Chapter 182: The New Upstart of Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Wenzheng
During the day, Zhu Biao drank and chatted with the upper class of Goryeo (he drank plain water, which Zhu Biao claimed was good for health), and at night he recorded people and news, and organized the information that his spies could not get.
When his old subordinate Yang Xian delivered the news of the operation to the Ming Dynasty and volunteered to come to Goryeo to help as an intelligence courier, Zhu Biao had already sorted out the noble officials, big and small, who met with him and the family forces behind them.
Yang Xian saw the table listed by Zhu Biao and felt a little dizzy at first glance.
"I hope Your Majesty can understand." Zhu Biao said, "Although it's okay to just look at the conclusion, you also need to understand the reasons. Your Majesty must learn to sort these out yourself so that you won't be deceived in the court."
Yang Xian hesitated to speak.
What he held back was that when the emperor saw this dizzying chart, he would probably give up thinking and let you, the prince, think for him.
"Biao'er, what's the conclusion?" Liao Yongzhong looked at it for a long time and had given up thinking.
Zhu Biao said, "Wang Zhuan, the King of Goryeo, won't be around for much longer. Both the great aristocratic families and the small and medium-sized gentry want to kill him."
The big families hated Wang Zhuan's reforms, even though Wang Zhuan compromised; the small and medium-sized gentry hated Wang Zhuan's incomplete reforms, even though Wang Zhuan was the one who promoted them.
Wang Zhuan was childless, old and frail, and obsessed with men. The Chinese dynasty had already changed, and the Goryeo nobles also wanted to change the dynasty and become the spokesperson for this new dynasty in Goryeo.
Zhu Yi was puzzled: "The King of Goryeo has no children and is already old. Can't they even wait for this little time?"
Zhu Biao said, "After the King of Goryeo loses hope of having an heir, he will adopt a son from the royal family... or find an illegitimate son to inherit the throne. With a legitimate heir, it will be more difficult for them to seize the throne of Goryeo. But the most important thing is that interests don't wait."
Zhu Biao chuckled and said, "Wang Zhuan is no longer in control of Goryeo's military power. Once Wang Zhuan has completely clarified his interests with the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty will support Wang Zhuan and his family's rule. It will be too late for them to do anything now. Therefore, they must hurry to eliminate Wang Zhuan and take his place in the Ming Dynasty."
Yang Xian pretended to understand the chart and said, "Let them fight each other. We'll just crown the winner."
Zhu Biao shook his head. "Once Wang Zhuan is killed, the Ming will send troops. Without Dynasty will have no reason to exist."
Yang Xian asked, "Biao'er, do you support abolishing the feudal system and establishing provinces?"
Zhu Biao sighed, "It's only less than five days' journey from Beijing. If we don't abolish the feudal system and establish a province, who will be the prince? The Prince of Yan? I don't think Zheng Ge, the Prince of Yan, will be able to hold the throne for long."
Beiping has become Beijing, how can Beijing be the territory of a vassal king? The ministers in the court are already sharpening their knives to attack the Prince of Yan, preparing to make room for him.
Since the King of Yan is guarding the border, our border has moved north, and the King of Yan should go further north.
Yang Xian asked again, "Biao'er, how do you think the King of Yan should deal with this?"
Zhu Biao laughed and said, "Brother Zheng originally only likes fighting, not governing. Now I don't know if I am the King of Yan or he is the King of Yan. So the King of Yan can be like an ordinary official, leading troops when he should, and serving as a civil official when he should. There will be no permanent vassal states. The reason for setting up vassal states is that some places are difficult for the court to govern. But with the steam engine, the internal combustion engine is not far away. More and smaller means of transportation like warships will appear..."
Zhu Biao sighed: "There is no place in the current territory of the Ming Dynasty that the imperial army cannot reach within a month. Then there is no need for vassal kings."
Liao Yongzhong and Yang Xian listened to Zhu Biao's casual words, and for some reason, an unknown surge of emotion surged in their hearts.
This feeling is the same as when the emperor became emperor.
"We should withdraw now that we have only Brother Zheng as a vassal. Brother Zheng is unhappy. Once the Ming Dynasty has money and food, not only will we have the Lingbei Province, but we will also have the Oirat's ancestral land of Dzungar and the restless Nanyang. Brother Zheng will have plenty of places to have fun, and he will be happy." Zhu Biao frowned. "Alas, in the end, we still have to pay for the money and food."
Everyone laughed.
Although Zhu Biao seemed to have a headache, they couldn't help but smile when they thought about the future that Zhu Biao described.
Zhu Biao glanced at a few people and said, "I'm on vacation now and don't want to worry about those headaches."
"Okay, okay." Yang Xian said, "I won't ask any more questions. You should have a good rest."
Zhu Biao then had a good rest and made an appointment with a general named Li Chenggui to have barbecue that night.
Lee Seong-gye, along with his great-great-grandfather Lee An-sa, served in the Yuan Dynasty. His family inherited the title of Shuangcheng Darughachi and changed their names to Mongolian. Lee Seong-gye was also known as Yaozhu, and his father Lee Ja-chun was also known as Wulusibuhua.
Li Zichun defected to Goryeo when the Yuan Dynasty declined and Goryeo broke away from Yuan Dynasty's control. After Li Chenggui inherited his father's position, he is now a powerful general in Wang Zhuan's hands.
Zhu Biao did not know that Lee Seong-gye would become the founder of the Lee Dynasty more than ten years later. He asked Lee Seong-gye to come only because although Lee Seong-gye had been in northern Goryeo for a long time, his family was the Jeonju Lee family and he knew Jeonju very well.
Jeonju, now known as Wansan, was the southernmost prefecture on the Goryeo Peninsula. During the Japanese invasion, Jeonju was repeatedly harassed by pirates. Lee Seong-gye harbored a deep hatred for the pirates.
There is an island called Jeju Island below Wanshan Mountain. It is only three or four hundred kilometers away from the Kyushu Islands of Japan. Kyushu Island is the largest base camp of the Japanese pirates.
Jeju Island was originally directly under the Yuan Dynasty, where the Yuan army sharpened its swords to attack the Japanese islands. Unfortunately, after Kublai Khan, no Yuan emperor lived long, except for the old emperor who has now passed away. As a result, they sharpened their swords for decades but were unable to avenge their previous defeat.
In the 31st year of the Zhiyuan period (1294), after the death of Kublai Khan, the Yuan army withdrew from Jeju Island, and Jeju Island came under the jurisdiction of Goryeo.
There is also a small king on Jeju Island, known as "Star Lord". It is said that this title was given by a king of Silla.
Because of the rampant Japanese pirates and Goryeo's inability to take care of itself, Jeju Island was in great chaos and the lives of the islanders, including the king, were similar to those of primitive tribes.
"The Japanese pirates are harassing Ming waters. Sooner or later, the Ming will send troops against them. The wild land of Jeju was originally where the Yuan Dynasty stationed troops to attack the Japanese islands. The Ming Dynasty will probably choose to station troops there as well." Zhu Biao didn't mention "asking the King of Goryeo if he could station troops there." He decided the matter very casually. "How much do you know about the Japanese pirates and the Japanese islands? Why did the Japanese pirates suddenly invade the border in the first year of the Hongwu reign?"
Lee Seong-gye did not object to Zhu Biao's sudden decision to station troops in Jeju.
First, this was originally the garrison of the Yuan Dynasty army. If the Yuan Dynasty could come, the Ming Dynasty could certainly come as well; second, Jeju was a wild place, and Goryeo did not care about it.
Many later generations praised the Goryeo navy. While Goryeo had many sailors and fishermen, its navy was in fact quite poor. Their officials were blatantly corrupt, even worse than even the worst Chinese dynasties. Even when building warships for the Mongols, they cut corners, let alone their own. Their warships were barely capable of coasting.
When Kublai Khan launched an expedition to the island of Wa, the Mongols, lacking naval knowledge, used ships built by the Southern Song inland navy and the Goryeo navy. A typhoon struck, and all the ships capsized and scattered. This was the divine wind that blessed the island of Wa.
The Goryeo navy was so useless that they certainly didn't have any long-distance voyages, and they only sent a few ships to transport the army. Therefore, they paid even less attention to the islands.
Jeonju is close to Wodao, and even if they don't specifically ask about it, the Jeonju Li family has a relatively detailed understanding of the Wodao regime.
After hearing the names mentioned by Lee Seong-gye, the words "clever Ikkyu" immediately flashed through Zhu Biao's mind, and then he instantly understood that they were now in the early stage of the "Muromachi period", the Northern and Southern Dynasties War.
"So the Japanese island is in turmoil," Zhu Biao sighed. "No wonder. Those well-armed and well-trained pirates are probably the private soldiers of the defeated nobles who fled south."
Lee Seong-gye said, "Yes. If the Emperor wishes to send troops, the Jeonju Lee clan will certainly serve with all their might!"
Zhu Biao shook his head. "No need. You, Goryeo, have suffered from war for years. How can you possibly withstand a major expedition? You should just focus on restoring the economy and production, eradicating domestic banditry, and guarding against the north. Your Majesty cannot bear to burden you any further."
Li Chenggui was deeply moved and immediately told Zhu Biao a secret news, which won Zhu Biao's favor.
The Ming dynasty offered to sell more advanced firearms to Goryeo, much to the delight of the Goryeo ruler and his officials. However, a minor official named Cui Maoxuan claimed to have learned the method for producing gunpowder from a saltpeter craftsman named Yi Yuan. This meant they could develop their own firearms instead of purchasing from the Ming. The Goryeo officials were unconvinced and mocked him.
Lee Seong-gye didn't believe it either, but he still told the story to prevent the Ming Dynasty officials from getting dissatisfied after knowing it.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Biao laughed and said, "It's possible that he could learn it. After all, there are many ordinary gunpowder makers, so it's not really a secret. It's just that the formula of gunpowder used by the army is definitely different from the fireworks and firecrackers set off by the people on festivals. You are a general, so you must understand the difference between ordinary ironware and military weapons."
Li Chenggui smiled and nodded repeatedly.
In reality, Lee Seong-gye had already believed Choi Moo-sun's words. However, Choi Moo-sun had joined the Choi clan, and the Choi clan and the Jeonju Lee clan were not on good terms. If the Choi clan gained control of gunpowder, they might have banned Wansan from using it. Lee Seong-gye then informed Zhu Biao of the situation.
Seeing that Zhu Biao didn't care at all, he knew that the folk gunpowder formula was probably just a magic trick in the eyes of the Ming government, and he immediately felt relieved.
As long as he purchased enough firearms from the Ming Dynasty, what use would it be even if Cui obtained the folk gunpowder formula of the Yuan Dynasty?
Lee Seong-gye returned satisfied and brought the news to his own forces.
Soon, Zhu Yi and Li made a big deal that made both parties very satisfied.
After Cui Shi knew about this, he immediately gave up Cui Maoxuan and turned to Zhu Yi for cooperation. Zhu Yi was a man of good will and never turned down anyone who came to him. He then did a lot of business with Cui Shi.
After hearing the news, King Wang Zhuan of Goryeo simply gritted his teeth, tightened his belt, cut expenses on some of the beautiful young men in the palace, and increased several orders.
Other aristocratic families also followed suit.
Zhu Biao drinks tea.
This shows the benefit of the Goryeo king's weak control over the court. From the king to the minor nobles, everyone in Goryeo had to bite the bullet and buy firearms from the Ming Dynasty.
The Yuan Dynasty once strictly controlled the import of firearms from Goryeo, and the Goryeo monarch and his ministers ignored this. The Ming Dynasty, a good suzerain, generously sold them as long as the Goryeo king allowed it. Everyone's weapons were upgraded, and that was a wonderful thing.
"It's time to go to Jeju." Zhu Biao said to himself.
The King of Goryeo was still concerned about the Ming army being stationed so close to the capital. When he heard that the Ming army would set up camp in Jeju to deal with the Japanese pirates, he immediately gritted his teeth and sent a batch of supplies to the Ming Dynasty, fully supporting the Ming army's stationing in Jeju.
The Goryeo king and his ministers were delighted that the Ming army could leave Kaesong and help Goryeo resist the Japanese pirates.
Zhu Biao, with the reluctance of the entire Goryeo Dynasty, left a ship to protect Zhu Yi, who continued to do business, and boarded the ship with Liao Yongzhong to Jeju Island.
Zhu Biao had completed most of his strategic goals in Goryeo and went to Jeju Island to investigate the situation of Japanese pirates. The battle between Zhu Wenzhen and Li Wenzhong was not over yet.
Land warfare is just that troublesome. A whole day of fighting and a month of marching.
Li Wenzhong finally found Zhu Wenzhen and learned that Zhu Wenzhen had disguised himself as a Mongolian noble from an unknown small tribe and openly entered the tent where the Mongolian nobles were stationed. He was eating barbecue and dancing with other Mongolian nobles, and was having a great time.
There were even several Mongolian nobles who took a fancy to Zhu Wenzhen and considered adopting him as their son or son-in-law.
After Zhu Wenzhen received the news of Li Wenzhong, he actually led his "Mongolian cavalry" to drive Li Wenzhong away and robbed several of Li Wenzhong's horses.
Li Wenzhong: Zhu Wenzheng! I tut (fuck dish fuck)! Did you hear that! I tut (fuck dish fuck)!
With this merit, Zhu Wenzhen finally got the chance to meet the new emperor of the Yuan Dynasty who was about to ascend the throne, that is, the crown prince born to Queen Ki. Then the crown prince valued Zhu Wenzhen and he became the crown prince's personal guard.
Zhu Wenzheng said worriedly, "Your Highness, a small group of Ming troops has appeared nearby. The main force must be behind. We should abandon this camp and leave!"
The generals around the Crown Prince were displeased with this suddenly appearing, unconnected minor nobleman. They all said, "The grasslands are our territory. So what if the Ming army comes? We can just lure the enemy deeper and wipe them out in one fell swoop!"
The Crown Prince was wavering.
On the other hand, he liked Zhu Wenzheng very much. Kuokuo Timur, whom he had once served as a ceremonial guard, was a brave general without any strong foundation. Zhu Wenzheng might be the second Kuokuo Timur.
But precisely because Zhu Wenzhen was too similar to Kuyuk Timur in both military talent and background, the Tatar nobles with big backgrounds were very wary.
None of them wanted a "mud-legged peasant" to jump over their heads again.
The Crown Prince was caught in a dilemma as he wanted to receive the ceremonial guard of the nobles on the grassland, but he also wanted to train Zhu Wenzhen as his confidant.
The Crown Prince had no choice but to compromise and asked, "If I give you enough troops, can you defeat the Ming army?"
Zhu Wenzheng smiled bitterly. "Your Highness, I'll tell you the truth. I've fought the Prince of Yan from the Ming Dynasty a few times, trying to steal my cattle and sheep, and he's beaten me back. The Ming general I met this time seemed like a worthless piece of shit, and I only managed to win once. I really don't have the confidence to face a full-scale Ming army."
Li Wenzhong, the "useless Ming general" who stood behind Zhu Wenzheng and pretended to be his personal guard:???
For the sake of the overall situation, I endure it!
Li Wenzhong endured Zhu Wenzheng's boasts about the power of the Prince of Yan. If it was the Prince of Yan, Wang Ting, who was leading the troops, he should continue his escape north. The Ming army was not full of useless generals like the ones he had encountered. It was better to be cautious.
Li Wenzhong felt that today was a better opportunity to exercise his patience and acting skills than hiding it from Biaoer.
