In the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Hanyang (Seoul), the capital of the Goryeo Kingdom, which Liu Ziguang calls the most powerful country in the universe, the current king Li Ju is kneeling in the hall where the ancestors are enshrined, meditating for a long time. A group of ministers outside stand in silence, and no one dares to interrupt.
The divine connection between kings and ancestors.
Li Zhu is thirty years old this year. He is in the prime of life. He has been on the throne for eight years. Since he can remember, he has learned about the greatness and hardships of his motherland from the words of his teachers and the ancient books in the palace collection. Due to geographical reasons,
, Goryeo has always been oppressed and bullied by the big country in the north, whether it is Han, Sui, Tang, Liao, Jin or Yuan, these powerful countries always extend their greedy claws to the beautiful Goryeo, and the heroic Goryeo people have always been
They never gave in. They fought for every inch of land and fought hard. They brought down the Han Dynasty and the Sui Dynasty. Even Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty, who was famous for his wisdom and martial arts, personally conquered Goryeo and did not gain any advantage. Instead, he was shot blind.
With only one eye, he died in depression. Of course, the people of Korea are not only good at armed struggle. Their wisdom is also first-rate. They fight when they should fight, endure when they should endure, and use appropriate concessions in exchange for greater interests. They are the people of Korea.
A mature and wise strategy.
In order to save the people from the war, Goryeo professed its vassalage to the Yuan Dynasty. After the defeat of the Yuan dynasty, it professed its vassalage to the Ming Dynasty. The King of Goryeo did not even wear a five-clawed dragon robe, only a four-clawed python robe. The crown prince did not dare to call him the prince, but called him
The Crown Prince or Yuan Zi paid tribute to Beijing every year. When the envoys of the Ming Dynasty came to Hanyang, the king would personally go to the Ying'en Gate in the suburbs to receive him. No one knew how shameful this ceremony was to the kings of Korea.
Later, with the rise of the Manchu and Qing dynasties, the war between the two countries lasted for more than ten years. This period was called the golden decade by the cultural circles of Koryo. The King of Koryo took advantage of the fact that the two great powers had no time to visit and vigorously developed in the cultural, economic and military fields, which made Koryo's comprehensive national strength
Reaching a new level, Li Zhu and his ministers struggled to survive and develop between the Qing Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty. They did not offend either country and maintained good relations with them. Finally, they waited for this great opportunity.
.
The Qing Dynasty's national strength is far less than it once was. Its troops are stretched thin and its grain and grass reserves are short. Although Nanming has recovered, it is facing new challenges. The Xia Dynasty, a rising power in the west, will be a strong threat to him. This time the Three Kingdoms Alliance
Goryeo is the weakest, but the one who can reap the most benefits.
First of all, the Manchu and Qing court has promised to become a brotherly state with Goryeo and allowed the King of Goryeo to proclaim himself emperor. This is what the Goryeo people have dreamed of for thousands of years. From now on, the Goryeo people will no longer submit to others, and the Goryeo people will hold their heads high.
As a human being, we proudly declare to the world that we are the subjects of His Majesty the Great Emperor of Goryeo.
In addition to political achievements, there are also military and economic achievements. The Three Kingdoms attacked the Ming Dynasty. Goryeo was responsible for providing military rations and labor, and sending troops to Shandong to harass the coast. Li Zhu thought about it and ordered the navy to plunder the coast of Shandong and move all
All valuables were snatched away, and no needle or thread was left within thirty miles of the coast. If the battle went smoothly, Li Zhu planned to send troops to attack Shanghai directly and plunder the richest city in the Ming Dynasty.
In fact, Li Jian still had a secret buried in his heart, which was to take advantage of the situation when the Qing Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty were devastated and both sides suffered losses, so he sent his carefully trained land troops to formally compete in the Central Plains and seize the beautiful country that should have belonged to the Koreans.
Li Jian knelt in front of the memorial tablet of his ancestors and remained silent, with thoughts swirling around him. The altar in Gyeongbokgung Palace had been set up. In a moment, he would go up to the altar to worship the heaven and earth and officially proclaim himself emperor. Before this solemn moment came,
, he just wanted to stay quietly in front of his ancestors for a while, tell them this exciting news, and comfort their spirits in heaven - Goryeo, finally revived!
Li Zhu quietly watched the incense burnt in front of the rows of memorial tablets, and kowtowed three times respectfully. At this time, the palace door was lightly knocked, and a small voice whispered: "Your Majesty, the auspicious time has come.
"
Your Majesty, this title is so pleasant and exciting. Li Zhu glanced at the portraits of his ancestors for the last time. The kind faces on the portraits seemed to say to him: "My child, go ahead and stir up the revival of Korea."
, take on the important task of ruling the world."
"I will." Li Zhu muttered silently, stood up, turned his head, and opened the palace door. A ray of sunlight shone in, illuminating the brand new bright yellow dragon robe on Li Zhu's body. The five-clawed dragons bared their teeth and claws, looking ferocious.
mighty.
Seeing the king come out, all the ministers bowed together: "Kowtow to your majesty."
Li Li waved his hand coolly: "Everyone is at peace."
Gyeongbokgung Palace is the Forbidden City of Korea. It is large in scale and majestic. Of course, this is only the image in the eyes of ordinary people in Hanyang. If the citizens of Nanjing City were to evaluate it, I am afraid that it would be rated as a landlord's mansion at most, although the King of Korea was also one after all.
For the princes from outside the vassal who were in charge of three thousand miles of territory, the palace could be built more fancy, but due to financial problems, the less important palaces in Gyeongbokgung Palace were still paved with thatched roofs. The palace walls were also half brick and half adobe.
It's painted white and looks neat and elegant.
The altar used by Li Zhu to proclaim himself emperor was a round earthen platform, shaped like a three-layer cake. In order to ensure that the earthen platform would not collapse, a section of the palace wall was temporarily demolished and bricks were used to reinforce the periphery of the earthen platform.
, two hundred officers and soldiers of the royal camp wore brand new uniforms and stood outside the altar with weapons. The young men all wore traditional Korean hats on their heads, something like a small hat, and their bodies were purple, yellow, and red.
Wearing robes, holding a long-handled fork and a halberd in his hand, he looked very majestic.
The colorful flags were fluttering, the drums were beating, and the auspicious time had come. In front of Li Zhu was a red carpet. This was a prop used to welcome the envoys of the Celestial Dynasty. He was about to walk through this carpet and ascend to the altar, announcing to heaven and earth that from now on
, the Kingdom of Goryeo became the Goryeo Dynasty, and he would become the first emperor of the Goryeo Dynasty.
Li Cao Banshu (the Minister of Rites) saw that the shadow of the sun's crown coincided with the noon mark, and shouted at the top of his lungs: "The auspicious time has arrived, and the ceremony has begun."
Li Li cheered up and was about to board the altar when he suddenly heard noises coming from the direction of Guanghua Gate. He turned around and saw that it was a guy in a mandarin jacket who was rushing towards him through the guards. It looked like he was from the Qing Dynasty.
All the ministers also saw the envoy, and turned their inquiring eyes to Li Jian.
Li Zhu thought for a moment and then went over to greet him. At the same time, he called on the guards not to block the envoy from the Kingdom of China.
The man in the mandarin jacket was just a Goshiha, but he was already very arrogant. He did not kneel down when he saw the King of Korea, but raised his head and said: "My imperial envoy from the Qing Dynasty has arrived at the outskirts of Hanyang. Please go and greet him."
Li Zhu hurriedly said: "Hurry and prepare your carriages and horses, we are going to meet the angel."
The ceremony was rudely interrupted, but the monarchs and ministers kept silent in a tacit agreement, boarded the carriage without any complaints, and rushed to the outskirts to meet the Qing imperial envoy.
The so-called Ying'en Gate is just a stone door frame, about the same size as the chastity archways that can be seen everywhere in the countryside in the Ming Dynasty. It is just that the three characters Ying'en Gate are engraved on it. The Manchu imperial envoy is already waiting here. The identity of this imperial envoy is very important.
Generally, it was Nalan Mingzhu, the Minister of Military Affairs and the Prince's Shaobao. Lord Mingzhu was wearing a yellow mantle and sitting in a small pavilion next to the Ying'en Gate. When he saw the carriages and horses of the King of Korea coming, he couldn't help but smile.
When the carriage and horses arrived, Li Zhu jumped out of the carriage and walked towards Mingzhu with enthusiasm. Mingzhu also stood up to greet him. The two met under the Yingen Gate. Mingzhu stood as straight as a straight, holding a bright yellow scroll in his hand.
Looking at Li Zhu with a smile, Li Zhu didn't know what to do for a while. After thinking for a while, he gritted his teeth and lifted up the hem of his newly made dragon robe and said: "Your Majesty, Li Zhu, respectfully welcomes the Imperial Envoy."
Just when Li Zhu's knees were about to touch the ground, a pair of warm hands supported him, "Your Highness can't help it. Our two countries are about to become a brotherly country, so why are these etiquettes coming?"
Li Biao breathed a sigh of relief, and the Goryeo ministers behind him also breathed a sigh of relief. The subtle expressions were caught in Mingzhu's eyes, and he glanced at the five-clawed golden dragon on Li Biao's body. Mingzhu's smile became heavier:
"Your Highness, let's go into the city and talk."
The motorcade carrying the King of Korea and the imperial envoys of the Qing Dynasty entered Hanyang City, walked through the streets with thatched houses on both sides, and arrived at Gyeongbokgung Palace in the awe of the Korean people wearing white national costumes.
Mingzhu's mission on this mission to Goryeo was to read out the canonization of Li Zhu by Kangxi, and to discuss the matter of sending troops from both countries together. Although Kangxi agreed to Li Zhu's request to become emperor, there were still many tricks involved.
It is understood that from now on Goryeo will be independent, but the Manchu and Qing Dynasty did not see it that way. There were three, six or nine emperors. At that time, Yelv Deguang, the leader of the Khitan Kingdom, had canonized Shi Jingtang as the emperor of the Jin Dynasty. However, Shi Jingtang was the child emperor, and Li Jing was promoted to half the rank.
He is just a younger brother, the emperor.
No matter what, he was the emperor after all, and Li Zhu still acted very happy. He knelt down at the incense table to receive Kangxi's canonization edict, arranged a state banquet for Mingzhu, and agreed to all the requests made by Mingzhu.
The next day, drums and music were blaring again in Gyeongbokgung Palace. Nalan Mingzhu, dressed in the official uniform of the Qing Dynasty and wearing a single-eyed feather on his head, took the lead in ascending the altar and read out the canonization edict of Emperor Kangxi. Li Jucai ascended the altar and knelt in front of Mingzhu.
He put a crown made of gold wire on his head. Under the altar, dozens of ministers knelt down together and shouted Mansai (long live the Korean language).
Man Sae's voice reached outside Gyeongbokgung Palace, and the Korean intellectuals who had gathered for a long time could not help but burst into tears. They also knelt down and shouted Man Sae, and then rushed to tell each other that our Kingdom of Korea has finally been upgraded to a dynasty!
Hanyang City is only that big. You can smell the stench even if you fart at the east gate or the west gate. Within a few minutes, the news spread throughout the city. The whole city was boiling. Everywhere was filled with the cheers of Manse. Intellectuals
They were crying with tears in their eyes, and the illiterate people were jumping and shouting, throwing their hats high in the air; even the generals of the Fifth Army Camp, who usually kept a straight face and kept a serious smile, could not restrain their inner excitement and hammered each other with their fists.
Hitting the other man's shoulder, he tried hard to hold back his tears.
Hanyang City caroused all night. In order to celebrate the country's upgrade, the court gave each household two pieces of tofu and two taels of Jinro liquor. The common people also took out the kimchi they collected at home. There were pots and jars on the table, and they drank and sang Arirang.
, the old people took advantage of the wine to tell the children the story of the sages who fought against Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, but the young people spread the story of what happened at Yingenmen yesterday.
"Did you know that the imperial envoys of the Qing Dynasty knelt down in front of our emperor, right under the Ying'en Gate, and bowed three times and kowtowed nine times?"
"I've heard about it too. My uncle's cousin was on the spot. I heard that the Qing envoy's head was bleeding from the blow."
"Humph, it's really refreshing. It's finally their turn to kowtow to us, but the bleeding is a bit exaggerated."
"Don't you understand? The people of the Qing Dynasty are begging our Majesty to send troops. If we don't send troops to help them, the Qing Dynasty will perish."