Chapter 1010 1005 [Internal strife among warriors]
Wang Zhen, the crown prince of Goryeo, who was only fifteen years old, was proclaimed king by Zheng Zhongfu.
What did the king say?
Beggar’s version of Song Huizong!
Wang Xi possessed all the hobbies and character of Song Huizong, but his political methods were only a fraction of those of Song Huizong.
Under the coercion of Zheng Zhongfu, he quickly "ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor", and married Zheng Zhongfu's daughter as "empress" - in the credentials issued to the Ming Dynasty, he certainly did not dare to call it that, but it was normal to enjoy himself behind closed doors.
.
Yes, send credentials to Ming Dynasty!
As long as it is approved by the Ming Emperor, this coup will be considered a complete success.
During the Song Dynasty, Korea's credentials were sent to Mingzhou (Ningbo).
Now it is sent to Pyongyang, the prefect of Pyongyang in the Ming Dynasty, who also has the power to negotiate with Goryeo. Even if Goryeo wants to send an envoy to the Ming Dynasty, it must go to Pyongyang first, otherwise it will not get the customs clearance document.
The prefect of Pyongyang was Li Yi, the first Jinshi of the Ming Dynasty. Due to the speed at which the credentials were sent, news of the coup by the military officials of Goryeo had not yet arrived.
"Why did the leader of Goryeo suddenly abdicate?" Li Yi asked.
The messenger said: "The king is seriously ill and cannot govern, so he is passing on to the crown prince."
Li Yi said perfunctorily: "I will report this matter to the meeting, and you can go back and reply. Next year at the latest, the envoys of the Ming Dynasty will go to Kaizhou."
After receiving the reply from the governor of Pyongyang, the Korean envoy bowed and left.
Li Yi immediately summoned Zhang Yi, the commander-in-chief of Pyongyang: "There may be changes in Goryeo. You should prepare your troops and wait for detailed information to come back. I will help you raise food and grass, and be ready to go south to destroy the country at any time."
"The general will obey your orders!" Zhang Yi was overjoyed.
Zhang Yi was originally a general under Wang Yan. He was transferred to Pyongyang to serve as the commander-in-chief for only two years.
There are also different types of general soldiers. The most powerful ones can command the troops of a province. However, in some key areas, a general soldier will also be set up in a prefecture. For example, Yao Pingzhong served as the general soldier of Linfu before.
When the Pyongyang General Army was first established, it was more important, defending against Goryeo in the south and the Jin Kingdom in the north. However, with the fall of the Jin Kingdom and Goryeo's complete supremacy, the level here dropped.
This place was remote and poor, and Zhang Yi felt that he had been sent away.
I didn’t expect that I would be able to destroy the country!
Of course, this kind of credit is too great, and it is impossible for a prefect or a commander-in-chief to monopolize it.
Li Yi sent Zhang Yi away and waited for detailed military information. As long as there was a suitable opportunity, he would write to Liaoyang and request the support of the Third Division of Liaoning Province - asking for soldiers and food.
…
Over there in Korea.
When the Kim family of Gyeongju heard about the military coup and the massacre of civilian officials, they immediately spent money and food to recruit brave soldiers. They also provided emergency food supplies to the Gyeongju garrison to win over the soldiers who were about to starve to death.
Then he joined forces with the nobles in the two neighboring states and issued a proclamation calling on the righteous men in the world to raise their troops and serve the king.
The three-state coalition forces, with a total strength of more than 10,000, headed towards Kaizhou with great fury.
Although there are many people, they are all a mob. They don't even have many decent soldiers and armor. They can at most suppress the peasant uprising.
In early July, the two sides faced off on the Han River.
Zheng Zhongfu asked Li Gao to lead a thousand elite soldiers and sneak dozens of miles downstream to cross the river secretly. He himself led thousands of troops and stockpiled hundreds of ships, pretending that he was going to cross the river for a decisive battle.
At night, Li Gao raided the camp of King Qin's army, and Zheng Zhongfu took the opportunity to lead the main force across the river.
King Qin's army was in chaos, and the governor of Gyeongju, Zheng Xiong, quickly switched sides and led his troops directly to Jin Dunan's commander's tent.
A total of dozens of sons of wealthy families were killed in the army. Zheng Zhongfu sent his troops to Qingzhou, uprooted the Jin family in Qingzhou, and beheaded hundreds of Jin family members in one go.
Immediately afterwards, Zheng Zhongfu divided his troops and went to the two neighboring states, hoping to kill all the wealthy families who joined King Qin.
Li Yifang's brother Li Junyi quickly found Zheng Zhongfu and asked, "Can the general really kill all the wealthy families in the world?"
"So what if we kill them all? So what if we can't kill them all?" Zheng Zhongfu asked rhetorically.
Li Junyi said: "The local states and counties are all controlled by wealthy families. They have been married for generations and are intertwined. If the general continues to kill the wealthy families indiscriminately, rebellions will inevitably break out in every state and county across the country. How will we eradicate them then?"
Zheng Zhongfu asked: "We have killed so many civil servants in Kaijing, can we still reconcile with the local wealthy families?"
Li Junyi smiled and said: "Of course. The general's suppression of the rebels this time is a good opportunity to establish his authority. If he no longer kills the wealthy clans indiscriminately, other wealthy clans will definitely not dare to rebel. Even if there is a rebellion, it will only be in one or two states and counties.
The general can suppress it easily. It is not a matter of one or two states and counties to push those powerful families into a hurry."
"How to win over them? How to make the wealthy people recognize that the military is responsible for the government?" Zheng Zhongfu asked.
Li Junyi said: "Ren Yuanhou reformed and restructured a few years ago. Everything was based on the Ming system, but he changed it again and again but failed. The general can carry out another reform and give quotas to local wealthy officials. If the family is powerful, let them serve as cabinet ministers or ministers.
Shang Shu. Those whose families are second in strength will be appointed as ministers and censors."
Zheng Zhongfu shook his head: "You invited the wealthy people back to serve as officials, wouldn't our previous coup have been in vain?"
Li Junyi explained:
"The general can personally serve as the prime minister of the cabinet, turning the cabinet into a decoration. The yamen that actually handles government affairs is changed to the Privy Council. The general can also serve as the Privy Council, allowing officials from the six ministries to send official documents to the Privy Council. Whether it is cabinet ministers, ministers, or ministers
, as long as the official positions are held by wealthy families, they are all famous but not powerful."
"No matter how vigorously we promote the poor people, these poor people are the ones who really do things. But the poor people have power but no reputation. If they don't want to lose their power, they have to rely on the generals. Moreover, the wealthy families occupy high-level official positions.
Scholars from poor families will continue to hate wealthy families. If we let poor families fight against wealthy families, won't the general be able to stabilize the court?"
Zheng Zhongfu thought about it carefully and felt that it made sense. He immediately prostrated himself and said, "General Li is really a wise man!"
Every family member of those powerful families was killed by Zheng Zhongfu. Are they willing to send people to Kaijing to serve as officials?
willing!
Moreover, I arrived so quickly that I was afraid that I would miss out on my high position if I arrived in Beijing too late.
Then, a very strange situation occurred in Goryeo——
The warrior group can only control the Gyeonggi region, while local prefectures and counties are still controlled by wealthy families.
A wealthy family holds a high position in the court but has no power, and a humble scholar controls the six ministries but cannot even be a minister.
The cabinet and the six ministries have become completely decorations. The mid-level officials of the six ministries are responsible for handling affairs. All government affairs need to be reported to the Privy Council.
Zheng Zhongfu was both Prime Minister and Privy Councilor, and the generals who followed him in the coup also gained false civilian titles and real power in the Privy Council. The real power of local officials in the Gyeonggi region was also given to warriors and poor men.
A military government that could only control the capital was quickly formed.
How could a wealthy family submit obediently?
They did not dare to resist openly, but began to play tricks.
Brothers Li Junyi and Li Yifang were reused by Zheng Zhongfu, but Li Gao, who was involved in the coup, was somewhat neglected.
After being invited to several banquets by wealthy civil servants and constantly boasting and flattering him, Li Gao gradually became more and more popular.
He felt that he had made outstanding contributions during the coup and was the first to eliminate King Qin's army, so he should receive due rewards.
He could tolerate Zheng Zhongfu and Li Yifang riding on his head, but Li Junyi, who watched the show from beginning to end, was just talking nonsense in front of Zheng Zhongfu, why should he have a higher official position than himself?
After being fooled by a civil servant, Li Gao felt that he could also be the boss!
He secretly called his confidants to discuss the strategy, and decided to suddenly rush out and kill Zheng Zhongfu, Li Junyi, and Li Yifang on their way home from get off work.
The plan was leaked.
The two sides met in battle in Kaijing City. Li Gao, the fourth most powerful figure in the military government, was defeated and his entire family was killed.
The conspiracy of the wealthy civil servants continued, and they began to provoke the Li brothers.
They are both warriors, from humble families, and have their own family power.
However, Zheng Zhongfu's family was too weak, but the Li brothers came from generations of generals.
Li Junyi and Li Yifang, relying on their old family members in the military, have rapidly expanded their real strength, but their political power has been suppressed.
Zheng Zhongfu was greatly disturbed by this. He ambushed the swordsman at home and invited the Li brothers to test him.
Li Junyi vaguely felt that something was wrong, and suddenly knelt down in the middle of drinking: "My father-in-law is very kind to my brother. If he hadn't raised his troops to get rid of the evil spirits, how could my two brothers be rich today? My father has passed away, and I want to worship him now."
My husband is my father!"
Li Yifang was stunned for a moment, then reacted and knelt down on the ground: "Father, please accept my child's respect!"
Zheng Zhongfu did not expect such a scene at all, and he immediately became complacent and laughed loudly and said: "Get up quickly. From now on, the three of us, father and son, will be able to serve the country loyally and revitalize the country."
When they left after the banquet, the Li brothers' vests were covered with sweat.
After Li Yifang returned home, he said with lingering fear: "Fortunately, my brother is quick-witted, otherwise we would definitely die."
Li Junyi said: "Zheng Zhongfu has a suspicious and changeable personality. If someone secretly provokes him again, he will kill us. From tomorrow on, we will treat him like our own father and kneel down to greet him every time we meet."
"
"Are we going to keep pretending to be him? He is only a few years older than us. It would be too embarrassing to spread the word." Li Yifang felt unwilling.
Li Junyi reassured: "Although we have many old troops in the army, Zheng Zhongfu is now extremely prestigious, and most warriors regard him as a hero. Now it is time to flatter him and hold him high. He himself is a warrior, but in fact
I look down on the warrior, and spends most of my time with civil servants these days. Once the warrior breaks away from him, we can take action!"
The next day, the brothers went to work in the Privy Council.
In front of many civil and military officials, the two men ran to Zheng Zhongfu, knelt down and shouted: "My child wishes my father well."
All the civil and military personnel looked at them stupidly, but Zheng Zhongfu was greatly satisfied with his vanity and said with a smile: "Good boy, you go to work."
"My child, please leave!"
The brothers kowtowed again and left respectfully.
If this trend continues, the Li brothers will be able to kill Zheng Zhongfu within a few years.
But they ran out of time. A letter of credence from the Ming Dynasty was sent from Pyongyang, asking Zheng Zhongfu why he rebelled against his superiors, imprisoned the monarch, and established a new king.
Zheng Zhongfu was so frightened by the Ming Dynasty's credentials that he quickly called Li Junyi to discuss: "The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty refuses to confer the title of new emperor. What should we do? Without the Ming Dynasty canonization, we will always be rebellious officials and traitors."
Li Junyi said: "We can only send people to Luoyang to send more gifts to the emperor, and maybe we can save the situation."
Zheng Zhongfu said: "Martial men can fight well, but they cannot be reused as envoys to the Ming Dynasty. I am really worried about sending civilian officials there. Among the military men, you are the smartest. This time you need to go to Luoyang."
"The child who is entrusted by his father must do his best," Li Junyi said. "The child needs to bring some gifts. The most exquisite and flawless cocoon paper, the roundest and largest pearls, the best fur and ginseng. By the way, there are also
I want a beautiful woman."
Zheng Zhongfu said: "You go to the treasury to find her first, and then I will ask the local prefectures and counties to pay tribute. As for beauties, search throughout the entire Gyeonggi region and be sure to find the most beautiful one."
Li Junyi said: "With these gifts, I should be able to please the emperor of tomorrow."