Chapter 630 Because His Majesty is kind!
The Ming Dynasty is the parent state of Li's Korea, and it is his biological child. This statement has appeared since the day Li's Korea was established, and from the day Li Chenggui asked the Ming Dynasty to canonize him as the king of Korea. , has been established.
In July of the 25th year of Hongwu, Li Chenggui, who had endured it for more than twenty years, finally realized what he had dreamed of. He deposed the last king of Goryeo and became the new practical king instead. , but Li Chenggui still needed recognition from the suzerain, so he sent an envoy to ask the Ming Dynasty to grant him a national title.
In February of the 26th year of Hongwu, Emperor Taizu Gao Zhu Yuanzhang finalized the name of North Korea and officially canonized Li Chenggui as the King of North Korea.
Li Chenggui has seized power by force and became the de facto king, but the old ministers of Goryeo are still a huge opposition force. In order to suppress these opposition forces, Li Chenggui set up prisons many times, creating Unjust cases purge political opponents, but the more repressive they are, the more opposition forces gather.
Even when Li Chenggui, who had ascended the throne in Shouchang Palace, wrote to the Ming Dynasty, he could only report to the suzerain country in the name of "having the right to know the state affairs of Goryeo" and seek the support of the Ming court for him.
The four words "Parent's State" originated from the Jingtai period. The fourth uncle Li Yao who initiated the Jingnan period, after determining the name of the country that made the country a great neighbor, he named it "Parent's State". Well, it’s set as an ancestral precept.
The six-year labor expedition from the 20th year of Wanli to the 26th year of Wanli was the Ming Dynasty's grace to rebuild Li's Korea.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi brazenly launched a full-scale war of aggression against Korea in the 20th year of Wanli, launching an army of 150,000 to attack North Korea. In just one month, Toyotomi Hideyoshi captured Seoul, and North Korea King Li He fled north to Yizhou and asked for help from the Ming Dynasty.
During this six-year war, the Ming Dynasty dispatched a total of more than 120,000 troops. All the food and wages for this army were the responsibility of the Ming Dynasty and were transported from Liaodong to North Korea. Later, there were many complaints in the Ming Dynasty, so it happened that the officials of Honglu Temple, regardless of the dignity of the higher country, asked the King of Korea for food and salary, because the long-distance transportation was really too expensive.
But the King of Korea said that he didn't have it, and with the saying "You should not ask for the vastness of the country that depends on your parents," the most honorable officials in the Ministry of Rites broke their guard and said that you deserved to die.
Moving the world's troops and spending the world's wealth, Korea was saved from the hands of the Japanese pirates.
The Ming Dynasty was grateful to Li's Korea for its great creation and reconstruction. Did the Li Dynasty's Korea thank the Ming Dynasty?
Li's North Korea did not thank Ming Dynasty.
Because Lee's North Korea went back on its word.
On May 1, the 20th year of Wanli, when King Li Huo of Korea sent envoy Liu Mengding to the Ming Dynasty to ask for help, Li Huo said to Liu Mengding: When you get to the capital, you can first express your intention. In exchange for reinforcements from the Ming Dynasty, Li Huo's condition was that the troops were included.
On June 13th, King Yi Wan of Joseon, who had fled to Uiju, once again swore to the sea that there was no place to escape in our country. Today he crossed the river and paid homage to his father to avenge the destruction of the country. .
On June 21, Shi Xing, Minister of War of the Ming Dynasty, sent Huang Yingyang to Pyongyang to discuss the matter.
On July 16, after the court meeting, Emperor Wanli issued an edict: North Korea's request for reinforcements must be confirmed and documented. When the king comes, choose a good place to live.
This imperial edict from Emperor Wanli approved the dispatch of troops to North Korea, and said that the King of North Korea should be placed in good health.
This is an imperial edict, which clearly confirms that if the King of Korea annexes the territory after the Ming Dynasty comes to aid, the boundaries of Korea will become the real counties and counties of the Ming Dynasty, because at that time, the DPRK was represented by Chang Jujing, the governor of Zhejiang, Zhao Canlu, the governor of Fujian, and Liu Jiwen, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. Local officials advocated destroying the Japanese and attacking the Japanese homeland to avoid future troubles.
Shi Xing, Minister of the Ministry of War, is also a supporter of destroying the Japanese. With North Korea, we can attack the Japanese mainland and solve the problem once and for all.
You must know that the food and grass mobilized by the army is a very, very critical thing. For large-scale military operations, a supply line like a snake on the sea will be formed. Once there are strong winds and waves, and the supply line is broken, it will Cause huge trouble.
So starting from North Korea, you don’t have too many worries.
But after the Ming Dynasty expelled the Japanese pirates, the Korean monarchs and ministers regretted it. The Korean King Li Huo tricked the Ming Dynasty court and directly gave the throne to the crown prince Guanghaejun. He reneged on his promise as the king. But it can’t be attached now because I am no longer the king.
The Minister of War sent several envoys, but in the end they could not make the trip. The Ming Dynasty continued to fight for six years. In the end, the national treasury was empty, but it lost both face and face. Face was fooled by the king of Korea. Riko just failed to annex North Korea.
The most serious result of this incident was that Emperor Wanli's ability to govern himself was questioned as never before.
The reason why North Korea dared to go back on its word was to say that it was a country of its parents, but its behavior was to fool the Ming Dynasty. It was because the Ming Dynasty was so sure that Ming Dynasty could no longer fight.
At that time, there were soldiers who had returned to the South but could not get their pay, and the news of their suppression spread to North Korea. Li Hao and his son were convinced that the Ming Dynasty would suffer great losses, and there was no food and salary to punish them, so they dared to act so boldly , and Daming could only suffer the dumb loss.
At that time, the Ming Dynasty was so poor that it sent mine supervisors everywhere to collect money at the expense of damaging the tax base. However, Emperor Wanli engaged in such a huge loss-making business. Naturally, all subsequent decisions were not recognized.
Gao Qiyu, the young minister of Honglu Temple, received the imperial edict from the Ming Emperor. He was stunned at first, and then showed a natural expression. His Majesty has long been dissatisfied with the loss-making business of the Korean tribute trade. His Majesty's stinginess is well known to the world. Such a huge loss, It is necessary to spend several times every year. It is strange that the emperor does not feel distressed.
His Majesty is the province and the flower, and Gao Qiyu knows this very well.
"Shaoqing, North Korea's envoys Li Houbai and Yin Genshou have come. They said they have received news that the Ming Dynasty will cut off their tribute several times a year! We have also just received the imperial edict, They already knew the news!" Xu Jiugao said with an extremely ugly expression.
The Honglu Temple of the Ming Dynasty has not informed the North Korean envoy of the situation. Instead, the North Korean envoy came to the door on his own. This was really beyond Xu Jiugao's expectation. Obviously, the North Korean envoy had received the news. Honglu Temple is one step ahead.
And when Wu Xuan came, he didn’t regard himself as an outsider at all.
"No surprise, His Majesty's explicit edict is not a secret edict, nor is it something shameful. Why can't people know about it?" Gao Qiyu looked like an old god.
The purpose was to spread the word widely and let everyone know that the information was probably revealed intentionally.
"But we haven't discussed the countermeasures yet. When the North Korean envoy asked, how should we answer?" Xu Jiugao said with some worry. The emperor suddenly lowered North Korea's diplomatic level. This was not surprising to the Ministry of Rites, but it was difficult to answer. , we can’t directly say that it’s because the emperor is stingy.
North Korea paid tribute at least three times a year, and each time the court had to pay a reward ranging from 100,000 to 150,000. This was an extremely heavy burden, even in the late Jiajing and Henan dynasties, when financial losses were huge. During the Longqing years, there was no break. Daming was a good face person, and he did it once or twice to save face and suffer.
Now the emperor has finally lost his temper, because he is still fat even if his face is swollen, so naturally he does not have to hold on to it anymore.
Sometimes, many things are like this. The more something is lacking, the more they like to emphasize it. The more the court suffers a huge financial loss, the more it likes to show off and bluff.
Faced with the inquiry from the North Korean envoy, the answer given by the Honglu Temple of the Ministry of Rites could neither damage His Majesty’s sanctity nor bring the country into disgrace, nor could it talk nonsense to astonish the allies or dismay the foreigners. laugh.
This answer is a test of personal skill, and the most important thing is to respond in such a short period of time. After all, the North Korean envoy arrived too quickly.
"Why don't we let the North Korean envoy go back first, and let's ask the eldest uncle how to answer?" Xu Jiugao was anxious and thought it would be better to ask the eldest uncle.
Gao Qiyu smiled and said: "I'm going to bother Uncle Da Zong with such a trivial matter and let His Majesty know about it. I thought Uncle Da Zong was the only one in the Ministry of Rites. No need. Let two envoys come over. I have my own way. "
Li Houbai and Yin Genshou hurriedly walked into Honglu Temple. After greeting each other in a panic, Li Houbai, the leader, stepped forward and asked anxiously: "Suddenly I heard the strict decree. The Ministry of Ceremonies said that North Korea is not allowed to pay tribute multiple times a year, but only once a year. May I ask, Shaoqing, where did we offend the country? "
"No," Gao Qiyu said with a smile.
"Then why is there such a strict decree suddenly? After hearing the news, I was frightened and uneasy. The Heavenly Kingdom has been very kind to me, Korea. I, Lord Shouyang, set up a large altar to offer sacrifices to me every year. I always feel grateful for it. Sincerely, this country is the country of my parents, and I ask you to make it clear that if there are any sins committed by those who do not know, they will be corrected." Yin Genshou was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead.
During the Yongle period, North Korea requested the order of Emperor Chengzu and built Sungkyunkwan in Seoul, Korea. It has been more than a hundred years since famous Confucian scholars from the Ming Dynasty were invited to teach. Li Houbai and Yin Genshou were both born in Sungkyunkwan. Jinshi, if I were to return to North Korea, I would probably be scolded to death.
The benefits of paying tribute every year and getting rewards have been divided long ago, but suddenly they are gone. When the two envoys went back, weren't they skinned alive? !
Gao Qiyu said matter-of-factly: "Your Majesty has issued a strict decree to the Ministry of Rites. The reason for doing this is because, Your Majesty, he is kind!"
Xu Jiugao froze on the spot as if he had been struck by lightning, looking at it in disbelief. Gao Qiyu, how did this man do it? He has gone so far as to tell lies with his eyes wide open, and still looks as if this is the right thing to do, as if this is the real reason why he has stopped paying tribute to North Korea many times because of His Majesty's kindness? !
Although we are all scholars, we should have some respect!
Li Houbai and Yin Genshou looked at each other in horror. Is it because they are not good at school or because they cannot understand Chinese? If you take the words of the Young Master of Honglu Temple apart, you know every word, but when you put them all together, why can't you understand them?
"Please, Shaoqing, clarify your doubts." Li Houbai said quickly.
“Let me ask you, are our Ming army soldiers from my Ming Dynasty or from your North Korea?”
“Of course they are from the Ming Dynasty.”
“I’ll come again Let me ask you, does my salary from the Ming Dynasty belong to the Ming Dynasty or the North Korea?"
"Of course it belongs to the Ming Dynasty."
Li Houbai answered the two three-year-olds bravely. A question that even a child can answer is: if the food and pay for the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty doesn’t belong to the Ming Dynasty, who else can it belong to?
"North Korea doesn't know how to train troops and often uses Chinese soldiers as soldiers; North Korea doesn't know how to save wages and often uses Chinese wages as wages. Of course this was possible in the past, but it can't be done now." Gao Qiyu said with emotion.
"Is there anything wrong with this? A small country does not feel humbled, a small country does not fear the strong, and a country that is rude and insults its neighbors can lead to the destruction of the country. It was possible before, but it cannot be done now? This is What kind of logic?" Yin Genshou still didn't understand the logic.
"Because Ming Dynasty is old, you keep saying that Ming Dynasty is the country of your parents, but do you really mean it?" Gao Qiyu asked.
Li Houbai frowned and said: "Of course I'm sincere."
If the Ming Dynasty asked North Korea to do something it didn't want to do by cutting off tribute, then Li Houbai was determined not to do it. I agree! Not even within our means.
"When your parents are old, you can't count on them." Gao Qiyu sighed heavily and said helplessly: "You have also seen that Ming Dynasty is really old, and everyone in the officialdom is a master. There are all disciples below, just like the hills in a mountain village. These hills have different interests and have different ideas and opinions. "If something happens to North Korea, Daming knows that it will take time. The officialdom of the Ming Dynasty is so rigid, and it takes time to make decisions. Going back and forth will delay things. The rigidity has caused the lag in decision-making. I think the two of you have not met once or twice. "
" Your Majesty, he is so kind! The reason why North Korea has stopped paying tribute many times a year is to allow North Korea to train its troops and accumulate food. If something happens, it will not be too late to regret, and the court will have time to react. "
“This!” Li Houbai understood! And the logic is very complete. It seems that Ming Dynasty did this for the good of North Korea. As a country of parents, it gave too much, which led to North Korea's over-reliance on the Ming Dynasty. Now that the Ming Dynasty is old and has begun to become rigid, the implementation and processing speed of various political orders cannot be compared with the early days of the country.
If something happens, what will happen to North Korea?
Gao Qiyu said worriedly: "The Japanese Kingdom has now entered the final period of the Warring States Period. No matter who wins, no matter who does Guan Bai, there is only one thing to do, and that is to attack North Korea. To consume the large number of warriors produced by chaotic wars. With so many warriors, the Japanese country cannot settle down at all. It is an extremely common method to use external war to resolve internal conflicts. "
Li Houbai asked blankly. Said: "Can't Ming make countermeasures in advance?"
Gao Qiyu and Xu Jiugao looked at each other, this is North Korea, a greedy North Korea, Ming can't control too much, and take out if it controls too much. The country without conquests and the country of parents, where the ancestors established the law, talk about things, but they want too much. Even major events related to the life and death of North Korea require Ming Dynasty to deal with them in advance.
Gao Qiyu shook his head and said: "The Ming Dynasty now has four overseas governor's offices, Nagasaki, Ryukyu, Luzon, and Jiugang. The Ming Dynasty Navy has a hundred thousand people at full strength. What do you think we should do in advance?"
"Expand the army! If one hundred thousand navy is not enough, just expand it to two hundred thousand. Isn't this an extremely easy thing for the Celestial Kingdom?" Yin Genshou immediately threw out the hat of the Celestial Kingdom. , let the Ming Dynasty Navy expand its troops to deal with possible changes.
The Ming Dynasty is the best.
“One hundred thousand naval forces cost 2.25 million silver per year. This is only maintenance, not establishment. Recruiting troops, building ships, and weapons all require money. Where does the money come from? Your Majesty. He is frugal and there is no luxury or pleasure in the palace. Even so, he still manages to maintain it. The country of his parents has its own national conditions." Gao Qiyu's face turned cold.
This is to state the facts. The Ming Dynasty Navy spends up to 2.25 million silver in military expenditures every year, and the court’s military expenditures exceed 12 million silver every year. The North Korean envoys talked about it, and the Ming Dynasty spent every year. Why spend an extra 2.25 million silver? It's not a solid county, so it's not worth investing so much.
Is the Ming Dynasty going to have to pay so much for just saying that it is a country of parents? Do you even want to give yourself a few knives?
"No matter how much you ask for, it's unfilial." Gao Qiyu immediately slapped a big label of being unfilial and went out. No one would be the same if he slapped the label.
Gao Qiyu’s words were very cold. He was admonishing. Your Majesty, he has a kind heart and just gives you a decent answer. Just know it well. If you insist on continuing to mess around like this, you really think that Honglu Temple is Is it a place where envoys from the vassal state can run wild?
Your Majesty’s imperial edict is the result. Whether you accept it or not, this is the result.
Li Houbai and Yin Genshou finally came to their senses and wanted to say something. In the end, they did not say anything and had to leave.
The answer to His Majesty’s kindness will make everyone happy.
"It seems that the Ming Dynasty is really out of money. Even the tribute reward must be saved." After Yin Genshou walked out of Honglu Temple, he thought about it and found an answer. That means the Ming Dynasty has run out of money.
Li Houbai said with considerable approval: "That's right. Otherwise, how could the face-loving Ming Dynasty lose face just for some money? Your Majesty, he is really poor."
His Majesty the Emperor has a mountain of silver in his internal money and cannot spend it on anything, but this is a secret. Only the courtiers know that His Majesty is very rich, but the courtiers do not know how much money His Majesty has. The Kingdom Only after hearing His Majesty’s initiative to mention it, did I know that Your Majesty’s internal funds can withdraw 20 million silver at a time.
But Li Houbai and Yin Genshou obviously didn't know this fact. They thought the emperor had no money, so they cut off this expenditure.
If Zhu Yijun knew what these two envoys said, he would have killed them with money and let them see what punishment means for criticizing the emperor.
After Li Houbai and other North Korean envoys left, Gao Qiyu and Xu Jiugao went to find the great uncle Wan Shihe and reported today's situation.
“You did a good job.” Wan Shihe said after hearing the details: “I’ll leave this matter to you.”
After receiving the imperial edict, Wan Shihe He began to think about it, and kept thinking about it for a long time. What he thought was that everything was for the good of North Korea, and his kindness to His Majesty Gao Qiyu was similar to that of Gao Qiyu.
Wan Shihe glanced at Gao Qiyu with a little pity. Zhang Juzheng has never forgiven this former disciple. Gao Qiyu’s ability is not weak. No one can help him, so he will stop at Honglu Temple in this life. .
"Did Ligas send away?" Wan Shihe said about Ligas, the special envoy from Taixi. The envoys from Taixi had already met collectively, and it was time for Ligas to leave. This man was in the Ming Dynasty. The red-haired fan who has lived for twelve years has a deep love for the land where he was born and raised.
"Already on the road." Gao Qiyu said with emotion: "I can only wish him good luck."
Wan Shihe said very calmly: "He will be burned to death Yes, he is a blasphemer, an apostate, a devil, a heretic, and a person who is not on God’s gospel list, but he is also a martyr. He made a choice, and we must respect his choice.”
"I have a miscellaneous newspaper here, you guys, take a look."
After reading the miscellaneous newspaper, Gao Qiyu frowned and said, "Isn't this nonsense? Where is this miscellaneous newspaper? I Let people call their big pens to the Ministry of Rites. "
If you don't listen to the tea, you will be punched.
The content of the miscellaneous newspapers is one more thing than Kublai Khan, that is, Kublai Khan.
Criticized the eleven copper mountains of the Ming Dynasty in the Luzon Governor's Palace. These eleven copper mountains contributed more than 15 million kilograms of brass, and the number is still growing rapidly, which caused The scale of Yunnan copper was suppressed by Luzon Tongshan, and the scale of production could not be expanded, and Yunnan people could not become craftsmen.
For every 10,000 kilograms of copper produced in Luzon, there is one less coppersmith in Yunnan!
The Ming Dynasty court was in friendly relations with Ning and did not allow domestic slaves!
"The copper shortage in the Ming Dynasty was so severe that even the cannons were made of steel, and the cannons of Renhong Maofan were all made of copper! To produce 10,000 kilograms of copper would mean one less coppersmith! No matter how much was produced Even if copper comes out, it will not be able to meet the needs of the Ming Dynasty." Gao Qiyu had a low opinion of this miscellaneous newspaper, and he could say such a thing because he didn't know anything about the Ming Dynasty.
The Ming Dynasty is a glutton, and as much copper as there is, the Ming Dynasty will use it up. In the supply and demand relationship of copper materials, there is no upper limit to the Ming Dynasty's demand for copper, just like its demand for silver. The needs are the same.
"I don't let you read this newspaper to ask you to interview them." Wan Shihe looked at Gao Qiyu dumbfounded, what kind of teacher and what kind of disciple, Zhang Juzheng is authoritative The characters do not allow others to comment. Gao Qiyu is exactly the same. The first thing that comes to mind is covering his mouth.
“This is the process of forming a consensus.” Wan Shihe explained why he let them read these miscellaneous newspapers.
Wan Shihe explained in detail why he wanted Gao Qiyu to read these miscellaneous newspapers, how the great thinking in the Wanli Reform was able to form a consensus step by step, and then transform the consensus into established public order and good customs. Eventually, the law was put into practice.
Public order and good customs are the greatest consensus of the collective owners of Ming Dynasty, which is the greatest common denominator.
A lot of new things happened during the Wanli Restoration. Limited freedom of speech was allowed, but a consensus was gradually formed in the war of words. This miscellaneous newspaper criticizing Luzon Tongshan quickly aroused waves of discussion. It is fair to say that everyone is right. My mother-in-law said she was right, but who was right? Practice makes sense.
After practical verification and verification, a consensus will be reached, and the construction of public order and good customs will finally be completed.
Every step of this is indispensable.
"At this time, a question arises. What responsibilities should the court perform in this process? When should it intervene?" Wan Shihe looked at the two young men from Honglu Temple. Sir, ask them what they think.
"It is difficult to clearly define it, because the boundaries are not clearly defined." Gao Qiyu frowned, took two steps and continued: "There is a lack of a standard. The court needs a standard to control The degree of freedom of speech, but what should this standard be? "
In the feudal monarchy, the clearest standard is the emperor, and articles that insult the emperor should be covered up, but other than that? How the court should guide public order and good customs is a problem that the Ministry of Rites must face.
“When the interests of the majority of people are harmed, intervention must be carried out.” Wan Shihe gave his standard. The position of public opinion must be firmly in the hands of the Ming Dynasty. , the imperial court has suffered too many such losses.
But Wan Shihe found that standard and intervened to safeguard the interests of most Ming people.
“This gives a clear definition of etiquette and law, and public order and good customs that protect the interests of the majority of people.” Wan Shihe said with some regret: “Your Majesty is slandering Qi Shuai and beautifying the Japanese pirates Chen You. When you are benevolent, you have fully understood the essence of etiquette."
Benevolence, justice, etiquette, wisdom, and trust have a new and clear definition in the Wanli Reform. This is the result of the Wanli Reform.
"Gao Qiyu, are you willing to become my disciple?" After Wan Shihe finished explaining the definition of etiquette, he changed the topic and asked Gao Qiyu about his opinion on becoming his disciple.
Gao Qiyu said with great conviction: "I am Mr.'s disciple, even if Mr. denies it."
"I'm not asking you to become a disciple." Wan Shihe had already guessed Gao Qiyu's meeting In this way, what he wants is not for Gao Qiyu to become his master, but to become an imperial party member, so that talents will not be wasted.
The Ming Dynasty needs more talents and more joint efforts to jointly maintain the achievements of the Wanli Reform.
Gao Qiyu is a talented person, he is a Hongyi scholar. As far as Wan Shi and the Minister of Rites have been watching the past for so many years, there are 300 new scholars, but only a few can be regarded as Hongyi.
The Ming Dynasty did not lack officials, but it lacked people who did things.
"I don't want to cause trouble to Uncle Zong, sir, he will be angry if he knows it." Gao Qiyu thought about it again and again, but still chose to refuse. He really joined the imperial party, and Zhang Juzheng was afraid that he would have to deal with Wan Shihe.
Wan Shihe said confidently: "Don't worry about Yuan Fu, I will deal with him. You have paid a big enough price for your mistake, which is completely enough."
"Then I'd like to thank Uncle Zong." Gao Qiyu was an official in the Ming Dynasty. Which official wouldn't want to be promoted? Gao Qiyu had the great merit of going to Taixi as an envoy. Similar to the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, when Zhang Qian went out to the fortress, Gao Qiyu also wanted to make progress.
But Zhang Juzheng is known to the world as someone who is not easy to mess with.
"With this belt, it's time for you, the young minister, to become Da Honglu. Go back and wait for Xin'er." Wan Shihe handed over his belt, the imperial party's belt.
The reason why Wan Shihe is confident is entirely because the card he gave is the imperial party, and what he does is indicated by His Majesty. Wan Shihe has a clear understanding of himself, and he just shows it to His Majesty. He is just a member of the sect, and His Majesty is the leader of the Imperial Party.
Gao Qiyu, like Zhou Liangyin, also passed the ten-year inspection period and got an opportunity from His Majesty.
(End of this chapter)