Chapter 1497 The Koreans in the Crack
The Executive Committee made a plan very early on to find an appropriate opportunity to win over North Korea. This is because North Korea has always been at odds with Hou Jin and has the motivation to resist its oppression. Secondly, North Korea is geographically close to Liaodong and has nearby access to Possibility of food supplies and labor. Haihan sent troops to Liaodong to fight against Hou Jin, which objectively helped Ming Dynasty reduce external military pressure. This made it difficult for North Korea to have too much hostility towards Haihan even from the standpoint of a vassal state of Ming Dynasty.
As for the reasons for attracting North Korea to join the group, the conditions Haihanneng gave were nothing more than military protection and economic and trade aspects. The military believes that the North Korean envoy will no longer have any doubts about Haihan's military strength after seeing the performance of the Haihan Army and the Houjin Army. Bulk material purchases are very difficult for a country like North Korea with underdeveloped foreign trade business. That said, it can be considered a profitable business. But everyone probably didn't expect that North Korea's fear of Hou Jin would be so strong. Even providing logistical services to Haihan was afraid of being noticed by Hou Jin.
It's not that Bai Kesi couldn't understand Luo Xian's difficulties. After all, there was no direct contact between Haihan and North Korea in the past, and there was no friendship at all. The North Koreans were definitely not sure whether Haihan's promised military protection could be fulfilled in the future. grasp. Moreover, they have been bullied by Hou Jin for many years. Although they feel resentful, their fear of Hou Jin is actually deeply rooted, and it is difficult to change this mentality in a short time. Luo Dexian saw that the performance of Haihan Army was still so conservative. It is self-evident how the people in power in North Korea would judge Haihan's suggestion.
However, Haihan also has a relatively strong ambition to win over North Korea, and it is not an optional exploratory move. If North Korea can be roped in as backup, it will not only alleviate the transportation pressure of transporting grain from the south to a certain extent in the future, but more valuable is the manpower that North Korea can provide to Liaodong, which is much better than the military using military force behind enemy lines. It is much easier to kidnap people. Even if it costs money to hire North Korean migrant workers, the cost will definitely be lower than the military expenditure required for military operations.
And the promise of force protection made by Bai Kesi is not false. If Hou Jin really intends to gather a large army to cause trouble for North Korea, Haihan will definitely increase the intensity of his actions in the Liaodong region to force Hou Jin to be unable to devote a large number of troops to the Korean battlefield. . Of course, if it hadn't been for Haihan's arrival, Hou Jin would have been preparing to conquer North Korea at this time. However, this wonderful causal relationship could not be explained to Luo Xian. Even if he said that Haihan had saved North Korea once, , Luo Dexian will definitely only listen to it as nonsense.
Bai Ke thought for a while, then changed his explanation and said to Luo Xian: "Master Luo, in your opinion, which one is more powerful, our Haihan army or the Jin army?"
Luo Dexian responded without hesitation: "What I have seen in the past few days is that the Jin people are no match for the Gui army on the battlefield. They are very clear about their superiority. Naturally, the Gui army is much more powerful."
Bai Kesi nodded and said: "Then how does our army compare with the Ming army?"
Luo Luo Xian hesitated a little this time before responding: "I saw that the Dongjiang Town Ming Army was on the front line doing tasks such as baggage and garrison, and was under the orders of your army. I thought that your army would be at least better than the Dongjiang Town Ming Army." Quite a few.”
Bai Kesi said: "You, North Korea, fear the Ming Dynasty and are afraid of the Jin Kingdom. In fact, to put it bluntly, it is because they cannot compete with these two countries militarily, so neither country dares to offend, and even normal exchanges with my country have to worry about the feelings of these two countries. Then I would like to ask Mr. Luo, is it because Haihanguo is so talkative that Mr. Luo thinks that the conditions we proposed can be rejected? "
When Bai Kesi said the last sentence, he specially emphasized his tone. Luo Dexian trembled when he heard it. Then he remembered that although the man in front of him was not a military general, he was a top official of Haihan. One sentence might determine the direction of the war in Liaodong. The other party's previous pleasant appearance was not really because of his personality, but because he wanted to use this attitude to impress and win over him. But when this road fails, the other party will naturally show his true colors.
Based on what I have observed these days, there is no doubt that the strength of the Haihan Army is indeed superior to that of Houjin and Ming Dynasty, and it can almost crush its opponents on the battlefield. However, Luo Dexian has never regarded Haihan as a potential ally or opponent, because this country is too unfamiliar to North Korea. He does not know the real reason why Haihan raised troops in Liaodong, and naturally it is difficult to judge Haihan's true attitude towards North Korea. . However, these days when he lived in the Haihan Army, the people around him were very polite to him. Gradually, he let down his guard, thinking that since the other party invited him to inspect, they must have goodwill towards North Korea. It wasn't until Bai Kesi's attitude suddenly changed that Luo Xian realized that the other party had always had another terrible choice.
With the strength shown by the Haihan Army, if military means were to be used directly to put pressure on North Korea, it would certainly be a more terrifying existence than the Ming Dynasty and Hou Jin Dynasty. Moreover, Haihan's native land is not in this area. It can be said that he has no affection or scruples for North Korea at all. If he really plans to take action against North Korea, it may be a matter of a word from Mr. Bai in front of him.
Luo Dexian responded quickly and tremblingly: "Master Bai, please calm down... I have no disrespect for your country, and I hope that Master Bai will forgive me!"
Seeing that his words seemed to have an effect, Bai Kesi continued to follow this path. He closed his eyes slightly and did not look at him directly. He said: "Respect and disrespect are not words. We Haihan people are pragmatic and do not I will only listen to what you say, and more importantly, it depends on what you do! If Mr. Luo thinks that it is necessary for North Korea to continue to have good relations with the Jin people, and for this reason, he will not even hesitate to become an opponent of my country, then you can try it and see what the consequences will be. How about it.”
Luo Dexian thought to himself: "I never thought about becoming a rival with Haihan. This big hat is too scary." He immediately defended: "I have no intention of going against your country! I am allowed to report this matter to the king. Your Majesty will make a decision later.”
Bai Kesi sneered secretly in his heart. He had dealt with envoys from various countries a lot in the past few years, and he was not that easy to fool. He had long seen that the North Korean envoy clearly did not want to take on such a big responsibility, so he planned to use a procrastination trick. Let’s put the current hurdle behind us. When he reports the situation in Liaodong back to North Korea, they will slowly hold meetings and study it there, and quarrel in the court for two or three months. This matter will always be delayed until he can throw the blame away. Even if North Korea still refuses to cooperate by then, it will no longer be his responsibility. Bai Kesi was not going to let him go so easily, and said expressionlessly: "The war in Liaodong is urgent. How many things will be delayed by this coming and going? If because you can't provide help in time, our army misses the opportunity to severely damage the Jin people. , do you think this will be of any benefit to North Korea? Will the Jin people be grateful to you for this? Mr. Luo, since you are an envoy sent by North Korea, you should take up this responsibility and record this in history books in the future. History, you will also be a famous minister of North Korea! Of course, if you want to evade responsibility, you may become a sinner of North Korea!”
Luo Dexian was so overwhelmed by these words that he did not dare to raise his head. If there was any medicine for regret in the world, he would definitely choose not to take this mission to Liaodong. This Haihan man is very powerful. He can beat the Jin man without any ability to parry, but he turns against him so quickly. We were still talking about cooperation earlier, but a few wrong words will turn the cooperative relationship into a hostile relationship. Luo Xian couldn't bear the crime of being on a mission and attracting such a powerful enemy to North Korea, but he couldn't take it upon himself to agree to Bai Kesi's request on behalf of the court.
As for whether a famous official or a criminal, Luo Xian couldn't think about it now. He only wanted to get out of the current predicament and ask Bai Kesi not to mention Haihan's cooperation with North Korea.
But Bai Kesi has seen that Luo Dexian is a cowardly and fearful person at heart, so he will not let him go easily, and continues to put pressure on him: "To be honest with Mr. Luo, in fact, from the beginning, our country has considered whether to attack North Korea first to gain access to our side. The materials and manpower needed to fight in Liaodong, but considering that your country has always had good relations with Ming Dynasty and is considered a friendly and good neighbor of Ming Dynasty, we decided to be open-minded and seek cooperation opportunities with your country first. But if your country. If we are not willing to cherish this rare peace, then our country can only use the best means to get the desired results. Mr. Luo, we have assembled the Northern Fleet of our navy in Port Arthur in the south. If they set out for your country, they will probably. It takes two days to reach the coastline. But as a last resort, our country does not want to use such extreme measures. Whether it is war or cooperation, Mr. Luo will think carefully before answering me."
After Baikes said these words, he ordered the guests to be sent off. Luo Luodian stood up and left Bai Kesi's office in despair, not knowing what to do for a moment. He didn't expect that the meeting with senior officials he had been waiting for for many days would turn out to be such an unexpected situation. The North Korean country he represents just wants to stay out of the matter, but the Haihan people obviously do not intend to let this situation continue, but are desperate to drag North Korea into the water.
This is definitely inconsistent with the instructions Luo Xian received before setting off. His mission was to come to Liaodong to inspect the military strength of Haihan, understand the progress of the war between Haihan and Houjin, and explore the Ming army in Dongjiang Town. In the current situation, there is no content on behalf of North Korea to negotiate with Haihan about whether to form an alliance, and King Li Jie did not grant him such authority at all. Even if there is a cooperation project to be discussed with Haihan, it must not involve a third country, otherwise it is very likely to drag North Korea into the war vortex in Northeast Asia.
But Haihan's purpose is also to draw North Korea to deal with Hou Jin, and as long as North Korea does not agree, Haihan may turn his back on him. The threat in Bai Kesi's words has been made very clear. As long as North Korea does not cooperate, the Haihan Navy may launch an offensive against the North Korean coast at any time. As for whether North Korea can withstand such an offensive, Luo Dexian is really not optimistic about this.
When he came to Liaodong, he took a glimpse at Port Arthur and was deeply impressed by the fleet of the Haihan Navy. Those huge warships were equipped with at least double-digit artillery. It was difficult to imagine their power when firing in combat. Moreover, it is said that the Haihan Fleet fought from the south to the north and has never encountered a rival. Luo Dexian knew that the strength of his own naval force was still far behind that of Dongjiang Town, and there was no way to compare it with the Haihan Fleet. . If such a fleet were to attack the coast of North Korea, would the local garrison be allowed to take the lead in resisting?
But if he really agrees to Haihan's conditions, Luo Xian may not be able to explain to the king when he returns to the country. No king would like his envoys to make arbitrary claims and make alliances with other countries, even if such alliances may be beneficial to their own country. no. What's more, the cooperation method requested by Haihan seems to expose North Korea to great risks of war, which is exactly what North Korea has always wanted to avoid.
Shortly after Luo Dexian left, Qian Tiandun and Wang Tom came to Bai Kesi's office together and asked him about the outcome of the meeting. Bai Kesi shook his head in disappointment and said: "The attitude of the North Koreans is very unstable. They hope that we can continue to attack Hou Jin militarily, but they are afraid that joining our camp will attract military retaliation from Hou Jin. So I made the request , the messenger didn’t dare to agree to anything.”
Qian Tiandun said: "Then did you follow the routine we discussed in advance?"
"We can only follow the script and fall out with him!" Bai Kesi shrugged: "The threat of war is probably the only method we can use at the moment, but if the North Koreans still don't accept the move, it will be really troublesome."
Qian Tiandun said with a smile: "It's not easy for the Koreans. To survive in the cracks, they used to struggle back and forth between the Ming Dynasty and Hou Jin Dynasty. Now we have to be added to it. They can't afford to offend any country."
Wang Tom said: "There is still a difference. For the other two countries, it will take at least a war preparation period to teach North Korea a lesson. Besides, Ming Dynasty can't spare any time now. We are different. As long as we are unhappy, we will be ready in two days. Being able to land in North Korea and steal money, food, and people is a real threat!”
Bai Kesi said: "I told the North Korean envoy the same thing. If they know how to prioritize, they should understand who can really threaten North Korea's national security now. But whether he can figure out the middle truth, I think it is still a bit hanging. , look back and arrange for someone to beat him again.”
Qian Tiandun said: "The political cadre named Liu Shang sent by the Youth League here is quite good. He is eloquent and loyal. His performance in receiving the southern business groups during this period is also good. Now the business groups have returned to Lushun. , it is better to transfer him to deal with the North Korean envoy, so as to leave some room for maneuver.”
(End of chapter)