Chapter 1870 Direction of Forward
Finally leaving the place where he had lived for more than 20 years, Li Bo felt quite complicated. He was born in Seoul and grew up drinking the water of the Han River. At the age of fourteen, he was canonized as the Crown Prince by his father, King Li Zhu, and became the heir to the royal power of this country. He has always been a special existence among human beings. But he knew that after he left North Korea, such treatment might not be sustainable anymore, because the place he was going to go abroad this time was North Korea's new ally and de facto suzerainty. It is just a political symbol and will no longer enjoy so many privileges in the country.
Although the Ming Dynasty, the former suzerain state of North Korea, had sent troops to defend North Korea from foreign invasion, in the past ten years, the power of the Ming Dynasty has been declining, and it appeared to be more and more passive when dealing with Hou Jin. As a vassal state, North Korea This is also seen very clearly. As far as Li Bo's own personal experience is concerned, the canonization of the crown prince should have been announced by the Ming Dynasty by sending a mission to North Korea. However, because the Ming Dynasty lost control of the entire Liaodong territory, it was impossible to send a mission to North Korea by land. , so the matter was delayed. As a result, the delay lasted for twelve years. It was not until three years ago, when the Haihan people occupied Zhifu Island in Shandong, that the Ming Dynasty sent the eunuch Lu Weining and his entourage as an envoy. In North Korea, Li Bo was officially canonized as the crown prince of North Korea.
Even the simple task of sending an envoy to canonize the crown prince of Joseon could not be completed. At this time, although the Ming Dynasty was still the nominal suzerainty of Korea, its status in the minds of the Koreans had declined a lot, and it no longer had the supreme authority. Later, the Haihan people fought across the Yellow and Bohai areas. After landing at Lushunkou and fighting, the Jin army retreated steadily. They gradually established an image of a strong man in this area and even replaced the Ming Dynasty to a certain extent.
When the powerful neighbor to the north raises troops to invade North Korea again, the only country that can send troops to save North Korea is no longer the former suzerain country. Although Haihan was very philistine in asking North Korea to provide sufficient military expenditures before sending troops, they did do what they said and forcibly drove the Qing army from the Datong River back to the Yalu River. There is no doubt that this kind of behavior of providing military protection to North Korea is the military strength that a suzerain country should have.
At Li Bo's current age, it is the time when he is full of energy and worships the strong, and the weakness of North Korea's national power forces him to look abroad, and the appearance of Haihan just meets his psychological needs. An existence like this who did not take the Ming Dynasty seriously and could send troops to blast the Qing army at any time was 100% in line with Li Bo's image of a strong man.
However, during the battle with the Qing army, Li Bo never had the opportunity to go to the front line to watch the battle, which became a big regret for him. Although the written battle reports sent back from the front line were quite detailed, the more Li Bo read them, the more unsatisfactory he felt. He wished he could watch with his own eyes how the Haihan army defeated the huge Qing army that was several times larger than his own.
It was not until after the war that he finally got an opportunity to visit the Datong River base with Haihan's invitation. Li Bo's trip was quite fruitful. Not only did he see part of the combat effectiveness of Haihan's army, but he also learned from Haihan. The general learned more about the arrangements for studying abroad.
Even if there is no advanced weapons manufacturing technology claimed by Wang Tom and others, Li Bo still wants to go to Haihan to have a look and have a deeper understanding of how this small South China Sea country, which was founded only a few years ago, has risen rapidly. , became the little overlord of the South China Sea that even the two giants of the Ming and Qing Dynasties found it difficult to resist.
If he could learn some experience in governing the country from Haihan, Li Pu believed that this might benefit his country more than the technology of manufacturing weapons. After all, General Haihan also said that even if those techniques can be learned, North Korea may not have the facilities and materials needed to make these weapons. From a certain perspective, it is an impractical dragon-slaying technique.
And if we can learn how the Haihan people govern the country, Li Bo believes that it may be much easier to apply this to our own country. After all, these are just differences in policies and systems. North Korea can modify the existing political framework to imitate the Haihan people. development model.
Of course, Li Pu thought of this issue too simply. The political frameworks of the two countries were completely different, and it was impossible to change them according to Haihan's model. Just asking the king and royal family to hand over power and changing the national power structure from a monarchy to a Haihan-style elite governance method is simply impossible to achieve in North Korea at this stage.
Haihan's advantages mainly come from the accumulation of hundreds of years after this era, especially the technological advantages it has in social productivity, which are based on a huge knowledge system. It is difficult for other countries to send several Those who study abroad can take home these advanced knowledge that are centuries ahead of their time. For example, Haihan's gun manufacturing technology, even if Li Bo could memorize the relevant principles and production processes after going to Sanya, North Korea did not have the qualified materials and corresponding processing methods to complete these manufacturing processes.
However, Li Ming’s understanding of Haihan almost came from various written reports, the post-war industrial cooperation negotiations between the two countries, and his previous trip to the Datong River. What he could learn about Haihan was undoubtedly extremely one-sided and difficult to understand. Make a truly objective cognitive evaluation of the differences between the two countries.
However, from Li Bo's point of view, it is understandable that he wants to strive for more development opportunities for his country by studying abroad. The current situation of the Ming Dynasty has fully proved that the people North Korea learned from in the past were not the best choice, and the Qing Dynasty's path of developing national strength through war is not someone North Korea is willing to follow. Among the countries that North Korea can currently come into contact with, Haihan is undoubtedly the most Suitable learning objects. The two countries have similar cultures, and there will be no major obstacles to communication. Moreover, Haihan has a strong military force and a prosperous country, which seems to be what a powerful country should be like. Letting North Korea develop in this direction will also be a pretty good choice.
For Li Bo, studying abroad has another condition that is conducive to his personal development, and that is the dozens of students from all walks of life who were sent to Haihan at the same time. In the next period of time, these people will live and study with him in Haihan. As the person with the highest status in Haihan sent by North Korea, he can become the backbone and loyal object of these students as long as he pays a little attention.
Although these students who were sent to Haihan by the government were not officials, they were no longer ordinary people. The performance of these students after they go to Haihan will directly affect North Korea's image, so when determining candidates, they also select the best from the best. Most of them are carefully selected elites from various fields. Even for the few people who squeezed into this list through connections, their personal qualities are not too bad. After all, the families behind them hope to spend money to allow these tribesmen to learn some real skills from Haihan. If some stupid people are put in, In the end, you can only end up losing all your money.
If all goes well, when these people return to China after studying in Haihan, there will be a group of elites in various fields loyal to Li Fu, and these people are likely to be senior officials of the imperial court in ten or twenty years. When Li Fu officially Sitting on the throne will bring a group of fans with you, and the political situation will be more stable. This will have many practical benefits for his personal future political career - Kim Sang-hyun has talked to him in private several times about the mystery of this.
In fact, Li Bo was not very aware of the competition for the succession to the throne, because he had been named the crown prince more than ten years ago. Li Bo had great trust in him, and after he became an adult, he began to arrange for him to be exposed to government affairs and learn to govern the country and handle government affairs. This kind of treatment is not available to the two brothers. This means that Li Zhu has always cultivated him as the only heir to the throne, and there is basically no competition between him and his two brothers.
However, Li Pu had been in the position of the crown prince for a long time, and he also knew that the people who would be eyeing this position were not only his two brothers who also had the right to inherit the throne in theory, but also many ministers in the court. Ministers who did not catch up with the "Injo's case" more than ten years ago will hope to serve as ministers of the dragon during the next transfer of the throne, so as to gain promotion opportunities. Ministers like Cui Mingji who directly participated in the "Injo Anyway" and helped Li Zhu ascend the throne would also hope to become veterans of the two dynasties, so as to keep their career smooth.
These ministers all know that if they gather to support the crown prince, most of them will not get much profit in the end, so some people will place their bets on the second eldest son Li Hao. As for the third eldest son Li Jun, he is still too young at present. No one in the world would choose him as an assistant.
It is not uncommon for ministers to gamble their political careers and choose different princes as their assistants for the next few years. This is not uncommon in the court. When Li Zhu launched a coup, the Westerners who supported him were ministers Jin Liu, Li Gui, Shen Jingzhen, Cui Mingji, Jin Zidian, Li Xingli and others. Li Jie was not even the heir to the throne at the time. The then crown prince Li Jin was deposed by Li Jie after the coup and detained on Jianghua Island. Soon after, he found an excuse to kill him.
Therefore, although there is currently no competition among the three brothers Li Hu, Li Hao and Li Jun regarding the succession to the throne, judging from the history of the Joseon kings, the restless people are not necessarily all in Gyeongbokgung Palace. There has never been a lack of careerists in the court. , once there is an opportunity, some people may take the initiative to jump out and cause trouble. As the crown prince, this is also a situation that cannot be avoided.
Li Bo once saw in a written report that Haihan Kingdom did not have a king, but several high-level officials formed a cabinet-style governing body called the Executive Committee. It is said that Wang Tom, who led the army to fight in Korea this time, He is one of the senior officials of the Executive Committee. Li Pu would like to know what advantages this kind of ruling institution has in governing the country compared to the monarchy. If possible, it would be best to have a frank discussion about this issue with the senior officials of the Haihan Executive Committee.
Although North Korea is strapped for funds to study abroad, North Korea still made the proper arrangements when bidding farewell to these overseas students. King Li Jie and a group of ministers personally went to the Han River to practice for these students. This arrangement also led local people to flock out of the city to watch the excitement. For a time, the entire Seoul and beyond knew the news of the departure of the overseas students.
"You have traveled thousands of miles to the South China Sea. Don't forget the expectations of your home and country, and work hard to acquire the knowledge of Haihan. When you return from your studies, I will come here to welcome you!" Li Zhu raised his wine glass and said, "Drink this glass to the full. , it’s been a smooth trip! ”
Everyone, including Li Bo, thanked Li Bo for the wine, and then drank from their glasses. In the next two years, it will be difficult for most of them to taste the flavor of their home country.
"Take good care of yourself when you go to Sanya. If you are in doubt, discuss it with Li Xi. He went there more than half a year before you and knows the local area far better than you do. He may be able to help you." Li Xi finally said He still called Li Bo to his side and gave him a few special words, but this was actually not the first time he had said this to Li Bo.
Li Bo bowed and responded: "What my father said, my sons and ministers must keep it in mind."
Li Zhu nodded and said: "The Haihan people have great magical powers, and there may be many things in their capital that you have never thought of, but be sure not to listen to one side or not. Don't believe what the Haihan people say, nor do you believe everything they say." Even though things are good, not all are suitable for our country. You have to distinguish between what you should learn and what you shouldn’t learn.”
"The capital of Haihan is thousands of miles away from here. Daily communication is inconvenient. I heard that the cost of living there is extremely high. I will try to send more money from Haihan Bank. You can arrange the withdrawal on your own. Don't wrong yourself." At the end, Li Zhu still showed his fatherly side.
Li Bo finally knelt down and kowtowed three times to Li Bo before getting up and boarding the ship. Amid the clamor of the public, the two merchant ships carrying these overseas students slowly sailed away from the river bank, and followed several other Haihan warships toward the estuary of the lower reaches of the Han River.
Watching the scene in Seoul slowly fade away from his field of vision, Li Hao finally had a real feeling of going abroad. This was completely different from the mood he had when he went to the Datong River base before. I have inexplicable expectations and uneasiness about the unknown environment, and I also feel a little sad because I have to leave my hometown for such a long time. But in the end, he remained calm. After all, he is the crown prince of Joseon. From now on, every move, word and deed will represent the external image of his country. He must be calm and steady, and must not let outsiders look down upon him.
I heard that there are special newspapers in Haihan that report news from overseas countries, and the timeliness is extremely high. News like the Ming Dynasty is faster than the imperial newspaper. In the next two years, he will live and study in another country far away from Seoul, and he can probably only learn about everything that happens in North Korea through the information channels provided by Haihan.
(End of chapter)