Di Ming

Chapter 383: To retain his title, he demoted himself and left the capital?
Upon hearing this, the King and his ministers of Goryeo were struck as if by a sudden thunderclap, their hair standing on end in terror. Overwhelmed with guilt, they forgot to defend themselves, standing frozen in place.

But Zhu Yin said sternly, "The Ming Dynasty regards Goryeo as its son and cannot bear to watch Goryeo perish and its people be wiped out. That is why, despite the strain on the national treasury, we sent troops to fight the Japanese pirates and allocated grain to provide relief, saving the Eastern Kingdom from its dire straits. Every soldier who died on the battlefield was a man of the Ming Dynasty! Every grain of Ming grain used to save Goryeo was made with the blood and sweat of the Ming Dynasty!"

"All along, it has been the Ming Dynasty that has sheltered you from the wind and rain!"

"Since the start of the war last year, the Ming Dynasty has spent more than three million taels of silver! More than 50,000 elite soldiers have been lost! And more than 100,000 laborers have been conscripted for corvée labor!"

"It was the bloody battle of the Ming soldiers and the sacrifice of the Ming people that saved Goryeo from danger!"

"But your court has embezzled the relief grain from the Ming Dynasty, profiting immensely from the national crisis, causing countless Korean people to starve to death! You have betrayed the great kindness of the Celestial Empire and desecrated justice and integrity. Is this what you call your country's obedience and loyalty?!"

The young strategist's gaze was icy, his still somewhat childish face covered in frost, exuding an imposing aura far beyond his years.

Li Xian and Liu Chenglong were terrified by the reprimand and knelt down in fear, pleading, "Lord Zhu, please calm down! This is truly untrue; someone must have framed us..."

As the ruler of Goryeo, Yi Yeon was absolutely not allowed to kneel before Jo In according to the rules. However, at this moment, he was so frightened that he lost his composure and his legs went weak, causing him to kneel down.

Zhu Yin frowned and shouted, "Your Highness, why are you doing this! How dare you kneel before me? Kangxi, quickly help His Highness up!"

Kangxi and his entourage immediately stepped forward and forcibly pulled the King of Goryeo up, all of them glaring angrily at him.

The Ming Dynasty governed the country with strict adherence to etiquette and hierarchy. The King of Goryeo held a position of great prestige, equivalent to a prince, embodying the essence of an emperor while appearing as a vassal king. Except when receiving imperial decrees, he was not allowed to kneel before any Ming Dynasty official.

Just like a prince of the Ming Dynasty, how could he kneel and bow to his ministers?

If the King of Goryeo were to kneel before his sovereign, it would be a serious offense if it reached the Emperor's ears!

Zhu Yin never expected that the King of Goryeo would be so frightened that his knees buckled and he knelt down. Wasn't this just asking for trouble? This man was such a coward and incompetent. It's laughable that he was honored as "King Seonjo" after his death.

"Never mind." Zhu Yin was too lazy to reform the bureaucracy of the Goryeo court. He planned to have Huya deliberately spread the news to make the Goryeo people hate their royal court.

"Your Highness, please rest assured." Zhu Yin's tone softened and became amiable again. "This official has no intention of pursuing the matter. These are all matters that happened during Hao Jie's tenure, and this official has no intention of getting involved in them. However, these grains cannot be allocated to your country as before. The Military Governor's Office can provide direct relief."

"It's not that I don't trust Your Highness, but I don't trust the people under Your Highness's command who handle these matters. They embezzle funds at every level and line their own pockets, which damages Your Highness's reputation."

Zhu Yin practically said outright that King Goryeo was the biggest corrupt official.

In short, he would never send tens of thousands of shi of precious grain to the King of Goryeo.

Li Yin was extremely frustrated, but dared not show it on his face. He could only say dryly, "Yes, yes! Then I thank Lord Zhu for his kindness in providing relief to the people. However, I feel truly bad that Lord Zhu is going to have to work so hard..."

After saying a few meaningless words to save face, the Goryeo king and his ministers, utterly humiliated, got up to take their leave and slunk away in a sorry state.

Zhu Yin personally saw them off at the door, watching their backs as if they were two dogs.

He couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. Goryeo was truly a lucky country. Throughout history, it had faced the threat of extinction many times, yet it always managed to survive. Qin and Han dynasties, the Murong Yan state, the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Liao and Jin dynasties, the Mongol Yuan dynasty, the Ming and Qing dynasties, and even the Japanese Empire—so many powerful nations, yet none of them succeeded in annexing it.

It seems that no matter how things change, Goryeo will always be Goryeo. This ability to adapt to changing circumstances and be both flexible and firm is truly admirable; it's as if they were born to be the subordinate.

If the Ming Dynasty had not provided full national assistance during the Imjin War, Goryeo would have perished and become a subjugated nation of Japan.

After defeating the Japanese pirates, Goryeo was extremely weak, which presented the best opportunity for the Ming Dynasty to annex it. However, the Ming Dynasty not only did not annex it, but also continued to provide assistance to help it recover.

But how did Goryeo repay the Ming Dynasty? As soon as the Ming Dynasty fell, Goryeo began to downplay the Ming Dynasty's efforts to save it and weaken the role of Ming soldiers in resisting the Japanese pirates.

In order to demonstrate their loyalty to the Manchu Qing dynasty, they went to great lengths to erase the benevolence of the Ming dynasty. Later, they even went so far as to smear and slander the Ming dynasty.

Only two years after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, while the Southern Ming Dynasty was still in existence, Goryeo altered the Veritable Records, claiming that in the Imjin War, "the Ming army was defeated because our navy controlled the sea," "our righteous troops raised supplies," "the Ming court almost ruined the overall situation of the eastern expedition," and "the Ming army feared the enemy like a tiger and plundered our grain and fodder," etc.

It's almost as if they're saying that Goryeo won the Imjin War entirely, and that the Ming Dynasty was a useless teammate who only caused trouble.

They even concocted so-called "crimes of 'understanding the truth'" and "crimes of 'thinking about the truth'" to persecute pro-Ming factions on a large scale.

Not long after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Ming-style clothing was banned, and the incongruous "Goryeo national dress" was created.

Emperor Wanli, who had given Goryeo a second life, said before the fall of the Ming Dynasty, "The grace of saving me is immeasurable, even if I were to cut out my heart and bones, it would not be enough to repay even a fraction of it." He also said, "Emperor Shenzong saved me, and my descendants will forever offer blood sacrifices to him."

When the Ming Dynasty fell, it became known as "Emperor Shenzong was incompetent and allowed Japanese envoys to cause disaster," and "Emperor Wanli was weak and made many wrong decisions." There were even rumors that "Emperor Shenzong accepted 500,000 taels of silver from the Japanese."

In Zhu Yin's view, Wanli was indeed incompetent, that much was true. But everyone in the world could say that Wanli was incompetent, except for the Koreans!

This is a heartless ingrate who repays kindness with ingratitude.

"The Goryeo royal court..." Zhu Yin's eyes were deep and unfathomable, "Is it really still necessary for it to exist? How can we tolerate others snoring beside our own bed? At the very least, the three East Asian countries should be unified!"

Thinking of this, Zhu Yin raised his head, his youthful face bearing an indescribable air of vicissitude. He looked up at the sky, his gaze as lofty and profound as the heavens themselves.

Oh, you gold-worshipping emperor, do you know that I'm worrying about the lives of Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang, and Emperor Taizu of Song? If your four branches of the family were truly worthy of respect, why would I be doing this? I long to enjoy peace and prosperity, to live a carefree and glorious life as a wealthy man in the glorious era of the Celestial Empire where Chinese civilization shines throughout the world.

It's a pity, a real pity you guys are so disappointing.

You are the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and the ancestral land is in your hands. But the one who can truly prolong the life of the Ming Dynasty and make it great again is me, not you!
It wasn't you!
……

The Goryeo king and his ministers never dreamed that the young Ming general would actually have the idea of ​​annexing Goryeo.

The spring sunshine in March was warm and inviting, but the Goryeo king and his ministers, walking in the sunlight and in the spring breeze, felt a chill running through their bodies and it took them a long time to catch their breath.

Reaching the center of the square and seeing no one around, Li Yeon finally lost his temper and cursed:
"Zhu Yin, you brat! You've gone too far!" Lee Yeon's face darkened. "You've only won two matches, and you've already become arrogant and conceited! I am the ruler of Goryeo, the monarch of a nation, and Zhu Yin has dared to be so disrespectful!"

"Our Goryeo helped the Ming Dynasty hold off the Japanese pirates, causing our land to be shattered and our people to suffer. What a sacrifice this was! The books of the Japanese chieftains all say that the Japanese sent troops to conquer the Ming Dynasty. Our Goryeo refused to ally with the Japanese pirates to conquer the Ming Dynasty for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, which led to the Japanese invasion. If it weren't for Goryeo, the Japanese pirates would have already invaded the Ming Dynasty. How could the Central Plains be so peaceful? Goryeo's contribution is immense, yet the Ming Dynasty has not shown the slightest gratitude!"

Li Yeon grew angrier and angrier as he spoke, his anger reaching its peak.

Liu Chenglong said, "Your Highness, please calm down. Your Highness is of noble birth, why bother with a sycophantic official like Zhu Yin who has gained power? Besides, he holds military power, and the military effort against the Japanese pirates still depends on him. Your Highness can only endure it for now."

Yi Yeon's expression was grim. "He refuses to return the grain today, and he will not allocate any more grain in the future. Grain is the most precious commodity right now; it is the morale of our Goryeo army and people. Without grain, how can I salvage the situation? Once the people are disappointed and resentful of the royal court, the nation will be in danger."

Before the victory at Uiju, his greatest fear was the Japanese army. But after the victory at Uiju, with the Ming army's offensive as fierce as a tiger and the restoration of Goryeo on the horizon, his greatest fear became his own people.

How did Taejo (Yi Seong-gye) replace the Wang clan of Goryeo and establish the Joseon Dynasty? It was because the Wang clan lost the hearts of the Goryeo people, which gave Taejo the opportunity to control the government and depose King Gongyang.

Without food to clean up the mess, he could very well become the second King Gongrang.

Will his own son, Gwanghaegun, seize the opportunity to usurp the throne?

Strangely enough, Yi Yeon desperately needed grain to win back the people's hearts, yet he took the lead in embezzling grain aid from the Ming Dynasty. As for his and the Goryeo nobles' interception of grain to profit from the national crisis, he subconsciously ignored it.

In his view, being able to allocate half of the grain as relief to the people was enough to prove his benevolent nature as a ruler. What more could he want?
Liu Chenglong said in a low voice, "Your Highness can only endure for now and proceed slowly. Our country is out of food and still needs the Ming Dynasty. Your Highness can submit a memorial to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, mentioning that the people of Goryeo are starving and begging the Emperor for mercy."

"As for that brat Zhu Yin, he's so young yet already overshadows the emperor; how can he possibly have a good end? The higher his prestige, the harder he'll fall. When he's in trouble, Your Highness should petition the emperor, impeach him severely, and accuse him of being arrogant and domineering, forcing the King of Goryeo to kneel, and overstepping the bounds of propriety." The King of Goryeo nodded. "Very well, then I'll watch him gloat. When he stumbles, I'll settle accounts with him."

"Liu Qing, go and see the Imperial Inspector Qian Shizhen in person, and tell him what needs to be said. I refuse to believe that Zhu Yin can still cover up the truth."

"The minister obeys the order!"

After they finished speaking, the two left the empty square and returned to their camp.

……

Not long after the King and his ministers of Goryeo left, Xu Wei arrived.

Xu Wei sat directly opposite Zhu Yin and went straight to the point:
"My lord, it has always been the case that great achievements are not rewarded. Once Goguryeo is recovered, your merits will surely overshadow the emperor. The emperor is already wary of your youth and talent, so your situation will become even more perilous. One wrong move could lead to utter ruin and destruction. I have been thinking of this for you, and we should plan ahead and prepare for the aftermath."

Zhu Yin stood up, looked at a hibiscus flower outside the window, and sighed, “I have devoted myself to the country, worked tirelessly, and risked my life, but in the end, I am unable to protect myself because of the emperor’s suspicion. I have made great contributions to the country, but I have to worry about my life and fortune because of it.”

"In your opinion, how should we handle this situation?"

Xu Wei sighed and stroked his beard, saying, "It's difficult. It's hard to have both. If you want to reclaim the throne of the eldest son's family, you must have achievements and prestige. Otherwise, with the fourth son's family holding the throne for nearly two hundred years and having a solid foundation, how many people in the world will support you? It's clear that the greater your achievements and prestige, the better."

"But the greater the achievements and fame, the more the emperor fears him, and he will always find a pretext to attack the lord. It's truly a dilemma. The lord has already entered the game himself, so he really has no choice."

"My lord, those three words, 'fabricated charges,' are as blood-stained as ink. Since ancient times, when one is determined to condemn someone, there is no shortage of pretexts."

He took a sip of tea. "In my humble opinion, the aftermath can be summed up in eight words: retain the title, demote oneself and leave the capital!"

"Keep the title, demote yourself and leave the capital?" Zhu Yin frowned. "Is that the only way?"

Once he leaves his key position, he loses all power in the court, and things that were easy to do before become very difficult.

Xu Wei gave a wry smile. "In my opinion, this is the best solution. I know that our lord is reluctant to give up his official position. We have come this far with great difficulty, and no one is willing to leave the central government."

"But the current political situation is quite similar to that of Liu Jin during the Zhengde reign. The emperor deliberately favors and indulges eunuchs, Zhang Jing wields power, the secret police are arrogant, the imperial guards are out in force, and wrongful imprisonments are rampant. They often convict people with just three words, and I have heard that many people have died in prison. Everyone inside and outside the court is terrified, and the people in the court and the country are in a state of panic. There is no place in the world where prisons are overgrown with weeds."

"Even the cabinet ministers and the highest officials are helpless right now. This capital is truly a den of dragons and tigers. If you stay in the capital, my lord, you may be imprisoned. The emperor could easily find a crime to arrest you, torture you under torture, and then issue an edict to order your execution. Can you really refuse to obey the summons?"

"My lord would be better off leaving this murky water in the capital, instructing his cronies to impeach him on a minor offense, and then resigning. Demotion or even dismissal is inevitable, but as long as he retains his title and is not stripped of his official rank, even if he is completely stripped of his title, he will have a chance to make a comeback. As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn."

"To put it bluntly, it means that before the emperor and his political enemies can make a move, the lord will make a move against himself first."

"My lord needs more achievements and prestige. The better the war in Korea goes, the greater the achievements and prestige will be. When he then demotes himself and leaves the capital, he will gain sympathy from the court and the public. Although he loses his official position and retires gracefully, he gains more prestige. It can be said that he lost one thing but gained another."

After Xu Wei finished speaking, he didn't continue, giving Zhu Yin time to think.

Zhu Yin tapped the tiger tooth fossil in his hand on the table, his expression grim, and said, "What kind of mess is this? To perform a great service only to be sullied and belittled. But considering what you've said, sir, I don't have a better solution. Shall we do it this way?"

Xu Wei nodded, “Taking a step back opens up a vast expanse. My lord is able to bend and stretch, endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens, truly a great man. Justice resides in the hearts of the people, and one day, the world will know that it is the emperor who is harsh and ungrateful and has wronged my lord, not my lord who has wronged the emperor.”

"However, my lord need not immediately demote himself and leave the capital after returning to the capital, as that would seem too deliberate. The emperor will not take action against my lord immediately after his triumphant return to the capital. It would be more reasonable to find a pretext to attack him after the great achievement of the restoration of Korea has faded. It would probably take at least a year and a half."

"In the next year or two, in order to avoid being accused of not rewarding merit, the emperor will likely promote the lord to a higher rank and title, possibly even making him a duke or one of the Nine Ministers. In other words... to take something, you must first give something."

"My lord, just wait three to five months. After serving as one of the Nine Ministers for a few months, you can use your reputation as one of the Nine Ministers to resign and leave the capital to avoid disaster..."

Zhu Yin readily agreed, saying, "Excellent! Your words are like bitter medicine, and I wholeheartedly agree. We will do as you suggest."

Xu Wei laughed and said, "My lord has three strategies for reclaiming the throne: superior, middle, and inferior. The timing for any of these strategies is not yet ripe. What harm is there in enduring it for a few more years? However, in my opinion, simply reclaiming the throne is not enough. If some things are not done, they will all be in vain in the end. Even if one becomes emperor, he will be a ruler of a fallen country."

Zhu Yin personally poured Xu Wei a cup of tea, "What are you referring to, sir?"

"The fate of the nation!" Xu Wei held up two fingers. "If the fate of the Ming Dynasty cannot be saved, even if Your Majesty reclaims the throne of the eldest son, you may still be a ruler who brings about the downfall of the nation. In that case, the Ming Dynasty's more than two hundred years of existence will begin with the eldest son losing the throne and end with the eldest son losing the country. Then your reputation in future historical records will be even worse than that of the fourth son. Your Majesty must be cautious and careful."

"I have something to say from the bottom of my heart, my lord. If you cannot save the Ming Dynasty, you should not reclaim the throne, so as not to leave a bad name for future generations and take the blame for others."

Zhu Yin understood, and couldn't help but look at Xu Wei with even greater respect. He smiled meaningfully, "How do you view the words 'national destiny'? Please try to interpret them."

Xu Wei's smile was somewhat enigmatic. "My lord, I have pondered for a long time what the fate of the nation truly means. Now, I have finally figured it out."

"Oh?" Zhu Yin immediately became interested. "Sir, you must have some brilliant insights. I am all ears."

"I dare not," Xu Wei said. "In my humble opinion, the true destiny of a nation is neither the mysterious and unpredictable mandate of heaven, nor the will of the people. The so-called destiny of a nation is... constant change, or in short, rapid change!"

"Why did the Zhou Dynasty have such a destiny? Because the Shang Dynasty was a country ruled by divine beings and spirits. The Zhou Dynasty was very different from the Shang Dynasty, so the Zhou Dynasty was a time of renewal. The Qin Dynasty unified the six states, which was also a destiny of the nation. Where did this destiny come from? Shang Yang's reforms. The Han Dynasty's destiny was also a transformation from feudalism to unification, which was equally novel."

"The fate of the Sui and Tang dynasties was to transform the barbarians into Chinese and restore the Han dynasty. They established the Three Departments and Six Ministries, implemented the imperial examination system, and suppressed powerful clans. These were also tremendous changes for the previous dynasty, quite different from the Northern Dynasties. Was this not a novelty?"

"What about the fate of the Song Dynasty? It valued literature over military affairs, respected etiquette and morality, and shared the world with the scholar-officials. This was almost like heaven and earth with the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and it was a new and strange change."

"The Mongol Yuan dynasty transformed the Chinese into barbarians, allowing Mongol nobles to enslave the Han people, who were naturally willing to contribute. This was the fate of the Mongol Yuan dynasty. If the Mongol Yuan dynasty had not transformed the Chinese into barbarians, and the status of the Han people had not changed, would the Mongols still have had the desire to destroy the Song dynasty? The fate of the Mongol Yuan dynasty would have been out of the question. This transformation of the Chinese into barbarians was naturally a novel phenomenon."

"Our Great Ming Emperor Taizu drove out the Tartars, restored China, rebuilt the Han dynasty, and saved the Han people from the hooves of foreign invaders. Was this not a remarkable achievement? It was undoubtedly a groundbreaking change!"

At this point, Xu Wei's tone changed, "Therefore, every dynasty has gained power by taking novelty and difference as its advantage. At first glance, the Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties were just changes of dynasties, but if you think about it carefully, it is not as simple as the emperor changing his surname. Rather, the whole world situation has changed and is very different from the previous dynasty. Difference brings power, and power brings fortune. This is the fate of the nation."

Zhu Yin looked at Xu Wei with some surprise, as if he were watching an old fox from the deep mountains talking eloquently.

Xu Wei actually discerned something so profound, like a divine secret? The novelty he spoke of was nothing more than change, wasn't it? The changes during dynastic transitions are the fate of the nation—amazing!

Xu Wei continued, "Therefore, in any dynasty, if the world becomes old and cannot change, or if it changes for the worse, then its fate is nearing its end. Because it cannot change, there is no innovation. Without innovation, there is no power. Without power, water does not flow, and sand does not gather."

"The Ming Dynasty has been established for over two hundred years, yet it has remained unchanged. The world has grown old, and the concept of innovation is meaningless. Without innovation, there is no power, and how can there be any hope for the nation's destiny? Therefore, a major event is bound to occur within the next few decades."

"If the Ming Dynasty does not actively seek novelty, then Heaven will bestow novelty upon it. If the Ming Dynasty actively seeks novelty, there is still hope for regaining its national fortune. But if Heaven bestows novelty upon it, then it will be the time for a change of dynasty!"

"Knowing how to innovate and be different can save the fate of the Ming Dynasty, which is why it is worth the risk for our lord to reclaim the throne."

Zhu Yin said, "Then, what will be the implications of the word 'new and different' in the next few decades?"

Xu Wei answered without hesitation: "In the coming decades, the newness and difference of these new and different things should, in my opinion, be the newness of the national system, the newness of the doctrines, the newness of the tools, the newness of the education, and the newness of the military!"

"I have combined these five new elements into the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The Ming Dynasty is associated with the element of fire, and its new national system is fire. Speculation is like water, and its new doctrines are water. Most of the artifacts are made of wood, and the new artifacts are wood. Education is like fertile soil, and virtue carries all things, so the new education is earth. Weapons belong to the element of metal, and the new military affairs are metal."

After hearing Xu Wei's words, Zhu Yin couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh, "Sir, your words are thunderous and thought-provoking, like a wake-up call. You are truly my Zhang Liang!"

P.S.: The talk about national destiny is just something mentioned in the novel. Readers who disagree don't need to take it too seriously. Thanks, goodnight, and please vote! Tomorrow is another day of killing Japanese invaders! Do you think the little tiger has any better ways to protect itself?

(End of this chapter)