Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 662 Ultimatum
Half an hour later, Lim Seung-yeop, the Incheon Military Commander, who was pulled into Hanyang City in a basket, arrived at Simindang Hall of Changdeok Palace, led by a eunuch.

"Your subject, Lim Seung-yeop, Military Commander of Incheon Prefecture, pays his respects to His Highness the Crown Prince." Lim Seung-yeop was quite surprised; he had expected to see the King.

"Are you the one who reported the Ming army's landing at Incheon?" Yi Chu asked urgently, getting straight to the point, even forgetting to ask Lin Chengye to get up.

"Your Majesty, it is I, your subject," Lin Chengye replied, prostrate on the ground.

“Uncle.” Li Zhu turned to look at Liu Xifen, who was sitting by the window. “What exactly is going on? Didn’t you say that the Ming army came from Jianghua? How come they’ve landed at Incheon now?”

Liu Xifen stiffened, turned his head and threw the question to Zhang Wan, who was standing next to him: "Yes, Judge Zhang, didn't the Ming army come from Jianghua?"

“Your Highness,” Zhang Wan said, turning to look at Yi Chu and bowing, “that was merely a conjecture based on the single piece of evidence from the Jeolla military report. The truth still requires further intelligence to clarify the matter.”

“Alright.” Li Chu then looked at Lin Chengye, who was kneeling in the center of the room. “Envoy Lin, whose flag is this Ming fleet flying? When did they arrive?”

Lin Chengye quickly replied, "Your Highness, the fleet forced its way ashore this morning, around late morning or early morning. The Ming army fired cannons to disperse our patrol boats."

"The Ming army fired cannons?" Li Chu's eyes widened, but he wasn't concerned about whether his warships and sentry boats had been damaged. Instead, he wanted to know, "Did you retaliate?"

"No, no! Those were ships flying the 'Ming' flag, and our ships weren't damaged." Li Chu's reply relieved Lin Chengye. It seemed that, as they had expected, the Hanyang side was indeed unwilling to clash with the Heavenly Army.

"That's good," Li Chu said, propping his head up with his hand and nodding repeatedly. "Go on, please continue."

"After the fleet forcibly landed, the Ming army sent someone to say..." Lin Chengye started to speak, but then tensed up again. He swallowed hard to clear his throat, but still stammered, unable to form a complete sentence. "They said they... they said they are..."

"What is it? You're stuttering!" Park Seung-jong urged impatiently.

"Those Ming soldiers claimed to be elite troops under General Shen Yourong, who was in charge of military affairs in the eight provinces of Korea." Lin Chengye hunched over, his body trembling slightly. It should be noted that the term "in charge of military affairs in the eight provinces of Korea," which did not refer to military affairs of the Ming Dynasty itself, was something that neither Li Rusong nor Ma Gui had ever used.

To Lin Chengye's great surprise, no one present showed much astonishment. Only Liu Xifen looked at Zhang Wan and sighed softly, "It really is the Ming army mentioned in the Jeolla Military Report."

Zhang Wan nodded, muttering to himself, "If this Ming army only landed in Incheon today, then where did those Ming troops who sent out proclamations in Ganghwa and Paju come from?"

"It might be a detachment that was sent out ahead of time," Liu Xifen said, glancing at Li Chu and raising his voice slightly.

"What kind of riddles are you two playing?" Park Seung-jong, sitting next to Yoo Hee-bun, was scratching his head in frustration. "What Jeolla military report, what detached flanking force!"

Zhang Wan glanced at Yi Ye behind the main seat, and seeing that he didn't seem to be urging her, she explained to Park Seung-jong, "Yesterday afternoon, before curfew, the Ministry of War received a report from the Jeolla Provincial Administration. The report stated that on the seventh day of this month, a fleet of ships flying the flags with the characters 'Ming' and 'Shen' appeared near Gogunsan Island, under the jurisdiction of Gimje County. Judging from the timing, if they had set sail north on the seventh day, it would have been entirely possible for them to have arrived in Gyeonggi a few days earlier, so..."

"Therefore, we speculate that this Ming army is the same one that distributed proclamations in places like Ganghwa, Jangtan, and Paju. They were forced to sail south with the summer southerly winds." Liu Xifen interrupted, then turned the conversation back to Zhang Wan: "First to Jeolla, then north, and finally landing in Ganghwa. Is that what you meant, Judge Zhang?"

Zhang Wan didn't quite understand why Liu Xifen insisted on interrupting him and interjecting, but since Liu Xifen had given him the chance, he replied, "That's the idea. Otherwise, there's no way to explain why the Ming army was able to cross the Ping'an and Huanghai routes so quietly, and why news only reached Hanyang after they entered the capital region."

Park Seung-jong was stunned for a moment, but he quickly reacted, slapping his thigh and saying the timely remark: "No wonder Park Yeop didn't send a note to Hanyang!"

Lin Chengye was confused by the conversation between Park, Liu, and Zhang. To him, Park and Zhang sounded like they were shirking responsibility, while Liu Xifen seemed to be trying to cover something up while taking credit for himself. But regardless, one thing was clear:

"Your Highness and the esteemed officials already know about the Ming army's landing?" Lin Chengye asked with a surprised expression.

Park Seung-jong gave Lim Seung-yeop a strange look, then coldly retorted with a question: "Otherwise, why do you think martial law was declared in Hanyang?"

Lin Chengye shrank his neck.

"Envoy Lin." Li Zhu was too caught up in the situation to notice the infighting between Park, Ryu, and Jang.

"Your subject is here," Lin Chengye hurriedly replied.

"Have you met that Admiral Shen?" Li Zhu asked.

"No," Lin Chengye replied. "That Admiral Shen only sent a clerk surnamed Liu to the city for a brief negotiation. After that, Prefect Li sent me by horseback to Hanyang with a message."

"How did you negotiate? What demands did Admiral Shen make to you?" Li Chu pressed.

Lin Chengye was somewhat stunned, unsure how to respond. Strictly speaking, the situation at the time couldn't be considered a negotiation at all, but rather a one-sided notification. Because after Liu, the interpreter sent by Shen Yourong, arrived at the walls of Incheon, he only shouted a few times towards the city walls; he didn't even enter the city, let alone deliver a letter.

Lin Chengye felt that this matter was damaging to Incheon Prefecture's overall image, so he decided to skip the previous question: "The Ming army sent an interpreter to demand that Incheon Prefecture open its gates to welcome them and requested that the court immediately send someone to negotiate. If Incheon Prefecture still keeps its gates closed by tomorrow morning, then..." Lin Chengye paused, then swallowed hard. "Then the Ming army will directly attack Incheon Prefecture."

"Attack?" Zhang Wan exclaimed.

"What have you done!" Liu Xifen stared at Lin Chengye in horror. Li Chu's eyes also turned cold.

"We didn't do anything, we were just doing normal security guard duty," Lin Chengye quickly explained.

"If you didn't do anything, why did the Ming army threaten to attack Incheon right away!" Liu Xifen pressed on fiercely. "There are Ming troops active in so many places, such as Ganghwa, Jangtan, and Paju, but I've never heard of anything this serious. What exactly did you do!"

"I don't know either! We really just kept the doors closed and on guard." Lin Chengye shook his head and waved his hand.

“It’s very likely that closing the door angered that Admiral Shen!” Park Seung-jong suddenly said.

"What do you mean?" Li Chu asked.

“Your Highness,” Park Seung-jong speculated, “Judging from the information we have, the Ming army began issuing proclamations of surveillance in the Gyeonggi region at least since the day before yesterday. Perhaps in that Admiral Shim's view, the warning was sufficient, and all regions should open their gates in welcome. Therefore, Incheon's refusal to welcome them is seen as stubbornness and a deliberate act of resistance.” “That makes sense,” Lee Cheok frowned and gently shook his head. Then his expression changed, and he demanded of Lim Seung-yeop, “Why did you close your gates!”

"This... this... " Lin Chengye was completely stunned. What kind of question was this? He stammered for a long time, and finally could only explain dryly, "Your Highness, even if they really are Ming soldiers, we still need to take the time to distinguish them before opening the gates to welcome them. Otherwise, what if they are rebels or Japanese pirates flying the Ming army flag? Wouldn't Incheon, this western barrier of the capital, collapse without warning?"

"What else is there to argue about?" Park Seung-jong retorted. "Haven't you seen the guardianship manifesto?"

"No!" Lin Chengye shook his head repeatedly. "Incheon has never received any guardianship notice!"

"Impossible! The proclamation of guardianship has been circulating in Hanyang for two days! How could Incheon not have received it yet!" Liu Xifen still believed that the Ming army that sent the proclamation near Ganghwa Prefecture and the Ming army that landed in Incheon today were the same army.

“Yes,” Park Seung-jong agreed. “Incheon is closer to Hanyang than Ganghwa.”

"I, I, we really didn't." Lin Chengye was speechless and on the verge of fainting.

"Alright, that's enough! What's the point of dwelling on this now!" Li Chu was in a state of utter confusion and had no time to think about those strange details. "Just tell me what we should do!"

"Your Highness!" Liu Xifen stood up abruptly. "I believe the most urgent matter at hand is to immediately send someone to Incheon to inform Li Liting to open the city gates and welcome the Heavenly Army! If the Heavenly Army really launches an attack, things will become very troublesome. Those with ulterior motives will definitely take the opportunity to spread rumors, saying that we ordered Incheon to close its gates and resist."

"I second that!" Before Liu Xifen could finish speaking, Park Seung-jong also stood up.

“Alright! Let’s do it that way.” Li Chu immediately agreed. Then, pointing at Lin Chengye, he said, “Didn’t he just say that the Ming Army wants us to send someone to negotiate? Do you all think we should recall Counselor Li?”

"The key is the imperial envoy." Liu Xifen turned to Lin Chengye: "Lin Chengye! Is the imperial envoy also in Incheon?"

"What imperial envoy?" Lin Chengye asked, looking puzzled.

“That’s right.” Liu Xifen instinctively started to explain, but he swallowed his words as soon as he opened his mouth. “You know nothing! It’s pointless to talk to you.”

“The imperial envoy is coming down from the north, so he probably won’t make a special detour to Incheon, otherwise he would have been sent to escort the military commander.” Zhang Wan interjected. “The Celestial Empire has always used civil officials to control the military, so this is not the usual practice.”

“What if Imperial Envoy Yuan came by boat with Admiral Shen?” Li Zhu said.

“No,” Park Seung-jong said. “Last month, a merchant corps came down from Liaoyang. They explicitly said that they had seen the entourage of the Zhenjiang Military Governor in Liaoyang.”

Li Chu was visibly taken aback. "The Military Commissioner of Zhenjiang? Isn't that Imperial Envoy Yuan the Right Vice Minister of War?"

“Warfare is based on deception.” Park Seung-jong speculated, “The Zhenjiang Military Commissioner was probably the disguised identity of that Imperial Envoy Yuan when he passed through Liaodong.”

“A disguise. Ha.” Li Chu gave a bitter laugh, his eyes dimming as he sighed, “The Celestial Empire really treats our country as an enemy.”

"..." Park Seung-jong didn't dare to respond to this. Liu Xifen and Zhang Wan also didn't react at all, as if they hadn't heard the words.

“Since the imperial envoy is probably not in Incheon, let’s send someone else to greet that Admiral Shen,” Liu Xifen said, changing the subject as if to pick up where he left off.

"Who should we send?" In the blink of an eye, Li Chu also concealed the resentment and dissatisfaction in his eyes.

“Your Highness, I am willing to go!” Park Seung-jong immediately volunteered.

The saying "Those near the water get the moonlight first, and flowers facing the sun bloom easily in spring" applies to Li Erzhan, and Park Seung-jong naturally understands it as well. The task of welcoming the Imperial Envoy Wen had already been given to Li Jungui during the King's last exercise of power. Now, with the opportunity to get close to Commander Wu presented before him, and the Crown Prince seeking advice, Park Seung-jong had to seize it.

However, Liu Xifen jumped out at this moment to disagree: "This is probably not appropriate."

"What's wrong with it?" Park Seung-jong asked, frowning.

“Your Highness,” Liu Xifen began, then immediately changed his tune: “Li Shengzheng is a second-rank advisor who is going to greet Imperial Envoy Yuan, while you, Park Yeo-jang, are not only a first-rank chief councilor but also the Prince of Michang. If you were to greet that Admiral Shen, where would you place your guardian? Our Joseon is a land of etiquette. If we don’t even respect this basic order of seniority and the distinction between civil and military officials, wouldn’t we be ridiculed? It would be more like the other way around.”

Park Seung-jong's expression immediately softened. "Then who do you think should be sent?"

“Him.” Liu Xifen pointed at Zhang Wan with his finger.

"Ah," Zhang Wan was still lost in thought, pondering how the Ming army deployed its troops, completely unaware that Liu Xifen would single her out. "Me?"

“Yes.” Liu Xifen nodded and said to Li Chu, “Your Highness, Zhang Haogu is the Military Advisor. Whether from the perspective of his position or his rank, he is the perfect candidate to welcome that Admiral Shen. Therefore, I recommend that Zhang Haogu lead the mission.”

Lee Dok nodded, but still asked Park Seung-jong a perfunctory question: "What does Lord Park think?"

Park Seung-jong looked intently at Jang Wan, then glanced at Yoo Hee-fen as he looked away. "I second that."

"Alright, then let the Ministry of Rites handle it as soon as possible." Only now did Li Chu realize that Li Erzhan, the judge of the Ministry of Rites, had not come. "Where is Lord Li? Why didn't he come?"

“He’s still investigating the case at the military sergeant’s office,” Liu Xifen said.

"Investigate the case." Li Zhu, half-lying on the table, sighed and said, "Even if we find out who it is now, what can we do to him?"

“It’s better than not knowing who did it,” Park Seung-jong said. “At least we know who to be wary of in the future.”

No matter how great the differences or how fierce the struggle, the three Changs remained highly united in their stance on supporting the Crown Prince.

(End of this chapter)