How many years would it take? Ah Tao blinked and ignored the bad guy who had bargained with her about her wages.

Yingzi stared at a sachet containing an amulet on the shelf in a trance. It was so beautifully woven. She wondered which girl came from to have such skillful hands.

You should buy one, and then ask for a peace amulet and give it to him.

I just don't know if as an employee, can you give me a discount? Looking at the boss who picked up the abacus again, Yingzi hesitated.

Whether employees can enjoy internal preferential prices is a concern of a rural woman.

At this time, Zhu Youxiao had just received an urgent secret report from Mao Wenlong and Gou Zhenhuai, reporting the news of a coup d'état in Korea.

Although Mao Wenlong and Gou Zhenhuai were not sure about the inclinations of the newly enthroned King of Korea, they did not even fully understand the details of the coup.

But the two of them expressed the same meaning, which was to use whether the King of Korea was "collaborating with slaves" as the basis and standard for action.

Zhu Youxiao also agreed with this and understood the concerns of Mao and Gou.

Because, according to feudal ethics and righteousness, Li Zong's coup was indeed a usurpation of the throne and treason by "using a minister to usurp the throne and using a nephew to depose an uncle."

Gwanghaegun Yi Hun was the legitimate king enthroned by the Ming court. Even if Yi Hun was guilty, the correct procedure was for the Queen Mother to report to the Ming court first, and then the Ming court would decide whether to depose or enthrone him.

Li Zong replaced Li Hun without the permission of the Ming Dynasty, which was tantamount to challenging the authority of the Ming Dynasty.

If the Jiannu rebels had not rebelled, Zhu Youxiao could have "exposed the crime and launched a campaign of punishment to bolster the royal authority" to demonstrate the authority of the suzerain state.

However, the pacification of Liaodong has entered a critical period, and North Korea is a key link in the four-way deployment, so we really cannot act so rashly.

You know, although North Korea's military strength is weak and cannot pose a major threat to Jiannu, it is very important for the success of the blockade and siege of Jiannu.

After all, it was a country with millions of people and an agricultural system that Jiannu did not have. Although food was not abundant and the people were very poor, if they really turned to Jiannu, it would still alleviate the Jiannu's plight of material scarcity.

The law of the jungle and pragmatism are the two major diplomatic rules that Zhu Youxiao must adhere to.

Since the situation requires it, if Li Zong is close to Ming Qiunu, then there is nothing wrong in recognizing his throne.

As for the ministers in the court, there were some pedantic ones, but there were also many who were pragmatic and flexible.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youjiao ordered the palace maids to summon Sun Chengzong, Li Qiyuan, Bi Zisu and Tao Langxian to the palace for an audience.

First, say hello to your trusted ministers, or do some persuasion work, so that you can have a response when the news is confirmed.

In Zhu Youxiao's view, this was not a big deal, because historically, Korea had always been pro-Ming until it was forced to surrender after two large-scale invasions by the Later Jin.

The Ming Dynasty also bears an unshirkable responsibility for the conquest of Korea by the Later Jin. As the boss, how can you have the nerve to accuse your subordinates of disloyalty if you can't protect them?

Now that he knew the outcome of the matter, Zhu Youxiao began to think about how to gain greater benefits from this incident.

Zhu Youxiao had always looked down on the weak military strength of North Korea, but improving the equipment and combat effectiveness of the North Korean army was a matter that troubled him.

There are no eternal friends, only eternal interests. If Zhu Youxiao said that he was completely confident in North Korea, it would only mean that he was too generous.

But if we don't help our younger brother, if the Later Jin invades Korea and plunders people and supplies, it will not be easy for the Ming army alone to contain or resist it.

Zhu Youxiao circled the sand table several times, finally focusing on the mountainous area in northern Korea. After thinking for a while, he finally had some rough ideas.

The Joseon army was well-equipped with muskets and had purchased a number of firearms from Japan, but it was weak in terms of the production and quality of gunpowder.

Zhu Youxiao had no ambition for Korea. Since he did not want to annex Korea, he helped Korea train a group of mountain musketeers. He used the terrain that was not favorable to the Jiannu and used guerrilla tactics to attack the invading Jiannu.

As long as the Jiannu could be contained and time bought, the Ming army in western Liaoning, southern Liaoning and Dongjiang could be dispatched to attack the Jiannu in Liaodong, forcing the Jiannu who invaded Korea to retreat without success.

They could even hold their troops in place temporarily, and wait for the Jiannu invaders to penetrate deep into Korea, and then have the Dongjiang Army cut off their retreat, trap them to death, and annihilate them in Korea.

Thinking this way, Zhu Youxiao's thinking became more open. There should be a limit to the improvement of the Korean military power in order to achieve the goal of the Ming army.

For example, helping North Korea equip and train 20,000 people could both contain the Jiannu and prevent them from completely resisting them.

Zhu Youxiao had a plan in mind, so he prepared to submit it to martial arts research and discuss it with Xiong Tingbi and Mao Wenlong.

But no matter what, the blacksmith must be strong himself.

The Dongjiang Army is closest to Korea. Whether Mao Wenlong leads his troops into Korea to "explain the righteousness" or to rescue Korea and intercept the Jiannu in the future, strength is the foundation.

Therefore, strengthening the weapons and equipment of the Dongjiang Army and improving its combat effectiveness are the prerequisites for solving all problems.

When Sun Chengzong and others arrived one after another and were summoned into the palace, Zhu Youxiao told them the news of the Korean coup and gave them a brief time to consider.

Combined with the situation of the Liaodong War, the internal affairs of Korea became somewhat complicated. Sun Chengzong and others were racking their brains to find a good solution.

"Your Majesty," Li Qiyuan said, bowing. "Although there has been some relief in the financial situation this year, it is only barely enough to cover the two major wars between the North and the South."

Li Qiyuan did not express his views directly, but his meaning was very clear: there must be unplanned military actions, such as sending troops into North Korea, but there is no money.

Tao Lang raised his eyebrows and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that if Li Jong is pro-Ming and anti-Nu, and if many people in the country come to him, it would not be a bad idea for the court to recognize his position as the ruler."

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