"The ministers of the lower country, Min Tae-ho, Kim Hongji, Ahn Ji-yong, knock to see the emperor, long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

In the flower hall of the Yamen in Tongzhou, Liu Xian met the chief and deputy envoys and the secretary from North Korea. In the long-standing North Korean missions to China, these three are called "chief officials", also known as "three envoys". The other members were composed of scribes, doctors, and accompanying officers, and their status could not be compared with the above three at all.

The names of the three people, Liu Xian, had no impression at all, and he didn't know that the three people in front of him were all very important in the history of North Korea in the original time and space.

Min Tae-ho and Kim Hong-ji were both 'big parties' in the history of the original time and space, that is, the pro-Qing faction close to China, and now of course the pro-Qin faction.

Among these two people, Min Taiho knew at a glance that it was Concubine Min's party, and the information reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed Liu Xianam's guess that he was Concubine Min's cousin. He is the head of the Min family in North Korea.

Kim Hong-ji is the son of Kim Yongjue, whose father stayed in Kaesong Province and served as the lecturer of Gojong's banquet in his youth together with Park Jun-su, and is the son of Teacher Lee Hee. Li Xi attached great importance to Jin Hongji, and at the same time, Jin Hongji also had close ties with Dayuanjun, who was a pro-China faction, so Jin Hongji finally won the post of deputy envoy to China.

The last An Jiyong is purely a person from the courtyard. He served as a governor battalion officer, and accompanied Yang Xiansu to resist the French invasion. He is a loyal supporter of Li Yuying, the monarch of the Xingxuan Courtyard.

Huaxia was the suzerainty of Korea for thousands of years. Liu Xian was also the emperor of Joseon, and the Manchus had been abandoned by Joseon. Min Tae-ho, Kim Hong-ji and Ahn Ji-yong shouted 'Long live my emperor, long live, long live, long live' at Liu Xian, and they were not at fault.

"Get up." Liu Xian waved his hand. Min Tae-ho, Kim Hong-ji, and Ahn Ji-yong thanked again, and then got up.

As one of the most deeply influenced feudal states by Chinese Confucian culture. The Korean scholars were far more stubborn and thorough than those of the Manchus. Of course, this is also because North Korea has not yet learned a profound lesson.

Among the three, Min Tae-ho and Kim Hong-ji both belong to the steady and enlightened faction on the political zhì. An Jiyong, on the other hand, is a pure political conservative who is hostile to a foreign culture from the West. These people built the 500-year-old Korean Yi Dynasty on the basis of this. Etiquette was far more rigid than in China during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Liu Xian has already made his subordinates not need to bow to the court, and the North Korean envoys must thank them first when they even get up.

"Shenjing is about to overcome, and I can't take care of you. But Tianjin has been open for many years, although there is a lot of filth and fishiness, but there is always a good side. The other three are all ministers of the country, walk more, see more, and absorb the kindness for their own use. It should be used for the rejuvenation of North Korea, and it is beneficial to make up for it. ”

Min Tae-ho and Kim Hong-ji are inclined to reform, and Liu Xian is of course very relieved when he hears this. What about An Jiyong? Although he is an absolute conservative, he can also hear that the kindness released in Liu Xian's words is the same as gratitude.

Min Tae-ho stepped forward and bowed again, and then said a word of gratitude to Dai De, expressing the sincerity of the small country of North Korea. Then I officially submitted the gift list.

In order to sell China well, the DPRK is a country that may have opinions about itself in order to eliminate the possibility that China may have zài. But he was bleeding profusely for a while. The most reliable goods that can be exchanged between Korea and China are mountain ginseng. But the attack can't be only mountain ginseng.

At the beginning of the Manchurian period, it was stipulated that the tribute to be paid by Joseon was: 100 taels of gold and 1,000 taels of silver. 200 pairs of buffalo horns, 100 leopard skins, 100 deer skins. 1,000 bags of tea, 400 otter skins. 300 pieces of green millet (rat) skin, 10 buckets of pepper. Twenty-six waist knives, twenty knives, 200 catties of sumu, 1,000 rolls of large paper, 1,500 rolls of small paper, four collars of five-clawed dragon mats, 40 collars of various flower mats, 200 pieces of white cotton cloth, 2,000 horses of various colors of cotton silk, 400 horses of various colors of fine linen, 10,000 horses of various colors of fine cloth, 1,400 pieces of cloth, and 10,000 bags of rice.

Subsequently, as the Manchus gained a foothold in China, the tribute of the DPRK had been greatly reduced. By the Yongzheng period, there was only one item that was originally stipulated to remain unchanged: 100 deerskins. There was only one increase in the number of large and small volumes: 2,500 rolls of paper to 5,000 rolls. The texture of Korean paper is very good. Tough, smooth, slightly infiltrated by ink with rhyme, suitable for writing and painting, and there are many varieties such as mirrors and hairheads. "Paper, Ink, Pen, and Inkstone" said: "Korean paper is made of cotton cocoons, the color is as white as silk, tough as silk, used for writing, and the ink is lovely." It is very popular among the Chinese Central Plains writers and writers.

The remaining eight were all drastically reduced: otter skins were reduced from 400 to 100; Twenty-six waist knives were reduced to ten; The four five-clawed dragon seats are halved; 40 mats of all kinds will be halved; 12,000 boils of various colors of cloth are reduced to 3,200 boils; 2,000 horses of cotton silk of various colors reduced to 400; The rice bag was reduced to forty stones.

The total value is almost one-tenth of what it was at the beginning.

Now it was the first time that Korea had paid tribute to the Great Qin, and there were many more things than the Manchus had stipulated, and they did not dare to follow the old practice of 200 years ago.

First of all, there are 12 beautiful women, and then 1,000 catties of old ginseng. Yes, jacks.

It's not a gimmick.

For more than 200 years, the Manchu Qing Dynasty had more than 200 years of exchanges with Korea, and in addition to the cattle, horses, salt, and iron traded in the border markets, the most important thing in Korea was the ginseng trade with the Qing Dynasty. This ginseng trade is also known as the eight-pack trade, because each packet of ginseng is 10 catties, and North Korea allows the embassy to China – the so-called "Yanxing" personnel – to carry eight packets per person. And the number of people in that mission has never been less than 200 all year round.

So although this amount surprised Liu Xian himself, it was a real thing.

500 mink skins, 500 otter skins, green millet, that is, green mouses, a kind of squirrel, 1,000 skins, 1,000 deer skins, 500 leopard skins, and 20 tiger skins;

dried seafood such as sea cucumber and abalone, 50 quintals each;

1000 taels of gold; 10,000 taels of silver; 100 waist knives, 100 shun knives. The fine quality of Korean knives is good. Although, this standard corresponds to more than 200 years ago.

10,000 rolls of paper;

Five-clawed dragon mats, all kinds of flower mats, white cotton cloth, all kinds of cotton silk, all kinds of fine linen, all kinds of fine cloth, etc., all of the textile categories are doubled, or even more.

100,000 bales of high-quality polished rice, and North Korea also prepared 200,000 quintals of grain and shipped it to southern Liaoning to support the large Qin army that landed here.

Then there are pepper, alum, dried ginger and other medicinal materials; dyes such as danmu and locust flowers; Pears, apples, persimmons, chestnuts and other dried and fresh fruits, all of which are measured in 100 quintals on the tribute list.

This is definitely a massive hemorrhage in North Korea. Statistically, the total value of the tribute is calculated in the price of North Korea. Close to half a million taels.

"King Li has a heart."

Liu Xian was very satisfied, and his tone was more gentle and soft than just now. The three Korean envoys were also very excited. North Korea is not afraid of paying more, but it is afraid that Liu Xian will not be happy. Liu Xian was happy. So what about doubling the number of items here?!!

"North Korea has been a vassal for 2,000 years since the Qin and Han dynasties, and it is my Chinese confidant. The sincerity of your country is felt by me. This is the beginning of Korea's entry into the DPRK, and the abundant tribute maintains the heart of the country, and I have been used. But in the coming year, there is no need for such extravagance. The land of Chinese literature and etiquette, the ministers of the vassals, are not in the heart of tribute.

This is my golden mouth. When you return to the country, you must share it with Li Wang. ”

Liu Xian now looks sanctimonious. But in fact, in his heart, how could he not have thought of devouring North Korea in one bite?

The present time is the last chance for a country to annex land. In another decade or two, when the people and ethnic groups will flourish and spread, it will be difficult to annex a relatively independent country.

It's just that North Korea has been independent for most of the past 2,000 years, and after absorbing and adopting Confucian culture, North Korea itself has formed a sense of self-independence. It is not the best strategy to swallow him up forcefully, just like Vietnam at present, Liu Xian wants to be excellent and leading in all aspects of the country, the private economy, politics, and life. People from North Korea and Vietnam are attracted to Chinese nationality. It is also advocated that the Chinese cultural circle eliminate trade barriers, completely free trade and open up to each other, grasp the economic lifeline of various countries, and unify coins. First an 'EU', then a 'federation', then a family.

This is one of Liu Xian's ideas for devouring neighboring countries in the future. But how will things and the situation develop? It is not for him to determine where it will go. We still have to go step by step!

The Korean envoy went down. Liu Xian also wants to work out a return gift.

Come and don't be rude.

But Liu Xian also encountered this for the first time. He asked his attendants to find a list of return gifts from the Qing court to Korea during the Qing Dynasty. What was handed to him was the heyday of the Manchu Qing dynasty. Qing Dynasty's reward to Korea during the Qianlong period:

Seal: jade button gold seal, edict;

Imperial book: Yubi Fu character, longevity character, flat forehead, etc.;

Books: Imperial Poems, "Imitation of the Five Classics of the Song Dynasty", etc.;

Pen, ink and paper inkstone: Song Cheng mud imitation Tang Shiqu inkstone, Duan inkstone, plum blossom jade paper, imitation Cheng Xintang paper, rice paper, flower paper, Fu character flower paper, flower silk, Hui ink, lake pen, etc.;

Fur: black fox fur, black sable, mink, etc.;

Brocade cloth: big python satin, small python satin, woven gold satin, eight silk satin, red feather satin, stone blue satin, dragon satin, satin, large satin, makeup satin, brocade, satin, satin, flash satin, plain satin, hat satin, Peng satin, green satin, Zhang velvet, Ning silk, palace silk, spring silk, Jiang silk, thread silk, spinning, yarn, etc.;

Gold, silver and jade jewelry: gold ingots, silver ingots, money, silver coins, gold bells, silver bells, jade ruyi, jade incense burners, jade pen washes, coral beads, etc.;

Decorative utensils: jade, porcelain, glassware, foreign porcelain, lacquerware, etc.;

Harness and weapons: first-class saddle horse, second-class saddle horse, bow and arrow bag, exquisite case bridle, etc.;

Daily necessities: purses, ten brocade fans, etc.

Liu Xian looked at the black lines on his head. Asking him to give these things back is too much of his bottom line.

"Order, return to North Korea with 3,000 single-shot rifles and 1,000,000 bullets; 100 pistols and 10,000 rounds of ammunition; 10 heavy machine guns with 100,000 rounds of ammunition; Ten 54 guns, ten 75 guns, 100 shells each. In addition, 30 capable people in the army were selected to serve as instructors for North Korea. ”

This is Liu Xian's style.

Moreover, if you want to take what you want, you must give it first, and if you want the DPRK to join China like the 'people's vote', you must manage a good image of China in the hearts of the DPRK government and the opposition.

This is the only way to dismantle the vigilance in the hearts of the DPRK.

Liu Xian didn't think that North Korea had obediently paid tribute to him, and the country of North Korea was completely and unreservedly prostrate at his feet. It was the Ruan Dynasty, wasn't it also when Ruan Fushi degraded Wu Zhongping's military power, Liu Xian did not say a word, and did not interfere in any way, this is the real trust of Liu Xian.

The same is certainly true of the North Koreans. In fear and reverence, with secret vigilance! (To be continued......)