Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 525 He Wants to Steal My Throne?!
The purge in Goryeo lasted for a full month. Not only were the three pro-Yuan families of Kwon, Roh, and Ki bloodily wiped out, but Wang Jeon also removed the Yuan court's Eastern Expeditionary Province office, which had been established in Goryeo, and the "retired emperor" who had been a powerful figure over the Goryeo monarch and his officials. This completely severed the Yuan court's control over Goryeo.

Furthermore, for his own safety, Wang Zhuan also purged all the eunuchs and palace maids planted in the palace by the pro-Yuan faction.

It's not fair to say he was being paranoid, because in the original history, Wang Zhuan died from a counterattack by the pro-Yuan faction. Moreover, it wasn't the Yuan Dynasty that killed him, but the Northern Yuan, which had been driven to the Mongolian steppe by the Ming army, used their remaining influence in Goryeo to instruct eunuchs in the Goryeo palace to assassinate him.

Another key figure in the pro-Yuan faction in Goryeo was none other than Wang Jeon's lawfully wedded wife, the legitimate daughter of the Yuan Dynasty's King of Wei, who was granted the title of Princess Lu by the Yuan Dynasty—Patashiri. The saying, "Every Goryeo king was a son-in-law of a Mongol," was not just a figure of speech.
Wang Zhuan had quite a bit of affection for his Mongol wife, whom he had married through proper channels. The couple were already very loving, and more importantly, Wang Zhuan originally had no chance of inheriting the Goryeo throne. If he hadn't married Baotashiri and gained political advantage from the Mongols, he would never have become the king of Goryeo.

Wang Zhuan rose to power by virtue of being a son-in-law of a Mongol woman, and now he really couldn't bring himself to kill his own wife.

After much hesitation, Wang Zhuan finally replaced Baota Shili's confidants with his own people, including her maids and eunuchs. He then took several new concubines to distance himself from his principal wife.

They didn't publicly depose her, nor did they banish her to the cold palace. They simply met less and less, and in the last few months they didn't see each other at all, which was considered a way of ignoring her.

After all this was done, it wasn't until the end of that year that Wang Zhuan summoned Lian Tichen and Zheng Shiyun to his side again, and the three of them began to discuss the follow-up matters.

In the palace of Gaegyeong, after the guards and palace servants had left and only the emperor and his ministers remained, Zheng Shiyun spoke.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the most urgent task is to find out the situation of Xianxing and Yongxing Prefectures (Shuangcheng General Administration Prefecture) as soon as possible. If the Ming army has not yet arrived, our country can take the lead in occupying the two prefectures and recover the lost territory. No matter what the Ming emperor says, we should create a fait accompli first. At worst, we can pay tribute and negotiate with them later. Perhaps we can take back Xianxing and Yongxing Prefectures."

These words immediately stirred Wang Zhuan's heart. To be honest, Wang Zhuan himself also very much hoped to recover the lost territory. If he succeeded, it would not only strengthen his authority, but more importantly, land was a tangible benefit. Which monarch could resist the temptation of expanding his territory? How could he possibly give it up?

However, before Wang Zhuan could speak, Lian Tichen spoke first.

"There's no need to think about this, Your Majesty. The Ming army has already occupied the Shuangcheng General Administration Office. If we were to send troops to take it now, it would be an open provocation of a war between the two countries. We have just purged the pro-Yuan faction in the country, the court is in turmoil, and we have not yet dealt with the internal and external troubles. It would be unwise to start a war with the Ming now."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhuan and Zheng Shiyun were both taken aback and exchanged bewildered glances. Wang Zhuan immediately asked, "How did you know, Uncle Kai, that the Ming army had already occupied Xianxing and Yongxing prefectures?"

Lian Tichen smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty is unaware that the Ming army's northern expedition was extremely fierce and swift. By late September, the Ming cavalry vanguard had already reached the vicinity of Dadu. On September 30, the main force led by the Ming emperor was at the gates of Dadu. In fact, I was captured by them long ago. So why was I only released back to the country in the winter?"

"That's because the Ming emperor was also a shrewd man. He had already thought of everything we could think of. They kept me at the Yalu River for nearly a month, delaying my crossing of the river to return home, just to buy time for the Ming army. It wasn't until mid-October, when the Ming army seized the Shuangcheng General Administration Office first, creating a fait accompli, that they allowed me to cross the river and return home."

"It's too late for us to take back Shuangcheng now. Fighting now would be tantamount to openly provoking war."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhuan and Zheng Shiyun immediately sighed.

You want to create a fait accompli, right? Then let's see who can send troops faster and who can occupy the territory first. That's the 'fait accompli'!
Lu Jin's Northern Expedition was a strategic deception orchestrated beforehand, using false intelligence to make the Yuan court believe he intended to attack Fujian and Guangdong first, then launch a feint attack in the east and a counterattack in the west. As a result, he marched straight north as soon as the war began, and then launched four armies simultaneously, suffering huge non-combat casualties and marching at a pace that would kill his soldiers. All of this was in order to seize key points as quickly as possible and complete the strategic encirclement of Yan and Yun.

Even the Yuan court couldn't guess Lu Jin's strategic intentions. After the battle, they were on the defensive at every turn. Xiao Tieguo didn't even know where to run. Goryeo, which knew nothing about the Ming army, couldn't seize the strategic initiative. Who could have imagined that Lu Jin's appetite for this northern expedition would be so big? Before even conquering Yanyun, he first penetrated deep into the Gobi Desert and occupied Liaodong. The recovery of Yanyun was just a side effect. Lu Jin didn't even consider Dadu as the main target.

By the time Goryeo remembered to 'recover lost territory,' Lu Jin had already occupied Liaodong. Now, Liaodong has been occupied by the Ming army, which is an established fact.
Wang Zhuan sighed and frowned, saying, "It seems that the Ming emperor, who was able to destroy the Yuan Dynasty and drive out the Mongols in just three years, is definitely not a kind person. We must be careful when dealing with the Ming Dynasty in the future."

"However, I had previously heard that this person's surname was Lu, so why has he changed it to Gongshu now?"

Lian Tichen immediately explained, “This man claims to be a descendant of Gongshu Ban, a vassal of the Zhou dynasty in China. He was a great carpenter in the Western Zhou dynasty. Because he lived in the state of Lu, he was also known as Lu Ban. Many of his descendants took Lu as their surname. This man claims to be a direct descendant of the Gongshu clan. He used to call himself Lu to hide his identity. Now that he has restored the surname Gongshu, it is simply to restore his ancestor’s surname. Therefore, he also takes the surname Gongshu.”

"I see." Wang Zhuan suddenly realized.

Zheng Shiyun didn't care what Lu Jin's surname was, but frowned and asked, "Is the Ming army really that strong? Mr. Lian saw the Ming army in Dadu with his own eyes, do you know what characteristics the Ming army has?"

Lian Tichen thought for a moment before saying, "I haven't had much contact with the Ming army, and most of what I've heard is hearsay. If you'd like to hear from me, General, I'll share a few things as a reference."

Zheng Shiyun and Wang Zhuan both nodded, and then Lian Tichen continued.

"It is said that the Ming army had a considerable number of troops. Unlike the Mongols, they did not divide their forces into thousands or tens of thousands of households. Instead, they used regiments, divisions, armies, and field armies. A regiment had four or five thousand men, and each division had three regiments, totaling about fifteen thousand men. Two divisions formed an army, with twenty or thirty thousand men. Two armies formed an army group, with fifty or sixty thousand men. Two army groups formed a field army, with over one hundred thousand men. The Ming army had as many as five such field armies!"
"These are all called field armies. In addition to the field armies, there are also the semi-agricultural and semi-military guards stationed in the local areas. It is said that every village, town and county government has them, and they are spread all over the country. There may be no less than a million of them. These guards do not need to go out to fight, but with them, the field armies can not worry about the rear and can concentrate on fighting on the front line."

"In addition, the Ming emperor also has a directly commanded imperial guard, called the Imperial Guard, which is similar to the Kheshig of the Yuan dynasty. It is said that there are nearly ten divisions. Unlike those field armies, the Ming emperor's Imperial Guard mainly uses firearms. It is said that their muskets are very powerful, with a variety of types and amazing power."

"Whenever a major battle occurred, the Ming emperor would dispatch the Imperial Guards to reinforce various military forces, making each force a large army of hundreds of thousands of men, capable of conquering cities and fortresses and winning every battle."

"I don't know how many army groups the Ming Dynasty used for this Northern Expedition, but in Liaodong alone, there was at least one army group. When I was escorted back to the country, I passed through Jinzhou and heard that there was an army group commander surnamed Yang there. When I was in Dadu, I also saw another army group commander surnamed Zhu by the side of the Ming emperor."

"The one who directly led troops to garrison Dongning Prefecture and confronted our country on the Yalu River was said to be a group army commander surnamed Liu. This person also seemed to be a Red Turban rebel, and one of the earliest Red Turban rebels to rise up against the Yuan Dynasty. However, his troops did not develop as well as Gongshu Jin's later troops, and he was probably incorporated into his forces later."

"Furthermore, I've heard that this General Liu's troops aren't directly under Commander Yang's command, but are only temporarily under his control. If that's the case, the Ming army in Liaodong should be more than just one army group. Adding the Imperial Guards, cavalry, and other units, the Ming army in Liaodong might have three or four army groups, roughly two army groups." Wang Zhuan and Zheng Shiyun were stunned upon hearing this. Zheng Shiyun immediately said, "In that case, wouldn't the Ming army in Liaodong alone number around 200,000?"

Lian Tichen nodded. "Yes, that's about right."

Seeing Lian Tichen nod, Zheng Shiyun immediately deflated. The Ming army had deployed 200,000 troops in Liaodong. What was the point of fighting them? Even if all 200,000 Ming troops couldn't be stationed on the border between the Ming and Goryeo, even if he could break through the outermost line of defense and seize a few cities from the border, the Ming could immediately gather at least 100,000 main forces in Liaodong and launch a rapid counterattack.

He can choose to start a war, but once a war between two countries is started, when it will end is no longer up to him.

Moreover, the Ming army is now composed of elite troops who have just founded the country and are invincible throughout China. Can Goryeo really defeat these elite Ming troops?
Thinking of this, Zheng Shiyun and Wang Zhuan immediately abandoned their idea of ​​provoking the Ming Dynasty and recovering lost territory. Let alone starting a war between the two countries, even if they wanted to steal a chicken and quietly occupy some land, it would probably not be easy.

Wang Zhuan suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the main hall. Lian Tichen and Zheng Shiyun exchanged a glance and quickly stood up as well.

After a moment, Wang Zhuan asked again, “Uncle Kai, the Ming emperor acts so domineeringly, killing my envoys, slaughtering my generals and commanders, detaining my soldiers, seizing the two cities of Hamhung and Yeonghung that originally belonged to our country, and even threatening to take Jeju Island. Now he has deployed 200,000 troops in Liaodong. What exactly is his intention?”

"Have they made any demands regarding our country, such as submission and tribute?"

"Well," Lian Tichen thought for a moment before saying, "The Ming emperor didn't bring it up himself. Before I left, I asked the Ming emperor when he would let us come to pay tribute. He didn't say it clearly, but only told me to bring back the heads of those pro-Yuan factions and help Your Majesty clean up the pro-Yuan factions in the country first."

"As for paying tribute and becoming a vassal, although he did not bring it up himself, I suppose he would not object to it."

"Furthermore, I have a guess about this."

"What guess?" Wang Zhuan asked quickly.

"The Ming emperor is well aware of the malpractices in our Goryeo country. He even knows about the arrogance of the pro-Yuan faction, the land annexation, the widespread refugees, the boiling resentment among the people, the harassment by Japanese pirates, and the raids on the capital region. He even pointed these things out to me, probably to blackmail us."

"He has not yet asked us to submit to him and pay tribute. However, given the current situation, we do need a safe environment to address the problems in our country and at least secure a few years of peace. If we want to achieve peace between the two countries, we must take the initiative to submit to the Ming Dynasty. In this way, the initiative will shift to the Ming Dynasty, and we will be the ones begging to submit to them."

"The Ming emperor is quite domineering, and I am worried that he might take this opportunity to make exorbitant demands on Goryeo and blackmail us."

"Furthermore, Your Majesty's uncle, Prince Deokheung, is also in the hands of the Ming Dynasty, being held hostage by the Ming Emperor. If we cannot satisfy the Ming Emperor, it is not impossible for him to forcibly send troops to bring Prince Deokheung back and seize the throne of Goryeo."

"What?! He wants to support my cousin to seize my throne?!" Wang Zhuan was shocked upon hearing this.

Lian Tichen quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, these are all my guesses, but Your Majesty's uncle is indeed being held hostage by the Ming Dynasty. If the two countries develop a rift, or if the Ming Dynasty is not satisfied with your submission and tribute, given the Ming emperor's domineering style, they might actually do such a thing."

"Therefore, I suggest that if we really want to become a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty and pay tribute, we must ask them to return Your Majesty's cousin, Lord Deheung."

Wang Zhuan then frowned and nodded, "What you say makes sense, sir. I almost forgot about this uncle of mine."

He frowned and pondered for a moment before looking at Lian Tichen and Zheng Shiyun, "In your opinion, should we submit to the Ming Dynasty or not?"

Jeong Se-un is currently Goryeo's top military commander, but whether or not to submit to Goryeo is clearly a matter of domestic affairs, so he couldn't say anything. Therefore, he gave a seemingly unrelated answer.

"Regardless of Your Majesty's plans, given the 200,000 elite troops currently stationed in Liaodong by the Ming Dynasty, it is certainly not feasible for us to launch a campaign against the Ming Dynasty. However, if we rely on the terrain for defense within our own borders, we need not worry too much about the Ming Dynasty."

This means that they definitely cannot win a direct attack, but they can protect themselves. Even if they are unwilling to submit and pay tribute, they can still defend themselves if the Ming army attacks.

Wang Zhuan was no fool; he could naturally understand the meaning behind Zheng Shiyun's words. So he turned his questioning gaze to Lian Tichen again.

Lian Tichen frowned and immediately said, "Your Majesty, the Ming emperor is indeed right. Goryeo is currently beset by internal and external troubles and cannot afford any more trouble. I urge Your Majesty to prioritize the country and endure the humiliation for a while. Perhaps Goryeo can be restored to its former glory."

"Now that the Yuan Dynasty is gone, look at the Ming Emperor. Although he is somewhat domineering, he has no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of Goryeo. Now that the pro-Yuan faction has been eliminated by Your Majesty, there is no longer any resistance to implementing the new policies. This is a golden opportunity for Your Majesty to show your abilities."

"Why not endure the humiliation for now and wait for Goryeo to be restored? There may be other changes in the future."

Wang Zhuan frowned and pondered for a moment after hearing this, then nodded. “Sir, you are wise and prudent, and your words are all for the benefit of the country. I understand. It is indeed not advisable to start another conflict with the Ming Dynasty now. The most urgent task is to distribute the land seized by the Quan, Lu, and Qi families to the people, and to restore the freedom of those good people who have been taken into slavery by the three families.”

Upon hearing this, Lian Tichen and Zheng Shiyun immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"

(End of this chapter)