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

"I am the head of the imperial guard, a personal guard general of His Majesty. I treat low-ranking civil officials like dogs."

"Let's just make do. What are we going to do, rebel?" sighed Li Gao, a military officer.

Zheng Zhongfu said, "I couldn't help it."

“Jin Dunzhong’s father imprisoned His Majesty back then. His family committed such a serious crime, and his father was even eliminated, yet this man was still able to continue serving as an official in the court.”

"Why is that? Because they come from prominent families."

"Why should we, from humble backgrounds, be inherently suppressed by powerful families?"

"Jin Dunzhong burned my beard for fun, I must avenge this great grudge!"

Li Gao cautioned, "Even if we succeed in killing Ren Yuanhou and Jin Dunzhong, we will be purged by the powerful families afterward."

Zheng Zhongfu, however, said: "Kill all the civil officials from powerful families in Kaijing, leave only those from humble backgrounds, and then promote military men to civil positions."

"If we do this, we won't be afraid of being punished. We can't expect their ghosts to come back for revenge, can we?"

"Kill all those powerful civil officials?" The military officials were horrified.

Zheng Zhongfu asked, "Don't you dare?"

After a long silence, Li Yifang gritted his teeth and said, "Let's do it!"

"Done!"

Other military officials also expressed their opinions, saying that they had been suppressed by powerful clans for too long, and the suppression was becoming increasingly severe, and they had to vent their resentment.

……

Zheng Zhongfu is thirty-six years old this year, but he has been a soldier for twenty years.

Chapter 3951 The Goryeo Clan

When the king ascended the throne, the royal guards needed to be reorganized.

The powerful clans took the opportunity to send people into the palace, and the Cui family sent Zheng Zhongfu to the Imperial Guard as a lowly soldier.

Logically speaking, he should belong to the Cui family.

However, because he beat Kim Boo-sik's son, he became a fugitive and hid in the Ren family. After that, all his official positions were promoted by the Ren family.

From another perspective, Zheng Zhongfu was the product of a compromise between the Ren and Cui families.

At that time, another Kim family led troops to "enter Luoyang." After they joined forces to kill Kim Bu-sik, another Kim family took control of the military power in the capital.

The Ren and Cui families supported Zheng Zhongfu's rise to power and joined forces to regain control of the capital's military.

Such a person, wielding considerable military power, after helping powerful clans seize power...

Surprisingly, they were not valued much and were treated like cattle and horses.

Are all aristocratic families fools?

They just don't treat military officials like human beings!

From the founding of Goryeo until now, powerful clans have always been in charge, and military men, no matter how many soldiers they command, have to obey orders.

Zheng Zhongfu in history suffered all kinds of humiliation from civil officials, and was even forced to rebel when he was over sixty years old.

If there wasn't no other way out, why would an old man take such a big risk?

Dragon Boat Festival.

The Goryeo king and his officials held a banquet at Bohyeonwon Temple. The king was placed under house arrest twice at Bohyeonwon Temple, and he felt at home when he was there.

The king and civil officials ate and drank inside, enjoying songs, dances, operas, and composing poems, while the military officials all stood guard outside.

Military officials of Goryeo were not allowed to attend court to discuss state affairs, and they were not even entitled to banquets hosted by the king!

Zheng Zhongfu had his beard burned off at a New Year's Eve banquet.

The king and his officials feasted and drank, while he stood by like an idiot, acting as a security guard.

The civil officials became even more outrageous when they got drunk, and Kim Don-jung even set his beard on fire in public for amusement.

The other civil officials didn't stop it; instead, they were amused and burst into laughter.

At this moment, Wang Gou pointed to the kimchi soup without cabbage and said, "The cabbage that came from the Ming Dynasty is extremely delicious when made into kimchi, but unfortunately, winter has passed."

"This year, farmers should be encouraged to plant more cabbages so that all officials can taste this delicious food."

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Ren Yuanhou immediately led the civil officials to flatter him.

The technique of making pickled vegetables was introduced as early as the Tang Dynasty, with bamboo shoots, bracken, and radishes as the main ingredients.

During the Goryeo Dynasty, chives, water celery, and other ingredients were added to kimchi, and kimchi soup, which was used to mix with rice, also appeared.

And now, there's also kimchi made with Chinese cabbage!

This stuff was brought to Pyongyang by agricultural officials so that the local people could eat cheap vegetables in the winter.

It gradually spread southward, and was also cultivated in the Gyeonggi region of Goryeo, where it was favored by the king and nobles.

Cui Yunyi pointed to the wine jar and said, "This is corn wine transported from the Ming Dynasty. It is extremely strong and can only be drunk by strong men."

"Gentlemen, please try it and see if you can get used to it."

Immediately, two guards were summoned in, each carrying a jar of white wine, and they served each civil official half a bowl.

In Goryeo, there is also a type of wine called "Shih-hae".

After steaming rice, malt yeast water is added, and the taste is very similar to that of fermented glutinous rice, or even that it is a type of fermented glutinous rice.

The Goryeo kings and ministers, who were used to drinking fermented rice wine, would drink heavily whenever they could find white wine.

Cui Yunyi quickly said, "Please wait a moment, everyone. This wine is very strong!"

Everyone took only a small sip and immediately felt their mouths and tongues burning; the first taste of baijiu was not pleasant.

Chapter 3952 Good Things from the Ming Dynasty

But since it came from the Ming Dynasty, it must be a good product. If you can't get used to the taste, it's definitely your own problem.

Ren Yuanhou carefully tasted the two bites, racking his brains as he said, "The initial taste is strong, but the aftertaste is sweet."

"Is this not the way of human beings who are born into this world? Only after enduring hardships and setbacks can they taste sweetness."

"What the Duke of Ding'an said is absolutely right!" the ministers exclaimed in unison.

After all, it was a banquet bestowed by the king, so even if it was humble, it couldn't be entirely vegetarian; there was meat, fish, and shrimp.

Wang Gou took a bite of pork belly, then a sip of white wine, and said, "This wine is extremely delicious with meat. I suppose the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty also eats it this way."

The ministers immediately echoed this sentiment.

The ministers who had served as envoys to Kaifeng or Luoyang remained silent at this moment.

They dared not reveal their meals in the Ming Dynasty, fearing it would arouse jealousy and gossip from others.

The economy of Goryeo is currently very abnormal. The influx of a large amount of cheap cloth has solved the clothing problem for Goryeo people.

However, the Ming Dynasty prohibited the export of grain, and food was still scarce in Goryeo.

The trade between the two parties is as follows—

The Ming Dynasty's exports included: cloth, ironware, books, coins, daily necessities, and luxury goods.

Korean exports: furs, medicinal herbs, dyes, seafood, minerals, and Korean paper.

Because furs, ginseng, and pearls were valuable, the powerful families of Goryeo (Korea) specifically arranged for people to hunt, harvest ginseng, and collect pearls.

Especially mink, leopard, otter, and squirrel furs, these items can fetch high prices, leading more and more mountain dwellers to make a living by hunting.

By the way, let's see if we can find any ginseng.

Korean paper, however, is paper specifically for calligraphy and painting. It is made from paper mulberry bark and silkworm cocoons (inferior silkworm cocoons) and was probably invented during the Northern Song Dynasty.

Its production was low and its price was high, making it extremely popular among Ming Dynasty literati.

Because the Ming Dynasty had a large quantity of goods with high overall added value, Goryeo simply could not offer enough goods for exchange.

As a result, various seafood products were also used to make up the numbers, especially dried sea cucumbers and dried abalone.

Korean fishermen risked their lives, working tirelessly day and night, yet they themselves were often hungry and cold, while the profits were all pocketed by Korean nobles and Ming Dynasty merchants.

After downing half a bowl of baijiu, Wang Gou was a little drunk and asked, "The Cui family in Haizhou trades extensively with the Ming Dynasty. Have you heard any unusual news about the Ming Dynasty lately?"

Choi Hong-jae immediately took out several newspapers, presented them, and said, "The Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty has turned the Imperial Gazette into the 'Great Ming Moon Gazette,' which can be purchased and read even by ordinary people in the city."

"These copies of the 'Da Ming Yue Bao' were brought by merchants from the Ming Dynasty."

"From now on, there will be no need to waste money sending envoys. We can find out the true strength of the Ming Dynasty by reading the Ming Dynasty Monthly Report."

Wang Gou, his eyes blurry with drunkenness, began to read the newspaper. After reading only a few lines, he discovered that Min Zishun, the Grand Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs of the Ming Dynasty, had been hanged for corruption.

A list was also provided, which included more than ten officials involved in the case who were executed, more than fifty who were exiled, and more than one hundred who were imprisoned.

He quickly read the second newspaper, which revealed that Qin Hui, the Minister of Revenue of the Ming Dynasty, had been executed, along with his wife and her entire family.

After reading several versions, the first version was all about killing corrupt officials!

Wang Gou was horrified: "The Emperor of Ming has killed so many corrupt officials, isn't he afraid that powerful clans within the country will rebel?"

In fact, the high-ranking officials of Goryeo had already read the newspapers, because Kaiju Port, located off the coast of the capital, was Goryeo's premier port for trade with the Ming Dynasty.

Not only officials read it, but some scholars from humble backgrounds also read it.

Chapter 3953 The Power of Newspapers

Those scholars from humble backgrounds were deeply moved and their longing for the Ming Dynasty grew even stronger.

It turns out that those parasites who erode the country, those high-ranking officials, can indeed be executed according to the law!

No wonder the Ming Dynasty was so powerful that it could easily destroy the Jin Dynasty; it was because the Ming Dynasty's civil and military officials dared not be corrupt.

Anyone who dares to embezzle will be executed by the emperor!

When civil officials are not corrupt, the people prosper. When military generals are not corrupt, the soldiers are brave and fierce.

Poor scholars from Goryeo, with no other options, painstakingly copied the "Da Ming Yue Bao" newspaper word by word, reading it from time to time and discussing it at gatherings.

While cursing the officials of Goryeo, they also sang praises of the Ming emperor, regarding the Ming Dynasty as their spiritual home.

Zhao Yuan never expected that the "Da Ming Yue Bao" would become a propaganda publication in Goryeo.

At this moment, many Goryeo ministers glared angrily at Choi Hong-jae.

Why are you showing this thing to the king?

Do you still want to massacre corrupt officials in Korea?

Choi Hong-jae, however, wore a smile; he knew what was going to happen today.

Outside the hall, Zheng Zhongfu was already preparing to take action.

However, the composition of the Crane Control Army is complex. The soldiers come from all over the country and are sent by powerful families, representing the interests of different families.

Not to mention that he, the top military official, couldn't control him, even the powerful minister Ren Yuanhou would have a hard time completely commanding him.

Zheng Zhongfu nodded secretly to Li Yifang, who then walked toward a young general.

The young general was Ren Yuanhou's confidant and also the commander of the Goryeo palace guards. He immediately rebuked, "You must not take another step forward, lest you disturb the noble people in the hall!"

Li Yifang said with a smile, "While the nobles are eating and drinking in the palace, we are hungry."

"General Hong, would you like something to eat? I'll send someone to get it right away."

The young general lowered his guard and swallowed hard: "Have a bowl of pine nut porridge."

"it is good."

Li Yifang continued walking forward and asked, "General, would you like any more pastries or dried fruits?"

"I'd like a pastry."

The young general turned his head to look inside the hall, thinking of finding an excuse to slip away and have a nice bowl of pine nut porridge in the side room outside.

Clang!