The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

The Ezo people lived in northern Japan, which later became Hokkaido. At that time, the area was still inhabited by tribes and belonged to the wilderness.

The area north of Ezo was called Kuwu, which belonged to the Ming Dynasty and was under the jurisdiction of Nurgan Regional Military Commission, which is the later Sakhalin Island.

The distance between Sakhalin Island and Ezo, and between Ezo and Japan, is separated by only a small strait; if you look at a map, it's a distance you could just hop across.

In fact, even a small fishing boat can cross these two straits.

Therefore, if the Ming Dynasty wished, it could bring the Ainu people under its control and place them under the jurisdiction of the Nurgan Regional Military Commission, or directly establish a separate prefecture there.

If the Ezo were also incorporated into the Ming Dynasty, then going to Japan would truly be just a fishing boat's distance away.

"I heard this is the Imperial Advisor's intention. Don't tell me you don't know what he means. It's obvious that the Imperial Advisor is interested in more than just Mount Omori in Japan." Li Song's eyes were full of ambition: "The court sent you to inspect the military affairs in the north, and the Imperial Advisor didn't object at all. How long can the Nurgan Regional Military Commission remain a tributary prefecture?"

Pan Yu was shocked: "You want to directly govern the Nurgan Regional Military Commission of the Ming Dynasty?"

“Why not?” Li Song said, “The Nurgan Commandery is full of Jurchen tribes. They may seem respectful now, but they have long harbored rebellious intentions. If given the opportunity to grow stronger, they could become the next Oirat or Tatar, or even the former Yuan.”

Pan Yu: "Judging by actions rather than intentions, your words are all speculation."

Li Song looked at him with disdain: "We say you scholars are cunning because you act in a roundabout way; we say you are simple-minded because you are so tolerant of foreigners and think so little."

He said, “What do you mean by judging by actions and not intentions? Who in this world doesn’t act for personal gain? Look at how respectful the people of Korea are to our Great Ming today. That’s because they asked for help, and our Great Ming came without harming their subjects. If they had asked for help and I hadn’t come, or if our soldiers had offended them, would they still be so respectful?”

Pan Yu looked speechless: "Brother Li, do you want to hear what you're saying?"

Li Song looked completely innocent: "What did I say?"

Pan Yu: "The example you gave illustrates that our Great Ming Dynasty is benevolent and righteous, and vassal states reciprocate with respect. This is a positive example. If our Great Ming Dynasty treated the Jurchen tribes in the same way..."

“That’s different,” Li Song paused, unable to think of a good analogy, and then slapped his head and said, “The Jurchens are also a branch of the Mongols, just like the Oirats and Tatars. As long as they have the opportunity to grow bigger, they will seize land, expand their territory, and invade the south like the former Yuan Dynasty. They will classify other ethnic groups as inferior and make them their slaves for eternity.”

Li Song's eyes flashed: "Therefore, we must change the Nurgan Regional Military Commission to a directly administered one. I have had this idea before, but I have been troubled by the neglect of the court's border strategy and have no channel to voice my opinion. Now that the court has restarted the border strategy, not only the emperor and the national advisor, but also all the officials in the court are paying attention to the border strategy. If we do not change it now, when will we?"

Pan Yu looked around and saw that his personal guards were all in the back, so he put his arm around one of their shoulders and whispered, "Do you know why the court suddenly attaches such importance to Liaodong and the Nurgan Regional Military Commission?"

Li Song also lowered his voice and asked, "Why?"

Pan Yu’s voice was barely audible: “Because there are large amounts of iron ore, copper ore and oil in the land of Liaodong and Nurgan Regional Military Commission.”

Li Song stared at him wide-eyed, then suppressed his excitement and asked, "What is oil?"

“Petroleum,” Pan Yu looked at him with disdain: “You should read more books. Petroleum is scientifically known as petroleum, and it is recorded in detail in Dream Pool Essays.”

Li Song: "...The scientific name is petroleum, so why does the Armed Forces Department have a Fire Oil Workshop but not a Petroleum Workshop?"

Pan Yu: "Perhaps they felt that the name 'oil' wasn't powerful or imposing enough."

Li Song slapped his shoulder and said happily, "Isn't this perfect? ​​There are so many good things in Nurgan Commandery, we can't just leave them unattended. Brother, I can let you return to the capital by sea openly. As long as you see the Imperial Advisor, ask her to change Nurgan Commandery from a tributary prefecture to a directly administered prefecture..."

Pan Yu was about to pull her arm back when Li Song held it tightly.

Pan Yu said helplessly, "It's not that I'm unwilling, but our Pan family has long made it clear that we will never involve my younger sister in state affairs. I can submit a petition to the Ministry of War."

“My official rank is higher than yours. Do you think I can’t write this memorial?” Li Song replied, “What I lack is a channel to get this memorial into the cabinet and be seen by the cabinet ministers, so that it can be discussed in court.”

"That won't do either. If it happens once, it will happen again. You're trying to harm my Pan family."

“Tsk, are you my brother or not? We’ve been through life and death together twice, and you clearly agree with my point of view,” Li Song said. “This is something that is of great benefit to the country and the people. You have a shortcut but you don’t take it. You have to take the detour. If you can’t reach the destination by taking the detour, you will be a sinner for all time.”

Pan Yu looked at him speechlessly.

Li Song grabbed his neck and pressed, "I'll ask you one more time, are you going to take this shortcut or not?"

Seeing that he still remained silent, she rolled her eyes and said, "How about this, you introduce me to the Imperial Advisor, and I will speak."

The more Li Song talked, the better he thought this was. He became excited and said, "You and I are brothers. It's only natural for you to introduce your younger sister to me. What your younger sister and I talk about in private is our business. It doesn't violate the family rules and ancestral teachings of your Pan family, does it?"

Pan Yu: "You're quite the schemer."

He pulled Li Song's arm away and tossed it aside, then turned his neck and asked, "How are you going to take me back to the capital?"

Li Song took it as an agreement and said happily, "What's so difficult about that? I'll just say that after the great victory, the King of Joseon was grateful and specially sent an envoy to the capital to pay homage and wish to celebrate with the Ming Dynasty on the occasion of the Grand Preceptor's birthday. I'll send you with a few people to escort them there by sea."

Li Song said, "You don't even need to worry about the ships. The ships from North Korea are too small. I have already arranged for merchant ships from a caravan for you. They will depart first thing tomorrow morning."

Pan Yu: "You had this planned all along."

Li Song smiled slightly, patted his shoulder and said, "Brother, to be a general, you only need to know how to fight and manage troops. But if you want to be a commander-in-chief, you can't just look at the army. You have to look further and further ahead."

Pan Yu seemed to be deep in thought.

Li Song patted him on the shoulder, threw his head back, laughed heartily, and left.

Yi Song and the King of Joseon proposed sending a delegation back to the capital to deliver the good news. The King of Joseon readily agreed and even urgently summoned his ministers, asking them to come up with a way to put together a state gift on short notice.

Unfortunately, we couldn't gather much material.

The ministers said, "The Ming Dynasty is powerful and rich in resources. What treasures haven't they seen? If the capital hadn't been looted, they might have been able to gather some treasures, but now..."

Yi Do was also deeply saddened, and in the end, he could only put his own ideas and the "Hunminjeongeum" compiled by scholars into a box and have it sent to the capital.

With time running out and the mission demanding, the delegation arrived at the seaside early the next morning.

Pan Yu was accompanied by a group of personal guards, half of whom were Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) and Dali Temple officials who had come with him to inspect military affairs, and the other half were Li Song's confidants.

Everyone wore military uniforms and took naps in the cabins after boarding the ship.

The fleet consisted of merchant ships that had been temporarily requisitioned, but they were not at a loss, as the ships were not empty and were fully loaded with cargo.

Li Song agreed to their request. The ship, carrying officials, could be converted from a merchant ship into a government vessel. Once it arrived at Tianjin Port, the ship would not be required to pay customs duties.

If Pan Yu's face hadn't been so cold, they would have preferred to spread these people out, cramming two people onto each boat, so that the entire fleet would be official ships and wouldn't have to pay taxes at customs.

Of course, this was wishful thinking on their part. After mentioning it to Li Song and receiving a glare from him, they abandoned their plans.

The other half was also cut off after seeing Pan Yu's expressionless face.

Well, these generals have money but don't know how to make it. What can we do?

Alas, these border soldiers are not as resourceful as the officials in the court.

I've heard that fleets traveling the Japanese route can make pure profit by boarding silver ships without paying customs duties every time they enter or leave the country.

They were so envious that tears were about to stream down their faces.

Unfortunately, not just anyone could board the Silver Fleet. Moreover, while going through Tianjin Port was relatively safe, the eunuch Cao at Quanzhou Port was very strict, so the Silver Fleet dared not falsify documents.

A sense of regret flashed through the businessmen's minds, but it was only a fleeting feeling before they ordered the sails to be raised and the journey back home to speed things up.

This time, they made a lot of money.

They made money from grain, cloth, and porcelain. This time, they also purchased a large quantity of medicinal herbs and pearls from Korea. They did the math and figured they could make a fortune again when they returned to the Ming Dynasty.

Maritime trade is really profitable.

When Pan Yu woke up, they were already sailing on the vast ocean, but they could still see the faint coastline on their left.

The owner of the merchant ship stood with his hands behind his back at the bow, staring blankly to the left.

Pan Yu walked over, glanced at it, and asked, "Is that the coastline from Dandong to Jinzhouwei?"

The host came to his senses and immediately bowed to Pan Yu.

Pan Yu waved his hand and asked, "Liaodong is famous for its timber. Haven't you ever thought about buying timber from Korea and Liaodong by sea?"

The landlord stared wide-eyed at Pan Yu.

Pan Yu immediately understood that this person had thought about it.

He smiled slightly and asked, "If you've thought about it, why not do it?"

The owner said helplessly, "The import and export tariffs on timber are too high."

Pan Yu seemed to be deep in thought.

Traveling by sea is indeed fast, and this time the weather was perfect. Not only was the wind smooth all the way, but the sea breeze was also gentle and not too strong or weak, so the ship would not encounter any obstacles or rock. Once the sails were set up, the ship broke through the wind and waves and sped forward.

So, it didn't even take three days.

Around 7 a.m. on the third day, they saw Tianjin Port. Before noon, the ships entered the port. Their ship, flying the flag of the Liaodong Army, as well as the flags of the Ming Dynasty and Korea, went directly through another channel.

Before noon, the delegation disembarked.

Pan Yu took out the Liaodong Army's token, the Korean King's signed letter, and Li Song's military order, and ordered someone to notify the post station to prepare horses immediately.

They ate only a bowl of noodles on the shore before taking their horses and heading straight for the capital.

As the group disembarked, they felt the ground still shaking, and their bodies felt as if they were swaying in the seawater. Suddenly, they mounted their horses and all of them became dizzy.

But Pan Yu had already gone quite far, and they could only endure their dizziness and slap their horses' rumps to catch up.

By the time they arrived at the post station ten miles outside the capital, it was already completely dark.

The North Korean envoys tumbled off their horses and lay motionless on the ground.

Pan Yu was still full of energy. He threw his riding whip to the courier who had chased him out, grabbed a Korean envoy in each hand and dragged him into the post station: "These are envoys from Korea. Prepare to take them to the rooms."

"Wait, wait," the courier hurriedly said as he chased after him, "General, the main rooms are already full today, only the side rooms are empty."

Pan Yu frowned: "Who lives in the main room? Is their official rank at least the third grade?"

Korean envoys are state envoys. Regardless of their rank, as long as they carry a letter of credence, they can be considered third-rank officials and enjoy the treatment of third-rank officials.

When Ming Dynasty envoys traveled abroad, they received even better treatment, being treated the same as the kings of vassal states, since they represented the Ming Emperor.

Pan Yu believed that if people were to be respected, the Ming Dynasty should set an example by doing so. Therefore, these Korean envoys should be treated as officials of the third rank upon entering the country.

The courier didn't take it seriously; it was just a vassal state.

He said in a low voice, "The two cousins ​​of the Sun family are staying in the upper rooms on the left and right. How can envoys from a mere vassal state compare to imperial relatives?"

"What official rank did they hold?"

"No class!" Two young men, around eighteen or nineteen years old, dressed in fine clothes, walked down the stairs and looked down at Pan Yu.

Pan Yu looked up and sized up the two men with neither arrogance nor servility, and said, "Fifth rank? Even excluding envoys, I am now a fourth-rank official, which is unfortunate, above you."

The two burst out laughing, and when they saw Pan Yu frowning, they laughed even harder.

The young man in royal blue on the left said cheerfully, "What fifth rank? We're talking about no rank. No official position, no job, so naturally no rank."

Pan Yu's face darkened: "Without rank, what right do you have to live in the superior rooms?"

"On what grounds? Of course, it's because of our imperial aunt and imperial maternal aunt," the young man said arrogantly, glancing sideways at Pan Yu. "If you're so capable, go ahead and sue my imperial aunt."

"Your imperial aunt is Empress Dowager Sun?"

The young man simply pointed his chin at him and arrogantly said, "Exactly."

Pan Yu nodded thoughtfully: "I understand."

He turned to the courier and said, "Arrange rooms for us."

Not to mention the young man waiting for him to make his move on the stairs, even the post station soldier was stunned for a moment. Was that all?

If you can't fight back, shouldn't you at least try to flatter them a little?

How could you just accept it so easily?
Seeing that the post station soldiers did not move, Pan Yu asked angrily, "Could it be that even the side rooms are gone?"

"Yes, yes, yes," the courier replied, quickly leading them to the side room.

Because there were many of them, the courier soldiers assigned them rooms on both the left and right sides.

The envoys were still dazed and knew nothing. Pan Yu carried them into the room and put them on the bed. They were still half-dead.

Pan Yu looked at them with sympathy and guilt. In order to save time, he had not given them any time to rest.

Fortunately, they didn't complain. He said they needed to hurry on their way, so they obediently continued on their way.

Based on this, Pan Yu was happy to take care of them.

After carrying the state gifts they had brought to the room, Pan Yu arranged for soldiers to fetch water for them to wash up and assigned people to keep watch at night before they went to rest.

They quickly quieted down, but the two young men in the inn were unhappy, feeling a tightness in their chests that made them uncomfortable.

"Who was that person? Why did he go to stay in the side room without saying a word?"

"They've offended us and won't even admit their mistake! This is outrageous!" (End of Chapter)