Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 489: Temple Calculation (Part )

"Does anyone have any concerns? If so, please speak up now." Zhu Changluo looked around and finally landed his gaze on Ye Xianggao. "Ye Qing, do you have anything else to say?"

"Your Majesty is wise." The Prime Minister led the praises, and everyone else was silent. What else could he say?

"Go back and stand." Zhu Changluo waved his hand.

"Yes." Ye Xianggao stood up and returned to his original position.

"Yuan Keli." Zhu Changluo turned and looked at Yuan Keli.

Yuan Keli had never expected the emperor to call his name at this moment. He subconsciously glanced at Xu Guangqi, stepped out of the line, knelt, and said, "Your Majesty!"

"I heard you were quite close to Xu Qing," Zhu Changluo asked with a smile, "Did he ever tell you about the guardianship of Korea?"

"Your Majesty, Minister Xu Li once mentioned this matter in a letter to me." Yuan Keli was already vaguely aware of what the emperor was going to say. His heartbeat began to accelerate, and a strange blush gradually appeared on his face.

"That's perfect. It saves us a lot of hassle." Zhu Changluo nodded. "The responsibility of overseeing Korea will be yours. As for the Korean overseer's authority," Zhu Changluo paused. "It's similar to a Governor-General and Governor-General. You'll be in charge of both government and military affairs. If there's a disagreement between the Korean overseer and the Korean regent on a major matter, the overseer's opinion will prevail. Then, a written document will be sent to the capital, and I'll make the final decision."

Yuan Keli was shocked. The emperor's decree was not to send a guardian envoy to Korea, but to send a "Grand King" to Korea. When the Korean army fought against the Japanese invaders and aided Korea, the power of the Korean governor was not so great.

Amidst a mixture of excitement and fear, a fine layer of sweat broke out on Yuan Keli's forehead. He quickly knelt and humbly declined, "I am a mediocre person, my seven-foot-tall body unfit to bear the brunt of an axe. Moreover, I have been idle at home since the 24th year of the Wanli reign, wasting 26 years. Fortunately, the Emperor has not abandoned me and has promoted me back to the position of Minister of Finance. I had heard that matters concerning the Ministry of Finance were not complicated, but even after taking office, I have struggled mightily. The proposal for guardianship was originally proposed by Xu Libu, who also volunteered himself."

"That's enough," Zhu Changluo interrupted Yuan Keli's ramblings. "I don't like the idea of ​​declining and then asking again. This isn't a negotiation; this is a formal appointment. I can tell the difference between rotten wood and unpolished gems. I've made my decision. You go. You must do it, and you must do it well."

Yuan Keli's unfinished words suddenly became stuck in his throat. His mouth opened and closed, but in the end, he could only nervously accept the emperor's assignment, feeling a sense of gratitude, like a talented person selecting a good horse. "I obey your order." After saying this, Yuan Keli immediately added, "I have been suddenly entrusted with this important task of protecting the country. I am confused and at a loss as to what to do. I would like to ask for your instructions, Your Majesty."

"There's no rush. Let's talk about it later." Zhu Changluo turned sideways and looked at Shen Yourong who was at the end of the line. "Shen Qing, come here."

Hearing the emperor's call, Shen Yourong's breathing gradually became rapid. Although he had never been in the central government and was considered to be of low status and power in this palace, if he still didn't understand why the emperor summoned him to the capital, he would no longer need to be an official.

Shen Yourong walked to the front of the stage, lifted his robe, and slowly knelt. "Your Majesty, Shen, Shen Yourong respectfully obeys the Marquis's decree."

"Look up. Let me take a closer look at you." Zhu Changluo ordered.

"Yes." Shen Yourong raised his head nervously, but he didn't dare look at the emperor. His cautious expression, combined with his eight-foot-tall frame, made him look like a completely tamed old lion.

"Well, the King of Zhao wouldn't tolerate Lian Po, so I should tolerate him." Zhu Changluo nodded with satisfaction. "To oversee a country, we need both civil officials and military commanders. I appoint you as the commander-in-chief of the Korean army, commanding all the troops of the court, both Chinese and foreign."

Hearing the emperor's double-edged compliment, Shen Yourong felt the long-dormant passion in his heart ignite again. Unlike Yuan Keli, he didn't prepare a long speech of humility. Instead, he kowtowed three times to the emperor. "Your Majesty!"

"Get up, everyone get up." As he said that, Zhu Changluo also stood up.

"The actions of King Li Hun and his general Jiang Hongli before and after the Battle of Sarhu clearly demonstrate that Li Hun is completely untrustworthy. Therefore, we must now treat him as a traitor who could defect to the enemy at any moment. We must not harbor any more illusions about him!" Zhu Changluo slowly approached the large map of Korea, and Wang An duly handed him a thin ivory stick. Zhu Changluo picked up the stick, pointed at Seoul, and looked at Shen Yourong, who had just stood up. "Therefore, the first priority for monitoring Korea is to swiftly capture Seoul, seize the royal palace, and arrest Li Hun!"

The emperor's decisiveness made everyone present gasp. In that moment, his figure, no longer puffy, but rather thin, seemed like a towering pillar, standing tall and firm. It was as if the sky wouldn't fall as long as he was there.

"Mr. Cui," Zhu Changluo turned to the Minister of War, Cui Jingrong. "The Ministry of War should still have detailed maps of Seoul and its surrounding areas drawn up during the period of the War to Aid Korea, as well as contemporaneous reports and military records. I want you to work with Mr. Shen to quickly develop a marching route from landing in Korea to capturing Seoul. Secrecy is key to success, and speed is paramount in war. I have only one requirement: speed!"

"Your Majesty," Cui Jingrong asked cautiously, "What if the Korean side intends to resist?" "First, we must avoid direct confrontation as much as possible. But if it is unavoidable, then we must fight, and fight hard." Zhu Changluo began, "Before the action begins, I will issue a manifesto to resist the slaves and aid Korea, declaring that our troops are coming to Korea again to emulate the Imjin War and defend Korea a second time, to protect it from the slaves and slave soldiers. With our Ming flags and clothing, the Korean army along the way should not directly attack. If Korean officials send people to contact us, we will contact them and reward them with silver, clothing, and my imperial decree. If the Korean army directly shows hostility, we will regard them as Korean rebels who have sided with the slaves and defeat them directly!"

After two hundred years of sinicization and the experience of resisting Japanese invaders and aiding Korea, the influence of the King of Korea in his own country is not necessarily higher than the imperial edict of the Emperor of Ming Dynasty.

As for the Joseon army, Zhu Changluo didn't consider it a factor worth considering. If the Joseon army had been capable of fighting, 20,000 Japanese soldiers wouldn't have overwhelmed all of its key cities in just two months during the Imjin War. Yi Sun, Yi Hun's father, wouldn't have fled to Pyongyang and then to Uiju. Yi Sun's words to his ministers, "I can die in the Son of Heaven's country, but not at the hands of thieves. Rather than die at the hands of thieves, I would rather die in my parents' country," were recorded in the Annals of King Seonjo.

"But there's one thing, Mr. Shen, you must remember," Zhu Changluo turned to Shen Yourong. "The people of Korea are also citizens of the world, my subjects, not slaves or bandits. The King of Korea's faults have nothing to do with them. Unless you are certain of clear hostility, you must not attack or kill them, let alone plunder!"

"Your Majesty, there is no greater benevolence than this. I will obey your command." Shen Yourong first praised the emperor's command, then expressed his concerns. "Your Majesty, although I followed Song Jingli to Yingchang and east to Korea, my time there was short, and I never even visited Seoul. I fear that this is just talk, not action."

"That's quite thoughtful," Zhu Changluo nodded. "But don't worry. I've already prepared someone for you. You've probably heard of him. This person is Li Rubai. He once led your brother to attack Pyongyang, seize Kaesong, and march directly towards Seoul. Even after all these years, he should still be familiar with the area. I intend to recruit him as your deputy."

Shen Yourong was stunned. Of course, he had heard of Li Rubai, the only surviving general among the four armies in the Battle of Sarhu.

At this moment, Ye Xianggao took a step forward. Fang Congzhe tried to pull him back, but he was too slow and only managed to touch the edge of Ye Xianggao's clothes.

"Your Majesty," Ye Xianggao knelt and said, "Although Your Majesty is very merciful and has pardoned Li Rubai's crimes, Li Rubai is still a defeated general. Moreover, his suspicion of collaborating with the enemy has not yet been cleared."

"How else can we cleanse him? Should we have him go to the Three Courts?" Zhu Changluo interrupted Ye Xianggao and said unhappily, "We must seek truth from facts and not believe everything we hear. Li Rubai's concubine died of illness a long time ago! And she was Shurhaci's daughter, not Nurhaci's."

"But Your Majesty, this Suerhaci is the half-brother of Nu Chief." Ye Xianggao was not frightened by the emperor's displeasure.

"You only know one side of the story." Zhu Changluo shrugged and chuckled. "Shuerhaci is Nurhaci's half-brother, that's true. But Shuerhaci and his two sons were long ago imprisoned and murdered by that heartless beast, Nurhaci. Now Shuerhaci's grave is overgrown with grass. What's there to doubt? Ye Qing, don't let three people make a tiger. In this world, people like Li Yongfang are a minority." Zhu Changluo initially even considered appointing Li Rubai as the General Governor of Korea. But on closer inspection, Li Rubai's controversy was too great. Even Li Rubai himself would be uneasy if he were to be reinstated directly.

Zhu Changluo turned to look at Shen Yourong. "Mr. Shen, what do you think?"

The emperor had said so much, what else could Shen Yourong do? "The emperor is extremely benevolent and trustworthy. I'm sure Li Rubai will learn from his mistakes and make amends for his crimes."

"You're wrong," Zhu Changluo corrected him again. "I said it last year: Li Rubai is innocent. The defeat at Sarhu was a tragedy caused by the emperor's lax planning and the court's pressure to fight. Mistakes must be corrected; there's nothing to hide. I gave him this assignment not to allow him to make meritorious contributions while guilty, but to allow him to contribute his remaining energy."

Zhu Changluo thoroughly analyzed the Battle of Sarhu and believed that Li Rubai was able to bring his own army back nearly intact despite the complete destruction of the other three armies, and he could even be considered a meritorious official. Had Li Rubai's army also been annihilated, He Shixian would not be the current commander of Shenyang. The court and the people were determined to bring up Li Rubai's earlier marriage to Shuerhaci and pressure him to death, in an effort to deflect blame for the court's lax planning and its pressure to fight. However, given the overall defeat at Sarhu, it was impossible to credit the "general who withdrew the troops." Otherwise, everyone would have been tempted to retreat, and the battle would have been unnecessary.

"Your Majesty," Yuan Keli, the incoming Korean guardian, seemingly trying to lighten the mood, raised a very practical question, redirecting the slightly erroneous topic. "If the Xian King is completely untrustworthy, is it possible that he's colluding with the rebels, leading them south into Xian territory to fight against the Heavenly Army?"

"Of course there are," Zhu Changluo said, nodding his approval at Yuan Keli and hooking his finger at Ye Xianggao, who was still kneeling on the ground. "But if Li Hun really dares to do this, he will be renunciation of the ancestral temple, the country, and the people. Even the trial process can be skipped, and he can be directly convicted and deposed." Zhu Changluo wanted to cite the example of Emperor Yingzong, who refused to respond to knocks at the door and eventually became the emperor in the enemy camp. But his branch was ultimately a descendant of Emperor Yingzong. No matter how foolish and perverse Emperor Yingzong was, he was still his ancestor. So this example was out of the question.

"As for the threat of the bandits invading North Korea from the south," Zhu Changluo had already made plans for this. He raised the thin ivory stick again, pointing to the geographical dividing line between Korea and Liaozhen. "If the bandits want to enter North Korea from the south, they must cross the Yalu River. The upper reaches of the Yalu River are covered with mountains and dense forests, making marching difficult, and transporting supplies even more difficult. If the bandits invade North Korea from this direction," Zhu Changluo used the ivory stick to draw a line on the map from the bandit's nest, Hetuala, to Pyeongan Province in North Korea. "They can only enter North Korea by advancing in small, dispersed groups. If the bandits attack in a dispersed manner, they won't be a threat. If the bandits want to quickly invade North Korea, they can only take the lower Yalu River. To the north of the lower reaches are Zhenjiang and to the south is Yizhou. As long as we hold these two checkpoints, we can protect the entire North Korea." Zhu Changluo emphasized Zhenjiang. "First, Zhenjiang. As early as last year, I sent an imperial edict to Xiong Tingbi and Yang Lian, instructing them to strengthen Zhenjiang's defenses, recruit men, and stockpile food. Minister Cui should still remember."

"Yes, I still remember." Cui Jingrong nodded deeply.

From the moment the Emperor pointed his staff at Zhenjiang, Cui Jingrong understood. Last year, when he followed the Emperor's orders and sent the Ministry of War's official letter to Liaozhen, he had been somewhat confused. Zhenjiang was indeed a strategic pass, but it wasn't crucial to the entire Liaodong defense. The chieftain would have to be mad to abandon Liaoshen and attack Zhenjiang. It now appeared that the Emperor had been planning to take over Korea since last year.

Zhu Changluo nodded slightly and said to Yuan Keli and Shen Yourong, "For the sake of ease of management, when the operation officially begins, Zhenjiang will be separated from Liaozhen and no longer under the jurisdiction of the Liaodong General. Instead, it will be directly under the guardianship of Korea, and a deputy general will be appointed to guard it. This deputy general will also directly manage Yizhou, Korea, until the guardianship ends!"

(End of this chapter)