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Chapter 626 North Korea Li Dynasty
"Well, this may be a signal... It seems like it's time to beat them up. Go get the files from North Korea and call the General Staff staff into the palace to discuss the matter!" Hong Tao has always been paying attention to issues about North Korea, but has never been able to do so. Planning to take action.

How to put it this way, this country is located in a corner, lacking in natural products, and has little strategic value in its own plans. Especially under the current limited resources, it is not worth going to war against it. But ignore it, it is always restless and seems a bit tasteless.

When the news of the Jurchen defeat reached North Korea, the King of North Korea responded quickly and immediately sent an envoy to Beijing to ask for an audience. Hong Tao knew what he was doing here and had no intention of seeing him. He simply sent Wang An to listen, but he heard something unexpected.

As an envoy, you usually don't talk to foreign ministers about the grudges in your country's court. As long as you do, you must have something to gain. So what does the Li Cao counselor want to express? It's useless to just guess. You have to analyze it carefully through the information you have.

As a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, Korea has strict etiquette and laws in terms of royal family and official system, and cannot be overstepped. Its monarch cannot be called emperor, but can only be called king, respectfully called His Highness, and called himself a widower.

The king's wife is not called the queen, she can only be called the princess, and the honorary title is the empress of the middle palace. The heir to the throne cannot be called the prince, but the prince, and the honorific title is Dixia. The other sons of the king are collectively called the Maharaja.

The highest administrative body under the king is the government, and the chief executive is called Ling Yizheng. His rank is Zhengyipin Da Kuang Fuguo Chonglu doctor, also known as prime minister, chief minister, and Lingge.

"The chief hundred officials are responsible for the administration of common people, managing yin and yang, and managing the country." This is how the leadership and government affairs are described in Korean law. Literally, it should have greater authority than the Ming Dynasty cabinet scholar, a bit like the prime ministers in the Tang and Song Dynasties. .

Below the Ling Yi Zheng, there are Zuo Yi Zheng and Right Yi Zheng, collectively known as the three ministers. In North Korea, only top officials can be called ministers, which is a bit like the Xianggong in the Song Dynasty.

Under the government, there are six departments: officials, households, rituals, soldiers, workers, and punishments, which are equivalent to the six ministries of the Ming Dynasty. Its chief officer called the Judgment Book, which is equivalent to the six ministerial books of the Ming Dynasty. The deputy title is Shenjian, which is equivalent to the left and right ministers of the Six Ministries of the Ming Dynasty.

In addition, there are the Si Xian Fu and Si Jian Yuan, which are responsible for prosecution and admonition, as well as the Cheng Zheng Yuan, which drafts decrees for the king, and so on. Generally speaking, if there was an institution in the Ming Dynasty, North Korea would also create one, and then change the name.

The current king of North Korea is named Li Hui in Chinese. He was named Gwanghaejun in his early years and was the second son of the 14th King of North Korea, Seonjo Yi Wan. He also has a half-brother named Li Juan, who is the eldest son of the king's concubine.

According to the etiquette and law, Linhaejun Li Huan was the legal crown prince of Joseon. However, due to Japan's sudden invasion of Korea, when Seonjo Lee Wan fled Seoul, he suddenly made his second son Gwanghae Jun Li Huan the crown prince for some reason.

Later, Linhaijun Li Juan went to Hamgyeong Province to recruit an army and a loyal king. As a result, the local officials mutinied and captured him and gave him to the Japanese general Kato Kiyomasa. Later, when the Ming army entered the DPRK, the Japanese army was forced to retreat to the Busan area, and the three parties began to negotiate peace. According to the peace terms negotiated by the Ming court, the Japanese army must release the captured Linhai Lord and Shunhe Lord.

But what greeted Linhaijun was not his hometown and relatives, but a cold prison. Guanghai Lord Li Hui arrested Linhai Lord Li Huan for treason and put him in prison.

According to the practice of the Han Dynasty, this palace fight should have ended at this point, and the winner has been decided. As for whether Lord Linhai was uneducated, harmed the people, and colluded with Japanese pirates, that is not a matter of who wins.

But this palace fight scene cannot be ended casually in North Korea. Lord Gwanghae did not dare to kill Lord Linhai and claim to be king, because North Korea was a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. Not only did the king need to be canonized by the Ming Dynasty to ascend the throne, but even the establishment of the crown prince had to be approved by the Ming Dynasty court. In the fourth year of Jingyang (1608), King Seonjo Li Wan of Korea died of illness, and King Gwanghae Li Hui succeeded to the throne. Ten days later, Linhaijun Li Juan was arrested on charges of rebellion and exiled to Qiaotong Island.

Why didn't he kill him directly? Because he was afraid of being blamed by the Ming court. As I said before, North Korea is the sweet potato of the Ming Dynasty, and the change of leader must be approved by the Ming Dynasty court. Before being recognized, he did not dare to kill Linhaijun Li Juan, who was more in line with the rules of succession.

After receiving the notification from North Korea, the Ministry of Rites of the Ming Dynasty did not agree to let Gwanghaejun Li Hui succeed to the throne because it was against etiquette and law. The explanation given by North Korea was that Linhaijun Li Juan was ill. He sometimes understood and sometimes became confused, and was unable to inherit the throne.

At that time, the Minister of Rites of the Ming Dynasty was Guo Zhengyu. He was not confused at work. He did not just listen to North Korea's unilateral explanation. Instead, he asked Liaodong Town to send officials to North Korea to meet Linhaijun Li Juan to see with his own eyes whether he was sick.

At this time, Guanghaijun had no choice, so he quickly brought Linhaijun back from the isolated island, and had people watching him recite his lines every day. He also sent close ministers to receive Ming Dynasty envoys, asking for money and beautiful women.

Then these two officials from Liaodong Town in the Ming Dynasty went on a lucrative job and came back with a lot of money. They replied to the Ministry of Rites that Lord Linhai was indeed ill and could not preside over the government normally. In the fifth year of Jingyang, the Supervisor of Ceremonies sent someone to North Korea again with the golden book of canonization, and officially recognized the legal identity of Guanghai Lord Li Hui.

Judging from the time, Hong Tao had already succeeded to the throne for six years. Why didn't he see anything fishy in this matter? Yes, the golden book that conferred Guanghai Lord Li Hui was indeed signed and sealed by Hong Tao. There was no other deep meaning, it was just a normal process.

As for whether Lord Gwanghae usurped the throne or not, Lord Linhai didn’t bother to answer whether he was wronged or not. In his eyes, Korea will be annexed by the Ming Dynasty sooner or later. It doesn't matter whoever becomes the king, so there is no need to worry about it. Moreover, at that time, he was busy acting out the drama of raising the bandits to respect themselves with Yuan Keli, and had no time to think about the North Korean issue.

After receiving the approval of the Ming Dynasty, Lord Guanghai immediately started a purge and found reasons to arrest all the officials in the court who did not support his succession. Still feeling uneasy, he deposed Concubine Inmu who had raised him since childhood, and then exiled and then killed Prince Yongchang Li Xian, the only direct son of Seonjo Li Fang.

It is not difficult to find out whether Lord Linhai is ill or not, because the eunuch who went to Korea to be conferred was still alive and well-known.

According to Liangshan, when he arrived in Korea, Linhaijun had already died on the island where he was exiled. How did he die? He was strangled to death by the general responsible for guarding Qiaotong Island. What was the result for this general? He was only scolded a few times by Gwanghae-kun, but that was no big deal.

The eunuch is not good at thinking about other things, but he is a top expert in palace fighting. Being able to sit in the position of superior ceremonial supervisor Bingbi, Liangshan was definitely not a newbie, and he was very disdainful of the way the King of Korea eliminated competitors.

Too cheap, too hasty and too unserious. At least let's have a natural death or something, don't be so barbaric. Isn't that an island? You can't send someone to take him to the beach to fish, and then the boat capsizes and he drowns in the water!

(End of this chapter)