. After training them, we will first approach Hancheng!"
Zhao Lie allowed his family members to join the army, which was a way to provide security for their families. At the same time, it would also solve the problems of food shortages for the army and the lack of morale among the young men in Korea.
This is killing two birds with one stone.
Wu Zhaoqian, who was standing to the side, nodded in satisfaction. This was a move that he hadn't expected.
Those gentry were all shrewd people, and they understood immediately upon hearing this. Xu Mu stepped forward again.
"My grandson, Xu Biao, is quite skilled in martial arts. Before the rise of the Westerners, he was a renowned general in Anzhou!"
Seeing Zhao Lie nod, Xu Mu said again:
"Our Xu family, feeling that the imperial court's military funds are insufficient, is willing to donate 10,000 taels of silver and 10,000 shi of grain!"
Zhao Lie was quite sensitive to these things. He knew that Korea was a small country, unlike the wealthy gentry in the southern suburbs. Ten thousand taels plus ten thousand shi of grain already represented thirty percent of their wealth.
"Alright, Xu Biao of the Xu family, will be appointed as a lieutenant general in the Korean army!"
The other gentry were delighted to hear this. Although they did not know whether the military ranks in Korea and Han were interchangeable, they knew that as a lieutenant general, he could manage three thousand men and protect his family. So they all stepped forward to offer their prices.
However, a meal and a position of young and strong officials were all that was needed to earn more than 100,000 taels of silver and more than 100,000 shi of grain. Even if the army retreated now, the emperor would still reward them!
Upon realizing this, Zhao Lie immediately picked up his wine cup.
"Come, drink this cup to the brim!"
……
With ample military pay and the assistance of local gentry, more than 50,000 North Korean troops were integrated in less than ten days.
They were equipped with a large number of cold weapons, and instead of uniforms, they all wore red cloth strips.
Since they were all North Koreans, and they knew they weren't just cannon fodder to be discarded at any time, their morale soared.
Zhao Lie then once again led his troops south to Pingxiang City.
Since they were all North Koreans, and they knew they weren't just cannon fodder to be discarded at any time, their morale soared.
Zhao Lie then once again led his troops south to Pingxiang City.
……
Seoul, the royal palace of Joseon!
Dozens of ministers were arguing endlessly about whether the Han Dynasty should send troops, but they could not reach a conclusion.
In any case, half of them wanted to surrender, believing that the Han emperor was the legitimate ruler of the Central Plains, while the other half wanted to fight to the end, believing that Liu Mu was also a Mongol Tartar.
At only ten years old, King Yi Sun of Joseon already possessed the air of a monarch. Looking at his arguing ministers, he seemed to have grasped something and appeared thoughtful.
However, the current power is still in the hands of the Western Party leader, Xu Ji, so he could only sit obediently and look at an official who was nearly seventy years old, pretending to ask for help.
This man is Xu Ji, the leader of the Westerners Party!
When the king looked at him, Xu Ji coughed twice, and the court fell silent again. The officials who had been arguing heatedly earlier immediately calmed down.
King Yi Sun of Joseon, upon seeing this, showed a look of envy.
Young people don't know how to hide their feelings, and Xu Ji naturally noticed this expression. So he stroked his beard with a smug look on his face, and then looked at the other officials.
"Gentlemen, His Majesty has already mobilized 50,000 troops from the south to defend against the Japanese pirates, along with 50,000 elite troops from the capital region and 50,000 local troops, and has launched a pincer movement towards Pyeonghyang City!"
"The Han army numbers a mere 20,000 men; no matter how capable they are, they're like turtles in a jar!"
Now that he holds great power, but the Han Dynasty wants to station troops in Korea, who will Korea listen to? Xu Ji doesn't want someone above him to be in charge.
Just as Xu Ji finished explaining the plan and the courtiers were praising him, a palace guard ran in.
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"
"A scout just reported that all the cities north of the capital region raised Han flags three days ago, all local armies surrendered, and the garrison commander of Pingxiang City was the first to surrender. The Han army is already marching towards the capital region!"