"Korean envoys, what gifts have you prepared for our prime minister?" In the Chui Gong Hall, Emperor Liu was lying on a bench in a leisurely posture, swaying and asked slowly.
Standing nearby was Zhang Dejun, the imperial envoy. After hearing this, he immediately reported: "It is said that there are ten pearls, a hundred catties of gold, ten thousand taels of silver, and five beauties from Goryeo..."
"Haha, what a generous gift! This Korean is so generous!" Emperor Liu smiled softly: "How did Zhao Pu deal with it?"
Zhang Dejun said: "After Prime Minister Zhao returned to his residence, he learned that the Korean envoys had presented gifts, and ordered people to seal up the pearls, gold and silver, and hand them over to the national treasury. As for the Korean beauties, they were all handed over to the Jiaofang Secretary. All gifts were rejected, and Xu Xi of Korea also No private interview!”
Zhang Dejun's tone was calm and pertinent, but it gave Emperor Liu a feeling that he was leaning towards Zhao Pu, and he couldn't help but glance at him. Looking away, Emperor Liu said meaningfully: "It seems that Zhao Pu cherishes his feathers more and more!"
Zhao Pu's performance in the central government and as an official in a local area are completely different. At least when he was an official in Sichuan and Shu, Zhao Pu accepted gifts, which was not to the extent of corruption and bribery. However, he did not pretend to be aloof, and he was still very obedient in normal human relations. of.
Of course, Zhao Pu is not a pure moral minister. He also has flaws and stains. The major mining disaster that shocked the southwest was due to Zhao Pu's mistake in hiring people. The little mine supervisor actually dared to deceive the superiors and deceive the court.
But after returning to the imperial court to serve as prime minister, Zhao Pu obviously changed. His style of dealing with politics was still strong and capable, but he also became clean and self-possessed in terms of personal ethics.
Especially in the aspects that are most likely to attract criticism, he is even more cautious, vigorously restrains his relatives and friends, and is also extremely measured in his interactions with fellow disciples, old officials, and subordinates.
Emperor Liu could understand this. Zhao Pu had lofty aspirations and wanted to make a difference. If he wanted to leave his own personal achievements in the Kaibao Dynasty, he needed to try his best to avoid unnecessary criticism.
Especially after he gradually revealed his governing policy and direction, he was under tremendous pressure and needed to stand upright, otherwise he would surely fall into endless trouble.
This time, the worship ceremony offered by the Goryeo envoy could be described as heavy, but to Zhao Pu, it was really nothing. In fact, Zhao Pu may feel a little angry in his heart, as this will bring trouble to him.
No, Heaven has already heard it.
"It is said that money is used to do things. The Korean envoy gave such a generous gift. Zhao Pu refused and just returned it. What is the purpose of turning it over to the treasury?" Emperor Liu muttered: "Isn't this accepting gifts on behalf of the imperial court?"
Turning his eyes slightly, Emperor Liu looked at Zhang Dejun, who was standing in a humble posture: "During this period, has Xu Xi been active in Beijing frequently?"
Zhang Dejun responded: "Back to the official's house, it has been half a month since the Goryeo envoys arrived in Beijing. They have made humble remarks and courteous remarks, but they still have no way to get in. I thought that the official's refusal to receive him made Xu Xi feel in awe of the great power of God and felt uneasy. , so I kept running around to seek help from Mr. Zhao’s house!”
"It's a small country, if you don't teach it a lesson, it will never be able to recognize the power of God!" Emperor Liu said lightly, his tone still strong and full of contempt.
It has to be said that in the past years, some of Goryeo's behaviors really angered Emperor Liu, and Emperor Liu always held a grudge, and he has not been able to let go of it to this day.
After the beginning of spring, Koryo State sent envoys across the sea and traveled thousands of miles to Luojing. The visitor was an old friend. Xu Xi, who had come to Youzhou for an audience, was naturally seeking peace.
Last year's Han-Li War was just a small episode in the Han-Liao War. Although the Han Dynasty's monarchs and generals passively distracted some attention, the actual situation was insignificant.
Under the proactive attack of the Han army, they achieved two complete victories without investing too many troops or paying too much price. After that, the Donghai Navy made demands and requests on the border of Korea for a month.
As for Goryeo, not only did they lose tens of thousands of troops, their navy was almost completely wiped out, and most of their elite troops were lost. More importantly, during the subsequent wanton invasion by the Han army, the prefectures, counties and towns along the coast of Goryeo were ravaged by war, causing huge losses to the property of officials and people.
Moreover, after a winter's rest and recuperation, the Han army still did not give up after the beginning of the new year. Under the command of Guo Tingwei, the soldiers of the Han army who had gathered strength and strength once again launched an invasion and plundering of Goryeo.
Unlike many soldiers who participated in the Northern Expedition, the navy soldiers had almost no war-weariness at all. On the contrary, they were high-spirited and extremely active. They went to Koryo to make a fortune.
There is no way to gain wealth faster than robbery and looting, and the Jeju Island navy base opened by the Han army has become a huge place for "selling stolen goods"...
Under such circumstances, the Han army refused to give up, and the Goryeo Kingdom became even more intolerable. Its southwest coast was the best place in the country, and how could it suffer such damage for a long time.
In the face of "sea trouble", it is not that Koryo did not take some countermeasures, such as mobilizing troops to ambush and encircle some Han troops who landed. This of course achieved some results and repelled some Han troops.
However, by treating the symptoms but not the root cause, the naval force was basically lost and without control of the sea. The Han army from the sea could appear and disappear, and it was impossible to effectively contain it. This forced a large number of officials and civilians in the coastal states and counties of Goryeo to flee inland, which also led to the rampant flow of refugees in Goryeo. Social security was seriously damaged, and even the rule was shaken.
In the Goryeo Kingdom, after the reforms of Goryeo King Wang So, the royal power was strengthened, the national power and military equipment were greatly improved, and its rule became more stable under its power.
However, in less than half a year, we were back before liberation. Due to conflicts with the Han Dynasty and even military encounters, coupled with the loss of a large number of soldiers and horses in two battles, the royal power was inevitably weakened.
As a result, those nobles and heroes who had been suppressed by Wang Zhao in the past ten years or so, and those forces whose interests had been severely deprived and weakened during Wang Zhao's reforms, began to make moves.
The army was defeated, some soldiers and horses were lost, the prefectures and counties were plundered, and the officials and people suffered some losses. These may be nothing to the King of Goryeo. However, his power was weakened, his prestige was attacked, and his throne was shaken, which made Wang Zhao unable to sit still.
Foreign troubles continued and internal worries arose again. Under the pressure from both inside and outside, Wang Zhao could no longer bear it and had to find a way to rescue him. And even people who have never seen it know the root cause of the turmoil in Goryeo?
Big man!
Under Xu Xi's persuasion, Wang Zhao finally decided to send another envoy to the Han Dynasty to pray for the Han Dynasty's forgiveness, hoping to restore old friendship and express his attitude of being a vassal forever.
Although Wang Zhao personally felt a little depressed, aggrieved, and even humiliated, he really had no other choice. After being severely beaten, he realized that the Central Plains Kingdom, which was only separated by a sea, was really not someone they could offend.
In the past, it was indeed Wang Zhaopiao who tried to play both sides between Han and Liao, and even wanted to participate in the war between the two countries. In the end, it was just pulling chestnuts from the fire and the country was in chaos.
Xu Xi brought a large number of treasures and beautiful women across the sea, and even Wang Zhao contributed a lot of the treasures in his palace treasury. After traveling thousands of miles, traveling by car, boat, and horse, and going through all kinds of hardships, we arrived at Luoyang.
Originally, in Xu Xi's expectation, they were full of sincerity and should be able to impress the emperor and ministers of the Han Dynasty. But the reality made them feel frustrated. After arriving in Beijing, they encountered obstacles almost everywhere.
For the first time, the Han Empire showed a stinginess and arrogance. Apart from leaving the Korean envoys in the hotel, they did not greet them and almost ignored them.
Xu Xi requested to meet Emperor Liu several times and submit his credentials, but was rejected. He could not be seen and did not even have the opportunity to send gifts. After a long time, Xu Xi was inevitably frustrated, but considering that the Han army might still be raging across their borders, he had to boost his fighting spirit. After thinking about it, he finally paid attention to Zhao Pu.
As a result, Zhao Pu accepted the gift, but he seemed to have no intention of doing anything...
