Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

What can you do if you disagree?

Can they defeat the Ming Dynasty?

All the powerful and influential families in Goryeo relied on the Ming Dynasty to do business and make money.

In particular, the influx of cheap cloth from the Ming Dynasty caused the complete collapse of Goryeo's economic system.

The things that ordinary Chinese people use to wear mourning clothes are used by them as currency.

As a result, higher quality fabrics were continuously imported from the Ming Dynasty, and the Goryeo market quickly descended into chaos.

Powerful, visionary, and wealthy Goryeo people purchased Ming Dynasty cloth from the coast and then swindled money in inland cities.

Merchants from inland cities then took Ming Dynasty cloth to the surrounding villages to amass wealth.

Countless Koreans were ripped off and suffered terribly.

Many ordinary people in Goryeo had their life savings, accumulated over several generations, wiped out by a few dozen bolts of coarse linen.

Meanwhile, the powerful families of Goryeo took the opportunity to amass immense wealth.

In Goryeo, only Ming Dynasty copper coins are now recognized, and cloth has been reduced to its most basic practical value.

Having amassed great wealth, the powerful Goryeo families gradually began to indulge in the luxuries offered by the Ming Dynasty.

Especially in the capital city of Kaizhou and several coastal cities, more and more wealthy Koreans are wearing silk.

Some people even buy glass mirrors and clocks, which are extremely expensive and cost a fortune.

They have become even more ruthless in exploiting the people!

Famine continued to occur in many rural areas of Goryeo, yet merchants were still selling grain to the Ming Dynasty.

For two consecutive years, peasant uprisings occurred in Goryeo, but they were quickly suppressed by powerful clans.

Kim Yoon-gyu came from a humble background, from a small family in Goryeo.

With the economic invasion of the Ming Dynasty, these small families faced even greater difficulties.

Their family savings were mostly stored in the form of cloth, which is now worthless!

Shandong has many water-powered spinning wheels that can spin hemp in large quantities at a cost many times lower than that of Korea.

(This type of water-powered spinning wheel appeared in the Yuan Dynasty, causing the price of linen to fall. However, it could not be used to spin cotton yarn because cotton fibers are shorter and more prone to breakage.)

Back at the Four Directions Pavilion, Kim Yoon-gyu felt increasingly lost.

The nation is beset by internal and external troubles.

The family gradually declined.

Individuals were thrown into the line of demarcation and made scapegoats.

He couldn't see any bright future; he felt that all that lay ahead was a bottomless hell.

The king is wise; those powerful families are the real troublemakers!

Jin Yungui suddenly attained enlightenment at the Sifangguan in Luoyang. He planned to return to his country and contact more scholars from humble backgrounds to overthrow the rule of powerful clans.

However, powerful and influential families wielded power from the imperial court to local levels.

How could the poor possibly overthrow the government?

Unable to sleep all night, tossing and turning in bed, Kim Yoon-gyu suddenly remembered Jung Ji-chang.

Zheng Zhichang already holds a high position in the Ming Dynasty, so why can't I?

He returned to China to contact impoverished scholars who had no other options and spread the idea that powerful and wealthy families were bringing disaster to the country and its people.

They'll create chaos, then lure the Ming army south, and everyone will become citizens of the Ming Dynasty!

Anyway, I'm already in this terrible state. Maybe if the Ming Dynasty annexes Goryeo, my small family's life will get better.

In another timeline, during Zhu Di's reign, all nations came to pay tribute, and Timur directly sent his prime minister as an envoy.

Now, Seljuk has also sent his prime minister as an envoy.

The prime minister's surname was Mullek, and he was the grandson of Nizam Mullek, the legendary Seljuk prime minister.

Nizam Mullerq was not only a legendary prime minister, but also a writer, astronomer, historian, natural scientist, and fluent in Turkic, Persian and Arabic.

The Seljuk system, laws, and calendar were all established by Nizam Mullek.

Its honorific title is "The Ruler of the Kingdom"!

Unfortunately, these systems have completely deteriorated.

The current Mullerk is naturally from a family with a strong academic background.

Sultan Sanjar's feelings toward him were complicated; he relied on Mullek's knowledge and family background, but at other times he also felt a strong aversion to him.

Chapter 3670 Yelü Dashi Launches the War

Because Mullerk's political stance was to reduce foreign wars and expansion,

Militarily, we should implement a comprehensive withdrawal and first address a series of domestic issues.

They even hope to carry out institutional reforms!

Historically, Chancellor Mullerk strongly opposed going to war with Yelü Dashi.

He felt that there was still a lot of mess at home, and that even a slight setback in foreign wars could lead to collapse.

But Sultan Sanjar ignored him and even appointed Mullek as his deputy to lead the army into battle.

"Ten days later, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty will go hunting in the eastern suburbs, and envoys from various countries will select warriors to accompany him!"

Inside the Sifangguan, officials from the Court of State Ceremonial went from courtyard to courtyard to announce that many merchants specially hired by the Ming Dynasty would act as translators.

Upon receiving the news, Mullerk simply nodded slightly and continued reading and organizing the materials he had collected in Luoyang.

These materials are all about the political system of the Ming Dynasty.

His legendary grandfather, the prime minister, summarized the history of Persia and surrounding countries and wrote a book called "The Art of Governing the Country".

The core idea of ​​this book is centralized power, and it is obsessed with the loose nature of the Seljuk regime, hoping to further centralize power through military and political means.

Mullerk's life goal was to fulfill his grandfather's last wish and transform the Seljuk regime into a centralized Persian government.

Coincidentally, he witnessed centralized power in the Ming Dynasty!

Mullerk wrote:

"The legitimacy of the Ming emperors came from the unity of divine authority and imperial authority."

"Ming officials said that the emperor was favored by Heaven, which meant he was blessed by the gods."

"This divine blessing manifests itself in the emperor's status; another honorific title for the emperor is Son of God."

“Monarchical power originates from the army and bureaucracy.”

"The emperor of the Ming Dynasty was a skilled and courageous ruler who overthrew the tyrant and eliminated the foreign tribes."

"Furthermore, the government governs the country through bureaucracy, ensuring that nobles, scholars, monks, farmers, artisans, and merchants can each perform their duties."

“It was difficult for the Seljuk Sultan to achieve a unity of divine and royal authority.”

“The Caliph in Baghdad will not relinquish divine authority to the Sultan, so the Sultan can at most obtain authorization and recognition of divine authority.”

“The Sultan’s monarchical power is also hard to guarantee. My grandfather’s reforms have been ruined, and the idea of ​​centralized power has completely failed.”

“Local nobles and lords even acquired the title of ‘Shah’.”

"This shift of titles not only diverted the power of the monarch, but also a portion of the divine power."

"The bureaucratic system of the Ming Dynasty was very perfect, and it was established through an examination system called the imperial examination."

"The imperial examination system broke the aristocracy's monopoly on local power, allowing the emperor to directly manage every corner of the country."

“Seljuk should learn from this examination system, have scholars across the country take exams, and send them to local government positions.”

"But the situation in Seljuk China is different from that in the Ming Dynasty, so we have to compromise with the military aristocracy for the time being."

"This is a long-term reform process, gradually taking back the power of the military aristocracy through examinations to appoint and dismiss government officials."

"In fact, my grandfather had already taken back some of the power back then, but the Seljuk split and internal strife caused all those reforms to be nullified."

“Sudan should abandon its wars of conquest and even allow distant vassal states to become independent, and focus its efforts on reclaiming its core territories.”

“Rebellions are bound to occur during the reform process.”

"Only by stopping foreign wars can we quell domestic rebellions and ensure the smooth progress of reforms."

"Although there are many religions in the Ming Dynasty, the government officially supports a sect called 'Confucianism'."

"Because the Ming Dynasty unified the religious sects, even if there were some differences in doctrine, they could be kept within an acceptable range."

"The Seljuk sects are too chaotic and extremely hostile to each other. We should choose a sect to support officially so that we can form a united force around the Sultan."

"..."

Muller became increasingly disheartened as he wrote, because he knew the Sultan would not adopt his suggestions.

Not a single one!

“I heard many historical stories about Peach Blossom Stone from Ming Dynasty officials.”

"They also had periods of feudalism, and times when the Son of God lost power..."

"Given the history of Persia and the Peach Blossom Stone, the Sultan should move the capital to Baghdad and live in the same city as the Caliph."

“The Sultan can ask the Caliph to grant him more titles and powers, and then issue decrees in the name of the Caliph.”

“Any local nobleman who disobeys the Sultan’s orders is opposing the Caliph, and doing so will be more justifiable.”

“There must be believers who suspect the Sultan of threatening the Caliph, and they use this as an opportunity to identify supporters and opponents.”

“Support the sects that support them and eliminate the sects that oppose them. The sects that are supported will become the cornerstone of the Sultan.”

"..."

Müller was getting a headache from writing, so he decided to go for a walk.

The court scholar Anwari is talking with a scholar-official, discussing the history, literature, and politics of their respective countries.

The Hanlin scholars of the Ming Dynasty did not deliberately hide anything, and Zhao Yuan did not issue any orders that there was anything that could not be said.

In any case, the national conditions are vastly different, and other countries cannot learn from each other even if they want to. Forcing them to learn from the Ming Dynasty would only do more harm than good.

Chapter 3671 Ancient Persia

Mullerk stood silently by and listened, the translator speaking in Arabic, which he understood perfectly.

"So, are the Abbasid Caliphate and Persia actually the same country?" the Hanlin scholar asked.

The Arabic translator was a bit confused. He understood "Persian," but "Cathay" could only be translated as "Arabic."

Anwari picked up a twig and drew a diagram on the ground: "This is Persia, now the land of the Seljuks."

"That's Arabia. The Arabs once built a powerful empire, and one branch even ruled Persia for a long time..."

The Hanlin official took out historical records and inquired about the Black-Clad Arabs, White-Clad Arabs, and Green-Clad Arabs.

Arabic translation has completely failed.

Because the transliteration of foreign names in Chinese historical records varied from dynasty to dynasty, Arabic translators simply didn't know how to translate them.

Fortunately, the Green-Clad Cult still exists, and Cheng Yu, Yu Yunwen, and others have figured it out.

Furthermore, based on the sect's dress habits, the misunderstandings gradually became clear.

The white-clad Arabs are in Spain...

As the Hanlin scholar listened to the descriptions of the three Arab countries, he increasingly felt that he needed to first understand their religious history.

So Anwari began to talk about how he founded the religion, and then, with boundless aspirations, recounted the story of the four Caliphs.

The Hanlin official quickly understood and said, "Your era of the Four Caliphs is like our ancient Three Dynasties."

"The king is wise and selfless, and possesses perfect morality."

"Furthermore, it is a system of abdication, and the position of Caliph can only be held by a virtuous person."

Avari asked curiously, "I haven't heard the stories of the three ancient eras. Did you have such times too?"