Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 507 Minggao Boundary Demarcation Notice
On the platform in front of the Daming Hall, Lu Jin glanced coldly at the group of captured Goryeo people, then turned to the people behind him and asked, "Where is Liu Zixian?"

"Your Majesty, I am here." Liu Zixian hurriedly stepped forward to listen to his instructions.

"Have you found the person I asked you to find?"

Liu Zixian immediately took out the list and stepped forward to introduce it to Lu Jin.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to inform you that I have already investigated and found that there are three families in Goryeo that are pro-Yuan and have had marriage ties with the Mongol Yuan imperial family: the Qi family, the Quan family, and the Lu family."

"This Qi clan is the maternal clan of Empress Qi, and they now wield immense power in Goryeo."

"The current head of the Quan family is named Quan Qian. He is standing below. He is the youngest son of Quan Pu, the chief minister of Goryeo. The chief minister of Goryeo is like the prime minister of China. He was granted an official position by hereditary privilege during the reign of King Chungsuk of Goryeo. He accompanied King Chungsuk to Dadu and served him for five years. After returning to the country, he was recorded as a second-class meritorious official and was promoted one after another. During the reign of King Chungmok of Goryeo, he was appointed as the vice minister of the council, which is the third prime minister of Goryeo."

"After the current King of Goryeo ascended the throne, he was also granted the title of Prince of Fuanfu. In the twelfth year of the Zhizheng era, he was sent as an envoy to the Yuan court and married his daughter to Prince Ayushiridara of the Yuan Dynasty. Therefore, he was also the father-in-law of the Yuan Dynasty's Crown Prince."

"This time, he was summoned by the Yuan court and came to Dadu with his son-in-law Yuan Hao, intending to fight against our army. That's when he was captured and brought here. Quan Qian and his son-in-law Yuan Hao are standing below. Those two are him."

Liu Zixian pointed into the crowd, and Lu Jin looked in that direction, thinking to himself, "Good heavens, this Ayushiridara already has half Korean blood, and now he's married a Korean woman. If this crossbreeding continues for generations, how much Mongol blood will the Yuan emperors have left? Aren't they going to be possessed by Koreans?"
No wonder the Koreans later made a TV series about Empress Ki; it seems this woman had such a significant influence on Won-rye's relationship with her.

Lu Jin nodded upon hearing this. "Go on, what about the other one surnamed Lu?"

Liu Zixian immediately introduced again, "The current head of the Lu family is named Lu Yong. He is the current Left Prime Minister of Goryeo, and he has also come to Dadu this time. He has also offered his daughter to Tuoguan Temur as a concubine. She is also among those captured."

"These three families are arrogant and domineering in Goryeo, wielding immense power and seizing farmland, bullying men and women, and abducting people as slaves. This has led to severe land annexation in Goryeo and widespread resentment among the people. In particular, Lu Yong is said to be extremely greedy and has a particular fondness for taking people's slaves."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin immediately retorted, "None of them are human. These pro-Yuan factions don't learn anything good, but they've completely adopted the treacherous and powerful ways of Hu Yuan's ministers. What about the rest of them?"

Liu Zixian continued, “The rest, Liu Zhuo, Luo Yingjie, and Cui Ying, are all generals of Goryeo, and Yin An is an envoy sent by Goryeo to be stationed in Dadu.”

"In addition, there is one more person who needs special attention. This person is named Yeom Ti-shin. His grandfather was the prime minister of Goryeo, his maternal grandfather was also the prime minister of Goryeo, and his son married the daughter of the current prime minister of Goryeo, Kwon Gyeom."

"Moreover, Lian Tichen himself lost his father at the age of six, entered Dadu at the age of eleven, grew up in the home of the descendants of Muqali, studied Confucianism in the Yuan Dynasty, and once went to the northern desert with the descendants of Muqali to welcome Emperor Taiding. Later, he was valued by Emperor Taiding and was recruited into the Kheshig Imperial Guard."

"During the Zhishun era, Lian Tichen was appointed by the Yuan Dynasty to serve as the Director of the Zhengdong Province, in charge of Goryeo affairs. In the third year of the Zhizheng era, he also went to Jiangzhe to supervise the money and goods of the Central Administration. In the sixth year of the Zhizheng era, during the reign of King Chungmok of Goryeo, he was promoted to the fourth prime minister. At the beginning of this year, he was promoted to the left prime minister by the current king of Goryeo."

"Later, the Yuan court sent people to Goryeo to conscript soldiers. The person sent happened to be Chae Ha-jung, the former prime minister of Goryeo. This person had a personal grudge against Yeom Ti-chen and wanted to take this opportunity to restore his position as prime minister. In order not to offend the Yuan court, the current king of Goryeo, Wang Jeon, was pressured by the pro-Yuan faction and removed Yeom Ti-chen from his position as prime minister, and appointed him as the Prince of Qucheng. He was also conscripted into the Yuan court this time and was captured by our army. He is standing below us now."

Good heavens, his grandfather, maternal grandfather, father-in-law, and himself were all prime ministers. What a family of prime ministers! The political class in Goryeo was so rigid and lacked mobility. No wonder those powerful ministers in Goryeo were so influential in the country.

Liu Zixian said again, "If Your Majesty wishes to send someone back to assist Wang Zhuan in eliminating the pro-Yuan faction within Goryeo, there are two candidates to choose from."

"One of them is this Yeon Ti-chen. Although he is married to Quan Qian, who is pro-Yuan, this is a common practice in Goryeo. In fact, Yeon Ti-chen is not considered pro-Yuan. On the contrary, he is highly trusted by King Jeon. In addition, Yeon Ti-chen has been a high-ranking official for generations, so his influence in the Goryeo court is by no means ordinary. Only he can stand up to those pro-Yuan factions. With him going back to assist King Jeon, the pro-Yuan faction will definitely be eliminated."

"However, there is a drawback to letting this person go back. He is exceptionally talented, but if he is released back to Goryeo, his heart will not be with our new dynasty. It would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains. If Goryeo is determined to be an enemy of our dynasty, this person may cause great disaster."

Lu Jin nodded upon hearing this, but did not speak, instead pondering the pros and cons.

What Lu Jin didn't know was that in the original history, Lian Tichen was indeed highly valued by King Zhuan. During King Zhuan's reign, he served as prime minister four times, making him one of King Zhuan's most trusted ministers. King Zhuan even personally painted a portrait of Lian Tichen, which shows the relationship between the two.

Seeing that Lu Jin didn't speak, Liu Zixian continued, "Another option is the Goryeo envoy Yin An who is stationed in Dadu. He has a simple background, is neither pro-Yuan nor has a prominent family background, and has little influence in the Goryeo court."

"The advantage of sending this person back is that he can only be a messenger, and there will be no risk of letting a tiger return to the mountain. The disadvantage is that the pro-Yuan faction is deeply rooted in the Goryeo court and has great power. If no important minister returns to assist him, Wang Jeon will probably not be a match for the pro-Yuan faction."

"If Your Majesty feels that neither of these two is suitable, you can actually choose one of the generals. Although these Goryeo generals do not have much influence in the court, they have troops in their hands. With military power in hand, even if Wang Zhuan breaks ties with the pro-Yuan faction, at worst he can just fight a battle in their country. Moreover, this will weaken Goryeo's national strength and make it unable to interfere in the conflict between our dynasty and the Mongol Yuan in the short term."

After listening, Lu Jin remained silent for a long time, deducing the different scenarios and how they would affect the future situation between the two countries and the Ming Dynasty. Li Shanchang, who had been listening for a while, also heard everything Liu Zixian said and roughly understood what Lu Jin wanted to do.

So he immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."

Lu Jin glanced at him and nodded. "Please speak, sir."

Li Shanchang immediately said, "Now that the dynasty has just been established, the people are eager for stability, and the country is in dire need of rebuilding. The most urgent task is to recuperate and restore the country's strength. No matter what Your Majesty wants to do in Goryeo, it is not advisable to start a major conflict with Goryeo now."

"Goryeo is now a powerful and formidable force, and should not be underestimated. If we antagonize them, the pressure on the Liaodong border will inevitably increase sharply, and the court will have to deploy more troops to Liaodong. This will not only waste money and food and slow down the recovery of the country, but also distract us from dealing with the remnants of the Yuan dynasty."

"Therefore, it would be better to be on good terms with Goryeo now, deal with the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty, and eliminate the pro-Yuan faction within Goryeo. This is a long-cherished wish of both countries. The joint efforts of both countries to strike at the Mongol Yuan Dynasty would benefit both countries."

"Our country can take this opportunity to purchase more from Korea or demand warhorses to strengthen our army. In addition, when Wang Huanzhang returns with crops from Lizhou, we can send immigrants from Shandong to Liaodong to cultivate the land, populate the population, and store military provisions so that Liaodong can be self-sufficient. This will also make our border defense more secure."

"After seven or eight years, when the nation's strength has recovered, the population has grown, and grain reserves are plentiful, it will not be too late for Your Majesty to do whatever you wish."

In fact, Li Shanchang had followed Lu Jin for so many years and had a certain understanding of Lu Jin's personality and thoughts. Lu Jin was extremely ambitious and had expressed his desire to recover Annam and Champa more than once. Before the country was even completely pacified, he sent people to Southeast Asia to open branch bases. He also coveted Brunei, Sulu, Java, Srivijaya, and other countries. He even said that he wanted to immigrate to Chengzhou (Hokkaido) and control Japan.

Even the distant Nanyang and Chengzhou Lujin are coveted, so the Goryeo Lujin right on their doorstep will certainly not be let go. But now is not the time to attack Goryeo. The Ming Dynasty has only been established for two months, and there are still several provinces in the country that have not yet been pacified. It will take at least a few years to recuperate before it can take action against Goryeo.

Lu Jin was naturally aware of this as well. Moreover, even setting aside other factors, just from a military perspective, they were not yet prepared to conquer Goryeo. The most obvious problem was the lack of a proper navy.

Goryeo was different from ordinary small countries. Compared with China, it was certainly a small country, but in the whole of East Asia, it was already in the second tier. Its population was about 600 million, which was similar to that of Japan and Annam at the same time. For China at that time, it was certainly not a problem to beat a country of this size once or twice. However, to incorporate it into the territory and to maintain long-term stability was not something that could be solved in one or two battles.

The Tang Dynasty also fought many wars of annihilation, but few of them were effectively brought under its rule. If the goal was simply to 'annihilate' a country, it would be easy: massacre its capital, capture its king, and that would be considered annihilation. However, the remaining people would continue to rebel, and the benefits of rule would not cover the expenses of suppressing the rebellions. In the end, the land would have to be returned, which was certainly not the result Lu Jin wanted.

To deal with countries the size of Korea, Annam, and Japan, and to bring them under our control and maintain a stable and effective rule, the most crucial element is to change the population structure of that land. Population is the core key to effectively occupying a territory.

For example, the six million people of Goryeo, the women are easy to deal with, they can be distributed among the people of the country as wives, and their wombs can be occupied.

Of the remaining three million men, at least half should be killed, and then they should be dispersed and emigrated to densely populated Han Chinese provinces such as Shanxi, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, and Sichuan. However, not too many should be emigrated to avoid them banding together. In addition, compulsory education should be implemented in China to completely absorb and assimilate them.

If they couldn't be consumed domestically, they could be sold to overseas colonies as slaves, which would generate another profit.

Once the original land of Goryeo is completely cleared out, immigrants from the mainland will be brought there to occupy it. Only in this way can Goryeo be completely incorporated into the territory. The same principle applies to dealing with Annam and Japan. If you want a stable and long-term occupation, there is only this one way. If you don't change the population structure, it will be like Zhu Di's conquest of Annam in the original history. He occupied it for decades, but in the end, he still had to give it back.

Before the Ming Dynasty, Yunnan was not traditionally Chinese territory. So how did the Ming Dynasty bring Yunnan into the country? It was because Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (the Hongwu Emperor) relocated 800,000 people to Yunnan in two separate migrations: 300,000 the first time and 500,000 the second. This completely changed the population structure of Yunnan, making Han Chinese the dominant ethnic group. This was necessary to suppress the rebellions of local ethnic minorities. If they wanted to take back Korea, Annam, and other places, they had to follow the same method.

Lu Jin nodded upon hearing this, "Sir's words are wise and insightful, and very appropriate. I know what to do."

After saying that, he looked at Liu Zixian and asked, "The palace maids you ordered to be detained, that Crown Princess Quan and Consort Lu, are they among the captured palace maids?"

“Indeed, they were among those captured,” Liu Zixian replied immediately.

"Go and bring those two women here, and bring the group of Koreans here as well."

"Yes!"

A group of Goryeo people were quickly brought to the front of the stage. Liu Zhuo, Yuan Hao and others were still struggling, but their hands were bound and they were being held by soldiers, so they could not break free even if they wanted to.

Before long, Crown Princess Quan and Consort Lu were also brought over. Quan Qian and Lu Ying, who hadn't thought much of it at first, immediately realized something was wrong when they saw that their daughters had also been brought over.

The living Yama before us has publicly executed so many people today, and all of them have been subjected to the most severe punishments. His methods are so cruel that they are simply outrageous. Now he has brought them and his own daughter here. There is no doubt that nothing good will come of it.

Before Lu Jin could speak, Lu Ying, filled with both fear and anger, immediately asked in Chinese, "Your Majesty the Emperor of the New Dynasty, why have you dragged us Goryeo people into the conflict between your country and the Great Yuan? Goryeo has no enmity with your country. If Your Majesty kills us without cause, won't the world think your country is disrespectful?"

clap clap clap-

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin immediately clapped his hands, stood up, and praised, "What a fine example of killing someone without cause, without any grudge or enmity! What's your name?"

"I am Quan Qian, the Vice Minister of the State Council of Goryeo and the Prince of Fu'an. If Your Majesty has any misunderstandings about Goryeo, I am willing to act as Your Majesty's envoy to Goryeo to negotiate peace. I will certainly resolve the misunderstandings between the two countries and prevent the people of the world from slandering the Holy Emperor of the Celestial Dynasty."

"Hahahaha." Lu Jin burst into laughter upon hearing this. "Misunderstanding? I don't think it's a misunderstanding. The matter is quite clear."

"You say that Goryeo and the Ming Dynasty have no enmity and that I am killing you without cause. Then I would like to ask you, why are you Goryeo people here, and why are Goryeo soldiers standing on the walls of Dadu fighting against the Ming army? Could it be that I invited you here? Huh?"
"And these two women, whose daughters are they? Could it be that you weren't the one who married into the Tartar family?"

"Even now, you still dare to play those petty tricks on me? Do you think I'm a fool? So easily deceived by you?"

"This..." Quan Qian was speechless. It seemed that Lu Jin really didn't intend to let them go. Thinking of this, Quan Qian trembled.

Lu Jin was about to say something to the group of Koreans when a guard ran over and reported, "Your Majesty, Crown Prince Hu Yuan suddenly convulsed during the execution and was frightened to death."

"..." Lu Jin was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then speechless for a while, and then complained, "Useless, you dare to plot to seize power with such little courage?"
"Forget it, he's dead, so let him die. Find him a coffin, posthumously confer upon him the title of Marquis of Misconduct, and bury him together with that Empress Hongjila. Keep the funeral simple."

"Yes!" Upon hearing this, the guard accepted the order and was about to leave when Lu Jin quickly called him back.

"Wait, now that Crown Prince Hu Yuan is dead, there's no need to dismember that Goryeo maid. Just bring her head now."

"Yes!"

A moment later, a guard brought over Empress Qi's head to report. Little Iron Pot looked at the bloody head of the beautiful woman and the news that his son had been scared to death. He seemed to have lost his soul and aged more than ten years in an instant.

Lu Jin ignored the family of three, turned to the group of Koreans below the stage, and asked, "Who is Lian Tichen? Step forward." Lian Tichen, who was exactly fifty years old this year, immediately stepped forward and said, "I am."

Lu Jin nodded, then looked at the remaining Koreans and coldly declared, "Except for Lian Tichen, the rest of you will all die today."

The crowd was horrified upon hearing this and struggled to get up, but they were held back by the soldiers and had no way to stop them.

Lian Tichen was also stunned. He thought Lu Jin would be the first to kill him, but he didn't expect that Lu Jin would be the only one to live. Just as he was about to ask why, he heard Lu Jin speak again.

"You need not beg for mercy, nor struggle. As for why I want to kill you, I will tell you, so that you will die knowing why."

Lu Jin stomped his feet on the platform, looking down and said, “I know what Wang Zhuan wants to do. I want to expel the Tartars and rebuild China. Wang Zhuan also wants to free Goryeo from the control of the Tartars. In this respect, the goals of the Ming Dynasty and Goryeo are the same. It’s just that Wang Zhuan doesn’t have the guts. And the pro-Yuan faction in Goryeo is too powerful, so he can’t make a move.”

"Therefore, now that you pro-Yuan factions of Goryeo have fallen into my hands, I naturally do not mind helping Goryeo clean up its own ranks."

"Guards, drag those two women, along with Quan Qian, Yuan Hao, and Lu Ping, away and behead them."

"Yes!"

Lu Ping, Quan Qian, and the others wanted to say something more, but the guards wouldn't give them the chance. They immediately dragged them aside, and with a few muffled thuds of blades being chopped, the guards returned carrying five heads.

The remaining Koreans turned pale with fright and kept swallowing.

Lu Jin looked at Lian Tichen and suddenly asked, "The leaders of the Qi, Quan, and Lu clans, these three pro-Yuan clans, I have dealt with them for Goryeo today. I wonder if Mr. Lian thinks Wang Zhuan will be grateful to me?"

Lian Tichen was a man who had traveled all over the country, led troops, and served as prime minister of a country. He was already in his fifties. Although the scene today was particularly bloody, it was not enough to frighten him. He was still able to calmly bow and reply.

"Your Majesty is wise. These three families, relying on their marriage ties with the Mongol Yuan dynasty, have wielded immense power in Goryeo, acting arrogantly and causing great harm. My lord has long desired to eliminate them, but unfortunately, he has not yet found an opportunity. Today, the new emperor has stepped in to help. If my lord hears of this, he will surely be eternally grateful to Your Majesty."

Lu Jin nodded, "That's good then. It seems that my help today wasn't in vain."

"only."

"Just what?"

Lian Tichen cupped his hands in greeting and immediately said again, "However, the remaining people have no kinship with the Mongol Yuan dynasty and are not pro-Yuan. I wonder if Your Majesty could grant them the grace to return to Goryeo?"

“That’s impossible!” Lu Jin immediately refused.

"Why?" Lian Tichen was very puzzled. Judging from Lu Jin's words just now, he clearly intended to befriend Goryeo. Since the common goal of both countries was to eliminate the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty, and now that the pro-Yuan faction had been executed, why would they still want to kill others?
The others who were being held captive immediately looked up at Lu Jin and Lian Tichen, hoping that Lian Tichen could plead for them and rescue them. But how could Lu Jin easily release them? He immediately said...

"Just now, Quan Qian also said that the Ming Dynasty and Goryeo have no enmity, but Goryeo made peace with the barbarians and sent troops to invade the territory of our Ming Dynasty. How could I let them go so easily? If I don't teach Goryeo a lesson, I'm afraid you won't learn your lesson."

Of the people being held captive, only the resident envoy, Yin An, was fluent in Chinese. Upon hearing this, he was so frightened that he wet his pants and collapsed, unable to support himself.

Lian Tichen, however, continued to argue, “Your Majesty, please forgive us. Goryeo and the Ming Dynasty have never had any dealings before. This time, the dispatch of troops was forced by the pro-Yuan faction, who forcibly conscripted soldiers from our country. My lord had no choice. And these generals and soldiers who were conscripted had no choice. I beg Your Majesty to be magnanimous and forgive them this time. They will surely be grateful to the Celestial Dynasty in the future and will never do it again.”

Lu Jin shook his head and firmly refused, "There's no need for gratitude. I don't need it. There's no room for negotiation on this matter. Rather than letting them go back and making Goryeo think that the Ming Dynasty is weak and easy to bully, it's better to kill them all so that Goryeo will learn its lesson."

“Listen up, you lot. Your mistake was leading your troops onto Chinese soil. No matter how the Ming Dynasty fought the barbarians, it was not something a small country like Goryeo could interfere with. Since you dared to come and fight, you should be prepared to die here.”

"In your next life, remember this lesson: never set foot on Chinese soil again. Drag him down and behead him."

"Yes!"

"Eh"

Lian Tichen hurriedly reached out, about to say something more, but the guards wouldn't listen to him. With a few swift strokes, heads rolled across the scene, and the white marble steps were stained crimson with blood.

Several Goryeo generals who led 200,000 Goryeo troops in the south to fight against Japanese pirates and in the north to fight against the Red Turbans were beheaded on the spot, causing Lian Tichen's mouth to twitch.

These were all pillars of Goryeo's military families in their prime, like Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Fu Youde, Song Sheng, and Li Wenzhong of the Ming Dynasty. Lu Jin just chopped them all down without hesitation. These few young generals of Goryeo who could command more than 100,000 men were wiped out by Lu Jin in one fell swoop. This new emperor is too ruthless.

If the goal was simply to eliminate the pro-Yuan faction within Goryeo, then there was indeed no need to kill Ryu Jo, Choi Young, In An, and Na Young-geol. However, they were the most famous generals in Goryeo, and in the original history, they were the ones who marched north to invade Chinese territory and pushed the border to the Yalu River.

Although Lu Jin was not afraid of them, in order to avoid future trouble for himself, since they had already fallen into Lu Jin's hands, he certainly could not let them go back to the mountains and release these Goryeo generals.

Looking at the heads rolling all over the ground and the headless corpses twitching, Lu Jin waved to his back, "Xia Yu, bring me a map of Goryeo."

"Yes."

Xia Yu immediately took out his map bag, took out a map of Goryeo and handed it to Lu Jin. Lu Jin asked for a pen and drew on it before having someone hand the map to Lian Tichen.

"Take these people's heads back and tell Wang Zhuan that I have eliminated the leader of the pro-Yuan faction of the three surnames. Consider the generals he sent as a lesson he received from me."

"Go back and tell him that I will send troops to take back the Shuangcheng General Administration. Jeju Island will also belong to the Ming Dynasty from now on, and I will send people to take it as well."

"From now on, the two countries will use their existing territories as the boundary. The territory belonging to the Yuan Dynasty will be entirely taken over by the Ming Dynasty. I have already marked the line on the map. Don't think that you can secretly cross the boundary and that I don't know. I am not blind."

"Tell Wang Zhuan that if Goryeo dares to send even a single soldier to invade the territory of our Great Ming again, their heads will be his fate."

"The Mongols conquered Goryeo nine times, yet they still left Goryeo with descendants and a dynasty. I will not do that. When the time comes, I will surely destroy their country, destroy their ancestral temples, and exterminate their descendants. My million-strong army has just destroyed the Yuan Dynasty and is just worried about where to use its troops. If you don't believe me, let them try. Do you all remember that?"

Lian Tichen looked at the map of the Goryeo Peninsula in his hand and was very surprised. Although he had never seen a map of Goryeo before, Lu Jin's map seemed very accurate at first glance.

Not only does it mark the border between the two countries, but it also includes all the cities, towns, mountains, rivers, and even a scale, allowing you to measure actual distances directly on the map, as it is a three-dimensional topographical map.
In terms of the precision of this image, it's likely that even within Korea itself, there isn't one that can rival it.

In fact, this is also a kind of invisible deterrence. I know your country's terrain very well, so don't think about sneaking across the border to occupy land, and don't think you can rely on the mountains and terrain to resist the Ming army. I can kill you if I say I will.

Lian Tichen immediately recognized the importance of the map and carefully put it away before bowing and saying, "I will certainly convey this to His Majesty upon my return. However, since His Majesty intends to use the existing territory as the boundary, what about Jeju Island? The Yuan court has already returned Jeju Island to Goryeo. Could His Majesty please..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Jin interrupted, "There's no room for discussion. Right now, there are powerful ministers in Goryeo who are arrogant and domineering, land annexation is serious, and people are displaced. There is also interference from the Hu Yuan dynasty and attacks from Japanese pirates. With internal and external troubles, you should take care of your own domestic affairs first. Even if you were given Jeju Island, you wouldn't be able to defend it. Sooner or later, it would be occupied by Japanese pirates."

"Our Great Ming Dynasty's vast sea borders are frequently harassed by Japanese pirates. If we prepare defenses everywhere along our vast sea borders, it is as if we are unprepared everywhere. Jeju Island is closer to Japan and can serve as a sea outpost. If it were in the hands of the Great Ming, I could send a navy to be stationed there to strike the Japanese pirates nearby and keep them out of the open sea. This would also be the Great Ming helping Goryeo to shield itself from some of the Japanese pirate threat."

"On the contrary, what use has it been in your hands? I heard that a few years ago, the Japanese pirates even attacked Ganghwa Island, and Gaegyeong was once under martial law. That is the capital of your Goryeo. You can't even defend your own capital. Taking an outlying island is a waste. It will only benefit Japan. If the Japanese pirates occupy Jeju Island one day, they will gain another three-way advantage. The Ming Dynasty and Goryeo will never have peace. You should take care of yourselves first."

Lu Jin's reasoning was plausible. While his demand for Jeju Island did indeed have the intention of countering Japan, it was also for better managing the North Pacific shipping routes and to create a transit point between China and Hokkaido, as going directly there would be too far.

Of course, after taking Jeju Island, if there are plans to use force against Goryeo in the future, Jeju Island will also be a very advantageous forward base. It can be used as a naval base, together with Lushun and Dalian in the north and Dengzhou in Shandong, to control the west coast of the Goryeo Peninsula.

Similarly, the Shuangcheng General Administration Office in northeastern Goryeo was also located at the junction of the Goryeo Peninsula and the northeastern mainland, where a small plain was recessed inwards. It could be used for military settlements and even to establish a naval base.

If the army is mobilized, it can cut through the mountain valleys south of Wonsan and plunge into the Han River Plain, reaching the heart of the peninsula. If the navy is mobilized from Shuangcheng, it can control the entire east coast of the peninsula. At that time, if the Goryeo king and his officials want to escape by sea or to Busan in the southeast, they will be captured by the navy.

Occupying the three key points of Lushun, Jeju Island, and Shuangcheng General Administration is equivalent to surrounding the entire Korean Peninsula. Lu Jin can deal with it whenever he wants!

As for Lian Tichen, after hearing Lu Jin's high-sounding words and his promise to help Goryeo resist the Japanese pirates, and given Lu Jin's direct pointing out the current internal and external troubles facing Goryeo, he could no longer insist.

Actually, this was also Lu Jin's veiled threat. I know what kind of mess your country is in right now. You either agree readily, or don't force me to stab you in the back while you're facing internal and external troubles. Let's see if you can withstand it then.

Having grasped the key point, Lian Tichen cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty's intention to use Jeju as an outpost to resist the Japanese pirates together with Goryeo is naturally the best thing. I will definitely report to the King and explain it clearly after I return. Please rest assured, Your Majesty."

"Okay, remember that. I'll only give you a hundred soldiers you brought with you this time. Let them escort you back to your country. I'll have someone take you to Liaodong first, and you can walk on your own after crossing the Yalu River." Lu Jin nodded and said immediately.

Lian Tichen bowed again in thanks, “Thank you, Your Majesty. I have another question. May I ask Your Majesty, after I return and explain the matter to the King, will it be possible for me to be sent as an envoy to the Ming Dynasty again to request investiture?”

Lu Jin didn't directly answer whether he agreed or not, but instead said vaguely, "Do you know why I spared your life?"

"I don't know."

"Although Wang Zhuan is ambitious to break free from the control of the Yuan court, he is weak-willed and lacks the means. Although I have dealt with the leaders of the pro-Yuan faction, their three families are still deeply rooted in Goryeo. Only you can assist Wang Zhuan in cleaning up their own house."

"Furthermore, Wang Zhuan relies heavily on you. I'm sparing your life to save face for him. Go back and assist Wang Zhuan in clearing out the remaining Yuan forces within Goryeo before discussing the matter of being sent as an envoy and bestowing titles."

"So that's how it is. Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life. This humble subject of our country will certainly remember your teachings and assist Your Majesty in annihilating the remnants of the Yuan dynasty as soon as possible."

"Yes, go ahead, Dingbang. Select one hundred men from among those Goryeo soldiers to escort Mr. Lian."

"Zhu Liangzu, have Zheng Yong send a cavalry battalion to escort them to Liaodong."

"Yes!" The people who were called responded and accepted the order.

(End of this chapter)