Chapter 2461
Chen Yixin did not intend to ignore the Koreans' insistence on their own actions and the complaints that broke out after the defeat. He reported the situation directly to the Executive Committee, believing that this was a dangerous signal that North Korea was gradually breaking away from Haihan's control.
As a vassal state, North Korea completely violated Haihan's opinions during this troop dispatch, which was almost unimaginable a few years ago. It seems that the increase in national power in recent years has made the North Koreans so inflated that they have forgotten how to treat their suzerain country.
Unlike the Ming Dynasty, Haihan will not leave Korea as a vassal state. This country not only has the population and market that Haihan urgently needs, but more importantly, the Korean Peninsula is rich in mineral resources. According to the data available to Haihan, the Korean Peninsula has mineral reserves such as magnesite, tungsten, molybdenum, barite, and fluorite among the top ten in the world. In addition, the reserves of coal and iron ore are extremely rich. These mineral deposits They are of extremely important value to Haihan, which is promoting industrialization.
The cycle of developing these mineral deposits will be very long, possibly hundreds of years. Therefore, a politically stable and obedient Korean kingdom is the vassal state that Haihan needs. However, if the ambitions of the Koreans begin to grow, they think they can get rid of Haihan and make their own decisions. Some major decisions may affect Haihan's long-term plans.
To solve this problem, the root cause still lies with the North Korean rulers. The Executive Committee believes that it is necessary for Li Zhi to sober up and figure out where the power in his hands comes from and how it is guaranteed.
In April 1645, Li Hao, the younger brother of King Li Zhi of Korea, was invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Haihan to attend the celebration of Haihan State in Sanya on behalf of Korea. Later, news came back to North Korea through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Haihan, saying that Li Hao would study in Haihan for a long time and would not return to North Korea in the short term.
This news was very surprising to both the North Korean government and the public, because when Li Hao left North Korea, he had no long-term plans to study abroad in Haihan. It seems far-fetched to say that he only changed his mind temporarily after arriving in Sanya, because studying abroad for royal family members requires all aspects of the matter to be dealt with. The operation is very complicated and must be prepared in advance.
In the end, it was Haihan who revealed the mystery on his own, saying that the purpose of this was to train another ruler for North Korea who was also capable of governing the country in case of emergencies. As for what such a move means, Li Zhi and the counselors around him should be able to read the atmosphere.
Although Li Zhen already has an heir, his brothers are still very high in the order of succession to the throne. If the king abdicates, then whoever can get Haihan's support will have the best chance. May inherit the throne and become the next king of North Korea. This means that if Haihan thinks there are problems with Li Xie's governance, he can directly replace Li Hao.
If you are not honest, then I will replace you with an honest and obedient person. This is the message Haihan wants to convey to Li Xie through this move.
No matter how confident Li Xie was, he would not have the courage to confront Haihan right now. Before he ascended the throne, he went to Haihan to visit and study abroad. He saw the terrifying strength of Haihan with his own eyes, and naturally understood that North Korea was unlikely to catch up with Haihan and be equal to him. If Haihan wants to oust him and support his second brother in power, then he has no confidence in handling this crisis.
After Li Zhi realized the seriousness of the situation, he immediately secretly summoned Haihan's diplomatic envoy in Seoul, expressed his apology for not following Chen Yixin's arrangements before, and promised that a similar situation would not happen again in the future. Li Xie's timely statement saved his political life, but Haihan had no intention of letting Li Hao return home immediately. As long as Li Hao is in Haihan's hands, it is equivalent to preparing a king candidate for North Korea who can replace him at any time. If serious problems arise again in Li Zhi's administration, perhaps the Haihan Executive Committee will use this trump card.
As for the consequences that will arise from this, the Executive Committee believes that they will not be too serious. The short history of North Korea is full of various coups. Changing a ruler is simply commonplace for this country. As long as the successor is still As long as they are descendants of the Li family, civil and military officials and the people have become accustomed to this. And now that North Korea is already a vassal state of Haihan, then Haihan's canonization of the ruler will be regarded as orthodox, and the government and the public will definitely be more accepting of Haihan's leadership in replacing the new ruler.
Of course, even if Haihan currently does not intend to replace Li Zhi, who has expressed regret, he will not give up on the situation in North Korea. Now that we have realized that the current influence on North Korea is not enough, we must increase our efforts.
Almost all North Korea's young senior military attachés have had training experience in the Haehan Army, so they have a higher sense of identification with Haehan than ordinary officials. Haehan is aiming at this and requires the North Korean army to conduct military training across the country's borders in the future. Military operations outside the country must be reported to Haihan first and can only be carried out after obtaining permission.
This is a big test for the North Korean military attaches, whether to choose to be loyal to the king or to follow Haihan's will. Haihan also uses this method to select those who are truly worthy of investing resources in support.
In the autumn of 1645, the war that had lasted for a year left the Ming Dynasty unable to make ends meet and had to apply for a second war loan from Haihan. This time the price was the governance of the entire Guangdong and Guangxi regions. Although Chongzhen is unwilling to do so, the current situation has fallen into a war of attrition, which is obviously more beneficial to the Ming Dynasty. Perhaps if he grits his teeth, he can defeat the Manchu Qing Dynasty, but he cannot let go of his energy at this time. After solving the major concern of the Manchus, it would not be too late to turn around and deal with Haihan.
However, Chongzhen still thought of Haihan too kindly. Since he could think that the Qing Dynasty's national power would definitely not be able to consume the Ming Dynasty, how could Haihan, who had been observing the changes in the situation, not notice it. Haihan could provide war loans to the Ming Dynasty, and naturally he could also lend a hand to the Qing Dynasty.
Although Haihan was determined not to sell arms to the Qing Dynasty, the sale of other supplies had not been banned, and he also provided the Qing Dynasty with the conditions for exchanging land for war loans. Although the Liaodong Peninsula is dominated by mountainous terrain, the southern area connected to Jinzhou does have a large area of coastal plains.
These areas have existed as buffer zones since the signing of the Jinzhou Peace Treaty in 1639, and are now included in the territory of Haihan as Manchu loan collateral. Haihan's area of control in the Liaodong Peninsula expanded threefold, while the Manchu and Qing Dynasty's actual line of control withdrew hundreds of miles northward based on the 1639 peace treaty.
(End of chapter)