Chapter 526: The Court Encountered Difficulties, Xien Offered Advice

The capital city in February is shrouded in the warmth of early spring.

A ray of golden sunlight shines through the clouds and gently falls on the ancient bluestone road, reflecting mottled light and shadow. On both sides of the streets in the city, the flags of the shops flutter gently in the spring breeze, bringing some vitality.

On the city wall, the texture of bricks and stones looks more simple and heavy in the sun.

Occasionally, a patrolling army of guards walks neatly, and their armor glitters in the sun, adding a bit of majesty to this ancient city.

The central area of ​​this ancient city is naturally the magnificent Forbidden City, while this imperial city looks very quiet, and the royal gardens to the west present natural scenery.

The 800-acre Taiye Lake sways green waves in the spring breeze, and the willows along the shore are swaying with the tender green branches, like the long hair of a girl.

In the Yangxin Palace, sandalwood curls up.

Several beautiful maids came in and out, and their words and actions were very cautious. The only person they served was the Ming emperor who sat on the dragon throne to handle government affairs.

Beijing and Seoul are not close, especially there is no direct post road between the two, so the speed of intelligence transmission from Korea is slower than that in China, and many things in Seoul will not be transmitted to Beijing until a long time later.

Zhu Youtang frowned, and while handling domestic affairs, he also kept an eye on the movements of Korea.

As the intelligence came in, he learned that the King of Korea, Li, was actually an anti-Ming element. But this did not surprise him too much, after all, Li was a famous tyrant in history, and naturally would not easily surrender to the Ming Dynasty.

Because he was too strong on his side, it was like stimulating the rebellious psychology of a traitorous teenager, so he dared to openly challenge the Ming Dynasty and even dared to define the Ming Dynasty as an enemy country.

Zhu Youtang took a breath when he saw that Bingcao Li Shi was executed.

He actually had no intersection with the Korean people. The person who impressed him the most was Li Xi, a soldier who loved Chinese books, and of course an old friend who left an impression on him.

At this time, the spring scenery in the courtyard outside was just right, but he looked deeply at the sky in the distance, and an inexplicable worry surged in his heart.

Li Xien, this name caused ripples in his heart.

At that time, he was still young. When he summoned the Korean envoy Li Xi in the imperial study, he did not expect that Li Xi would bring his daughter Li Xien, who was dressed as a man, with him.

A girl with such a sweet smile is rare in the world, so when he saw Li Xien smiling at him, he can still remember the smiling face that can shine into his heart.

In fact, with his status and power, he could only express his feelings slightly at that time, then the Korean King Li Li would definitely send Li Xien to his palace, and even Li Xi would do his best to match the matter.

But life is like this. Even if it is an emperor who is high above, some people still have to be missed.

Zhu Youtang was only interested in his career at that time, and had no idea of ​​having a love affair with his children, so he quickly downplayed the sweet-smiling Korean beauty.

Three years later, he unexpectedly saw information about Li Enxi. Because her family was very prominent in Korea, she married a royal family member as her legal wife.

But there are unexpected events, and in this era where women are the only ones who know the other person's character, it is difficult to know the other person's character, and her husband was frozen to death in the yard due to excessive drinking.

Zhu Youtang now saw that Li actually killed Li Shi, but he couldn't help but care about this old friend.

If he had taken Li Xien into the harem, with the current strength of the Ming Dynasty, I'm afraid that Li would not dare to kill Li Shi even if he was so arrogant, right?

Li Xien is now married into the royal family after all. According to the usual practice of Korea, she should not be implicated. Of course, Li is an alternative, and I'm afraid that Li Xien will also be included in the list of killings.

Zhu Youtang regretted very little, but he only felt a little regretful about Li Xien.

He seemed to see Li Xien's clear eyes and hear her silver bell-like laughter, but he felt quite uncomfortable in his heart. Perhaps he should have taken her into the harem back then.

He thought he had forgotten, but he didn't know when the girl had hidden in his heart.

"Your Majesty, please have tea!" Liu Jin came in on tiptoe and carefully put down a cup of hot tea.

Zhu Youtang ignored the teacup, but turned over the latest military information sent with the intelligence.

The Ming Dynasty's cavalry had already moved south from the Yalu River. Not to mention that Liaodong was now strong, in fact, the Korean army had already been corrupted, and the Korean army was caught in the vortex of the two sides' struggle for power, and its combat effectiveness had been greatly reduced.

From the fact that Yu Yuanzan, the general of Liaodong, led the cavalry to easily break through the Korean border, it also proved his guess that the current Korean army was actually vulnerable, and even the Ming Dynasty used cannons to kill mosquitoes this time.

Of course, arrogant soldiers will be defeated, so he did not dare to take it lightly.

Zhu Youtang turned his attention to the war between the two countries, and his brows could not help but frown slightly.

This expedition to Korea was actually something that was not planned. The situation in Korea is different from that in Ryukyu. The population of Ryukyu is small, and their citizens have a low sense of belonging, so they will not be subject to any reactionary forces if they are included in the autonomy.

However, Korea is a country with a long history after all, and they have also had a precedent of driving away the Central Plains dynasty, so they will definitely organize a revolutionary army.

The Ming Dynasty now obtains cheap rice, pig iron and women from Korea, and these resources are actually enough.

If the Ming Dynasty forcibly occupies it, it will not only send troops to Korea, but also arrange officials to govern it, and all kinds of things will increase fiscal expenditures.

You know, if Korea is autonomous, they will die if they encounter disasters. In fact, the population of Korea cannot rise, it is precisely this kind of endless natural disasters.

If the Ming Dynasty rules Korea, it will not only be responsible for the thankless task of disaster relief, but also have to invest in water conservancy projects.

Although it is wiser for the Ming Dynasty to directly annex Korea from the perspective of long-term interests, it can actually postpone the matter and wait until the productivity is up before annexing it.

In particular, the sinicization of Korea is not comprehensive enough, and it can be assimilated slowly now, rather than taking down Korea, a money-losing commodity, forcefully now.

That's why Zhu Youtang didn't want to waste resources on Korea in his heart. He wanted to support a puppet king in his heart, and it was more in line with the interests of the Ming Dynasty to gain benefits through this puppet king.

God, the upper people, and the lower barbarians, this is the situation that Zhu Youtang most wants to see.

Our vision returns to the Korean Peninsula. At this time, the North Gate of Seoul presents a tense atmosphere.

Jin Zongguo, the general guarding the city, looked at Yu Yuanzan and the cavalry army behind him, and swallowed his saliva, a bead of sweat slid down his forehead.

If Yu Yuanzan took the opportunity to lead the cavalry into the royal city, not only would the Ming army's cavalry be brave and good at fighting, but just because of the difference in equipment between the two sides, the old, weak and sick guards in their city would only be slaughtered.

If the general of the Ming Dynasty was more cruel, I am afraid that the entire royal city would be slaughtered by him, and this royal city would become a dead city with corpses.

Yu Yuanzan's eyes fell on the painting at this time, and naturally he did not know the thoughts of the generals guarding the city, but he soon found that the corner of the painting was stamped with Zhu Youtang's private seal.

Because the current emperor Hongzhi is deeply loved by the people, not only has grilled fish become a trend, but fishing has also become a fashion, and there are also many rumors and interesting stories about Zhu Youtang.

The story between Li Xien and Emperor Zhu Youtang has actually been rumored in the market.

After learning that the painting "Mountains and Streams in Blue Smoke" was given by the emperor, various erotic scenes were depicted in a well-organized manner. After all, it was a fact that Zhu Youtang gave a rare painting to a Korean woman.

Yu Yuanzan's heart moved, and he looked up at the carriage road behind him: "May I ask if the person in the car is Miss Li Xien?"

At this time, the curtain of the carriage was lifted, and the dignified woman sitting inside was Li Xien, who was known as the most beautiful woman in Korea.

Her face had clear contours, her skin was white like jade, delicate and shiny, as if it was a carefully crafted work of art. Her nose was tall and elegant, adding a bit of three-dimensionality to her face, and her rosy lips were like blooming peach blossoms, tempting to pick. Her long hair was like a waterfall, soft and shiny, like flowing black silk, elegant and dreamy. Her figure was graceful and dignified, and she exuded an innate elegance.

Facing Yu Yuanzan's question, her smile was warm and charming: "General, it is my daughter Li Xien!"

Yu Yuanzan looked at such a beautiful woman and immediately knew that the emperor's affair with the Korean woman in front of him was not groundless: "This general respects your majesty as a father. Although you are your majesty's old friend, the King of Korea now refuses to accept pig iron, and I heard that he killed pro-Ming officials in the court. Now I come here by order and I will definitely razed this city!"

Kill!

The armored cavalry behind him had gathered into a steel torrent and shouted together.

This mighty momentum made the entire royal city feel fearful. Several soldiers on the top of the city were so scared that they dropped their weapons, and some guarding soldiers even turned around and fled.

"May I ask, General, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty is far-sighted and loves his people. Does he really want the people of Korea to suffer this time?" Li Xien protected her composure, but asked back.

Yu Yuanzan's latest mission was not to enter the royal city, but to put pressure on the Lee Dynasty: "Your king Lee has ignored the prestige of the Ming Dynasty. Today, this general has led his army to arrest him back to the capital! Even if the entire Korean people are in ruins, it is Lee's fault!"

"General, please look!" Li Shangming handed over another sandalwood box, and his eyes flashed with determination.

Yu Yuanzan took the box without knowing why. When he opened the box, he saw Lee's head inside, and he couldn't help but take a breath.

If the initiator of this war is said, it must be Lee. It was this Korean king who no longer obeyed the Ming Dynasty, so there was this expedition.

But now Lee is dead, and he died at the hands of their own people. This is undoubtedly a major turning point in the war.

Yu Yuanzan knew that the Kingdom of Korea had no ruler, and it seemed that it was not so important to capture the royal city now: "May I ask who killed Li?"

"It was this general! This thief did not respect the Ming Dynasty and killed my father unjustly. I killed him with my own hands today!" Li Shangming noticed that Yu Yuanzan had been loosened, and immediately stood up to express his position.

Yu Yuanzan knew that Li Shi was killed by Li, so he nodded gently and said: "Master Li Shi has such a son, I am afraid he can also smile in his grave!"

This is not a polite remark. Li Shangming's ability to kill a dignified monarch has already proved his ability. Judging from the current situation, Li Shangming seems to have become the one who controls Korea.

"Master General, I have a plan. I wonder if we can sit down and discuss it in detail?" Li Xien saw Yu Yuanzan's reaction and smiled slightly.

Yu Yuanzan asked someone to put the head away and nodded very readily.

As Li Xien said, their goal this time was not to occupy the Ming Dynasty, but to attack Li. Now that Li of the Joseon Kingdom is dead, how to seek greater benefits is the most important thing.

"Did the Ming Iron Cavalry not attack?"

"Are we saved this time?"

"It's hard to say now, but it is indeed moving in a good direction!"

...

When the people of Seoul saw that Yu Yuanzan did not take the opportunity to rush in from the north gate, their hearts were finally put down, and they immediately ran to tell each other.

No matter which era the people are from, they all yearn for peace in their hearts.

Although the news that King Li of Joseon has died has spread thoroughly in the royal city, the people applauded when they thought of the atrocities of this king.

At this moment, a unique secret talk started outside the city.

Li Kepei, the Prime Minister, and other important officials went out of the city to participate in the secret talk. Their secret talk seemed to have achieved good results. Li Kepei and others left with smiles on their faces.

Li's death did resolve the conflict between the two sides to a large extent.

Not long after, Li Xien personally took the "Picture of Streams and Mountains with Blue Smoke" and set off for the capital.

Just to save time, she did not take the land route this time, but took a ship to Tianjin Wharf. When she arrived at Tianjin Port, she could not help but stare with shock.

If she had not seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed that such a prosperous port city had appeared in the Ming Dynasty.

Under the escort of the Ming cavalry, the carriage she was riding slowly drove into the capital, and along the way she saw the earth-shaking changes in the Ming Dynasty.

Li Xien retracted her beautiful eyes and seemed reluctant to let go of the curtains.

She is now finally convinced that under the governance of that man, the Ming Dynasty has become the absolute overlord, and North Korea is really courting death by clamoring with the Ming Dynasty.

But she did not forget her mission this time. She came to quell the war and also wanted to see that man again.

When Li Xien was summoned to the West Garden, it seemed as if nothing had changed. She came to the imperial study again, and then saw the man who had become more mature and charming, and she couldn't help but reveal a sweet smile from the heart.

According to gossip people, after Li Xien was summoned to the West Garden, the things she needed to talk about took a lot of time, so Li Xien didn't come out of the palace until the palace gates were closed. (End of this chapter)