Chapter 3487
These high-ranking officials who could be selected by Li Zhi to visit Haihan with him were basically inextricably linked with Haihan.
Shen Xueyi inherited his father's legacy. His father, Shen Jingzhen, served as a military judge in both Li Zhu and Li Zhi dynasties, making him a popular general in the Korean army at a young age. As early as twenty years ago, he had He led troops abroad many times to participate in military operations organized by Haihan.
Although An Daoshi was born in an Orion family, with his extraordinary talent, he stood out in the selection of military talents and became the first batch of North Korean officers to study abroad at the Haihan Sanya Army Academy. Then he rose through the ranks and became the most popular military officer in North Korea today. One of the famous generals.
There is an invisible rule in the Korean army. As long as you have a background related to Haehan, it is often easier to win military honors than others, and Shin Hak-yi and Ahn Do-seok are undoubtedly such beneficiaries.
Of course, North Korea does not have conservative officers who want to take an independent path and advocate reducing over-reliance on Haihan. However, such people often have difficulty in getting ahead in the military, and it is basically difficult for them to have the opportunity to obtain heavyweight military honors. Nor can he be promoted to the imperial court and become a big figure with the right to speak.
In fact, no matter whether they are civil servants or military officers, as long as they hold objections to Haihan and make certain remarks that are not conducive to the relationship between the two countries, their career will often die midway and disappear from the officialdom quietly.
Over time, the voices opposing Haihan naturally became less and less, and the officials in charge of government and military power were basically all pro-Haihan faction.
As the king of a country, Li Zhi was well aware of this situation, but he was unable to change this situation that had formed a strong inertia.
He knew that if he tried to change anything, even the position of king might suddenly be replaced by someone else at some point.
After all, in Pyongyang, four hundred miles away, his brother Li Hao was in charge of a small court that was almost exactly the same as in Seoul, and the supporter behind it was also Haihan. If there are any problems on Li Zhi's side, Haihan will definitely push Li Hao to the stage immediately and replace him as the ruler of the Korean Peninsula.
Haihan was able to support him to ascend the throne back then. Now, more than twenty years later, he certainly has enough ability to support the next king of North Korea.
It is precisely because of this concern that Li Zhi has been cautious during his reign, obeying various requests made by Haihan, and consciously sent his son Li Bai to Haihan to study abroad for a long time.
Although it is still unclear what Haihan's real purpose is for holding this Zhoushan Forum, and the invitation letter did not name Li Zhi to attend in person, he still decided to take this opportunity to come to Hangzhou and meet with everyone on the executive committee. Senior officials held meetings to maintain personal relationships while also taking the opportunity to show them North Korea's firm loyalty as a vassal state.
Most of the people from other countries attending the meeting were diplomats or senior generals. Li Zhen's attendance as the king of North Korea was obviously beyond the norm.
But he knew that he could not miss such an occasion. If he was not present and his brother Li Hao came to Hangzhou quietly, wouldn't it make outsiders think that Li Hao was the representative figure of North Korea? He couldn't let his competitors get this opportunity in vain.
On the carriage entering the city, Li Xie was still thinking about what he wanted to do next, but his thoughts were interrupted by Li Xuan's childish voice next to him.
"Father, is this the capital of Haihan Kingdom? Look, it's such a high wall!"
Li Zhen smiled and explained to his son: "This is actually the old city built during the Ming Dynasty. Now Haihan has built a new city outside the original city. When it is completed, it may be even more spectacular than this old city!"
And Li Xuan's attention has shifted to the rows of shops in the city and the bustling flow of people in the street: "Father, this Haihan capital is really lively, much livelier than Seoul!" One is a peninsular vassal state, and the other is an intercontinental empire. , if Seoul wants to compare with Hangzhou in terms of prosperity, it is naturally far from comparable.
However, Li Zhi found an opportunity to ask his son what he thought: "My father asked you, since this place is so lively, what do you think about letting you stay here?"
Li Xuan blinked and thought carefully for a moment before answering: "Can the child leave the palace every day and come to the city for a walk?"
Li Zhi couldn't laugh or cry when he heard that. Children's perspective on the world is indeed very different from that of adults, so he had to continue to explain to him: "There is no palace here, where do you go from... What the father means is to let you come here." Study and learn skills, just like your big brother!”
Li Xuan shook his head repeatedly and said: "My eldest brother came to Haihan to study and only returned to Seoul once every few years. The child will not be happy if he cannot see his father and mother!"
Li Zhi was a little relieved, feeling that the child cared about family ties, but unexpectedly Li Xuan then said: "Why don't our father and mother come here as well, and we move our family to Hangzhou?"
Li Zhen sighed: "If our whole family moves to Hangzhou, we will be living under someone else's roof!"
Li Xuan was born to his concubine, and the person who will inherit the throne in the future is most likely to be the crown prince Li Bai. At most, Li Xuan will be given the title of "Great King" and become an idle prince.
Therefore, sending Li Xuan to Haihan to replace Li Bai actually did not put much psychological burden on Li Xie. It was just Li Xuan's unintentional words just now that made him feel emotional.
If the whole family moves to Hangzhou to settle down, it can only mean that the country of Korea has changed. Either a new person will become the king, or the entire country will be annexed by Haihan.
Of course, Li Zhen also knew that the possibility of the latter situation happening was extremely slim. Haihan had no obvious interest in annexing North Korea, and his main energy was still focused on replacing the Ming Dynasty's rule over the world.
As long as Li Zhi himself does not commit suicide, his family will probably rule the Korean Peninsula - or at least one-half of the peninsula - for generations under the protection of Haihan, while the other half will be controlled by his brother Li Hao's family.
Sometimes when he dreams back in the middle of the night, Li Zhen will also wonder whether, as the king of North Korea, he is the real king of a country, or whether he is just taking care of this country for Haihan.
If it's the latter, is that also considered a different kind of living under someone else's roof?
There is no real answer to this kind of question, because if he seeks the answer, Li Zhi will only feel powerless and painful. To maintain the status quo, for him, he has done his best.
The team welcoming Li Xie did not stop in the city, but passed through the city and went straight to the new city on the north side of West Lake. The Guest House built to receive foreign dignitaries is located in this area.
Since the National Day last year, the Guest House has recently ushered in a new wave of reception peaks. When Li Xie's motorcade arrived here, they met another group of foreign visitors who had also just arrived in Hangzhou.