Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 1802 Pingwa ([-]) Negotiation, Negotiation

Regarding the mineral resources of the Korean Peninsula, a well-known situation in later generations is that the south of the [-]th parallel is very stretched, while the north of the [-]th parallel is extremely rich.In human terms, according to the political regions of later generations, North Korea is rich in mineral resources, while South Korea in the south has no mines.

Because of this, the areas of interest mentioned by Gao Wushi in the instructions to the North Korean branch of the Jinghua Trading Company are basically concentrated in northern North Korea.Regarding this matter, there is a very good prerequisite, that is, these areas have been restored by the Ming army and returned to the Korean court, which is a bargaining chip that the Korean court can now use.

According to Gao Pragmatic's memory and Liu Xin's determination, the area of ​​the Korean Peninsula north of the 12.3th parallel in later generations is only about 80 square kilometers, but the reserves of major mineral resources account for more than 300% of the country's land area. There are more than [-] kinds of minerals.

North Korea has the largest rare earth deposits in the world [Note: The strength of China’s rare earths lies not only in its high total mineral production and richness in heavy rare earths, but more importantly in its hegemony in rare earth separation technology. Interested readers can check the information by themselves. ], at that time, some analysts said that the development of rare earths in North Korea is expected to double the amount of known global rare earth oxide resources.

At the same time, North Korea’s magnesite reserves rank first in the world, and seven other minerals rank among the top ten in the world, including tungsten, molybdenum, graphite, barite, and fluorite. Gao Pragmatism is currently more concerned about iron ore In addition, North Korea has been known as a gold-producing country since ancient times, and its gold mines often coexist with silver, copper and other mines.

In modern society before the "Internal Combustion Engine Revolution", coal and iron were the most critical mineral resources in the first industrial revolution. Therefore, Gao Wuzhen's most concerned mineral layout generally revolves around coal and iron.

The iron ore reserves in North Korea are very rich. According to Liu Xin, the iron ore reserves are about 90 to 110 billion tons, mainly including magnetite, limonite and hematite, and most of them are distributed on the surface of the earth. Mining—this is also very important. After all, the current mining technology is much worse than that of later generations, and there are basically no mines that are difficult to mine.

Iron mines in North Korea, typical deposits are Musan Iron Mine, Deokhyeon Iron Mine, Liyuan Iron Mine, Jiechuan Iron Mine, Xuchuan Iron Mine, Xiasong Iron Mine, Wulong Iron Mine, Yinli Iron Mine, Zaining iron ore etc.

Among them, the Musan Iron Mine located in the border area of ​​China and North Korea in North Hamgyong Province has proven reserves of more than 50 billion tons, and the mineable volume is said to be 30 billion tons. According to Liu Xin's memory, the production capacity of the mine was 800 million tons when she traveled. It has reached more than [-] million tons. It is the largest iron mine in North Korea and a worldwide open-pit mine. At that time, there was a road connecting with the Hong Dynasty.

The ore system is a sedimentary metamorphic iron deposit, the main ore type is magnetite, the geological grade is about 33% Fe, and the ore reserves are above C1 level with 15 billion tons. This is a large mine that can be mined and smelted with the current strength of Jinghua.

Another example is the Yinli Iron Mine, which occurs in shale, limestone and granite, the grade of which is as high as 70%, and the resource reserves are 5 million tons. Although the mining difficulty is higher, the quality is very high, and the reserves are still relatively low in the current world. very big.Of course, the iron ore with the highest grade is Pingan Road Jiechuan Iron Mine.

As for coal, it is also one of the most abundant mineral resources in northern North Korea. Liu Xin said that the proven exploitable reserves of later generations are about 150 billion tons, of which about 120 billion tons of anthracite reserves and about 30 billion tons of lignite reserves. Based on the technical conditions at that time The next exploitable reserves are about 80 billion tons, and it is difficult to estimate how much can be exploited right now, but at the same time, it will definitely not be less in terms of current consumption capacity.

The distribution of coal mines in northern North Korea is very common. According to the division of regions, there are four major coal fields, namely, the southern Pyongan North Province, the northern and southern Pyongan South Province, the northern Hamjeong North Province, and the southern Hamjeong South Province.

As a result, coal and iron resources intersect. Simply put, the northeast and northwest corners of the Korean peninsula are the areas where coal and iron resources are most concentrated. In this era of limited transportation capacity, these two places are the most Suitable for building iron works.

However, the northwest corner of North Korea is very close to the border of Daming, and there is a highly pragmatic Dandong City on the opposite bank of Uiju, North Korea. Therefore, as long as Jinghua can get the mines and coal fields in Northwest North Korea, the iron factory itself does not need to be built in North Korea. It can be built in Dandong.

The advantage of Dandong is its convenient transportation. Firstly, ore can be transported by water transport in the lower reaches of the Yalu River (with a large drop in the upper and middle reaches), and secondly, because it is adjacent to the sea, products can also be quickly transported to the demand area by sea. It is basically the best of both worlds.

However, the northwest corner is easy to manage, and the northeast corner is relatively troublesome. From the geographical location here and the location of the Maoshan Iron Mine mining area, the construction of iron mines must be as close to the mine as possible, and it must be close to the sea to facilitate output, so the optional area is Not too many, and I am afraid that the best future export destinations are North Korea and Japan.

In this case, Hamhung, the largest city in Northeast Korea, is not suitable, and we must continue to search in the northeast direction. In this way, there is only one suitable place, and that is Chongjin. established here.

Li Yan is very satisfied with exchanging several possible mines and coal fields (many of which have not been discovered by North Korea itself) in exchange for a large amount of food aid. Although he wanted to offend Song Yingchang, he did not dare to offend Gao Yushi at all.

So the negotiation... well, there was no negotiation at all. Li Yan approved the project after a brief discussion with Yi Doushou, Liu Chenglong and other important ministers, and because the essence of this project is an exchange, he also agreed to an incidental contract. The conditions, that is, mines and coal fields do not need to pay taxes to North Korea, and if Jinghua really builds an iron factory in Chongjin, it only needs to bear a tax rate of no more than [-]%.

This tax was insisted by Yi Doshou and Yoo Cheng-ryong, but the final tax rate was ten times lower than the [-]% they insisted on at the beginning.The reason is that the business tax of Ming Dynasty is very low. Except for the high-practice luxury goods, the tax rate of a large number of basic products does not exceed [-]%. However, Jinghua Trading Company insists that North Korea’s taxation on business in Ming Dynasty should not exceed the suzerain country’s own tax rate.

After this matter was settled, the grain transport ship in southern Xinjiang set sail immediately, so there is no need to elaborate on this matter for the time being.But when it came to October, the Japanese envoys Konishi Ruan and Zongyi Zhi came to Beijing with Shen Weijing, and were received by the cabinet together with the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War.

In the lower seat of the pavilion, Shen Shixing raised his hand to indicate that the watch can be read.After Xiaoxi Ru'an and Zong Yizhi worshiped, they knelt up and lowered the watch. After Shen Weijing read it, the cabinet, officials of the Rites and the Ministry of Military Affairs all responded silently and drank tea. The sound echoed the birds chirping several times outside the house.

Shen Weijing didn't know what he meant, so he didn't dare to make a sound, Zong Yizhi and Xiaoxi Ru'an were also feeling uneasy.After a long time, Yu Shenxing, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, took the lead to ask: "According to what is said in the form, Er Japan originally came to ask for canonization and tribute. Even if North Korea obstructs it, why not enter the Ming Dynasty by sea?"

Xiaoxi Ru'an replied: "The sea route is dangerous, and the waves are fast and changeable. Our ships are not suitable for long-distance voyages, and it is difficult to be safe. Therefore, it is most convenient to go to North Korea via Tsushima Island."

Yu Shenxing snorted softly and said, "It's nonsense, if Japanese ships can't sail far, how can Japanese pirates harass my southeast coast for many years?"

Zongyi Zhizhi replied: "The ministry has learned, first of all, those are Japanese ronin pirates, which have nothing to do with the will of the country. The country suppresses them every year. The pirates crossed the ocean and died halfway through the Ming Dynasty. Survivors gathered overseas refugees and plundered It’s only because I came from Japan that I misunderstood you.”

Shen Shixing tentatively asked: "It is convenient to ship to North Korea via Tsushima Island. According to this, there should be sufficient military supplies. Why withdraw the army? Could it be that the North Korean navy often blocks the waterway?"

Zong Yizhi replied: "That's not the case. With all due respect, it is difficult for the Korean navy to hinder water transportation. However, the road from Busan to Hanyang is often blocked, making transportation inconvenient. There are also Korean rebels moving around and suffering a lot of losses. As a result, all armies have insufficient military supplies. , is difficult to support."

When Shen Shixing saw that Zong Yizhi was playing tricks, he immediately asked: "So as long as the military rations are sufficient, there will be no more worries. That's why we use the pretext of asking for a surrender to confuse the public, occupying the Three Kingdoms of North Korea and eliminating hidden dangers while negotiating with Ming Dynasty. Replenish your strength and then attack me unprepared? To be honest, your life will be spared."

Xiaoxi Ru'an hastily explained: "Minister of the cabinet, this is really a misunderstanding. The lack of military rations is just a fact. The reason for sending troops to North Korea was to retaliate against North Korea for obstructing the request for tribute. His Highness Taige, our lord, always wants to be with Daming. Xiangshang, as long as we can get the canonization and tribute, our country will immediately withdraw our troops."

Wu Dui asked sharply: "Even if you don't get tribute, you should withdraw your troops. North Korea is a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, and it is the same as the suzerain vassal of the Ming Dynasty. What is the difference between you invading our vassal state and deceiving me? It is really puzzling that wolf ambitions come to kneel and beg for tribute. "

Wang Jiaping asked again: "Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, it has been more than 300 years since the Wa Kingdom came to the dynasty. I also heard that the Wa Kingdom has fallen into civil strife throughout the country since the Hongzhi period. At that time, Toyotomi Hirai Hideyoshi, the chieftain of the Japanese, was also an ambitious man who was imprisoned by the Japanese king. Would such a person be willing to beg for tribute from Ming Dynasty?"

Zong Yizhi replied: "Daming and North Korea have the same father and son love. We regret it too much. We only sent troops to vent our anger for a while. His Majesty the Emperor of Japan is by no means confinement, but Japan has its own national conditions. His Majesty the Emperor is worshiped by all people, and state affairs are determined by Taige. His Highness Taige is sincerely begging for tribute, and I hope that Emperor Ming will approve it."

Shen Shixing still couldn't explain his doubts, so he asked again: "You just said that the lord of the Japanese state always wanted to discuss with Ming Dynasty. Why didn't Zu Chengxun read it when he first arrived in Pyongyang? Song Yingchang and Li Rusong didn't read it when they came? On the contrary, they continued to fight until Did you think of this when you were trapped in Hanyang?"

Zongyi Zhizhi replied: "When they landed in North Korea, the first squad has been trying to contact the North Korean ministers, so as to convey the intention of withdrawing troops as soon as they are given the tribute channel, and also hope to convey Japan's tribute sincerity to Daming through North Korea.

Unexpectedly, North Korea obstructed it in every possible way, misinterpreting its sincerity, so the war continued, and North Korea lost all the way.The Ming army rushed to Pyongyang, and we didn't know it, so we could only reluctantly fight.

Later, when the army of the Ming Dynasty came, they met and talked with each other. They wanted to use this to convey the wishes of our country, but who knew it was a trap.After that, how dare we negotiate easily?At the same time, the Ming army's offensive was very urgent, and the battle continued.It was not until the two armies were resting that they were able to take the opportunity to mention it. "

Zhou Yongfa, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, asked: "Since you have asked to surrender, someone should have told you that no more wars should be resumed before the reply. It is reported that on June 29, the Japanese army captured Jinju, North Korea, massacred tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, and seized Jeolla Province. , how do you explain this?"

Xiaoxi Ru'an replied: "The Jinzhou incident was the first attack on us by North Korea, and the Japanese invaded Jinzhou. The Koreans never listened to the Ming army's command and always acted without permission. They also hated Japan very much. Report the truth. Besides, we did not start a war with the Ming army, please check it out!" After finishing speaking, Xiaoxi Ru'an and Zong Yizhi kowtowed to plead guilty under Shen Weijing's signal.

Everyone privately discussed that both Wang Jiaping and Wang Xijue believed that although Japan's request for surrender was still doubtful, it should generally be credible.Yu Shenxing, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, suggested: "It is written in the surrender form that Japan intends to be the son of the Ming Dynasty. Although this is ridiculous, but the Wa country understands etiquette, so it can be enshrined by the emperor.

It's just that the Japanese king is just a puppet, and the Japanese chieftain Hei Hideyoshi is in charge of state affairs, and his ministers, generals and people have no objections. It can be seen that the hearts of the Japanese people are all in Hideyoshi.Throughout the ages, there has never been such a relationship between monarchs and ministers that has been safe for a hundred years. Presumably, Hirai Hideyoshi must have had some scruples and dared not replace him, but whoever canonize it will embarrass Daming.

If it is canonized, it is better to ask the emperor to issue an edict to confer Hei Hideyoshi as the king of Japan, abolishing the old and establishing the new, and conforming to the hearts of the Japanese people.For Hira Hideyoshi, it should be a matter of smooth sailing. "

Zhou Yong, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, immediately asked the chief assistant to make a decision: "If the canonization of the Wa Kingdom is allowed, the soldiers should be suspended. How to decide this matter?"

Shen Shixing replied: "I still have doubts about this, but I can't ask for it for a while. Wu Weizhong led his troops to stay behind, strangled the main roads, in case there were any changes, Song Yingchang and Li Rusong took care of North Korean affairs, and the rest temporarily withdrew to Liaodong."

Zhou Yong hesitated and said: "Recently, the floods in Henan have been serious, and some prefectures and counties have intercepted the relief food for their own use. Gao Ge Laoyue ago led an order to go south to supervise the relief... He is the most important minister in the court who knows the inside information of Japan, and so on. Should we wait for Mr. Gao Ge to return to Beijing to discuss the important matter?"

Of course not, Shen Shixing wanted to settle the matter while Gao Yushi was not in the capital, how could he wait for Gao Yushi to return to the capital?So Shen Shixing waved his hand, and ordered to Xiaoxi Ru'an and Zong Yizhi: "The emperor has made a decree. After the Japanese kingdom is granted the title, it will quickly withdraw from North Korea and Tsushima Island. After the title, it is necessary to keep its own place, but there is no need to pay tribute to trade. The trade has Beiyang The Maritime Trade Alliance can act as an agent.

Afterwards, Japan should make peace with North Korea, and no further violations will be allowed. This Cabinet Department will request a canonization.The matter of withdrawing troops will be explained to you by the Minister of the Ministry of War. "After saying that, Shen Shixing led the cabinet and the Ministry of Rites to leave.

Afterwards, Zong Yizhi asked Zhou Yong why he was not allowed to pay tribute?Shi Xing asked Shen Weijing to translate and said: "Da Ming is rich all over the world, and there is no shortage of this country when all nations come to Korea. The war is coming to an end but the hostility is hard to dispel, and North Korea is suffering, how can Ming ignore its feelings? If you want to pay tribute, the Japanese kingdom We must first make peace with North Korea, and then ask for tribute in the future. As for now, the Beiyang Maritime Trade Alliance is fully capable of handling this, so why do you come to trade in person?"

Zong Yizhi was anxious: "Butang, this request for canonization and tribute is the dream of Japan. His Royal Highness Taige is also looking forward to it. If there is only canonization and no tribute is allowed, you may be questioned after returning to China. Please Butang again Present your feelings to the emperor."

Zhou Yong replied coldly: "The holy will has been decided, and it cannot be changed. The Japanese chieftain said that this was the intention of the heavens, and no further discussion was allowed. After returning, he immediately withdrew from North Korea and waited to be sealed. If not, he will be exterminated immediately!"

Seeing this, Zong Yizhi said no more, and together with Xiaoxi Ru'an and Shen Weijing withdrew, waiting for the imperial edict to prepare to leave Beijing.
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PS: I watched the live broadcast of the Russian-Ukrainian war too late, and this chapter is a little late... Sorry.

(End of this chapter)