Chapter 147: The Korean Autonomous Region (Part 2)
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Everyone stood on different sides. Everyone had different goals and interests. Although Tang Tong offered generous terms to Hanzhong, it was still a huge loss for Hanzhong. Without Tang Tong's powerful naval forces, attacking Korea would have been a difficult task. Hanzhong would have had to surrender without difficulty.
Korea, at that time, was a land of poverty and hardship. With these resources, Korea still had a reasonable chance of resisting a land attack. If Tang Tong had attempted a land attack, the cost would have been enormous. However, with a navy, the situation was completely different. It could almost directly threaten Seoul, the Korean capital.
Moreover, Tang Tong possessed artillery, a powerful siege weapon. While hundreds of cannons cost Tang Tong a fortune, they also gave his men an unrivaled fighting force in their era. The sight of hundreds of cannons firing simultaneously was incredibly awe-inspiring. When negotiations reached a stalemate, Tong conveniently held a military exercise, inviting a large number of North Korean officials to observe. The sight of hundreds of cannons firing simultaneously made all the North Korean officials pale. Some, in fact, were so frightened that they experienced physical incontinence.
Under these circumstances, the Emperor had no choice but to accept reality. He first bitterly accepted the title of king bestowed upon him by Tang Tong, and the restrictions placed on his power. Finally, he reluctantly accepted the removal of the country's name and its transformation into the Korean Autonomous Region. At this point, even if Tang Tong didn't restrict the Emperor's power, the removal of the country's name would effectively mean that Chao would become Tang Tong's domain.
In a sense, this was the end of the Joseon Dynasty. For King Sejong, this was a difficult thing to accept, but he had to accept it. This saved the members of the Joseon royal family and at least preserved some of his power.
Ever since Emperor Xuanzong began preparing his letter of surrender, he hadn't felt the same. It wasn't that the Central Plains hadn't conquered Korea before, but it had always been a poor, mountainous, and desolate place that had kept it afloat. Throughout history, Korean rulers had submitted letters of submission to the Celestial Empire of the Central Plains. Yet, they had their own national names and their own power. Only the Tang family, which had grown from a small household to a commercial enterprise, directly threatened the security of the entire Korean territory with its powerful military force and naval forces. Ultimately, Emperor Xuanzong refused to accept this fate.
The moment Zong signed his name on the negotiation agreement with trembling hands, the Joseon Dynasty was officially over. Zong couldn't help shedding tears at this moment. Although some Korean ministers cried with him, most of them breathed a sigh of relief. After the negotiation agreement was signed, it meant that the war they worried about would not fall on them.
Tang signed the agreement with satisfaction. At this moment, Tang Tong couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. In the past, he had led his troops to directly annihilate those countries. Although Tang Tong's army was powerful, they also encountered strong resistance. Southeast Asia, for example, was full of deep mountains and ancient forests. Even now, some of Tang Tong's troops were tied up in suppressing Southeast Asian bandits. If Tang Tong hadn't possessed sufficient military strength, his development path would have been stuck in Southeast Asia.
Tang Tong also saw that pure military force was sometimes limited by certain conditions. The armies of the Southeast Asian nations were clearly ineffective. However, due to their familiarity with the terrain and their advantageous position, they harassed Tang Tong's men, causing them to pay a heavy price. This convinced Tang Tong to accept Zong's surrender. After the formal signing of the agreement, the Korean army, with the exception of 2,000 men remaining as Zong's personal guards, was divided into three parts according to Tang Tong's wishes. One part was stationed in the Japanese concession, another was transferred to the Northeast Province to serve as a security force, and the remaining part was taken to Southeast Asia to suppress bandits there.
High-ranking officials from North Korea were assigned to other positions. Tang Tong placed his own subordinates here. Regarding lower-level officials, Tang Tong assigned the power of appointment and dismissal to the Zong (Zong) according to the agreement. This was also to reduce the psychological resistance of the people here. Later, Tang Tong would gradually take over the management of this place.
Tang Tong's school currently has a large number of junior officials, but it is short on senior management. Many key personnel were hastily promoted and lack substantial practical experience. Furthermore, Tang Tong himself has little management experience and is not a skilled administrator. The current management situation is quite chaotic. However, Tang Tong has talents like Liu Rushi, Dayu'er, Hai Lanzhu, Fu, Hu Mengfei, and Wang Junshan under his command. These capable individuals have helped Tang Tong maintain control of the school.
After signing the agreement, Tang Tong helped Zong rebuild a new palace. Constructed of cement, glass, and marble, the palace was remarkably luxurious, drawing even Zong's admiration. After Zong and his family moved into the new palace, Tang Tong converted it into a guesthouse.
The palace was converted into a hotel. Although Tang Tong's actions were not malicious, many Koreans wept bitterly. However, many Koreans also spent a few bucks to enjoy the scenery. Many of Tang Tong's policies benefited merchants, but they were detrimental to traditional scholars who studied the Four Books and Classics. However, since no interests were infringed upon, scholars alone could not cause much trouble.
A supporter of feudal power, he relied heavily on the supporters of the feudal lords. However, Tang Tong's current policies were a semi-feudal, semi-capitalist system. He enjoyed some support from merchants, but the resistance from the feudal lords was minimal. As for the scholars, Tang Tong had his own schools for training, so he relied very little on traditional scholars. While their influence on his power was significant in the early stages, in the later stages, the talents he cultivated were undoubtedly far superior to those of traditional scholars.
In order to benefit his own rule, Tang Tong did not despise those traditional scholars. He invited a large number of students from the Ming Dynasty to the northeast of Korea.
In order to gain the support of the people, Tang Tong spent a lot of money to open schools in these three places to teach them the Four Books and Classics.
It must be said. The Four Books are a tool that greatly benefits rulers, but they are of little use to the national economy and people's livelihood. This is precisely why Tang Tong wanted such a tool. Tang Tong did not want to teach the Jiannu Mongols about science and technology. These things were powerful weapons in Tang Tong's hands. Tang Tong did not want to create an opponent in the process.
At the same time, Tang Tong also encouraged Buddhists and Taoists to spread their ideals and teachings in these areas, and encouraged the Ming monks and Taoists to suppress Buddhism in these areas. Tang Tong's tactics, to later generations, would have been obvious to anyone. However, people of that era lacked the knowledge of the past. Ordinary people had little access to education. Tang Tong established schools, often without classrooms, with only a teacher and a few students. This earned the locals' gratitude, and they gradually came to accept Tang Tong. Furthermore, the subtle influence of Buddhism and Taoist teachings also made the local people more gentle and less brutal.
Tang Tong also actively recruited people from these areas to participate in various construction projects or the military. This not only helped to relieve some of the population, but also provided income for those involved in construction and the military, improving the local people's living standards. This made it easier for the local people to accept Tang Tong and his team.
Of course, there are always those ambitious individuals in every corner. These people are always uneasy about the peace in the world, always hoping for chaos. They use certain political and racial ideologies to create trouble. Tang Tong will spare no effort to strike down such people, and this strike will punish them with the utmost severity.
Tang Tong had always considered the nine-clan extermination too harsh. However, some people would not settle down without such harsh punishment. In the first few months, Tang Tong adopted a policy of appeasement. Ambitious individuals began to believe that Tang Tong was bullying them, fanning the flames and inciting rebellion. Later, under Tang Tong's orders, Liu Chi slaughtered countless people across Northeast China, the grasslands, and even Korea. Those who led the rebellion were beheaded, and those who followed him were transported to Southeast Asia to work in mines. This earned Liu Chi the nickname "Liu the Killing Star."
After all this, Tang Tong didn't rush to expand. Instead, he vigorously developed his existing territories. This gave him some free time, and he returned to Nanjing with the woman by his side. After all, in this era, the most prosperous places in the world, besides the capital, were Nanjing. Surrounded by Tang Tong's power and those of his own, the capital had become much quieter. Nanjing, however, was even more prosperous than before. Thanks to Tang Tong's protection from Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, many Ming merchants traveled around the world, bringing goods from other regions to the Ming. Nanjing was the most important trading destination.
Because of the lack of effective communication, Chongzhen in the capital could no longer control the areas south of the Yangtze River. This left the regions south of the Yangtze River somewhat isolated and independent. Although Tang Tong had declared himself king outside the borders, his actions had little impact on the Ming Dynasty. No prefectural governor had the temerity to label Tang Tong a traitor. Therefore, Tang Tong's arrival in Nanjing was not dangerous.
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