The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 411: Change the King if You Don’t Listen
In the imperial study, King Yi Sun of the vassal state of Joseon was being scolded like a grandson.

Wanli was really a little angry.

This guy is trying to imitate the checks and balances played by the previous emperor Jiajing.

Emperor Jiajing clearly stated that it was absurd to reuse corrupt officials.

This guy is clearly promoting a traitor who collaborates with the enemy!

If this guy is allowed to continue like this, the vassal state of Korea will definitely be held back when they attack the Japanese mainland.

So, he prepared to teach this guy a lesson.

If it really doesn't work, then we really have to change the king.

He didn't want the war to destroy Japan to be ruined by this guy.

Li Sun didn't know that Wanli really wanted to replace him at this moment.

The guy picked up the list on the ground with some curiosity and took a look at it, then he was stunned.

The list includes officials appointed by him, including those in the court and at the local level, and even generals, each of whom holds a high position and great power.

He looked at it for a long time, and was stunned for a long time. Then he asked carefully: "Your Majesty, is there any problem with these officials?"

You fool, can you be any more foolish?

Wanli did not answer but asked: "Do you know who wrote this list to me?"

Who wrote this?

The emperor of the Ming Dynasty certainly did not know these officials, and even in the Ming court it was impossible for anyone to know the names and specific positions of so many vassal officials.

Then there is only one possibility.

This list was written by their own people.

Why did they write to His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty?
This list is full of Western officials!

He didn't even need to look closely to know.

Because when the Japanese pirates invaded, the Westerners were in power and the Easterners were suppressed, it was impossible for Easterners to hold these high-ranking positions.

Later, when he dismissed the Western Prime Minister Yi Sanhae and replaced him with the Eastern Prime Minister Ryu Seong-ryong, Ryu Seong-ryong immediately promoted Kwon Yul and Yi Sun-sin.

Next, they ran all the way to Yizhou, and then submitted to the Ming Dynasty. During that period, the three capitals and eight provinces lost contact, and Liu Chenglong was unable to appoint or dismiss officials.

In other words, this is most likely a list submitted by Eastern officials who remained in the country. These guys wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to get rid of the Westerners and put them in power.

Li Sun thought about it carefully, then said cautiously, "Your Majesty, this list must have been written by some Dongren official, right?"

Why do you have Easterners and Westerners in your mind?
Where are the Japanese pirates?
The Japanese pirates almost destroyed your country, but you don’t even have the slightest idea about it!
Or maybe you are just pretending not to have any impression.

Upon hearing this, Wanli's face was filled with sternness as he asked, "Tell me the truth, have you ever met with the Japanese pirate envoys?"

What does this mean?
You won't suspect that I'm secretly communicating with the Japanese pirates, right?
I am the king. What benefit will it bring me if I have secret dealings with the Japanese pirates?
No, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was talking about using the route to attack the Ming Dynasty.

As a king, I am also a subject to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty would not suspect that I had discussed borrowing the country’s passage with Toyotomi Hideyoshi!
Upon hearing this, Li Sun shook his head and said, "No, Your Majesty, I have never met any Japanese pirate envoys. When they came, it was always the Prime Minister Li Shanhai who was in charge of meeting with them."

Have you never talked to the Japanese pirate envoys?
Aren't you pretending to be confused in front of me?

Have you been brainwashed by Westerners?

Wanli thought for a moment and then asked, "What did Li Shanhai tell you?"

Lee Sun thought for a moment and then explained, "He didn't say anything. He just said that Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the regent of Japan, was just boasting. He said that borrowing the passage to attack the Ming Dynasty was just a way to scare us and make us pay tribute to Japan. We just need to ignore them. After all, Toyotomi Hideyoshi has been saying this for years, but nothing has happened."

You have indeed been brainwashed by Westerners.

No wonder you don’t take the invasion of Japanese pirates seriously at all, as if you don’t know anything about it.

It turns out that you were deceived into thinking that Toyotomi Hideyoshi was just bragging.

Your mind has been completely brainwashed by Westerners, and you have never thought that Japanese pirates would invade!
That makes sense.

Otherwise, your behavior at the beginning was really too strange. You really had no defense against the Japanese pirates at all.

It would be fine if the Westerners deliberately did not resist, but you, as a king, have been brainwashed to this extent!
This fool, should I change him?

Sometimes it is better to use a stupid person than a smart one.

Because a stupid person doesn’t think about anything, but a smart person thinks about everything.

He wanted to firmly control the military power of his vassal state, Korea, so it was naturally better to use a stupid person than a smart one.

Now it depends on whether this guy listens or not.

Wanli thought about it carefully, then said solemnly: "You guessed wrong, this is not the list provided by your Dongren officials, but the list provided by the Japanese pirate daimyo and generals captured by me.

These officials are all officials who are secretly colluding with the Japanese pirates. Not only did they order people not to resist, they also ordered people to lead the Japanese pirates. Some even helped the Japanese pirates suppress the rebel army in the name of your court! "

what?
These people have gone too far!
Upon hearing this, Li Sun was stunned.

These people all pretended to be loyal and honest in front of him! Otherwise, how could he possibly use them?

Who knows, these people say one thing in front of you and another behind your back!
What is this fool doing?
Seeing this, Wanli said bluntly, "Everyone on this list, including Li Shanhai, will be dismissed from their posts, investigated, their property confiscated, and executed. Do you understand?"

This!
Li Sun looked at the long list and was shocked, "Your Majesty, are all these officials going to be executed?"

You are such a fool.

Wanli said coldly: "When you judge people, do you look at the number of people involved, not the crime?

These people are charged with treason and betrayal, and the evidence is irrefutable. According to the law, they should have their homes confiscated and be executed. Why do you care about the number of people?"

Are they really going to cut them all down?

Li Sun shrank his neck and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, if I confiscate their property and execute them all, then the people of the East will have no one to check and balance them."

You're gonna play a shitty check and balance game.

Wanli shook his head slightly, then taught carefully: "Civil officials must be checked and balanced by military officials, do you know?
Yi Sun-sin and the Twelve Battalions are already there. If a civil official dares to disobey you, you can just arrest him. Are you still worried that you can't check and balance the civil officials?"

Didn’t you say that you won’t let me take care of them from now on?
Lee Sun asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, will Yi Sun-sin still listen to the young prince?"

It depends on the situation.

Wanli explained: "When I said you have no right to control them, I meant that you have no right to order them to fight everywhere, or to not allow them to resist the Japanese pirates. Of course, you can order him to do such a small thing as arresting civil servants."

Oh, that's fine.

I never thought of fighting everywhere, and it was not me who ordered us not to resist the Japanese pirates. I just wanted to be my king in peace.

Li Sun nodded repeatedly and said, "Xiao Wang understands."

Don't just understand it.

Wanli said sternly, "I order you to confiscate the property of everyone on the list, including Li Shanhai, and execute them. Will you execute them?"

If you insist on chopping them all off, how can I not do that?

Li Cheng nodded again and again, "Little King, behead him!"

That’s pretty good. It’s okay to be confused, just be obedient.

Wanli then explained in detail, "There are Ming Dynasty naval bases in Busan, Suncheon, Jeolla Province, and even Jeju Island. These naval bases are to help you defend against invasions by Japanese pirates. You should not interfere with them, and your officials are also not allowed to interfere with the affairs of the naval bases for any reason. Do you understand?"

Oh, you also left naval ships to help me prevent the invasion of Japanese pirates.

That’s great. I don’t have to worry about the Japanese pirates attacking me anymore.

Now I can be my king in peace.

Upon hearing this, Li Cheng nodded repeatedly and said, "I understand, my king."

Wanli thought for a moment and then instructed, "Also, I've already arranged the defenses of Yi Sun-sin's twelve battalions. Don't touch them, understand?"

This one.

Li Sun nodded, then said carefully, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I really cannot afford the food and wages for these 240,000 troops."

You just won't make money.

Wanli patiently taught him, "If you can't afford it, you have to find a way.

For example, food. Do you know how much farmland these traitorous Westerners lost when the Japanese pirates invaded?

I estimate that most of the farmland over there has been taken over by these guys. You can go back and confiscate the property of all these Westerners in power and execute them. The land deeds you find will definitely be more than 10 million acres. You can distribute these lands to farmers to cultivate.

Farmers were not charged for these lands, but there was a condition: the farmers had to plant as much military land as they wanted. The grain they harvested from their own land belonged to them, and the grain produced from the military land belonged to the court.

If you do the math, even if you assume half of the tens of millions of acres are farmland and half are military land, that's more than 5 million acres of military land. Isn't that more than 10 million dan of grain? How much grain does 240,000 troops need in a year?

As for the military pay, what you get from the house search this time will definitely be enough to sustain you for a year or two. During these one or two years, you can find ways to make money.

I have considered it all for you. The most valuable things over there are delicacies from mountains and seas.

For example, wild ginseng and pearls are both very valuable in the Ming Dynasty. I can send people to your place to purchase them, and you just need to order people to collect them.

Also, I heard that the shrimps in your waters are particularly large and plentiful. You can order people to catch them and make them into shrimps. Shrimp are quite valuable. The key is that you have a lot of them there. As long as you increase the output, it will be very profitable.

Also, for sea cucumbers, abalone and the like, you just need to send people to catch them and make them into dried goods, and you can make a lot of money from that.

As for the issue of fishing boats, I can give you one hundred fishing boats with a capacity of 400 tolls. 400 tolls is 60,000 catties. Even if each fishing boat catches 50,000 catties of seafood every day, the total is 5 million catties, and after drying, there will be at least 2 million catties left.

Dried goods like shrimp, sea cucumbers, and abalone can be sold for at least one tael of silver per twenty catties in the Ming Dynasty. We'll earn a little hard work fee and buy them at half price. You can make 50,000 taels a day just from dried goods from the sea, which is over 10 million taels a year. Are you still worried about not being able to pay the food and wages?"

It turns out that the business of delicacies from land and sea is so profitable.

He has been eating delicacies from land and sea every day these days and is very familiar with them.

Upon hearing this, Li Cheng nodded repeatedly and said, "I understand. I will arrange for people to collect wild ginseng and pearls, catch seafood, and dry them when I return."

Well, just be good and listen to me, and I will ensure that you will enjoy endless wealth and glory.

If you dare to disobey, I will replace you immediately with someone more confused!
(End of this chapter)