Chapter 1501 The attitude of the Koreans

In his heart, Liu Shang didn't really agree with General Haihan's decision to use force to intimidate North Korea, but he also understood that the current situation in Liaodong did not allow Haihan to handle relations with North Korea slowly. Cutting the mess with a quick knife might be beneficial to Haihan.

The Han Dynasty is the best way to deal with North Korea. North Korea after being close to Haihan will definitely be in a much better situation than being squeezed by Houjin. However, Koreans may not be able to appreciate Haihan's painstaking efforts. This country was dominated by Houjin in the past few years.

The Jin Dynasty conquered the capital and was almost destroyed. In the end, it did not completely fall to the late Jin Dynasty. Haihan wanted to overwhelm the Korean state with a single show of force, but he was oversimplifying the matter.

However, facing a high-ranking and powerful figure like Wang Tom, Liu Shang would naturally remain silent and wisely not to express any personal opinions that were contrary to his boss's opinions.

Shen Zhixiang, who was traveling with him, had a far better understanding of North Korea than Liu Shang, and his view was more optimistic: "North Koreans admire the strong, and after Ding Mao's chaos, most of the upper-class people had a relatively big psychological shadow on the war and were unwilling to let it go again.

The country has been dragged into the flames of war. As long as the envoy goes back and reports the war situation in Liaodong honestly, the Koreans will surely understand what choice is most beneficial to them."

Liu Shang couldn't help but responded: "I'm afraid that the Hou Jin's prestige will be too strong, and the Koreans will not believe that our army can suppress the Jin army on the battlefield. If the envoy goes back to report the battle situation, it may be regarded as bragging after receiving benefits."

Wang Tom said: "There are not without smart people in the North Korean political arena. They should be able to figure out whether the news brought back by the envoy is true or false. Besides, isn't General Shen still here? If they can't trust the envoy, how can they not trust General Shen?"

Although the Ming army in Dongjiang Town were just bereaved dogs driven out of Liaodong by Hou Jin, to North Korea, they were heavenly troops from the Kingdom of Heaven, and they were existences that needed to be treated with respect. North Korea would send envoys to Liaodong to inspect, and

It was precisely because of the invitation made by Shen Shikui, the commander-in-chief of Dongjiang Town. Wang Tom took Shen Zhixiang with him on this errand, and the purpose was also to have someone trusted by the other party to come forward to negotiate with high-level officials in North Korea. Even if Luo Xian went back to report the situation, it would be

Being suspected, Shen Zhixiang personally came forward to endorse Haihan. The North Koreans could not even question the position of the Ming army.

However, it was the locally stationed North Korean army that responded faster than Seoul. Seven hours after the Haihan fleet arrived at Ganghwa Island, a group of about 500 North Korean armed personnel appeared in the sight of the Haihan army.

The lookout soldiers on the mast of the "Majesty" were the first to spot the group of people coming from the east. However, no one regarded them as North Korean officers and soldiers at first, because the outfit of the group of people seen through the telescope was really not worthy of the name.

It was neat and orderly, and the team was sparse, with no one who looked like a regular army. However, given that the team was armed, the lookout post dutifully issued a warning as soon as possible.

"The North Koreans are coming." When Wang Tom told Shen Zhixiang and Liu Shang the news, his tone was very calm, as if these people came specially to see him.

The North Koreans were very cautious and did not approach the unidentified armed fleet rashly. They stopped about a mile away. After groping for a while, they finally sent a few people over to find out what was going on.

Of course, Tom Wang was not interested in meeting such small characters like soldiers and generals in person, so he asked Shen Zhixiang to come forward to send them away. After Shen Zhixiang's Ming army general attire appeared in the opponent's eyes, the expressions of several Koreans who were still a little afraid suddenly suddenly changed.

Feeling a lot more relaxed, he quickly came over and knelt on the ground to pay his respects to Shen Zhixiang. Of course, he also didn't forget to ask for Shen Zhixiang's identity and name.

Shen Zhixiang understood that the reason why he participated in this mission was because of his status as a Ming Army general on his head, and immediately reported his official position and name. When the Korean soldiers heard that the officer in front of them was indeed a Ming army general, they became even more respectful.

Wubi didn't dare to mention how to check his identity, he just asked Shen Zhixiang if he needed anything.

After Shen Zhixiang asked Wang Tom for instructions, he asked him to first try to get some fresh food to supply the fleet. These people did not dare to neglect and quickly followed the order. As for whether they were going to plunder local wealthy households or wanted to do something else.

move, then it’s none of Shen Zhixiang’s business.

"These North Koreans...are not afraid of encountering someone pretending to be someone!" Liu Shang, who was watching the entire negotiation process, couldn't help but complain.

Shen Zhixiang smiled and said: "Look at these ships on the shore, can they be fake? In the eyes of Koreans, only the Ming Dynasty can build such large warships."

"I'm afraid only Haihan can build such a big ship now." Liu Shangxin said. In recent years, the official shipbuilding institutions in the south have been hollowed out by Haihan using various means. Most of the old shipwrights who have been in the industry for many years are resistant.

Unable to resist the attraction of high salary, he became an employee of the Haihan people, and even immigrated to Hainan Island. He had seen hundreds of Ming Dynasty shipwrights at the Victory Port Shipyard. And Haihan's advanced shipbuilding technology

Coupled with the addition of these skilled craftsmen, the shipbuilding level of the Ming Dynasty has surpassed that of the Ming Dynasty in just a few years. If the time when the Sanbao eunuchs went to Nanyang was considered the peak period of the Ming Dynasty's shipbuilding technology, then now it is similar to the tonnage of the "Majesty"

There is no place where the Ming Dynasty can build such ships.

Of course, in the eyes of ordinary Koreans, the Ming Dynasty is still the omnipotent Ming Dynasty, and it is only reasonable that these large sailing ships docked on the coast of Ganghwa Island come from the Ming Dynasty.

Shen Zhixiang's identity was really useful. After more than an hour, the team returned and delivered 500 kilograms of grain, fresh fruits and vegetables, some poultry, two fat pigs and two goats each to the Haihan fleet. Although

These things cannot be said to be of great value, but it must have taken some effort to follow Shen Zhixiang's instructions and obtain these things from nearby in such a short period of time. Shen Zhixiang did not hesitate to praise him and praised the team leader.

The officer knew the rules and knew how to do things, which made the man overjoyed, as if the compliment was enough to get him a promotion.

When Shen Zhixiang saw that the other party did not mention the cost, he knew that most of these things were kidnapped from nearby people's homes. However, the victims of the evil were all Koreans, so Shen Zhixiang would not interfere. And Tom Wang would not care even less.

These are small things, as long as these Korean soldiers don't overestimate their capabilities to challenge Haihan's force. He doesn't want a group of miscellaneous soldiers to cause a sudden outbreak of war between the two countries. As for the other party mistaking his troops for the Ming army, Wang Tom wants to

To save you the trouble, I won’t go out of my way to explain anything for this.

The fleet did not wait for a response from Seoul that day, but this was also within the military's expectations. After all, Luo Dexian left for Seoul not too early, and considering that it still needed to be reported to the court for discussion by the king and ministers,

It is indeed not something that can be done in a moment. The fleet was stationed on Ganghwa Island that day, and the North Korean garrison on the island believed from the beginning to the end that it was a fleet from Dongjiang Town of the Ming Dynasty, and did not doubt their identity or purpose of coming.

Of course, the Navy did not relax its vigilance because of this. After all, Luo Dexian's mission was not 100% sure to be completed smoothly, and the North Koreans still had the possibility of resorting to military confrontation. Wang Tom specially mobilized two clippers.

After dark, they quietly entered the Han River and went upstream to monitor North Korean movements. In addition, the Marines also sent out a reconnaissance platoon to set up defenses outside the station to prevent the North Korean garrison on the island from playing tricks at night.

The next day, there was still no movement in the direction of Seoul. Shen Zhixiang was the first to lose his composure and took the initiative to ask Tom Wang for help, planning to make a trip to Seoul himself.

However, Wang Tom did not agree to his application: "Luo Dexian will definitely bring the news back to Seoul about the Ming army in Dongjiang Town fighting side by side with our country in Liaodong. If the Koreans choose not to trust Dongjiang Town, then it will be useless for you to go. We will

Wait and see how things get better. If North Korea’s political arena is full of idiots who don’t understand current affairs, then take this opportunity to give them a good beating. If there are smart people who can understand the situation, then you might as well lend a hand.”

When Haihan dealt with countries such as Ming Dynasty and Annan in the past, it was a common practice to support the spokesmen in the official circles of that country. The humble official position may be just the magistrate of a county, such as the magistrate of Fushan County, Dengzhou Prefecture, Shandong

Zhang Pucheng, the one with the highest official position is Xu Xinsu who now holds military power in Fujian.

It is said that the imperial court has recently planned to transfer Xu Xinsu to the Ministry of War as a minister, but Xu Xinsu himself has not relented. After all, he also knows that his roots and connections are in the south, and the Ministry of War transferred to the capital will immediately become a barebone.

Speaking of the minister, even if he was promoted to the Minister of War, it would be difficult to command the Ming armies in various provinces. On the contrary, if he stayed in Fujian, he could continue to accumulate wealth as the local emperor, and on the other hand, it would be easier to cling to Haihan's thigh.

Haihan is also very happy to train officials like Xu Xinsu. This kind of officials who share many common interests with Haihan and have certain authority in the country's officialdom or local areas can often bring Haihan benefits that are difficult to obtain through money.

Measurable. For example, the Dongjiang Town Ming Army collected in Liaodong, although to the Ming Dynasty was just a cumbersome force that had little meaning in existence but cost a lot of money and food to maintain, to Haihan it was the absolute last resort to march into Liaodong openly.

Good cover. Spending money to rescue Dongjiang Town in exchange for the opportunity to enter Liaodong is still a good deal in Haihan's opinion.

Although North Korea is a traditional vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, in Haihan's view, since this country can become a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, it is certainly possible to become a vassal of Haihan in the future. Especially since North Korea has always been under the military threat of Hou Jin,

The person who can really save them is not Ming Dynasty, but Haihan, who only started to officially confront Houjin last year. If suitable candidates can be found, Haihan certainly hopes to support a few "own people" in North Korean officialdom.

Luo Dexian can be regarded as a test subject of this strategy.

If Luo Dexian can handle this matter more beautifully and win the opportunity for Haihan to directly talk to high-level figures in North Korea, then Haihan will designate him as a liaison officer in the future, and a slight raise of his hand will be enough for him to gain recognition in North Korean officialdom.

It's a meteoric rise.

It was not until the afternoon of the next day that the messenger from Seoul finally crossed the Han River, crossed Ganghwa Island and arrived at Haehan Station, and handed them a diplomatic letter drafted by North Korean Chief Secretary Kim Sang-heon.

In the letter, Kim Sang-hyun expressed his welcome to the Hae-han fleet coming from afar, and invited Wang Tom and his party to visit Seoul Mansion. However, in order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, Kim Sang-hyun hoped that the Hae-han fleet could continue to stay on Ganghwa Island, and

The invited Wang Tom can take a boat provided by North Korea to go to Seoul in the upper reaches of the Han River. The letter even clearly states that Wang Tom can bring fifty warriors with him. This obviously does not want the Haihan fleet to go to the Han River on a large scale.

upstream.

But the purpose of Haihan's trip is to show force to the upper class of North Korea. If he doesn't go to Seoul and the other party doesn't come to Ganghwa Island, how can he show this force? With fifty people into Seoul, Wang Tom is not worried about his safety.

question, but if you follow the rules set by the other party, then this errand will definitely not achieve the expected results. Tom Wang does not want to go to such a troublesome trip and go back in despair without achieving the goal.

.

"Order, all troops board the ship and return to their positions and prepare to set off!" Wang Tom quickly made a decision. Since the other party is going to resort to such covert methods, let's just get straight to the point and let the fleet go directly outside Seoul Mansion.

, tell the North Koreans with facts who should have the final say here.

As for the risk of an armed conflict, Wang Tom believes that the attitude of the North Koreans has minimized this possibility. If they had been tougher in their letter, perhaps Wang Tom would seriously consider this possibility, but since the other party has stated in the letter

He showed great fear of the Haihan fleet, so Wang Tom naturally knew the opponent's weakness.

Tom Wang does not want to go to war with North Korea, but if it is really necessary to use force, he will not have the slightest hesitation or scruple. For a country like North Korea, it is enough to fight, and there is no need to worry about what retaliatory measures the other party can use.

, maybe he will comply after a beating. After all, this is what Houjin did before, and it seems to have achieved good results.

After receiving the order, the Marines stationed on the coast began to break camp and return to the ship. Under the stunned gaze of the Korean soldiers, the fleet bypassed Ganghwa Island from the north and sailed into the Han River. But anyone who saw this fleet on the river

All the ships in the fleet had to move out of the waterway as soon as possible. More than thirty sailing ships lined up in two columns on the river, guarding the flagship "Majesty", and slowly sailed upstream.

At this time, the officials in the Seoul government naturally did not know that the object of their dispute had already made its way from the sea to Seoul. Soon they would see the most powerful armed fleet in Northeast Asia appear at their doorstep.
Chapter completed!