King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 601: King Xiang of the Ming Dynasty arrives in the submissive Seoul

In the thirteenth year of Orthodoxy, October 15th.

On the coast of Geoje Island, an official ship docked, and a group of people got off the ship, which aroused the curiosity of the fishermen on the shore.

Although North Korea is experiencing a war, the war has not affected the small island in the south, so the people here work and live at a normal pace.

After the people from the official boat left, the fishermen just talked for a few words and went about their own business.

Food is the most important thing for people, and for fishermen, there is nothing more important than fishing.

About half an hour later, in a simple but tidy yard on the coast, after a not too fierce conflict, the dozen or so guards guarding the place were captured.

Cui Yonghai, the current observer of Zhongqing Road and the head of the Cui family, appeared in front of Chen Taimin accompanied by guards.

"What are you here for?"

"It's rare that someone comes to see me. Could it be that His Highness has changed his mind and sent you to kill me?" Chen Taimin took the scroll and knelt at the door of the hut, looking at Cui Changhai with a calm expression.

"Okay...I'll go with you!" Chen Taimin said simply.

When the ordinary scholars in North Korea learned that he was coming back, they all went out of the city to welcome him, leaving no chance for anyone who wanted to harm him.

The eunuch waiting here stepped forward to stop Li Shuo, and then pulled him into the palace.

Chen Taimin put down the book, stood up and asked, "How could he be defeated so quickly?"

After hearing this, Chen Taimin was dumbfounded, and then sighed: "In prosperity, the people are suffering, in death... the people are suffering!"

Of course Chen Taimin wanted to return to the center, and he knew this was a rare opportunity because there were many people in the court who didn't want him to go back.

"His Royal Highness abandons the principles and status, and disobeys the emperor, which will lead to great disasters. Follow the rules and follow the example..."

"Your Highness... please calm down!"

"Your Highness... I'm back!"

Cui Changhai was not in the mood to listen to his emotion, and quickly reminded: "Sir, both the civil and military classes in Seoul are waiting for you to go back and preside over important events!"

"Your Highness... Facts have proved that I am right!"

Standing at the entrance of the main hall, Chen Taimin was dressed in civilian clothes to look extremely upright.

Sitting on the throne, lifting the loose hair from his forehead, Li Shuo said coldly: "Chen Taimin... you are back. Those gang of rebellious officials and traitors, how dare they disobey my order!"

Surrounded by a large number of students and officials, Chen Taimin returned to the Seoul Palace and entered Kangnyeong Hall to meet Li Shuo.

Chen Taimin is under house arrest here, completely cut off from internal and external news, so Cui Changhai wants to explain the situation to him.

Before Chen Taimin could finish his words, Li Shuo said angrily: "That's enough..."

The country was in a mess, and Chen Taimin was extremely sad about it, so he felt that he had a responsibility to restore the devastated North Korea to normal.

"On the second day of October, the Ming army crossed the Yalu River, and Anzhou surrendered on the seventh day of the lunar month..."

So what he had to do was to convene his disciples and old officials to discuss matters and come up with a plan to fight for the right to speak.

Prior to this, the Cui family had tried their best to build momentum for Chen Taimin and created an atmosphere in Seoul for the return of the virtuous minister who had fought the rebellion.

Chen Taimin has long understood that the sun will still rise without anyone in the world. If only he can deal with it comprehensively, he will just listen.

Cui Changhai is over fifty years old, and his beard and hair are already graying. He looks calm and self-confident because he has been in power for a long time.

"Sir... without further ado, let's set off immediately!" Cui Changhai urged again.

"Comeback?"

The more he talked, the angrier he became. Li Shuo got up angrily and rushed towards Chen Taimin.

The first one is to restore his own influence, especially to control the power of the court. He will not be able to rest assured if this is not done well.

"Okay...I'll go back with you!" Chen Taimin said in a deep voice.

"The most disgusting thing for me... is that you act like you are a teacher to others. You use the words of so-called sages and sages to give advice in name, but in fact, you suppress the king and pursue your own selfish interests!"

Hearing this, Chen Taimin stared at Cui Changhai for a while, and then asked: "Is your grandniece the wife of Lord Mingchuan?"

This incident was beyond Chen Taimin's expectation, and it also surprised Cui Changhai, so the latter sighed: "The soldiers of tomorrow are invincible!"

But in front of Chen Taimin, Cui Changhai was a complete "little brother". He came to Chen Taimin and said: "Congratulations, Prime Minister Chen... You are coming back. I'm here to pick you up!"

"Sima Wenzheng once said... The duties of a king are greater than etiquette, etiquette is greater than points, and points are greater than fame!"

In the blink of an eye, another two days passed. With Chen Taimin's strong momentum, he was re-elected as the leader of the government and became the first person in North Korea's civil and military ministers.

Then Chen Taimin left Seoul with a gift to reward the army to welcome Zhu Jinghong's arrival.

Obviously, Mr. Mingchuan has an idea and wants to take advantage of his own influence.

"In a few days, His Royal Highness Prince Xiang will arrive in Seoul. Lord Mingchuan said that only Prime Minister Chen can handle the situation in a comprehensive manner!"

At this time, Li Shuo's hair was in a messy bun and his cannon uniform was messy. He no longer had the majesty and dignity of the past.

It was impossible for Li Shuo to change his mind, and the reason for the matter could be guessed.

It took only two days of riding a fast horse for Chen Taimin to return to Seoul accompanied by Cui Changhai.

After saying this, Chen Taimin turned and left. He had a lot to do next.

Cui Changhai felt a little embarrassed when Chen Taimin pointed it out so bluntly, but he still nodded honestly.

Before he left, Mingchuan Lord Li Hui was released from house arrest and was specifically responsible for hospitality activities in Seoul.

It is ridiculous to say that the two sides were fighting to the death before, but now North Korea has begun to make careful preparations to entertain Zhu Jinghong, the conqueror.

On October 19, Chen Taimin met Zhu Jinghong in Paju, which was only a few dozen miles away from Seoul.

"Foreign Minister Chen Taimin, please pay homage to His Highness Prince Xiang!"

Outside the city of Paju, Chen Taimin knelt in front of Zhu Jinghong, followed by a large number of officials.

On the steps, Zhu Jinghong asked: "Chen Taimin... Are you the Chen Taimin who was dismissed from office and exiled because of his outspoken remonstrance?"

"It's the foreign minister!"

"You are loyal and loyal. His Majesty praised you very much. He said that if there were more people like you in North Korea, it would not cause such chaos!"

The emperor had many praises for Chen Taimin, which was a great affirmation of him and a strong guarantee for his future status.

Only when he has absolute power can he truly stick to his word and develop his own policy strategy in North Korea.

I only heard Chen Taimin reply: "Your Majesty will never forget your great trust. I must do my best to make the Korean scholars loyal to Your Majesty!"

"very good!"

"I heard that Li Shuo has been captured by you?"

Of course, arresting his father-in-law cannot be directly admitted, so Chen Taimin replied: "Your Highness, our Highness is suffering from hysteria and is currently resting in Kangning Hall!"

"Oh……"

In response, Zhu Jinghong immediately turned around, looked at Chen Yuntai and said, "Go to Seoul first, take the person back to Jinzhou, and escort him to the capital together with Li Xuan!"

"Yes!" Chen Yuntai replied.

At this time, he was extremely excited, because after completing this errand, he was very sure that he would be promoted to the rank of Deputy Thousand Households, and it was not impossible to even reach the rank of Thousand Households.

"I accept your order!"

"Okay...you go back with this Chen Qing!"

"Yes!"

As the leader of North Korea's political affairs, Chen Taimin's visit to Zhu Jinghong only lasted a few minutes, and he could only leave with a group of officials. He could feel that Zhu Jinghong didn't value people like them, and Chen Taimin also admitted that he had this qualification.

It only took less than two months to defeat North Korea. The Ming God of War truly lived up to his reputation... Chen Taimin said with emotion.

After leaving, Chen Taimin realized a problem. He didn't even see Zhu Jinghong clearly.

This young man of eighteen or nineteen years old had such an aura that Chen Taimin did not dare to look directly at him.

So much so that the situation just now reminded him of the time when he went to Ming Dynasty to take the imperial examination more than twenty years ago.

That day Shizu came in person and learned that he was a student from North Korea. He even asked him a few questions. Unfortunately, Chen Taimin was so nervous that he only thought about how to reply and never thought of raising his eyelids to face the sky.

Thinking about old things, Chen Taimin left with the officials and returned to Seoul the next day.

"Mr. Chen... you're fine!"

Chen Taimin was about to leave on horseback, but was stopped by a voice behind him.

He looked back and found that the person coming was Sunchuan Lord Li Jiong.

"It turns out to be Mr. Sunchuan, I didn't expect to meet him here!" Chen Taimin said with cupped hands.

He had never liked the tyrannical Lord Sunchuan, and even impeached him in court several times.

Li Jiong stepped forward and said: "I felt aggrieved for you when I learned that Prime Minister Chen had defamed me... Now that you have been reinstated, I am really happy and congratulated!"

Chen Taimin basically understood what Li Jiong had done recently, which made him even more disgusted with this person.

At this moment, this guy came to establish friendship, and his intention was to get involved in the position of king. Chen Taimin knew this very well.

"Thank you Mr. Sunchuan, I have something else to do... I'll take my leave!"

Chen Taimin was very polite, but he felt like he was thousands of miles away, which made Li Jiong very unhappy.

He really wanted Chen Taimin's support, so if he had resentment and anger, he could only keep it in his heart.

Li Jiong smiled and said: "Mr. Chen, go slowly. We will talk again in a few days!"

After a brief salute, Chen Taimin rode away and Li Jiong could only do his own thing.

Zhu Jinghong came all the way. During this period, Li Jiong was coordinating and organizing the preparation of food and fodder and setting up the camp, so he had a lot to do.

This is a very complicated and cumbersome task, and Li Jiong himself enjoys it, because it can not only curry favor with Zhu Jinghong, but also exert influence on officials from various places.

As for Zhu Jinghong, when he was about to have lunch, a eunuch reported that Zhao Chengwu had returned.

In the seven or eight days since the attack on the Japanese fleet until now, Zhao Chengwu and the fleet he led have been out of contact.

Zhu Jinghong was greatly worried about this. Now that he learned that Zhao Chengwu was back, he immediately stood up and went out to greet him.

As soon as he reached the door, Zhu Jinghong saw Zhao Chengwu.

"I pay homage to Your Highness!"

"How is the situation? How many casualties are there for our army? What are the enemy's losses?" Zhu Jinghong asked quickly.

"Reporting to your highness, fortunately I have fulfilled my mission. I chased them into the deep sea the day before yesterday and sunk all the enemy ships!" Zhao Chengwu reported.

"What are the casualties of our army?" Zhu Jinghong then asked.

Mentioning this incident, Zhao Chengwu looked a little gloomy and replied slowly: "One B-class ship was sunk, and two C-class ships were sunk. The total number of killed...369 people!"

With the above losses, the Liaodong Navy sank more than 30 transport ships, 21 battleships, and captured another 23 ships.

After listening to Zhao Chengwu's story, Zhu Jinghong gradually relaxed, because overall this was a great victory.

"Your Highness...there is something else I want to report!"

"you say!"

"The last two Japanese warships that I am chasing have British, French and foreigners on board!"

There was a lot of information here, so Zhu Jinghong asked: "Are these barbarians... alive?"

The appearance of British and French barbarians in the Japanese fleet was too strange, so Zhu Jinghong wanted to ask clearly.

However, Zhao Chengwu replied awkwardly: "They are all dead!"

Zhu Jinghong is not anxious about this. After all, Okamoto Yingjie is still in his hands. If it doesn't work, you can ask him.

"It's been a hard journey, go and rest, and come with me to Seoul tomorrow!"

"Yes!"

In addition to Zhao Chengwu, Andong Xingdu Sidu Commander Qi Yanze, as well as several Jurchen generals, also traveled hundreds of miles to come here, just to show off when they entered the city.

After all, conquering a country is something that one cannot hope for in life. Now that you have encountered it, you will naturally enjoy the joy of victory.

Zhu Jinghong is gearing up to arrive in Seoul.
In order to welcome Zhu Jinghong's arrival, Li Hui also racked his brains.

In order to create a scene that was welcomed by the people, Li Hui mobilized everyone in Seoul and surrounding areas, including nobles and ordinary people.

October 20, early in the morning. The people around Seoul were led by the scholars and landlords under their respective jurisdictions to where they should appear.

Both sides of the official road were already densely packed with people, extending several miles from the city gate. This shows how Li Hui and the North Korean officials welcomed Zhu Jinghong's arrival.

However, at this time, the inner side of the official road was tightly guarded by Ming army soldiers, and these common people were isolated from them.

Yesterday, when Chen Taimin came back and brought Li Shuo away with the Jin Yiwei, Li Hui watched silently outside the Kangning Hall. The scene made him beat in his heart.

To express absolute respect, Li Hui planned to go twenty miles away to welcome him, but was called back by Zhu Jinghong, so he could only welcome him outside the city gate.

"The Ming Dynasty does not need a king with great achievements, but an obedient person to sit on that chair, so you must seize the opportunity..."

These words were said by Li Hui's wife Cui, and Li Hui kept them in mind.

"Mingchuan Lord... is here, already here~" a eunuch reminded Li Hui.

So Li Hui immediately tidied up his appearance. He wanted to show his perfect posture.

The officials beside and behind him also looked nervous at this time. They were not sure about their fate, only because they were more or less involved in the rebellion.

Finally, Zhu Jinghong's guard of honor appeared in the distance, making Li Hui even more nervous.

Where Zhu Jinghong passed by, the people who welcomed him were already kneeling on the ground very respectfully, saying "Long live the Ming Dynasty and a thousand years of King Xiang".

In the carriage, looking at the crowd of people kneeling far away, Zhu Jinghong smiled.

Soon, his convoy arrived at the city gate and stopped there.

"I'm waiting to see His Royal Highness King Xiang!"

As Li Hui knelt down, a large number of officials also knelt down, and then came the scholars and common people present.

At this moment, wherever Zhu Jinghong looked, the whole world seemed to be at his feet.

"No courtesy!" Zhu Jinghong ordered.

After Yu Hai conveyed his intention, Li Hui and others stood up carefully, and then consciously moved to both sides.

Zhu Jinghong's carriage passed, then Cai Chuansheng and other senior generals passed, then the staff team, and the ordinary military formation further behind.

When the large group of troops passed by, the solemn atmosphere of the Ming army made the people of Seoul tremble. The spy of the Ming soldiers was really extraordinary.

After some self-PUA, these people looked more submissive.

Zhu Jinghong, who led the heavenly soldiers to win consecutive battles and made the fierce Jurchens obey him, aroused more and more awe in Seoul.

(End of this chapter)