Chapter 590 Came to Seoul

December 15, 8th year of Chongzhen,.

Along the way, the relationship between the prince Li Hao and Zhang Zhun became much closer. He was very interested in asking Zhang Zhun about the affairs of the Ming Kingdom, especially about the situation of the Ming army and the Tartars. He is not very old, but his Chinese is quite accurate. After asking, I learned that his teacher was an authentic Han Chinese. Regarding Li Hao's question, Zhang Zhun naturally knows everything and says everything. As long as Li Hao wants to know, Zhang Zhun basically explained it in detail.

Of course, it is inevitable to carry some private goods in it and be careful. Regarding the darkness and ** of the Ming court, Zhang Zhun was also outspoken. At Li Hao's age, he still hates the ** phenomenon very much. No monarch who has made a difference can tolerate such a large-scale ** behavior. Coupled with Zhang Zhun's intentional inducement, Li Hao inevitably secretly swore that when he was determined to grow up and inherit the throne, he would definitely get rid of all those corrupt officials and corrupt officials.

From Incheon Port to Seoul, there is a straight and spacious road connection. Zhang Zhun and the others rode horses, and it only took one morning to come to the outside of Seoul. At this time, Seoul had naturally received relevant information sent back by Yin Siming overnight. Although Zhang Zhun and Li Ju have not yet met, the two sides already have a certain degree of understanding. Especially when Feng Gaobao's head is sent up, the confidence of the main battle faction should be much more inspired.

"Welcome to Seoul."

"Welcome to Seoul."

Outside Seoul, Jang was inevitably welcomed by the North Koreans for the second time.

There were two North Korean officials who came to greet Jang Zhun. One is Fengpingjun Li Jue. One is Jiashan doctor Wu Daji. Li Jue is a member of the royal family, so he is naturally wearing purple clothes. Wu Daji is a member of the second rank, of course, wearing a red official uniform. Behind the two of them was an entourage in blue official uniforms.

Li Jue was a very capable young man, about twenty-seven or eighteen years old, his eyes were very sharp, his eyes were very deep, but his complexion was very fair, as if he were a woman. He was lukewarm to Zhang Zhun, and seemed to be a little resistant, just a polite greeting, and his overly enthusiastic actions were completely inadequate. In this regard, Zhang Zhun is understandable. Li Jue's performance is more accurate than resistance.

In fact, in North Korea, the most active main battle faction is Fengpingjun Li Jue. At the beginning, it was he and Mao Wenlong who fought side by side against the Tartars. He teamed up with Mao Wenlong, and once defeated the small army of the Tartars and beheaded dozens of levels. Such a record is unmatched in North Korea. When it comes to military command skills, this person is definitely the best among the North Koreans.

However, the defeat of the Ming army made Li Jue very sad and disappointed. Without the help of the Ming army, it was impossible to defeat the Tartars by relying on the Korean army alone. In fact, in order to avoid irritating the Tartars too much, his military power was removed as early as three years ago. If his military power had not been relieved, it would not have been Shen Qiyuan and Zheng Taijie's turn to be arrogant.

There is speculation in North Korea that if you choose the most hated North Koreans of Huang Taiji, Li Jue will definitely be on the list. Due to the pressure of the Tartars, Li Jue has not been able to lead the army again after being relieved of military power. Li Liang was worried about stimulating the Tartars, and took the initiative to put Li Jue under house arrest. Without Li Jue's approval, it would have been impossible for Li Jue to leave Seoul.

As for Wu Daji, in terms of intelligence, he is also the backbone of the main battle faction. However, he is also very cautious about Zhang Zhun's enthusiasm. What the specific reason is is not yet clear. Maybe they feel that Zhang Zhun still has to observe carefully, and they can't draw conclusions yet.

After all, the battle with the Tartars is long and arduous, and it is by no means something that can be solved overnight, in one or two battles. Now the general environment within the Ming Kingdom has always been not very good. Even if Zhang Zhun rises to prominence and casts brilliance, it is still unknown how long Zhang Zhun can hold out. For the sake of their own safety, the North Koreans could not easily throw themselves into the arms of Jang Joon.

"Please."

"Please."

In the politeness of mutual courtesy, the group slowly entered Seoul.

Seoul, which would later be Seoul, was definitely not as lively as later generations. The whole of Seoul looks deserted. Except for North Korean soldiers patrolling back and forth, there are few people to be seen. The streets were spotless and clean. However, such a city is more like an ornament than a real city with aura.

In fact, Seoul is definitely a fairly young city for North Korea. In the early years of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, Joseon Taizu Lee Sung-gye returned from Weihua Island and defeated the Goryeo Dynasty to establish the Joseon Dynasty. But he believes that he has not yet fully grasped the hearts and minds of the people. In order to get rid of the shadow of the Goryeo Dynasty, Yi Sung-gye decided to move the capital. According to the feng shui geography that was all the rage at the time, the capital was set in front of Bukhaksan Mountain in Hanyang.

Taejo then moved his capital to Hanyang and built the Jongmyo Shrine and Gyeongbokgung Palace, and set up the Seoul Prefecture as an administrative and public security authority for the capital region. In addition, about 18 kilometers of castle walls were built along the ridges of Mt. Kitakak, Mt. Niwang, Mt. Namsan, and Mt. Nak. A few years later, Taizong determined the plan for the backbone road. Twenty years later, after Sejong ascended the throne, he built the city wall and completed the construction of the Cheonggyecheon River.

Seoul in the early Joseon Dynasty was built through careful urban planning. With Bukakak Mountain as the background, it arranged the palace shrine and the Jongmyo Temple, and built a road centered on Gwanghwamun Gate, Jongno, and Namdaemun. The area of Seoul that Zhang Zhun saw was actually very vast. Its area of jurisdiction is a city surrounded by four mountains, with a total area of more than fifty square kilometers. Seoul is definitely the largest city on the Korean Peninsula.

Since the population of North Korea itself is not very large, and Seoul is a young city, the population of Seoul has not been very large. Seoul's population is growing slowly. During the period of 200 years from the early Joseon Dynasty to the Imjin War, the population of Seoul increased to about 100,000 to 150,000. However, after the Imjin War, the population of Seoul was reduced to less than 40,000, so it's no wonder that the streets now look empty.

Of course, a small population also has the advantage of a small population, which is that land is cheaper. As long as you have money, you can occupy a large area and build an excessively spacious house. Seoul is a large area, and the population inhabited here is mostly composed of two classes of nobles, so there are many luxurious buildings and a large number of palaces.

The place where the North Korean side arranged for Zhang Zhun to stay was Ayayang Palace. This palace was the residence of King Yi Liang of Joseon before he ascended the throne. It was here that Li Liang summoned Li Gui, Li Shi, Kim Zidian and others to launch a coup d'état, and finally expelled Gwanghaejun and became the new king of Joseon. After he ascended the throne, he ordered the expansion of Ayayang Palace, so that it could be on a par with Qingyun Palace. At one point, he wanted to move the palace back to Ayayang Palace, but was successfully dissuaded by two classes of nobles.

Arranging for Zhang to live in Ayayang Palace naturally gave face to the Foot Heaven Dynasty. According to Feng Menglong's report, before that, the North Korean side was preparing to arrange for Zhang Zhun to live in another palace. In addition, the palace, of course, is not as precious as the Ayayang Palace. Obviously, the force displayed by Jang Joon at the port of Incheon has already had a clear effect. Jang Joon's status in the hearts of the North Koreans was raised to a new height with the roar of the guns and ships of the Tiger Army.

Li Jue and Wu Daji sent Zhang Zhun to the door of Ayayang Palace, and then said goodbye and left. King Yi of Korea will hold a banquet in the evening to welcome Jang Joon's arrival. Before that, Zhang Zhun had enough time to rest. Of course, in the Ayayang Palace, the North Korean side has arranged reception personnel, and Zhang Zhun can find them to solve any needs.

"Zhang Zhun, why are you here?"

Before entering the door, Zhang Zhun heard Shen Lingfei's squeaky voice.

With a cheerful voice, Shen Lingfei, who was in a flamboyant manner, came out of the hall.

I only saw that she was wearing an authentic North Korean costume and appeared in front of Zhang Zhun, very pretty, and a little more rare weakness, probably because of the feeling that the clothes on her body brought to Zhang Zhun. The North Korean costume is very generous, completely covering her figure. However, she is indeed a versatile god, no matter what kind of clothes she wears, she is quite good-looking.

Zhang Zhun glanced Shen Lingfei up and down, and asked curiously, "It seems that you have not been wronged!" ”

Shen Lingfei said a little dazedly: "What grievances have I suffered? ”

Zhang Zhun frowned and said, "Aren't the North Koreans going to detain you?" ”

Shen Lingfei was still a little dazed and said, "No! The North Koreans told me that you were coming to North Korea. If you're not familiar with North Korea, you probably won't bring anyone with you, so let me play in Ganghwa Island for a few days, and when you come, I'll just be your staff or something. Their queen accompanied me to play in Ganghwa Island. ”

Zhang Zhun understood.

The North Koreans just used a small trick to hide from Shen Lingfei. This eldest lady of the Shen family, sometimes she is as careful as a hair, and sometimes she is very arrogant, she was almost sold, and she was still happily helping to count the money next to her!

Sure enough, after Shen Lingfei finished speaking, in front of Zhang Zhun, he danced a few dance steps lightly, rotated the clothes on his body, like a little peacock with the screen open, and then said to Zhang Zhun beautifully: "This is the clothes given to me by their queen, do you look good?" ”

Zhang Zhun said casually: "It's okay!" ”

Shen Lingfei saw that Zhang Zhun looked wrong, so she stopped dancing regretfully, and said wonderingly, "What's wrong?" Don't you like such clothes? Well, it's not as good as the clothes of our Han people. I'll wear it here, and I won't wear it when I get back. ”

Zhang Zhun shook his head and said quietly: "It's nothing, if you like to wear it, you can continue to wear it, you can wear it anywhere...... How were you doing in Ganghwa Island? What did the queen of Joseon tell you? ”

Shen Lingfei immediately regained her excitement and said happily: "It's so fun!" It's true! It was so much fun! The queen didn't say anything to me, she just cooked me food every day and took me everywhere every day to play! ”

Zhang Zhun looked at her expression, obviously she was really not wronged, so she didn't say anything anymore. He asked Shen Lingfei to come to North Korea, in fact, he also hoped to get in touch with the North Korean side through her special identity. In other words, in fact, it also means using Shen Lingfei to build a bridge. Now that the goal has been achieved, Shen Lingfei has not felt it, so there is no need for him to say it. It's rare to be confused!

Shen Lingfei saw that Zhang Zhun was not angry, and her mood immediately relaxed, and she greeted Ji Yuqing and Xu Qingluan, and said with a proud and narcissistic smile: "Come on!" Come and see! The queen has given me so much! ”

Regarding the gift given to Shen Lingfei by the Queen of Joseon, Zhang Zhun naturally had no interest in researching. Ji Yuqing and Xu Qingluan were very interested, they were both women, so they naturally had a little hot eyes, so they rushed over to watch. Several women gathered together, looking at this, looking at that, squeaking, talking, it was as if there were countless larks calling in the Ayayang Palace, full of joyful laughter.

There are really a lot of things that the Queen of Korea gave to Shen Lingfei, most of which are all kinds of precious clothes. Probably the queen also realized that Shen Lingfei liked to dress up the most. In addition to the precious clothing, there are also many rare antiques of extraordinary value. When Shen Lingfei is free, he actually likes to study antiques, but unfortunately Zhang Zhun doesn't have any rare antiques here. This time when she came to North Korea, she made a lot of money.

Shen Lingfei was obviously bought by the queen of Joseon, and in front of Zhang Zhun, she only said good things about the North Koreans. Fortunately, the Sisi girl next to her was quite conscious, and she had to remind her young lady repeatedly not to be overjoyed, so Shen Lingfei controlled her emotions. Otherwise, with her temperament, it is not surprising that she has a smug demeanor.

Zhang Zhun couldn't help but shake his head, Shen Lingfei was actually the master who ate soft rather than hard. The North Koreans drugged her at this point, and they really held her life. Of course, the purpose of the North Koreans is only to contact themselves through Shen Lingfei. In the middle, there are some unsavory means. However, since you are here, it doesn't matter.

Shen Lingfei was happy for a long time, only to find that Zhang Zhun seemed to be a little unhappy. She was still a little afraid of Zhang Zhun, so she said cautiously: "Shouldn't I accept what she sent?" ”

Zhang Zhun shook his head and said affirmatively: "No." Since it was given to you by someone else, you can accept it generously. ”

Shen Lingfei was relieved. But after a while, she said a little cautiously, "But you...... Doesn't look good...... Don't be upset......"

Zhang Zhun nodded and said slowly, "I have something serious to ask you." I'm not to blame you. Tell me everything you learned about North Korea. ”

Shen Lingfei hurriedly said, "What do you want to know?" ”

Zhang Zhun said casually: "Say whatever you know?" ”

Shen Lingfei's eyes rolled, and he said quickly: "I really don't know anything else, I just know one." The queen has a cousin, but she is beautiful. When I saw her that day, I thought it was a fairy descending to earth. However, it seems that the queen doesn't like her cousin very much, she is a descendant of the former Gwanghae-kun......"

Zhang Zhun shook his head, interrupted her words, frowned and said, "This is worthless. You say something valuable. For example, the internal contradictions at the top of the DPRK, the internal situation of the DPRK army, etc. ”

Shen Lingfei thought about it very seriously, and then said helplessly: "That...... Not anymore. ”

Zhang Zhun could only be speechless.

This Shen Lingfei was indeed poured ** soup on Jianghua Island, and he only knew how to play.

Zhang Zhun had no choice but to take the initiative to ask: "Have you seen a North Korean warship on Ganghwa Island?" ”

Shen Lingfei said casually: "I saw it!" Said it was to keep the queen safe! ”

Zhang Zhun couldn't help but stretch out his hand and knocked on the door of her head, and said hatefully: "I also protect the queen's safety!" Someone else is here to spy on you! ”

Shen Lingfei said suspiciously: "Huh? Is it? ”

Zhang Zhun told the cause and effect of the incident.

Shen Lingfei thought blankly for a long time, still a little disbelieving, and finally said in wonder: "It seems to be ...... I didn't get hurt, did I? ”

Zhang Zhun was speechless again.

Fortunately, Miss Sisi was still relatively calm, and she provided a more detailed answer to Zhang Zhun's question. In the vicinity of Ganghwa Island, there were indeed North Korean warships, more than 20 in total. As for the number and commander, Miss Sisi didn't know. However, she recorded the shape and size of those Korean warships. After comparison, it was confirmed that all of them were turtle boats unique to North Korea.

"That's right."

Zhang Zhun nodded with satisfaction.

The main warships of the North Korean naval division, all concentrated on Ganghwa Island, apparently had a special purpose.

Ganghwa Island is less than 100 miles from Seoul and less than 50 miles from Incheon Port. Since Ganghwa Island is separated from the mainland and close to Seoul, if there is any trouble, the Joseon king likes to send his concubines and children to Ganghwa Island for safety. Over time, many places of interest and historic sites have been formed on Jianghua Island, and dozens of large and small palaces have been built, no wonder Shen Lingfei has a lot of fun on Jianghua Island.

From a military and strategic point of view, Ganghwa Island was also the main force defending Seoul. The North Korean navy can come ashore here at any time to support Seoul. Or maybe it was here to meet the fleeing kings and take them to the sea. Unlike the port of Incheon, Ganghwa Island is entirely the king's private domain, and no matter what is done on it, the outside world will not know about it.

"Ganghwa Island ......"

Zhang Zhun was alone and slowly pondered.

He deduced that in the past, the North Korean sailors should have been cowering near Ganghwa Island all year round, which would cause the outside world to think that they were very mysterious. The Tiger Ben Army has never had accurate news about them. Now, with the gradual emergence of Ganghwa Island, the North Korean sailors are gradually coming to the surface.

After two hours of comfortable sleep, it was evening. When she woke up, Shen Lingfei was already dressed up and couldn't wait to go. Tonight, Seoul is brightly lit and the festive atmosphere is very strong, and Gyeongun Palace is even more lively. The king of Joseon, Yi Liang, arranged a banquet in Qingyun Palace, singing and dancing to welcome the arrival of the Ming envoy Zhang Zhun.