Hong Chengchou suggested that Dorgon borrow land from Korea to establish his court and stabilize the military morale.
Dorgon was somewhat moved by what he said.
Just when Dorgon was hesitating, Fan Wencheng raised his objection.
He retorted: "Your Majesty, this is borrowing in our eyes, but in the eyes of the Koreans, it is robbery and seizure! As the saying goes, even rabbits bite when they are cornered. If we push the Koreans into a corner, I am afraid they will resist."
"We already have a powerful enemy, the Ming Dynasty. It is not appropriate to make enemies with the Koreans before we have dealt with the Ming Dynasty. Your Majesty, please think twice!"
Dorgon thought about it and felt that what Fan Wencheng said made sense.
He asked: "According to Mr. Fan, what should the Qing Dynasty do next?"
Fan Wencheng replied: "What I mean is that as long as the Koreans can supply food and grass on time and in quantity, we can temporarily maintain the current situation."
Hong Chengchou pointed at Fan Wencheng's nose and said, "You are short-sighted! Why would the Koreans supply food and grass to the Qing Dynasty? Because of the hostages? Because of the treaty?"
"Neither! It's because the emperor still has nearly 20,000 Eight Banners soldiers!"
"The North Koreans knew they were no match for the enemy, so they could only obediently supply food and fodder."
"But the Ming army repeatedly invaded the border, and every time they came, they would take away many deserters."
"The Qing army has shrunk from nearly 20,000 at the beginning of the invasion to nearly 15,000. If we continue to leave it alone, the Qing army will only get smaller and smaller. When it is too small to deter the Koreans, the Koreans will bare their fangs and bite the Qing army hard."
"Instead of sitting and waiting to die, it is better to force the North Koreans to compromise now!"
"Haha!" Fan Wencheng sneered, "What if the North Koreans don't agree?"
Hong Chengchou also sneered: "Then fight!"
Fan Wencheng clapped his hands and cheered: "Well said! We can start a war whenever we want, but once it starts, we can't stop it whenever we want. We can't conquer North Korea with just over 10,000 people!"
Hong Chengchou asked coldly: "Who said we want to conquer Korea?"
Fan Wencheng laughed and said, "It has escalated into a national war. We will either conquer the North Koreans or be conquered by them. Is it possible to stop the war halfway through?"
Hong Chengchou shook his head: "Of course not! If the Koreans don't agree, we can fight to the city of Hanyang, depose Li Hao, and replace him with someone who agrees as the King of Korea. This way we can achieve our goal without causing resistance from the Korean people. It can be said that the dilemma is solved by ourselves."
......
Fan Wencheng and Hong Chengchou each held their own opinions and began to argue.
Dorgon suddenly felt that what Fan Wencheng said made sense.
Then I felt that Hong Chengchou was right.
After hearing the last part, Dorgon didn't know who to listen to.
As the matter was of great importance, he had to think seriously about it.
I thought about it for two days.
Dorgon decided to adopt Hong Chengchou's method to borrow land from Korea.
When King Yi Ho of Joseon heard the news, he felt like the sky had fallen.
He originally planned to gather troops from all over the country to resist Dorgon.
But Li Shifang, the governor of the capital, advised him to be patient.
The King of Korea may not understand the combat effectiveness of the Korean soldiers, but Li Shifang knows it very well.
If a fight really breaks out, I can’t say how much will be done.
The capital of Korea will be surrounded in three months at the latest.
When the food and grass in the city ran out, they still had to leave the city and surrender.
In order to prevent things from escalating to that point, King Lee Ho of Joseon had no choice but to agree to lend Hamgyong Province to Dorgon to restore his country.
Borrowing land is a very complicated matter.
It not only involves the transfer of officials and the appeasement of the people, but also the most important thing is the collection of taxes.
Although North Korea agreed to lend the land, it tried every means to delay the handover.
Dorgon could neither not urge him nor urge him too hastily.
The situation in North Korea appears stable on the surface, but in reality it could become chaotic at any time.
......
The last day of November in the twenty-fifth year of Chongzhen.
Chongzhen, who had not attended court for several months, summoned the chief minister Fan Jingwen and the minister of finance Xie Sanbin to the Qianqing Palace.
He was still lying on the bed as before, revealing his bloodless face.
Since it is difficult to sweat in winter, the makeup on Chongzhen's face was much lighter than that in summer.
But from a distance, he still looked sickly.
"Your Majesty, we pay our respects to you!" Fan Jingwen and Xie Sanbin saluted at the same time.
Chongzhen said weakly: "Two... two of you please stand up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The two of them looked at Chongzhen at the same time as they stood up.
It’s better not to watch it.
After seeing Chongzhen's face clearly, Fan Jingwen and Xie Sanbin took a breath at the same time.
The former is pretended, while the latter is a true expression.
Fan Jingwen asked first: "I haven't seen Your Majesty for a long time. How is Your Majesty?"
"Your Majesty..." Xie Sanbin's voice trembled: "Your Majesty has been working day and night for the great tomorrow, please take care of your health."
Chongzhen took a deep breath and said, "I'm fine, don't worry."
Fan Jingwen and Xie Sanbin looked at each other and said nothing.
Afraid of bringing disaster upon myself by saying the wrong thing.
Chongzhen took another deep breath and asked, "Do you know why I asked you two to come here?"
"I don't know, please tell me clearly, Your Majesty."
Chongzhen remained weak and said, "Today... is the last day of the winter month. After today, it will be the twelfth month. I once promised Lord Fan that I would let you return home before the New Year. I have kept my word."
Fan Jingwen trembled all over and knelt down to thank him: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your help."
Chongzhen waved his hand and continued, "After Lord Fan returned home in glory, the position of the Prime Minister of the Cabinet became vacant. Lord Fan recommended Minister Xie to me as the Prime Minister of the Cabinet. After observing him for some time, I think Minister Xie is qualified for this position."
Xie Sanbin was very surprised and excited.
He first knelt down to express his gratitude to Chongzhen, and then stood up and bowed to Fan Jingwen to express his gratitude.
Xie Sanbin and Fan Jingwen have a very bad relationship.
He never expected that Fan Jingwen would recommend him to be the prime minister of the cabinet.
Seeing Xie Sanbin's surprised look, Fan Jingwen smiled and said, "Minister Xie, you don't have to be polite. I am doing this for the Ming Dynasty and for His Majesty."
Xie Sanbin bowed again: "Prime Minister Fan has a broad mind, I admire you!"
After the two exchanged pleasantries, Chongzhen said in his weak voice: "You two must ensure a smooth handover and let the cabinet operate as usual."
Fan Jingwen and Xie Sanbin assured at the same time: "Your Majesty, rest assured, this is our duty."
"In that case, the two of you may leave."
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