The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

The Japanese army's wishful thinking about ceding the area south of Seoul was out of the question, and even occupying Busan was impossible.

What a joke! They were defeated, and they still expect the victorious nations to pay reparations and cede territory?

Not to mention North Korea would never agree, even Li Song and Pan Yu wouldn't have the face to agree.

Japan attacked Korea without cause, and the Ming Dynasty decided to severely punish Japan as a warning to others.

All Japanese soldiers must withdraw from Korea and are prohibited from invading Korea again. At the same time, Japan must pay reparations to compensate the Korean people.

All things considered, Japan has to compensate Korea for a considerable amount.

After the peace treaty was officially signed, Hosokawa Mochiyoshi led his army and crammed onto warships to leave.

He stood at the stern, gazing at the receding coastline, his eyes filled with malice.

The envoy from the shogunate standing nearby was delighted: "Finally, we can go home."

The two of them chatted happily: "The Ming Dynasty only made us pay compensation to Korea, but not to them? When they proposed compensation, I thought the Ming Dynasty would also make us pay for the soldiers' pensions and war losses..."

"The Ming Dynasty is the suzerain state, so it is naturally magnanimous. This time, he is upholding justice for Korea, so naturally he will not make us pay compensation."

"What if we lose the attack on the Ming Dynasty..."

"They probably won't have to pay compensation, right? But they might cross the sea and occupy our islands. Even if they don't occupy the land, they'll probably increase the amount of tribute, right? Forget about such things. Offending the suzerain state is a serious crime!"

"Yes, yes, we can't think about it. The last time the shogunate sent troops, they suffered a great defeat. Fortunately, they shifted the blame onto those ronin and pirates..."

"Aaaaah—" Hosokawa Mochiyoshi finally couldn't hold back anymore, roared in fury, drew his sword and turned to slash!
The noise on the ship vanished instantly.

Hosokawa Mochiyoshi raised his head, his eyes bloodshot as he surveyed his surroundings, and said with a grim face, "If I hear you discussing reparations again, I will kill you without mercy!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the person in front of him, whose eyes had widened, was dislocated and split in two, blood spurting out, before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

Hosokawa Mochiyoshi didn't care at all, sheathed his sword, and turned to leave.

Li Song and Pan Yu saw it from the shore. Although the boat was far away, both of them were skilled archers, had good eyesight, and were also a little farsighted.

Li Song pursed his lips and asserted, "This man is ruthless and narrow-minded. Once this feud is formed, he will surely hold a grudge against our Great Ming. He should be eliminated."

Pan Yu: "His elder brother, Hosokawa Mochiyoshi, was one of the Kanrei (chief advisors) of the shogunate."

Li Song: "So what? Whether it's a wolf's ambition or a wolf's ambition towards our Great Ming, it should be eliminated."

Pan Yu: "What I mean is that we can get rid of them through their internal strife within the shogunate. Didn't those two envoys hint several times that the Ashikaga shogun has grown up and wants to rule in his own right?"

Li Song cursed inwardly, thinking how filthy the heart was, no wonder he was born into a scholarly family.

Thinking of Pan Yu's relationship with the Imperial Preceptor, Li Song cursed even more in his heart, feeling that it was an insult to the Imperial Preceptor's sanctity.

Indeed, although Li Song had never met the Imperial Advisor, he still revered her. Leaving aside the rumors about her in the army, the telegraph machine and new cannons she developed were enough to make him worship her. Moreover, she had also established an iron and steel smelting workshop in Liaodong and rectified corruption within the army.

Li Song glanced at Pan Yu with envy and jealousy, then turned and left.

Pan Yu quickly followed behind him: "General Li, now that the war is over, can I return to the capital?"

Li Song replied without turning his head, "Return to the capital? You are an inspector; without an imperial decree, what right do you have to go back?"

Pan Yu was taken aback and quickly chased after him: "My inspection is over. I stayed behind because of the sudden war in Korea. The court ordered me to be the vanguard. Now that the war is over, I am going back to the capital to report on my duties."

Li Song glanced at him sideways: "If you go back now, you won't make it in time for the Imperial Preceptor's birthday. What's the point of going back?"

Pan Yu choked, then looked up at the sea.

Li Song: "As an official appointed by the imperial court, do you know what the consequences would be if you secretly took a merchant ship back from Korea?"

Pan Yun's birthday is in five days. The only way to get back to the capital is to take a boat across the sea, return to Tianjin Port within three days, and then ride a fast horse to get back to the capital in one day.

but……

He sighed deeply: "If only the imperial court had an official ship here."

Upon hearing this, Li Song's gaze deepened, and after a long pause, he said, "It might not be impossible."

"Hmm?" Pan Yu looked at him in confusion.

Li Songdao gestured with his chin toward the sea to the west: "Look, the small ones are local fishing boats, the large ones are merchant ships, and the vast majority of the merchant ships come from the Ming Dynasty."

"More and more merchant ships from the Ming Dynasty are coming to do business. We can have two ports in Japan, where the imperial ships dock and troops are stationed. Why can't we have a port here as well?"

Seeing Li Song's serious expression, Pan Yu frowned: "The ports of Japan were given to the court by the Grand Preceptor. The reason why the Grand Preceptor seized these two ports is because Japan acted improperly and massacred innocent people of our Great Ming. The Grand Preceptor was acting on behalf of Heaven and avenging the people. It is only natural for the court to accept the ports and Omori Township presented by the Grand Preceptor."

“But Korea has always been respectful to the Ming Dynasty. Even though it followed the Oirat Mongols in sending more envoys to return gifts in the early years, it restrained itself after the court expressed its displeasure. This time, the Ming Dynasty helped it resist the invasion of the Japanese pirates, which further deepened the friendship between the two countries,” Pan Yu said. “Our great Ming Dynasty is a great nation. As long as the vassal state is loyal to the Ming Dynasty and does not violate the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues, the Ming Dynasty will not interfere in its internal affairs. If you ask the Ming Dynasty to build a port and station troops here, wouldn’t that be going against the original intention of the Ming Dynasty?”

Li Song: "This is to help North Korea build a prosperous future. Do you know how poor Busan is?"

He gestured with his finger, indicating to Pan Yu to look: "It's barren, with hardly any trees, let alone crops. Most of the people here make a living by fishing. And fishing is one of the poorest professions. If a large port could be built here, do you think the people of Korea wouldn't be grateful to the Ming Dynasty?"

“Actually, I not only want to build a seaport here, come with me,” Li Song pulled him to look at the map and showed him the circles he had drawn: “Look, this is Jinzhouwei, this is Dandong, this is Zuotunwei. You can land on the island from these places, and you can quickly land in Liaodong from here. Supporting Liaodong from here is much faster than the army taking the land route. Moreover, as long as the soldiers don’t get seasick, they can wait in comfort! They can also transport a lot of supplies.”

Pan Yu also became serious and stared at the map carefully.

Seeing his interest, Li Song immediately said, "This is Busan, this is Yeosu, and here, and here too, all of them are islands. If we station troops in these two places, we can reach Japan in two days. Moreover, it is not far from Nanao Port. If something happens in Omori Township, it will be much closer to depart from here than from Tianjin Port."

Pan Yu: "Do you think things will change in Omori Township?"

Li Song said quietly, "Liaodong, like Datong, is the first choice for the imperial court to exile criminals. I heard that starting last year, the court began to exile some of the most vicious criminals to Ezo (Hokkaido)." (End of this chapter)