You have truly caused me great suffering!

When the group arrived at the summer palace, two young eunuchs led the way to Chen Shao's location.

It was still in the valley where Chen Shao fished.

They were much more at ease then.

Chen Shao asked Cui Shunting to repeat it again so that everyone could hear it.

After listening, they had a general understanding of the situation in Goryeo.

In recent years, the Secretariat and the Chancellery have not paid much attention to Goryeo; they have too many other things to do.

Both the North and the South needed to invest a great deal of energy, so much so that a joke circulated among them that Prime Minister Li chose to resign because he saw that the sixth year of Jianwu would be exhausting.

Hearing that the fighting in Korea had escalated to this point, everyone understood that this matter could not be easily resolved.

But it seems we're getting closer and closer to our grand goal.

A complete and united Goryeo is not something that can be swallowed up completely.

Now that they have started their own internal strife, they have given Da Jing an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

There was no internal strife in Japan. It was the people of Daikage who created internal strife and then used the mob riots to gradually erode the island nation.

Historically, during this period, Goryeo itself was divided between the Gaegyeong and Seogyeong factions, which were irreconcilable and experienced two internal conflicts.

They were lucky; during their internal strife, they happened to encounter the Song, Liao, and Jin dynasties locked in fierce fighting.

Otherwise, if there had been a strong, unified dynasty in the north, it would have taken advantage of the situation and invaded long ago.

Now that the opportunity has presented itself, His Majesty's purpose in summoning everyone here is quite clear.

Zhang Run was the first to speak, and given his seniority, he should have listened for a while before speaking.

But he was too eager to advance, and he came from the Zhang family of Qilian Mountain. Although his ancestor Zhang Yichao was a great hero, the family had long since fallen into decline.

For generations, the Cao family had suppressed them completely, turning them into ordinary landlords in Hexi.

Cai Xing had Cai Jing teaching him how to be an official every day, while Zhang Run had to figure it out on his own.

We've gotten to where we are today by seizing every opportunity and taking advantage of every chance.

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, this is a golden opportunity."

The others were used to it, and when they saw him interrupting again, they just shook their heads inwardly.

Zhang Run ignored this and continued, "With the war in Goryeo, the people are bound to suffer. Countless people yearn to flee west and enter Liaodong to seek their lives. The court should be benevolent and facilitate their crossing of the border."

"In order to settle the people of Haidong in Liaodong, and then to protect Jing merchants and local workshops, more troops should be stationed in various places."

Yuwen Xuzhong agreed this time, saying, "What Minister Zhang said is absolutely right. Since Li Yanqi's eastern expedition, there has been no one to command the troops stationed in Goryeo. I recommend someone to go to Goryeo, and he will surely be able to appease all sides."

Chen Shao asked, "Could it be Ma Kuo?"

“Exactly!” Yuwen Xuzhong nodded.

Chen Shao nodded slightly. Ma Kuo was indeed a talented person, and he was extremely good at navigating foreign lands.

The fact that the Song Dynasty was so weak in the past actually limited its potential.

With a strong backing, he will surely be able to go even further.

Liu Jizu remained silent until Chen Shao looked at him, at which point Liu Jizu still kept his head down in deep thought.

Cai Xing, who was beside him, said, "The army that is conquering Japan is still fighting. If there is any major operation in Korea, the amount of money, food and manpower required will be considerable."

Like begets like; Cai Jing's grandson is good at accounting.
Chen Shao said, "It's best to minimize the manpower spent on the Goryeo matter and prioritize ensuring the supplies for the army on the Japanese front."

At this point, everyone looked at Cui Shunting.

Cui Shunting immediately pledged his loyalty, saying, "I will do my utmost!"

This was his first time participating in such a high-level imperial discussion, so he was exceptionally attentive, listening carefully to every word spoken by everyone present. Chen Shao was not worried about pressuring Goryeo and sending more troops; in fact, the presence of troops at this time gave the people of Gaegyeong some reassurance.

Da Jing's reputation score is so high that others would not easily doubt him.

Especially in recent years, Chen Shao has always treated Goryeo very well, all for this moment.

"Let Ma Kuo come back. We should also try our best to make the most of the situation. We'll have to put up with this hardship for you gentlemen, but things will be much easier next year!"

Liu Jizu and the others smiled bitterly; they didn't believe a single word of that statement.

coming year?

Next year, we might have to prepare for a western expedition.

That's a truly exhausting and physically demanding job.

Once the westward expedition began, half of the capital city would have to be mobilized, with a total of 100,000 troops heading west out of the Ili River Valley. The logistics and transportation of supplies would be a nightmare.

Fortunately, large-scale camel breeding has already begun on the front lines.

These military leaders, including Meng Nuan, made no attempt to conceal their actions, and directly began large-scale renovations of their treasuries in the Ili River Valley.

There were thirteen large warehouses connected together, located near the city outskirts, and they were said to be completely full.

If this western expedition were to break out, it would be more exciting than all the wars that are currently underway.

Two of Chen Shao's four trusted confidants who were granted the title of king for their military achievements were there, along with Qu Duan and Yue Fei.

In the Northwest, it would be a bit hard to believe that such a force was there to guard the winter camp.

After the founding of the Great Jing Kingdom, many of the wars it fought were profitable.

Although it is said that when cannons roar, gold flows in, the various mineral veins on the occupied territory are also a source of wealth.

The commercial tax revenue of the Great Jing Dynasty was five times that of the Great Song Dynasty. It should be noted that the Great Song Dynasty was the dynasty with the highest commercial tax revenue in ancient civilization.

Not to mention that after the land survey, because there were no more hidden fields, the amount of grain received was several times greater.

Annam, Champa, Ma Yi, and Taiwan all have many fertile lands.

Annam and Champa, in particular, were small places where the Ly Dynasty of Dai Viet managed to support nearly ten million people.

The Battle of the Red River alone mobilized nearly a million men to guard the capital. This demonstrates that they had the capacity to support such a large population.

“Korea is different from Japan; we don’t need to send too many supplies there directly,” Chen Shao said. “Zhang Run’s suggestion is excellent; let’s do it that way for now!”

To annex a country, one must be patient; the worst thing to do is to send troops directly.

When a country is divided and in the midst of a civil war, a powerful external enemy can often cause both sides to put aside their hatred and unite against the common enemy.

That would be a losing proposition.

Chen Shao then looked specifically at Cui Shunting and instructed him not to stay in the camp in Xijing for too long.

He is no longer just a simple Korean businessman.

Everyone knew about his relationship with Jing Jun. He stayed in the rebel camp in Xijing, making it seem as if Chen Shao had already decided to support the rebels.

Cui Shunting repeatedly agreed, actually thinking before he came that Da Jing would definitely send troops this time.

Having such a powerful army at their disposal, why not use it?

He hadn't expected that His Majesty and his ministers would have such a long-term vision.

No matter how capable Choi Soon-jung is, he is still a Korean, from a small country.

Their perspective on problems is completely different from that of major powers.

Small countries generally lack strategic resolve because their strength doesn't allow it. (End of Chapter)