Chapter 3549
Chapter 3549
Chapter 3549
Li Yi had been trying to intervene directly in the civil war since he learned that Hai Han was instigating it. He had made several requests to the senior officials of the Executive Committee in person, but the Executive Committee had different goals from his, so he had not been able to obtain permission.
Li Yi believed that this civil war was a rare opportunity for revenge for North Korea. After sending troops, it could not only take the opportunity to strike its old enemy Japan, but if handled properly, it would even become a great opportunity for North Korea to expand its territory.
After Li Yi ascended the throne, he had always dreamed of becoming a great power, but he knew that if the territory was always limited to the Korean Peninsula, then this dream of becoming a great power would only be a dream. The only way to strengthen the country in the future is to expand the territory.
The land north of Korea was bitterly cold, and even if they occupied it, they would not be able to develop it. As for the continent to the west, Korea had no right to intervene. Ryukyu, Taiwan, and Luzon to the south were all within Hai Han’s sphere of influence, and they could not do anything about it.
The only target that North Korea can attack is the Japanese archipelago, which is closest to the east.
During the Imjin War more than 60 years ago, if Korea had not received reinforcements from the Ming Dynasty, it would have been nearly destroyed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's army. Now the tide has turned. Since Korea has embraced Hai Han, its national strength has grown day by day. Now its strength has surpassed its old rival Japan, and Li Li has long been eyeing it.
After watching the fighting in Kitakyushu for more than a month, Li Li was very sure that the combat effectiveness of his own army was definitely superior to both sides in the Japanese civil war, but the troops that could be mobilized were still inferior to those of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Of course, if the small court in Pyongyang City in the north could completely obey him, then the combined forces of the north and the south would definitely be enough to deal with the Tokugawa shogunate, and it would not even be impossible to take down the Kyushu coalition forces.
Whenever Li Yi thought of this, he couldn't help but sigh at his bad luck. If there hadn't been a north-south split in the country, there would have been no need to hesitate. He could have directly sent troops to attack the shogunate and wouldn't have had to consider Hai Han's opinion.
Although somewhat dissatisfied with being excluded from the battlefield by the Executive Committee, Li Yi's position was actually consistent with Hai Han's. He hoped that the civil war would become as intense as possible. After Japan's war resources were exhausted, it would be much easier for North Korea to find an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
However, Li Yi did not expect that it was not Hai Han who gave him the opportunity, but the Japanese who took the initiative to come to him.
When Zong Yizhen came to visit, Li Li thought that the other party wanted to purchase Hai Han-made weapons and equipment from him, but he never expected that Zong Yizhen actually asked Korea to send troops to assist in defense when he opened his mouth.
Li Yi asked in disbelief, "Master Zong, do you mean to have our country send troops to Tsushima Island to help you prevent attacks from the shogunate?"
So Yoshizane nodded and said, "Your Majesty probably knows that I, the Satsuma clan, have sent almost all of their soldiers to the frontline for this war with the shogunate, leaving only a few soldiers at home. The Satsuma clan's base was attacked by the shogunate army a few days ago, so we have to be on guard. But if my Satsuma army withdraws from the frontline, it will inevitably make our allies suspicious. After thinking it over, I can only ask for help from Your Majesty!"
"I hope Your Majesty can help us out because of our years of cooperation! As for the military expenses and material consumption related to your country's military deployment, I will bear them for the Tsushima clan!"
Although Li Yi was delighted, he did not agree immediately because he still had some questions to answer: "Master Zong, Hai Han's Sasebo base is in northern Kyushu. Why don't you ask Hai Han for help?"
Zong Yizhen said, “To be honest with you, Your Majesty, I have already mentioned this to General Shi Diwen, but he refused the request to send troops to assist in the defense, citing the fact that Hai Han would not directly intervene in the Japanese civil war. As for coming to your country for help, this is actually General Shi Diwen’s intention.” Li Li was determined not to believe the Hai Han people’s words about “not directly intervening in the Japanese civil war.” He had been here for so long, and had already met Hai Han’s military advisers in the Kyushu coalition, as well as the coalition generals who reported military intelligence to the Executive Committee every few days. If they could still claim not to intervene, then Hai Han’s definition of intervention was probably to directly send troops to participate in the war.
Moreover, Li Li had previously proposed to the Executive Committee the proposal of sending troops to defend Kyushu and participate in the war. As the middleman between the two countries, Tsushima Domain was closest to Korea, so it should not be too difficult to seek Tsushima Domain's consent. However, the Executive Committee rejected his proposal on the grounds that the war situation was still unclear.
Now the Hai Han people suddenly changed their minds and asked Zong Yizhen to come find him. Li Yi couldn't help but wonder if there was some information in between that he didn't know.
Although he could see the process of the two armies fighting in Kitakyushu as a spectator, he also understood that there must be many under-the-table conflicts of interest that he was not aware of. Hai Han has always acted with a strong purpose, so what exactly caused Hai Han to change its attitude?
Seeing that Li Yi was silent, Zong Yizhen thought that the other party was not satisfied with the conditions he offered, so he quickly added: "Your Majesty, after we defeat the shogunate and take power, we will definitely give your country more trade preferential treatment."
Li Yi disagreed with this condition. What he wanted was more than just the most favorable trade treatment. If he was not afraid of Hai Han’s attitude, he would even want to annex Tsushima Domain.
Seeing that he still did not express his opinion, Zong Yizhen could not help but said anxiously: "If your country is really in trouble, Your Majesty might as well speak directly."
Although Li Yi had many doubts in his heart, he did not want to miss this rare opportunity to dispatch troops, so he quickly responded, “Don’t worry, Lord Zong. I am just considering how to arrange the deployment of troops to meet the needs of the Tsushima Domain. Since Hai Han has made its position clear, I will naturally do my best to help.”
Zong Yizhen was overjoyed and thanked Li Yi quickly.
Li Yi was wondering whether he should talk to the Executive Committee again and find out the purpose of this arrangement.
"Purpose? The purpose is very simple, it is to use this opportunity to temper the ambitions of the North Koreans."
While Li Li was meeting with Zong Yizhen, Shi Diwen was explaining his thoughts to his colleagues on the Executive Committee: "Haven't you noticed that the North Koreans have become more ambitious in recent years, especially with the opportunity of the Japanese civil war this time? Li Li has mentioned to me several times that he hopes to send troops to join the war."
"Since he wants to fight so much, let's give him a chance to show his ability. Tsushima Domain needs someone to help defend its stronghold, so let the Koreans earn this favor."
Tao Donglai said: "Isn't Zong Yi really afraid that this will lead to a wolf entering the house?"
Shi Diwen said: "I was the one who pulled the strings for the Tsushima clan. The Koreans probably don't have the guts to slap me in the face. As long as this is the beginning, if the war doesn't go well later, the Tsushima clan will probably quietly bring in Koreans to serve as mercenaries."