Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 527 I'm Giving You a Chance to Show Your Respect
Upon hearing Lu Jin's question, Lian Tichen immediately replied.

"Thanks to His Majesty's previous assistance, the leaders of those three clans were beheaded in Dadu, which allowed Goryeo to easily wipe out the pro-Yuan traitors. Now, the Qi, Lu, and Quan clans have all been brought to justice, the main culprits have been executed, and their relatives have been exiled."

"The Yuan Dynasty's Zhengdong Province office in Goryeo was also abolished, and from then on, the Mongol Yuan Dynasty had no possibility of controlling Goryeo. All of this is thanks to Your Majesty's benevolence."

"Therefore, as soon as this matter was concluded, my king ordered me to come and pay my respects to Your Majesty, to express my gratitude in person to Your Majesty the Celestial Dynasty, and to present a letter of state. Goryeo is willing to acknowledge the Great Ming as its suzerain state, to act as a bulwark for the Celestial Dynasty in the East Sea, and to jointly resist the Japanese pirates. We request Your Majesty to confer upon Goryeo the title of King, so that the two countries may forever maintain friendly relations."

As Lian Tichen spoke, he presented the letter of state with both hands, which was handed to Lu Jin by a guard. Lu Jin took it and glanced at it. It was nothing more than polite words, which, apart from greetings, emphasized the relationship between the two countries in resisting the Yuan and Japanese pirates, and indicated that the interests of the two countries were aligned.

Then he said that Goryeo was small and Ming was large, and expressed his willingness to follow the old practice of becoming a vassal state of the Central Plains, and to offer tribute to the Celestial Empire every year, requesting the superior country to confer titles upon him.

The list of tribute items was also attached, which included a thousand warhorses, Goryeo specialties such as ginseng, deer antlers, and sable furs, two hundred Goryeo tribute women, and other miscellaneous items such as cloth and stationery.

Lu Jin glanced at it briefly and thought that apart from the thousand warhorses and two hundred Goryeo tribute women, the rest were not worth mentioning. So he casually handed the letter of state to Li Shanchang and Feng Guoyong, who were standing next to him, and then deliberately found fault with it and said with dissatisfaction.

"Your letter of state is not sincere enough. You even attempt to confuse the public and fish in troubled waters. You think I would grant you a royal title? Do you really think I am so easily fooled? Do you think a royal title in my Great Ming Dynasty is so easy to obtain?"

Although Lian Tichen had anticipated that Lu Jin would make exorbitant demands and blackmail Goryeo, he did not expect Lu Jin to use the letter of state as a reason. The letter of state was one that he had carefully considered and written by hand, and had carefully checked every word with Wang Zhuan and others, for fear that Lu Jin would be dissatisfied with something. But now Lu Jin could still find fault with it, which really puzzled him.

He immediately asked in a panic, "I don't know if there are any errors in the official document. Your Majesty is ignorant and begs for clarification."

Lu Jin immediately said coldly, "Putting everything else aside, let's just talk about the fact that our two countries are jointly resisting the Yuan. You, Goryeo, have the nerve to say you're resisting the Yuan? When I led my army on the northern expedition, did Goryeo contribute anything to the resistance against the Yuan? Oh, right, you did send troops, that's true, but you were helping the Yuan court fight against the Ming army. Isn't that just misleading people? Can this really be called jointly resisting the Yuan? I think you're more like jointly resisting the Ming!"

Lian Tichen immediately broke out in a sweat, feeling that Lu Jin was being unreasonable. Before the Yuan Dynasty was destroyed, the Ming Dynasty had no diplomatic relations with Goryeo. How could Goryeo possibly help the Ming Dynasty resist the Yuan? Besides, the joint resistance against the Yuan in the letter of state clearly indicated Goryeo's future attitude.

As the saying goes, the law does not apply to the past. Can a newly enacted law still hold people accountable for past mistakes?

Lian Tichen immediately defended himself, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. The previous dispatch of troops to Dadu to fight against the Yuan army together was done by the pro-Yuan faction in the country. It was not my lord's original intention. My lord was also coerced by the Yuan court, which is why he had no choice but to allow the Yuan court to conscript troops in Goryeo."

"Furthermore, at that time, Goryeo and the Ming Dynasty had not yet established formal diplomatic relations, nor did they share a border. Moreover, the pro-Yuan faction within Goryeo was very powerful. Even if our lord wanted to help the Ming Dynasty resist the Yuan Dynasty, he was powerless to do so and could hardly protect himself."

"Moreover, many of the pro-Yuan envoys and generals sent to Dadu last time have been killed by Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty can calm down."

"Since that time, our lord, with the grace and guidance of His Majesty, has thoroughly purged the pro-Yuan faction within the country and severed ties with the Yuan court. Now that the two countries have formally established diplomatic relations, our country should naturally stand with the Celestial Dynasty to fight against the Yuan invaders."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin remained noncommittal, and then nitpicked again, "Oh? Have you really purged all the pro-Yuan factions in your country?"

"Indeed, they have all been wiped out. Even the Zhengdong Province has been eliminated. From now on, Goryeo and the Yuan invaders will have no further connection. Please rest assured, Your Majesty," Lian Tichen hurriedly replied.

Lu Jin slammed his fist on the table in dissatisfaction. "Hmph, you told me to rest assured, but why did you only mention the three surnames Qi, Lu, and Quan, and that damned Zhengdong Province? Isn't the biggest pro-Yuan faction in your country Wang Zhuan's wife? Why didn't you mention Princess Baotashili of Lu, who was conferred the title by the Yuan barbarians?"
"What? You're keeping this woman around so you can have a backup plan, so you can waver between the Yuan and Ming dynasties at a crucial moment?!"

Upon hearing Lu Jin mention the Pagoda of Shili, Lian Tichen could no longer hold back and immediately knelt down, explaining, "Your Majesty, although my lord's wife is a Yuan princess, the princess of Lu has never interfered in state affairs, and my lord is very fond of her. Although this time we are purging the pro-Yuan faction, the princess of Lu does not deserve to die. Furthermore, if my lord were to kill his wife, it would likely cause controversy in Goryeo, and if the superiors set an example, it would encourage unhealthy practices within the country. I beg Your Majesty to investigate this matter thoroughly."

This is to say that Lu Jin forced him to kill his wife, and that Lu Jin was a villain. But Lu Jin didn't care about that. He immediately said coldly, "It is said that the emperor has no family affairs. Although Goryeo is not the Celestial Empire, it has been intermarried with the Yuan Dynasty for generations. How can we take it lightly? Since you are determined to fight against the Yuan Dynasty with the Ming Dynasty, why do you keep such a princess of Lu? What is the reason for this?"

"Even if Wang Zhuan and that barbarian woman are deeply in love, he should be able to see right from wrong. Compared with the relationship between the two countries, can't he understand which is more important?"

"Even if he didn't want to kill his wife to prove his innocence, shouldn't he at least have deposed his principal wife and exiled her? Goryeo isn't even willing to show this much, so how can they be expected to be sincere in resisting the Yuan together?"

Seeing that Lu Jin had relented and was no longer pressuring Wang Zhuan to kill his wife to prove his innocence, Lian Tichen finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although Wang Zhuan had not directly deposed Baota Shili and banished her to the cold palace, this cold treatment was no different from deposing her. Since the Ming Dynasty insisted that Goryeo depose her and make a statement, it was not impossible to agree.

Then Lian Tichen said, “Your Majesty is right. Although my lord has not formally abolished the position of Princess Lu as his principal wife, he hardly ever stays with her anymore. If the superior state insists that my lord abolish the position of princess to prove his innocence, I will certainly report to my lord after I return to my country and persuade him to make a statement.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin glanced at him and corrected him, "It's not that I insist on anything, it's that you yourselves said you wanted to fight against the Yuan together. Since you want to fight against the Yuan, then take the initiative to show some attitude towards fighting against the Yuan. How can I believe in your sincerity if you keep a Yuan princess around?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. Thank you for your guidance." Lian Tichen quickly admitted his mistake. He had come here to compromise and appease Lu Jin. What did it matter if he bowed his head and admitted his mistake? But he couldn't forget the important business at hand, so he asked again.

"Those who are unaware of the matter of investiture."

"Conferring royal titles? Let's not rush that. Let's talk about our joint resistance against the Yuan." Lu Jin showed no intention of letting Goryeo off the hook and spoke again.

"Since Goryeo is going to fight against the Yuan together with the Ming Dynasty, let's not talk about the past. Although the Yuan Dynasty has been destroyed, the remnants of the Yuan forces still occupy large areas of Liaodong and Mongolia. They have not been completely eradicated. In order to defend against the remnants of the Yuan forces in Mongolia, the Ming Dynasty still needs to deploy heavy troops in the north and may launch another northern expedition at any time."

"Since Goryeo is going to fight against the Yuan Dynasty together with the Ming Dynasty, what kind of help can Goryeo provide to the Ming Dynasty in the matter of punishing the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty?"

"This..." Lian Tichen was taken aback upon hearing this, and his mind raced. What did Lu Jin mean by this? Did he really intend to have Goryeo fight against the Yuan Dynasty together with the Ming Dynasty? Did he also want to recruit soldiers from Goryeo and drag them into the war, just like the Yuan Dynasty?
Lian Tichen, unaware of Lu Jin's true intentions, hurriedly said, "Forgive my ignorance, Your Majesty, but please enlighten me." Lu Jin, feigning impatience, flicked his sleeve, immediately rose, and walked to Lian Tichen, pacing back and forth, saying, "You all said you would jointly resist the Yuan, are you just going to talk the talk? Every Northern Expedition requires a large number of soldiers and resources. Do you just intend to stand by and cheer for the Ming army?"

Lian Tichen immediately realized that Lu Jin had come to extort money from him.
So he immediately probed, "Then I wonder if Your Majesty intends to recruit soldiers in Goryeo to join the Ming army in the campaign against the Yuan invaders?"

Lu Jin glanced at him and said, "With the fighting strength of your Goryeo soldiers, you should probably forget about joining the campaign. I'm worried that you'll collapse on the battlefield and negatively impact the Ming army's battle formation."

"Furthermore, your country is not currently bordering the Yuan Dynasty. If you were to join the Ming army in conquering the northern deserts, a large army would have to pass through Liaodong. With so many soldiers, it would inevitably harass the people of Liaodong. Therefore, it is best to avoid this campaign."

Lian Tichen breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. It was good that they weren't recruiting soldiers from Goryeo. You're worried about Goryeo soldiers harassing the people of Ming, but we don't want our good men being dragged to their deaths by the Ming.
"Then what does Your Majesty mean?"

"Since they can't contribute their strength, they should at least contribute their wealth. I've heard that Goryeo has a lot of horses. Now that Goryeo no longer borders the Yuan invaders, even if the remnants of the Yuan invade again, the Ming army in Liaodong will be there to defend them. In that case, wouldn't Goryeo's warhorses become idle?"
"Anyway, you only have the Japanese pirates in the southeast to worry about now. What you need most is a navy. There are no strong enemies on land, and keeping the cavalry is useless. Why not offer these horses to the Ming Dynasty for the Celestial Empire's northern expedition? This will be your contribution to the joint resistance against the Yuan."

Lian Tichen inwardly grumbled, having long suspected that Lu Jin would extort money from them, and now he saw that it was indeed true. However, although he was inwardly grumbling, he did not show it on his face and immediately flattered Lu Jin.

"Your Majesty is quite right. Goryeo was able to purge the pro-Yuan faction of treacherous officials so smoothly this time, thanks in large part to the assistance of the superior country. Now that the superior country intends to launch a northern expedition to wipe out the remaining bandits, Goryeo cannot sit idly by."

"This letter already includes a thousand warhorses as tribute to the superior nation. How about adding another three thousand?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin immediately replied expressionlessly, "Is that all? Is that too little? Do you think I don't know how many horses Goryeo has? Or are you saying that you are not truly resisting the Yuan, but rather want to see the Ming Dynasty and the Yuan invaders fight each other so you can reap the benefits?"

"Your Majesty, I have no such intention. In that case, how about six thousand horses? If it's any more, although Goryeo has some warhorses, it can't gather that many in a short time. I hope Your Majesty will consider this carefully," Lian Tichen hurriedly bargained.

"Hmph, you're not being honest. Before I launched my northern expedition, I asked merchants to purchase horses from Goryeo. Do you think I don't know how many warhorses Goryeo has?"
"Now that our two countries have established diplomatic relations, and you are going to fight against the Yuan together with the Ming Dynasty, I will give you a chance to show your support. The first time, I will give you 20,000 warhorses. Starting next year, I will give you 6,000 warhorses every year. This will be considered as your contribution to the fight against the Yuan."

"Your Majesty!" Lian Tichen almost spat out blood upon hearing this. He had expected Lu Jin to make exorbitant demands, but he never imagined that Lu Jin would ask for 20,000 warhorses, and then demand an additional 6,000 horses every year. Even if Goryeo had a lot of horses now, it couldn't afford such a tribute.

Lu Jin seemed to ignore him, muttering to himself, "Goryeo is a vast country, though not as large as the Ming Dynasty, it's not a small country surrounding the Ming. Should the king be granted the title of Prince or Duke? If he's of no use to the Ming, then giving him the title of Prince would be a bit of a waste."

Lian Tichen knew perfectly well that Lu Jin had deliberately said this to him. It was clearly a blackmail attempt to force Goryeo to exchange horses for a princely title. But could he really refuse? If he went back and told Wang Zhuan that he had flatly rejected Lu Jin's request, and as a result, Wang Zhuan's title was reduced from a prince to a duke, wouldn't Wang Zhuan kill him?
Lian Tichen then said helplessly, "This humble subject will definitely report back to the King and ask the King to make a decision."

"That's more like it. I didn't even ask you to send troops, only some horses, and you're already making excuses. Goryeo only borders the Ming Dynasty now, and there are no strong enemies on land. Keeping so many horses is a waste. Why not make the most of them and use them to help the Ming Dynasty wipe out the Yuan invaders?" Lu Jin said indifferently.

Lian Tichen felt like vomiting blood. This was supposed to be the establishment of diplomatic relations between two countries, a superior nation bestowing titles upon a inferior one, but Lu Jin had turned it into a business transaction! This Ming emperor was utterly shameless!
However, Lu Jin didn't care. What's face worth? Is it worth 20,000 warhorses?
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. What about the matter of investiture?"

"Hey, no rush, let's continue talking about resisting the Yuan dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Lian Tichen nearly fainted, and his blood pressure spiked.

At this moment, Lu Jin continued leisurely, "In this Northern Expedition to sweep away the Yuan invaders, firearms will naturally be indispensable. I have heard that Goryeo is rich in lead ore, while the Ming Dynasty is in dire need of this material for casting firearms. Shouldn't Goryeo make some offerings?"

Upon hearing this, Lian Tichen frowned. He really didn't know if Goryeo was rich in lead ore, and immediately asked in confusion.

"I am unaware of the matter of lead mines. Your Majesty, who told you this? Although I am from Goryeo, I have never heard of Goryeo being a major producer of lead mines. Could there be some misunderstanding?"

"Misunderstanding? That's impossible!" Lu Jin said immediately and decisively.

Lu Jin may not know about other things, but he has a very deep impression of the uranium and lead mines on the Korean Peninsula. In later years, the Soviet Union's aid to North Korea, apart from some of which was given away by the Soviet Union for free, was mostly obtained by North Korea in exchange for enriched uranium and lead metal. The Korean Peninsula may not have much else, but it really has a lot of lead mines!

Just before the Korean War, when North Korea was preparing to move south, it traded several hundred tons of lead with the Soviet Union for a large amount of military equipment. How could Lu Jin possibly forget such a major event!

"You may not know, but I do. Prime Minister Feng helped me retrieve the map of Goryeo."

"Yes."

Feng Guoyong immediately brought over a map of Goryeo that had been prepared beforehand. Two red circles were clearly drawn on it. Lu Jin immediately handed the map to Lian Tichen.

"Look, this is the location of the lead mine. The Ming Dynasty urgently needs to cast a large number of firearms for its northern expedition, but mineral resources depend entirely on resource endowment, and lead happens to be exactly what the Ming Dynasty is in dire need of. Since Goryeo wants to join forces against the Yuan Dynasty, shouldn't they make some gesture?"

Lian Tichen's vision went black. Good heavens, you even prepared a map for me. So you had already planned how to kill me all along, huh?
He then suppressed his anger and asked resentfully, "How much does Your Majesty need?"

"At least 100,000 jin of lead per year, that shouldn't be much for your two large mines, right?"

(End of this chapter)