The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Ten days later, Jin Shijia, accompanied by all the court officials and ministers, waited at the city gate.

When the appointed time arrived, countless banners and horses emerged from the distant road.

They slowly approached in several long lines, forming several giant square formations in an orderly fashion before the capital.

"Boom boom boom~"

Hundreds of riders charged in, heading straight for the city gate.

Many high-ranking officials and ministers were so intimidated by the imposing presence of these golden-armored cavalry that they involuntarily retreated, causing a commotion.

The golden-armored cavalrymen seemed oblivious to this, and the hundreds of riders moved in perfect unison, as if they had no thoughts of their own, to the sides, revealing the main road in the middle.

A massive imperial carriage, pulled by four horses, appeared.

Just by looking at his extraordinary bearing, Jin Shijia and the others knew that the silver-armored general sitting upright on the imperial carriage was none other than the famous Prince Pingliao.

As the imperial carriage approached, Jin Shijia immediately ordered everyone to kneel down to greet it:

"Your humble servant respectfully welcomes the King of Pingliao."

During the unanimous welcome, some people spoke in Chinese and others in Korean.

Even though he couldn't understand Korean, Jia Lian could understand their meaning just by looking at their respectful and humble behavior.

He smiled, stood up from the makeshift palanquin used for showing off, and said calmly:

"I am a guest from afar, so there is no need for such formalities, gentlemen."

"Thank you, King of Liao."

Just as the Korean nobles rose to look at Jia Lian, an envoy brought a stool for Jia Lian to step down from the imperial carriage.

Jin Shijia quickly stepped forward, bowed, and mumbled his self-introduction, then began to flatter Jia Lian.

Beside him, Li Yaochen served as the simultaneous translator.

"So you are the Left Councilor, I've heard so much about you."

Seeing that Jia Lian, though imposing, didn't seem difficult to talk to, Jin Shijia secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He quickly said, "The King of Pingliao has gone to great lengths to lead his troops to our aid. The entire nation of Korea is deeply grateful for His Highness's kindness."

"We have been ordered by the Queen to prepare a banquet in the palace and cordially invite Your Highness to grace us with your presence."

Seeing Jia Lian nod, Jin Shijia said, "As for the warriors under the Prince's command, since the city is cramped, it would be better to leave them outside the city."

Your Highness, rest assured, your humble servant has already ordered the preparation of fine wine and meat to reward all the warriors…

As Jin Shijia spoke, his voice lowered because he saw Jia Lian's face, which had initially been smiling, turn gloomy.

Jia Lian calmly asked, "My soldiers fought bloody battles against the Japanese invaders on the battlefield to save Korea."

"We finally won, can't we even go into the city to find shelter from the wind and rain?"

Seeing Jia Lian's change of expression, all the Korean ministers and officials felt a jolt in their hearts.

Jin Shijia quickly explained, "Your Highness has misunderstood."

"Korea is not like our superior nation; the city is cramped, and our ministers fear it won't be able to accommodate so many valiant soldiers, Your Highness, and that would be unfair to them."

Jia Lian's expression softened slightly. He glanced back at the endless army behind him and seemed to think that there were too many of them.

So he said, "In that case, I will only bring ten thousand men into the city."

The remaining tens of thousands of troops remained outside the city.

"Your Excellency, please don't be so naive. The capital of Joseon, surely it can't even accommodate ten thousand people?"

"This……"

Jin Shijia looked at the menacing Wei soldiers in front of him, then glanced back at his own army on both sides of the city gate, which was completely inferior in terms of momentum.

Even though he knew in his heart that he shouldn't let the Wei army enter the city, he didn't dare to refuse anymore.

Because he keenly noticed that some of the generals of the Great Wei had unconsciously placed their hands on the command swords at their waists.

"Your subject will immediately arrange for your army to be stationed within the city..."

"No need for that."

They brought their own tents and could set up camp anywhere they found an open space.

The councilor only needs to remember to supply the army with the necessary living supplies each day.

"Yes……"

After Jia Lian and Jin Shijia finished their conversation, Jia Lian sat back on the imperial carriage and headed towards the city gate.

His hundreds of guards immediately stepped forward and kept unrelated people several feet away from the imperial carriage.

Although many Korean nobles and ministers were rudely pushed around, not one dared to express any dissatisfaction, assuming that these people were only thinking about Jia Lian's safety.

Suddenly, many Korean ministers were shocked.

Because the army that had advanced into the city ahead of them suddenly split into two groups of soldiers and marched quickly toward the city walls on both sides.

Meanwhile, the city's own garrison, lacking orders from their superiors and intimidated by the might of the Wei army outside the city, dared not stop them and could only watch helplessly as they orderly rushed up to the city walls and guarded the various passes.

Jin Shijia quickly turned around, looked at Jia Lian on the imperial carriage, and asked, "May I ask, Your Highness, what is this?"

"My Lordship, there is no need to panic. They are only concerned for my safety."

The Japanese are cunning and treacherous.

I killed so many of them this time, they have long hated me to the bone.

Along the way, I have been assassinated by the Japanese invaders countless times.

Their actions were merely out of fear that there might still be Japanese spies in the city.

Therefore, it is necessary to temporarily control one city gate so that if any more Japanese assassins attempt to kill me, they can promptly deploy troops to suppress them in the town.

Jin Shijia and the others' faces twitched.

Could they have come up with a more plausible excuse if they were afraid of being assassinated by the Japanese?

With ten thousand soldiers protecting you, what assassin could possibly kill you?
So, the real reason for defending against the Japanese is probably just to guard against Korea!

But can they really get this city gate?

If we give it to them, the entire capital will be exposed to the swords of tens of thousands of Wei soldiers.

If Jia Lian harbors any ill intentions, they will all likely become meat on his chopping block.

But if they don't give it to me...

Judging from this situation, it's clearly not going to work.

Given the strength that the Wei army demonstrated against the Japanese pirates, it's no wonder that its own army would have been decimated by the pirates long ago.

Even if they didn't, they probably wouldn't be a match for them.

As Jin Shijia weighed these factors, sweat began to bead on his forehead.

He couldn't help but be nervous, because he deeply understood that every decision he made now concerned his own fate and that of North Korea.

Compared to Jin Shijia's nervousness, Jia Lian seemed nonchalant.

He even became a little impatient when he saw that Jin Shijia remained silent for a long time.

"Does the Grand Councilor think that I have designs on Korea because he is unwilling to give up a city gate?"

How ridiculous.

If I had any ill intentions toward Korea, why would I have crossed thousands of miles of sea to bring troops to its rescue?

They even helped you kill off tens of thousands of Japanese invaders.

If I harbor any ill intentions towards you, I will raise an army directly from Liaodong and join forces with the Japanese invaders in the south to attack you from both sides.

"Forgive my bluntness, but given the current strength of your Korean army, facing a pincer attack from both our army and the Japanese, you could be annihilated in the blink of an eye."

Upon hearing this, Jin Shijia broke out in a cold sweat.

However, I can't help but feel that what Jia Lian said makes some sense.

After all, if the Great Wei truly intended to annex Korea, it could have refrained from sending troops to rescue it and instead made a pact with the Japanese pirates to divide Korea among themselves.

No, not even an agreement is needed.

Given the strength that the Great Wei has displayed, it could easily take advantage of their battle with the Japanese pirates to create a situation where the two sides fight and the third side benefits.

Therefore, let's make some bold assumptions.

First, as Jia Lian said, the Great Wei had no designs on Korea.

They came with the best of intentions to rescue us.

This move was merely Jia Lian's way of intimidating them.

Second, the Great Wei had designs on Korea.

However, the Great Wei, considering itself a superior nation, did not wage war without a just cause.

That's why I'm unwilling to collude with the Japanese pirates.

Even if they wanted to gain something from Korea, they were willing to help them drive away the Japanese pirates first, just to have a name and status.

Either way, it shows that the Great Wei at least had some sense of dignity, unlike the evil and barbaric Japanese pirates.

Since the Great Wei values ​​its reputation, then everything is negotiable.

Before ascertaining the true intentions of the Great Wei, the decision was made not to turn against them. Having made up his mind, Jin Shijia gritted his teeth and ordered the soldiers on the city wall to withdraw, leaving the city gate to be guarded by the superior nation's army.

"Your Excellency, you mustn't..."

"Shut up! It is a great honor for us that His Highness is willing to send troops to help us guard the city gates. How dare you speak nonsense and sow discord between us and the superior nation?"

Jia Lian couldn't understand the arguments of these North Koreans, and he didn't bother to listen.

He waved his hand to stop the interpreter beside him from trying to translate for him, and only after Jin Shijia had suppressed the opposition did he wave his hand again and say:
"Alright, I am not an unreasonable person."

The city gates were only temporarily placed under the guard of our army.

When I leave, I will naturally return it to you.

You don't need to argue over such a small thing.

"If you do not welcome me, I am not one to be ungrateful. I can take my army and leave immediately."

Upon hearing this, Jin Shijia quickly replied, "Your Highness is joking."

The prince helped us wipe out the Japanese pirates and is a great benefactor to the whole of Korea. How could we not welcome him?

Some ignorant people have already been dealt with, and I guarantee they will never appear before Your Highness again.

Jin Shijia dared not let Jia Lian leave like that.

Who knows if you're really leaving, or if you're turning back to send troops to attack the city?

He had already learned from Li Yaochen that the Wei army's artillery was extremely powerful, especially adept at siege warfare.

Because they were unaware of the dangers, some Japanese pirates even attempted to defend the city, but they were quickly overwhelmed by the heavy artillery that Jia Lian had deployed.

He had no desire to verify whether Li Yaochen's words were true or false.

Jia Lian nodded in satisfaction and said with a smile, "Let's go. I've heard that Korea is famous for its fine wines and beautiful women. I've long wanted to see them for myself."

Upon hearing this, Jin Shijia's eyes lit up.

He felt this was a hint from Jia Lian.

Indeed, how could the Prince of Pingliao, who is so young, not love beautiful women?
It seems the gift I prepared was the right one.

……

The royal palace of Joseon could not compare to that of the Great Wei.

However, due to the strong influence of Central Plains culture, its architectural style is largely modeled after the palace architecture of the Great Wei Dynasty.

Therefore, Jia Lian truly felt at home when he arrived here.

"You may set up camp anywhere you like."

"No trouble without cause, no trespassing, remember my orders."

At the palace gates, Jia Lian's command was given.

Nearly ten thousand soldiers then filed away along both sides of the palace.

They simply circled the palace, "casually" finding an open space to set up camp.

Jin Shijia's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything.

From the moment the city gates were handed over, the entire capital was left undefended against the Wei army.

Now, even if the Wei army simply camps around the palace, or even if they all storm into the palace and set up camp, there's nothing they can do.

Do you think you can turn your back on me?

They weren't confident they could win against Jia Lian's troops alone.

Not to mention, even if they win, the Great Wei can still send another 100,000 troops to punish them.

Now, all we hope to do is please this Prince Pingliao. Even if it costs us some money, as long as we can send him off happily, everyone will be happy.

The only saving grace was that this Prince Pingliao was relatively strict in disciplining his troops.

In recent months, local officials have frequently reported their grievances, saying that the Wei army is always pressing for grain supplies.

When pressure to comply failed, they even resorted to forcibly seizing grain warehouses.

But they do not have any other reputation for wrongdoing.

There are even rumors that these soldiers of the Great Wei prefer to bully officials rather than the common people, and that some of them even do good deeds.

As a result, during the pursuit and suppression of the Japanese pirates, the people's love for the Wei army even surpassed that for their own country's army.

After all, our own army is far from being able to ensure that it does not harm the people in the slightest.

Well, they were only slightly better than the Japanese pirates who burned, killed, and looted.

In the main hall of the royal palace, palace maids bustled about, and the aroma of fine wine filled the air.

Jin Shijia led Jia Lian to the head of the table and gestured, "Your Highness, please take the seat of honor."

Jia Lian didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly on the spacious throne.

Below, led by Jin Shijia, there were only about ten seats.

These must be the people who have influence in North Korea.

Once everyone was seated, musicians on both sides of the palace began to play.

Then two beautiful maids, dressed in revealing clothes, walked to Jia Lian's side, knelt on either side, and helped pour wine for him.

Other Korean nobles also had maids to pour wine for them, but there was only one, and they were all of average appearance.

Jia Lian smiled to himself, thinking to himself that these Koreans were quite sensible.

He didn't believe that the Joseon royal palace couldn't find a dozen or so pretty palace maids.

It was clearly a deliberate arrangement to highlight the beauty of the two maids beside him, as a sign of respect and flattery.

After the maid filled the wine cups, Jin Shijia was the first to raise his glass to Jia Lian:

"With this first cup of wine, I thank Your Highness once again for coming from afar to rescue me."

Such kindness is something that the entire nation of Korea can never repay.

Other North Korean ministers also stood up and expressed the same sentiment.

Jia Lian simply waved his hand casually, indicating that everyone didn't need to be so polite.

After exchanging pleasantries, Jin Shijia clapped his hands, and a group of dancers gracefully entered the hall.

These dancers, dressed in traditional Korean dance costumes, performed in the main hall with synchronized and graceful movements.

Jia Lian glanced at them and saw that there were about ten people.

Each of them was barefoot, wearing only clean silk stockings, and danced gracefully on tiptoe.

Jia Lian hadn't paid any attention at first, but upon closer inspection, he saw that each of these dancers was beautiful, pure, and lively.

Jia Lian looked at several women, but none of them were as beautiful as the beauty that the King of Joseon had given him, whom he named Jang Geum.

The unique clothing and dances of North Korea were already quite novel to Jia Lian.

When we see these beauties again today, even a casual glance upwards reveals their captivating charm.

Jia Lian couldn't help but be drawn in, and he unconsciously straightened his posture.

Jin Shijia and the others had been observing Jia Lian's expression. Seeing this, they exchanged smiles, feeling that things had gotten off to a good start.

After the dance ended, the beauties bowed and withdrew.

Jin Shijia immediately smiled and asked, "May I ask Your Highness, how does our Korean dance compare to that of the Great Kingdom?"

Jia Lian laughed and said, "Each has its own merits, each has its own merits, that's right."

Because Jia Lian spoke very solemnly and still seemed to want to say more, the men present all laughed, revealing an understanding look on their faces.

Jin Shijia explained in a timely manner:
"These women were specially selected from all over the country to welcome Your Highness's arrival."

They had been rehearsing for many days in order to perform this dance for the prince.

They are now housed in the palace we prepared for Your Highness. If Your Highness finds them agreeable, you may summon them to relieve your boredom in your leisure time.

Jia Lian raised an eyebrow and said noncommittally, "You gentlemen are very kind."

Jin Shijia and the others were slightly taken aback, thinking that Jia Lian had just acted so "eager" and wished he could immediately grab those beauties and molest them.

Why are you suddenly becoming distant again?

Without time to think it through, Jin Shijia clapped his hands again.

Same location, same method, but different people come in.

Two rows of attendants entered from either side of the palace gate.

Each of them was holding a tray.

On each tray, neatly arranged, two-finger-thick, gleaming square gold nuggets were laid out.

Two rows of twenty people, which is twenty trays of gold ingots, looked very dazzling.

Jin Shijia smiled and said, "Your Highness has come from afar, and we, your humble servants, are afraid that we have not been able to entertain you properly. Therefore, we have prepared a small gift, and we hope that Your Highness will accept it with pleasure."

"Oh……"

Jia Lian nodded, his tone even more indifferent. (End of Chapter)