Chapter 585: Is This Diplomatic Etiquette or a Declaration of War?

Generally speaking, the Ming ships departing from Shandong, which was the largest port in central Korea, was close to Seoul, the capital of Korea, and the diplomatic envoys who came and went were basically disembarked at the port of Incheon. After disembarking at Incheon Port, you can reach Seoul in just a day's walk. If you're riding a horse, it's faster. Therefore, the DPRK has also set up a special inn in the port of Incheon to welcome envoys from all sides.

Zhang Zhun also chose to land at the port of Incheon on his "mission" to the DPRK this time. From Weihaejun Port to Incheon Port, it is almost a parallel route. After a day and a half of sailing, the Great White Fleet approached the port of Incheon. After seeing the land, the sailing speed of the fleet slowly decreased. Zhang Zhun held up the clairing mirror and carefully looked at Incheon Port.

Quiet.

Be quiet.

It was very quiet.

The entire port of Incheon seems to have no sound, not even the sound of water birds. Faintly, only the whistling wind and the sound of rolling waves can be heard. Inside the harbor, there are no other ships in sight. Whether it is a large ship or a small one, it is completely invisible.

"Yulin, it seems that something is wrong."

Ji Yuqing frowned lightly and reminded in a low voice.

"What kind of moth did the North Koreans come up with?"

Xu Qingluan sneered.

Zhang Zhun nodded indifferently and didn't say anything more.

There is something wrong with the port of Incheon. Even under the pressure of the Tatars, there were still merchant ships coming and going from North Korea, and they basically chose to anchor at the port of Incheon. North Korea has not closed the port. However, at the current port of Incheon, not only can you not see ships, but you can't even see people. The so-called abnormality is a demon. The port of Incheon is so abnormal, which shows that North Korea will obviously be very abnormal.

Gao Hongtu came to Zhang Zhun's side, obviously expressed his worries, and said slowly: "Yulin, there may be a big problem within the North Koreans. In the entire port of Incheon, there is not even a single ship, which is too abnormal. I don't think you should go ashore easily, lest there be an accident. ”

Zhang Zhun nodded, indicating that he was taught. Then, holding a clairvoyant mirror, he continued to search the port of Incheon carefully. Suddenly, there was a very strange phenomenon in the lens. The Port of Incheon is not completely devoid of people. On the pier of Incheon Port, there are actually two figures. Because of the figures of the two of them, they are so lonely, if they don't get close, they can't be seen at all. Take a closer look, these two figures, one of them is Feng Menglong, the advance messenger sent by Zhang Zhun. The other wore a green North Korean official uniform.

According to the official regulations of North Korea, the official uniform of the royal family is purple, which is the most noble and transcendent existence. However, they are not allowed to enter the DPRK as officials (this is a special rule in North Korea). The first to the third product is called the Tang Shangguan, and the official uniform is red. From the third rank to the sixth grade, it is called the official of the hall, and the official uniform is blue. From the seventh rank to the ninth grade, it is the lowest official, and the official uniform is green. Now, this North Korean official, dressed in green, is clearly an official below the seventh rank.

Ji Yuqing sneered slightly, and said meaningfully: "Yulin, it seems that the North Koreans don't welcome your arrival. You are the governor of the Ming Dynasty, and the North Korean official who greeted you turned out to be a sesame official of the seventh grade. The grade difference between this is too great. ”

Xu Qingluan also sneered slightly, and said coldly: "Since Yulin is here, they are not welcome if it is not their turn." If he, a small seven-rank sesame official, can pick up Zhang Zhun ashore, it will also seem that the Heavenly Empire is too faceless. ”

Gao Hongtu said slowly: "It should be the pressure exerted by the surrender faction of North Korea that this situation will occur. Officials below the seventh grade are simply outrageous. ”

Zhang Zhun said casually: "It's okay, we can do what we have to do." ”

After a slight pause, Zhang Zhun said casually: "Li Jicheng! ”

Li Jicheng hurriedly came over and waited for the order.

Zhang Zhun said lightly: "Swing a crescent-shaped formation." ”

Li Jicheng's face was awe-inspiring, and he replied loudly: "Understood!" ”

The flag was quickly issued, and all the saber-tooth ships were in action.

What kind of formation is a meniscus formation?

Offensive formations!

All the saber-tooth ships, posing in a crescent shape, aimed their sides at the port of Incheon, were meant to be shelled. For a friendly country, putting on such a formation is clearly excessive, there is a provocation. Especially since this is the waters of North Korea, and the formation of artillery shelling here is simply a declaration of war. However, at present, the situation in the DPRK is complicated, and it is not a friendly country for the time being, and it is not impossible to use force.

Sending an official of the seventh rank to greet the envoy of the Ming Dynasty is not a friendly act in any way. It must be known that Zhang Zhun is a Ming official of Zhengyipin. The Ming Dynasty was also the suzerainty of Korea. Under such circumstances, Zhang Zhun will of course use force. What North Korea needs is force, and what it has happens to be force.

Soon, the meniscus was laid out. All the dragon cannons were pushed out of the cannon window, and the muzzle of the black hole was facing the port of Incheon. The shells were loaded into the chambers, and all the gunners had to be on standby. As long as Jang Joon gives an order, the port of Incheon can be shelled.

For a while, the entire port of Incheon was solemn, and it became more and more silent, as if even the sound of the wind and waves could not be heard. Twelve saber ships, one hundred and ninety-two dragon cannons fired in a salvo, and the first round of attacks could make Incheon Port a mess. Zhang Zhun dared to guarantee that after dozens of rounds of shooting, he could completely scrap the port of Incheon.

At this moment, Feng Menglong suddenly made a gesture. I saw that inside the house behind Incheon Port, two officials dressed in red suddenly appeared, hurriedly walking in the direction of the port. Behind them, there were dozens of retinues. The red official uniform is at least an official of the third rank or above. Obviously, they were the ones who really came to greet Zhang Zhun.

Ji Yuqing sneered and said disdainfully: "Don't put on a show, they still won't come out!" ”

Xu Qingluan was a little afraid that the world would not be chaotic, and said with a smile: "It's okay if they don't come out, a round of shells will pass and kill them directly, and there is no place to redress their grievances." I don't believe that Yulin really opened fire, they dare to fight back. ”

Gao Hongtu also frowned. Obviously, he didn't like this way of greeting him very much. In the past, the DPRK would never engage in such a trick of conceiving the Celestial Empire. In front of the Ming Kingdom, what arrogant capital does North Korea have? Now, due to the weakness of the Ming Kingdom, within Korea, the surrender faction occupies a certain position, and they actually give the Ming Kingdom this set?

Fortunately, Jang Joon brought twelve saber ships, otherwise, senior North Korean officials might not really show up. Fortunately, it was Zhang Zhun who came to North Korea, if it was other officials of the Ming Kingdom, there was no Great White Fleet with them, maybe the North Koreans really wanted to give a lower level of treatment. Even though it is a suzerainty and a vassal state, it is also above interests. If the DPRK could not benefit from the Ming Kingdom, it would not be surprising that they would fall to the Tartars.

With the appearance of two red officials in North Korea, behind them, many more people appeared. The originally empty port of Incheon seems to have appeared as if by magic, thousands of people appeared neatly on both sides of the port. Someone quickly laid the red carpet on the pier, stretching to the end in sight. There are also beautiful young North Korean women, dressed in festive costumes and holding flower baskets, waiting aside. Obviously, such a welcoming team is normal.

Xu Qingluan said slowly: "This is what it looks like." ”

Ji Yuqing frowned lightly and didn't say anything.

Zhang Zhun cautiously said to Li Jicheng: "Continue to keep the crescent shape." ”

These North Koreans are obviously testing themselves. If it weren't for the Great White Fleet's offensive formation, the North Koreans might have really wanted to do something. At least, the other party is trying to give himself a dismount, embarrass himself, and sharpen his prestige. But as soon as the Great White Fleet took on an offensive posture, they immediately relented. It can be seen that at any time, force is the most awe-inspiring.

Soon, Zhang Zhun's flagship slowly docked. There are a total of fifteen berths in the port of Incheon, and Jang Joon's flagship is exactly in the middle. Next to the pier, there are already North Koreans waiting. As soon as the flagship landed, the North Koreans took the initiative to set up a springboard.

"Up!"

Zhang Yin waved his hand and took the lead in getting off the boat.

Behind him, the fighters of the Marine Corps, in a neat line, disembarked from the ship. This is the first time that the Tiger Ben Army has appeared abroad and appeared in front of foreigners, so they will all hold their waists straight, hold the weapons in their hands tightly, do not squint, and their steps are neat, trying their best to show the military might of the Tiger Ben Army.

Behind the marines, were the fighters of the Pinzi battalion. They came down from another trestle, also with straight waists, without squinting, with neat steps, and with a majestic and high-spirited approach. Because there is more training time invested in the queue, the queue of the soldiers of the Pinzi Battalion is obviously more powerful.

According to the previous arrangement, after the soldiers of the Pinzi Battalion went ashore, they were distributed around the port of Incheon, taking over various commanding heights, deploying defenses, and arranging snipers to monitor emergencies. Marines, on the other hand, focused on setting up a cordon around the harbor to temporarily separate the welcoming crowd from the dock.

Obviously, the arrival of the Tiger Ben Army had a small shock to the North Korean officials who came to greet them. Their eyes kept falling on the soldiers of the Tiger Ben Army. If they were not mistaken, they must have wondered how the Tiger Army had cleaned up so many Tartars.

Feng Menglong and the North Korean officials in green official uniforms came on board, and Gao Hongtu stepped forward to greet them. The North Korean official spoke Chinese very well, and there was no need for an interpreter at all, so he just listened to him say politely: "Xiaguan, Choe Haoguang, Tongshilang, welcome to all distinguished guests." Please come ashore, distinguished guests. ”

In his Chinese, the pronunciation of a single word is actually very standard, but when they are connected together, they are a little stiff and sound strange. No way, after all, it's a second language, and it can't be very proficient. The same is true for the Japanese. Fortunately, there is no mistake in the general meaning.

However, his blunt pronunciation also convinced Gao Hongtu that he was not a professional diplomat. Among the North Koreans, there are many people who speak Chinese fluently, so if they are really sincere, how can they send an official who speaks Chinese bluntly? Apparently uneasy and well-intentioned. Playing tricks on Zhang Zhun's head, I am afraid that the consequences will be very miserable.

Gao Hongtu remained silent and said slowly: "It's polite." Please come aboard the two lords and meet the Governor first. ”

Cui Haoguang said in a somewhat stiff tone: "Please disembark from the ship." ”

Gao Hongtu was not angry, and said slowly: "Please come on board." ”

Cui Haoguang's eyes flashed, and he said slowly: "All the distinguished guests have come from afar, you must be tired, please go ashore as soon as possible." Fragrant soup and tea have been prepared on the shore, and the inn has also prepared wine and food to wash the dust for the guests. ”

Gao Hongtu still shook his head and said clearly: "Please come to the boat first." ”

There is a reason why he insists on doing this. Getting off the boat and getting on the boat doesn't seem to be much different, but it's actually very important. Zhang Zhun got off the boat, which was equivalent to a lower standard of greeting. On the contrary, if the other party comes on the boat, please Zhang Zhun get off the boat, and the standard of etiquette is one level higher. As the envoy of the Celestial Empire, Gao Hongtu insisted on the other party's welcome of officials on the ship, which was very necessary.

Of course, some people may say that there is no need to be serious about such details. Anyway, they all have to get off the boat, what's the difference between going down a little earlier and going down a little later? But for a scholar like Gao Hongtu, etiquette must be more serious, especially in diplomatic etiquette. If you don't insist, the other party may have to look down on you from now on, and the next thing will be more troublesome.

Cui Haoguang was a little scoundrel, and said casually: "In this case, Xia Guan will accompany you adults and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Incheon Port here." ”

Zhang Zhun said coldly in the back: "In this case, Master Cui, please get off the boat, and we will go directly to Ganghwa Island." ”

Cui Haoguang's face changed slightly, and he subconsciously said: "Ganghwa Island is my most important place, and there is a Jeolla Provincial Navy garrison, if you go without permission, it will be tantamount to invading our territory, and you will inevitably suffer a severe blow." ”

Gao Hongtu deliberately smiled slightly, and said unabashedly: "Jeolla Dao Naval Army? It's a pity that Yi Sunsin died. ”

This sentence is unceremoniously said. It's like saying in the other person's face that the other party is incompetent. Yi Sunsin is dead, and the Jeolla Provincial Navy still has a fart combat effectiveness! At the same time, it was also a reminder to Jang Joon that the Jeolla Provincial Naval Army was Yi Sunsin's troops. If necessary, take precautions. The Tiger Benjun really doesn't know much about the North Korean naval division.

In fact, in North Korea, there is no such title as a North Korean sailor. There are a total of eight provinces in Korea, and only three provinces have naval armies, among which the most powerful is the Jeolla Provincial Naval Army. At that time, Yi Sunsin served as the commander of the Jeolla Provincial Naval Army. Compared with the Damyeong Naval Division, the Jeolla Provincial Naval Army is not worth a damn, but it is just a small Korean country, and the appearance of a Yi Sun-sin is already very remarkable, of course, it has to be bragged about.

Zhang Zhun waved his hand at Li Jicheng and shouted: "Three cannons to the open sea!" ”

Li Jicheng immediately issued a flag message.

The other saber-tooth ships of the Great White Fleet immediately entered combat mode.

"Tom tom!"

"Tom tom!"

"Tom tom!"

The first round of shelling began quickly.

The sound of artillery rumbled and shook the entire port of Incheon, and the sound of artillery could be heard from ten miles away. The white smoke from the muzzle of the cannon quickly drifted over the port of Incheon under the blowing of the north wind, and the air soon filled with a strong smell of gunpowder. Cui Haoguang's face suddenly changed, he didn't expect Zhang Zhun to give the order to open fire. It's ridiculous. His fleet actually opened fire at the port of Incheon. Although it is facing the open sea, it is also within the territory of North Korea. This is simply a declaration of war on the DPRK!

The two officers in red official uniforms on the port were also in a hurry. Their anxiety is completely different from Cui Haoguang. They just put up a shelf according to the above meaning, and tried to test Zhang Zhun's bottom line. Unexpectedly, Zhang Zhun actually ordered the cannon to be fired! Seeing so many brand-new white battleships brought by Zhang Zhun , they already felt quite shocked in their hearts, but now that the shelling was unfolding, the cannon was rumbling, and the smoke of gunpowder was filled, the shock in their hearts was even stronger.

"Tom tom!"

"Tom tom!"

"Tom tom!"

They had only taken a few steps when the second round of shelling began.

This time, the cannon fire was more intense and more agitated. The sound of the first round of cannons has not completely disappeared, and the second round of cannons has come again, as if it is a wave after wave, constantly beating everyone's eardrums. Many people on the shore subconsciously covered their ears. The strong recoil force made the saber tooth ship continue to squeeze the sea water, stirring up layers of ripples, constantly spreading to the shore, and the originally quiet Incheon Port suddenly became agitated.

"Tom tom!"

"Tom tom!"

"Tom tom!"

A moment later, the third round of shelling began again.

Three rounds of shelling, wave after wave, with hardly any pause in between. Under the conditions at that time, the so-called salvo could not be fired at the same time. The speed of the same round of shelling may be fast or slow, so the sound of artillery will definitely be fast or slow. As a result, the fastest and slowest cannons are connected to each other, and it feels as if it is endless.

Zhang Zhun ordered three shots in a row, which was very reasonable. Because of the special structure of the Flying Dragon Cannon, which is a sub-cannon structure, the front three cannons shoot very fast, and in 20 seconds, three cannons can be fired. But after the third shot, the speed will be much slower.

The shelling stopped, and the air in the port of Incheon was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder. White smoke was blown by the north wind and filled the sky over the entire port of Incheon, as if a layer of fog had risen. The sea water was constantly agitating, constantly lapping against the trestle on the shore, splashing waves and making a noise in the dark.

In this way, it is indeed not very friendly to visit the DPRK. But there is no way, if you don't open fire, the North Koreans are still pretending to be garlic! When it is time to show force, Zhang Zhun will never hesitate. What does it mean to convince people with virtue? This is to convince people with virtue!

Sure enough, after the three rounds of shelling, the two North Korean officials in red official uniforms no longer dared to slack off, and came on board in a proper manner, claiming to welcome the envoys from the Heavenly Empire. Gao Hongtu stepped forward to greet him and expressed his gratitude without humility or arrogance. The previous shelling, as if no one had seen or heard, was in a warm and harmonious atmosphere on both sides.

Feng Menglong finally had a chance to speak at this time. He made presentations for both sides. These two North Korean officials, one named Yoon Siming and the other named Park Ancheng, are both doctors of Zheng Sanpin. The two were entrusted by the king of Joseon, Yi Kun, to greet Zhang Zhun.

"Yin Siming pays a visit to Lord Governor of the Kingdom."

"Park An-sung paid a visit to Lord Governor."

Under the guidance of Gao Hongtu, the two came to Zhang Zhun, saluted respectfully, and then said respectfully. They were courteous and sincere, but there was nothing to find fault with.

Zhang Zhun nodded, bowed and returned the salute, and said warmly: "The two of you have worked hard. ”

The official ranks of Ming and North Korea are basically the same. The highest is the first grade, and the lowest is the ninth grade. Zhang Zhun is a martial artist of Zhengyipin, and the two of them are civil servants of Zhengsanpin, and they are already several levels apart. Moreover, the Ming State is the upper country and the suzerain, and the North Korea is the lower country and the subject country, and the grade is naturally one level lower, which is at least one level different. Therefore, there is no need for Zhang Zhun to say anything more. I believe that the other party did not dare to ask Zhang Zhun to say anything.

However, after the etiquette was over, Yin Siming still said tentatively: "May I ask Lord Dudu, are you bringing a Daming Water Master?" ”

Zhang Zhun said affirmatively: "Of course it is." This official is also in charge of the military affairs of the two prefectures of Denglai, and the commander of the Dengzhou Naval Division. These white battleships are all subordinates of this officer. ”

Yin Siming and Park Ancheng breathed a sigh of relief. It seems that they are not afraid of these white battleships, but appreciated. On the contrary, Cui Haoguang's face is not very good.

Zhang Zhun knew what was going on, and Wen Yan said, "Mao Huihui, take a few adults to visit." ”

Mao Huihui immediately came up, straightened his waist, and said expressionlessly: "Ladies and gentlemen, please!" ”

Yin Siming and Park Ancheng did not refuse, and after respectfully thanking them, they followed behind Mao Huihui and visited the sword tooth ship everywhere. They were indeed very curious about this white battleship. Zhang Zhun gave them such an opportunity, of course they couldn't let it go. Cui Haoguang hesitated for a moment, and then followed.

Gao Hongtu nodded appreciatively at Zhang Zhun, and then followed. Since Zhang Zhun sang black face and even used artillery, he naturally sang white face to soothe the injured and fragile hearts of the North Koreans. If you blindly frighten your little brother, it won't be good.

Soon after, Yoon Siming, Park An-sung, and Choi Ho-gwang came out of the cabin. Yin Siming and Park Ancheng's expressions were even more delighted, it seemed that they were still very satisfied with the performance of the saber tooth ship. On the contrary, Cui Haoguang's face is not very good.

Yin Siming and Park Ancheng glanced at each other, came to Zhang Zhun, and said in unison: "Welcome to North Korea!" The prince has already prepared food and wine at the inn, and invited the Governor to come ashore! ”

Zhang Zhun and Gao Hongtu glanced at each other.

The son of North Korea, Li Hao, actually came to Incheon to greet Jang Joon?

It seems that the DPRK really welcomes Zhang Zhun's arrival!