In June of the twelfth year of the Holy Dao, the Korean king Yi Yu ascended the throne as the emperor in Busan, the country name was Han, and the year name was Chongdao, which naturally meant to follow the path of the Emperor of the Holy Way. Yinghua helped him as the emperor, and allowed Joseon to stand on his own, and Li Yu was full of gratitude. Although they were both emperors, they never dared to sit on an equal footing with Li Shi, not only showed their loyalty in the era name, but also demanded that their country respect Yinghua everywhere, including continuing to call Li Xi the emperor.

The founding of the Republic of Korea not only greatly encouraged the patriotic enthusiasm of the Korean military and people who stood on Lee Yu's side, but also seriously shook the determination of Lee Kwang-sak and his faction. Many civil and military officials followed Lee Kwang-sa to rebel, the purpose was to share the new interests under the future Korean Empire, and now the Korean Empire has not been held back, but the original king Li Yu has the support of Yinghua, and he has made a Korean Empire in one step.

Within a few days of the news reaching the north, a large number of officials fled to the south, and even more clans decided to go south.

Li Guangzuo's troops pressing south like a frenzy suddenly stopped, but Li Yu's army soared in morale and had the courage to fight. Not only because he became an "imperial army", but also a large number of sophisticated muskets were being transported from the sea and sent to the army in a steady stream. There were also British troops wearing light loess-colored uniforms, no, they should be called "volunteers", and they came ashore in batches from the southern seaports such as Busan and Ulsan.

The future was bright, and Li and his civil and military officials were full of confidence, which was naturally related to the newly acquired country name and imperial throne, but it was also based on the Anglo-Korean Friendship Agreement, commonly known as the Treaty of Busan.

Britain and South Korea recognized each other's sovereignty and agreed to be friendly for generations. Britain helped Korea recover its territory in many ways, including sending troops, selling advanced weapons, and providing military loans. South Korea, on the other hand, fully opened its borders to trade and repaid its loans, and leased Jeju Island free of charge.

In view of the British reluctance to provoke the Manchus, they misinterpreted the situation as the British were going to penetrate from the direction of Korea into the Manchu Customs, and the British troops entered the DPRK as civilian volunteers. It's just in name. After all, it's still Yinghua red, and that's how Koreans understand it.

Therefore, officials in Busan, Ulsan and other places organized a large number of people to hold a welcoming ceremony, and gongs and drums were noisy to welcome the "royal master". But most of the Wang Shi, who can be called the "Volunteer Army", are even more Japanese who spit "Aligado", which makes the people extremely frightened. There were even incidents of welcoming crowds collapsing and stampedes killing and injuring people in Suncheon.

Fortunately, the panic was quickly controlled, and the Koreans found out. There were also Chinese in the volunteer army, although there were not many, but they managed the entire army. In late June, with the entry of two major generals from Yinghua into the DPRK. The conclusion that the volunteers were indeed Yinghua red clothes was also verified, and the nervous Koreans finally calmed down.

With the Satsuma people as the mainstay, supplemented by the Japanese recruited in Kyushu, the total number of Japanese divisions of 5,000 people, plus two Nanyang colonial battalions, two red-coated battalions, and a number of artillery, the scale of the volunteer army was not large, and the number of personnel was only 14,500.

The role of the volunteer army is to act as a sharp knife. With the help of the Anglo-Chinese Privy Council, Li Yan urgently launched the training of the new army, preparing to expand the army in his hands to 50,000 people, and all of them were firearms armed with flintlock pistols. Of course, the Privy Council is very active, the Korean army will be formed as soon as possible, and the Yinghua red clothes will replace the old guns of the Holy Dao four-year style as soon as possible. And the old guns given to the Koreans are still priced as new guns......

The appearance of the Volunteer Army made Li Guangzuo and Zuo Weisheng realize the seriousness of the situation, and on the one hand, they reduced their forces and urged the "coalition army" of the Xibao Institute to move south as soon as possible.

Xibao was picked up from Jiangxi by Nian Qianyao, and during the Guangxu Rebellion, because he was still in a hurry, he avoided the bloody turmoil. After Qianlong ascended the throne, he used both defense and use. Surrendered his Manchu camp and threw him outside the gate as a general of Shengjing. ..., this time he entered North Korea in the name of the coalition army, and it was indeed promoted by Nian Qianyao, promising to make a profit in North Korea. On the other hand, the concubine, the prince and the Qianlong Emperor were also afraid that Yinghua would enter Shengjing from Korea, so they agreed to send troops to Xibao.

But the "coalition army" of the Xibao Department is only 5,000 people. Not only did there be no cannons, but the broken pistols in the hands of the soldiers were still "made in Shengjing". Although Xibao is familiar with the methods of firearms training, the time is still short, and the combat strength of this coalition army is very unreliable.

Not only Li Guangzuo panicked, but Zuo Weisheng was also anxious, although they had mobilized all the battalions and towns of North Korea to defend the Rong army, with a total of 100,000 soldiers, but eighty percent of them were peasants with swords, spears, bows and arrows, and they were not able to fight at all. Although the remaining soldiers were mainly firearms such as arquebuses and Fran machine guns, it was no problem to clean up Li Yu's old army, but they were not sure about the Volunteer Army and the New Korean Army.

Zuo Weisheng urgently begged Nian Qianyao and asked to take the risk of sending reinforcements by sea and sending ordnance into the court.

Shandong Dengzhou Mansion City, standing in the north gate tower, looking at the temple island Changshan Island, Nian Qianyao's face is as calm as the sea, but his eyes are constantly changing, showing that his heart is tumbling.

Nian Qianyao muttered to himself thoughtlessly: "Isn't it better to stop there?" ”

Nian Bin behind him exclaimed: "It's not ...... handsome."

Nian Qianyao has already retired, and he has seen the situation in North Korea clearly. Emperor Shengdao supported Emperor Dahan and Emperor Chongdao, and also sent troops into the court, and the heart of annexing Korea was clear.

Since the Holy Dao Emperor is paying attention to this, how can he allow him to take food from Nian Qianyao? It annoyed Li Xian, and he no longer cared about the harmonious situation between the north and the south he created, whether it was directly sending troops to Shandong or forcing Qianlong to act, it was not something he could afford to afford.

Nian Bin heard his father's intentions and subconsciously wanted to stop it.

"Emperor Shengdao did not directly send the red clothes, but let them pretend to be the people's army, which shows that he has no intention of throwing great efforts in Korea. To help Emperor Han is to let the Koreans contribute themselves. Marshal, the situation is still promising! ”

"If North Korea is lost, so that the Holy Dao Emperor can reach out from North Korea, the big man has no way to retreat, and the Jingshi side is afraid that he will have to think about where the big man goes, and even if the big boss has no intention, they will have to take the lead!"

Nian Bin's rhetoric, Zuo Weisheng has repeatedly emphasized in the letter, Nian Qianyao snorted, his expression unchanged.

Emperor Shengdao did only stretch out a little finger in North Korea, but even if he bet all the strength he had saved in Shandong in the past two years, he might not be able to pull this little thumb, and even if he did, it would be unbearable to provoke the middle finger of Emperor Shengdao.

But what Zuo Weisheng and Nian Bin said is also right, Ru Xi, Fourteen and Hongli can still allow him to do his own thing in Shandong, that is, depending on his ambition in North Korea rather than the capital. If the road to Korea is blocked, he and the imperial court will have no buffer place, and then he will have to try to meet the dagger. Maybe in order to stabilize the world, the Holy Dao Emperor will work with the imperial court and strangle him to death in Shandong.

"Dashuai, my son thinks that the Emperor of the Holy Dao should have no intention of helping Li Yu restore the entire Korean ......"

Seeing that Nian Qianyao was still unmoved, Nian Bin gritted his teeth and had to confide in the secret he had been carrying.

"Why? Opium? ”

After listening to his son's explanation, Nian Qianyao was silent. The light in his eyes flashed even more chaotically, and after a long while, he nodded heavily: "It may not be unreasonable." ”

Nian Bin said that after Fan Sihai provoked the Korean rebellion. There was a dispute over opium in the Southern Barbarian Kingdom, and it was only recently that a conclusion was reached and a ban on production and sale was announced. However, in fact, the Emperor of the Holy Dao allowed the Western Nanyang Company to organize its own colonies and make its own laws, which was actually to hand over opium to these two companies for monopoly.

For this reason, he contacted Fan Sihai through a Korean businessman. Fan Sihai and Fuhua lost their opium business because of the new policy, and Nian Bin thought that he could use this to persuade Fan Sihai to join forces in the underground business. Unexpectedly, Fan Sihai refused, saying that he would no longer be involved in the opium business from then on. ..., digging deeper into the news of Nanban Shopping Mall, Nian Bin discovered an amazing inside story. The two companies in the West and Nanyang were actually divided into land, and each operated its own opium business. Fan Sihai and Fuhua Company owned a large number of shares in the newly established Western company, which was equivalent to the Nanban Imperial Court using this share in exchange for their withdrawal from Korea and even Beiyang and Nanyang, and turned to the Western market. This market was transferred to Nanyang Company for operation.

"The son has found the opium merchant of the Nanyang Company. They were willing to give their son a share of the business. They also said that Shinhan had joined the Anti-Narcotics Federation, and if North Korea was completely restored, it would no longer be able to sell opium to North Korea. Therefore, the son felt that the Nanban was founded on business, and these merchants would definitely pull the trouser leg of the Holy Dao Emperor and prevent him from returning to Korea. ”

Nian Qianyao's eyebrows furrowed. warned Nian Bin before not to be contaminated with opium, but now he is so deep.

Nian Bin struck while the iron was hot and said: "The benefits of opium are amazing, if we also hold the north, first act as a merchant for the Nanyang Company, and then gradually grow our own products." I don't have to worry about money and food anymore. ”

"Shut up!"

Nian Qianyao finally couldn't help but reprimand angrily: "This thing not only hurts heaven and reason, but also the righteousness we want to take!" Absolutely untouchable! You bring back all that opium, and you can burn it all in a while! ”

Nian Bin didn't dare to fight anymore, but his face was still unwilling.

Nian Qianyao's thinking has shifted to North Korea, and if opium is involved, Nian Bin's words are really right. Nanban is a merchant and a country, and there is no profit or greed. Looking at the Holy Dao Emperor's handling of opium, you can see that he must protect the interests of merchants. In this way, he really has no intention of recovering North Korea for Li Yu. Leaving an opening for the North Koreans to sell opium by themselves is the benefit of the Nanyang Company, and this profit is probably greater than the benefit of helping Li Yu restore North Korea.

In this way, even if he resisted the little finger of the Holy Dao Emperor in Korea, he would not be able to change it to the middle finger.

Nian Qianyao's heart beat faster, this conclusion was likely to be true, and then he secretly smiled bitterly, maybe the Holy Dao Emperor was still happy to see him gain a firm foothold in Korea and confront his little thumb, so that his benefits could be maximized. Thinking back to what he did in Jiangnan at the beginning, and now he is in North Korea, he looks at himself like a chestnut in the fire, riding on the wall on both sides. But in the eyes of the Holy Dao Emperor, he is not a "disaster dog", driving himself to stir up the situation, and then making a profit by "chasing the dog".

Putting aside the pride of this evil dog, Nian Qianyao returned to the general of Fucheng and began to arrange the dispatch of troops, he decided to continue fighting, otherwise there would be no future.

The sea route from Shandong to Korea was very unsafe, and the Anglo-Chinese Beiyang Fleet firmly controlled the south, but because Li Taishen's sailors retreated in the north, if they went around in a circle and went north to enter Korea, the risk was much smaller.

Calculating the troops, Nian Qianyao frowned, at least twenty or thirty thousand horses had to be dispatched, that is, most of the troops under his command, so that he could barely have the strength to fight. Let's not talk about the emptiness of Shandong's troops and the danger of the hinterland being occupied by the capital, let's just say that with this move, money and food will go down like a waterfall, and he is not rich in money now, and on the North Korean side, Li Guangzuo is afraid that he will not be able to get much money and materials for a while.

"The Profit of Opium......

Nian Qianyao thoughtfully, recruited Nian Bin, and asked about opium again.

"The purchase price is two or three taels per catty, and the bid can be ten taels!?

Hearing the figures reported by Nian Bin, Nian Qianyao took a breath, he has always hated opium, so he didn't know much about the details, but now when he listened, he understood why Nian Bin wanted to get involved in this business, good guy, the backhand is two or three times the profit!

"This is the profit of reselling the opium of the Nanyang Company, and my son has inquired about it, if he grows it himself, he will not exceed half a tael of ...... for a catty."

Then Nian Bin said this, Nian Qianyao's forehead burst out with green tendons, and it was difficult to breathe calmly.

After being silent for a while, Nian Qianyao issued two orders in a powerful tone as if he was going into battle to kill the enemy. ..., "Pick out the best of the opium you brought, carefully dress up and wrap it, and send it to the capital, well, that's right, send it to the Forbidden City, and offer it to the concubine!" ”

"On the inscription, please ask the court to ban opium!"

These two incompatible and somewhat contradictory orders made Nian Bin very puzzled. Offering opium to Ru Xi is probably a gesture of goodwill. Among the opium taken over by Nanyang Company, the best one is for the top rich and noble, after careful conditioning, with the addition of precious condiments, not only the taste is excellent, but the damage to the body is also less than that of ordinary goods.

But then the imperial court wants to ban opium, is this not ready to be sold in the north?

"Stupid, if you can't help it, how can we benefit from this!? Think of the strategy of the Southern Emperor of the Holy Dao! ”

Nian Qianyao was educating his son, and the corners of his mouth were already smiling coldly. In this way, you can not only occupy the righteousness, but also grasp the righteousness, the best of both worlds. Offering opium to Ru Xi is to show that she can share the profits in this matter, and the woman is smart and must understand. The two sides are mutually beneficial, and his foundation in Shandong can be stabilized, and as for the future use, let's talk about it in the future.

In Beijing City, when Qianlong was discussing with Prince Xun and a group of ministers on the title of Nian Qianyao's "Petition for the Prohibition of Opium", in the Qianqing Palace, in a luxurious hall, the smoke was filled, just a trace of wafted out of the cracks in the doors and windows, which had already made Li Lianying, who was standing outside the door, have white eyes and fluttering body, as if she had ascended to immortality.

In the hall, the sound of wheezing was soaked in a trembling pleasure to the bone, Ru Xi put down the cigarette gun, the flush on his cheeks receded for a long time, and his body and mind gradually returned to the world.

"I already have this thing, how can I have lived so hard in the past ten years......"

Ru Xi's sigh seemed to come from her throat, and now she was so comfortable that she didn't even bother to move her fingers.

But her mind was still moving, and her thoughts were clearer and sharper: "Nian Qianyao...... You're just a woe dog, so let's use you for the time being. ”