There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 434 Mission to Korea
North Korea.

Jeju Island was captured by the Han army in the spring of this year, but it was not until mid-summer, almost autumn, that the Seoul authorities learned of it.

Kim Dal-soon, the governor of Jeolla Province, realized that Jeju Island had not been in contact with Jeolla Province for a long time and then slowly sent ships to investigate. He learned that Jeju Island had been captured by the Han army.

Along with the scouting ship, there was also a Han envoy from Jeju Island. He was a genuine Han envoy, and he was a fourth-rank official, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies. Kim Dal-soon immediately recognized him by his scarlet official robes. This Han envoy must have held a high-ranking position.

Kim Dae-soon dared not delay. He first reported on the situation of Jeju Island and the Han envoy, and then immediately sent the Han envoy to Seoul.

Seoul, the royal palace.

Queen Dowager Kim, the regent of North Korea, is personally welcoming the Han envoys with the young King of North Korea.

Since neither the grandmother nor her grandson could speak Chinese, a North Korean official who understood Chinese was responsible for communication and translation.

The Korean translator said, "King Yi Yang of the Joseon Kingdom and Queen Dowager Kim have come to welcome the envoy from the Great Han!"

"Ok!"

The Han envoy, Xu Qing, nodded slightly, but did not show much enthusiasm.

The North Korean officials and Regent Queen Dowager Kim all looked at each other in bewilderment.

Although most of them couldn't understand Chinese, they could tell that the Han envoy seemed to have ill intentions.

After exchanging glances, the Korean officials finally spoke up. It was Kim Jo-soon, the late king's father-in-law who had been entrusted with the care of the young king and was now being ostracized and suppressed by Queen Dowager Kim, who said, "Please let the envoy from the Great Han Dynasty move into the Hanyang Palace first. A banquet has been prepared there to entertain the envoy!"

Goodness, this guy actually understands Chinese, and speaks it quite fluently.

Upon seeing this, Queen Dowager Kim secretly became wary.

But since the angel was still present, they could only go along with what the other party was saying and welcome the Han envoy back to the palace together.

We arrived at the Seoul Royal Palace.

Before Xu Qing could even sit down, he couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.

It wasn't that he thought the Korean royal palace was too small; in fact, compared to the palace of their Han emperor, it was much smaller than the Korean king's palace.

What truly made Xu Qing unable to hold back was that the so-called palace banquet in Korea was far too shabby.
It's not that Xu Qing is being too harsh; it's just that things are really too stingy!
As shown in the picture above, this is basically the most sumptuous dinner of the Korean king, "Yesu-rae".

Xu Qing couldn't say how bad the food was, but it was definitely much better than what ordinary people eat, but that's about it.

For a moment, Xu Qing almost thought that the North Koreans were deliberately humiliating him and the Han people, but he quickly saw that the eyes of the North Korean king, his ministers, and the regent "Empress Dowager" were filled with pride... pride?
Seriously? You guys really eat this? And you're even proud of it?
Xu Qing raised an eyebrow, but ultimately didn't find it too offensive; at least he wasn't being forced to eat only kimchi.

This was said by the emperor during a joking meeting before his trip. He mentioned that Korea is famous for kimchi, which is made by pickling chili peppers and cabbage and is considered the national dish.

Anyway, Xu Qing was very shocked after hearing it.

The food was so simple and coarse, basically just red bean rice with some ordinary meat and vegetable dishes. It was edible, but it had none of the grandeur of a state banquet or palace feast. It reminded Xu Qing of the frugal life he had when he was an official in a local area.

There was only one small hot pot at the table (the royal cuisine of the Joseon Dynasty, "Yuekouzi Pot"), which looked somewhat appetizing but tasted very bland. There wasn't even any dipping sauce for hot pot, and the portion was extremely small.

The banquet quickly ended, and Xu Qing went straight to the point: "His Majesty the Emperor of our Great Han Dynasty has issued an edict to officially restore Jeju Island and rename it Tamna County. This is an imperial edict bestowed by His Majesty the title of King of Joseon. Please accept this edict immediately!"

The meeting was a rude awakening, and all the Korean officials present fell silent. Even the young King Yi Yang was unable to contain his anger.

Before welcoming the Han envoy, the emperor's father-in-law, Kim Jo-soon, told him that the Celestial Empire, which the Han envoy represented, was not very friendly to Korea and had even seized Korean territory.

Now that I hear it, it's true!

Soon, at Queen Dowager Kim's signal, a dissident Joseon minister stood up angrily and shouted: "The Emperor is far too domineering! Even when the Manchu barbarians were in power, they never coveted the territory of their vassal states. Now, His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty has come and immediately seized Jeju Island, treating it as part of the Great Han Empire. What is the logic of this?"

The North Korean translator relayed the information, even translating the tone of the speech.

Xu Qing simply said casually, "What, you're not convinced?"

The North Korean translator hesitated for a moment, but still dutifully translated it.

The Korean minister from the outlier faction was also stunned. After a moment, he angrily shouted, "Is this the magnanimity of His Majesty the Emperor of the Celestial Han Dynasty? If so, what difference is there between the Celestial Han Dynasty and the Manchu barbarians?"

This guy was really angry and went crazy, because a few years ago, the puppet Qing Dynasty had forced North Korea to sell a lot of grain at a low price in order to fight the war, almost emptying North Korea's national treasury.

Just then, North Korea experienced several more droughts, leading to reduced grain production, widespread famine, and the deaths of many North Koreans.

I have to say, the North Korean people are incredibly resilient!

They would rather starve to death than actually rebel.

Of course, the reason this eccentric official was angry was not because the Qing dynasty had seized Korean grain and starved the Korean people, but because the Qing dynasty had taken away the grain, leaving them, the Yangban nobles, with no money to earn.

If the common people starve to death, so be it; they're all just a bunch of lowly people.

Xu Qing laughed instead of getting angry: "Is there no difference? If there really is no difference, then my Great Han would have already crossed Ganghwa Island and stormed into your Seoul palace long ago. Instead, I'm being sent as an envoy to Korea to give you a chance to be recognized and submit. The King of Korea has been serving the pseudo-Qing Manchus ever since the fall of the Ming Dynasty, regarding the pseudo-Qing Manchus as the legitimate rulers of China. How should we settle these scores?"

These words completely destroyed the previous harmony, and were filled with force and threats.

This was something His Majesty had specifically instructed him to do before he left.

Although North Korea is a small country, it has a very distinctive character: it is known for its fear of power rather than its gratitude.

During the height of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, Korea was a province under its eastern expedition. However, when the Mongol Yuan Dynasty declined, Korea dared to seize Jeju Island. Later, after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Korea expanded northward, pushing its territory all the way to the Yalu River and the Tumen River.

Don't say these territories are all rotten land. You should know that these territories were previously used by the Ming Dynasty to establish six garrisons.

Moreover, when Korea first began its northward invasion, the "Ten Jurchens" in this land managed to resist the Korean invasion.

Until the "Amur River Incident" broke out in Liaodong, the Yangmudawu Jurchen tribe rebelled and fled to the Amur River area.

The Ming Dynasty ordered Menggetemur's Dzungar tribe to cooperate with the Ming army in attacking Yangmudawu's tribe. After this battle, Menggetemur and his eldest son Agu were killed, his second son Tongshan was captured, and the Odoli tribe was plundered.

The Odoli tribe, severely weakened, was forced to migrate to the Suzi River basin (Xinbin County) in the upper reaches of the Hun River. Without the powerful Odoli tribe, the "Ten Jurchens" were scattered and once again invaded by the North Koreans, and were subsequently completely annexed by the North Koreans (Hamgyeong Province and Pyongan Province).

It can be said that North Korea, a small country, has never been honest; once it gains power, it will inevitably forget its roots.

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Korea inherited tens of thousands of Mongol cavalry, which made Zhu Yuanzhang feel threatened by Korea and he was always vigilant towards it.

It wasn't until the Yongle era that Korea was subjugated. By continuously draining Korea's resources and buying up all of Korea's warhorses at low prices, Korea was left without horses. Furthermore, by selling firearms to Korea and controlling gunpowder exports, Korea's military borders were controlled, and only then was Korea finally subdued.

Therefore, there's no need to be too polite to North Korea. If you are, they'll take advantage of you. You must make them realize that you are much stronger than them, that you are their father, before they will behave themselves.

The room fell silent instantly, and all the North Korean ministers present kept quiet.

Xu Qing killed the conversation by directly accusing North Korea of ​​something serious, and the accusation wasn't unfounded—North Korea was indeed serving the Qing Dynasty.

If the Han Dynasty were to use this as a pretext to send troops to Korea, Korea would truly be unable to resist!
From the regent "Empress Dowager" Kim Dae-won and the father-in-law Kim Jo-sun, to the ministers, nobles, and commoners of both the old and new factions, everyone knows what a piece of trash the current North Korean army is.

During the reign of King Seonjong of Joseon, which had just experienced the Imjin War, Joseon implemented the Training Commissioner system to revitalize its military, which did indeed restore some of the fighting capacity of the Joseon army.

However, the training and supervision system has been in place for over two hundred years and has long been rotten to the core.

It was either a tool for the Yangban aristocracy to increase taxes and profit, or a private estate used to gild the reputation of their sons and nephews.

Unfortunately, this was the fundamental problem of the Joseon Dynasty: its class system was severely rigid, and there were no institutional channels for upward mobility.

The lowly are born lowly, and the nobles are born nobles. The only way to change one's fate is through reincarnation.

If I had to put it bluntly, North Korea is a backward kingdom still stuck in the era of powerful clans. While China has its Huang Chao who "stumbled upon the bones of nobles on the Heavenly Street," North Korea, on the other hand, just goes about its business.

Soldiers had no way to rise in rank; meritorious service went to nobles, while risking their lives was their own responsibility. They couldn't even get enough to eat, so the army's combat effectiveness could not possibly be strong.

Moreover, North Korea has long adhered to the basic national policy of "serving the great with the small." When the Ming Dynasty came, they called the Ming Dynasty "father," but when the Manchus came, they cursed the Manchus as barbarians while calling the Qing Dynasty "father."

It's utterly despicable!

In any case, when peasant uprisings occurred, they would call on their Chinese father to suppress them; when invaded by foreign countries (Japan), they would call on their Chinese father to command them.

army?

What's the point of having this thing? It's a waste of money.

Xu Qing, not wanting to waste any more time, stood up and took out the imperial edict: "Please receive the edict, King of Joseon!"

The North Korean translator reacted quickly this time, immediately providing translation for Queen Dowager Kim.

Queen Dowager Kim instantly realized that this was the emperor of the Celestial Empire, forcing North Korea to take sides and make a statement.

The key message coming back from China is that the Qing Dynasty has not yet been destroyed. Although they are already at a disadvantage in the war, this still makes Queen Dowager Kim hesitant, since Korea is relatively close to Liaodong.

If we choose sides like this, what if the Qing Dynasty finds out and sends the Eight Banners troops to wipe them out?
Despite North Korea's daily accusations of calling the Qing Dynasty "Tartars" and its self-proclaimed status as a "Little China," it has absolutely no confidence in its ability to compete with the Qing Dynasty in a real war.

Unfortunately, while North Korea wanted to remain on the fence and observe, the Great Han would not give North Korea the chance.

Xu Qing held the imperial edict in his hands, his expression turning cold. He repeated, "Please accept the edict, King of Joseon!" After saying this, he added, "His Majesty the Emperor of our dynasty has given an oral decree that if the King of Joseon is unwilling to accept the edict, then our dynasty will not force him. However... hehe."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly burst into laughter.

This startled Queen Dowager Kim and the Korean officials present. They weren't fools; they could hear the blatant threat in Xu Qing's words.

Especially that line about the Emperor of Han not forcing him—if he's already offended the Emperor of Han so much, how can he not forbid it? Are you kidding me?
While Queen Dowager Kim was still hesitating, the Grand Tutor Kim Jo-soon suddenly grabbed Yi Gong's arm and pulled him down to kneel down with her.

Then, in Mandarin, he loudly replied, "King Yi Gong of the lower kingdom of Joseon respectfully welcomes the imperial edict of His Majesty the Emperor of the Celestial Han Dynasty! Long live the Emperor!"

Kim Jo-soon has clearly learned Chinese rules and etiquette quite well; he has basically mastered them all.

Seeing this, Xu Qing finally nodded in satisfaction and then began to read the imperial edict: "By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:

The Ming Dynasty's Joseon Kingdom (the full name of Joseon) was established as a vassal state by the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty. Although the Great Ming Dynasty has been extinct for 150 years, Joseon was forced to accept the investiture of the puppet Qing Dynasty and become its vassal state... Now, His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty has recovered Nanjing and expelled the Tartars. It is only right to liberate the former vassal state of the Great Ming Dynasty... Therefore, King Yi Yang of Joseon is hereby conferred the title of King of Joseon, and will no longer be subject to the false investiture of the puppet Qing Dynasty... All the Joseon kings who were invested by the puppet Qing Dynasty in the past 150 years will also be conferred titles and inherit their thrones.

Admire this! "

The imperial edict was very simple; it was an imperial decree bestowing the title of King of Joseon.

Xu Qing not only brought the imperial edict, but also the new king's golden seal and royal robes, all of which were modified versions of the Ming dynasty style.

Specifically, as a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, Korea was theoretically only allowed to wear four-clawed dragon robes. However, the Ming Dynasty granted the Korean king the status of a prince, allowing him to wear a five-clawed dragon robe.

The Han Dynasty was not the Ming Dynasty, and Emperor Nie Yu of the Han Dynasty did not like Korea very much, so he reduced the five claws to four claws and gave them a four-clawed python robe.

Kim Jo-soon took it on his behalf, his keen eyes noticing that the dragon claws on the collar of the royal robe had four claws, but he said nothing and pretended not to know.

Having accepted the imperial edict of investiture, the Han Dynasty and Korea had established a tributary relationship.

North Korea might be able to renege on its promise later, but its son-in-law, Yi Yang, and his father-in-law, definitely can't renege on their promises; they'll have no choice but to go down this path to the bitter end.

However, this may also be an opportunity for Kim Jo-soon. Since the death of King Jeongjong, Kim Jo-soon, as the only regent, has been biding his time, waiting for the opportunity to strike back against Queen Dowager Kim and the eccentric nobles.

Historically, it would have taken Kim Jo-soon another five years to gather enough supporters to stage a coup and force Queen Dowager Kim to relinquish power.

What followed was the infighting between Kim Jo-soon and his allies, until one family became completely dominant, initiating a "politics of power" where the maternal relatives held absolute power.

And now, that opportunity seems to have arrived ahead of schedule.

Xu Qing had no idea what Kim Jo-soon was thinking. His trip wasn't just about bestowing an official title upon the King of Joseon and bringing Joseon into the Han Dynasty's camp. This guy had an even more important mission: "His Majesty the Emperor of our Dynasty wishes to rebuild the former Ming Dynasty's Dongjiang Town, therefore he demands that Joseon return Pi Island. Furthermore, Joseon must provide the necessary provisions and supplies for Dongjiang Town. Our Dynasty will send merchants to conduct trade with Joseon!"

……

(End of this chapter)