While the internal party strife in the Ming Dynasty led to the mobilization and change of commanders of the troops aiding North Korea, North Korea was also not idle. Due to his political and war performance in the previous period, Liu Chenglong was promoted to the position of chief councilor due to merit, while Itoshou was demoted to the central government affairs.
In the North Korean state system, the leader is equivalent to the prime minister. From an institutional perspective, his domestic status is similar to that of the chief minister of the Ming Dynasty and is more authoritative.
After Liu Chenglong became the prime minister of North Korea, his first priority was to prevent the Japanese army from invading again and began to study defense plans. Liu Chenglong led the newly-appointed military officer Cao Banshu Li Dexin and the official officer Cao Banshu Li Hengfu to meet with the King of Korea Li Yu. At this time, Li Hao was drinking tea with Jin Guiren. When he saw the three people coming, he asked how the plan was being prepared.
Li Dexin replied: "Your Highness, after discussing with the Prime Minister, we have decided on two plans. The first is to support the people and the army, so we should make every effort to resume the production of grain and salt."
The King of Joseon also believed that this should be the case. However, after the Korean War, the land was barren. How to complete the necessary needs as quickly as possible was puzzling to the King of Joseon. Fortunately, the food problem has been solved by Beijing. The salt problem can also be solved in the same way, but it does not need to be solved from the beginning. For transportation in southern Xinjiang, Jinghua has a salt farm in southern Liaoning - it is a joint venture between Gao Pragmatic and the emperor.
Li Hengfu also knew that Beijing had now become the main source of various necessities for North Korea, so he said that he would submit a memorial later, saying that the specific methods were included in it, and asked Li Huo to read it.
Then he talked about the second plan: "As for supplementing sergeants, in the past, the imperial court cultivated talents through training of governors, and local governments also recruited them through military service, so only poor people were used to form the army. However, since the Ming Dynasty, strong armies have mostly come from From the servant's point of view, if you want to strengthen the army, there should no longer be distinctions between good and bad, whether it is the yangban or the villagers. It needs to be organized into a team, so that all those who can kill the enemy can participate, and they will be treated equally."
This idea had a great impact on North Korea's military system. Li Huo was very surprised after hearing this and asked Liu Chenglong: "Prime Minister, is it necessary to do this? Before the two squads, they were very reluctant to avoid the cheap method and the rice production method before reluctantly giving in. , If we follow what I just said, what is the difference between scholar-bureaucrats and villagers? I find this matter very difficult."
Liu Chenglong advised: "Your Highness, since the founding of the People's Republic of China by Taizu, military service for the country has been an honorable obligation for everyone regardless of status. However, as time went by, Yangban used his power and inducements to make people serve on his behalf. Military service gradually became a routine, and eventually became a matter of course during the reign of King Jungjong.
The two classes are only for their own selfish interests, coveting wealth and happiness, and do not dare to sacrifice for the country, but they still act recklessly in high positions. How can the people who have been harmed for a long time sacrifice their lives for the country? I think this is one of the reasons why the soldiers were dispersed in the early stages of the war. The army of Jiu Wu was not to disrupt the identity order of the liangban and the villagers, but to restore the law of Taizu, nothing more. "
Li Dexin also advised: "Since His Highness approved the implementation of the Law of Avoiding Inferiority and the Law of Making Rice, the people's morale has been greatly boosted. The army can rectify the national military discipline and overcome the national chaos. I hope Your Highness will understand clearly."
Li Hengfu also said: "Your Highness, as far as I know, not all the two classes are opposed to the liberation of the army. Some of the aspirants in the two classes are in favor of the liberation of the army. Many scholar-bureaucrats also mobilized volunteers during the national crisis, so I think this is not the case. It will never be accepted by Yangban.”
Having said that, Li Huo was worried that the two classes would rebel after the war ended, so he was quite hesitant and hesitant. Liu Chenglong advised Li Ao not to worry about the two squads now, but to prevent the Japanese army from invading again. Li Ao felt in a dilemma.
In the evening of that day, Crown Prince Guanghai asked Li He, and Li He asked: "The leaders of the rebel armies from all over the country have been coming to support the liberation of the army, but you are behind it? I guess there is no one besides you who can mobilize them so easily. Someone else."
Lord Gwanghae said frankly: "Your Majesty expected it to be true. It was Ichen who informed the leaders of the rebel armies in various places about the significance of joining forces. I was also worried about the resistance of the two groups, but I believed that this move was to overcome the war, and the war was This law can be adjusted or even abolished later - the enactment of the law will change according to the times."
His confession surprised Li Hao, and he said with a smile but not a smile that Guanghaijun had changed a lot. Lord Guanghai had no expression on his face and replied softly: "People's hearts in the world are changing every day, and I am no exception."
Li Hao was slightly silent and said that he would consider Guanghaejun's suggestion. Guanghaejun thanked him and left.
On the other side, Li Dexin also expressed his worries about this matter to Liu Chenglong: "The king is in a dilemma, and the two squads are eyeing each other. If this is the case, I am afraid that a conflict will break out. It is a miracle that the king has accepted so many reform petitions recently. Can the implementation be postponed?”
However, Liu Chenglong has made up his mind to insist on carrying out the reform to the end. Just as he was about to go to ask for the decree again, Li Hengfu hurriedly came to report that the Law of Liberation had been approved and the Seijeongyuan had begun to promulgate it to the whole country. Liu Chenglong asked carefully and found out that the prince and the rebel leaders also helped.
It needs to be mentioned here that Liu Chenglong deeply touched Guanghaejun's increasingly sensitive heart by expressing his negative views on whether Guanghaejun could be officially canonized as crown prince by the Ming Dynasty. Jackie Chan also had misunderstandings from time to time, and gradually became distant and slightly hostile.
It is precisely because of this that what happened today surprised Liu Chenglong. After a long period of setbacks and hardships, Lord Gwanghae also subtly changed from being wise and generous to being full of scheming, and his thoughts and actions gradually became involved in party struggles.
Therefore, after the North Korean side abolished the low-level law and the rice-making law, the conscription system that required all able-bodied men to serve in the military regardless of their status began to be fully implemented. Although the two groups of scholar-officials had many complaints, they were unable to resist, and Liu Chenglong's reforms were deeply advanced. However, the scars caused by the war in many places have not yet healed, and the greed and cruelty of some local officials have also made the people miserable.
Soon, the official Li Menghe distributed food widely and called on the people to resist. He pretended to be the leader of a rebel team and incited the rebels to rebel in Zhongqingdao. The North Korean Border Preparation Department therefore held a meeting to urgently discuss countermeasures.
At the meeting of the Border Secretary, Li Dexin reported that Li Menghe had occupied Hongshan and moved to Hongzhou via Qingshan and Qingyang. Hongzhou is guarded by Lin Deyi and Pu Mingxian. The leader of the rebel army, Jin Deling, rushed to Hongzhou on the order of the capital marshal Quan Li, and the border patrol envoy Li Yi also asked for orders to go to help.
Li Yi said: "The headquarters and the rebel army led by Li Menghe have been tempered by battles and can be called elites. The rebel army at the beginning was only a thousand people, but now it has exceeded ten thousand. Even if Jin Deling comes to help, I think it will be difficult to deal with it. I, Li Yi, can't solve this problem by taking action, so I ask the Prime Minister to allow me to help."
Liu Chenglong simply refused and said: "There are many generals who can be dispatched. I am not worried about the lack of generals, but I am worried about the people's support. If the people's support disappears at this time, even suppressing the rebel army will be useless. Most of the rebel army was killed by Li Menghe." Directly suppressing the deluded people with force will make our reform efforts in vain, so we should focus on appeasing them."
However, unexpectedly, at this time, the North Korean King Li Huo suddenly came to Bibiasi and accused Liu Chenglong of favoring the rebels. Liu Chenglong was very puzzled.
Li He said with a sullen look on his face: "They want to kill me. They are traitors who want to overthrow the country!" Li Yi, the border patrol envoy, heard the order and immediately led his army to Hongzhou to annihilate Li Menghe. Anyone who followed Li Menghe in the rebellion would be beheaded. ! And for those who bring back Li Menghe’s head, I will give them official positions regardless of their status.”
Liu Chenglong was shocked and quickly advised: "Your Highness, please think twice. The reform has not been implemented for a long time, and some places have not received favors before this accident happened. As long as some time passes, the people will know the court's intentions towards them. They will I will also be grateful to His Highness and repent of this sin."
Li He was extremely impatient and waved his hands and said: "What the prime minister said is absolutely true. In order to appease the people, I ignored the opposition of two groups of scholar-bureaucrats and resolutely implemented the reform. What I got was such a rebellion. I am really happy! Border patrol envoy , What are you still standing there for? Didn’t you hear clearly what I just ordered?”
Li Yi hurriedly took the order to attack, but Li Hao walked away angrily without waiting for Liu Chenglong to continue persuading him.
Li Menghe led his army to arrive outside Hongzhou City and shouted to his troops: "Tonight we will be stationed outside the city, and we will capture Hongzhou tomorrow. As long as this city is captured, red general Guo Zaiyou and loyal general Jin Deling will join us. Let's join together and build prosperity together!" The crowd was excited because of this, but Liu Chenglong had already arranged for a spy to sneak into Li Menghe's army to persuade the people.
Xizuo took the opportunity to fight with each other to attract attention, and said to the people: "Come and see this lunatic. He said that General Jin Deling, who came to help us, came to arrest us instead? What nonsense? Just say that he is afraid of the army!" "
Another agent shouted: "It's true, brother. General Kim Deok-ryung's subordinate Jiaji told me that they are not here to help us, but to suppress the rebellion! Oh, brother, come with me quickly, stay You will really die here!"
As soon as these words came out, there was a lot of discussion. Some farmers asked again and again, and said that they had served as volunteers under Jin Deling. Xizuo shouted: "That is really great, then tell us quickly, we are As for the rebels, is that general someone who can fight with us through life and death?"
The farmer was not convinced, so he continued to fight while he was working, causing Li Menghe to order someone to arrest him. After Xi Zuo escaped, the villagers were all frightened and began to flee one after another. Some of the villagers believed that if they escaped directly, they would be regarded as traitors and hunted by the government throughout their lives, so they decided to take Li Menghe's head to atone for his sins according to the king's order. The fleeing people also fled into Jin Deling's place to confess.
Jin Deling was about to arrest him when the leader called out: "General, it's me, I am Dacheng who served as a volunteer under you for a year." After careful observation, Jin Deling wondered: "Since he is a volunteer, why did he join the rebel army? "
Dacheng replied: "After the villain returned to his hometown, he saw that his two elders, his wife and children had died in the epidemic, and there were not many people left in his hometown, so he has been wandering. Later, he heard that the general was going to join Li Menghe. I joined on purpose, but it turned out to be lies. There were people like me who were deceived, and there were also people who were forced to join because of difficult livelihoods. I should also behead Li Menghe."
Jin Deling was shocked and quickly asked if Li Menghe was dead. Dacheng replied: "Yes, there was an internal strife last night. Someone had killed Li Menghe and presented his head to the government in exchange for an official position and land."
Jin Deling took a deep breath and ordered them all to be released. His subordinates advised them not to disobey orders but to arrest them all. Jin Deling shook his head and said: "Li Menghe is dead, who else should I arrest? Do you want me to kill my brothers who were also rebels with my own hands? Let's all go, don't be discovered again, hide and wait for the opportunity." The villagers thanked him one after another.
Li Menghe's death also quickly reached the ears of the capital marshal Quan Li. Quan Li sighed and heard from his subordinates that the patrol envoy Li Yi had arrested Jin Deling and taken him to Hanyang, Wangjing. After Jin Deling heard about Li Menghe's death, he arrested him. All the remnants of the rebels living there were released and were therefore charged. Therefore, there were rumors that the two people had met and conspired.
Quan Li sighed, shook his head and said, "Jin Deling, this idiot, insists on showing such kindness at this time to cause misunderstanding, which will make things more troublesome."
When the King of Joseon, Li Huo, learned about it, he sneered: "I had known that this would be the case. It is estimated that the rumors that there were letters exchanged between Jin Deling and Li Menghe are also true. Now that Li Menghe is dead, Jin Deling will definitely try to kill me." Li Huo. My heart was filled with emotions and anger.
The Rebellion of Li Menghe was essentially a rebellion to break the imperial court's plunder and suppression of the people and the class conflicts in Korea. Although the Rebellion of Li Menghe came to an end after only more than ten days, because of Li He's fear of the rebellion, all those who participated in the rebellion All the suspects were severely tortured. Jin Deling, who was implicated by Li Menghe, was even tortured, and Guo Zaiyou was also imprisoned and questioned.
After the Crown Prince Gwanghae heard about the incident, he prepared to meet with the King of Joseon to propose rescuing Kim Deok-ryeong, but was dissuaded by the aide-de-camp and prison judge Yoo Jo-no. Yoo Jo-no was an important member of the North Korean Party and was extremely repulsive to other parties. He was more concerned about the Crown Prince for his future plans. safety.
At this time, Liu Zulu hurried over and brought someone to invite the prince to meet him. Liu Zulu said: "I said before that there was a counselor I wanted to recommend to you, and it was Li Erzhan who had previously served as the minister of light. Although he is still idle now. , but after all, he is an outstanding talent selected through the imperial examination. He is full of knowledge and intelligence. He risked his life to protect the portrait of King Sejong during the national crisis. He is a loyal person. If the prince stays by your side, he will definitely help you."
The crown prince Guanghaijun observed Li Erzhan and found that he had a handsome face, indifferent eyes, and a calm expression on his face, but he had a sense of confidence, so he asked Li Erzhan: "Let me ask you, the loyal minister is in trouble now. I Should I sit back and ignore it?”
Li Erzhan replied: "You are unable to protect yourself but you still show unyielding loyalty. It looks like courage, but in fact it is just seeking your own death. Do you have the ability to protect yourself? Do you think your highness really thinks that Jin Deling is a traitor?"
Just like he was warning His Majesty, His Highness was actually warning the generals of the volunteers. His Highness demanded the absolute obedience of the volunteers. Jin Deling is destined to be punished by His Highness this time, and Jin Deling will be used as bait to lure out all those who are dissatisfied with His Highness. Therefore, Your Majesty must not fall into His Highness's trap. "Guanghaijun felt that it was justified, so he stopped caring about Jin Deling's affairs.
The King of Joseon, Ri Wan, looked at the censorship report submitted by Yoo Seong-ryong and said coldly: "Kim Deok-ryeong, Kwak Jae-woo, Choi Dam-kyung, Go Eun-bae and others are all not guilty? The rebels all confessed that they had dealings with Lee Mong-hak. Is this a lie? What?"
Liu Chenglong replied: "It's not a lie. In order to quickly gather the rebels, Li Menghe deceived the people and said that he was negotiating with the rebel leaders from various places, and used their names to make the people believe him. This is just a strategy."
Li Huo asked back: "That means that just by mentioning the name of a rebel general, more than ten thousand rebels can quickly gather together and be ready to execute any order - even if they want to kill a few people, they will not do anything. No hesitation. Haha, do you think there is anything wrong with my interpretation?"
Li Dexin argued: "Your Highness, please calm down. I think this matter is just because the people's hearts are still weak. The Chungcheong Province area where the rebellion occurred has less wars than other areas, so it is shouldering the arrears of taxes on behalf of other areas. As a result, the people's hearts are scattered. Only then was he exploited by Li Menghe."
Li Huo said coldly: "No matter what, they are all gathering to kill me. It's ridiculous. I have tried so hard to stabilize the world, but in the end they conspired and rebelled. Do you want me to listen to the Prime Minister again? Send an order to re-examine this matter. All crimes must be punished!"
After speaking, Li Huo ordered him to retreat, but when he saw that Liu Chenglong had no expression, he gave the order again. Liu Chenglong suppressed his anger and asked: "Is His Highness so afraid of the rebels? Will His Highness' fear disappear only if they are all killed? The war is not over yet, why should the people who sacrificed their lives for the country be regarded as enemies?"
Li Huo asked Liu Chenglong whether he considered him a narrow-minded person who was afraid of the rebels, and Liu Chenglong openly stated that he was. Li Huo said no more and only forced the two of them to retreat.
Afterwards, Li Dexin complained that Liu Chenglong contradicted the king, but Liu Chenglong said: "Are you really ignorant? If we don't ask clearly now, in the future, the lives of all the volunteers or villagers who sacrifice their lives for the country, let alone receive rewards, will be in danger at any time. If this matter is allowed to develop, it will definitely cause chaos."
After Liu Chenglong left, Li Huan angrily said to the chief official: "How can I be afraid of the rebels? It's not because I'm afraid that the rebels will draw knives at me, but because they have to kill them because they are related to the rebels. What will happen to me?" What did you do wrong!"
Angrily, Li Huo kicked the table over, while the chief minister repeatedly comforted him. In fact, in Li Hao's mind, what he was thinking about was how to hide Jin Deling from Liu Chenglong's eyes and kill Jin Deling without getting into trouble.
So later, the rebels' speeches included not only the leaders of the rebels, but also the military commander Li Dexin and the political leader Liu Chenglong. Therefore, the criminal governor Liu Zulu and Li Erzhante went to discuss with Yi Dooshou.
Yi Dooshou wondered why he wanted to discuss it with him. Li Erzhan took out Bingshen's confession and hoped that Yi Dooshou could help. He said: "We have the same enemy position, so we are comrades this time." Liu Zulu also said Advise Yi Dooshou to take revenge on Liu Chenglong for making him take the blame.
Yi Dooshou took the confession and understood it. He stood up and wanted to see the two of them off, saying: "Well, that's how it should be. You two came very timely. I already knew it well. Leave the rest to me, but I still have to do it." Please keep it a secret." The two agreed and left happily, while Idoshou burned the Bingshen confession that the rebels had confessed to after they left.
For Idoshou, although he and Liu Chenglong had many disagreements, Idoushou knew that Liu Chenglong was a very talented person, and they just sometimes had different political opinions.
Yi Dooshou, who saw through the plot of Liu Zulu and Li Erzhan, did not allow the prison to rise again. After burning his resignation, he immediately went to the palace late at night to see Li Ao and intercede for Jin Deling.
When Li He heard that Yi Dooshou had come late at night, he invited him in to ask what was going on. Yi Dooshou asked if he had to kill Jin Deling? Li Huo was extremely impatient: "Why are you like this? I just want to punish the guilty, why not?"
Yi Dooshou said: "Your Highness, how could I not understand the uneasiness of the Holy Heart? If Jin Deling must be killed, I would have no objection, but please let others go and stop the senseless killing. As for those who are implicated, please do not Don't worry about them anymore.
Your Highness knows that I am your Highness's servant regardless of life or death. Please do not expand the impact of Li Menghe's rebellion and plunge the country into a violent storm again before the war is over. "Li Huo also fell into deep thought after hearing this.
Li Hengfu also rushed to tell Liu Chenglong that the confession involved Liu Chenglong and Li Dexin, which also surprised them. Li Dexin sighed: "I didn't expect that my name would be used to stir up trouble, but actually even the prime minister was implicated by them. , It’s really heartbreaking and unreasonable. If someone who hates the Prime Minister hears it, he may become the next Kim Deok-ryung.”
But Liu Chenglong did not panic and was willing to be executed by the king together with all the rebel generals. As he was speaking, Yi Dooshou came to stop him. He said: "Does the Prime Minister hope that he will personally lead the tragedy? The Prime Minister does not need to see His Highness the King anymore. The King has decided to stop and will not implicate anyone anymore. It's just …Can’t keep Kim Deok-ryung.”
Liu Chenglong shouted loudly: "How can we stop if Kim Deok-ryung is not protected? What is the difference between killing Kim Deok-ryung and killing other rebel soldiers? Once Kim Deok-ryung dies, the people of the world will collapse, even if other people are not involved. usefulness."
Liu Chenglong was about to ask to see the king again, but Yi Dooshou grabbed him and said: "Then the Prime Minister means that if we can't save everyone related to the rebellion, these people will have to die? We can't save Jin Deok-ryung or anyone else." People, prime ministers, military commanders, and other volunteer generals all have to die together?
Prime Minister, your actions are empty words of loyalty, but in reality you are abandoning your country and your family! I really can't bear to see the country turbulent and divided due to tragedy! "
This statement shocked Liu Chenglong. Yi Dooshou took the opportunity to ask Liu Chenglong to take care of the overall situation, and made it clear that it was a blessing to sacrifice Jin Deling alone to save the courtiers and volunteers.
Li Hengfu and Li Dexin also advised Liu Chenglong to follow Yi Dooshou's advice. Liu Chenglong sighed, but knew that this was all he could do now.
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