Chapter 399: Li Hao Surrenders
Oboi was known as the first Baturu of Manchuria, and was the bravest among the three armies. However, no matter how brave he was, his subordinates were all rookies, and no matter how capable he was, they could not bring out their full potential.
The Bordered Blue Banner faced the Guanning Iron Cavalry, clad in modern armor. Swords couldn't penetrate them, spears couldn't pierce them. They were faster than they were, armed with muskets. They were practically in ruins at the first blow. Even the attempts of Oboi and Ebilun to stop them, or to kill the fleeing soldiers, couldn't stop the cavalry's rout.
"We've been defeated! Gather the defeated soldiers and return to Shengjing!" said Ebilun.
"Oh!" Oboi sighed, turned his horse around and left.
Jin Zidian, Song Junji, and others on the city wall were stunned after watching this. The Qing cavalry was defeated just like that? Their defeat wasn't a big deal, but it also caused the loyalist armies from all over the country to lose their spiritual support.
Those troops who came to support the king turned around and fled in their respective directions, and what was worse was that a group of people came from the direction of Busan, and they were Kong Youde, Geng Jingzhong, Shang Zhixin and others.
Li Hao and others who had originally planned to abandon the city and flee are now unable to leave even if they want to.
Seoul was surrounded on all sides, and Li Hao and his men had no way to escape.
Zhao Xiaokun knew he had a sure victory and didn't want any more casualties, so he ordered his troops to surround the enemy without attacking, occasionally firing a few shots to practice their accuracy.
Listening to the artillery fire outside, Li Hao slowly collapsed. He had no choice but to come out and surrender. When he led the court officials and their families out of the city to surrender, the Ming army shouted: "Great Ming will win! Great Ming will win!"
King Yi Hao of Joseon, holding a box in his hands, knelt down tremblingly and said, "I, King Yi Hao of our lower country, surrender to the Celestial Empire and apologize for my crime! I also ask that you, sir, please consider that God has mercy on life and refrain from any more killings."
After saying this, he raised the box in his hand high. Inside was the imperial seal, the national treasure of Joseon. It symbolized their royal authority and their supreme power.
Zhao Xiaokun took the box but didn't open it. Instead, he said, "Li Hao, do you admit your guilt?"
"The ruler of our lower country, Li Hao, knows his crime! Please be lenient with him, my great country!" Li Hao said.
At this moment, Zhao Xiaokun produced the imperial edict and began to read: "The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, decrees that the tiny nation of Korea has been ungrateful, surrendered to the Jian invaders, and aided the tyrant in his tyranny. Admiral Zhao Xiaokun of Jiangnan is hereby dispatched to investigate the charges and bring the King of Korea and his family back to the capital for interrogation. The Kingdom of Korea will be temporarily administered by Admiral Shi Lang, and power will be returned to the Emperor after the Imperial Court has appointed a new King of Korea. This is my decree!"
"Li Hao! Accept the order!" Zhao Xiaokun said sinisterly.
"King Li Hao of our country, please accept the decree!" Li Hao took the imperial edict tremblingly.
Zhao Xiaokun waved his hand, and several soldiers of the Kenan Army took Li Hao and his family aboard. Zhao Xiaokun then came to the side of Jin Zidian, Song Junji and others and said, "You two don't need to go with us. Just stay here and assist Master Shi Langshi!"
"Yes!" The two of them kowtowed in agreement.
One day later, at sea, Zhao Xiaokun called Li Hao over and said, "I called you here today to give you a chance to be rich and prosperous. If you agree, everything will go well for you and you will live a life of wealth and glory!"
"Please explain clearly, sir!" Li Hao said while kneeling.
"Our dynasty has no intention of taking your life. We can even make you a prince of our dynasty, a hereditary prince." Zhao Xiaokun said.
"Really? What are the conditions?" Li Hao asked with surprise on his face.
He knew that there was no free lunch in the world, and that the Ming Dynasty must have conditions for making him a prince.
Zhao Xiaokun said, "Sign this agreement, affix your seal and fingerprints, and you will be the most honorable prince of our dynasty. With the exception of rebellion, you will be exempt from death for all other crimes."
Zhao Xiaokun handed Li Hao an agreement, and Li Hao was stunned after reading it. If he signed it, he would be a sinner for the Li Dynasty. But if he didn't, he would probably fall into the icy waters and be fed to sharks before even reaching the Tianjin dock.
Seeing Li Hao's hesitation, Zhao Xiaokun said, "You only have one chance. If you don't sign, we can appoint another minister of your Li family as the King of Joseon. I'm sure there will always be someone willing to sign!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Hao immediately picked up the jade seal on the table and stamped it, and then pressed his own fingerprint on the agreement.
"Okay! He who knows the times is a hero. From now on, you will be His Royal Highness Prince Rui of the Ming Dynasty!" Zhao Xiaokun said and left.
Li Hao was so scared that he was sweating all over. He sat slumped on the deck as he watched Zhao Xiaokun leave.
Winter had already set in at the Tianjin docks, and the wind was biting cold. No one lined the streets to welcome them, and no officials knelt to greet them.
Li Hao and his family were arranged to board a carriage, and Zhao Xiaokun escorted them to the capital.
Although Jiang Xiaomei's residence in the capital cannot be compared with Zhao Xiaofei's palace, it is no worse than the Grand View Garden in later generations. The pavilions, towers, small bridges and flowing water make people feel like they are in the south of the Yangtze River.
Jiang Xiaomei works for Princess Kunxing, and she is afraid that Princess Kunxing will feel particularly satisfied, and the government affairs will be clear at a glance.
Especially the collection of various data and analysis of events. This allowed Princess Kunxing to have a clear view of the situation at the court and the local areas, making it basically impossible for others to get away with it.
She also distributed a set of manuals to new officials in various regions, which contained emergency plans for various situations, such as how to deal with earthquakes, locust plagues, and floods.
Moreover, new policies, such as the land tax and tax system, were implemented smoothly in the north, and the land ownership reform was also carried out relatively smoothly in the south. This was because Zhao Xiaofei had held a national toast conference. He even killed a beautiful female toast at the conference, shocking them. Now they are sending their children to study in Nanjing.
However, the implementation of the land-based tax system in the south encountered great resistance, and many local gentry began to riot and reject the new law.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
