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Chapter 824 is just the beginning

In the first month of the sixteenth year of Jingyang (1620), the festive atmosphere of the New Year had not yet completely dissipated, and more than a dozen general military officials gathered in the Yangxin Palace again. They sat around a long table and stared at the copied documents in front of them with different expressions.

The East China Sea Fleet's Staff Headquarters sent an urgent document overnight, and the General Staff Headquarters rushed to the palace to report. Before dawn, the clerks from the Ministry of Public Security knocked on each household's door to notify them and immediately entered the palace to attend the imperial meeting.

What was so urgent? At first, the military ministers thought that there was another report of war from the northern front, so they did not dare to delay and urged the sedan bearers to rush all the way. But when they arrived at the Yangxin Palace and saw the official documents on the table, they realized that there was no war, but changes in North Korea!

Just a few days ago, on the third day of the first lunar month, a huge explosion suddenly occurred in Changdeok Palace, where the Joseon King Yi Hun was staying, in the middle of the night. It is said that the noise was so loud that it could be heard clearly at the Han River dock more than ten miles away.

Before the sleepy residents of Seoul could figure out what was going on, teams of North Korean soldiers swarmed in from the east and west gates and headed for Changdeokgung Palace. Soon after, a fire started in the palace, burning more and more fiercely, illuminating most of Seoul and burning until dawn.

After careful verification, it was discovered that the Joseon King Yi Hun and his concubines had all died in the fire. General Yi Xing, who was in charge of guarding Seoul, immediately went to the West Palace to ask the Queen Dowager for instructions, and then some ministers were also summoned to the West Palace to discuss matters.

Before noon, the result of the meeting was reached. The country could not be without a king for a day. King Lee Hwon passed away, and the Queen Dowager proposed, and many ministers agreed, to choose Prince Yeongyang Lee Jong to succeed the throne.

Seoul was temporarily controlled by Yi Heung-il, who was busy searching for those involved in the explosion at Changdeokgung Palace. Many court officials were killed, most of whom were powerful officials of the Yi Hyun-jo dynasty, mainly from the Daebuk faction.

The military officials of the General Staff were not surprised by this incident. Yuan had just been detained in the palace by the emperor for three days, and they were afraid that the news would leak out. But Li Hun died just a few days later, which was a bit frightening.

He was the ruler of a country, and the country was not small, so how could he be gone just like that? There was an explosion in the palace at night, and the reason that he was burned to death in the fire was too untenable.

Li Hun was not too old to walk. Even if there was a fire that could not be put out, he would have hidden away first. It was obvious that Li Hun was killed by the Queen Dowager and her ministers, and then thrown into the fire to create a false impression.

It doesn’t matter whether he deserves to die or not. Court politics is a game where people play with people, step on people, and eat people. No one, including the emperor, can escape the rule of the jungle.

But another question raised by Li Hun's death is worth discussing and summarizing carefully. Sitting at the end of the table, not tall, not majestic, with baby fat on his cheeks, and his eyes are always empty, he looks a bit confused at first glance. Emperor Jing Yang is not just a person who holds power and acts arbitrarily.

He is stretching out his claws, baring his fangs, and starting to eat people. He will not only eat up his internal opponents, but also foreign kings. Whoever stands in his way or gets in his way will be killed without a word. He will use any means possible, without any sign of a king.

"I have already issued an order for the East Sea Fleet to enter the Han River and land in Seoul with the Wenjia Guard. This time we have a legitimate reason to come here to assist the Queen Dowager of Joseon and prevent anyone from taking advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos.

The candidate for the King of Joseon has been decided. With the Queen Mother and a group of loyal ministers assisting him, there will be no major changes. The Ministry of Rites issued the Golden Book and appointed Yi Jong as the King as soon as possible to avoid any more trouble.

I also intend to station an envoy in Seoul, called the plenipotentiary ambassador, to perform the duties of supervision and correction on behalf of me and the court to prevent Yi Hun from repeating his behavior of pretending to obey but secretly disobeying. One person from each of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War will serve as a deputy envoy, who will follow the plenipotentiary ambassador appointed by the General Staff to take office, and three days later, he will go to Seoul with the Golden Book to preside over Yi Jong's enthronement ceremony.

The term of office is tentatively set at three years. During this period, in addition to guiding the Queen Mother and Yi Jong to rectify the government and restore order, he is also required to thoroughly investigate the local customs, court power, and military deployments in various parts of Korea!"

Hong Tao didn't care at all how the ministers viewed this intervention in other countries' internal affairs, or how they viewed his own emperor's actions. They could have different opinions, but they were not allowed to slack off on their work, and at least they had to do their job well.

"I will obey the Holy Order..." In response to this unconditional assignment, the court officials present not only did not object, they even avoided the need for silence and stood up in unison to express their support.

More than ten years ago, when Hong Tao had just ascended the throne, he had discussed it with them respectfully. He would have had a hundred reasons waiting for him, and he would definitely not agree easily. If he dared to embarrass the ministers in public, he would probably catch fire in the palace first.

But now he doesn't take them seriously at all, just like he treats the eunuchs in the harem with contempt, and these people have become obedient. They do whatever they are told to do, not only to finish the work but also to do it well, and they are more filial to their father than to their own father.

This is human nature, the human nature of bullying the weak and fearing the strong. The ancients actually saw this a long time ago and even clearly summarized it, saying that the world is bustling with people because of profit, and the world is bustling with people because of profit.

Life, power, and family property are also a kind of interest in a broad sense. Fear of losing is a matter of interest, which is fair and reasonable.

"This year, I will mobilize the army and the new army on a large scale to launch an attack on the left wing of Mongolia. In a few days, the General Staff will bring out the details of the budget that needs to be supplemented.

The Ministry of Revenue will first calculate the difference, temporarily withdraw from Taicang, and then let the Customs make up for it. Do not embezzle the money for building water conservancy projects or repairing roads, especially the funds for resettling the garrisons. If there is a shortfall, write down the details clearly, and I will borrow from the Sun and Moon Bank first.

My dear ministers, be prepared. This year will be a bit hunchbacked and money will be tight. Even if the war goes well, the wealth accumulated in the past few years will be squandered by the war.

But don't be afraid, as long as the left wing of Mongolia is completely defeated, the Jurchens will also collapse. In addition, with the return of North Korea, there will be no major threats to the east and north for at least 20 years.

The implementation of the New Deal has only been 13 or 14 years at most. I have built it from scratch under heavy pressure. If there is another 20 years of peace, the effect will be even better. No matter how the history books evaluate my actions, you will definitely not miss the reputation of being a famous minister of the restoration and a pillar of the court.

I know that none of you seek fame and reputation, but if you can ensure that the people under your rule are well fed and clothed, that the young are well cared for, and that the elderly are well cared for; if you can ensure the stability of the country and make foreign enemies tremble in fear, then this is basically what the sages and scholars have asked for! Let's work together, and after we get over this hurdle, the road ahead will be smooth!"

Perhaps feeling that the excitement was not enough, Hong Tao did not even give the ministers a chance to catch their breath, and immediately threw out a more explosive piece of news: the emperor was really going to go all out with military expansion! And the scale was so large that he was going to squander all the money he had saved over the years.

At the same time, he also painted a picture for everyone that looked beautiful but had never been realized, and introduced the basic taste. To sum it up in one word, sweet, sweet inside and out!
(End of this chapter)