Great Ming Dynasty Wen Chao Gong

Chapter 168: Proposal to establish a permanent Korean management strategy
"Let's leave the affairs of Japan as it is for the time being. There are still a few memorials here. Please read them all," the emperor said.

Zhang Xiao took these reports and read them carefully. They mainly involved two things. One was about North Korea. Although North Korea had imperial troops stationed in it, North Korea was weak and civil unrest continued. The second was about the southwest. Yang Yinglong was angry, saying that Yang Yinglong was ambitious. The imperial court was selecting elite soldiers and generals to rush to the southwest, but Yang Yinglong had no repentance at all and instead stubbornly resisted.

This is not an easy problem to deal with. Zhang Xiao can only think nervously while looking at the memorial.

"Your Majesty, regarding Korea's affairs, I request you to establish a permanent manager in Korea, a permanent officer corps in Korea, and station troops, especially a navy, in Korea. If necessary, you can also ask Korea to cede Jeju Island to the Ming Dynasty."

"Jeju Island?" The emperor looked at the place thoughtfully.

"Chen Ju, are you familiar with Jeju Island?" The emperor looked at Chen Ju.

"Your Majesty, this Jeju Island is the place where the Yuan Dynasty raised horses. The Yuan Dynasty once raised tens of thousands of war horses on Jeju Island. Later, when the Yuan Dynasty was destroyed, Jeju Island also came under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the imperial court also used Jeju Island as a place of exile. The land of prisoners. Later, the Korean state paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty and repeatedly requested the Ming Dynasty to return Jeju Island to North Korea. Because Jeju Island was originally under the rule of the Goryeo Kingdom and was ceded by the Yuan Dynasty. North Korea also promised to return Jeju Island to the Ming Dynasty. After the island is returned to them, they will also pay tribute to the war horses. At that time, Emperor Taizu also considered that Jeju Island was too remote and the North Koreans wanted it, so he gave it to them," Chen Ju said.

"Zhang Xiao, since it is a big island that the late emperor gave away, it means it was given away. Now if Jeju Island is taken back by force, wouldn't that mean that North Korea is alienated? Our Ming Dynasty has a vast territory, and this island is not far behind. As for taking back the war horses, the imperial court is actually not short of war horses at the moment. In addition to the war horses obtained from tribute and mutual trade, there are also many horses in the Ming Dynasty's own horse farm. Even in the suburbs of Beijing, there are horse farms, so why bother? We are asking for land from North Korea for a horse farm. If there is really a shortage of horses, we can send officials to Jeju Island to take charge of horse breeding." the emperor said.

"Your Majesty, this matter is not that simple. If it were in the past, forget it, but now that the world's sea power is gradually rising, the Ming Dynasty's land guards are not just on the coast, but also on the islands on the sea. Jeju Island is also relatively powerful among the islands. It’s big, not far from North Korea and Japan. As long as the Ming Dynasty can firmly occupy Jeju Island, then the Japanese country will no longer dare to act rashly. If the Japanese country dares to act rashly, our army can also use Jeju Island as a forward base and directly land on the Japanese country. .”

"As for North Korea, although it has always been very submissive, after our army entered North Korea, it often lacked military resources. With the withdrawal of the army, our army's farmland was basically returned to the North Koreans. If there were no troops and food on Jeju Island, If one day North Korea is attacked again, and it has to work hard to prepare troops and food, I don't know if it can catch up. So it is better to let North Korea take Jeju Island. If North Korea says that the land is not easy to cede, You can also rent it for decades. Residents on the island who want to stay on the island, or want to go to Daming, or want to go ashore to Wangjing, can come and go freely." Zhang Xiao gave came up with his own plan.

"Your Majesty, if Yang Yinglong wants to rebel, if he goes in other directions, he will only occupy a few more ravines, which will have little impact on the overall situation. The only thing the court needs to worry about is that Yang Yinglong will make a desperate move and invade Bashu territory in large quantities. This will have a negative impact on the court The shock was great. Therefore, I have proposed before that in the land of Bashu, there must be elite divisions, preferably elite cavalry, such as Kuaibai. In the cities near Yang Yinglong, we must also be on guard to prevent Yang Yinglong jumped over the wall in a hurry before the imperial army arrived, and bloodbathed the city."

"That's enough for today about Korea. What do you think about Yang Yinglong?" the emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, the so-called combination of kindness and power means that we must be tough on Yang Yinglong to the end, and we must treat other chieftains who are loyal to the court. We might as well slow down a little while returning to the country, and pay attention to giving more praise to people like Mrs. Shexiang and Mrs. Wa who are loyal to the court. The chieftains of the imperial court, and even stories from previous dynasties, such as Mrs. There are both positive and negative examples, which also served as a deterrent and education for other chieftains from all over the southwest. For those chieftains who did not succumb to Yang Yinglong, and even took the initiative to report to the court, the court should also comfort them to prevent them from despairing Instead, he turned to Yang Yinglong."

"Your Majesty, the Korean army has been completely destroyed after this battle. Although the new army will be trained later, from my perspective, if the Japanese invade again, they will be defeated. As for the navy, the same is true. There is no Daming Navy. The assistance of the Japanese navy was no match for the Japanese navy. Even Yi Sun-shin, who was able to turn the tide at that time, could only ambush and harass the seaside. After all, a successful navy must seize control of the sea, and the role of guerrillas alone is extremely limited. .”

"So the thousands of Qi's troops currently in North Korea are still far from enough. In addition to having a permanent manager in North Korea, the imperial court also needs to send an officer corps to help North Korea reorganize its army. The officer corps must send Ming Dynasty's capable middle and upper-level Officers, all types of arms must be present, and each officer must be accompanied by my capable retainers. The leader of the officer corps can also be called the commander-in-chief, and when necessary, a governor-general can be dispatched to take charge of North Korea's military affairs."

"The army can be trained, but the navy is difficult, so we might as well station the navy in North Korea. As long as the Ming Dynasty's navy is stationed in North Korea, no other country will dare to take advantage of North Korea. Of course, in order to facilitate command, we can also station the navy in North Korea. It is required that the Daming Navy and the North Korean Navy stationed in North Korea jointly form a coalition command and build a combined fleet." Zhang Xiao explained.

"This matter on Jeju Island is of great importance. I already know it. Let's discuss it later. Now tell me, what is the purpose of this officer corps? What are the regulations for garrisoning the army, especially the garrison of the navy?" asked the emperor. .

"Everything depends on your Majesty's decree. I have little knowledge and dare not recommend talents at will. Firstly, it is necessary to avoid suspicion, and secondly, I really can't think of a suitable person." Zhang Xiao answered.

"Your Majesty, North Korea is our loyal and vassal vassal. If the North Korean army can fight, there will be no need for the Ming Dynasty's heavenly soldiers to travel thousands of miles to rescue them. Now that sea power is rising, the probability of the Ming Dynasty's enemies coming from the sea is increasing. North Korea's The position will only become more and more important, and it will become more and more dependent on the protection of the Ming Dynasty. I must have experienced the Japanese invasion, so North Korea can understand the painstaking efforts."

"According to what you said, what is the difference between Korea and my Ming Dynasty province? I'm afraid the king of Korea will not agree easily?" The emperor hesitated.

"If we follow your suggestion, who should be dispatched for the Korean strategy, the commander of the officer corps stationed in Korea, and the naval general stationed in the army?" the emperor asked.

"Go on," the emperor gestured.

"The few things you mentioned do have some meaning."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Your Majesty, I have another suggestion. At present, on land, cavalry is still the most important thing. However, the terrain of our country is diverse, especially in the southwest, which is full of mountains and rivers. The cavalry may not be easy to use. In the southwest, In this land, a specialized mountain camp should be organized and trained. The number of people does not need to be too many, but it must be elite enough to be able to fight one against ten. This mountain camp can actually be formed using General Liu Wei's personal soldiers as the basis. In North Korea, General Liu He led his trusted subordinates to rush through the mountain roads of Korea, and finally burned down the granaries of the Japanese army. General Liu and his bodyguards are very good at mountain warfare."

"I've written it down." The emperor was noncommittal. Zhang Xiao resigned.

The emperor looked at Chen Ju: "I have never heard that Liu Wei and Zhang Xiao have any friendship, but Zhang Xiao recommended Liu Wei so highly. Liu Wei has always been greedy for money and plundered wantonly. He often killed good people and took credit for their merits. , I don’t know how many chieftains he forced to rebel. Otherwise, based on his military exploits, he should have been the commander-in-chief long ago. It was because he repeatedly lost his position and resigned, so when he assisted North Korea, he was the deputy commander-in-chief. This is an exception. I have finally made meritorious service from North Korea. Now the Ministry of Civil Affairs has told me that Liu Wei bribed officials in the capital. He felt that the Sichuan military officer given by the imperial court was not high enough, and he wanted to be granted another title. I don’t know if Liu Wei also gave Zhang Xiao a heavy gift. Why did Zhang Xiao recommend him instead of others? Could it be that Liu Wei is an irreplaceable talent?"

"Your Majesty, the ministers are incompetent. Indeed, they did not find out the news that Liu Wei sent gifts to Zhang Xiao. Even in North Korea, Zhang Xiao and Liu Wei did not say a few words. They only exchanged polite greetings on official terms. At that time, Liu Wei said to Zhang Xiao Xiao was also very rude and complained privately that Zhang Xiao was only friendly with Li and his son," Chen Ju said.

"Oh? In other words, Zhang Xiao really didn't accept Liu Wei's gift, and he has no friendship with Liu Wei. He just recommended Liu Wei because he was good at fighting?"

"That's certainly the case so far."

"In this case, Chen Juqian can send people to inspect Liu Wei's personal camp to see if his soldiers are really capable. If they are indeed capable, Liu Wei can also become a general when he conquers Yang Yinglong."

"The minister obeys the order."

Zhang Xiao also breathed a sigh of relief when he returned home. Although I was exhausted physically and mentally, I didn't feel sleepy at all because I was so excited. Zhang Xiao simply reviewed his answers and confirmed that he didn't have any particularly bad ideas. He was relieved for the time being.

However, Zhang Xiao's quiet days of writing books did not last long. Soon, Zhang Xiao received a greeting card that never appeared, but the name Zhang Xiao was too familiar, that is, the original time and space in Saarhu. Yang Hao was defeated miserably in the battle.

In the main hall, the guests and hosts had already sat down separately.

"Zhang Zhanshi, a certain Yang Hao who participated in politics in Liaodong, is currently recounting his achievements in the court. The officials looked at my resume and asked me if I was willing to go to North Korea. I immediately agreed." Yang Hao said.

"Then congratulations to Yang Jinglue."

"The Ministry of Personnel has not issued any formal notice yet."

"There are not many officials who are willing to go to North Korea, especially if they serve there for a long time. Now that Yang Jinglue has so readily agreed to go to North Korea, I am afraid that few people will come to compete with you, Yang Jinglue."

"Zhang Zhanshi, you are already a close minister of the emperor. At that time, North Korea was still at war with the Japanese country, and you resolutely went to North Korea as an envoy. Now that the Japanese country is afraid, there is nothing more than some civilian riots in North Korea, so why bother."

"That's not to say. There are difficulties in fighting during the war, but the world will not be at peace if there is no war. At present, North Korea is in dire need, but the North Korean monarchs and ministers are not very considerate of the people's livelihood, so it has led to one after another domestic riots, and even some Many of the newly recruited soldiers in North Korea have quietly fled the army, and some have even begun to riot with the people. If you go to North Korea, it will be very dangerous."

"That's true. Regarding Zhang Zhan's matter, if I really arrive in North Korea, what should I do to handle the matter to the satisfaction of His Majesty and the satisfaction of North Korea's monarchs and ministers?" Yang Hao asked.

In the original time and space, although Yang Hao was nailed to the pillar of shame forever in the humiliating defeat in Sarhu. However, when looking at a person, we still need to look at it dialectically and objectively. When Yang Hao was managing North Korea, he still did a good job and was remembered by North Koreans. This is not easy. You must know how to save North Korea from destruction. Li Rusong, who was rescued from the edge, did not receive such great respect from North Korea. It shows that Yang Hao still has some tricks.

"Yang Jinglue, I have also been to North Korea, but the situation at that time was different from the current situation. At that time, everything was about winning the war, so I was more direct in speaking and doing things at that time. Maybe the monarchs and ministers in North Korea also had greater opinions. Now North Korea is in a During the reconstruction stage, many tasks require North Korea's full cooperation, which requires more dealings with North Korea's monarchs and ministers, and not being too pretentious about being an angel from heaven." Zhang Xiao thought for a moment and said.

"Zhang Zhanshi, I heard that the permanent Korean economic strategy is your idea. The imperial court must want to take some measures in North Korea. Do I have to explain it to the monarchs and ministers of North Korea?"

"These are all undecided matters, so it's not easy for me to talk about it now. But since Yang Jinglue asked, I can also tell you something. The main thing is to help North Korea reorganize its army. The Great Tomorrow Soldiers will also be stationed in person to work with the North Korean army. Let's help defend North Korea together and ensure the safety of the capital on land and sea. Now that the Jurchen Jianzhou Department has risen, North Korea's military strength has declined greatly. As long as North Korea is rearmed, any changes in the Jurchen departments must be measured. Well done to North Korea. Now, there will be one more channel for military supplies in Liaodong in the future. Therefore, the purpose of conquering North Korea is not just to enhance the power of the Celestial Empire, but also to ensure the safety of the Ming Dynasty." Zhang Xiao explained.

(End of this chapter)