Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Wang Zhen, the crown prince of Goryeo, who was only fifteen years old, was proclaimed king by Zheng Zhongfu.

What did the king say?

Beggar’s version of Song Huizong!

Wang Xi possessed all the hobbies and character of Song Huizong, but his political methods were a fraction of those of Song Huizong.

Under the coercion of Zheng Zhongfu, he quickly "ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor", and married Zheng Zhongfu's daughter as the "queen" - in the credentials issued to the Ming Dynasty, he certainly did not dare to call it this, but it is normal to enjoy himself behind closed doors. .

Yes, send credentials to Ming Dynasty!

As long as it is approved by the Ming Emperor, this coup will be considered a complete success.

During the Song Dynasty, Goryeo's credentials were sent to Mingzhou (Ningbo).

Now it is sent to Pyongyang, the prefect of Pyongyang in the Ming Dynasty, who also has the power to negotiate with Goryeo. Even if Goryeo wanted to send an envoy to Daming, they would have to go to Pyongyang first, otherwise they would not be able to get the customs clearance document.

The prefect of Pyongyang was Li Yi, the first Jinshi of the Ming Dynasty. Due to the speed at which the credentials were sent, the news of the coup of Goryeo's military officials had not yet arrived.

"Why did the leader of Goryeo suddenly abdicate?" Li Yi asked.

The messenger said: "The king is seriously ill and cannot govern, so he is passing on to the crown prince."

Li Yi said perfunctorily: "I will report this matter to the meeting, and you can go back and reply. Next year at the latest, the envoys of the Ming Dynasty will go to Kaizhou."

After receiving the reply from the governor of Pyongyang, the Korean envoy bowed and left.

Li Yi immediately summoned Zhang Yi, the commander-in-chief of Pyongyang: "There may be changes in Goryeo, so you should prepare your troops and wait for detailed information to be returned. I will help you raise food and grass, and be ready to go south to destroy the country at any time."

"General, I will obey your orders!" Zhang Yi was overjoyed.

Zhang Yi was originally a general under Wang Yan, but he was transferred to Pyongyang to serve as the commander-in-chief for only two years.

There are also different types of general soldiers, and the most powerful ones can command a whole province of soldiers and horses. However, in some key areas, the same government will also set up a general soldier. For example, Yao Pingzhong served as the general soldier of Linfu before.

The Pyongyang General Army was more important when it was first established, defending against Goryeo in the south and Jin in the north. But with the fall of the Jin Kingdom and the complete collapse of Goryeo, the level here dropped.

This place was remote and poor, and Zhang Yi felt that he had been sent away.

I didn’t expect that I would be able to destroy the country!

Of course, this kind of credit is too great, and it is impossible for a prefect or a commander-in-chief to monopolize it.

Li Yi sent Zhang Yi away and waited for detailed military information. Whenever there is a suitable opportunity, he will write to Liaoyang and ask for the support of the Third Division of Liaoning Province - asking for soldiers and food.

…

Over there in Korea.

When the Kim family of Gyeongju heard about the military coup and massacre of civilian officials, they immediately spent money and food to recruit brave soldiers. Emergency provisions were also distributed to the Gyeongju garrison to win over the soldiers who were about to starve to death.

Then he joined forces with the nobles in the two neighboring states and issued a proclamation calling on the righteous men in the world to raise their troops and serve the king.

The three-state coalition forces, with a total strength of more than 10,000, headed towards Kaizhou with great fury.

Although there are many people, they are all a mob. They don't even have many decent soldiers and armor. They can at most suppress the peasant uprising.

In early July, the two sides faced off on the Han River.

Zheng Zhongfu asked Li Gao to lead a thousand elite soldiers and sneak across the river dozens of miles downstream. He himself led thousands of troops, stocked up hundreds of ships, and pretended that he was going to cross the river for a decisive battle.

At night, Li Gao raided the camp of King Qin's army, and Zheng Zhongfu took the opportunity to lead the main force across the river.

King Qin's army was in chaos, and Zheng Xiong, the governor of Gyeongju, quickly switched sides and led his troops directly to Jin Dunan's commander's tent.

A total of dozens of sons of wealthy families were killed in the army. Zheng Zhongfu sent his troops to Qingzhou, uprooted the Jin family in Qingzhou, and beheaded hundreds of Jin family members in one go.

Immediately afterwards, Zheng Zhongfu divided his troops and went to the two neighboring states, hoping to kill all the wealthy families who joined King Qin.

Li Yifang's brother Li Junyi quickly found Zheng Zhongfu: "Can the general really kill all the wealthy families in the world?"

"So what if we kill them all? So what if we can't kill them all?" Zheng Zhongfu asked rhetorically.

Li Junyi said: "The local states and counties are all controlled by wealthy families. They have been married for generations and are intertwined with each other. If the general continues to kill wealthy families indiscriminately, rebellions will inevitably break out in various states and counties across the country. How will we eradicate them then?"

Zheng Zhongfu asked: "We have killed so many civil servants in Kaijing, can we still reconcile with the local wealthy families?"

Li Junyi said with a smile: "Of course. The general's suppression of the rebels this time is a good opportunity to establish his authority. If the wealthy clans are no longer indiscriminately killed, other wealthy clans will definitely not dare to rebel. Even if there is a rebellion, it will only be in one or two states and counties. The general can easily suppress the powerful clans, but it is not a matter of one or two states. "

"How to win them over? How to make the wealthy people recognize that the military is in charge?" Zheng Zhongfu asked.

Li Junyi said: "Ren Yuanhou reformed and restructured a few years ago. Everything was based on the Ming system, but he changed it again and again but failed. The general can carry out another reform and give quotas to local wealthy officials. If the family is powerful, let them serve as cabinet ministers or ministers. The second most powerful family members will be appointed as ministers and censors."

Zheng Zhongfu shook his head: "You invited the wealthy people back to serve as officials. Wasn't our previous coup in vain?"

Li Junyi explained:

"The general can personally serve as the prime minister of the cabinet, turning the cabinet into a decoration. The yamen that actually handles government affairs is changed to the Privy Council. The general can also serve as the Privy Council, allowing officials from the six ministries to send official documents to the Privy Council. Whether it is cabinet ministers, ministers, or ministers , as long as the official positions held by wealthy families are famous but not powerful."

"No matter how vigorously we promote the poor people, these poor people are the ones who really do things. But the poor people have power but no reputation. If they don't want to lose their power, they have to rely on the generals. Moreover, the wealthy families occupy high-level official positions. The poor people will continue to hate the rich people. If the poor people fight against the rich people, won't the general be able to stabilize the court? "

Zheng Zhongfu thought about it carefully and felt that it made sense. He immediately prostrated himself and said, "General Li is really a wise man!"

Every family member of those powerful families was killed by Zheng Zhongfu. Are they willing to send people to Kaijing to serve as officials?

willing!

And it came very quickly. I was afraid that if I arrived in Beijing too late, I would miss out on my high position.

Then, a very strange situation occurred in Goryeo——

The military group can only control the Gyeonggi region, while the local prefectures and counties are still controlled by wealthy families.

A wealthy family held a high position in the court but had no power, and a humble scholar controlled the six ministries but could not even become a minister.

The cabinet and the six ministries have become completely decorations. The mid-level officials of the six ministries are responsible for handling affairs, and all government affairs need to be reported to the Privy Council.

Zheng Zhongfu was both the Prime Minister and the Privy Councilor, and the generals who followed him in the coup also gained the fictitious title of civil servants and the real power of the Privy Council. The actual powerful local officials in the Gyeonggi region were also given to warriors and scholars from poor families.

A military government that could only control the capital was quickly formed.

How could a wealthy family submit obediently?

They did not dare to resist openly, but began to play tricks.

Brothers Li Junyi and Li Yifang were reused by Zheng Zhongfu, but Li Gao, who was involved in the coup, was somewhat left out.

After being invited to several banquets by wealthy civil servants and constantly boasting and flattering him, Li Gao gradually became more and more popular.

He felt that he had made outstanding contributions during the coup and was the first to eliminate King Qin's army, so he should receive the rewards he deserved.

He could tolerate Zheng Zhongfu and Li Yifang riding on his head, but Li Junyi, who watched the show from beginning to end, was just talking nonsense in front of Zheng Zhongfu. Why should he have a higher official position than himself?

After being fooled by a civil servant, Li Gao felt that he could also be the boss!

He secretly called his confidants to discuss the strategy, and decided to suddenly rush out and kill Zheng Zhongfu, Li Junyi, and Li Yifang on their way home from get off work.

The plan was leaked.

The two sides met in battle in Kaijing City. Li Gao, the fourth most powerful figure in the military government, was defeated and his entire family was killed.

The conspiracy of the wealthy civil servants continued, and they began to provoke the Li brothers.

They are both warriors, from humble families and have their own family power.

However, Zheng Zhongfu's family was too weak, but the Li brothers came from generations of generals.

Li Junyi and Li Yifang, relying on their old family members in the military, have rapidly expanded their real strength, but their political power has been suppressed.

Zheng Zhongfu was greatly disturbed by this. He ambushed the swordsman at home and invited the Li brothers to test him.

Li Junyi vaguely felt something was wrong, and suddenly knelt down in the middle of drinking: "My father-in-law has been kind to my brother. If he hadn't raised his troops to eradicate the evil spirits, how could my two brothers be rich today? My father has passed away, and I want to worship him now." My husband is my father!”

Li Yifang was stunned for a moment, then realized what he was doing and knelt down on the ground: "Father, please accept my child's obeisance!"

Zheng Zhongfu did not expect such a scene at all, and he immediately became complacent and laughed loudly and said: "Get up quickly. From now on, the three of us, father and son, will be able to serve the country loyally and revitalize the country."

When they left after the banquet, the Li brothers' vests were covered with sweat.

After Li Yifang returned home, he said with lingering fear: "Fortunately, my brother is quick-witted, otherwise we would definitely die."

Li Junyi said: "Zheng Zhongfu has a suspicious and changeable personality. If someone secretly provokes him again, he will kill us. From tomorrow on, we will treat him like our own father and kneel down to greet him every time we meet. "

"Are we going to keep pretending to be him? He is only a few years older than us. It would be too embarrassing to spread the word." Li Yifang felt unwilling.

Li Junyi comforted him: "Although we have many old troops in the army, Zheng Zhongfu is now extremely prestigious, and most warriors regard him as a hero. Now it is time to flatter him and hold him high. He himself is a warrior, but in fact Look down on the military man, and spend more time with civilian officials these days. When the military man breaks away from him, we can take action! "

The next day, the brothers went to work at the Privy Council.

In front of many civil and military officials, the two ran to Zheng Zhongfu, knelt down and shouted: "My child wishes my father well."

All the civil and military personnel looked at them stupidly, but Zheng Zhongfu was greatly satisfied with his vanity and said with a smile: "Good boy, you go to work."

"Resign, kid!"

The brothers kowtowed again and left respectfully.

If this trend continues, the Li brothers will be able to kill Zheng Zhongfu within a few years.

But they ran out of time. A letter of credence from the Ming Dynasty was sent from Pyongyang, asking Zheng Zhongfu why he committed rebellion, imprisoned the monarch, and established a new king.

Zheng Zhongfu was so frightened by the Ming Dynasty's credential that he quickly called Li Junyi to discuss: "The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty refuses to confer the new monarch, what should we do? Without the Ming Dynasty canonization, we will always be rebellious officials and traitors."

Li Junyi said: "We can only send people to Luoyang to send more gifts to the emperor, and maybe we can save the situation."

Zheng Zhongfu said: "The warriors are good at fighting, but they cannot be reused as envoys to the Ming Dynasty. I am really worried about sending civilian officials there. Among the warriors, you are the smartest. You must go to Luoyang this time."

"Father, I will do my best to fulfill your request," Li Junyi said, "I need to bring some gifts. I want the most exquisite and flawless cotton cocoon paper, the roundest and largest pearls, the best fur and ginseng. Oh, and beautiful women."

Zheng Zhongfu said, "You go to the treasury first, and I will ask the local states and counties to pay tribute. As for beautiful women, search the entire capital and make sure to find the most beautiful woman."

Li Junyi said, "With these gifts, I should be able to please the emperor of the Ming Dynasty."