Chapter 2077
Haihan's purpose of deploying naval power in the waters of Jeju Island is of course not for daily training, but to conduct reconnaissance of the Kyushu region of Japan to provide information for the formulation of subsequent combat plans. But the deeper reason is that it has something to do with the future transfer of power in North Korea. Of course, it is not appropriate to directly explain this to the North Korean monarchs and ministers in the official document sent to Gyeongbokgung Palace. The only way to let the other party understand this special situation is through face-to-face communication. situation, in order to control the insiders to the minimum scope, so as to achieve the purpose of confidentiality.
After cooperation from last year to this year, Kim Sang-hyun is one of the few senior North Korean officials that Hae-han can trust, so he can reveal some relevant information to him.
"We have no interest in Jeju Island, and we will not make other requests to your country other than a supply port." Wang Tom knew what Kim Sang-hyun was worried about, so he told the truth straight to the point: "We will launch operations in the area. All military actions have nothing to do with the ownership of Jeju Island.”
Jin Shangxian felt a little relieved after hearing this explanation, but he still boldly asked Tom Wang for confirmation: "Then can I understand the general's words as a commitment from Haihan officials?"
"Of course." Tom Wang nodded and replied in the affirmative: "On this point, Mr. Jin can convey my words to His Majesty the King."
Since the target of the Haihan people is not Jeju Island, it is a relief for Kim Sang-hyun. The purpose of his trip is to find out the matter, so that he can go back to work immediately. However, he couldn't help but be curious about the real purpose of the Haihan people in sending armed forces to the area, so he took the initiative to ask Wang Tom about it.
"It's a long story." Wang Tom said: "To put it simply, it has something to do with your country's close neighbors."
"Japan?" Jin Shangxian's reaction was very quick, and he immediately understood what Wang Tom meant: "I didn't expect that the Japanese would dare to provoke your country! So is your country planning to go to war with the Japanese?"
The relationship between Japan and North Korea is one of constant fighting and fighting. Japan has also invaded North Korea several times in history. The largest one was the Imjin Japanese Rebellion in the Wanli period. It continued to fight intermittently from 1592 to 1598. It ended at the end of the year.
After the Japanese army landed in Busan and invaded North Korea, they captured Seoul, the capital of North Korea, in nineteen days, and Pyongyang two months later. If the Ming Dynasty had not sent tens of thousands of troops to Korea to participate in the war, the Korean nation would most likely have been crushed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's army, and even Guo Zuo might not have been able to survive.
After the war, Japan was quiet for several years, and then restarted bilateral trade with North Korea, and Tsushima set up an official commercial center in Busan, southern Korea. The two countries were slowly repairing the rifts left over from the last century. . However, before this, Kim Sang-hyun had never heard of any dispute between Japan and Haihan, so the answer given by Tom Wang surprised him somewhat.
Wang Tom said: "The current situation is not very clear yet, so we are only taking some preventive measures. Your country does not have to worry about being involved in the war."
Jin Sangxian's old face turned red, knowing that his idea was seen through by Wang Tom, he quickly defended: "Our country had a war with Qing thieves last year and has not yet recovered its strength. If we want to start a national war again, I am afraid that we will not be able to do it and drag you down." The country’s hind legs”
Kim Sang-hyun's words were not entirely meant to evade. Although the Qing army that invaded North Korea was successfully repelled last year with the help of the coalition forces organized by Haihan, a large number of states and counties in the northern region were still involved in the war. The subsequent casualties, coupled with the tens of thousands of people taken captive by the Qing army, and the cities and farmland destroyed by the Qing army, the actual losses were considerable. The coalition troops who came to North Korea to assist in the war were not in vain. North Korea had to pay corresponding military expenditures after the war. The expenses of the Haihan family alone had drained North Korea's treasury.
To this day, although the political situation in North Korea has stabilized, the financial situation has still not been fundamentally alleviated. The official still owes a huge loan to Haihan Bank, which will take several years of tax sharing to repay. If Haehan needs North Korea to participate in another large-scale war at this time, it will be difficult for Kim Sang-hyun to have any other response besides crying out in pain.
For North Korea, the choice of participating in the war will bring as much trouble to the country as the possibility of losing Jeju Island. The historical shadow of being invaded by the Japanese army in the last century has not completely dissipated from the minds of Koreans. As a witness of the Imjin Japanese Rebellion, Kim Sang-heon will inevitably be very sensitive to Japan as an opponent, and his fear of it is comparable to that of North Korea. to compete with our northern neighbors.
They can't fight, and they don't want to fight. Even with Haihan's support, it may be difficult to change the attitude of the North Koreans in a short time. After all, this country is different from the allies such as Annan and Portugal that Haihan had befriended in his early years. It does not have much combat experience following Haihan in eating meat. If senior officials from other allied countries heard that Haihan was going to use force against a certain place, they would probably immediately sign up to participate without hesitation, so as not to miss the opportunity to obtain war dividends.
Seeing that Kim Sang-hyun was unwilling to take the initiative, Wang Tom couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at the moment. He thought that Mr. Kim's vision was still too short-sighted. He only focused on North Korea and had no idea how to participate in international affairs. Of course, this is indeed a bit difficult for North Korea, which has always been a vassal state to China. After all, at the diplomatic level, they only need to be loyal to China. When encountering difficulties, they just ask the suzerain country for help. They do not need and dare not consider developing and strengthening themselves. Possibility of external expansion.
Qian Tiandun, who had been silent sitting next to him, finally spoke at this time: "Master Jin, has it never occurred to you that your country will one day become a regional power that will no longer be bullied by neighboring countries, and can even expand its influence abroad? Territory! ”
Jin Sangxian didn't expect Qian Tiandun to mention such a big goal when he opened his mouth, and he was stunned for a moment and didn't know how to respond. As a country that has been invaded by foreign enemies for decades, North Korea really has no confidence to dare to talk about the goal of becoming a regional power. As for external expansion, Kim Sang-heon has never even dreamed of it. This sounds very ridiculous. Unrealistic situation.
Qian Tiandun looked at Jin Sangxian's expression and roughly guessed how he felt. He shook his head and said, "If Mr. Jin thinks that he can maintain peace in Korea by relying on the protection of our country's garrison in the future, then of course it is true, but your country is actually There should be better development prospects. As an ally of our country, sending troops to fight is just a common occurrence. I hope your country can perform in this regard in the future and don’t let us down too much!”
Kim Sang-hyun was a little hesitant at this time. He could feel that the two high-ranking Haihan officials were deliberately tempting him to express his position. However, this was not an errand of providing money, people and food. It was about naming North Korea to participate in the war. How could he do it casually? Agree. But listening to Qian Tiandun's tone, if he doesn't express his determination here now, it seems that he will miss some good opportunities later.
Would it be good for North Korea to go to war with Japan now? Kim Sang-hyun believes that apart from revenge for the hatred of the past, the actual benefits should be very limited. And the price North Korea needs to pay for this may be much higher than the gain. Wang Tom smoothed things over and said: "Master Jin, there is no need to feel embarrassed. We are not asking your country to participate in future wars led by our country, but as an ally, we still hope that your country can provide our army with supplies within its capabilities. Necessary logistical support ”
When Jin Sangxian heard that the other party finally brought the topic back to the main business, he did not force himself to express his position on the spot. He breathed a sigh of relief and responded quickly: "I will inform your Majesty immediately after returning to Seoul about the temporary supply port. I believe it will be very soon." It will be arranged soon.”
Compared with being dragged to participate in the war, it is much simpler to just provide temporary port use, which will not pose a big psychological barrier to North Korea. The Haihan people have already made it clear that they will not pursue Jeju Island, and Kim Sang-hyun believes that the other party will not make irresponsible remarks on such a major matter.
As for whether the Haihan people really planned to go to war with Japan, and what the scale of the war would be, Jin Sangxian was certainly curious, but he no longer dared to ask any more questions. He understands the truth that talking too much leads to mistakes. Just now he spoke a few words too quickly and was almost forced to express his position by the other party. He didn't want to let the other party set the pace again.
However, the topic of this meeting did not end here. Wang Tom raised a new question to Kim Sang-hyun: "Sir Jin, your country has opened trade with Japan for many years. I think Mr. Jin should be very clear that your country has opened trade relations with Japan for many years. Which big figures in the country have a larger share of these cross-border trades? Can Mr. Jin share this information with us? ”
Kim Sang-hyun said: "Most of the trade between our country and Japan is conducted in Busan. As for the share, there is no clear statistics on this... Can the general explain why he asked about this matter?"
Wang Tom said: "We suspect that Japan is infiltrating your country's officialdom through trade channels, and perhaps some big figures will be involved. Of course, Mr. Jin has always cooperated very happily with us, so we trust Mr. Jin , will ask you to help us investigate this matter. I believe Mr. Jin will not hide anything from us, right?”
Jin Sangxian responded quickly: "Is this happening? Does the general suspect that the one who profited the most from trade was bribed by the Japanese?"
Wang Tom said: "We are not yet sure to what extent the matter has developed. We just suspect that the family business of some officials is the channel used by the Japanese. However, if it involves important figures in the court, such as officials of the same level as Mr. Jin, , then please be sure to tell us, Mr. Jin. This matter is not just an ordinary money exchange, it may also affect the future stability of your country!”
Jin Sangxian heard what he said cautiously, and quickly cleared himself up by saying: "My Andong Jin family is three hundred miles away from Busan. I have no property in Busan, and I have never dealt with the Japanese in private."
Wang Tom waved his hand and said: "Master Jin misunderstood, we are not doubting your family, otherwise we would not ask you about this matter in person. Think about whether there are other officials with this suspicion, for example, they often confront you. Cui Banshu?”
Kim Sang-hyun hesitated and said: "Master Choi is from the Choi family in Jeonju. Jeonju is in Jeollabuk-do. The distance to Busan is further than Andong used to be. It shouldn't be... right?"
Wang Tom's answer to Jin Sangxian was dubious. The distance of three to four hundred miles is not a big problem for businessmen. Business will generate more profits precisely because of cross-regional circulation. Otherwise, how could Western businessmen not be so far away? Thousands of miles traveled around half of the world to trade with the East. Although North Korea's trade environment is relatively closed, it should not be closed to the extent that businessmen only stay in their hometowns to do business. However, Kim Sang-heon did not take advantage of this issue to step on his political opponents, which made Tom Wang somewhat impressed.
"What about the others?" Wang Tom refused to give up and continued to ask.
Jin Sangxian looked troubled and said: "I have always been in charge of the affairs of the Li Cao Yamen. Most of the trade-related matters are handled by the Hucao Yamen. I really don't know the inside story."
Kim Sang-hyun's answer undoubtedly disappointed both Wang Tom and Qian Tiandun. They had hoped to obtain key information directly through official channels to determine who among the top officials in North Korea might have colluded with Japan, so as to investigate North Korea. Whether anyone was involved in the attack on Crown Prince Li Zhi, Kim Sang-hyun was one of the few sources of intelligence they could fully trust.
However, the help that Kim Sang-hyun could provide was almost zero, and he could not even completely clear his own family, let alone meet the expectations of Wang and Qian. If another intelligence officer is sent from the Military Intelligence Bureau to Busan, it will be difficult to investigate the required information in the unfamiliar environment there in a short period of time, and the Executive Committee probably will not have enough patience to let them spend several months. Go slowly and investigate relevant clues.
Although Jin Sangxian failed to provide any useful information, it was not easy for someone to come all the way to the Datongjiang base, so after talking about business, Wang Qian and Wang Qian still held a banquet in honor of Kim Sangxian and his party as per the rules. However, Kim Sang-hyun was anxious to return to Seoul and resume his duties, so he only stayed at the Taedong River base for one day and set off south early the next morning before dawn.
"The old man is a good person, but his mind is too rigid." Wang Tom yawned while waving to the sailboat that had just left the dock. Kim Sang-hyun left too early, and it was not yet time for morning exercises at the entire Datongjiang base.
Qian Tiandun said: "Kim Sangxian is not as honest as you say, right? He has been in the officialdom for decades, and he has been involved in the Japanese Rebellion of Imjin, the Indiscriminate Rebellion of Dingmao, and the Qing invasion last year. He is also a person who has experienced everything. He has never seen anything, so he can be dismissed so easily. You think he is rigid, but I think he is not holding back. I talked to him for so long yesterday, but I didn't even get any useful information. ”
(End of chapter)