Ming Dynasty: My Father Zhang Juzheng

Chapter 83 The war begins
Ten days passed in a flash.

The price of salt rose steadily, from 33 wen to 36 wen. At the same time, a shocking event swept across Korea like a hurricane.

The Japanese pirates' army attacked Gyeongsang Province.

For a time, the whole country was in an uproar.

Inside the royal palace in Seoul, King Yi Sun of Joseon hurriedly summoned two ministers, one was Prime Minister Ryu Seong-ryong, and the other was Left Prime Minister Jeong Cheol.

According to the Korean official system, the Uijeongbu is the highest administrative body, and the top leader is called "Ling Yijeong".

There are two deputies, known as the Left and Right Councillors.

Li Cheng was a timid person to begin with. After hearing what Zhang Yunxiu and others had said, he was already very nervous.

Now that the battle report from Gyeongsang Province arrived, he was struck by lightning.

Be in constant panic all day long.

So, he immediately sent someone to urgently summon the two ministers to ask for countermeasures.

Upon seeing the two, Yi Sun immediately asked anxiously, "My dear ministers, the Japanese pirates are invading our territory. What strategies do you have to defeat them?"

Liu Chenglong on the left had a higher official position, so he should have answered first, but Zheng Che didn't get along with him and answered first: "Your Majesty, I think we should ask for help from the suzerain country and ask the Liaodong general to send troops to the court."

"Yes, yes, yes, ask for help from the suzerain country." Li Cheng danced with joy as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.

"Your Majesty, you can't do that!" Liu Chenglong raised his eyebrows and picked up the battle report to analyze it logically. "First of all, the battle report said that the Japanese pirates had more than a hundred warships and tens of thousands of people. I think this must be a false report by the defenders."

"Why?" Li Cheng asked, stretching his neck.

"Your Majesty, think about it, how many people are there in Japan? Now that Oda Nobunaga has just passed away, the whole of Japan is fighting for territory. How can there be such a large-scale army to invade us?" Liu Chenglong said slowly and calmly, "In order to evade responsibility, our Korean defenders like to exaggerate the enemy's strength. In my opinion, there are only a few hundred pirates at most."

"At most, there will be no more than a thousand people who will die."

"Oh, so, I can rest assured now?" Li Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.

"Humph! Councillor Liu's words are simply misleading the country and the people!" Zheng Che gritted his teeth and said in a loud voice, "Sun Tzu's Art of War says that war is a major issue for a country. It is the way of life and death, the place of survival and destruction, and it must be carefully considered."

"The Japanese pirates are coming with great force, but you deceived the king and ignored him. What is your intention?!"

"I did not ask the king to ignore it." Liu Chenglong waved his sleeves and turned to stare at Zheng Che. "It's you, Zheng Yizheng, who are bragging about the Japanese pirates so much. What's your intention?"

"I am only concerned about the king and the court."

"I think you've already ordered people to stockpile a large amount of scarce supplies, hoping that the number of Japanese pirates will be as large as possible."

"Slander. This is blatant slander!"

Zheng Che's neck turned red, and he pointed at Liu Chenglong and shouted loudly, then turned around and pointed at Li Sun, kneeling down and said, "Your Majesty, Liu Chenglong relied on his high position and power to slander me. I hope Your Majesty will help me!"

Liu Chenglong was unwilling to be outdone. He knelt down and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, Zheng Che formed a clique and deceived the emperor. He hoarded salt, sugar and other goods that are related to the livelihood of the people. He must have evil intentions!"

“You are slandering me.” Zheng Che became agitated again.

"Humph, you know whether you are slandering me or not." Liu Chenglong raised his eyebrows and laughed coldly.

"I just have a few friends who run some small businesses."

"Oh, just friends? I think you and Zheng Che are almost wearing the same crotch pants. Tell me, if it weren't for them, how could your family buy a big house and live a luxurious life every day? Don't mention that all this comes from your salary." "Then you should explain first, where did your big house come from!"

The two of them quarreled fiercely, their faces turned red and their necks became thick.

"Alright, alright, please be quiet for a while. I'm so annoyed by the noise you two are making." Lee Sun looked helpless, waving his hands like he was shooing away a fly, and then ordered, "Tell the Right Marine Commander of Gyeongsang Province, Yuan Jun, to lead the navy to meet the enemy. Don't let the Japanese pirates wreak havoc again."

"Your Majesty, Yuan Jun is a vain man who has no strategy but courage. It is not appropriate to send him." Liu Chenglong said in a serious tone, kneeling forward and bowing his hands to ask, "I recommend someone who can definitely drive out these pirates."

"Who?"

"This man's surname is Li and his name is Sun-shin. He is resourceful and has strategies. If he leads the army, small groups of Japanese pirates will not be a concern."

Liu Chenglong stroked his beard, stood up straight and answered in a handsome voice. Zheng Che beside him raised his eyes and said in a sarcastic tone, "Liu Sanzheng, I heard that you have a good personal relationship with Yi Sunchen. You are not abusing your power for personal gain, are you?"

"I am promoting the most virtuous person regardless of my relationship with him!" Liu Chenglong did not underestimate him at all.

"What a good way to promote the virtuous without avoiding relatives"

Zheng Che smiled coldly and was about to refute him, but Li Sun on the throne slapped the dragon chair and shouted: "I am not dead yet, how about I give this seat to you two and let you sit here. I will listen to what you two have to say."

When the King of Korea was furious, the two men immediately prostrated themselves on the ground, their bodies shaking like sieves, and they kept saying, "We know our crime."

Humph, if the tiger doesn’t show its strength, do you really think I’m a sick cat?

He sat up straight, straightened his clothes, and then asked Liu Chenglong: "What position does the Yi Sun-sin you mentioned hold and where is he now?"

"I was stripped of my official position last year and now I'm idle at home." After hesitating for a while, Liu Chenglong reported in a low voice.

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Sun's brows were furrowed into two big frowns.

He thought he was some important person, but it turned out to be a convicted official. How capable could he be to have been stripped of his position?
This Liu Chenglong is really something, he actually recommended such a person to me.

But Liu Chenglong was the prime minister after all, so he couldn't refute him. He just nodded and said without joy or sadness, "I will remember this. You can go down first. I will think about it carefully."

"Your Majesty, he was dismissed for a reason, and it was definitely not because of his own ability." Seeing the king like this, Liu Chenglong felt uneasy and was about to say, "He was suppressed in the party struggle, so he was dismissed."

But the words came to my lips, but I couldn't say them.

Telling the king that the people below are engaged in factional fighting and as a result people with extraordinary abilities are squeezed out, isn't that just another way of saying that the king is a tyrant?

After realizing this, Liu Chenglong shuddered.

He stood there motionless, unable to move forward or backward.

"Tell me, why did he do that?" Li Cheng urged.

"Because the people under our rule were plundered by the Jurchens, although we later killed the Jurchens who violated the border and recovered the people, many of them were also displaced." Liu Chenglong made a plan in his mind and told the whole story in detail.

"Since his merits and demerits are equal, then it is not considered dereliction of duty. Let's put him back to his post first." Li Sun nodded and said, "At the same time, let Yuan Jun lead an army of 5,000 to wipe out the Japanese pirates who invaded the border within three months."

"Your Majesty is wise."

The two people in the audience looked at each other and bowed in response.

(End of this chapter)