Chapter 1498 A Difficult Errand
When the headquarters' transfer order was conveyed to Lushun Fort, Liu Shang was enjoying the game just caught from the mountains and forests today with a group of southern businessmen. Although pheasants and hares are not a rare thing, they are much better than the food in the canteen at the front line. Moreover, soldiers on the front line are not allowed to open the stoves privately. Even if there is game, it is impossible to cook the tooth ceremony by yourself like this.
Liu Shang had been suffering at the front line for so many days. After returning to Port Arthur, the businessmen would not miss the opportunity to flatter him, and they prepared delicacies for him every day to share with him. Of course, this kind of invitation in the name of thanking Liu Shang for taking care of him during his time on the front line is definitely not a simple dinner party, but an attempt to build relationships and get more useful information from Liu Shang in order to discuss with Haihan officials. Don't be too passive in the process of arranging development projects.
Liu Shang had been in the Haihan bureaucracy for such a long time, so he naturally knew the power of the "Confidentiality Regulations". When he received the invitation for the first time, he took the initiative to report to Sha Xi. However, Sha Xi saw this matter quite clearly, so he simply took advantage of it and gave Liu Shang some instructions to let him continue to contact these businessmen. The information disclosed to them was of course a deliberate measure. Liu Shang has no pressure to do this kind of thing that one is willing to fight and one is willing to endure. After all, Haihan officials do not intend to harm these southern businessmen. They just want to use some small means to urge them to make up their minds as soon as possible and promote related projects to be implemented. stage.
But the transfer order from the frontline headquarters was obviously more weighty than Shaxi's, because the name signed at the end of the transfer order was Bai Kesi's. This means that Liu Shang must immediately put down everything he is doing and rush to the frontline headquarters to report again.
The transfer order did not explain what the task was at all, but only marked the word "urgent". Liu Shang did not dare to neglect it and immediately bid farewell to the businessmen present. Fortunately, these businessmen were well informed. Seeing that Liu Shang was about to rush to the front line where living conditions were relatively simple, they quickly asked his servants to pack a few dishes and two bottles of wine for him to enjoy on the road. .
Liu Shang hesitated for a moment, but accepted the offer. Anyway, the military had sent a carriage to pick him up. There was no need to ride a horse along the way. It would be a good pleasure to sit on the carriage and have a drink. A group of businessmen left the table to see each other off. Until the carriage Liu Shang was riding disappeared into the distance, these people were still sighing that it would never be easy to meet an official like Liu Shang who was so easy to deal with again.
"Go and convince the North Korean envoy to let North Korea follow us?" When Liu Shang received the task from Bai Kesi, he also muttered a little guilty. When did North Korea get dragged into the muddy waters of Liaodong again?
Regarding the fact that the North Korean envoy was hidden in the foreign military observation team, only a few senior officers knew about it. Liu Shang's official rank was high enough for such a secret level, but because he had been with southern businessmen some time ago, for the sake of confidentiality , and no one informed him of this. So when Bai Kesi assigned him this task, he was completely confused.
"We now need North Korea to provide food, living supplies and labor force to the Liaodong region, but the North Koreans are very afraid of Hou Jin and are afraid that cooperation with us will trigger military retaliation from Hou Jin." Bai Kesi said a few more words to explain. The nature of this mission: "Liu Shang, you have to try to loosen the attitude of the North Korean envoy. It is best to make him clearly express his support for our plan and promise to try to persuade their king after returning home."
Liu Shangxindao said that this task sounded difficult to handle. It was obvious that the superiors had already had contact or talks with the North Korean envoy, and the other party's attitude certainly did not satisfy the superiors, so he arranged for him to take action. As for why he had to go through such an extra procedure, Liu Shang certainly understood that this was because his superiors wanted to leave room for maneuver for the North Korean envoys. Of course, it was also a kind of trust in his persuasive ability, but Liu Shang himself did not have much regard for this. confidence.
"Chief... I know very little about North Korea. How can I persuade you?" Liu Shang said with an embarrassed look on his face: "Being humble does not mean to shirk responsibility. I am just afraid that if I say the wrong thing, it will affect the overall situation."< br>
Bai Kesi said: "You don't need to worry too much about this. I have already said the harsh words that need to be said. The North Korean envoy is probably in a panic now. Don't be afraid of offending him. I have even said that I will send troops to attack North Korea." , there is nothing to worry about. Just go ahead and do it. If it works, I will credit you here.”
Of course, Liu Shang is very aware of Bai Kesi's status. Recording a merit here is equivalent to hearing it directly from heaven. If his name can be remembered by the big shots in the executive committee, it will definitely be of great benefit to his future career. Besides, Bai Kesi didn’t require success in this task, so he just had to try his best, and there wasn’t much pressure.
After weighing the pros and cons, Liu Shang gritted his teeth and accepted the task. Bai Kesi would not really let him fight an unprepared battle. He immediately asked the official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who was responsible for contacting the North Korean envoy to come over and ask him to quickly make up for Liu Shang's situation in North Korea so that he would not have to meet with the other party. Really blinding.
After spending half a day studying relevant knowledge and understanding his family's plans, Liu Shang had already been arranged to meet with North Korean envoy Luo Dexian before he could even slowly digest the information he received.
"Lord Luo, have you considered the suggestion that Chief Bai of our country put forward to you the day before yesterday?" After Liu Shang and Luo Xian sat down after meeting, they asked the question straight to the point. He did not intend to go around in circles with the other party, because he had too little information on this matter, and it would be easy to expose flaws if he went around in circles.
Luo Dexian thought to himself that this Haihan was really urging him to die, and it seemed that he didn't intend to drag this matter on until he returned home. But even so, Tai Chi still had to continue. He looked embarrassed and said: "Master Liu, Luo is just an envoy to Liaodong on behalf of our country. He is not an important official of the court who can decide the direction of the country. Chief Bai How can it be possible to ask Luo to make decisions on behalf of our country?”
Liu Shangdao: "It is said in "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" that when generals are away, the emperor's orders will be ignored. Since Mr. Luo is an envoy selected by the king of Korea, he is of course equivalent to a general who leads troops on an expedition. The situation on the battlefield is ever-changing. You can’t ask the king for everything, otherwise how can you fight this war? Mr. Luo must know that the opportunity is fleeting, and if you don’t seize the opportunity, you may become a sinner of the country and the nation!”
Luo Luo Xian thought to himself that the Haihan people all spoke in the same tone, and they labeled themselves as "sinners" at every turn. Seriously speaking, the real sinner is the one who drags the country from a state of peace into a quagmire of war, right? Luo Dexian argued: "Mr. Liu, that's not what you said. There is already a brotherly alliance between our country and the Kingdom of Jin. If we help your country attack the Kingdom of Jin, it would be unjustifiable both emotionally and rationally."
When Bai Kesi came to talk to him about this matter, Luo Dexian was still a little interested at first. After all, if food and daily necessities could be exported, it would be a profitable business for North Korea. But after realizing the seriousness of the matter, he became much tighter and did not dare to mention trade cooperation with Haihan officials anymore.
Liu Shang sneered: "Brotherly alliance? As far as I know, your country is forced to attack the Jin people with a large amount of money and materials every year. Even so, the Jin people are still in trouble. They also ask you not to maintain diplomacy with the Ming Dynasty. Contact, can this be called an alliance of brothers? ”
This cramming trick still works. After all, Liu Shang has a good memory. He can memorize a lot of information after listening to or reading it once. In addition, his eloquence and correspondence are very good, and it is very natural to use it. Luo Shang was immediately stunned and helpless. Answer immediately.
Liu Shang did not wait for the other party to come up with excuses, and continued to pursue: "Our country's war against the Jin Kingdom was to save the Han people in Liaodong and to speak out for the Ming Dynasty. Since your country and the Ming Dynasty are vassal states, it is reasonable and reasonable. We should all stand on the side of Ming Dynasty. If you want to ride on two boats now, aren't you afraid that the waves will be too big and you will be thrown into the water? How will you apologize to Ming Dynasty when it defeats the Jin people? "
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Luo Luo Xian's face turned blue and white in turns, and his face was very ugly after Liu Shang's words. In fact, he was also a faction in the North Korean officialdom that supported the Ming Dynasty as the orthodoxy. He was also dissatisfied with the various brutal measures of Hou Jin. However, North Korea's established national policy was to sit on the fence and sit on the sidelines without helping each other. In this way, on the one hand, it can reduce its own losses to a minimum, and on the other hand, it will not be easy to be held accountable when Daming and Houjin choose to take sides again after their differences.
It is naturally not a glorious thing to play the role of such a wallflower, but North Korea is the weakest among the three countries. If you want to achieve self-protection, it is indeed inappropriate to get deeply involved in the war between two military powers, and Ming Dynasty seems to be able to understand North Korea's situation, and did not criticize North Korea's attitude on the Liaodong War issue. Therefore, North Korea quietly provided assistance to the residents of Dongjiang Town on Phi Island, and at the same time paid annual tribute to the stipend, relying on this method to ensure that the other two countries would not cause trouble for themselves.
However, Haihan's intervention undoubtedly broke this balance. This foreign country relied on its super military strength to forcefully opened a hole in Liaodong and intervened in the complex relationship between the three countries. Among these three countries, probably only the Ming Dynasty had a relatively clear understanding of Haihan's military strength, and it almost acquiesced to Haihan's various military operations in the Liaodong region. The most unlucky one is undoubtedly Hou Jin. Before he could understand the situation, he was kicked in the face by Haihan, and then he suffered successive defeats, from last year to this year, and judging from the momentum, he will continue to lose. .
At present, North Korea's understanding of Haehan's military strength is probably only what Rod Xian has seen and heard, and its domestic situation is still at the stage of various transnational rumors, which is definitely not as clear as Rod Xian's level of understanding. Luo Dexian believed that if His Majesty the King were to come to Liaodong in person, he would definitely choose to embrace Haihan. However, the problem is that there is no way to confirm Haihan's military strength in China, and it is impossible to imagine that Haihan's army can do nothing on the battlefield. Without any suspense, they beat up the golden soldiers who were invincible in their eyes. If he agrees to Haihan's request in Liaodong, what awaits him after returning to China is likely to be a dark prison and one charge after another.
Luo Dexian did not want to take huge risks to assume such a responsibility. As for the "benefits" that Bai Kesi once mentioned, he did not realize the positive effect it would have on his future career. As long as North Korea is involved in the war, he will be the biggest sinner. What's the benefit?
Luo Dexian's voice trembled slightly when he spoke: "Master Liu, you are so persuasive. In the end, Luo has no choice but to die to serve the country in order to protect his reputation. Is this the result you want to see?"
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Liu Shang secretly laughed at the North Korean envoy's tough talk. He was obviously greedy for life and afraid of death, and he said that he would die to serve the country. It was an insult to the word "loyal minister". However, Baikes had already had a face-to-face interview before he came, and he knew how to persuade the other party in this situation.
"Master Luo, death is too serious. What we need is a partner, not a desperate situation. If you are worried that if you agree to our conditions, you will suffer for yourself after returning to China, then we have a way to solve it. This question." Liu Shang said while paying attention to Luo Xian's expression to see if he would be touched by his words.
As Liu Shang expected, Luo Dexian's expression changed obviously when he heard the last sentence. It seemed that this was at least one of the factors that troubled him in making his decision. Liu Shang hurriedly continued: "Actually, the method is very simple. Since your country will show submission to strong force, then we will send troops to send Mr. Luo back to the country and show off our force by the way."
Luo Dexian was shocked: "Does your country really want to send troops to attack our country for this reason?"
"It's not an attack. Didn't I make it clear enough? It's just to escort Mr. Luo back to his country." Liu Shang emphasized again. Although he is not a military official, he also knows that it is difficult for Haihan to open two battlefields in Liaodong at the same time. Even if North Korea is a relatively weak country, the situation Haihan currently faces in Liaodong does not allow him to divide his troops to attack North Korea. But if the Navy is asked to take a trip to the North Korean coast to show off its force, it is within its capabilities. As for whether this can really intimidate the North Koreans, it depends on the performance of the navy.
Luo Dexian was undoubtedly a little excited at this moment. If the senior officials in the country could see the power of the Haihan Army with their own eyes, it would undoubtedly have a more direct and effective impact on their attitudes. But Luo Dexian is also worried that doing this will lead to a wolf entering the house. If the Haihan people take the opportunity to launch a landing war and invade North Korea, the domestic troops may not be able to defend against the wolf-like Haihan army. By then, his crime will probably be added. A crime of treason.
(End of chapter)