The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 188 Tu Lichen

"Kneel down and pay your respects!" Kangxi closed his eyes tiredly, too lazy to pay any more attention to the Fourteenth Prince.

"The slave retire."

"I'll take my leave."

The fourth prince and Yinyou walked out of the Qianqing Palace side by side.

"Good brother, I won't thank you!"

The fourth brother raised his hand and patted Yinyou's shoulder heavily, condensing thousands of words into it.

"Fourth brother, is there any need for us to say thank you?" Yinyou and the fourth brother smiled at each other in tacit understanding.

The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works are both on the left side of the Daqing Gate.

The fourth brother and Yinyou planned to leave the palace from Donghua Gate and then return to the yamen together.

However, just as they arrived in front of Wenyuan Pavilion, they saw Wei Zhu chasing after them, panting.

"Your Majesty has ordered that the Fourth and Fifteenth Princes come to see you."

Okay, the fourth brother and Yinyou had to turn back.

The moment he walked into the cabinet lobby, Manchu Prime Minister Wenda turned his head and looked at the receding backs of the fourth prince and Yinyu, unwilling to take his eyes off them for a long time.

When he saw Kangxi again, Yinyu found that the old emperor was in much better spirits!
In fact, the elderly should try to avoid getting angry to prevent a sudden increase in blood pressure, which may lead to serious consequences such as cerebral hemorrhage or stroke.

"Fourth Prince, tell me the truth, how much silver does the Ministry of Revenue have available?" Kangxi asked about the silver as soon as he opened his mouth, and it was obvious that he was still thinking about the eastern expedition to Korea.

The fourth brother bowed and said, "My dear Khan, even if we have to rob Peter to pay Paul, the most we can embezzle is only 500,000 taels of silver, no more."

Kangxi's math skills were really good. Even without counting sticks, he could figure out that this little bit of silver was only enough to sustain an army of 50,000 for two months at most.

If the Eastern Expedition to Korea did not go well and ended in a stalemate, the Qing Dynasty would have no money to fight.

"Forget it, I won't fight anymore!"

Kangxi was a smart man. Why fight a war without money?

During the imperial brick system era, small vassal states used the reign title of the late Ming emperor indiscriminately, which was extremely serious.

Even if we send troops to attack it, it is justified!
"Little Fifteen, I'm very angry. Please think of a way to help me vent my anger!" Kangxi knew that Yinwei had a lot of evil ideas, so he took the initiative to put pressure on Yinwei.

Yinyu pretended to think for half a quarter of an hour before whispering, "Khan Ama, we can learn from the methods of the Rakshasa Kingdom and blackmail the small country of Korea, forcing it to cede territory and pay compensation."

Kangxi's spirits suddenly lifted. Without sending a single soldier, he was able to force Korea to cede territory and pay compensation. How could such a good thing happen in the world?
Hehe, no matter how smart Kangxi was, he was limited by the times and his insight was far inferior to that of Yinyou, who had the soul of a modern person.

There is an old saying in modern times: What you can't get on the battlefield, you can't get at the negotiating table.

However, this statement is totally wrong!

In the late Qing Dynasty, Russia took away more than one million square kilometers of territory from the Qing Dynasty by just extortion.

With the current national strength of the Qing Dynasty, it is fully capable of destroying the small country of Korea, which provides the basis for blackmail.

"Tell me in detail." Kangxi looked at Yinyou with great interest.

Yinyu whispered, "Khan, let's first detain the Korean envoys, and then send an eloquent minister to Korea to force Korea to cede Ganghwa Island to the Qing Dynasty and pay three million taels of silver. If the Korean king dares to refuse, the Qing Dynasty will send 200,000 troops to trample Seoul and massacre the entire Lee royal family."

Kangxi asked Yinyu hesitantly, "Aren't you afraid of betraying the integrity of our Celestial Empire?"

Yinyu blinked and said confidently: "If we take back the ceded territory and the compensation, the prestige of our Qing Dynasty will only be greater than before!"

Between countries, there is always intrigue and deception, and the strong prey on the weak.

North Korea is too weak and has violated the Qing Dynasty’s taboos. It deserves to bleed heavily!

In fact, all the vassal states of the Qing Dynasty, such as Korea and Annan, took advantage of the Qing Dynasty's mentality of being a superior country and deceived it like a fool.

During the pre-Ming Dynasty, the so-called tribute system became a luxurious feast for the surrounding small countries to suck the blood of the Ming Dynasty.

These small countries were extremely cunning, often paying 500 taels of silver as tribute in the form of junk and taking back 10,000 taels of silver in various hard currencies. As a result, the Ming Dynasty was overwhelmed.

The Ming Dynasty's tribute system sounded good, but in fact it was a terrible loss!

After taking Taiwan, Kangxi did not close the country to the outside world. He retained the Guangzhou Customs Supervision Office and allowed foreign merchants and merchants from various countries to trade freely with the Qing Dynasty.

More importantly, during the Qianlong period, after the Dzungar Khanate was conquered, the Qing Dynasty would beat up any small country in the surrounding areas that dared not submit!
"Okay, I'll leave this task to you!" Kangxi had never tasted the sweetness of blackmail, so he wanted to let Yinyou give it a try.

"If you have any requests, just tell me." As a father, Kangxi knew Yinyu's old habits very well. This little guy loved to bargain.

"Khan, just reinstate Tulichen and order him to assist me!"

Turichen, whose surname was Ayanjueluo, was actually one of the few diplomatic experts in the Qing Dynasty.

Unlike the portrayal in old TV dramas, Turichen, who was in charge of cattle and sheep in the Ministry of Rites, was impeached and removed from his post because he lost a lot of livestock.

To date, Turichen has been unemployed at home for seven years.

"Ma Qi is more suitable, right?" Kangxi didn't trust Turichen, so he mentioned Ma Qi's name.

"Replying to Khan Father, Ma Qi is not familiar with the affairs of foreign vassal states!" Yinyou retorted harshly.

Yinyou sneered in his heart. After the fourth prince ascended the throne, the old man Ma Qi secretly accepted bribes from the Russian Kingdom and privately leaked the bottom line of the negotiations to the Russian people.

How could Yinyou want such a traitor?
Turichen was the first minister recommended by Yinyu, and since he had nothing to do with military power, there was no reason for Kangxi to refuse!

"A special decree is issued to promote Tulichen to the position of Minister of the Honglu Temple and to allow him to wear a yellow jacket."

Not only did Kangxi not reject the proposal, but he showed him special favor and promoted Turichen from a sixth-rank cabinet reader to a fourth-rank Beijing official.

In the capital city, the fourth-rank officials are the real mainstream officials.

On the way out of the palace, Yinyou ordered Longkodo to send soldiers to surround the Huitongguan where the Korean envoys lived, and not allow them to enter or leave.

The Huitongguan annex was located on the west bank of the Yu River. Because it was specially used for the residence of Korean envoys, it was also called the Chosun Pavilion or the Goryeo Pavilion.

As soon as Yinyou returned to the Ministry of Works, Longkodo arrived.

"My lord, I have already sent soldiers to surround the Korean Pavilion. I guarantee that not even a mouse can escape!" Longkodo still looked extremely submissive. If he had a tail on his butt, it would surely wag it non-stop.

"Very good. We must keep a close watch and not let the Korean envoys have any contact with the outside world." Yinyou carefully instructed Longkodo.

"Master, as long as it is a task you assign to me, I will definitely do it well without any mistakes." Longkodo quickly expressed his loyalty.

Yinyou just thought it was a joke. If he believed Longkodo's lies, he would be a fool!
Before leaving the yamen, Turichen went to the palace to express his gratitude, and then rushed to the Ministry of Works without stopping.

"I am a Manchu of the Plain Yellow Banner and the Minister of the Ministry of Rites. I am Turichen, and I wish to greet His Majesty the Prince!" Turichen bowed obediently.

Yinyu didn't bother to be polite with Tulichen and said straight away: "I have only heard of you, but I didn't know you before. If you want to thank me sincerely, help me complete this mission and make it a complete success. From now on, we will have nothing to owe each other."

Having said that, Turichen is not stupid, so he naturally wouldn't take it seriously.

Having been idle at home for seven years, Tulichen had already figured out the reason why one should not be an official if there is no one in the court.

In the entire Qing Dynasty, is there anyone with thicker thighs than Prince Yu?

"Prince Yu, if you hadn't promoted me, I would still be staying at home eating wild vegetable porridge. I am stupid and stubborn, and from now on I will be your running dog." Tulichen was determined to cling to Yinyou's thigh and couldn't be driven away.

"Turichen, finish this mission first. I don't like to hear big words." Yinyu did not close the door to Turichen and deliberately left a gap for him.

After Yinyu explained the whole story in detail, Tulichen frowned and said, "Prince Yu, please forgive me for being straightforward and telling the truth. I'm afraid this matter is not easy to handle!"

Yinyu raised his chin and asked Tulichen, "Is it your turn to do this easy job?"

What this means is that your father is not Ma Qi, and you dare to dream of getting a good promotion without working?
"Prince Yu, I will do whatever you tell me to do." Tulichen is really not stupid and he understands everything immediately.

"Well, you go and take the Korean envoy and his trusted servants to the prison of the Infantry Yamen first, and make sure to find out all the facts about the situation in Korea." Yinyu was not worried about diplomatic discourtesy at all, and deliberately hinted to Turichen that he could use means to force a confession if necessary.

The tiny Eastern Kingdom was just a princely state canonized by the Qing Dynasty and enjoyed the treatment of a prince.

Let alone capturing and torturing them, even if they killed the envoy, would they dare to say a word?
If Kangxi had not been almost angered to death by the Fourteenth Prince, Yinyou would have been the General of the Eastern Expedition and would have been about to lead 50,000 cavalrymen to attack Seoul!

The Byeongjeong Rebellion in the history of the Joseon Dynasty was recorded very clearly: King Injo, Yi Jong, surrendered to the Qing Dynasty from Namhansanseong Fortress, and performed the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows to Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty, Huang Taiji, at Samjeondu on the south bank of the Han River. He then humiliatingly agreed to send a hostage to Fengtian Prefecture.

Needless to say, the term "barbarians" in Korean history books simply means that they have always looked down on the barbaric nature of the Qing Dynasty and regarded it as barbarians.

Tulichen really did not let Yinwei down. Only one day later, he came to the Ministry of Works to meet Yinwei with a thick confession.

"Master, I have used some tricks and have found out everything. Concubine Zhang Xi was executed a few years ago, Queen Min was restored to the throne, the Western Party rose again, and the Southern Party lost power..." When Tulichen introduced the national conditions of Korea, he deliberately used some tricks, omitted the word "King Yu", and directly called him "Master".

There is no need to say which one is closer to you, Prince Yu or me.

Yinyou clearly heard it, but he pretended not to hear it.

He was the one who recommended Tulichen. If he didn't want to go with him, would Lao Ba promote him?
Besides, the neutral princes all have a good relationship with Yinyou. Who would risk offending Yinyou to death and promote Turichen?
PS: If there are more than 9800 monthly tickets, there will be three updates, and this is the first one.

(End of this chapter)