North Korea, a small country that has a lot to do with China, really has to be mentioned. If you want to say who in the surrounding countries cares most about the restoration of the Ming Dynasty, I am afraid it must be. This is not only loyalty to the former suzerain, but more importantly, they understand that the emperors and officials of the Ming Dynasty do not look down on their small peninsula. China has repeatedly pushed the border to the north of the Korean Peninsula many times, but for various reasons finally let this small country continue to exist, in the early Ming Dynasty they also planned to fight for Liaodong, but in the end because of the lack of strength was compressed back to the east bank of the Yalu River, since then they have been thinking about living their own small life behind closed doors. This practice of knowing the current affairs paid off in the Wanli year, and in the face of the large-scale invasion of the Japanese monkey Guan Bai, after receiving the help of the suzerain...... In fact, it was basically the Ming army that fought on the front line, and finally kept their own one-third of an acre of land, and what is even more gratifying is that Yi Sunsin, who had a high merit, died honorably in the last battle, and since then the Koreans have a national hero who can always boast. Everyone knows what happened later, as a small country next to a big country, their lives are destined to rise and fall with the rise and fall of their neighbors, this is not the most fatal, their own internal dumping and political struggle is not much worse than the Central Plains, all kinds of officials are busy with internal fighting, and the military force that was originally established by resisting the Japanese is also useless, so the direct outcome is that they have been bullied by the Manchus over the years.

In later Korean dramas, they always liked to depict how the North Korean army slaughtered all sides on the border, so that a nomad could not find the north, and even did not hesitate to put the inventor of the rocket nest on his head for this reason, which of course aroused a boo from the Chinese audience. In history, they have nothing to do except be sheared by the Tartars, but fortunately this time and space is different, when the generalissimo found North Korea, to lease Jeju Island for the garrison, and borrowed the Korean land route to attack Shengjing, within a few years the Central Plains counteroffensive completely lifted the threat of the Manchus, the Korean military and civilians after watching the military appearance and combat effectiveness of the new army at close range, it is easy to come to a conclusion, that is, their masters are going to change again. So when the dust settled on the Chinese side and the generalissimo became the emperor of China, they immediately sent envoys to congratulate them, and as for the emperor being a coup soldier, they didn't feel any discomfort, you must know that this is how Lee's Korea came out. Besides, if the new emperor of the bloody Manchu Qing Dynasty sees that he is not pleasing to the eye and excludes Korea from the list of countries that are not to be conquered, it is still himself who is unlucky. Fortunately, after the trembling operation of the North Korean envoys, they found that although the Central Plains had changed masters, they still looked at North Korea with the same way that their godfathers looked at their sons, and they did not pursue their own case of surrendering to the Manchus, so the North Korean officials finally put their minds at ease and continued to engage in infighting. However, with the deepening of trade exchanges, the news from the Central Plains made them more and more uneasy, not only the merchants brought the news of the large-scale reform of the Central Plains, but also the composition of the recent immigrants to Liaodong is also complicated, the original family members of those who committed officials or sinners are gradually replaced by ordinary poor people, and there is a great rebuilding of Shenyang control zhì The meaning of the entire Manchuria, a planning map circulated in Manchuria, where the national boundaries of China are very straightforwardly marked, and several cities that do not exist are also marked on the vast Northeast Great Plain. It is said that according to the imperial court, it will take 100 years to develop Tohoku, and it will be used as a testing ground for the new policy. What frightened them even more was that the Central Plains Imperial Court suddenly established contact with Japan and signed a letter of state, and the originally blockaded trade with Japan was officially opened, which made North Korea, which was sandwiched between the two countries, almost restless.

The North Koreans finally couldn't resist but sent a mission. There are not many real diplomatic officials in their ranks, at least ninety percent of the personnel are composed of all kinds of merchants, which is also one of the characteristics left over from the previous Ming Dynasty, the purpose of tribute itself has long degenerated into commercial travel under the banner of diplomacy, even if there are now many ports on the border between China and North Korea, merchants do not need to use guò this form to conduct cross-border trade, but after all, the diplomatic mission enjoys immunity, as long as the goods carried with them are not too much, they do not have to pay taxes, and the suzerainty has always been not stingy with rewards, Therefore, there are still many businessmen who come to join in, but if you change to someone who is more familiar with North Korean officials, you can find that most of these businessmen who sell dog meat on sheep's heads are domestic servants of various officials, in other words, they can't squeeze into the tributary team without a little backstage.

Jiang Tian stood on the main hall and looked at the Koreans who knelt and bowed to the emperor Zhang Tao, no one knew that the prince Taibao with a stern face made up some Korean history in his mind, he felt that something was strange when he received the news of the North Koreans' visit, generally speaking, even if the relationship between the two countries is very harmonious, it is impossible to organize a visit of this specification every year, but the Koreans also came to celebrate the queen's birthday last year, why did they come again this year? Jiang Tian, who didn't want to deal with these troublesome things, had to stand here and watch them engage in superficial articles, who made him still the vice minister of foreign affairs. He didn't believe that his godson missed his godfather and ran to pout and kowtow, so he kept speculating about what the purpose of these people was, if it was just to pay less tariffs, there was no need to submit the credentials for Zhang Tao to receive in person. But he was the only one in the Manchu Dynasty who thought so, because he was the only one who was secretly wary of these Koreans in his heart.

Although the ceremony or etiquette delayed time, this North Korean ambassador was more familiar with red tape than Jiang Tian, and those guys who called Little China looked more like Chinese civil officials than his half-officials, until the letter of state was handed over to the eunuch, and Zhang Tao greeted him again. However, the real diplomatic contact has officially begun, whether it is the former Ming Dynasty or the Chinese Dynasty, and even in later generations, no matter what decision or transaction is made by the two parties, they will not say it on this kind of showy occasion, Jiang Tian knows that he has more work, at this time, unless the national letter is written useless nonsense, Zhang Tao will not let go of the opportunity to let himself work.

"What? We haven't returned Jeju Island yet! Jiang Tian shouted in the imperial study regardless of his image, causing the old men in the cabinet to frown.

It may be that he can't get used to seeing such a loss of honor in front of the king, as the first assistant, Ning Jiao coughed: "Lord Jiang don't need to be surprised, it's not that His Majesty doesn't return it, but the Manchu Qing Dynasty still has remnants of evil, this island of sea transit must have its use, and now the entire Guanwai is almost peaceful, presumably it won't be a few days ......."

Ning Jiao was still talking to himself, and in his opinion, it was not uncommon for a big country to borrow other people's land to conduct military warfare, not to mention that it was still a vassal of the former Ming Dynasty. It's just that it's a bit humiliating to not leave, and it doesn't have the credibility that a big country should have. So he wanted to find a reason to find a fig leaf for his behavior, but before he finished speaking, he heard the emperor say directly: "I just don't plan to pay it back!" ”

Except for Old Man Ning who was choked to death, all the officials in the imperial study couldn't help but look sideways, and only Jiang Tian listened to his expression and gradually turned into a sinister smirk, it seemed that he understood Zhang Tao's purpose. So he walked over to the map and looked at it carefully: "Hmm...... This island is the key point of the maritime trade routes of China, Japan and North Korea, controlling the Tsushima Strait and at the intersection of the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea. ”

The old men who were still unspeakable and unrelenting in the Heavenly Empire's kingdom had no faith in it, their expressions instantly became solemn, most of these guys were from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and if they threatened other places, they might still have a bit of a fight, and when they looked at the location on the map, they understood that it was their hometown that was threatened, and the etiquette, righteousness, and shame were thrown out of the clouds. However, the stimulus they received was not over, and they only heard Jiang Tian continue: "If it is only one Jeju Island, the scope of control is limited, and I don't know if there is a deep-water port there, if you really want to protect the southeast coast, then from Jeju to the Ryukyu line to Luzon, it should be my Chinese territory......"

With a slight stroke of Jiang Tian's fingers, a string of islands from the East China Sea to the South China Sea was included. Everyone present was instantly scorched by the thunder, his light stroke expanded thousands of miles, but in addition to the subject countries, these places are Taiwan, Luzon, these islands that are not under the control of the Central Plains, they don't think Jiang Tian is talking nonsense, the old man instinctively positioned the purpose of this kid to expand the situation as a precursor to provoke a war, but the Northern Expedition of the Central Plains was unsuccessful, before solving the northern problem, how could there be spare strength to fight for the ocean?

As a modern soldier, although Zhang Tao is an army, he is also very insightful about the world, to be honest, the later dynasties have been revolving in the first island chain, and his army has to set the defense line on his own coastline, so he is also deeply touched by this problem, only to see our emperor Xià slightly bowed, and then turned his head to look at those people in the Ministry of Defense: "What does the navy think?" ”

At this time, the old men remembered that although this Jiang Tian was a deputy position, he was the only one who was the official dean of the Naval Research Institute, and if the navy mixed well, he would naturally be prosperous, if the imperial court focused its attention on the north, and what was going on with his navy, this kid was planning to raise thieves and self-respect, even if there were no thieves in the world, he could create a bunch of thieves! Cao Mo, the former head of the household department, can be regarded as hating the root of his teeth, the country has such a little income every year, in addition to stabilizing the price of goods and resuming production, he also has to hoard grain and grass to prepare for the war against Mongolia, and this year has already approved 500,000 taels of research and development funds for the navy, and now it means that Jiang Tian is planning to reach out for the navy and ask for money.

In fact, these old guys are really wrong to blame Jiang Tian, and only Zhang Tao can understand why the country's focus should be on the ocean, but even if you break it up with them, it is difficult for people in this era to understand that those strange-looking foreign businessmen will be the future enemies of life and death in the Central Plains. So he is too lazy to talk nonsense, but fortunately, neither Britain nor France will be able to compete for maritime hegemony in East Asia in a short period of time, as for the United States...... Will this country still appear on this plane?

The officials of the Ministry of National Defense, who had been attending the meeting as observers because of the Jeju Island issue, were mentally prepared to play soy sauce. For many years, this kind of thing related to the country's major policies should not be interfered with by their soldiers, and it was a little surprising to be stirred up by Jiang Tian themselves, but this does not mean that their own internal unity is very strong, the army has an absolute advantage in the army, and it has always been the military branch with the most budget, and the navy has few achievements except for the landing of the year, even the landing of the year was completed with the help of the Zheng family, and now the Zheng family has become a chaotic minister and thief, and their position is even weaker. Later, because of the establishment of the Naval Research Institute, the director was the well-known Jiang Tian, and they also saw a little hope, but they definitely didn't expect happiness to come so quickly.

The people from the military department looked at each other, and then Han Yuan, the chief of staff of the navy, had no choice but to speak: "Your Majesty, it is the responsibility of our generation to maintain the maritime frontier, but the navy is still in the early stages of creation, and it is okay to maintain the supply of the garrison on Jeju Island." Competing for such a vast ocean...... Forgive the last will be brave, I am afraid that the power will not be caught! ”

Zhang Tao nodded, he knows better than anyone the weakness of the navy, which is almost the same as when he crossed over, although Jiang Tian told his hometown that because of the rapid development of economic strength, the country is expanding the navy at an unprecedented speed, and even the experimental aircraft carrier has been sent out for training, but after all, it is still weak compared to the fleet of the world hegemon, so it has not been able to break through the first island chain, but after all, at that time, with the help of high-tech weapons, The first line of defense to defend the gate of the country has been pushed to 200 kilometers away from the coastline, and even if the three major fleets of the navy have the strength to fight with the overlord at home, the overall situation is much better than their current situation.

When Zhang Tao was pondering, Jiang Tian was also studying the national letter written in traditional Chinese characters, and the paper was much stronger than his second-hand talent, in short, the general meaning of the translation was that he tightened his belt to help his godfather return to the country, but now that your life is better, but your godson still can't eat enough, this Jeju Island is not an important place in your old eyes, but the godson still expects it to produce some livestock and seafood to supplement the family, so you can do it when you are old, and return this place where birds don't to your son... …

"This island can't be returned!" When everyone was staring at Zhang Tao, Jiang Qiguo, the former secretary of the Ministry of Military Affairs and the current Minister of National Defense, suddenly spoke: "Your Majesty, Jeju Island is rich in horses, and it was originally a horse breeding place in North Korea. ”

As soon as he said this, the army faction, which was still a little hesitant, immediately unified their opinions, whether they would let the navy become bigger and put it aside first, the Central Plains has always lacked horses and the army wants to conquer the grasslands, so it is also good to use these cattle that are stronger than donkeys to transport supplies, especially the current army's dependence on logistics is much higher than that of the traditional army, to be honest, as long as the ammunition is sufficient, it is not very important whether there is cavalry assistance. So even if it is for their own interests, they can't let such a good horse farm slip out of their hands. Besides, North Korean horses are not good, and improved breeds can also be imported from Mongolia, and His Majesty also commissioned merchants to get good horses from Arabia, even if the miscellaneous ** is not as good as the original, at least it is stronger than the current one. Seeing that the army is not letting go, the cabinet can't sit still, this is the rhythm of a big fight! How could the imperial court have so much money and grain to do such a thing, and besides, wasn't it to discuss how to return it? How did it become resolutely not to pay it back? How do you reply? As soon as this opening is opened, how the surrounding subject countries view the Celestial Empire, the image that has been maintained for a long time will be ruined!

As soon as Ning Jiao wanted to open his mouth to refute, he heard Zhang Tao say: "It's true that you can't pay it back, but how can you reply?" ”

"Rent a ......" Jiang Tian, who was still studying the format of the national letter, did not raise his head, and said in a strange manner: "Lease Jeju Island as a naval and army base, and the rent will be negotiated separately, aren't they crying poor, let's just give money!" ”

Cao Mo almost spat out a mouthful of old phlegm at him: "What Lord Jiang said lightly, where did the imperial court get so much money!" ”

Jiang Tian heard that the other party's tone was not good, but he didn't go to his heart: "You say that you have money, you have it, you don't have it, there are many ways to make money with money, and there are more ways to spend money without cash, and there are more ways to spend money without cash, and then a poor island, the annual tax to the king of Korea is not as much as our few rich counties, the reason why those Koreans are in a hurry to go back is mainly because most of the land on the island has been annexed by a group of princes and ministers, to put it bluntly, this is the small treasury of those Korean moths, The biggest loss for us is that the landlord is not the king of Joseon, and the only impact on the Li family is that they want to find another penal colony for the families of the prisoners, but we can welcome them to exile those sinners to us. You say that if we propose to rent this island and give the rent directly to the Joseon royal family, will the Joseon king be happy or angry? ”

The issue of land annexation is common in every country, and North Korea has learned from China all over the world, and this is no exception. Moreover, the ministers used their positions to embezzle the country's land, and the old men of the cabinet did not have clean butts, but Zhang Tao had not pursued it yet, so as soon as Jiang Tian said this unspoken rule, they felt a cold sweat on their backs. Everyone heard the threat in Jiang Tian's words, the court or Zhang Tao can promise to give the landlords a buffer time, it is nothing more than for the sake of your meritorious service from the dragon back then, if you don't open your eyes now, when the emperor finishes integrating the army in the future, he will not find a reason to open the knife directly.

Cao Mo wiped the cold sweat on his forehead: "What is the way that Lord Jiang said that you can spend money without money?" Forgive the old man for not being able to understand. ”

Zhang Tao nodded slightly, even if you are an old fox acquaintance, you finally didn't contradict yourself: "Virtuous brother, but it doesn't hurt to say it, whether you succeed or not, you have your own brainstorming." ”

When the emperor said this, it was actually equivalent to sitting on the lease of Jeju Island, and all the people present were old fritters who had been ups and downs in the Huan Sea, who still didn't understand this meaning, but King Ji, who had never spoken, frowned and looked at Jiang Tian meaningfully.

As for Master Jiang, he didn't think about it so much, and he didn't realize that there were so many twists and turns in the few short sentences just now, I have to say that his political consciousness is not qualified, but this is not the point, I saw him smile sinisterly: "Actually, what the king of Joseon wants is just a reputation, let's lease it is to fulfill his false reputation that he has not lost his land, as long as the 'ownerless' land and pastures on the island are owned by me, and the rent can be paid only with the taxes on livestock and fish, we might as well lease it for ninety-nine years......"