Di Ming

Chapter 361 Serving the Imperial Court is difficult!

Hao Jie and the others did not wear armor, but were dressed in official robes to greet them.

Zhu Yin had already changed out of his armor and put on the official robes of a third-rank civil official, carrying the ceremonial regalia of an imperial envoy, holding the imperial edict in his hand, his expression indifferent.

Hao Jie was about fifty years old, with a sallow complexion and graying hair. He looked as if he had aged ten years in just six months.

Gao Huai, on the other hand, had not changed much; he still maintained the aloof and arrogant demeanor of a powerful eunuch.

King Seonjo of Joseon looked even more distressed than last year, showing that he was suffering greatly.

Besides these three, there were also Imperial Censor Qian Shizhen, Korean Minister Ryu Seong-ryong, Ming generals Ma Gui, Liu Ting, Zu Chengxun, Wu Weizhong, Yang Yuan, and Zha Dashou.

Apart from Deng Zilong and Chen Lin, who were in charge of the navy, everyone else who was supposed to be there was there.

Upon seeing the crowd approaching, Zhu Yin loudly proclaimed without any politeness, "Hao Jie, Gao Huai, and others, receive the imperial decree!"

Hao Jie and the others lifted their robes and knelt down, bowing their heads and saying, "Your subjects respectfully obey the imperial edict!"

Zhu Yin unfolded the imperial edict and read aloud: "Imperial Edict! Hao Jie has suffered heavy losses in troops and territory. His incompetence and ineptitude have greatly disappointed me. He is hereby dismissed from his posts as Governor-General of Jiliao and Military Commissioner of Korea…and summoned to the capital for questioning. Gao Huai bears responsibility for negligence and is no longer fit to serve as military supervisor. He is ordered to return to the capital immediately to report…"

When Hao Jie heard the imperial edict, although he had already expected it, his face still turned pale, as if struck by lightning.

Gao Huai, however, remained calm and composed.

Both men bore primary responsibility, yet their fates diverged drastically. One suffered heavy losses, the other was blamed for negligence. One returned to the capital to be punished, the other returned to report to the emperor.

The emperor's protection and leniency towards his servants were completely undisguised; it was an open and aboveboard operation.

When the imperial censor Qian Shizhen and General Ma Gui heard the imperial edict, they felt a chill in their hearts.

Hao Jie certainly bears a great deal of responsibility and should be returned to the capital for trial. The problem is, we must be fair. Compared to Hao Jie, Gao Huai's crimes are far greater.

Hao Jie was at best a theorist with poor military skills and ineffective responses, but at least his personal morality was decent. Gao Huai, however, was not only a theorist with poor military skills and ineffective responses, but he also embezzled military funds, extorted money from the Korean monarch and his officials, seized Korean gold mines, enslaved Korean pearl divers, and forced the Korean rebel army to revolt.

During the months in Korea, the army lost tens of thousands of soldiers. However, the eunuch Gao Huai amassed an untold fortune, profiting from the national crisis.

In terms of responsibility, the greedy Gao Huai was far more responsible than Hao Jie, yet he was only held accountable for negligence, and his punishment was merely to be relieved of his post as military supervisor and ordered to return to the capital to report.
Gao Huai was not surprised at all when he heard the imperial edict, thinking to himself that it was just as he expected.

During his trip to Korea, he "earned" two to three hundred thousand taels of silver and also acquired a considerable amount of pearls and Korean yak wood. He had previously sent over ten thousand taels of silver to the palace; the money wasn't wasted.

Zhu Yin, who was reading the imperial edict, was also very frustrated, but since Emperor Baijin was determined to protect scum like Gao Huai, there was nothing he could do.

We can't just kill Gao Huai, can we? We don't have that authority. Gao Huai is the eunuch supervisor representing the emperor himself; no one but the emperor can touch him.

After Zhu Yin finished reading the imperial edict, he showed Hao Jie and others the official seals and royal command flags, and then officially took over military power.

From this moment on, Hao Jie was no longer the Governor-General of Jiliao and the Military Commissioner of Korea; Zhu Yin was.

Hao Jie said with a face full of shame, "Zhu Jinglue, I entrust the matter of Korea to you. Alas, my life and property are small, but the affairs of the Korean military are paramount."

Zhu Yin said coldly, "Things have come to this point, there's no point in saying more. You can still return to the capital to be punished, but the Ming soldiers buried in foreign lands can never go back."

Zhu Yin showed no respect whatsoever to his former strategist, treating him with utter indifference.

In fact, he had already been trying his best to help Hao Jie. He instructed Huya to cleverly pass on various intelligence about the Japanese army to the Imperial Guards, and even instructed Huya agents in Hao Jie's shogunate to provide combat advice.

However, Hao Jie was very stubborn and believed that the intelligence was a decoy deliberately released by the Japanese army to lure the Ming army into a trap, because he did not believe that the Embroidered Uniform Guard could obtain such detailed intelligence (which seemed to be true).

As a result, Huya's intelligence proved useless, and Hao Jie voluntarily gave up the opportunity.

As for Gao Huai, his mind wasn't even on fighting. He spent his time monitoring the words and actions of civil and military officials, and on various other ways to amass wealth.

As for what would happen if the Japanese army crossed the river and invaded Liaodong, Gao Huai was never worried.

According to Huya's report, Gao Huai once said to his household guards, "No matter how arrogant the Japanese pirates are, how long can they be arrogant? The Ming Dynasty is a celestial empire with a large army and many generals. We can afford to lose a hundred times. As long as we win once, this tiny country of Japan will be finished. What is there to fear? When the time comes, someone will naturally take them down. You don't need to go into battle. You only have one thing to do: protect me across the river at the critical moment and protect me back to the capital to meet the emperor."

This shows that Gao Huai didn't care about the war situation at all. When he entered the court, he brought a thousand elite soldiers from the Imperial Horse Administration, but he used them as personal guards to protect himself and never went to the battlefield.

The performances of Hao Jie, Yang Shaoxun, and Gao Huai thoroughly proved the saying: "An incompetent general can lead to the downfall of an entire army."

Seeing that Zhu Yin showed no respect to Hao Jie, Gao Huai said with a forced smile:
"Congratulations to Mr. Zhihu on assuming the post of Military Commissioner. May Mr. Zhihu, after taking command of the army, be diligent in leading the royal troops, inspire the soldiers, turn the tide, and make new contributions for the Emperor. At that time, Mr. Zhihu will be highly respected and praised throughout the land. Wouldn't that be a glorious story for the nation?"

His words were loaded with hidden meaning, and his intentions were extremely sinister.

He wasn't afraid of Zhu Yin. He was the emperor's trusted eunuch; unless Zhu Yin had gone mad, what could he do?

Zhu Yin looked at Gao Huai calmly and said, "As the military supervisor, Eunuch Gao has made great contributions in Korea. Even if he has no merit, he has worked hard and diligently. When Eunuch Gao returns to the capital, His Majesty will surely reward him handsomely."

Gao Huai sneered, "Whether I receive a reward or not is entirely up to Grandpa. Thunder and rain are both forms of imperial favor. If Grandpa orders me to die, I dare not live. If Grandpa orders me to live, I dare not die. As for the others, what can they do?"

The Imperial Censor Qian Shizhen angrily said, "Eunuch Gao! Zhu Jinglue is an Imperial Commissioner who wields the Imperial Sword to oversee military affairs, but Eunuch Gao is no longer an Imperial Commissioner. You should be more mindful of your words now!"

"Measures?" Gao Huai raised his nose. "I've been more than measured with you civil officials. I'm His Majesty's servant, closer to him than you are. It's you who should know your place when you speak to me. Don't think that just because you passed the imperial examination and became officials you can put on airs like scholarly gentlemen in front of me."

“I am indeed no longer the Imperial Commissioner and Military Supervisor, but I am still the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration! I also serve as the Chief Steward of the Qianqing Palace. Even the Grand Secretaries should give me some leeway.”

"You, you..." Qian Shizhen's face turned red, and he was so angry that he couldn't speak.

The problem isn't that a scholar can't reason with a soldier; it's that a scholar can't reason with a eunuch!
Gao Huai silenced Qian Shizhen with a few words, then said to Zhu Yin, "Zhu Zhihu! Even if I leave Korea, I will keep an eye on you for the Emperor! Don't think that just because there's no one in the palace in Korea, you can do anything!"

"If you fight well in Korea, fine. But if you don't... I'll impeach you before the Emperor even issues an order! Do you understand?!"

Gao Huai was so rude because Zhu Yin and Qian Shizhen had not given him face, and he wanted to retaliate and get his revenge.

At the same time, he also wanted to deliberately provoke Zhu Yin, then humiliate him on the spot, make Zhu Yin lose face, preferably fight him, and then, after returning to the capital, accuse Zhu Yin of being arrogant.

Everyone was stunned.

When Zhu Jinglue arrived, he was actually reprimanded by Gao Huai, a eunuch who had already been dismissed from his post.

Qi Jiguang and the others were furious, but none of them lashed out. Now was not the time to act. Not to mention them, even the cabinet ministers couldn't do anything about Gao Huai.

This was because this man was a trusted eunuch of the emperor.

Zhu Yin suddenly smiled. "Rest assured, Eunuch Gao, now that I am in Korea, I will do my utmost. Please also inform His Majesty that I will not return until Korea is restored."

Zhu Yin wished he could kick Gao Huai to death, but he could only endure it at this moment.

He had the authority to execute military officers of the second rank and below, and to suspend civil officials of the fourth rank and below—truly acting expediently and without prior approval. Yet he had no authority to execute eunuchs!

This is the most frustrating part.

The political landscape of the Ming Dynasty was characterized by eunuchs suppressing civil officials, who in turn suppressed military generals. Most of the time, eunuchs held the upper hand. This led many to argue that the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs (司礼监) was the true cabinet. The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs had its own secret police and secret police, capable of overturning the cabinet at any moment. And the cabinet itself?

Even Zhang Juzheng had to address Feng Bao as his junior. Even a powerful Grand Secretary like Gao Gong relied on eunuchs and dared not offend them. Countless cabinet ministers bribed eunuchs.

Not to mention that his own power was far less than that of the cabinet ministers. Historically, during Gao Huai's rebellion in Liaodong, he treated high-ranking officials such as governors, provincial governors, imperial inspectors, and generals with arrogance and domineering attitudes, as if they were servants. Didn't the Jin emperor protect him in every way?

The Ming emperors deliberately allowed the eunuch faction to suppress civil officials. They used the eunuchs' power to warn the civil officials:

"All power comes from above. Even the servants around me can easily suppress you. How dare you disobey me?"

Driven by this despicable political mentality and imperial power tactics, Ming Dynasty eunuchs were absolute servants before the emperor, possessing no real power whatsoever; they were merely the emperor's henchmen. Yet, in the eyes of their subjects, they wielded immense power.

Right now, he has absolutely no way to deal with Gao Huai.

After Gao Huai returns to the capital, a few casual remarks made to the emperor would be enough to overwhelm him. Given Emperor Baijin's temperament, he might even remove Gao Huai from his post as military commander and strip him of his military power before the war is even over.

Zhu Yin took a deep breath, smiled nonchalantly, and continued, "Does Eunuch Gao wish to rest for a few days before leaving, or set off immediately?"

Qi Jiguang and the others were relieved to see that Zhu Yin had swallowed his anger. Just now, they were afraid that Zhu Yin, in his youthful rage, would confront the eunuch.

Gao Huai was somewhat disappointed to see Zhu Yin suddenly become all smiles and humble in attitude.

He was hoping Zhu Yin would be enraged, but who knew this young man was so cunning that he actually held back.

Gao Huai snorted coldly and said, "What's the point of keeping it? I need to return to the capital to report, so the sooner the better."

Zhu Yin said, "Then I'll see Eunuch Gao off."

Gao Huai knew what was going on, and his gloomy, sour face finally looked a little better.

...

Zhu Yin did not even enter the city; he personally escorted Gao Huai across the river.

They discovered that Gao Huai had over a thousand retainers, all elite imperial guards from the Imperial Horse Administration. Several boats were used to transport the luggage.

One of the large ships was loaded with Korean nutmeg wood. Korean nutmeg wood is extremely precious; it takes fifty years to grow to the thickness of a bowl and two hundred years to truly mature, equivalent to China's golden nanmu. Therefore, the Korean royal family has a law strictly prohibiting the felling of Korean nutmeg wood.

Such a large shipload of Korean yak wood is worth at least 100,000 taels of silver. Gao Huai spent less than six months in Korea, and it's estimated he cut down all the Korean yak wood in northern Korea.

This corrupt eunuch is insatiable and has absolutely no bottom line. He single-handedly incited the hatred of the North Koreans.

On the dock, Zhu Yin suppressed his disgust and spoke to Gao Huai with great concern:

“Eunuch Gao, these Korean Torreya trees are indeed a sign of filial piety to His Majesty, but once they reach Jiangbei, there are no boats left. How will they be transported back to the capital? It would be too difficult to transport them by land.”

Gao Huai chuckled and said, "It is indeed difficult to travel by land. So, in Mr. Zhihu's opinion, what should we do?"

Zhu Yin said, "This is a ship to pay tribute to His Majesty. I might as well issue an order to dispatch a few warships to escort Eunuch Gao's cargo ship by sea. That would save a lot of trouble."

Gao Huai looked smug: "This is good, but won't it affect the war?"

Zhu Yin cursed inwardly, but said aloud, "It's alright. The Japanese pirates have lost their advantage at sea. Sending a few warships won't affect the overall situation."

Gao Huai nodded in satisfaction, "Then thank you, Mr. Zhihu."

Zhu Yin suddenly took out a small purse from his sleeve and stuffed it into Gao Huai's hand. "These are twelve pearls, each about nine-tenths the size of a pearl. Although Eunuch Gao doesn't lack these, they are still a small token of my appreciation."

Gao Huai deftly slipped the small purse into his sleeve and said with a smile, "Mr. Zhihu is a man of refined taste and lofty ideals, loyal to the country and mature beyond his years. I admire him greatly. However, there is a distinction between inside and outside the court, so we cannot get close to each other normally."

"After returning to the capital, I will naturally inform His Majesty of Mr. Zhihu's loyalty. Mr. Zhihu can rest assured and focus on military affairs in Korea."

Zhu Yin cupped his hands and said, "Then I thank you, Master Gao."

After saying this, he indeed wrote a hand order, ordering the transport of the imperial tribute back to the capital, and dispatching three warships to escort the cargo ships back to the country by sea.

When Zhu Yin saw Gao Huai, that damned eunuch, off the ship, his smile vanished without a trace.

"My lord," Kangxi stepped forward and said, "should we inform Huya and have our navy take care of him at sea?"

Zhu Yin shook his head. “No. First, it’s too late. Our navy is mainly based in Jeju Island and Tsushima, which is too far from here. Second, if Gao Huai dies at sea, many people will suspect that we did it. Third, a scoundrel like Gao Huai is not worthy of our risking the deployment of the Jinghai Navy.”

"That eunuch is despicable; one day..."

"Don't worry about him for now," Xu Wei's voice came. "It's a great man to endure this for the time being, my lord. Even General Qi and the others think that my lord should swallow this insult. It's not worth it to break ties with this kind of person now."

"Alas, it's difficult to serve the court. Back then, Minister Hu and Commander Qi were such strong-willed people, but once they offended the eunuchs, they couldn't move an inch. I've seen Minister Hu forced to swallow his anger by the eunuchs many times."

He pointed to Hao Jie, who was crossing the river in a desolate manner not far away, and said, "Hao Jie left Korea because he was defeated in battle. But if our lord offends Gao Huai to death, he will leave Korea even if he is not defeated in battle."

“Not bad.” Feng Menglong also stepped forward. “My lord, swallowing this insult is like a breath on a chessboard.”

"My lord, now that Hao Jie and Gao Huai are gone, the Joseon Shogunate is now in your hands."

Zhu Yin nodded and said, "Pass on my military order to convene a military meeting!"

At a command, amidst the booming of war drums, the generals entered the central military headquarters in Yizhou City to attend the military council convened by the new strategist.

Before the drums summoning the military council had even stopped and before the council had officially begun, a Jinyiwei captain rode into Yizhou City and went straight to the headquarters.

"Report—Urgent military intelligence! The Japanese army's rear force of 100,000 has departed from Hanyang and is heading north! They are expected to reach Uiju in five days!"

P.S.: That's all for today. Thank you, please vote with your monthly tickets, goodnight!

(End of this chapter)