Han Shizu

Chapter 1382 Gao Li's clothes have softened

"Envoys of Korea, what gifts have you prepared for our prime minister?" In the Chuigong Hall, Emperor Liu was lying on a bench in a leisurely posture, staggering, and asked slowly.

Standing by the side was Zhang Dejun, the envoy of the imperial city, and upon hearing the question, he immediately reported: "It is said that there are ten pearls, one hundred catties of gold, ten thousand taels of silver, and five beauties from Korea."

"Hehe, what a generous gift! This Korean man is generous!" Emperor Liu smiled lightly: "How did Zhao Pu deal with it?"

Zhang Dejun said: "After Prime Minister Zhao returned to the mansion, he learned of the gift from the envoys of Korea, and ordered people to seal up the gold and silver pearls and turn them over to the national treasury. As for the Korean beauties, they were all handed over to the Secretary of Jiaofang. All gifts were rejected, and Xu Xi of Korea also No private interview!"

Zhang Dejun's tone was calm and to the point, but it gave Emperor Liu a feeling of favoring Zhao Pu, so he couldn't help but glance at him.Looking away, Emperor Liu said meaningfully: "It seems that Zhao Pu cherishes his feathers even more!"

Zhao Pu is an official in the center and a local official, and there are completely two manifestations. At least when he was an official in Sichuan and Shu, Zhao Pu received gifts, not to the extent of corruption and bribery, but he did not pretend to be aloof, and normal human relations were still very conformist. of.

Of course, Zhao Pu is not a pure minister of morality, he also has flaws and blemishes.The major mining accident that shocked the Southwest at the beginning belonged to Zhao Pu's mistake in employing people. The small mine supervisor dared to lie and deceive the court.

But after returning to worship as prime minister, Zhao Pu has obviously changed. His style of dealing with politics is still strong and capable, but above his personal morality, he has also become clean and self-sufficient.

Especially in some aspects that are most likely to attract criticism, he is even more cautious, vigorously restraining relatives and friends, and is also very measured in communication with fellow disciples, former officials, and subordinates.

Emperor Liu can understand this point. Zhao Pu has lofty aspirations and wants to make a difference. If he wants to leave his own achievements in Kaibao Dynasty, he needs to try his best to avoid unnecessary criticism.

Especially after he gradually revealed his governing policy and direction, under the tremendous pressure, he needs to stand upright, otherwise he will inevitably fall into endless troubles.

This time, the salutes offered by the envoys from Goryeo were heavy, but to Zhao Pu, they were really nothing.What's more, Zhao Pu may feel a little angry in his heart, which will cause him more trouble.

No, God has already listened to it.

"It's said to use money to do things. The Korean envoy gave such a generous gift. Zhao Pu deliberately refused, so he just returned it. What is the consideration of handing over to the treasury?" Emperor Liu murmured, "Isn't this accepting gifts on behalf of the court?"

Eyeballs rolled slightly, Emperor Liu looked at Zhang Dejun who was standing in a humble posture: "During this time, has Xu Xi been active in Beijing?"

Zhang Dejun replied: "Back to the official's house, it has been half a month since the Korean envoy arrived in Beijing, and he was humble and generous, but he still couldn't get in. I thought, the official's refusal to meet him made Xu Xi fear the power of the sky and feel uneasy. , so I kept running around, begging to Zhao Xianggong's mansion!"

"It's a small country, if you don't teach us a lesson, you will never know the power of Heaven!" Emperor Liu said indifferently, his tone was still strong and full of contempt.

It has to be said that in the past years, some of Goryeo's behaviors really angered Emperor Liu, which made Emperor Liu always bear grudges, and he has not been able to let go of it until now.

Since the beginning of spring, the Goryeo Kingdom sent envoys to come by sea and trek thousands of miles to Luojing.The visitor is considered an old friend. The purpose of Xu Xi who came to Youzhou for an audience was naturally to seek peace.

Last year's Han-Li War was just a small episode in the Han-Liao War. Although the emperors and generals on the Han side passively distracted some attention, the actual situation was irrelevant.

Under the active attack of the Han army, without investing too much troops and paying too much price, they won two complete victories.After that, it was the East China Sea Navy's one-month-long demand for anything and everything on the Koryo border.

As for Goryeo, not only lost tens of thousands of troops, but the navy was almost wiped out, and half of the country's elite was lost.More importantly, during the subsequent wanton invasion and plunder of the Han army, the towns and counties along the coast of Koryo were devastated by the flames of war, and the property losses of officials and civilians were huge.

Moreover, after a winter rest, after the beginning of the new year, the Han army still did not give up.Under the command of Guo Tingwei, the soldiers of the Han army, who had recharged their batteries, once again launched an invasion and plunder against Koryo.

Unlike many soldiers who participated in the Northern Expedition, the navy soldiers had almost no war weariness. On the contrary, they were highly motivated and extremely active. They went to Korea to make a fortune.

There is no way to gain wealth faster than robbery and plundering, and the Jeju Island naval base opened by the Han army has become a huge place for "selling stolen goods"
Under such circumstances, the Han army refused to give up, and Goryeo couldn't stand it even more. Its southwest coast, but the essence of its country, could not suffer such damage for a long time.

In the face of the "sea trouble", Koryo did not fail to take some countermeasures, such as mobilizing troops to ambush and encircle some of the Han troops who landed. Of course, this has achieved some results and repelled some Han troops.

However, treating the symptoms but not the root cause, the navy basically lost its power to control the sea, and the Han army from the sea could appear and disappear, and there was no way to effectively contain it.It forced the officials and civilians in the coastal prefectures and counties of Koryo to flee in large numbers, and also made the refugees in Koryo rampant, the social order was seriously corrupted, and even the rule was shaken.

Goryeo, after the reform of Goryeo Wang Wang Zhao, the royal power was strengthened, the national strength and military equipment were improved a lot, and its rule also tended to be stable under its power.

However, in less than half a year, it was back to before liberation.Due to the feud with the great Han, and even the confrontation with each other, plus two battles, a large number of soldiers and horses were lost, and the royal power was inevitably weakened.

As a result, those nobles and heroes who have been suppressed by Wang Zhao in the past ten years, and those forces whose interests have been severely deprived and weakened in Wang Zhao's reforms, are all ready to move.

The defeat of the army, the loss of some soldiers and horses, the invasion and plunder of counties and counties, and the loss of officials and people, these may not be a big deal to the King of Korea.However, his power was weakened, his prestige was hit, and his throne was shaken, which made Wang Zhao unable to sit still.

External aggression continued and internal worries arose again. Under internal and external pressure, Wang Zhao couldn't bear it anymore and had to seek a solution.And even those who have no experience know the root cause of the turmoil in Goryeo?
Big guy!

Under Xu Xi's persuasion, Wang Zhao finally decided to send envoys to the Han Dynasty to pray for the forgiveness of the Han Dynasty, hoping to restore the old relationship and express his attitude of being a vassal forever.

Although personally Wang Zhao felt a little depressed, aggrieved, and even humiliated, he really had no other options. Only after being severely beaten did he realize that the Celestial Dynasty of the Central Plains, which is separated by a sea, is really not something they can offend.

In the past, it was indeed Wang Zhaopiao who tried to gain both sides between the Han and Liao Dynasties and wanted to participate in the war between the two countries. In the end, it was just a result of the country's chaos.

Xu Xi brought a lot of treasures and beauties from the sea, and even Wang Zhao contributed a lot of the treasures in his palace treasury.After trekking for thousands of miles, traveling by car, boat and horse, they rushed to Luoyang after exhausting their hardships.

Originally, in Xu Xi's expectation, they were full of sincerity and should be able to move the emperor and ministers of the Han Dynasty.But the reality made them feel very frustrated. After arriving in Beijing, they hit a wall almost everywhere.

For the first time, the Han Empire showed a kind of stinginess and arrogance. Apart from leaving the envoys of Korea in the hotel, they did not give any greetings, and almost ignored them.

Xu Xi asked to see Emperor Liu several times, and to submit his credentials, but was rejected. He couldn't be seen, and he didn't even have a chance to give gifts.After a long time, Xu Xi will inevitably be frustrated, but considering the Han army that may still be raging in their borders, he has to encourage his fighting spirit.After thinking about it, he finally turned his attention to Zhao Pu.

In the end, Zhao Pu accepted the gift, but he seemed to have no intention of doing anything.
(End of this chapter)