choke element

In the early years, when the Song and Jin Dynasties each guarded their borders and tried their best to cut off sea and land contact, their influence spread to the surrounding small countries.

Therefore, the Goryeo Kingdom could only guess at the situation in the Central Plains. Although it knew about the change of dynasties, it did not know the specific reasons and processes. Outsiders say that the Great Zhou Dynasty was a military regime, so the Koryo people regarded it as their own country. They believed that it was similar to the military regime that gradually emptied the royal family and suppressed civilian officials through internal strife and assassinations in the past hundred and decades. They believed that the two sides had a common language. .

In the following few years, the cooperation between Goryeo and the Central Plains in shipping and commerce gradually became closer, and the Goryeo people gradually learned two things.

One thing is that two years ago, there were unknown pirates who killed many people on the sea in the Southern Dynasties. They even landed on the land of the Song Dynasty and captured several military camps of the Song Dynasty.

Second, the warriors in the Zhou army secretly colluded with each other to hinder the grain transportation of the country, so as to force Emperor Guo Ning to end the war with the steppe Tatars as soon as possible, and then shift the focus to the Song Dynasty. As a result, a turmoil was caused, and Yin Chang, who was about to come to Goryeo, , so he was dismissed from his official position and had to float on the sea.

The Korean people still judge these two things from the perspective of internal strife among warriors that they are accustomed to. They increasingly feel that the Great Zhou Dynasty followed the example of Koryo and followed suit. However, the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty did not rule according to law, so that the warriors were unscrupulous and far inferior to me, Koryo. Cui Gong of the country is graceful and elegant, and he is at ease with himself. Thinking of this, many Korean people suddenly felt a bit proud.

However, although the distinction between master and apprentice is clear, the difference in size between the two families is obvious.

As long as the Central Plains dynasty does not get caught up in internal struggles or even fall apart, it will always be a terrifying existence that is unimaginably huge to the surrounding local governments and can shake the earth with every step. The same was true for the predecessor of the Zhou Dynasty who stayed in Nanjing.

Although he was in a miserable state in the Central Plains, when he came to Goryeo, he was like a boulder sinking into water, causing waves to rise instantly. The current situation coincides with the special situation, which has attracted the attention of all parties.

Cui Zhongxian's eldest son Cui Yu, deputy envoy to the Privy Council, has been complaining of illness at home these days. The father and son were both seriously ill at the same time, and it was unknown who was real and who was fake, and what their intentions were. This was the reason why the strange atmosphere in the Goryeo court was created.

Of course Cui Yu is not really ill. When he was only ten years old, he accompanied his father on military parades. The last two times Cui Zhongxian deposed the King of Goryeo, it was his eldest son Cui Yu who came forward and escorted the new king to the palace. Twenty years of experience have given Cui Yu enough political wisdom.

The reason why he was sick was because he couldn't figure out whether his father was sick or not, and he couldn't even figure out whether his father's illness was due to the disease itself or to the group of cronies around his father such as Chi Yunshen, Liu Songjie and others. of instigation.

Cui Yu stayed in the mansion, but his understanding of the external situation did not slow down. The documents from Li Chenggang had just arrived in Kaicheng, and he had already obtained a copied copy.

"Because there are many arrogances in the system in various parts of our country, which are not suitable in the eyes of high-ranking officials of great powers, why should Na Yin Chang not be allowed to take the Haizhou land route and directly arrive at Licheng Port?"

Cui Yu is a famous calligrapher in the Goryeo Dynasty. His calligraphy skills include Zhen, Xing and Cao. Cao is like a falcon flying in the sky, and the breeze rolls up the mist. Zhen and Xing are like horses in formation, with their steps leisurely and regular. . But at this moment, he had doubts in his heart, and he could not decide to finish writing a piece of "Hong Fan", so he simply threw down the three sets of pens made by the Zhuge family in Xuanzhou, Song Dynasty.

"This reason is simply nonsense. Our country has been accustomed to this for hundreds of years. Whether the Central Plains dynasty recognizes it or not does not change the reality, so there has long been a tacit understanding of turning a blind eye. In this case, how can we suddenly take it seriously? Do you regard this as a secret truth?"

He flipped through the copy of the document and then sneered: "Sure enough, this suggestion must have been made by Cui Junwen."

The entire document tried its best to present a businesslike attitude, and the procedures were strictly followed, without any mention of General Cui Junwen, who was actually in charge of the affairs of Licheng Port. But in the case of Li Chenggang, which one can bypass Cui Junwen? On the contrary, this appears to be a cover-up.

The keynote of Goryeo's military regime in the past hundred years has been all kinds of rebellion, betrayal, internal strife and assassination. In fact, the style is not like the warlords in the Central Plains, but similar to the Jianghu gangs snatching stalls. Cui Zhongxian is particularly cruel and ruthless among them.

For example, the key battle in Cui Zhongxian's rise to power was when he took the post of General Photographer and personally brought seven or eight heroes to the house to kill dozens of loose servants, and personally stabbed Prime Minister Li Yimin to death.

At that time, the two cronies who followed Cui Zhongxian and Li Yimin were Cui Zhongxian's younger brother Cui Zhongcui and his nephew Pu Jincai. Not long after, Cui Zhongxian killed his younger brother with his own hands, cut off his nephew's limbs, and sent him into exile.

After this kind of thing happens, the result is that Cui Zhongxian's cronies are always changing. Yesterday's cronies may become dead rebels today, and today's cronies try to protect themselves, which immediately arouses Cui Xiang's suspicion, so he books another Got the quota for tomorrow’s rebellion.

The situation of the current one constantly killing his predecessor happened one after another, so except for Cui Yu, the crown prince, and a few civil servants who had no strength in their hands, no one was irreplaceable.

But this situation has suddenly changed in recent years.

Relying on the advantage of being familiar with the envoys of the Kingdom, Cui Junwen, the general of the Shang Dynasty, single-handedly led Cui Zhongxian's progress from a powerful minister to the king of Goryeo. In the following years, he was stationed in Yeseong Port and controlled the details of maritime trade. The benefits of maritime trade are becoming more and more huge year by year, and the financial advantage makes Cui Xiang's position no longer shaken. The people who specifically controlled the trade also became stronger, and a small group headed by Cui Junwen and supported by Chi Yunshen, Liu Songjie and others gradually formed.

On the contrary, the crown prince Cui Yu was vaguely rejected by Cui Xiang because he was too close to the literati.

In recent months, Chi Yunshen and Liu Songjie, two members of the small group in power, have announced to the public that Cui Xiang is seriously ill and are dying, and they have urged Cui Yu to visit his old father from time to time.

Cui Yu didn't respond in any case. When rumors spread that he was unfilial, he simply claimed that he was also seriously ill and dying.

At the same time, Cui Yu instructed his own party members to respond accordingly. The group of people he attracted were quite famous contemporary Goryeo scholars. Among them, the mastermind Li Kuibao was known as the "Haedong Banished Immortal" and was a master of poetry, wine, and piano.

Li Kuibao wrote several book posts one after another, telling how Cui Yu lamented all day and night because his father was seriously ill and could not get up. His benevolence and filial piety moved the world. He also wrote a note, stating that there were many talented people in the Cui family, but the most outstanding ones were only a few. Since Prime Minister Cui is seriously ill and the crown prince is not in good health, there may be some oversight in the government affairs. It would be best if General Cui Junwen returns to Kaesong from Yeseong Port to take charge of the overall situation.

Cui Junwen is the same, despite the outside world not responding anyway.

So, at the juncture of the stalemate between the two families, such a document suddenly appeared from Licheng Port. What is the significance?

Cui Junwen was so interested in the left-behind man from the Central Plains that he had to rush to Licheng Port. What was his consideration? Could it be that……

Cui Yu was horrified and moved.

He has been the heir for twenty years and has some capable and reliable force in his hands. Thinking of the terrifying situation of the fierce warriors from the Central Plains and Cui Junwen joining hands again, he wished he could immediately send out his force to intercept the fleet in Haizhou, at sea or anywhere to prevent the two parties from joining together.

He opened his mouth, waiting to give an order, then suddenly thought:

The former important minister who came to the country was certainly not a trivial matter. It would be understandable if Cui Junwen wanted to lure him to Licheng Port and win over him in a special way to add some weight to the gang he was sitting in. But why would Cui Junwen issue such a document?

The people below can handle the matter of attracting the fleet to change its route, so why go through the trouble of spreading the documents and appointing the governor through the sect? Cui Junwen could not help but know that at this special moment, any documents coming from Licheng Port would attract special attention. Once the documents arrive, the news that they want to recruit Yin Chang's fleet cannot be hidden from anyone.

A document that cannot be concealed from anyone, deliberately contains a reason with obvious loopholes, and deliberately points out that Yin Chang is a murderous bandit in Shandong area, thinking that he intends to make a fuss in the Goryeo University in order to turn around the Zhou Dynasty... …

Hey... this document was clearly specially created to scare me!

At this time, the two parties are facing each other, and each other's strength is deeply hidden. The situation is like a game between national players. Whoever makes the move first will give the other party a chance to strike later. If you not only make a move, but also land in the wrong place, you can imagine that you will be passive every step of the way.

It must be kept quiet now and cannot be moved!

This is the truth, but Cui Yu feels uneasy if he really wants to ignore Yin Chang and his party.

He frowned and thought for a long time, then shouted to the door: "Please come, Mr. Zhixuan!"

Mr. Zhixuan is his mastermind Li Kuibao. Reporter Li Kui has a fluttering beard and a somewhat virtuous demeanor. He works in the wing next door and will arrive as soon as he is called.

Cui Yu asked directly: "Do we have anyone reliable at Licheng Port?"

"Yes. Cui Zi, the secretary responsible for issuing official documents and citing them, is our person."

"Immediately send an urgent order to keep an eye on the Yin Chang fleet that is about to arrive at Licheng Port. Report all relevant circumstances, no matter how big or small."