Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 448 Freebies are the highest form of alliance
"There can be no two suns in the sky. His Majesty the Divine Emperor is the only sun in the hearts of all Han Yi people!"
"Oh ho ho ho~ Those barbarians from the two Koreas can occasionally write something human."

Tangzhou, the State Affairs Office.

Li Ming read the letter in his hand with great delight.

This letter was a formal letter from Baekje and Silla, jointly signed in the names of the kings of both countries.

This basically represents the attitudes of both countries towards the Ming Dynasty.

Lie flat and let me touch you.

"Has the peninsula finally stabilized? Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

While dealing with documents, Changsun Wuji spoke absentmindedly.

After all, this was the best day His Majesty the Emperor had been in since the great rivers and lakes had been flooded six months ago.

To show no reaction at all would be far too cold to His Majesty.

But too much reaction would disrupt work. The country is currently juggling multiple tasks: construction, river diversion, fundraising, and war. Everyone has so much work piling up that they can't finish it all.

Therefore, the Deputy Prime Minister casually uttering a few auspicious words is considered flattery.

His superior—the top official under the Divine Emperor—Prime Minister Fang Xuanling—didn't even bother with politeness, directly slamming a document onto the seat of honor.

"His Majesty has finished his work and has time to read letters from vassal states?"

"Let's put this aside for now; there's something more important here."

"The Ministry of Works has submitted the project plan for the Yellow River to return to its original course, along with the total project cost budget prepared by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Please take a look."

Apart from still knowing to call Li Ming "Your Majesty," Fang Xiang had completely treated Xiao Li like a beast of burden.

"Oh."

The sun, shared by the Chinese and Koreans, obediently took over the plan and began reviewing it, diligently working its millstone.

The room fell silent again.

Three poles in the sun.

Li Ming signed and stamped the document at the end, then returned to the beginning and wrote in bold strokes, “Reviewed. The Ministry of Works shall proceed accordingly, with the Ministry of Civil Affairs assisting.” He couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief.

Well, the oxen and horses have finally finished grinding a large bag of "flour".

Next, we need to grind another bag...

Li Ming rubbed his eyes wearily, his peripheral vision catching sight of a letter on the edge of the desk.

The letters of state, carefully written and meticulously crafted by the two Korean kings, were simply laid out there casually.

"Let's take a look."

Li Ming picked up the official letter again.

Take a break from work. Reading some Korean compliments is like a mid-trip rest during your arduous journey.

"Baekje and Silla have long admired China, but due to the obstruction of mountains and rivers, and the interference of Goguryeo, they have been unable to be enlightened for thousands of years."

"Fortunately, the Koreans were blessed, and Heaven did not fail them. His Majesty turned stones into soldiers, and wherever the sun shone, the Buyeo were melted away and the Japanese were beheaded. Finally, the two Koreas were connected with the mainland, and all people enjoyed the rule of the king..."

"Hehe, this flattery is a bit too much! It's truly embarrassing for me, hahaha~"

His Majesty the Divine Emperor burst into laughter.

Changsun Wuji interjected at the opportune moment:

"How could this be flattery? The Koreans are speaking from the bottom of their hearts."

"Your Majesty is like the sun shining brightly and the spring breeze nourishing all things, allowing the Koreans to live and prosper. This time, you have once again saved the Koreans from dire straits."

“You are their sun—and of course, you are also the only sun of the Ming Dynasty.”

The more something is lacking, the more it is emphasized. The Deputy Prime Minister felt that His Majesty needed a sycophantic minister, so he temporarily filled in.

To be fair, he played the role of the straight man quite well.

He can boast without batting an eye and still get his work done.

Fang Xuanling was not as gentle with His Majesty as the eldest grandson, and directly threw another stack of documents at him.

"If Your Majesty has some free time, you might as well read this memorial again."

"This was submitted jointly by Yuan Tiangang and the Ministry of Works, proposing a plan to build a dam in Baidi City to prevent flooding of the Yangtze River during the rainy season."

"The matter of vassal states can be handled by the Court of State Ceremonial; Your Majesty may wish to set it aside for now."

I misspoke earlier. Fang Xiang did not treat Xiao Li like a beast of burden.

Because while oxen and horses can rest after working, Xiao Li, who is grinding grain for the country, cannot stop for even a moment.

"Oh."

His Majesty the Emperor obediently accepted the task handed over by the Prime Minister and began to study it diligently.

The sun is setting in the west.

Li Ming finally understood the document and wrote in large characters at the top of the document: "Read. The timing and technology are not mature. It is advisable to conduct a pilot project on the tributaries of the Yangtze River first."

Finally, as a pastime during his work, he picked up the effusive letter of state presented by the vassal state.

Even cattle and horses need a carrot as a reward.

"The mandate of Heaven is constant, and divine instruments change hands, but they belong to the virtuous."

“We Han barbarians are like the fireflies of decaying grass, the Great Ming is like the bright moon in the sky, and Your Majesty is the red sun of heaven and earth.”

"Although fluorescence can be faintly discerned in the dark, it will eventually blend into the brilliance of the sun and moon."

"The past thousand years have been like a long, dark night, and we, the Han people, have been groping our way alone."

"His Majesty's appearance in the world is like the rising sun..."

"hiss……"

As he read, Li Ming's expression changed slightly.

From initially just having fun, I started to get a little more serious.

But not much, only a little.

"Hiss, does this mean they're offering up land to us in exchange for annexation?"

As usual, Changsun Wuji launched into another round of flattery:
"The Koreans surrendered their territory, and the northeastern border was completely stabilized. This is an achievement unprecedented in a thousand years, one that even Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han could not match."

He's just a heartless flatterer, spouting a string of auspicious words without thinking, his hands never stopping for a moment.

This shows that, like his old colleague Fang Xuanling, he was not particularly interested in the developments in the region of the two Han states.

“Your Majesty…” Fang Xuanling rubbed his eyes wearily.

He felt it necessary to remind his overconfident leader.

“If the Koreans really decide to do something big—like surrendering their territory—according to the usual procedure, their king should first send a high-ranking envoy to verbally inform us.”

Li Ming tilted his head and recalled for a while:

“There seems to be an envoy…”

"He was an old man, I think his name was 'Buyu Bigan,' and he claimed to be the 'Pyeongseong Colonel' of Baekje..."

Fang Xuanling practically threw the document in his hand away, then jumped to his feet, his voice trembling with excitement:
“That’s their ‘inner minister Sapya’, named ‘Buye Hiryu’!”
"He is the most trusted confidant of the King of Baekje, and the most important minister among the most important ministers!"
"Didn't he say anything to His Majesty before presenting the letter of state?!"

Li Ming scratched his head:

"Oh, I was busy at the time, so I told him to go to the hotel next door to wait for a call."

Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji: "..."

After all this fuss, it turns out that the one who despised the petty squabbles between Baekje and Silla the most was actually His Majesty Yi Myeong himself…

"Oh, there's more below."

Li Ming flipped to the very bottom of the official document and began to read it aloud.

"We, the barbarians of Han, have long admired China... Today, a golden opportunity has been presented to us..."

"The kingdoms of Baekje and Silla wish to be assimilated into Chinese civilization and become prefectures and counties of the Ming Dynasty..."

"This is the long-cherished wish of countless Koreans; we humbly beg Your Majesty to grant it..."

Li Ming's expression finally turned serious.

He scratched his head and muttered:

"'Naturalization' is not 'submission'; they are no longer content with being vassals, they want to become official prefectures and counties of the Ming Dynasty..."

"Oh, they're serious? I thought they were just writing a thank-you note to flatter me..."

Meanwhile, Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji were already excited.

The two rose, straightened their clothes, and bowed deeply to Emperor Li Ming:
"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

This is no longer just a simple compliment.

Although the events at the southern tip of the peninsula were nothing more than a storm in a teapot for those of you stationed in Tangzhou.

However, they would certainly be happy if they could take the entire teapot home without any cost.

Expanding territory!
Land and people given away for free!
Who wouldn't like it? However, the two previously indifferent prime ministers became interested, while the emperor himself became dejected.

"Oh, hiss..."

Li Ming scratched his head, looking somewhat troubled.

I was having a great time reading those compliments from Koreans just now.

Changsun Wuji asked with some doubt:
"Is Your Majesty afraid that the Han people are plotting something, and that this is a feigned surrender?"

"That's unlikely. They have neither the guts nor the need to," Li Ming immediately dismissed the emperor's brother-in-law's conjecture.

As the Ming Dynasty deepened its economic and trade control over the two Koreas, intelligence from those countries became essentially transparent to the Ming Dynasty.

If the Koreans were planning something, Lee Myung already knew about this idea before it even left the Sabi Palace.

"I just never expected that they would pull such a big stunt behind my back, unilaterally declaring that they wanted to annex my Great Ming..."

"Oh no, that top spy in charge of intelligence on both Koreas, I just sent him outside the yamen to wait for further instructions..."

Li Ming slapped his forehead.

Was it because Pei Xingjian fought the Japanese so fiercely that the Koreans watching were so frightened that they knelt down?
Or was it because Pei Xingjian killed all the Japanese prisoners without leaving a single one, which moved the Koreans to kneel down?

In short, it's all Pei Xingjian's fault!

Seeing Li Ming scratching his head in frustration, Fang Xuanling had a guess:

"His Majesty seems unwilling to accept the surrender of the two Han states?"

Li Ming neither nodded nor shook his head.

"Well... every cloud has a silver lining."

Even when offered money for free, they're so conflicted; it seems they really don't want it.

"why?"

Changsun Wuji was truly puzzled.

Looking back, a certain Emperor Yang of Sui, who wished to remain anonymous, fought tooth and nail against Goguryeo, spending enormous sums of money but ultimately failing, which indirectly led to the demise of the Sui Dynasty after only two generations.

Now, the two countries of Korea have offered up their territory, but His Majesty Lee Myung actually refuses it!
If Emperor Yang Guang knew this in the afterlife, he would be so angry he'd jump up and down!

That's not how you show off!
Fang Xuanling had some guesses:

"Could it be... that His Majesty is worried that the territory is too vast and the Koreans are difficult to control?"

“That makes sense,” Changsun Wuji nodded in agreement.

A country this big is not an easy thing to govern.

After all, in ancient times, transportation relied mainly on walking, communication relied mainly on shouting, and the exchange of feelings relied mainly on writing letters.

The transmission of imperial edicts was a very complex and systematic undertaking.

The officials in the government have already done their utmost to keep the world at peace and prevent any trouble.

This can be glimpsed from the intensity of their continuous work.

Even if we take over two more countries, they will still be two sworn enemies who are already at odds with each other.

The workload will surely surge, and the government offices will be overwhelmed with work!

Overwork is a minor issue.

If too much land is swallowed up, and the penalties for overexpansion are too severe, the empire may self-destruct...

“That’s not the case.

"Our Great Ming Dynasty swallowed up the Tang Dynasty, merged with Goguryeo, and conquered the Turkic wilderness. Its territory is vast, and its ethnic groups are as numerous as the stars in the sky. Yet, it can still govern itself in an orderly manner."

"Silla and Baekje are just two small countries. It's not like we can't handle them even if there are two more of them."

Li Ming also denied Fang Xuanling's speculation.

Within the limits of governance, more territory is always better.

"The problem is that Silla and Baekje are no different from my own territory to me."

"The lands of the two Koreas are completely open to our army, and we can set up strategic outposts at will; people can also come and go freely, and trade can circulate freely."

"Grain, minerals, ports, and even the labor force on the land can all be directly used by our country."

"What's the fundamental difference between this and other states and counties?"

Faced with His Majesty's profound question, the two former prime ministers fell into deep thought.

Yes!

When a region is subservient to you and gives you whatever you want.

That's your territory!

No, it's even better than territory...

"If those two countries really become part of our country, then wouldn't the Koreans become our citizens?"

"We have to leave some room for maneuver when it comes to our own citizens; we can't exploit them too much."

Li Ming complained.

"In trade, we can't exploit people too much; the price scissors must be narrowed."

"We can't arbitrarily conscript their people to build bridges and roads for us, or to do odd jobs for our army. Their treatment needs to be improved. We can't just feed them without paying them, can we?"
"Furthermore, it would be inappropriate to abduct Koreans and enslave them, wouldn't it? After all, the people of the Ming Dynasty do not enslave other people of the Ming Dynasty."

"In that case, who will fill the gap in the supply of Silla maids and Goryeo slaves that everyone is missing?"

These words left both prime ministers speechless.

Although the concept of "colony" was not yet in their minds.

But this kind of sustainable, exploitative model is just too cool.

"Not only will revenue decrease, but costs will also double."

"After Koreans become citizens, will we still have to spend money to build bridges and roads for them, and improve their education?"
“If they suffer any disaster, we will have to provide disaster relief and assistance. We can’t just leave them to fend for themselves.”

"Unlike now, you don't have to take responsibility even if you have sex..."

"Ahem!" The emperor's brother-in-law and the prime minister coughed simultaneously, interrupting the young master's inappropriate analogy.

However, the two already understood what Emperor Li Ming meant.

You stinking foreigners, you've come here to beg for food in our Great Ming Dynasty, haven't you!

"Your Majesty, are you suggesting that enjoying the power of a suzerain without fulfilling the obligations of governing the country is the lowest-cost approach to governance?"

Changsun Wuji summarized the spirit of His Majesty's speech.

After all, walls have ears, and a certain attendant was openly eavesdropping in the next private room.

"Yes, that's how it is. They kill but don't bury."

"I care more about practical benefits than fleeting fame."

"And what tangible benefit could bring more joy than getting something for free?"

Li Ming's words were as sharp as ever.

Ahem, Your Majesty… Every word you say will be recorded and studied by future generations… Fang Xuanling could only mutter to himself.

“In that case, I will instruct the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies to politely decline the envoys from Silla and Baekje.”

Li Ming nodded: "Let's do it that way."

As soon as he finished speaking, a new stack of documents appeared in his hand.

"Very well. This is the war budget for the campaigns against Japan and Zhenla, as well as an overview of the logistical and labor deployment. Please take a look, Your Majesty."

Fang Xuanling resumed his serious demeanor.

"Fighting on two fronts simultaneously in the southwest and northeast, far from home, puts immense pressure on logistics. This matter must be thoroughly investigated."

"Okay." Li Ming obediently sat back down at his workstation.

No matter how much turmoil occurs in the two Koreas, it will ultimately just be an interlude.

The real showdown will take place on the battlefield.

…………

Tang Jian, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, scratched his head the whole way to the detached residence.

As the former Minister of Civil Affairs of the Tang Dynasty, his professional competence was slightly inferior to that of Fang Yize.

So Old Tang lost his position as Minister and went back to his old profession.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs was also known as the Honglu Temple Minister.

As a seasoned diplomat who once ventured alone into the Eastern Turkic Khaganate.

Today's task, however, left him completely baffled.

The general diplomatic and political experience of the Tang Dynasty seemed to be completely ineffective in the Ming Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)