The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

These were clearly valuables plundered from the people of North Korea, yet he was forced to return them; he was unwilling to accept this.

Li Song felt resentful upon hearing this, and frowned, saying, "They gave me even more, so returning it... is indeed a pity."

Pan Yu murmured, "If only it could be returned to its rightful owner."

As soon as they finished speaking, the two looked up at each other and revealed cunning smiles.

Li Song and Pan Yu both frowned and went together to refuse the envoy sent by the Japanese army.

The two men sternly refused the bribe offered by the Japanese envoy and even offered to return the treasure to them.

Before they could return the money, a cry came from outside the camp. A personal guard ran in and said, "General Li, General Pan, a group of Korean landlords have come to the camp. They say that all their money has been stolen by the Japanese and they are asking us to take action."

Li Song said in a friendly tone, "Call them in. Perfect timing. I have a batch of gold and silver jewelry sent by the Japanese pirates. Let them come and identify if it's the one they lost."

The Japanese envoy stared wide-eyed, expressing his disbelief: "General Li, this is the treasure we've brought; it belongs to Japan!"

Pan Yu sneered, "You broke into someone else's house to kill and rob, and before you've even left their house, the looted treasure is already yours? Even a shameless scoundrel wouldn't say such a thing. Men, bring them in!"

The guards immediately went down to take the men away.

The Japanese envoy objected and tried to close the box and take it away, but the soldiers drew their swords and held them to his neck, rendering him unable to move.

More than twenty North Koreans rushed in, including the elderly, young people, women and children. Some were dressed in bright clothes, while others were covered in patched clothes, barefoot, and had calloused hands, clearly from impoverished backgrounds.

But no matter who it is, the first thing they look up at when they come in is Pan Yu.

Pan Yu lowered his eyes. They received the signal, glanced around, and saw the gold and silver jewelry in two boxes, one large and one small, on the ground. They rushed over...

More than twenty people pounced on the box, yelling and shouting. One of them grabbed the pearls inside the box and shouted in Korean, "This is my family's!"

One man clutched a gold bar and wailed, "This is the treasure my father left me!"

A woman clutched a dozen or so pearls, tears streaming down her face: "These were all given to me by my husband."

A child of about seven or eight years old even pulled out a handful of gems and burst into tears, crying, "These are from my house!"

……

Japanese envoy: ...

Shouldn't you take a look at yourselves? Do you deserve these treasures?

The Japanese envoy was furious but helpless.

Li Song, with a kind expression, comforted them, "Since it belongs to you, return it to its rightful owner. Don't be sad. What is rightfully yours, our Great Ming will never be greedy or robbed!"

The elderly, young women, and children were all moved to tears, deeply grateful.

They immediately took off their coats, poured out all the gold and silver jewelry, shared some with each other, and left with it.

The Japanese envoys' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. But they had no chance to resist, not even the right to speak, and were quickly thrown out of the camp.

The twenty-odd people who left did not stop, carrying their bundles directly to the Korean government office at the rear, where they unfolded the contents of their arms and handed them to the officials.

As the North Korean officials inventoried the goods, tears streamed down their faces. The North Korean grain merchants and landlords who came to testify, seeing this, also had tears in their eyes and immediately decided to sell them grain at pre-war prices.

That's right, these people are all suppliers hired by the government.

In the aftermath of the war, everything was in ruins and the most important task was to ensure the food supply for the people of North Korea so that they could survive.

However, due to the war, food prices soared, and the food in ordinary people's homes was either burned or looted by the Japanese army.

The King of Joseon was already trying to provide disaster relief, but with the capital destroyed and the palace looted, they lost a lot of money and food, and were in dire straits.

He appealed to wealthy people across the country for help, hoping they would donate money and food to settle the people, but the effect was not significant.

The Korean officials had been deeply troubled by this matter. When they saw that General Li and General Pan of the Ming Dynasty were willing to bear the infamy and accept the treasures offered by the Japanese army to benefit the people, they were moved and saddened. Overwhelmed with grief and gratitude, tears streamed down their faces.

Well, they've worked so hard for so long, but these misers just won't give a penny. They either complain about being poor or say that the Japanese pirates looted everything. But when they're called in as witnesses, they suddenly become generous.

The North Korean official immediately stopped crying, wiped away his tears, took out paper and pen, and asked them solicitously how much grain they could sell at the original price.
The price of grain is now three times that before the war. Although we still have to spend money to buy it, as long as we can buy it at the original price, it's considered that they have donated two-thirds of it.

Moreover, as they kept remembering, some gentry members, in a moment of excitement and determination, decided to donate an extra batch of grain in addition to the portion they sold.

The North Korean officials were overjoyed, having vaguely grasped something. After tallying the grain shipment, one of the officials wrote an official document overnight and submitted it to the King of Korea, praising the righteous deeds of Yi Song and Pan Yu.

Not only that, he also wrote a limerick, in which he took a string of copper coins and went out to find people early in the morning. He found a group of children, taught them the song, and then had them sing it everywhere. It was a poem praising the righteous deeds of Li Song and Pan Yu.

When other officials saw the official document and heard the satirical poem, they immediately understood and also used their intelligence to compose poems and articles, which were then circulated everywhere.

So, while Hosokawa Mochiyoshi was furious because of Yi Song's refusal, Yi Song and Pan Yu's fame spread far and wide, and everyone in Korea knew that they had taken out the treasures that Japan had bribed them with and used them to help the Korean people.

The people of Joseon were deeply moved. Their gratitude was simple: they first knelt down in the direction of Busan, praying that the gods and Buddhas would bless General Li and General Pan with peace, health, and longevity; then they turned and bowed to the Ming emperor in the direction of the capital of the Ming Dynasty; finally, they took a piece of wood, carved the names of Li Song and Pan Yu on it, and set up a memorial tablet for them to prolong their lives.

Li Dao's gratitude was also very direct. He wrote a heartfelt letter to the emperor and then sent it to the capital by an envoy.

The delegation celebrating the Grand Preceptor's birthday set off together. Now that victory was in sight, he decided that they should still try to win over the Ming Dynasty. As long as the suzerain state stood on their side, they would not be afraid of Japan.

Bribing the Ming soldiers was useless.

Of course, Li Tao wasn't stupid. He wasn't just expressing his gratitude verbally. He also prepared two sets of gold and silver jewelry and sent them to Li Song and Pan Yu.

Li Song and Pan Yu both accepted the gifts, and then had them distributed to their subordinates, which greatly boosted morale and stabilized the army's morale.

Li Tao was even more pleased and wrote another letter to the emperor, urging the envoy to hurry and catch up with the delegation.

The mission sped off and disappeared in no time.

The imperial court had already learned of the stalemate on the battlefield through military telegrams, and was also aware of this situation. They also knew that Korea had dispatched a congratulatory envoy to the capital, who should arrive in about ten days at top speed. (End of Chapter)