After Sun Chuanting was removed from his post, the position of chief official in Fushun was vacated. Marquis Pingliao had no energy to take care of Fushun affairs for the time being, let alone selecting new officials to take office.
For a whole twelfth lunar month, Kaiyuan was in chaos, everything was complicated, business was in decline, and rumors abounded. Han merchants and foreign merchants were killed one after another. Zhang Chao led people to investigate for several days, but still couldn't find any clues.
Marquis Ping Liao may not be able to live a stable life this year.
Liu Zhaosun realized that the man behind the trouble this time was not an ordinary person, and Zhang Chao could not handle it.
Kaiyuan urgently needs to establish a professional intelligence force.
On the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, Yuan Chonghuan and Kang Yingqian returned to Kuandian station with more than 3,000 soldiers.
Before leaving, Liu Zhaosun specially summoned Yuan Dudu.
Marquis Pingliao encouraged his subordinates as usual, and encouraged Yuan Chonghuan to work seriously in Kuandian, continue to recruit troops and horses, do a good job in farming and horse administration, and supply more food and war horses to Liaodong.
Yuan Chonghuan assured Marquis Pingliao that Kuandian would always be ready to leap across the Yalu River at any time to save the suffering people of Sinuiju on the other side.
Liu Zhaosun's strategy towards North Korea was to devour and gradually digest this land. The method of cultivating agents would not work in North Korea.
The intelligence brought back by Xu Xiake showed that after the Saarhu War, Japan's activities in southern Korea increased, and the new shogun Tokugawa
Unlike Mongolia, which was divided and fighting, North Korea has its own independent culture and history, and its level of feudalization is not comparable to that of the grassland tribes. More importantly, North Korea has more than 10 million people, and its strength cannot be underestimated. During Zhu Di's era, they even had attacks Ming's ambition.
Facing such an opponent, we can only slowly encroach. If he raises his troops to attack like Emperor Gaozong of Sui Yang, he will eventually be defeated in this bitter cold land. Liu Zhaosun will not repeat the mistakes of his predecessors.
Yuan Chonghuan's mission in Kuandian next year is to continue to absorb Korean refugees, further hollow out Sinuiju on the shore, and create pressure on the Korean king in Seoul. When the time is right, he will send troops to annex Sinuiju and include it in the original map.
In the second year of Taichang, affected by the Little Glacier climate, grain production in various regions of North Korea was reduced. Sinuiju in the north was the hardest hit area. The weather was dry and cold, and acres of land were abandoned. A large number of North Koreans fled to Kuandian City on the other side. Under the guidance of Marquis Ping Liao, Yuan Chonghuan had already stored hundreds of thousands of shi of grain in Kuandian. In the spring of next year, when Sinuiju is out of business, more people will cross the river and go to Kuandian. Yuan Chonghuan is familiar with this, and he will take advantage of the situation and integrate them into the fort, allowing them to contribute their meager strength to the original chariot.
At the end of their conversation, Liu Zhaosun thought of the more powerful and troublesome neighbor next to North Korea. He pondered for a moment and said to Yuan Chonghuan:
"There is one more thing that Yuan Ducha needs to pay attention to and help me do it well!"
"Please give me your instructions, Marquis Ping Liao."
Seeing Liu Zhaosun's solemn expression, Yuan Chonghuan quickly bowed his head and obeyed his orders.
"Master Yuan, does he know that after the battles of Renchen and Dingyou (Wanli aided the DPRK), Emperor Shenzong issued an imperial edict to pacify the Japanese, and ordered the surrounding vassal states to join the Ming Dynasty in blockading the Japanese country and not allowing Pianfan to sail to the Japanese country?"
Yuan Chonghuan has been in Lingnan for a long time. Since the Jiajing period, Guangdong has suffered from Japanese rebellions repeatedly. The people of Guangdong hate the Japanese pirates deeply. He is naturally aware of Emperor Wanli's economic blockade policy.
"Of course the official knows that in the 28th year of Wanli, Emperor Shenzong issued an edict to remove the Japanese country from the 'countries not to be conquered during the fifteenth period' stipulated by Taizu, classify it as a 'original evil', and adopt a ban on the Japanese country. In the 32nd year of Wanli, in order to deter the Japanese, a general was set up in Fuzhou, a garrison was set up in Jinzhou, the navy in Dengzhou was transferred to garrison in Lushun, and the navy was set up in Huanggu Island... In the same year, Liao Town Shan When the guerrillas met with the Japanese country Tachibana Chisei in Busan, North Korea, he asked him to tell him: "I tell Yu Ieyasu, you must concentrate on studying well, and you must not make peace with North Korea openly or harbor different intentions. ” (Note 1)
Liu Zhaosun nodded with satisfaction and couldn't help but look at Yuan Chonghuan with admiration. This man was not only talented in practical work, but also well-read and paid attention to every detail.
For North Korea and Japan, Ping Liaohou also needs to make arrangements in advance.
At this time, Japan was in the early stages of shogunate rule. The second shogun Tokugawa Hidetada, like his father Tokugawa Ieyasu, faced a situation where there were many famous names in the country and frequent religious rebellions, and they urgently needed a stable international environment. After the Imjin War, Japan was isolated from other countries in East Asia. The two shoguns changed the foreign policy of aggression and expansion during the Toyotomi Hideyoshi era, hoping to establish direct trade relations with the Ming Dynasty and strive to enter a canonization system centered on the Ming Dynasty.
Liu Zhaosun decided to take advantage of this mentality of the Tokugawa shogunate to play both sides between the Ming Dynasty and the Japanese country to gain maximum benefits.
"I heard that many Japanese merchants were doing business in North Korea, but North Korea has always kept this matter secret from the Ming Dynasty. When Emperor Shenzong was in power, he was kind to me, and he was also kind to Kaiyuan. I am not an ungrateful person. , I want to demonstrate justice for the Ming Dynasty. After you return to Kuandian, send reliable personnel to southern Korea to secretly explore the evidence of their trade with the Japanese country, and send the evidence back to Kaiyuan. When the time is right, you can use this as an excuse. Attack Li Zhu."
Yuan Chonghuan thought for a moment and said cautiously:
"Does Marquis Pingliao want to replace North Korea and trade directly with Japan?"
Liu Zhaosun did not directly answer Yuan Chonghuan's question.
"The population of the Japanese country is several times that of North Korea, and it is full of martial virtues. The Mongolian army conquered Japan three times in the past, but all returned with disastrous defeats. I am not as good as Kublai Khan, so when dealing with the Japanese country, we must take a long-term approach and cannot rely on force alone. Now in the name of the imperial court, Trade with Japan, led by trading companies, gradually eroded Japan's business through certain more profitable goods, such as opium, and then bribed the feudal lords and provoked wars among the feudal lords. Finally, they used force to conquer the die-hards and defeated them one by one. Accept it as the Kaiyuan system."
Yuan Chonghuan was stunned when he heard this. He didn't expect Marquis Pingliao to be so concerned about this small country.
"General Liu, when Taizu personally decided not to conquer the country for fifteen years, this Japanese country ranked first..."
Liu Zhaosun knew that landing in Japan was too fantasy for the ancients of this era, and he did not want to explain more. However, it was necessary to say a few more words to Yuan Chonghuan, the chief official of Kaiyuan who was at the forefront of the conflict between East Asian civilizations.
"Yuan Ducha, is there any country in this world that is not conquered? It just depends on whether you can reach it."
"You are well-read, and you should know that 20 years ago, Emperor Wanli planned to send troops from Korea to land in the Japanese country, sweep holes and plow the courts, and completely solve the scourge of the Japanese country. Unfortunately, the treasury was empty at the time and the ministers opposed it, so the plan was finally abandoned. Before the Ming Dynasty, Whatever can be done will be done by us from now on."
When Liu Zhaosun said this, he said meaningfully:
"You think I am spending a lot of money to develop the navy just to rob Tianjin? Of course not. The Japanese country is densely populated, rich in products, and has rich reserves of silver and sulfur. It must be captured and included in the Kaiyuan system, so that the Ming Dynasty can be integrated The surrounding forces are used to fight against more dangerous enemies."
Yuan Chonghuan asked, seemingly understanding but not understanding:
"Sir, are you talking about dealing with the red-haired man?"
When Yuan Chonghuan was in Guangdong, he met many European missionaries and had contact with the Franji people and the Portuguese.
Liu Zhaosun nodded towards him and said with a smile:
"Okay, let's talk about this first. When you return to Kuandian, you should concentrate on dealing with North Korea. The conquest of the Japanese country is a big deal and cannot be explained in three or five days. Remember, first send people to the south of North Korea to establish a line with these Japanese businessmen. , to facilitate direct trade in the future.”
As Ma Shiying returned to Qinghe and Song Yingxing returned to Tieling, the soldiers also returned to their respective stations one after another. Only two Guards armies were left in Kaiyuan, namely the First Guards Army and the Fourth Guards Army.
The commander of the Fourth Army is still Qi Jin. This veteran of the Qi Army is now mainly focusing on army construction. With the Guards having just been established, Ping Liaohou is reforming this army.
The recruitment and training of soldiers that were previously in charge of Qi Jin were all handed over to his adjutant Yu You.
Yu You is a veteran of the Qi Army. Before joining the Kaiyuan Army, he was the commander-in-chief of the Zhejiang Army. He has followed Qi Jin for many years. Like Lin Yu, he is from Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
Marquis Ping Liao ordered a pilot system of soldier representatives within the Fourth Guards Army.
After many discussions, Liu Zhaosun and Qi Jin finally established this organizational form similar to that of later party representatives.
Fifty literate soldiers and five grassroots officers were selected from six thousand soldiers. The fifty-five people formed a soldier delegation, representing the interests of the soldiers. Three people were selected from the delegation to serve as regular officers. The resident representative supervises and advises the head coach on his decision-making behavior, and also supervises military salary expenditures and death and injury pensions.
Before becoming representatives, they must swear allegiance to the Marquis of Pingliao and Kaiyuan in public.
The content of the oath has not yet been finalized, but you can refer to the oath that future generations will take when they join a certain country.
If nothing else happens, the warrior delegation will be elected once a year and voted by all the warriors. The final list must be finalized by Marquis Pingliao himself.
Thanks to the private school education that Ping Liaohou has always insisted on and the assistance of literacy by the training officers of each battalion, the literacy rate of Kaiyuan soldiers has increased to 12%, far exceeding other armies of this era. Only on the basis of increasing literacy rates and strengthening enforcement can this electoral system, which is still in its original and simple state, be implemented.
~~~~
On the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, Liu Zhaosun's body finally fully recovered and he was able to ride a horse and walk alone.
Early in the morning, the commander-in-chief, who was naturally restless, secretly took a few guards with him without telling Mrs. Gaoming, and went to inspect the army, workshops, shops and schools in a light vehicle.
He inspected the First Army and the Fourth Army successively. When the soldiers saw this brave and skilled commander who killed dozens of Jinba Ya assassinated by one person, they immediately burst into shouts of victory. This kind of fanaticism soon also Infected Liu Zhaosun himself.
In the Fourth Guards Corps.
When Qi Jin and Sen Ti accompanied Marquis Ping Liao as they passed in front of the soldiers' queue, fifty-five newly elected delegations of soldiers stood at the front of the queue and shouted long live to Marquis Ping Liao who was wearing armor and walking slowly past. .
"Long live Kaiyuan!"
"Long live Marquis Pingliao!"
Under the leadership of the delegation, five thousand soldiers broke out into a roaring roar that shook the whole city.
Liu Zhaosun was slightly shaken in his heart, but on the surface he pretended to be fine and continued to wave and greet his soldiers.
After the inspection, Chief Instructor Senti and Marquis Pingliao couldn't calm down for a long time and muttered:
"A bunch of street boys are so noisy."
He was cursing a lot, but he was feeling uneasy in his heart. Looking at this posture, these representatives would soon replace the training officers of each battalion. "
On the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, another Jurchen merchant was secretly killed and his body was dumped on the street.
Zhang Chao and the others were still at a loss.
Kaiyuan's intelligence power was completely blank. In the past, all kinds of intelligence mainly relied on foreign merchants to maintain. Now that they had offended these merchants, Ping Liaohou felt that he was immediately blind.
Although Zhang Chao is excellent in martial arts, he may not be a good intelligence officer even if he is a good guard.
Kaiyuan is based on business. With foreign businessmen being killed so frequently, who would dare to do business?
Liu Zhaosun looked towards the capital and said helplessly:
"Shen Lian, where are you now?"
References:
Note 1: "Chinese Historical Materials in the Records of the Korean Ri Dynasty" Volume 7, Zhonghua Book Company, 1980
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