Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1010 Chapter 1005 [Internal Conflict among Warriors]

The fifteen-year-old Crown Prince of Goryeo, Wang Hyeon, was enthroned as king by Zheng Zhongfu.

What did the king say?

Beggar version of Song Huizong!
Wang Xuan had all the hobbies and characteristics of Emperor Huizong of Song, but his political skills were not even a fraction of those of Emperor Huizong of Song.

Under the coercion of Zheng Zhongfu, he quickly "ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor" and married Zheng Zhongfu's daughter as "empress" - he certainly did not dare to call her that in the letter he sent to the Ming Dynasty, but it was normal for him to be self-satisfied behind closed doors.

Yes, send a letter to the Ming Dynasty!
As long as the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty approves it, this coup will be considered a complete success.

During the Song Dynasty, letters from Goryeo were sent to Mingzhou (Ningbo).

Now it was sent to Pyongyang. The governor of Pyongyang in Ming Dynasty also held the right to negotiate with Goryeo. Even if Goryeo wanted to send an envoy to Ming Dynasty, he had to go to Pyongyang first, otherwise he would not be able to get the customs clearance.

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

"Why would the King of Goryeo suddenly abdicate?" Li Yi asked.

The messenger said: "The king is seriously ill and unable to govern, so he passed the throne to the crown prince."

Li Yi said perfunctorily: "I will report this matter to the emperor, you can go back and report. The Ming Dynasty's envoys will go to Kaizhou next year at the latest."

After receiving the receipt from the Pyongyang prefect, the Goryeo envoy bowed and withdrew.

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

"I obey your command!" Zhang Yi was overjoyed.

Zhang Yi was originally a general under Wang Yan, and had been transferred to Pyongyang as the general only two years ago.

There are different levels of generals, with the most powerful ones commanding the troops of an entire province. However, in certain key areas, a prefecture would also have a general, such as Yao Pingzhong, who previously served as the general of Lin Prefecture.

When the Pyongyang General Army was first established, it was quite important, defending against Goryeo in the south and Jin in the north. But with the fall of Jin, Goryeo was completely flattened, and the level of this place was reduced accordingly.

This place is remote and poor, and Zhang Yi even feels like he has been exiled.

I didn't expect to encounter the merit of destroying a country!
Of course, this kind of achievement is too great for a prefect or a general to take all of it.

Li Yi sent Zhang Yi away and waited for detailed military information from the spies. Whenever there was a suitable opportunity, he would write to Liaoyang to ask for support from the three divisions of Liaoning Province - for soldiers and food.

……

On the Goryeo side.

When the Kim family of Gyeongju heard that the military had staged a coup and massacred civil officials, they immediately used money and food to recruit soldiers. They also urgently distributed food to the Gyeongju garrison to win over the soldiers who were about to starve to death.

Then he joined forces with the powerful families in the two neighboring states and issued a manifesto calling on righteous men across the world to rise up in arms and defend the king.

The coalition forces of the three states, with a total strength of over 10,000, marched towards Kaizhou in a hurry.

Although they had a large number of people, they were just a mob and did not even have many decent weapons and armors. At most they could suppress peasant uprisings.

In early July, the two sides confronted each other on the Han River.

Zheng Zhongfu ordered Li Gao to lead a thousand elite soldiers to secretly cross the river several dozen miles downstream. He himself led thousands of troops and stockpiled hundreds of boats, pretending to cross the river for a decisive battle.

At night, Li Gao raided the camp of the army supporting the king, and Zheng Zhongfu took the opportunity to lead the main force across the river.

The army that was supporting the king was in chaos, and Zheng Xiong, the governor of Gyeongju, quickly defected and led his troops straight to Jin Dunan's tent.

Dozens of sons of powerful families were killed in the army. Zheng Zhongfu then led his troops to Gyeongju, uprooted the Jin family in Gyeongju, and killed hundreds of Jin family members in one breath.

Immediately afterwards, Zheng Zhongfu divided his troops and sent them to the two neighboring states, hoping to wipe out all the powerful families who had participated in the campaign to support the king.

Li Yifang's elder brother, Li Junyi, immediately went to Zheng Zhongfu and asked, "Can the general really kill all the nobles in the world?"

"What if we kill them all? What if we can't kill them all?" Zheng Zhongfu asked back.

Li Junyi said: "Local states and counties are all controlled by powerful families. They have intermarried for generations and have a complex network of ties. If the general continues to kill powerful families indiscriminately, states and counties across the country will inevitably rebel. How should we suppress them then?"

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

Li Junyi smiled and said, "Of course. The general can use this opportunity to establish his authority by suppressing the rebels. If he stops killing the powerful families indiscriminately, other powerful families will definitely not dare to rebel. Even if there is a rebellion, it will only be one or two states and counties, and the general can easily suppress it. If those powerful families are pushed to a corner, it will not be a matter of one or two states and counties."

"How do we win them over? How do we make the powerful families recognize that military men are in power?" Zheng Zhongfu asked.

Li Junyi said: "Ren Yuanhou carried out reforms a few years ago, and everything was based on the Ming system, but he changed it again and again and finally gave up. The general can start reforms again and give official positions to local nobles. If the family is powerful, let them be cabinet ministers or ministers. If the family is not powerful, let them be assistant ministers and censors."

Zheng Zhongfu shook his head: "If you invite the nobles back to serve as officials, wouldn't our previous coup be in vain?"

Li Junyi explained:

"The general can personally serve as the prime minister of the cabinet, turning the cabinet into a mere decoration, and the government office that actually handles state affairs will be moved to the Privy Council. The general can also serve as the Privy Envoy, and have officials from the six ministries send official documents to the Privy Council. No matter if they are cabinet ministers, ministers, or vice ministers, as long as the positions are held by powerful families, they are all in name only and have no power."

"If we vigorously promote scholars from humble families, these humble families are the ones who really do things. However, the humble scholars have power but no name. If they want to keep their power, they have to rely on the general. Moreover, the wealthy families occupy high-ranking official positions, and the humble scholars will continue to hate the wealthy families. If we let the humble and wealthy families fight, won't the general be able to stabilize the court?"

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

Those powerful families all had people killed by Zheng Zhongfu. Would they be willing to send people to Kaifeng to serve as officials again?

Yes! And I came very quickly, fearing that I would miss the high position if I arrived in Beijing too late.

Then, a very strange situation appeared in Goryeo——

The military group could only control the capital area, while local prefectures and counties were still controlled by the powerful families.

The wealthy families held high positions in the court but had no power, and the scholars from poor families controlled the six ministries but could not even become vice ministers.

The cabinet and the six ministries became complete decorations. The middle-level officials of the six ministries were responsible for doing the work, and all government affairs had to be reported to the Privy Council.

Zheng Zhongfu served as prime minister and privy councilor, and the generals who followed him in the coup also got empty civil titles and real power in the Privy Council. The real local officials in the capital area were also handed over to military men and scholars from humble backgrounds.

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

How could the wealthy and powerful families surrender so easily?

They did not dare to resist openly, but began to engage in conspiracy and intrigue.

The brothers Li Junyi and Li Yifang were highly valued by Zheng Zhongfu, but Li Gao, who participated in the coup, was somewhat neglected.

After being invited to several banquets by wealthy and powerful civil servants and receiving constant boasting and flattery, Li Gao gradually became arrogant.

He felt that he had made outstanding contributions in the coup and had made the most significant contribution in eliminating the royalist army, and he deserved due rewards.

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

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

He secretly called his confidants to discuss a strategy, and decided to suddenly attack Zheng Zhongfu, Li Junyi and Li Yifang and wipe them out in one fell swoop when they were on their way home from get off work.

The plan was leaked.

The two sides met in battle in Kaesong City, and Li Gao, the fourth-ranking figure in the military government, was defeated and his entire family was killed.

The conspiracy of the powerful and civil servants continued, and they began to instigate the Li brothers.

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

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

Li Junyi and Li Yifang, relying on their family members in the army, saw their real strength expand rapidly, but their political power was always suppressed.

Zheng Zhongfu was very worried about this, so he ambushed swordsmen at home and invited the Li brothers to test the waters.

Li Junyi felt something was wrong, and he suddenly knelt down halfway through his drink: "My husband has given my brother and me a new life. If you hadn't raised an army to eliminate the evil, how could my brother and I have the wealth and honor we have today? My father has passed away, and now I want to worship you as my father!"

Li Yifang was stunned for a moment, then he reacted and knelt on the ground: "Father, please accept my respects!"

Zheng Zhongfu had not expected such a scene at all. He was immediately very proud and laughed loudly, saying, "Hurry up. From now on, the three of us, father and son, will join forces to be loyal to the emperor and the country and revitalize the country."

After the banquet, the Li brothers' vests were covered with sweat.

After Li Yifang returned home, he said with lingering fear: "Fortunately, my brother had quick wits, otherwise we would have died."

Li Junyi said: "Zheng Zhongfu is a suspicious and fickle person. If someone instigates us again, he will kill us. Starting tomorrow, we should treat him like our own father and kneel down to greet him every time we meet him."

"Do I have to be his fake son forever? He is only a few years older than us. It will be too embarrassing if it gets out." Li Yifang was unwilling.

Li Junyi comforted him, "Although we have many old subordinates in the army, Zheng Zhongfu is now very prestigious, and most of the military men regard him as a hero. Now is the time to flatter him and praise him highly. He is a military man himself, but he actually looks down on military men, and has been interacting with civil officials these days. When the military men become alienated from him, we can take action!"

The next day, the two 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 son greets you, father."

All the civil and military officials looked at them stupidly, but Zheng Zhongfu's vanity was greatly satisfied. He smiled and said, "Good children, go back to work."

"Resign, kid!"

The two brothers kowtowed again and left respectfully.

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

But they had no time, as a letter from the Ming Dynasty arrived from Pyongyang, asking Zheng Zhongfu why he had rebelled, imprisoned the monarch, and established a new king.

Zheng Zhongfu was frightened by the letter from the Ming Dynasty, and he quickly called Li Junyi to discuss: "The Ming Emperor is unwilling to enthrone the new emperor, what should we do? Without the Ming Emperor's enthronement, we will always be traitors."

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

Zheng Zhongfu said, "Warriors are good at fighting, but they are not suitable for being sent as envoys to the Ming Dynasty. I am not confident about sending a civil official. You are the smartest among the military men, so you must go to Luoyang this time."

"I will do my best to fulfill my father's 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 national treasury first, and I will ask the local prefectures and counties to pay tribute. As for the beauties, search all over the capital and make sure to find the most beautiful one."

Li Junyi said: "With these gifts, we should be able to please the Emperor of Ming Dynasty."

(End of this chapter)