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

In the blink of an eye, ten years had passed since the Ming Dynasty revived China, in the year 1142 AD.

The drought in Northwest China, which had persisted for many years, has finally been alleviated this year.

Although there was still a slight drought, several rain showers eventually brought a glimmer of hope for favorable weather.

Even the emperor, who hid in the palace and dared not come out, maintained a chaotic yet stable rule in the Dali Kingdom.

Although it was very chaotic, it was so chaotic that no one dared to make a move.

The Gao clan dared not attack each other, because there were several other large clans.

If the Gao clan suffers too much internal strife, other powerful clans might take the opportunity to launch an attack, a situation that no one wants to see.

Dali didn't explode, but Goryeo is about to explode!

The King of Goryeo is still Wang Gou, who has been placed under house arrest twice and eliminated powerful ministers three times. He is only thirty-three years old.

Queen Ren.

Ren Yuanhou, the father-in-law of the emperor, also served as the prime minister.

In present-day Goryeo, powerful clans control the entire country, suppressing those from humble backgrounds and military generals to the point of being unable to raise their heads.

The conflict was already on the verge of exploding, yet internal strife broke out between the powerful clans.

Chapter 3948 Sino-Japanese Trade

The father-in-law of the emperor, Im Won-hoo, was born in Jeolla Province, which is the southwestern corner of the Korean Peninsula, facing Jeju Island across the strait.

Although there are ports here that do business with the Ming Dynasty, the volume of trade is far behind that of the Western Sea Route.

Although Sino-Japanese trade also passed through Jeolla Province, it always transited and stopped at Jeju Island.

Therefore, the Im family, whose base was in Jeolla Province, could only get scraps from the maritime trade.

The Cui clan of Haizhou, which produced many prime ministers and empresses, had its power concentrated in the Saikaido region, where trade was extremely prosperous.

Through ten years of maritime trade development, the Cui family of Haizhou has grown rapidly in strength.

When they initially led troops into the capital to eliminate the rebellious Jin family, they were instead suppressed by two opposing families and are now unable to cause any trouble.

Open Beijing.

The Cui family of Haizhou and the Li family of Renchuan, two powerful clans, are secretly discussing matters.

Yi Ja-gyeom of the Incheon Yi clan was the first powerful minister that Wang Gou eliminated.

Although the powerful minister fell, his family remained.

Furthermore, the Cui and Li families have intermarried for generations.

The former is adjacent to the second largest port, and the latter is adjacent to the third largest port. Together, they control the maritime trade profits from the Ming Dynasty.

As for the largest port, it is naturally Kaizhou Port.

Kaiju was the capital of Goryeo, and the port profits there could not belong to any one company; they were all shared.

"Ren Yuanhou has gone too far!" Li Zhiyuan exclaimed angrily.

Cui Yunyi sighed, "Alas, he is the prime minister and the emperor's father-in-law, so he can appoint officials at will."

Lee Ji-won said, "But this time he went too far. Not only did he replace the governor of Hanyang (Seoul) with his own people, but he also replaced all the officials along the Han River with scions of powerful families who were dependent on him!"

Choi Yoon-yi remained silent.

Li Zhiyuan said, "This time it's the governor of Hanyang Prefecture, next time it will be the governor of Haizhou."

"If you don't help my Li family, who will come to your rescue when the Cui family is suppressed?"

Choi Yoon-yi said, "Your Incheon Lee family has been operating in Hanyang for many years."

"What's the big deal about the court changing a prefect? ​​Don't openly defy the prefect and let his subordinates outwardly comply but inwardly resist, so that the prefect can't get anything done."

"Drive him away!"

"Is that all?" Li Zhiyuan was unwilling to accept it.

Cui Yunyi retorted, "Do you dare to openly disobey orders, or send someone to kill the prefect?"

Unable to answer, Li Zhiyuan could only lash out, "I'll make sure the Prefect of Hanyang can't stay here for even half a year!"

Although the Cui and Li families had stronger economic power, they couldn't compete with Ren Yuanhou's political power.

He was originally the emperor's father-in-law and prime minister, and he also had a group of powerful families who coveted the maritime trade with him.

They joined forces to seize commercial profits from the Li family.

Besides secretly resisting, the only option for the Lee family was to launch a coup; they had no other choice.

Ren Yuanhou, having secured administrative power over Hanyang and the Han River area, was immediately filled with pride and began his ascent to the pinnacle of his life.

Officials from several prominent families began to sing praises of Ren Yuanhou, pressuring the king to promote him to a higher rank and title.

His titles, official positions, and additional ranks are as follows—

He was awarded the titles of Xuanzhong Anshe Zuoli Tongde Gongchen, Sanzhong Chongkuang, Kaifu Yitong Sansi, Shou Taiwei, Shangzhuguo, and Ding'an Gong, with a fief of 2,000 households and a real fief of 600 households. He established his own government in "Shouning" and appointed officials.

He wielded immense power!

So what if the Cui and Li families are rich? They can just lie there obediently!

Even Ren Yuanhou's eldest son, Ren Kezhong, who was the brother of the Queen of Goryeo, served as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and concurrently as the Minister of War.

To keep military power in one's own hands.

Chapter 3949 The Turmoil in Goryeo

“Uncle, Ren Yuanhou is beyond control,” Cui Yunyi reminded him.

Choi Hong-jae, the Vice Prime Minister of Goryeo, said, "His daughter is the Queen, and his grandson is the Crown Prince."

“Our Cui family has made too much money through maritime trade, which makes those aristocratic families extremely jealous.”

"They've joined forces to control the court; what can I, as the vice prime minister, do?"

Cui Yunyi suggested, "A mutiny."

Choi Hong-jae shook his head repeatedly: "How can the struggle between aristocratic families and civil officials involve military men?"

“That’s against the rules. If we do that, our Cui family will become the target of everyone’s criticism.”

"Isn't the Cui family the target of everyone's criticism now?"

Choi Yoon-yi asked in return, and then said,

"Ren Yuanhou wields immense power and no longer respects His Majesty."

"If Uncle is afraid of being infamous, he can incite the military men promoted by the Ren family to rebel!"

"When the time comes, Ren Yuanhou will incite a mutiny, and we can then quell the rebellion."

"Whom should be allowed to cause trouble?" Choi Hong-jae asked.

Cui Yunyi said, "Zheng Zhongfu."

Zheng Zhongfu was from Haizhou. He had fair skin, a long beard, and a robust build.

Because of his exceptionally handsome appearance, Choi Hong-jae sent him to serve as a soldier in the Imperial Guard (Guardian Army).

Because of his exceptional football skills, he gained the favor of the King of Goryeo and was promoted to the position of Captain of the Dragon Guard (the captain of the King's ceremonial guard).

At that time, Kim Bu-sik was still in power. During a New Year's Eve banquet, Kim Bu-sik's son, Kim Don-jung, amused himself by lighting up Jeong Jung-bu's beard with a candle.

Zheng Zhongfu was furious and beat up the powerful minister's son.

Although King Goguryeo was a good friend of Jeong Jung-bo, he could only secretly send someone to help Jeong Jung-bo escape.

Zheng Zhongfu didn't even dare to return to his hometown, and fled to hide in Ren Yuanhou's house.

After everyone joined forces to eliminate the powerful minister Kim Bu-sik, Jung Jung-bok simultaneously cultivated good relations with the King, the Prime Minister, and the Deputy Prime Minister.

He rose through the ranks to become the highest-ranking military officer in Goryeo—General.

However, Zheng Zhongfu's current situation is quite awkward.

The king was completely sidelined, the prime minister and the deputy prime minister broke off relations, and Zheng Zhongfu was caught in the middle, not knowing whose side to listen to.

A curfew is in effect at night.

Cui Yunyi quietly knocked on the side door of the Zheng family's house. Zheng Zhongfu hurriedly came to greet her, surprised.

"Your Excellency is a high-ranking official, how could you enter through a side door at night?"

Cui Yunyi said with a bitter face, "Although I am a Chamberlain and my uncle is a Vice Chancellor, Ren Yuanhou wields immense power in the court. How dare I come to see the General in broad daylight?"

"Ugh!"

Zheng Zhongfu sighed, "Please come in quickly, Attendant Cui."

The two went inside, and Zheng Zhongfu found a small packet of black tea.

In the Ming Dynasty, ordinary black tea, which even rural landlords could afford, was regarded as a treasure by this Goryeo general.

He carefully poured out some tea leaves, personally brewed boiling water, and said, "This tea comes from the Great Ming Dynasty. I only managed to get eight ounces, and I usually can't bear to drink it."

Cui Yunyi seized the opportunity to sow discord: "A general of such high rank, you only have half a catty of black tea? I'll have my servant bring two catties another day."

Zheng Zhongfu sighed again: "Military preparedness is weak, military spending is reduced, and it's not easy to buy even half a catty of black tea."

This is the truth.

The military might of the Ming Dynasty was too overwhelming, and Goryeo was completely subdued.

Since we can't win anyway, what's the point of training troops?

Goryeo continuously reduced its military spending, and the civil officials then embezzled most of the remaining funds.

Generals had no chance to embezzle salaries and could barely make any money, while soldiers had to work to make ends meet.

Chapter 3950 Clan Rebellion

Jeong Jung-bu, the top military officer of Goryeo, had to bow and scrape and act like a grandson even when he met a civil official of the third or fourth rank, let alone a prime minister.

Because if a civil official can reach the third or fourth rank, there must be a powerful family backing him up!

Cui Yunyi expressed sympathy for the military officers' current situation, and then shifted all the blame onto Ren Yuanhou.

"It is only because of the Ren family's monopoly of power that the lives of military men have become increasingly difficult."

“He is now not only suppressing the military, but also targeting our Cui and Li families.”

"Look at his string of titles and official positions; he's only a step away from usurping the throne."

"If His Majesty had not tipped him off back then, the General would have died at the hands of the Jin family long ago."

"His Majesty saved your life and promoted you. Are you going to stand by and do nothing while His Majesty is in trouble?"

Zheng Zhongfu said, "But I am just a military man, how can I deal with the prime minister?"

Cui Yunyi said, "His Majesty will host a banquet for his officials during the Dragon Boat Festival this year. I'll lend a hand..."

After a private discussion, Zheng Zhongfu personally escorted Cui Yunyi to the door.

This martial artist was no boorish fellow; he came from a poor family in Haizhou and had received an education since childhood.

He knew that Cui was using him as a pawn, and that he would definitely be in trouble afterward.

Cui's plan was simply to use Zheng Zhongfu to eliminate Ren Yuanhou's faction.

However, the powerful clans were not to be trifled with, and Zheng Zhongfu would certainly become infamous and a thorn in the side of many powerful families.

When that time comes, Cui can then eliminate Zheng Zhongfu and seize control of the government.

Hmph, so what if they're from powerful clans?

As Choi Yoon-yi disappeared into the night, Jung Jung-bok revealed a cold smile.

Historically, Jeong Jung-bu launched a coup, killing almost all the civil officials in Gaegyeong and deposing the king, thus ushering in the era of military men!

The next day, Zheng Zhongfu summoned his confidant and tearfully complained that he had been bullied by civil officials again.

Military officer Li Yifang slammed his fist on the table in fury: "Those big headscarves are not human. The soldiers' pay has already been cut down to almost nothing, and they still embezzle and deduct from it, leaving the soldiers without food."