In Shuntian Prefecture, Zhang Tianshi, who was meditating and recuperating, suddenly opened his eyes and glanced towards the direction of Joseon.
"The war in Joseon has ended. We can redeploy troops to deal with the north."
Joseon's fortune was recovering at an extremely rapid pace, a fact that Zhang Tianshi, even from the Ming capital, could sense. After all, Joseon itself was a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, and their fortunes were interconnected to a certain extent.
And the situation unfolded exactly as Zhang Tianshi had predicted.
Emperor Wanli, standing beside the Celestial Master, felt clouds seemingly flowing from his palm. Upon hearing this, he was greatly surprised.
After a while.
After the message left the Celestial Master's residence, Emperor Wanli proceeded from there to Zuo Shunmen.
During the midday court session, the Emperor summoned civil and military officials to discuss matters in the afternoon.
The civil and military officials, having received the news, dared not delay. They rushed from all directions without stopping. The Forbidden City now hung high in the sky, as if enveloped by the Dharma Realm. Entering the Forbidden City required ascending clouds and riding mist, which allowed many officials to experience the thrill of being "immortal officials."
Prior to this day, Emperor Wanli had not held court for over ten days.
Everyone had assumed that Wanli had reverted to his old ways of being a hands-off ruler. However, with various anomalies appearing in the Great Ming, and even the Forbidden City becoming completely different from its past, these officials understood they were in the midst of a torrent of change. Those who couldn't keep up would be washed away into dust.
The envoy from Joseon was also summoned to the imperial presence immediately. His expression was tense. After performing the proper courtesies, he learned that his country's crisis had been resolved. Initially, he was stunned, and then he actually burst into tears!
"Disrespectful in front of the throne!"
A minister stepped forward to reprimand him. The Joseon envoy quickly explained that he had not returned to his homeland in seven years and, upon hearing that his country's crisis was over, he was overcome with emotion and wept tears of joy. He then knelt and offered words of utmost praise.
"The grace bestowed upon our humble nation by the superior nation is truly one of rebirth! Our humble nation dares not forget the great kindness of the superior nation and will erect a monument to pass down this legacy for all eternity in our humble nation..."
"Long live His Majesty! Long live! Long, long live!"
Emperor Wanli waved his hand, indicating that such pleasantries were not needed.
However, assistance comes at a price!
"Ah? The superior nation is...!"
The Joseon envoy was taken aback. Had the strategic direction of "protecting Joseon is protecting China" changed? Wasn't it said that this war would not require any price? The superior nation protecting the subordinate nation was also for the purpose of defending against Japanese invasions; these were all natural obligations!
"Your humble servant is dull and does not understand His Majesty's intentions! Joseon is currently in ruins. There is truly nothing that can be offered as tribute to the superior nation!"
Emperor Wanli glanced at the grand eunuch by his side. The eunuch bowed and whispered a few words to Emperor Wanli. Emperor Wanli nodded slightly, then looked at the envoy and said:
"The Celestial Dynasty is a great nation, rich in resources. It does not need your meager tribute of precious treasures. The war has lasted for seven years. The Japanese pirates, like bothersome fleas, have not allowed peace to prevail, resulting in widespread suffering and desolation, with no human habitation for a thousand li, and white bones exposed in the fields."
"Therefore, what I, the Great Ming, demand from your country is not treasures, not grain and provisions, not wealth, and certainly not the heads of anyone."
"I demand the right to use your country's land."
Upon hearing this, the Joseon envoy's face turned ashen! With a thud, he knelt on the spot, kowtowing as if pounding garlic.
"Your Majesty, please reconsider, reconsider! Since the founding of our nation, we have emulated the superior nation in all aspects. Our humble nation is like a child, and the superior nation is like a father. Father and son, ruler and minister! For two hundred years, we have never violated the superior nation's directives. How can it be that we are to face such a fate of national destruction!"
The Joseon envoy wept profusely. Emperor Wanli, however, did not become angry. He stopped the officials who were reprimanding the Joseon envoy for his impropriety and then patiently explained:
"You misunderstand. I do not intend to destroy your country."
"In the past, during the Tang Dynasty, there was a gentleman named Li Junqiu who, knowing that Emperor Gaozong of Tang intended to conquer Goryeo, submitted a memorial advising: 'That Goryeo is a small, side-dwelling barbarian, hidden between mountains and seas. To gain its people is insufficient to illuminate the imperial teachings; to abandon its land is insufficient to diminish the imperial might. Why then exhaust the people of China and deplete the treasury? To prevent men from farming and women from weaving! Your Majesty, as a parent, does not show compassion, expending limited resources for useless territory. If Goryeo is destroyed, troops will have to be dispatched to guard it. If too few are dispatched, the military might will be insufficient; if too many are dispatched, the hearts of the people will be unsettled. This will lead to endless troop rotations and the common people will have no means of livelihood! If the common people have no means of livelihood, then the empire will fall!' "
"If the empire falls, how can Your Majesty remain secure? Therefore, your servant believes that it is better not to conquer than to conquer, and better not to destroy than to destroy."
Emperor Wanli recited this passage in its entirety. The officials present were all deeply in agreement. Although the Joseon envoy's expression was grim, facing the imminent crisis of national destruction, he had no choice but to continue kowtowing and speaking:
"The words of the former Tang minister are pearls of wisdom, speaking the truth. Our humble nation is indeed such a barren land. Why should it attract such concern from the superior nation! To the extent that it desires to use our territory, does it intend to re-establish the Andong Protectorate?"
Of course, his words gradually revealed some resentment.
"Presumptuous!"
An official loudly rebuked the Joseon envoy at this moment!
"What do you mean by that statement? How dare you question the current Son of Heaven with such a tone?"
The officials usually enjoyed chiding the emperor, but clearly, there was something important happening now. Even the restless censors remained silent, seemingly unable to find a point to criticize. When Emperor Wanli mentioned taking Joseon's territory, they were immediately ready to unleash a torrent of criticism. Unexpectedly, before they could step forward, Emperor Wanli shifted his topic and quoted a Tang Dynasty memorial to satirize Joseon as a useless territory, making conquest unprofitable.
This left the censors looking at each other, deciding to refrain from criticism for the moment and wait for an opportunity.
Emperor Wanli waved his hand and continued to explain patiently:
"I believe that what the former Tang Dynasty said is indeed true. Your Joseon is of no great use to conquer. Moreover, the founding emperor established fifteen countries not to be conquered, and your Joseon is at the top of that list. It is difficult for me to break the rules proactively..."
"However, if your country's ruler harbors disloyal intentions and commits the crime of deceiving the emperor, then you cannot blame me!"
Emperor Wanli's voice suddenly rose by eight octaves: "Your Joseon is at the top of the fifteen countries not to be conquered, followed by Japan! Now that Japan has attacked you, after seven years of war, the title of 'country not to be conquered' has long been removed!"
The Joseon envoy continued to kowtow, panicked: "Our country's ruler has never harbored rebellious intentions!"
"No rebellious intentions? Now that the war is over, we must settle your country's 'contributions'!"
Emperor Wanli began to enumerate the faults of the Joseon envoy. The first item was the false intelligence provided when initially entering Joseon to save face for the ruler. For example, a city clearly occupied by Japanese forces was claimed to be unoccupied, resulting in ambushes when passing through. Such incidents were countless. The most common was the misrepresentation of troop strength, leading to multiple strategic errors.
Joseon's emphasis on civil affairs and disdain for military matters made it an enhanced version of the Song Dynasty in this regard. This led to various generals being forced to take orders remotely from the fleeing Joseon king, and Joseon soldiers being captured by the Japanese army multiple times, only to defect on the spot and attack Ming troops. Such occurrences were innumerable.
As the Joseon envoy heard these sordid details revealed, he broke out in a cold sweat, cursing inwardly. He thought that the Ming army had also committed many evils in Joseon. Initially, there were instances of killing innocent people to claim merit, as well as Yang Hao's various strategic blunders that turned victories into defeats. Yet, none of these were mentioned now. Only his country's shortcomings were listed, without any self-reflection!
But these thoughts he could only curse inwardly. If he dared to speak them aloud, he knew his head would likely fly off in the next moment.
This was clearly an attempt at bargaining.
He just didn't know the true purpose behind demanding land.
Thus, the Joseon envoy began to wail, bowing his head to the ground and remaining prostrate, proclaiming his innocence!
"Soldier defection is the fault of the generals! Low morale is the fault of the generals! Intelligence failures are also the fault of the generals! What does this have to do with us!"
"Your Majesty, please discern clearly!"
Emperor Wanli: "I have discerned clearly. It indeed has little to do with you. Except for a few who remained in Joseon, most have fled to my feet. These matters naturally have little to do with you, right?"
However, despite such sarcastic remarks, the Joseon envoy's expression remained unchanged, except that two more streaks of snot now ran down his face. Emperor Wanli had no intention of humiliating an envoy from a subordinate nation. He would save his scolding for the king himself. To trouble a minister of a subordinate nation in this manner would, from his position, appear quite unseemly.
Thus, he went straight to the point:
"I have said so much, enumerating most of the mistakes made by your country's ruler, officials, and generals over the past seven years in the entire battle! Every word is true and undeniable."
"You also said that your country is the child and my Great Ming is the father. Father and son, ruler and minister. If a minister deceives the ruler, is this not a grave crime of deceiving the emperor!"
The Joseon envoy dared not breathe too deeply, only continuing to kowtow. He didn't even speak, simply choosing to give up.
He refused to engage.
Emperor Wanli: "It seems you dare not admit it. Naturally, you cannot admit such a grave crime on behalf of your ruler! Therefore, I want you to tell your ruler that Joseon's property, land, grain, and people fundamentally still belong to your country."
"What I want is merely the right to use those lands."
The land is yours, but I also want to use your land, and when I use it, you cannot.
But I am not destroying your country; I am merely doing my own things on your territory.
As for what I intend to do, that is not for you to know! Besides, it has nothing to do with you!
"I will take the land and do as I please, it has nothing to do with you. Your country should focus on restoring its livelihood, farming, studying, and training troops. I will only do my own things and will not inquire about any other matters in your country, how about that?"
"This!"
The Joseon envoy's face was extremely troubled!
"What? Your country's ruler has committed the grave crime of deceiving the emperor, and I merely want the right to use some land, and you still want to argue with me?"
Emperor Wanli narrowed his eyes, his expression displeased.
The Joseon envoy cursed this shamelessness in his heart!
This also counts as a grave crime of deceiving the emperor!
Fine, since the interpretation is in your hands, whatever you say goes!
At this moment, an official from below stepped forward, finally seizing the opportunity, and immediately said:
"Your Majesty, your humble servant believes this matter is inappropriate!"
"How can our Celestial Dynasty covet the land of a subordinate nation? This is akin to self-inflicted humiliation..."
Emperor Wanli waved his hand: "Drag him away, gag him, and we'll discuss it later."
The censor's eyes widened. Before he could react, he was seized by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, his mouth gagged, and then dragged out of the hall. The entire court was in an uproar. How could such disrespectful treatment of a minister be fitting for an emperor?
Immediately, many became enraged and were about to step forward to cause trouble. Emperor Wanli, perhaps lost in thought, then pointed forward:
"Still!"
With this single word, several officials immediately froze in place. This scene greatly astonished the three Grand Secretaries, including other important ministers!
Damn it, the emperor hadn't been attending court for days, hiding in his palace. Now they understood what was going on!
It turned out he had gone to learn magic from the Celestial Master!
In an instant, the censors felt a chill run down their spines! In the past, to prevent the emperor's power from becoming too great, censors were established to impeach and warn him. Now that the emperor had cultivated immortality, a single word could turn a censor into a wooden puppet!
This was truly an era of one-man rule!
"Why are you all panicking? You all seem so terrified."
Emperor Wanli showed a look of surprise, but it was clearly feigned. He taunted the ministers:
"Emperor Zhengde also possessed magical arts, and Emperor Jiajing also possessed magical arts. Why, if Zhengde and Jiajing could cultivate magic, can I not?"
"However, I am not a tyrant. The reason I learned these magical arts is simply to tell you all that sometimes, when discussing important matters, do not interrupt, do not suddenly speak out, as it breaks my train of thought."
"So, please be quiet for a moment. We will discuss any issues slowly after this Joseon envoy departs."
The ministers fell silent. The three Grand Secretaries acted as if they saw nothing, standing at the front like carved wood and sculpted clay, their nostrils only allowing for breathing, their eyes only looking at the sky, and only the wind entering and exiting their ears, hearing nothing of the emperor's verbal sparring with the censors.
Then, Emperor Wanli looked back at the Joseon envoy:
"I do not have time to bicker with you. Give me your reply within two days, whether you agree or not."
The Tatars were raiding the northern borders and were gradually encroaching upon the lands of Liaodong. Emperor Wanli did not have much time for the Joseon envoy to consider. He wanted him to communicate with his king immediately without any delay.
The Joseon envoy looked troubled but dared not object further. He hastily bowed to thank the Emperor for his "benevolence," and was then led away by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Using a communication talisman, he would communicate with the King of Joseon. Emperor Wanli also had a thought flash through his mind: this communication talisman was indeed very useful.
After confiscating the "inheritance" left by his scoundrel brother, the most useful item among them was this kind of talisman. With a Celestial Master present, replicating such talismans was a simple matter. After all, although talismans were miraculous, they had not yet attained immortal status. The foundation of the Celestial Master's Mansion was, in part, talismans. How could they fall behind in the art of talismans?
With the communication talisman, with a single thought, the talisman paper would be ignited, and spiritual light would appear, allowing for real-time and effective communication with people thousands of miles away. This was more important than anything else.