"Prince Rui, we found Akito's ship in the sea to the west."
Dorgon was very happy after successfully conquering Ganghwa Island and capturing Lord Fenglin and others. However, the reports from his subordinates made him feel a little more gloomy.
"Can you see clearly? Is it really Akito's ship?"
There is sweat on the subordinate's forehead.
"It's too far away so I can't see clearly. I guess it's Mingto's ship based on its style."
Dorgon was very dissatisfied with this answer.
"Have you ever sent a ship in pursuit?"
The subordinate said cautiously: "Our boat is too slow. Just as we passed by, Akito's boat disappeared without a trace."
Dorgon closed his eyes and meditated.
He didn't quite believe that Ming Dynasty ships came to the coast of Korea.
He knows a lot about Daming's situation.
Now that Shandong has established its own country and occupied Lushun at the same time, it has cut off the outward channels of the Bohai Sea from the north and south.
Under such circumstances, even if the Ming Dynasty had ships in its hands, how could it dare to take risks?
Since it cannot be a Ming Dynasty ship, it must be a Shandong ship.
What is the purpose of Shandong's ship coming here?
Dorgon was puzzled and could only bury his worries in his heart.
"Take the North Korean royal family and let's go back."
Having captured Lord Fenglin and others, victory in conquering North Korea is imminent.
And just before and after Dorgon conquered Ganghwa Island, negotiations between North Korea and the Manchus were still going on.
Huang Taiji's conditions became more stringent each time, and although North Korea tried its best to negotiate, there was not much room left for them.
On the 20th of the first lunar month, Huang Taiji issued a brand new order. Not only did he ask Li Zhu to go out of the city to visit him, he also asked North Korea to bind and hand over the ministers who opposed the peace faction.
Obviously this request was very vicious, and Li Zhu said he could not accept it.
This time, Huang Taijiji simply refused to accept the letter of credence sent by North Korea, and the negotiations between the two parties officially broke down.
Huang Taiji decided to exert extreme pressure.
On the twenty-third of the first lunar month, the Qing army officially began to attack Nanhan Mountain City.
It has to be said that the dangerous terrain of Namhan Mountain City gave North Korea a chance to survive.
Facing the fierce offensive of the Qing army, Li Shibai worked hard to hold on, and finally held on after paying a heavy price.
However, the nightmare of the North Koreans has just begun.
Seeing that the siege was not going well, Huang Taiji changed his tactics.
He asked Shi Tingzhu to use the red cannon he brought to bombard Nanhan Mountain City day and night.
One shell after another hit Namhansan Fortress, houses one after another were destroyed, and people who could not escape were smashed into pieces.
The city wall, which was not very strong to begin with, was also damaged in many sections under the shelling.
Even the palace where Li Zhu lived was half destroyed by cannonballs.
Li Juku sat where he was, watching the beautiful house in front of him completely disappear. The icy cold wind rushed in with the smell of blood, making him tremble like chaff.
For the first time in his life, he felt so close to death.
No one had ever noticed that beneath his surface calmness, his eyes were filled with deep fear.
"Your Highness, there is no other way but to agree to the Qing Emperor's conditions in order to survive."
Cui Mingji knelt in front of Li Zhu and gave his final advice earnestly.
Of course he could see that Li Zhu's endurance had reached its limit.
It's just that because of Renjun's face, he can't take the initiative to speak.
In this case, Cui Mingji doesn't mind taking this step, even if he becomes a sinner through the ages.
"Is it okay to hand over loyal ministers to the emperor of the Qing Dynasty?"
Cui Mingji kowtowed repeatedly.
"All this is just to survive. As long as the king is alive, North Korea can continue to exist. Otherwise, everyone, including the ministers, can die."
"What do you say to Ling Yizheng?"
When asked about the gold on his head, of course it doesn't matter.
"As a minister, it is natural to die for the king."
Anyway, he is not a peace denier, and it will not be his turn to die.
Since the capital of all ministers said this, Li Zhu finally strengthened his confidence.
"Go and tell the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty that you can agree to this."
Cui Mingji was so excited that he left Nanhan Mountain City that day and asked to see Huang Taiji.
However, this condition alone cannot satisfy Huang Taiji.
"The leader of North Korea must go out of the city and bow to His Majesty the Emperor three times and nine times to show his surrender. His Majesty cannot stay in North Korea forever. If His Majesty returns, the only way to destroy the country is to wait for North Korea."
Ma Futa conveyed the news to Cui Mingji that Huang Taiji was about to return.
Of course, this is definitely not good news for North Korea.
Once Huang Taiji sets out to return, it means that the Manchu Qing Dynasty has the intention to destroy North Korea.
From then on, North Korea as a country will be erased from this world.
The situation has reached an irreversible point.
On the 26th, North Korean soldiers who could not stand the Qing army's bombardment mutinied one after another. They rushed outside the palace gate and demanded that the DPRK and China hand over the ministers who opposed the peace faction and agree to the Qing Dynasty's conditions.
Amid internal and external troubles, Li Zhu was forced into a corner and made his last struggle.
He conveyed to the Manchu Qing that he could order the prince to leave the city and meet the Qing emperor on his behalf.
Mafuta is non-negotiable.
"The leader of North Korea must leave the city, otherwise, there will be no need for North Korea to exist."
After delivering the ultimatum, Ma Futa casually took out a stack of letters and handed them to Cui Mingji.
"The Lord Fenglin is very worried about the safety of the North Korean leader, and his love for licking the calf is admirable."
Holding the letter from Lord Fenglin in his hand, Li Zhu completely collapsed.
"Tell... tell His Majesty the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty that I... agree to all the conditions."
Just a few words came out of his mouth, but they weighed more than a thousand pounds. Following his order, the guards who had been waiting at the side came up and arrested the ministers who rejected the peace faction.
The whole court was filled with cries, and everyone knew that the fate of North Korea had been changed.
Even though Li Jie was heartbroken, he could still think of maintaining the future political situation.
"Etiquette is the pillar of the country and should be properly protected and not handed over to the Qing Dynasty."
After hearing this, the people below quickly untied Jin Sangxian.
Jin Sangxian was the leader of the Western Party, and Li Zhu had already foreseen that after this great change, the main faction in the court would definitely control the government with the support of the Manchus.
He, the king of Korea, is likely to become a puppet.
In order to maintain stability in the DPRK, the vitality of the Western Party must be preserved and used to balance each other.
Although he escaped, Kim Sang-heon was not happy at all.
He stood up staggeringly and looked at Zheng Yun, Yin Huang, Yin Ji, Wu Daji and others becoming prisoners one after another and becoming lambs to be slaughtered, leaving only a feeling of sadness in his heart.
"Your Highness, everyone is destined to die. It may be heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather. Is death... really greater than the dignity of a human being?"
Facing his question, Li Zhu couldn't help but roar.
"Gu wants to live, Gu doesn't want to die, why do you force Gu to die?"
Jin Sangxian didn't speak again.
His mind was filled with the words that Liao Zhongjian once said to him.
"Li Jian will definitely surrender in order to survive, and he will even sell the lives of North Korean subjects to do so. How can a dictator and a fearful person have any moral principles in his heart?"
At that time, he was doubtful about this statement, and chose to cooperate with Xia Guo just to be safe.
However, now that Li Shu's true identity has been completely exposed, his last vestige of ideals has been shattered.
He stared blankly at the king who was sitting upright but had lost all his majesty. The king he had served his whole life...
Then slowly kneel down, bow once, twice, and again...
Regarding his solemn salute, Li Zhu didn't know what it meant, but he didn't think deeply about it.
The most important thing at the moment is to stay alive.
Li Jian had no idea that a man who was loyal to him and the country had already made the most difficult choice.
