Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Pact of Alliance
It was not the first day that King Yi Kangzong of Korea knew about the China Alliance, and after Zhu Cihong announced this idea at the state banquet, he began to think about the meaning of the China Alliance and interpret every word of Zhu Cihong. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info
He also listened to the opinions of the rest of the Korean ministers, whether they were the remaining pro-Qing faction or the pro-Ming faction.
Therefore, Li Kangzong did not continue to discuss this issue with the North Korean officials present at the meeting.
It's time to make a choice.
The garrison of North Korea will certainly not be the same as before, but it is simply a matter of several military ports and naval divisions to transport military supplies. The Naval Division, which is not the main force of the Imperial Army, and the main force that is close at hand, the Army, will definitely seek to enter.
It is conceivable that in front of the powerful Ming Army, North Korea is like a girl who has been stripped naked and only has only underwear.
If there is a gap, then North Korea has absolutely no power to resist for the Ming Dynasty, and only has the right to choose what posture to use to withstand the Ming Dynasty's attack.
Moreover, with the strength of the Ming Army, the level of military spending is also extremely high. This is a significant burden for North Korea, which is already financially weak.
Troubles, that's all, each one seems to be not small.
But...... And that's all. Whether it is military spending or the country's independence and freedom, it is not the key point that Li Qianzong cares about.
There is always no shortage of money, with a population of tens of millions in North Korea.
The independence of the state from the free ......
Is that what Li Kangzong lacks?
No, that's something that has never been there since the founding of Lee's Joseon.
Therefore, Li Kangzong didn't care about this. What he cares about is the benefits he can get.
There is no doubt that this is an idea that is beneficial to North Korea.
As long as the Ming Dynasty is still such a strong existence, then the national fortunes of North Korea can be said to be worry-free, whether it is the foreigners from the sea or the Japanese who have invaded Korea in the east, they will not dare to invade North Korea.
This is not intended to be a thick and reassuring umbrella.
After a moment of silence, Zhu Cihong clapped his hands, and the Chinese scholars serving on the side gave the full text of the terms and conditions of the China Alliance Convention to everyone present for a closer look.
A shocking discovery caused numerous commotions.
"The Kingdom of the Ryukyus! Here, there are already people who have joined the Chinese Alliance! We're not the first to join......" Li Yuhao sighed.
Cui Mingji sighed: "With the reality of the Ryukyu Kingdom, it's no wonder they are so anxious......"
"I heard...... The home port of the Second Fleet of the Beiyang Naval Division was stationed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. Lin Qingye said, and all the North Koreans sighed for a long time. The Ryukyu Kingdom was crumbling under the invasion of the Japanese and was almost destroyed. As soon as the idea of the Chinese Alliance was proposed, the Ryukyu Kingdom was eager to join it.
Zhu Cihong naturally pushed the boat down the river and accepted this little brother. At the same time, a fleet was sent to garrison the Ryukyus. This is known as the first island chain.
Li Qianzong raised his eyebrows, slightly anxious in his heart, he realized that this was the beginning of Mingren's cards.
Although he was anxious in his heart, his reason made him patiently look at the "Chinese Alliance Convention".
The content of the treaty has completely changed from the previous style of writing and crepe, and has become extraordinarily plain and easy to understand.
"The nations respect their faith and principles in the following treaties, and they are determined to defend the peace and prosperity of the Chinese civilization. They will seek to promote the stability and well-being of the entire world and will be united in their determination to strengthen collective defense by all means and to maintain the peace and security of the Alliance......"
Li Qianzong skipped the words of the scene one by one and fell into the core clauses.
"In order to give effect more effectively to the objections referred to in this Treaty, the High Contracting Parties agree that an armed attack on one or more of the Allied Powers shall be considered an attack on the Allied Powers as a whole. All the Allied Powers hereby undertake that in the event that the attacked side declares war on the enemy, all the Allied Powers will unanimously declare war against the attacking side. After the declaration of war, the States will declare all actions to defeat the enemy, including but not limited to the prohibition of trade, the seizure of military personnel, the freezing of assets, etc., ......"
"Article 3 of the Convention of the Chinese Alliance: In order to facilitate the effective fulfillment of the obligations of the Allied Powers, a Joint Operations Command Committee will be established, with His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty as the chief general, and the members of the Joint Operations Command Committee will be appointed to oversee all regular military forces of all Allied members in the Contracting States. All members of the army and all commands are subject to the orders of His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty......"
"Article 4 of the Convention of the Chinese Alliance: For the purpose of consolidating the peace and security of the Chinese Alliance. The Ming Empire has the obligation to safeguard the power and dignity of the kings of the signatory countries in order to ensure the effective implementation of the covenant of the alliance......"
Article 5 of the Convention on the Chinese Alliance......
Li Qianzong's eyes lit up, and he felt that he had grasped the key point.
At this time, Cui Mingji whispered a little in Li Yuhao's ear after reading the full text. Li Yuhao followed and saw the next page, his eyes burned, and said: "So, from now on, North Korea's ships will be guaranteed to be safe in the waters of the China Alliance?" ”
Zhu Cihong said: "Yes, peaceful trade is an important foundation for exchanges between countries. Any disruption of the existence of free trade at sea is a breach of the Alliance, which the Empire cannot allow. And this is also the original intention of the establishment of the Joint Operations Command Committee. In the future, we can't go our separate ways. Especially on the wide seas, unified and orderly command is needed in order to make a difference to the peace of maritime trade. ”
At this moment, Qi Yuan also said loudly: "As an imperial general, the First Fleet under the command of the last general has completed a total of thirty-seven escorts, destroyed three pirate warships, killed one hundred and thirty-seven pirates, and sunk countless people to drown. ”
"If the maritime trade is unimpeded, this tariff can rise sharply again......" Cui Mingji muttered, which made Li Qianzong's eyes light up again.
Li Hao worked hard to write a book, hiding his own fraternity.
He suddenly found that in the face of Da Ming's aggressive but logical offensive, he couldn't use any means at all, and he had no choice but to watch the other party advance his plan, but he couldn't stop it.
Perhaps, all the obstacles can only be accomplished by that plan, and it will be over......
Li Qianzong muttered two words: "Tariff." ”
There is one core indicator for testing a government's capacity: taxation.
A strong government, regardless of the level of governance, is sure to at least be able to collect taxes smoothly.
It's just that in North Korea, where the two-class system is deeply rooted, the taxes of the Joseon royal court are very sufficient. Although the tribute demanded by Jiannu was not huge, it still made it difficult for the Koreans. This is not because the DPRK is barren, but because the Korean court is indeed incapable of governing and cannot collect taxes.
At this time, the tariffs are extremely tempting. This is an important source of tax for the world to enter Li Kangzong's purse, and it is expected to become more and more important.