Chapter 2074

As more and more clues point to the Hirado Domain of Japan, the case that has troubled Haihan for several months is gradually showing signs of coming to light. Of course, regarding the dispatch of troops, the Executive Committee’s final opinion is to let the intelligence agencies try to continue investigating relevant clues.

, and the military began to prepare for war with a cautious and prudent attitude.

With the strength of Kaihan's army, it would not be too difficult to defeat local separatist forces like the Hirado clan on the battlefield. But winning the war does not mean that the current problems are solved. Kaihan does not know that Ten

How big is the influence and scale of operations of the Yashiba Remaining Party in Hirado? It may not be possible to completely eliminate this group of people through a war.

Therefore, the Haihan Intelligence Department must step up operations in the near future and collect as much relevant intelligence as possible in order to provide sufficient reference information for the military to formulate combat plans.

Although the intelligence department has not sent personnel to Japan before, as long as you think of a way, you can still collect some relevant information from other channels. After all, the Dutch are not the only ones who maintain trade relations with Japan. The Ming Dynasty is Japan's most important

Trade objects. In addition, in southern Korea, there are also merchants who have maintained long-term trade relations with Japan’s Tsushima Island, Iki Island and Hirado.

However, as Haihan has been taking action in various places recently, clearing out the hidden stakes deployed by his opponents in various trading ports, the relevant news will definitely reach Hirado sooner or later. It is undoubtedly extremely risky to send intelligence personnel to the local area at this time.

.So the Ministry of Security did not intend to compete with the military for credit on this job, and obediently handed over the reconnaissance mission to the military.

On the day after the executive committee's meeting, Wang Tom, who was far away at the Datong River base in North Korea, received a message from Sanya, asking him to deploy operations as soon as possible to conduct reconnaissance of the environment around Hirado.

"The mastermind behind this is actually related to Shiba Zhi. It seems that the accounts from that year have not been settled yet!" Wang Tom handed the message to Qian Tiandun, expressing his emotion at the recent progress in the investigation in the Fujian Strait area.

Qian Tiandun quickly scanned the contents of the message and responded in a deep voice: "I didn't expect that a fish that slipped through the net back then could make such a big noise! ​​If I remember correctly, you commanded the battle to attack Miyako Island!"

Wang Tom said: "At that time, the navy's conditions were limited, and it was impossible to surround Miyako Island at sea. Besides, before we launched the final offensive, some people fled from the island."

Of course Qian Tiandun was just joking. The Battle of Miyakojima commanded by Wang Tom in 1633 actually did not make any major mistakes. The entire battle process went relatively smoothly. None of the big bosses of Shibazhi escaped.

Lost. After the war, rewards were given based on merit. As the commander, Wang Tom was credited with first merit by the executive committee.

At that time, the size of the Haihan Navy's fleet was far from what it is today. Most of the logistics support was handed over to Xu Xinsu's Fujian Navy, so that the combat operation could be carried out smoothly. But after the battle, the logistics had already

It was difficult to support the naval fleet to continue searching and pursuing the remaining members of the Shiba Shiba who escaped from Miyako Island, so they had to end it hastily. At that time, both Haihan and Xu Xinsu believed that all the important figures of the Shiba Shiba were wiped out, so they planned to kill them all.

He was not so persistent. After achieving his goal, he withdrew his troops, but he did not expect that he would become a tiger in trouble later, giving this group of people a chance to make a comeback.

Qian Tiandun didn't take it seriously, smiled and changed the subject: "If we want to send a reconnaissance force to that area, we may have to rely on the North Koreans to provide assistance in terms of logistical supplies."

Tom Wang nodded and said: "Busan or Jeju Island, you have to choose a place nearby as a temporary base."

The Taedong River base is located in the northwest of the Korean Peninsula, about two thousand miles away from Hirado Island, Japan. Considering that the reconnaissance mission is likely to last for a period of time in the area, it is necessary to find a nearby port to serve as a temporary supply point.

There are quite a few natural harbors at the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula, but as far as the port with the best conditions is concerned, it is the Port of Busan.

The naturally formed bay here provides excellent conditions for building a port. At the same time, because Busan is quite close to Kitakyushu and Tsushima Island in Japan, a Japanese pavilion with trade and diplomatic functions with Japan has been set up here since the 15th century.

In 1592, Japan launched the Imjin Japanese Rebellion, occupied Busan through force, and tried to annex it as a colony. However, more than ten years later, North Korea recaptured Busan from Japan, and it is still the main trade between the two countries.

Place.

Across the strait from Busan Port to the south is Hirado Island, where the Hirado Domain is located. It is about four hundred miles away, and you can also inquire about the current trade status between the two countries and other news about Hirado. However,

Japan also has many eyes and ears in Busan. If ships of Haihan Navy enter and exit Busan Port, it will undoubtedly attract the attention of interested people and may prematurely expose Haihan's intention to use troops in the Tsushima Strait.

Compared with Busan Port, Jeju Island, located off the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula, is not that eye-catching. This place is about two hundred miles away from the coast of the peninsula and about four hundred miles away from Hirado. Although there is no natural harbor like Busan, it is

However, this place happens to be located on the route from the Daedong River base to Hirado, making it very suitable to serve as a supply port.

As for the upcoming actions of the Haehan military, Jeju Island has another "advantage" that must be mentioned, that is, there is no trade organization on this island, so few Japanese will come to the island. If the Haehan warship is here,

The possibility of stopping and exposing your tracks is much smaller than going to Busan.

These two places have their own advantages and disadvantages. Wang Tom did not make an immediate decision. Instead, he planned to communicate with the North Korean officials first to see where the arrangement would be more suitable. However, due to the need for confidentiality, Wang Tom did not plan to go through with it.

Inform North Korean officials of the purpose of the operation as early as possible.

Qian Tiandun remembered something and said to Wang Tom: "I remember that in the year of the Battle of Miyakojima, Chen Yixin seemed to have led a team to the vicinity of Kyushu Island."

Wang Tom nodded and said: "You remember correctly, he led a team to inspect Kyushu Island and the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. Regarding the situation in Hirado, he may know more than the two of us. But for this matter, let him

If he is transferred from Liaodong, it would be too fussy. I would like to send him a telegram and ask him if there is anything noteworthy about the local area."

Qian Tiandun said: "Speaking of the telegram, Sanya sent another thing mentioned in the telegram. What do you think?"

Tom Wang shook his head slightly and said, "Just one sentence, it's not easy to handle."

Another thing Qian Tiandun said is that the Executive Committee hopes that they can judge whether there are instigators from North Korea behind the attack on Li Zhi through contacts with high-level officials in North Korea. But this is easy to say.

, but it is extremely difficult to do. The succession of the throne is an extremely sensitive topic at any time. Even if Haehan is currently North Korea's most important ally, it is difficult to directly intervene in the arrangements for his succession. If you take the initiative to ask for relevant information

, it is likely that King Li Zhu misunderstood Haihan's intentions.

Senior political officials in North Korea are also very cautious about this. Whether it is Kim Sang-heon or Cui Ming-gil, they do not welcome Haihan to intervene in the transfer of kingship in their country. If the attempted attack on Li Zhen in Haihan is related to one of them , they will definitely try to prevent Haihan from launching relevant investigations in North Korea.

Based on their experiences in North Korea for more than half a year, both Wang and Qian could feel that the North Korean royal family was not as peaceful as it seemed on the surface. Although King Li Zhu had designated his eldest son Li Zhen as the crown prince early on, when Li Zhen went to Haihan to study abroad , the second son Bonglin Dajun Li Hao and the youngest son Linping Dajun Li Jun also naturally began to study the strategies of governing the country at Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with Li Zhu making such an arrangement. As the ruler of a country, he cannot bet all his money on his eldest son who is going overseas. In case something happens to him overseas, or the domestic situation changes suddenly, there must be something. Only others can support the overall situation, so the second and third heirs must also learn how to be a qualified king.

It’s hard to say whether the two brothers Li Zhi are ambitious, but they are surrounded by various people who follow them. These people will definitely hope that the prince they serve will rise to power, and then one of them will be able to ascend to heaven, and they can also be promoted and make a fortune. In order to achieve such a goal, some careerists may plan to use abnormal means to seize the throne inheritance rights that belong to the crown prince Li Zhen.

The factional disputes in the imperial court have actually extended to the competition for the heir to the throne. Jin Sangxian, the judge of Li Cao, supported the crown prince Li Zhen, while Cui Mingji, the judge of Li Cao, believed that Li Hao, the Fenglin prince, was young and promising and was more suitable for the title of crown prince. Although the officials who support the third oldest Li Jun are not as influential as these two, they are also quietly doing some paving the way for Li Jun. If his two brothers accidentally make any mistake one day, it will not be Li Jun's turn. On your head?

As for Haihan, the first choice is of course Li Xie, who is currently studying abroad in Sanya. The study abroad was originally promoted by Haihan, with the purpose of allowing Li Xie to accept the various concepts instilled by Haihan during his study abroad, so that he can learn from it in the future. In terms of governance stance, he tends to obey Haihan’s opinions.

The Executive Committee believes that after Li Zhi returns from his studies, the diplomatic relations between North Korea and Haihan will be further consolidated, and cooperation in the military and trade fields will be further strengthened, which will help Haihan further enhance its influence in Northeast Asia. As for The other two princes, or other royal family members further down the succession line, are currently not among Haihan's considerations. If these people want to compete for the throne, it will probably be difficult to get Haihan's recognition and support.

Of course, the North Koreans also know that Haehan has always been interested in Crown Prince Zhaoxian, and will increase their support for him after he returns from his studies. Therefore, if others want to seize power, the best chance is that Crown Prince Zhaoxian suddenly disappears. Yes, this is why Haihan suspected that someone in North Korea was involved in planning and executing the attack on Li Zhen.

As the saying goes, it is difficult for an upright official to deal with household affairs. Haihan could use some means to support Li Zhi's rise to power, but it was difficult for him to directly intervene in the power disputes within the royal family. Therefore, when Qian Tiandun asked about this matter, Wang Tom could only say that he It's a headache for me.

"We can't report what you said back to Sanya." Qian Tiandun said: "No matter how difficult it is, we have to find a way! I think we should go to Seoul and explore Li Yan's attitude again."

Wang Tom said: "Li Zhu himself came to power by launching a palace coup, so he will definitely be on guard against someone using a similar method to seize power. I think that although he has given the second and third elders some opportunities, he has no choice in the choice of successor.

I should still be leaning toward Li Zhen. After all, the successor must first obtain our support in order to effectively maintain the stability of North Korea. But retaining the succession opportunities of the other two sons can also create some sense of crisis for Li Zhen, and by the way

Some royal family members and ministers with ulterior motives should be exposed as soon as possible."

"Is Li Zhu as sophisticated as you say?" Qian Tiandun couldn't believe Wang Tom's judgment.

Wang Tom said: "This man is quite shrewd at heart. If you think about it, he has changed his stance back and forth between several big countries over the years, and finally saved his own country. This is not something ordinary people can do."

It was indeed not easy for Li Zhu to be king. In 1623, he launched a palace coup to overthrow his uncle Guanghaejun and took the throne. It was not until two years later that he was recognized and canonized by the Ming Dynasty. During his reign, internal and external troubles almost never stopped.

, Li Shi's Rebellion in 1624 caused Li Zhu to flee Seoul for refuge overnight. During the Ding Mao Rebellion in 1627, North Korea was also beaten without the ability to fight back, and was forced to sign a city alliance with Hou Jin on Ganghwa Island.

Under this external environment, North Korea still had to survive in the cracks between the Ming Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty. On the one hand, it surrendered to the Ming Dynasty as a vassal state, and on the other hand, it repaired with the Ming Dynasty's mortal enemy, Hou Jin Dynasty. By the year before last, the Haihan Army had established a firm foothold in Liaodong.

Heel, watching the decline of Hou Jin, North Korea decisively embraced Hai Han's thigh.

In the end, Huang Taiji couldn't bear this tone and prepared a hundred thousand troops to conquer North Korea. If Haihan hadn't sent troops in time to block the offensive for North Korea, North Korea would have fallen into the same situation as it did in history.

fell under the iron hooves of the Qing army.

However, it is precisely because of Li Zhu's proper operation in the middle that he managed to survive in such a complex international situation and successfully preserved North Korea's national sovereignty despite the pressure of the war faction and the peace advocate faction of his officials.

It is said to be a skill. Wang Tom had recently taken some time to carefully study the situation in North Korea in the past ten years before he could make such a judgment on Li Jie's strength.

He believed that with Li Shi's governing style, the domestic situation would not be plunged into turmoil due to disputes over the successor. Whether it was sending Li Shi to study abroad or letting the second and third sons learn to govern the country, these situations should all be under his control.

Next. Regarding the choice of successor, Li Zhu should not have any wavering thoughts.
Chapter completed!