Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 337 Tripartite Diplomacy
"Withdraw. Kill the people from Liaodong." Zhu Changluo ordered.

"Yes." Liu Ruoyu accepted the order and instructed the eunuch to change to a new map.

While the map was being changed, Wei Chao returned. Seeing the emperor standing before a shelf holding two memorials, with Wang An and Liu Ruoyu at his side, he knelt and kowtowed. He was perceptive, noting the emperor's pensive expression, and didn't interrupt.

Wei Chao's voice was quiet, but it made a loud noise. Zhu Changluo was lost in thought when he was startled by the sudden presence of a living person kneeling at his feet. Just as he was about to ask Wei Chao to stand up, he realized the map hanging on the shelf wasn't the one he wanted. He simply waved Wei Chao away and said to Liu Ruoyu, "Not this one, go further east. You want to see North Korea!"

"Yes!" Liu Ruoyu quickly took out the map that the emperor wanted to see from the arms of another young eunuch, and personally shook it out and hung it on the wooden frame.

At this moment, Zhu Changluo suddenly felt a little disgusted with the South Study. Although the place was not small, it could not accommodate three map racks at the same time.

Soon, the map containing northern Korea was hung on the shelf, and Zhu Changluo also flipped through the "Memorial to Expel the Enemy".

The second part of "Memorial on Expelling the Enemy" is to dispatch guerrilla general Mao Wenlong to Zhenjiang and Yizhou as the center, and first operate in the area of ​​​​Yiyang and Kuandian to expel the Jurchen vagrants within the Great Wall. When the bandits "dare not to go out of the border easily", they will go north to harass the Jurchen settlements of Jianzhou tribe to prevent them from farming and grazing and cut off their food supply.

If the southwestern route, especially the Liaobei route, involved diplomacy with the various Mongol tribes, then Mao Wenlong's route involved diplomacy with the vassal state of Korea. While operating in Zhenjiang, Yiyang, and Kuandian, the Ming army could obtain military supplies and fodder via sea freight from Dengzhou. However, when advancing north to raid Jurchen settlements, they needed support from Korea, otherwise their supply lines would be too long.

In summary, Xiong Tingbi's plan for the next phase of Liaodong's operations focused on reducing the living space of the slave bandits and destroying their production capacity through continuous harassment. However, this strategy required vigilance against the Mongol tribes in the north and cooperation from the vassal state of Korea in the east.

"Put it away." Zhu Changluo placed the "Memorial on Revisions" and "Memorial on Expelling the Enemy" in his hands on the tray held by Wang An, then walked back to the imperial desk and sat down.

"Yes." Wang An sorted the memorials chronologically and returned them to the compartment reserved for Xiong Tingbi. Liu Ruoyu and the eunuchs who were serving the map remained where they were.

"Master, are you still watching?" Liu Ruoyu asked.

"Put it away." Zhu Changluo supported his head and fell into deep thought.

"Yes." Liu Ruoyu only responded softly when he saw this, and whispered, "Be gentle."

After a long while, Zhu Changluo looked up at Wang An and said, "Wang An, draft the edict."

"Yes." Wang An quickly put down the work he was doing, opened his memo, and picked up his pen to prepare to take notes.

"This two-route, three-line deployment is a true strategy for severing the enemy's path to survival. All government offices are required to diligently prepare the necessary supplies for troops, equipment, ships, money, food, and fodder. This order has been issued to the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Works, and the Shandong Governor's Office. If any government office is short of funds, the palace will provide them first, and we can deal with other matters later."

"Yes." Wang An replied.

"Allow Xiong Tingbi to make his own decision and communicate with the Inner Khalkha," Zhu Changluo paused, then added, "that is, to communicate with the Chaohua tribes. If the Inner Khalkha tribes have any requests for rewards from the court, they can also discuss this with them."

"Order the Ministry of Rites to arrange for Lindan Batur's envoy, Amudai, to come to the palace for an audience."

"Master. Which day?" Wang An asked.

Zhu Changluo thought for a moment. "After this month's court meeting."

"Yes." After Zhu Changluo finished speaking, Wang An also finished taking notes.

The cabinet's draft opinion on this memorial was to convene all ministers for consultation before implementing it. However, if the issues Xiong Tingbi mentioned in the memorial were actually submitted to the outer court, where the various ministries and the Ministry of Rites would discuss them together, it would take at least ten days to a month to reach a conclusion. Zhu Changluo, however, decided to trust Xiong Tingbi's judgment, lest an outsider interfere with the experts. He simply ignored the draft and made the final decision.

"Liu Ruoyu." Zhu Changluo turned his head and looked at Liu Ruoyu.

"I'm here." Liu Ruoyu replied.

"Send someone to find all the memorials and war reports related to Korea after the 46th year of Wanli." Zhu Changluo ordered.

"Yes." Liu Ruoyu put down his pen and left the Southern Study again.

"Wei Dynasty." Zhu Changluo blinked and pulled his thoughts back from the affairs in Liaodong.

"I'm here." Wei Chao replied.

"Which government office did you assign the task to?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"Replying to my master's words." The emperor's gaze startled Wei Chao. "Since it was the Northern Pacification Office that let the man escape, and there was a lapse, then it is natural that the Northern Pacification Office should be held responsible for remedying this deficiency."

"Yes." Zhu Changluo smiled and nodded. "Tomorrow at this time, go and release Tang Ruowang. You go in person."

"Yes." Wei Chao's expression relaxed, and a look of joy appeared on his face as if he had solved the problem.

"." A smile also appeared on Wang An's face.

--------

The atmosphere in the cabinet was somewhat delicate.

In the morning, the Ministry of Public Administration delivered the first batch of memorials. Together with these memorials, a memorial on state affairs drafted by Yang Lian but overshadowed by Xiong Tingbi's signature was placed on Fang Congzhe's desk.

When Fang Congzhe saw this memorial, Ye Xianggao had already attached his own draft opinion.

Ye Xianggao knew very well that he had to stand upright in this matter first, and then talk about other things. If he did not stand upright and was found guilty of leading the rebellion to revolt in Liao, his whole family would be in trouble.

Therefore, his draft opinion was: recall the artillery of the Atlantic countries that aided Liao to the capital, have them strictly investigated and questioned by the judicial department and punished according to the law, and send officials from the Ministry of Justice to Shenyang for on-site investigation.

Because Ye Xianggao stood upright, Fang Congzhe was only stunned when he saw the memorial and opinions. He did not make any changes to the opinions and submitted them as the formal draft.

The emperor's directive arrived swiftly and astonishingly: This matter was of grave importance; the Imperial Guards were ordered to seal off the Westerners' residence. The Ministry of War was ordered to send a letter to Liaoyang, recalling the Western soldiers. The Censorate was ordered to conduct a thorough review of the case files, and one representative each from the Censorate and the Criminal Department was ordered to go to Shenyang to thoroughly investigate the matter. The rest of the letter wasn't particularly significant; it simply represented the emperor's approval, transforming the draft into a directive to the relevant officials. The first sentence was crucial. The Imperial Guard's action indicated that the emperor had at least considered the case a potential case of treason. A case like this, if escalated, could be fatal.

The court was adjourned in the afternoon.

Fang Congzhe's sedan had already stopped at the door of the cabinet duty room. Shen wanted to talk to Fang Congzhe, but Ye Xianggao, who was closer to him, got there first. As soon as Fang Congzhe put down his pen, Ye Xianggao came to him.

"Prime Minister Fang," Ye Xianggao asked, "would you be so kind as to come to my humble abode for a cup of tea?"

"Okay." Fang Congzhe also had the same idea.

The two walked out of the duty room together, and Shen Ye caught up with them. "Prime Minister, I too..."

"I'm reminiscing about the past with Jinqing. Mingzhen, if you have anything to say, let's talk tomorrow." Fang Congzhe interrupted him and did not get into the sedan chair. Instead, he walked side by side with Ye Xianggao.

"Yes." Shen slowed down his pace and stared at the backs of Fang Congzhe and Ye Xianggao, as if he was thinking about something. He didn't leave the Forbidden City until Liu Yirong and Han Yu passed by him.

Ye Xianggao's family originally settled near the Imperial College in Chongjiaofang. In the 22nd year of the Wanli reign, Ye Xianggao, then 35, ended his eight-year, intermittent period of mourning. Returning to Beijing to seek official appointment, he was appointed Director of the Imperial College and settled there. Two years later, Ye Xianggao was promoted to Right Instructor of the Right Spring Office of the Imperial Household Department. Fang Congzhe, finally ending his agonizing years of seniority in the Hanlin Academy, succeeded Ye Xianggao as Director of the Imperial College and also settled there. The two men, born in the same year and living close to each other, developed a close rapport and supported each other in their official careers.

But now Ye Xianggao no longer lives in Chongjiaofang.

In the 26th year of the Wanli reign, Ye Xianggao was exiled to Nanjing as Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and soon after, he was transferred to the Ministry of Personnel. He remained in this position for nine years, but during this time, he still looked forward to returning to Beijing to take up a new post and achieve great things, so he did not sell his house in Chongjiaofang. Indeed, in the 35th year of the Wanli reign, he was promoted to Minister of Rites and concurrently Grand Secretary of the Dongke Academy, alongside other prominent officials such as Wang Xijue, Yu Shenxing, and Li Tingji.

But serving as a cabinet minister during the Wanli reign was certainly not easy. With Prime Minister Zhu Geng nearing death, Yu Shenxing died from the exhaustion of the journey to Beijing, Wang Xijue resigning, and Li Tingji remaining indoors for extended periods due to rumors, Ye Xianggao became the de facto "sole prime minister" almost immediately upon his arrival in Beijing. During his more than six years in the cabinet, Ye Xianggao maintained the basic functioning of state administration while mediating conflicts between Emperor Shenzong and the censors, but with limited success.

It wasn't until the 41st year of the Wanli reign that, after repeated requests from Ye Xianggao, Emperor Shenzong finally appointed Fang Congzhe and Wu Daonan as Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Dongke Academy, allowing them to serve in the cabinet as regents. In the 42nd year of the Wanli reign, Ye Xianggao retired as Junior Tutor and Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. Exhausted, he decided he would never again serve in Beijing. He put his Chongjiaofang house up for sale and returned to his hometown, Fuqing County, Fuzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province, to retire.

Last year, Ye Xianggao was reinstated and returned to the capital. In order to make it easier for him to go to the government office, he no longer settled in Chongjiaofang, but instead bought a small house near the Rong government office in Zhaomingfang.

The sedan chair landed, and Ye Xianggao got out first. When Fang Congzhe also got out, he waved his hand and said, "Prime Minister, please come in."

"Okay." Fang Congzhe frowned slightly.

Fang Congzhe had come here once during the Lunar New Year holidays. This house was superior to Ye Xianggao's old home in Chongjiaofang, both in terms of land area and construction materials, but Fang Congzhe couldn't summon any nostalgic feelings here. He didn't like it.

Ye Xianggao brought Fang Congzhe to the reception room. As soon as the two sat down, Ye Xianggao's second son, Shangbao Sicheng Ye Chengmin, came out to greet Fang Congzhe and said, "Greetings, Prime Minister Fang."

This position of Shangbao Sicheng was the second imperial title bestowed upon the Ye family. The first was granted by the late Emperor Wanli to Ye Xianggao's eldest son, Ye Chengxue. However, Ye Chengxue passed away in the 42nd year of the Wanli reign, the same year Ye Xianggao was dismissed from his cabinet duties. Ye Xianggao, with his son still young, lost him, and the imperial title was revoked. After Ye Xianggao's reinstatement, the emperor felt it was inappropriate to grant him any additional titles, but it would also be inappropriate to grant him nothing at all. Therefore, he granted the Ye family another imperial title of Shangbao Sicheng.

"Nephew, there's no need to be so polite." Fang Congzhe said with a smile.

"You go." Ye Xianggao said to Ye Chengmin.

Ye Chengmin bowed to his father and Fang Congzhe and took his leave.

"Prime Minister." Ye Xianggao just opened his mouth when he was interrupted by Fang Congzhe.

"Jinqing, don't call me that outside the cabinet," Fang Congzhe said.

"Okay then." Ye Xianggao smiled, but his brows were still furrowed. "Zhonghan."

"Jin Qing, you read the memorial yesterday, right?" Fang Congzhe asked straight to the point.

"Yes." Ye Xianggao replied.

"Why didn't you give it to me in the second batch of memorials? Why put it on the front?" Fang Congzhe asked again.

Ye Xianggao shook his head. "I can't hide this from you. Sooner or later, you'll find out the memorial arrived yesterday. Rather than letting you find out then, it's better to admit it in disguise."

Ye Xianggao's honesty touched Fang Congzhe. "Then why didn't you just vote directly?"

"I was panicked, and my brain was a mess. I need time to think." Ye Xianggao did not blame the matter of drawing up the recommendation list, he still remained sincere.

"Then what did you figure out?" Fang Congzhe looked straight at Ye Xianggao.

"I didn't come up with anything. After calming down, I just took a nap in the hallway." A hint of bitterness crossed Ye Xianggao's face. "But if I have to say, the solution I came up with was to meet with you, Zhonghan." Ye Xianggao waved his hand towards Fang Congzhe. "And now you're here."

"Haha." Fang Congzhe laughed. But then he put his smile aside and asked seriously, "This is a life-threatening matter. How much do you know?"

"Except for that memorial, I know nothing." Ye Xianggao shook his head solemnly.

"Have you had any contact with them since you arrived in Beijing?" Fang Congzhe asked.

"I have, and more than once. I knew Lisitai, the former bishop of the Society of Jesus, when I was serving in the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing. After returning to Beijing and joining the cabinet, I had contact with Lisitai many times. The plot of land where Lisitai is buried outside Fuchengmen was also requested by the late emperor. I was even planning to visit his grave on the anniversary of his death. This time, my reinstatement coincided with the Jesuits' arrival in Beijing. They came to visit me, and there was no reason for me not to see them." At this point, Ye Xianggao suddenly paused and changed the subject, saying firmly, "But in this matter, apart from the words in the book, I really know nothing."

Fang Congzhe nodded and asked again: "Then do you think that the interpreter who was beheaded is really guilty?"

"I think this is very likely true. After all, the memorial bears not only Xiong Feibai's signature, but also Yang Wenru's." Ye Xianggao rubbed his brow. "That's why I panicked when I received the memorial."

　History has been changed.

　　Ye Xianggao and Fang Congzhe should have had a good relationship. However, by the time Ye Xianggao was reinstated, Fang Congzhe had already been ousted due to the Red Pill Case. Therefore, the two were unfortunately unable to meet due to the original timing.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)